Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 279 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
November 20, 2014
Obama to announce immigration action today
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a broad test of his executive powers, President Barack Obama declared Wednesday he will sidestep Congress and order his own federal action on immigration — in measures that could spare from deportation as many as 5 million people illegally in the U.S. and set up one of the most pitched partisan confrontations of his presidency.
Obama declared that Washington has allowed
America’s immigration problem “to fester for too long.”
The president will use a 6 p.m. address today to announce his measures and will sign the executive actions during a rally in Las Vegas on Friday. In doing so, Obama will be taking an aggressive stand that he had once insisted was beyond his presidential power. As many as 5 million people in the country illegally are likely to be pro-
THURSDAY
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tected from deportation and made eligible for work per mits under the plan. They would not have a path to citizenship, however, and the actions could be reversed by a new president in two years. Officials said the eligible immigrants would not be entitled to federal benefits — including health care tax credits — under Obama’s plan.
The 5 million estimate includes extending deportation protections to par-
ents and spouses of U.S. citizens and per manent residents who have been in the country for five years. The president also is likely to expand his 2-year -old program that protects young immigrants from deportation. The administration had considered extending the executive action to parents of young immigrants covered under the 2012 Obama directive, but immigration advocates said they did not expect the parents to be included
in the final plan.
“What I’m going to be laying out is the things that I can do with my lawful authority as president to make the system better, even as I continue to work with Congress and encourage them to get a bipartisan, comprehensive bill that can solve the entire problem,” Obama said in a video on Facebook.
Laying the groundwork for his actions, Obama invited 18 Democratic members of the House and
Program to pay supplements to early childhood educators in state STAFF REPORT
Church hosts an early Thanksgiving residents and shut-ins. Around 400 of the meals were Country Club Road Church of served at the church hall, while the Christ on Wednesday prepared more other 100 meals were delivered. than 500 meals for nursing home More than 200 volunteers worked
PHOTOS BY MAX SCALLY
since Tuesday to prepare for the event. The church has been serving Thanksgiving dinner to the community for more than 30 years.
Doug Austin is the minister and his wife, Nici, was in charge of planning the dinner.
Senate — but no Republicans — to dinner at the White House on Wednesday. Among the networks airing his Thursday speech will be Univision, which will interrupt the Latin Grammys to carry his remarks, assuring him a huge Spanish-speaking audience. The major broadcast networks — ABC, CBS and NBC — were not planning to air the speech, but cable news networks were.
Early childhood educators in Roswell and Chaves County may be eligible for education-based pay stipends of up to $5,000 through a new program. “This year is the first year the INCENTIVE$ program has been extended to the whole state and we are really working to get the word out to areas outside of central New Mexico so qualified early educators in childcare know about the
opportunity to receive the supplement,” said Sommer Smith, media specialist with the New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children. “The application for next year closes on Nov. 30 so we are hoping to get the word out about the open application throughout the state.”
“INCENTIVE$ is an education-based pay supplement program for low-paid early educators in child-
Project to show Native American link to Route 66 ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Greasy diners, big-finned Cadillacs, mom-and-pop souvenir shops, dusty trading posts and the promise of the West were undoubtedly part of the recipe that made historic Route 66 — America’s Mother Road — famous. The lesser known story is that of the more than two
See INCENTIVES, Page A3
dozen American Indian tribes scattered along the 2,400-mile byway, which stretched from Chicago to California.
Tribes are now teaming up with a tourism group and the National Park Service to tell a new story for Route 66 travelers, one
Kiwanis plan 65th GOP group honors 36 local veterans annual All Civic Club Luncheon
See ROUTE 66, Page A3
BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Members of various civic groups and charitable organizations will gather on Dec. 2 for the 65th annual All Civic Club Luncheon. The annual event, sponsored by the Roswell Kiwanis Club, brings together the city’s groups for a day of fellowship and networking, and this year’s luncheon will be held at the Roswell Convention & Civic Center and feature guest speaker Col. David West from New Mexico Military Institute. “The Kiwanis Club of Roswell has been honored to host the All Civics Club luncheon for the last 65 years,” said Ed David, past president of the Kiwanis Club. “It is the one opportunity each year that all of the civics clubs in Roswell can
showcase how they have served the city of Roswell during the past year,” said David, who also serves on the All Civic Club luncheon committee. Approximately 250 people will attend this year’s All Civics Club luncheon at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center, David said. “The amount of service to our city provided by our local Civic Clubs is staggering in its scope and dimension, from providing eyeglasses to needy children to stuf fing Christmas care packages for U.S. servicemen and everything in between, civic clubs are there year in and year out,” said Abel Esquibel, Kiwanis club president. “This venue provides the opportunity to acknowledge the service projects completed in the past year by See LUNCHEON, Page A3
HIGH 66 LOW 27
TODAY’S FORECAST
Dozens of veterans from all military branches were honored Wednesday at the monthly meeting of the Chaves County Republican Women. The 36 honored veterans included 90-year -old Woody L. Spencer of Roswell, who was the center of attention of many of the veterans. Spencer is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War II, having served four years in the Pacific Theatre fighting Japanese forces. “You bet I feel honored,” Spencer said Wednesday. “I don’t get around very fast anymore.” Spencer told the Daily Record the toughest fighting he saw was at the Second Battle of Guam in 1944. Japanese artillery sank 20 Landing Vehicles Tracked and inflicted heavy casualties on the Marines trying to re-take the island from the Japanese. “I’ll never forget that,” Spencer said. Spencer said as he and his fellow Marines approached the shores of Guam, the water depth was 14 feet along the sides of his LVT, leaving no other place to go except into the reefs, cliffs and heavy surf that sur-
• FRANK LEE LITTLE SR. • ROBERT LEE MASON • ROBERTO H. CARREON
Jeff Tucker Photo
World War II veteran Woody L. Spencer of Roswell shares a hug with Miss New Mexico Jessica Burson as the Chaves County Republican Women honored dozens of local veterans at the GOP group's monthly luncheon Wednesday. Also pictured is Spencer's daughter, Judy Pittman.
round the U.S. territory. “But anyway, I made it alright,” said Spencer, the oldest of five siblings from Clarendon, Texas, who joined the Marine Corps at the age of 17, following the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Miss New Mexico Jessica Burson presented each of the veterans a
• VIRGINIA DELL ALBRITTON • PATSY PILLEY • ALLEN KEITH (BILL) TRAMMELL
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4
scroll containing a poem written by Joanna Fuchs.
“The Best on Earth: A Veteran’s Day Tribute” poems, provided by the GOP club, states that veterans should be our celebrities. See VETERANS, Page A3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8