Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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PORTALES - The Portales High School track and soccer teams, band, choir, theater and National Honor Society will say goodbye to some of its members on Friday following graduation. In one case, they'll all be talking to the same student. Rebekah Christensen, one of 150 students set to graduate from PHS as of Tuesday, participated in numerous extracurricular activities during her time as a Ram. "Rebekah is one of those kids, she's got her hand in everything," PHS Principal...
CLOVIS — A longtime Clovis resident was recently recognized as the nurse of the year for Interim HealthCare Inc., a national health care provider with over 300 offices and 5,000 nurses around the country. Rakel Nussbaumer, the director of health care services in Clovis, received the 2019 “Interim HealthCare Nurse of the Year,” handed out annually by the company to coincide with National Nurses Week, May 6-12 this year. “I’ll tell you I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting to get it,” Nussbaumer said. “Being recognized as n...
PORTALES — The Roosevelt County Commission met for close to two hours Thursday morning to finalize the county's preliminary operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which will go before the commission for approval on Tuesday. The commission budgeted about $8.43 million in revenues, up from $7.7 million in the previous fiscal year. The county received $1.2 million in capital outlay for road improvements, vehicles, fairground upgrades and renovation of the detention center kitchen and laundry area. County Manager Amber H...
PORTALES - Parents of first- and second-grade students at James Elementary will see a considerable change in their child's report cards next school year. That's because the Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education on Monday adopted standards-based grading. In a presentation to the board, Principal Deanne McKinney explained that standards-based grading breaks down individual subjects into several different skills rather than a simple letter grade. Students are assessed bas...
Representatives from various local businesses, organizations and government entities will be squaring off in an effort to avoid receiving a pie to the face, and more importantly, raise money for local children. The United Way of Eastern New Mexico once again began it’s “Penny Wars” campaign this month to raise money for services to fight child hunger and abuse, as well as generate funds for the United Way’s youth success initiatives. Executive Director Erinn Burch said past Penny Wars campaigns have each raised over $5,000...
PORTALES - With just a few relatively routine action items for Tuesday's Portales City Council meeting, it was an item not listed on the agenda that generated the most discussion. Roosevelt County Commissioner Dennis Lopez addressed the council during the public comment portion of Tuesday's meeting to express concerns about a recent speed increase for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway trains going through Portales. The speed limits have increased from 20 mph to 49 mph....
PORTALES - As the 795 candidates for graduation this spring from Eastern New Mexico University were getting set to celebrate this big achievement during Saturday's commencement ceremonies, several graduates took a few moments to reflect on the little moments that led them there. Victoria Forte, a Del Norte High School graduate, told The News that some of her favorite memories at ENMU came during the moments one might least expect. "I think a lot of them are the small moments...
CLOVIS - The 2019 class of Clovis Community College graduates celebrated success in all its forms during Friday's commencement ceremony at the Curry County Events Center. "Success is not a linear path that goes straight to your goal. It has ups and downs through trial and error. It comes in many forms along with many achievements, both large and small," said Lindsey Fletcher, who graduated with an associate's of applied science in nursing and was one of two student speakers...
ROSWELL — The Eastern New Mexico University board of regents will provide an update on ENMU’s efforts to build a new presidential residence during Friday’s meeting on the Roswell campus. Regent Terry Othick told The News that ENMU released its Request for Proposal (RFP) for architectural services related to the residence on Monday, with bids due by June 5. Othick said the RFP included general guidelines for architects that the building, not to exceed 3,500 square feet, should include both private residence space and publi...
CLOVIS - The Curry County Commission approved the preliminary operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year during Tuesday's meeting. Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said a new grant with an additional $7,000 match from the county brought the preliminary total operating budget to $34,895,077. The final operating budget for the current fiscal year is $45,852,040. Pyle previously told The News that the approximately $11 million difference is accounted for by the detention...
ALBUQUERQUE - Portales High School took home its first award from the Enchantment Awards on Saturday. Junior Julian Valero won best supporting actor for his performance of Lionel, the Royal Steward, from the PHS production of "Cinderella." "It's really exciting. I'm still kind of in the place where it doesn't exactly feel like a real thing that happened," Valero said. Producer Terry Davis said the award was handed out based on the scores assigned to the students' performances...
CLOVIS - It's not unusual for community college students to follow a long road to graduation, but for most Clovis Community College graduates, that road did not begin in Alaska. That's the case for Angela Lam, one of 397 CCC graduates set to receive degrees on Friday. Lam will be receiving a pair of associate's degrees, in liberal arts and business administration, after moving to Portales to live with her grandparents to try something different in her life. "I was enrolled in...
PORTALES - While some students enter higher education with a set plan for their next four years, others do so in hopes of finding their passion. Breanna Smith, one of 795 candidates for graduation from Eastern New Mexico University on Saturday, found that passion in graphic design. Smith, a Clovis High School graduate, said she was undecided on what she wanted to study so she chose ENMU based on cost and location. After meeting someone from the graphic design program, Smith...
