Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 183 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
BURSON TAKES CHAMP FOR LAMB
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
August 1, 2013
THURSDAY
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Navajo Nation supports slaughterhouse
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The Navajo Nation is jumping into the emotional and divisive fray over a return to domestic horse slaughter, drafting a letter to federal officials in support of a New Mexico company’s plan to begin exporting horse meat next week. The tribe’s support for Valley Meat Co. comes one week after Robert Redford and for mer Gov. Bill Richardson joined the opposite side of the debate,
saying, among other reasons, that they were “standing with Native American leaders” to protect cultural values. Er ny Zah, But spokesman for Navajo President Ben Shelly, said Wednesday that the nation’s largest Indian reservation can no longer support the estimated 75,000 feral horses that are drinking wells dry and causing ecological damage to the drought-stricken
range. “It’s a sensitive subject to begin with because horses are considered sacred animals, so you just can’t go out and euthanize them,” Zah said. “That would go too far against cultural conditions. At the same time we have a bunch of horses that no one is caring for, so it’s a delicate balance.” Because of the horse overpopulation, the tribe already is rounding up and
selling wild horses, Zah said. Some of those, he said, end up being shipped to Mexico. Supporters of a return to domestic horse slaughter argue it is a more humane solution than shipping unhealthy and starving animals to facilities south of the border for slaughter under unregulated and often cruel circumstances. The National Congress of American Indians, representing tribes across the
Freshening Up
It was 8 a.m. on Wednesday. While most others may have still been sleeping, kids were wrangling with lambs as the animals moaned in protest during the Chaves County 4-H and FFA Fair Market Lamb showing... - PAGE A2
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
BRONCOS COUNTING ON DECKER ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Eric Decker intends to play another starring role in the Denver Broncos’ hurryup offense this season. As for stealing the spotlight in an upcoming reality TV series with his wife... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Glenda Bee Newton • Maria “Nellie” Manuelita Brady • John Robert (Darrell) Jones • Eva “Mamalita” Herrera • Raymond J. Nunez • Marie Smith • Stacey Jaye Heine • Mildred Lois Gill Fenter
- PAGES A3, A6
HIGH ..99˚ LOW ...70˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Robert Castillo of the City of Roswell Street Department repaints a school crossing sign on South Garden near Pecos Elementary, Wednesday morning.
country, is also lobbying in support of Valley Meat Co., saying overgrazing by feral horses is causing serious environmental and ecological damage. On Monday, Valley Meat in Roswell and another recently approved horse slaughterhouse in Iowa are scheduled to become the first facilities in the country to legally slaughter horses since Congress effectively banned the practice seven years ago.
NSA gets millions of phone records
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s national security team acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that, when investigating one suspected terrorist, it can read and store the phone records of millions of Americans. Since it was revealed recently that the National Security Agency puts the phone records of every American into a database, the Obama administration has assured the nation that such records are rarely searched and, when they are, officials target only suspected international terrorists. Meanwhile, at a hacker convention in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the head of the NSA said gover nment methods used to collect
Tires slashed, threats Bylaws of bygone days: A brief left at Alianza office history of the city’s strange laws JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The employees of Alianza of New Mexico on West Second Street became the victims of criminal damage Wednesday, sometime between 10 a.m. and noon, when the drivers’ side rear tires of three separate vehicles were slashed. The subject left a calling card in the form of a note on each vehicle. The Roswell Police Department asked that the text not be reproduced, but Alianza Executive Director Sashua Patton said the notes were derogato-
ry and threatening. The total replacement costs for the slashed tires were $378.31. Patton complimented the police officer who took the staf f members’ report, saying he stayed until he could examine each damaged tire after it had been changed. Considering the text, the crime could be viewed as a hate crime by New Mexico statutes, since it targeted a certain group. The New Mexico Hate Crimes Act of 2003 was modified from the previous act of See THREAT, Page A3
Obama offers uplifting words to wary Dems
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama sought to calm jittery Democrats Wednesday as they prepared to head home to face voters, assuring them they’re “on the right side of history” despite problems with the launch of his massive health care overhaul and an immigration fight with Republicans. In back-to-back closed sessions with House and Senate Democrats, Obama delivered his broad message about economic prosperity and expanding the middle class. But in return he was confronted with questions from Democrats who are nervous about implementation of the health care law as they look ahead to town
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The vaults of Roswell City Hall and the Historical Society’s Archive Building contain a treasure trove of historical data about the City’s evolution. Many of the books located at these two sites contain the city ordinances and resolutions dating back to the period when New Mexico was still a territory. They reflect the needs and the morals of the time. For example: One of the oldest books is handwritten. It covers a period from 1902 to 1906, where it was said that any man who transports on a dray or in a carriage, or is seen in the
company of a “lewd woman” will be fined $5.
In 1906, the playing of music in any establishment that sells liquor was prohibited. Later, when moving pictures arrived, playing moving pictures was strictly regulated and as late as 1915, “lewd” movies were not only prohibited, but if an authority deemed the movie as inappropriate, the film could be confiscated and submitted to the National Board of Censorship for review.
One ordinance still on the books in 1939 made any act of fornication illegal in any hotel, boarding house or rented room, along with public parks, streets and alleys. The lat-
See NSA, Page A3
ter is justifiable no matter what the date; the former bemuses, and the reader can only assume that if a couple chose to honeymoon — not a widespread practice then — they would have had to leave the city limits.
The ordinances also show the issues that plagued the city then as now. The care of streets and sideways have long presented a challenge in Roswell and still do to this day. The solutions presented by the Council vary. One ordinance in the 1915 records dealt with the watering and sprinkling of streets, back in a time See LAWS, Page A3
A winning hug
hall meetings during the August recess — and to midterm elections next year.
The meetings at the Capitol offered a rare chance for the party’s rank and file to press the president about budget talks with Republicans, the next chairman of the Federal Reserve and local jobs projects, as well as to appeal to him for help in next year’s campaigns. In a lighter moment, House Democrats presented Obama with a birthday cake. He turns 52 on Sunday. The White House is seeking to keep up enthusiasm among Democrats following a rough start to Obama’s second term.
Mark Wilson Photo
Jessi Bernacchi takes Champion and Reserve Champion during the Chaves County 4H and FFA Fair at the Eastern New Mexico State Fairgrounds, Wednesday morning.