Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
NTSB: Train going too fast before wreck
Vol. 122, No. 289 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) — A commuter train that derailed over the weekend, killing four passengers, was hurtling at 82 mph as it entered a 30 mph curve, a federal investigator said Monday. But whether the wreck was the result of human error or mechanical trouble was unclear, he said. Rail experts said the tragedy might have been prevented if Metro-North Railroad had installed automated crash-avoidance technology that safety authorities have been urging for decades. The locomotive’s speed was extracted from the train’s two data recorders after the Sunday morning accident, which happened in the Bronx along a bend so
December 3, 2013
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sharp that the speed limit drops from 70 mph to 30 mph. Asked why the train was going so fast, National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said: “That’s the question we need to answer.” Weener would not disclose what the engineer operating the train told investigators, and he said results of drug and alcohol tests weren’t yet available. Investigators are also examining the engineer’s cell phone, apparently to determine whether he was distracted. “When I heard about the speed, I gulped,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. Engineers may not use cell phones while on the train, according to the Met-
ropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs Metro-North. The engineer, William Rockefeller, was injured and “is totally traumatized by everything that has happened,” said Anthony Bottalico, executive director of the rail employees union. He said Rockefeller, 46, was cooperating fully with investigators. “He’s a sincere human being with an impeccable record that I know of. He’s diligent and competent,” Bottalico said. Rockefeller has been an engineer for about 11 years and a MetroNorth employee for about 20, he said. Outside Rockefeller’s See WRECK, Page A2
TUESDAY
Snyder becomes SO chief deputy AP Photo
Cranes salvage a car from from a train derailment in the Bronx section of New York, Monday.
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Jill McLaughlin Photo
Lincoln Fire burns 100 acres in Dexter Fire crews set up off East Darby Road in Dexter as the Lincoln Fire burns through marshlands on its way to the Pecos River Monday.
JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
A large grass fire bur ned through wet marshland off East Darby Road in Dexter Monday
for more than three hours after crews from six departments steered it away from homes. The cause of the Lincoln Fire was still unknown Monday night.
The wind-driven flames bur ned more than 100 acres of swampy grass and salt cedar as it blazed toward the Pecos River. “We were able to protect the homes,” said Assistant
Fire Chief Tim Fuller of Midway Volunteer Fire Department. The fire started at about 2:45 p.m. and was out by
See FIRE, Page A3
Chaves County Sheriff Rob Coon promoted Lt. Britt Snyder to the position of chief deputy. The appointment took effect on Sunday. Snyder replaces former Chief Deputy Pat Jennings who retired in November. “It’s an appointed position. He (Snyder) has got big shoes to fill with Pat, but I know he is up for the challenge,” said Coon. The promotion leaves an opening for the position of lieutenant. “We will be testing the two sergeants in the near future,” Coon said. Once one of the two fill the lieutenant’s slot, the CCSO will have two openings for sergeants following the retirement of Sgt. Barry Dixon at the end of August. Snyder has been a lieutenant for the past 15 years. He has worked for CCSO for 24 years. “He has been around longer than anybody else,” Coon said. Snyder told the Daily Record: “I am very excited about the promotion. ... I certainly know what needs to be done and I will work very hard to get it all done.” He praised the staff at the Sheriff’s Office, calling them the most important asset. “I will work closely with our supervisors in order to help make them the best they can be. Our work is difficult enough given its inherent dangers, so it is important to have a positive relationship with your administration.” Coon said that Snyder was the best man for the job. “He’s a good fit.” In his new post, Snyder said he plans to encourage, supervise, mentor and, above all, support staff in a positive manner. “I’ve learned that relationships are very important in order to develop a good staff.”
Chaves County Sheriff’s Office investigates homicide City to discuss funding vets cemetery tonight
The Chaves County Sheriff’s Office spent Monday investigating a homicide that occurred in the 1500 block of South Eisenhower Road. Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the residence around 9 a.m. after a caretaker found the victim dead in his home. Chief Deputy Britt Snyder described the victim as an elderly man. The man’s name is being withheld at this time. He said that from their examination of the scene officials believe the death to be a homicide, but were unable to say what was the cause of death. The body has been sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque for autopsy. This is the second homicide in the county this year. There have been eight murders inside the city limits, for a total of 10 in Chaves County as a whole.
JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Jessica Palmer Photo
The scene of a homicide being investigated by the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office.
End-of-the-year signups crucial test for health care site
AP Photo
HIGH 80 LOW 40
TODAY’S FORECAST
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s new and improved health care website faces yet another test in just a couple of weeks, its biggest yet. If HealthCare.gov becomes overwhelmed by an expected year-end crunch, many Americans will be left facing a break in their insurance coverage. Until now, the main damage from the website’s technology woes has been
to Obama’s poll ratings. But if it chokes again, it will be everyday people feeling the consequences. Some of those at risk are among the more than 4 million consumers whose individual policies have been canceled because the coverage didn’t comply with requirements of the new health care law. A smaller number, several hundred
• KENNETH SUTTON • NEIL JAY LARD • JAMES BALLARD
• VICTORIANO CONTRERAS • DELORES ANDERSON
City councilors will hold a special meeting today to discuss funding water and electrical work to get a veterans cemetery off the ground at South Park Cemetery. The meeting, to be held at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, is open to the public. Councilors will decide whether or not to pay for the initial maintenance costs on a small section of a donated site next to the cemetery. The city’s Finance Committee will meet at 8 a.m. Wednesday to vote on the proposal first. If approved, it will move forward to councilors tonight. Veterans Cemetery Board president Ron McKay said planning for the cemetery has gone well. The cemetery committee is also hoping to start getting information from residents about veterans who have died and need burials. In July, Gov. Susana Martinez announced that a newly created State Veterans Cemetery Initiative would identify four sites throughout the state to place new rural cemeteries. Roswell leaders hope the city is chosen as one of the locations. The local group has decided to move forward with its established plans, in hopes of later recouping costs through the federal program. “This is an excellent preliminary step towards that end, to have Chaves County for one of the veterans cemeteries chosen by the state,” said Mayor Del Jurney. As of 5 p.m. Monday, city staff did not have available any details of the special City Council meeting, other than a public notice that read: “Veterans See CEMETERY, Page A3
See SITE, Page A3
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 GENERAL ...............A2
INDEX HOROSCOPES .........A8
OPINION .................A4
NATION ..................A6
WEATHER ..............A8
LOTTERIES .............A2
SPORTS .................B1