Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 120, No. 299 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
POPE CONFIRMS TRIPS
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
December 13, 2011
TUESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Coalition pushes lawmakers to support jobs bill ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A coalition of elected officials, environmentalists and labor unions urged New Mexico’s congressional leaders on Monday to throw their support behind a federal jobs bill that could mean millions of dollars for water system improvements in the state. The coalition released a report that suggested much-needed investment in water management systems across the country, including those in New
Mexico, could lead to billions of dollars in economic activity and close to 1.9 million jobs over five years. The study predicted that New Mexico could see the creation of anywhere from 300 jobs to more than 11,000, depending on whether funds from the proposed American Jobs Act are shared based on infrastructure needs or a state’s unemployment level. Supporters said the legislation would present an
opportunity for New Mexico — a state humbled this year by exceptional drought and continued water supply pressures — to upgrade its infrastructure while creating jobs and limiting costs for ratepayers. Art de la Cruz, chairman of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, stood in front of the metro area’s sewage treatment plant as he talked about the study. He said the plant, which
processes waste water from more than 500,000 customers, is in dire need of repairs and improvements. The price tag has been estimated at more than $200 million. “There are those who would wish to politicize investing in ourselves,” he said. “It is never a wrong time to do the right thing. It’s the absolute most important time to do this. Our country needs it, our infrastructure needs it.” The water utility has
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Roswell honors veterans... • ‘I’m a bundle of love..’ • ENMU-R graduates 300+ students • Adopt-a-thon in progress • Rockets win City of Champions Classic
INSIDE
AP Photo
In this Sept. 28, 2010 photo, a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent drives along the international border fence near Nogales, Ariz. The Supreme Court agreed Monday, to rule on Arizona's controversial law targeting illegal immigrants.
High court review state immigration laws
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The losses kept mounting, the tension kept growing and ultimately Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli decided the status quo was no longer good enough. It was time to part... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Clovis Archuleta • Wynon Miller • Thomas Parham - PAGE B6
HIGH ...68˚ LOW ....42˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B7 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
See BILL, Page A6
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
TOP 5
CHIEFS, DOLPHINS FIRE COACHES
This fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an administrative order against the city of Albuquerque for alleged storm water permit
Fire Chief Salas retiring
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI plans to travel to Cuba and Mexico before Easter next year, saying he hopes his visit will strengthen the faith and encourage Catholics there to seek justice and hope. Benedict confirmed his travel plans Monday during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica honoring Mexico’s... - PAGE B6
SPORTS
come under fire twice this year for violating provisions of the Clean Water Act, spurring concerns by environmentalists that failure to correct the problems could ultimately affect the Rio Grande.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to rule on Arizona’s controversial law targeting illegal immigrants, setting the stage for an election-year decision on an issue that is already shaping presidential politics. The justices said they will review a federal appeals court ruling that blocked several
tough provisions in the Arizona law. One of those requires that police, while enforcing other laws, question a person’s immigration status if officers suspect he is in the country illegally. The Obama administration challenged the Arizona law by arguing that regulating immigration is the job of the federal government, not states. Similar
Two men arrested after drive-by shooting
Two men were arrested after a drive-by shooting on Saturday night. Roswell Police officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 1200 block of West Hobbs Street. The officer observed two male subjects in a vehicle and became suspicious when it appeared the men were trying to elude him. The suspects were stopped at the corner of Deming Street and Union Avenue, only a few blocks away from the incident. A vehicle search was completed, and they were subsequently arrested. According to Roswell Police Department spokesman Officer Travis Holley, the time that elapsed from the incident to arrest was 15 minutes. Daniel Conales, 19, 706 N. Lea Ave., and Angelo Thompson, 22, 308 E. Onyx St. were charged with shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
laws in Alabama, South Carolina and Utah also are facing administration lawsuits. Private groups are suing over immigration measures adopted in Georgia and Indiana. The court now has three politically charged cases on its See LAWS, Page A6
Roswell Fire Chief James Salas will be retiring after 20 years of service with the Roswell Fire Department. Salas’ retirement will be effective Dec. 30. Salas became chief in April 2008. Prior to his r ole as chief, Salas served as deputy fire chief for more than a year. Feeling his career has come to a close in Roswell, Salas said he plans to leave the city to seek other ventures. A lifelong resident of the city, Salas attended Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, and has held every position in the RFD from firefighter to chief. While he doesn’t believe he will work for another fire department, Salas said he plans to pursue firerelated work. “It’s all I ever wanted to do. I enjoy doing what I do,” he said. Beginning as a volunteer firefighter in Dexter, Salas’ career working for fire departments spans 26 years. Twenty of those years were spent working in Roswell. Salas said he bears countless memories of his time with the RFD. “I’ve had lots of good times. I’ve seen a lot of good things and bad things over the years. That’s been part of the job,” he said. The camaraderie amongst the RFD workers is what Salas will miss the most. “We get to know each other very well. We spend mor e time together here than we do with our families [given our shift work],” he said. Salas said he will also miss
Local resident to appear on Discovery Channel ‘Dirty Jobs’
A Roswell resident will appear on the in-depth Discovery Channel show, ‘Dirty Jobs,’ this evening.
Shawn Denny, southeast area fishery manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, will appear on the first episode of the show’s seventh season.
For his 155th episode, host Mike Rowe traveled to New Mexico to work as a fish squeezer with the
agency. Denny said the term, ‘fish squeezer’ is a slang used to describe those who work at a fish hatchery. The workers physically squeeze the sper m and egg out of a fish. The number of eggs per liter are then measured.
Rowe follows the agency as it catches walleye, a freshwater fish, out of Santa Rosa Lake, and harvests its sperm and eggs.
See SALAS, Page A6
Denny expressed his excitement in appearing on the show. “I want the department to get some exposure and people to see where their license dollars go,” he said. A portion of the sales of fishing and hunting licenses goes towards funding the agency, according to Denny. In Roswell, the episode will air on the Discovery Channel at 7 p.m.
You’re greedy: Romney, Gingrich tussle before Iowa
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Trading accusations of greed, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich challenged each other Monday to retur n millions made in private business as the race for the GOP presidential nomination tur ned increasingly acerbic and personal at the start of a three-week sprint to the Iowa caucuses. Far from Iowa, the two men campaigned miles apart from each other in next-up New Hampshire, where Romney has long dominated in polls but where Gingrich is aggressively working to make inroads. Romney called on Gin-
grich to return the estimated $1.6 million he received for providing strategic advice to Freddie Mac, the quasi-government agency that guarantees home mortgages. Gingrich has said he acted as a historian, not a lobbyist.
“That would make him the highest paid historian in history,” Romney told Fox News Channel during an interview from the Chez Vachon diner, a regular New Hampshire stop for presidential candidates. He suggested that Gingrich was an ultimate insider who leveraged his position as a former House speaker to line his pockets when he left office. Said Romney:
“One of the things that I think people recognize in Washington is that people go there to serve the people and then they stay there to serve themselves.” Gingrich, campaigning in nearby Londonderry, countered quickly, saying that Romney should give back the millions he made working at Bain Capital, a venture capital firm that sometimes laid people off as part of its efforts to make businesses more efficient. “If Gover nor Romney would give back all the money he’s ear ned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees See ROMNEY, Page A6
AP Photo
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign stop with mill workers at the Madison Lumber Mill, Monday, in Madison, N.H.