Carlsbad Current-Argus from Carlsbad, New Mexico • 2

CURRENT-ARGUS, Carlsbad. N.M., Thursday August 3, 198-3 LOCALSTATE Boras totes chamber ievolvemeelt By Michael He? nan Staff Writer be a source of unity for the business community. In the 10's, he said, many chambers in the country moved away from their roles as business centers and became instead "community organizations." The chamber of commerce is really little more than a building where the business community comes together to do things as a group they can not accomplish as individuals," he said. To Burns, this emphasis on letting the members determine the course of the chamber means he will often defer to the judgement or wishes of the volunteer president "In terms of being a spokesman of the chamber, the executive's job should be as a backup to the volunteer (president)," he said "It's not my job to control, just to advise." The chamber president for 1989-1990 is Mike Hood, local GTE Southwest Manager. As director.

Bums plans to aid members by offering the "benefit of 20 years worth of experience" in leading civic chambers. In 1988, Burns was selected as the outstanding chamber director in the state of Texas. A director should also manage the resources available to the chamber in the most effective way possible. Bums said. Those who are good enough to volunteer their services to the chamber, he said, deserve to know their ef- The future direction of the local chamber of commerce, according to new executive director Terry Burns, will be decided by the 600-or-so merchants who make up the chamber's membership not by Bums himself.

"This is not my chamber," Burns said. "If I'm here Tor 30 years, it still won't be my chamber. It exists for and by the members." Burns was addressing Wednesday's weekly assembly of Carlsbad's chapter of Rotary International. Burns was recently selected as executive director of the chamber, replacing Ray Walker, who resigned in December. A chamber committee spent over six months looking for a new leader before deciding on Burns, former head of the Longview, Texas chamber.

As a newcomer, Bums said, he wants to moderate any changes in chamber policy or practice with a solid appreciation for the way things are done in Carlsbad. "It is often said that a new groom sweeps everything clean. Well, I don't plan to sweep everything clean, because not everything is dirty. Before we start talking about what can't be done, we need to learn what kind of things work here." The purpose of the chamber, according to Burns, is to 77 i i mm forts are being used to their best advantage. The overall key, however, to a successfully-operated chamber of commerce is communication, according to Burns.

"The purpose of the chamber board is to know what the members want and represent it And the key to doing that is communication. "Not just issuing press releases to the media and sending out newsletters, that's not all there is to commu-: nication. The board and the executive have to listen to the members." In order to encourage two-way communication between chamber members and executives. Burns has initi-' ated a plan to visit five chamber members each day. The -visits are made at random, with a chamber worker indis-' criminately choosing five cards from membership files and presenting them to Bums.

Even with increased communication and a dedication to both change and the preservation of the best of the past, Burns realizes the chamber under his direction will not please everyone. "If no one is unhappy or no one is complaining, then we're not doing anything meaningful," he said. "We donjt want too many people upset, obviously, but if you're going to do anything meaningful, you going to stir things up a little." Watchdogs: mistake-filled WIPP report ALBUQUERQUE (AP) A U.S. Department of Energy report on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is riddled with mistakes and erroneous assumptions, an independent watchdog agency said. "The document contains mistakes in calculations, reflects an erroneous knowledge of the history of the project; presents tables without units and displays an indifference to the statistical precision of prediction," the Environmental Evaluation Group said.

The EEG this week released a 108-page analysis of DOE's draft supplement to the environmental impact statement for WIPP. "If we had to give this study a grade, the only one we could give it right now would be EEG Director Rober Neill said Wednesday. The EEG, a group of scientists funded federally to provide oversight- for the proposed permanent nuclear waste repository, accused the DOE of failing to justify its plans to bring nuclear waste to WIPP without first meeting federal environmental standards. WIPP is designed to hold low- and medium-level radioactive waste from the nation's defense facilities. The waste would be kept 2,150 feet below ground in ancient salt beds 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad.

Other WIPP critics have voiced similar concerns about the DOE study. The DOE held public hearings on the study in nine cities around the country in recent months and also accepted written responses. DOE's project manager for the study, John ArthuF, said officials still are sifting through the more than 2,000 comments they have received on the study and that he could not specifically address each of EEG's concerns. Arthur said, however, "We still think our analyses are very though it would be premature to get into all the nuts and bolts." A final version of the environmental study that incorporates suggestions from WIPP's critics could be issued by October or November, he said. Neill said it would be wasteful to ask DOE to go back and redo the $5 million study, as a coalition of environmental groups and Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox urged last month.

