Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 120, No. 64 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
SIDES CLAIM CONTROL TOBRUK, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi’s warplanes, artillery and mortar shells can control huge swaths of territory by day, including oil ports, rebel supply routes and even hostile towns. - PAGE A5
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
March 15, 2011
TUESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Meltdown threat rises in Japan
SOMA, Japan (AP) — A third explosion in four days rocked a crippled nuclear power plant in tsunamiravaged northeaster n Japan early Tuesday as authorities struggled to avert a catastrophic release of radiation. The cascading troubles at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex were set in motion when last Friday’s quake and tsunami knocked out power, crippling the cooling systems needed to keep nuclear fuel from going into full meltdown. The latest blast hap-
pened in the plant’s Unit 2 near a suppression pool, which removes heat under a reactor vessel, plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Co. said. No one was reported injured, but plant workers were temporarily evacuated.
Japanese officials said radiation levels at the plant are within safe limits, and international scientists said that while there are serious dangers, there is little risk of a catastrophe like the deadly 1986 blast in Chernobyl in Ukraine, where there were no containment
Fatal accident
shells to hold back the radiation.
Japanese authorities have been injecting seawater as a coolant of last resort, and advising nearby residents to stay inside to avoid contamination.
“It’s like a horror movie,” said 49-year -old Kyoko Nambu as she stood on a hillside overlooking her ruined hometown of Soma, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the plant. “Our house is gone and now they See JAPAN, Page A3
AP Photo/NHK TV
In this image made from Japan’s NHK television, Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan addresses the nation through a televised press conference in Tokyo, Tuesday.
Vega trial delayed
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A 14-year-old Albuquerque girl died Monday following a single vehicle rollover accident that sent two others to the hospital in serious condition. The accident occured on Highway 285 North and resulted in one victim being airlifted to Albuquerque.
DATE FOR SUIT SET MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A request by NFL players to keep the league and its teams from locking them out will be heard by a federal judge on April 6 — the first time the two sides will be in a courtroom since the labor pact fell apart. - PAGE B1 • Frances L. Barton
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • • • • • • •
John David Muelker Eleanor B. Smith Pearl P. Grieve Norma J. Shepherd Rebecca Williams Douglas L. Whitwam Dortha Joyner - PAGE A7
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CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 ENTERTAINMENT.....B5 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B5 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
The trial of David Vega, who is charged with killing his son and his son’s girlfriend last May, has been postponed for the second time. The trial, originally set for Nov. 30, was postponed until March and now will be delayed until August. Deputy District Attorney Alan Griffin told 5th Judicial District Judge Charles C. Currier that the state needed more time and was awaiting DNA, fingerprint and ballistic test results. Vega ‘s attorney, Jesse R. Cosby, has contracted Samuel Rolls of Santa Fe to do a psychiatric evaluation of his client. “He has recollection of the events occurring during the day, even though they took place at See VEGA, Page A3
NM Senate panel Senate proposal finances $240M in capital projects caps film subsidies at $50M SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico will cap rebates for film production at $50 million a year under a proposal heading to the Senate that’s drawing objections from film industry officials. The Finance Committee approved the measure on Monday in hopes of laying the groundwork for a compromise with the film industry and Republican Gov. Susana Martinez. However, the proposal appears to have fallen short of that goal. The film measure is a critical piece of a financial package the Legislature is working on to balance next year’s state budget. By limiting film subsidies, the proposal is expected to free up more than $18 See FILM, Page A3
SANTA FE (AP) — Lawmakers are proposing to finance $240 million in capital improvements across New Mexico, including $15 million for projects needed for Native American water rights settlements. The Senate Finance Committee approved the measure on Monday, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. Although lawmakers are cutting spending this year on the state’s operating budget, the Legislature is able to finance capital improvements using $238 million in bonds backed by severance tax revenues. Other financing comes from earmarked revenues such as Game and Fish Department funds. Unlike in the past, the capital improvement bill isn’t filled with small projects in the home districts of legislators. The Sen-
ate committee focused on larger statewide projects such as improvements to state buildings and equipment. The measure provides $32 million for state highway improvements. About $20 million is allocated for unspecified projects at colleges and universities to address “critical” infrastructure needs. It will be up to the Higher Education Department to determine what projects qualify for the financing, lawmakers were told. However, Sen. Carroll Leavell, R-Jal, questioned that approach, saying “it looks like we’re writing a blank check for $20 million.” Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, said lawmakers intend the money to go to projSee CAPITAL, Page A3
US eyes Libyan opposition, allies call for action
PARIS (AP) — Under pressure from allies and growing calls for military intervention in Libya, the Obama administration on Monday held its first highlevel talks with the Libyan opposition and introduced a liaison to deal full time with their ranks. But it remained undecided about exactly how much support to lend a group it still knows little about while turmoil and uncertainty increase across the Arab world.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton held a late-night, 45-minute meeting with a senior Libyan opposition figure after discussing the widening crisis with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy, along with British Prime Minister David Cameron, meanwhile, stepped up calls for world powers to isolate Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi
with a no-fly zone, amid diplomatic differences over how much backing to give rebels. Clinton’s closed-door meeting with opposition figure member Mahmoud Jibril in a luxury Paris hotel was shrouded in secrecy until it happened, with neither the time nor the identity of her interlocutors announced beforehand. Neither Jibril, an official in the newly formed Interim Governing Council based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, nor Clinton appeared or made any comments about their talks. Jibril met with Sarkozy in Paris last week before photographers and journalists. Jibril was introduced to Clinton by the administration’s new point man for the Libyan opposition, Chris Stevens, who was until recently the deputy chief of mission at the now-shut-
tered U.S. Embassy in Tripoli. Also at the meeting was Gene Cretz, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, who left his post for consultations in early January and has not returned. “They had a private and candid conversation about ways in which the United States can assist the Libyan people in their efforts against the Gadhafi regime,” Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines said after the talks. Although the meeting might have been a deciding factor in the administration’s approach to the opposition, no announcements were made after and the mystery surrounding it underscored the administration’s lack of clarity as to who is who in the movement that has sprung up to topple Gadhafi from the perch he has held for 42 years.
AP Photo
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, is greeted by France President Nicolas Sarkozy after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Monday.
Sarkozy has taken the lead in recognizing an interim council as Libya’s legitimate government. The U.S. has yet to decide on such recognition but has severed
ties with the Libyan embassy in Washington and boosted its outreach to the opposition while maintaining caution on a no-fly zone.