Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 119, No. 245 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
DRILLING MORATORIUM DROPPED
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Tuesday lifted the deep water oil drilling moratorium that the government imposed in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill. The administration has been under heavy pressure from the industry and others in the region to lift the sixmonth ban on grounds it has cost jobs and damaged the economy. - PAGE A7
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
October 13, 2010
NM pushes changes to water proposal
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The New Mexico Environment Department and conservation groups presented a compromise Tuesday to state regulators who are considering a proposal that would protect hundreds of miles of headwater streams, more than two dozen lakes and numerous wetlands in federal wilderness areas around New Mexico. The department first petitioned the Water Quality Control Commission to designate headwaters in a dozen federal wilderness areas around the state as outstanding water sources, which would protect streams, lakes and wetlands
WEDNESDAY
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by prohibiting any activities that would degrade water quality. Under the compromise, temporary degradation of water quality would be allowed only in limited circumstances, such as during restoration or maintenance projects. Supporters said the compromise better defines protections for outstanding waters and keeps in place the state’s strict anti-degradation policy. But it immediately drew criticism from a ranchers’ group that has been fighting the department’s effort to designate the waterways as national “outstanding
resources waters.” Dan Dolan, an attorney representing the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, said suggesting changes to the proposal during the hearing process does not give ranchers or others who are concerned enough time to review and present their cases. “We have the agency changing its proposal to be something that it never was in the first place and that the public never got notice of,” he said. “It’s just another example of an environmental agency that does not really care what the public’s input is.” State officials said they
Equine exercise
have tried to address the public’s concerns and that development of the initial proposal included extensive public participation. The hearing before the commission in Santa Fe is a continuation of a proceeding that started last month. Some groups involved in the case have been negotiating changes to the proposal’s language over the last three weeks, but the ranchers contend that they were left out. The hearing was scheduled to last through Friday. It will be up to the commission to approve, modify or reject the proposal. It could be December before the commission makes a final
Martinez has money advantage
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INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Susan Bierwirth runs Promise Land through his paces during a light workout Tuesday morning at Hi Hollow Farms. Promise Land is an 8-year-old retired race horse.
Dexter students discover joy of reading EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
RANGERS ADVANCE TO 1ST ALCS
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Cliff Lee added another impressive line to his growing October resume, putting the Texas Rangers on his back and carrying them into the AL championship series for the first time. Lee tossed another postseason gem and Texas won a playoff series for the first time, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 Tuesday night in a decisive Game 5 on the legs of some daring baserunning. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• John “Johnny” Raymond Morsey Jr. • Dan Snyder • Lillie Mitchel • James R. Gelder • Jose Rivas • Gwendolyn Wessen - PAGE A3
HIGH ...77˚ LOW ....46˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 DR. GOTT .............A5 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WASHINGTON .........A7 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Most school libraries are deserted after hours, but on Tuesday evening, Dexter Elementary school children were running full speed toward the book shelves. Kids were allowed to choose one free book as part of the fifth annual Reading Roundup. “We want reading to be fun,” said Nancy Miles, the school librarian who wore a denim shirt with a rocket patch on the pocket that read, “5-4-3-21 READ.” Dexter Elementary students receive three free books a year in conjunction with the largest children’s literary program in the nation called Reading is Fundamental. The nonprofit organization is supported by the Department of Education and motivates youngsters to read by delivering free, brandnew books. “Oh, what have you got there?” Dexter Middle School librarian Beth Harris asked a
Emily Russo Miller Photo
Kylilea Roa, 2, and her sister hold their new books outside Dexter Elementary School during the fifth annual Reading Roundup. young boy perusing the nonfiction table. “They have long tongues,” Leviathan Burrows, 3, responded, holding up a copy of “Chameleons are Cool.” Reading is Fundamental raises three-quarters of the cost, around $3,000, and Dexter Community Sponsors donate the rest.
decision in the case. “The cattle growers are just slowing the process down and stalling it as much as they can,” said Bryan Bird of WildEarth Guardians, one of the groups that negotiated the compromise. “The bottom line is that a handful of public lands ranchers are holding the entire state’s clean water hostage. I think that’s inappropriate.” Pointing to citizens’ signatures and support from municipalities and sportsmen’s groups, Bird said protecting New Mexico’s headwaters will help the state prepare for growing pressure on its limited water resources.
“A lot of the kids in the elementary do not have money to buy books for themselves,” Amy Deutsch, the district librarian, explained. According to Reading is Fundamental’s website, nearly two-thirds of low-income families in the United States own no books.
See BOOKS, Page A2
SANTA FE (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez collected another $500,000 from a national GOP group during the past month, bringing to $1 million the amount from the Republican Governors’ Association in the general election campaign. Martinez stockpiled more campaign cash than Democrat Diane Denish as the race entered the final stretch to the Nov. 2 general election, according to the latest financial reports filed Tuesday. Martinez reported cash-onhand of $1.3 million as of Oct. 4, while Denish had a balance of $950,607. Denish has served as lieutenant governor since 2003 under Gov. Bill Richardson, who is term-limited and can’t seek re-election. Martinez has been district attorney in Las
AG: No board conflict in emissions case
See MARTINEZ, Page A2
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office has dismissed allegations that some of the state regulators considering whether to adopt new rules to curb greenhouse gas emissions have a conflict of interest. Assistant Attorney General Stephen Vigil says he talked with members of the state Environmental Improvement Board. He concluded that none of them have financial interests that would warrant their disqualification under the Governmental Conduct Act from hearing the two emissions proposals pending before the board. Vigil made the comments in a letter to Republican Rep. William Gray of Artesia. Gray and the New Mexico House GOP caucus had asked the attorney general to investigate. There had been rumblings for months about whether some of the regulators were too closely aligned with environmental interests.
Burst water pipe closes El Capitan Elementary School El Capitan Elementary School is closed the remainder of the week due to a burst pipe which left parts of the school under 4 inches of water, officials said. Roswell Independent School District Superintendent Michael Gottlieb said the damage occurred Monday night at around 10 p.m. School officials worked through the night cleaning the building and an Albuquerque-based company was called in Tuesday to assess the damage and make repairs.
“There’s a whole bunch of stuf f that has to be done,” Gottlieb said. “They’re going to need all the days, including Sunday, to get everything done.” Gottlieb said he hopes to have the school re-open on Oct. 18. It’s the school’s second water leak due to a broken line, he said, adding that the age of the building makes it susceptible to such damage. Gottlieb couldn’t immediately give an estimate on the cost to make repairs.
Mark Wilson Photo
Workers move items and perform clean-up duties at El Capitan Elementary School Tuesday morning after a water leak partially flooded classrooms, forcing the cancellation of school.