Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 225 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
September 19, 2013
Lt. Gen. Richard T. Knowles dies at 96 TESS TOWNSEND RECORD STAFF WRITER
Lt. Gen. Richard T. Knowles (ret) passed away at the age of 96 in his home in Roswell, Wednesday morning. His daughter Diane Buchwald and son Richard J. Knowles were present, as well as two caregivers and the Lt. Gen.’s dog, Maggie. Lt. Gen. Knowles was born in 1916, in Chicago. He left the University of Illinois and joined the
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“He was a ‘soldier soldier,’ and he carried that with him throughout his life. ... He was just a giant among men.”
Army in 1942, where he served for 32 years, fighting in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. During his army tenure, the Lt. Gen. was decorated with the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with “V” device, the Distinguished Service Cross with four oak leaf clusters, the Distin-
-Tim Jennings
guished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, 25 Air Medals, and a Purple Heart. “Every kid growing up thinks of his father as a hero,” said the Lt. Gen.’s son, retired New Mexico District Judge Richard J. Knowles, of Albuquerque. “[Lt. Gen. Knowles] wasn’t just a hero
to me, he was a hero to his country and his community. “That was an inspirational thing.” The Lt. Gen. was highly involved in the New Mexico Military Institute. As a representative in the New Mexico Legislature (R-57) from
Mark Wilson Photo
City of Roswell Street Department employees assess the flood damage to the bridge on E. Mescalero near the Roswell Country Club, Tuesday morning. The road will be closed for the foreseeable future and workers on site said the reconstruction should begin around November.
State stops pumping water from Pecos
JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
The recent heavy rains in New Mexico have boosted water supplies enough to prompt the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission to stop pumping
water through the Pecos River to Carlsbad, officials announced Wednesday. As of Tuesday, Carlsbad Project surface-water supply was measured at more than 110,000 acre feet, water that can be used for farmers in the Carlsbad
Irrigation District. “Last week’s rains brought the region out of crisis status,” said Interstate Stream Director Estevan Lopez, in a statement. “We’re relieved that we are no longer required to pump groundwater
under the Pecos Settlement.”
The state commission’s Seven Rivers and Lake Arthur well fields, located within the Pecos River See WATER, Page A3
Nelson faces 57 counts of child sexual exploitation record that of the 52 counts, the children, both boys and girls, were identified as prepubescent. Some of the children were identified as being between 8 and 13 years old. Some matched files held by National Center of Missing and Exploited Children.
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The case of John Alan Nelson, 52, was bound over for District Court on Sept. 3. Nelson was arrested on Aug. 16, by the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office and charged with 57 counts of sexual exploitation of a child. According to the criminal complaint, an internet search following specific legal protocols yielded two images from an IP address that was later identified as belonging to Nelson. During the initial interview, Nelson told officials that some of the images just popped up and were downloaded by accident. He said that he often found these videos when he was searching for Disney videos. Chaves County
THURSDAY
Nelson
Sherif f Rob Coon said: “These guys always say that it just popped up, but we know that they don’t just pop up.” The investigators were able to locate Nelson’s files showing up on other computers, which resulted in two counts of the 52 exploitation counts being qualified as distribution. The court documents
Coon pointed out that the investigation for the Nelson case started in August of 2011. By December, the SO had obtained enough infor mation for probable cause and a search warrant. Then the videos must be viewed and each must be researched and checked against the NCMEC. “These guys have gotten very good at hiding their files. Each case takes a long time, plus we are assisting other agencies with their investigations,” Coon said.
The investigators at CCSO have received specialized education. In addition, the sheriff’s office has dedicated software and acquired new software following the receipt of a JAG grant. “The reason why we got involved in this (the New Mexico Taskforce) is we have a problem with kiddie por n in Chaves County. Santa Fe monitors number of sites and hits in Chaves County and we were invited to participate,” explained Coon. He said the local service providers have been cooperative with their efforts to chase down those involved in the exploitation of children. “Many people want to believe these are victimless crimes, but these little girls See EXPLOITATION, Page A3
1983-1998, he worked to make the Institute more accessible to potential cadets who could not otherwise afford to attend. He and former Sen. Tim Jennings established the New Mexico Legislative Scholarship in 1989. The scholarship has covered tuition, fees, and other expenses for up to 112 students each year since it was initiated. The award is valued at roughly $4,700, and is the
Fed: No pullback in bond purchases
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a surprise that sent the stock market soaring, the Federal Reserve concluded Wednesday that the U.S. economy isn’t yet healthy enough for the central bank to ease its stimulus even slightly. The Fed’s cautious message pleased investors, who had expected a slight cut in the bond purchases that have kept long-term interest rates low as the nation recovers from the Great Recession. Wall Street celebrated the prospect of continued low interest rates by lifting stocks to a record high. In a statement after a policy meeting, the Fed signaled it has no set timetable for reducing the stimulus, which has stood at $85 billion a month for the last year. Chairman Ben Bernanke explained later at a news conference that there are good reasons to be cautious: — The Fed has yet to see conclusive evidence that the job market and economy are approaching full health.
See KNOWLES, Page A3
— Mortgage rates have surged, and the bond purchases are needed to hold those rates down and keep home buying affordable for ordinary people. — A budget stalemate in Congress and the threat of a government shutdown as soon as next month are holding back growth and putting the economy at risk.
“Conditions in the job market today are still far from what all of us would like to see,” Bernanke said.
Stocks spiked immediately after the Fed released its statement at the end of its two-day policy meeting. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 147 points, or 1 percent.
The Fed’s decision to maintain the pace of its purchases raised hopes for lower rates on bonds and consumer and business loans. Bond yields sank. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.71 percent from 2.85 percent, the biggest one-day drop in nearly two years.
Flag for a fair
Mark Wilson Photo
Rick Ford raises the American flag at the Eastern New Mexico State Fairgrounds, Wednesday morning. The Eastern New Mexico State Fair begins on Monday, Sept. 30, running through October 5.
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designer deals make a big statement.
HIGH 86 LOW 64
TODAY’S FORECAST
PAGE A6
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• JONATHAN JAMES MILLER • JUANITA CAMPUZANO • DONALD URBINA
• RICHARD J. “DICK” KNOWLES
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B4 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B5
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2 NATION ..................A6
OPINION .................A4 SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8