Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Bingaman visits RPD on trip to city
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MATTHEW ARCO RECORD STAFF WRITER
ELIZABETH TAYLOR DEAD AT 79
March 24, 2011
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, DN.M., paid a visit to the Roswell Police Department, Wednesday, during a trip through the city aimed at speaking with local officials on Roswell’s state of affairs. The lawmaker was given a breakdown of how the RPD used nearly $465,000 in federal grant funding, including American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, within the past cou-
ple of years. Bingaman was briefed by Commander Levi Moody. “It was very interesting and useful,” said Bingaman, referring to the meeting with the department. “It’s obvious they’re putting the money to good use, which is what we hoped for,” he said. “(It) sounds like they’re doing a good job from all I can tell.” Moody told the senator that much of the money was used to purchase new police cruisers, which Bingaman inspected follow-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen life was often upstaged by her stormy personal life, died Wednesday at age 79. She died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.... - PAGE B3
ing the meeting. The department added that its previous fleet was badly in need of updating. “It’s the equipment we’ve been needing for a long time,” Moody said. Earlier in the day, Bingaman met with representatives from the oil and gas industry, as well as Mayor Del Jur ney to discuss, among other topics, the U.S. Census Bureau’s recent data information for See BINGAMAN, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Town sues over gas outages
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., meets with members of the Roswell Police Department, Wednesday.
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• CSI Roswell: Girl Scouts crack case • See ’ya later, alligator! • Wetlands get international ... • Coyotes win wild Game 1, 7-6 • Invasion win again
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
From left, Anna Montes nuzzles Doc and Cailynn Head talks to Bugsy during the Rocky Point Ranch Spring Break Horse Camp, Wednesday.
Rocky Point Ranch hosts riding camp EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The young riders at the Rocky
CHARACTER COUNTS! HONORS ATHLETES
Character Counts! of Chaves County released the third installment of its Spring Athletes of Recognition program. This week’s honorees are from the sports of baseball and softball. This week’s winners are Jazmin Davila, Brian DeGruchy, Garrett Gill, Kevin Kelly, Jacob LeBlanc, Stephanie Mendoza, Edgar Muñoz, Chris Nunez, Joe Stearns, Mara Thorp and Jessica Wiggins. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S • • • • • • • •
OBITUARIES
Judy Lucero Zona Vee Hardy Baudelio Huerta Onita Pearl Harrison Oneta Hargrove William A. Hoffman Jr. Virgil Beasley Ruby Hilliard - PAGE B3
HIGH ...85˚ LOW ....43˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............E4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Point Ranch horseback riding camp were leery of cantering around the practice ring earlier this week. But within just three days, camp instructor David
Johnson said the girls and boys were beginning to shake their fear.
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The town of Bernalillo has sued New Mexico Gas Co., alleging it failed to provide sufficient natural gas supplies and shut off service without reasonable warning when extremely cold weather hit the state in February. The lawsuit also contends the company did not have an adequate delivery system and did not have enough crews to restore service in a timely way. A spokeswoman for New Mexico Gas Co. did not have an immediate comment Wednesday. Thousands of New Mexicans were left without natural gas service in early February when temperatures dropped to record and nearrecord levels throughout the state. It was days before service was restored in many areas. New Mexico Gas Co. blamed short supplies caused by frozen gas well heads in West Texas, and some power plants shut down, cutting electricity to gas processing stations. At the same time, demand
America pressures allies to take Libya mission now
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States turned up the pressure on quarreling NATO allies to take command of the air war in Libya on Wednesday, suggesting the U.S. could step away from its leadership role as soon as this weekend, even with the conflict’s outcome in doubt. In Congress, meanwhile, the Republican speaker of the House demanded that President Barack Obama quickly spell out the nation’s precise goals in Libya. White House officials said Obama would keep updating the American people and a formal address
was possible. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said order could be resolved quickly — if Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi would just quit. The U.S. threat to give up its leadership of the military efforts rang somewhat hollow, since officials said there was no absolute deadline to hand over frontline control to other countries, or for an end to all U.S. participation. Still, the administration is eager to hand off the lead role in a conflict that some of Obama’s closest advisers resisted and that is raising complaints in Congress.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, himself an early skeptic of American military intervention in Libya, said Obama made clear from the start of the international air campaign last Saturday that the U.S. would run it for only about a week. The assault began with a barrage of U.S. cruise missiles fired by ships and submarines in the Mediterranean and with American Stealth bomber flights — the first war initiated by a president who inherited two others.
See CAMP, Page A3
See OUTAGES, Page A3
AP Photo
Libyan rebels run to take cover as mortars from Moammar Gadhafi’s forces are fired on them on the front line near Zwitina, Libya, Wednesday.
Animal Control offers hints for Wildfire 25% contained keeping fragrant creatures away JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The feral cat program has taken a back seat to skunks this spring because Animal Services is getting so many requests to trap them. “We have no more traps available. The majority of calls we received over the weekend were about skunks. Everyone thinks it’s an emergency. I don’t understand why people are so afraid,” said Kim Conner, receptionist for Animal Control. “Today, I had to go get a skunk that was just sleeping peacefully against the fence. It was not bothering anybody,” said Animal Control offi-
See LIBYA, Page A3
“I’m not saying people should go out and pet a skunk, but the worst thing a skunk can do to your yard is dig up grubs.” — David Allen, Animal Control officer
cer David Allen. People may be afraid of rabies, but rabies is not endemic in the local skunk population. “A skunk is not going to attack,” Allen said. Some may worry about being sprayed. However, a skunk will not spray unless it is bothered. It will spray if it is trapped. Then it feels threatened. The unhappy recipient will receive three warning signals before the animal
sprays. The skunk will stamp its feet. If the war ning goes unheeded, it will turn its back in preparation. It will raise its tail. It may even do something of a hand stand. If the threat, animal or human, does not back off, then it will spray. The skunk will also spray if it is shot or killed. Therefore, trapping or See SKUNKS, Page A3
cent contained in (AP) the next GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — GOLDEN, Colo. — battling the wildfire Crews battling the wildfire Crews day or two and perhaps 80 the foothills west bur ning in the foothills burning percentinFriday. got290 some help from west of Denver got some of Denver About firefighters and planes help from helicopters and helicopters were assigned to the blaze, planes Wednesday as windy Wednesday as windy weather which has been burning diminished. weather diminished. dry grass, brush and trees were dropping Helicopters were drop- Helicopters sinceonSunday, the firesaid thatJefferhas ping water on the fire that water son f’s ned County nearly 2 sherif square has burned nearly 2 square bur of steep, wooded terspokeswoman Jacki Kelley. miles of steep, wooded ter- miles near Golden. An air rain near Golden. An air rain Colorado water officials abovefor thewildfire crew was flying above the crew saywas theflying potential letting firefighters on fire and letting firefighters andfire is high in the east the and on the ground know of any southeast parts of the changes in fire behavior. Winds gusting up to 75 state, with last year’s growmph Tuesday had ground- ing season leaving behind ed air support, but they plenty of dry fuel to burn. In Longmont northwest have since eased. Authorities said the of Denver, a small grass fire strong winds actually pre- that started Wednesday vented the fire from spread- mor ning east of U.S. 36 ing because the winds grew to 7 acres before it caused the fire to bur n was contained. back on itself. Around the country, the The fire was 25 percent National Interagency Fire contained Wednesday, but incident commander Rowdy Center reported 12 large Muir said he thought the fires burning Wednesday in fire could be 50 to 60 per- eight states.