Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 248 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
October 16, 2013
www.rdrnews.com
WEDNESDAY
On the edge: House shutdown plan fails; now Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Time growing desperately short, Senate leaders took command of efforts to avert a Treasury default and end the partial gover nment shutdown Tuesday night after a last big ef fort by House Republicans abruptly collapsed. Aides to both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Republican leader, McConnell, Mitch expressed revived optimism about chances for a swift agreement. As hours ticked down toward a Treasury dead-
line, the likeliest compromise included renewed authority for the Treasury to borrow through early February and the government to reopen at least until mid-January.
While a day of secret meetings and frenzied maneuvering unfolded in all corners of the Capitol, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, DMd., stood on the Senate floor at midafternoon and declared, “We are 33 hours away from becoming a deadbeat nation, not paying its bills to its own people and other creditors.”
In New York, the stock market dropped and the Fitch rating agency warned that it was reviewing the government’s AAA credit rating for a possible downgrade, though no action was near. The firm, one of the three leading U.S. credit-ratings agencies, said “the political that brinkmanship and reduced financing flexibility could increase the risk of a U.S. default.” According to T reasury Secretary Jacob Lew, unless Congress acts by Thursday, the government
will lose its ability to borrow and will be required to meet its obligations relying only on cash on hand and incoming tax receipts.
By all accounts, however, an end seemed near for the impasse that has once again exposed a government so divided that it sometimes borders on dysfunction. Politically, neither party is faring well, but polls indicate Republicans are bearing the brunt of public unhappiness as survey after survey shows their approval ratings plunging.
Cute cubs
AP Photo
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., leaves the Capitol at the end of the night after a planned vote in the House of Representatives collapsed, Tuesday.
NMMI vs. Alumni judge: ‘It all boils down to money’ JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Mark Wilson Photo
Sierra and Ursula, 9-month-old black bear cub sisters, soak in the sunshine at the Spring River Zoo, Thursday morning. According to Spring River Zoo Director Elaine Mayfield the new cub residents were captured in the Ruidoso area by personnel from New Mexico Game and Fish and brought to the zoo as a replacement for longtime black bear resident, Otto, who passed away from heart failure this past August at the age of 20. The cubs and their mother had become a nuisance in the Ruidoso area, scavenging for food by raiding trash bins which necessitated their capture and relocation.
Court proceedings began Tuesday between the New Mexico Military Institute and its for mer Alumni Association, in a case that has pitted brother against brother in a bitter dispute over money and reputations. At the heart of the issue is whether the Alumni Association can legally keep using the Institute’s name and logos to continue raising money and hold onto $5 million it has collected in the school’s name. “It all boils down to the money, obviously,” said Eddy County District Court Judge Jane Shuler -Grey, during the proceedings as the Association was discussing the deteriorated relationship. Shuler -Grey scheduled
only one hour for a preliminary injunction hearing and a motion by the Alumni Association to dismiss NMMI’s legal counsel. But she delayed her other morning hearings to allow as much testimony as possible. By noon, the judge recessed the case until further evidence could be heard. Shuler -Grey said she would make a ruling on the request to dismiss NMMI’s attorneys by the end of this week. Another court date could be set by the end of the month. During Tuesday’s hearing, testimony reflected the sour divide that now exists between the Institute and its former fundraising and alumni support organization. Testimony by NMMI
Escamilla, Zamora Boys & Girls Club encourages model citizens to face more charges JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Chaves County Sheriff’s Office has added to the charges against Serena M. Escamilla, 28, and Jorge Umberto Zamora, 31. The two were recently arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and receiving stolen property, after deputies executed three search warrants at an apartment located in the 1300 block of East Alameda Street. During the successive searches, deputies located items from six separate burglaries within Roswell city limits. Officials also