CLOVIS — Over 150 area residents, church and city officials lined Main Street outside the Curry County Courthouse on Thursday for the National Day of Prayer. Participants prayed for seven individual aspects of the country — government, military, business, education, church, media and family — along with a closing prayer and the 2019 national prayer for America, which was recited at National Day of Prayer gatherings held throughout the country. The following are excerpts from...
CLOVIS — A temporary successor to Clovis Community College President Becky Rowley was selected by the CCC Board of Trustees during Wednesday’s meeting. Robin Kuykendall, director of extended learning and division chair for occupational technology, was named interim president until CCC finds a full-time replacement for Rowley. Rowley announced in March she would be leaving the college in June after accepting the president position at Santa Fe Community College. “I’m excited. Dr. Rowley has done a great job of establi...
PORTALES — An upcoming theatrical production put on by Eastern New Mexico University students will take audiences through the final eight months of a 17th-century poetry professor who has been diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. “It’s an hour-long journey that will make you laugh and cry,” said senior Kay Ewing, who plays the lead role of Vivian Bearing in the production of “Wit” by Margaret Edson. Director Anne Beck, a professor in the department of theater and digital filmmaking at ENMU, said the idea to put on a pr...
CLOVIS — Few people, never mind businesses, can say they’ve made it to 90 years old. One Clovis company will celebrate reaching that milestone on Friday. Holland’s Clovis Office Equipment Co., located at 601 N. Pile, will hold an open house to celebrate its 90th anniversary all day on Friday, including a 10 a.m. ribbon cutting. “It’s challenging to be the president and owner of a company for sure, but it’s even more challenging when you know that this business is 90 years old and you have to continue,” owner Randy Holland...
PORTALES — Over the past month, Eastern New Mexico University has made a pair of moves to increase the university’s offerings in the area of renewable energy. On April 19, its board of regents approved a resolution that identifies renewable energy as a priority, both for ENMU’s academic offerings and future facility upgrades. That followed an announcement at the board’s March 19 meeting that the university would be adding a renewable energy emphasis to bachelor’s degrees offered at ENMU. “Eastern New Mexico is really one...
PORTALES - The Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education on Thursday approved a tentative operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. It includes nearly $3 million more in state funding than the previous year. "In the past, when we've had cuts, it's been really hard. This (budget) was really hard, too," Finance Director Sarah Stubbs said. "When you've got a lot of money to work with, you want to make sure you're doing everything right, you're making everything fair and...
FORT SUMNER — Billy the Kid lives on in a new film scheduled to begin shooting Saturday in Fort Sumner. Filmmaker Michael Giudicissi seeks to address unanswered questions about the Kid by turning to the man himself. Giudicissi said “In Their Own Words, Billy The Kid & The Lincoln County War” will feature re-created interviews with the Kid and other notable figures from the Lincoln County War, including Sheriff William Brady, John Tunstall and others. Giudicissi said the 15 or so actors and re-enactors will be drawing from...
PORTALES — It took multiple motions, but the Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents ultimately approved the school's operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year during Friday's meeting. Regent Lance Pyle first motioned to approved the budget without a 4 percent increase to fees, about $200,000 which was approved by the board in December, prior to the appointments of Pyle and student regent Joseph Gergel. "I've shared with several of you, I have a problem with fees," Pyle said. "I think fees need to be the last t...
PORTALES — After receiving just one bid that came in over 40 percent higher than the city had budgeted, the Portales City Council cancelled a bid for the construction of a new fire substation during Tuesday's meeting. City Manager Sammy Standefer said he believed the city only received one response because the scope of work was not significantly different from the last time the city elicited bids for the projects, noting that there is a large cost to contractors to submit bids. Standefer said the city will continue its e...
PORTALES - A pair of Portales students earned nominations last week for the Enchantment Awards, an annual awards show and night of performances recognizing the top high school theatrical productions in the state. Senior Bailey Grady was nominated for best supporting actress for her role of Queen Constantina in the Portales High School production of "Cinderella," while junior Julian Valero earned a best supporting actor nomination for his performance of Lionel, the Royal...
ALBUQUERQUE - A Portales student will represent the Land of Enchantment in the 2019 National Spanish Spelling Bee this summer after finishing as the runner up in the New Mexico State Spanish Spelling Bee last weekend. Fernando Gomez Jr., a sixth grader at Lindsay Steiner Elementary, correctly spelled "quirógrafo," a medical term for a type of scan, to take second place in the Spanish spelling bee which featured 33 students from across the state. Jacqueline Duran, a fifth and...
CLOVIS — The Curry County Commission declined to issue a disaster declaration as a result of the March 13 wind storm during Tuesday’s meeting. Dan Heerding, the emergency management director for the city of Clovis, said winds from the “bomb cyclone” reached 74 miles per hour due to an “almost record-breaking” drop in pressure. Commissioner Robert Thornton expressed concerns that a disaster declaration could result in an insurance increase for county residents. Heerding said he did not believe a declaration should impact insu...
