Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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On this date … 1946: A Curry County man and his son were awarded more than $700 by a district court jury. Thomas J. Stephens and his son Tommy Dale Stephens, 10, who lived five miles west of Clovis, sued Victory Bus, which operated between Clovis and the Clovis air base. The Stephens’ alleged a Victory Bus was being operated recklessly when it struck the boy, who was running across the highway after exiting a school bus. The boy suffered a broken leg, broken hand and other injuries and was hospitalized for 13 days. Att...
A Clovis man family members identified as the best friend of a November homicide victim on Thursday was charged with multiple felonies in connection with the case. Lucario Balboa, 32, was with his friend, Marcos Ramirez, 26, when police said Ramirez went to the Hilltop Plaza Shopping Center to try and sell a gun. During the transaction, Ramirez was shot and killed by one of the teenage boys trying to buy the gun, police said. Balboa witnessed the shooting and returned fire...
On this date … 1956: “Yours to Keep,” a film about a typical American family wanting everything and getting nowhere, was available for civic groups and Parent-Teacher Associations to show. The film, a comedy, had been shown in Clovis schools “to encourage people to save money,” the Clovis News-Journal reported. 1967: Eastern New Mexico University President Charles Meister was feuding with Gov. David Cargo over the proposed use of Walker Air Force Base facilities in Roswell. The base was scheduled to close and ENMU was makin...
A domestic dispute led to others becoming involved and a Clovis teenager was shot to death early Saturday morning. Court records show Tony Cristan, 18, was shot in the head and chest about 2 a.m. Saturday outside an apartment complex in the 1000 block of Ash Street. Cristan was initially taken to Plains Regional Medical Center, then transferred to University Medical Center in Lubbock where the died from his injuries about 2 p.m. Saturday, records show. Two teenage boys, both 16, were arrested in connection with the slaying. O...
On this date … 1945: Eleven Clovis police officers, nearly the entire force, had resigned in protest of the anticipated removal of Chief Leonard Pinnix. Capt. Nelson Worley was one of the 11 who quit. City officials announced the next day that J.W. Manning would be the new police chief. Before year’s end, commissioners had ousted Manning and his successor, Roy Ansley. Worley was appointed the new chief on Nov. 22, 1945. Allegations of prisoner abuse and a stolen car plagued the brief administrations of Manning and Ans...
On this date … 1956: A Clovis police officer was reported in “fair” condition at Clovis Memorial Hospital. Bill Davis, 56, was injured while directing traffic during a funeral procession. His right leg was pinned between a pickup truck and a police car, the Clovis News-Journal reported. He suffered two broken bones, just above the ankle. 1958: The Dora Coyotes boys’ basketball team handily defeated the Causey Tomcats, 65-36, as the Coyotes nailed down their fifth straight victory after outscoring the Tomcats in every quarter....
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department last week fined Cannon Air Force Base almost $100,000 and ordered the Air Force to “justify why (Cannon’s) operating permit should not be revoked, citing repeated violations and failure to protect New Mexico’s residents from toxic and hazardous wastes.” The enforcement action was in response to an alleged “illegal discharge of hazardous PFAS chemicals in August 2024,” NMED stated in a news release. “The incident involved the release of 7,300 gallons of toxic PFAS firefighti...
The season's first snowstorm closed schools, businesses and government offices, slowed traffic and forced postponements of sports and other events throughout the region Thursday and Friday. An estimated 6 inches of snow fell across much of the Clovis-Portales area – more than double predictions just 24 hours earlier from National Weather Service and other forecasters. Freezing temperatures and high winds complicated the event, but no serious injuries were reported. Clovis p...
Winter has walked in our back door and made itself at home for at least the next week. But while there is a 50% chance of show tonight and into Thursday morning, forecasters human and computer are not expecting much accumulation for eastern New Mexico. “I think the main concern for us is extreme cold,” said Ruthann Kelly, the emergency management director for Clovis and Curry County. “Wednesday night and into Thursday morning we hit a low of 22 and (one) chart is showing a wind chill of 12. That will go into Friday so there... Full story
On this date … 1955: Stagner and Sons had announced plans to build 78 new homes in Clovis, representing more than $500,000 in value. Homes were expected to sell for $7,000 to $10,000 each, plus the cost of the lots. 1956: Seven people had been arrested at the Garcia Pool Hall, 1001 W. Grand in Clovis, and charged with gambling. Four pleaded guilty and were fined $15 each. The others pleaded not guilty and were released on $25 bond. Augustine Urioste and Elijio Martinez pleaded guilty to allowing gambling in a public place a...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials and community leaders. Justin Howalt is Clovis city manager. Q: City commissioners in July approved the largest budget in the city's history -- $110.04 million for Fiscal Year 2024-25. How is all that money being spent? A: The budget for fiscal year 2024-25 was allocated as follows: $32,754,736 for personnel services and benefits, $31,184,450 for operating expenses, $18,932,187 for capital...
Clovis Police Chief Roy Rice announced Tuesday he is retiring, effective Feb. 28. Rice, 70, has been the city's police chief since Feb. 28, 2022. His law enforcement career has spanned 37 years, according to a city news release. "I don't know. I'll probably just sit beneath a shade tree, drink diet Cokes and play video games with my grandkids when they come over," Rice said Tuesday morning when asked about his future plans. "Carolyn (his wife) and me and Biscuit (his dog)...
