Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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William Drake, 14, who will be a Grady Municipal High School freshman next fall, is competing in the Olympic Weightlifting Youth Division competition in Las Vegas, Nev., at the end of this month. 2022 USA Weightlifting National Championships Week will be held from June 25-July 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. William's mother, Rene Drake, who is herself a professional weightlifting coach, said the "annual competition is one of nine national meets. Athletes must qualify...
This Sunday the entire community is invited to celebrate Juneteenth Freedom Day, which commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth Freedom Day is celebrated on June 19th every year and became a federal holiday in 2021, said Alisia Johnson, spokeswoman for MECA Therapies LLC Early Intervention, a sponsor of the event that will bring many area agencies to Potter Park at 601 Upsilon Street in Clovis from 9 am to 4 pm. The event is free and open to the public. “Juneteenth (short for “June Nin...
CLOVIS — The Clovis City Commission discussed a sign code ordinance at its meeting on Thursday, voting to approve the introduction of the ordinance. Some changes the commission discussed include increasing the distance between billboards to 1,000 feet instead of 500 feet, reducing the time before an abandoned sign must be removed from six months to three months, and to allow one temporary sign that can be within 10 feet of the front door in the business district and cannot stay out overnight. Mayor Mike Morris said the p...
Vaccines for children five to 11 years of age “are taking off quickly,” according to the New Mexico Department of Health’s Wednesday update. To schedule a vaccination for a child, go online to VaccineNM.org/kids. Children five to 11 require two doses taken three weeks apart and two weeks beyond that for the vaccination to work, according to the DOH. The vaccine for children is 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. As of Wednesday, the percentage of New Mexicans who are fully vaccinated is 61.4%. A total of 274,1...
PORTALES - Eastern New Mexico University's Theatre and Digital Filmmaking Department is hoping some dark comedy can be a little relatable to their audiences this weekend. The play, "Gruesome Playground Injuries" by playwright Rajiv Joseph, will be performed in the University Theatre Center at 7 p.m. nightly, Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Director Ricky Quintana, an instructor at the ENMU Theater Department, said: "It's a dark comedy. We do have laughter in...
Jesse Merl Porter of Portales, who died Oct. 4 at the age of 81, was well known for his fairness, generosity and belief in people. He served as Roosevelt District Magistrate Judge from 1972 to 1999. "I can tell you my dad was an extremely fair and honest person," daughter Kristi Cacy said. His son, Alan Porter said: "He never turned down anyone who was just plain unfortunate." Cacy said her father "really impacted people's lives - not only us kids but people in the community....
Last week New Mexico received 30,000 doses of vaccines for children ages five to 11 years old, according to health experts at the New Mexico Department of Health COVID-19 update held on Wednesday. Secretary of Health David Scrase said this is part of a three-wave shipment of an initial 90,000 doses in total. The second group of doses was scheduled to arrive Friday, and the third group Wednesday. Deputy Secretary of Health Laura Parajon said: “I don’t think there will be any delay in the doses; you can get a scheduled appointm...
The Clovis City Commission set priorities for requests for funding from the 2022 legislative session at its meeting Thursday. After discussion, the commission ranked by way of priorities to bring before its legislators first Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard reconstruction between 7th and 21 streets at an estimated cost of $1 million, second Ray Walker Recreation Center HVAC and roof improvements at a cost of $600,000, residential lighting third at a cost of $200,000 to start, fourth the Fixed Base Operator design for a...
CLOVIS - The owner of a now-shuttered Clovis dairy said he is pleased the Environmental Protection Agency has announced its intent to list several per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous chemicals under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Art Schaap is also pleased with a rule change that clarifies a state's authority to require cleanup of any waste that meets the RCRA standard. All of it should have happened years ago, Schaap said. "It's about...
At the New Mexico Department of Health COVID-19 update press conference on Wednesday, DOH Cabinet Secretary Laura Parajon announced since March 2020, the number of people in New Mexico who have died from COVID totals 5,027. It is estimated that 1.8% of the number of people who get COVID will die, Parajon said. She said the rate of the number of people in NM who are fully vaccinated against the virus is slowly increasing. In the 18-plus age group, 72.3% have been fully vaccinated and 54.2 of those age 12 to 17 years have been...
CLOVIS — The Clovis City Commission voted at its Thursday meeting to approve a city of Clovis logo that will be released to use on city marketing materials and press releases instead of the city seal. Kelsey Knight, the city’s marketing, communications and grant coordinator said the logo is a spin-off of the one first adopted by the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce as a community brand. The purpose of the logo is to unify materials released from Clovis and will be used on marketing materials and press releases, Kni...
Dora, Portales, Elida, Grady and Melrose school districts are asking the voters to approve a $2 million capital improvements tax to extend to 2027 in the Nov. 2 election. Portales Public Schools Superintendent Johnnie Cain said this tax is $2 per $1,000 of assessed value and is a continuation of an existing tax. If passed the district would use the money to pay for maintenance of the grounds, a new water heater and air conditioner as well as new equipment to do maintenance. “It’s one of the more important tax levies we nee...
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE — Cannon Air Force Base has started contacting landowners near the base to get permission to perform water and soil samples to determine the extent of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances coming from the installation. In March 2019, the Air Force found three sites near the base that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for safe drinking water, according to the base release. In March 2021, the base installed Point of Use Filtration Systems. The remedial investigation will determine the...
