Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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PORTALES — 2018 was marked by tragedy in Portales as the city said good-bye to its first female mayor following the passing of Sharon King on March 1. King, 64, died following a five-year battle with myeloma, a type of bone cancer. King was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. A Portales native who graduated from Portales High School in 1971, King was remembered for her passion for water issues, serving as vice chairwoman of the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority until late 2017. “She was a very prolific sup...
PORTALES — The Roosevelt County Commission considered just four ordinances in 2018, but only one really caught the attention of residents in eastern New Mexico and elsewhere in the state, leading to a pair of marathon public comment sessions. The debate surrounding the county’s right-to-work ordinance, which says county residents cannot be required to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment, was among the top stories to come out of Roosevelt County in 2018. The notice of intent to adopt the right-to-work ord...
CLOVIS - While Seth Martin was actually appointed to the Curry County Commission at the end of December 2017, it wasn't until the new year when his presence was really felt. Martin cast the tie-breaking vote to approve two contracts totaling over $900,000 at the county's first meeting of the year, as the road barn and water line extension were among the top stories from Curry County in 2018. At the commission's first meeting of the year and thus Martin's first meeting as a com...
ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Racing Commission held a special meeting on Friday to discuss the state’s potential sixth racetrack license, but did not move any closer to actually issuing that license. “At this point in time, we’re basically in the same spot as we were previously,” said Izzy Trejo, the commission’s executive director. Friday’s meeting lasted about an hour and 45 minutes; almost all of it in closed session. None of the five groups vying to bring a racetrack to Clovis, Tucumcari or Lordsburg were awarded the l...
PORTALES - The free food is a good start, but it's the fellowship with family, friends and community members that's really the draw at El Rancho's annual free Christmas lunch. Jamie Garcia, wife of Joe Garcia, who owns the Portales restaurant along with parents Ruben and Sara, said the free lunch, now in its 15th iteration, is mainly a family event both for the Garcias and other families in the area. "It's a family event for sure. The coolest stories are that we have some...
In addition to selling their usual wares and services, this holiday season several area businesses played the role of Santa Claus for seniors in Clovis, Portales and Farwell. Called "Silver Bells," organizer Kristy Forrest said she reached out to local nursing homes to get a list of residents and what they might want for Christmas. The requests were a mix of resident requests and staff suggestions of what a resident might like. She then made silver and red ornaments featuring...
PORTALES — Thanks to a new online virtual tour, you don’t have to come to Portales to visit the campus of Eastern New Mexico University. Since the end of November, prospective out-of-state and international students and their families have been able to explore ENMU’s classrooms, residence halls, athletic facilities and more, all from the comfort of their own home. “Basically it allows students from all over the state, all over the region and all over the world to see our campus ... So it really opens our doors to student...
The proposed border wall between the United States and Mexico, President Trump’s signature campaign promise during the 2016 election, returned to the headlines this week. Without funding allocated to pay for the wall, the government entered a partial shutdown early Saturday morning. As they finished up some last-minute Christmas shopping on Friday, local residents reacted to the impending shutdown and one veteran’s attempt to pay for the wall using the website GoFundMe “I think the way he (Donald Trump) is going at it is a...
CLOVIS - As times change, so do schools. The Clovis Municipal Schools Board of Education on Tuesday discussed ways the district can augment its educational offerings to adjust to the changing times. First, Robin Kuykendall, the director of extended learning at Clovis Community College, discussed an early college high school program that would allow Clovis students to graduate with their high school diploma and an associate's degree, certificate or license simultaneously....
PORTALES — Even without a minister, First Presbyterian Church in Portales is continuing its annual tradition of a midnight Christmas eve service. Beginning at 11 p.m. on Monday, Yvette Howl said the service will include a message about the season as well as singing Christmas carols and the lighting of the Christ candle. Howl is a commissioned ruling elder, one of seven members of the church’s congregation that stepped in to lead the church when its minister left about three years ago. Karen Kibbe, another of the chu...
CLOVIS - Now in its fourth year at Clovis Christian Schools, the 3-D printing program has expanded this year thanks to a new technology lab that includes newer equipment. The new printers and computers allow CCS students to design their own projects in just a few minutes and then a few hours later print out an exact 3-D replica made from oil-based plastics. While the students can also download pre-made designs online to print, instructor Mark Clayton said he enjoys seeing the...
CLOVIS - The owner of a local dairy on Tuesday addressed the Curry County Commission about issues his business is facing as a result of water contamination near Cannon Air Force Base. Art Schaap, owner of Highland Dairy, said seven of his 13 wells have been affected by the PFOS/PFOA contamination discovered near the base. Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoiac Acid (PFOA) were present in a firefighting foam widely used by the military since the 1970s and subse...
PORTALES - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, passed away in August. But her influence lived on during the commencement address at Eastern New Mexico University's graduation ceremony on Saturday at Greyhound Arena. Addressing 4,000-plus ENMU graduates, their families and friends, associate music professor Richard Schwartz detailed his experience performing with Franklin - including five takeaways for the students as they prepare to leave the university. ENMU officials said a...
