Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 177 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
ASTRONAUT SALLY RIDE DEAD AT 61
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Space used to be a man’s world. Then came Sally Ride, who blazed a cosmic trail into orbit for U.S. women. With a pitch perfect name out of a pop song refrain, she joined the select club of American space heroes the public knew by heart: Shepard, Glenn ... - PAGE A6
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
July 25, 2012
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Holmes was surrounded by brain experts
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — James Holmes spent a year in a small neuroscience doctoral program, surrounded by scientists and roughly three dozen classmates delving into the inner workings of the brain. The University of Colorado, Denver, isn’t saying if they had any war ning signs. Experts say, however, the intimacy of the program and its focus on the brain may not have been enough for staff and students to detect that Holmes was on a course that police say ended with a deadly rampage at a midnight showing
of the new Batman movie. Supported by a prestigious federal grant, Holmes, 24, was in the first year of a program at the Anschutz Medical Campus dedicated to neuroscience, studying such topics as how the brain works or malfunctions or helping develop drugs to treat epilepsy and other disorders. But it is not behavioral science or psychology, experts say. David Eagleman, who runs the Initiative on Neuroscience and the Law at Baylor University, said some neuroscientists are
experts in mental illnesses and aberrant behavior, but others spend most of their time studying molecular chemistry.
Holmes is accused of methodically stockpiling weapons and explosives at work and at home that police say he used to kill 12 people and wound 58 more at a movie theater Friday in nearby Aurora. Police say he also booby-trapped his apartment with the intent to kill police officers. Holmes’ arraignment hearing is on Monday. See SHOOTING, Page A3
AP Photo
Daredevil returns for 2nd test
Christian Bale and his wife Sibi Blazic visit a memorial to the victims of Friday’s mass shooting, Tuesday, in Aurora, Colo.
TOP 5
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Murder suspect found in Texas, turns self in • RPD arrests 1, seeks 2 in Villela murder • Bottomless Lakes hosts annual Sand ... • Missoula Theatre Camp presents ... • Blayne Hobbs captures Desert Sun ...
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Russian aircraft refuels at RIAC A Volga-Dnepr Airlines Antonov An-124-100 at Roswell International Air Center prepares for take-off, Tuesday morning.
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
One of the largest aircraft in the world graced the runway at Roswell International Air Center
TEAM USA DEFEATS SPAIN
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Gold medal at stake or nothing at all, the U.S. Olympic basketball team is too good for Spain. Carmelo Anthony came off the bench to score 23 of his 27 points in the first half, and the Americans beat Spain 100-78 on Tuesday night ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• John Connell Jr. • Edward Green • Ofelia Sanders • Rafael Rodela Sr. • Tino Portillo • Albert Torres - PAGE A6 As of 10 p.m., Tuesday, there was 0.08 inches of rain in the gauge at the Daily Record.
RAINFALL
HIGH .101˚ LOW ....73˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A2 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
on Tuesday morning, making its second fuel stop in Roswell in less than one week. The massive Antonov An-124100, flown by the Russian company Volga-Dnepr Airlines, is 226 feet 9 inches long and has a
wingspan of 240 feet 6 inches.
According to the company website, Volga-Dnepr is the world’s largest operator of the cargo aircraft, which can carry a
Got helium? Red Bull Stratos has returned to Roswell this week for its second manned test flight, as the team nears the culmination of a mission to the edge of space. In preparation for Felix Baumgartner’s historic jump from above 120,000 feet later this summer, a 5.3 million-cubicfeet balloon will lift the Austrian adventurer approximately 90,000 feet above ground before he steps out of a pressurized capsule and plunges back to Earth. The test flight has been canceled twice this week due to unfavorable weather conditions, according to the Red Bull Stratos website. The team was forced to scrap the tests on Monday and Tuesday due to thunderstor ms and strong winds, respectively. On March 15, Baumgartner became just the third person to suc-
Former Justice Kennedy wants Roswell Incident: NMex Supreme Court position 61% say ‘nope’ SANTA FE (AP) — A former state Supreme Court justice who has worked as a lawyer for Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is seeking an interim appointment to New Mexico’s highest court. For mer Justice Paul Kennedy, of Albuquerque, is among three lawyers who have applied to a judicial nominating commission for a vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Patricio Serna. Others seeking the position are Santa Fe lawyer Paul D. Mannick and
Steven Suttle, of Albuquerque, a career prosecutor who worked for 14 years in the attorney general’s office before retiring in 2010. The vacancy provides Martinez her first opportunity to make an appointment to the five-member Supreme Court, but her selection likely will serve only a few months until the winner of the November general election takes over. Kennedy was among the attor neys representing Martinez in lawsuits last year and earlier this year
SANTA FE (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez on Tuesday named an Air Force National Guard colonel with more than 30 years of military experience to lead New Mexico’s Guard forces. Col. Andrew Salas will serve as the state’s adjutant general, succeeding Maj. Gen. Kenny Montoya, who resigned earlier this year to allow the Republican governor to select her own leader. Martinez described Salas as a diverse and wellrounded leader. Salas is now assistant adjutant general for air in the state’s Air National Guard. He has held a number of other positions, including chief of the ground safety division and acting vice commander of the Air Force Safety Center, which is headquartered at
Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. He served as vice commander of the 150th Fighter Wing at Kirtland in 2009-10. “His experience as assistant adjutant general as well as his numerous other roles makes Col. Salas uniquely qualified to understand the role of the National Guard both overseas and here in New Mexico,” Martinez said in a statement. As leader of the National Guard, the adjutant general also serves as the governor’s military adviser. The National Guard responds to emergencies, such as recent wildfires in New Mexico, and its troops can be deployed overseas. Salas was commander of the 332nd Expeditionary
Salas new Guard leader
See GUARD, Page A3
See AIRCRAFT, Page A3
over redistricting of the Legislature and Congress. He is a criminal defense lawyer and was the GOP nominee for state attorney general in 1982. Kennedy served as special counsel for an impeachment investigation by a House panel of former state treasurer Robert Vigil in 2005. Kennedy already has served as an interim member of the Supreme Court. For mer GOP Gov. Gary Johnson named Kennedy in 2002 to temporarily fill a See COURT, Page A3
CHAUNTE’L POWLL RECORD STAFF WRITER
The people of New Mexico have spoken. In a recent poll conducted by Public Policy Polling, of Raleigh, N.C., 61 percent of New Mexicans do not believe the 1947 Roswell Incident actually happened, while just 21 percent think the city was in fact paid a visit by extraterrestrial life. The remaining 18 percent are still unsure what to
See DAREDEVIL, Page A3
think about the incident.
PPP surveyed 724 New Mexico voters between July 13-16 and asked a variety of questions. In addition to the great alien debate, voters were asked about their feelings toward the performance of state senators and even the city of Roswell itself. Forty-six percent of those polled said they had a favorable opinion of Roswell, while See POLL, Page A3
Backhoe breaks gas line
Mark Wilson Photo
Firefighters respond to a broken gas line caused by a backhoe at the construction site of the nearly finished Missouri Avenue Elementary School, Tuesday morning, which forced police on the scene to block off adjacent streets until gas crews arrived.