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Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Vol. 119, No. 246 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

PAINTING MAY BE AN ORIGINAL

October 14, 2010

THURSDAY

www.roswell-record.com

Foreclosure anger hitting election campaigns MIAMI (AP) — Three weeks before the election, anger over tainted home foreclosure documents is bursting into the battle for control of Congress, especially in hard-hit states such as Nevada and Florida. Democrats in tight races in the worst housing markets are pressing for a national moratorium, putting a reluctant White House on the spot. Leading the call for a nationwide time-out on kicking people out of their

homes is Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is locked in a neckand-neck re-election contest with tea party-endorsed Sharron Angle in Nevada, which has the highest foreclose rate in the country. Reid is decrying “reports of shoddy and defective affidavit preparation.” On Wednesday, attorneys general and bank regulators in all 50 states announced a joint investigation into questionable foreclosure practices, including forged docu-

ments, apparently bogus signatures and questionable notarizations. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said the Justice Department also is looking into the allegations — but he stopped short of opening a formal investigation. While the allegations have suddenly become part of the political dialogue in a volatile election season, politicians are all over the map on the issue, some fearing that direct government action could snuff out

a fragile recovery. Some candidates appear to be ducking the issue entirely, leery or unsure how to address it. Tea party activists and many mainstream conservatives strongly oppose any additional government intervention in the nation’s economy, including a foreclosure moratorium. “You’re going to shut down the housing industry. People have to take responsibility for themselves,” said No. 2 House Republican Eric Can-

Two men arraigned in rape case

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (AP) — Could a painting of Mary holding the body of Jesus that hung for years in an upstate New York family’s home really be a 16th century Michelangelo? An Italian art historian thinks so after undertaking years of research, which he documents in a new book, “The Lost Pieta.” - PAGE B5

JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER

TOP 5 WEB For The Last 24 Hours

• 2 men die in wreck • Suspect in kidnapping turns self in • Parade opens ENMSF • Wear purple for domestic violence • Xcel Energy unveils solar energy demo

INSIDE SPORTS

Mark Wilson Photo

From left, Sgt. Simon Garcia, Staff Sgt. Joshua Vidal (partially hidden), Staff Sgt. Ryan Hall of the U.S. Marine Corps and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Don Hunter (retired) and Toys For Tots chairman, attend the Toys For Tots kick-off Wednesday morning at the Roswell Chamber of Commerce.

Toys for Tots enters its fourth year pate in,’” Hunter said. Roswell’s Toys for Tots program is led by Don Hunter, president of the board of directors of the Roswell Chamber of Commerce and a retired Marine. Hunter was joined by members of the Roswell Chamber, retired Marines, community leaders, and active Marines: Staff Sgt. Joshua Vidal, local Marine Corps representative, Staff Sgt. Ryan Hall, station commander of Eastern New Mexico, and Staff Sgt. Simon Garcia, Hobbs Marine Corps recruiter. Members of the Sgt. D. Moses Rocha detachment of the Marine

JONATHAN ENTZMINGER RECORD STAFF WRITER

CC! HONORS SPIKERS

The Character Counts! Athletes of Recognition program released its second set of fall honorees this week, recognizing athletes in the sport of volleyball. This week’s recognized athletes are Bailey Blackwell, Victoria De La Cruz, Lindzey Gill, Lori Gossett, Torye Johnson, Maurissa Munoz, Tamara Salas and Jessica Zamora. - PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES

• Dan Snyder • Sophia Patricia Hernandez • Jimmie ‘Jim’ Steffens • Mamie T. Bland • Gwendolyn Wesson - PAGE A6

HIGH ...76˚ LOW ....44˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 ENTERTAINMENT.....B5 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8

INDEX

tor of Virginia. For President Barack Obama, it’s a dicey issue. The White House doesn’t want to be seen as acting to shield banks, which have been a frequent target for both parties. Wednesday’s announcement by JPMorgan Chase & Co. that its profits jumped 23 percent in the July-September quarter — while much of the economy still struggles — won’t win the industry any new fans.

