Roswell Daily Record
INSIDE NEWS
SANTA FE (AP) — A proposal to shore up a pension program for public school employees and higher education workers in New Mexico cleared the House on Saturday, but there’s a disagreement among lawmakers and unions over what should be done to ensure the retirement system remains solvent for decades to come. The bill passed by the
ELECTION PREVIEW
In a few short weeks, the future of Roswell’s leadership, for the next four years, will be determined. With six positions and 12 hopefuls slated to be on the March 6 ballot, only one seat is left uncontended. This year few stepped up to run against incumbents — one from every City Council ward is seeking re-election. - PAGE B7
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
House OKs educational pension bill
Vol. 121, No. 37 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
House would establish a minimum retirement age of 55 for educators hired since mid-2007, a provision covering almost 20,000 current workers. It requires them to reach that age before drawing any pension benefits. The House measure also makes per manent a 1.5 percent increase in pension contributions that was required for most educa-
Several years ago, the state made retirement eligibility changes to try to improve pension fund finances.
tional employees in 2009 but scheduled to expire in 2013. If the measure is enacted, educators will contribute 9.4 percent of their salaries into their retirement program. Gover nment employers also
INSIDE
Young Girl Scouts show off their handcrafted masks during a Mardi Gras celebration at the Girl Scouts Program Center, Friday. Mardi Gras is Feb. 21.
• Donald Clements • Donna Davis • Arnulfo Valles • Eugene Zimmerman - PAGE B6
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TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........D1 COMICS.................C5 FEATURE ...............C3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 STATE ...................B6 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
See HOUSE, Page A3
State sends antelope to Mexico in exchange for sheep protect the animals. The pronghorn could be hit by cars, although they can also present a hazard for people as they attempt to cross the relief road,” Madsen said.
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
OBITUARIES
The House approved the bill 66-2 and sent it to the Senate, where a more extensive pension solvency proposal is pending. The Senate proposal calls for
Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest celebrated its Mardi Gras Carnival on Friday in Roswell, where about 45 girls spent the day learning the history and traditions of various cultures Girl Scout style! Girls K-5 got into the Mardi Gras spirit with maracas, traditional Mardi Gras facemasks with sequins and feathers, and of course, plenty of cookies. Kirstyn Dwyer, program specialist, said the event was all about exposing the girls to the historical significance of Mardi Gras. “The impact is learning about this new culture, a lot of people have never heard about this,” Dwyer said. “In some cultures this is a big holiday, espeMark Wilson Photo cially in other southern
For The Past 24 Hours
TODAY’S
“All of our state pension funds are in trouble,” Stewart said.
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
• Johnny Dobb, ‘alien’ Make-A-Wish visitor ... • RPD hosts meth lab training program • Pecos goes all ’60s; yeah, yeah, yeah • Kintigh’s bill passes House • Joyce, Goddard girls roll past NMMI, 9-0
Year in and year out, the Goddard wrestling team is among the state’s best. But, one thing always seems to elude the Rockets — a district championship. That elusive trophy found its way into the Goddard trophy case on Saturday, though. Six Rockets won individual district crowns and Goddard won the District 3/4-4A team championship with 197.5 points. Defending champion Santa Teresa was ... - PAGE B1
pay into the pension system. Rep. Mimi Stewart, an Albuquerque Democrat, described the legislation as a “first step” in strengthening the finances of the retirement program admin-
istered by the Educational Retirement Board.
Girl Scouts Mardi Gras features feathers
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ROCKETS DISTRICT CHAMPS
SUNDAY
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SPORTS
February 12, 2012
Southeast Area Operations Division of New Mexico Game and Fish successfully trapped eight pronghorn antelope in Roswell, Thursday. They have received some protests; however, the program protects the species. “With this particular herd, the issue is safety. When they put up the relief road and the sheep wire, the animals had no means to leave the area, and we still haven’t figured out where they are getting water,” said Mark Madsen, public information and outreach officer. The captured animals were driven to the net site when officials discovered some of them along the Relief Route. “The goal is to
Courtesy Photo
Jason Kline with captured pronghorn antelope. The animals will receive veterinary care before they are transported to other areas. This pronghorn will probably be sent to Mexico as part of an exchange program to help establish a new herd.
Sheriff Rob Coon recalls horror of 1980 Santa Fe Prison riot JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Feb. 2 marked the anniversary of the Santa Fe Prison riot. Chaves County Sheriff Rob Coon is one of two New Mexico State Police officers who participated in quelling the riots who are still working in law enforcement. He was based out of Alamogordo at the time and was willing to relate his experiences. The narrative is a stark recital of one of the darker moments in New Mexico history. “It all started Saturday morning on Feb. 2 (1980). I was working an accident, when I received a call to come back to Alamogordo. My commander told us to report to the state penitentiary in Santa Fe. We all met as a Tactical (SWAT) team at the pen ASAP. I loaded all my equipment and made it there around 2 p.m. My SWAT team was made up of two commanders and 20 officers. We all got to Santa Fe within an hour of each other. “About 35 miles out of Santa Fe, you could see black billowing smoke of the penitentiary. We met at the main gate and watched them bring out the dead bodies. Most of the guards got out, but three were still inside; two were unaccounted for. One came out, and we negotiated with the pris-
oners to get the other two guards. “Around one on Sunday, we got the orders to go in. A lot of the prisoners had not come out. Many had broken into the infirmary. A lot passed out and a lot were stoned. We went to the main control and found the bulletproof window, which had just been installed, was broken out. They used mops, buckets and fire extinguishers. We passed through the four-foot hole they had made in the glass, and ran into the first dead inmate. “Once they got in through the glass, they had direct access to every door in the facility. My team went to the south wings of prison, and the other team went to the north wings of the prison. We had a lot of cell blocks to cover. We made it into the gymnasium, which was on fire where the roof had collapsed. A lot of the injured, those who could walk, made their way through the carnage out of the building. “We were supposed to tag the instruments that had been used to make weapons. The prison administration told us that we could use lethal force with any inmate who threatened us. We searched for hours (looking for the two guards) and See RIOT, Page A3
When not faced by an emergency situation with animals on the road, local Game and Fish use a more passive means of capture. “We usually use a drop net here. We bait the site with produce provided by local grocery stores. The net is on remote control. Once the animals come to feed, the net is dropped,” he said. It is a more hands-on approach than is used in other parts of the state where they use helicopters to drive the pronghorn into a net. The reason for the dif ference is the land around Roswell is flat and
See SCOUTS, Page A3
much more open. Attempts to drive the antelope with helicopters would be more likely to cause them to disperse.
Another problem facing the local herd that cannot escape the area is inbreeding. “It’s never good to have brothers mating with sisters. We want to increase the genetic diversity for a number of reasons. Number one, is to increase their resistance to disease. Two, is to increase the vigor of the herd. The third is to decrease the possibility of genetic diseases caused by inbreeding,” Madsen said. The lack of genetic diversity is a problem that faces other species and other populations in the state. In See PRONGHORN, Page A3
Abandoned home fire
Martha D. Urquides-Staab photo
Berrendo Volunteer Fire Department responded to a structure fire, Friday, at 9:30 p.m. at 4906 N. Atkinson Ave. The structure was an abandoned home and no injuries were reported. It took several hours to contain the fire and cleanup efforts lasted through Saturday. The fire is currently under investigation.