Roswell Daily Record
Senate defeats House budget
Vol. 120, No. 126 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
ROSWELL’S MOST WANTED
Joseph Sanchez, 19, is wanted for the March 10 shooting of Amber Romeo in the 100 block of West Alameda Street. The victim was airlifted to Lubbock in critical condition. He is charged with aggravated battery. He is described as 5feet, 3-inches tall ... - PAGE A2
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
May 26, 2011
THURSDAY
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AP Photo
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. arrives for a press conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joined by several moderate Republicans, Democrats controlling the Senate rejected a controversial House budget plan for tur ning Medicare into a voucher -like program for future beneficiaries. Five Republicans joined every Democrat in the 5740 vote killing the measure, which calls for transforming Medicare into a program in which future beneficiaries — people now 54 years old and younger — would be given a subsidy to purchase health insurance
rather than have the government directly pay hospital and doctor bills. Democrats said the GOP plan would “end Medicare as we know it,” and they made it the central issue in a special election Tuesday in which Democrats seized a longtime GOP district in western New York, rattling Republicans. Among the moderate Republicans who opposed the stringent House plan were Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Lisa
DA drops charges against Harris
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• O’Keeffe staffer to lecture at RMAC • Roswell may get military cemetery • Arias arraigned on murder charges ... • Roswell woman shot, killed • Police arrest murder suspect
INSIDE SPORTS
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Kenneth Graham • Joyce Sparks • Lloyd Wilson Chaves Sr. • Victor Pillado Jr. • Ruth F. Carter • Wade Bishop - PAGE B3
HIGH ...99˚ LOW ....61˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B6 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 STATE ...................B3 WEATHER ..............A8
Emily Russo Miller Photo
Commissioners vote on road today The Chaves County Commissioners tour Buchanan Draw Road earlier this month.
Chaves County commissioners will decide today in their annual road hearing whether to close a county road that hunters say will restrict access to public land.
Growing up, all kids have a dream. Some children see themselves as the next Michael Jordan, while others picture themselves in the Oval Office. For Jessica Zamora, the dream was to play softball at the collegiate level and on Wednesday. that dream was realized. The recent Roswell grad signed a letter of intent to continue her softball and academic career at ... - PAGE B1
See BUDGET, Page A3
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
ZAMORA SIGNS LOI
Murkowski of Alaska. Tea party favorite Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky opposed the plan from the right since it doesn’t actually balance and would add trillions of dollars to the U.S. debt. Republicans faulted Democrats, who control the Senate, for failing to offer a plan of their own. GOP senators immediately forced a vote on President Barack Obama’s February budget proposal, which opened to chilly
Buchanan Draw Road, a 9.04mile-long road that is surrounded by private, state and Bureau of Land Management land, is situated in the heart of ranch country near the Lincoln County border. The only traffic the road may see for weeks is the occasional cow
that wanders onto the gravel. That is, until hunting season. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish officials estimate some 11,000 sportsmen hunt on the 36,780 acres of BLM and state land surrounding Buchanan Draw
Accused murderer Larry Harris, 48, was released from Chaves County Detention Center on May 20. Harris was charged with the Jan. 12, 2000, killing of John Bugarin. He was extradited from Lubbock for the 10-year-old cold case in April 2010 to face one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. The charges were dismissed by special prosecutor Assistant District Attorney Paul Sanchez of the 8th Judicial District by filing nolle prosequi. Nolle prosequi means the case against the defendant is being dropped usually for insufficient evidence. The fact that the charges have been dropped does
See ROAD, Page A3
See HARRIS, Page A2
‘Exceptional’ drought Feral hog symposium attracts hits much of SENM farmers, hunters, ranchers MATTHEW ARCO RECORD STAFF WRITER
Chaves County ranchers say they are feeling the effects of an “exceptional” drought that meteorologists say occurs once every 50 to 100 years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of Chaves County and much of southeast New Mexico is experiencing the most intense drought conditions that is used to monitor the lack of precipitation. The report, issued by the National Drought Policy Commission on May 17, categorized the county as D4-Exceptional — the most
severe category. As the lack of rain has led to a rash of wildfires in New Mexico, it’s also hitting ranchers and anyone in agriculture where it hurts — their wallets. “We just finished up our, kind of, first annual cutting of our hay in the county, and the word is out that the yields are probably cut in half,” said Kyle “Smiley” Wooton, operator of the Roswell Livestock Auction. “If you go to thinking about cutting your paycheck in half, how devastating can that be to a person?” Wooton said ranchers See DROUGHT, Page A2
JONATHAN ENTZMINGER RECORD STAFF WRITER
New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, in conjunction with the Chaves County Extension Office, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, New Mexico Livestock Board and USDA Wildlife Services sponsored the Southeastern New Mexico Feral Hog Symposium for farmers, ranchers and hunters at the Fairgrounds, Wednesday. “We discussed the See HOGS, Page A3
Jonathan Entzminger Photo
Brian Archuleta, USDA Wildlife Services district supervisor, addresses the crowd at the Feral Hog Symposium, Wednesday.
State Dept orders all nonessential diplomats to leave Yemen
INDEX
AP Photo
Anti-government protestors shout slogans during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen, Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Wednesday ordered nonessential U.S. diplomats to depart Yemen and urged all Americans there to leave as security conditions deteriorated with the country’s embattled leader refusing to step down. The decision to tell most nonessential personnel and the families of all American staff at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa to leave was a sign of Washington’s increasing concern about the situation in Yemen, where street battles between supporters and opponents of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh raged for a third day. The
clashes have left at least 41 dead and dozens badly injured. “The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high due to terrorist activities and civil unrest,” the State Department said in its advisory. “There is ongoing civil unrest throughout the country and large-scale protests in major cities.” It noted that violent clashes were occurring in Sanaa, the capital, and “may escalate without notice.” The “ordered departure” notice came in a new travel warning for Yemen released as the Obama administration stepped up calls for Saleh to transfer power
under an agreement negotiated by neighboring Persian Gulf states. Speaking in London earlier Wednesday, President Barack Obama called on Saleh to “move immediately” to implement the agreement. Saleh has balked three times at following through on verbal commitments to step down. The earlier U.S. travel alert for Yemen issued in March had allowed nonessential embassy staff and their families to leave at government expense. It had also urged Americans not to go to Yemen but had only told those already in the country to consider leaving.