Roswell Daily Record
Candles, prayers for healing
Vol. 121, No. 305 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
ONLINE SHOPPERS MAY FACE DELAYS
NEW YORK (AP) — Will Santa’s sleigh be late? A record number of Americans took to the Web to order holiday gifts after retailers flooded their inboxes with offers of extra discounts, free shipping and easy returns. - PAGE B4
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
In memory of all those lost to violence, concerned citizens of Roswell stood together Thursday night for a candlelight vigil on the front lawn of the Chaves County Courthouse. The community prayed for people affected by the school shooting in Connecticut, for peace in Jerusalem, for American soldiers overseas and for the families affected by recent home invasions. “I believe that it’s very important that the community gets an opportunity to discuss and to pray about the shooting in Connecticut,” said Capt. Beau Perez of The Salvation Army, who led the prayer. “That has deeply disturbed many people in town, and for us to have an opportunity as a community to pray together
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
December 21, 2012
FRIDAY
www.rdrnews.com
I think is a very healing thing. “When people are hurt and dismayed and deeply troubled by an event like this, people need an opportunity to speak about it in a safe place amongst other people who have been touched by it and can understand that. And hopefully, (we can) start bringing some closure to this.” Resident Melissa Duran was just one of several people who came up with the idea to hold a candlelight vigil in Roswell. “We all found each other on Facebook,” Duran said. “It was like God brought us together to bring this community together, to heal the community.” Artesia residents Judy Caldwell and her daughter See CANDLES, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Speaker scraps vote
Siblings Gilbert, Gracie and Gabriel Borunda say a prayer for the Sandy Hook Elementary victims during a candlelight vigil on the Chaves County Courthouse lawn, Thursday night.
Downtown’s newest resident
• High winds cause wrecks, power outage • Perez person of interest in Herrera ... • RPD names persons of interest • After 35 years, Rhoda retires from county • Robert Arreola out as Roswell coach?
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
BEST NFL ROOKIE CLASS?
As the guy who drafted Peyton Manning, Bill Polian knows something about quarterbacks. Polian calls this year’s class of rookie QBs the best since 1983, when guys named Elway, Marino and Kelly were selected. There’s one huge difference: Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck are playing key roles on contending teams. In some ways, they are the main reasons their teams are in the championship chase. It’s happened before, even as recently as last year when defensive end J.J. Watt of Houston and linebacker Von Miller of Denver ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARY
• Modesto D. Castellon - PAGE A6
HIGH ...58˚ LOW ....26˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
A young roadrunner that has taken up residence in the downtown area takes flight Thursday after being spotted at the Firestone Tire Store on South Main Street, where employees say the bird came into the shop briefly before perching atop a car parked in the lot. Marge Wood of the Spring River Zoo was called to possibly capture it, but she determined it was young and healthy. She said that adolescent roadrunners are unafraid of people and that the bird was probably finding its meals at Roswell Seed next door. The bird was last seen departing the parking lot and speeding down a back alley.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronted with a revolt among the rank and file, House Republicans abruptly scrapped a vote Thursday night on legislation allowing tax rates to rise for households earning $1 million and up, complicating attempts to avoid a year end “fiscal cliff” that threatens to send the economy into recession. In a brief statement, Speaker John Boehner conceded the bill “did not have sufficient support from our members to pass.” At the same time he challenged President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to work on legislation to avoid tax across-the-board increases and deep spending cuts due to take effect in less than two weeks. “The Senate must now act,” the Ohio Republican
Valley Meat sues feds State on the Hill over Libya raid
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A New Mexico meat company that wants to resume domestic horse slaughter for food is suing the federal government, alleging inaction on its application was driven by emotional political debates and has cost it hundreds of thousands of dollars. Valley Meat Co. is seeking to force the U.S. Department of Agriculture to resume inspections necessary to open what would be the nation’s first new horse slaughterhouse in more than five years. The company and its
owner, Rick de los Santos, have also sued the Humane Society of the United States, Front Range Equine Rescue, and Animal Protection of New Mexico, accusing the organizations of defamation during a yearlong dispute that has reignited debate over the humane treatment of horses and how best to control the nation’s exploding equine population. Perhaps the most divisive question is whether the noble, iconic animals that played a key role in the setSee VALLEY, Page A3
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Thursday acknowledged major weaknesses in security and errors in judgment exposed in a scathing independent report on the deadly Sept. 11 assault on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. Two top State officials appealed to Congress to fully fund requests to ensure diplomats and embassies are AP Photo safe. Testifying before two From left, Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., listen to testimony from State Department officials on Capitol Hill, Thursday. See STATE, Page A3
New Agers hope today brings new era
INDEX
AP Photo
People gather in front of the Kukulkan Pyramid in Chichen Itza, Mexico, Thursday.
MERIDA, Mexico (AP) — Doomsday hour is here, at least in much of the world, and so still are we. According to legend, the ancient Mayans’
See VOTE, Page A3
long-count calendar ended at midnight, ushering in the end of the world. Didn’t happen. “This is not the end of the world. This is the beginning of the new world,” Star Johnsen-Moser, an American seer, said at a gathering of hundreds of spiritualists at a convention center in the Yucatan city of Merida, an hour and a half from the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. “It is most important that we hold a positive, beautiful reality for ourselves and our planet. ... Fear is out of place.” As the appointed time came and went in several parts of the world, there was no sign of the apocalypse. Indeed, the social network Imgur posted photos of clocks turning midnight in the See MAYANS, Page A3
Housekeeping
Mark Wilson Photo
Firefighters clear and burn tumbleweeds that had collected along the fence perimeter that surrounds the Louis Jones Training Facility, Tuesday afternoon.