10-02-14 Roswell Daily Record

Page 1

Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Vol. 123, No. 237 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday

October 2, 2014

THURSDAY

www.rdrnews.com

Martinez announces 50 new jobs at AerSale SUBMITTED

Gov. Susana Martinez announced Wednesday the addition of 50 new jobs at the Roswell International Air Center. New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) Cabinet Secretary Jon Barela, Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh, and AerSale CEO Nicolas Finazzo joined Martinez for the announcement. “We have worked hard to make New Mexico competitive with surrounding states, and that work is paying dividends. Our aviation industry is no exception,” Martinez. said “Our tax reforms, like eliminating the tax on the sale of commercial aircraft, are showing clear results, and I am pleased to have AerSale as our latest partner in this continued growth.” In March, Martinez signed legislation eliminating the sales tax on the purchase of aircraft more than 10,000 pounds, a move that is spurring growth in New Mexico’s aviation industry, according to a released statement. Before this change in tax policy, New Mexico taxed the sale of commercial aircraft. This led to pilots flying to neighboring states to complete aircraft sales. Finazzo commented, “AerSale appreciates Gov. Martinez’s enthusiasm and support of the growing aviation industry here in

Timothy P. Howsare Photo

Gov. Susana Martinez greets students at Berrendo Middle School Wednesday before congratulating the staff, teachers and students on being chosen by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School.

Charles Fischer Photo

Gov. Susana Martinez announces Wednesday the creation of 50 new jobs at Aersale. Seated behind Martinez are Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh, left, and AerSale CEO Nicolas Finazzo.

Roswell and across the state of New Mexico. We have directly benefited from her unwavering commitment to new job creation at our Roswell facilities.”

New Mexico is home to more than 100 aviationrelated businesses and has unlimited growth potential. Martinez recently announced that Google will invest $15 million in a research and development and manufacturing facility

in Moriarty, where it will and test develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The governor also announced that New Mexico will invest $1 million in Local Economic Development (LEDA) funding to provide water and other infrastructure improvements. Combined, these ef forts will help create more than 200 aviation and aerospace-related jobs at the Moriarty Municipal Airport and the nearby

industrial park.

“New Mexico has tremendous assets in its aviation infrastructure and its improved tax climate for this industry,” Barela said. “We are working hard to promote our state to these businesses as we work to replace the jobs that have been lost in cuts by the federal government.” The Roswell Interna-

Governor congratulates Berrendo Middle on nat’l Blue Ribbon achievement BY TIMOTHY P. HOWSARE RECORD EDITOR

Dressed casually in blue jeans and a brown jacket, Gov. Susana Martinez was greeted war mly by students, teachers and staf f Wednesday at Berrendo Middle School on the announcement of the school’s selection as a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. A pep rally was held in the school’s gymnasi-

um as everyone awaited the appearance of the governor, who earlier in the day was at AerSale at the Roswell International Air Center to announce the creation of 50 new jobs by the supplier of aftermarket aircraft. Sixth-grade math teacher Curtis Miller danced and directed students on one side of the gym as they did the wave. BMS was one of only See BMS, Page A3

Judge dismisses Report IDs ‘weaknesses’ at Los Alamos dunes sagebrush lizard lawsuit BY TIMOTHY P. HOWSARE RECORD EDITOR

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras on Tuesday rejected claims by two environmental groups, Defenders of Wildlife and Center for Biological Diversity, that in 2012 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) improperly withdrew its proposed listing of the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species. Contreras, in the conclusion of his 24-page ruling, said that FWS’s withdrawal decision was neither arbitrary nor capricious under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), nor contrary to ESA requirements gover ning listing decisions. Chaves County Commissioner Greg Nibert, who has been involved in a

movement to stop the listing of the lizard, wrote in an email that the decision was made much quicker than what he and others had expected. “Judge Rudolph Contreras’ decision is rather lengthy but is it well reasoned,” Nibert wrote. “The decision also has plenty of good dicta for use in the lesser prairie chicken cases and future cases. This is a very positive decision in support of state plans.” Contreras emphasized, however, that if voluntary measures prove ineffective, the FWS is free to revisit its decision and list the lizard as endangered. Both New Mexico and Texas had made “unprecedented commitments” that provided for the long-term conservation of the dunes See LAWSUIT, Page A3

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A report issued Wednesday by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Energy squarely places blame for the shutdown of the nation’s only underground nuclear waste repository on failures at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The inspector general’s of fice identified several major weaknesses in the lab’s procedures for packing contaminated gloves, tools and other radiological wastes that were destined for permanent storage at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico. Not all of the lab’s procedures were properly vetted and some procedures didn’t conform with environmental requirements, according to the findings. The report reinforces the findings of internal reviews done by the lab and the Energy Department after a canister of waste from Los Alamos leaked in one of WIPP’s storage rooms in February, contaminating 22 workers and forcing the indefinite closure of the nuclear waste repository. “Our review identified several major deficiencies in LANL’s procedures for the development and approval of waste packaging and

Paula Camp, at right, coordinator for Healthy Kids of Chaves County, discusses the various programs the health initiative sponsors in local schools, including this month’s 5-2-1-O Mayor’s Challenge, which challenges third-graders to 21 days of healthier living.

HIGH 76 LOW 46

TODAY’S FORECAST

Daily Record File Photo

A photo showing a stack of storage containers at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is displayed at the Department of Energy Carlsbad office on Feb. 27.

remediation techniques that may have contributed to the radiological event,” the inspector general said. The inspector general has outlined several recommendations to correct the lab’s failures, saying changes need to be made before the cleanup of radiological waste continues. The lab said Wednesday it is

addressing the recommendations as part of its efforts to “learn from these events and improve our operational practices.” Four lab workers have already been reassigned as a result of the incident, and the DOE has pulled nuclear waste cleanup operations from the contractor that runs the lab.

‘Healthy Kids’ prepare for Mayor’s Challenge

Now that it is October, school kids around town and across the county are getting ready to take the 52-1-O Challenge, thanks to Healthy Kids of Chaves County. “We also encourage the parents, teachers and staff to take the challenge as well as the students,” said Paula Camp, Healthy Kids coordinator. Camp, along with Shellea Owens, public health educator with the

New Mexico Department of Health, visited the Roswell Kiwanis Club on Tuesday to discuss the Healthy Kids program. The 5-2-1-O Mayor’s Challenge in Roswell, is a 21-day event that calls for children to live a healthier lifestyle for 21 days — including eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day, trimming screen time to 2 hours or less per day, being active for at least 1 hour a day and drinking lots of H2O every day. “It’s the screen time that

is the biggest challenge,” Camp said. “Getting the kids to put down the video games or turn off the TV and go outside and play is the real challenge.” Healthy Kids of Chaves County was funded through a $5 million Community T ransfor mation grant and has been an ongoing program since 2011. Funding for the program was recently cut by the federal government, but the state Department of Health provided some funding for the initiative, Camp

• JANE ELIZABETH BATSON

• MICKEY JEANNETTE SHAFTO

CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4

BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR

Randal Seyler Photo

See AERSALE, Page A3

TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6

said. “We are working on about a half a budget now,” she said. “The programs that we are instituting are programs that we hope will keep going once we run out of funding and are gone,” Camp said. The health initiative was begun to help fight childhood obesity, and according to research, there has been a decrease in obesity among third-grade stuSee HEALTHY, Page A3

INDEX GENERAL ...............A2

HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2

OPINION .................A4

SPORTS .................B1

WEATHER ..............A8


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.