Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 221 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security made $1.3 billion in potentially improper disability payments to people who had jobs when they were supposed... - PAGE B5
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
residents •.Officials, assess flood damage •.CASA ‘walks’ with children through court... •.Council approves attorney contract •.Motorists cautioned to beware of closures •.Berrendo bursts forth
INSIDE SPORTS
September 14, 2013
SATURDAY
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Flood devastates homeless community
“I lost everything. ... We all did.” JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
36K GOT IMPROPER DISABILITY PAY
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
She sat with her legs crossed with her chin down Friday afternoon. Behind her were two tents tucked into the dark, abandoned entrance of a shuttered business in the parking lot of Roswell Mall. Her eyes were closed and she wiped her tears away slowly with her shaky hands as they streamed down weathered cheeks. But Mary Ann Keegan was safe. “Everybody’s been looking for her,” said her friend, Tony. “She’s in pain.” Keegan has become the center of attention for local residents who had cared for the handful of homeless who many feared were injured or lost after floodwaters in the Berrendo Creek washed out their campsites beneath the Main Street bridge. Her truck, that doubled as her home and shelter, had been swept away and found destroyed downstream. No one could locate her. Tony and a few other homeless people had found shelter at the abandoned building near the mall following the flash
flood. Homeless advocates had since found them and delivered clothing, tents, sleeping bags, water and a few supplies. “I was able to contact quite a few people who have donated sleeping bags,” said Jeneva Martinez. “All of Mary Anne’s stuff was washed away.” Keegan apparently had injured herself walking up the creek bed and was hospitalized. She broke four ribs and will now be sleeping on the concrete outside of the building among overgrown shrubs and debris. Mark Wilson Photo In the last few months, she has lost her husband Passers-by check out the flood damage done to E. Mescalero near the Roswell Country and her two dogs. She had Club, Friday. recently acquired a new puppy. But upon her Wednesday night worried return from the hospital, about Mary Ann. “My granddaughter she was told that her couldn’t sleep thinking of puppy was in an accident you all,” Madero said. and had to have his leg “She got all her savings amputated. and she wanted to use it Tony said he hoped LYONS, Colo. (AP) — The relentless rush of on you all.” someone would donate an Coffee-colored floodwawater tur ned whole Her granddaughter, old truck to help get her ters cascaded down- towns into muddy Gabbie Vasquez, and her back on her feet. stream from the Col- swamps and brought friend gathered $50 to “It’s really frustrating,” purchase clothing, sleeporado Rockies on Fri- most transportation to Tony said. “She has no ing bags and food to delivday, transforming nor- a standstill. Damage clothes. Everything was in er to the group. mally scenic rivers and assessments were on the truck. We just jumped “It was beautiful,” Tony creeks into fast, unfor- hold as authorities and ran. We saw the truck said. “The people in this giving torrents and tried to rescue more and it was just floating town have good hearts.” thousands more than 2,500 people forcing away.” Another 61-year -old evacuations from stranded in an emerSandra Madero, who man, who called himself water-logged communigency that stretched stopped by the make-shift The Wanderer, said he got ties beset by days of camp at the mall site Fristeady rain. day, said her granddaughSee COLO., Page A3 See FLOOD, Page A3 ter stayed up all night
Colo. death toll rises to 4 after body found
Valley Meat water permit hearing set
Prepping for Piñatafest
JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
BOBCATS CAPTURE 2014 VICTORY HAGERMAN — The stands are packed with blue and green clad fans. As kickoff approaches, both teams storm onto the field amidst... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
There are no obituaries for today.
Mark Wilson Photo
Carnival workers for Playtime Amusements prepare a Ferris wheel for this weekend’s Pinatafest, Friday.
HIGH ...88˚ LOW ....62˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
The New Mexico Environment Department has set a public hearing at the 5th Judicial District Courthouse next month on Valley Meat Co.’s water discharge permit. The department denied issuing the horse slaughter processing plant a temporary permit in July. The hearing was required after the department’s Water Quality Bureau received more than 450 public comments concerning Valley Meat’s application, according to NMED. Of the 450 public responses, less than 12 were received from New Mexicans, according to Kevin Powers of NMED’s Office of General Counsel. But because of the substantial public interest in the company’s permit, a public meeting was required, Powers said in
July. The company’s per mit last expired in 2009. As Valley Meat waited 15 months for USDA to process its horse meat inspection permit, the state permitting process was also delayed by NMED, according to Valley Meat’s attorney A. Blair Dunn. Dunn has requested the department issue a 120day temporary discharge permit to resolve the issue due to the time delay. The denial of Valley Meat’s discharge per mit will not hinder the plant from opening, should U.S. District Court Judge Christina Armijo rule in favor of allowing horse slaughter inspections to begin at the end of October. Owner Rick De Los Santos plans to truck wastewater off the property until the per mitting process is resolved.
Nelson shares a wealth of experiences, regional history
See HEARING, Page A3
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
About to celebrate his 94th birthday, Morgan Nelson retains an almost encyclopedic knowledge about Roswell, Chaves County and New Mexico. His library contains some 30 to 40 notebooks full of information that he has compiled and written about every subject, from the history of his own First Baptist Church — the good, the bad and the not-so-good — and the state utilities and water commissions on which he served. He still is a member of the Chaves County Flood Commission. On Wednesday, when the
Berrendo burst its banks, flooding Main Street, cutting north from south and leaving people stranded, Nelson received updates from across the county. He also has written books about East Grand Plains and his birthplace of Cottonwood. Born in 1919, he remembers his first trip into Roswell when he rode with an aunt and a cousin in a buggy. The Roswell of those days he recalls as being full of trees, when the rivers and creeks ran with-
out restraint. Nelson has not published any of his own books, but he plans to turn the text over to the Historical Society of Southeast New Mexico archives. However, he has published one book, a history of Roswell, written by Lucius Dills, who, along with J.D. Lea, founded the Roswell Record in 1891. Morgan found the manuscript in the Historical Society Archives and decided to have the text printed without corrections.
Courtesy Photo
Morgan Nelson and his daughter in the cotton fields.
Nelson released the book as a limited edition and the proceeds went to the Historical Society. Some copies are still available at the
Society for the cost of $30. Because of his continued contributions to both See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3