Roswell Daily Record
All for the love of dogs THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 24 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
January 27, 2013
SUNDAY
www.rdrnews.com
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
What can a girl do? How about dethrone the Oreo as America’s favorite cookie, and replace it with the Girl Scouts thin mint? “We beat the Oreo cookie,” said Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest team leader Rebecca Taylor with just a hint of reasonable pride. And it wasn’t just any thin mint that took the title away from ... - PAGE A2
COOKIES!
TOP 5 WEB
Mark Wilson Photo
The Sage Foundation dinner and auction filled the Elks Lodge with whoops and whistles Saturday night when 13 lucky bachelors were auctioned off to the adoring ladies of Roswell. The bachelors ranged in ages of 22 to 82 and included physicians, firemen and authors who were “sold” to benefit the Sage Foundation For Dogs Who Serve. Maryann Murphy of the Patriot Guard Riders and co-organizer of the event said Saturday night went a long way toward helping service dogs far and wide. “The whole purpose is to help other service dogs when they’re in need of
medical assistance,” Murphy said. “And it has continued, but their funds have run low. This is an opportunity to put some money back in the coffers — and have a lot of fun.” A silent auction was also held Saturday with prizes that included a hot air balloon flight, paintings, dinner for two at Ellis Store and Co. Bed and Breakfast and books authored by participating bachelors Mark Wilson, Daily Record photographer, and John LeMay, a local historian. All bachelors were selfdescribed animal lovers who appreciated the service Sage gave to her counSee SAGE, Page A3
Tyler “Trapper” Leadingham and Clarissa Adams, foreground, and John Lemay with Staci Vandewart, pause for a photo during a meet-and-greet Saturday afternoon at Champion Motorsports for the evening’s The Sage Foundation’s ServeBachelor Auction.
For The Past 24 Hours
• Kernan sponsors memorial • Prairie chicken meetings begin 2/4 • Pecos offers salad bar option for lunch • RHS pounds Chaparral 77-32 • Bobcat girls fall to Panthers 55-45
INSIDE SPORTS
SAN DIEGO (AP) — JJ O’Brien had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Jamaal Franklin added 10 points and San Diego State routed No. 15 New Mexico 55-34 Saturday to keep the cold-shooting Lobos from running away with the Mountain West Conference race. The Aztecs (16-4, 4-2) dealt the Lobos (17-3, 4-1) their first conference loss and snapped New Mexico’s four-game winning streak. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Thelma Rinehart • Eileen Reidy • Connie Doerhoefer • Donice Ford • Aldolfo Zavala • Glenn D. Cook • Myra Sandles - PAGE B6
HIGH ...74˚ LOW ....39˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........D1 COMICS.................C3 ENTERTAINMENT.....B8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 SUNDAY BIZ ..........C4 WEATHER ..............A8
Bachelor Mark Wilson struts his stuff Saturday during the Sage Foundation auction and dinner at the Elks Lodge.
Mark Wilson Photo
Sage, Feb. 26, 2011.
NM gun show attendance Mill levy on ballot could double amid new laws
(AP) — CARLSBAD Attendance at a southeastern New Mexico gun show scheduled this weekend is expected to double as gun owners race to purchase assault weapons that soon could be banned.
LOBOS LOSE
Noah Vernau Photo
The Carlsbad CurrentArgus reports that vendor space at Carlsbad’s Silver Spur Trade Show is nearly sold out with 150 exhibitor tables, including assortments of new and used
guns, swords and ammunition. Shawn Mitchell, who owns Courtesy Sporting and Pawn in Carlsbad, is helping set up the show and believes more people than usual will be coming because of pending federal proposals aimed at restricting assault weapons. “People are going to be looking for things that are harder to come by; assault weapons and high-capacity
guns that are capable of holding more than 10 rounds,” Mitchell said. President Barack Obama recently issued 23 executive orders and called for a new assault weapons ban in response to mass shootings around the nation. With so much uncertainty about how the president’s orders will affect the availability of guns, many
one-year anniversary by attending their very first Up in Smoke act. “I’ve been watching his movies since I was 8 or 9 years old,” Carrasao said before the show. “What is there not to like about him?” McGhee said the appeal of Cheech & Chong to her is how they aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo, especially when it comes to marijuana. “They’re funny for one thing, but they’re entrepreneurs, too,” McGhee said. “They say what they want
to say, and they do what they want (to do).” “I think (marijuana) just needs to be legalized already — that way people are free to make their own choice,” she said. Most of Chong’s material Saturday night focused on marijuana, ranging from lighthearted jokes and anecdotal accounts about the drug to the nine months Chong spent in federal prison “for selling a bong” and his political takes on America’s war on
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Paul Ryan has a message for fellow Republicans: Let’s stick together and carefully pick our fights with President Barack Obama. In a speech Saturday to conservatives, the Wisconsin congressman and 2012 vice presidential nominee outlined a pragmatic approach for dealing with a second Obama administration. Saying that Obama would attempt to divide Republicans, Ryan urged them to avoid inter nal squabbles. “We can’t get rattled. We won’t play the villain in his
morality plays. We have to stay united,” Ryan said at the National Review Institute’s weekend conference on the future of conservatism. “We have to show that if given the chance, we can govern. We have better ideas.” The GOP is reeling from back-to-back presidential defeats and trying to determine whether to oppose Obama at every tur n or shape his proposals with conservative principles. How the party rebounds was a major theme of the three-day meeting of conservative activists, a dominant voice in the GOP. A
During the school district election Feb. 5., voters will consider a question to re-approve the two mill tax levy that provides funding for maintaining, building and improving Roswell Independent School District property.
The Public School Capital Improvements Tax Question asks if the RISD should continue to impose a property tax of $2 per each $1,000 of
net taxable value of its property until 2018. Funds from the levy would provide and maintain facilities and equipment for schools, and cover the cost of new buildings, activity vehicles and classroom techology. RISD Superintendent Tom Burris said the district has more than 48 acres of buildings and the levy generates $1.8
Chong offers take on tokes at Friday performance NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
Cheech & Chong actor Tommy Chong entertained hundreds of fans Saturday night with his Up in Smoke comedy show, which brought Chong and his wife Shelby to Roswell for the second time in seven years. Fans from across Southeastern New Mexico traveled to the Civic Center to catch the act, including Artesia residents James Carrasao and his girlfriend Kim McGhee. Carrasao and McGhee celebrated their
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See MILL, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Tommy Chong wraps up his stand-up routine by performing “Up in Smoke” at the Civic Center, Friday evening.
Ryan says GOP needs to pick its fights with Obama
INDEX
AP Photo
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., arrives at the ceremonial swearing-in for President Barack Obama, Jan. 21.
See CHONG, Page A3
similar theme dominated the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting, which ended Friday in Charlotte, N.C. With a surging minority population altering the electorate, Republican leaders have discussed the need to attract more women and Hispanics while at the same time standing firm on the values that unite conservatives. Republicans said despite the losses, the party could return to power by projecting optimism and attracting new voters with a message of economic opportunity. Wisconsin Gov. Scott
Walker, a star among conservatives after surviving a union-led campaign to recall him from office, said gover nment needed “brown-bag common sense,” a reference to his frugal practice of packing his own lunch of ham-andcheese sandwiches every day. Qualities like optimism, staying relevant to voters and showing courage in tackling big problems would be rewarded at the voting booth, he said. “We’ve got to learn to be more optimistic. We’ve got See RYAN, Page A3