Roswell Daily Record Santorum drops out
Vol. 121, No. 87 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
April 11, 2012
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
INSIDE
NEWS
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Rick Santorum cleared the way for Mitt Romney to claim victory in the long and hard-fought battle for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday, giving up his “against all odds” campaign as Romney’s tenacious conservative rival.
‘CABIN’ FRIGHTFULLY CLEVER
Stop reading this review right now. Go see “The Cabin in the Woods,” then come back and we can have a conversation about it. Just trust me on this. The less you know going into it, the better. We can say this much: The hype is justified. ... - PAGE B5
Santorum’s withdrawal sets up what is sure to be an acrimonious sevenmonth fight for the presidency between Romney, the former Massachusetts gover nor, and Democratic President Barack Obama, with the certain focus on the still-troubled economy. In a preview of the personal attacks that lie
ahead, Obama’s campaign manager declared that Americans neither like nor trust Romney, and the Romney camp said the fight had always been about defeating Obama, not GOP rivals.
“This game is a long, long, long way from over,” Santorum said as he bowed out of the contest with Romney. “We are going to continue to go out there and fight to make sure that we defeat President Barack Obama.”
Santorum had been facing a loss in the April 24 primary in Pennsylvania, the state he represented in Congress for 16 years, and where the Romney cam-
3-vehicle accident
paign planned nearly $3 million in ads against him. Whether or not there are lingering hard feelings, Santorum didn’t mention Romney, who has been the front-runner for months and was far ahead in the race for the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination at the party’s convention in August. Romney has tried to ignore his GOP rivals and campaign against the president since he first entered the race last year with a pitch focused on the recovering but still frail economy. But Romney was forced to go after Santorum See GOP, Page A2
AP Photo
Court: They go on ballot
Rick Santorum announces he is suspending his candidacy for the GOP nomination for president, effective Tuesday.
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INSIDE SPORTS
Julia Bergman Photo
A three-vehicle accident occurred at the corner of Second Street and Virginia Avenue around 3 p.m., Tuesday. A fourdoor black Toyota traveling west on Second Street allegedly ran a red light, striking another vehicle, which then hit a third vehicle. There were complaints of minor injuries at the scene but no one was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
ROSWELL TAKES 2
After Tuesday’s doubleheader at the new Goddard softball complex, the Goddard and Roswell softball teams have met four times in 2012. And all four of those meetings have been decided by one run. Roswell (10-10) came out on the better end in both games Tuesday with an 8-7 win in Game 1 and a 1-0 win in Game 2. Getting off to a 2-0 start in District 4-4A play is big for Roswell, according ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Anna G. Allensworth • Charles M. Fullinwider • Julian Bueno Barela • Maudie B. Crawford • Andres F. Rodriguez - PAGE A3
HIGH ...88˚ LOW ....55˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....B5 FINANCIAL .............A6 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico’s highest court ruled Tuesday that the Senate’s top leader and other candidates can appear on the ballot despite incomplete election paperwork. The decision by the state Supreme Court will permit Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, and more than a half dozen other incumbent legislators to remain candidates although their nominating petitions failed to designate the political district of the office for which they are running. A 2011 state law required the district number for the first time on the petitions that candidates must submit when they file for an office. The peti-
RPD fills 8 slots; 17 Aviation R&D company Xcor positions still vacant considers city as possible home JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Eight entry-level officer positions have been filled at the Roswell Police Department, rendering the total number of officers down to 17 from the normal complement of 96. Additionally, 11 officers are undergoing the hiring process, according to Police Chief Alfonso Solis. In January, the RPD announced it was 25 officers down, and Solis notified the Roswell Independent School District that he was pulling the resource officer, Helen Cheromiah, from the schools to work patrol. Solis attributed the modest increase in officers to an intensive recruiting campaign by the RPD and the streamling of its hiring process by the city’s
Human Resources Department. From the time an individual is offered a job with the RPD, it takes around a year before they are fully certified to work as an officer. Of the eight new officers, those who are already certified will have to undergo RPD training and others will have to attend the state’s six month police academy in addition to the training. “We’re getting ready to put three people on the street right now,” Solis said. Officers have to spend at least two years on patrol before they can request to be placed in a specialized unit. “We’re hoping by October we’ll be, hopefully, if not fully staffed, very close to being fully staffed,” Solis said.
See BALLOT Page A2
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
A private aviation company from California is visiting Roswell this week, talking with members from Roswell-Chaves County Economic Development Corp., Roswell Chamber of Commerce and elected officials about the possibility of relocating to the city. Xcor, which is considering three other locations, is one of the aviation companies in Economic Development Corp.’s Project Stealth, and has been in contact with the organization and city leaders regarding a possible move for about four years. The company currently operates out of Mojave, Calif., where it has researched and developed
Noah Vernau Photo
From left, Xcor representatives Loretta Jackson, Mike Valent and Dan DeLong brought a motorcycle which the company is testing for aviation technologies to Goddard High School, Tuesday.
various aviation projects, producing reusable launch vehicles, rocket engines and rocket propulsion systems.
Dan DeLong, Xcor vice president and chief engineer, said Roswell meets
Lisa Riley seeks GOP nod for 5th Judicial District bench See RPD, Page A2
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Judge Lisa Riley
Judge Lisa Riley, the first Republican woman to serve on the bench in the 5th Judicial District, says she is seeking the GOP nomination for the position of 5th Judicial District Court judge, Division 9, in the June 5 primary. The district encompasses Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties. “I would like to continue to serve the people of
Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties as a fair, considerate and conservative judge,” Riley said.
Gov. Susana Martinez appointed Riley to the position in August 2011. Under state law, after appointment judges must be placed on the ballot to go before the voters in the next election. Born and raised in Carlsbad, Riley is a lifelong Republican. She received her undergraduate degree
from Texas Tech University, and was then accepted to the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Penn. After graduating from law school, Riley returned home and has practiced law in Carlsbad for the past 19 years. Most of her career was with McCor mick Law Fir m, where she received a vast array of experience. She also served as prosecutor for Municipal Court in Artesia for four years. Riley served as domestic
See XCOR, Page A2
violence commissioner for eight years in both Eddy and Lea counties. During her time as a DVC, Riley conducted more than 4,500 hearings. “I have a lot of perspective, having heard so many of those cases, on all the parties involved and the different issues that come up in those cases,” she said. “I think I have a real comprehensive understanding of that area of the See RILEY, Page A2