Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Treasury told of IRS probe in June
Vol. 122, No. 119 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson’s former lawyer defended himself point-bypoint Friday against allegations he botched the former football star’s armed-robbery trial, and he testified Simpson actually knew his buddies had guns when they went to a hotel room ... - PAGE B4
SATURDAY
www.rdrnews.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Treasury officials were made aware in June 2012 that investigators were looking into complaints from tea party groups that they were being harassed by the Internal Revenue Service, a Treasury inspector general said Friday, disclosing that Obama administration officials knew there was a probe during the heat of the presidential campaign.
OJ’S FORMER LAWYER TESTIFIES
May 18, 2013
J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, testified alongside ousted IRS head Steven Miller, who did little to subdue Republican
outrage during hours of intense congressional questioning. Both defiant and apologetic, Miller acknowledged agency mistakes in targeting tea party groups for special scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status, but he insisted that agents broke no laws and that there was no effort to cover up their actions. Miller only stoked the criticism of many Republicans, who are assailing the administration on a sudden spate of other controversies, as well, even as some Democrats tried to contain the political damage. At one point in the day’s
hearing, T reasury IG George said he had told the department’s general counsel about his investigation on June 4, 2012, and Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin “shortly thereafter.” But, George cautioned, those discussions were “not to inform them of the results of the audit. It was to inform them of the fact that we were conducting the audit.” After the hearing, inspector general spokeswoman Karen Kraushaar said George “informed Department of Treasury officials See IRS, Page A3
AP Photo
Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller, right, testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee hearing, Friday. At left is J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration.
Carrasco pleads no contest
TOP 5
JESSICA PALMER ROSWELL STAFF WRITER
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• All-Star Readers get Eagle Scout wheels • Woman beaten, stabbed, treated; ... • NMMI’s Paternoster arrested • County reviews interim budget • Rockets fall to St. Pius X in quarters
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Monterrey Elementary second graders perform the Educational Song for the student body during the Jaguar Talent Show, Friday.
Monterrey kids sing, dance for pups, kits ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER
PACERS NOT TALKING
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers head into Game 6 against the New York Knicks in unfamiliar territory. Point guard George Hill is out with a concussion, NBA rules requiring him to pass a concussion test before he can play again. The Pacers have no idea whether that will come in time for Saturday night’s potential closeout game. Officially, the team says Hill is day-to-day. It’s a sensitive topic around Pacers headquarters, where coaches ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Marilynn Hardcastle • Claudette Nickell • Olen Featherstone II - PAGE A6
HIGH ...97˚ LOW ....60˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
Students of Monterrey Elementary danced and sang Friday during a school talent show organized
by its fifth-grade student council to benefit the Roswell Humane Society.
Parents, students and community members packed the school’s gymnasium to see performances
featuring students from all grades. The admission fee was a dime, but audience members gave much more, dropping coins and folding
Issa subpoenas 2 for closed-door hearing
AP Photo
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. speaks on Capitol Hill, Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the House Oversight and Government Refor m Committee has subpoenaed the co-chairman of the independent review board that investigated last year’s attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, to answer questions about the panel’s findings behind closed doors. Rep. Darrell Issa, RCalif., said in a statement Friday that he had issued the subpoena to retired veteran diplomat Thomas Pickering to force him to appear at a deposition next week. Pickering, who cochaired the Benghazi
Accountability Review Board with a former Joint Chiefs of Staff chief Mike Mullen, has offered to testify before Issa’s committee in public. But Issa said a closed-door meeting is needed first in order for the committee to fully understand how the review board conducted its investigation. “While I am very much committed to having you testify publicly and appreciate your newfound willingness to do so, I was disappointed that you are attempting to limit the committee’s understanding See ISSA, Page A2
See KIDS, Page A3
One of the Daily Record’s first Roswell’s Most Wanted, Victoriano Carrasco, 30, pleaded no contest, Wednesday, to 13 charges including: residential burglary, aggravated burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft after his September 2012 arrest. He could face a up to 22 years in prison. Carrasco has a long history in Chaves County, dating back to 2007. Carrasco’s picture was first posted in the Record in 2011, when he was charged with multiple counts of aggravated burglary. He was located not long after and arrested in May 2011. He fled from the Chaves County Sherrif f’s Of fice on foot and attempted to evade capture by entering an unlocked home. He was caught as he climbed out of the window. He was convicted. Within a month of his release in January 2012, while still facing seven years probation, the SO suspected Carrasco was again operating in the area. He was linked to a total of 26 burglaries in Chaves County and in Ruidoso. Carrasco was arrested See CARRASCO, Page A3
Field day at NMMI
Mark Wilson Photo
Del Norte kindergartners and first- and second-graders cool down under the spray of a garden hose during an end-of-the-school-year field day at NMMI, Friday.
Janice and Tamara: They’re stronger, they’re braver, they rang the bell AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
CLASSIFIEDS..........B7 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT.....B4 FINANCIAL .............B6 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 WORLD .................A7
INDEX
Amy Vogelsang Photo
Tamara Fresquez, Janice Whalen and the bell.
“Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” The words of Super man, Christopher Reeve, ring with a whole new and incredibly true meaning for Janice Whalen and Tamara Fresquez, two women who have battled against cancer and won. In May 2012, both women were diagnosed with breast cancer. At the beginning, neither expected to have a positive and even life renewing experience, complete with the blessings of new friends and stronger families.
“It doesn’t have to be all dread and gloom and you have cancer and it’s the end of the world,” Whalen said. “It’s not. It’s just something in life you face, and trust in God, and pray, and lean on your family, and take it and go.” They really didn’t know what to expect. Cancer has a fatal sound to it, and any diagnosis is scary, both women admitted. It’s entering into the unknown, hav-
ing really no idea what will happen. And at first, Whalen wasn’t sure how to process the news of her cancer.
“I think for me the hardest (part) was telling my family,” Whalen said. “Because you’re kind of shocked, but they’re really shocked.” Her and her husband took time to process everything before sharing See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3