The 2018 Farm Bill was approved by the Senate and House of Representatives last week in Washington D.C., adding increased protection for dairies and prioritizing conservation practices. “In New Mexico, our farmers, dairy producers, and ranchers help drive the state’s economy and are an integral part of our history,” U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, said via press release. “The 2018 bipartisan Farm Bill will provide certainty for rural New Mexico and boost our state’s dynamic agriculture economy.” The bill passed the S...
Winds exceeded some highway speed limits across the region on Thursday, with gusts as high as 65 mph recorded at Cannon Air Force Base. "Eastern New Mexico is typically a windy spot across the country but these winds are just shy of hurricane force," said National Weather Service Meteorologist Brian Guyer. Guyer said the wind was consistently in the 50- to 60-mph range for a good portion of the day on Thursday in Curry and Roosevelt counties. Clovis resident Landon Lunsford...
CLOVIS — A Clovis home was damaged by a fire caused by a space heater early Thursday morning, sending two teenagers to the hospital. Clovis Fire Battalion Chief Joel Gershon said a blaze inside a home in the 3200 block of Vinton Street around 4 a.m. Thursday morning damaged the garage that had been converted into a living space where the fire started and caused smoke damage throughout the house. Gershon said seven people were in the home, including two teens who were treated for minor smoke inhalation before being released f...
PORTALES - Eastern New Mexico University is set to graduate its largest class for a fall semester on Saturday with 563 students earning degrees. "It's great, I was delighted," said Jeff Elwell, president of the Portales campus and chancellor of ENMU's three-college system. "We made a priority helping students complete their degrees so if I'm correct last fall we graduated 495 and this 563 is tremendous progress and it means the efforts we're making to help our students get...
PORTALES - Dannah Brown, then Roberts, went to work at J.P. Stone Community Bank in Portales back in the 1960s, hired before she had even finished high school. Now after 52 years, she's ready for retirement. "It's time. There's time for everything and it just came about that it seems like the thing to do," Brown said Monday about her upcoming retirement. The bank is set to honor Brown from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday at its main location, 109 E. Second St., coinciding with...
PORTALES - The Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education unanimously approved the purchase of a new activity bus at a price of $174,000 during Tuesday's meeting. Superintendent Johnnie Cain previously told The News that one of the district's buses had a faulty engine and it made more sense to purchase a new bus rather than rebuild the engine. Cain said the new bus would be available within a month, before the spring sports schedule begins in earnest. The board was...
PORTALES — The Portales City Council on Tuesday unanimously decided its priorities for capital outlay projects. The projects were largely based off the Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP) the council approved at its Aug. 21 meeting. Wellfield improvements ($395,000 request) and fire protection and water circulation upgrades ($175,00 request) were given the top two spots. Kilgore Street improvements ($371,000 request) was moved up into the third spot, replacing a 911 radio interface project for which the city subseq...
CLOVIS - Karaoke, cocoa and Christmas lights will be the draw for thousands of residents to Hillcrest Park Zoo this week as it gets set to host the 11th annual Christmas Nites event. In addition to the regular business hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the zoo will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday with hundreds of Christmas lights illuminating the zoo. "These guys get pretty worn out by Friday. It feels like Groundhog Day, but we enjoy it," Zoo Director Vince...
PORTALES - Did you know that a dairy cow will drink 40 gallons, or a bathtub's worth of water, each day? Students at the Brown Early Childhood Center now know that fact and more following Friday's visit from the mobile dairy classroom. Instructor Garret Wilson came to Brown with a trailer filled with various agricultural tools and a cow named Maggie as he gave a demonstration that included various facts about dairy cows and farming in general. All 350 of the 3-, 4- and...
CLOVIS — A New Mexico native who died in a prisoner of war camp in 1942 following the Bataan Death March will be honored in a special memorial service on Tuesday at St. James Episcopal Church in Clovis. Pastor Alan Brockmeier said the worship service recognizing Rev. Frederick B. “Ted” Howden Jr.’s sacrifice for his country will include Scripture readings “pertaining to his selfless service.” According to a biography written by the Episcopal Diocese of Rio Grande, Howden was the chaplain to the 200th Coast Artillery when it w...
CLOVIS - During the public input portion of Tuesday's meeting, the Curry County Commission heard an update on the chemical contamination affecting private wells near Cannon Air Force Base. 27th Special Operations Wing Director of Staff Rick Masters said phase one of the Air Force's response began this week with meetings between Air Force officials and affected property owners. Masters said phase one includes collecting data to determine what filtration systems are needed to ad...
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE — The holiday season is well under way at Cannon Air Force Base as hundreds of airmen, their families and friends came out for the base’s annual tree lighting and holiday parade on Thursday. Lt. Col. Michael Stone, commander of the Force Support Squadron, which sponsored the event, and Sara Williams, the base’s school liaison officer who also helped coordinate the activities, said they were happy with the turnout. Stone said it was better than last year...
