Roswell Daily Record
Obama presses liberal agenda THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 23 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
NEW YORK (AP) — Toy maker Hasbro said Friday that its fourth-quarter revenue failed to meet expectations because of weakerthan-expected demand over the holidays. It plans to cut about 10 percent of its workforce and consolidate facilities to reduce expenses. The stock dropped 3 percent in afternoon trading. - PAGE B5
SATURDAY
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WASHINGTON (AP) — From gun control to gay rights, President Barack Obama’s second-ter m agenda is shaping up as an unabashedly liberal wish list.
HASBRO TO CUT JOBS
January 26, 2013
In less than a week, he’s vowed to tackle climate change and protect government entitlements. His administration has lifted a ban on women in combat and expanded opportunities for disabled students. Proposals for stricter gun laws have already been unveiled, and plans for comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, are coming next week.
Obama’s full embrace of such an agenda suggests a president both freed for action by his re-election win and seeking to capitalize on it. But following through and winning approval for his proposals will require cooperation from a Congress that is nearly as divided now as it was before the November elections.
“If the president pursues that kind of agenda, obviously it’s not designed to bring us together,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who calls the start of Obama’s second term “a new era of liberalism.”
Early-morning tranquility
And it’s not just congressional Republicans who could stand in Obama’s way as he seeks to make good on his pledges. Senate Democrats from conservative-leaning states — who, unlike Obama, still face future elections — may have reservations about backing a liberal agenda in the lead-up to the 2014 midterms.
Democratic resistance is already proving to be a problem for some of the toughest gun control measures that Obama proposed ahead of his inauguration in response to the elementary school shooting in See OBAMA, Page A3
AP Photo
Kernan sponsors memorial
President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House, Friday.
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Pecos offers salad bar option for lunch • Pioneer hosts ILEA reception • Sierra spotlights Builders Club • Meet-and-greet set for Saturday p.m. • Goddard boys down Lovington
INSIDE SPORTS
The still waters of Berrendo Creek reflect colorful clouds just before sunrise, Friday.
Roe v. Wade opponents march
TIGER TAKES THE LEAD
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tiger Woods made one last birdie as the rain picked up strength Friday, and what he left behind was a gloomy forecast for everyone else at Torrey Pines. He had a two-shot lead at the tournament he already has won six times. He is driving the ball long and straight, just what he needs to handle the par 5s — he has played them in 9 under so far. And when it comes to experience, he has a 74-0 advantage in PGA Tour wins against the next seven guys on the leaderboard. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Donice Graves Ford • Thelma Rinehart - PAGE B3
HIGH ...68˚ LOW ....44˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A4 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators marched through Washington to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to protest the landmark decision that legalized abortion. The annual event took on added significance for many in the crowd since it coincided with the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that created a constitutional right to abortion in some circumstances. The demonstrators, carrying signs with messages such
as “Defend Life” and “Defund Planned Parenthood,” shouted chants including “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go.” They packed the National Mall and surrounding streets for the March of Life.
“I just felt this 40th year marked a huge anniversary for the law,” said one demonstrator, Pam Tino, 52, of Easton, Mass., who also participated several years ago. “Forty is a very important year in the Bible as well, in terms of years in the desert. And I just felt
like maybe this year that was going to be something miraculous that might happen. We might see something going forward with the cause.” With the re-election of President Barack Obama, she added, “we just have our walking papers. Now we just feel like we have to keep the battle up.” The large turnout reflected the ongoing relevance of the abortion debate four decades after the decision. It remains a divisive
Mark Wilson Photo
Sen. Gay Kernan, R-Hobbs, sponsored a Senate Joint Memorial, SJM 16, to approve placing a marker at the State Capitol in honor of two women who had been longtime state government leaders. The memorial, which is scheduled for the Senate floor Monday, requests that, after raising funds for the marker, the New Mexico Women’s Forum be allowed to place a New Mexico Historic Women’s Marker in recognition of Inez Bushner Gill and Maralyn Budke, who “dedicated their professional careers to New Mexico state government and, ultimately, to the people of New Mexico.” Gill, who died in 1982, served the state for 30 years, Kernan said, starting in 1951. Gill was the assistant director of the LegSee KERNAN, Page A3
Closed until Jan. 30
Mark Wilson Photo
A water main break that occurred Friday morning has forced the closure of East Fifth Street between Railroad and Garden avenues until Jan. 30.
Education groups seek 4% pay raise for NM teachers SANTA FE (AP) — A coalition of education groups is lobbying the Legislature to provide 4 percent pay raises for teachers and other public school employees next year, a proposal that puts them at odds with Republican Gov. Susana Martinez.
educators as well as state workers — are expected to be a main point of contention as lawmakers craft a state budget to spend nearly $5.9 billion to finance public education and government programs next year. Education annually accounts for the largest share of spending from the
See MARCH, Page A3
state’s main account.
budget
In testimony to House and Senate Education committees, representatives of a broad alliance of education organizations appealed for the Legislature to help school employees recover some of their buying power lost to inflation in the past
four years as pay remained stagnant or dropped in some instances as educators were required to contribute more to their pension plan.
Martinez has recommended no salary increases for educators or state workers in the coming fiscal year. The Legislative
Finance Committee has proposed 1 percent raises, costing the state about $18 million for teachers and school workers statewide. The LFC recommendations typically serve as a starting point for the Legislature’s decision-making on the
Nate Banks’ acting experience serves him well in court Salary increases — for
See PAY, Page A3
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Courtesy Photo
Nathaneal “Nate” Banks
Nathanael “Nate” Banks is a Chicago native who has decided to throw his lot in with the people of Roswell. He works the Public Defenders office, and spoke glowingly of his job and his coworkers. “They have treated me like family. The judges and sheriffs are awesome. The people in the clerk’s office are great. There is a gentlemanly relationship with the State that you don’t in other areas.”
Both an actor and an attorney, Banks is the son of a Hyde Park University of Chicago professor and Freedom Fighter, August Robert Banks. His father participated in the 1963 March on Washington. Banks speaks of his father with both awe and affection. “When I think of what he did and what he
sacrificed, I am humbled.” However, the young Banks also had a dream that didn’t include anything practical. The dream was acting. His father insisted his son get proper education, which would lead to a proper job, and Banks See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3