Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University regents needed just seven minutes of discussion before accepting a “just in case” donation on a proposed new presidential residence. The board, by a 5-0 vote in a Friday morning special meeting, accepted a $250,000 donation from the ENMU Foundation Board of Directors. That, along with $650,000 in capital outlay already marked for the home, gives the university a budget of up to $900,000 for construction of the residence. The regents approved the donation, with two caveats: n The $250,0...
CLOVIS — Jose Olivas didn’t always make the right choices growing up, but he made sure the people he loved did. And whatever was going on in his day, friends and family said, he’d find a way to bring cheer to yours. Olivas, who was born in Hereford but spent about the last quarter-century in Clovis, died Oct. 21 at age 36 due to smoke inhalation from a house fire nearly two weeks prior. A lover of cars and good-natured pranks, Olivas was best known to the customers at the A-Key Car Wash on Prince Street, where Wedne...
CLOVIS — For some of Clovis’ citizens, the thought of a third potential brewery on Main Street was too much to accept. To the Clovis City Commission, three feet didn’t seem like much of a reason to deny. Via a 7-1 vote, the commission approved an application for a brewer’s license for Roosevelt Brewing at the former Sutton’s Bakery building and a variance for minimum distance from a church. The vote means the commission has approved operations for four potential breweries on the 400 and 500 blocks of North Main so far in 20...
PORTALES — Due to busy court schedules, and a witness list that’s likely to tax that schedule, a trial for a Roosevelt County rancher accused of embezzlement isn’t set to begin until July. A pre-trial hearing was held Thursday morning at the Roosevelt County Courthouse in the case of Greg Smith, who faces a charge of racketeering and multiple counts of fraud, embezzlement, issuing a worthless check and attempt to evade tax in connection with his time leading the Miss New Mexico Scholarship Organization from 2015 to 2018. An i...
That noise you may have heard from the southwest part of Roosevelt County last weekend was a celebration for Lyle Logemann, who’s gone from tiny Elida to a national office with the Future Farmers of America. Logemann, a 2018 graduate of Elida High School and a sophomore at Eastern New Mexico University, was elected as the western region vice president during the 92nd annual FFA national convention and expo in Indianapolis. He is one of six newly elected national officers, along with President Koleson McCoy, Secretary K...
It was a Saturday of celebration, because Clovis and Portales got a week of relaxation for the first week of the state football playoffs. Both the Wildcats and Rams received No. 2 seeds in their respective brackets. The top four teams in Classes 3A through 6A receive first-round byes this week, and a home game in next week’s quarterfinal round. The Wildcats (7-3) will have a district rematch against either No. 7 La Cueva or No. 10 Eldorado. Portales (9-1) faces either No. 7 s...
CLOVIS - Despite the meeting location on the outskirts of the city, plenty of residents and committee members found their way to the Pappy Thornton Museum on Monday for the city's parks, recreation and beautification meeting. For about 30 minutes, they talked about the importance of the museum at Ned Houk Park, why it's so little-used and what needs to happen to preserve it. The museum, named in honor of former city employee and trading post operator Ardale "Pappy" Thornton,...
PORTALES — Nobody on the Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents thought sending kids free books was a bad idea. But the road to trouble is paved with good intentions, and regents weren’t sure that road should run through the ENMU Foundation. Regents voted 4-1 Friday to give their support to an effort by Edwina Gower to pursue a partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for Roosevelt and De Baca counties, but to also explore options that don’t involve the foundation, which had some reservations about lending...
CLOVIS — At a meeting that was short as Curry County Commission meetings go, weighing in at just over an hour, commissioners took plenty of time paying respect and wishing good luck to one of the area’s top rodeoers. Clovis’ Shad Mayfield was recognized Tuesday by the commission, which designated Nov. 17 in his honor. Mayfield is getting set to compete in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The rodeo requires being in the top 15 on the season money list in an event. Mayfield competes in tie-down roping. Commission Chairman Ch...
CLOVIS — Though they pick up textbooks instead of rifles, and head to new high schools every few years instead of new deployments, military children often take on great challenges for the sake of the country’s defense. Last Wednesday, the Department of Defense showed a special way to pay them back at Clovis High School, while also offering a leg up to any other CHS student interested in taking a challenge. The National Math and Science Initiative was celebrated at the CHS lecture hall with a ceremony topped off by a $33...
PORTALES — They’re close, but only close enough to talk about how close they are. The process of a final design for a new presidential residence at Eastern New Mexico University is moving slowly but surely, Regent Terry Othick said during the board’s Friday meeting. The 3,500-square foot house would include a private space for a four-person family, a public space for events and ideally match the design of other buildings on campus. The regents have a $650,000 award from state capital outlay to build the house, but Othic...
PORTALES — With a goal to keep prices down for students and a hope that it might attract more New Mexico residents considering college, the Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents on Friday backed a smaller-than-recommended tuition hike for 2020-21. Administration recommended a 3% hike in both tuition and fees, but regents opted for a 2% tuition hike and no changes to fees. According to ENMU’s website, one credit hour breaks down to $166.50 for New Mexico residents or $249.75 for non-residents in tuition and $102.25 in...
