Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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PORTALES — An uncertain future for Portales’ after-school and summer programs has made one parent uneasy. She’s inviting others to join her in voicing concern at the City Council’s meeting on Tuesday. Cristin Stewart referenced a letter dated May 23 from City Manager Sammy Standefer, which informs users of the Portales Recreation Center that the city is “researching avenues to transform the City’s current recreation center into an entertainment venue for our community.” “With that being said, this letter is intended to not...
Roosevelt General Hospital has plans to expand into Clovis, officials confirmed Wednesday. RGH Chief Executive Officer Kaye Green wrote in an email that a billboard advertising the expansion "went up prematurely due to a little miscommunication," but confirmed that the hospital has plans to establish a primary care clinic in Clovis. Green declined to disclose any more information until a space for the clinic has been found. Haylee Spence, director of planning, marketing and...
Warmer weather means more opportunity for fun in the outdoors, but summer fun can take a turn for the worst if you don’t exercise caution. The New Mexico Department of Health on Friday released a list of guidelines to keep you and anything in your picnic basket safe on an outing. June is the peak season for emergency room visits caused by heat stress, according to the press release; to avoid one, drink more water than usual (but avoid alcohol or liquids that are high in sugar), wear lightweight clothing outdoors and wear s...
PORTALES - An old adage says life is more about the journey than the destination. PHS graduate Carmen Valadez' immediate destination on Friday was Greyhound Arena to receive her diploma, but her journey - both before and after Friday - is just as vital. At the beginning of her senior year, Valadez' mother was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Classes and homework were quickly supplanted by taking her mother to doctor's appointments and treatments. "During that process I...
Nurses at Roosevelt General Hospital will soon be recognized for something they exhibit every day: Compassionate care for their patients. RGH is beginning the semi-annual distribution of the DAISY Award, which recognizes recipients who “go above and beyond to exhibit extraordinary compassion for each patient and their families,” according to a press release from the hospital. Patients, families and colleagues can nominate the nurse they think deserves the award, and recipients will be chosen by a committee. They will the...
PORTALES — The Portales Recreation Center may soon serve a new purpose, and city officials are hoping to find another home for the after-school and summer programs the facility currently offers. In a report of the city’s April 28 strategic planning retreat at a City Council meeting on Tuesday, City Manager Sammy Standefer said the city hopes to create an “entertainment venue” in the current recreation center. Entertainment, Standefer told The News in an interview on Wednesday, would likely mean a bowling alley, skating...
PORTALES — Four years can pass by in what seems like no time at all, and suddenly you’re on to your next adventure. For 153 Portales High School seniors, that future begins on Friday. The PHS commencement ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. at Greyhound Arena, and though they have their entire lives to look forward to, PHS Guidance Counselor Thomas Tafoya said their accomplishments so far have already made him proud. “We’ve got some amazing students that have accomplished so much, and I guess seeing them mature and grow as young ad...
Everybody likes prizes. Businesses like customers. That combination gave us the green monster art contest. Do Drop In in Portales is engaging the community with help from the green monster, a character based on its most popular sandwich. Residents created their best original artwork — 24 inches by 36 inches at the largest — that incorporates the monster. The contest is over, but customers can vote for their favorites through May 31 at the cafe. Contestants compete for $25 and $50 gift cards. Do Drop In Owner Kamille Mou...
PORTALES — So how do you like Portales? We asked area teens to assess the community’s pros and cons. A few responses: Madisyn Purcell said she’d like to see “a bowling alley or two.” Purcell, 16, said there wasn’t much for a teen to do in town, noted that wasn’t always a bad thing. “At a fast food place, there’s not much people here, so you can find a job easier. There’s not as many kids in your school, so it’s not as crowded,” she said. Monte Foster, 17, said he wants to leave Portales as soon as he graduates. Foster likes...
Many people that struggle with drug addiction focus on taking. The members of the Ninth Judicial District Drug Court Program are learning how to give back. The 15 month program requires drug offenders to attend therapy sessions and recovery meetings, submit to regular drug tests and participate in volunteer work, according to Curry County Drug Court Coordinator Brian Forde. “We’ve participated with the food bank, and we’ve done that when they’ve had food drives. Last Saturday we’ve also participated with the post office when...
PORTALES — All the world’s a stage, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s a natural. So an upcoming day camp hopes to instill into local young people all the skills they’ll need for the great drama called life. Patrick McCreary, an Eastern New Mexico University theater instructor and organizer of the Theatre Arts and Drama Academy, said he hopes the program will help its participants develop skills like communication, confidence and organized thinking. “They’re all basic skills that sometimes we take for granted in the theater,...
If the only commemorative days you associate with the month of May are Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, think again. There are “holidays” for all types registered on Checkiday.com. Take today, for instance: If you have a penchant for writing about yourself, feel free to celebrate Biographer’s Day. Is “like” not a strong enough word to describe your feelings toward trees? Love a Tree Day, also today, might be just what you need. If you have the strange urge to indulge in two completely unrelated foods, Thursday is both Hummus...
