Roswell Daily Record
Debt crisis averted — for now THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 21 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
NEW YORK (AP) — Strong earnings from tech giants nudged the stock market higher Wednesday. Investors also drew encouragement from a vote by the House of Representatives to let the government keep paying all its bills for another four months. - PAGE A7
THURSDAY
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Retreating with a purpose, Republicans sped legislation through the House on Wednesday to avert the imminent threat of a government default but pointing the way to a springtime budget struggle with President Barack Obama over Medicare, farm subsidies and other benefit programs.
GOOGLE, IBM NUDGE MARKET UP
January 24, 2013
The current legislation, which cleared the House on a bipartisan vote of 285144, would permit Treasury borrowing to exceed the limit of $16.4 trillion
‘Next!’
through May 18. As it passed, Speaker John Boehner pledged that Republicans would quickly draft a budget that would wipe out deficits in a decade, and he challenged Democrats to do the same.
The Democratic-controlled Senate is expected to approve the debt bill as early as Friday or perhaps next week. The White House welcomed the legislation rather than face the threat of a first-ever default at the dawn of the president’s second term in the White House, and
spokesman Jay Car ney pointedly noted a “fundamental change” in strategy by the GOP.
House Republicans cast the bill as a way to force the Senate to draft a budget for the first time in four years, noting that if either house fails to do so, its members’ pay would be withheld. They called the bill “no budget, no pay,”’ a slogan if not a statement of fact, since lawmakers would be entitled to collect their entire salaries at the See DEBT, Page A3
AP Photo
Water reps meet in Santa Fe
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks about the debt limit during a press conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday.
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• United Way exceeds 2012 goal • Woman stabbed in front of Lovelace ... • Hobbs snaps Roswell’s win streak • Jal wins battle of Lady Panthers with LA • Local briefs: Hobbs downs Roswell at ...
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Workers at Dean Baldwin Painting remove a repainted U.S. Airways Airbus A320 from its hangar, Wednesday. The paint job, from start to finish, took a total of 8 days of around-the-clock work to complete.
The Pecos Valley Artesian Conservancy District and the Carlsbad Irrigation District met Wednesday at the State Capitol with representatives from the state, the Interstate Stream Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to begin discussion of how to fulfill the CID’s need for water without resulting in a priority call. “To say it’s a daunting task before us is probably a colossal understatement,” said PVACD superintendent Aron Balok. “But I think everyone in that room understood the
Ezzell opposes HB64 Torres wins $10K in Powerball ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
SEAU’S FAMILY SUES NFL
The family of Junior Seau has sued the NFL, claiming the former linebacker’s suicide was the result of brain disease caused by violent hits he sustained while playing football. The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Wednesday in California Superior Court in San Diego, blames the NFL for its “acts or omissions” that hid the dangers of repetitive blows to the head. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S • • • • • • •
OBITUARIES
Debra S. Witcher Robert Brewington Sr. Georgina Bravo Herz Connie Doerhoefer Gary Wayne Lane Marshall Miller Grace Bailey - PAGE A3, B4
The House of Representative’s Labor and Human Resources committee will today hear a bill that would affect retirement benefits of educators. House Bill 64, sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart, DAlbuquerque, would amend the Educational Retirement Act in ways such as increasing the ERB fund contribution rates of certain members, changing the benefits for new members and delaying the costof-living-adjustment eligibility. For example, the bill would instate that a member of a local administrative unit whose annual salary is greater than $20,000 would contribute ten and one-
tenth (10 1/10) percent to the fund from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014. On and after July 1, 2014, the rate would become ten and seven-tenths (10 7/10) percent. Committee member Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, RRoswell, said her concern with the bill is that it would put the burden of providing for pension funds on the shoulders of potential new teachers and possibly even prevent them from wanting to work in the state. “We have to make sure funds are solvent for both ERB and PERA,” she said. “I know that we have to have a fix, but this isn’t the fix. “We can’t keep kicking the can down the road.” See EZZELL, Page A3
Roswell resident Jaime Torres won $10,000 in the Jan. 19 Powerball drawing. He purchased the winning quick-pick ticket at Allsup’s Store No. 335, 2501 N. Main St. Torres’ ticket matched the winning white ball numbers of 8, 28, 29 and 34, and the winning red Powerball of 35. Torres missed the fifth winning white ball, 38, to land a jackpot of $100 million. “Now, I think anything is possible,” Torres told lottery officials Tuesday when he claimed his prize in Albuquerque. Torres said when he learned of his good fortune, he was buying refreshments while on his way to watch a football game on television.
“The clerk told me that I was going to have to claim a prize at the lottery office,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it at first.” He told lottery officials he left the store in a daze and couldn’t remember buying his snacks or even putting them into his vehicle. “It was amazing,” he said. Torres said before he pays a few bills, he plans to use some of his winnings to buy a purse that his wife had been admiring online. In addition to Torres’ lucky ticket, Allsup’s Store No. 335 has sold 14 other prize-winning lottery tickets paying between $1,000 and $100,000.
See WATER, Page A3
Courtesy Photo
Jaime Torres
Roswell resident John Syska won a $10,000 Scratcher prize in December.
Judicial District seeks Zavala runs for school board seat 5th Shamas replacement ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
HIGH ...74˚ LOW....41°
As a father of two young children, Jose Zavala was deeply affected by the violence committed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. His concern encouraged him to put his name in the running for the school district election, scheduled for Feb. 5. Zavala challenges incumbent Roswell Independent School District board member Peggy Brewer for a seat in District 3, which covers most of city’s southwestern area. A licensed State Farm customer service representative, Zavala, 28, also serves as a board member for the Hispano Chamber of Commerce and S.O.Y. Mariachi, a free, volunteer-run mariachi school for kids that teaches them performance skills and how to play instruments.
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B4 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............A7 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Jose Zavala
See ZAVALA, Page A3
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The 5th Judicial District is now actively seeking a replacement for the late Judge Ralph Shamas, who passed away last week. Raylene Weis, judicial selection coordinator, admitted that it would be a difficult to replace a man who was so highly respected in the community. President of the State Bar Drew Cloutier, of Hinkle, Hensley, Shanor & Martin L.L.P., a local law fir m agreed. “He was very fair and very thorough. It was a pleasure to present a case before him.” The official title for the post is general jurisdiction judge. Chairman of the 5th
Judicial District nominating committee Barbara Bergman will be accepting applications, although inquiries for details about the post are supposed to be directed to the chief judge or the administrator of the Court. Those who apply must meet specific criterion outlined in New Mexico Constitution, Article VI, Section 14. “For the District, the applicant has to be a minimum age and have practiced law for a minimum number of years,” said Weis. State requirements for District Court judge state the candidate must be an See 5TH, Page A2