The Santa Fe New Mexican, May 25, 2013

Page 1

Amphibians vanishing at an alarming rate Life & Science, A-9

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Saturday, May 25, 2013

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Officials may seize starving cow herd

Charles Kokesh

Santa Fe businessman, who faces a litany of legal charges, was indicted Wednesday by a Florida grand jury on charges of illegally selling two elephant tusks.

SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2013

Allegations of selling tusks add to Kokesh’s legal woes

1,000 emaciated cattle found; ranch owner faces 25 animal cruelty counts The Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE — The discovery of about 1,000 emaciated cows has prompted state officials to consider the unusual move of seizing a herd of cattle on a drought-stricken ranch near Fort Sumner. New Mexico Livestock Board officials served a search warrant at the sprawling Double V Ranch on May 17 and found at least 25 dead animals and others at risk of starving to death, the Albuquerque Journal reported Friday. The owner, Richard Evans, was charged with 25 counts of cruelty to animals. A number listed for Double V Ranch was a fax number. No other listing was found for Evans. If a judge orders seizure of the cows, it would mark the first large herd taken by the New Mexico Livestock Board. “It is going to be a major deal,” said Ray Baca, interim director of the board. “We’re not actually funded for this kind of a major crisis.” The board had 75 employees and a budget of $5.6 million in fiscal year 2013.

Businessman faces up to five years of prison time, $275,000 in fines By Tom Sharpe The New Mexican

Santa Fe businessman Charles Kokesh has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pensacola, Fla., on charges of violating the Endangered Species Act by selling two elephant tusks — the latest in a litany of legal problems for the venture capitalist. According to the three-count indictment returned Wednesday, Kokesh legally imported a “sport-hunted elephant trophy mount” from the African country of Namibia, but illegally sold the two tusks to a buyer in Florida for $8,100, to be paid with a combination of currency and guns. After the sale, Kokesh allegedly lied about it in an email to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by claiming the tusks had been shipped to an appraiser in anticipation of a donation to a nonprofit. He also is accused of giving false information about the location and disposition of the tusks. The maximum penalty for the violation of the Endangered Species Act is up to six months in prison and a $25,000 fine. The Lacy Act makes a false state-

Please see STARVINg, Page A-4

Vets lower jobless rate by starting businesses Unemployment figures for soldiers at 4-year low as more start franchises By Shobhana Chandra Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON — Robert Rummells, a U.S. Army Ranger for 22 years, says it was a natural transition when he opened a Mosquito Joe pest-control franchise in Richmond, Va., this month. “I’m an outdoor type of guy, and I didn’t want to be chained to my computer in an office, talking on the phone,” said Rummells, 49, who tried jobs such as installing equipment at a community college and simulated firearms training after retiring from the military in 2009. “I learned I needed to work for myself.” As more former service personnel turn to entrepreneurship, they’re generating jobs that are helping to cut the unemployment rate for veterans to a four-year low of 6.2 percent in April, lower than the 6.9 percent rate for adult nonveterans. The boost to the labor market matters: The White House estimates more than a million Americans will leave the military through 2015. One growing option is franchising. Veteran-owned franchise openings reported last year increased by 11,469 compared with 6,081 in 2010, accord-

Selena Valencia celebrates after receiving her diploma at the Santa Fe High School graduation ceremony on Friday at Ivan Head Stadium. GRIFFIN VOLTURA/THE NEW MEXICAN

Ready to take oveR

Graduates set out to make a positive difference in the world after high school By Robert Nott The New Mexican

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nrique Ruiz Zambrano stood at the end of the line of some 265 graduates in the gym at Santa Fe High School preparing to enter Ivan Head Stadium for his graduation. “It hasn’t hit me yet,” he said of his future. “I’m going to spend the summer learning

Hundreds gather at Santa Fe National Cemetery to adorn grave markers and headstones with flags in preparation for Memorial Day. LOcAL, A-6

Test urine with app iPhone urinalysis app draws scrutiny from FDA. PAge A-2

Please see ReADY, Page A-4

Obituaries Mostly sunny, breezy and warm. High 86, low 49.

Diane L. Calles, Santa Fe, May 21 Gretchen Kuehn, 62, Santa Fe, March 23 Ervin M. Salazar, 54, El Guache, May 19

PAge A-12

PAge A-10

www.pasatiempomagazine.com

ABOVE: Kayla Hicks wears a decorated cap during Santa Fe High School’s graduation ceremony on Friday. LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN LEFT: Ben Davis streaks by after receiving his diploma. ‘I wanted to show who I am to Santa Fe … that I’m a person open to breaking the social norms, and I feel like I did that,’ Davis said after security guards nabbed him. GRIFFIN VOLTURA/THE NEW MEXICAN

u Memorial Day events to take place around Northern N.M. LOcAL, A-6

Classifieds B-6

Flags for the fallen

Pasapick

INSIDe

Calendar A-2

what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Zambrano wasn’t too upset with being the last in line Friday morning. “At least my parents will know where I am,” he said. Earning his diploma, he said, is akin to “pay day — you put in all this work for 12 years, and finally it’s pay day.” The senior class’s motto this year is “The World’s Not Ending, We’re Just Taking Over,” which seemed to fit the mood of the proceedings, during which an array of students and educators urged the students to make a positive difference in the world.

Today

Please see JOBLeSS, Page A-4

Index

Please see WOeS, Page A-4

Comics B-12

Lotteries A-2

Opinions A-11

Police notes A-10

Editor: Rob Dean, 986-3033, rdean@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Carlos A. López, clopez@sfnewmexican.com

Sports B-1

Time Out B-11

Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival Traditional and contemporary works by more than 200 artists, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. today and Sunday, Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 W. Marcy St., $10 at the door, early birds (9-10 a.m.) $20, 476-1250, nativetreasures.org More events in Calendar, A-2 and in Pasatiempo

Life & Science A-9

Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010

Two sections, 24 pages TV Book, 32 pages 164th year, No. 145 Publication No. 596-440


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