Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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In a recent survey, Clovis city workers indicated they feel they are underpaid — and research validates their feelings, a human resources consultant told city commissioners Thursday night. Mike Swallow of Personnel Systems and Service has been hired by the city of Clovis to do a wage and benefits study. As a first step, he did a survey of employees’ job attitudes, compared with the attitudes of 2,599 employees from cities throughout the Western United States. Swallow said Clovis employees’ scored similarly to the contr... Full story
Curry County officials on Friday supplied employee salary and benefits information as requested by the Clovis News Journal — but the paper’s officials said Monday their dispute is not over. The newspaper last week sued the county for release of the salary information, contending it is public record. County Attorney Stephen Doerr twice denied the paper’s request in writing prior to the newspaper filing the lawsuit. The packet received Friday includes information about county employees’ benefits and salaries, which the paper h...
Local long-time practitioner repeats ceremony taught by Plains Indians. In a more than 80-year-old spring ritual, Weldon Crim built a bonfire at his Parmer County family farm Monday to predict the weather in the coming year. Crim, 67, of Clovis, said setting the fire is a weather-forecasting method his grandfather learned from Plains Indians at the turn of the 20th century. By setting a fire at sunrise March 22, then watching the direction the wind blows the smoke, a knowledgeable observer can predict the average rainfall... Full story
Trenton Meeks, 17, of Farwell, brushes 3-year-old quarter horse CD before taking the horse out for a ride Saturday during the Spring Horse Sale at the Clovis Livestock Auction. CNJ staff photo: Eric Kluth. Clovis Livestock Auction owner Danny Rogers estimated 1,000 horses would be sold this weekend in the business’ annual spring horse sale. Several of these are exceptional horses from famous lines, with competition, race or show experience. This story is not about one of those. While he comes from good stock, CD, a sorrel g...
MELROSE — The board of the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority voted Wednesday to add three more construction efforts to the Ute Water Project, raising the cost of the project by $10 million. The additions bring the total construction cost of the project to $263 million, said ENMRWA Project Manager Scott Verhines. The three efforts are: l a sewer system for the village of Logan, for $6 million. l a remodeled wastewater treatment system for Tucumcari, for $2 million. l a proposed “energy recovery project,” actually a sma...
Curry County’s attorney is using an inaccurate interpretation of the New Mexico Public Records Act to justify withholding county pay records, an attorney for the Clovis News Journal said on Monday. The paper filed a lawsuit against the county Monday in 9th Judicial District Court, asking the court to order the county to turn over the records. In connection with a planned story on pay and benefits in local government entities, the News Journal requested employees’ records from Curry County, the city of Clovis, Clovis Municipal...
Curry County Officials have been working for at least a year and a half to turn a former fitness center into a jail annex that could help relieve crowding at the Adult Detention Center. Now a veto by Gov. Bill Richardson and high bids from local contractors have put the center’s completion further away than ever. The former Clovis Fitness Center, in the 800 block of Main Street, could contain housing for working prisoners and isolation cells. But, so far, the county has been unable to afford more than an architect’s pla...
Curry County commissioners will consider a proposal to cover the rodeo arena at the Curry County Fairgrounds, turning it into a county special events center, at today’s regular meeting. The commission will meet in commission chambers in the Curry County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Commissioners have been considering various plans for a special events center since 2001, when voters approved a tax increase to fund one. Commissioner Pete Hulder, a member of the commission’s special events center subcommittee, said March 3 he may hav...
Curry County’s attorney is using an inaccurate interpretation of the New Mexico Public Records Act to justify withholding county pay records, an attorney for the Clovis News Journal said on Monday. The paper filed a lawsuit against the county Monday in 9th Judicial District Court, asking the court to order the county to turn over the records. In connection with a planned story on pay and benefits in local government entities, the News Journal requested employees’ records from Curry County, the city of Clovis, Clovis Municipal...
Nine people — including incumbents in four races and their challengers — have declared their candidacies for county offices in the June 1 primary election, registration for which is Tuesday. Other candidates still may emerge during the day-long registration period. Registration is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the county clerk’s office in the Curry County Courthouse, 700 N. Main St. To be eligible to register Tuesday, a person must have been registered under a party listing and by the name under which he or she plans to run by Ja... Full story
The details of a proposed city of Clovis civic center are taking shape during work sessions between members of the city’s civic center committee and architects from the Albuquerque firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini. Committee members and architects met for a second planning session Thursday in the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library. In a four-hour brainstorming session, the volunteers and the architects discussed what types of events are most likely to be held in the building and how much space would be required to s...
A picture of Herbert Bergstrom and a thank you from the city of Clovis is projected on a screen as Mayor David Lansford reads from a proclamation Thursday at the city commission meeting naming today, “Dr. Herbert Bergstrom Day.” CNJ photo: Eric Kluth The City Commission honored Herbert Bergstrom, a pastor who served the Clovis area for more than 50 years, and two out-going commissioners at its meeting Thursday night. The commission presented Bergstrom with a proclamation naming today “Dr. Herbert Bergstrom Day.” Bergstr...
The Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday approved four changes to the city’s zoning regulations that had been requested by builders and developers. Director of Building Safety Pete Wilt called them “worthwhile changes” that are “not anything drastic.” But Planning and Zoning Commissioner Bill Bollinger questioned the practice of having staff meet with Realtors, builders and developers to iron out the changes before they came to the commission and said the commission was making zoning changes in the wrong way. “Zon...
