Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
NMMI memorial service honors Knowles Vol. 122, No. 232 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
TESS TOWNSEND RECORD STAFF WRITER
A memorial service was held in Pearson Auditorium at New Mexico Military Institute Thursday, to honor Lt. Gen. Richard T. Knowles (ret). Knowles passed away at the age of 96 at his home in Roswell last week. The decorated general served in World War II, the Korean War and the Viet-
nam War. During his 16 years in the New Mexico Legislature, he worked to create NMMI’s largest scholarship program, now known as The General Richard T. Knowles Legislative Scholarship Program.
About 500 people attended the service. Almost 270 of those in attendance were NMMI cadets, according to Brig. Gen. Richard V. Geraci USA (ret), commandant of cadets and dean of
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students at NMMI. The rest were family, friends, former colleagues and members of the motorcycle club Patriot Guard Riders, who attend funerals of fallen U.S. military personnel.
During a memorial tribute, speakers described the Lt. Gen. as honorable and shared humorous stories. Former state senator Tim Jennings (D-32) said that Lt. Gen. Knowles had supported him after ads
retired New Mexico District Judge Richard J. Knowles, of Albuquerque, began his speech with a saying he said only his father could get away with.
The Lt. Gen.’s son,
Flanked by his three sisters Diane Buchwald, Katherine Buck, and Rebecca Crosby, son
“Integrity was Dick Knowles,” said Jennings, who worked with Lt. Gen. Knowles on the legislation behind the scholarship. Jennings also attended NMMI with the Lt. Gen.’s stepson, Stan Crosby.
After 23 years, Batson bids adieu
Jane Batson of Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell is greeted by well-wishers during her retirement party, Thursday.
After dedicating 23 years to education, Jane Batson is retiring and moving on to be more involved in
other endeavors throughout the community. Originally working in various healthcare positions in the community after receiving a nursing degree, Batson joined the Easter n New Mexico-
Roswell family in 1975 as a pediatric nursing instructor. In 1988, she was the director of the Training Program for the Developmentally Disabled for a year before becoming the dean of health at
ENMU-R. She serves as the interim assistant vice president for external affairs, but come Monday she will be See BATSON, Page A3
Audit: NM losing up to $56M in truck tax revenue
SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico fails to collect as much as $56 million a year in tax revenue from the trucking industry because of inadequate enforcement, according to a legislative audit released Thursday. Auditors for the Legislative Finance Committee said the state should beef up the staff of the Motor T ransportation Division and hire more tax department auditors to ensure truckers are paying a weight-distance tax that helps finance highway construction and maintenance. The state received nearly
$73 million in revenue in 2012 from the tax that’s based on a truck’s weight and how far it travels in the state. The division helps enforce collection of the tax by issuing citations to truckers who aren’t in compliance. The agency’s staff also collects fees at ports of entry across the state and inspects trucks for safety violations and contraband, including illegal drugs. Motor transportation police of ficers also patrol the roads. The agency, which is part of the Department of
Public Safety, is “plagued by staffing shortages and vacancies that seriously hamper its ability to carry out its mission,” according to the audit report. “Not only does the agency have too few of ficers for its patrol mission, but its ports are understaf fed, provide insufficient coverage of the state and in several cases are in disrepair.” Low salaries make it difficult to recruit and retain motor transportation police of ficers, auditors said. Of the dozen largest state and local law
enforcement agencies in New Mexico, an experienced officer joining the motor transportation police has the lowest average starting salary, the report said. As of midJune, the division had 115 commissioned officers and 40 vacancies.
The motor transportation police are separate from the state police, which also are part of the department. Auditors said the average state police officer’s salary is about 6 percent higher than a counterpart in the Motor Transportation Division.
Dennis Kintigh announces from the steps of the Chaves County Courthouse his intention to run for mayor, Thursday morning.
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“A speech should be like a woman’s skirt: long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interesting.”
Knowles shared details of his father’s biography. He said his father left home at 13, and lived on the streets of Chicago until landing a job as a golf caddy. He said his father sometimes caddied for mafiosos because, though the Lt. Gen. disapproved of their activities, they tipped well. The ceremony also included a performance of
Lack of information frustrates relatives of Kenya attack victims
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — After almost a week, there is no precise death toll, no word on the fate of dozens still missing and no details on the al-Qaida-linked terrorists who attacked Nairobi’s most upscale mall. As al-Shabab militants struck two Kenyan border towns and threatened more violence, relatives of the mall victims wept outside the city morgue Thursday, frustrated by the lack of information and a holdup in the release of bodies of the victims. Roy Sam, whose brother, 33-year-old Thomas Ogala, was killed, said he had been going to the morgue since Monday, but workers there had not prepared his brother’s body, which was mangled by a close-range gunshot wound to the head — an apparent execution. “They said they were going to prepare the body to make it look nice, but we came back the next day and the next, and it wasn’t any different,” Sam said. The morgue superintendent, Sammy Nyongesa Jacob, said workers were told not to touch the bodies
Fatal crash
See KNOWLES, Page A3
until post-mortuary studies had been completed. Kenya’s chief pathologist, Johansen Oduor, said his team was removing bullets and shrapnel from victims to find out exactly how they were killed, then handing them over to police as evidence. “A lot of them died from bullet wounds — the body, the head, all over,” he said. “Some also died from grenades, shrapnel.” He refused to reveal how many bodies were in the morgue but said he was told to expect more — though he would not say how many. It was the largest terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy, and FBI agents were dispatched to do fingerprint, DNA and ballistic analysis on the bodies. They were joined by investigators from Britain, Germany and Canada. There have been no details on what the international team has found so far in the bullet-scarred, scorched mall, work that is expected to take at least a week, said Kenyan police Gatiria spokeswoman Mboroki.
Jessica Palmer Photo
A 22-year-old man died Thursday as the result of a vehicle accident. The crash occurred around 7:30 a.m. on North Atkinson Avenue near Fourth Street when a motorcycle and a truck collided. The young man was taken to Eastern New Mexico Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Kintigh announces mayoral bid JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Mark Wilson Photo
FRIDAY
attacking Jennings appeared during one of the for mer senator’s campaigns. He emphasized that the Lt. Gen. did this despite being in a different party.
Mark Wilson Photo
AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
September 27, 2013
Former state legislator and career lawman Dennis Kintigh told a group of friends and supporters gathered in front of the Chaves County Courthouse Thursday that a mayor must be a community leader and this is a role he is prepared to fill. “If we come together, we can make this into a place we are proud to call home,” Kintigh said. “I would be honored to be your mayor and get Roswell moving again.”
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Kintigh, a Chaves County detective, announced his bid to run for mayor on patriotically decorated courthouse steps during a fanfare that included a band and a live performance of “America, the Beautiful.” Kintigh was joined onstage by several supporters. “We do need a new mayor,” said Alice Eppers, former chairwoman of the Chaves County Republican Party. “I’m so pleased Dennis is running for mayor.” Chaves County CommisCLASSIFIEDS ..........B5
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sioner Greg Nibert said it was time for “this journey to end.” “A new horizon begins, led by a new leader, led by Dennis Kintigh,” Nibert said. With Kintigh, Nibert said he envisioned Roswell as continuing to become the hub of southeast New Mexico. “He is the type of leader we need,” Nibert said. “He has great vision.” Kintigh spoke strongly about his belief that his first priority, should he be
See KINTIGH, Page A3
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