Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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CLOVIS - Downtown business owner Robert Vilandry believes his customers deserve reserved parking spots in front of his business. City of Clovis officials have told the merchant known as Bullet Bob that the spots in front of his store belong to the public. The issue started when Vilandry noticed the parking spots in front of his Main Street antique and collectibles shop were seldom taken by his customers, but by patrons of the new Bandolero Brewery. For the benefit of his...
CLOVIS — Paying for college prevents many from pursuing higher education, but for those who did manage to close in on a degree, such as two local nursing students Karla Beachum and Sydney Romero, the experience would have been far less of a struggle if tuition were not a factor. As part of a federal plan slated to cost around $1.8 trillion, the Biden administration's proposed American Families Plan would invest taxpayer dollars to fund two years of tuition free community college, partially eliminating one of the greatest o...
CLOVIS -- Downtown business owner Robert Vilandry believes his clients deserve reserved parking spots in front of his business, but the city has told the merchant known as Bullet Bob that the spots in front of his store belong to the public. The issue started when Vilandry noticed the parking spots in front of his Main Street antique and collectables shop were never taken by his customers, but patrons of the new Bandolero Brewery. For the benefit of his customers, who skew...
PORTALES — Dozens of automobiles were under water in Portales on Saturday after more than 2 inches of rain fell in about an hour. Tow-truck driver Ryan Ainsworth said he was involved in pulling 46 vehicles to safety, including one that contained a mother and two children floating down a city drainage canal. The family was not injured, thanks in part to fate, Ainsworth said. The drainage canal's safety gates are typically closed, Ainsworth said, but for reasons unknown they were open when the flood waters swept through. ...
CLOVIS — On Tuesday, County Manager Lance Pyle, gave a presentation to update the commission on the finalized preliminary budget during the County Commission’s regular meeting. Pyle said the operating budget for fiscal year 2022 is projected to be $45,308,519, up $7,236,554 from last year’s $38,071,965. Pyle said a large majority of this increase is due to the American Recovery Funds. The general fund revenues for fiscal year 2021 was $18,839,899, and is projected to be $19,314,747 for 2022, an increase of $474,848, Pyle...
After months with little more than sprinkles, most of the region has welcomed significant rainfall the past few days — and more may be on the way. Portales and Roosevelt County had the greatest blessings/curses, especially mid-afternoon on Saturday when a slow-moving storm dumped more than 2 inches on everything in site. Some rural areas reported more than 4 inches of rain, a lot of it coming in less than an hour, flooding streets and washing cars away. Marble-size hail d... Full story
CLOVIS — Clovis native and National Guardsman Nathaniel “Nate” Rubio became Soldier of the Year this month after winning the New Mexico Army National Guard Best Warrior Challenge earlier this month. Rubio will move on to represent the state in the regional competition, which will take place in Colorado Springs Monday. The 2018 Clovis High grad joined the New Mexico National Guard in 2019, and has served in the Bravo Company ever since. Rubio was the first of nine competitors to finish the ruck march, one of many gruel...
CLOVIS — An understaffed Curry County Detention Center is seeking to recruit a number of officers, a trend that jail officials said is common across the state and nationwide. Acting Detention Administrator at the Curry County Detention Center, Joe Alaniz, said that as far as the jail is concerned, “we have 22 vacancies when it comes to officers.” “We just hired two new ones recently and we have a sergeant vacancy, so including that it brings it up to 23.” Administrator Mark Gallegos is currently away on military service, Coun...
CLOVIS — Those who knew Adam Solano said he was a selfless man who considered others before himself, listened and helped those around him, and despite his own struggles, was always kind to people. Solano, 34, died early Wednesday morning after police said he was hit by a truck on Mabry Drive. Despite the shock and pain of Solano’s untimely death, some of the 34 year old’s friends stepped up to share memories about their friend. Bonetta Hutson of Clovis said she met Solano about four years ago when he joined her Faith Stand...
CLOVIS - Commencement ceremonies are finally happening at Clovis Community College. Statewide COVID-19 restrictions prevented students from walking and being honored since fall 2019, but on Friday, the long wait should be over. The college will present 175 degrees to graduates at 6 p.m. in the Curry County Events Center, and Col. Robert Masaitis, commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, will be the guest of honor at the ceremony. "We are...