The following is a Q&A with candidates for Position 4 on the Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education. Antonio Sanchez is running for re-election. He is running against Braden Fraze, William Hilliard and Meredith Seifert. Attempts to contact Hilliard were unsuccessful. Candidates were asked the same questions over the phone. The election is Nov. 2. Why did you decide to run? Fraze: I want to be involved in my community and I grew up in a family where both my parents were teachers. I got married and my wife and I intend...
CLOVIS — At the Civil Aviation Board meeting on Tuesday, the board voted to recommend to the city commission an increase in its markups on full service gasoline prices at the airport from $1.00 to $1.50 a gallon for low lead and an increase from $1.30 to $1.75 a gallon for Jet A-1 fuel. The board also voted to recommend adding markups of 25 cents a gallon to the cost of self-service low led gasoline at the airport and a markup of 50 cents a gallon for self-service Jet A-1 fuel. In other business, the board recommended c...
The following is a Q&A with candidates for District 1 of the Clovis school board. Kyle Snider is running for re-election against Sharon Epps and Rosa Sanchez. Candidates were each asked the same questions via phone. The election is Nov. 2. Why did you decide to run? Epps: I decided to run because I have a passion for Clovis schools and student achievement is my No. 1 goal. I am a native of Clovis and attended all 12 years of school in Clovis. Sanchez: I decided to run because there are issues currently on the surfaces and in...
The following is a Q&A with candidates for Position 4 of the Dora school board. Jana Roberts is running for re-election against Shauna Wade. Candidates were each asked the same questions via phone. The election is Nov. 2. Why did you decide to run? Roberts: This would be a re-election for me. I have been on the board for 17 years and I’d like to continue supporting the community and the school. Wade: I decided to run to be more involved with my children’s school. What experience and/or skills do you have that you believe wil...
PORTALES - Bill Joy was one of the loudest fans at Eastern New Mexico University sports events for as long as many can remember. But his service to the university was much more than talk. Joy, who died Sept. 6 at 85, was remembered as one of the college's biggest supporters. "I think we never imagined ENMU or Portales without Bill," said Noelle Bartl, director of the ENMU Foundation. "Everyone knew (Bill) in the stands at games with his animal pelt fur vest and big black...
CLOVIS — The Clovis City Commission, in a short meeting Thursday, approved $56,970 in lodger’s tax disbursements for September to nine events. A total of $68,000 was requested. Disbursements included $10,000 for the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce community profile, $4,000 for the Halloween HoWWWl softball tournament, $5,000 for the Lions Club Gun, Knife and Coin Show, $3,470 for the Clovis Community College Cultural Arts Series, $7,000 for Halloween on Main, $11,000 for the Christmas Lights Parade, $3,500 for the...
Local hospitals, like many around the nation, are reporting staff shortages as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. "We have experienced extreme staff shortages in the past four-to-six weeks with the recent surge, so we had a rapid hiring event on Wednesday and were able to make several offers," said Kaye Green, chief executive officer of Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales. Green said RGH staffing is down to the "bare bones, but we're working hard to improve that." She said...
Cannon Air Force Base hosted its third virtual meeting Wednesday to update the community on its progress to determine whether contaminants called Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have leaked off-base into the area’s water system is an unacceptable risk by the government’s definition. Cannon officials said the Air Force is legally required to conduct the investigation in a way that begins with an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis Pilot Study. The study is preliminary to a full scale remedial inv...
CLOVIS — The Clovis City Commission voted Thursday to start taking applications for the District 1 commissioner seat, officially vacated by Leo Lovett on Wednesday. Applications will be accepted through the city manager’s office until 5 p.m. Oct. 1. The commission is likely to fill the appointment at its Oct. 7 meeting, one day before the 30-day window to fill the vacancy expires. Whoever the commission appoints to the seat vacated by Lovett’s resignation will serve through March. The final two years of the term will be pa...
CLOVIS — After assuaging concerns they weren’t “foaling” things up by setting a precedent, the Clovis Planning and Zoning Commission recommended a conditional use permit for a Clovis resident and his horses. The lone item on the Wednesday agenda concerned Steven Mullins, who keeps four miniature horses at his residence on Hall Street. Mullins believed he had permission to keep the animals at the residence, but City Manager Justin Howalt said the horses put him out of code compliance. City code an acre of land per horse,...
Ron Milam was always goal-oriented and self-driven, in college and in the Army. That's how Darwin Pauley remembers him anyway. "Once he set his mind to something, he went after it so promotions were probably easy for him; not for many - but for him. He knew his job. He knew what he was there for. He shined that way and that's the way people saw him," said Pauley who played basketball with Milam at Eastern New Mexico University in the late 1980s. The nation is remembering...
Now that the United States has withdrawn its military forces from Afghanistan, the men and women who served in Afghanistan have time to reflect about their time there and what it meant to them. Two airmen stationed at Cannon Air Force Base — 9th Special Operations Squadron Commander Lt. Col. David Robertson and 16th Special Operations Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Paul Andrews — spoke on Thursday with The News about their experience serving in Afghanistan. Citing national security issues, Cannon personnel declined comment on...
