Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 312 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
MADRID (AP) — Spain faces another tough year as it grapples with recession, a deep financial crisis and 25 percent unemployment, its prime minister said Friday. In his end-of-year assessment, Mariano Rajoy said the country’s crisis had been worse than anticipated. While Rajoy was speaking, investor concerns over government attempts to shore up the main cause of Spain’s problems — its shaky bank system — sent shares ... - PAGE B4
SATURDAY
Last ditch effort to avoid cliff under way www.rdrnews.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — The end game at hand, the White House and Senate leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday night to prevent middle-class tax increases from taking effect at the turn of the new year and possibly block sweeping spending cuts as well.
SPAIN FACES TOUGH YEAR
December 29, 2012
“I’m optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time,” President Barack Obama said at the White House after meeting for more than an hour with top lawmakers from both houses.
Surprisingly, after weeks of postelection gridlock, Senate leaders sounded even more bullish. The Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said he was “hopeful and optimistic” of a deal that could be presented to rank-and-file lawmakers as early as Sunday, a little more than 24 hours before the year-end deadline. Said Majority Leader Harry Reid, “I’m going to do everything I can” to prevent the tax increases and spending cuts that threaten
to send the economy into recession. He cautioned, “Whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect.” House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican who has struggled recently with anti-tax rebels inside his own party, said through an aide he would await the results of the talks between the Senate and White House. Under a timetable sketched by congressional aides, any agreement would first go to the Senate for a See CLIFF, Page A3
Lazy Lagoon and two sunsets; nice
AP Photo
President Barack Obama speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington after meeting with Congressional leaders regarding the fiscal cliff, Friday.
West sees more land burned
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Two massive wildfires raced across tinder dry forests in southern New Mexico in 2012, setting records for the largest and most destructive fires in the state’s recorded history.
TOP 5
In Colorado, the worst wildfire season in a decade has yet to be fully extinguished. Densely forested pockets within Rocky Mountain National Park continued to smolder just days before the new year.
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours • Fatality at Second and Nevada • Police obtain warrants for trio • Roswell girls pound Warriors • Portales girls outlast Goddard 34-27 • Roswell boys down Farmington
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
The sky is alive with vibrant colors as the sun sets over Lazy Lagoon at Bottomless Lakes, Thursday evening.
In 2 cases, courts deal blow to New Mexico ‘pay-to-play’ plaintiffs
RHS DEFEATS PORTALES
After losing to Mayfield on Dec. 13, the Roswell girls basketball team dominated in its next five games. Heading into Friday’s game against Portales, the Coyote girls had won their last five games by an average of 33.2 points. Against the Rams, however, things were as tight as can be, but the result was the same for Roswell as the Coyotes snuck past Portales 32-31 in the championship game of the Goddard High School Holiday Classic. Roswell led 18-13 heading into the second half, but Portales outscored ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Grace Lara Romero • Tammy Sutherland • Barbara McCarty - PAGE B8
HIGH ...48˚ LOW ....24˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Appeals courts this week dealt blows in two cases to plaintiffs seeking to recover millions of dollars in failed state investments from an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme involving supporters of for mer Gov. Bill Richardson. The state Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a ruling that invalidated portions of two lawsuits brought by whistle-
blower Frank Foy, the former chief investment officer for the Education Retirement Board. Separately, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver declined a request to move from state to federal court a separate suit brought on behalf of retirees. In the whistleblower case, the state court upheld a ruling by District Judge Stephen Pfef fer regarding a 2007 law that
“We’re used to seeing fires in August and September, but definitely not late December,” said Richard Gilliland, who works at the park. “It’s been a very, very dry fall and the summer was pretty dry too and that is what led to that fire and made it so difficult to get out.” See WEST, Page A3
New parking lot coming
allows citizens to bring lawsuits on behalf of the state and recover triple damages. The judge said it’s unconstitutional to apply the law and its sanctions to activities that took place before the statute went into effect. Foy’s lawsuits alleged a scheme in which Richardson appointees steered investment business to political supporters.
Mark Wilson Photo
Work has begun on a new, long-term parking lot at the Roswell International Air Center.
Senate approves $60.4 billion Sandy aid bill, 62–32; GOP complains
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion emergency spending aid package for victims of Hurricane Sandy that had been backed by Senate Democrats. Democrats had to turn back Republican efforts to cut programs such as $150 million in fisheries aid that Republican lawmakers said was unrelated to the storm that hammered the East Coast late in October. The measure cleared the Senate
on a 62-32 vote, with 12 Republicans supporting the bill. Sen. Mark Pryor, DArk., was the only Democrat to vote against the bill, but he later switched his vote to support the measure. The bill faces uncertain prospects in the House, where GOP leaders appear reluctant to move quickly on a big spending bill in the final days of a lame duck session. Congress’ attention is focused on talks over the so-called fis-
See COURTS, Page A3
cal cliff of tax hikes and automatic spending cuts. Sandy was blamed for at least 120 deaths and battered coastline areas from North Carolina to Maine. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit states and suffered high winds, flooding and storm surges. Sandy damaged or destroyed more than 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey. In New York, 305,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed and more
than 265,000 businesses were affected. Senate Republicans failed on an amendment for a smaller package of about $24 billion in aid for Sandy, which was the most costly natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and one of the worst storms ever in the Northeast. House GOP leaders have not said how they plan to proceed. But House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers of Ken-
tucky has said Congress should probably begin with a smaller aid package for immediate recovery needs and wait until more data can be collected about stor m damage before approving additional money next year. The measure includes $11.5 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s chief disaster relief fund and $17 billion
Sammye, the doggie savior, currently has a houseful of bow-wows JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
INDEX
Jessica Palmer Photo
Sammye Leflar-Bohnstehn and two of her “adoptables” a Chi-weeny (right) and a Chihuahua-terrier mix.
Sammye Leflar-Bohnstehn has a name almost as long as she is tall. Standing at 5 feet 2 inches, she is a bundle of energy and enthusiasm about her chosen passion. She is one of Roswell’s newest volunteers in the area of animal rescue. Not that Sammye is a newcomer to the field. She developed a Facebook page, Doggy Saviors, a nationwide endeavor that allows individuals, organizations and shelters to post dogs who are on what she calls “death row,” with the goal to find them new homes. In July 2005, she received The Animal Kingdom Kindred Spirit Award
from the Doris Day Animal League for her humanitarian work. In the past she adopted dogs from as far west as California and as far east as Florida. The love of animals is a family affair. Her husband Tim is helping her set up a 501(c)3 animal welfare charity. Her brother rescues animals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Her mother used to say that if she were a rich woman, she’d spend all
See SANDY, Page A3
her money on animal welfare. Sammye grew up in Munday, Texas, a small town which she quips is halfway between Sunday and Tuesday. She married when she was 16 years old. One of her first jobs was with Skaggs Alpha Beta grocery stores, where she worked her way up the ladder into marketing. She moved to Lincoln in 1995, where she stayed until she got a job as sales representative for the state lottery. She and her husband came to Roswell 12 years ago from Lincoln because the city marks the center of her territory with the lottery. Recently, Sammye has directed her See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3