Roswell Daily Record
State limits Ft. Stanton burials THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 119, No. 277 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
DENVER (AP) — The Rocky Mountain Ice Age is slowly making a comeback in Colorado as scientists begin to analyze an estimated 600 fossils and hundreds of pounds of plant matter unearthed near a ski town. The findings from the one site in western Colorado are “once-in-a-lifetime” discoveries, said Kirk Johnson ... - PAGE B3
TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours
• Church hosts Thanksgiving potluck • Want/need a makeover? • SENMEDD holds workshop • Burnell in jail; Hannah with CYFD • State cop arrested for assault
INSIDE SPORTS
Local veterans are fuming over a recent ruling that would halt military burials at a historic Merchant Marine cemetery just 15 minutes northeast of Ruidoso. Fort Stanton Cemetery in Lincoln County has long served as an active public veterans cemetery, but now only Merchant deceased Marines and their spouses
City drops charges
City Attor ney Barbara Patterson confirmed that the charges against New Mexico State Police Officer Joe Daniel Green were dropped, Thursday. According to the report, Green allegedly assaulted the for mer 5th Judicial District Assistant District Attorney Michael Sanchez. The incident occurred around noon on Nov. 11. Green was charged with assault and booked into Chaves County Detention Center that same day. “The charge was misde-
Practice makes perfect, or so the saying goes. For the NMMI Broncos basketball team (7-3), two days of practice focused solely on defense didn’t make them perfect, but it led to an increased intensity on that end of the floor in its 95-62 win over the Wayland Baptist University JV team on Thursday. NMMI coach Sean Schooley was pleased with his team’s defensive performance against the Pioneers. “I was very pleased with our defense,” he said. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Martha Torrez Chavez • Howard Kent Lumpkin • Isabel Salcido
PAGE B3
HIGH ...73˚ LOW ....33˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........C6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....B5 FINANCIAL ...........C10 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A6 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A6 THE WEST ............B3
INDEX
employees and and patients of the now closed Fort Stanton Hospital will be allowed to rest there. “This cemetery has been interring veterans since after the First World War, and now all of a sudden they’re saying this is not a veterans cemetery,” Gene Kurtz, commander of NM American Legion Post 79 in Ruidoso Downs, said. “The words that I would like to use are not necessarily social, but I am irritated.
“We’re fighting to allow military veterans of this great nation to be buried at the Fort Stanton cemetery. We’ll wait until a new administration that is more favorable to veterans comes into power.” — Veteran Larry Holt, Capitan
Most of the veterans in the area are irritated.” The Regents Board, the gover ning body of the Museum of New Mexico
state monuments, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, passed the motion Nov. 10 to limit burials.
Kintigh holds Town Hall meeting
“The DCA is not in the cemetery business,” Stuart Ashman, secretary of the Department of Cultural Af fairs, said in a phone interview, noting he supported the board’s decision. “That’s not one of our legislative or mandated duties.” A burial moratorium has been in place since February 2008, though burials were still permitted on a See FT. STANTON, Page A3
Matthew Arco Photo
From left, the president of the Alliance for Peace and Justice of St. John the Baptist Parish, Maria Villa, hosts Interim RPD Chief Dennis Kintigh and Deputy Chief Jody Scifres at a town hall meeting with residents, Thursday night.
County War Memorial price increases by $100K See CITY, Page A3
EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
BRONCOS THROTTLE WAYLAND
FRIDAY
www.roswell-record.com
EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
ICE AGE DISCOVERIES
November 19, 2010
The new war memorial will cost an additional $100,000 to complete, county officials say. The announcement from the county manager shocked the five county commissioners during their monthly board meeting, Thursday morning. The memorial, to be constructed on the front lawn
Stanton Riggs, the county manager, said the additional costs partly stem from design elements of the memorial, such as the expensive energy-efficient LED lighting.
of the Chaves County Courthouse, already had a $150,000 price tag, plus the $100,000 raised by the War Memorial Committee. But county officials now estimate the project will total more than $264,000.
