Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 120, No. 267 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m., Sunday. Be sure to set all your timepieces back an hour. DST will return March 11, 2012. - PAGE A5
November 5, 2011
Solis returns to RPD after state service JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
FALL BACK
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Gov. Susana Martinez announced Friday that she has appointed Gregg Marcantel as secretary of the New Mexico Corrections Department. Previously, Marcantel served as deputy secretary for the Department of Public Safety and also served as the acting deputy secretary for the Corrections Department for the past nine weeks. Marcantel, who joined the Martinez administration in June, has had a distinguished career as a law
‘Take that!’
SATURDAY
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enforcement officer with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, the Bernalillo Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Justice. Martinez said, “.... the department faces a real urgency to get its own house in order. As a law enforcement officer and as acting deputy secretary during the department’s transition phase, Mr. Marcantel has demonstrated the leadership and resolve. ... I am confident that he is the right choice to head the department on a long-term basis.” Martinez also recognized
Roswell Police Chief and former United States Marshal Al Solis for his service as the department’s acting secretary during its transition period. “I’m grateful to Chief Solis for the valuable role he played in facilitating the transition to a new leadership team at the Corrections Department. Chief Solis is a tireless public servant and generously took the time to help move the department forward over the last two months. His hard work is appreciated.” Mayor Del Jurney said that he was pleased to have
the chief return to Roswell. “We got a call from the governor who thanked us for letting the chief come up and serve the state. She said how much she appreciated the work he did. The governor complimented Al Solis, saying what a good job he had done during the last two months.” Jurney also praised Brad McFadin, the acting chief, and the entire Roswell Police Department for its work during Solis’ absence. Roswell City Administrator Larry Fry concurred. “I
G-20 nixes extra help
See SOLIS, Page A2
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Accident with injuries • Judge dismisses rape case; victim’s mother... • Chewning Footwear closing • Felon in possession gets 22 years • RHS girls finish successful season
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
John Lewis, 13, teaches a group of children and their moms the art of tae kwon do Friday morning at Cielo Grande. Lewis, striving for his black belt, has to perform 200 hours demonstrating leadership skills, to obtain his belt.
BULLDOGS MAUL COYOTES
Roswell football coach Robert Arreola said that to beat Artesia the Coyotes would have to limit the big plays by the Bulldog offense and take care of the ball. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, neither of those things happened and they fell to Artesia 59-7 on Friday night at the Wool Bowl. Artesia piled up 373 yards of offense and scored 32 points in the first half alone en route to the mercy-rule victory. Arreola said that it was an ugly game for his team. “It was just an ugly game,” he said. “Overall, it was ugly on everyones part. It is hard to figure out. I guess that everything that could go bad, did go bad tonight.” - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Travis Watkins • Lilly Margaret Pineda - PAGE A3
HIGH ...72˚ LOW ....40˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
Courtesy Photo
Al Solis
CANNES, France (AP) — The G20 summit ended in disarray Friday without additional outside money to ease Europe’s debt crisis and new jitters about Italy clouding a plan to prevent Greece from defaulting. In Athens, meanwhile, Greece’s prime minister survived a confidence vote in parliament, calming a revolt in his Socialist party with a pledge to seek an interim government that would secure a vital new European debt deal. In the end, only vague offers to increase the firepower of the International Monetary Fund — at some later date — were all the eurozone leaders were able to take home after two days of tumultuous talks. With their own finances already stretched from bailing out Greece, Ireland and Portugal — and the United States and other allies wrestling with their own problems — eurozone countries had been
Holloman, Cannon Vets Day gala at GHS, 11/10 to cut civilian jobs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE (AP) — Holloman Air Force Base is slated to lose 57 positions and Cannon will lose 49 jobs after the U.S. Air Force announced it would cut around 9,000 civilian positions nationwide. Col. David Krumm, 49th Wing commander, said Thursday that Holloman, located outside of Alamogordo, is looking at “placement alternatives” and is working to reassign workers. “We are engaging as a wing to take every opportunity to reassign these positions at Holloman,” he said. Col. Buck Elton, 27th Special Operations Wing commander, said 18 of the 49 eliminated positions at Cannon, located outside of Clovis, are vacant. “The civilian workforce is an integral part of our Air Force’s capabilities, and we
cannot do our nation’s most important business without you,” Col. Elton said in an address to around 300 civilian employees. Air Force officials said they will seek “all voluntary separation options” at all bases before turning to layoffs. Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque also is scheduled to lose 82 positions during the last round of cuts. Tom Berardinelli, director of staf f of the 377th Air Base Wing, said some of Kirtland’s cuts will come from open positions currently not filled and others will have to come from early retirements, buyouts and possibly layoffs. The announcement comes as the Air Force seeks to control costs and
VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
The freedom Americans have to attend school may not always be clear to teenagers, but two history teachers at Goddard High School are bringing this lesson to life to all students at the school. The school’s fifth annual Veterans Day celebration will take place Thursday. It is set to include refreshments, live performances, a video tribute and of course, veterans. There is an open call to all veterans to wear their uniforms, if possible, and bring their families to enjoy the free event. “The more uniforms we have, the better,” said Robert Fancher, an AP United States history teacher at Goddard, who helped organize the event. Veterans should arrive shortly before 9 a.m.
When they arrive at Goddard High’s door, they will be greeted by two rows of students. Known as the “hall of honor,” these students will meet and greet the vets and guide them to the school’s little theater. The school’s parking lot will be intentionally emptied, Fancher said, to allow plenty of room for the veterans and their families. Around 9:30 a.m., veterans and their guests will be guided to the gym for a special assembly. As they enter, they can expect cheers and applause from the student body and staff. “It’s very impressive for the veterans,” said Fancher. “This is our community, our school, thanking them.” Fancher said there are several reasons for having the ceremony.
See G-20, Page A2
“First and foremost, it’s showing the students who the veterans are,” he said. “It’s to educate the kids. … (the veterans) are men and women; young and old.” The assembly will include solo performances by professional singers, performances by the Stargazers — Goddard High’s choir — and a special tribute video created by students and staff. One veteran from every recent major military conflict will receive a special honor, Fancher said. The list of conflicts goes as far back as World War I. Although the veteran is no longer living, his widow will accept the honor in his name. Other conflicts from which one veteran has been chosen to receive the special See GHS, Page A2
Elouise Ortega: Adults need to get involved in their kids’ lives See JOBS, Page A2
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Julia Bergman Photo
Elouise Ortega, president of the Sunrise Optimist Club
A longtime advocate and volunteer for children in the community, Roswell native Elouise Ortega said she has a loving instinct for youth. Ortega has lived in Roswell her entire life and has volunteered for a range of organizations in the community such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern New Mexico. She’s also served as director of the Roswell Boys & Girls Club, and is a former employee of the Roswell Job Corps. Stressing the importance
of helping to provide an optimistic future for adolescents, Ortega said, “I think if more adults would get involved in the lives of kids, things would be more positive for them.” A graduate of Roswell High School, Ortega later earned an Associate of Arts from Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. She says she plans to return to the college in the spring to complete her bachelor’s degree in education.
On Oct. 1, Ortega became president of the Sunrise Optimist Club, which conducts numerous projects to aid the youth in the community. These projects include working directly with local schools to enhance education, conducting substance abuse prevention programs and tutoring and mentoring young people. The club also gives two $500 scholarSee SPOTLIGHT, Page A2