Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 46 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
“Wanderlust” would provide an intriguing double feature with the acclaimed indie drama “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” Both are about people who search for their true selves in woodsy communes, get sucked into the brainwashing and insularity by a charismatic leader ... - PAGE A5
THURSDAY
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Syria shelling kills 2 Western journalists BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian gunners pounded an opposition stronghold where the last dispatches from a veteran American-born war correspondent chronicled the suffering of civilians caught in the relentless shelling. An intense morning barrage killed her and a French photojournalist — two of 74 deaths reported Wednesday in Syria.
FILM’S LAUGHS HIT AND MISS
February 23, 2012
“I watched a little baby die today,” Marie Colvin told the BBC from the embattled city of Homs on Tuesday in one of her final reports.
“Absolutely horrific, a 2year old child had been hit,” added Colvin, who worked for Britain’s Sunday Times. “They stripped it and found the shrapnel had gone into the left chest and the doctor said, ‘I can’t do anything.’ His little tummy just kept heaving until he died.” Colvin and photographer Remi Ochlik were among a group of journalists who had crossed into Syria and were sharing accommodations with activists, raising speculation that government forces targeted the
Wizard’s chess?
makeshift media center, although opposition groups had previously described the shelling as indiscriminate. At least two other Western journalists were wounded. Hundreds of people have died in weeks of siege-style attacks on Homs that have come to symbolize the desperation and defiance of the nearly year-old uprising against President Bashar Assad. The Syrian military appears to be stepping up See SYRIA, Page A3
AP Photo
From left, American journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed Wednesday by Syrian government shelling of the opposition stronghold of Homs, France’s government said.
Needed: 50,000acre-feet of water
TOP 5 WEB
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
For The Past 24 Hours
• Legislative standoff dooms immigrant ... • NMMI to receive funds from gas lease sale • Explorers program open to students ... • Jennings, running for Hagerman council ... • Rockets bounced from district tourney
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Cruz Larez ponders his next move during the annual Chess Jamboree for kindergartners, first- and second-graders from around the area at the Roswell Independent School District offices, Wednesday morning.
If New Mexico is unable to reach a target storage of 50,000-acre-feet of water in its reservoirs in the Pecos River Basin by March 1, the state will have to pump water wells in the southeastern region to deliver water to Texas, causing a detrimental ef fect to the economy of Chaves County and specifically its farmers and ranchers. The Pecos Compact, signed by both New Mexico and Texas in 1948, necessiSee WATER, Page A3
Sowards, Wilson Fiery charges: Romney, stump at Lincoln Santorum assail each other Day Dinner, Tuesday BOBCATS STIFLE CHIEFS The last time the Mescalero Apache boys basketball team visited Hagerman, the Bobcats were able to come away with a 70-68 win. The Chiefs visited Hagerman again on Wednesday in the second round of the District 7-1A Tournament and after the first quar ter, it seemed like it would be another barn-burner. By the end of the first half, however, Hagerman had turned it into a laugher. ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • • • •
Pedro ‘Dean’ Gonzales Leroy Larry Wilburn Joe M. Castillo ‘Pepe’ Margaret ‘Peggy’ Claeys - PAGE A6
HIGH ...78˚ LOW ....32˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Tables filled with pamphlets portraying the faces of Republican candidates, incumbents and hopefuls, lined much of the back wall of the Convention and Civic Center Tuesday evening, where the Republican Party of Chaves County hosted its Lincoln Day Dinner. Two hundred seventy-five area Republicans gathered to mingle, socialize and rally in support of the party. Guests consisted of city councilors, county commissioners, judges, state representatives and candidates for the U.S. Senate. The general consensus in the room was to defeat those on the Democratic ticket in November. “Two hundred seventyfive Republicans in this room, in this county, is what makes this county the most important county in
the statewide elections in November,” Phelps Anderson, a member of the RPCC, said. “As our country sorts out the Republican presidential primary, we have our own important primary here in New Mexico. It is a race in which we will sort out what Republican candidate will be on the ballot in November and defeat the Democrat in the United States Senate.” Las Cruces businessman Greg Sowards and former congresswoman Heather Wilson, who are vying for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat, presented their platforms at the dinner. “We need to make this a national race. We need to bring in passionate money that will come into our state and put us on the radar in the nation. I can See DINNER, Page A3
AP Photo
From left, Republican presidential candidates Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during a Republican presidential debate in Mesa, Ariz., Wednesday.
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Primed for a fight, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum traded fiery accusations about health care, spending earmarks and federal bailouts Wednesday night in the 20th and
possibly final debate of the roller-coaster race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Santorum, surging in the race, also took his lumps from the audience, which booed when he
said he had voted several years ago for the No Child Left Behind education legislation even though he had opposed it. “Look, politics is a team sport, folks,” he said of the measure backed by Republican President George W. Bush and other GOP lawmakers. With pivotal primaries in Arizona and Michigan just six days distant, and 10 more contests one week later, Romney and Santorum sparred more aggressively than in past debates, sometimes talking over each other’s answers. Texas Rep. Ron Paul chimed in from the side, saying with a smile that Santorum was a fake conservative who had voted for programs that he now says he wants to repeal. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich acted See GOP, Page A2
Porte seeks Dexter council seat Contract worker fired
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 STATE ...................A6 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Sarah Porte
Courtesy Photo
Sarah Porte, an occupational therapist, says she is seeking election for a Dexter Town Council seat during the valley elections in March. Dexter has two four year council terms slated to be on its ballot. If elected, Porte would like to pursue having a more open local government, “where the community would have access to
information readily and community participation would be encouraged. Without having an open government that encourages participation from the community, we’re a little bit stuck.”Porte’s idea of open government would include meetings taking place in an open fashion and decisions being made in a public meeting setting. She would also like to see a
See PORTE, Page A3
over graphic pamphlet ROSWELL (AP) — The state health department has fired a contract worker in Roswell over a graphic sex pamphlet that nearly made its way into the hands of teenagers. The acting director of the state’s public health division, Dr. Maggi Gallaher, says the material was not appropriate for the age group. The website for the California-based company that designed the pamphlet
makes it clear the brochure is intended for gay men. According to the center’s health and wellness manager, about a month ago, a public health contract worker asked officials at the Job Corps Center in Roswell if she could distribute the pamphlet to clients age 16 and up. But when she and the center’s director took a look at the brochures, she said they immediately declined and got rid of them.