Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 33 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is cutting its aircraft carrier presence in the Persian Gulf region from two carriers to one, the Defense Department said Wednesday, in a move that represents one of the most significant effects of budget cuts on the U.S. military ... - PAGE A2
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Jury convicts Gregory Hobbs of voluntary ... • Man dies in RPD custody • Voters reapprove RISD mill levy • Globetrottin’ • Rockets drop district debut
INSIDE SPORTS
US FALLS IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Jerry Bengston took advantage of a defensive mix-up to score the goahead goal in the 79th minute, and Honduras rallied to beat the United States 2-1 Wednesday in the opener of the final qualifying round for next year’s World Cup. Clint Dempsey put the U.S. ahead in the ... - PAGE B1
Postal Service plans to end Saturday mail
AP Photo
Mail carrier Bruce Nicklay walks along East Third Street in Winona, Minn., delivering letters to homes Wednesday.
Game & Fish talks chicken
Local lawmakers and representatives of state and federal agencies heard a proposed management plan for the conservation of the lesser prairie chicken Wednesday at the Game and Fish Department. In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated the process to consider whether the lesser prairie chicken should be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The Service had been aware of the threats to the lesser prairie chicken for more than a decade, but listing consideration was not immediate because of other species facing more severe threats. State wildlife agencies in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas formed the Lesser Prairie Chicken Interstate Working Group to develop a range-wide conservation plan for the lesser prairie chicken. Grant Beauprez, prairie chicken biologist for Game
The plan accentuates one of the agency’s strong points: Package delivery has increased by 14 percent since 2010, officials say, while the delivery of letters and other mail has plummeted. Email has decreased the mailing of paper letters, but online purchases have increased package shipping, forcing the Postal Service to adjust See POSTAL, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photos
Employees of San Bar Construction out of Albu-
querque install new signage north of town along the
Relief Route at the junction of 70 and 380, Tuesday afternoon.
See CHICKEN, Page A3
Bishop bids farewell
Area veterans learn of services and opportunities at conference ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
• Carol Sue Mondy • Robert Rhoads - PAGE A8
Mark Wilson Photo
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT...A10 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 WORLD .................A9
The Postal Service, which suffered a $15.9 billion loss in the past budget year, said it expected to save $2 billion annually with the Saturday cutback. Mail such as letters and magazines would be affected. Delivery of packages of all
sizes would continue six days a week.
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
OBITUARIES
INDEX
“Our financial condition is urgent,” declared Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. But Congress has voted in the past to bar the idea of eliminating Sat-
urday delivery, and his announcement immediately drew protests from some lawmakers. The plan, which is to take effect in August, also brought vigorous objections from farmers, the letter carriers’ union and others.
Relief Route gets new signage
TODAY’S
HIGH ...65˚ LOW ....35˚
THURSDAY
www.rdrnews.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — Saturday mail may soon go the way of the Pony Express and penny postcards. The Postal Service said Wednesday that it plans to cut back to fiveday-a-week deliveries for everything except packages to stem its financial losses in a world radically reordered by the Internet.
US TO CUT AIRCRAFT CARRIER PRESENCE
February 7, 2013
Outgoing Bishop of Las Cruces Ricardo Ramirez greets parshioners at St. Peter Church, Wednesday.
Representatives from various local, state and national agencies offered area veterans information about available services and opportunities Wednesday during a veteran outreach event at Roswell Convention Center. Organizer Greg Neal said there are a lot of veterans who don’t know all the resources available to them from both the government and private industry, so it was important to have a mix of them available. Local organizations, as well as others, such as the New Mexico Department of Veteran’s Services, the New Mexico VA Health Care System and the Veterans Health Administration’s Office of Rural
Health were available to give information about veterans’ healthcare and benefits, the National Cemetary and employment opportunities. Tina Fischer, an HR generalist for Leprino Foods, was there to tell veterans about jobs available at the company, which she said already has a lot of veterans working for it in various positions. “We find the military is a good resource, with good workers who have a good work ethic,” she said. My HealtheVet Coordinator Jennie Taylor came to inform about the program, a free, online tool for veterans that allows them access to their medical records and See VETERANS, Page A3
Boy Scouts delay decision on policy excluding gays IRVING, Texas (AP) — Caught in an ideological crossfire, the Boy Scouts of America is putting of f a decision on whether to ease its policy of excluding gays. Whatever the organization eventually does, it’s likely to anger major constituencies and worsen schisms within Scouting. The delay, which the Scouts attributed to “the complexity of this issue,” was announced Wednesday after closed-door deliberations by the BSA’s national executive board. Under
consideration was a proposal to ease the longstanding ban on gays by allowing sponsors of local troops to decide for themselves on the membership of gay Scouts and adult leaders. As the board met over three days at a hotel near Dallas, it became clear that the proposal would be unacceptable to large numbers of impassioned Scouting families and advocacy groups on both the left and right. The iconic youth organi-
zation is now deeply entangled in the broader cultural and political conflicts over such issues as same-sex marriage and religious freedom. Tilting toward either side will probably alienate the other, and a midway balancing act will be difficult. Gay-rights supporters contend that no Scout units anywhere should exclude gays, and vowed to maintain pressure on the See SCOUTS, Page A3
AP Photo
Demonstrators attend a rally in front of the Boy Scouts of America National Headquarters in Irving, Texas, Wednesday.