PORTALES — Various improvements to the fairgrounds will be the next project Roosevelt County will request completion of through its community development block grant application, officials said. At a public hearing on Tuesday morning, Special Project Coordinator Carol Acosta-Flores said a majority of attendees at three previous public hearings — held to ascertain what projects residents felt were the most urgent — suggested fairground improvements. The application is for $750,000 plus a $37,000 match by the county, Acosta-Flo...
PORTALES — Beginning this year, Roosevelt County employees who have special certifications will receive yearly incentives. The Roosevelt County Commission approved a resolution at its Monday meeting giving employees incentive pay of up to $1,000 for each certificate they hold. Human Resource Administrator Debra Olds said the county already pays for the classes employees attend, but they still "spend time away from their families in order to achieve these certifications that a...
Dozens of area women have multiple reasons to celebrate and be celebrated today — it’s Mother’s Day and they graduated from college this weekend. Here are some snapshots: Elena Wimberly graduated from Clovis Community College on Friday and plans to attend Eastern New Mexico University during the upcoming school year to pursue her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Wimberly said after graduating from high school in 2009 she went to New Mexico Highlands University, but later dropped out. Wimberly said the birth o...
PORTALES — Concealed carrying, marijuana legalization and economic development were just a few of the topics covered by Roosevelt County magistrate judge, sheriff and county commission candidates at a public forum Tuesday night. Master of ceremonies Donald Elder officiated the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce-sponsored forum at the Yam Theatre, starting with the four candidates for magistrate judge. The first question Elder posed was about New Mexico’s high DUI rate: Does the state need still tougher laws or stricter sen...
Do you value your health? Nurses do, and the entire state is celebrating them this week, according to a press release by the New Mexico Department of Health. New Mexico is celebrating National Nurses Week from May 6 to May 12. This year’s theme is “inspire, innovate, influence,” something all nurses do “to advance the health of New Mexico families and communities,” according to the press release. NMDOH Secretary Lynn Gallagher said in the release that nurses, including the 300 employed by her department, “are one of our grea...
For several Eastern New Mexico University students, tonight will be devoted to a love of film — making, watching and critiquing it. ENMU’s department of theater and digital filmmaking is hosting a free screening of student film projects Wednesday night. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the University Theatre Center Mainstage. The event will include an introduction from Dirk Norris, the executive director of the New Mexico Film Foundation, and will be followed by a reception. As a film student, Kyree Mackey, a j...
Editor’s note: As 763 Eastern New Mexico University students prepare for Saturday’s commencement ceremony, four prospective graduates look to the past, present and future while reflecting on their time at the college. PORTALES — ENMU’s commencement convocation will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Greyhound Arena and, according to Paden Hagler, a large part of why he’s graduating is the faculty and staff. “As long as the student tries, the faculty will do everything they can to get you where you need to be. The other thing...
PORTALES — Cinco de Mayo is often associated with food, family and fun, but the city of Portales is adding a fourth ‘F’ this year: fitness. The city’s first Cinco de Mayo Fun Run is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Portales High School track, and participants will take off to the Memorial Building. Deputy City Clerk Veda Urioste said the run is free and open to students from kindergarten through sixth grade. Runners needn’t worry about who finishes first. Urioste said everyone will receive a ribbon once they arri...
After 150 years, an integral document in New Mexico’s history has been found over 2,000 miles away from its birthplace. The last of three copies of the Treaty of Bosque Redondo, which ended the forced internment of Navajos and Mescalero Apaches at the Bosque Redondo Reservation near present-day Fort Sumner, was found in April in Manchester, Massachusetts. That’s according to a press release by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. C.P. “Kitty” Weaver, great-grandniece of Indian Peace Commission officer Samuel...
Who says high art can't be creepy? Certainly not the New Mexico High School Musical Theatre Awards in Albuquerque, where the cast of Portales High School's production of "The Addams Family" will be performing this weekend. The production ran April 5 through April 8 and was attended by NMHSMTA judges who nominated the cast for best ensemble and actors Joseph Erwin, 17 (in the role of Gomez Addams) and Liam Hurley, 18 (in the role of Fester Addams) for the best-actor award,...
PORTALES — The Roosevelt County Commission voted Tuesday to approve the first increase in elected officials' salaries since 2012. The increase will in 2019 raise the salary of the county sheriff to $65,000 and the salary of the county assessor to $60,125, according to county records; in 2021, the county clerk and county treasurer's salaries will increase to $60,125. County Manager Amber Hamilton assured the commission that Roosevelt County would still maintain a positive o...
PORTALES — It turns out flint knapping isn’t just a fun phrase to say; it’s the art of making arrowheads, and it will be on display at the Portales Public Library at noon on Thursday. Portales flint knapper Tommy Heflin will present his program “The Art of Flint Knapping” at the Friends of the Portales Public Library meeting after the group has finished conducting business, according to member Betty Williamson. With any luck, there won’t be a demonstration on how to use the arrowheads once they’ve been made. For more info...
PORTALES — With over 300 years of combined experience, the 20 honorees at Eastern New Mexico University's 2017-2018 retirement ceremony define the college, according to ENMU President Jeff Elwell. For many of the outgoing veterans, however, their careers were defined by the students and faculty they worked with in their careers. Art Professor Maureen Muhlbauer is leaving ENMU with 27 years under her belt, and said she will value her students the most. "When you get right d...