The EEG said the DOE report Doesn't explore the effect of keeping waste out of WIPP until the plant meets federal Environmental Protection Agency standards for waste disposal. The EEG study said preliminary calculations by DOE scientists since 1987 show WIPP may not meet EPA standards for human intrusion. The EPA standards would guarantee that WTPP would not harm the environment for! 10,000 years. DOE wants to bring a limited amount of waste to WTPP for testing before those standards are met. Doesn't explain why documentation to assure: compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act has only been done, for four of the 10 sites around the country that will ship tools, clothing and other plutpry um-contaminated trash to WIPP.

Doesn't explain why levels of radioactivity from some types of nuclear waste have dropped considerably from past reports. Neill and other EEG officials attributed the report's incompleteness to the fact that DOE prepared. the study, a supplement to one published in 1980, in less than five months. At the time the report was done, DOE officials were hoping to open WIPP this fall Energy Secretary James Watluns said in June that WIPP's opening would be put on hold until he's convinced all the technical concerns have been resolved. In brief Cabinet secretary dinner set for Wednesday The Chamber of Commerce will host a dinner in honor of new New Mexico cabinet secretary Anita Lockwood Wednesday.

Lockwood was appointed as cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department July 1. She was formerly the deputy secretary for the department. The dinner is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the ing Desert State Park. Cocktails will be served at 6:30 p.m.

The cost of the dinner is $12. The Eddy County Sheriff's Posse will be grilling the steaks for the dinner. Tickets are available at the Chamber office, 302 S. Canal until 5 p.m. Monday, Aug.

7. The dinner is limited to ISO people. Robert M. Evens, deputy secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resource Department, and Richard Cooper, Parks and Recreation Division director, will also be in attendance. Casey Bowen reported out of intensive care A spokesman for the University of New Mexico Medical Center in Albuquerque said this morning Casey Bowen, 14, would be transferred later today out of the hospital's Trauma Intensive Care unit and into a regular hospital room.

"He's in satisfactory condition and will leave the trauma unit today," the spokesman said. "He's doing well." Bowen was seriously injured in a water skiing accident Sunday. He underwent surgeries at Guadalupe Medical Center and at UNM's medical center for severe abdominal injuries. Local firefighters join federals at Caverns fire Firefighters from White's City, Otis and Joel Volunteer Fire Departments have joined firefighters from federal agencies to fight a fire burning in the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Bob Crisman, management assistant for the park said the fire was caused by lighting about 3 p.m.

Wednesday near the mouth of Yucca Canyon, west of Slaughter Canyon, and has burned about 450 acres. He said in addition to the local volunteer fire departments, the fire is being fought by personnel from the park. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forrest Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs. "They have been fighting the fire throughout the night," Crisman said.

"The fire is burning in an area with juniper, desert shrubs and We have about 100 people fighting the fire at this time." Due to the fire, Crisman said. New Cave has beerf closed and probably will remain closed through Sunday. Firewood cutting permits available for Pickett Hill The Guadalupe Ranger District in the Lincoln National Forest has reopened the National Firewood Area in the Pickett Hill portion of the district Permits are available for $5 a cord. Green or dead wood from pinon pine and one-seed juniper are permitted for harvest. Cutters have left 3 to 6 foot stumps from harvesters, and the Forest Service is encouraging cutters to cut the stumps out.

Cutters are reminded to leave trees with blue or orange marking alone. Permit applications are being taken at the Guadalupe Ranger District office, Room 159, Federal Building or call 885-4181. College pre-registration helps avoid the crowd Pre-registration continues at New Mexico State University at Carlsbad through August 15. Already approximately 250 students have taken advantage of the opportunity to avoid the long lines and confusion that often surrounds formal registration, which begins Aug. 21.

The advisers can give a little more personal attention during pre-registration," said Assistant Provost Cindy Denker. There's more time to discuss what classes are best for an individual student and how those classes fit into an overall plan. Students who pre-register may find they end up with a better class schedule than those who wait." No classes have closed out at this time, Denker said, although several, such as the University's three introductory computer classes, are filling quickly. Those interested in registering at the college for the first time must be sure to complete admission paperwork and evaluative testing before registration, Denker said. The University branch offers 1 1 associate degrees and eight certificate programs.

Little Argus Ribbon cutting planned The Chamber of Commerce Goldcoaters will attend a ribbon cutting at Linnie Davis State Farm Insurance Office, 210 12 W. Luckey 10 ajn. on Friday, Aug. 4. The ribbon cutting will celebrate the new addition and remodeling of the office.

