Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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U.S. Senate Democrats are at it again. They're trying to prescribe another one-size-fits-all remedy to what ails our public education system. Here's a better idea: Let these decisions rest in the hands of those who actually run our local school systems — elected school board members and the senior administrators they hire. The Senate is considering a successor to the No Child Left Behind legislation promoted heavily by former President George W. Bush. The law expired in 2007 and senators have bickered ever since — lar...
High Plains residents should know the drill this time of year. The weather becomes infamously unpredictable, posing a threat to life and property. It happened yet again Tuesday night, across the Texas Panhandle, through Amarillo and to points east. If the twister that killed 24 in Moore, Okla., this month wasn't enough of a reminder, Tuesday's watches and warnings for our Panhandle neighbors should have done the trick. Because tornadoes can and do happen here. Eastern New Mexicans usually are spared such wrath, but we need...
An age-old political game is taking the United States to the brink of fiscal calamity once again. This time, with "sequestration" set to take effect Friday, the objective once more appears not to be to find a political solution, but only to lay blame at the feet of the other side. Here's an idea for Congress and the White House that no one in Washington seems capable of understanding any more: Stop blaming and start governing. That is the only reason we sent you there in the first place. At issue are automatic budget cuts.... Full story
You wait in line, oftentimes for hours, at the New Mexico Department of Motor Vehicles office to obtain a driver's license. After all, it's the state's exclusive business to ensure that you meet the requirements set down to qualify for a license, right? Not so fast, according to an intrusive federal law called the Real ID Act. Implementation of the Real ID Act for New Mexicans has again been delayed indefinitely but should be rejected permanently. Besides, under the Constitution's 10th Amendment, only a state can determine...
N ew Mexicans have friends in the state's judicial system who understand a fundamental truth about how best to serve the public trust. Those friends sit on the New Mexico Court of Appeals, which has upheld a lower-court ruling that lays out a broad — and welcome — definition of which documents the public is entitled to see. The appeals court on Dec. 11 smacked down the notion, argued by the state Department of Health, that draft documents can be kept from public view. The court affirmed a more open-minded view by ruling tha...
Our nation is reeling from another unfathomable shooting tragedy and is searching for ways to prevent it from happening again. "It," of course, is the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre last Friday in Newtown, Conn. Twenty precious children, all ages 6 and 7, and six teachers were gunned down by a madman who then turned one of his weapons on himself. Not surprisingly, President Obama spoke movingly and politically Sunday night at a prayer vigil in Newtown. He said government needs to do more to make schools safer for our... Full story
This Christmas season of giving is exemplified by God's gift to mankind, his son Jesus. Like many readers, we too enjoy learning of many worthy opportunities around the region for you to emulate His generosity. One such opportunity we ask you to consider donating money to is the Empty Stocking Fund. The Salvation Army conducts this campaign between Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, in partnership with the Portales News-Tribune and the Clovis News Journal. This annual endeavor provides gifts, including toys and clothes,...
While we limited-government proponents believe individuals are negatively impacted by Big Brother on many fronts, even many libertarians recognize there is a role for government in completing some necessary projects. Count us among the less-government advocates applauding taxpayer-funded road construction scheduled to begin in 2014 between Prince and Norris Streets on U.S 60-70-84 in Clovis. Details of the plan have not been announced, but there is no doubt a less-bumpy ride will be welcome. As much as we'd like to see...
The next step toward the creation of an electrical power connection in eastern New Mexico to better serve all Americans occurred last week when the Clovis City Commission voted 5-0 in favor of issuing $1.65 billion in Industrial Revenue Bonds for the proposed Tres Amigas project. The vote is a good one in that it moves the three-phased project closer to starting construction next year, without obligating the city to finance the project. Tres Amigas would connect the country's three major power grids north of Clovis, within... Full story
Those supporting taxpayer-funded higher education in New Mexico should take a close look at the Bond C question on the Nov. 6 General Election ballot. Voters statewide will decide whether to allow the state to issue $120 million in general obligation bonds for capital improvements at New Mexico's universities and colleges. The cost breaks down to about $6 a year for the owner of a $100,000 home. But taxes would not increase because this "GO" bond actually replaces a retiring bond by the same amount. Locally, Bond C would...
Pardon a moment of snarkiness, but let's remember that the Earth didn't move overnight Wednesday when the NFL referees and owners patched things up and ended their petulant little strike. Now can we get back to learning more specific details about what is sure to affect all Americans, like who has the right stuff to be our next president? For the last week or two the talking TV hairdos couldn't concentrate long enough to stop their whine over what call they thought was wrong or how the flow of a football game was hurt by...
New Mexico School for Deaf 56, CCS 0 • Records: NMSD 1-0, Clovis Christian 0-1 • Difference: The Roadrunners dominated from the start, opening a 49-0 halftime lead and scoring on their first possession of the second half to end the game on the 50-point lead rule. • Quotable: "We made a lot of mental mistakes. We've just got to keep learning and working and try to put things together next week." — CCS coach Corey Robinson. Clovis Media Inc. Joshua Lucero Terral Watson blocks... Full story
New Mexico School for Deaf 56, CCS 0 • Records: NMSD 1-0, Clovis Christian 0-1 • Difference: The Roadrunners dominated from the start, opening a 49-0 halftime lead and scoring on their first possession of the second half to end the game on the 50-point lead rule. • Quotable: "We made a lot of mental mistakes. We've just got to keep learning and working and try to put things together next week." — CCS coach Corey Robinson. Clovis Media Inc. Joshua Lucero Terral Watson blocks...