“I honestly felt like we couldn’t af ford the $150,000, and I really feel like we can’t af ford $260,000,” Commissioner Kim Chesser said during the meeting. “I don’t understand how we can do this
when our county doesn’t have the money.” Members of the public who attended the meeting also expressed concer n about the additional costs. “I still feel like we need to honor our veterans,” Rita Kane-Doerhoefer, a member of the War Memorial Committee, said. “But I’m just shocked. ... That’s an awful lot of money.” Stanton Riggs, the county manager, said the addi-
tional costs partly stem from design elements of the memorial, such as the expensive energy-efficient LED lighting. The commissioners mistakenly and publicly blamed the memorial’s architect for underestimating the cost of the project. “How could the architect who worked on this get this so wrong?” Commissioner
With concerns over fullbody scans and airport patdowns popping up nationwide, local travelers flying out of Roswell won’t likely have to worry about revealing body scans anytime soon, airport officials said. The Roswell International Air Center doesn’t expect to be one of the airports slated to receive the body scanners that show the passenger’s naked image to equipment monitors searching for explosives or other dangerous materials. “At this time, nothing has changed,” said Jennifer Brady, Roswell’s Air Center manager, saying that she doubts the airport will receive one anytime soon. Although, randomly
selected passengers will be subjected to the pat-downs. “I don’t believe we’re going to get the full-body scan,” she said. “(But), if your name comes up, they pat you down.” The Transportation Security Administration currently uses 400 of the body scanners in 68 airports across the county, said spokesman Louis Casanova. The TSA plans to add an additional 50 machines by the end of December and another 500 starting next year. In October, RIAC reported 3,315 passenger boardings and in 2009, nearly 30,800 people took to the skies from the city’s airport.
The Salvation Army serves No scans at RIAC JONATHAN ENTZMINGER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Salvation Army, 612 W. College Blvd., a United Way agency, has been in Roswell for 110 years, according to Capt. Beau Perez, executive director of the Roswell Salvation Army. “We’re part of the foundation of this community,” Perez said. “We’re a vital part.” The organization offers a variety of goods and services for individuals living in the community. Programs include Commodities Supplemental
Food Program, emergency lodging, financial assistance for utility bills, a furniture program, housing assistance, WIC+1, and a 12-step program called Life’s Healing Choices, among many others. “The [Salvation] Army does a plethora of things,” Perez said. “We do events throughout the whole year and we also have seasonal assistance. We provide ongoing social service
assistance,” Perez said. Another resource that The Salvation Army offers the community is its thrift store at 207 E. Chisum St., where shoppers can purchase anything from clothing to furniture, household appliances and tools. “The thrift store is a place where you can come in and shop with dignity. We treat you like any other customer,” Perez said. “The prices there are very reasonable, even for furniture.” Like many non-profits in the area, the economy
See COUNTY, Page A3
RPD arrests, charges Gov’s inauguration and the law Herrera with arson JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Elmon James “Jaime” Herrera Jr., 36, was arrested, Wednesday, and charged with two counts of arson, three counts of abuse of a child and one count of vehicle burglary. The arrest results from a two-month-long investigation of two incidents that took place on Sept. 4. According to the criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court, the Roswell
Police Department arrived at the 100 block of East Bonney Street around 7 a.m. to investigate an alleged arson. Of ficers observed that two vehicles, one parked inside the garage and the other parked in the driveway, were burned. Two women and three children were inside the residence when the house was set on fire. A witness heard a slamSee ARSON, Page A3
See ARMY, Page A3
SANTA FE (AP) — Gov.elect Susana Martinez plans to pay for her inauguration with private donations, but it’s uncertain whether a new state law limiting campaign contributions will apply to the money that’s raised. Martinez spokesman Danny Diaz said no decision has been made by the incoming governor on how to structure her inaugural fundraising organization but she AP Photo intends to disclose contriNew Mexico Governor-elect Susana Martinez speaks at the Republican Governors Association meeting in San Diego, Wednesday. See LAW, Page A3