Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 306 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
MERIDA, Mexico (AP) — December 21 started out as the prophetic day some had believed would usher in the fiery end of the world. By Friday afternoon, it had become more comic than cosmic, the punch line of countless Facebook posts and at least several dozen Tshirts. - PAGE A9
December 22, 2012
SATURDAY
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Obama, Boehner: Still time to dodge cliff
WASHINGTON (AP) — With Congress in gridlock and stocks taking a fall, President Barack Obama issued a stern summons to lawmakers Friday to pass legislation to prevent yearend fiscal cliff tax increases on millions and avoid an imminent expiration of benefits for the long-term unemployed.
WE’RE STILL HERE
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Republican House Speaker John Boehner said Obama himself must give more ground to reach an agreement. He added, “How we get there, God only knows.”
Congress was shutting down, and Obama was headed to Hawaii to join his family for the holidays. But both men indicated they’d be back working to beat the fast-approaching Jan. 1 deadline with an agreement between Christmas and New Year’s. One day after House anti-tax rebels torpedoed Boehner’s ‘Plan B’ legislation because it would raise rates on million-dollar ear ners, Obama said he still wants a bill that requires the well-to-do to pay more.
He spoke after talking by phone with Boehner — architect of the failed House bill — and meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Boehner’s office quickly issued a statement saying the Ohio Republican intends to retur n to the Capitol after Christmas “ready to find a solution that can pass both houses of Congress.” At the same time, spokesman Brendan Buck said, “we remain hopeful he (Obama) is finalSee OBAMA, Page A3
AP Photro
President Barack Obama speaks to reporters about the fiscal cliff at the White House, Friday.
Obama wants Kerry for State
A teddy bear and Ice Rings ... life’s good
TOP 5 WEB
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday nominated Sen. John Kerry as his next secretary of state, elevating the longtime lawmaker and foreign policy expert to the top diplomatic job he had coveted.
For The Past 24 Hours
• Sheriff requests help in victim ID • Candles, prayers for healing • High winds cause wrecks, power outage • United Way accepting money for Sandy ... • Robert Arreola out as Roswell coach?
If confirmed by the Senate, Kerry would replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who plans to leave Obama’s Cabinet early next year. Clinton, who is recovering from a concussion sustained in a fall, did not attend the Roosevelt Room announcement.
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Kassy Barraza clutches her new teddy bear tight at gift-giving time during the Roswell Boys & Girls Club’s Christmas party, Friday.
MARIKA SIGNS LOI
Athletes at any level have a fire within. That fire is what helps them wake up at 5 a.m. to run that hill or pump that iron. Anyone who watched the Roswell girls basketball team the past few years saw an intense fire in Marika Trujillo. That fire was re-ignited this year when Trujillo served as the basketball manager for the New Mexico Lobos’ women’s basketball team and that led to her signing to play basketball at Adams State University on Friday. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Miller Ray Van Eaton • Tisha Kay Glass - PAGE A8
HIGH ...68˚ LOW ....32˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 STATE ...................A8 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10
INDEX
Defiant NRA breaks silence WASHINGTON (AP) — Guns and police officers in all American schools are what’s needed to stop the next killer “waiting in the wings,” the National Rifle Association declared Friday, taking a noretreat stance in the face of growing calls for gun control after the Connecticut shootings that claimed the lives of 26 children and school staff. “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a
gun,” said Wayne LaPierre, the group’s chief executive officer.
Some members of Congress who had long scof fed at gun-control proposals have begun to suggest some concessions could be made, and a fierce debate over legislation seems likely next month. President Barack Obama has demanded “real action, right now.”
The nation’s largest gun-rights lobby broke its weeklong silence on the
shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School with a defiant presentation. The event was billed as a news conference, but NRA leaders took no questions. Twice, they were interrupted by banner -waving protesters, who were removed by security. Some had predicted that after the slaughter of a score of elementaryschool children by a man
The 69-year-old Democrat is expected to be easily confirmed by his Senate colleagues. He would be the first of what are expected to be several new faces on See KERRY, Page A3
Heroes assembly
Mark Wilson Photo
Fifth-graders at Del Norte Elementary wait their turn to speak about the heroes in their lives during a Heroes Celebration assembly, Thursday.
Congress sends $633B defense bill to the president WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Barack Obama a $633 billion defense bill for next year that would tighten penalties on Iran to thwart its nuclear ambitions and bulk up security at diplomatic missions worldwide after the deadly Sept. 11 raid in Libya.
The Senate voted 81-14 on Friday for the massive policy measure that covers the cost of ships, aircraft, weapons and military personnel. The vote came less than 24 hours after the House passed the bill, 315107. The White House has threatened a veto, but it
See NRA, Page A3
remains unclear whether President Barack Obama will reject the solidly bipartisan legislation. The bill passed by veto-proof margins.
The vote came against the backdrop of looming reductions in projected military spending driven by the automatic, across-the-
board cuts that will take place if the “fiscal clif f” negotiations fail. The Pentagon faces cuts of $55 billion after the first of the year that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has warned would be devastating to the services.
Even if that is averted, the bill approved Friday
reflects cuts in defense dollars that Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to in August 2011 as well as the end to the war in Iraq and the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The bill would authorize $528 billion for
Gary Roybal: Kids can teach you a lot if you stop and listen
See DEFENSE, Page A3
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
Ilissa Gilmore Photo
Gary Roybal on the job at Del Norte Elementary.
The mornings are getting colder, but outside Del Norte Elementary, crossing guard Gary Roybal radiates warmth as he greets students and their parents. For more than 12 years, Roybal has been stopping traffic to allow children to get to school safely. During that time, he’s become a prominent figure at the school, as well as in the lives of students and their families. On the last day of school before Christmas break, children handed him gifts as they crossed and a parent hugged him, wishing him a Merry Christmas.
When he’s not stopping cars, he’s waving at them to say hello to the people inside. “You'll be surprised how many people in the community you get to see come through here,” he said. Some of the drivers are former students See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3