Advisory committee meeting The Special Education Advisory Committee of the Carlsbad Municipal School District will hold' its first meeting on Friday in the Instructional Conference Room at the central office at 9 a jn. All those who are interested are invited to attend. DOES Drove 43 The DOES Drove 43 will conduct its meeting next Thursday, Aug. 10, at 7:30 pjo, in the Elks Lodge room, oc tonight as enDnew in Wednesday's Little Argus. Sit in.

School renovation Guadalupe Rubio, the head painter for the Carls- tion for the new school year. Rubio says the bad schools, works on painting the shop building painting should be finished today before he starts doors at Leyva Junior High School in prepara- on other area schools. Current-Argus PhotoMark Williams County sheriff subject of probe ALBUQUERQUE (AP) Torrance County Sheriff Gary Watts said he will cooperate with an FBI investigation into the May 1988 shooting death of a Mountain-air police officer. "I'm pleased the FBI is Watts said Wednesday during a news conference at his attorney's office. Watts, who has been indicted on state larceny and conspiracy charges in an unrelated case, successfully resisted an attempt this week by the state attorney general's office to have him testify before a Bernalillo County grand jury.

State District Judge Pat Murdoch ruled Monday that forcing Watts to testify might interfere with his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The attorney general's prosecutors reportedly wanted to ask Watts about a death threat he said he received from another law enforcement officer months before officer Stephen Sandlin was found dead in the Mountain-air Police Department. Watts said Wednesday "there's no connection between Steve Sandlin's death and myself." But he said, "I would like to see Steve Sandlin's death solved and I think that would be better done by the FBI than the AG." Watts also said he didn't feel comfortable testifying at the request of the attorney general's office. "It's difficult to cooperate with the same people who want to put you in the penitentiary," he said. The U.S.

Justice Department confirmed last week the FBI is investigating Sandlin's death. The state attorney general's office has been investigating the shooting for more than a year. No arrests have been made and the office won't say whether the shooting was a murder or suicide. Watts and three of his deputies were arrested in May on charges of stealing more than a dozen items during a September 1988 drug raid in Tijeras. The four men pleaded innocent and await trial.

The attorney general's office said the arrests weren't related to the Sandlin investigation but were part of a wide-ranging inquiry into "criminal misconduct" in Torrance County. Bail is reduced for 'Candyman' boys, ages 11 to 16, a trip to Disneyland and instead forced them to sell candy in shopping centers and street comers. While in California, Davis and the boys stayed in a seedy Pomona motel frequented by prostitutes and drug dealers, authorities said. Davis also is alleged to have left them alone for 10 hours at a time at the moteL The boys, who authorities have described as coming from underprivileged tackgrounds, have returned to their families in New Mexico. In New Mexico, five of the six boys allegedly mistreated by Davis said sheriffs deputies rained a great time when they arrested Davis.

"We were having lots of fan and the cops spoiled ft all." said Calupp BuswclL 12. POMONA, Calif. (AP) A man who allegedly brought six boys from Albuquerque, N.M., to California to peddle candy for him has had his bail reduced, and the boys are criticizing police for his arrest. A Municipal Court commissioner reduced bail for Gary Steven Davis, 37, of Albuquerque on Wednesday from $50,000 to $1,500 after John May, who said he has known Davis for 13 years, said Davis was not a flight risk. Davis sat quietly as Commissioner Joel Hoffman accepted a pledge from May that he would provide Davis with lodging and a job hi Riverside during the coarse of ha triaL Davis' preliminary bearing is scheduled for Aug.

11. He is charged with five counts of child endangerment Authorities said Davis promised the ner, 16, brother of Robby Criner. "I enjoyed it until the cops screwed it up. We were going to go to Long Beach and buy souvenirs when he got busted." None of the boys, however, had any souvenirs from Disneyland, and Madrid described as incredible that the boys now were saying they were having fun. "They didn't look like they were having very much fun when I saw them," Madrid said "They were working for 10 hours or more a day in temperatures approaching 100 degrees.

One little boy was crying because it was so hot and he couldn't make any sales." Davis was arrested Saturday when one of the boys tried to sett candy to a sheriffs detective. But Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies are standing by their report that Davis allegedly forced them to work up to 10 hours a day in nearly 100-degree temperatures. "It's possible they are changing their story around to protect Davis," said Manuel Madrid, a detective with the Los Angeles County sheriffs office. Although the sheriffs office said the boys never made it to the Magic Kingdom, five of the six boys who were interviewed this week in three separate groups by The Albuquerque Tribune said they did. Anthony Harris and Robby Criner, both 11, described such rides as Space Mountain, Ice Mountain and Star Tours.

"I was having fun," said Jeff Cri.