Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 384
For Clovis and Portales small business owners, a day dedicated to keeping money in the community is a no-brainer. Saturday is Small Business Saturday, an initiative created in 2010 to encourage residents to shop locally. “It’s an opportunity for businesses to really promote the products they have, and it’s kind of the kickoff to the holiday season. And it’s kind of a reminder, too, for people: Try shopping local first,” said Portales MainStreet Executive Director Sandy Vigil. The success of Small Business Saturday is diffic...
PORTALES — The Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education showed a dedication to its schools in 2017 that deserves recognition, according to a state organization. The board — comprised of members Antonio Sanchez, Inez Rodriguez, Alan Garrett, Rod Savage and Randy Rankin — will receive the 2017 Board of the Year award from the New Mexico School Boards Association Dec. 1 at its annual convention in Albuquerque. According to NMSBA Executive Director Joe Guillen, the board was selected for a number of reasons, including the h...
PORTALES — For 62 years, Woody’s Jewelry has been providing gifts to commemorate whatever needs celebrating around Roosevelt County. But customers learned this month that the downtown staple will close Dec. 27. Owner Danny Woodward took over the business in 1979 from his father H.L. Woodward, who started it upon his return to Portales from World War II in 1955. “My father was a World War II vet, was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, didn’t have many career options at the time, and this was one of them,” he said. Woodward...
Fred McNeal's life was often difficult, but family members said Wednesday they will remember him as kind and caring. The 26-year-old's body was found in a shallow grave in Ector County, Texas, on Oct. 28, and was identified Monday. Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said on Monday that no cause of death has been confirmed and no one had been arrested in connection with his death. McNeal's grandmother, Grace Fair of Portales, said he had lived in Odessa after he was released...
Dr. Samuel Neff gave all of himself, both in the operating room and in the Clovis community, according to his friends and family. Neff, 96, of Clovis, died Wednesday, leaving behind a legacy as a surgeon and a well-liked community member. Neff returned to his hometown after he served as a fighter pilot during World War II. That's when he became a surgeon at the Curry County Hospital and Plains Regional Medical Center, practicing medicine from 1957 to 1996, according to his...
PORTALES — A request for sewer services by a county resident was approved by the Portales City Council on Tuesday after being denied once before. The decision also prompted councilors to begin the process for establishing policy for sewer/water services among county residents. Property owner Randolph McGee was denied his request in August because city residents are required to have both sewer and water services with the city — a policy not always enforced when county residents seek city services, according to City Man...
PORTALES — Two activists who had previously presented to the Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education plans to change educational priorities in New Mexico reported Monday that their project has stalled. Larry Smith and Bill Calton of the Roosevelt County Republican Party told the board in September that they had been working with local legislators to draft a resolution to establish a state school board and a state superintendent of public instruction. Since then, however, the project has experienced a “lack of mov...
PORTALES — The Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents on Tuesday tentatively approved a proposal to increase oversight at its branch campuses, but not without concern from officials at ENMU Roswell. The action was recommended by the Legislative Finance Committee in a recent report, and expands the positions of chief information officer, human resource director, and vice president of business affairs — held by Clark Elswick, Benito Gonzales, and Scott Smart, respectively — to encompass the entire ENMU system, inclu...
PORTALES - Ready, set, play: Valencia Elementary School students on Friday experienced the fun of eating healthy and staying active. Third- and fourth-graders were put through a gauntlet of activities, ranging from jump rope to "Mario Kart," in which high school volunteers pushed students up and down the gymnasium on scooter boards. All this was the culmination of "Eat Smart to Play Hard," a six-week program that encouraged children to take home healthy recipes and exercise re...
PORTALES — Six area children found "forever homes" Thursday morning at the Roosevelt County Courthouse, and the judge officiating the event couldn't be happier. Of National Adoption Day — an event that has seen over 50 children adopted in Portales since 2013 — Judge Donna Mowrer said it's nice to have a break from negativity. "Somebody's (almost) always upset when they leave ... Nobody gets perfect satisfaction in the court system all the time," she said. "This is somet...
Veterans from across Roosevelt County, including a 97-year-old who served in World War II, received a warm welcome from Floyd's elementary students Thursday morning. Each student thanked veterans for their service as they read from a presentation about the sacrifices made by the armed forces. "Today we are honored to have veterans among us, and many of you in this audience may have friends and family that have served or are currently serving in the armed forces right now," sai...
PORTALES — A proposed solution to county properties kept in sub-standard condition drew both supporters and skeptics at Tuesday's Roosevelt County Commission meeting. No consensus was reached. Geographic Information Systems Manager Johnny Montiel said during his department report that he has received complaints about mobile homes encroaching into the county's right-of-way and becoming nuisances to other county residents. After receiving the most recent complaints, Montiel m...
Dennis Roch says family comes first. And so New Mexico District 67’s representative has decided to step down from the Legislature after 10 years. Roch, a Logan Republican, will not run for re-election when his term expires on Dec. 31, 2018. He said his chief reason for leaving state politics is the imminent birth of his fourth child. “You know, when I got into the Legislature almost 10 years ago, it was just my wife and I and, now, just under a decade later, having four kids, it’s a big sacrifice for the family to be makin...
