Roswell Daily Record
INSIDE NEWS
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BILL MAY BE DOOMED
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed legislation Wednesday to give hundreds of thousands of foreign-born youngsters brought to the country illegally a shot at legal status, a fleeting victory ... - PAGE A3
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For The Last 24 Hours
• Ordinance discussed at sign workshop • ENMU-R opens health center • Eating for a good cause • Gala entertains and raises funds, too • Agencies asked for ways to cut back
INSIDE SPORTS
CHARACTER COUNTS! HONORS FALL COACHES
Character Counts! of Chaves County announced its fall honorees for its Coaches Recognition Program on Wednesday. This yearʼs winners are Goddard High School....
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TODAY’S • Ruth M. Sherman • Rose Vacarro Dipaolo • Donita Lue Biggs Lilly • Bobbie Davis
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Tax defeat could trigger new recession
Vol. 119, No. 294 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
WASHINGTON (AP) — Raising the direst alarm yet, the Obama administration warned fellow Democrats on Wednesday that if they defeat the big tax-cut compromise detested by many liberals, they could jolt the nation back into recession. President Barack Obama appealed anew for Congress to “get this done” and insisted that more congressional Democrats would climb aboard as they studied details of the $900 billion year -end measure. Several did announce support on Wednesday, but at least one said there still was “a mood to resist.” One Democratic opponent, Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, forecast a result that would abruptly reverse Congress’ voting patter n of the first two
THURSDAY
www.roswell-record.com years of Obama’s term: “It will be passed by virtually all the Republicans and a minority of Democrats.” He said he would vote against it. Larry Summers, Obama’s chief economic adviser, told reporters that if the measure isn’t passed soon, it will “materially increase the risk the economy would stall out and we would have a double-dip” recession. That put the White House in the unusual position of war ning its own party’s lawmakers they could be to blame for calamitous consequences if they go against the president. With many House and Senate Republicans signaling their approval of the tax cut plan, the White House’s comments were aimed mainly at House Democrats
who feel Obama went too far in yielding to Republicans’ demands for continued income tax cuts and lower estate taxes for the wealthy. Obama says the compromise was necessary because Republicans were prepared to let everyone’s taxes rise and to block the extension of unemployment benefits for jobless Americans if they didn’t get much of what they wanted. Economists say the recent recession officially ended in June 2009. But with unemployment at 9.8 percent, millions remain out of work or fear ful of losing ground economically, and the notion of the nation falling back into a recession would strike many as chilling. It also could rattle markets and investors.
The deal Obama crafted with Senate Republican leaders would prevent the scheduled Dec. 31 expiration of all the Bush administration’s tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003, even though Obama had often promised to end the cuts for the highest earners. Summers’ remarks contrasted with Obama’s comments at a news conference Tuesday. “We don’t have the danger of a double-dip recession,” the president said then, noting the impact of the 2009 stimulus bill and other measures meant to steady the economy. Obama again urged unhappy Democrats to swallow the compromise, and denied that he went overboard to appease Republicans. “I think it is inaccurate to characterize
Kindermusik performs at La Villa EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The children of Kindermusik spread Christmas cheer to the residents of La Villa by performing a holiday recital on Wednesday afternoon. Kindermusik is a music and movement program for infants and toddlers. Dressed up in holiday garb, the kids danced around a Christmas tree in the community home’s living room, singing carols like “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” “They are all wonderful,” Beatrice Leshnov, 90, a La Villa resident, said. Leshnov used to be a professional jitterbug dancer with her husband of 70 years, George, who is also a La Villa resident. “I think the children are having a great time,” George said, sitting next to his wife. Parents in the audience took pictures of their children and grandchildren as they rang Christmas bells and blew bubbles. “It’s just so much fun for them to come and sing songs,” Jane Vander Dussen, who snapped photographs of her 2-year-old
Mark Wilson Photo
Delaney Vander Dussen, 2, decked out in festive attire, performs with other children from Kindermusik with Miss Wendolyn, a music and movement program involving youngsters ranging in age from 18 months to 4 years old, at La Villa Assisted Living Wednesday morning.
granddaughter, Delaney, said. “And they learn to give at Christmas.” The goal of the recital was to share joy with the elderly, according to Kindermusik instructor Wendolyn
Davis. There will be a holidayrelated event for the residents almost every day in December, La Villa’s activity director Angie Luevano said.