Toys for Tots, a Marine-funded charity organization which has been in the United States for more than 60 years, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the fourth year of its toy drive in Roswell, at the Roswell Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. “Our mantra is ‘being able to impact economically disadvantaged children, with an opportunity to realize a dream, that the economy or their family situation might not allow them to partici-

Corps League, which sponsors the Roswell Marine Corps, were also in attendance. Children who benefit from Toys for Tots come from diverse backgrounds, where their parents struggle to buy gifts for their children during the holiday season. Donations made to TFT are farreaching and widely felt throughout the city. Hunter has been with TFT for 30 years. He said he has never seen such an outpouring of support from a community in all of his years at TFT. See TOYS, Page A3

James Ortega, 20, and Steven Perez, 19, were arraigned Wednesday in Magistrate Court on charges of kidnapping and criminal sexual penetration of a minor. The two men are accused of falsely imprisoning and raping a 15year-old girl. The alleged incident took place on Saturday, Oct. 2. The Roswell Police Department issued a release on Wednesday, Oct. 6, seeking information on the whereabouts of Ortega, Perez and Tommy Smith, 19. Around 10 p.m. that night members of SWAT raided the Frontier Motel, 3010 N. Main Street, in response to a tip that two of the three suspects, Ortega and Smith, were staying in the motel. Police did not find the men during the raid. Smith turned himself in to police the following day and was arraigned on Friday on charges of criminal sexual penetration and kidnapping. RPD received a second tip that led to the apprehension of the remaining two suspects on Friday at a residence in the 100 block of North Lea Avenue. Judge Eugene M. De Los Santos told the two men Wednesday: “These are serious charges.” Criminal sexual penetration is a second-degree felony that carries a sentence of 15 to 20 years in a state penitentiary and fines of $10,000. Kidnapping is considered a firstdegree felony with a sentence of between 12 and 24 years and fines of $15,000. Perez faces additional charges of possession of a controlled sub-

Texas man 33 miners raised safely in Chile dies in crash A Texas resident was killed and a Roswell man injured in a three-vehicle accident east of Artesia on Tuesday. Armando Rodriguez, 32, of Seagraves, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator. Roswell resident Pablo Beltran, 23, was transported to Artesia General Hospital and then airlifted to Lubbock for life-threatening injuries after the crash. The accident occurred around 3 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 82

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) — The last of the Chilean miners, the foreman who held them together when they were feared lost, was raised from the depths of the earth Wednesday night — a joyous ending to a 69-day ordeal that riveted the world. No one has ever been trapped so long and survived. Luis Urzua ascended smoothly through 2,000 feet of rock, completing a 22 1/2-hour rescue operation that unfolded with remarkable speed and flawless execution. Before a jubilant crowd of about 2,000 people, he became the 33rd miner to be rescued. “We have done what the entire world was waiting for,” he told Chilean President Sebastian Pinera immediately after his rescue. “The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in vain. We had

See RAPE, Page A3

AP Photo

People celebrate the end of the successful rescue operation that freed 33 trapped miners from the San Jose mine in Copiapo, Chile, Wednesday.

Lethgo seeks to retain his position as county assessor See CRASH, Page A3

MATTHEW ARCO RECORD STAFF WRITER

Chaves County’s assessor says the focus of his campaign for reelection is the experience and knowledge he brings to the office. Ron Lethgo has nearly 30 years of experience in the assessor's office, beginning as an appraiser and later working as the chief appraiser. He touts recent improvements to the office, such as updating the assessor’s website and digitizing more than 200,000 property record cards, as reasons voters should support him in November.

“I want to continue to provide the same level of service to the citizens of Chaves County,” he said. “We will continue to try to move forward by continuing to upgrade our system.” More recently, Lethgo was named the chairman of the New Mexico Association of Counties Property Tax Task Force, where he says solving the issue of tax lighting — in which new home buyers experience a dramatic increase in tax burdens because new homes are no longer protected by a 3 percent cap — will be the group’s primary focus. “I clearly demonstrate that I’m responsive to (my constituents’)

See MINERS, Page A3

needs,” he said. Lethgo said he was honored that the state’s Property Tax Division described the state of the Chaves County assessor’s office as “exemplary.” “I am very proud of the comment,” Lethgo said. “It is an objective opinion by an outside agency that says to the citizens of Chaves County that we are doing a good job. I want to provide the same high quality service that the taxpayers expect and deserve for the next four years if re-elected.” The job of the county assessor is to determine how much residents will pay in property taxes. mattarco@roswell-record.com

Ron Lethgo


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