Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 286 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
November 29, 2012
Workers may pay more into retirement
SANTA FE (AP) — State and local government workers and educators could see their take-home pay shrink in the next several years under proposals to have them contribute more out of their salaries for retirement benefits. Taxpayers also would chip in tens of millions of dollars under proposals endorsed by a legislative committee on Wednesday to shore up the long-term
THURSDAY
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finances of two programs for public employees — a retirement system for educators and a separate program offering health insurance to retirees from state and local government jobs as well as public schools and universities. The measures will be forwarded to the Legislature to consider when it convenes in January for a 60day session. Lawmakers and the gover nor must
If nothing is done, the retiree health care program will run out of money in 2029.
approve the proposals before higher payroll contributions would take effect.
One proposal calls for nearly 62,000 educators to pay an extra $46 million over two years into their pension system, starting in
July 2013. That would mean a $520 increase over those two years for an educator ear ning $40,000 annually. The proposed pension fund increases — boosting the contribution rate by 1.3 percent from what’s paid currently —
WAL-MART, DISNEY USED FACTORY IN FIRE
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A hooded Mickey Mouse sweatshirt from Disney. Piles of children’s shorts with WalMart’s Faded Glory label. Clothes with hip-hop star Sean Combs’ ENYCE tag. The garment factory in Bangladesh where 112 ... - PAGE B4
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Hobbs shooting linked to area murders • Radiant Tree of Hope graces RMAC • Kiwanis hosts Civic Club Luncheon • Roswell has rash of accidents over ... • Alamo spoils Goddard’s debut
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Sanchez brings Mobile Office to Roswell Lt. Gov. John Sanchez meets with members of Roswell City Council during his Mobile Office Day tour, Wednesday.
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
Lt. Gov. John Sanchez met face-to-face with constituents and city coun-
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Ernie Sims and Brady Poppinga joined Dallas from the NFL scrap heap. They could end up playing important parts in trying to salvage a season. Both times the Cowboys lost the play-calling linebacker in the middle of their defense to a season-ending injury, they turned to a veteran to fill the roster spot. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S • • • •
OBITUARIES
June N. Brown James Cliett Mary Myers David M. Salas Sr. - PAGE A6
HIGH ...74˚ LOW ....37˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT.....B6 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 STATE ...................A6 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Under another measure, 133,000 public employees, including educators, would pay $30 million over three years for retiree health care while taxpayers pay $60 million more.
For a government worker or educator ear ning
Donnell to retire from EDC
See WORKERS, Page A3
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
TOP 5
SCRAP HEAP REFUGEES COULD BE VITAL
would not apply to educators ear ning $20,000 or less a year.
cilors Wednesday at City Hall to address their state government issues and concerns. Mark Van Dyke, Sanchez’s chief of staff, said that meeting with
residents has been a priority for Sanchez since he took office. “It’s good for us to get out of Santa Fe,” Van Dyke said. “It’s a big state and residents deserve to
P’master to Army: Shoo! ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
For the first time in several years, the bells of The Salvation Army have been silenced at post office locations around the city due to the postmaster’s enforcement of a longstanding rule. Capt. Beau Perez of The Salvation Ar my said, recently, Postmaster Karla Murphy asked one of the organization’s bell ringers to leave a post office, citing a postal regulation that says “soliciting alms and contributions ... or impeding access to or departure from Post Offices are prohibited on Postal Service property.” In response, Perez contacted the offices of Sen. Tom Udall, which consulted with officials
in Washington, D.C., and the offices of Sen. Jeff Bingaman. The offices found that the rule was not new, Perez said. However, until now, it has never been enforced in Roswell. “Community organizations have gathered at the post office and done solicitations for decades,” he said. “We've been ringing the bell for more than 40 years.” The post office has been a prime location that has brought the organization much of its donations throughout the years, Perez said. In the post office, located at 415 N. Pennsylvania Ave., a poster that features the rule is available on the community bulletin board. See POST, Page A2
See SANCHEZ, Page A3
See DONNELL, Page A3
Plant closure angers Portales peanut butter plant shuttered for two months amid a salmonella outbreak that sickened 41 people in 20 states.
AP Photo
POR TALES (AP) — Farmers in a revered peanut-growing region along the New MexicoTexas border should be celebrating one of the
Numbers drawn; wait for winners begins CHICAGO (AP) — The numbers have been drawn for the record Powerball jackpot and the wait for winners — if any — has begun. The numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and Powerball of 6. A lottery official said late Wednesday that the jackpot increased to $579.9 million by the time of the drawing, making the cash option $379.8 million. Americans went on a ticket-buying spree in recent days, the big money enticing many people who rarely, if ever, play the lottery to purchase a shot at the second-largest payout in U.S. history. T ickets were selling at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide — about six times the volume from a week ago. That meant the jackpot could climb
have accessibility, have an opportunity to let us know what’s on their mind.” The Roswell visit was the last stop of Sanchez’s
Bob Donnell will retire from Economic Development Corporation of Roswell-Chaves County after serving as its executive director since 2002. He will stay on as executive director until a replacement is named, which could be as late as March 2013. Donnell said the position will be posted Monday at several locations, including State of New Mexico Economic Development Department, State of New Mexico Economic Development Partnership and Texas Economic Development Council. Applications will be accepted through mid-January. “I’ve been here now for 10 years, and it’s been a wonderful 10 years,” Donnell said. “I just feel like it’s time in my career to maybe look for some other opportunity within the industry, but for now I’m just planning on spending time with
even higher before the Wednesday night drawing, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association.
best harvests in recent memory.
Instead, millions of pounds of their prized sweet Valencia peanuts sit in bar ns at a
Farmers are worried about getting paid for their peanuts, nearly a third of the plant’s 150 workers have been laid off, and residents wonder what toll an increasingly contentious showdown between the nation’s largest organic peanut butter plant and federal regulators could ultimately have on the
See PEANUTS, Page A3
Holiday Jubilee
The jackpot had already rolled over 16 consecutive times without a winner, but Powerball officials said earlier Wednesday they believed there was a 75 percent chance the winning combination will be drawn this time. If one ticket hits the right numbers, chances are good that multiple ones will, according to some experts. That happened in the Mega Millions drawing in March, when three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, which remains the largest lottery payout of all time.
Mark Wilson Photo
Ariana Armenta, right, and Azalea Martinez wrap Christmas presents at ENMU-R, Wednesday, during the school’s Holiday Jubilee, a fundraising event for student clubs and organizations, sponsored by Ambassadors for College Educational Success.