Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 121, No. 212 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
‘GREEN MILE’ ACTOR DIES LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Clarke Duncan, the hulking, prolific character actor whose dozens of films included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in “The Green Mile” ... is dead at age 54. - PAGE B4
TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours
• Man found shot • Fatal accident • Icon Cinemas to unveil 10-screen July 19 • Hobbs to stand trial • Cavemen spoil Roswell’s 2012 debut
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
September 4, 2012
TUESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Labor Day marked with parades, speeches
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Parades, picnics and politicians celebrated the American worker on Labor Day, with President Barack Obama seeking votes from Ohio union members and rivals for Senate seats marching in Massachusetts and Virginia. But for many, Monday’s holiday was a last chance to enjoy a final summer cookout, roller coaster ride or day at the beach. Or perhaps even a stroll from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to its Lower Peninsula — along the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Politics was a big part of Labor Day, the time when much of the public usually starts to pay attention to the campaigns. Terence Glaze, a 47-yearold firefighter, waited to catch a glimpse of Obama’s motorcade at the president’s speech in Toledo, but his two young sons were eager to get to the movies instead. “It’s a time for the family
to be together and just spend time with one another. That’s the most important aspect,” Glaze said. “But I do also think about the sacrifices unions have made, as it relates to wages, as it relates to safety issues,” he added. At his speech to members of the United Auto Workers and United Steelworkers, Obama noted his decision to rescue automakers General Motors and Chrysler in 2009 — a move opposed by his rival, Republican nominee Mitt Romney. “If America had thrown in the towel like that, GM and Chrysler wouldn’t exist today,” Obama said. “The suppliers and the distributors that get their business from these companies would have died off, too. Then even Ford could have gone down as well.” Romney supporter Kenneth Harbin, a member of the University of Toledo College Republicans, waved signs for his candidate outside the rally and scoffed at
AP Photo
Children perform a Native American dance in traditional regalia during the Labor Day parade in Buena Vista, Va., Monday. The parade is the first big political event of the season in the Shenandoah Valley.
Obama’s decision to visit the labor stronghold. “He’s gotta come home and say, ‘Here’s what I did for you. Now here’s what you can do for me,”’ Harbin said.
Getting union voters in Ohio to turn out in November will be crucial for Democrats. About 650,000 workers in the state — or 13 percent — are union members. The national
SPORTS
Jessica Palmer Photo
The Dixieland jazz band, The Roswell Jazz Festival Seven, from left: Jay Thomas on trombone, Larmon Maddox playing the trumpet, Art Director of the Roswell Jazz Festival Michael Francis on keyboard, New Mexico State University music professor James Shearer on tuba, Bobby Black on banjo, Pierre Poree and Rick Malichi on drums.
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Rory McIlroy got the start he wanted Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship, erasing a three-shot deficit in just five holes. The finish was hardly a masterpiece, except for the par t when golf ’s No. 1 player posed with the trophy. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Nancy Louise Forrest • Glen Campbell Sr.
