Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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A Floyd High School senior was one of two New Mexico high school students chosen to participate in the United States Senate Youth Program. Eli Terry, 17, will virtually participate in Washington Week scheduled March 14-17, a week in which American youth increase their "understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, learn the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and emphasize the vital importance of democratic...
PORTALES — Officials with the New Mexico Health Services Department on Wednesday assured Portales its Income Support Division plans to continue to have a physical presence in the city. “I do want to clarify that ISD will continue to have a presence in Portales,” said Karmela Martinez, director of the Income Support Division. “It is not our intention to not have a physical presence. We understand that there are challenges that arise, whether they be transportation or Internet or phone. We want to make sure that we offer a...
PORTALES — Roosevelt County commissioners on Monday approved a resolution “supporting legislation focused on meaningful public safety reform while opposing legislation that would detrimentally and disproportionately impact Roosevelt County and rural New Mexico.” County Manager Amber Hamilton said while Roosevelt County acknowledges the need for public safety reform, she said very few of the bills currently being considered by the state Legislature address the root causes of problems in public safety but instead, work towar...
PORTALES - Doing a stage performance without a stage can be challenging. But the Eastern New Mexico University Theatre Department will be performing "Everybody" - a modern adaptation of the 16th Century play "Everyman" - on the digital video platform Zoom Thursday-Sunday. "Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we've had to do all rehearsals via Zoom, so we have not met in person at all, so rehearsing has been a little bit of a challenge," said play Director Ricky Quintana. "We're...
Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Williams of Cannon Air Force Base isn’t just an air commando. He’s a storyteller — a lifelong passion that is responsible for the creation of the Cannon Air Force Base Theatre Group. “When I was a little kid, I had a dream of being an author, and I started writing stories at 5 years old, and I just kept writing,” said Williams, who threw theater writing, producing, and directing into the mix when he began studying theater performance in college. Williams...
Funny, athletic, positive, and ornery -- just a few words used to describe Travis Foster. But what seemed to stand out about him the most, according to his family, was his willingness to try anything. And try anything, he did. He was a Marine, a school teacher, a cattle rancher and orchard farmer, an artist, and a deep-sea fisherman. He participated in theater, square dancing, water aerobics, Tai Chi, golf, yoga, and exercise classes. He played the mandolin, ukulele, guitar,...
A distance of more than 2,000 miles doesn't interfere with a half-century friendship and a shared passion for history. Just ask Linda Sumption of Portales and Jan Metcalf of Bristol, New Hampshire. "We were college friends. I eventually moved to New Mexico, and Janet to Maryland then New Hampshire, but we get together and travel together. You are fortunate if you have friends for a lifetime, and Jan and I have been friends for a lifetime," Sumption said. "We've always shared...
Like everyone else, local animal shelters are feeling the effects of the worldwide pandemic. The number of animal intakes has increased in the past year while adoptions have decreased, according to officials with Clovis Animal Control. "I think a lot of it has to do with the pandemic," said Lt. James Gurule with the Clovis Police Department, which oversees the city shelter. "A lot of people are out of work and struggling to pay bills. They are struggling to feed themselves,...
Randy Dunson has always been a historian at heart, particularly interested in the history of the railroad. He's spent hundreds of hours researching thousands of historic railroad documents and was a primary source for the "Train Town" article that was included in "Clovis New Mexico: The First 100 Years" published in 2007. But in recent years, a more unique type of history has captured the Portales man's interest - the history of hymns. "When new church music started coming alo...
Jon Shrader was a man of few words. But when he had something to say, it was always worth listening to, according to his family and coworkers. The longtime owner and operator of Clovis Family Healthcare died on Dec. 18 at 57. "We'd always joke around in the office that he was a man of few words, but when he did talk, he was full of wisdom and generosity. He was just a kind, generous, humble person," said nurse practitioner Amanda Elam, who worked with Shrader at his clinic....
Billy Joe Essary never met a stranger. Everyone was his friend, according to Essary's family. "He made everybody feel like a friend," said Gary Essary of his father. "He had this way of making strangers feel at home," said Amy Essary, the wife of his son, Carl. "I knew that, but I don't think I realized just how much, because I have met so many people who see him as a close friend and have said they will miss him deeply." Essary, a lifetime Roosevelt County resident, died on...
The past year has been a strain for local musicians, both financially and emotionally. In March, they went from performing on a weekly basis to not performing at all or seldom. "We were going crazy missing the music," said Bobby Roybal, former Blackwater Band member. "I was ready to hang it up, because I figured we probably weren't going to get to play for a couple of years. I was tellin' the guys I'm out of it. The guys didn't want me to, but I thought, we can't play...
