Roswell Daily Record
INSIDE NEWS
BAGHDAD (AP) — Sunni Muslim rulers largely shunned an Arab League summit hosted by Shiiteled Iraq on Thursday, illustrating how powerfully the sectarian split and the rivalry with Iran define Middle Eastern politics in the era of the Arab Spring.
BLUEGRASS PIONEER SCRUGGS DEAD AT 88
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It may be impossible to overstate the importance of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs to American music. A pioneering banjo player who helped create modern country music, his sound is instantly recognizable and as intrinsically wrapped in the tapestry of the genre as Johnny Cash’s baritone ... - PAGE A6
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Sunni rulers shun Iraq at summit
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The crisis in Syria is the epicenter of those divisions. The one-day summit closed with a joint call on Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop his bloody crackdown on an uprising seeking his ouster. But the final statement barely papered over the differences among the
March 30, 2012
FRIDAY
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Arab nations over how to deal with the longest-running regional revolt.
“What disturbs the breeze of our Arab Spring and fills our hearts with sadness is the scenes of slaughter and torture committed by the Syrian regime against our brothers and sisters in Syria,” said Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, leader of Libya’s National Transitional Council.
In a snub to Iraq, only 10 heads of state from the Arab League’s 22 members attended, with the rest sending lower -level officials. Especially notable
were the absences of the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and most other Gulf countries, as well Morocco and Jordan — all of them headed by Sunni monarchs who deeply distrust the close ties between Baghdad’s Shiite-dominated gover nment and their top regional rival, Iran.
The Gulf countries also see Iraq as too soft on Syria. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have talked of arming Syria’s opposition, apparently eager to bring the fall of Assad and break See IRAQ, Page A3
AP Photo
From left, Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari hold a joint press conference in Baghdad, Wednesday.
Sprint promises tower upgrades
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INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Secret Pals clean up Memory Lawn Good Samaritans recently cleaned up Memory Lawn Memorial Park.
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
COYOTES NIP WILDCATS TWICE
Not many coaches will put the bat in the hand of a freshman in a critical lateinning situation. Roswell softball coach Art Sandoval didn’t hesitate to do it, though, and it paid off in a big way. Vanessa Garcia was that freshman and it was her tworun single into left in the sixth inning of Game 2 that helped Roswell complete a sweep of Lovington, Thursday. “Wow,” Sandoval said. “In the fifth inning, I explained to her, ‘You’ll be coming up to bat for CeeAudra (Mein) in the sixth.’ “She did the job; inside pitch, a changeup, ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Bernice Ellen Glover • Geneva Bruin Gardner - PAGE A6
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When Robert Cor n returned to Roswell from a three-week vacation, he discovered something at
Memory Lawn Memorial Park that took him by surprise: The six-acre site had been thoroughly cleaned, without notice and without anyone taking credit.
Corn, who is the district-appointed receiver of Memory Lawn says the cemetery has needed work for a long time, and that he had not talked to anyone about servicing
the property.
“The trash was cleaned up, the headstones were all swept off, and I don’t know who did it,” Corn
Due to the influx of complaints about Sprint service from consumers in the Roswell, Hobbs and Artesia areas, the Public Regulation Commission has maintained contact with the telecommunications company. “The PRC has been in contact with Sprint over the past few weeks. The company has indicated the T1 problem that appears to have caused much of the disruption to cell service in the Roswell area is now gradually being resolved,” Arthur Bishop, public information officer for the PRC, stated in an email. “At this point, the company believes the area should be much more stable, but says it is continuing to find solutions that will bring service back to full quality. Sprint also said it will be installing upgrades soon to several of its towers that will vastly improve voice and data needs.”
House OKs GOP Mizzou students spend spring deficit-cutting plan break at Bitter Lake NWR
WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided House approved a $3.6 trillion Republican budget on Thursday recasting Medicare and imposing sweeping cuts in domestic programs, capping a battle that gave both political parties a campaign-season stage to spotlight their warring deficit-cutting priorities. But the partisan divisions over the measure, which is dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate, also underscores how tough it will be for lawmakers to achieve the cooperation needed to contend with a tsunami of tax and spending decisions that will
engulf Congress right after this fall’s elections. The fiscal plan the House passed Thursday by a near party-line 228-191 vote would reshape and squeeze savings out of Medicare and Medicaid, the federal health insurance programs for the elderly and poor. It would force deep cuts in a wide range of spending, including rail projects, research and Pell Grants for low-income college students. It would block President Barack Obama’s plans to raise taxes on couples earning above $250,000 a See HOUSE, Page A3
See SECRET, Page A3
See SPRINT, Page A3
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge did some spring cleaning along East Pine Lodge Road, Thursday. According to Jef f Sanchez, wildlife biologist, the cleanup crews will cover an area from the gate to the railroad tracks. Larry Ulibarri, the refuge’s assistant manager, said that the crews will get rid of litter and Jessica Palmer Photo debris from a 3.3-mile Students from the University of Missouri police the area along East Pine Lodge Road near Bitter Lake NWR, ThursSee STUDENTS, Page A3 day.
5 men and a goat hoof to Wrigley to raise cancer research money VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
INDEX
Vanessa Kahin Photo
Crack the Curse on U.S. Highway 70 just before they arrive in Roswell, Wednesday. From left: P.J. Fisher, Matt Gregory, Blake Ferrell, Wrigley the goat, Philip Aldrich and Kyle Townsend.
Forget the chicken that crossed the road. Five men and a goat are crossing the Southwest on foot and hoof to fulfill a twofold mission. Crack the Curse is comprised of five men and their pet goat. They began what will be a 1,900-mile, threemonth journey Feb. 25 in Mesa, Ariz., and intend to walk until they reach Wrigley Field in Chicago, which they estimate should happen around Memorial Day weekend.
One of the goals of the peculiar gang is to raise money for cancer research. So far, they have raised about $2,500 for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The second goal is to rid the Chicago Cubs of the Curse of the Billy Goat, a malediction that’s popularly believed to be the reason the World Series has eluded the team for almost seven decades. “When we first started talking about it, it was just a crazy idea,” said Philip Aldrich, 26, one of the hik-
ers who walked down U.S. Highway 70 on Wednesday, reaching Roswell’s western edge that evening. Aldrich walked ahead of his four friends as he pushed the cart where the group’s pet goat gets to ride for much of the trip.
The Curse of the Billy Goat was allegedly placed on the Chicago Cubs during a World Series game against the Detroit Tigers in 1945. Bill Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern in See WRIGLEY, Page A3