Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 120 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
May 20, 2015
Wednesday
www.rdrnews.com
Wrong directions hailed as arson victim’s savior By Jared Tucker MulTiMedia JournalisT
Jared Tucker Photo
The remains of Brian Hurst’s Honda SUV after a suspected arsonist set the vehicle on fire Monday night in the 1500 block of South Madison Avenue around 11:20 p.m.
Second marijuana farm in the works By Jeff Tucker record sTaff WriTer Chaves County zoning officials have another application for a medical marijuana growing facility in the county, following a citizen zoning board’s approval last week of a different application to grow medical cannabis at the former Nature’s Dairy plant. Jon Rose and Gerard Desjardins, both of Roswell, on April 10 filed an application with the Chaves County Planning & Zoning Department to open a medical cannabis commercial nursery just northeast of Roswell city limits at 6227 Devonian St. The area is known as ABO Industrial Sites, near U.S. Highway 70. It is currently zoned agricultural/residential. Rose, the applicant, and Desjardins, the property owner, have requested the property be rezoned industrial for a non-profit, state-licensed can-
nabis production and distribution facility to be known as Case Anesthesia PC, said Marlin Johnson, director of the Chaves County Planning & Zoning Department. The Chaves County Planning & Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing June 2 regarding the zoning request. Two other zoning requests are on the June 2 agenda, one to renew a special use permit to allow commercial and neighborhood rodeos in Dexter and one for a variance request in Dexter. The public hearings will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Chaves County Administrative Center at 1 St. Mary’s Place in Roswell. The Planning & Zoning Department is accepting written protests and/or comments. A legal ad in Sunday’s Daily Record states the Chaves Coun-
Brian Hurst is thankful for a GPS unit that belongs to two strangers. Erroneous directions given to two passersby may have saved his and his family’s lives and home Monday night when his SUV burned up while sitting in his carport, he said. The Roswell Fire Department responded to Hurst’s home on the 1500 block of South Madison Avenue around 11:17 p.m. Monday night in reference to a car fire
that was catching the carport on fire, officials said. Hurst said the two men from Houston, Texas, were using the GPS unit for directions to a relative’s home when they saw the flames and began honking and knocking on windows to alert Hurst and his family. “I’m thankful. I’m glad they were there, this house is insulated well so we didn’t hear anything,” Hurst said. The men grabbed a fire extinguisher from a neighbor, Hurst said, and began fighting the fire until the RFD
arrived. Police said they also witnessed a man get on a bike and flee the scene. “Unfortunately, it being almost being midnight with the lighting condition, they couldn’t give us a really adequate description,” Roswell Police Public Information Officer Todd Wildermuth said. RFD Deputy Fire Marshal Matt Miller said at the scene it was too early in the investigation to determine if this fire is related to the string of car arsons from 2014, when an arsonist torched over 20 vehicles during the latter part of
the year. The fire Monday night has, what some would say, are compelling similarities to those incidents. On July 18, 2014, RFD Safety Officer Brian Powell told KOAT-TV the fires were mostly isolated to areas south of Second Street and were happening during the middle of the night. The vehicles aren’t running when the fires start, and the fires are not originating in the engine compartment, Powell said. See ARSON, Page A3
Long live the Queen
Bill Moffitt Photo
Construction workers were busy Tuesday remodeling the former Dairy Queen, 1900 N. Main St., into a stylish DQ Grill & Chill. The restaurant is still open but patrons need to go to the north door or use the drive-thru. Also, about half of the interior is sealed off leaving limited seating. The project is expected to be completed in July.
