Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 112 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vidal Sassoon used his hairstyling shears to free women from beehives and hot rollers and give them wash-andwear cuts that made him an international name in hair care. When he came on the scene in the 1950s, hair was high and heavy ... - PAGE A5
May 10, 2012
Obama voices support for gay marriage WASHINGTON (AP) — On the fence no longer, President Barack Obama declared his unequivocal support for gay marriage on Wednesday, a historic announcement that gave the polarizing social issue a more prominent role in the 2012 race for the White House.
STYLIST SASSOON DIES
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
The announcement was the first by a sitting president, and Republican challenger Mitt Romney swiftly disagreed with it. “I believe that marriage is between a
THURSDAY
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man and a woman,” he said while campaigning in Oklahoma. Obama revealed his decision after a series of events that made clear the political ground was shifting. He once opposed gay marriage but more recently had said his views were “evolving.” In an interview with ABC in which he blended the personal and the presidential, Obama said “it would not dawn” on his daughters, Sasha and Malia, that some of their friends’ par-
ents would be treated differently than others. He said he also thought of aides “who are in incredibly committed monogamous same-sex relationships who are raising kids together.” Obama added that he thought about “those soldiers or airmen or Marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf, and yet feel constrained even though now that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is gone because See OBAMA, Page A3
AP Photo
President Barack Obama on a monitor in the White House briefing room in Washington, Wednesday, when he told an ABC interviewer that he supports gay marriage.
Time flies like an arrow; damselflies like a lily
Look out, DC, here we come! JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Lawrence jury trial under way • NM ghost town struck by tragedy set to ... • • • Dexter council OK’s shaky audit • ENMU-R, Sacred Power, Xcel Energy ... • Local briefs: Rocket girls finish third at ...
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Damselflies hover near a water lily in full bloom at the J. Kenneth Smith Bird Sanctuary & Nature Center, Wednesday.
The city has called in reinforcement in the for m of the state’s congressional delegates to aid in its appeal of the 2010 Census population and housing data. The 2010 Census revealed the city’s official population count as 48,366, just three percent short of the 50,000 count needed. Since then, the city, backed by many members of the public, has taken aggressive action to dispute the data in an ef fort to reach the 50,000 mark. This metropolitan statistical area designation would make more federal funding available to the city
Lawrence trial, Day 2 USPS will keep rural offices open JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
COWBOYS FOLLOWED RULES
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said his team filed “a real good brief” in its challenge of a $10 million salary cap reduction by the NFL, and followed the rules before being penalized. A hearing is set Thursday before arbitrator Stephen Burbank on appeals by the Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, whose cap was reduced by $36 million. The two NFC East teams were penalized for overloading contracts in the 2010 uncapped season despite league warnings. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARY
• Edward Paul Garcia - PAGE B3
Wednesday was second and final day of state’s witnesses in the case of State of New Mexico versus David Lawrence. The former Goddard High School coach is facing charges of criminal sexual contact with a 17year-old student. GHS Principal Andrew Sweet outlined the appropriate procedures for a teacher if a student makes advances toward a teacher. He also informed the court that Lawrence was no longer employed by the Roswell Independent School District. He said when he heard of the allegations of sexual misconduct, “It was my responsibility to secure him and maintain him until the police arrived.” Sweet said he searched Lawrence’s classroom to look for evidence. He stated he found love notes from the victim and photos from
several different students with personal comments. One photograph was signed with “XOXOXO” and “luv ya.” Others had heart symbols or the words “I love you and I miss you.” Sweet said he located one photograph, which he described as pornographic, taped to the back of Lawrence’s file cabinet that showed several adult women bent over with their backs to the camera in front of a soccer net and “no clothes on their bottom half.” Attorney for the defense, S. Doug Jones Witt checked to ensure no one had tampered with the evidence. Sweet said he had another person with him at the time he examined the room and said that he believed he had searched the room the same night Lawrence was taken by the police, but he admitted he was not sure. Sweet told the jury that if See TRIAL, Page A3
Substation expansion
HIGH ...73˚ LOW ....51˚
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT.....B6 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
their lawmakers, who said the cost-cutting would hurt their communities the most. In recent weeks, rising opposition had led Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to visit some rural areas in a bid to ease fears about cuts that could slow delivery of prescription drugs, newspapers and other services. In an election year, the angst over postal closings also extended to nearly half the senators, who in letters last week urged Donahoe to postpone closing any mail facility until Congress approves AP Photo final postal overhaul legRufus, Ore., population 250. islation. The Senate last month passed a bill that WASHINGTON (AP) — proposed keeping them would halt many of the Bending to strong public open, but with shorter closings; the House opposition, the nearly operating hours. remains stalled over a bankrupt U.S. Postal The move to halt the separate bill allowing for Service on Wednesday shuttering of 3,700 low- aggressive cuts. backed off a plan to close revenue post offices folAt a news briefing, thousands of rural post lowed months of dissent offices after May 15 and from rural states and
See USPS, Page A2
Chad Hamill on Senate District 32: It’s time for some new blood in there JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
TODAY’S FORECAST
INDEX
Mark Wilson Photo
Workers at the substation located on East Pine Lodge Road near Bitter Lake continue expansion work, Wednesday.
See CENSUS, Page A3
Indicating he could render the most change through the position, Fire Chief Chad Hamill says he is seeking election to the District 32 Senate seat. A Republican, Hamill will face Roswell farmer Cliff Pirtle in the primary. If successful, he will then face Senate President Pro Tem T im Jennings, D-Roswell, in November. Hamill sees the current Legislature as being in a deadlock. “It seems that we’re always Democrats versus Republicans, Republicans versus Democrats. At the end of the day, it’s not about what party. It’s about the New Mexico
citizens, and the citizens in Senate District 32,” he said. As president of the Hagerman School Board and the son of a retired schoolteacher, Hamill said, “Being 50, being 49, being 48 in the nation in public schools is not acceptable to me.” Hamill is in favor of banning social promotion, one of Gov. Susana Martinez’s high profile initiatives that has yet to pass the Legislature. He believes the state’s current education system takes, “the local power away from local people who know what the demographics are and know how to educate the children in our school districts.” Hamill connects econom-
Chad Hamill
ic growth with a good education. He said there are individuals, served by the state’s assistance programs, who are hurting the See HAMILL, Page A3