found a quantity of drugs and a .22 caliber rifle. Since that time, the investigating officer, Deputy Albert Padilla, has connected some items to two additional burglaries. Deputies later recovered a Briggs and Stratton FX18000 generator, valued at $800, that Zamora had stored elsewhere. Lt. Britt Snyder said they went through old reports and discovered one that listed the generator as stolen. The victim, who lives in the Midway area, was able to identify the generator as his. Zamora also was charged with felon in possession of
See NMMI, Page A3
has offered programs aimed at just that since its 1965 inception. The after school program is now working to widen its breadth of offerings so as to better serve the 50 to 60 youth that spend their weekday afternoons at its 201 S. Grand Ave. location. If you visit the club on any weekday between 3 and 7 p.m., you’ll find youngsters age 5 to 17 working on homework with adult volunteer supervisors, getting drilled on academic skills like multiplication, playing sports or just enjoying the company of other young club members. Director of the Roswell Boys & Girls Club Jaynan
McKelcey, who oversees programs and staff, said the club is important because “these are our kids.” “You know, they’re our future,” she said. The goal of the program is for its members to grow into adults who are engaged in the community. According to McKelcey, evidence of the program’s success can be found just by looking at the five volunteers who aid the six staff members of the club. Some of those volunteers used to be members of the program themselves. The club is currently working to expand its offering of sports activities to include wrestling. It also hopes to re-open the
known as Nazih AbdulHamed al-Ruqai, became the latest alleged terrorist to face civilian prosecution in federal court in New York, the scene of several such convictions. The defendant, wearing a thick gray beard, looked frail and moved slowly as he was led into the heavily guarded courtroom in handcuffs. An attorney said he had come to court from a New York hospital, where he was treated for three days for hepatitis C and swollen limbs.
The 49-year -old Libyan was captured by American commandos during an Oct. 5 military raid in the North African country and questioned for a week aboard the USS San Antonio. He was indicted more than a decade ago in the twin 1998 bombings at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people, including a dozen Americans. If convicted, he could get life behind bars. Known as one of alQaida’s early computer
experts, he is accused of helping plan and conduct surveillance for the attacks. He is believed to have used an early-generation Apple computer to assemble surveillance photographs. The defendant kept his hands folded on his lap as the judge read the charges in a courtroom secured by about a dozen deputy U.S. marshals. The judge ordered him detained after a federal prosecutor called him a “clear danger.” Republicans stepped up their criticism of Obama for
• JESUS CHAVEZ • VANCIL RAY FOWLER • LORRAINE N. ACKROYD
• MARGARET STEVENS BRINEY
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This article is one in a series of stories focusing on local agencies that receive support from the United Way of Chaves County, which is currently conducting its annual fundraising campaign. TESS TOWNSEND RECORD STAFF WRITER
A sound body and a sound mind make sound citizens. United Way agency Roswell Boys & Girls Club
pool it previously managed on behalf of the city, which the organization closed three years ago due to maintenance needs that were beyond budget. In addition to after school programs and day programs during school holidays, the club runs a summer camp through the months of June and July. All of these amenities are offered at an affordable price. The typical cost for a child who is a member of the Boys & Girls Club for a year is around $400, said McKelcey. The cost still may be out of reach for some families, which is why the club offers scholarships. McKSee CLUB, Page A3
Alleged al-Qaida member pleads not guilty to terrorism charges
AP Photo
FBI file image shows alleged al-Qaida leader Abu Anas alLibi.
See CHARGES, Page A3
NEW YORK (AP) — An alleged al-Qaida member who was snatched off the streets in Libya and interrogated for a week aboard an American warship pleaded not guilty to bombing-related charges Tuesday in a case that has renewed the debate over how quickly terrorism suspects should be tur ned over to the U.S. courts. Despite calls from Republicans in Congress to send him to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite interrogation, Abu Anas al-Libi, also
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TODAY’S FORECAST
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his administration’s handling of the defendant, saying he should have been sent to the American prison at Guantanamo Bay for more interrogation instead of being taken to the U.S. and given access to civilian courts and the legal protections they provide.
“He was a treasure trove of information,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. “The most dangerous See TERRORISM, Page A3
HOROSCOPES .........B6
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8