Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 201 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
CORRUPTION IN CUBA
HAVANA (AP) — A Cuban court has convicted a dozen people of corruption, including high-ranking government officials, an executive at a state-run nickel company and workers from a project operating under a Cuban-Canadian joint concern, official media announced Tuesday. In a case involving a contract for the expansion of the Pedro Soto Alba nickel ... - PAGE B3
August 22, 2012
WEDNESDAY
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Tough times on the Pecos as miles of river go dry
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Close to three dozen miles of the Pecos River have dried up, shorelines at state parks up and down the waterway are expanding, and threatened fish have to be relocated. State and federal officials on Tuesday pointed to what’s happening on the Pecos River as another example of fallout from two years of drought. The southeastern corner of the state has been hit the hardest. Meteorologists
“It’s just a continuation of last summer,” said Bitter Lake Manager Floyd Truetken. “We are not out of the drought.”
with the National Weather Service say many areas have had only a couple of inches of rain since the beginning of the year, and monsoon season has been spotty. “Although there has been some decent precipitation in some areas of the state,
it has not been anything close to being able to overcome the deficits we have rung up,” said Ed Polasko of the NWS. One of New Mexico’s longest rivers, the Pecos stretches from mountain wilder ness northeast of Santa Fe down through the
‘Here we go!’
plains and into West Texas. Parts of the river went dry in 2011, but officials say this summer is worse due to compounding conditions. So far, around 35 miles have dried up, double last year’s amount, and reservoirs along the river have been reduced to just a few thousand acre-feet of water. A team of biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation will be collecting threatened Pecos blunt-
Sage service to be held Saturday
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• With a half million dollar goal, UW ... • It’s harvest time at the vineyard • Gov. visits Berrendo Elementary • 40 businesses partici pate in job fair • How Roswell keeps going–rain or shine
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Air Force personnel from Little Rock perform parachute drills at the Roswell International Air Center, Tuesday morning.
SUGAR LAND, Texas (AP) — Hours after Roger Clemens agreed to join the Sugar Land Skeeters, he was back on the field playing in an over-50 softball league. And the ultra-competitive Clemens, now a half-century old, was quick to point out just how well he did against that group of geezers. “I hit two homers, by the way,” he said. Things will be a bit tougher on Saturday when he is scheduled to start ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Shirley Hoskins • Ira “Bud” Brooks • Lee Mac Rucker - PAGE A7
HIGH ...92˚ LOW ....69˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
See DROUGHT, Page A3
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
TOP 5
CLEMENS JOINS SKEETERS
nose shiner from the river this week so they can be moved to a wetter area upstream. This marks a first for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when it comes to the shiner, said biologist Steve Davenport. In previous years, the fish were collected in the spring and held at a hatchery through the dry months. That couldn’t happen this year because the
Romney opening up a little about his religion
ers who say that talking about his faith could help him overcome his struggles to connect with voters.
“Who shares your values?” a recent Romney ad asked — suggesting that the Republican presidential candidate was the answer. “When religious freedom is threatened, who do you want to stand with?”
AP Photo
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks in Manchester, N.H., on August 20.
NEW YORK (AP) — Mitt Romney is starting to open up a bit more about his lifelong commitment to Mormonism and his lay leadership in the church, following pleas from back-
The commercial was the start of a broader Romney effort to emphasize values and religion as he courts undecided voters — in a nation where most people say they want a president with strong religious beliefs — to compete with President Barack Obama in a race that polls show is close. Romney invited reporters to Mormon See ROMNEY, Page A3
A memorial service will take place on Saturday for noted canine hero Sage at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 505 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Sage will receive a veterans escort from the Patriot Guard Riders, Roswell police and fire departments and the NM State Police, starting from Country Club Animal Hospital, 301 W. Country Club Rd., to the church. Sage, a border collie, served her country in Iraq. Sage searched the wreckage at the Pentagon after 9/11. She answered the call to the Gulf Coast in the wake of hurricanes. Following her death on August 13, she did one final service for her country. Sage underwent an autopsy where tissue samples were taken. They will be used for cancer research at Penn State and Colorado State universities. “This is for human cancer research because Sage suffered from a type of cancer that only affects people. That’s why we think it’s (the cancer) the result of her work at the Pentagon,” said Mary Ann Murphy of the Patriot Guard. Sage went though surgery and chemotherapy for two separate bouts of cancer, each a different kind. When cancer retur ned, companion and human handler Diane Whetsel gave Sage her last command: “to travel on to the rainbow bridge.” See SAGE, Page A3
Rep. Todd Akin defies mounting GOP calls to withdraw from US Senate race
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rep. Todd Akin defied the nation’s top Republicans Tuesday to forge ahead with his besieged Senate campaign, declaring that GOP leaders were overreacting by abandoning him because of comments that women’s bodies can prevent pregnancies in cases of “legitimate rape.”
Akin pledged to carry on with his quest to unseat Democrat Claire McCaskill. But his bid faced tall obstacles: a lack of money, a lack of party support and no assurance that his apologies would be enough to heal a self-inflicted political wound.
“I misspoke one word in one sentence on one day, and all of a sudden, over night, everybody decides, ‘Well, Akin can’t possibly win,”’ he said on a national radio show hosted
AP Photo
Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., waves to the crowd while introduced at a senate candidate forum during a Republican conference in Kansas City, Mo., February 18.
by former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. “Well, I don’t agree with that.” Akin predicted he would bounce back from the political crisis threatening his
campaign and capture a seat that is pivotal to Republican hopes of regaining control of the Senate. See AKIN, Page A3
Esperanza House, a safe-house interview program for child abuse victims CHAUNTE’L POWELL RECORD STAFF WRITER This article is one in a series of stories focusing on local agencies, which receive support from the United Way of Chaves County, which is currently conducting its annual fundraising campaign. After being in the business for about 20 years, the Esperanza House is still going strong, providing a safe haven for child abuse victims as well as adult sexual assault victims. According to Executive
Director Mike Turner, the Esperanza House, located on 305 W. T ilden St., serves three major functions. The first is forensic interviews of child abuse victims. They are the first stop after the police have been notified of a case. A child-friendly and forensically sound interview is then conducted, meaning they don’t lead the victim to the answer, they make no suggestions but simply listen to the child’s story.
Second, sexual assault exams are per for med by trained Sexual Assault
funding,” he said. “Our funding over the last four years really has been pretty much cut in half.”
Nurse Examiners or S.A.N.E. This is what’s known as a rape kit and involves collecting and documenting evidence from the victim. Finally, the organization has a victim advocate program. Victims are paired with an individual who makes sure all of their
needs are taken care of in any area. From temporary housing to emotional support, the victim advocate is on call for that particular victim day or night. Over the years, Turner said the organization has taken a hit financially. “Because the economy went south, so did our
Despite economic hardships, Esperanza House hasn’t had to cut back on what Turner refers to as crucial services, such as interviewing and counseling. It has had to discontinue some of its educational programs. In the past, members of the organization would visit different schools and conduct sexual assault awareness and preSee SAFE Page A3