Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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New Mexico’s most explosive rusher has found a new home. Former University of New Mexico running back Eli Sanders announced his commitment to the University of Southern California on Wednesday via a post on social media. The 5-foot-11 Iowa State transfer rushed for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns in his lone season with the Lobos, earning an All-Mountain West honorable mention selection in the process. He joins quarterback Devon Dampier (Utah) and wide receiver Luke Wysong (Arizona) in a group of highly prolific players l...
TUCUMCARI -- Once facing potential closure, Mesalands Community College seemingly has “turned the corner” from a doomsday scenario after improving management of its finances, the Office of the State Auditor said last week. But according to Allen Moss, the institution’s president, Mesalands’ future is still uncertain. “I think we can safely say we’re not looking at closure,” he said. “I’d like to think we did everything we could to show that we’re stabilizing and that we can continue as an independent community college, but th...
An annual military spending bill that New Mexico's federal laboratories and military installations rely on is expected to be taken up by the U.S. Senate this week. The $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act would provide $2.2 billion in defense spending to New Mexico. It passed the House of Representatives by 281-140 last week. Some of New Mexico's congressional representatives voted against the bill because of an amendment related to restricting coverage of gender-affirming care in certain instances, but the...
Greg Frazier said he and other members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1564 were "feeling good" after the Kroger and Albertsons merger fell apart, the latter grocery company deciding to pull out and sue the former after two judges on Tuesday in separate court cases halted the multi-billion-dollar deal. "Right now, the workers are excited that they can just focus on the customers," said Frazier, president of the union, which represents thousands of New Mexico meat cutters and retail workers at Albertsons and...
SANTA FE — As higher education leaders went to the Roundhouse on Wednesday to ask lawmakers for more than $1 billion in funding for the coming fiscal year, the panel of elected officials also questioned why the leaders have not adapted to a new landscape or why money previously provided has not matched the return on investment. Stephanie Rodriguez, secretary of the New Mexico Higher Education Department; Joe Shepard, president of Western New Mexico University; Becky Rowley, president of Santa Fe Community College; and Monica...
After six years at the helm of the state's Republican Party, Steve Pearce is optimistic the groundwork has been laid for New Mexico to turn red after nearly a decade of Democratic dominance. But with Pearce set to step down from his role as state GOP chairman, not all Republicans are sad to see him go. While President-elect Donald Trump won more votes in New Mexico during this year's election than he did in his 2016 or 2020 campaigns, no Republican presidential candidate has...
New Mexico's oil and gas industry is holding strong. It's difficult to predict the booms and busts of the oil and gas industry, but academic expert Jim Peach points to rig counts as a measure to judge how the industry is doing. If the number of drilling rigs falls below 100 in New Mexico, that could indicate a bust on the horizon, he said. New Mexico's rig count stood at 102 as of Nov. 22, the same as the week prior, according to energy company Baker Hughes. That's four fewer rigs than the year before. Nonetheless, New...
Between state and federal programs aiming to get all New Mexicans reliable, high-speed internet access, there are still about 95,000 households left out of the mix. State broadband officials are looking for legislatively allocated dollars to fill the gap. And how would they use the money to fill the gap? Satellite technology. Nearly 100,000 households aren't eligible for federal broadband programs, a gap that state-provided vouchers and subsidies for satellite high-speed internet services could help address, said Drew...
SANTA FE — New Mexico's crime problem might also be, in large part, a crime-solving problem. A legislative report released Wednesday found that while the state's violent crime rate has persisted well above the national average in recent years, the rate of clearing such crimes has steadily dropped over the last decade. Specifically, the clearance rate for solving violent crimes has gone from about 1 in 4 cases a decade ago to about 1 in 7 cases currently, according to the Legislative Finance Committee report. That could be d...
New Mexico voters on Tuesday approved two proposed constitutional amendments intended to expand property tax exemptions for veterans, though the measures could increase tax rates for other homeowners. According to unofficial vote totals, four statewide bond questions also had strong voter support, along with proposed Constitutional Amendment 4. It would give county commissioners, and not the Legislature, the power to set salaries for county officials. Proposed Constitutional Amendment 3 — the most closely contested measure ...
Election Day didn’t change the political makeup of the Roundhouse much. But, for the first time ever, the Legislature is made up of a majority of women. Based on unofficial election results, women will hold 60 of the 112 seats in the Legislature come January. In state legislative election results, Republicans picked up three seats and Democrats picked up one, ever so slightly shifting party numbers in the Senate and House of Representatives. Democrats entered Election Day with a 27-15 majority in the Senate and a 45-25 m...
ALBUQUERQUE -- Thousands of Donald Trump supporters spent hours in traffic and waiting in line for a chance to see the presidential candidate in Albuquerque on Thursday. There were so many people eager to attend Trump's last-minute campaign visit to New Mexico that thousands were left outside of the rally, watching Trump's speech on a large screen that initially did not have sound. Down the road, a group of approximately 40 protesters chanted their objections to the former...
SANTA FE — In the run-up to every general election since 2016, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver's office has sent out mailers to potentially eligible but unregistered voters in New Mexico. But this year's batch of 105,000 postcards generated particular alarm among some Republican legislators, who say ineligible voters in their districts were among those who received the mailers. "As trust in our institutions continues to worsen, it is unconscionable to think that our top election official may be advising n...
