Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
City brings Pacific Islands to zoo
Vol. 121, No. 103 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The start of this year’s powwow season got under way Friday as hundreds of Native American and indigenous dancers crowded onto the floor of University of New Mexico Arena, each one pounding their feet in rhythm to dozens of beating drums. Donning traditional costumes of beads, bells ... - PAGE A2
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NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
GATHERING OF NATIONS
April 29, 2012
Roswell was transformed into a tropical paradise Saturday night at Spring River Park and Zoo, as residents embraced the unique customs of Pacific island cultures during the city’s eleventh annual Luau Party. The celebration featured dance entertainment from Sweet Leilani’s and NMMI Pacific Island Club, each demonstrating the tradi-
tional routines of various cultures throughout the evening. Garbed with leis, luau attendees were treated to a wide selection of performances, ranging from ancient dances with chants, to dances to familiar songs like Pearly Shells, Pagan Love Song and Lovely Hula Hands. The Pahu Mana’olana Club, a group of 14 students from Mesa Middle School, had luau-goers bobbing their heads and tapping their feet to lively
percussion songs, filling the zoo with island beats. Attendees chose from many Hawaiian dishes, such as coconut shrimp, coconut chicken, glazed bananas and rice, and refreshed themselves with tropical punches of kiwi, mango, strawberry and banana. “The island spirit is loving our world and loving each other,” said Mary Hart, Sweet Leilani’s direc-
City sure scrubs up nice, huh?
See LUAU Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Roswell to receive cemetery land deed
The NMMI Pacific Island Club welcome visitors to the Luau Party at Spring River Park & Zoo, Saturday evening.
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NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
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INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Beau Roach reaches to pick up trash as his buddy Cale Taylor supervises during the Great American Cleanup, Saturday morning.
FINAL WORK BEFORE DERBY
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Trainer Michael Matz believed what he couldn’t see — that Union Rags had a strong final workout amid a field of Kentucky Derby hopefuls that dotted Churchill Downs on Saturday. When he was told the times — 59.80 seconds over five furlongs — his eyes grew wide for a brief moment before he quickly downplayed what could be the Derby favorite after Wednesday’s post-position draw. “I didn’t see very much,” said Matz ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
There are no obituaries today, April 29, 2012.
HIGH ...87˚ LOW ....56˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........D1 COMICS.................C4 ENTERTAINMENT.....B7 FEATURE ...............C5 GENERAL ..............A4 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................B6 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
Court’s stance could spur other immigration laws UNDATED (AP) Emboldened by signals that the U.S. Supreme Court may uphold parts of Arizona’s immigration law, legislators and activists across the country say they are gearing up to push for similar get-tough measures in their states.
“We’re getting our national network ready to run with the ball, and saturate state legislatures with versions of the law,” said William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration. “We believe we can pass it in most states.”
stretch, but lawmakers in about a dozen states told The Associated Press they were interested in proposing Arizonastyle laws if its key components are upheld by the Supreme Court. A ruling is expected in June on the Department of Justice’s appeal that the law conflicts with federal immigration policy. Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said he was encouraged that several justices suggested during Wednesday’s oral arguments that they are ready to let
Roswell is about to take a crucial step toward its very own veterans cemetery. The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve dinner will be held at the Civic Center on Saturday, at 6 p.m., where Ray Willis of McBride Oil and Gas will present Mayor Del Jurney with a deed to about 20 acres of land that will be used for the new cemetery. The cemetery will be located just north of South Park Cemetery, and will hold more than 2,000 plots, free for veterans and their spouses. Vietnam veteran Bert
French Bros. open model home
See DEED, Page A3
VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
On the corner of Sorrento Drive and Positano Loop, just of f North Union Avenue, an example of a new development in Roswell awaits. The model home, located at 1205 Sorrento Drive, is a representation of the homes that French Brothers plans to build in the area. It is finished and open to potential customers, following a grand opening ceremony Saturday morning. French Brothers, a homebuilding company based in Alamogordo, is behind the new housing development. In January, they held a small groundbreaking ceremony. Of the 56 available lots, French Brothers has completed six homes, and sold four homes. Co-owner Jim
Vanessa Kahin Photo
From left, Jim French, Corrinne Bachman and Tom French during the grand opening ceremony for French Brothers’ new model home, Saturday.
Hopi Code Talkers honored at Kykotsmovi memorial That goal may be a
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INDEX
AP Photo
Richard Navenma offers the opening prayer during the Hopi Code Talker Day ceremony in Kykotsmovi, Ariz., April 23.
GALLUP (AP) — It was Sept. 17, 1944. Eight young Hopi men thought about their families and peaceful villages in the high
desert of Arizona — thousands of miles away — and prayed for a last time before they boarded ships and joined their units with
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the U.S. Ar my’s 223rd Infantry Regiment, 81st Infantry Division, on the shores of Angaur Island, Palau. The mission was to take over the island and provide the U.S. military with a strategic location in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. But the Japanese intelligence had been so good at breaking military codes that the mission depended on the Hopi men to use their unique language to confuse the enemy, U.S. Ar my Maj. Gen. with the 81st Regional Support Command Gill P. Beck said. “What we found in WWII is that no matter how strong we were, we could
not create a code that could not be decoded (by the Japanese),” Beck told an audience that included family members of the Hopi Code Talkers who gathered at the first of ficial Hopi Code Talker Memorial at the Hopi Veterans Memorial Center in Kykotsmovi on April 23. “That prevented us from being successful in our missions. ... If they can destroy that code, they can destroy that unit.”
The 223rd Infantry Regiment landed on the island and quickly advanced through the jungle. Maj. Gen. Paul Muller, who was on the mother ship several miles away, was in charge of the mission. Historic records from the 81st
Infantry Division conclude that “sensitive information regarding the landings would have been sent to him using code talkers due to the need for secure real time actionable intelligence.” The mission lasted for three days of brutal confrontations between forces in and around the island. Muller’s ship was attacked the morning of the 18th, and this battle had one of the highest number of casualties during World War II, according to historic records. But the U.S. forces circled the island and the Japanese base and successfully gained control. See HOPI, Page A3