The promoters of the Roswell Jazz Festival put their best feet forward to present a toe-tapping good time Monday evening at Spring River Zoo and Park. Committee member with the Jazz Festival Kent Taylor said, “At the last minute, we received a call from the Parks and Recreation Department to ask if we can help them out, and I jumped at the chance. We were able to pull it together in time.” Michael Francis, the Jazz Festival artistic director, put together a seven-member Dixieland jazz band. The musicians traveled from San Antonio, El Paso and Las Cruces. Dubbed The Roswell
- PAGE B4
HIGH ...96˚ LOW ....69˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
INDEX CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................B4 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
See HOLIDAY, Page A7
One jazzy Labor Day at Spring River After Isaac, 1000’s in the dark
INSIDE
RORY IS VICTORIOUS
average is just less than 12 percent. Union worker Mike Schreiner showed up for
Jazz Festival Seven, the band consisted of Pierre Porres on clarinet; Jay Thomas on trombone; Larmon Maddox on trumpet; banjo and guitar played by Bobby Black; drummer Ricky Malichi and Jim Shearer on the tuba. Francis volunteered his talents to play the piano. “Many of these people have never played together before,” said Taylor, “but they can kick out a tune like they’ve always been together.” The musicians never missed a beat or a riff, and the audience showed its appreciation, applauding each solos. The music ran the gamut from soft and smooth rhythm and blues to exuberant and energetic melodies. Songs included
“Hello Dolly,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Summertime” and “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue.” The concert started at 5:30 p.m. and people were still streaming into the park, carrying their blankets and their chairs, to listen to this year’s unique offering an hour later. Recreation leader at the Parks and Recreation Department Tom Blake helped out with sound. A guitarist himself, Blake has supported music in Roswell 40 years. “Because of my involvement in music, I support all the genres,” he said. Spring River Park and Zoo director Elaine Mayfield reported the Instrument Petting Zoo was a success, with a number of wide-eyed chil-
dren getting a chance to handle the instruments. Spring River Park and Zoo, Roswell Adult and Senior Center and Pecos Valley Jazz Festival sponsored this year’s free concert. Taylor said he hoped that people would attend this year’s Roswell Jazz Festival, Oct. 11-14. Some members of the Roswell Symphony Orchestra also attended. They sold copies of their cookbook, “Savoring the Southwest,” to raise funds. For more information about Roswell’s Jazz Festival call 624-7704. Those interested in obtaining a copy of the Roswell Symphony’s cookbook should call 623-5882.
j.palmer@rdrnews.com
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tens of thousands of customers remained in the dark Monday in Louisiana and Mississippi, nearly a week after Isaac inundated the Gulf Coast with a deluge that still has some lowlying areas under water. Most of those were in Louisiana, where utilities more than reported 100,000 people without power. Thousands also were without power in Mississippi and Arkansas. President Barack Obama visited Monday, a day ahead of the Democratic National Convention, and walked around storm damage in St. John the Baptist Parish, where subdivisions were soaked in water from Isaac. “I know it’s a mess,” Obama said as he approached a resident in the Ridgewood neighborhood. “But we’re here to help.” Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney visited the state Friday. In St. John the Baptist Parish, residents spent Labor Day dragging waterlogged carpet and furniture to the curb and using bleach and water to clean hopefully to prevent mold. LaPlace resident Barbara See ISAAC, Page A7
Analysis: 4-year progress query Hezbollah chief: no puts Barack Obama in a box chemical weapons
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — It’s a question that aides to any president seeking reelection should be ready to handle: Are Americans better off now than before he took office? This seemingly simple query, however, flummoxed President Barack Obama’s team over the Labor Day weekend, throwing the campaign on the defensive just as the Democrats are about to open their national convention. Republican Mitt Romney’s campaign pounced. Running mate Paul Ryan, speaking Monday in another North Carolina town, amped-up his party’s longrunning efforts to persuade Americans, once and for
all, that Obama’s economic record disqualifies him for a second term. Democrats acknowledged that Obama’s team must get a better handle on the question, an updated version of the Ronald Reagan line that helped sink President Jimmy Carter in 1980. The Obama aides’ halting responses reflected the dilemma the president faces. If he emphasizes the economic crisis he inherited from President George W. Bush, then Obama looks as though he’s shirking responsibility for current problems. But if Obama claims positives flowing from his poliSee CAMPAIGN, Page A7
AP Photo
First lady Michelle Obama with actor Kal Penn for filming of a campaign video at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday.
BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah said Monday the group has no chemical weapons but can still cause great damage to Israel if there is a war, linking his remarks to tension over Iran’s nuclear program. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah told Lebanon’s AlMayadeen TV in a rare live interview that Iranian officials told him they will strike at Israel and U.S. military bases in the region if Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities. Hezbollah has close links with Iran, which sends it money and weapons. Hezbollah retaliation against Israel after an attack on Iran is considered a significant possibility. The U.S. and its European allies believe Iran is aiming to become a nuclear power. Iran says its program is for the peaceful purposes of producing electricity and isotopes for medical use. Israeli leaders have indicated an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities if they conclude that the internaSee WEAPONS, Page A7