CLOVIS - This weekend, what's advertised as a tranquil scene is anything but, as the Brickstreet Players get set for their annual dinner mystery show. The Clovis-based community theater group is putting on "Peace, Love ... and Murder!" Friday and Saturday at Days Inn. Doors open at 6 p.m. each night, with the performance to begin at 6:30 p.m. with the mystery acted out in scenes with intermissions of a grilled herb chicken dinner with sides and dessert. Tickets are $30 per per...
CLOVIS — At first glance, NMSI looks like either an opponent for the Clovis High Wildcats, or a future college option for its students. In reality, it’s an ally to Clovis, and could help hundreds of students start knocking out college credits while they’re still walking the purple and white hallways. The school is in the first year of a three-year grant for the National Math and Science Initiative, and is celebrating with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff event today at the CHS Lecture Hall. The grant, funded by the Department of Defen...
CLOVIS — Ask an average Clovis resident for the center of the city, and most fingers would point at the intersection of Prince and 21st streets. That means a lot of automotive traffic, with most motorists making legal turns and maneuvers throughout the day. The city of Clovis is at targeting the not-so-legal actions, primarily around the intersection’s heavily-visited Walgreens drug store. There are currently three legal ways to access the store, according to city officials present at Wednesday’s public works meeting: a rig...
To put it the way a like-minded friend did, I forking love “The Good Place,” an NBC comedy in its final season about the afterlife, and whether one reaches The Good Place or gets tortured in The Bad Place. Neighborhood architect Michael is planning a journey with the main characters, and asks what information they want to know before this risky endeavor. Resident dummy Jason asks, “Did the Jacksonville Jaguars win the Super Bowl last year?” Michael chuckles, then realizes Jason is serious. “Uh, no. Will they ever win the S...
CLOVIS - Konnor McNeil was dropped into Clovis High School last December, and it wasn't long before he found himself in the spring semester digging his way out of D's and F's. And that's what made him an ideal mentor for this year's group of CHS sophomores. McNeil is one of 120 various CHS juniors and seniors taking part in the Ignite for Schools mentoring program. Each mentor gets five sophomores to work with throughout the year. They were briefly introduced last spring when...
CLOVIS — Clovis Municipal Schools got an outsider’s perspective on their elementary and secondary schools, with a good share of highlights and growth opportunities mentioned at Tuesday’s CMS board meeting. Laura Adkins, executive director of language, culture and at-risk services for CMS, reviewed the Scholastic Family Engagement Assessment. The data was compiled through a combination of surveys, site visits, phone calls and document and website analysis. Secondary and elementary schools were graded in the areas of welco...
PORTALES — Whatever the newest infrastructure funding plan for the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority is called, be it “skin in the game” or the “20/30/40 plan,” David Lansford believes it’s the only language that will get through to the federal government. Lansford updated members of the authority Thursday on his desired local push to fund the interim groundwater portion of the multi-county water project, which would allow the authority to buy and transport agricultural water to municipalities before the project is...
CLOVIS - No matter where its plays or what it wins, the Clovis High band will always have a special place in its heart for the Zia Marching Fiesta. On Saturday, it gave a special performance to prove it. The band had its best performance to date with its "Rachy" show at the University of New Mexico, winning every trophy it was eligible to win while extending its own record for consecutive state championships to eight. The band took its 19th overall state championship, 14th...
CLOVIS — Drew Dostal figured he’d have a long career in law enforcement and spend his adult life in Michigan, despite a failed early attempt to change that narrative. Medicine had other plans, however, and it’s since brought Dostal to Clovis as the new chief executive for Plains Regional Medical Center. Dostal, who began at PRMC on Oct. 7, comes to Clovis from Ogallala Community Hospital in Nebraska, where he served in the same role. “I’m a nurse by trade,” Dostal said of his trek into administration. “I kind of came to a cro...
When Portales native Ronny Cox heard he was being inducted into the New Mexico Music Hall of Fame, he was genuinely surprised - mainly because he hadn't heard of it. In fairness, the hall probably never heard of Ron's Rockouts, either. Cox, who's had a variety of notable supporting roles in major Hollywood movies, will be inducted into the hall Nov. 2 at the Kimo Theatre in Albuquerque. Cox is being inducted in the performer category, under which artists become eligible for in...
There are certain things you can’t do yourself, despite every wish that you could. I can’t give myself a back massage, and I can’t get that thing that’s in the back seat of my car while I’m driving. And then there are certain things you shouldn’t do yourself. You shouldn’t be your own lawyer, and you shouldn’t be your own doctor. But there I was Wednesday morning, playing the role of interim dentist Kevin Wilson. I’ve had three dentists in my life. The first was the one who removed my wisdom teeth in 1997, the second was a...
CLOVIS — Charles Nwankwo made his way from a Circle K convenience store to college administration, a journey started in no small part by his associate’s degree in science at Houston Community College. The self-described product of community college will soon be a president of one, as the Clovis Community College Board of Trustees on Wednesday selected him from a field of five finalists and more than five dozen applicants. Nwankwo, currently vice president of technology and business partnerships for Chandler-Gilbert Com...
CLOVIS — When you put skin in the game, you have to anticipate a flesh wound or two. Clovis city commissioners acknowledged that Monday in their roles on the city’s water policy advisory board, which by a 7-0 vote recommended a tax increase to help fund completion of the interim groundwater portion of the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System. Clovis Mayor David Lansford, who chairs both the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority and the water policy advisory board, said the authority’s best approach is to fully fund...
