02-16-2011

Page 1

Roswell Daily Record

Gov promotes grading proposal

Vol. 120, No. 40 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Nearly six years after an 800-pound copper bullet excavated a crater on a comet, a NASA spacecraft revisiting the site has seen evidence of the destruction in images snapped during a Valentine’s Day flyby, scientists said Tuesday. Instead of a well-defined pit, the Stardust craft saw ... - PAGE A6

WEDNESDAY

www.rdrnews.com

SANTA FE (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez joined with Republican and Democratic lawmakers Tuesday to build support for a proposal to assign grades from A to F to rate New Mexico’s public schools. The measure is a key piece of the GOP governor’s agenda for improving public schools. “Parents and the public understand an A is excellent and an F is failure. Implementing a transparent school grading system will allow everyone to understand how

VALENTINE’S DAY FLYBY

February 16, 2011

outside our schools The grading system would be based ence the Capitol a are performing,” Mar- on standardized tests taken by stu- day before Senate tinez said at dents as well as yearly growth of the Education a news conference with student performance in reading and Committee is expected to legislative mathematics. vote on the supporters of legislation. the proposal. The committee’s chairwoman, “This will create a culture of higher expectations. It will allow for Sen. Cynthia Nava, a Las Cruces greater achievement and ultimately Democrat, supports the proposal. “I think it’s good for schools, greater progress.” Martinez staged her news confer- good for the communities,” Nava

said. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, schools are rated on whether they are making “adequate yearly progress” in meeting targets for boosting student achievement. But Martinez complained that the law assigns vague labels, such as “corrective action” or “restructuring,” to schools that consistently miss their performance goals. The legislation calls for financial

RFD training session

JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER

TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours

• Push is on to save Youth ChalleNGe • Vets press Pearce on transportation • Sage Day festivities set for 2/26 • Kintigh’s curfew clears committee • Broncos rally from 12 down to win

INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo

Donald Ragsdale of the Roswell Fire Department rappels from the tower at the Louis Jones Training Facility, Tuesday, during an annual ropes training session.

ROCKETS OUTLAST COYOYES

The goals of the Goddard boys basketball team are the same as just about every other team in the state — win the district, win in the state tournament and win the state title. However, unlike most teams, the Rockets have had another goal all season. Beat Roswell. And they finally accomplished that goal on Tuesday. - PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES • James McLaren • Rex Morgan • Felipa A. Ogas • Mark Joseph DeSelles - PAGE A6

HIGH ...80˚ LOW ....42˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B6 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A6 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8

INDEX

City on graffiti patrol

See SCHOOLS, Page A3

Graffiti is an aspect of modern life. In days gone by, the graffiti artist had to carve his or her creations into rock or concrete. Now a can of spray paint can go far. Businesses and homes get hit daily. However, Mike Mathews, Roswell’s director of Special Services, says, “Our city looks pretty good compared to others.” One reason why Roswell presents an almost graffitifree face to the world is the fact that the city employs one man fulltime who is dedicated to cleaning up graffiti wherever it occurs. “We provide these services to both homes and business,” said Mathews. “With private homes, we need to get a signed per mission

Miss New Mexico advocate for Film and Media domestic violence awareness Day set for today JONATHAN ENTZMINGER RECORD STAFF WRITER

Madison Tabet, 19, Miss New Mexico, has put her schooling on hold at Point Park University, to increase domestic violence awareness. This month, Tabet is taking her message and personal story to various places across the state for Teen Dating Awareness Month. After living the dream of becoming Miss New Mexico and competing in the Miss America Pageant, she’s striving for a higher calling that is rooted in civic service. Tabet said her first realization that her family was in a domestic violence situation came when she was 10. She recalls being pulled out of Hope Christian

School and missing her first dance rehearsal, after making the squad. “I was wondering, ‘Why am I missing school? Why am I missing dance rehearsal?’” she said. “For a child, with something so monumental in their life, and to realize something in the family was affecting the rest of their life, was huge for me. And thinking, ‘Why is my mom leaving my dad? Why are they separating? What could be so bad?” Tabet recalls “taking her father’s side at the time,” not knowing of the physical and financial abuse he was inflicting on the family, including identity theft of her late grandfather. By the time she tur ned 17, she changed her mind after an incident in the home left her calling the police on her father.

JONATHAN ENTZMINGER RECORD STAFF WRITER

Courtesy Photo

Madison Tabet, Miss New Mexico 2010

“The abuse became physical,” she said. “After look-

Marvel’s Avengers and the television shows Breaking Bad and In Plain Sight, will hold open casting calls in Santa Fe during New Mexico Film and Media Day today, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Our top casting directors from the state will be there,” Lora MartinezCunningham, Book of Eli actress and owner of Albuquerque Actors Studio, said. “This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to have anything to do with film, in the acting arena, to come and meet these casting directors.”

See CITY, Page A3

Billed as the “largest casting call ever seen,” Film and Media Day promises to impress. New Mexico casting directors and Screen Actors Guild talent representatives will be on hand, looking for new and old talent. Emmy nominated casting directors Jo Edna Boldin and Angelique Midthunder, C.S.A., will be among the many representatives on site. “We’re having this huge open call for anyone in the state who wants to be in movies or work behind the scenes,” Boldin said. “If someone is interested in being in See FILM, Page A3

Senate follows House; Prez, GOP on budget collision course extends Patriot Act provisions, 86 – 12 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday voted to extend for 90 days the legal life of three postSept. 11 terrorism-fighting measures, including the use of roving wiretaps, that are set to expire at the end of the month. The short-term extension gives lawmakers a chance to review the measures that critics from both the right and left say are unconstitutional infringements on personal liberties. The Senate voted 86-12 a day after the House agreed

to extend the three provisions, including two from the 2001 USA Patriot Act, until Dec. 8. The two chambers must now agree on a common approach. With Congress in recess next week, there is pressure to reach a compromise this week. The measures include the authority to initiate roving wiretaps on multiple electronic devices and the authority to obtain courtapproved access to busiSee SENATE, Page A3

See TABET, Page A3

WASHINGTON (AP) — On a collision course over spending, House Republicans advanced a sweeping, $61 billion package of budget reductions on Tuesday despite a veto threat and a war ning from President Barack Obama against unwise cuts “that could endanger the recovery.” Congressional Democrats said the Republican cuts would reduce U.S. employment rather than add to it and leapt to criticize when House Speaker John Boehner said “so be it” if jobs are lost among the ranks of federal See BUDGET, Page A3

AP Photo

President Barack Obama during a press conference on the White House complex, Tuesday.


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