Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 233 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
METEORITE ART
BERLIN (AP) — An ancient Buddhist statue that a Nazi expedition brought back from Tibet shortly before World War II was carved from a meteorite that crashed on Earth thousands of years ago. What sounds like an Indiana Jones movie plot appears to have actually taken place ... - PAGE A9
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
September 28, 2012
LFC releases Medicaid cost projections
SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico’s costs of expanding Medicaid under the federal health care overhaul will be offset initially by additional tax revenues because of increased spending on medical services, according to a legislative committee analysis released Thursday. The Legislative Finance Committee released its staff projections as lawmakers began to consider what will be one of the biggest issues confronting Gov. Susana Martinez and the Legislature next year.
FRIDAY
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Policymakers must decide whether the state can afford the long-term costs of expanding the eligibility of Medicaid to potentially cover nearly 170,000 low-income New Mexicans by 2020. About a fourth of the state’s population currently receives medical care through Medicaid, which covers uninsured children, the disabled and the poor. Medicaid is jointly financed by the state and federal government. The Human Services
Initially, the federal government will pick up the tab for 100 percent of the cost of the Medicaid expansion and that will gradually drop to 90 percent in 2020.
Department estimates it will cost the state about $413 million from 2014 through 2020 to expand Medicaid as called for under federal law. An additional $6 billion in federal money should flow into the state to cover those medical
services during the same time.
The LFC analysis assumes the state will collect additional money from income and sales taxes as well as taxes on insurance premiums if Medicaid is expanded. The health care
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Do any of these look familiar to you? • Hobbs man dead in crash • Midland downs Broncos 3-2 • Clash of philosophies between GHS, Hobbs • RHS hopes third time’s the charm
INSIDE
AP Photo
Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, the Southwest’s first urban refuge, on the edge of Albuquerque. The acquisition of land for the Valle de Oro refuge brings with it water rights that could help alleviate pressures on the taxed Rio Grande.
Salazar dedicates 2 NWR’s in NM VALLE DE ORO NWR (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was in New Mexico on Thursday to dedicate the country’s two newest national wildlife refuges, including
NMMI TO HOST PHOENIX
Like his wife’s volleyball team, Joe Forchtner’s NMMI Bronco football team has suffered through plenty of growing pains. They were blown out in spectacular fashion by Iowa Western on Sept. 1 and proceeded to play maybe their best game of the season the next week against Cisco. Last week, the Broncos (3-2, 1-1 WSFL) snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by allowing 26 unanswered fourth-quarter points in a loss at Glendale. Needless to say, Forchtner is hoping that his team responds just like ... - PAGE B1
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INDEX
a 390-acre spread of alfalfa fields and cottonwoods that make up part of the Southwest’s first urban refuge. Several dozen people turned out
There also should be savings for the state under the expansion. That’s because some current Medicaid participants will generate more federal matching money in the future, reducing the state’s costs. Revenues from the Medicaid expansion are project-
Israel draws ‘red line’ for Iran
TOP 5
SPORTS
industry — from doctors and hospitals to businesses providing medical supplies — is a major part of the state’s economy.
for the unveiling of the first phase
of the urban refuge — dubbed Valle
de Oro, which is Spanish for Valley
See SALAZAR, Page A7
See MEDICAID, Page A7
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In his most detailed plea to date for global action against Iran’s nuclear program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the world has until next summer at the latest to stop Iran before it can build a nuclear bomb. Netanyahu flashed a diagram of a cartoon-like bomb before the U.N. General Assembly showing the progress Iran has made, saying it has already completed the first stage of uranium enrichment. Then he pulled out a red marker and drew a line across what he said was a threshold Iran was approaching and which Israel could not tolerate — the completion of the second stage and 90 percent of the way to the uranium enrichment needed to make an atomic bomb. “By next spring, at most by next summer at current enrichment rates, they will See U.N., Page A7
Weh: US must stop deficit spending, reform tax code Vietnam Vets need more drivers
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER Former Republican candidate for New Mexico governor Allen Weh spoke at the Roswell Rotary Club’s Thursday meeting, sharing how his experiences in business have shaped his views on the current state of the U.S. economy. Weh is president and CEO of CSI Aviation Services Inc., an Albuquerque-based company that in 1979 opened its doors in the middle of a recession. “There were some similarities, like high gas prices,” Weh told the Daily Record. “... But this reces-
sion is much worse than the recession of the late 1970s. During that recession, American entrepreneurship created a number of companies that we take for granted today.”
Weh said companies like FedEx and Southwest Airlines were started during the late 1970s recession, but that recreating such a scenario today would be more challenging due to government regulations. He said his message to the Rotary was that Americans need to ensure that the See WEH, Page A7
CHAUNTE’L POWELL RECORD STAFF WRITER According to Harry McGraw, president of the Roswell chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, he and fellow volunteers transport close to 1,000 veterans to and from medical appointments each year. Locations can be as close as Artesia or as far as Albuquerque, Amarillo and Lubbock. McGraw said the veterans are dependent on the transportation service because many of them “are 96 years old, family’s gone or kids have moved somewhere else to work, and they just don’t have a way to get around.” He and former chapter president Greg Neal said they are in dire need of help to shuttle the veterans around. Neal said they have about 15 drivers
Suspect bites cop, breaks taser, goes to jail Sam Castillo Deleon, 26, bit the hand of a Roswell Police Of ficer, Wednesday. The incident occurred around 5 p.m. in the 1400 block of East Alameda Street, as officers were attempting to serve a warrant originating from Roosevelt County. The charges from the 9th Judicial District include one count of criminal sexual penetration of a child under 13 years of age, five counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13, forgery and concealing identity. After entering the residence, of ficers located Deleon hiding under clothes in a bedroom
closet. When one of the officers placed handcuffs on Deleon, he became combative, slipped one hand out of the cuffs and tried to flee. In the ensuing struggle, Deleon bit an officer’s hand. When officers attempted to tase Deleon, he grabbed the taser and broke both leads off the probes. Another officer injured his shoulder as they attempted to subdue the subject. Both of ficers and Deleon went to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the capture. All three were released. In addition to the original charges, Deleon is being charged with one
Sam Castillo Deleon
count of battery upon a peace of ficer, and two counts of resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer. His bond on the Roswell charges is set at $5,000. Deleon’s bond from charges in Roosevelt County is $92,000, cash only.
Chaunte’l Powell Photo
The Vietnam Veterans of America Veterans Transportation Network transports veterans throughout New Mexico and to some parts of Texas.
in Roswell, Carlsbad, Hobbs and Artesia. The latter three locations bring veterans to Roswell and from here, they are See DRIVERS, Page A7
NMSU provost takes over admin duties of president
LAS CRUCES (AP) — The executive vice president and provost at New Mexico State University assumed the administrative duties of the college’s president Wednesday, amid the sudden leave of President Barbara Couture. The university confirmed earlier this week that Couture is on an unspecified leave of absence. That set off a flurry of speculation on the Las Cruces campus, but the New Mexico Board of Regents won’t say why Couture is off the job. Faculty members said the uncertainty surrounding the university’s leadership is affecting morale on campus. “It’s deeply frustrating. It’s deeply demoral-
izing because again we aren’t given the respect and the courtesy to know what’s going on with our boss and the ramifications that trickle down from that,” Julie Rice, a sociology professor at NMSU, told KVIA-TV. Criticism of Couture and the university in recent months has included a struggling athletics program and a nursing program at Doña Ana Community College that was denied accreditation. The university issued a statement Wednesday saying provost Wendy K. Wilkins is assuming Couture’s administrative See NMSU, Page A7