Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Tucson suspect had troubled history
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STORM HEADS NORTH RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The snow-and-ice storm that has shut down much of the South slowly rolled toward the Northeast on Tuesday, revealing a regional culture clash along the way ... - PAGE A3
January 12, 2011
WEDNESDAY
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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Jared Loughner had trouble with the law, was rejected by the Army after flunking a drug test and was considered so mentally unstable that he was banned from his college campus, where officials considered him a threat to other students and faculty. But the 22-year-old had no trouble buying the Glock semiautomatic pistol that authorities say he used in the Tucson rampage Saturday that left six dead and 14 injured, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Loughner’s personal history did not disqualify him under federal rules, and Arizona doesn’t regulate gun sales. His criminal charges were ultimately dismissed, the Army informa-
tion was private and Pima Community College isn’t saying whether it shared its concerns about Loughner with anyone besides his parents. Loughner cleared a federal background check and bought the pistol at a bigbox sports store near his home on Nov. 30 — two months after he was suspended by the college. He customized the weapon with an extended ammunition clip that would have been illegal six years earlier. There is nothing to indicate that anything went wrong in the process leading up to that purchase — except the ultimate outcome. But the question hangs: Was there any single piece of behavior — or a combination of two or more
Which way is up?
— that that might have prevented Loughner from obtaining the gun that police say he used during his rampage? Background checks are See HISTORY, Page A2
AP Photo
RIGHT: This undated photo obtained from MySpace, shows Jared L. Loughner. At an event roughly three years ago, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords took a question from Jared Loughner, the man accused of trying to assassinate her and killing six other people. According to two of his high school friends the question was essentially this: "What is government if words have no meaning?" Loughner was angry about her response: she read the question and didn't have much to say.
City Council to vote on sign regulations
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MATTHEW ARCO RECORD STAFF WRITER
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Vote early for school board elections Noah Suzuki, of DynaComm, works on upgrading an AT&T site while rappelling down the water tower at Roswell International Air Center, Tuesday morning.
HOKE HIRED AT MICHIGAN ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Brady Hoke has a few things in common with the late Bo Schembechler. He is from Ohio, he did not attend ...
- PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Marie Smith • Ann Klingsmith Hastedt • Edith Louise Baird • William McCubbing • Alberto Villela • Betty Potosnak • Maria Antonietta “Toni” Gibson
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INDEX
T h e C it y C ou n cil will vote Thursday whether to ap p r ove ad op t in g a watered-down version of new sign regulations that wer e p r eviou sly vot ed down by the council. A public hearing will be held prior to the vote on t h e new r ules pack age that omits a majority of the language that resulted in criticism by some city residents. T h e cou n ci l vot ed against the measures in A u gu st , b u t t h e i ssu e later retur ned and of ficials spent about thr ee an d a h alf h ou r s d iscu ssin g i t d u r in g a December workshop.
EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Only about 14 ballots have been cast so far for the school board election, officials say. Early voting began last Friday and will last until the end of the month. Chaves County Chief Deputy Clerk Douglas Shaw says that unopposed races are partly to blame for low voter turnout.
“There’s not really any opposition in any of the races but two,” Shaw said. The only two contests with candidates are for the Roswell Independent School District. G.A. Rottman is challenging incumbent James Waldrip for a seat r epr esenting District 2, while George Peterson, Pauline Ponce and Barry Foster are fighting to represent District 4. Eleven candidates are
Gov. Martinez set to visit Roswell on Thursday
running unopposed for 12 positions in Dexter, Hagerman, Lake Arthur and Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell school board elections. ENMU-R’s District 5 seat will be vacant. Though voters won’t be picking a candidate in those uncontested races, bond issues are still on the ballot. A general obligation bond question for $1.2
million and a two mill levy question will appear on the Lake Arthur ballot. The money would be used for school building maintenance, r epairs and materials to be used within the facilities. The two mill levy would impose a pr operty tax of $2 per each $1,000 of net taxable value of the property in the district. Voters can vote early until Friday, Jan. 28, at
Locks of Love
See COUNCIL, Page A2
the County Clerk’s Office at #1 St. Mary's Place, Suite #110 during business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday thr ough Friday. The office will be closed on weekends and on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Jan. 17. Election day will formally be held Feb. 1.
emiller@roswell-record.com
Gov. Susana Martinez plans to visit Roswell,
Thursday and is slated to attend at least three public
events.
The governor will attend the New Mexico National
Guard’s yellow ribbon ceremony at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center at 10 a.m.
The event is meant to pay tribute to local National
Guard men and women preparing for deployment in Kosovo.
Martinez then plans to attend a ribbon-cutting cer-
emony for the opening of the new New Mexico Reha-
bilitation Center facility in Roswell located at 72 Gail Harris Ave., at noon.
The rehabilitation center is inviting residents to
take a tour of the building at that time.
Martinez will also attend the official swearing in of
Al Solis, Roswell Police Department’s newest chief, at
the Roswell Convention and Civic Center at 2:30 p.m.
Mark Wilson Photo
David Miller, donating some of his hair to Locks of Love, has his pony tail cut by stylist Tori Hernandez at Smartstyle Family Hair Salon, Tuesday afternoon. Miller was donating to Locks of Love on behalf of his motorcycle club, The Brotherhood of the 74 Motorcycle Riders, Carlsbad Chapter. Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss.