Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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TEXICO - While prep basketball teams are happy to play any schedule, it was evident from Saturday's Texico-Clayton District 6-2A tilt that an NBA-type slate has profound impacts. The Yellowjackets (6-2, 3-1 district) got their second win over Texico in nine days, dominating the third quarter to secure a 45-29 victory at the Texico Sports Arena. In the boys game, Jahvon Askew had a game-high 23 points as Texico cruised to a 65-53 win. Mandy Crisp scored 18 for Clayton, which...
CLOVIS - When the city's Parks, Recreation and Beautification committee met Monday at the Pappy Thornton Museum, it looked exactly like it did last time the committee met there two Novembers ago. The last few decades are the same story, and that's the problem the committee discussed trying to fix as it took its monthly meeting on site to the little-known trove of farm equipment outside and home devices of yesteryear inside. The building's primary usage is storage and office...
CLOVIS - Allie Myers filled up the stat sheet for Carlsbad Friday night. The Clovis Wildcats, meanwhile, could only seem to foul theirs up. Myers and the visiting Cavegirls took control early, never trailing in the District 4-5A matchup and leading by double figures for the final 18:45 of a 49-25 blowout at Rock Staubus Gymnasium. Myers, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, had 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting with 11 rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks for Carlsbad (6-2, 3-1...
CLOVIS — The Clovis City Commission had what will likely be its shortest meeting of 2021, with six commissioners quickly authorizing city administration to apply for a federal water grant Friday morning. In a matter of seven minutes, the commission gave the go-ahead to apply for up to $3.2 million from the Bureau of Reclamation. The WaterSMART grant program is designated for water reclamation and reuse projects, which City Manager Justin Howalt explained was tailor-made for the city’s ongoing effluent reuse project. The eff...
PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University employees can expect a slight bump in their paychecks come July 1, although the university is anticipating they’ll see a slight reduction in the number of students they educate in the 2021-22 school year. Following a 45-minute discussion on the finer points, ENMU regents unanimously approved a revenue budget of $52.558 million, about $1.2 million up from last year. Significant changes, Vice President of Business Affairs Scott Smart said, included a 2.5% compensation increase for emp...
PORTALES — After a 40-minute closed session, Eastern New Mexico University’s regents decided one more year with Patrice Caldwell in the chancellor’s spot was its best plan going forward. By a 5-0 vote, the board voted Friday evening to extend Caldwell’s contract one additional year to the end of the 2022-23 school year. “Thank you for your vote of confidence and trust,” said Caldwell, who was elevated to the position almost a year ago to the day — April 24, following the resignation of Jeff Elwell — and had the interim tag...
New Mexico Transportation Secretary Michael Sandoval, along with other representatives of the Department of Transportation’s District Two, visited the region Monday with various local representatives to gauge their project needs. Sandoval, along with Rep. Randy Crowder, R-Clovis, and Director of Local Government Relations George Dodge, spoke with The News on Monday afternoon about the visit and the department in general. Q: What was the purpose of today’s Clovis visit? Sandoval: I think it was a couple of things. First, we...
CLOVIS - Area legislators talked Wednesday about what they thought went right, and what they thought went wrong, during the recent legislative sessions in Santa Fe. Mostly, local lawmakers focused on how little recourse they had during the gathering controlled by Democrats. A quartet of legislators - two representatives, two senators - gave their input Wednesday morning at a breakfast organized by the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce and Clovis Industrial Development...
PORTALES - Though Portales' Friday win over Artesia never felt in doubt, it wasn't hard to pinpoint exactly where the wheels fell off of the Bulldog bus. Starting post Kaylee Wagner picked up her fourth foul with 4:43 left, starting forward Cora Cox picked up her fourth a minute later and starting guard Alyssa Lieb left the game with an apparent concussion from incidental contact on a drive. The Rams (4-0, 2-0 district) immediately followed with a 10-0 run en route to a 44-30...
CLOVIS — Mayor Mike Morris on Thursday was praised for his work pushing Senate Bill 49 through the recent state legislative session. The measure allows communities of any size to use economic development dollars to incentivize retail businesses. The practice was previously only authorized for municipalities below 35,000 population. The mayor thanked city staff and chambers of commerce across the state, most notably the Clovis/Curry County chamber. He noted the process helped him connect with mayors of other communities t...
CLOVIS — Five months ago, Franzes Williams lost her daughter in a drive-by shooting outside of her Clovis apartment. Williams knows nothing will ever bring Tchicaya “Caya” Williams back to her and the six children she left behind. But every day that passes, she told The News, is a day with fear and without closure. “We need to find out why,” Williams said. “That’s my main thing right there. Why would you shoot at an apartment full of kids and their mama?” Williams spoke to The News last week in frustration, as the Nov. 29...
CLOVIS - After more than a year of closed doors, Clovis' Friendship Senior Center welcomed visitors on Friday. The Clovis City Commission approved the reopening during its Thursday night meeting, following a discussion of whether Senior Services Director Barbara Riggan was being too cautious with capacity. Mayor Mike Morris said after a year of state-level decisions on various restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state left the decision on opening senior centers to t...
