Roswell Daily Record
INSIDE NEWS
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Major stretches of river have already gone dry, farmers are leaving their land fallow, and cities are clamping down on water use, but things in New Mexico just went from bad to worse Thursday.
OWNERS OBJECT TO LEASE CHANGES
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Drought worsens; no relief in sight
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The latest map from federal forecasters shows exceptional drought has spread from a quarter of New Mexico to nearly 40 percent in just one week. At this time last year, less than one-tenth of the state was af fected by what is
May 10, 2013
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considered the worst category of drought.
New Mexico — the nation’s fifth largest state — is in the worst shape of any state, and conditions have only intensified over the past seven days.
This week’s U.S. Drought Monitor shows a swath of red and dark red across New Mexico, indicating extreme and exceptional drought conditions. The ominous colors stretch up through the Midwest, showing conditions have also worsened over the past
year in parts of Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
“These kinds of conditions will certainly persist for a while,” said Tim Shy, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. “Even if we do get repeated rains over a long period of time, for them to crack the threshold and get us back out of the deep brown color is going to be pretty dif ficult indeed.” See DROUGHT, Page A3
AP Photo
Council approves money apps
The Rio Grande flows around large sand bars in Bernalillo, Thursday.
PHOENIX (AP) — The owners of a northern Arizona coal plant that sends water to the state’s biggest cities has objected to changes made by the Navajo Nation in approving a lease extension. The plant’s operator, Salt River Project, told tribal ... - PAGE A7
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Mark Wilson Photo
Melissa Clark adjusts Amy Cook’s tassel as Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Adult Basic Education graduates wait outside to enter the Performing Arts Center for commencement ceremonies, Thursday evening.
64 attain GED from ENMU-R Basic Ed AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
CASTRO FIRES 63
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods was nine shots out of the lead, not the best position at The Players Championship, especially since he had not even started his round. Perhaps the bigger surprise was the guy who posted the record-tying round Thursday. Roberto Castro had only played the TPC Sawgrass in a practice round. He made a debut he won’t soon forget. There was the 9-iron to a foot on the island-green 17th and a 4-iron to about the same tap-in range ... - PAGE B1
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OBITUARIES
W.M. “Pete” Peterson Lisaiana Leal-Smith Emilia B. Martinez Diana Sue Shull Barbara Reinhardt - PAGE A7
HIGH ...69˚ LOW ....53˚
Cheers and shouts came from ecstatic friends and family of 64 GED graduates who received their high school equivalent certificates Thursday from ENMU-R’s Adult Basic Education Department at the 24th annual
GED High School Completion ceremony. The GED program allows individuals to take General Education Development tests to demonstrate a high school equivalent level of knowledge, and the program has helped open opportunities for more than 10 million adults since 1942. This year’s speakers
the GED is a starting point for a better future. “We have started to build our foundation with obtaining our GED,” he continued. “Getting your GED is a great way to start building that foundation, but it shouldn’t stop there.” Kelly also spoke about See GRADS, Page A3
See COUNCIL, Page A3
NM insurance exchange Obama: ‘poised for progress’ subject to sunshine laws
SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico’s open government laws will apply to a staterun health insurance exchange that will serve as a marketplace for the uninsured to buy medical coverage.
Legislation enacted this year makes clear the exchange and its 13-member governing board must comply with New Mexico's Open Meetings Act and the Inspection of Public Records Act.
Those laws will require board meetings to be open to the public and that records, such as the exchange's contracts and other expenditures, are available for inspection by the public. The exchange’s staff and board members also are subject to a law prohibiting conflicts of interest by public officials. The board held its first See INSURANCE, Page A3
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Offering a more upbeat view of the economy, President Barack Obama resurrected his jobs proposals Thursday, advancing modest initiatives as he pushed for action on more ambitious efforts that face resistance from congressional Republicans. “We’re poised for progress,” he declared. The president chose the bustling Texas capital as See OBAMA, Page A3
AP Photo
President Barack Obama speaks during a visit to the Manor New Tech High School in Manor, Texas, Thursday.
Senate’s ‘Gang of Eight’ immigration bill clears first test votes
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focused largely on the importance of constructing a strong foundation in order to build a successful future. “The meaning of foundation is the basis or groundwork of anything,” said student speaker James Kelly, who was inspired and motivated to receive his GED after his son was born. For him,
City Council approved two resolutions Thursday that will allow the city to apply for funding from the New Mexico Finance Authority. One resolution authorizes the city to apply for funds through the NMFA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund to replace the city’s out-of-date water lines and valves that have become inoperable. DWRLF funding is a state loan program that provides low-cost financing to eligible communities. The other resolution allows the city to apply for a loan of $440,894 to purchase 16 police vehicles and related equipment. Because the Police Department wants to order the vehicles before financing can be completed, the loan will be used to reimburse the city’s general fund, according to another resolution the council adopted. The purchase of the vehicles and the financing were
INDEX
AP Photo
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., confer as lawmakers meet in a markup session to examine proposed changes to immigration reform legislation, on Capitol Hill, Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The bipartisan coalition behind a contentious overhaul of immigration laws stuck together on a critical early series of test votes Thursday, tur ning back challenges from conservative critics as the Senate Judiciary Committee refined legislation to secure the borders and grant eventual citizenship to millions living in the United States illegally. The panel rejected numerous moves to impose tougher conditions on border security before immigrants who entered the country illegally could take the first steps along a new pathway toward citizenship.
Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona — part of a bipartisan group that helped draft the measure — joined all 10 Democrats in blocking the changes. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican who has yet to announce a position on the overall legislation, opposed one and supported the others. Assuming the core political alignment remains intact, the committee is expected to approve the measure within two weeks and clear the way for an epic showdown on the Senate floor in June. White House aides watched from the sidelines as the committee began its
work on a bill that President Barack Obama has made a top priority in the opening months of his second term.
Painstakingly negotiated by a bipartisan “Gang of Eight,” the measure would clear the way for tens of thousands of new high-tech and lesser-skilled workers to enter the country while also requiring all employers to check the legal status of their employees. But it was the core trade-off — securing the border against future illegal immigration while setting up a 13-year process by which immigrants unlawfully in the See SENATE, Page A2