Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 168 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
WILD WEST AUCTION IN HARRISBURG
July 14, 2013
SUNDAY
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State braces for more post-fire flooding
PECOS (AP) — Forecasters are calling for more thunderstorms to settle in over the burned mountainsides of New Mexico, prompting some communities to brace for flash flooding. The chance of stor ms dumping more moisture on the areas left bare by a series of recent wildfires is better than 60 percent. This risk is highest on Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.
The threat is spread across hundreds of square miles that have been blackened by fire over the past three years. New Mexico had record wildfire seasons in 2011 and 2012 and just this year alone, about 290 square miles have been burned in the Santa Fe and Gila forests. Of ficials say charred lands are more susceptible to sediment, dead trees and debris washing of f into streams and rivers. State police issued a
warning Friday, saying the villages of Pecos and Villanueva could be affected by post-fire flooding. “Please make yourself and families aware of these dangers,” Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez said. “Also take the proper precautions to create a plan of hasty exit if the threat presents itself and if it is safe to do so.” In Pecos Canyon, residents have been stacking sandbags, but some flooding has already occurred. On Friday, debris deposited
by the runoff blocked NM 63 — the only road running north from Pecos — and access to the Davis-Willow Campground. Pamela Mathis, a spokeswoman with the recovery team assigned to the Tres Lagunas Fire, said people should think of flash flooding as a snowstor m and have on hand appropriate clothing and other provisions. “You could get stuck on one side or the other, or even in it,” she said. “If you
Air Center passengers still packing
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A cavernous brick building on the outskirts of the city holds a failed dream, a warehouse stacked high with the remnants of a multimillion-dollar... - PAGE B7
JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
INSIDE SPORTS
HOWARD JOINS ROCKETS Dwight Howard has a new team and catchy new nickname. "He's not Superman anymore. He's Rocket Man now," longtime Rockets broadcaster... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Roy Proctor • Judy Mae Green
- PAGE B7
HIGH ..97˚ LOW ...67˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........D1 COMICS.................C4 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FEATURE ...............C3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................B7 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
choose to go into it, you should be aware of the weather and take personal responsibility to be prepared.” The Tres Lagunas Fire, sparked by a downed power line, charred about 16 square miles near Pecos, one of the state’s most popular fishing and camping spots. The area remains closed to everyone but residents. Rainfall so far has left the Pecos River running black with debris.
Mark Wilson Photo
Concert series unites community Los Pacers perform during the Concerts in the Park at Cahoon Park, Friday evening.
AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
The sun is setting on a Friday night, and a breeze starts to whisper through the trees, cooling the roughly 80 people sitting in lawn chairs that cover Cahoon Park’s grass. From old to young,
people are out to listen to summer’s weekly Concert in the Park. This week features a mariachiinfluenced groove played by Los Pacers, a group who has been together for 50 years. Some onlookers simply relax, some nod a head or tap a foot to the beat, and still others decide to get up and dance right
out. The multiple children present are especially active. One boy dressed in a monster truck shirt and a black batman fedora spins in excited circles, grinning from ear to ear. Echo Graham isn’t shy, and as the 2-yearold smiles at strangers while dancing he takes off his fedora and adds
some style to his spins.
“He loves watching live bands and dancing,” Graham’s mom, Misty Neal, says. His love for rhythm is more and more apparent as Graham continues his dancing circles, stopping just long enough to point to the
See CONCERT, Page A3
By population, a recent report identified more passengers were stopped at security gates carrying guns at Roswell Air Center than any other airport in the nation. But statistics can be confusing. The Associated Press reported this week that the Transportation Security Administration ranked the Air Center as leading the way, with 8.5 guns intercepted per 100,000 passengers last year, followed by Cedar City and Provo, Utah, both with 6.5; Longview, Texas, 4.9; Dickinson H.D., 4; Joplin, Mo., 3.8; Twin Falls, Idaho, 3.4; For Smith, Ark., 3.3; and Walla Walla, Wash., and Elko, Nev., both 2.9. However, Air Center Manager Jennifer Brady Griego said the airport only boards some 35,00037,000 passengers a year and only two guns were found. TSA Spokesman Nico Melendez said three guns were seized at the airport in 2012. So far this year, one passenger was found carrying a gun and the airport had one bomb scare, Griego said. The math may be fuzzy, but the fact remains that passengers locally and across the country continue to attempt to board aircraft with firearms. One TSA spokesman, David Castelveter, told the Associated Press the agency didn’t believe
ID emerges of third girl Zimmerman found not guilty to die of SF plane crash
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The name of a girl who died of injuries suffered in the crash-landing of an Asiana Airlines flight in San Francisco emerged on Saturday. San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault confir med 15-year -old Liu Yipeng’s identity and said the girl was still in her seat when she was rescued last week. Chinese state media said she went to school with the other two victims killed in last week’s accident, a pair of 16-year-old girls. Foucrault said Liu Yipeng was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with head injuries after the July 6 crash. She died Friday morning at San Francisco General Hospital where she had been in critical condition. An autopsy was being conducted on Saturday, the coroner said. Liu Yipeng’s identification comes a day after her
death was announced amid the official confirmation that one of the other girls who died in the disaster had been covered on the runway in flame-retardant foam and hit by a fire truck speeding to the crash site, a disclosure that raised the tragic possibility she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath. Police and fire officials confirmed Friday that Ye Meng Yuan was hit by a fire truck racing to extinguish the blazing Boeing 777. “The fire truck did go over the victim at least one time. Now the other question is, ‘What was the cause of death?”’ San Francisco police spokesman Albie Esparza said. “That’s what we are trying to determine right now.” All three girls killed were See CRASH, Page A3
HEALTH CARE REFORM
COMMUNITY TOWN HALL To RSVP, visit the Events page on
SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — Neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman was cleared of all charges Saturday in the shooting of T rayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager whose killing unleashed furious debate across the U.S. over racial profiling, self-defense and equal justice.
See PASSENGERS, Page A3
Zimmer man, 29, blinked and barely smiled when the verdict was announced. He could AP Photo have been convicted of second-degree murder or George Zimmerman, right, is congratulated by his defense manslaughter. But the team after being found not guilty during Zimmerman's trial jury of six women, all but in Seminole circuit court in Sanford, Fla. on Saturday. one of them white, reached a verdict of not through the gated town- walk when Zimmerman guilty after deliberating house community where fired his gun. Prosecutors called Zimwell into the night Satur- he was staying. Defense attorneys said merman a liar and porday. The jurors considered nearly three weeks of the case was classic self- trayed him was a often wildly conflicting defense, claiming Martin “wannabe cop” vigilante testimony over who was knocked Zimmer man who had grown frustrated the aggressor on the rainy down and was slamming night the 17-year-old was the older man’s head See ZIMMERMAN, Page A3 shot while walking against the concrete side-
WHEN: Thursday, July 18 | 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm WHERE: Roswell Convention Center 912 N. Main St, | Roswell, NM 88201
www.healthcareinformednm.com or call 855.897.INFO