Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 59 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
STOCKS MOVE HIGHER NEW YORK (AP) — A burst of hiring in February pushed stocks higher on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 52 points, or 0.4 percent, to 14,382 as of 3:02 p.m. EST Friday. The index surpassed its record close Tuesday and is on track for its sixth straight increase. - PAGE B4
March 9, 2013
SATURDAY
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Unemployment at 4-year low WASHINGTON (AP) — The American job market isn’t just growing. It’s accelerating. Employers added 236,000 jobs in February and drove down the unemployment rate to 7.7 percent, its lowest level in more than four years. The gains signal that companies are confident enough in the economy to intensify hiring even in the face of tax increases and government spending cuts. Last month capped a fourth-month hiring spree in which employers have added an average of
205,000 jobs a month. The hiring has been fueled by steady improvement in housing, auto sales, manufacturing and corporate profits, along with recordlow borrowing rates. Before the spree, employers added an average of 154,000 jobs from July through October and only 108,000 from April through June. The gains could boost consumer spending, adding momentum to the U.S. recovery and helping troubled economies in Europe and Asia. The U.S. economy is fore-
cast to grow a modest 2 percent this year. Growth will likely be held back by uncertainty about the federal budget, higher Social Security taxes and acrossthe-board gover nment spending cuts that kicked in March 1. And unemployment remains high nearly four years after the end of the Great Recession. Roughly 12 million people remain out of work. The unemployment rate declined in February from 7.9 percent in January mostly because more peoSee ECONOMY, Page A2
Spring forward
AP Photo
Ann Oganesian, left, of Newton, Mass., speaks with a State Department employee about job opportunities with the federal government during a job fair in Boston, Feb. 25.
CC Farm, Ranch Day, 3/21
TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours
• Navy aviators train at Roswell • Society receives unexpected donation • Officials investigate fire • Roswell Tower survives, for now • RHS falls to Carlsbad
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
The sun sets near the Roswell International Air Center. Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m., Sunday.
The New Mexico House of Representatives passed a memorial to observe Chaves County Farm and Ranch Day, Thursday. Roswell Reps. Bob Wooley, Candy Spence Ezzell, and Nora Espinoza issued the following statement: “Chaves County is home to hardworking men and women who daily uphold New Mexico values and contribute greatly to our state’s success. “Each day, we are thankful to represent these people and to call them family, friends, and neighbors. Today, we were able to share that with the rest of the legislature and recognize outstanding citizens from home. “The hard work of farmers and See FARM, Page A2
Gov names RPD seeks persons of interest in fatal shooting Hudson to bench TIGER LEADS AT DORAL DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods struggled on the practice range, and he didn’t feel much better two holes into his second round Friday at the Cadillac Championship. He would not have guessed this would be the day to set a personal record for birdies, much less wind up with a two-shot lead. “All I need is one shot,” he said. “And as soon as I feel it on one, I can pretty much carry through. And I did that today.” It was a 4-iron on the par3 fourth hole, the toughest on the Blue Monster. - PAGE B1
SANTA FE (AP) — Gov. Susana Martinez has appointed Roswell lawyer James Hudson to a vacant district court judgeship in southeaster n New Mexico. Hudson will serve on the 5th Judicial District court. He fills a vacancy created by the death earlier this year of Ralph Shamas, who had been a district court judge since 2005. Hudson has been a partner in a private law practice since 1990. He received his law degree from the University of New Mexico and ear ned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Notre Dame University. The gover nor said in a statement that Hudson was highly qualified for the judgeship.
Jessica Palmer Photo
The Roswell Police Department investigates the scene of a homicide in the 1600 block of South Mulberry Avenue, Friday morning.
Officers of the Roswell Police Department were dispatched to the 1600 block of South Mulberry Avenue, a little before midnight on Thursday, following a report of shots fired. When of ficials arrived at the scene, they discovered the body of Tony Macks, 48. Macks
had been shot. Detectives and technical services were still at the scene investigating the crime at 9:30 a.m., Friday. The RPD released the name of three persons of interest in the crime around noon. They are: Raymond Hobbs, 20; James Stewart, 22; and
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Jackie S. Smith • Mary Frances Busby • Trancito Polaco Jr. • Mary Clements - PAGE A3
Julie Morrow, Walk for Hope founder JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
HIGH ...68˚ LOW ....34˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B5 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Jill McLaughlin Photo
Julie Morrow, founder of Chaves County Cancer Fund fundraiser Walk for Hope, said she feels blessed to know she has “been a blessing to others” with her community work.
Behind the bright smile, warm brown eyes and youthful brunette hair, Julie Morrow abounds with a vibrant energy. She surrounded herself with paperwork after setting up a threesided posterboard before sitting down to talk, Thursday. The words “Walk for Hope” sparkled on the pink board. Morrow begins her story with the timeline of how she arrived in Roswell 40 years ago. She says she considers the town her home now — a home she shares with hundreds of grateful cancer survivors.
As one of Roswell’s community treasures, Morrow has given countless hours in the past few years organizing the Walk for Hope, a fundraiser that has collected an estimated $118,000 for the Chaves County Cancer Fund to provide financial assistance to locals diagnosed with cancer. The mother of two grown children and grandmother of four, Morrow found herself searching for a way to give back to her community after her own personal loss. See SPOTLIGHT, Page A2
Raymond Hobbs
Eric Sedillo, 20. The police are seeking the assistance of the public in locating these individuals. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Hobbs, Stewart, or Sedillo is urged to contact the RPD Criminal Investigation Division at 575-624-6770, or Crime Stoppers 1-800-594-TIPS (8477). Callers to Crime Stoppers could be eligible for a reward.
James Stewart
Eric Sedillo
Senate panel OKs budget without teacher merit pay
SANTA FE (AP) — A proposed $5.9 billion budget is heading to the Senate with a more than 4 percent increase in spending next year and money for pay raises for educators and state workers. The Finance Committee unanimously endorsed the budget on Friday, sending the measure to the 42member Senate for consideration. The measure calls for spending nearly $5.9 billion next year on public education and government programs ranging from prisons to health care. That’s an increase of nearly $246 million or 4.4 percent over current spending, and $6.5 million more than a House-passed budget bill. Like the House plan, the
measure provides 1 percent pay raises for state workers and educators and 4 percent for state police. The Senate panel scrapped a House provision for a $3 million pilot program of merit pay for teachers and instead earmarked $2 million for stipends for teachers who agree to work in schools in high poverty areas with low student performance. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez had requested $11 million for pay incentives for high-performing teachers, and some Democrats in the House sharply objected when money for a merit pay program was included in the budget. The Senate measure proSee BUDGET Page A2