Roswell Daily Record
US: Assad used chemical weapons
Vol. 122, No. 142 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
June 14, 2013
FRIDAY
www.rdrnews.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has conclusive evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime has used chemical weapons against opposition forces seeking to overthrow the government, crossing what President Barack Obama has called a “red line” that would trigger greater American involvement in the crisis, the White House said Thursday. In response, two U.S. officials said Obama planned to send weapons and ammunition to bolster the rebel forces, though the specific instance and timeline for delivery were unclear. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has been one of the strongest proponents of U.S. intervention in Syria’s two-year See CHEMICAL, Page A3
CONFUSION ABOUT NSA WASHINGTON (AP) — Wondering what the U.S. government might know about your phone calls and online life? And whether all of this really helps find ... - PAGE A7
AP Photo
RIGHT: U.S. officials said Thursday that the Obama administration has concluded that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has used chemical weapons against the opposition seeking to overthrow him, crossing what Obama called a 'red line'.
City Council postpones convention fee
Senior Olympics
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• 35th annual games all set • City considering ... • Man enters no-contest plea on sex charges • Close enounters of the wooden kind • Library show entertains young readers
INSIDE SPORTS
NMMI sues AA
Mark Wilson Photo
A Senior olympian competes in a swimming event at the NMMI Pool in the Godfrey Center, Thursday morning. For full results of Thursday’s action, see B2
JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
MIAMI TOPS SAN ANTONIO SAN ANTONIO (AP) — LeBron James was better as promised. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were the best they’ve been since the playoffs started. Riding big performances from their Big Three, the Miami Heat tied the NBA Finals with ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Joyce Yancey • Scott M. Sanchez - PAGE A7
HIGH ...91˚ LOW ....67˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B7 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT.....B4 FINANCIAL .............B6 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10
INDEX
New Mexico Military Institute sued its ousted Alumni Association this week seeking a Chaves County District Court judge to secure the group’s $5.2 million in assets. “This case is about an unfortunate series of events arising as a result of an absolute and longstanding failure of the NMMI Alumni Association Inc. … to properly account, or account in any fashion whatsoever, for financial transactions and comply with contractual provisions to prepare, submit, and obtain approval for annual budgets that has caused (NMMI) … to terminate its relationship with the Alumni Association,” wrote Richard Olson and Parker Folse, attorneys with Hinkle, Hensley, Shanor & Martin, representing NMMI. Association president John Phinizy announced intentions to defend against the lawsuit Thursday.
Amid concerns of local hotel owners and staff, the City Council voted to postpone action on an ordinance that would impose fees on rooms used for lodging toward the expansion of the Roswell Convention and Civic Center until its next meeting. The state Legislature recently removed the population requirement from the Convention Center Financing Act, allowing smaller municipalities, such as Roswell, to impose such fees. If approved, the ordinance would impose a $2.50 fee “per room for each day that a room within a lodging facility in the City limits is occupied by a vendee not otherwise exempted by the Act or the Ordinance.” Councilor Steve Henderson said the city had been working to get the act amended to include all municipalities for at least five years.
Person of interest turns in self Joe Paul Martinez, 34. who was listed as a person of interest in the Farmer case, turned himself into the Roswell Police Department, Wednesday. He was a witness to an incident on Monday night where a man was shot and had to be flown out of state for treatment. The shooting took place in the 600 block of South Delaware Avenue. Michael Farmer, 54, was arrested the following day on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery after he confronted a man who, he said, beat his step-son. According to the criminal complaint,
See CITY, Page A3
Far mer ar med himself with a shotgun for protection. Farmer said his stepson, Martinez, grabbed the shotgun. Both men were holding it when it went off. The previous altercation happened after the victim saw Martinez hit his wife, who was also the victim’s sister. Martinez, his wife and the shotgun disappeared immediately after the shooting. Martinez was arrested Wednesday, on an outstanding warrant for failing to meet the conditions of parole, felon in possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence. He is being held at
Joe P. Martinez
Chaves County Detention Center without bond for the probation violation. The bond for the other two charges has been set at $25,000 surety.
Smoke, heat make it hard Court says isolated human genes cannot be patented to size up Jaroso Fire See NMMI, Page A3
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Smoke, intense heat and rugged terrain were making it difficult Thursday for fire managers in northern New Mexico to size up a blaze that was racing across thousands of acres of dead and downed trees deep in the Pecos Wilderness. Of ficials had estimated that the Jaroso Fire had ballooned to 12 square miles on Wednesday. However, infrared mapping done overnight put the burned area at nearly 6 square miles. Even though the lightningsparked fire has charred fewer square miles, officials on Thursday described the behavior of the flames as unprecedented. Years of buildup within the forests have combined with dangerously dry conditions to make for extreme fire danger across New Mexico and many parts of the West. “ We ’ v e h a d s e v e r a l y e a r s o f dr ought conditions and we’r e seeing overcrowded forests. The conditions are the same here as they are in other forests around
the country,” said Dorotea Martinez, a spokeswoman with the Carson National Forest. The Carson forest — which sits at the edge of Taos, one of New Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations— has closed several trails that access the Pecos Wilder ness due to the Jar oso Fire. The entire Pecos Wilder ness has been closed in both the Santa Fe and Carson for ests, and Thursday’s closure order includes the T rampas, San Leoandro, Santa Barbara and the Ripley Point trails on the Camino Real Ranger District. Those who violate the order could face stiff fines or prison time. Martinez said residents throughout the Taos area have been calling forest officials, asking that more of the forest be shut down. “When people see smoke, they are immediately alarmed by that,” she said. “They want to See FIRE, Page A2
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously threw out attempts to patent human genes, siding with advocates who say the multibillion-dollar biotechnology industry should not have exclusive control over genetic information found inside the human body.
But the high court also approved for the first time the patenting of synthetic DNA, handing a victory to researchers and companies looking to come up with ways to fight — and profit — from medical breakSee PATENTED, Page A2
AP Photo
A technician loads patient samples into a machine for testing at Myriad Genetics on May 31, 2002, in Salt Lake City. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Myriad Genetics Inc. cannot patent the BRCA genes, which are tested to check a woman’s risk for breast and ovarian cancer.