Roswell Daily Record
SCOTUS hints OK on Ariz law
Vol. 121, No. 100 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
METEOR FRAGMENTS IN SIERRAS
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Tiny meteorites found in the Sierra foothills of Northern California likely were part of a giant fireball that exploded in daylight with about one-third the explosive force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II, scientists said Wednesday. The rocks ... - PAGE A7
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bucking the Obama administration, Supreme Court justices seemed to find little trouble Wednesday with major parts of Arizona’s tough immigration law that require police to check the legal status of people they stop for other reasons. But the fate of other provisions that make Arizona state crimes out of immigration violations was unclear in the court’s final argument of the term. The latest clash between states and the administration turns on the extent of individual states’ roles in dealing with the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants.
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
APRIL 26, 2012
THURSDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Immigration policy is essentially under the federal government’s control, but a half-dozen Republican-dominated states have passed their own restrictions out of frustration with what they call Washington’s inaction to combat an illegal flood. Parts of laws adopted by Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah also are on hold pending the high court’s decision. Civil rights groups say the Arizona law and those in some other states encourage racial profiling and ethnic stereotyping, and debate over such laws could have an impact on
this fall’s elections. More than 200 protesters gathered outside the court, most of them opposed to the Arizona law.
However, in an unusual comment, Chief Justice John Roberts made clear at the outset of the administration’s argument Wednesday that the court was looking only at state-versus-federal power, not the civil rights concerns that already are the subject of other lawsuits. “So this is not a case about ethnic profiling,” Roberts said. That matter dealt with,
See SCOTUS, Page A3
AP Photo
Coelis Mendoza, left, from Ithaca, N.Y., who is opposed to Arizona's immigration law, argues with Marietta Barbier Falzgraf of Bethesda, Md., who supports the law, outside the U.S. Supreme Court, Wednesday.
Club gets new Old Glory, flag etiquette lessons
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• NMMI Ropes emphasizes teamwork • City Clerk Dave Kunko seeks return to ... • City marks Healthy Schools Day • Law enforcement to buy new equipment • Bulldogs edge Rockets, 8-6
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Children at the Roswell Boys & Girls Club raise a brand new flag during an afternoon spent with members of the American Legion Riders and National Guardsmen where the veterans taught the youngsters proper flag etiquette and respect, Wednesday.
FOSTER’S FINAL MOCK NFL DRAFT
After months of studying prospects, managing draft boards and going over every conceivable scenario, NFL front offices and coaching staffs will be on the clock starting at 6 p.m. tonight. For draftknicks, the start of the NFL draft brings to a close a crazy few months of mock drafts and sifting through information to determine what rumors have merit and which ones are just smoke screens. Since my last mock draft on April 15, rumors have been running rampant about almost every pick ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Lucille Livesay • Norman Ard - PAGE A7
HIGH ...98˚ LOW ....58˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....B6 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A7 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Cops, schools share info
Law enforcement officers and detention guards met with school representatives and school security officers Wednesday at Roswell High School, discussing ways the entities can work together to share information and solve common problems. The meeting was the second organized by Roswell Independent School District assistant superintendent Mike Kakuska, with topics that
The Rambler shoots in RPD recovers swag after arrest film-friendly Roswell JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Soon after being released from prison, a drifter takes to perilous back roads in an effort to reconnect with his long lost brother, encountering mystery and gripping individuals along the way. Enter Roswell with its open roads, desert attributes and small town features. Our locale has increasingly served as filming grounds for movie and television projects, big and small. Currently, the Calvin Lee Reeder feature film The Rambler has descended upon the city. “The way that the film is set up it’s perfect for this
type of environment. We’re shooting out in the sand, where there’s nobody, there’s nothing. Our lead guy, our rambler, Dermot Mulroney, does a lot of walking. He’s walking on different roads and freeways. It’s supposed to be a lonely film,” Chirsto Dimassis, co-producer, said.
Mulroney recently appeared in Joe Car nahan’s The Grey. His costars include Lindsay Pulsipher, who co-starred in the original short, and Natasha Lyonne, now known as an independent film star. Dimassis and Roger Mayer, both of Brooklyn Reptyle Films, along with XYZ’s Nate Bolotin are producing
See INFO, Page A3
The Roswell Police Department announced Wednesday that loot from three possible burglaries has been recovered.
The evidence—which includes jewelry, cellphones, computer accessories, and car stereos was recovered following the arrest of Xavier Barela, 36. Barela had been arrested over the weekend, said RPD Commander William Brown.
“(Barela) has an extensive criminal history,” Brown said of the man whose criminal record includes involvement in cases of stolen vehicles, receiving stolen property, armed robbery and possession of cocaine. Brown said the car that Barela was arrested from had
Mark Wilson Photo
Evidence gathered during the arrest of Xavier Barela.
been seized, and a search warrant had been placed on the car. The search warrant was executed Wednesday, Brown said. The evidence will be kept at the RPD awaiting the decision of the district
attor ney, as the items may form part of an ongoing investigation against Barela and a possible ensuing trial. “The victims are going to be able to recover some of their property,” Brown said.
Man ordered to pay $2.7M Feds nab 28 NM gang members for starting NM wildfire linked to drug, human trafficking ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Federal agents and local police have arrested 28 suspected gang members and associates in New Mexico as part of a national roundup of gang members linked to drug and human trafficking.
Officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations announced Wednesday that members and associates affiliated with the South Side Locos and Brown Pride gangs in Albuquerque, southern New Mexico and the Four Corners region were in
See FILM, Page A3
federal custody following a quick probe of the area. Authorities also seized heroin, cocaine and meth with a street value of close to $300,000. In addition, federal agents and local authorities seized more than a dozen or so illegal firearms and two expensive vehicles. “This was a coordinated effort that resulted in the arrests of a number of high ranking gang members,” said Dennis Ulrich, Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge of West Texas and New Mexico. “We believe they were
involved in drug trafficking and human smuggling.” The roundup was part of a national operation known as “Project Nefarious” which nabbed more than 600 gang members with outstanding warrants across the country. The arrests also come after law enforcement agencies around New Mexico have asked federal officials to assist cashstrapped departments in battling gangs, drug trafficking and weapons violations.
See FEDS, Page A3
LAS CRUCES (AP) — A Texas man has been ordered to pay $2.7 million in restitution for burning used toilet paper that sparked a wildfire, scorching nearly 83 square miles of a national forest in New Mexico. Rodrigo Ulloa-Esquivel of El Paso also was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. Ulloa-Esquivel, 30, in October pleaded guilty under a plea agreement to a misdemeanor charge stemming from the April 2011 wildfire. Two other charges in an indictment were dismissed in the deal. The fire started when
Ulloa-Esquivel was with friends near a campsite, and he lit some used toilet paper on fire to keep from leaving behind litter. High winds sent sparks from the burning paper into nearby brush, and Ulloa-Esquivel and his friends were unable to control the fire in the area known as the Guadalupe Ranger District. The blaze eventually charred more than 53,000 acres in the Lincoln National Forest, through the Last Chance Canyon in Eddy County. It burned for several days and caused damage to four structures in the Sitting Bulls Falls See FIRE, Page A2