By Kevin Wilson EDITOR [email protected] CLOVIS - Handing a first-time offender 182 days in jail for a petty misdemeanor is a rarity. But the state argued the position and public trust afforded to Chris McCasland justified it, and District Judge Drew Tatum agreed Monday afternoon by giving the former Roosevelt County sheriff's deputy the maximum sentence for possession of stolen property. McCasland, convicted in a Feb. 21 bench trial, attended in person with assisting counsel Tye Harmon, while defense attorney Dean...
By Kevin Wilson EDITOR [email protected] PORTALES — With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting every part of life, and school operation no exception, “same thing as last year” has become one of the rarer statements uttered. But that’s the approach Portales Municipal Schools is taking with the 2021-22 school year, as board members approved next year’s calendar with the dates one day different due to the shift of a year. Instruction will begin Aug. 16, and conclude May 27. The calendar includes 176 instructional days and seven...
CLOVIS — Legislation that would allow Clovis to use economic development dollars to lure retail businesses cleared the biggest hurdle on the state level, with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signing Senate Bill 49 on Thursday. Now the next hurdle remains for Clovis officials — selling the change to its voters. Economic development is one of two allowable exceptions to the state’s antidonation clause, along with affordable housing. Senate Bill 49, passed 63-5 in the House and 36-4 in the Senate, allows municipalities of all sizes...
CLOVIS — By any measure, Jay Neff was a success in the financial industry, from his rise in the local banking industry to more than 20 years of success in the title business he and his son recently expanded. But Neff, who died March 1, always found a way to give more than he received — be it his love, his time, his knowledge, his humor or his values, friends and family said. Neff spent his entire life in Clovis, save the months he spent attending New Mexico State University. He met his wife Deana Keslar when she was a ser...
PORTALES - A phrase made famous by Wayne Gretzky, and humorously co-opted by fictional Dunder-Mifflin manager Michael Scott, goes, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." You also miss 100% of the shots you don't get to take, and that summed up Portales' 63-33 win Thursday night over Texico. Behind a combination of Portales' pressure defense and a Wolverine squad low on varsity experience, a 36-turnover night doomed the visiting Wolverines from the start. "They put...
SANTA FE — New Mexico is continuing to make improvements in the fight against COVID-19 spread, as evidenced by 23 counties in either green or turquoise status and passing the one-third mark in getting citizens fully vaccinated. But there are still various questions state officials admit they can’t quite answer. Human Services Secretary David Scrase said tweaks were likely coming to the state’s “Red to Green” plan, which assigns each county a status based on the benchmarks of daily cases (8 or fewer per 100,000) and test posi...
MILNESAND - A morning on the stomping grounds of the lesser prairie chicken gives plenty of insight into why the bird's population has dwindled over the decades. It requires a very specific type of land to mate, it's an easy target for predators and the eggs that do get laid have about a dice roll's chance of making it to adulthood. But a morning watching the birds in action show why so many in the most rural of rural eastern New Mexico want to keep them alive. A group of cons...
CLOVIS - For more than 42 years, Joe Thomas served the city of Clovis in a series of positions, each more difficult than the next. But he may have been the least difficult man in Clovis to ever deal with, according to his family and friends. Thomas, who died Thursday at age 70, left behind a lifetime of service in the Clovis Police Department and various city administrative positions - including his last 11 years in the city manager position before his 2015 retirement. "He's...
CLOVIS — The Curry County Commission met for three hours Tuesday morning, and through a clerical error managed to take no action. At the beginning of the meeting at the Curry County Administrative Complex, officials explained the agenda was not posted within the time parameters set by the Open Meetings Act. The commission instead discussed decisions on various business, with Chairman Robert Thornton repeatedly noting the commission would ratify each decision at its next meeting — either April 20, or possibly a special mee...
PORTALES - When Jehovah's Witnesses first approached the Portales City Council about building their Kingdom Hall in 2002, a council member shared concerns door knockings would disproportionately impact latchkey kids from the three public schools closest to the proposed Third Street location. The response was simple, and disarming. It didn't matter where the church was located; members planed to knock on every door in the community. "Jesus talked about going from village to...
CLOVIS - There was no blue trophy to play for, no district boasting to be had and no real semblance of a rivalry Saturday at Leon Williams Stadium. But Saturday represented a final time on the gridiron, and a double shot of unprecedented with a bowl game in April, as Clovis dealt Roswell a 26-6 setback to end the abbreviated spring season for both teams. The Class 6A Wildcats (3-2) won most of the physical battles, outgaining the visiting Coyotes 375-258, including 196-81 on...
CLOVIS — For the first time since last March — and the first time ever for its three newest members — the Clovis City Commission sat as one on the dais Thursday night. There were still clear signs of the COVID-19 pandemic and safety measures at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library, including Plexiglas shields between the eight commissioners and Mayor Mike Morris. Based on public health definitions that have shifted numerous times since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed 13 months ago, the commission has s...
CLOVIS - The city of Clovis introduced new Parks and Recreation Director Russell Hooper to its parks, recreation and beautification committee Monday. And the committee assured him he'll have plenty on his plate. Russell Hooper, who spent 13 years with the city of Dallas, joined the committee meeting on his first day replacing Mark Dayhoff, who retired at the end of 2020. City Manager Justin Howalt said Hooper started as an irrigation technician and worked his way up to become...
