07-20-2011

Page 1

Roswell Daily Record

INSIDE NEWS

EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER

STATE CASHES IN ON BILLY

SANTA FE — Who says Billy the Kid is dead? Within a week, earlier this month, Billy’s photograph sold for $2.3 million, dozens of Billy the Kid artists and historians gathered to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Billy’s death and the state of New Mexico announced a $10,000 bounty for the capture of Billy. - PAGE A4

THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

LRC plan could cost Roswell seats

Vol. 120, No. 173 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

Roswell may lose representation in both the state Senate and House of Representatives in several scenarios being looked at by the Legislative Redistricting Committee, officials say. Due to population growth, two new state Senate seats must be created on the west side of Albuquerque, Brian Sanderoff, president of Research and Polling Inc., said during a public hearing with the LRC in Roswell, Tuesday.

July 20, 2011

WEDNESDAY

www.rdrnews.com

That means, two other seats have to be consolidated somewhere else, he says. “One of those seats that should be consolidated should come from Albuquerque, and then the other seat that should be consolidated should come from somewhere on the eastern half of the state,” Sanderoff said. One scenario out of the eight that have been proposed so far by Research and Polling, the Legislature’s redistricting consultant, suggests consolidating two Roswell-based districts:

The next Nancy or Tiger?

Sen. Rod Adair’s, RRoswell, Senate District 33, and that of Sen. Gay Kergan, R-Hobbs, Senate District 42. Most of Roswell would end up in Senate District 32, that of Sen. Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, and the northern part of the city would be situated in Kergan’s district. Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, would also pick up rural areas to the north that are a part of Adair’s district. “In this one, one of the Roswell seats disappears,” See LRC, Page A3

Mark Wilson Photo

The New Mexico Redistricting Committee meets Tuesday morning at the Daniels Leadership Center on the New Mexico Military Institute campus.

Murdoch rejects blame

TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours

• Mortgage robo-signing still happening, illegally • ’Twas a day for creativity at the Lakes • Dexter man dies in freak accident • Sunset Villa Block Party • ATF changes policy

INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo

Children ages 4 through 6 enrolled in The First Tee Annual Youth Golf & Life Skills Summer Camp at the NMMI Golf Course practice their swings on the driving range, Tuesday morning.

LONDON (AP) — Summoned by lawmakers to answer for a phone hacking and bribery scandal at one of his tabloids, Rupert Murdoch said he was humbled and ashamed Tuesday but accepted no responsibility for wrongdoing as a widening investigation threatened to ensnare Britain’s prime minister. In a three-hour grilling, the 80-year-old media tycoon insisted he was at fault only for trusting the wrong people at the nowdefunct News of the World, and noted that the paper made up a tiny portion of his vast media empire. The scandal has rocked Murdoch’s News Corp. and embroiled Britain’s top police, many jour nalists and politiSee MURDOCH, Page A3

Drought causes wildlife to move RIAC gets $775K grant VICK ADDRESSES CONGRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick brought his anti-dogfighting message to Congress on Tuesday, backing legislation that would penalize those who knowingly attend animal fights and allow minors to attend. Vick, who served 18 months in prison on dogfighting charges, said he wants to teach kids not to repeat his mistakes and to take profits away from sponsors - PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES

• Olympia Romero • Jeffrey Edmonson - PAGE A6

HIGH .101˚ LOW ....73˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

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

INDEX

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — People across New Mexico are on edge this summer. After a dismal winter snowpack and dry spring, they’re left to wait each after noon to see if the clouds will let loose with rain. But it’s not just humans suffering: From bats to bears, wildlife is feeling the pinch as the state suf fers through what is so far the driest year on record. New Mexico has received an average of just over an inch of moisture since the beginning of the year, leaving much of the state in an extreme to exceptional drought. No moisture means no insects, no grass, no acorns, no berries. That leaves animals “nutritionally limited,”

