Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 148 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
DENVER (AP) — In an age where you can buy a car or get a college degree without ever leaving the house, Colorado lawmakers have made one thing impossible to obtain from comfort of the couch: A concealed weapon permit. A new law requires people to show a firearm instructor in person that they can safely handle a gun before they get a permit seeking to close what lawmakers... - PAGE A7
June 21, 2013
Troubled NMMI alumni break rank JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
NEW COLO. LAW CLOSES FIREARM LOOPHOLE
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
A grave internal struggle brewing amid two camps inside New Mexico Military Institute’s banished Alumni Association threatens to pull apart what’s left of the embattled group that already faces a legal lock down by the Institute. But despite the conflict, a small band of Association board members continue to plow ahead, spending as much as $300,000 in
FRIDAY
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alumni contributions to pay for a newly rented office, a lawyer, a new executive director and a public relations firm. Some Association members are concerned rogue members are quickly spending $1 million in unrestricted money meant to benefit cadets and NMMI without the support of their peers. The Institute sued the Association June 10, asking the Chaves County District Court to immediately freeze all Association
Road warriors
accounts until a receiver is appointed, including the unrestricted funds and an additional $5.2 million in restricted funds meant to be allocated to cadet scholarships, NMMI programs specific to donor requests. “I estimate they’ve spent already $200,00 to $300,000 in unrestricted funds,” said one alumnus, Jerry Phifer, of northern Virginia. “They’re spending so much money each month that they’re going to exhaust the unrestricted funds if they keep spending
at the current rate and I don’t want that to happen.” The Alumni Association, now headed by appointed President John Phinizy, was banned from its oncampus office in late April after it failed to meet a deadline to meet financial reporting standards it had agreed to in order to operate. NMMI Board of Regents had several concerns since 2009 about the Association’s financial operations, according to past reports. The Association still does
SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James and the Miami Heat remain atop the NBA, and not even a proud push from the San Antonio Spurs could knock them down. James led the Heat to their second straight title, scoring 37 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 95-88 victory Thursday night in a tense Game 7 that was tight until Miami pulled away in the final minute. Winning the title they needed to validate the... -PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Richard “Dick” Moore • Farrell Lane Watson • Michael Morley - PAGE A6
Construction work continues on N. Main between College and Country Club Wednesday as workers resurface the road and replace driveways to come into compliance with the Americans with Disibalities Act.
NMMI Spokesman Carl Hansen said NMMI has not prevented access to the necessary information.
RPD, SO talk funding
See ALUMNI, Page A3
The Roswell Police Department, in conjunction with the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office held a public hearing, Tuesday, about the Justice Assistance Grant Application for 2013. The JAG Program provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support law enforcement. Each agency is allotted a certain amount which, if they apply, allows them to obtain vital equipment and training. Sheriff Rob Coon said the CCSO has applied to receive the funds for a CellBrite UFED Physical Analyzer for their Internet Crimes Against Children program. The analyzer is reputed to be the most
Leadership Roswell Alumni Association gives honors JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Leadership Roswell Alumni Association recognized several community leaders Thursday night during its 16th annual awards banquet held at the New Mexico Military Institute. “I think part of what we’re doing … we are happy to honor the leaders in our community,” said President Elect Alaine Mayfield. “It’s amazing every year. Jim Lilley, a U.S. Army veteran, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his service as a leader and volunteer in Roswell for many years. Lilley serves as a tutor with
the Roswell Literacy Council, a lector at Assumption Catholic Church and works with the disaster team with Chaves County Red Cross. Lilley has also taught life guarding for nearly 50 years and is active in Senior Olympics, Roswell Runners Club and several other local organizations. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to community member who have a long and documented history of improving and giving to Chaves County, is a leader in his or her industry and is a person who has not had much recognition in the past years for his or her work. The Association awarded Joan Blodgett with the
Among the clouds
Outstanding Leader Award for being a role model in the community. Blodgett is the executive secretary of Tobosa Developmental Services, where she has worked for 28 years. Blodgett is a graduate of Leadership Roswell Class of 1993-94. She also graduated from New Mexico Highlands University in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work. Her friend Renee Roach said Blodgett breathes belief into people that they can achieve their goals and achieve their different leadership styles. “She volunteers for everything,” Roach said. “I have See HONORS, Page A3
HIGH...100˚ LOW ....69˚ INDEX
Mark Wilson Photo
Air Force personnel from Kirkland AFB perform parachute drills at the Roswell Industrial Air Center, Thursday morning.
See FUNDING, Page A3
Jill McLaughlin Photo
Teen Leadership Awards were presented Thursday night during the Leadership Roswell Alumni Association’s 16th annual awards banquet.
Martinez declines to release travel records
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — More than six months after the attorney general ruled that the work records of Gov. Susana Martinez’s security detail are subject to public disclosure laws, her administration is refusing media requests for details on past expenses of state police officers that travel with her and her husband, citing safety.
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 ENTERTAINMENT ...B11 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8 WORLD .................D4
“We’re still trying to obtain information from the Institute to adequately complete our 2013 financials,” Phinizy said.
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
INSIDE
HEAT DOES IT AGAIN
not have current financial reports, Phinizy said. But although he has hired an accountant, the group cannot complete its 2013 due to blocked access by NMMI.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Thursday that the Republican administration says there are only $123.94 in expenses for food for the officers who accompanied Martinez’s husband, Chuck Franco, on a six-day 2011 Louisiana alligator-hunting trip because they were hosted privately. But it refused to say who was the host and denied the paper’s
request to see the food receipts that the administration said covered the officers’ meals in New Mexico on the first and last days of the trip.
Likewise, for the past six months, the Department of Public Safety has delayed and refused a public records request filed by The Associated Press for details on expenses incurred by the gover nor’s security detail in the three months leading up to last year’s presidential election. The governor’s office has also in the past refused to give the AP copies of her past or present calendars, meaning the only way to know if the governor leaves town and why is when she discloses such information. See MARTINEZ, Page A3