Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 243 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
October 10, 2012
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Weather forces jump cancellation NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
Nobody ever said a mission to the edge of space would be clear skies and smooth sailing. Right? The highly-anticipated final step for Red Bull Stratos, five years in the making, will have to wait for another day after the team was forced Tuesday to abort its launch at the last minute. After waiting several hours for winds to die down, crew members began inflating the 30million cubic foot helium balloon intended to carry Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner to an altitude of more than 120,000 feet. But Baumgartner’s historic jump from 23 miles above the sur face of the Earth became impossible when gusty winds damaged the balloon around 11:30 a.m. The balloon is made of a lightweight polyethylene plastic, 1/10th the thickness of a Ziploc bag. Tuesday’s balloon cannot be reused, leaving Stratos with just one balloon left for its final launch. “Unfortunately that balloon is lost,” Art Thompson, Stratos technical director, said. “As it is, we have a backup balloon with
LATEST STAR IN CAMPAIGN PROXY WAR
NEW YORK (AP) — Big Bird is flying high in the 2012 presidential campaign. Barack President Obama’s campaign deployed the beloved “Sesame Street” icon in a new TV ad Tuesday mocking Mitt Romney for saying he would defund public broadcasting if elected. The foundation backing “Sesame Street” quickly disavowed the spot ... - PAGE A9
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Lockdown at schools after patient escape • Erratic behavior, running from police ... • That feeling like you’re being watched • Chalk one up for a good time! • Prep football: Dissecting Week 6
INSIDE SPORTS
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — In what sounded at times like a locker room pep talk, Jerry Sandusky rambled in his red prison suit about being the underdog in the fourth quarter, about forgiveness, about dogs and about the movie “Seabiscuit.” With his accusers seated behind him in the courtroom, he denied committing “disgusting acts” against children and instead painted himself as the victim. - PAGE B1
30–60 YEARS
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
There are no obituaries today, Oct. 10.
HIGH ...75˚ LOW ....55˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B3 FAIR RESULTS ........A8 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 POLITICS ...............A9 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10
INDEX
Mark Wilson Photos
Above:The capsule that was going to take Felix Baumgartner to 120,000 feet for Tuesday’s freefall jump is removed from the launch site after high winds cancelled the launch. Right: Art Thompson, Red Bull Stratos technical project director, speaks to the media, following Tuesday’s cancellation of Felix Baumgartner’s freefall jump.
Gardner accused of grabbing lobbyist ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A lobbyist for Albuquerque Public Schools has accused a top aide to Gov. Susana Martinez of grabbing her arm and yelling at her in a threatening way during a recess of a legislative committee hearing in the Capitol. Lobbyist Carrie Menapace alleged in a letter to the governor that Chief of Staff Keith Gardner walked up behind her in a hall and grabbed her arm to turn her around, the Albuquerque Journal reported. He then continued to painfully hold her ar m while yelling a war ning about opposing Martinez’s education bills, Menapace said. Menapace said the encounter took place during a recess of a Feb. 12 committee hearing on a bill to retain third-graders who
can’t read proficiently. That bill has been championed by Martinez and opposed by Albuquerque Public Schools. Gardner said he never grabbed Menapace’s arm or treated her aggressively and points to surveillance video as proof. The footage is grainy and continually pans back and forth. It shows a series of still pictures, not a continuous video. It appears to show Gardner approaching Menapace and shows that at one time he has his ar m outstretched toward her. As soon as Menapace reported the encounter, two police officers watched the footage and concluded it neither proves nor disproves the incident hapSee GARDNER, Page A3
See JUMP, Page A3
Candidates concentrate on Ohio COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — It’s still all about Ohio. After a strong debate performance, Republican challenger Mitt Romney is intensifying his efforts in the state that’s critical to his White House hopes, while President Barack Obama works to hang on to the polling edge he’s had here for weeks. Both candidates campaigned hard in the state Tuesday, the last day of voter registration ahead of Election Day, now just four weeks away. With a hefty 18 electoral votes, Ohio is such a key state for Romney that one top adviser has dubbed it “the ball game” as the Republican looks to string together enough state victories to amass the 270 Electoral College votes needed to take the White House. No Republican has won the presi-
5 women assault protester outside store JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The protest taking place outside Municipal Court has stirred up controversy in unexpected ways. Jo McInerny of the Animal Welfare Alliance said her fellow protester was assaulted outside of Albertsons by women who told her to “mind her own business.” Fellow protester Kylie Walker said five women approached her as she was leaving the store. At first she thought she had bumped into one of them and was getting ready to apologize until they said the dog was none of her concern. “It was only then that I knew what they were talking about,” she
said. One of the checkers came to her rescue. Walker contends that animal cruelty is her concern. “When a dog is 40 pounds underweight, of course, it’s my concern.” McInerny agrees. “If it hadn’t been for the employees, it probably would have come to blows. They gave her a nice little shove. It makes you wonder what kind of world we are living in when people blame those who are trying to help. ... These people have no respect for life at all.” According to Animal Services, Judge Larry Loy has ordered additional welfare checks on the boxer that sparked the protest. “Welfare checks in a case like this are
standard,” said Animal Services supervisor Joseph Pacheco. McInerny said she was pleased to hear about additional checks. “He (Loy) needs to order having the boxer neutered. The fact that the woman didn’t want the puppy, but picked up the boxer suggests that she plans on using her for breeding. She (the woman) just wants to make money from her (the dog).” McIner ny remains involved in many of the cruelty cases. She found a temporary foster home for the Chihuahua who suffered burns so severe that he had to have his ears amputated. See PAWS, Page A3
AP Photo
President Barack Obama hugs a supporter at Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, as he arrives for a campaign stop at The Ohio State University Tuesday.
dency without this Midwester n state, and if Romney were to lose here, he would have to carry every other battleground state except tiny New
Hampshire. Romney has far fewer state-by-state paths to the White House than See OHIO, Page A3
Jazz Fest begins Thursday CHAUNTE’L POWELL RECORD STAFF WRITER
This year’s Roswell Jazz Festival features an extra day of music for the town to enjoy. The festival will begin this Thursday with “Jazz on the Cool Side”at Pecos Flavors Winery from 7-9 p.m. Michael Francis, artistic director, said the decision to add the extra day at Pecos Flavors to the schedule was a no-brainer. “Pecos Flavors Winery is one of our best venues,” he said. “It sells out every year, so what we decided to do was add another night at Pecos flavors. And to my knowledge, we’re sold out on Thursday night and real close to being sold out on Friday as well. In addition to Francis on piano, the ensemble will feature vibraphone player
Chuck Redd of Baltimore, Holly Hofmann, San Diego, on flute, Richard Simon, Los Angeles, on bass, Ricky Malachi, of El Paso, manning the drums, and last but certainly not least, the guest of honor Eddie Erickson, on guitar. Francis said Erickson is one of the returning artists and one of the most internationally acclaimed musicians to play at the festival. The show will be what Francis describes as more “exploratory jazz.” He feels the band will introduce the city to a different type of jazz, though still very enjoyable. “There’s a couple reasons why I put this set together,” he said. “The festival is kind of traditionally oriented; there’s not anything See JAZZ, Page A3