Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Rebecca Lynn Eminger figures it's a David vs. Goliath type fight, but she's not going to give up a parcel of her land without a fight. In a court filing, Southwestern Public Service Company contends they need less than 6 acres of Eminger's land off New Mexico 88 for construction of a transmission line. SPS cites eminent domain as its right to the property. Eminger, 65, says the acreage is part of 42 acres of what was once used to graze cattle but is now in the Conservation Reserve Program that she wants to sell. She said the...
Sue Strickler and Pastor Michael Brunk want all citizens to interpret Bible scripture with different eyes. The members of First United Methodist Church lead a study of Lenten practices based on Adam Hamilton's "The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus" each Wednesday evening. Strickler and Brunk started the study to share the benefits of Bible scripture with all citizens. Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune Members of The First United Methodist Church of Portales study Lenten practices by watching a video based on Ada... Full story
EPCOG is getting out of the housing business The Eastern Plains Council of Governments agreed to sell three properties, including office space on Main Street, during an executive committee meeting Wednesday morning. "We've changed our focus," said Sandy Chancey, executive director of EPCOG. "We've down-sized considerably in the last three years because we're realigning our mission to better serve the communities." According to Chancey, the property at 420 Main St. was purchased to accommodate EPCOG staff, but with the... Full story
A new bill that would exempt some economic development information from public viewing is supposed to protect local development corporations from losing out on deals and possible litigation, according to Chase Gentry, executive director of the Clovis Industrial Development Corp. The House bill, sponsored by Anna Crook, R-Clovis, has been criticized by some as denying public information regarding public money, but Crook believes the bill is beneficial to the promotion of local development. "It is only in the time of negotiatio...
Melrose Mayor Tuck Monk said his village has a water system that was installed in the 1920s that desperately needs repairs, so he was pleased that the Senate approved funding for it. The consensus of area leadership's response to the state Senate's capital outlay bill is that they're grateful for what they can get from the $222 million approved Sunday for projects even though money was spread thin. As the bill moves to the House, 11 of 29 projects requested by Roosevelt...
A presidential sequestration order will reduce payments to Quay and Roosevelt counties under the U.S. Department of Interior's Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. Failure to reach a deal on the national budget and avoid sequestration has resulted in a 5.1 percent reduction in the PILT program, which compensates counties for property taxes not collected on federal land. Quay, Roosevelt and De Baca counties use PILT money for general operations, including fire departments and other local services. Curry County has no...
Earning an extra dollar an hour could mean loosening the pinch in a person's budget but it still no way to live, says Michael Hatch of Portales who's tired of living the paycheck-to-paycheck shuffle. Hatch, 23, makes 33 cents over the state's $7.50 minimum wage as a convenience store employee. Hatch was a minimum wage earner not too long ago, but even at what he makes now, he feels his income limits him from the luxuries of life, and sometimes even the basics. An extra dollar...
No matter how many points the Portales Rams score, almost never does anyone stand out. PHS put together a dominating first quarter — first half, really — and cruised past West Las Vegas 62-51 on Saturday night at the Ram Athletic Center, yet it wasn't until senior Zach Blaeser converted the first of two free throws with 3:17 left in the game — giving him a team-high 10 points — that anyone reached double figures. CMI correspondent: Joshua Lucero PHS junior Zach Campbell goes up for two points against West Las Vegas senior...
If the Clovis Wildcats are heading into their first-round game with confidence, they've got plenty of reason to do so. Clovis is the fourth seed, and the top four seeds are 27-1 in the first round since the state went to a 16-team bracket in 2006. If the Wildcats were cautious going in, that would be OK, too. Since the format began, a double-digit seed has pulled an upset every season, including last year's win by Manzano in the 3-14 game. Wildcat coach Matt King said the Cats (20-6) are a little of both, but it has nothing...
Hannah Cissell's three 3-pointers in the second half carried third-seeded Portales to a 37-34 victory over 14th-seeded St. Michael's in the first round of the state girls Class 3A tournament on Friday night at the Ram Athletic Center. "If she didn't knock down those threes," coach Clay Stout said, "we'd be in a world of hurt." Cissell, the only senior on the Lady Rams' roster, played her last game in Portales. She led the team with 11 points, while junior Savannah Vincent... Full story
Alamogordo's Stephanie Anderson buried a 3-pointer on the Lady Tigers' first trip down the court Friday night. Suffice it to say, they had few other highlights. CMI staff photo: Tony Bullocks Clovis sophomore Danni Williams knocks away a inbound pass to Alamogordo's freshman Lauren Guinn in the third quarter of Friday night's first round playoff action at The Rock. Top-seeded and top-ranked Clovis High ran off the next 15 points and held Alamo to just four field goals in a...
Yvette Kaufman-Bell spoke to an audience of students of different races and nationalities about the accomplishments of black women Thursday at Eastern New Mexico University. Kaufman-Bell's speech, "Ain't I a Woman," focused on the plight of black women in the women's rights movement in the U.S. and the modern-day accomplishments of black women. Her speech tied into National Women's History Month, which is this month. Kaufman-Bell, 40, executive director of the state's office... Full story
A 20-year-old male inmate has given Roosevelt and Curry counties notice he may sue, alleging he was sexually assaulted by a Roosevelt County detention officer in December. In the tort claims notice, the man's attorney, Jennifer Burrill, said the Roosevelt and Curry detention centers failed to protect and provide adequate medical treatment for her client. The inmate was officially in the custody of the Curry County detention center, but according to the tort was transferred to Roosevelt County because he was attacked by an... Full story
Desperate times call for desperate measures, which is why Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, said funding is needed to reinstitute a cloud seeding program in Roosevelt and Lea counties. Ingle's bill to secure $150,000 for a weather modification fund, specifically cloud seeding, is working its way to the Senate floor. Ingle hopes the cloud seeding program will help with the lack of moisture in the area caused by what he considers one of the worst droughts in New Mexican history. "I'm having a hard time getting money," Ingle said....
