Roswell Daily Record
Obamacare ‘here to stay’ THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 113 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
MAMMAS ON SUNDAY
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Isabella Rossellini’s search for the meaning of maternal instinct in “Mammas” looks at nine animals where things like polygamy, lying and dying convince her that “anything goes.” The program timed to air Mother’s Day on the Sundance Channel is just the latest offbeat offering from the model-actress ... - PAGE B4
May 11, 2013
SATURDAY
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Caught between nervous Democrats and emboldened Republicans, President Barack Obama on Friday stepped up the sales pitch on his health care overhaul as the final elements of his top domestic achievement go into effect. With his legacy and the law’s success at stake, Obama said: “The law is here to stay.” Behind the scenes, the White House readied a campaign-style effort to get
healthy young people to sign up for the insurance “exchanges” in order to keep premium costs from skyrocketing. On Capitol Hill, House Republicans are planning yet another vote to try to try to repeal the law. The insurance exchanges are the centerpiece of the landmark overhaul of the nation’s health insurance system and the White House mobilization is crucial to the success of the
health care law and, by extension, to Obama’s place in history as the first president in decades to expand health care coverage. Underscoring the policy and political consequences, the White House plans to employ both the resources of government as well as those of his reconfigured political operation as it aimed to enroll 7 million See OBAMA, Page A2
AP Photo
Gun groups target state
President Barack Obama speaks about the Affordable Care Act in the East Room, Friday.
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• 64 attain GED from ENMU-R Basic Ed • RPD finds Patrick Smith • Gonzalez takes silver in state singles • Jennings, Romero 4th in doubles • Sanchez falls in thriller in semis, but ...
INSIDE SPORTS
Cheers, diplomas and fireworks ENMU-R graduates prepare for commencement ceremonies at the Wool Bowl, Friday evening.
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
Dressed in caps and gowns, more than 350 students entered a new stage of their lives Friday as they crossed the stage
There’s plenty of room for error in a best-of-seven or best-of-five series, no matter the sport. In a best-of-three, the room for error is nearly nil. The only way to get a little breathing space is by winning the first game and that’s exactly what the Goddard Rockets did on Friday. Goddard turned 11 hits into nine hits and Cal Villareal gave up just one hit in six innings on the mound as the Rockets won 11-1 in six innings in Game 1 of their best-of-three series with Belen in the first round of the NMAA Class 4A State Baseball Championships. - PAGE B1
GHS WINS
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Darlene Brady • Jorge Valenzuela - PAGE A6
HIGH ...77˚ LOW ....51˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B8 COMICS.................B6 ENTERTAINMENT...A10 FINANCIAL .............B7 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 WORLD .................A7
INDEX
during Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell’s 59th Commencement Convocation at the Wool Bowl.
ENMU-R President Dr. John Madden said the school had close to 600
graduates total for the spring semester.
In addition to bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients from Eastern New Mexico University and master’s degree recipients from New Mexico High-
Mark Wilson Photo
lands University’s School of Social Work, students from the New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe Academy also participated in the ceremony, receiving certificates of employabili-
SANTA FE (AP) — A national group founded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pumped nearly $32,000 into an advertising campaign in New Mexico for legislation to expand criminal background checks of gun buyers. The campaign by Mayors Against Illegal Guns Action Fund was the most costly lobbying effort in this year’s legislative session, according to a computer-assisted analysis of lobbying disclosure reports by The Associated Press. The gun measure passed the House but died on the last day of the session when opponents offered a series of amendments to run out the clock and prevent a final vote in the Senate before the Legislature adjourned. Overall, lobbyists and their clients spent about $512,000 from January
Weather doesn’t keep Walkers for Hope away JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
The sea of pink, red and blue T -shirts gathered around the stage at Cielo Grande Park Friday night during the biggest community rally yet in support of cancer victims and survivors during the fourth annual Walk for Hope. The day started out blustery, with organizers fighting a chilly wind as they set up the fields for the estimated 5,000 community members expected to arrive. But after a brief downpour, the sun appeared in time for the show to begin. “I want to thank everybody who came out here tonight,” said event founder Julie Morrow told the crowd. “Everyone who came
out here when it was pouring. As usual, God is good. It is a beautiful night and we are ready to start this party!” Some special survivors were escorted in front of the stage, rumbling in via the motorcycles of the Patriot Guard Riders. A Youth ChalleNGe Academy Color Guard of Roswell presented the colors during a singing of the national anthem. And a prayer was said, asking for healing, courage for those battling the disease and peace for families affected. Morrow has given countless hours for the Walk for Hope, a fundraiser that has collected an estimated $118,000 for the Chaves County Cancer Fund to provide financial assistance to locals diagnosed with
cancer. The money pays for medicine, travel and other expenses for cancer patients. In 2010, its first year, the event stirred $20,000 in donations with 1,800 people attending. In 2011, $40,000 was collected. Last year, $58,000 was collected and some 3,500 walkers joined the event. More than 32 major sponsors donated to this year’s event. Organizers printed 2,700 T-shirts prior to the walk, but had sold nearly all by event day. Eduardo Rangel and his family stood by his son, Adrian, a cancer survivor for the past nine years, and his wife and young daughter during the opening ceremony.
See CHEERS, Page A3
See GUN, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Phyllis Lester and fellow cancer survivors line up to begin the fourth annual Walk for Hope Cancer Walk at Cielo Grande, Friday evening.
Melvin Montoya is retired, but not ready to stop working See WALK, Page A3
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
Ilissa Gilmore Photo
Melvin Montoya wears a smile and his ever-present cowboy hat.
A true working-man, Melvin Montoya won’t let a little thing like retirement slow him down. Though he recently retired after 26 years as road foreman at the Chaves County Road Department, he’s applied to other jobs, willing to work for “whoever decides they want this old man to work for them.” “I can do just about anything,” he said. Montoya had been in charge of almost every aspect of the department and had to be in contact with
people from various agencies in the county and the state. At times, he even acted as a mediator for landowners and the Road Department in an effort to, he said, “keep them from having ‘The Chaves County War.’” He worked so long for the county, he even remembers times of snow and flash flood emergencies. As the years passed, Montoya picked up more and more responsibilities and outlasted many supervisors and employees. “Some retired, some quit, some we had to let go,” he said. “We lost one employee on the job and that was tough. It’s just like you lose part of yourself.”
Montoya himself had a near death experience as a young man. While breaking rocks for a company, dirt collapsed on Montoya, burying him alive. Only a small pathway of air helped him survive. “When they finally got to me, they thought I was dead,” he said. “That was crazy; the man upstairs, he didn’t want me.” Since he’s already been buried See SPOTLIGHT, Page A2