Roswell Daily Record
‘Super-toxic’ E. coli kills 18 THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 120, No. 133 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
PYRAMID OUT, PLATE IN
WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s a new U.S. symbol for healthful eating: The Agriculture Department unveiled “My Plate” on Thursday, abandoning the food pyramid that had guided many Americans but merely confused others. The new guide is divided into four slightly differentsized quadrants ... - PAGE A6
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For The Past 24 Hours
• Family attacks Marine with hugs, kisses • RPD arrests, charges 4 juvies in tagging ... • Fire calls increase • Renowned NM printmaker’s work ... • Gulfstream resumes testing … in Georgia
INSIDE SPORTS
June 3, 2011
FRIDAY
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AP Photo
A farm worker holds cucumbers in a greenhouse in Algarrobo, Spain, Tuesday.
District 8 Volunteers are inmates
LONDON (AP) — Scientists on Thursday blamed Europe’s worst recorded food-poisoning outbreak on a “super-toxic” strain of E. coli bacteria that may be brand new. But while suspicion has fallen on raw tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce as the source of the ger m, researchers have been unable to pinpoint the food responsible for the frightening illness, which has killed at least 18 people, sickened more than 1,600 and spread to at least 10 European countries.
‘Is that root beer?’
An alarming number of victims — about 500 — have developed kidney complications that can be deadly. Chinese and German scientists analyzed the DNA of the E. coli bacteria and determined that the outbreak was caused by “an entirely new, super-toxic” strain that contains several antibiotic-resistant genes, according to a statement from the Shenzhen, Chinabased laboratory BGI. It said the strain appeared to be a combination of two types of E. coli.
“This is a unique strain that has never been isolated from patients before,” Hilde Kruse, a food safety expert at the World Health Organization, told The Associated Press. The new strain has “various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing” than the many E. coli strains people naturally carry in their intestines. However, Dr. Robert Tauxe, a foodborne-disease expert at the U.S. Centers See TOXIC, Page A3
MATTHEW ARCO RECORD STAFF WRITER
The dramatic increase in fire calls has culminated in an intense strain on departments and higher than normal pressure on the county’s volunteer See DISTRICT 8 Page A3
AREA FIRES
Lightning strikes sparked three blazes outside of Roswell Wednesday night, fire officials said. New Mexico State Forestry reported a 971-acre blaze 20 miles northwest of the city and two separate fires along US285. A fire at mile marker 142, about 26 miles north of Roswell, charred about 147 acres and another fire at mile marker 144 burned about 5 acres.
Mark Wilson Photo
Peach the cow acts nonchalant during the Dairy Classroom presented by Cody Lightfoot and Southwest Dairies, Wednesday morning, next to the Roswell Public Library.
Quick response saves valley home Debt fight continues despite Street’s warning EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
DALLAS EVENS SERIES
MIAMI (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks put a stunning end to their misery in Miami. Now they can win their first NBA title without ever coming back to South Florida. Nowitzki made the tiebreaking layup with 3.6 seconds left, and the Mavericks roared back from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Heat 95-93 on Thursday night and tie the NBA finals at one game apiece. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• John Michael Hale • Maria Gonzales • Maurice Ford - PAGE A6
HIGH ...98˚ LOW ....67˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B4 COMICS.................B3 ENTERTAINMENT.....B4 FINANCIAL .............A7 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A6 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Swift action led firefighters to save a mobile home off the Old Dexter Highway from complete devastation Thursday afternoon, fire officials say. The fire quickly destroyed one bathroom and one bedroom — even melting a tub — but Midway volunteer firefighters were quick to the scene and snuf fed out the Emily Russo Miller Photo flames before they could A firefighter inspects the damage to a mobile home off the spread. “It’s just that little piece Old Dexter Highway that caught fire, Thursday afternoon. that’s messed up,” Ryan about five to 10 minutes leaving two bedrooms, the Gonzales, the home’s after the 911 call, con- kitchen and even the owner, said. electrical system and Two Midway firefight- tained the flames at the ers, who arrived on scene west side of the home,
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a dire warning from a credit rating agency, the Obama administration lobbied some of Congress’ most conservative members Thursday for an increase in the nation’s debt limit. Republicans responded that the surest way to reassure financial markets was to enact deep deficit cuts. At the White House, President Barack Obama told Democrats he expected talks led by Vice President Joe Biden to achieve only about 60 to 70 percent of the reductions required as part of the deal, officials said, leaving him and top lawmakers to agree on the rest. The Biden talks are aimed at producing a bipartisan debt-cutting
package that could accompany a boost in the government’s ability to borrow more money. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has told Congress that without an increase in the $14.3 trillion debt limit by Aug. 2, the government will be forced into its firstever default, with potentially catastrophic results for the economy. Geithner spent part of his day meeting privately with freshmen House members, mostly Republicans elected last fall with tea party support and among the most committed to cutting spending. “I’m confident two things
NM home builders divided on eco-friendly code repeals See QUICK, Page A3
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — When Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration proposed rolling back the state’s green building codes, officials repeated her mantra about easing regulations to make the state more business friendly. But the very businesses that would be most affected were far from united during a public hearing Thursday. New Mexico Home Builders Association CEO Jack Milarch said he supported a repeal of the codes. Meanwhile, Kim Shanahan, executive officer of the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association, said changing the rules now would only require more stringent measures as a catch-up down the road. “The business-friendly perspective,” Shanahan said, is to continue moving toward a long-term goal of increasing energy efficiency by 30 percent. And Santa Fe builder Eduardo Ramirez was applauded after testi-
The small business task force recommended the repeal of the building codes, which were the subject of hearings Thursday in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Farmington and Roswell.
fying that builders around the state have embraced the new codes so “New Mexico should be allowed to continue as a model state in the union for energy conservation.” It’s a debate that is likely to be played out around the state over the next year as Martinez, a Republican who took office in January, moves to undo several rules and regulations placed on everything from energy to health care during the eight years that Democrat Bill Richardson governed the state. “We can look for nothing but this kind of pressure from the Martinez Administration,” said Dan Lorimer, lobbyist for the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club. “We elected this person to be our governor and
we can expect that she is going to fulfill her platform. ... This is all part of her trying to relax regulation to encourage the economy. Whether that is a realistic paradigm or not has some very deep questions attached to it.” Richardson’s green-friendly policies face particular scrutiny under Martinez. Her Small Business Friendly-Task Force has moved to undo a number of environmental initiatives the former governor considered cornerstones of his environmental agenda. The small business task force recommended the repeal of the building codes, which were the subject of hearings Thursday in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Farmington and Roswell.
See DEBT, Page A3
Richardson’s administration worked more than a year to implement the new codes, which were touted at the time as among the most stringent in the nation. The Martinez administration says the current codes are too costly for property owners and developers to implement, and that the new rules would bring the codes more in line with national standards. “The governor doesn’t want it to cost more to create jobs in New Mexico than it does in our neighboring states,” said her spokesman, Scott Darnell. “She supports ensuring that our building codes are in line with national standards and that steps aren’t taken to make it harder to create jobs and put New Mexicans back to work.” Also Thursday, the state Environmental Improvement Board wrapped up two days of public See GREEN, Page A3