05-11-2011

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Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Obama mocks GOP on immigration

Vol. 120, No. 113 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

ROSWELL BURGLARY SUSPECT

Chaves County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of this suspect, who is believed to be responsible for a theft at Westlake Hardware, 2801 N. Main St., sometime between Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10. - PAGE A2

TOP 5 WEB

For The Past 24 Hours

• Kautz charged with murder, child ... • NM crews still battling 3 lightning-caused fires • Gomez attorney: no evidence • Goddard boys have 1st day lead • Colts state champions!

INSIDE SPORTS

May 11, 2011

WEDNESDAY

www.rdrnews.com

Air tanker ‘extinguishes’ neighborhood

AP Photo

President Barack Obama greets people in the audience after giving a speech on immigration reform in El Paso, Tuesday.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Delving into an explosive issue, President Barack Obama stood near the border with Mexico on Tuesday and declared it more secure than ever, trying to build pressure on Republicans to take on a comprehensive immigration overhaul — and eagerly working to show vital Hispanic voters that he is not the one standing in the way. Countering Republican calls to focus on border security before moving to a comprehensive overhaul, Obama said their demands

have been more than met by his administration but “they’ll never be satisfied.” On his first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border since becoming president, Obama boasted of increasing border patrol agents, nearing completion of a border fence, and screening more cargo. “We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement,” Obama said. “But even though we’ve

Air Force training

answered these concerns, I gotta say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time.” “Maybe they’ll need a moat,” he said mockingly to laughter from the crowd. “Maybe they’ll want alligators in the moat.” “The question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the See OBAMA, Page A3

JONATHAN ENTZMINGER RECORD STAFF WRITER

A P2V Neptune air tanker, working on behalf of Bureau of Land Management, dropped about 1,000 gallons of non-toxic fire retardant on a Roswell neighborhood near Harvard and Purdue drives, northeast of the Elks Lodge, Friday, around 6 p.m. “There was some sort of malfunction on the plane and (the pilot) released retardant,” BLM field manager Chuck Schmidt said. The plane, which lifted off from Roswell International Air Center, Friday, was headed toward a fire north of Roswell. Roswell resident Laura Danley was one of several residents on Harvard Drive, who contacted authorities once she noticed the spill. According to Danley, it looked like something from a popular Rod Sterling television drama.

Mark Wilson Photo

Pararescue jumpers from Kirtland Air Force Base conduct static line and military free fall operations recently at Roswell International Air Center. The training exercises provide the skills to enter environments that cannot be reached by other means. The team of student jumpers and instructors spent the past several weeks in Roswell performing the training exercises.

Wildfires evacuate 3 NM towns Barncastle receives See AIR TANKER, Page A3

MAYHILL UPDATE

Evacuations were lifted for the village of Mayhill Tuesday as crews continued to fight a blaze that destroyed more than a dozen buildings and forced residents to flee the village Monday, fire officials said. Residents were able

INVADERS FALL IN DEBUT

RUIDOSO — History is a hard thing to predict in sports. Fans can’t pinpoint days where pitchers will blend luck and skill to throw a perfect game, or running backs will approach 300 yards rushing in a game. For sports fans in Southeastern New Mexico, however, witnessing history was as easy as finding out when the newly formed Pecos League would have its opening game. - PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES

• Eva “Ann” Hammond • Nickie L. Tegeda • Theresa Margaret Fairfield • Percy F. Blair - PAGE A6

HIGH ...84˚ LOW ....54˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8

INDEX

See MAYHILL, Page A3

AP Photo

A massive fire consumes forestry on the south side of U.S. Highway 82 overlooking Mayhill, Monday.

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Authorities have asked residents in three separate areas of New Mexico to leave their homes, which are threatened by a series of wildfires that

broke out around the state. There’s no immediate end in sight to what has been an almost constant battle against wildfires — fanned by wind and dry

conditions — this year throughout the state, officials said. “It’ll be over when it starts raining,” state Forestry Division spokesman Dan Ware said Tuesday. “We’re hoping for good seasonal moisture, but that isn’t going to start happening until probably July. We’re

Investigator of Year JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER

Pat Bar ncastle, lead investigator for the 5th Judicial District, received the 2011 award as Investigator of the Year, during the District Attor neys’ Spring Conference on May 6. He was selected from a group of 13 nominees, one investigator from each district. Few people are aware of the investigators attached to each District Attorney’s office. Barncastle says that he works as an adjunct to all the law enforcement agencies, the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, the New Mexico State Police and the Roswell Police Department. “I want to make sure the police agencies get credit for the excellent jobs they

Pat Barncastle

do,” he said. “We do followup investigations on those cases the D.A. feels need additional inquiries before a case goes to court, and we always involve the case agent.” As investigator, Barncastle also works with the federal agencies, including the

POTUS, NMMI laud Hawkins’ community service See WILDFIRES, Page A3

MATTHEW ARCO RECORD STAFF WRITER

It’s likely fair to assume that people who per for m endless hours of community service in order to better their neighborhoods do it for the service aspect and not for recognition. This is certainly the case with New Mexico Military Institutes cadet Jonathan Hawkins. However, it’s hard to overlook what local nonprofit organization officials say has amounted to about 4,000 hours of service completed by Hawkins over the course of the years. The cadet, who came to the Institute from Redondo Beach, Calif., was recently recognized with a letter from President Barack Obama Mark Wilson Photo and presented with the PresiNew Mexico Military Institute cadet Jonathan Hawkins, center, receives the Presi- dent’s Volunteer Service Award. Hawkins was recognized for his dent’s Call to Service Award from Brig. Gen. Richard Geraci, left, and Richard achievement Tuesday by officials Hellner of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Thursday.

See BARNCASTLE, Page A3

with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern New Mexico, who say he has volunteered about 250 hours, and counting, of his time with the program. “(I) definitely don’t go looking for awards,” Hawkins said. “I think it’s (about) just trying to impact someone else’s life ... (and) I just do what I can.” The cadet said his upbringing inspired him to do whatever work is necessary in order to better his community. He was raised by his grandparents after his parents separated and said he was determined not to let the absence of his parents have a negative effect on him. “A lot of people used that as an excuse not to do well in school,” he said, adding that it inspired him to do all he could to help others and excel in school. The President’s Volunteer Service See HAWKINS, Page A3


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