Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
’Twas a magical Holly-Day for all
Vol. 121, No. 277 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
November 18, 2012
SUNDAY
www.rdrnews.com
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
‘MIRACLE PLANT’ OR NEXT KUDZU?
OXFORD, N.C. (AP) — It’s fast-growing and drought-tolerant, producing tons of biomass per acre. It thrives even in poor soil and is a self-propagating perennial, so it requires little investment once established. To people in the renewable fuels industry, Arundo donax — also known as “giant reed” — is nothing short of a ... - PAGE B6
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Ernie and Rita Montoya open their ... • ILEA Roswell graduates 30-plus ... • Scam: ‘Asphalt gypsies’ • RHS falls to Deming 36-0 • Communities rise up ...
INSIDE SPORTS
DEXTER STAYS ALIVE
DEXTER — Practicing on Thanksgiving is a rite of passage to high school football players in the state of New Mexico. Earning the right to practice on Thanksgiving means you’re still alive in the quest for a blue trophy. No player currently on the Dexter Demons has ever experienced a ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Stanley J. Utterback • Arthur L. LeMay • Brian Wright Barnhill - PAGE B6
HIGH ...72˚ LOW ....41˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........D1 COMICS.................C3 ENTERTAINMENT.....B8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Artists and crafters presented one-of-a-kind works Friday and Saturday during the annual Holly-Day Magic expo at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center. For 32 years, the event has served as a showcase for artisans and crafters to present their ideas and wares, said Joyce Tucker, who organized the event this year, along with Debora Lucas, Nancy Forrest and Trina Padilla. “It is a wonder ful shopping opportunity for unique, handmade works that also benefit community,” Tucker said. Proceeds from the event’s ticket sales, booth fees and prize drawings will benefit organizations such as Police Athletic League, Assurance Home and First Tee of the Pecos Valley, as well as the city’s high school students. In the past, the event has raised as much as $9,000. The event featured more than 80 booths, each with handmade
Mark Wilson Photo
Jacy Smith checks out the Anderson Nursery collection of sand animals during the Holly-Day Magic expo at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center, Friday.
Israel bombards Gaza Strip, shoots down rocket See HOLLY, Page A3
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel destroyed the headquarters of Hamas’ prime minister and blasted a sprawling network of smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, broadening a blistering four-day-old offensive against the Islamic militant group even as diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire appeared to be gaining steam. In neighboring Egypt, President Mohammed Morsi hosted leaders from Hamas and two key allies, Qatar and Turkey, to seek a way to end the fighting. “There are discussions about the ways to bring a cease-fire soon, but there are no guarantees until now,” Morsi said at a news conference. AP Photo He said he was working with Turkey, Arab countries, the U.S., An Iron Dome missile is launched in Tel Aviv, to intercept a rocket fired from Russia and western European Gaza, Saturday.
President to visit Asia
BANGKOK (AP) — For President Barack Obama, expanding U.S. influence in Asia is more than just countering China or opening up new markets to American businesses. It’s also about building his legacy. Fresh off re-election, Obama will make a significant investment in that effort during a quick run through Southeast Asia that begins today. In addition to stops in Thailand and Cambodia, the president will make a historic visit to Myanmar, where his administration has led efforts to ease the once pariah nation out of international isolation. The trip marks Obama’s fourth visit to Asia in as many years. He kicks off his schedule in Bangkok. With a second term now guaranteed, aides say Obama will be a regular visitor to the region over the next four years as well. “Continuing to fill in our pivot to Asia will be a critical part of the president’s second term and ultimately his foreign policy legacy,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser. The president’s motivations in Asia are both personal and strategic. Obama, who was born in Hawaii and lived in Indonesia as a child, has called himself America’s first “Pacific president.” The region gives him an opportunity to open up new markets for U.S. companies, promote democracy and ease fears of China’s rise by boosting U.S. military presence in the area. See ASIA, Page A3
countries to halt the fighting. Israel launched the operation on Wednesday in what it said was an effort to end months of rocket fire out of the Hamas-ruled territory. It began the offensive with an unexpected airstrike that killed Hamas’ powerful military chief, and since then has relentlessly targeted suspected rocket launchers and storage sites. In all, 46 Palestinians, including 15 civilians, have been killed and more than 400 civilians wounded, according to medical officials. Three Israeli civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded. Israeli military officials expressed satisfaction with their progress Saturday, claiming they have inflicted heavy damage to Hamas.
Santa better hurry
See GAZA, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Emma the CASA dog sniffs a decorative Santa Claus descending stairs on a Christmas tree during the Winter Wonderland Auction benefiting the Chaves County CASA Program, Friday evening, at First American Bank.
‘Super blitz’ campaign takes on drunk driving VANESSA KAHIN VISTAS EDITOR
Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of a tragic alcohol-related accident so horrific it made several first responders question their choice of vocation. On the night of Nov. 24, 1987, Maria D. Ramirez, 21, had just finished her shift at the Wendy’s restaurant. A Roswell newcomer, she had just moved from Cotton City to work and attend beauty school. “She had come ... to have a better life, to help her parents,” said KC Rogers, a retired state police officer. Ramirez was his sister-in-
law. Ramirez never made it home that night. While driving, the passenger side of her car was hit by a drunk driver who was later determined to be going no less than 85 mph. The accident caused Ramirez to be ejected from her car. Her vehicle also flew. Both crashed against the wall of a building. Afterward, Rogers said, paramedics approached him and said it had been one of the worst accidents they had responded to. “It made them question if that was the line of work they wanted to be in,” Rogers said. Now involved with the Alternative Sen-
tencing Programs and Educational Networks of New Mexico, Rogers shares the story of Ramirez’s death with his students with the hope of deterring them from drunk driving. Ramirez’s family keeps her memory alive and works toward preventing drunk driving with a billboard that depicts photos of Ramirez when she was in high school. The billboard went up at the intersection of McGaf fey and Main streets, above Subway, in the beginning of November — the month Ramirez died. “(It’s) just to remind people to not drink and drive,” Rogers said. “We really think it’s important for peo-
ple to understand the kind of pain (caused by drunk driving). It doesn’t go away.
“We wouldn’t want anyone to go through the pain we’re going through, yet people do all the time,” he said.
Ramirez died just four days before Thanksgiving. To take precaution against the increased number of alcohol-related crashes during the holidays, the state of New Mexico is participating in a “super blitz,” a campaign that involves the placement of an increased number of police patrol cars in strategic See BLITZ, Page A3
United Way
622-4150 of Chaves County
Collected
$306,102 Goal
$500,000
61.2% Of Goal Collected