Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 281 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
November 23, 2012
Turkey and all the fixin’s at CVP dinner
FRIDAY
www.rdrnews.com
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
SHOPPERS START EARLY
NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s shoppers on Thursday put down the turkey to take advantage of Thanksgiving deals. Stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving that’s named Black Friday because that’s when stores traditionally turn a profit for the year. But Black Friday openings have crept ... - PAGE A2
Mark Wilson Photos
Above: Turkey and all the fixings are served during the
Community Volunteer Program’s Free Thanksgiving Din-
TOP 5
ner on Thanksgiving Day at Veterans Memorial Hall
WEB
American Legion Post #28.
For The Past 24 Hours
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INSIDE SPORTS
RGIII SHOW IN ARLINGTON
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Welcome back to Texas, RG3. Robert Griffin III threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns, helping the Washington Redskins beat the Dallas Cowboys 38-31 on Thursday. The Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor made the Cowboys look like an ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Juan G. Flores • Tommye Lou Allen - PAGE A6
HIGH ...56˚ LOW ....30˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B4 COMICS.................B3 ENTERTAINMENT.....B8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Left: Barbara Burns prays during the Community Volun-
teer Program’s Free Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day at Veterans Memorial Hall American Legion Post #28.
Johnny Gonzales and his wife Mary greeted all comers to the annual Thanksgiving celebration at Veterans Memorial Hall. The doors opened at 10:30 a.m., turning the dinner into something of a brunch. Mary spoke at length about the power of God. More than 75 volunteers worked for more than four days cooking the 75 turkeys. One volunteer was so devoted that she was prepared to serve despite an injured foot. Johnny personally escorted the disabled to the head of the line so they would not have to wait too long for services. Tables and trays were laden with turkey and all the fixings, while pies — everything from pecan to pumpkins — covered two more tables, and the food was still coming in at 11 p.m. The free meal was open to all, and according to Mary, the event has been an established tradition for more than 30 years. Special provision had been made to deliver plates to the elderly and to shut-ins who could not attend. The members of the Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army joined in the prayers. The Job Corps Color Guard presented the colors for the Pledge of Allegiance. Adam, Joe and Gene Soliz provided musical accompaniment to the meal. He said he was going to sign CDs tomorrow around 2 p.m. at Inspirations Unlimited.
Residents enjoy get-togethers, rest up for Black Friday j.palmer@rdrnews.com
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The streets of Roswell were virtually empty as the day began. Those with last-minute purchases at Walmart were few and far between, resting up for Black Friday. Even the homeless camps were deserted. Most people across the city were busy with preparations, for various events and family get togethers. The Roswell Fire Department, with 33 firefighters and 10 EMTs working the holiday, had begun to cook the dinner that they would share with family members in Fire Station 1. Fire Station 3 cooked the brisket while Station 1 was in charge of the turkey. With 70 pounds of potatoes, they were prepared to feed an army.
Meanwhile, of ficers of the Roswell Police Department, who had held their celebrations earlier in the week, were brown bagging it. At 10:30 a.m., Veterans Memorial Hall opened their doors to all comers. Elsewhere Valeria and Raymundo Sanchez of the Sales Barn Café, 900 N. Garden Ave., hurried to complete their buffet, which is free to anyone who enters their doors. Valeria began the tradition when she and her husband opened the café four years ago. It is their way of giving thanks for realizing a dream. “I will keep up the tradition as long as we have the café,” Valeria said. Their feed included some four separate salads, a full complement of pies, ham, turkey and dressing. The family will take any leftovers from the feast to the vari-
ous camps around the city to share their largess and their Thanksgiving. At noon, the Community Kitchen, 115 E. Deming St., which serves the indigent so many days a year, was closed. Those people who arrived to eat were confused. A simple sign directed them to the Memorial Hall, 1620 N. Montana Ave., and with Pecos Trails Transit closed for the holiday, those without transport were left with a three-mile trek on foot to attend the festivities. By 2 p.m., traffic was picking up and shops were filling up while many families had made their way to Spring River Park & Zoo to partake in a not-so-traditional Thanksgiving picnic, giving thanks perhaps for the mild 76-degree weather.
Jessica Palmer Photo
Fire Station 3 was responsible for the brisket, which was taken to the main Fire Station 1 for their 3 p.m. meal.
Hamas cries victory; truce holds Egypt’s Morsi gives
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas leaders and thousands of flag-waving supporters declared victory over Israel on Gaza’s first day of calm under an Egyptian-brokered truce Thursday, as Israeli officials flew to Cairo for talks on easing a blockade on the battered Palestinian territory. Eight days of punishing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and a barrage of Hamas rocket fire on Israel ended inconclusively. While Israel said it inflicted heavy damage on the militants, Gaza’s
Hamas rulers claimed that Israel’s decision not to send in ground troops, as it had four years ago, was a sign of a new deterrent power. “Resistance fighters changed the rules of the game with the occupation (Israel), upset its calculations,” Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, who attended the rally, said later in a televised speech. “The option of invading Gaza after this victory is gone and will never return.” At the same time, Haniyeh urged Gaza fighters to
respect the truce and to “guard this deal as long as Israel respects it.” The mood in Israel was mixed. Some were grateful that quiet had been restored without a ground operation that could have cost the lives of more soldiers. Others — particularly those in southern Israel hit by rockets over the past 13 years — thought the operation was abandoned too quickly. Thousands of Israeli sol-
himself new powers
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s Islamist president unilaterally decreed greater authorities for himself Thursday and effectively neutralized a judicial system that had emerged as a key opponent by declaring that the courts are barred from challenging his decisions. Riding high on U.S. and international praise for mediating a Gaza cease-fire, Mohammed Morsi put himself above oversight and gave protection to the Islamist-led assembly writing a new constitution from a looming threat of dissolution by court order. But the move is likely to fuel growing public anger See MORSI, Page A3
Thanksgiving parade brings cheer to storm-hit NYC See HAMAS, Page A3
NEW YORK (AP) — Victims of Superstorm Sandy in New York and elsewhere in the Northeast were comforted Thursday by kinder weather, free holiday meals and — for some — front row seats to the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “It means a lot,” said Karen Panetta, of the hard-hit Broad Channel section of Queens, as she sat in a special viewing section set aside for New Yorkers displaced by the storm. “We’re thankful to be here and actually be a family and to feel like life’s a little normal today,” she said. The popular Macy’s parade, attended by more than 3 million AP Photo people and watched by 50 million The Spongebob Squarepants balloon makes its way across New York’s Central on TV, included such giant balPark South during the 86th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday. loons as Elf on a Shelf and Papa
Smurf, a new version of Hello Kitty, Buzz Lightyear, Sailor Mickey Mouse and the Pillsbury Doughboy. Real-life stars included singer Carly Rae Jepsen and Rachel Crow of “The X Factor.”
The young, and the young at heart, were delighted by the sight and sound of marching bands, performers and, of course, the giant balloons. The sunny weather quickly surpassed 50 degrees.
Alan Batt and his 11-year -old twins, Kyto and Elina, took in the parade at the end of the route, well away from the crowd and seemingly too far away for a good view. But they had an advantage: Two tall stepladders they hauled over from their apartment eight blocks away See PARADE, Page A3