“We’re having dancers, singers, piano players and the Berrendo Elementary School children singing carols,” Luevano said. “This month is busy, busy.”
Democrats, writ large, as quote-unquote betrayed,” he said Wednesday. He said a number of Democrats “have said this makes sense. And I think the more they look at it, the more of them are going to say this makes sense.” Three straight days of multi-pronged White House efforts to weaken Democrats’ resistance did appear to start having the desired effect. “In my opinion, a strong leader is one who knows when to compromise,” said Rep. Michael E. McMahon, D-N.Y., in announcing his support for the plan. Frank, still an opponent, said Democrats under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi do not subscribe to former GOP Speaker DenSee TAX Page A6
ET life more probable WASHINGTON (AP) — Lately, a handful of new discoveries make it seem more likely that we are not alone — that there is life somewhere else in the universe. In the past several days, scientists have reported there are three times as many stars as they previously thought. Another group of researchers discovered a microbe can live on arsenic, expanding our understanding of how life can thrive under the harshest environments. And earlier this year, astronomers for the first time said they’d found a potentially habitable planet. “The evidence is just getting stronger and stronger,” said Carl Pilcher, director of NASA’s Astrobiology
Lake Van gets Former RPD commander a spike of new life applies to become chief MATT ARCO RECORD STAFF REPORTER
Dexter’s Lake Van aquatic population spiked by nearly 5,000 inhabitants Tuesday, after the state’s Game and Fish Department delivered a
double stock of trout. “It’s a good day for Lake Van,” said Paul Sanchez, of the Game and Fish Department, as the fish were released from inside the See FISH Page A6
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MATTHEW ARCO RECORD STAFF WRITER
A former top commander at the Roswell Police Department, who was recently fired from the force, is among 11 individuals who submitted applications to become the department’s newest chief, according to city records. For mer Commander
emiller@roswell-record.com
Scott Conner is one of several applicants wishing to be considered for the job after Interim Chief Dennis Kintigh leaves for the Roundhouse in January. Conner was terminated in October after more than a 13 year career with the department. He is currently appealing his dismissal, according to his application.
See ALIEN Page A6
City sources familiar with the case told the Roswell Daily Record at the time of his firing that the departure was tied to an April 2009 arrest of a local dentist, Linus Brewer, who faces felony charges after he allegedly stole hundreds of pieces of rebar. Conner, who is not facing any criminal charges See RPD Page A6
Richardson to make North Korea trip
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CLASSIFIEDS..........B7 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT.....B7 FINANCIAL .............B6 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A3 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 WORLD .................B4
December 9, 2010
INDEX
Matthew Arco Photo
Paul Sanchez, of the Game and Fish Department, prepares to release thousands of trout into Dexter's Lake Van.
SANTA FE, (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will visit North Korea next week at the invitation of the Pyongyang regime, the governor’s office said Wednesday. Richardson will leave New Mexico on Tuesday and return Dec. 20, according to Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for the governor. The trip comes at a time of heightened tensions, two weeks after North Korea shelled a South Korean island. “I am increasingly concerned with the recent
actions by the North Koreans, which have raised tensions and are contributing to instability on the Korean Peninsula,” Richardson said in a statement. The Democratic governor, who leaves office Dec. 31, was invited to visit North Korea by Kim Gye Gwan, the country’s chief nuclear negotiator, according to Gallegos. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Richardson will not carry any message from the U.S. government. Richardson acknowl-
edged that but said, “If I can contribute to the easing of tension on the peninsula, the trip will be well worth it.” Accompanying Richardson will be his senior adviser on Asian affairs, K.A. “Tony” Namkung. Richardson has traveled to North Korea seven times, most recently in 2007 to recover the remains of American servicemen killed in the Korean War. He also has met in New Mexico with North Korean diplomats three times since 2003, when he became governor.