Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 199 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
August 19, 2012
It’s harvest time at the vineyard
SUNDAY
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CHAUNTE’L POWELL RECORD STAFF WRITER
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — You may now chug with the bride. Toasting the bride and groom with Champagne is de rigueur. But recently, couples hip (or is that hops?) to craft beers are shaking up the wedding reception scene by insisting on serving the brews they love on their big day, everything from local ales to home brews concocted by the bride and groom. It’s not unusual for stouts and pilsners to flow at ... - PAGE C6
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For The Past 24 Hours • Mary Guinn: Sports relief from classroom; kids ... • Refreshing discovery • Court finds against Dan Foley • Gov visits Berrendo Elementary • RPD names Helen Cheromoah, Miguel Lopez ...
Megan Ragsdale clips grapes from the vine at the Pecos Flavors Winery vineyard early Saturday morning.
Mark Wilson Photo
If you happen to have a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon at the Pecos Flavors Winery, you are enjoying a family tradition years in the making. Saturday the tradition continued with the annual grape harvest. About 20 or so friends and customers showed up to the winery’s vineyard in East Grand Plains between 6-10 a.m., and proceeded to squat and cut, and work their way down the vineyard until all the bunches had been picked. Co-owner Josh Ragsdale said the grapes have to be harvested when it is cool outside because after the sun comes out it affects the sugar levels in the grapes and doesn’t produce the type of wine they want. The harvesting process begins by removing the protective netting from the grapes. The netting had been in place for the past few months to keep See HARVEST, Page A3
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Mark Wilson Photo
Rise and shiners pick grapes that will eventually become Cabernet Sauvignon early Saturday morning at the Pecos Flavors Winery vineyard.
Cabernet grapes at the Pecos Flavors Winery vineyard ready for the early Saturday morning harvest.
RANGERS BEAT JAYS
TORONTO (AP) — The Texas Rangers felt confident their bullpen would bail them out. Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer, Joe Nathan converted his team-record 22nd straight save opportunity and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 Saturday. “We showed how good the bullpen is,” Cruz said. “I don’t remember the last time we won 2-1. It was definitely a good game.” Nathan broke the Rangers mark he shared with Francisco Cordero, who was ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Eutha Watson • Aurel Irene Larson • Rev. Robert Belles • Bill Bogle - PAGE B6
HIGH ...88˚ LOW ....64˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........D1 COMICS.................C4 FEATURE ...............C5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B5 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Radio Amigo 96.1 launches Quienes Somos CHAUNTE’L POWELL RECORD STAFF WRITER
Chaunte'l Powell Photo
From left, Felipe Peralta Travieso, Bobby Villegas, Jose Bolivar and special guest Carl Kallansrud after the first broadcast of Quienes Somos on Radio Amigo 96.1, Friday.
Radio Amigo 96.1 featured a new show Friday mor ning. Quienes Somos, which translates to “who we are,” is a show dedicated to addressing the needs of the Hispanic community in Roswell. Bobby Villegas, the show’s host, stressed the importance of having such a show in this area, especially since Quienes Somos is the first of its kind. The inaugural show discussed all the rules and regulations that go into starting a small business. Carl Kallansrud, director of New Mexico Small Business Development Center, appeared on the show and discussed what individuals need to do when starting a small business. Villegas said this show helped bring light to a resource the community might not
have known about. “We introduced the Small Business Development Center to the community,” he said. “It’s been here for years at the university, but our Hispanic community doesn’t know it’s there and now they do.” Villegas said the show doesn’t stop at just informing the community. On Sept. 19 there will be a seminar at S.O.Y. Mariachi for anyone and everyone interested in starting their own business. The show is scheduled to air every Friday morning from 9-9:30 a.m. for the next year, during which time Villegas said they will speak with a variety of guests. He mentioned that an Eastern New Mexico University representative will join the program at some point to explain all the institution has to offer to the Hispanic community in
New school rules: Pass Work on vets cemetery progresses exit exam or don’t exit JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Apprehensive parents and their kin flocked to a meeting of the Roswell Independent School District, Thursday evening, to find out the fate of those students who failed an exit exam, meaning they would not be able to graduate at the end of this school year. Per a mandate from the state’s Public Education Department, this year the Students Based Assessment, which evaluates proficiency in reading and math, is going to be used as an exit exam for seniors. The test covers content
areas that should have been mastered after three years of high school. Last April, 11th-graders from Goddard, Roswell and University high schools took the SBA. Those who scored a combined math and reading score of 2,273 or higher passed the test.
“You had to be proficient at 1,140 on each of those tests. If you took 1,140 and 1,140 you’d get 2,280. Two things are happening here: 1140 really has an impact on our school report cards, so you’re proficient or you’re not. But in order to graduate from our state See EXIT, Page A3
In two weeks, the site that will host the new Roswell veterans cemetery will be protected by a chain link fence around its 2,900-foot perimeter. On Friday, farmer Bill Nelson donated his time to operate a tractor, which cleared the right-of-way where the fence will be situated. The cemetery will be located just north of South Park Cemetery, and will hold more than 2,000 plots, free for veterans and their spouses. Vietnam veteran Bert Eldridge, who has been vying for a local veterans cemetery for almost two years, said Home Depot has donated nearly $18,000 worth of chain link fence, cinder block and rock work for the cemetery’s entryway, and will send 40 employees to help clean up the site. A ground-breaking ceremony will be at 10 a.m., Aug. 25. Eldridge invites all area veterans to attend. The first indi-
See RADIO, Page A3
Julia Bergman Photo
Bill Nelson and Bert Eldridge stand in front of a tractor, Friday, which cleared the right-of-way for a chain link fence to be situated at the new veterans cemetery in Roswell.
vidual to be buried will be an Army vet from Oklahoma. His ashes are currently being held at Anderson-Bethany Funeral Home, Eldridge said.