Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 153 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
LONDON (AP) — The iconic Clock Tower of Britain’s Parliament — widely, though incorrectly, known as Big Ben — is being renamed in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, authorities said Tuesday. The 315-foot-high structure, one of Britain’s most recognizable landmarks, will now formally be known as Elizabeth Tower following a campaign by lawmakers ... - PAGE A2
LARGE LIZ?
June 27, 2012
Ruling offers rare chance at freedom
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
DETROIT (AP) — The Supreme Court ruling that banned states from imposing mandatory life sentences on juveniles offers an unexpected chance at freedom to more than 2,000 inmates who had almost no hope they would ever get out. In more than two dozen states, lawyers can now ask for new sentences. And judges will have discretion to look beyond the crime at other factors such as a prisoner’s age at the time of the offense, the person’s
background and perhaps evidence that an inmate has changed while incarcerated. “The sentence may still be the same,” said Lawrence Wojcik, a Chicago lawyer who co-chairs the juvenile justice committee of the American Bar Association. “But even a sentence with a chance for parole gives hope.” Virtually all of the sentences in question are for murder. When Henry Hill was an illiterate 16-year old, he was linked to a
killing at a park in Saginaw County and convicted of aiding and abetting murder.
Hill had a gun, but he was never accused of firing the fatal shot. Nonetheless, the sentence was automatic: life without parole. He’s spent the past 32 years in Michigan prisons. “I was a 16-year-old with a mentality of a 9-year-old. I didn’t understand what life without parole even
William Tell or Robin Hood?
See RULING, Page A3
AP Photo
This artist rendering shows Supreme Court Justices from left, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel A. Alito and Elena Kagan, Monday.
New rules: Chile law
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• RPD arrests suspect of multiple copper ... • Shooting spree damages homes ... • Home invasion suspects on the loose • A whole ’nother culture • Opinion: Sandusky got what he deserved
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Youngsters attending the Grace Community Church Fine Arts Camp learn archery courtesy of the New Mexico Game & Fish Department, Tuesday.
SANTA FE (AP) — A new law aimed at protecting authentic New Mexico chile is set to go into effect. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that impostors of the state’s iconic agricultural product will be guilty of trademark infringement beginning Sunday thanks to a new protective law. The New Mexico Chile Advertising Act makes it unlawful for vendors to label fresh or processed chile as being from New Mexico unless it was actually grown in the state. Vendors subject to the law include grocers, restaurants, convenience stores, farmers’ markets and roadside vegetable stands. Hatch farmer Jimmy L ytle said Monday he’s hopeful the regulation will boost the chile industry in New Mexico. All too often, he said, retailed chile is dubbed as New Mexico-grown, when in reality, it’s from other states or other coun-
Board orders recounts Leadership Roswell Alums honor 6
BIRD’S SWAN SONG?
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — David Morway resigned Tuesday as general manager of the Indiana Pacers amid reports that Larry Bird is on the way out, too. Morway was hired by the Pacers in 1999 and had been GM since 2008. The Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday that Bird is expected to leave the Pacers, citing an unidentified person with direct knowledge ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S • • • • • • • •
OBITUARIES
Ismael Vasquez Jr. Michell Leah Pollock Patsy Ann Howard Eugene Zacniewski Everett Lankford Jesse Harper Rose Jessie Mae Hastings Melford Lehrman - PAGEA7
HIGH .103˚ LOW ....70˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
SANTA FE (AP) — The state Canvassing Board ordered recounts Tuesday in two primary election races for state Senate in which the leading candidates held nine-vote margins. The board directed counties to start the recounts July 5, and the board will meet again July 9 to certify the winners. State law requires automatic recounts when the difference between the top two candidates is less than 0.5 percent. One of the recounts is for the Republican nomination in southeastern New Mexico’s Senate District 32.
Chaves County farmer Cliff Pirtle had 1,018 votes, followed by 1,009 for Roswell Fire Chief Chad Hamill, according to the latest results outlined to the board. The eventual winner faces Senate President Pro Tem T im Jennings, DRoswell, in the November general election. The district covers parts of Chaves, Eddy and Otero counties. A recount also is necessary in the Democratic contest in western New Mexico’s Senate District 30. Clemente Sanchez, of
See CHILE, Page A3
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Leadership Roswell Alumni Association held its 15th annual awards banquet Tuesday at New Mexico Military Institute, recognizing the outstanding achievements of community leaders. Phelps White III, a U.S. Army veteran, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for many years spent improving Chaves Noah Vernau Photo County. White has been active in a multitude of From left, Leadership Roswell Alumni Association honorees Judy Stubbs, Pat Burnett, Roger Burnett and Phelps See AWARDS, Page A3 White III at New Mexico Military Institute, Tuesday.
June’s Consumer Confidence Index falls to 62 Little Bear hurts biz See RECOUNT, Page A3
AP Photo
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans can’t seem to shake their uneasy feeling about the economy. Consumer confidence fell in June for the fourth straight month as worries about jobs and the overall economy outweighed relief at the gas pump and an improvement in the housing market, according to a private research group. The decline was modest; the Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index fell from 64.4 in May to 62 in June. But the four month slide from 71.6 in February is significant and corresponds with a
slowdown in hiring by U.S. companies over the same period. The index is widely watched because consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. A reading of 90 indicates a healthy economy. The index hit an all-time low of 25.3 in February 2009. The latest survey shows that despite lower gas prices, Americans are still worried about stagnant hiring, low home values, the choppy stock market and a worsening European economy that some fear will hurt the U.S. Worries about job and
income growth weighed the heaviest on Americans in the index, which was based on a survey conducted from June 1 through June 14 of about 500 randomly selected people nationwide. The margin of error for the Consumer Confidence Index is plus or minus 5.5 points. Those stating jobs are “hard to get” increased slightly to 41.5 percent from 40.9 percent, while those expecting more jobs in the months ahead declined to 14.1 percent from 15.4 percent. The proportion of consumers expecting an increase in their incomes declined to 14.8 percent from 15.7 percent. Consumers’ dwindling confidence since February corresponds with a sharp slowdown in hiring. Hiring averaged 96,000 during the combined period of March, April and May. That marked a slowdown from the average of 252,000 a month in the prior three months. The strong hiring dur-
ing the winter helped lift the Consumer Confidence Index from 40.9 in October to the highest reading it had been in a year during February. But in the following months that hiring has slipped, so has consumer confidence. Meanwhile, a measure of the number of people applying for unemployment benefits over the past month has reached a six-month high, the government said last week. That suggests June could be another lackluster month for hiring. The gover nment releases June data on July 6. Americans also are grappling with declines in their retirement funds. After rallying earlier in the year, the stock market has lost its steam since the beginning of May amid concerns about the economy both here and abroad. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen nearly 6 percent since early May. On the news of declining consumer confidence, See ECONOMY, Page A3
LAS CRUCES (AP) — One of the worst wildfires in New Mexico history is putting a damper on out-ofstate tourism to the village of Ruidoso.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that village officials recently have launched a new campaign in an attempt to bring tourists back after the Little Bear fire scorched 44,000 acres and destroyed 254 structures. The blaze never got closer than three miles of Ruidoso’s norther nmost neighborhoods. But officials say extensive media coverage of the Little Bear fire has turned away tourists.
Tom Wood, co-owner of the Story Book Cabins in Ruidoso’s Upper Canyon area, said he’s lost around 40 nights of reservations because of safety concerns.
The village’s Tourism Office has uploaded images of blue skies from a Ruidoso-based camera to digital billboards in Albuquerque and El Paso.