Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Heri Za Kwanzaa, Happy Winter-Solstice. It doesn’t matter what Winter Holiday you celebrate! The Winter Holidays are about Family and Togetherness. Stay safe and stay warm.
Roswell Daily Record
Happy Holidays From:
Roswell Daily Record Voice of the Pecos Valley
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 309 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
December 25, 2014
THURSDAY
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Special Services teaches autistic students more than just job skills (Editor’s Note: This is the third installment on a series on education and autism.)
and those students learn important communication and socialization skills in the occupational training program.
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR The Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Special Services Occupational Training Program teaches students with autism a variety of skills, from how to make a bed to vocational
training. Students with autism make up a a handful of the students enrolled in the Special Services Program,
“Change is one thing that can be challenging to students with autism,” said Leah Lucier, deputy director of the program. “So I like to make sure their schedule changes from semester to semester. Change is a part of life.”
Zoo celebrates holidays, too
Max Scally Photos cage full of happy bobcats.
Above: Here’s a tough question. What would you give a bobcat for a holiday present? Here’s an idea. Bobcats like catnip and the scent of really cheap perfume. Generously smother a couple of big stuffed animals with both of the above and you will have a
Laney Wilkins, an employee at Spring River Park and Zoo, is on her way to the bobcat cage to give the kitties their presents. All the animals at the zoo, including bobcats, racoons, bears, lions, wolves and lemurs, received presents on Wednesday, Wilkins said.
The Special Services Occupational Training Program is one of a handful of specialized programs in the U.S., and the three-semester certificate curriculum teaches students with various disabilities not only job skills, but also independence. Lucier said not only do students in the program See ENMU-R, Page A3
File Photo
Lisa Cassels and Diane Leven present diplomas to students of the Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Special Services Occupational Training Program during graduation ceremonies in July.
Wal-Mart tests out gift card exchange NEW YORK (AP) — Starting Christmas Day, Wal-Mart is letting customers exchange gift cards from more than 200 retailers, airlines and r e s t a u r a n t s f o r a Wa l Mart card. The cards don’t expire and can be used in stores and online. The exchange may send more shoppers to the website of the world’s largest retailer. It’s a test program, but i f i t ’ s s u c c e s s f u l , Wa l Mart Stores Inc. said the card swap could become a permanent service. WalMart spokesman Ravi Jariwala said the chain doesn’t have specific metrics to evaluate that but will watch how shoppers react. Shoppers won’t get the full value of their gift cards to use at Wal-Mart. For example, with Amazon.com, customers can redeem up to 95 percent, while for Staples that figure is up to 90 percent and for Gap, up to 85 percent. For some brands, a Wal-Mart gift card will
Right: It’s so hard to tell when an owl is smiling. But if Frodo the Owl could talk, he’d certainly want to tell everyone how much he likes his holiday present, a small stuffed owl. By the looks of those sharp talons, it probably won’t be long until that stuffed owl is ripped to shreds.
be worth just 70 percent of the original card.
Up to about $1 billion worth of gift cards will go unused this year, according to CEB TowerGroup, a consultancy. That’s because recipients either lose them or can’t figure out what to buy. “We recognized that this was an opportunity,” said Jariwala. “A large number don’t get r edeemed. We figured this was a good way to get gift car ds in the hands of more customers.”
He said that 95 percent of Wal-Mart holiday cards are typically redeemed by February.
Wal-Mart gift cards are the most sought-after on CardCash, the country’s largest gift card exchange website, said CardCash CEO Elliot Bohm. CardCash is Wal-Mart’s partner in the program. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Martinez requests help Video games to look forward to in 2015 in 1971 murder case
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez has r enewed a r equest that the Obama administration try to extradite from Cuba the last living suspect in the 1971 shooting death of a New Mexico state police officer. Previous attempts by state officials were unsuccessful, but now Pr esident Barack Obama’s move to thaw U.S. relations with Cuba has given some who have fought for justice new hope. The Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday that Martinez sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Attorney General Eric Holder asking for them to push for the return of Charlie Hill. “New Mexicans need your help to bring closure to the family of a New Mexico state police officer gunned down by fugitives who have used Cuba as a
sanctuary from justice for 43 years,” Martinez wrote. “With your help we may finally be able to bring a cop killer to justice.” Martinez noted that murder and federal hijacking charges against Hill are “active, remain pending, and will be pursued by both federal and state authorities” if Hill is extradited. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., and Steve Pearce, R-N.M., also say the administration should push for Hill’s return. New Mexico state policeman Robert Rosenbloom was gunned down in November 1971, along the side of Interstate 40 west of Albuquerque after he radioed that he was stopping a car for a routine check. Fingerprints found the See CUBA, Page A3
HIGH 65 LOW 38
TODAY’S FORECAST
BY JOHN LEE SPECIAL TO THE DAILY RECORD
The year 2014 was definitely an awesome year for the video game world. Aside from a couple of games being littered with bugs — ahem, Ubisoft — we definitely saw the current-gen consoles start to hit their strides with grand releases like “Destiny” and “Far Cry 4,” and the revamping of “Grand Theft Auto 5” and the Masterchief Halo series. So next year it’s pretty safe to say that in 2015, the console wars will really heat up. So what can we expect from 2015 gaming? Let’s start with Nintendo Wii U. They spent 2014 teasing Nintendo fans with their next installment in the “Legend of Zelda” series for their Wii U console. It still has a “To Be Deter mined” release date, which always
AP Photo
This file photo provided by Ubisoft shows a scene from the video game, “Far Cry 4.” The game was one of several that suggests there’s much to look forward to in 2015.
makes me nervous, most of the time we at least get a season to work with our anticipation.
But if you haven’t bought a Wii U following the release of “Super Smash Bros. U,” you may,
• MARILYN M. NELSON
TODAY’S OBITUARY PAGE A3
like I, want one for Link’s new adventure. On that same token, a reboot of “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” is due out in the spring for the Nintendo 3DS, which I look forward to playing.
CLASSIFIEDS ........B10 COMICS .................B9 ENTERTAINMENT ...A10 FINANCIAL ..............B4
For XBox One players, “Halo 5: Guardians” has gamers fired up. Few details have been released on this installment but it’s due out in the fourth
See GAMES, Page A3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .......A10
LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ............A12