Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 290 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
POPE JOINS TWEETING MASSES VATICAN CITY (AP) — Benedict XVI, the pope known for his hefty volumes of theology and lengthy encyclicals, is now trying brevity — spreading the faith through his own Twitter account. - PAGE A5
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
December 4, 2012
UN pulls from Syria, violence near capital BEIRUT (AP) — Fighting between rebels and government forces raged near the Syrian capital Damascus on forcing an Monday, inbound commercial jet to turn back while the U.N. said it was withdrawing staff because of deteriorating security conditions. Lebanese security officials said Jihad Makdissi, a polished Foreign Ministry spokesman known for defending the regime of President Bashar Assad in fluent English, flew from Beirut to London. But it was not immediately clear whether he had defected.
The fighting over the past few weeks in and around Damascus has been the most serious in the capital
TUESDAY
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since July, when rebels captured several neighborhoods before a swift government counteroffensive swept them out. The spike in violence recently is concentrated in the ring of mostly poor suburbs around Damascus but often bleeds into the capital itself as rebels bring their fight closer to Assad’s seat of power. Assad’s forces have so far repelled major rebel advances on the capital, though their hold may be slipping. “The security situation has become extremely difficult, including in Damascus,” said Radhouane Nouicer, the U.N.’s regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria.
AP Photo
In this citizen journalism image provided by the Homs City Union of The Syrian Revolution, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrian citizens walk in a destroyed street that was attacked by Syrian forces warplanes in Homs province, Syria, Thursday.
Nouicer said the U.N. was withdrawing most of its international staff from Syria due to security
NMMI cadets in their own Olympics
issues, adding that up to one quarter of the 100 international staff working for several U.N. agencies
TOP 5 For The Last 24 Hours
• Murder scene • FBI meets with agencies on Chaves ... • Hispano Chamber billboard welcomes visitors • GHS cruises into 4A title game • Hagerman edges NMMI 63-62
Three positions are open in the school board election, Districts 1, 3 and 5. Two are available in the college board, Districts 2 and 3.
INSIDE SPORTS
Residents can only file for one board position. To qualify, they need to have been a registered voter and resident in the district of the position for which they attempt to file as of Nov. 27.
Mark Wilson Photo
New Mexico Military Institute cadets navigate the obstacle course portion of the Bronco Olympics, Saturday morning.
NEW YORK (AP) — Johnny Manziel and Manti Te’o are in position to make Heisman Trophy history. Manziel, the redshirt freshman quarterback from Texas A&M, and Te’o, Notre Dame’s star ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Robert Eugene Brown • Arthur Contreras Jr. • Victoria Evans • Elaine Houston • Linda Joy Pechstedt • Raquel Rede - PAGE A7
HIGH ...64˚ LOW ....33˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A7 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
Deadline for school board candidacy approaching
See SYRIA, Page A3
Those looking to run in the upcoming Roswell School and Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell community college board elections must file their candidacy Dec. 18 between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the County Clerk’s office, #1 St. Mary’s Place.
WEB
THE HEISMAN FINALISTS ARE ...
could leave by week’s end. There are about 900 more local staff working for the U.N. in Syria, officials said. U.N. teams are also stopping most staff trips outside Damascus. In another sign of deteriorating security, an Egyptian commercial jet aborted a trip to Damascus in midflight because of violence near the airport. The EgyptAir flight from Cairo rerouted about 30 minutes after takeoff because Egyptian officials received word from their counterparts in Damascus that the area near the airport was not safe, Egyptian airport officials said.
New Mexico expects $283M in revenue for next year
SANTA FE (AP) — The Legislature and Gov. Susana Martinez will have slightly more than $280 million to cover budget increases and tax cuts next year under a new revenue forecast outlined Monday to lawmakers. The revenue estimates will serve as the backdrop for financial decision-making for lawmakers when they convene next month for a 60-day legislative session. The state should collect about $5.9 billion in tax revenue in the fiscal year that starts next July, according to projections by administration and legislative economists. That provides a pool of so-called new money of about $283 million, which is enough for about a 5 percent increase in spending next year. That amount represents the difference between current spending and next year’s revenues, and is traditionally considered the money available for budget increases or to offset tax cuts. However, legislative and administration officials say about $72 million of that money will be needed to cover previous commitments to boost state contributions to public employee pensions and to help pay for Medicaid, See REVENUE, Page A3
Unexpected visitor
INDEX
Jessica Palmer Photo
The RDR circulation department had an unusual visitor, Monday, when this English trumpeter flew in the back door. The English trumpeter is a favorite bird among pigeon fanciers in the U.S. The breed is distinguished by the “muff” of feathers on neck and feet. This bird is probably someone’s pet. Attempts to take it outside failed. The pigeon was last seen around 6 p.m. sitting on a stack of newspapers, perhaps catching up on the news.
There is no cost to file and residents should have their driver’s licenses available.
Dec. 18 is the only day to file. The election will be held Feb. 5.
Thomas Martinez, 28, arrested following a recent homicide that left local dead
steps of the front porch, with the head on the porch and feet on the sidewalk.”
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Roswell Police Department secured an arrest warrant for Thomas Martinez, 28, on charges of second-degree murder for the slaying of Arthur Contreras, 22. The homicide occurred Wednesday around 10 p.m. Sgt. Ray Sharp first notified dispatch about shots fired in the area around Bland Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The RPD then received additional calls about shots fired. Police responded. In the affidavit of criminal
Thomas Martinez
complaint, lead investigator Detective Robert Scribner’s description of the scene in the 200 block of Bland is stark: there was “a body lying across the
The passenger window and rear cargo door on a white SUV parked in the driveway were shattered. A bullet hole penetrated the speedometer. Impact marks were found at the victim’s home on east Bland while five bullets had penetrated a neighboring house. Officials found 24 spent shell casings in the area. Some located on Pennsylvania Avenue north of Bland
See ARREST, Page A3
GOP issues a new ‘fiscal cliff’ offer to Obama
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans put forth a $2.2 trillion “fiscal cliff” counteroffer to President Barack Obama on Monday, calling for raising the eligibility age for Medicare, lowering cost-of-living hikes for Social Security benefits and bringing in $800 billion in higher tax revenue — but not raising rates for the wealthy. The White House declared the Republicans still weren’t ready to “get serious” and again vowed tax rate increases will be in any measure Obama signs to prevent the government from the cliff’s automatic tax hikes and sharp spending cuts. With the clock ticking toward the year-end deadline, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other Republicans said they were proposing a “reasonable
solution” for negotiations that Boehner says have been going nowhere. Monday’s proposal came in response to Obama’s plan last week to raise taxes by $1.6 trillion over the coming decade but largely exempt Medicare and Social Security from budget cuts. Though the GOP plan proposes to raise $800 billion in higher tax revenue over the same 10 years, it would keep the Bush-era tax cuts — including those for wealthier earners targeted by Obama — in place for now. Dismissing the idea of raising any tax rates, the Republicans said the new revenue would come from closing loopholes and deductions while lowering rates. Boehner called that a “credible plan” and said he hoped the administration
would “respond in a timely and responsible way.” The offer came after the administration urged Republicans to detail their proposal to cut popular benefit programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. The White House complained the latest offer was still short on details about what loopholes would be closed or deductions eliminated, and it insisted that any compromise include higher tax rates for upperincome earners.
Asked directly whether the country would go over the cliff unless GOP lawmakers backed down, administration officials said yes. Officials said they remained hopeful that scenario could be avoidSee OFFER, Page A3