Roswell Daily Record
House Dems stay with Lujan
Vol. 119, No. 279 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
KIT CARSON OR CRESTONE?
CRESTONE, Colo. (AP) — Neighbors of Kit Carson Mountain in southern Colorado want to change the peak’s name because of concerns about the Indianfighting frontiersman. Neighbors and Saguache County officials have signed petitions to rename the 14,165-foot peak Mount Crestone. ... - PAGE B6
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
AP Photo
Ben Lujan talks to the media after a meeting of the House Democratic caucus in the New Mexico Capitol, Saturday.
Reflections
SANTA FE (AP) — House Democrats retained their top leadership on Saturday and stuck with Ben Lujan of Santa Fe as their nominee to become speaker of the House. Lujan overcame a challenge from Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces, but no votes were announced for the leadership race. The 37-member Democratic caucus selected their leadership team during a closed-door meeting in the Capitol. The speakership won’t
become final until January when the Legislature convenes and all 70 members cast votes on the top leadership position. Besides Lujan, Democrats voted to keep W. Ken Martinez of Grants as majority floor leader and Sheryl Williams Stapleton of Albuquerque as majority whip. Patricia Lundstrom of Gallup was selected caucus chairwoman in a three-way race. She replaces John Heaton of Carlsbad, who was defeated in the general
election. Lujan said after the party meeting that Democrats were united heading into next year’s legislative session “As far as I could see today we, like a family, expressed some concerns. But at the end of the day ... to me it seemed like a family getting together and ironing things out,” said Lujan. Martinez had no challenger. Stapleton defeated
John F. Russell II dead at 62
See LUJAN, Page A7
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For The Past 24 Hours
• Vietnam vets hold food drive • The Magic ends today • RPD arrests, charges Herrera with arson • No scans at RIAC • State limits Ft. Stanton burials
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INSIDE
November 21, 2010
Mark Wilson Photo
Colorful trees surrounding the ramp to the parking deck at 400 Penn Plaza are reflected in a safety mirror, Friday morning.
A local business and community leader and stalwart New Mexico Military Institute alumnus, John F. Russell II, 62, died unexpectedly in his Roswell office Friday night. At the time of his death, Russell was owner of the Robert V. Ely Insurance agency, vice president of the NMMI Board of Regents, and a member of numerous civic and service organizations. His ties to the community and to the Institute went back to the late 1940s, when the then-6-month-old Boulder, Colo., native arrived in New Mexico with
Courtesy Photo
John F. Russell II
his parents, John and Doris Russell. He grew up in Roswell, and graduated the high school division of
Share the season Las Chismosas donates turkeys with foster care kids
See RUSSELL, Page A7
JONATHAN ENTZMINGER RECORD STAFF WRITER
JOE D. MOORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
ROCKETS ROLL BY VALENCIA
Goddard’s bread and butter is running the football, simple as that. Yet on Saturday, the Rockets tried to throw it on three of their first four plays. They didn’t have much success with it, and they simply turned to David Anaya. And Anaya answered. The junior carried it just 13 times in the game, but rolled up 213 yards and four touchdowns in leading ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• John F. Russell II • Lee Roy Barnett • Sarah Whipple Binns • Emmet Joseph Thorpe • Jack W. Merritt • Edwina Manning - PAGE B5, B6
HIGH ...78˚ LOW ....40˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........D1 COMICS.................C4 FEATURE ...............C6 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........D6 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................B6 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 SUNDAY BUSINESS .C5 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
The excitement surrounding Christmas is not an equal-opportunity employer, at least not for many young people in foster care. This year, Peak Treatment Foster Care is trying to change that. Ladawn Villegas, a Peak treatment coordinator, is issuing a community-wide call to enlist the support of the fine folks and organizations of Roswell. “We’d like to reach out to see if we can work with the community to provide a happy Christmas for the kids,”
she said. Peak does as much as it can and the parents provide gifts, too, Villegas explains. But Peak’s resources are limited and parents don’t receive allowances for necessities like clothing, let alone Christmas presents. “They do a lot out of their own pockets,” she adds. Addressing the misconception that all 20 of the young people receiving Peak’s services are also enrolled in Chaves County’s Court Appointed Spe-
Las Chismosas donated 10 turkeys to Community Volunteer Program’s Thanksgiving Day dinner on Friday. “Right now, we have about 43 turkeys and we’re looking for another 40,” Johnny Gonzales, director of Community Volunteer Program, said. “We want to thank the group that came in to give us these turkeys, Mark Wilson Photo because we’re running short on turkeys.” From left, Bernice Martinez, Vickie Pacheco, Priscilla Carril“We wanted to help lo, Elouise Ortega and Judith Otero, of Las Chismosas Sissomewhere,” Judith terhood donate 10 turkeys to Johnny Gonzales, of Community Volunteer Program, Friday, for Thursday’s free Thanksgiving dinner. See DONATION, Page A7
President tells GOP not to hold up Russia arms treaty
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama took aim Saturday at Republican senators standing in the way of a nuclear ar ms reduction pact with Russia, saying they were abandoning Ronald Reagan’s lesson of nuclear diplomacy: “Trust but verify.” The Senate’s GOP leader accused his Democratic counterparts of wasting Congress’ lame-duck session on issues from gays in
See SHARE, Page A3
the military to environment regulations. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., didn’t mention Obama’s push to ratify the new STAR T weapons treaty with Russia, but said extending expiring Bushera tax cuts needed to be the top priority. Obama, speaking from a NATO summit in Portugal, used his weekly radio and Internet address to focus on international affairs at a time of increased politi-
cal gridlock at home as the GOP prepares to take control of the House in the new Congress next year. Describing his nuclear ef forts as part of a fiveadministration continuum, Obama said the treaty to cut the permitted number of U.S. and Russian longrange nuclear warheads by a third was “fundamental to America’s national security.” The president went to great length listing the
prominent Republicans from previous administrations who back the deal, including for mer secretaries of state Colin Powell, George Shultz, Jim Baker and Henry Kissinger. He cited GOP Sen. Dick Lugar’s support, but suggested that other Republican senators were playing politics with national security. “Some make no argument against the treaty — they just ask for more
BY EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
doling out free flu shots, blood pressure readings, condoms, pregnancy tests, and brochures about general health and nutrition infor mation. Foresters donated most of the health resources, including the door prizes and food. “I just feel that it makes people aware about nutrition and just general information on how to be healthy and stay that way and raise healthy kids,”
Free flu shots, food at 3rd annual health fair
Emily Russo Miller Photo
Maria Marquez winces as a nurse administers a flu shot during a health fair at Mesa Middle School, Friday evening.
Schoolchildren came out in droves to trick-or-treat and enjoy free popcorn and cotton candy in the gymnasium of Mesa Middle School Friday night. The event was not a belated Halloween festivity, but the 3rd annual health fair. The event, hosted by the Pecos branch of Foresters, an international insurance and investment group, featured more than 15 booths
See FAIR, Page A3
time,” Obama said. “If the Senate doesn’t act this year — after six months, 18 hearings, and nearly a thousand questions answered — it would have to start over from scratch in January.” And it would face tougher odds as the Democratic majority loses six seats. Without ratification, See OBAMA, Page A7