New Mexico voters will be able to decide on four general obligation bond questions in November's general election, including a $230.2 million higher education bond package. The bond questions include $30.7 million for senior centers; $19.3 million for libraries; $230.2 million for higher education; and $10 million for public safety. Most years New Mexico voters approve general obligation bonds. The last time New Mexicans voted down a higher education bond package was in 2010. That year, the $155 million bond package would...
Along with answering questions on the cost of living, energy and immigration policy, Senate candidates Democrat Martin Heinrich and Republican Nella Domenici had a few questions for each other during their only televised debate before the general election in three weeks. The debate aired at 4:30 p.m., earlier in the day than originally planned, because of Monday Night Football airing this week on KOAT, the ABC affiliate. The candidates are scheduled to debate again on Oct. 27...
Martin Heinrich, 53, is a Democratic New Mexico candidate for the U.S. Senate. He answered questions from the Albuquerque Journal: Family: Wife Julie; 2 Children Education: Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia Occupation: U.S. Senator City of Residence: Albuquerque Relevant Experience: I grew up the son of an immigrant lineman and a factory worker. My parents taught me the value of hard work and giving back to the community. From the Albuquerque City Council to the U.S. House and U.S....
Nella Domenici, 64, is a Republican New Mexico candidate for the U.S. Senate. She answered questions from the Albuquerque Journal: Family: Husband, Patrick McDonough; 2 Children, 4 Stepchildren Education: BA, English Literature, Georgetown University, 1982 JD, Georgetown University Center, Law Night School, 1987 MBA Harvard Business School, High distinction, George F. Baker Scholar (top 5%) 1993 Occupation: Business executive City of Residence: Santa Fe Relevant Experience: Collaborative, common sense, bipartisan approach to...
SANTA FE — Former state senator John Arthur Smith, a conservative Democrat who carved out a reputation for bucking governors' spending plans, died early Monday, a caucus spokesman said. Smith, a Deming real estate appraiser, served in the Legislature from 1989 until 2020, when he was ousted by a primary opponent. News of his death prompted a moment of silence at Monday's annual meeting of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, who served with Smith in the Senate, said he felt heartbroken by Smith's p...
SANTA FE — Amid a dispute with lawmakers over high crime rates, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration is contesting the findings of a legislative report about unspent public safety appropriations. After a legislative report found about 56% of the roughly $424 million appropriated over the past five years for public safety initiatives had been spent, a state budget agency conducted its own review. Its analysis concluded about 72% of such one-time funding has been spent or is in the process of being spent. Wayne P...
ALBUQUERQUE — They thought the lapel camera was off. A group of Albuquerque police officers laughed as they threw around racial slurs — calling Native Americans "savages" — and disparaged the man they just killed as a "honky" with "a weird accent," expressing relief that the man wasn't Black "because of the optics." At one point, one officer tells the others: "I like violent encounters with violent people. That's why I became a cop. I didn't come to (expletive) help old ladies who can't cross the (expletive) road." He conti...
It's been a brutal summer for Ruidoso, which weathered devastating fires in June and has been hit with recurring flooding in recent weeks. But the repair of damaged bridges, roads and other public works, including 35-foot culverts that were ripped out in the Paradise Canyon area, is on the horizon after state lawmakers approved up to $70 million in zero-interest loans to fund such work during a special session last month. Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said the money will help jumpstart recovery efforts as the community and...
It may be a little easier to file taxes next year. New Mexico announced Thursday it agreed to join the Internal Revenue Service's Direct File program, which allows taxpayers to file their taxes free and directly with the IRS online. The program is being expanded after a pilot program in 12 states and 140,000 taxpayers, who claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved $5.6 million in filing costs, according to the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department. "We're excited to start working with the IRS to make sure...
Mediation talks are underway in an effort to resolve a lawsuit filed by a coalition of school districts challenging a controversial scheduling rule requiring public schools to spend 180 days annually with students. State District Judge Dustin Hunter of Roswell last month rescheduled a hearing to Sept. 30 to allow the mediation to continue. The two-month pause comes in a lawsuit filed in April against the state Public Education Department by the New Mexico School Superintendents Association and about 55 of the state’s 89 s...
Tax-free weekend kicks off a three-day run Friday across New Mexico. It’s a welcome holiday for many New Mexicans, especially college-aged adults and parents with children heading back to school. The holiday, enacted in 2005, takes place the first weekend of August each year and allows people to purchase items including laptops, clothes and shoes without the addition of gross receipts tax. New Mexico is one of 18 states with a tax-free holiday, according to a 2023 New Mexico Tax Expenditure Report. And businesses don't have t...
New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Patrick Allen understands the risks Texas providers now face in delivering care for pregnant women because of state laws restricting abortion access. The Health Department is referencing those risks as part of a multi-state campaign aimed at bringing health care professionals to New Mexico, a big need for a state that for years has faced a shortage of physicians, to nurses and other health care workers. “Every day we’re looking for ways to try to attract more people to New Mexico to m...