Josh Lynn is eager for his first game as Eastern New Mexico University's football coach. The Greyhounds open the 2012 season with a 6 p.m. kickoff today against New Mexico Highlands at Las Vegas, N.M., and Lynn is anxious to see just what the Hounds can do. "It's a good game for us to get going," said Lynn, a former ENMU player and assistant coach hired to replace Mark Ribaudo after last season. "It's an instate rival. It's the first game of a new era, so we'd like to try to put our best foot forward." If tonight's game is...
Josh Lynn is eager for his first game as Eastern New Mexico University's football coach. The Greyhounds open the 2012 season with a 6 p.m. kickoff today against New Mexico Highlands at Las Vegas, N.M., and Lynn is anxious to see just what the Hounds can do. "It's a good game for us to get going," said Lynn, a former ENMU player and assistant coach hired to replace Mark Ribaudo after last season. "It's an instate rival. It's the first game of a new era, so we'd like to try to put our best foot forward." If tonight's game is... Full story
Why name our streets after things or events few people either have heard of or remember today, when we can name them after local heroes from our past? We salute Cannon Air Force Base officials who this week changed the name of the base's Trident Avenue, which runs past the 27th Special Operations Wing headquarters, to Albright Avenue. The change honors Airman 1st Class Richard Albright of Clovis. Albright and his crew members were shot down over Korea on July 4, 1952, Cannon officials tell us. While some of his crew survived...
Why name our streets after things or events few people either have heard of or remember today, when we can name them after local heroes from our past? We salute Cannon Air Force Base officials who this week changed the name of the base's Trident Avenue, which runs past the 27th Special Operations Wing headquarters, to Albright Avenue. The change honors Airman 1st Class Richard Albright of Clovis. Albright and his crew members were shot down over Korea on July 4, 1952, Cannon officials tell us. While some of his crew survived...
Local peanut farmers are hoping for a sunny and dry September to finish off what they're predicting will be a much better harvest than last year for Roosevelt County's prized crop. Sunland Inc. President Jimmie Shearer said last year's harvest was horrible. File photo New Mexico State University graduate students survey a peanut field in Curry County. Farmers predict this year's peanut harvest to have an average yield. "We had about 90 days in a row of triple-digit weather, we... Full story
Local peanut farmers are hoping for a sunny and dry September to finish off what they're predicting will be a much better harvest than last year for Roosevelt County's prized crop. Sunland Inc. President Jimmie Shearer said last year's harvest was horrible. File photo New Mexico State University graduate students survey a peanut field in Curry County. Farmers predict this year's peanut harvest to have an average yield. "We had about 90 days in a row of triple-digit weather, we... Full story
So now somebody at the jail is lying? Or can they just not read a calendar? We don't use that word lightly. But somebody connected to the Curry County jail may have stretched the truth when our newspaper asked for a report detailing a June 27 fight there between two inmates. Documents the county released Thursday show an investigation into the fight began June 28. On June 29 the county was threatened with a tort claim, or lawsuit. An email from County Attorney Steve Doerr last month denied our request to get a copy of this...
Changes to the local grand-jury selection process made earlier this year are welcome and needed. We don't blame any officers of the court today for the system that seems to have been in place for more than 30 years. But applause all around for everyone involved in eliminating those potential conflicts of interest. As summarized in Robin Fornoff's in-deph report in Sunday's paper, the 9th Judicial District Attorney's office long had a clerical role in excusing grand jurors who claimed hardships. "If a grand juror is excused,... Full story
Country music singer Anne Murray reminds us sometimes that we sure could use a little good news today. So here you go. Readers shared these stories with us and they brought smiles we thought should be passed around: At your service: When the Cloud family left the new Batman movie on Aug. 3, they thought it strange security guards were standing by their car, which had its trunk open. Larry Cloud wondered if someone had tried to break in and steal his daughter-in-law's purse or the new computer equipment he'd just purchased.... Full story
If you're ready to play some football, make sure your safety gear fits properly, it's used properly and you pay close attention to the rules related to contact. One of our favorite sports can be dangerous, and it's attracting attention from those who want to protect us from ourselves. Lawmakers have already instituted rules by which we must abide, even in New Mexico. The 2010 state Legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 1, which requires coaches to sit players who exhibit signs of concussions. Most high school and youth...
If you're ready to play some football, make sure your safety gear fits properly, it's used properly and you pay close attention to the rules related to contact. One of our favorite sports can be dangerous, and it's attracting attention from those who want to protect us from ourselves. Lawmakers have already instituted rules by which we must abide, even in New Mexico. The 2010 state Legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 1, which requires coaches to sit players who exhibit signs of concussions. Most high school and youth...
At first, problems reported at the Portales Police Department appeared barely beyond ordinary, the kinds of things many small-town law agencies face as they train officers with limited experience. But recently there have surfaced incidents of a far more serious nature: An officer had his wife with him when he crashed his police car running a red light in pursuit of a traffic violator; not properly destroying unneeded evidence; not properly documenting officers' proficiencies with weapons, and longtime Deputy Police Chief Lonn...
