Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 252 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
October 20, 2013
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SUNDAY
Officials: 476,000 Obamacare applications filed
WASHINGTON (AP) — Administration officials say about 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed through federal and state exchanges, the most detailed measure yet of the problem-plagued rollout of President Barack Obama’s signature legislation. However, the of ficials continue to refuse to say how many people have actually enrolled in the insurance markets. Without enrollment figures, it’s unclear whether the pro-
gram is on track to reach the 7 million people projecting by the Congressional Budget Of fice to gain coverage during the sixmonth sign-up period. Obama’s advisers say the president has been frustrated by the flawed rollout. During one of his daily health care briefings last week, he told advisers assembled in the Oval Office that the administration had to own up to the fact that there were no excuses for not having the website ready to operate as
promised. The president is expected to address the problems on Monday during a health care event at the White House. Cabinet members and other top administration officials will also be traveling around the country in the coming weeks to encourage sign-ups in areas with the highest population of uninsured people. The first three weeks of sign-ups have been marred by a cascade of computer problems, which the
administration says it is working around the clock to correct. The rough rollout has been a glaring embarrassment for Obama, who invested significant time and political capital in getting the law passed during his first term. The officials said technology experts from inside and outside the government are set to work on the glitches, though they did not say how many workers were being added. Officials did say staffing has been increased at call
Change of Flame
Mark Wilson Photo
New Mexico Military Institute cadets perform the Change of Flame Guard ceremony in Bronco Plaza during Homecoming and Alumni Weekend, Saturday morning.
centers by about 50 percent. As problems persist on the federally run website, the administration is encouraging more people to sign up for insurance over the phone. The officials did not want to be cited by name and would not discuss the health insurance rollout unless they were granted anonymity. Despite the widespread problems, the Obama administration has yet to fully explain what went wrong with the online sys-
tem consumers were supposed to use to sign up for coverage.
Initially, administration officials blamed a high volume of interest for the frozen screens that many people encountered. Since then, the administration has also acknowledged unspecified problems with software and some elements of the system’s design. Interest in the insurance
AG releases part of mental health audit
SANTA FE (AP) — State Attorney General Gary King has released part of an audit that led to a shakeup in New Mexico’s mental health system, but most of the details are redacted. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the report confirms a criminal investigation into Medicaid billing fraud is ongoing. But virtually all specific information about the 15 New Mexico providers audited in search of possible financial fraud is blacked out. In a state court filing, King said releasing the rest of the information could jeopardize the investigation. He asked for a judge to review the complete audit privately and then determine if releasing additional sections or pages is appropriate. “The withheld portions of the audit are precisely that — evidence in connection
See OBAMACARE, Page A3
with the criminal investigation that the AG received from an outside source,” King said. “The substance of the document contains confidential sources, methods, information and evidence received or compiled in connection with a criminal investigation. To require public disclosure of that infor mation would fatally undermine the lawenforcement exception, as it would unduly interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation.” The audit was released Friday in response to a lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. Of ficials with the New Mexican said the newspaper received a copy in response to a request under the state Inspection
Pa., NJ spotlight Buddy Walk sees more community support gay marriage efforts HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania and New Jersey are on tracks that could lead to the Northeast being the first full region in the country to legalize gay marriage — but the routes are hardly parallel and the horsepower anything but equal.
A flurry of recent court decisions has gay couples in New Jersey, where samesex marriage has long been debated, hurrying to make wedding plans for when they can legally marry starting Monday — even as a moderate Republican governor with apparent presidential aspirations awaits a decision on his appeal. Across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania,
advocates are pecking away at a 1996 gay marriage ban by introducing bills in the Legislature, defiantly issuing marriage licenses in localities and taking the issue to court — with few people conceding the tactics will work anytime soon in a big state with a socially conservative spine. “I don’t think it is going to happen next year. ... It’s going to take leadership from the top,” said state Rep. Mike Fleck, an openly gay Republican who represents a rural, conservative district in Huntingdon County, nestled in the Allegheny Mountains. The different approaches See MARRIAGE, Page A3
AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
“10... 9… 8…” The countdown started. “… 3… 2… 1…” And they were off. More than 650 people began their walk around Spring River Park and Zoo Saturday morning. It was cold. Breaths floated on the air and people shivered under their layers. But in the excitement, coats got thinner and various team shirts produced a rainbow of color as those teams stuck together in the annual Buddy Walk, a walk to raise awareness and acceptance of those with Down syndrome. This year’s tur nout topped all past years, and people from all over came out for the event. A special walker and
guest speaker from Friday night’s dinner, Rachel Mast, 14, came all the way from Kansas with her mom, Jawanda Mast, for the Buddy Walk. She is one of the self advocates asked in for the event every year and she pretty much tells people who she is and what she wants to be, Jawanda said. Mast’s specific presentation is entitled “I Love My Life,” and the way she smiles at everyone, cheers on her friends as they make their way down a park slide and enthusiastically tackles everything around her, it’s clear that she does in fact love her life. Her favorite part, besides spending time with mom, is making new friends, Mast said. And
See AUDIT, Page A3
Amy Vogelsang Photo
Walkers on the team “Mikayla’s Marvels” pass by a sign saying: “When we grow up, we want to be...” one of the themes of the annual Buddy Walk Saturday at Spring River Park and Zoo.
that clearly hasn’t been hard for her to do. The Buddy Walk was originally started at a national level almost 20
years ago to promote inclusion and acceptance of people with Down synSee WALK, Page A3
VCA Harvest Festival a bounty of new activities and old favorites TESS TOWNSEND RECORD STAFF WRITER
Mark Wilson Photo
Superheroes and princesses rule the day during Valley Christian Academy’s Free Benefit Concert & Harvest Festival, Saturday.
HIGH 80 LOW 43
TODAY’S FORECAST
Valley Christian Academy held its third annual Free Benefit Concert and Harvest Festival on Saturday afternoon. Members of the VCA Board of Directors said during the event that they thought they were on track to match the fundraising amounts of previous years. This was the first time for the festival to be held at the school’s new 1500 S. Main St. location. The fundraiser raked in about $17,000 last year • CORNELIUS FREDERICK (FRED) HECHT • CLINTON EUGENE DUPREE JR.
and $20,000 the year before, according to VCA Board Member Melinda Robson. She said that in past years, funds raised have gone exclusively toward student scholarships, but that this year funds also may be allocated to maintenance and remodeling in the school’s new building, which formerly housed a church. Robson estimated that about 300 community members, including some not associated with VCA, attended the festival throughout the day. At 5 • MARIA Z. JARAMILLO • ANTONIA LOPEZ • LORRAINE NYALE ACKROYD
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A7
p.m., she predicted that more people would come once Church on the Move’s Praise Team, a Christian rock group that leads the local congregation in worship, started to play. While the goal of the event is to raise money for the school, City Councilor Jason Perry, who is president of the school’s board, said the event is about more than cash. “It’s also just a means for the community to be able to do something with their kids that maybe they wouldn’t be able to do othCLASSIFIEDS ..........D1 COMICS .................C5 ENTERTAINMENT .....B8 FEATURE ................C3
erwise,” he said. The event boasted a mix of new events and oldies but goodies. New events included an electric bull, a children’s bouncing pen and a pumpkin sale. As in past years, children and families enjoyed a costume contest, carnival games, silent auction and gourmet dessert auction. The electric bull was especially popular with kids. Garret Moore, 9, a fourth-grader at VCA, said
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........B8 LOTTERIES .............A2 OPINION .................A4
See VCA, Page A3
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8 VISTAS...................C1