Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 43 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
SINGER MCCREADY DEAD AT 37 HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) — Perhaps there was one heartbreak too many for Mindy McCready. The former country star apparently took her own life on Sunday at her home in Heber Springs, Ark. Authorities say McCready ...
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
February 19, 2013
TUESDAY
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Slew of animal protection bills pending in NM
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Coming off years of drought and recession that have taken a toll on animals as well as humans, New Mexico lawmakers are considering more than two dozen animal protection bills that propose everything from raising money for starving horses to increasing penalties for neglecting pets. Elizabeth Jennings, executive director of Animal Protection New Mexico, and Dawn Glass, marketing manager for Animal Humane, agree the number of bills aimed at helping animals is higher than usual this year. One rea-
son, they say, is the increased awareness of the link between cruelty to animals and abuse of people. “It’s a chronic problem,” Glass said, “and recent studies have shown that animal cruelty is so closely linked with domestic abuse and child abuse that it shouldn’t just be an issue with animal lovers, it should be an issue to everyone in our community.” Jennings said that awareness has spread throughout the law enforcement community, which is helping the cause. Jennings said her agency
is tracking some 30 bills this session, including proposals to make extreme cruelty such as starving an animal or letting it freeze to death a fourth-degree felony. Another bill would expand the definition of extreme cruelty to include the intentional starving or dehydration of animals, to the point that it endangers their life, Glass said. “That’s important,” she said. “We get emaciated pets all the time.” The economy and drought, which combined have led to increases in the abandonment of dogs, cats and horses, has also played
a role. The plight of neglected horses was highlighted this year when a number of groups, including some horse rescues, backed a proposal to open a horse slaughterhouse, saying it was the most humane solution to the horse overpopulation problem that is taxing the ability to care for all the starving and abandoned equines. A Senate bill proposes creation of a fund to help the state’s nonprofit horse rescues. It would be funded through voluntary contributions from state income tax returns. “We don’t support
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• Body found at bottom of cliff in NM is identified • Man shot twice after altercation • Pushy home security company alarming ... • Five Rockets win district championships • Dexter runs to ...
INSIDE SPORTS
AP Photo
Supporters of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez celebrate his return to the country at Bolivar square in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday.
Ailing Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez retur ned to Venezuela on Monday after more than two months of treatment in Cuba following cancer
MERRICK GETS FIRST WIN LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Merrick never allowed himself to think about winning at Riviera. Not when he was a kid attending his local PGA Tour event. Not when he was at UCLA and could play the ...
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Sergio Lerma Elsie Raney Jane Marie Scifres Robert Stewart Barbara Tyler
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TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A7 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
surgery, his government said, triggering street celebrations by supporters who welcomed him home while he remained out of sight at Caracas’ military hospital.
Chavez’s retur n was announced in a series of three messages on his Twitter account, the first of them reading: “We’ve arrived once again in our Venezuelan homeland.
Utah-based jail operator Management and Training Corp. can securely house the prisoners and provide the services at a price that’s lower than the costs of housing inmates at state-run prisons and other private prisons in New Mexico.
An investigation into the escape found MTC security at the medium-security prison was lacking. Alarm systems didn’t work. Perimeter guards were assigned other duties, and there were other security issues. The company said it has corrected any security deficiencies and has passed its most recent audit by the Arizona Department of Corrections.
Sex offenders to be sent to Otero Co. facility
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — New Mexico prison officials in early March will begin moving the first of 288 violent or predatory sex offenders to a privately run detention facility in Otero County. The Albuquerque Journal reports that corrections officials believe the move will save money and provide better treatment options for sex offenders, while key lawmakers have questioned the wisdom of putting sex offenders in what they described as a “county jail.” A legislative committee has questions about whether
Management and Training Corp., or MTC, was in charge of the Kingman, Ariz., prison when three prisoners broke out in 2010. Two of them and an accomplice are accused of killing an Oklahoma couple on vacation in New Mexico before they were recaptured.
Joe Booker, deputy corrections secretary for operations in New Mexico, said the agency is confident the facili-
Thank you, my God!! Thank you, beloved nation!! We will continue our treatment here.” See CHAVEZ, Page A3
slaughter, so we are hoping to set up a series of other alternatives that will set up a more robust safety net,” Jennings said, noting the state has about 11 licensed horse rescues that currently receive no public funding. Both groups are pushing another bill that prohibits cities and counties from banning specific breeds of dogs, such as pit bulls. The House approved the measure on a 48-14 vote Monday and sent it to the Senate. Last year, Jennings said,
Licensing is made easier for veterans
See BILLS, Page A3
The state Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday to pass Senate Bill 258, sponsored by Sen. Bill Burt, RAlamogordo, to expedite occupational and professional licensing for members of the military and their spouses who have already been granted licensing in another state. Under SB 258, “a state agency, board or commission that issues an occupational or professional license” would expedite processing and issuance of licenses to military service members, spouses of military service members and recent veterans, so long as “the applicant holds a license that is current and in good standing.” The process in place now can take several months to complete, Burt said, and approval would allow New Mexico to catch up with other states that already allow for expedited licensing. Applicants would still be subject to all relevant tests and fees required of the license pursued, he said.
Deputy found guilty of criminal sexual penetration JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Former Lea County Sheriff Deputy Danny Surratt, 62, was found guilty by a Lovington jury on charges of first-degree criminal sexual penetration of a 9year-old girl. In September 2010, Surratt was arrested following reports of sexual assault on the 9-year-old and her 16-year-old sister. According to the criminal complaint filed in Lea County Magistrate court in August, between the two girls, there were four separate inciSee DEPUTY, Page A3
See OFFENDER, Page A3
Russian scientists recover more than 50 tiny meteor fragments; run tests MOSCOW (AP) — Scientists have found more than 50 tiny fragments of a meteor that exploded over Russia’s Ural Mountains, and preliminary tests are turning up information about its contents. However, local residents seem more interested in the black market value of the fragments. As they search for their own pieces of the meteor, sales offers already are filling the Internet, and police are war ning all purchasers to prepare for possible fraud. The meteor — which injured nearly 1,500 people and caused widespread property damage in Chelyabinsk city on Friday — was the largest recorded space rock to hit Earth in more than a century. Health officials said 46 of the injured remain
hospitalized. Viktor Grokhovsky, who led the expedition from Urals Federal University, said Monday that 53 fragments of the meteor have been plucked from the ice-covered Chebarkul Lake. He said they are less than a centimeter (half an inch) in size, about 10 percent iron, and belong to the chondrite type, the most common variation of meteorites found on Earth. Friday’s meteor left a six-meter -wide (20-footwide) hole in the ice covering the lake. Divers inspecting it have found nothing at the bottom, but Grokhovsky said a fragment as large as 5060 centimeters (20-24 inches) could eventually be found there. Meanwhile, workers in the city remained busy replacing acres of win-
AP Photo
In this photo provided by Chelyabinsk.ru, a meteorite contrail is seen over Chelyabinsk on Friday. dows shattered by a powerful shockwave caused by the meteor’s strike, which NASA said released 500 kilotons of energy,
the power equivalent to more than 30 Hiroshima bombs. The local governor estimated the damage at 1
billion rubles ($33 million) and said he hopes the federal gover nment will provide at least half that amount.