Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 21 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
FLOATMAKERS, NEXT YEAR IS HERE
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
February 21, 2012
TUESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Syrian forces mass outside rebel stronghold
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian tanks and troops massed Monday outside the resistance stronghold of Homs for a possible ground assault that one activist war ned could unleash a new round of fierce and bloody urban combat even as the Red Cross tried to broker a cease-fire to allow emergency aid in. A flood of military reinforcements has been a prelude to previous offensives by President Bashar
Assad’s regime, which has tried to use its overwhelming firepower to crush an opposition that has been bolstered by defecting soldiers and hardened by 11 months of street battles. “The human loss is going to be huge if they retake Baba Amr,” said Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The central city of Homs — and in particular the
opposition district known as Baba Amr — has become a critical ground for both sides. The opposition has lionized it as “Syria’s Misrata” after the Libyan city where rebels fought off a brutal government siege. Assad’s regime wants desperately to erase the embarrassing defiance in Syria’s thirdlargest city after weeks of shelling, including a barrage of mortars that killed up to 200 people earlier
this month. At least nine people were killed in shelling Monday, activists said. “The massacre in Syria goes on,” said U.S. Sen. John McCain during a visit to Cairo, where he urged Washington and its allies to find way to help arm and equip Syrian rebels. McCain, a senior member of the Senate Armed Service Committee, said he did not support direct U.S. weapons supplies to Syrian
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INSIDE SPORTS
Julia Bergman photo
Jeanine Corn-Best and incumbent councilor Judy Stubbs, who are both running for the Ward III council seat, answer questions at the Leadership Roswell Alumni Association candidate forum Monday evening.
L.R.A.A. holds candidate forum JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
While Roswell city council candidates heavily discussed the addition of a local option gross receipts tax to the city’s current gross receipts tax, in most cases showing their support, municipal judge candidates spoke about the proper conduct and traits that best serve the position at the Leadership Roswell Alumni
HAAS WINS ON 2ND PLAYOFF HOLE LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 18th hole at Riviera had given up only six birdies to 73 players in the final round of the Northern Trust Open. Bill Haas convinced himself there would be at least one more to force a playoff. The surprise was how... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • • • • •
James Van Eaton Joe M. Castillo Debra Carrasco Mary Montano Pedro Gonzales Jr. - PAGE A6
HIGH ...73˚ LOW ....33˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B4 COMICS.................B7 ENTERTAINMENT.....B8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
See SYRIA, Page A3
Oil jumps after Iran cuts supply
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As Carnival builds toward its out-of-control crescendo of Fat Tuesday, Barry Kern and his team of float-builders and artists are already preparing for next year's parades. One of the biggest free parties in the world fuels a multimillion-dollar... - PAGE A5
• Gateway celebrates 30 years • Just ducky weather for fowl banding • Shadow people • Politics gets in the way on last day • Olguin leads Coyotes past Artesia, 67-50
opposition forces, but has suggested the Arab League or others could help bolster the fighting power of the anti-Assad groups. The U.S., he said, could assist with equipment such as medical supplies or global positioning devices. Assad’s fall also would be a potentially devastating blow for his close ally Iran, which counts on Syria as its most reliable Arab ally
Association candidate forum Monday evening. The Roswell Daily Record served as the co-sponsor for the forum. All candidates were present, save for Elena Velasquez, who is running unopposed for her Ward V seat. In addition to the five city council sets and municipal judge position on the ballot, there will be a question regarding the addition of a LOGRT. The addition of
Israelis fear homefront vulnerable to Iran attacks JERUSALEM (AP) — Despite its confident saberrattling, Israel’s concern is growing that the country is vulnerable to a devastating counterstrike if it attacks Iran’s nuclear program. An announcement this week that a mobile rocketdefense system will soon be built just outside Tel Aviv, where Israel’s sprawling military headquarters sits smack in the middle of office towers, museums, night spots and hotels, caused some jitters. Israeli officials cite intelligence reports that Tel Aviv would be a main target of any attack. Increasingly, the debate in Israel is turning to whether a strike can do enough damage to the Iranian program to be worth the risks. Experts believe that any attack would at best set back, but not cripple, the
Iranians. Skepticism about Israel’s ability to defend itself runs deep here. Israelis still remember Iraqi Scuds landing in the center of the country 20 years ago. In 2006, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia seemed able to rain rockets at will during a monthlong conflict with the Jewish state. A scathing government report issued months ago suggested the homefront is still woefully unprepared. In a questionably timed move, the Cabinet minister in charge of civil defense in recent days resigned to become the ambassador to faraway China. Vice Prime Minister Dan Meridor, who also serves as minister of intelligence and See ISRAELIS, Page A3
the LOGR T would result in an increase of the city’s current gross receipts tax, which would shift from 7.125 percent to 7.25 percent or 12.5 cents for every $100 spent. Rick Kraft, executive director of the Leadership Roswell program and ex-officio board member of the LRAA, served as the moderator for the forum, as he See FORUM, Page A3
Oil prices jumped to a ninemonth high above $105 a barrel on Monday after Iran said it halted crude exports to Britain and France in an escalation of a dispute over the Middle Easter n country’s nuclear program. By Monday afternoon, benchmark March crude was up $2.02 to $105.26 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest since May. The contract rose 93 cents to settle at $103.24 per barrel in New York on Friday. Iran’s announcement will likely have minimal impact on supplies, analysts said, because only about 3 percent of France’s oil consumption is from Iranian sources. Britain had not imported oil from the Islamic republic in six months. “The price rise is more a reflection of concerns about the further escalation in tensions between Iran and the West,” said commodity analyst Caroline Bain of the Economist Intelligence Unit. “Banning the tiny quantities of exports to the U.K. and France involves very little risk for Iran — indeed quite the opposite, it catches the headlines and leads to a higher See OIL, Page A3
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Julia Bergman photo
The 2012 Soup ’N Bowl event will be held this Saturday at the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, 409 E. College Blvd. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m. Tickets cost $25 and benefit the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Foundation. One thousand bowls and over 140 silent auction items will be featured.
Jennings running for Hagerman council seat JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER Dan Jennings, who works at Hager man Schools and the Roswell Correctional Center, says he is running for a Hagerman council seat during the valley elections in March. In Hagerman, two council seats are slated to be on the ballot. Incumbents and councilors Bill Shaw and Jim Pilley will be running for the positions. Jennings, who has lived
and worked in the town since junior high school, said, “It’s my civic responsibility living in this community to help wherever I can. That’s the reason why I have decided to put my name on the ballot. It’s my responsibility to step up if I can.”
The technology, data and testing coordinator for the Hagerman School District, Jennings also teaches engineering and architecture classes at Hagerman High School. At the RCC, Jennings teaches
technology classes, facilitates college classes and coordinates library services. Along with several Hagerman residents, Jennings created the nonprofit group Hager man Forward, which helps to promote community building activities in town. According to its website, the group’s mission is, “to combat community deterioration and improve the community of Hagerman through inter-agency and individual cooperation.”
This year the organization is working with Hagerman Alzheimer’s Association to put on Hagerman’s Old Timer’ Day in April. The group was also instrumental in helping to recognize the Rio Felix Bridge through the installment of a historic marker. The marker was put up last week. If elected, Jennings said he’d help to promote and publicize Hager man, improve community pride See JENNINGS, Page A3
Dan Jennings