Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 45 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
The Roswell Police Department swore in three new recruits Tuesday: Jacob Tubbs, Joseph Mason and Grant Longberg, all from Michigan. Two of the recruits have taken part in various training programs in the past few weeks. One is a recent arrival in Roswell. Because the new ... - PAGE A2
February 21, 2013
THURSDAY
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Domenici admits having son outside marriage
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Former Sen. Pete Domenici has disclosed that he fathered a secret child in the 1970s with the 24-yearold daughter of one of his Senate colleagues — a startling revelation for a politician with a reputation as an upstanding family man.
RPD SWEARS IN RECRUITS
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Domenici and Michelle Laxalt sent statements to the Albuquerque Journal that announced the relationship for the first time and identified their son as Nevada attorney Adam Paul Laxalt. They said they decided to go public with their decades-old secret because they believed
someone was about to release the information in an attempt to smear Domenici. “I deeply regret this and am very sorry for my behavior,” Domenici, 80, said in his statement. “I hope New Mexicans will view that my accomplishments for my beloved state outweigh my personal transgression.” The Journal reported on the relationship in an article published Wednesday. Domenici was the longest-serving senator in New Mexico history when he retired in 2008 after six terms. He was known for his unflagging support of
the state’s national laboratories and military installations, and he became a power broker for his work on the federal budget and energy policy. Domenici voted for the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton in 1998 after his affair with Monica Lewinsky, but his floor statement focused on the fact that Clinton had lied under oath, noting that the trial “has never been about the President’s private sex acts, as tawdry as they have been.” But in the same speech, See DOMENICI, Page A3
‘It’s only a drill, but I’m ready’
AP Photo
Former Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., right, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 1, 2011.
Senate passes Pirtle farm bill
TOP 5 WEB
The New Mexico Senate passed Wednesday a bill sponsored by Sen. Clif f P ir tle, R - Roswell, t h at would allow hired custom h ar vest er s t o h av e t h e sam e exem p t ion s th at far m er s a n d r an ch er s receive.
For The Past 24 Hours
• Man dies in RPD custody • Man leads police on high-speed chase • One of Roswell’s Most Wanted now serving ... • Deputy found guilty of criminal sexual ... • Coyotes triumph at ...
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Joseph McKnight, 3, checks out the shiny fire trucks parked at Cahoon Park as firefighters perform drills nearby, Wednesday.
Senate Bill 202 would add a new section to the state’s motor vehicle code to allow employees of certain farm-related service in d u st r ies to ob t ain restricted commercial driver ’ s licen se s (C D L), i f they meet all of the qualifications for that license, See PIRTLE, Page A3
Multiple fires under investigation House OKs larger subsidy for television production expenses JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
SNOW HALTS PGA EVENT
MARANA, Ariz. (AP) — The best 64 golfers in the world got together for the first time this season and a snow fight broke out. In the most bizarre episode of a PGA Tour season already filled with wacky weather, the opening round of the Match Play Championship lasted only 3 1/2 hours Wednesday ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S • • • • • •
OBITUARIES
Jesus Claudio Blea Kenneth D. Crawford Jeffrey Lynn McClain Vinson Carter Pedro T. Ibarra William Mel Mayes - PAGE A7
HIGH ...62˚ LOW ....30˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
SANTA FE (AP) — Television shows filmed in New Mexico could qualify for larger tax incentives under a proposal the state House unanimously approved Wednesday in hopes of bringing more long-running TV series and their jobs to the state. The award-winning series “Breaking Bad” is set in Albuquerque and filming a fifth and final season. One of its actors, Steven Michael Quezada, sat in the House chamber as lawmakers debated the measure. New Mexico offers a 25 percent tax refund for certain film and TV production expenses. Under the legislation, the incentive would increase to 30 percent for a TV show producing at least six episodes in New Mexico. The extra 5 percent also would be offered for film and TV projects that spend an extended time in New Mexico doing their main photography at one of the state’s film studios. Quezada, a New Mexico actor who won a seat on the Albuquerque school board, said in an interview that the higher incentives should encourage more TV series to come to the state. See TELEVISION, Page A3
The Roswell Fire Department were dispatched to the 1400 block of South Mulberry Avenue twice on Wednesday. In the morning, firefighters responded to a call about a dumpster fire. The RFD received a call about a second dumpster fire around 2:25 p.m. “When Fire Engine 2 arrived at the scene, they found the house was completely engulfed in flames. Heat-wise, inside the structure there was nothing we could save,” said B Shift Battalion Commander Steve Shannon. The house was gutted. A total of two fire engines and a ladder truck responded to contain the fire, their goal to prevent the spread of the fire and protect the surrounding structures. The fire burned itself out within an hour. He said that the home
Mark Wilson Photo
Firefighters battle a blaze at 1409 S. Mullberry, Wednesday afternoon.
was occupied, but no one was hurt. Firefighters ran into the residents in the morning when they came to the dumpster fire, but they were not on the premises at the time of the second. Shannon could not say what caused the second blaze or the first. “We don’t know yet. We have two
investigators inside now. They could be there another three to four hours investigating.” He admitted that this was third time the RFD had been called to the area in two days, with the first reported fire coming in on Tuesday around 11 a.m.
Roswell’s four-legged friends can run free at new city park JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Mark Wilson Photo
The new dog park at the Wool Bowl complex is open and ready ready for use by canines big and small.
Ten years and $15,000 later, city dogs have their own stomping ground with more than an acre of new space, populated with shade trees, obstacle courses and plenty of room to run. “This is our first dog park. It’s great,” said Elaine Mayfield, Spring River Park & Zoo director and one of a handful of those who lead the effort to build the “Woof Bowl.” “People are already using it and that’s fine,” she said. “I’m real thrilled to have that. It’s fun to have it done.” The city will hold an of ficial grand opening next month, but dog owners are already taking advantage of the open, fenced area for recreation. “It’s just to get the dog out and
j.palmer@rdrnews.com
socialize a bit,” she said. The spacious park, surrounded by a 6-foot fence, is located at the south end of Wool Bowl stadium, across from the New Mexico Military Institute and on the corner of East College Boulevard and North Grande Avenue. Park users have the luxury of using the vast parking area afforded by the Wool Stadium. The dog park is divided into two sections — a smaller area of 110feet by 110-feet square for dogs 25 pounds or less, and a larger area of about an acre for dogs of all sizes. At the far end of the acre-sized area are the obstacle courses. Andrew Shanor, a local Boy Scout, is in the process of creating several playful courses, using oversized tires and plastic shelters, designing See PARK, Page A3