Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 120 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
STARTED ON CAMP STOVE
LIVERMORE, Colo. (AP) — Warm, dry weather hindered hundreds of firefighters Friday as they battled a blaze in northern Colorado that federal officials say started with a camp stove. More than a dozen homes remain under evacuation orders as the fire has grown to cover about 12 square miles. - PAGE A9
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
May 19, 2012
Hollande sticks to early Afghan pullout
WASHINGTON (AP) — In his first visit to the Oval Office, French President François Hollande declared he will withdraw all French combat troops from Afghanistan by year’s end, making clear to President Barack Obama the timeline for ending the U.S.-led war will not trump a campaign pledge that helped Hollande gain his new job. Obama nodded along on Friday, knowing what was coming, but did not otherwise directly respond. Heading into a NATO sum-
SATURDAY
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mit on the course of the war and beyond, the White House has sought to emphasize the war coalition will remain firm even as nations pull back. And Hollande assured Obama that France was not out to cut and run. “We will continue to support Afghanistan in a different way. Our support will take a different format,” Hollande said. “I’m pretty sure I will find the right means so that our allies can continue with their mission and at the same
time I can comply to the promise I made to the French people.”
France’s declaration has significance far beyond its borders. Hollande’s move means France, one of the top contributors of troops to the war, will be removing the combat forces a full two years before the timeline agreed to by allies in the coalition. That could shift more of the burden to those allies and give them reason See FRANCE, Page A3
AP Photo
Astorga gets life
President Barack Obama meets with French President François Hollande, in the Oval Office, Friday.
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Hint from Heloise: Literacy is fun • 2011 Sci-Fi Film Fest earns Roswell TIARA • DuBois seeks Senate District 33 seat • Coronado bonds out • Invaders handed first loss
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Survivors take first Walk for Hope lap Patriot Guard riders display flags prior to the playing of the national anthem during the Walk for Hope Cancer fundraiser at Cielo Grande, Friday evening.
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
Thousands of people sent a message of hope to the cancer community at Cielo Grande Park on Fri-
EYEING THE PREAKNESS
BALTIMORE (AP) — No one is loving the run up to Saturday’s Preakness more than Doug O’Neill. The trainer of Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another has spent nearly two weeks in Baltimore, hanging with Ravens coach John Harbaugh, throwing out the first ball at an Orioles game, and hammering away at Maryland crabs for the first time. He also huddled with Secretariat’s jockey Ron Turcotte about racing strategy, held daily news briefings at the stakes barn and was forthcoming when asked about his history of violations for giving his horses improper drugs. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Sherry James • John J. Chappell - PAGE A7
About 200 cancer survivors made the first lap on a track ringed with
luminarias, signifying their battle with the disease and how they overcame it.
Breast cancer survivor Theresa Bruwton participated in the lap, and was
one of dozens of community members to operate a fundraiser booth at the event.
“It feels exhilarating and
Janetta Hicks seeks RISD 3rd-graders complete re-election as DA Healthy Kids Challenge JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Janetta Hicks
See WALK, Page A3
See ASTORGA, Page A2
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
District Attorney Janetta Hicks is seeking re-election to her position in the 5th Judicial District Court. The district encompasses Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties. Hicks is being challenged by Janet Ellis, who served as a prosecutor under former District Attorney Tom Rutledge, in the Republican primary. “My passion is to be a prosecutor. I want to continue to represent this dis-
East Grand Plains third-graders Even Berg and Jennifer Jimenez were recognized, Friday, for completing a challenge presented to them by Mayor Del Jur ney. In October, Jurney traveled to 12 of the Roswell Independent School District’s elementary schools, challenging all third-graders to develop healthy eating and fitness habits. It was
ther Carl’s, touch down at his grandparents ranch in Archer City, Texas. The friend, Glenn Stout, would often stop at the residence while transporting pipelines. The first to the door, once he heard the sound of a plane overhead, Lee recalls crawling all over the docked airplane. “What does this do? What does that do? ... I just fell in love with that,” he said.
crashing an airplane. Carl flew private planes at a time when pilot’s licenses weren’t always required. Lee remembers one story in particular. His grandfather was flying his Curtiss Robin back from Fort Worth, Texas, to Graham. His oldest son, who later flew a B17 in World War II, was with him. While Carl was attempting to land the airplane, the engine quit and the plane crashed into a garage. “Everybody survived. (My grandfather) broke his arm. He can still show you on his wrist. That’s what always started the story,” Lee said.
See KIDS, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Students at Del Norte Elementary show off their certificates after receiving handshakes from the mayor and assorted goodies during an assembly held Friday morning to honor the winners in the Healthy Kids Challenge.
Mike Lee: Musician, band director, pilot, CAP commander
HIGH ...94˚ LOW ....60˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............A8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10
day, raising money for the Chaves County Cancer Fund during the third annual Walk for Hope.
SANTE FE (AP) — A man convicted of killing a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputy avoided being sentenced to death Friday, and was instead given life in prison. After a Santa Fe jury deliberated for three days and failed to unanimously agree on the death penalty against Michael Astorga, a judge sentenced him to life in prison plus 13 years during the sentencing phrase of the trial. The jury had to determine whether the 36-yearold would get life in prison or the death penalty for the 2006 murder of Deputy James McGrane during a traffic stop. At the time of the shooting, Astorga was wanted on a murder warrant. He then fled to Mexico, where he was later arrested by Mexican authorities. The family of McGrane sat quietly in the courtroom as the jury announced the outcome of their deliberations on sentencing. Following the announcement, Astorga
INDEX
Mike Lee
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER At a young age, Mike Lee watched a plane belonging to a friend of his grandfa-
See HICKS, Page A3
It was one of many times that a friend of Carl’s would land at the residence to pay him a visit. It was visits such as these and stories told by his grandfather that gave Lee the itch to fly. Nearly all of the stories Lee’s grandpa relayed to him were about him
At the age of 38, Lee splurged to get his private pilot license and later
bought his own airplane, a Cessna 172. The oldest of five children, Lee spent most of his childhood moving around. He lived in various states, most notably Alaska, and attended 13 dif ferent schools growing up. Yet Lee remained optimistic, “I always looked at it as an opportunity to meet new friends.” Lee received his undergraduate degree from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. He
later received a master’s in music education from Texas Tech University. Music was another passion that developed from his grandfather, who played the saxophone. Lee remembers blowing on his grandfather’s saxophone during visits to his ranch. While Lee attempted to play the saxophone when he first joined the band in junior high, it was the trombone See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3