“If you don’t read history, or make people aware of history, then you tend to repeat history.” Those were the words of American Legion Post 31 member Mike Woolley’s history professor, and they were the most appropriate words he could use to encourage people to attend the legion’s Nov. 11 Veterans Day event at the Portales Memorial Building. “It’s a day to honor veterans and their sacrifices — those that have served, those that are serving, and those that will serve,” he said. The event will begin 10:30 a.m. Saturday, and will...
A small fire Thursday near Melrose is one of several the Clovis Fire Department has dealt with recently. Thursday’s fire began at 8:30 a.m. and was contained in “less than 10 minutes,” according to CFD Lt. Chris Elam. A motorist “lost the whole front tire, and so his vehicle slammed down on the opposite side of the wheel and caused a lot of sparks,” Elam said. “That’s what kicked (the fire) off.” Elam said his department also responded to a call about a grassfire near Broadview on Thursday, but “there was nothing there, so...
DORA — The Dora Consolidated Schools Board of Education has four new members after its predecessors resigned over a month ago. The resignations came several months after a report released by the state auditor showed more than $100,000 in funds potentially mismanaged by the district. The New Mexico Public Education Department was then charged with filling the vacant positions. DCS Interim Superintendent Brandon Hays said that after a period with only one board member, Jana Roberts — from Sept. 22 to Oct. 13 — NMPED appointed P...
A freeze is coming to the eastern Plains, but don’t get too comfortable in those winter coats. The cold weather isn’t expected to last. The season’s first frost is expected this weekend — lows should be around 25 degrees early Saturday morning — but “it’s gonna be warming up Sunday,” according to Meteorologist Randall Hergert of the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. “We have lows of 34 and a high of 74 on Sunday, and then a little bit warmer still on Monday. We’ve got a low of 37 (on Monday).” Hergert added that anothe...
PORTALES — Anyone who complains there's nothing to do at Portales High School isn't paying attention, administrators say. With two new extracurricular programs at the high school this year, students can better themselves alongside their peers, according to PHS Principal Mark Gormley. With the addition of a Business Professionals of America chapter at the school and the reinstitution of a student council, Gormley said students have the chance to "be leaders." "I think that's t...
Eastern New Mexico is in relatively fair financial health despite a Tuesday report that higher education is missing its fiscal mark in New Mexico, according to local college administrators. The non-partisan Legislative Finance Committee on Tuesday released a 72-page report, highlighting falling enrollment, shrinking funds for colleges and universities, and the threat of increased tuition. The report said New Mexico “spends the highest proportion of taxpayer dollars on higher education in the nation, yet is the poorest state i...
PORTALES — Portales is infested with weeds after a rainy summer, but getting rid of them is a challenge when property owners won’t do it. Portales resident Raymond Fisher approached the Eastern New Mexico News about an abundance of 4-foot weeds near his home in a subdivision on the south side of the city. The property owner has since removed the weeds at the city’s request, but Fisher said his situation is indicative of a larger problem. “I asked (City Manager Sammy Standefer) if he could, whenever he addresses the city co...
PORTALES — Preparation for the 45th annual Peanut Valley Festival has begun, and the 44th iteration isn't even underway yet. "The vendor sign-up process for next year will start before this festival ends. We'll be giving out sign-ups for the next year. That part of the planning and everything is already going," said Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Karl Terry. The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and f...
PORTALES — A presentation on how Portales can raise revenue at Tuesday’s city council meeting had councilors asking how they could help the situation. City Manager Sammy Standefer informed councilors at the beginning of the presentation that the city’s revenues are down in 2017 because local retail sales are lower and food and medical gross receipts taxes are not being collected because of state legislation. He cited rising costs for services — including employees, materials, and utilities — as additional reasons for falli...
PORTALES — Public Works Director John DeSha made clear the intent to expand the acreage on Portales’ water well fields at Tuesday’s Portales City Council meeting. After speaking to the New Mexico State Land Office about increasing the acreage on the Blackwater well fields’ lease, DeSha said he was “very confident in the lease.” Increasing the size of the lease would add 18 sections of land, with a monitoring well in each one to observe the condition of the Ogallala Aquifer, according to DeSha. The land office has shown inter...
PORTALES — Roosevelt County Manager Amber Hamilton detailed at Tuesday's county commission meeting a tentative plan to apply for disaster relief funds from heavy rains in August. Because De Baca County and Curry County have both incurred road damage due to flooding, Hamilton asked state officials if the three counties could jointly apply for funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "That is something they're looking at, because of the timespan of when all of t...
PORTALES — As the 44th annual Peanut Valley Festival approaches, several of the event's vendors are looking ahead to their fourth decade of attendance. The free festival is set for next weekend at the Roosevelt County Fairgrounds, and is the event du jour for early Christmas shopping, according to Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Karl Terry. "The timing of this is set so you can get your Christmas shopping done early and get something put away in a c...
