Roswell Daily Record
INSIDE NEWS
NORA EPHRON DIES AT 71
NEW YORK (AP) — Nora Ephron, the essayist, author and filmmaker who challenged and thrived in the male-dominated worlds of movies and journalism and was loved, respected and feared for her wit, died on Tuesday of leukemia. She was 71. Ephron’s son, Jacob Bernstein, confirmed ... - PAGE A7
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Obamacare: Who wins, loses, pays?
Vol. 121, No. 154 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
WASHINGTON (AP) — It seems as if the entire nation is holding its breath for the Supreme Court’s health care ruling — the presidential candidates, governors of virtually every state, insurers with billions at stake, companies large and small and countless millions of Americans concer ned about their own medical care and how they’ll pay for it. Still, Thursday’s expected ruling almost certainly will not be the last word on the nation’s tangled efforts to address health care woes. The problems of high medical costs, widespread waste and tens of millions of people without insurance will require Congress and the president to keep looking for answers, whether or not President Barack
June 28, 2012
THURSDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Obama’s Affordable Care Act passes the test of constitutionality. A look at potential outcomes: Q: What if the Supreme Court, despite justices’ blunt questions during public arguments, upholds the law and finds Congress was within its authority to require most people to have health insurance or pay a penalty? A: That would settle the legal argument but not the political battle. The clear winners if the law is upheld and allowed to take full effect would be uninsured people in the United States, estimated at more than 50 million. Starting in 2014, most could get coverage through a mix of private insurance and Medicaid, a safety-net
program. Republican-led states that have resisted creating health insurance markets under the law would have to scramble to comply, but the U.S. would get closer to other economically advanced countries that guarantee medical care for their citizens. Republicans would keep trying to block the law. They hope to elect Mitt Romney as president, backed by a GOP House and Senate, and repeal the law, although their chances of outright repeal would seem to be diminished by the court’s endorsement. Obama would feel the glow of vindication for his hard-fought health overhaul, but it might not last long even if he’s re-elected. The nation still faces huge problems with health
AP Photo
A view of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday. Saving its biggest case for last, the Supreme Court is expected to announce its verdict Thursday on President Barack Obama’s health care law.
care costs, requiring major changes to Medicare that neither party has explained squarely to voters. Some backers of Obama’s law acknowledge it was only a first installment: Get most
TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours
• LRAA honors six • Two arrested on burglary charges • Home invasion suspects on the ... • USDA under sec Ed Avalos makes ... • Cotric, Soto sign with Victory U.
SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Aliens stand watch inside the International UFO Museum & Research Center, Wednesday, as visitors begin to arrive in Roswell for the upcoming UFO Festival.
Ready for take-off? UFO fests to begin NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Count ’em: 7 seconds. That’s how long French Open runner-up Sara Errani “played” at Wimbledon on Wednesday against qualifier CoCo Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. — enough time to wrap up a 61, 6-3 victory in the first round. How’s that possible? Because action was suspended by rain a night earlier, with the 10th-seeded Errani at match point ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARY • Jessie Mae Hastings - PAGE A7
HIGH .103˚ LOW ....70˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
RPD updates systems
See RULING, Page A2
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
INSIDE
DJOKOVIC, FEDERER ADVANCE
people covered, then deal with the harder problem of costs. Q: On the other hand, what if the court strikes
Ready for take-off? The
UFO Festival Roswell 2012 and 2012 Galaxy Fest events are set to carry participants through
Fireworks safety tips
As the July 4 holiday approaches, the Roswell Fire Department would like to remind citizens that setting off fireworks is prohibited in wild land areas. Wild land areas include uncultivated areas, lands covered wholly or in part in timber, brush, grass, or other flammable vegetation. Wild land areas include the property within city limits that is owned by the city of Roswell, and the property outside the city limits that is owned by Chaves County. The sale and purchase of fireworks is not illegal; however, the RFD urges citizens to use common sense and great caution if they choose to set off fireworks during the holiday season. The city is encouraging
people to choose to celebrate the holiday by watching the public displays because of the current severe drought. The city lists specific safety rules for those who wish to set off fireworks. Call 911 immediately if a fire develops. Setting off fireworks in parks, recreational areas or other open spaces or on private property without permission of the property owner is prohibited. Fireworks should only be set of f from a paved, concrete or sealed ground surface area that has an available water source. Aerial fireworks pose a greater threat and a higher risk of causing a fire due to falling embers.
vast stretches of the unexplored. The UFO Festival, sponsored by the city and
Roswell, MainStreet launches today with the Roswell 2012 Conference See UFO, Page A3
That’s one way to cool off
The Roswell Police Department switched to its new computer system, Monday. The updated system has been in the works since April 2011 when the RPD received funding from a Justice Assistance Grant. “The computer system was launched yesterday when we gathered around 4:30 a.m.,” said RPD spokesman Commander Bill Brown. Six experts from the software fir m OSSI Sunguard converged on Roswell from different areas of the country to witness the new system go online. “We switched from the old CAD (computer aided dispatch) to the new CAD around 8:30 a.m. Everybody switched on the MCT (Mobile Communica-
See SYSTEMS, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Roswell firefighter Manny Aragon shows children how to operate a fire hose during a visit to the library, Wednesday.
Colorado blaze too dangerous to assess full scope of damage See SAFETY, Page A3
AP Photo
A plume of smoke rises behind homes on the Waldo Canyon wildfire west of Colorado Springs, Colo., on Wednesday
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A raging wildfire destroyed dozens of houses over night and charred land on the edges of the Air Force Academy on Wednesday, while thick smoke and intense, towering flames kept of ficials from learning the full scope of damage to Colorado’s second-largest city. The wildfire doubled in size overnight to about 24 square miles, and has so far forced mandatory evacuations for more than 32,000 residents, Colorado Springs emergency man-
agement director Brett Waters said. Among those urgently evacuated Tuesday evening were residents at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The fire burned about 10 acres of land along the southwest boundary of the academy’s 28-square-mile boundary, but no injuries or damage to academy structures have been reported. Steve Cox, an aide to Mayor Steve Bach, said Wednesday morning that the blaze has consumed dozens of houses else-
where. A more precise figure wasn’t available because of the intensity of the fire.
Heavy smoke and ash billowed from the mountain foothills west of the city. Bright yellow and orange flames flared in the night, often signaling another home lost to the Waldo Canyon Fire, which is the No. 1 priority for the nation’s firefighters.
The White House said President Barack Obama See FIRE, Page A3