Eastern New Mexico University's basketball teams are in the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament. Now the challenge is to overcome teams who have higher seeds. ENMU's women (7-21), seeded eighth, take on top-seeded Midwestern State (21-5) in a 5 p.m. (MST) quarterfinal matchup today at the Allen (Texas) Events Center. Meantime, the men (12-14) face third-seeded Tarleton State (17-9) at 1:30 p.m. (MST) on Thursday. Clearly, the Zias have an uphill battle, although they do own a 70-62 win over MSU on New Year's Eve at...
Local legislators are relieved the state budget has been completed as the 2013 legislative session nears an end, but they say the next 14 days will be a scramble to get legislation heard and hopefully passed. "It's a mad house up there," said state Rep. George Dodge, D-Santa Rosa, who's district includes Roosevelt and Curry counties. "The last 14 days are the toughest." Dodge, who chairs the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee, said his concerns are focused on threats of water speculation. "There are entities that... Full story
Sandra Cole was born and raised in Clovis. She said her parents Will and Hazel Moten moved to Clovis in 1942 to escape the racial oppression they experienced in east Texas and to find work. Cole said she belonged to a small black population when she was growing up in Clovis. She worked as a substitute teacher in Clovis Municipal Schools 1987-2001. She said she became known as a no-nonsense teacher during her years working as an educator. Cole retired in 2001 because of health...
Zach Campbell's field goal with 11 seconds left sealed Portales High's 61-58 win over Lovington on Saturday night in the District 4-3A boys tournament championship game at the Ram Activity Center. CMI correspondent photo: Joshua Lucero Lady Rams guard Sheraya Cox looks for an opening as she makes her way around Lovington's Amariz Antillon in the second half of the Lady Rams' game against the Lovington Wildcats Saturday night at Ram Athletic Center. With the crowd on its feet, the Wildcats brought the ball down and Shadeau Lam...
By the time the weekend is over, more than 200 dogs will have flashed their skills at the Clovis-Portales Kennel Club all-breed agility trials at the Curry County Events Center. The owner's goal is to guide their dogs through obstacle courses in the fastest time. The three-day trial continues today and Sunday. CMI staff photo: Tony Bullocks Mica, an Australian shepherd owned by Kelsey Culbertson of Albuquerque, flies though the course Friday at the Clovis-Portales Kennel...
Glenn Eagle did the math. He counted the number of prairie dog burrows on one acre at Ned Houk Park, multiplied it by the 3,200 acres in the city-owned park north of Clovis, and arrived at the estimate of 50,000 burrows — though not all the burrows are inhabited, he said. Eagle was one of several landowners with property adjacent to Ned Houk Park who approached the Clovis City Commission last week for help in eradicating the burrowing rodents. They are worried the f...
Five months after being at the center of a nationwide recall that shuttered its plant for several months, Sunland Inc. is ramping up for full production by the end of March, according to Vice President Katalin Coburn. Sunland was linked to a salmonella outbreak in September that sickened 41 people in 20 states. "We're working furiously to get the plant ready for the test production," Coburn said. "Things are definitely moving in a positive direction." The test runs will be mon...
A blizzard that plowed through the South Plains, bringing the area to a standstill, was the worst the area has endured in more than a decade, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist. The storm packing 50 mph wind gusts left a wake of power outages and schools closings across eastern New Mexico and West Texas. Whiteout conditions led to several area roads to be closed, including U.S. 60/84 from just west of Clovis to Santa Rosa and I-40 near Tucumcari. staff... Full story
While Monday's blizzard brought most of the area to a crawl, there were a few adventurous souls willing to brave the winter weather. We caught up with a few of them: Rick Thomas sat in his wheelchair eating a ham sandwhich in the parking lot of the Foxy Drive-in. The drive in was closed, but they still made the disabled Desert Storm Veteran a sandwich. "I didn't think too much of what they're calling a blizzard today," Thomas said. "Storms like this were common on the...
An extended drought that has included the hottest and driest 24-month period on record in New Mexico has led to a historic low water level at one area lake. Several other area lakes are well below capacity, officials said. The water level at Conchas Lake in San Miguel County is at 4,155 feet, which is 45 feet below the spillway and the lowest the lake has been since the record set in 1954 when it was at 4,155.80, said Jason Latham, Army Corp of Engineers at Conchas. It doesn't appear the lakes will be recharged anytime soon....
The Ramos family of Clovis can literally say nearly 240 pairs of hands have touched their home on North Thornton Street. Volunteers from Curry and Roosevelt counties as well as Cannon Air Force Base donated their time and skills to build the house for Roman and Erica Ramos and their two children through Habitat for Humanity of Roosevelt and Curry Counties. Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that builds affordable homes for low-income families in the area and...
