Middle-of-the-road: Carpoolers Inside nment & Culture e of Arts, Entertai ’s Weekly Magazin The New Mexican
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Rules changed for keeping gray wolves Jemez Pueblo fights for Valles Caldera A panel of federal appeals court judges hears the tribe’s arguments at a hearing at UNM. PAGE B-1
Rodella gets 2nd shot at new trial Ex-Rio Arriba Sheriff Tommy Rodella will try to prove another witness against him lied on the stand. PAGE B-1
Amazon, Hachette end book dispute
Critic says State Game Commission decision hurts recovery effort By Staci Matlock The New Mexican
In a major policy shift, private landowners in New Mexico will need State Game Commission permission to keep endangered Mexican gray wolves for recovery and reintroduction purposes. The commission adopted the
change unanimously Thursday at a public meeting in Española. Until now, permits have been administratively approved by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish director. Many see the commission’s action as one more blow to a 15-year effort to recover populations of the Mexican gray wolf, which is on both state and federal endangered species lists. There are currently 83 wolves in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona. The change also will affect any private landowner seeking a
permit to keep endangered blackfooted ferrets in captivity for recovery efforts. Before Thursday’s vote, Game and Fish Department Director Alexandra Sandoval and State Game Commissioner Ralph Ramos said the change would allow more public comment before a permit is granted to keep carnivores on private land. “We are working hard to expand public comment and transparency,” said Ramos, a Las Cruces resident.
Please see WOLVES, Page A-4
Private landowners will need State Game Commission permission to keep endangered Mexican gray wolves. U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE
‘I failed as a mother’ Mom sentenced to 9 years in death of 3-year-old Leland
IMMIGRATION
Obama overhaul to cover millions Parents of legal children no longer need to fear deportation under plan
Santa Fe author who coordinated protest happy with result
By Michael D. Shear, Julia Preston and Ashley Parker The New York Times
By Hillel Italie The Associated Press
NEW YORK — One of publishing’s nastiest, most high-profile conflicts, the monthslong standoff between Amazon.com and Hachette Book Group, is ending. Amazon and Hachette announced a multiyear agreement Thursday. With e-book revenues reportedly the key issue, Amazon had removed pre-order tags for Hachette books, reduced discounts and slowed deliveries, hurdles that should be gone well before the crucial holiday shopping season. “This is great news for writers,” Hachette CEO Michael Pietsch said in a statement. “The new agreement will benefit Hachette authors for years to come. It gives Hachette enormous marketing capability with one of our most important bookselling partners.” David Naggar, an Amazon vice president, said the company was pleased that the agreement “includes specific financial incentives for Hachette to deliver lower prices, which we believe will be a great win for readers and authors alike.” Douglas Preston, an author who lives part-time in Northern New Mexico, said, “I’m relieved that Amazon and Hachette reached an agreement. I can only hope that, if disagreements arise in the future between Amazon and publishers, Amazon will never again seek to gain
Please see BOOK, Page A-4
Tabetha Van Holtz, sentenced to nine years in prison for her role in the 2011 death of her 3-year-old son, Leland, is handcuffed Thursday before being led out of District Judge Francis Mathew’s courtroom. The judge suspended two years of Van Holtz’s sentence, and she will receive credit for time she has spent on house arrest. She will likely spend 18 months in prison. PHOTOS BY LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN
By Phaedra Haywood The New Mexican
abetha Van Holtz, a young mother who had pleaded guilty to child abuse and abandonment for her part in events that led to the 2011 beating death of her 3-year-old son, Leland Valdez, was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison. But District Judge Francis Mathew suspended two years of the sentence. And, with credit for time spent under house arrest and for good behavior, her attorney said, the Santa Fe County woman likely will spend about 18 months behind bars for the boy’s death — a case that shocked the community Andrew Valdez, the father of Leland Valdez, listens to testimony and led to a shake-up at the state Thursday during the sentencing of Van Holtz. Children, Youth and Families Department over accusations that the agency didn’t do enough to than that of a parent of their child,” two remaining children. “It’s my protect Leland, despite allegations the judge said as he sentenced Van hope that you’ll learn the skills to of abuse long before he died. Holtz, adding that he believes she is capable of being worthy of her Please see DEATH, Page A-4 “There is no greater betrayal
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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will ignore angry protests from Republicans and announce as soon as next week a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration enforcement system that will protect up to 5 million unauthorized immigrants from the threat of deportation and provide many of them with work permits, according to administration officials who have direct knowledge of the plan. Asserting his authority as president to enforce the nation’s laws with discretion, Obama intends to order changes that will significantly refocus the activities of the government’s 12,000 immigration agents. One key piece of the order, officials said, will allow many parents of children who are U.S. citizens or legal residents to obtain legal work documents and no longer worry about being discovered, separated from their families and sent away. That part of Obama’s plan alone could affect as many as 3.3 million people who have been living in the United States illegally for at least five years, according to an analysis by the Migration Policy Institute, an immigration research organization in Washington. But the White House is also considering a stricter policy that would limit the benefits to people who have lived in the country for at least 10 years, or about 2.5 million people. Extending protections to more
Please see OBAMA, Page A-4
INSIDE u The U.S. patrols half of Mexican border with drones. PAGE B-4
General considers letting U.S. troops fight in Iraq Top Obama military adviser sees role as helping clear militants By Helene Cooper, David D. Kirkpatrick and Rick Gladstone The New York Times
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s top military adviser said Thursday that he would consider deploying a limited number of United States forces to accompany Iraqi troops on complex offensive
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operations to retake Mosul and other areas under control of Sunni militants. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Martin E. Dempsey Services Committee that Iraqi troops — who initially fled under the onslaught of Islamic State militants — are now doing a better job of standing and fighting. But he
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INSIDE u ISIS and al-Qaida have reportedly joined forces in Syria. u The ISIS leader in Iraq calls for “volcanoes of jihad.” PAGE A-5
added that he could not foreclose the possibility that as operations against the Sunni militants move into more complex phases of clearing out cities and other areas by the Islamic State, U.S. troops might have to help their Iraqi counterparts. “I’m not predicting at this point
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that I would recommend that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by U.S. forces, but we’re certainly considering it,” Dempsey said. Defense officials said that U.S. Joint Tactical Attack Controllers could be used to call in airstrikes from tactical positions on the ground, most likely behind Iraqi forces. The tactical attack controllers often deploy in positions like hills and other high terrain so they can see operations
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BREAKING NEWS AT WWW.SANTAFENEWMEXICAN.COM
Obituaries Bradley M. Thomas III, Santa Fe, Nov. 9 Susan Anneke Chittim, Oct. 30 Jacklyn Griego Tafoya, Oct. 14 PAGE B-2
Today Partly cloudy. High 53, low 34. PAGE A-6
Three sections, 24 pages Pasatiempo, 56 pages 165th year, No. 318 Publication No. 596-440