Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 177 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans for generations have come to depend on door-to-door mail delivery. It’s about as American as apple pie. But with the Postal Service facing... - PAGE A6
July 25, 2013
12 votes in House save NSA program
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House narrowly rejected a challenge to the National Security Agency’s secret collection of hundreds of millions of Americans’ phone records Wednesday night after a fierce debate pitting privacy rights against the government’s efforts to thwart terrorism.
LAWMAKERS TALK MAIL DELIVERY PHASE OUT
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
The vote was 217-205 on an issue that created unusual political coalitions in Washington, with libertarian-leaning conserva-
THURSDAY
www.rdrnews.com
tives and liberal Democrats pressing for the change against the Obama administration, the Republican establishment and Congress’ national security experts.
The showdown vote marked the first chance for lawmakers to take a stand on the secret surveillance program since former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden leaked classified documents last month that spelled out the monumental scope of the gover n-
Keepin’ it Green
ment’s activities.
Backing the NSA program were 134 Republicans and 83 Democrats, including House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who typically does not vote, and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Rejecting the administration’s last-minute pleas to spare the surveillance operation were 94 Republicans and 111 Democrats.
It is unlikely to be the final word on government intrusion to defend the
nation and Americans’ civil liberties.
“Have 12 years gone by and our memories faded so badly that we forgot what happened on Sept. 11?” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chair man of the Intelligence Committee, said in pleading with his colleagues to back the program during House debate.
Republican Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, chief sponsor of the repeal effort, said his aim was to end the indiscriminate collection of
Americans’ phone records. His measure, offered as an addition to a $598.3 billion defense spending bill for 2014, would have canceled the statutory authority for the NSA program, ending the agency’s ability to collect phone records and metadata under the USA Patriot Act unless it identified an individual under investigation. The House later voted to pass the overall defense
Virtual docs available at local hospitals
See NSA, Page A3
JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
•.Valley Meat dealt another blow • One dead in shooting •.Officials meet to discuss state water... •.Family seeks help to solve murder •.Arias sentenced to 4 years
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Kelli Van Winkle teaches composting to young Earth Rangers during Earth Camp 2013 at the Spring River Zoo, Wednesday.
Emergency room doctors at Eastern New Mexico Regional and Lovelace will now have live, online in-room consultations from Albuquerque specialists to help them with head trauma cases. The new technology could save patients and doctors valuable time when dealing with brain injuries. “That first hour or two, or three, with an injury to the brain is critical, if the right things are done,” said Howard Yonas, chairman and M.D. of Neurological Surgery at the University of New Mexico. A new cutting-edge telemedicine program at UNM Health Sciences center will offer 13 hospitals across the state, including the two hospitals in Roswell, neurological and neurosurgical specialists immediate conferencing capability. The program gives local doctors and patients real-time support that rural communities have traditionally
NM awarded nearly $19M Police, Fire Dept. to market health exchange seek info on arson A-ROD’S DOC SAYS LEG IS OK TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A doctor retained by Alex Rodriguez for a second opinion — one that contradicted the New York Yankees’ diagnosis of his leg injury Wednesday — was reprimanded... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Billie Ray Craft • Tillman C. Jennings Jr. • Minnie Frieda Lind • Wanda Lane - PAGE A6
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INDEX
SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico has received a nearly $19 million federal grant to market its health insurance exchange to uninsured individuals and businesses and to educate them about their options in the state’s online marketplace.
The exchange, which is envisioned as a one-stop, online shopping center for insurance, expects to enroll more than 80,000 uninsured New Mexicans in insurance plans next year and up to 211,000 people
by 2020. However, the exchange faces rapidly approaching deadlines under federal law to begin enrollment in October and to be fully operating in January. Because of a lack of time to fully implement its computer system, New Mexico plans to initially rely on a federally operated exchange to enroll individuals in health care insurance offered by private companies but use the state-run system for businesses. A key to the exchange’s
Pope urges faithful to shun materialism APARECIDA, Brazil (AP) — Pope Francis made an emotional plea Wednesday for Roman Catholics to shun materialism in the first public Mass of his initial international trip as pontiff, then met with drug addicts and denounced the “dealers of death” who fuel their suffering. On his first full day of activities in Brazil, Francis traveled from one of the most important shrines in Latin America, Our Lady of Aparecida, to what he called a “shrine of human suffering” — a hospital in Rio de Janeiro that treats substance abusers. Both encounters had a common theme that the humble pope has stressed during his young papacy: a denunciation of the “ephemeral idols” of money and power and a need for the Catholic Church to focus on the poor and outcasts of society. Francis started his day
traveling to Aparecida, where thousands packed into the huge Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in an agricultural region of verdant fields between Rio and Sao Paolo. Tens of thousands more braved a cold rain outside to catch a glimpse of the first pope from the Americas returning to a shrine of great meaning to the continent and to Francis himself. Before the Mass, Francis stood in silent prayer in front of the 15-inch statue of the Virgin of Aparecida, the “Black Mary,” his eyes tearing up as he breathed heavily. He later carried a replica of it in his arms, visibly moved at the gift he had been given. Francis has entrusted his papacy to the Virgin Mary and places great importance in devotion to Mary. After his Mass, the pope See POPE, Page A3
potential success is reaching out to potential customers: the more than 400,000 uninsured New Mexicans and businesses that don’t provide insurance to their workers. The exchange has solicited bids from companies for advertising, education and public relations but hasn’t awarded a contract yet. Applications also have been requested from organizations, including nonprofits and trade associations, See EXCHANGE, Page A3
The Roswell Fire and Police departments are investigating an arson case that occurred on Wednesday, July 17, on East Reed Street.
According to the police report, the 49-year-old victim arrived home shortly after the fire was set.
The house in question has a 6-foot tall fence and bars on every window. There were no signs of forced entry. It appears to have been set internally. The fire marshal found signs of accelerant and
See VIRTUAL, Page A3
ruled the fire arson.
On Tuesday, the RPD received a report of an aggravated assault with a firear m at the same address. The suspect for the second incident is believed to be from Albuquerque. The investigation on both crimes is ongoing.
The police urge anyone who has infor mation regarding this case to contact the Roswell Police Department (575-6246770), or Crime Stoppers (1-888-594-8477).
Mark Wilson Photo
Randy Roscoe of the Wounded Warrior Project peddles down Pennsylvania Avenue Wednesday.
Riding to Remember
Randy Roscoe bikes across the country to honor all veterans AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
He has ridden for more than a year and traveled through 17 states. He has
been featured in 35 newspapers, on four TV stations and 22 radio stations. But it’s not for him — Randy Roscoe is riding to spread awareness of the Wounded Warrior Project. Nearing his late 50s, Roscoe was unable to serve in the Vietnam War and now wants to honor all those who served not only in Vietnam, but all wars. See REMEMBER, Page A3