David Cresap of Crosshair Gun Shop discusses gun safety and how to install cable-style gun locks at his store Monday. CNJ staff photo: Jack King. Three Curry County law enforcement agencies will receive free gun locks today from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The agencies will then offer them for distribution to local residents. “Anybody who is interested in a gun safety lock, just come to the sheriff’s office and if we haven’t gotten them delivered we will get their name and make sure they have one,” said Sheriff... Full story
From left, Randal Crowder, Lunell H. Winton, David Lansford, Fred Van Soelen and Robert Sandoval sign their oaths of office. CNJ staff photo: Loretta Kos. Two new City Commissioners, two incumbents and Mayor David Lansford took the oath of office Monday in a brief ceremony in the North Annex of Clovis-Carver Public Library. District 1 Commissioner Randall Crowder and District 2 Commissioner Fred Van Soelen made their first official appearances at the ceremony. They will attend their first commission meetings, as commissioners... Full story
Helene Burnett talks about her husband Robert on Friday at her home in Clovis. Burnett, who was born is Germany, is still waiting for her U.S. Citizenship. CNJ staff photo: Eric Kluth. Helene Burnett followed her husband Robert from Wackernheim, Germany, to postings throughout the United States. She took care of their five children while he served two tours in Vietnam. Three of their offspring — their son Roy and their grandsons Michael and Robert — have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and today her grandchildren tell her... Full story
A visit to Clovis by members of Leadership New Mexico this week offers a chance to showcase the community, City Manager Raymond Mondragon said Thursday. Fifty community leaders from around the state, participating in a conference on education issues here Thursday through Saturday, toured Cannon Air Force Base Thursday afternoon, then attended a barbecue at the home of Mayor David Lansford Thursday evening. Mondragon said the event brings people to Clovis who haven’t had a chance, until now, to see its growth. “Dr. Vi Florez ...
A quarter-percent increase in the city’s gross-receipts tax approved by voters Tuesday will not go into effect until July 1, when the city begins its next fiscal year, City Manager Ray Mondragon said. “Our first collection won’t be until September, because we get the reports from the state every two months,” he said. Mondragon said newly elected city commissioners will be sworn into office at 5:15 p.m. Monday in a public ceremony in the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library. Their first city commission meeting... Full story
Fred Van Soelen summed it up in five words: “It was a nail biter,” he said. Van Soelen, an assistant district attorney, won the city commission District 2 race with 285 votes — 37 more than runner-up Len Vohs and 40 more than incumbent Gloria Wicker. Van Soelen said his efforts on the commission will be focused on better pay for police officers and firefighters, as well as water issues, streets, parks and other quality of life issues for District 2 residents. He attributed the closeness of the race to the fact that it was a... Full story
Gena and Kevin Wilkerson of Clovis walk into Marshall Junior High School before voting in Tuesday’s election. Clovis voters approved a quarter-percent gross-receipts tax increase for the city by a more than 2-to-1 margin Tuesday. Voters favoring the tax hike numbered 2,234; those opposed were 1,077. City officials attributed the success to a comprehensive marketing strategy and a vigorous sales job. Mayor David Lansford credited City Manager Raymond Mondragon and Assistant City Manager Joe Thomas, and their staffs, with d... Full story
City officials call it a “unique and strange agreement,” but a resolution approved Wednesday by Clovis’ water policy advisory board may allow Curry County to join other area entities in encouraging water conservation. The resolution is a compromise aimed at protecting agricultural users from overregulation, said County Attorney Stephen Doerr. The Clovis City Commission has adopted a drought management plan, with water conservation measures, but when city water policy advisory board Chairman Randy Crowder asked the County Comm... Full story
The state Water Trust Board voted Wednesday to give $2 million to the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority. The money is state funds earmarked by the Legislature in 2002 for the water authority’s Ute Pipeline Project, but the Water Trust Board had to vote to release the money. The New Mexico Finance Authority will consider ratifying the board’s decision March 19, said ENMRWA Program Manager Scott Verhines. Verhines said a delegation of at least 12 people from eastern New Mexico attended the Water Authority’s meeti...
Curry County commissioners may have found a way to build a special events center at a price the county can afford, Commissioner Pete Hulder said Tuesday. Hulder, a member of the commission’s special events center subcommittee, said he has talked with county maintenance supervisor Lee Delk about remodeling the rodeo arena at the county fairgrounds. For approximately $2.5 million, the county could erect a metal building that would fit over parts of the arena. The county has $3 million on hand from a tax increase voters a...
Early voting was down in this year’s city election, but statewide the practice is growing and plays a peculiar role in elections, a New Mexico State University government professor said. “If drastic changes occur in a campaign — because a candidate makes an error or a bad speech — increasingly, a third or more of voters have already voted,” said NMSU government Professor Jose Garcia. “Another example is negative campaigning. It used to be that people would start negative ads five or six days before election day, so the oppone...
Clovis voters will select a mayor and four city commissioners and decide on a proposed quarter-percent gross-receipts tax increase on Tuesday. City officials have said funds generated by the tax increase would be used for acquisition, construction or improvement of water, wastewater or solid waste systems or facilities; acquisition, rehabilitation or improvement of police and firefighting equipment; construction, reconstruction or improvement municipal streets, alleys, roads or bridges, and acquisition of rights of way; and...
