Roswell Daily Record
City hosts Easter events THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 85 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
April 8, 2012
SUNDAY
www.rdrnews.com
ARTIST THOMAS KINKADE DIES AT 54
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artist Thomas Kinkade, whose brushwork paintings of idyllic landscapes, cottages and churches have been big sellers for dealers across the United States, died Friday, a family spokesman said. - PAGE B6
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INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Youngsters scramble for goodies during the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Spring River Park and Zoo, Saturday.
Walk-about on the lawn
Egg hunting areas at Spring River Park & Zoo provided children with the captivating sights of an Easter tradition, Saturday, with 10,000 eggs of yellow, purple, green, pastel pink and baby blue, before the sound of a horn and a spirited
An extraterrestrial donning a bunny costume can only mean one thing: Spring has arrived in Roswell. But it isn’t only the Easter Bunny — who traded green skin and large, oval eyes for cuddly white fur — who has caught
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
dash for candy and prizes. The hunt itself only lasted a few minutes, but Roswell’s annual Easter Egg Hunt produced many smiles, bringing hundreds of families together. Hector Abalos took his two children to the hunt, an event he said has become a yearly
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OBITUARIES
Charles M. Fullinwider Mary Ann Hines Carolene Wilson Lillie Mae Landrum Krystle Stephenson Maudie B. Crawford Charles ‘CMc’ McVay Charles W. Hartley Lesley Ann Paslay Delbert (Dee) Lott Ralph Dunlap Julian Bueno Barela - PAGE A3, B6
HIGH ...76˚ LOW ....56˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
spring fever. Roswell residents, their pets, and their wagons showed of f their best spring attire for MainStreet Roswell’s second annual Easter Parade at the Chaves County Courthouse lawn, Saturday. The parade, which consisted of a promenade on the court-
Miss Roswell to run in marathon, April 21
PETRINO REVIEW ONGOING
TODAY’S
Children compete in the egg and spoon race prior to the MainStreet Roswell 2012 Easter Parade at the courthouse, Saturday.
10,000 eggs, 120 seconds
See EGGS, Page A2
VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long made it perfectly clear what he expects from his staff as he put coach Bobby Petrino on leave for keeping him in the dark about a sordid-looking relationship with a female employee. - PAGE B1
Mark Wilson Photo
Courtesy Photo
Kelci Johnston does not allow anything to keep her from the finish line — whether it’s the goal of an actual race, recuperating from a car accident, or the Miss Roswell title. On April 21, Johnston’s “finish line” will be at the end of the New Mexico/Texas challenge marathon, in which she will run from Lovington to Hobbs to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The CMNH, which raises funds for children’s hospitals, has partnered with the
Miss America Organization. Contestants competing in Miss America-sponsored pageants must raise at least $100 for CMNH. Contestants must also raise this minimum amount for the Miss America Scholarship Fund. Despite the requirements, CMNH also has a special significance for the 22-year-old Johnston. Her 7-year-old sister, Kianna, had a heart surgery at UNM Children’s Hospital, the only CMNH affiliate in New Mexico. Also, CMNH is perhaps one of the reasons why Johnston can run today. Johnston survived a
See PARADE, Page A2
near-fatal car accident just outside of Socorro on Nov. 30, 2009, when her car rolled three times after she hit black ice. “I broke almost every bone in my body,” Johnston said of the accident. “I was told I’d never be able to run again. As a runner, that was a devastating thing to hear.” Johnston was in rehab for about four months. She spent some time at the hospital in Socorro, and at the Albuquerque Children’s Hospital. Determined to be able to run again, Johnston made it a goal to heal. She now runs about 10 miles every day.
Originally from Hobbs, Johnston competed for Miss Roswell because Hobbs does not have its own division of the national pageant. However, winning the title on March 3 has meant that Johnston now spends an increasing amount of time in Roswell. “I’ve kind of adopted Roswell,” Johnston said, laughingly. She said she visits Roswell almost every weekend. She is involved with Keep Roswell Beautiful, and will soon be participating in a citywide cleanup event and an Arbor Day celebration.
Red Bull daredevil event focuses attention on city Kelci Johnston
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
Red Bull Stratos might bring more than intrigue to Roswell. Roswell-Chaves County Economic Development Corp. executive director Bob Donnell says the mission could have a major impact on aviation companies moving to the city, meaning more jobs for residents. “That’s extremely exciting, because now it brings worldwide attention, one more time, to Roswell in our aviation exploits,” he said.
Donnell says his organization and the city had already been at work on five aviation projects, and that the exposure generated from Stratos can only help others to see Roswell as a prime location for business. He said many aviation companies have been looking at Roswell for a long time, and that Stratos’ decision to come to Roswell is ultimately the result of what the city already has to offer. “I would like to think (the opportunity) is not being brought, because it’s been something we’ve been working on for a number of years,” Donnell said. “(Stratos) isn’t
a project that has just kind of come our way. We’ve been intentionally looking for alternative aviation opportunities to come to Roswell, and to use the assets that we have here.” The presence of aviation in Roswell remains strong, Donnell says, pointing out that the Roswell International Air Center has 1,200 direct jobs. He said Walker Air Force Base might have closed in 1967, but is anything but vacant. “There are some wonderful jobs already; in fact, to the tune that we
See MARATHON, Page A2
Courtesy Photo
The balloon from which Felix Baumgartner jumped 71,581 feet over Roswell on March 15 is readied at RIAC for the event.
Eastern NM farmers could plant fewer acres this spring
CLASSIFIEDS..........D1 COMICS.................C3 ENTERTAINMENT.....D2 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........D2 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
AP Photo
Roosevelt County wheat farmer Rick Ledbetter checks the sprinklers on his irrigated winter wheat crop, April 1.
POR TALES (AP) — There’s a good chance fewer acres of crops will be planted in easter n New Mexico and West Texas, according to agriculture officials. Parmer County, Texas, Agriculture Agent Benji Henderson said far mers will likely be planting a lot less corn this spring. “With our water situation the way it is with the drought, we’re trying to find a substitute for corn silage,” Henderson said. “We’re planting a lot of sorghum silage instead of cor n silage. And I think
See AVIATION, Page A2
we’ll still see a lot of cotton planted.” Henderson said cotton is much more tolerant of the drought, because it can tolerate less water whereas corn cannot. He said green beans and black-eyed peas are the main vegetable crops in Parmer County. “We gotta have some help to make them (vegetable crops) work. It takes a lot more emphasis and a lot more water to grow a vegetable crop,” Henderson said. “There will be some planted but who knows. We learned last year we don’t
have enough water to go with 100 percent irrigation. We need some help from Mother Nature.” Henderson said green bean and black-eyed pea crops should still be able to fair this season. Easter n New Mexico received a little more than 10 inches of precipitation in 2011, according to Accuweather.com, which is way below the historical average of 19.11. The dry weather has continued in 2012 with .25 inches of moisture through March, See FARMERS, Page A2