Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 120, No. 50 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO PUBLISH MANUSCRIPT
Lucius Nelson Dills was one of Roswell’s founding fathers and a local historian. Dills was born July 7, 1858, in Cynthiana, Ky., the first of nine children of John Harmon and Julia Ellen Dills. He graduated from ...
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
February 26, 2011
House OKs higher unemployment tax
SANTA FE (AP) — Businesses will pay higher taxes starting next year to shore up New Mexico’s unemployment compensation program under a bill approved Friday by the state House. The measure also will trim some jobless benefits to slow the financial drain on the unemployment trust fund, which is projected to become insolvent in March 2012 if lawmakers and Gov. Susana Martinez take no action during the legislative session. The fund had a balance of nearly $159 million at the start of this month but is being depleted because
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of continued high unemployment in the state, which was 8.5 percent in December. The state paid out more than $930,000 a day to jobless New Mexicans in January. New Mexico isn’t alone in facing unemployment program problems. About 35 states, including New Mexico, boosted their taxes on employers last year to replenish their unemployment funds. “This is a nationwide problem. This is not a New Mexico problem,” said Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, who sponsored the measure.
Average tax payments by a business for each of its employees will go to about $370 a year in January, up more than 70 percent from payments under a rate schedule that took effect this year. Stewart emphasized that if nothing is done and the unemployment fund runs out of money, then businesses will pay even more. New Mexico would have to borrow money from the federal government to pay jobless benefits if the fund runs out of money. When that happens, taxes on See TAX, Page A3
EZZELL’S BILL WOULD EXPAND PROTECTION
A local lawmaker’s bill that seeks to expand a state statute that provides for the use of deadly force by an individual protecting his home or property, passed its first committee, Thursday evening. Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell’s, R-Roswell, HB228 passed the House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee and is headed to the Judiciary Committee. The bill seeks to add third parties to a state law that permits the use of deadly force when defending against an intruder to a person’s dwelling, place of work or occupied vehicle. “I think it gives protections to the people out there,” Ezzell said. “It’s just giving some teeth to the Castle Doctrine.” The bill would also prevent criminal prosecution for certain defensive actions. It would award attorney fees and court costs for any civil litigation brought against an individual sued for invoking his right to use deadly force when applicable.
Task force busts 10
‘Detour, there’s a muddy road ahead’
- PAGE A2
TOP 5 WEB
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
For The Past 24 Hours
• Medical Center hosts heart awareness event • CCDC seeks state accreditation • Zoe runs for Boys & Girls Clubs • Grass fire consumes 150 acres • Valley Christian shuts down Corona
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
A water main break Friday morning caused the formation of a small lake at the intersection of North Montana Avenue and West Stone Street, causing a traffic detour for most of the day as city workers rushed to repair the rupture.
COYOTES MAKE IT 8 IN A ROW
Roswell left little doubt this time around. The Lady Coyotes pulled away early and never looked back on Friday, soundly defeating Artesia 56-29 in the District 4-4A Championship at the Coyote Den. “We just had a little bit from everyone,” said Coyote coach Joe Carpenter after his team hoisted the district championship trophy for the eighth straight season. “We had defense from certain people, rebounding from certain people and shooting from others. It was a good team effort. I was very pleased as a coach.” - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
There are no obituaries today, Feb. 26, 2011.
HIGH ...82˚ LOW ....42˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8 THE WEST ............B8
INDEX
Agents from the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force conducted a warrant roundup, Thursday. Members of the task force arrested 10 subjects on charges ranging from felon in possession of a firearm, to trafficking and distribution of drugs. The task force is made up of agents from the Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Sheriff’s Of fice, Alcohol Tobacco Firearms, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Sheriff Rob Coon said, “This is a joint task force and not a territorial task force. I’m proud of the task force and what they did
State may pay for testing materials Millennium Transit EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Roswell school district spends $250,000 on testing materials each year for state-mandated assessments, but a bill pending in the Legislature would require the state to pick up the budget-busting tab. Senate Bill 425, introduced by Sen. Ver non Asbill, R-Carlsbad, would require the state public education department to pay for the costs of developing, administering, scoring and evaluating standards-based assessments. The bill cleared its first
committee last week by a 61 vote and is presently pending in the Senate Finance Committee. A Roswell school authority said such a measure would likely help alleviate pressure on an already strained budget. The district is currently operating well below its fiscal 2009 and 2008 budget levels, and the state General Fund for public education has decreased by about $200 million in recent years. “Half a million dollars for those materials in one year is a huge expense,” Chad Cole, Roswell school district’s assistant superin-
tendent for financial operations, said in a phone interview, although he declined to throw his support behind SB425, nor any other bill that is not yet law. Cole included the extra $250,000 in his figure for the obligation funds for the next year’s testing materials, which must be set aside in the same year’s budget. “We’ve got to obligate typically another $250,000, which won't become an expenditure until next year,” he said at a recent
See BUST, Page A3
exits Chapter 11 MATTHEW ARCO RECORD STAFF WRITER
A Roswell company that set its sights on bus manufacturing, but went bust in 2008 after borrowing millions from the state and the city of Roswell, largely exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this the month. Millennium T ransit Services LLC’s plan of reorganization was approved by a judge on
Feb. 11, which essentially marks the company’s exit from bankruptcy protections. The order came years after the company borrowed $4,320,000 from the New Mexico State Investment Council, the city of Roswell and Pioneer Bank. The city of Roswell contributed nearly 48 percent of the loan
See CHAPTER 11 Page A3
Lauren Allison helps animals through massage therapy See STATE, Page A3
skills to design a web page for the Sage Foundation. However, s h e returned to school a couple of years ago to take a course in massage therapy from the Northwest School of Animal Courtesy Photo Massage in Seattle. Lauren Allison does massage therapy on a lucky dog named Tea. Lauren was one of the from Eastern New Mexico JESSICA PALMER first students to take the University. RECORD STAFF WRITER on-line course. She has long been The six-month-long involved with animals as study program included a Lauren Allison’s love of animals has led her to vice president of the lot of reading, testing and develop new skills on top of Roswell Humane Society, video training, says Lauren. The classes also included her graphic design degree and she uses her graphic
hands-on training, which took place at a shelter in Kalamazoo, Mich. “Kalamazoo, they picked animals for us,” said Lauren. She described one dog in Kalamazoo that had a mass on her leg. “She had bone cancer. She touched my heart. I had a dog with bone cancer when I was a kid and it was sad to see her deteriorate. I kept asking them to let me work on her.” Finally Lauren was given permission to do passage massage, a form of relaxing massage done prior to euthanasia. “It was amazing. It didn’t just help the dog. It helped the people who worked in the shelter.
They had more of a sense of peace since they had been able to help her.” For Lauren, it turned out to be a good experience. “One of my first clients had cancer. I was able to give it passage massage. It’s good for the owners, too.” Lauren also believes the use of massage therapy can tur n dogs and cats with behavior problems into adoptable pets. “A lot of people are unsure (about massage therapy) at first, but once they see the difference in their pets, they have no doubts. About four months ago, Lauren added kinesiology See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3