Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 120, No. 196 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
CHICAGO (AP) — When Army Ranger Leroy Petry’s hand was blown off by a grenade as he was saving his comrades in battle, he knew just what to do. He used his remaining hand to twist a tourniquet around his arm to avoid bleeding to death. - PAGE A2
August 16, 2011
Gov. Martinez sets special session SANTA FE (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez announced on Monday she’s calling the Legislature back to work in a special session starting Sept. 6. The Republican governor’s announcement of the date for the session puts an end to speculation on when lawmakers will return to the Capitol to deal with the politically thorny task of
PREVENTING BATTLEFIELD DEATHS
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
TUESDAY
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redistricting and a host of issues Martinez wants the Legislature to consider, including a package to finance capital improvement projects in the state. The Legislative Council, a leadership group, had recommended a Sept. 12 session start date. Dar nell, a Scott spokesman for Martinez, said the governor is work-
ing with Democrats and Republicans to try to reach a consensus on as many issues as possible before the session. “She is hopeful that she will be able to work together with legislators to draw fair and competitive electoral districts and pass legislation that will help to create jobs, keep New Mexicans safe and provide for
those most in need,” Darnell said in a statement. Besides redistricting, the agenda for the session will include the governor’s proposal to stop the state from issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. The driver’s license measure failed during the 60-day legislative session earlier this year. It’s up to the governor to
Congressman Pearce visits Roswell Libyan fight crosses borders
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Congressman Steve Pearce, R-N.M., talks about the debt ceiling and the economy at a town hall meeting at the Roswell Adult Center, late Monday afternoon. hall meeting late Monday afternoon at the Roswell Adult Center. One man stood up and yelled, “Hold on just a minute!” after the Republican lawmaker cited a 2010 Heritage Foundation
study that found President Barack Obama’s budget will accumulate more debt by 2020 than every president in American history from George Washington to George Bush combined.
The District Attorney’s key witness, Christopher Glen, in the case of New Mexico versus Jesus Carranza has disappeared. Assistant District Attorney Debra Hutchins informed the court that “he has cut his ankle monitor. He (Glenn) told our investigator (Patrick) Barncastle that he thought he was being hunted by the Mexican Mafia. Carranza, 27, is charged with the murder of Zachary Perez, 16, whose body was found in a vacant lot near East Fifth Street. Judge Charles C. Currier wanted to know if Glenn had been served with a subpoena for the compe-
tency assessment. Defense attorney Michael Gomez said, “He has absconded from probation so, no, he has not been served.” In the July 13 hearing, Gomez requested an assessment of the State’s key witness when he discovered Glen had been treated for bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. At that time, Currier agreed, but the witness did not appear for the initial hearing. Currier asked if James Gomez would testify. Gomez was Carranza’s codefendant in the Feb. 13, 2010, slaying. He was aquitted of first-degree murder charges on April 29. Defense said the former co-defendant would be
called to testify. Currier then asked the prosecutor if they had any new evidence beyond Glenn’s testimony. Hutchins replied that Officer Miguel Lopez was going to review footprint evidence. “He has been working on it since before the Gomez trial, but was unable to complete it in time . . . because the mess around the body.” Currier inquired if the defendant Gomez had testified at his trial in April and if his testimony indicated that Carranza was at the scene at the time of the killing. “Mr. Gomez was not a plausible witness,” Hutchins said. She noted
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Suddenly facing two serious rivals, GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney declared on Monday his business background sets him apart in the presidential race and dismissed the buzz over emerging challengers as “the political winds of the day.” Rick Perry insisted no one could go “toe to toe” with him, and rising star Michele Bachmann tried to turn her Iowa straw poll victory into gains against both men. In less than a week, the slow-to-begin race for the Republican nomination has accelerated and undergone
a dramatic shift, essentially becoming a three-way contest for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama next year. Romney, who has been riding high for months while other Republicans have been struggling to emerge from the pack, now finds himself facing two significant foes in Perry, the Texas governor who formally entered the race only Saturday, and Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman who won the Iowa straw poll that same day. “It’s a wide-open race,” Gov. Terry Branstad declared after a five-day
stretch that saw every Republican presidential candidate show up in his state, where party caucuses kick off the GOP nomination fight next winter. While Perry entered the nomination battle, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, exited, further reshuffling the deck. Over the next few months, Romney, Bachmann and Perry will try to win over a GOP electorate angry at the change Obama has brought and looking for a candidate who has the right mix of credentials to beat the incumbent Democrat.
EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Congressman Steve Pearce came under fire for the debt ceiling and the economy during a town
ROOKIE BRADLEY TRIUMPHS AT PGA JOHNS CREEK, Ga. (AP) — A rally that ranks among the best. A collapse hardly anyone saw coming. There was even a guy in a red shirt Sunday, pumping his fists with each clutch putt in the final, frenzied... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • • • •
Ima Jake Cooper Robert Martinez Marla Ann Woods Cecilia Martinez Oliva
- PAGE A7
HIGH .100˚ LOW ....72˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 ENTERTAINMENT.....B5 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
set the agenda of a special session, which likely will cost between $40,000 and $50,000 a day. Historically, special sessions are paid for out of the Legislature’s cash balances, which are about $2.3 million, according to the Legislative Council Service. Among the proposals
“The president stated he would match you $4 trillion. He wants to reduce the debt as much as any Republican in this room,”
See SESSION, Page A3
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A battle between Libyan troops and rebels spilled over the wester n border into Tunisia Friday, drawing a sharp rebuke of Moammar Gadhafi’s regime from the neighboring government. Clashes along the Tunisian border have escalated since Thursday, posing a new challenge for Gadhafi within the western half of the country where he must consolidate his control to cling to power. Rebels captured most of the east early on in the uprising against Gadhafi that began in February. On the other major front in wester n Libya, NATO foiled attempts by regime loyalists to close the only access route to the besieged rebel city of Misrata, intercepting boats that were laying anti-ship mines in the waters around the port. The port is the only
Carranza hearing to begin United Way hosts JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
See PEARCE Page A3
See FIGHT Page A3
kickoff luncheon United Way of Chaves County announced this year’s campaign goal of $575,000 at its annual campaign kickoff luncheon at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center, Monday. That amount is 25 percent higher than last year’s goal of $460,000, which was reached successfully. “Because we live in such a great community, and we care for our own, because United Way of Chaves County has added more agencies and more are wanted to be included, because we
want to meet all the needs in our community that are served by our
Republicans ready for presidential race 2012 See HEARING Page A3
Romney, who lost the nomination in 2008, hasn’t been able to unite warring factions of the GOP electorate since entering the race earlier this year. Social conservatives and the tea party haven’t warmed to his candidacy, and he has left some economic conservatives and Republicans in the party establishment underwhelmed. He’s focused heavily on New Hampshire and has downplayed his campaign in Iowa, but that may change given that Bachmann and Perry, both of whom have support among the tea party and Christian evan-
See UNITED Page A3
gelicals, are competing hard in this state where social conservatives dominate. By Monday, the three Republicans with the strongest chance of winning the nomination fanned out across early primary states, all looking for the upper hand just as Obama opened a three-day Midwest bus tour. Romney, overshadowed for much of the weekend, re-emerged in Litchfield, N.H., and, during a conversation with reporters, quickly provided a window See RACE Page A3