Roswell Daily Record
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THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
NMFA board suspends top execs
Vol. 121, No. 191 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
SANTA FE (AP) — The New Mexico Finance Authority on Thursday suspended its top executives, including one who has been arrested for fraud and other charges, while an investigation is under way of how the agency’s financial audit was falsified. The authority’s governing board placed Chief Execu-
August 10, 2012
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tive Officer Rick May on administrative leave with pay effective immediately. Chief Operating Of ficer John Duff was placed on leave without pay.
The management shakeup came a day after Duff and former controller Greg Campbell were arrested for fraud and other charges involving fake financial
The board’s decision is likely the first step toward firing May and Duff or pressuring them to resign.
statements that made the authority’s revenues appear stronger in 2011. Brett Woods, deputy secretary at the Energy, Minand Natural erals Resources Department,
was named acting CEO. Woods has served on the board when the department secretary, John Bemis, has been unable to attend. Woods has held a wide range of government jobs,
ATTACK ADS HELP, HARM
PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama both deplored the pervasive presence of televised attack ads in the race for the White House on Thursday, though neither acknowledged being helped as well as harmed. Each blamed his foe. Romney went first, saying of the president’s campaign, “They just blast ahead” with ads that have... - PAGE B3
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• Mortgage scam is criminal matter, now •‘These are the rules’ • Pearce visits Roswell constituents • RPD wants CordobaLopez • Heinrich vows to protect Medicare
SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
NMMI’s new RATs arrive on campus NMMI RATs have their heads shaved by barbers Alice Washington, left, and Laura Summerow during matriculation at the school, Thursday morning.
CHAUNTE’L POWELL RECORD STAFF WRITER
Operation Matriculation is in full swing at New Mexico Military Institute. Thursday the school
US DEFEATS JAPAN FOR SOCCER GOLD
WEMBLEY, England (AP) — Abby Wambach didn’t put on her “Greatness Has Been Found” T-shirt right away. She instead strayed from her teammates and knelt alone at midfield — and cried into a U.S. flag. Yes, greatness has been found. And payback has been achieved. The Americans are again on top of the women’s soccer world. They won their third straight Olympic gold medal Thursday, beating Japan 2-1 in a rematch of last year’s World Cup final and avenging the most ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Jose Francisco Rivera Jr. • Barbara Irwin - PAGE B3
HIGH .100˚ LOW ....70˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
Board chairwoman Nann Winter said the decision to suspend May represented a vote of no-confidence in his management of the authority.
Council approves license transfers
See NMFA, Page A3
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
TOP 5
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including executive director of the state Gaming Control Board and a legislative budget analyst.
welcomed new high school cadets and they got right to business, learning how to march, when to salute, and of course the boys received their complimentary military hair cut. Par-
ents and cadets were then shown the grounds, while continuing the registration process. Though the process seemed to go off without a hitch as the athletes, jun-
ior college students and high school students arrived on campus, CWO3 and marketing director Carl Hanson said this
The Roswell City Council tackled a full agenda consisting of two transfers of ownership of liquor licenses, four Lodger’s Tax funding requests and five planning and zoning cases at its regular business meeting Thursday. A public hearing was held in reference to both transfers of ownership of liquor licenses. The council approved both transfers, one for All American Meat Inc., and the other for Stingray LLC, despite strong reservations from some of its members. All American Meat Inc., doing business as Farmers Country Market, 2800 N. Main St., will receive the license that was being used by Billy Ray’s, 118 E. Third St. The license is an original Roswell dispenser license that still retains its package privileges, rendering it useable by a grocery store. Stingray LLC, doing busi-
RISD holds data day Iran tries to calm Syria crisis for faculty, staff JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Area educators now have a better gauge for the rationale behind their school’s state ranking, although some wariness about the accuracy of the new A-F grading system still remains. A data day was held at Goddard High School, Thursday, to provide each Roswell Independent School District school with an analysis of its ranking within the state’s new grading system. RISD schools will now align their curricula based upon their respective data results. On July 9, the state rolled out its first 2012 grades for more than 800 of New Mexico’s elementary, middle and high schools. Of the 22 schools in the RISD, two received A’s, four
received B’s, five received C’s, eight received D’s and one failed. Susan Sanchez, assistant superintendent of instruction, told the Daily Record in July, “The RISD had 55 percent of its schools proficient in reading and math in grades three through eight and 11. However, there were three non-proficient schools that missed it by two to three points, that received a C. RISD plans to address the academic needs to support the student achievement in providing professional development for our teachers, allocating additional funds to support reading and math interventions.” Andrew Sweet, assistant superintendent for assessment, evaluation and technology, encouraged the
See NMMI, Page A3
See COUNCIL, Page A3
BEIRUT (AP) — As Syrian forces struggled to drive rebels from the country’s largest city, the regime’s key ally Iran tried Thursday to start an alter native political process to address the crisis. Iran gathered an array of nations ranging from strong supporters of Damascus to far -flung nations a world away from the Syrian civil war. The one-day forum is AP Photo unlikely to result in any international consensus, A Syrian man reacts after the funeral, Thursday, of Free but it shows Iran’s Syrian Army fighter Husain Al-Ali, who was killed during resolve to stand by Presi- clashes in Aleppo. dent Bashar Assad as his fighting for more than two past that the Syrian forces try to crush the 17- weeks. regime’s critics fail to take month-old uprising. Tehran billed Thurs- into account violence by On Thursday, Syrian day’s conference as a way the rebels. rebels said they were low Syrian rebels last week on ammunition but still to focus on dialogue — an intercepted a bus carrymanaged to put up resist- alternative to Western-led ing 48 Iranians in a Damance against a regime initiatives that call for ascus suburb and seized ground offensive in the Assad to give up power. city of Aleppo, a center of Iran has said in the
American Energy Alliance Bus Tour stops in Roswell See RISD, Page A3
See SYRIA, Page A2
CHAUNTE’L POWELL RECORD STAFF WRITER
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Mark Wilson Photo
The American Products and Power bus tour makes a stop in Roswell at the Chamber of Commerce, Thursday morning.
The American Energy Alliance wants citizens to know that they’ve got the power when it comes to the nation’s energy crisis. The AEA Bus Tour has been trucking across the country spreading their message of “American Products. American Power,” and Thursday made a stop in Roswell. Thomas J. Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, addressed the small crowd of early risers
over breakfast and encouraged them to create dialogue not just among themselves, but with elected officials as well. He said the goal is to “right the ship in Washington.”
“We want to take that community and build communities all across the nation into an ar my of activists and individuals who help us keep on the offense of this issue,” he said. “Because we are under attack. The fossil fuel industry, in particular oil coal and natural gas, in
this country is under an unprecedented attack.” He spoke on how those particular forms of energy create the jobs and opportunities, which is why utilizing domestic energy is imperative. The tour started in Dallas on Monday where former Michael Reagan made an appearance. The bus then made its way to New Mexico, visiting Hobbs, Artesia and Lovington. After Roswell, the bus will See AEA, Page A2