04-02-2011

Page 1

Roswell Daily Record

Vol. 120, No. 80 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

NO FOOLIN’! PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An April Fools’ snowstorm created a winter wonderland Friday in parts of northern New England, sending dozens of cars sliding off roads, knocking out power to thousands and giving tens of thousands of schoolchildren a surprise snow day. The spring Nor’easter greeted folks on April Fools’ Day with thick, - PAGE A8

THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

April 2, 2011

SATURDAY

www.rdrnews.com

Jobless rate drops to 8.8%

AP Photo

President Barack Obama speaks during an event to promote clean energy vehicles at a UPS facility in Landover, Md., Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in two years in March, and the outlook is brightening as major companies plan to add more jobs. Increased hiring cut the unemployment rate to 8.8 percent — an encouraging sign for the unemployed and for President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects. Still, the job gains haven’t led many people who stopped looking for work during the recession

to start again. Fewer than two-thirds of American adults are either working or looking for work — the lowest participation rate in 25 years. The economy added 216,000 jobs last month, the government said Friday. Factories, retailers, the education and health care sectors, and professional and financial services all expanded payrolls. Those gains offset layoffs by local governments, construction and telecommunications.

WEB For The Past 24 Hours

• Residents unhappy about trailer law • Families file against Griffin • Candelight vigil for Romero is April 15 • Berrendo LLC plans appeal • Roswell wins back-toback crowns

INSIDE Mark Wilson Photo

Washington Avenue Elementary kindergarten students show off their homemade vehicles as they parade through the hallways past older students, family and friends, Friday afternoon.

Beep! Beep! Kids are cute in cars EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER

A 92-car pileup in the playground of Washington Avenue Elementary School caused parents everywhere to say, “Awwww.” Four classes of kindergartners in homemade cardboard cars

FREDETTE AP PLAYER OF THE YEAR HOUSTON (AP) — Jimmer Fredette became a one-name star in his senior season at BYU. Leading the country in scoring helped as did being on a team that spent the second half of the season ranked in the top 10. On Friday, Fredette — excuse me; Jimmer — was selected The Associated Press’ player of the year. “It’s been quite a ride and it’s been a lot of fun and I wouldn’t take anything back,” Fredette said. “I had quite the career at BYU. There were a lot of ups and downs, .... - PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Frank Schlatter • Margaret Pearl Brown - PAGE A3

HIGH ...96˚ LOW ....55˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

See ECONOMY, Page A2

Gov wants teacher standards

TOP 5

SPORTS

The improved outlook propelled the Dow Jones industrial average to a 2011 high in early trading. Stocks then pared their gains as oil prices climbed to 30-month highs. The Dow closed up about 57 points, or 0.46 percent. The private sector added more than 200,000 jobs for a second straight month. It was the first time that’s happened since 2006 — more than a year before the recession started.

“cruised” in a parade during recess Friday afternoon to celebrate the end of the transportation unit in their curriculum. “They learned about wheels, and things that go, and different kinds of things that go,” kindergarten teacher Kristie Jurney said. A long line of yellow school

buses, pink Punch buggy’s and camouflage trucks looped around the playground. Parents cheered outside while songs like “Life is a Highway” blared from the intercom. Five-year -old Gene Williams, driving a Thomas the Tank See BEEP!, Page A2

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez said Friday she will push ahead with plans to develop a system for evaluating and rewarding New Mexico’s public school teachers based on student achievement and other key factors. The initiative, part of the Republican governor’s agenda for reforming the state’s education system, was passed overwhelmingly by the Senate during the legislative session but failed to get approval from the House. Martinez said the legislation died because “some people are afraid to take on the status quo.” “They believe that if we just keep on doing what we’re doing, or throw more money at the problem without any sort of real strategy that we can magically turn things around. I’m here to tell you that does not work,” she told a crowd of educators gathered in Albuquerque for an awards ceremony. Martinez said she will issue an executive order in the coming weeks that will create a task force for developing and adopting a statewide framework for teacher evaluations. The task force will be made up of experts and other stakeholders. As part of the group’s charge, See TEACHER, Page A2

Quran-burning incites Rally gets kids pumped for tests Afghan mob; 7 dead

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghans angry over the bur ning of a Quran at a small Florida church stormed a U.N. compound in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing seven foreigners, including four Nepalese guards. Afghan authorities suspect insurgents melded into the mob and they announced the arrest of more than 20 people, including a militant they suspect was the ringleader of the assault in Mazar-iSharif, the provincial capital of Balkh province. The suspect was an insurgent from Kapisa province, a

hotbed of militancy about 250 miles southeast of the city, said Rawof Taj, deputy provincial police chief. The topic of Quran burning stirred outrage among millions of Muslims and others worldwide after the Rev. Terry Jones’ small church, Dove Outreach Center, threatened to destroy a copy of the holy book last year. The pastor backed down but the church in Gainesville, Florida, went through with the burning last month. Four protesters also died in the violence in Mazar-iSee MOB, Page A2

EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER

Tests are generally met by pupils with groans and moans, but Pecos Elementary School is pumping students up in preparation for the state standardized testing that begins next week. The school held an outside pep rally on Friday afternoon to give students a chance to have fun before the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment begins Tuesday. “They’ve been working so hard to prepare for the See PECOS, Page A2

Mark Wilson Photo

Pecos Elementary students hold a test pep rally to help motivate schoolmates to do well in next week’s standardbased testing.

Stew Cosentino publishes history book about New Mexico EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER

CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B5 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8

INDEX

Actor-turned writer, Stew Cosentino

Emily Russo Miller Photo

Stew Cosentino has lived life on the stage, but the actor from Hollywood, Calif., recently tried his hand at something different: writing. He penned and published his first book, History of New Mexico: Land of the Brave, Land of the Slaves, last year. Cosentino drew inspiration from the beauty of his adopted state — something he only truly appreciated when he moved to Roswell in 2004 with his wife Peggy, a Roswell native. “If people open their eyes

and really see what New Mexico is about, it’s beautiful — the mountains and the desert,” he said. The main focus of the text is on American Indian tribes and the their experience under Spanish rule. He breaks the 97-page history book down into small chapters making it comprehensive and easy to read, like a Clif fNotes study guide for students.

“History is something to learn from,” he said, adding that he prioritized historic moments by underscoring what he thought “the people might be interested in.” He honed in on different counties and cities throughout the state, including Chaves County and Roswell. Of Chaves County, he wrote about its See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3


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