See FARM, Page A3
Big Brothers Big Sisters looking for ‘Bigs’ NMDOT seeks public By dylanne PeTros record sTaff WriTer There are at least 10 at-risk kids looking for mentors in Roswell through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. The program is currently looking for males to participate as mentors, or Bigs, for 10 young boys, said Bill Wolf, executive director of BBBS. “The mission of Big Brothers Big Sister is … to change a child’s life forever for better,” he said. Big Brothers Big Sisters in Roswell is an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters America, which has been in existence for more than 100 years. The program in Roswell has been active since 2000. In the program the Bigs mentor young kids, ages 6 through 17, and include the Littles in everyday activities,
Wolf said. “It sounds strange but the simple act of inclusion and friendship can build a trust and create long-term bonds that can seriously influence the outcome of a child’s life,” he said. The Littles in the program are generally at-risk kids who either live with a single parent or guardian, live on or below the poverty level and are exposed to drugs and alcohol, he said. “Typically the types of families we’re dealing with aren’t used to a structured environment,” Wolf said. When a child is referred to BBBS, social workers will interview the child to find out the child’s interests so social workers will be able to pair the child with a mentor, he See BBBS, Page A3
input on long range plan
suBMiTTed
Dylanne Petros Photo
Bill Wolf, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters, left, presents a plaque of appreciation to Ed David, member of Kiwanis. Kiwanis has helped raise money for BBBS, participating in activities for BBBS including Bowl for Kids’ Sake, which took place April 25.
Capitol Buzz: House Republicans quiz Scott Walker WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans wanted to know what Scott Walker tells voters about a would-be president who lacks a college degree. So they asked the GOP Wisconsin governor about it Tuesday, and they say he passed the quiz with flying colors. The potential presidential candidate met privately at Republican Party headquarters with dozens of GOP lawmakers. Fellow Republican Wisconsinite Rep. Paul Ryan, among those who sponsored the gathering, said most hadn’t met Walker before and wanted to “kick his tires.” Attendees say he spoke
Walker about topics ranging from foreign affairs to immigration, and took some questions. One of which came from Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, who wanted to know how he handles the question about TODAY’S FORECAST
HIGH 82 LOW 55
his failure to graduate from Marquette University. “He said 70 percent of the country is with him,” said Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., who happens to be a college professor. That number was a reference to Census Bureau figures showing that around 71 percent of Americans age 18 and up do not have a college degree. Some lawmakers said Walker’s lack of a degree might help voters relate to him. They say he told them he left college to take a job and hopes people will judge him by his more recent accomplishments, such as
being Wisconsin governor. Walker’s lack of a degree has been highlighted during his fight this year to cut the University of Wisconsin’s budget. He has said the university system could make up the cuts if professors taught extra classes, leading professors to say Walker doesn’t understand how much time they spend meeting with students and doing research outside class. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer thinks members of Congress should get a raise. See WALKER, Page A3
The NM Department of Transportation invites the public to review and comment on its draft long range plan — now called the “New Mexico Transportation Plan” (NMTP). The draft is available for download from the project web site, newmexicotransportationplan.com. The NMTP is a performance-based and strategic framework that will guide decision-making by NMDOT and its metropolitan and regional transportation planning partners beginning at the start of the next federal fiscal year. The plan meets the requirements of federal law (23 USC 135) for each state to develop a long range plan that is based on wide and diverse stakeholder input; addresses multiple modes of transportation; is statewide in scope; and has a 20-year minimum horizon. The NMTP establishes a 2040 vision for transportation in New Mexico and documents the state’s transpor-
• THOMAS CRAIG (T.C.) SHAPARD
See INPUT, Page A3
Cemetery expands access suBMiTTed The South Park Cemetery will have expanded access during a number of holidays from now on, beginning with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. In order to make it more convenient for people who wish to visit gravesites of family members and friends on these special
days of remembrance and significance, the Southeast Main Street gate on the east side of the city cemetery will be open from dawn to dusk each Mother’s Day, Memorial Day weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday), Father’s Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day. See ACCESS, Page A3
INDEX
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
• ERNESTO R. ARMENDARIZ • Anthony (tony) D’Angelo • MARIE HUFFSMITH HAMM
tation challenges and opportunities. It identifies a core set of goals and strategies to move NMDOT forward into the future. It also defines a set of agency-level actions and performance measures to hold NMDOT accountable for tracking progress toward achieving the state’s transportation vision. Recognizing that it is not realistic to solve every problem given funding limitations, the plan sets forth a “Preservation First” strategy to maintain the state’s existing assets and establishes a tiered system to allocate resources to the infrastructure that is most critical for the movement of people and goods. The plan also takes a new risk-management approach to programming safety funds with an emphasis on protecting vulnerable system users. Federal transportation law requires public involvement to be a hallmark of
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL...............A2
HOROSCOPES.........A8
OPINION ................A4
LOTTERIES .............A2
SPORTS .................B1
NATION..................A6
WEATHER ..............A8