Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 28 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria threatened Thursday to retaliate for an Israeli airstrike and its ally Iran said the Jewish state will regret the attack. Syria sent a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General stressing the country’s “right to defend itself, its territory and sovereignty” and ... - PAGE A2
TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours
• Emergency drill at NMMI • BLM recognizes volunteers for ... • RISD reviews HS grad rates • Pearce welcomes Eric Espinoza to staff • Hobbs runs past ...
INSIDE SPORTS
February 1, 2013
FRIDAY
www.rdrnews.com
New bill aims for ‘reboot’ of NM tax system SANTA FE (AP) — Republican lawmakers proposed Thursday to significantly revamp New Mexico’s governmental finance system by relying more on taxing people and businesses on what they consume and spend rather than the income they earn.
SYRIA THREATENS RETALIATION
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Rep. Tom Taylor and Sen. Bill Sharer, both of Farmington, outlined their proposal Thursday but conceded it’s a work-inprogress and not fully clear how the tax burdens of
Proposal increases payout from permanent fund
The proposal would greatly expand what is subject to New Mexico’s gross receipt tax, which applies to sales of many — but not all — goods and services.
individuals and businesses will change. “It may overtax some areas and we need to understand all of that before we cast this thing in stone,” Taylor said. Sharer called it a “hard reboot of the New Mexico tax system.” The proposal would greatly expand what is sub-
ject to New Mexico’s gross receipt tax, which applies to sales of many — but not all — goods and services. Most groceries and food staples are tax exempt currently, but that would end under the proposed overhaul. Sharer said the tax would apply to “virtually everything that happens” in the state.
By broadening the tax base, the lawmakers propose to reduce the tax rate and eliminate most other taxes, including the state’s corporate and personal income taxes. However, income earned by individuals would be subject to what the lawmakers liken to a “consumption tax.” Corporate income would not be subject to tax under their proposal. The lawmakers call for a 2 percent tax rate imposed
by the state and an additional 1 percent could be levied by cities and counties, which rely on gross receipts tax revenue to finance their operations. The lawmakers said their proposal will keep severance taxes on oil and gas production, property taxes and taxes on gasoline, which help finance roads. Under their tax overhaul, they said, the state and local governments should See REBOOT, Page A3
Out with the old ...
SANTA FE (AP) — Early childhood programs would receive a dramatic funding increase under a legislative proposal to boost how much is paid out each year from one of New Mexico’s permanent funds.
A coalition of religious and education groups, business leaders, labor unions and social advocacy organizations on Thursday promoted a constitutional amendment that could generate an estimated $170 million in 2016. A third of the money initially would be ear marked for early childhood programs, including pre-kindergarten See PAYOUT, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Demolition work by Waide Construction has begun on the old Missouri Avenue Elementary School, Wednesday. Workers on site estimate the project will take about 4 weeks.
Lovelace celebrates 1-year anniversary Pearce to attend rally I G R S W opposing chicken listing LISSA
ECORD
COLTS TAME ’CATS
HAGERMAN — Basketball coaches, not unlike football coaches, routinely talk in coach-speak and reference clichés so often one might think they are reading directly from some sort of cliché dictionary. “You can’t teach height” is one of those clichés and, like all clichés, it’s the truth. Players are born to ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S • • • • •
OBITUARIES
David Dawson Laura Alicia Vargas Kenneth Baker Charles N. Lusk Ralph Analla - PAGE A6
HIGH ...68˚ LOW ....32˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Mark Wilson Photo
Lovelace Regional Hospital-Roswell CEO Lloyd Scarrow and
Dr. Fred French, who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors, have a conversation during a party Thursday afternoon
that celebrated the one-year anniversary of Lovelace Health System Inc.’s acquisition of the former Roswell Regional Hospital.
ILMORE TAFF
RITER
Lovelace Regional Hospital-Roswell celebrated on Thursday the one-year anniversary of Lovelace Health System Inc.’s acquisition of the former Roswell Regional Hospital. Employees gathered in the facility’s cafeteria, decorated with balloons, and Lovelace Regional HospitalRoswell CEO Lloyd Scarrow spoke about the transformation that the hospital had undergone within the year. This included the development of new programs, such as Silver Elite, which provides social opportunities and health information for people over the age of 60, and Labor of Love, See LOVELACE, Page A3
Congressman Steve Pearce, R-N.M., will visit Roswell, Tuesday, Feb. 12, to attend a rally in opposition of the listing of the lesser prairie chicken as an endangered species to be held 4:30 p.m. at the AVFlight Hangar (formerly the Great Southwest Aviation Hangar), 100 Southwest Way. After the rally, Pearce also will attend the Fish and Wildlife public hearing on the issue, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., at the Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Performing Arts Center, 64 University Blvd. “Our jobs and our way of life in southern New Mexico are under attack,” Pearce said in a release. “The prairie chicken is yet another example of federal species regulation not based on science, but rather driven by lawyers for extreme interest groups. “I encourage New Mexicans to join me in Roswell on February 12 to make our voices heard, and hold Washington accountable for the policies and regulations that will affect our lives. Only if we speak up and stand together can we protect our jobs and our communities.”
GOP hammers defense ENMMC welcomes Cruz as its new CEO nominee Chuck Hagel ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican senators hammered former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel at his confirmation hearing Thursday on issues ranging from Israel and Iran to his support for a group that advocates the elimination of nuclear weapons. But with most Democrats in his corner, an unflustered Hagel seems headed for approval as defense secretary. Hagel, a former two-term senator from Nebraska, described his views as mainstream and closely aligned with those of President Barack Obama, the Democrat who nominated him. But several GOP members of the Armed Services Committee sought to portray him as radical and unsteady. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., called his ideas “extreme” and “far to the left” of Obama. Hagel said he believes America “must engage — not retreat — in the world,” and insisted that his record is consistent on that point. He pointed to Iran and its nuclear ambitions as an example of an urgent national security threat that should be addressed first by attempting to establish See HAGEL, Page A3
Easter n New Mexico Medical Center hosted Thursday a reception to welcome back a for mer employee as its new CEO. Maridel Acosta-Cruz served as associate CEO at ENMMC for two years before leaving in 2010 to become CEO of Alta Vista Hospital, a sister institution in Las Vegas, N.M. She served for two years before she received a call asking if she would have liked to return to ENMMC as CEO. “I said, ‘Of course!’ I love it here — it’s like home to me,” she said. Originally from Puerto Rico, Acosta-Cruz moved to the U.S. in her late 20s. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Science from the University of Mississippi
Mark Wilson Photo
Maridel Acosta-Cruz, right, is welcomed as the new CEO of Eastern New Mexico Medical Center, Thursday evening.
and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. She also completed an international business residency in France. She and her husband,
Michael, have two children, who are both nursing students. Acosta-Cruz said her See CRUZ, Page A3