Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 310 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
December 26, 2014
FRIDAY
Water table drops as drought forces more pumping TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES (AP) — The Upper Rio Grande Basin has been struggling with drought for most of the past decade, forcing cities and farmers from southern Colorado to Texas’ Hudspeth County to pump water from the ground to make up for the lack of snow and rain. Experts say that has resulted in the groundwater levels dropping in the border region as much as 200 feet in the past 10 years.
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The precipitous drop is especially disturbing because it’s taking place in an area where it r echarges too slowly to make up the loss. Worse, many experts pr edict a future in which even less water in the river will mean even more pumping. Even if the region gets through the present drought, the basin’s groundwater will be overexploited, said Brian Hurd, an agricultural economics professor at New
Mexico State University who also is president of the Universities Council o n Wa t e r R e s o u r c e s , a national organization. “The real big deal is going to be the change in the intensity of pumping,” Hurd tells the El Paso Times. He expects river flows to diminish and populations to rise in the Rio Grande Basin, increasing demand for groundwater. The pumping is already having an ef fect on the bank accounts of El Paso
residents. In early December, the board that governs the city’s water utility increased rates 8 percent to develop alter nat i v e s t o g r o u n d w a t e r, which the utility’s CEO called “unsustainable.” Experts say one of the problems is that the big cities of the Upper Rio Grande Basin grew fast between 1980 and 2000, which was an unusually wet period. Together with Juarez, Mexico, the counties that are home to El Paso, Las Cruces and
A merry birthday
Max Scally Photo
Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church not only celebrated Christ’s birthday on Christmas Eve, but also the birthday of Fr. Andrew Miles, who celebrated his 80th birthday. Miles has been a priest at the church for the past eight years. He is pictured with some of his parishioners, who he describes as a diverse and friendly group of people.
Group wants state regulators recused from PNM case ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — State regulators in less than two weeks are to begin deliberating a proposal that calls for shutting down part of an aging coalfired power plant in northwestern New Mexico that serves more than 2 million customers in the Southwest. But one environmental group, New Energy Economy, is calling for Public Regulation Commissioners Pat Lyons and Karen Montoya to recuse themselves from the deliberations. The group, in a motion filed Wednesday, argues that phone calls and emails
Toys for girls and boys
Albuquerque grew by 60 percent to 2.6 million, according to government data. “People got used to the idea that there was plenty of water and growth was good until things got dry again,” said Connie Woodhouse, at climate scientist at the University of Arizona. Between 2000 and 2010, which were dominated by dry years, population in the region continued to grow by another 17 percent, to just over 3
million. As they look into the future, scientists predict that the best alternative to groundwater — surface water flowing in the Rio Grande — will become increasingly precious, creating even more of an imperative to pump groundwater. Snowpack in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains is significant because when it melts in the spring, it supplies about 70 percent
BY STEWART MCCLINTIC SILVER CITY DAILY PRESS
Ramos said he gets jobs here and there, but just doesn’t really fit into society due to the long, sharp, unkempt fingernails he calls his claws. To him they are normal, but to others they are offputting and scare people, he said as he proceeded to pierce an empty soda can with his thumb and rip the top clean off. The only place he feels comfortable anymore is at the Gospel Mission behind The Jalisco Cafe in downtown Silver City. He said everyone knows one another there, like a family, and he has been very appreciative of what the Gospel Mission has done for him. The Gospel Mission helps people like Ramos every day by serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to those who are less fortunate in life. Randy Salars, the executive director of the Gospel Mission, said being home-
‘I never imagined I’d be homeless’ SILVER CITY — “I never imagined I’d be homeless,” Javier Ramos said. “I used to have it all — a wife, a house, a job,” he added while sitting inside the Silver City Gospel Mission one morning, eating cold cereal and sporting an old leather Harley-Davidson jacket, graying hair, a white curly chin beard and bluing facial tattoos. Ramos lost everything after his son was stabbed in the back three times and killed at work six years ago in Silver City. He lost the will to live and twice attempted to hang himself. He said both times the structure he tied the noose to broke. That’s when he started believing in God, Ramos said. For a while after his son’s death, he would just lay in bed thinking about it, causing him to lose his job, his house and his life.
Hundreds of children
received toys on Christmas Eve at the Yucca Recreation
Volunteers group held a toy
HIGH 57 LOW 23
TODAY’S FORECAST
giveaway
on
Wednesday. The children were allowed to
pick out toys and there
was musical entertain-
The commissioners did not immediately respond to
The New Mexico Autism Society will host its second annual “Paving the Way” Walk for Autism at the Spring River Zoo in April. The goal of NMAS is to promote access and opportunities for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families through advocacy, public awareness and education.
Center,
where the Community
“People want to know choices are being made transparently and wisely and democratically,” New Energy Economy executive director Mariel Nanasi said in a statement. “PNM and some of our state utility regulators have completely corrupted that public faith.”
Submitted Photo
See HOMELESS, Page A2
Randal Seyler Photo
between the two commissioners and the electric utility PNM have created at least an appearance of a conflict of interest.
See PNM, Page A2
See WATER, Page A3
ment for the adults as well.
Autism Society brings support, awareness to county
(Editor’s Note: This is the fourth article in a series on education and autism.) BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR Sometimes, being the parent of a special needs
child can be overwhelming. But now, thanks to the New Mexico Autism Society, parents of children with autism in Chaves County do not have to feel so isolated. “When I first arrived in Roswell four years ago, there weren’t a lot of resources,” says Emilea Palmer, a board member of New Mexico Autism Society. “I contacted NMAS, and they were excited to have a board member outside of Albuquerque.” Palmer’s 12-year-old son Jacob is autistic, and when
THERE ARE NO OBITUARIES FOR TODAY. TODAY’S OBITUARIES
she moved to Roswell she noticed there were not a lot of resources for children with autism or their parents available here. “After I joined the board, I recruited Krista Smith to join the board.” The two board members saw a need in Roswell for services, so they started a support group for the parents of autistic children. The support group meets at 6 p.m. every second Tuesday at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Roswell, and offers support and resources for parents.
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6
COMICS .................B5
ENTERTAINMENT .....B6
“It is great to have a community of people who understand what you are going through,” Palmer said.
According to the website, nmautismsociety.org, the mission of NMAS is to promote access and opportunities for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families through advocacy, public awareness and education. In New Mexico, NMAS offers monthly meetings See SOCIETY, Page A3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........B6 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8