Roswell Daily Record
Debt done deal; truce fades THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 120, No. 185 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
FAA CLOSURE TO CONTINUE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is likely to lose more than $1 billion in airline ticket taxes because lawmakers have left town for a month without resolving a partisan standoff over a bill to end the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration. The government already has lost more than $200 million since airlines are unable to collect taxes on ticket sales because the FAA’s operating authority has expired. The Senate recessed on Tuesday until September. The House left Monday night. - PAGE A6
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INSIDE SPORTS
August 3, 2011
WEDNESDAY
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Dow drops 265 points; economy in big trouble
AP Photo
‘All right!’
WASHINGTON (AP) — The stock market is on its longest losing streak since the financial meltdown of 2008, confronted almost every day by fresh evidence that the economy is in serious trouble again. The Dow Jones industrials declined more than 265 points Wednesday, their worst day in more than two months, and closed below 12,000 for the first time since June 24. Investors sold all day after a report that the economy, which is barely growing and straining to produce jobs, is getting almost no help from consumer spending. Americans saved more in June and spent less for the first time in almost two years. The big declines in the stock
WASHINGTON (AP) — With scant time to spare, President Barack Obama signed legislation Tuesday to avoid an unprecedented national default that he said would have devastated the U.S. economy. But the truce with Republicans that defused the crisis seemed to be fading already. Wall Street crumpled, See DEBT, Page A3
DEBT DEAL COULD HIT NM LAB FUNDING ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The debt deal reached in Washington this week could derail future funding increases at New Mexico’s national labs, including construction of a new multibillion-dollar nuclear lab at Los Alamos, the state’s senators said. The legislation calls for deep defense cuts if a con-
gressional committee appointed to work out long-ter m decreases in spending fail to reach an agreement. And the deal makes it clear that the National Nuclear Security Administration — which got about $3 billion this year to support work at See LABS, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
A sweat-drenched Colt Higgins expresses his joy of being a participant in the Chaves County Fair at the Eastern New Mexico State Fairgrounds, Tuesday morning.
Barela calls Roswell’s an ‘amazing, diversified economy’ See ECONOMY, Page A3
EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
UNM READY FOR POSITIVE CHANGES
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Although New Mexico is coming off consecutive 1-11 seasons in coach Mike Locksley’s first two years here, he is confident things are going to change. “Going to a bowl is the goal,” he said of his expectations for the Lobos. “Going into year three, with our experience and our ability, it’s expected that the team is going to play in a bowl game come December.” Yet New Mexico will be without Stump Godfrey ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Ermenia Arredondo • Mark G. Vickers • Jim Latham - PAGE A6
HIGH .102˚ LOW ....73˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....B6 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A6 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Emily Russo Miller Photo
New Mexico Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela meets with local business leaders in Roswell, Tuesday, on his Job Creation Tour throughout the state. Pictured at left is Amado “Sonny” Espinoza, III.
New Mexico Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela met with local business leaders in Roswell, Tuesday afternoon, as part of his Job Creation Tour throughout the state. The meeting was intended to gather feedback before crafting a job creation bill, or series of bills, for the upcoming 2012 legislative session that would help New Mexico become more competitive in the marketplace, he says. “I’ve been to over 30 communities now since I’ve
War memorial work to begin this week EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Construction on the new Chaves County War Memorial is slated to begin this week in hopes of erecting the monument just before the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. “Hopefully it will be done before Sept. 9,” and in time for a dedication ceremony slated for Saturday, Sept. 10, War Memorial Committee president Michael Trujillo said Tuesday in an interview. The war memorial, intended to be an addition to the Veterans Memorial in front of the Chaves County Administrative Center, originally had trouble getting off the ground when county commissioners discovered it would cost $100,000 more than what was anticipated in administrative fees from the South Carolinabased contracting firm Gordian Group. The additional expenses brought the total price to $264,000. So the county canceled the contract it
had with Gordian Group in November, although the county had already spent $128,600 on marble granite, and the state put the contract out for bid again. The contract was awarded to Albuquerque-based FacilityBUILD Commercial Construction Services in late April. County Purchasing Director Tammy Johnson says the county saves about $135,500 with the new contract. The FacilityBUILD contract totals about $145,000; the Gordian Group’s $280,500. The memorial project was spearheaded by the Chaves County commissioners who recently allocated $65,000 for the memorial in their 2012 budget, in addition to the $150,000 approved for the project late last year. Members and veterans in the community also helped raise money for the memorial by launching a Memorial Brick Campaign, which to date has raised about $14,000, Trujillo says. The committee is still selling bricks for $100 each, and
interested donors can fill out an application online at co.chaves.nm.us/. President of E&CS Electric and Vietnam-era veteran Jim Bloodhart, is donating the electric work, which otherwise would have cost about $2,000, Johnson says. Trujillo says he looks forward to the memorial finally being constructed. “It’s to honor the soldiers that sacrificed all,” he said. “The freedoms we have today, it’s because of them.” The dedication ceremony is scheduled to be held from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 10, on the front lawn of the Chaves County Courthouse, where the monument is to be situated. Guest speakers at the ceremony will include Trujillo, an Iraqi War veteran, and Erasmo Valles Jr., of Hobbs, also an Iraqi War veteran, who was injured in combat. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., was also invited to attend, Trujillo said.
emiller@roswell-record.com
been secretary,” he said. “The only way you can really learn and understand and get a feel for what we need to do next is to get on the ground and understand businesses and the local dynamics within each economy.” Barela went on to praise Roswell’s diverse economy, which is driven mostly by the oil, gas and energy, dairy, agriculture and aviation industries, and called the city a “bright light” for New Mexico. “It is what a local economy should be striving to do,” he said, also noting that manufacturing businesses, like Leprino Foods, and educational institu-
tions, like New Mexico Military Institute, help drive the local economy. “What an amazing, diversified economy.” Local business people, in turn, told Barela about new projects they are working on, and what obstacles they have encountered along the way. Gerry Greathouse, with Nature’s Dairy located in East Grand Plains, told the secretary that his dairy product company recently received funding from the Department of Energy to develop a renewable energy project to later serve as a See BARELA, Page A3
That’s a lot of soda
Mark Wilson Photo
Daryl Beard, seated, a member of the Elks Lodge 969, collected 54 pounds of soda can pull tabs and donated them to the Ronald McDonald House to be recycled, turning the profits into dialysis time for children. Standing behind Beard are McDonald’s representatives and owners of the two Roswell McDonald’s restaurants, Nic Snowberg, left, and his father John Snowberg. John Snowberg stated that the proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald houses in Albuquerque, Amarillo and Lubbock, and that the upcoming 6th annual Ronald McDonald House Charity Golf Tournament will be held Sept. 24 at the New Mexico Military Institute Golf Course.