Funeral homes across New Mexico and West Texas have had a 15 to 18 percent increase in services they provide since June, according to Legacy Funeral Group Regional Director Bill Vallie. About 50 percent of the recent deaths being handled by Legacy in Roswell, Hobbs, and Ruidoso are related to COVID-19, while 80 percent in the West Texas region of Midland and Odessa are COVID-related, according to Vallie, who said Legacy's Clovis location, Steed-Todd Funeral Home, has seen less of an increase but has still been busier than...
There is no downside to restarting New Mexico high school sports on Feb. 1, according to local high school athletic directors. That’s the latest date given to high school officials by the New Mexico Activities Association. But as with previously approved starts, the Feb. 1 date is dependent on what health guidelines will be coming from the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at that time. “Pretty much, we have been told that if we are not able to start football at that point, there would not be a football season or vol...
CLOVIS - Airam Amaya's day at the General Medical COVID-19 Unit at the Clovis hospital usually starts with reading reports on patients and checking their vitals, emotional mind frame, and medications. The nurse's days start the same, but with every bed in the unit usually filled, Amaya said the past month has entailed extra shifts for all of the nurses in her unit and days with little to no moments to pause other than a brief lunch break. "This past month has hit us pretty har...
In the midst of a pandemic, the services provided by local non-profits are more needed than ever, while the donations that make those services happen have declined, according to officials operating the organizations. "I think most of our non-profits have maintained the ability to serve people, but for some, that's not true. For some, things have been put on hold in big ways," said Erinn Burch, executive director of United Way of Eastern New Mexico. "I think the biggest impact...
In the midst of a pandemic lockdown, local Christmas activities will be scarce this holiday season. And much like many other activities in 2020, the few holiday activities still taking place will look different this year. Both the Clovis and Portales communities have decided to carry through with their Christmas light parades, but with one slight difference — attendees will be the ones moving while the Christmas floats remain stationary. “We're trying to preserve the parade and Little Miss Merry Christmas, but we obv...
Muleshoe High School graduate Willard Norman is living proof - it's never too late to make your dream job happen. Born in Dimmitt in 1957, Norman was the middle child of 11. He grew up in Muleshoe on a farm where his father worked. "Living on a farm was great. It was good country livin,'" Norman said of his upbringing. After high school, he was offered a rodeo scholarship for his bull-riding but declined, intending on becoming a Texas state trooper. But those plans soon...
PORTALES - Trying to give people the opportunity to still experience art in a world of social distancing hasn't been an easy task, according to Bryan Hahn, coordinator of creative services and director of the Runnels Gallery at Eastern New Mexico University. The university took all of its classes online at the end of March when New Mexico and other states issued mandates to shut down non-essential businesses. "All of this has brought a lot more to the forefront as far as knowl...
There's a new club in town, and they're on a mission to give back to the community. After just being founded in September, Notorious Performance Car Club has already hosted one community event and is planning another. "That was pretty much all we ever did was played little league baseball, football, and basketball, and now that we're older, we understand that no one really gets paid to do those things," said one of the club's founders, Alex Galvan. "(We want) to be able to do...
Sarah Ward gave a groan of frustrated effort as she completed a carousel movement around the metal pole she had been swinging on for the past half hour. "You did it. That was amazing," shouted Amanda Cobb as Ward completed her dance set. It was Ward's ninth pole dancing class with Cobb, and she had come a long way since day one. "It's been fun. I think in the beginning when I said I'd take the class, I was scared, but after I did it the first time, I was like, 'Oh my gosh,...
As is the case with many activities this year, local Halloween festivities are looking a bit different in light of the pandemic. But Halloween will not be a total loss for area residents as several Clovis and Portales entities have stepped up to provide some holiday fun for local children. Although the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce's annual downtown safe trick-or-treat event won't be held this year, Executive Director Karl Terry said the chamber is hosting an online...
The word kind likely wouldn't cut it when it comes to Lynn Martin, according to his children, Connie Patterson and Gary Martin. "My dad was absolutely an amazing person," Patterson said. "He was a leader in every sense of the word. He was someone who was extremely honest in every sense of the word. He always saw the good in everyone, no matter who they were or where they came from." Martin died on Sept. 11 in Clovis at 96 years old. People were always important to Martin,...
Much remains uncertain for the upcoming ski season in New Mexico. But ski resort owners all know one thing: They want to ride. "It's a different year than most," said Michael Adams with Ski Cloudcroft. "Gov. (Michelle Lujan) Grisham hasn't addressed this year yet and what restrictions there will be. We're planning for a bunch of scenarios right now, but what we are anticipating is 50 percent capacity and social distancing. We've watched a lot of videos on how to keep your...
Faith Christian Family Church in Clovis isn't exactly a traditional church with its auditoriums, two daycares, and gourmet coffee shop. Moving into 2021 will mean bringing that non-traditional church atmosphere to Portales. "Sometimes people get really caught up with the church as a building," said Hadley Howe, who is set to be the pastor of the Faith Christian Family Church Portales campus. "At the end of the day, we ask ourselves, what can we do for people? This is just how...
