Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 158 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
NAVY RESUMES SHIP SINKING PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — The U.S. Navy is resuming its practice of using old warships for target practice and sinking them in U.S. coastal waters after a nearly two-year moratorium spurred by environmental and cost concerns. - PAGE A7
TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours
• Friday night shooting leaves two men dead • Police: NM Deputy stole panties while on duty • Floats, costumes, vehicles entertain in parade • Costumed creatures... • Cotric, Soto sign...
INSIDE SPORTS
HAMILTON HEADLINES ALL-STARS
NEW YORK (AP) — Josh Hamilton is set to lead a Texas parade to the All-Star game. Now, fans will decide if Chipper Jones gets one final appearance or whether it’s time for teen sensation Bryce Harper. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Daniel F. Krause Sr. • Richard L. Tempero
- PAGE A7
HIGH ...93˚ LOW ....71˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A7 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
July 3, 2012
TUESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
In eastern US, without power, people struggle
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Across the eastern U.S., people are struggling through a third day of sweltering heat with no electricity. Their groceries are long gone, either used up in weekend cookouts or left to spoil in useless refrigerators. The usual frozen treats people turn to on a hot summer day have melted away. The basics of daily life are dif ficult: Washing machines won’t work without electricity, leading to some creative wardrobes. Bottled water has gone from luxury to necessity for people whose underground wells aren’t pumping. Storms that swept across the area late Friday left 22 people dead, and nearly 1.8 million people remained without power Monday evening. Utility companies say it could be days before the lights are on again. ‘They Need Help’ Not a whole lot was functioning at the Springvale Terrace nursing home and senior center in Silver Spring: No air conditioning, no cable, no automatic doors for elderly residents using walkers who otherwise struggle to navigate them. Window air -conditioner units were brought in to cool rooms, and director Antonio Hill and his staff had to empty spoiling food from refrigerators and freezers in nursing units — sometimes over the loud objections of residents who
Trees lie in the middle of Lake Ave. in Baltimore on Monday after a severe storm swept through the region late Friday.
insisted their melting ice cream was still good. Generators provided electricity in common rooms, where TVs showed movies on old VHS tapes, including the 1932 classic “Grand Hotel.” Residents coped as best they could. Ninety-threeyear -old Margaret Foster and 95-year -old Helen Ofsharick passed the time outside.
“You wouldn’t want to live this way more than a day or so,” Foster said. “There are sick people here, or people who don’t think too well. They need help.” First To Go Down, Last To Come Back Great Falls is one of the wealthiest areas in the nation, in Virginia just outside Washington, with mansions spread across secluded, wooded lots. But
because the city is so sparsely populated, it’s not a top priority for crews trying to get as many people back online as quickly as possible.
“Great Falls always seems to be the first to go down and the last one to come back up,” said resident Patrick Muir, a patent attorney who was raiding water bottles from his powerless office to supply his
Man flees from, shoots at members of the RPD JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Roswell Police Department arrested Eric Aldaz, 22, Saturday, after of ficers responded to a 911 call from a resident at 5 Briar Ridge around 6:45 p.m. According to the police, Aldaz was holding a woman at gunpoint. The patrol officer sent to the scene observed the suspect leaving the area in his vehicle. Of ficers attempted to stop him and he fled southbound on Atkinson Avenue. A Chaves County Sheriff’s Deputy located the suspect and also tried to stop Aldaz. Aldaz attempted to turn around and crashed into a building at the corner of Elm and East Second
streets. The suspect ditched his vehicle on South Atkinson and ran on foot carrying what officials described as a long rifle. When police arrived at the location to secure the area, Aldaz fired several rounds at the officers. He then entered a home on South Mulberry Avenue. RPD spokesman said the family managed to escape. Aldaz reportedly barricaded himself inside the residence in an attempt to hold off the police. RPD’s SWAT was called out. Aldaz surrendered to the police around 7:45 p.m. without further incident. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault against a peace of ficer, two additional counts of aggravated assault with a fire arm,