CLOVIS — Airport Director James Harris provided an update on the Clovis Regional Airport’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) construction project to the Civil Aviation Board during its regular meeting on Tuesday. Having the federal agency at the airport is a major step for Clovis, as it will not only make air travel more convenient for patrons, but will generate revenue for the airport by providing necessary infrastructure to service travelers going to and from Cannon Air Force Base. The construction phase of the...
CLOVIS - The County Commission voted Tuesday to allow the newly minted Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy, the land trust committee charged with preserving local land and water resources, to act independently during its regular meeting. Prior to the roll call vote to cut the land trust committee loose, the committee was obliged to appear before the County Commission for approval of any of its decisions. It is anticipated that the land trust, officially named the Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy, will aid with any issues...
CLOVIS — Health officials announced Tuesday when they hope the state is expected to be fully reopened, went over updated Centers for Disease Control masking guidelines, and outlined new criteria for the statewide color-coded framework, which will now factor in vaccination rates. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that 60% of eligible New Mexicans are projected to be fully vaccinated by the end of this coming June, and that in about nine weeks, the state will be fully and safely reopened. “I really want New Mexicans to be...
CLOVIS — On Wednesday, The City of Clovis Public Works Committee discussed possible means of funding the city’s various construction projects, and provided an update on a number of Clovis Municipal Schools projects. Clovis City Manager, Justin Howalt, provided an update on projects currently underway. Some of the projects discussed at the meeting included Seventh Street renovations from Maple Street to Main Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard work, the Llano drainage project, the Thornton and Seventh Street project, and a pr...
CLOVIS — Seniors at Clovis High School will return to remote learning through graduation, officials said last week, a “preventative measure” intended to ensure prom and graduation ceremonies can go on as planned. Graduation is scheduled May 23 at Leon Williams Stadium, while prom will be in the CHS commons area May 8. Prom had initially been scheduled Saturday, but officials postponed it a week “to allow time for existing close contact quarantine periods to expire.” School administrators, concerned about the ongoing COVID-19...
MULESHOE — Two neighbors are running for the City of Muleshoe’s top political slot in the town’s mayoral race on Saturday. Erin Jo Gonzales, a local nurse practitioner, who among other things, hopes to curb the city’s tax dollar spending, will face off against current city council member and funeral home director Colt Ellis. Ellis is the vice president and manager of Ellis Funeral Homes in addition to his position on the council. Ellis could not be reached by The News for comment. Gonzales said that if elected to run Mulesho...
CLOVIS — The conviction last week of Derek Chauvin was a “step in the right direction,” for police accountability. But the struggle for racial justice isn’t over. That’s according to Clovis’ Shaundra Mahan, who helped organize local protests against racism and police violence last summer. “Definitely not,” Mahan said. “Considering we are in 2021 and this is the same battle that my parents, who are well into their 60s, as well as their parents, have been fighting and seeing going on with police brutality within their comm...
CLOVIS — The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority board, which oversees the construction of a water pipeline meant to deliver water to the region, are continuing to collaborate with four other rural water initiatives as a means to collectively appropriate federal funds for the project. The board also appointed Clovis Mayor Mike Morris to serve as chair of the authority board, during its regular meeting on Thursday. For the last couple of years, the authority has successfully brought in around $15 million in federal f...
CLOVIS — During a regular COVID-19 and vaccine update, state officials said that overall, the majority of counties in New Mexico either stayed the same, or improved as far as coronavirus cases are concerned. However, some counties have regressed. New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Tracie Collins, and Human Services Department Secretary David Scrase both spoke on the pandemic situation in the state during the health department’s meeting on Wednesday. State data showed that 24 counties either maintained their pre...
CLOVIS — Curry County Commissioners agreed Tuesday to limit voting members appointed to its water-focused land trust to five non-agricultural water users, following concerns about possible conflicts of interests in other formations. During Tuesday's regular meeting, Commissioner Chet Spear proposed appointing seven voting members to the committee, three of which are technically local landowners who could possibly benefit from serving on a land trust focused on water conservation. The land trust is anticipated to aid with any...
PORTALES - The coronavirus pandemic halted last year's plans for the Jack Williamson Lectureship, but this year, the three-day event hosted by Eastern New Mexico University in Portales is back on. The lectureship, which honors the late John Stewart "Jack" Williamson, the science fiction writer and long-time ENMU English professor, is set to take place virtually Thursday through Saturday. The 44th annual lectureship will bring in two guests of honor, science fiction writers...
