Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 257 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
PANETTA MEETS THE PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military did not quickly intervene during the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya last month because military leaders did not have adequate intelligence information and felt they should not put American forces at risk, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday. - PAGE A9
October 26, 2012
Will Romney break Mourdock ties?
FRIDAY
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CINCINNATI (AP) — President Barack Obama, seeking to shore up support among women, intensified his pressure Thursday on Mitt Romney to break any ties with a Republican Senate candidate who said that if a woman becomes pregnant from rape it is “something God intended.” Romney ignored the emotional social issue, holding to an optimistic campaign tone as he fought for victory in crucial Ohio. Obama, wrapping up a 40-hour battleground state blitz, also headed to his hometown of Chicago and cast his ballot 12 days
before Election Day. The stopover was more than a photo opportunity — it was a high-profile attempt to boost turnout in early voting, a centerpiece of Obama’s strategy.
The 2012 presidential contest was expected to cross the $2 billion fundraising mark Thursday, putting the election on track to be the costliest in history. It’s being fueled by a campaign finance system vastly altered by the proliferation of “super” political action committees that are bankrolling TV ads in closely contested states. Back on the campaign
Head Start on Halloween
trail, the president made repeated, though indirect, references to Indiana Republican Richard Mourdock’s controversial comment on rape and pregnancy.
“We’ve seen again this week, I don’t think any male politicians should be making health care decisions for women,” Obama told a crowd of about 15,000 on an unseasonably warm fall day in Richmond, Va. The president’s aides pressed further, using a web video to highlight Romney’s endorsement of MourSee OBAMA, Page A3
AP Photo
President Barack Obama greets a small crowd of supporters after arriving at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Thursday, with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
$2B and counting
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 2012 presidential campaign was expected Thursday to pass the $2 billion mark in fundraising, according to accounting statements submitted to the gover nment, thanks to an outpouring of cash from both ordinary citizens and the wealthiest Americans hoping to influence the selection of the country’s next leader.
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Character Counts! taps Stone, Torrez ... • Crime Stoppers back on track • Superfund treatment facility complete • Job Corps Makes A Difference • Broncos beat Plainsmen
The eye-popping figure puts this election on track to be the costliest in history, fueled by a campaign finance system vastly altered by the proliferation of “super” political committees that are bankrolling a barrage of TV ads in battleground states.
INSIDE SPORTS
lluvia Peralta decorates her pumpkin during an open house at Roswell Head Start, Thursday evening
Super Celebration recognizes student artists, poets, essayists COMMISH TO RETIRE
NEW YORK (AP) — NBA Commissioner David Stern will retire on Feb. 1, 2014, 30 years after he took charge of the league. He will be replaced by Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. The announcement came at an NBA Board of Governors meeting Thursday. Stern told owners during their two days of meetings of his plans, and the board ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Lois Clark-Tandy • Fred Olivares • Tomas F. Otero • Darwin B. Gordon • Joseph Carrillo - PAGE A8
HIGH ...56˚ LOW ....35˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............A7 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B3 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10
INDEX
Mark Wilson Photo
President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney had brought in more than $1.5 billion
Cranes are here
See FUNDS, Page A3
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF REPORTER
The Chaves County Character Counts! program recognized winners of a student art, poetry and essay contest Thursday during the annual Super Celebration at Roswell High School. Character Counts! teaches the importance of character, which include six pillars: trustworthiness, caring, responsibiliSee SUPER, Page A2
Mark Wilson Photo
Ilissa Gilmore Photo
NMMI cadet Joshua Pinon reads from his essay during Chaves County’s Character Counts! Super Celebration, Thursday night.
Forecasters warn East Coast about monster ‘Frankenstorm’ WASHINGTON (AP) — All the spare parts appear to be coming together to create what forecasters are calling “Frankenstorm,” a monster combination of high wind, heavy rain, extreme tides and maybe snow that could cause havoc along the East Coast just before Halloween next week.
Hurricane Sandy, having blown through Haiti and Cuba on Thursday, continues to barrel north. A wintry storm is chugging across from the West. And frigid air is streaming south from Canada.
And if they meet Tuesday mor ning around New York or New Jersey, as forecasters predict, they could create a big wet mess that settles over the nation’s most
heavily populated corridor and reaches as far inland as Ohio. With experts expecting at least $1 billion in damage, the people who will have to clean it up aren’t waiting. Utilities are lining up out-of-state work crews and canceling employees’ days off to deal with the power outages. From county disaster chiefs to the federal government, emergency officials are warning the public to be prepared. And President Barack Obama was briefed aboard Air Force One. “It’s looking like a very serious storm that could be historic,” said Jef f Masters, meteorology director of the forecasting service Weather See STORM, Page A3
Sandhill cranes are active at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Thursday afternoon. The refuge estimates that there are approximately 30,000 cranes that have migrated to the area so far.
Historical Foundation honors Morgan Nelson
Jessica Palmer Photo
Morgan Nelson
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Morgan Nelson was named an Honorary Member of the Historical Foundation of Southeast New Mexico. The Foundation hosted a reception for Nelson and friends, Heidi and Fred Nolan, Thursday afternoon. More than 60 people attended the informal gath-
ering. “There will be no formal announcement at the reception. This is just for fun,” said Bonnie Montgomery of HFSNM. The guest list read like a Who’s Who of Roswell. In attendance were Sen. Tim Jennings, Dr. John R. Madden of ENMU-R, local historian Elvis Fleming, Roger Burnett of the Historical Society, former city councilor Judy Stubbs, Diane Taylor of the Every 15 Minutes program, Steve Wolfe of Crime Stoppers, Steve Smith, resident bird enthusiast and one-time owner of Century 21 and Richard Lucero, former Historical Society board member. Nelson is a longtime resident of Chaves County. He and his father promoted the cotton industry in southeast New Mexico. Nelson almost literally wrote the book on water conservation and development. Son of Fred and Florace Nelson, Morgan graduated from New Mexico State Uni-
versity in 1941. He served in the Air Force during World War II while the family far m in East Grand Plains housed Ger man prisoners of war. Nelson was elected to the New Mexico State Legislature in 1949, where he served six consecutive ter ms. He sponsored the bill establishing the state’s Board of Educational Finance, served on the Wester n Interstate Commission for Higher Education and chaired the New Mexico Savings and Loan’s board of directors until 1976. In addition, he served on the boards of Easter n New Mexico University-Roswell Campus Foundation, Cotton Inc., and the Chaves County Historical Society. In 2010, Nelson received the Arthur McQuiddy Outstanding Service Award at the 29th annual Historical Society Heritage Dinner awards. j.palmer@rdrnews.com