A young Albuquerque woman went for a wild ride in a recreational vehicle reportedly stolen from Thunderbird Trailer Park, 907 N. Atkinson Ave., around 8:30 a.m. Monday. The 57-year -old victim told the Roswell Police Department that he had picked up Christina Vandergrif f, 22, in Albuquerque, and brought her home for the weekend. According to RPD spokesman Sgt. Jim Preston, the house guest got
bored and decided to leave in the RV without either getting permission from the owner or unhooking it. She reportedly tore down a fence when she drove away. In addition, she damaged an awning, the electrical outlet and a sewage line. The subsequent chase took officials out into the county where Chaves County Sherif f’s Of fice deputies continued the pursuit. “She wrecked near the Fort Sumner turn off on 285 when she hit a pile of See RV, Page A3
Eric Aldaz
one count of aggravated fleeing a law enforcement of ficer; one count of aggravated burglary; one count of abandonment or abuse of a child since there were children inside
the Mulberry-Street residence he chose to occupy. Aldaz is being held at the Chaves County Detention Center, with a $1 million cash or surety bond. j.palmer@rdrnews.com
Christina Vandergriff
Chaves County Detention Ctr. receives accreditation JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Chaves County Detention Center is the first in the state to receive a Certificate of Accreditation from the Adult Detention Professional Standards Council. The certificate was awarded Thursday evening at the closing session of the New Mexico Association of Counties’
annual conference. The Certificate of Accreditation is given to county detention facilities that meet or exceed best practice standards in detention, as developed by the ADPSC. CCDC Administrator Sandra Stewart helped to set the standards for accreditation under the voluntary program. She said it had been her goal
home, which is on a well that was not operating. His 8-year-old daughter Mary accompanied him, speaking hopefully of a beach trip to escape the heat. Dad said it was under consideration. Most of the community remained without power Monday. A Safeway supermarket tried to remain open with a
UFO Fest brought thousands
See STORMS, Page A3
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Woman leads deputies in wild ride in stolen RV JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
AP Photo
to be the first detention facility to receive the honor. NMAC Executive Director Paul Gutierrez said, “The Adult Detention Professional Standards Council has developed strong, yet attainable, professional standards to improve detention facilities in New Mexico.” Chaves County Commissioner James Duffey
applauded CCDC’s efforts. “Chaves County is dedicated to supporting best practices in detention and is honored to be the first county to be accredited by the Adult Detention Professional Standards Council.” The ADPSC is a joint initiative of NMAC and the New Mexico Municipal
See CCDC, Page A3
Alien believers, cohorts, fanatics and skeptics alike have now returned to their respective homelands, leaving behind a successful commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the 1947 incident, one of the most debated events in history. This year, attendees soaked up the UFO madness through two simultaneous festivals: The UFO Festival Roswell 2012, sponsored by the city and MainStreet Roswell, and the 2012 Galaxy Fest, sponsored by the International UFO Museum & Research Center. As for an economic indicator of this year’s success, the dual festivals put a significant number of heads in beds, with five of the city’s hotels sold out of rooms on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Many of the other hotels had fewer than 10 rooms available on Friday and Saturday. The only complaint echoed over the weekend was about the stifling heat. On Monday, the UFO museum hosted the final stretch of its four -day Galaxy Fest celebration. The museum brought in actress Denise Crosby, best known for her role as Lt. Tasha Yar on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” as its celebrity guest for the weekend. “She was so kind and gracious, ‘take my picture. I’ll stand with you all day,’ very approachable and she loved the city,” said Mark Briscoe, interim director for the UFO museum. “She wants to come back about four days early (next year) just so she can go all over the city and go to the other museums. She’s going to bring her family.” Benjamin Hicks, 10, of Albuquerque, who arrived to Roswell on Monday, said See WRAP-UP, Page A3