Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 77 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
Gov OKs educators’ pension overhaul
SATURDAY
www.rdrnews.com
SANTA FE (AP) — Retired educators will receive smaller cost-of-living adjustments for the next 30 years under a measure approved by legislators and signed into law Friday by Gov. Susana Martinez.
The new law takes effect July 1, and also will require current teachers and other educational employees to permanently
‘UNCLE VERNON’ DEAD AT 65
March 30, 2013
pay more into their retirement system if they earn $20,000 or more a year. There will be no payroll contribution increase for those with salaries below that amount.
The changes are to improve the long-ter m finances of the pension system, which covers about 37,000 retirees and 61,000 working educators — from
Cost-of-living increases for educational retirees are based on the federal government’s Consumer Price Index, but have averaged about 2 percent.
principals to janitors and college faculty. For a teacher earning an average salary of $45,000, the payroll contribution increases over two years
will lower take-home pay by $1,260. There also will be benefit changes for new educators hired on or after July 1, including a minimum
retirement age of 55. “This proposal represents systemic refor m to the state’s educator pension system,” Martinez said in a statement. The Educational Retirement Board has a $6 billion gap between its assets and the projected benefits to be paid in the future. See PENSION, Page A3
Dexter residents commemorate The Passion
LONDON (AP) — Richard Griffiths was one of the great British stage actors of his generation, a heavy man with a light touch, whether in Shakespeare or Neil Simon. But for millions of movie fans, he will always be grumpy Uncle Vernon, the least magical of characters in the fantastical “Harry Potter” movies. - PAGE A3
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INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photos
Parishioners of Immaculate Conception in Dexter make the Stations of the Cross pilgrimage along Highway 2 from Hagerman to their church, Friday morning.
NMMI THUMPS SANTA ROSA
In NMMI’s first game of the Colt Classic on Thursday, the Colts came away with a 16-4 victory, despite playing what coach Charlie Ward described as “a poor game.” After that victory, Ward said that if his team didn’t clean up its play on defense, good teams would beat them. On Friday, Ward was proven to be correct — in a sense. In a 14-1 five-inning win over Santa Rosa on Friday, NMMI was that good team, taking full advantage of eight Lions errors, while committing none, something that pleased a jovial Ward. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
There are no local obituaries today, March 30, 2013.
HIGH ...87˚ LOW ....53˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B4 COMICS.................B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
Pope prays at Good Friday rite
Field trip
Mark Wilson Photo
Washington Avenue Elementary kindergartners compete in a sack race during an Easter field trip to Cahoon Park, Thursday afternoon.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis praised the “friendship of so many Muslim brothers” during the Good Friday procession that re-enacts Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and this year was dedicated to the plight of Christians in the Middle East. The nighttime Way of the Cross procession at Rome’s Colosseum is one of the most dramatic rituals of Holy Week, when Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ. With torches lighting the way, the faithful carried the cross to different stations where meditations and prayers were read out recalling the final hours of Christ’s life. This year, the meditations read out were composed by young Lebanese faithful. Many of the prayers referred to the plight of Mideast Christians and called for an end to “violent fundamentalism,” terrorism and the “wars and violence which in our days
AP Photo
Pope Francis presides at the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) torchlight procession celebrated in front of the Colosseum on Good Friday.
Senior community aide helps residents feel at home JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
INDEX
Jill McLaughlin Photo
Kelly Leflar, a service coordinator at Summit and Wildwood apartment complexes.
Friday morning’s bright skies lit the adobe apartments at Summit Apartments but it couldn’t compare to the true sunshine that Kelly Leflar carried with her everywhere she walked. “Hey darlin’!” she called out to residents who walked by as she strolled through the complex. Leflar, a service coordinator for Yes Housing Corp., just celebrated her one-year anniversary working for the senior and disabled residents at both residential neighborhoods.
See POPE, Page A3
Her mission is to provide quality of life and clean and sanitary housing conditions for the people who live within the buildings. But she often finds herself going far beyond her job description. “I try to go the extra mile,” Leflar said. “I couldn’t have a more rewarding job. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Her favorite aspect of her job is helping to provide a sense of community and family, she said.
During her short time so far, she has helped residents build their own community garden on a small plot on land, so they could grow their own vegetables. Once the veggies are ripe, the community gets together for a small feast. One man, Buster, was a double amputee and for mer champion See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3