News Tribune (Newspaper) - March 13, 2003, Portales, New Mexico PORTALES March 13, 2003 THURSDAY 50 cents Sunday Teenager Elizabeth Smart found alive after nine months By Patty Henetz The Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY beth the 15-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom nine months was found alive Wednesday walking down a suburban Salt Lake City street with a drifter who had once done work at the family's The man was taken into custody and the teenager was whisked away for a long-awaited reunion with her jubilant do said Tom the girl's Relatives said Elizabeth was in good condition and was talking with police about her She was expected to go home late of the children out there her so deserve to come back to their parents the way Elizabeth has come back to father Ed Smart said as he burst into sobs during a celebration at his He don't know what she's gone through and I'm sure she's been through I just know that she's a part of our she's loved and we love The police offered no motive or details of where the teenager had been since she vanished last Authorities in San Diego were trying to confirm reports the drifter was spotted there in the past couple of the Smarts had released a sketch of the man last Law enforcement officials in eastern New Mexico in June 2002 thought they Were on the trail of Bret Michael a man sought last year by Utah authorities for questioning in the child's they turned out to be chasing a man who left a trail of stolen cars throughout three The case of mistaken identity wasn't Safety of lighter brand questioned By Mike Linn PNT Managing freedom com A brand of lighter used by a 3-year-old to accidentally set a home on fire is the target of federal Portales Fire Marshall Mike Running said he contacted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission after officials determined that Jake 3, started a bedroom on fire at 1104 Leo Drive with a The occurred on tine's No one was but homeowner Sharon the has moved where for the time mated damages to the home are more than ing to Matt Jake's Running described the fire as fault but the which this one you should have to press down with some type of pressure to start more pressure than what a 3-year-old can Running this case I don't believe this lighter was Matt Jake's agrees with He said his son Jake can ignite the lighter as easily as he can. But Joe Bob Blackburn an official at McCarty a company distributing the brand in eastern New Mexico refuted such Blackburn said the lighters are in fact ant. Joy a CPSC said a tion as to whether the lighter is child resistant will be made after further looking at any lar and manipulating the you can't always tell if the brand is child Rizzitello you may think a child can manipulate but based on the amount of pressure required they really In this particular case the Lite lighter is being ed. Whether it is Page 3 PNT Lisa Sonnenschein Rustin Lancaster saved his brothers Jake and Cody Brady from a fire in the Teen saves brothers from fire By Mike Linn PNT Managing Editor With a quick-moving fire and the safety of his two little brothers hanging in the 16- year-old Rustin Lancaster was made quick decisions and put the safety of others before his officials For it was only to be a brief babysitting chore on Valentine's he said it turned dangerous after his little Jake 3, accidentally set his grandmother's bedroom aflame with a lighter that is under investigation by federal safety Rustin said he was searching for a diaper for Jake when he noticed him running for the room with a lighter in he followed shortly after and noticed the I got inside the room and saw one side of the bed pretty much lit up in flames 1 got ty Rustin Rustin said he immediately grabbed Jake and his other Clay 8, and told them to go outdoors to With his brothers outdoors and Rustin said he ran to the bedroom and made several Page 3 unraveled until the Edmunds was arrested in on suspicion of auto theft and Police were tipped off by members of the public who ted the drifter on a street in 20 miles south of beth's home in Salt Lake Page 2 Proposed budget cut threatens area schools By Jack King Freedom freedom com Schools locally and statewide could lose money under a et cut proposed by the Bush The program gives schools money for dents on military school administrators in Clovis and Portales said The Impact Aid program pays districts on a basis for money they lose because the federal government does not pay property one of the funding sources for public Students covered under the program are dependents of Native cans and residents of federally funded said Jim director of finance for Portales Municipal The payments help districts pay operating ing and maintenance and for special education Davis But under President Bush's spending request for fiscal year 2004, which begins in funding for Impact Aid would be cut by 9 percent of its current It is unknown how that would Page 2 proposes 6 additional vaccinations for children The Associated Press SANTA FE Legislation that would require additional vaccinations for school children is drawing flak from cians and health care takes people who do a great job at politics and makes them into said Dr. Lance former president of the New Mexico Pediatric which opposes the But supporters of the which has been approved by the House and is pending in the contend it would help dren and reduce feel that if you give shots to every kid from the then maybe you can some said Rep. Henry sponsor of the The legislation would require that children receive two shots of hepatitis A vaccine and four shots of Haemophilus zae type B vaccine in addition to 16 other shots required for them to enter New Mexico Opponents contend the lation is a scheme by at least one pharmaceutical company to boost vaccine And they allege it would increase burdens on health care providers and parents without reducing disease ignores the medical expertise that state government Chilton The influenza vaccine is Page 2 Son steps in for deployed parents Freedom Eric Kluth seated in front of a picture of his said have changed from a to being a By Gary Mitchell Freedom Newspapers CANNON AIR FORCE BASE Life has taken a different turn for the 22-year-old son of two Cannon chief ter sergeants deployed to two separate locations in support of Operation ing Michael last name or his names cannot be disclosed for rity according to Cannon came to the area to take care of his home and affairs as well as look after his younger changed from a to being a he gone from being a 22-year-old single male living in Chicago to being the father of a 14-year- old girl who's going on 37. It's a big We get along so it's Stephanie wasn't prepared for him to play and I was used to him being Michael left a bank in Chicago to come to New Mexico and assume family found out about their deployment the last weekend in and I moved here Thanksgiving he had less than a month to get out of Chicago and get settled down Within a short Michael landed another job as a member service sentative at Cannon Federal Credit Union on base and impressed his I first heard about his leaving his job in Chicago and coming I admired said Karena 39, branch manager at the credit many kids would come back home to help their mother and He's very responsible and I've heard he's a good was qualified for the position we said Lindsay 26, branch supervisor for the credit very good with and he has very good customer service He's good Page 3 WEATHER Mostly sunny with southeast winds 10-20 New Variable high clouds mainly otherwise mostly High 78 Low 44 Quote of the Day easy to be independent when you've got But to be pendent when you haven't got a thing that's the Lord's Mahalia American gospel singer Kid Speak Marcos Lopez 6 L.L. Brown Early Childhood Center What's your favorite football The Dallas because my Dad likes SPORTS Portales to meet Lovington for Class 3A Page 10 INDEX Calendar Comics Obituaries Ticket Freedom newspaper Volume 47, Issue 52 E-mail coverage comments or letters to the editor