The great philosopher Will Rogers told us a century ago, “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” We believe our newspaper is on the right track as we move through the ever-changing landscape of the 21st century. And we’ll be making some significant changes this year in effort to remain a valuable asset to our communities. Some highlights: • Beginning next month, we’ll be publishing once per week in print. That print edition will come out each Wednesday and contain all of the regular fe...
On this date … 1932: Eastern New Mexico was covered in about 6 inches of snow. “Old timers pronounced this as the heaviest snowfall in years,” the Portales Valley News reported. “The night bus was unable to run, and the bus mail failed to come in.” In other local news: • Mrs. W.M. Drinkard of the East Valley View Club had won a carpet sweeper and undisclosed cash prize in the Ball Jar canning contest. Drinkard won for canning vegetables. • A Portales man had been arrested for stealing five hens from Ed Spears. The suspect was...
Editor’s note: Martha Kavanagh is head of corporate communications for Glanbia, the company that owns Southwest Cheese. She responded last week via email to questions from The News regarding Monday’s chemical spill that left 15 SW Cheese employees hospitalized. All 15 employees injured had been released from area hospitals by Thursday, hospital officials said. Q: What kind of process was being performed when the incident took place? Was it part of the cheese-making process? A sterilization procedure? What happens in the CIP...
Some area residents will remember 2024 as the year a Clovis native won the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association's All-Around World Championship. Others may note it was the year Clovis city officials attempted to address issues with panhandling and homelessness. Or the year fire destroyed the Portales Hampton Farms peanut processing plant. The year, like all years, was marked with triumph and transitions. But many will remember 2024 for violence more senseless than most: the afternoon...
A chemical spill produced toxic gas Monday morning, sending 15 Southwest Cheese employees to area hospitals. Two patients were reported in critical condition at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis. "Early investigation indicates that the cause of the incident was a chemical overflow, which occurred due to mechanical failure ... producing vapors which impacted a number of employees who were working close by," SW Cheese stated in a news release. A Plains Regional Medical... Full story
On this date … 1903: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway workers began construction on the Belen Cutoff – 268 miles of track that connected Texico and the Texas-New Mexico border to the AT&SF’s main line near Belen, south of Albuquerque. The new route, avoiding the mountains of northern New Mexico, led to the creation of Clovis in 1907. 1931: About 100 men, most armed with shotguns, gathered outside the Clovis News-Journal office on Main Street. Then, “bent upon bloodshed,” they sped out of the city, the newspaper...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials and community leaders. Lance Pyle is Curry County manager. Q: County commissioners have expressed concerns about Oak View Group 360, the management group for the Curry County Events Center and Fairgrounds. What have you learned from the audit of OVG360 approved in November? Do you anticipate the county looking into other options for managing the Events Center anytime soon? A: The audit is...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials and community leaders. Christopher Moyer is Portales' city manager. Q: You've been on the job now for five months. What has surprised you – in good ways or bad -- about what you've signed up for? A: Good -- I really enjoy working with the people who work for the city. Everyone wants great things for this community. Q: How are you feeling about the city's water situation? A: The aquifer is d...
On this date … 1951: An increase in reports of dogs destroying property had prompted an “intensive campaign” to rid Clovis of strays. Police Chief John Droke was warning dog owners to make sure their dogs were licensed and wore their licenses. Dog catcher Juan Chavez had impounded 28 dogs in the past two days and only one was tagged, the Clovis News-Journal reported. Stray dogs were kept in the pound at the city zoo for 10 days before being destroyed, Chavez warned. 1957: Clovis merchants were gathering an impressive colle...
On this date … 1870: Christmas was celebrated as a federal holiday in the United States. Europeans long celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ as part of their Winter Solstice, when cattle were often slaughtered and food was plentiful as people celebrated the worst of winter behind them and promises of longer days and sunlight ahead. 1940: Clovis firefighters and other city employees had delivered sacks of toys to more than 600 children in the city. About 250 families benefited from the gifts, provided by volunteers and o...
On this date … 1921: The headline across The Portales Valley News read: “Most revolting crime in history of Roosevelt County.” A secondary headline reported a father had shot his son and daughter-in-law dead while they were eating breakfast. The newspaper reported Lewis Hawes was confined in the county jail, “as the result of a family row, facing the gallows as the result of his hasty temper.” When law officers arrived at the death scene six miles south of Portales, Lewis Hawes admitted his deed. “Father and son Clinton had...
An early morning fire Saturday claimed the lives of three children and left five other people hospitalized, officials said. Firefighters were called to a trailer home on Conestoga Trail south of Clovis at 2:33 a.m. Clovis Fire Department Battalion Chief Chris Elam said the home was “fully involved” when firefighters arrived and the injured were in the yard outside. “It appears everyone was asleep (when the fire began). The children perished inside the residence,” Elam said. Two of the adults were initially in critical conditi... Full story
On this date … 1936: C.V. Steed Undertaking was “serving Clovis since Clovis began,” according to its newspaper advertisement. Anyone needing ambulance service or funeral service could reach Steed at phone number 14. 1954: Fourteen floats were entered in the upcoming Christmas Pageant Parade in downtown Clovis. The parade route was set to begin at West Seventh and Mitchell streets, then proceed down Mitchell to West First, over to Main Street and then to Ninth Street, where it would end. All of the floats were spons...