New Mexico Game and Fish Department biologist Rick Winslow said. “That covers everything. That’s up to and including hummingbirds and insects and everything like that,” he said. Over the weekend, a bear was caught on a security camera at the governor’s mansion in the hills on Santa Fe’s north side. The bear was walking past trash cans as it searched for food. It prompted a reminder from Gov. Susana Martinez to be mindful of wildlife that has been displaced by drought and fires across the state. In southeaster n New Mexico, the bat roost at the National Cave and Karst Research Institute’s high-tech headquarters along the Pecos River is

empty. Scientists there blamed the drought. The ef fects are also noticeable at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, where visitors gather each night to see the bat flight, one of the highlights of visiting the park. Countless bats stream from the cavern’s natural entrance at dusk as they head out to search for insects to eat. Park officials say flights this year have been thinner compared to years past. Bats are still roosting in the caverns, but only those that have yet to search for greener pastures in Mexico or neighboring Texas. “Their caves are overflowing with bats because

See DROUGHT, Page A3

The Roswell International Air Center was recently awarded a $775,000 grant from the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration to acquire a new aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle. The announcement was made Monday by Sen. Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Taos Regional and Four Corners Regional also received the grant, which totaled $1,195,254 for safety improvements for all three airports. “I’m glad to see this money going to improve regional airports throughout New Mexico,” Udall said in a statement. “It’s important that we keep our airports in the best condition possible to ensure that air travel is safe and efficient.” Jennifer Brady, RIAC manager, says the new fire

truck will replace a 1991 fire engine, one of two older vehicles at the airport fire station. The other fire engine is from 2007. Brady said that the new fire truck will allow the airport to keep its Index A rating. The new fire truck will hold up to 1,500 gallons of water, 200 gallons of firefighting foam and 500 pounds of dry chemical to fight fires, she said. The request for a new truck will likely go out to bid in August, and will appear before the City Council for approval in September. The FAA Airport Improvement Program grant will reimburse 95 percent of the cost of the vehicle, while the city and state will each pay 21⁄2 percent of the cost. RIAC allocates about $1 million of its budget each year for safety improvements, Brady said.

State adds judge to list GOP pushes debt bill thru House

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The chief judge of the 3rd Judicial District could be called to testify in the trial of a colleague accused in a pay-to-play scandal with ties to for mer Gov. Bill Richardson. Matt Chandler, who is prosecuting the alleged judicial corruption case in Las Cruces, notified the court Monday that he was adding Chief Judge Douglas Driggers to his list of possible witnesses. State District Judge Michael Murphy faces bribery and intimidation charges. He is accused of telling a potential judicial candidate that she needed to make payments to Democratic activist Edgar Lopez if she wanted to be considered for a seat on the bench in 2007. Allegations in a report

released by Chandler after Murphy’s indictment implied the practice was common in the district and that the payments were funneled to the former governor. Driggers was not mentioned in the prosecutor’s report that implicated Richardson and others. Richardson has called the accusations “outrageous and defamatory.” Lopez called them “absurd.” Michael Stout, Murphy’s lawyer, said his client is innocent. Earlier this month, he filed a lengthy series of legal briefs attacking the grand jury process and seeking a dismissal of the May indictment. Chandler, who is the district attorney for Curry and See JUDGE, Page A3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defying a veto threat, the Republican-controlled House voted Tuesday night to slice federal spending by $6 trillion and require a constitutional balanced budget amendment to be sent to the states in exchange for averting a threatened Aug. 2 gover nment default. The 234-190 vote marked the power of deeply conservative firstterm Republicans, and it stood in contrast to rising support at the White House and in the Senate for a late stab at bipartisanship to solve the AP Photo nation’s looming debt criHouse Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, left, accomsis. panied by House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, speaks during a press conference to discuss the debt limit crisis, See DEBT, Page A3 on Capitol Hill, Tuesday.


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07-20-2011 by Roswell Daily Record - Issuu