Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials and community leaders. Chris Moyer is the new city manager in Portales. Q: Tell us about your background. Where are you from and how did you land in Portales? A: I am from Limerick, Pa., about 35 miles outside of Philadelphia. The Air Force took me all over the globe and then brought me to the area at the end of my 24 years. I liked the town, I liked the people, so I decided to stay. Q: Your...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials and community leaders. Lucio Marin is helping coordinate a celebration of the Lincoln Jackson school's 100th birthday later this month. Q: Tell us about Celebration and Closure: A Century of Excellence. A: To commemorate this momentous occasion, we have planned a celebration to take place at iAcademy (the current name for Lincoln Jackson) on Aug. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please come out and...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Toni Whitecotton is the Roosevelt County Fair secretary. Q: Let's talk county fair dates. When does the fair start/end, when are deadlines for submitting entries and how does one go about entering crafts, critters, etc.? A: The Roosevelt County Fair dates are set for Aug. 20-25. Livestock entries were closed on July 26, but there is still time to enter for team roping, which is Aug. 21. You...
If you've traveled U.S. 60-84 through Melrose, chances are you noticed the grain elevator. And if you stopped to take a look around, even better chances are that you met Brenda Allen, who has managed Melrose Grain & Elevator for about seven years. Allen is from Melrose and graduated MHS in 1983. She and her husband decided to take on this service to give back to the small community. Q: What did you imagine yourself doing when you were younger? Did you think you'd always stay...
Roosevelt General Hospital will soon offer pediatric occupational therapy services as well as echocardiogram readings. At their regular meeting Tuesday, hospital CEO Kaye Green told the board that RGH signed the lease for the space where the pediatric occupational therapy services will be provided. “It’s across the parking lot from our existing physical therapy space and on the same side as our speech therapy leased space on South Avenue O,” Green told the News. The space is in need of minimal renovations, according to Green...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Sarah Stevens has been the general manager for the Clovis Civic Center since June 2023. Q: What is the actual purpose of the Clovis Civic Center? A: The purpose of the Clovis Civic Center is to provide an event venue for members of the community. These events include banquets, balls, meetings, conferences, quinceañeras, weddings, reunions, birthday and retirement parties. Also, we provide in-house events that the community is welcome to at...
Roosevelt County has received grant money to install turf around the Courthouse in an effort to beautify the downtown area in Portales. As part of the New Mexico Clean and Beautiful grant program, Roosevelt County hopes this project will "meet the objective to improve green spaces and maximize sustainable landscaping," Carla Weems, special projects coordinator for the county said. While the county submitted an application for $36,440, Weems said only $12,025 was awarded. "The...
Over the five years I’ve been in journalism, I’ve conducted many interviews. Because I graduated from Eastern New Mexico University out of the communication department, you can imagine I spoke to Department Chair Patti Dobson often. And yes, interviewed her multiple times; whether it was for an assignment or even in my professional career if the news related back to ENMU. Learning of Dobson’s passing on Friday really was a heavy weight for me to carry. And undoubtedly so, for all of Dobson’s other students. In a voice m...
Water conservation continues to be at the forefront of discussion for the Portales City Council. At their regular meeting Tuesday, councilors heard a presentation from Mike Davidson, a resident of the community and member of the public works and water advisory committees. Davidson said the current state of water usage in Portales shows the community uses around 900 million gallons of water each year. That number needs to go down to 700 million for sustainability. Davidson went on to say that while the Ute pipeline project...
Eastern New Mexico University is gearing up to start a big project in creating a new Student Academic Services Building on campus. The ENMU Board of Regents met via telephone Wednesday and approved the (up to) $35 million project on a unanimous vote. The current SAS is building on campus is across from the Administration Building at the edge of the campus along U.S. 70 and West Second Street. It used to serve as the campus union building. According to James Johnston, ENMU System Chancellor and President of the Portales...
The Clovis Community College Board of Trustees will be accepting proposals again to complete the expansion of the Allied Health Services building. In early April, trustees selected DAVTEK Corp. of Clovis as the contractor. However, in a letter of protest from EPX Construction Partners, CCC found some “irregularities” in the bid submitted by DAVTEK. “The primary area of concern with the DAVTEK proposal was subcontractor identification for some of the scopes of work,” Bob Dart, interim vice president of IT & Operations for CCC...
Ruthann Kelly traveled to Lincoln County to help the emergency management teams any way she could during the South Fork and Salt wildfires in Ruidoso. She came home with ideas for better preparing our part of the state for potential disaster. "I've got so many notes on things that I want to change here on how we operate," said Kelly, the emergency management director for the city of Clovis and Curry County. Kelly was in the Ruidoso area June 18-21 after the fires – they ultima...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Mark Gallegos is back in his position of jail administrator for the Curry County Detention Center after a recent military deployment. Q: You recently returned from military deployment. As much as you can, talk about your military commitment and what you were doing on this latest mission. A: I am in the Navy Reserves as a Naval officer. I was activated to active duty from Aug. 4, 2023, to June 21, 2024, under the Operation Spartan Shield O...
The Roosevelt County Commission on Tuesday passed a resolution that opposes a proposal from the Land Protection Plan that could ultimately impact many private landowners in the county. The proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would acquire 7 million acres for the LPP, with the help of the Nature Conservancy. It would include the Muleshoe and Grulla National Wildlife Refuges in west Texas and eastern New Mexico called the “Conservation Partnership Area.” The mission would be to protect various wildlife hab...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Dr. Carlton Lewis is the director of mental health for Clovis Municipal Schools. Q: You have recently accepted the position as director of mental health for Clovis schools. Tell us about this position. What does it involve? A: The role is multifaceted, encompassing a range of responsibilities. My team and I will plan, implement, and coordinate events and programs focused on mental health. I...
The Portales City Council on June 25 unanimously approved a zoning change it hopes will make the downtown area more business friendly. At its regular meeting, the Council heard an explanation on a downtown ordinance first published about 15 years ago. That ordinance had multiple restrictions and rules for a section on Main Street, where the Courthouse and Courthouse Café are located. Those restrictions discouraged businesses from even making repairs to structures, said Kelly McLellan, community services director. So, the...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Col. Jeremy Bergin is the commander of the 27 Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base. Q: Your assignment to Cannon is ending soon. What is in store for you and your family at Air Force Special Operations headquarters? Tell us about your new job. A: I will be on the staff at Air Force Special Operations Command, leading the headquarters staff in supporting our power projection wings...
Roosevelt County has scheduled a special meeting for 10 a.m. Monday to begin the process of hiring a new county manager, officials said. Current Manager Amber Hamilton announced last month she will resign effective July 26. Monday’s meeting, to be held in executive session, will take place in the administrative conference room at the Roosevelt County Courthouse. “Any action necessary as a result of the closed executive session” is also on the agenda, but County Attorney Michael Garcia said county commissioners are “just...
The nation will celebrate freedom on Thursday and area residents will join in on the festivities in different ways. The largest crowd will gather, as usual, at Clovis’ Greene Acres Park all day for the 20th Smoke on the Water events. Fireworks highlight festivities beginning at dark, around 9 p.m. Smoke on the Water will also include a skateboarding competition and a three-on-three basketball tournament as well as the Freedom Car Show, live music and musical performances, and even a pie eating contest. “For twenty inc...
From controlling robots to watching movies, the summer reading program in Portales helps to get kids out of the house and have something fun to look forward to. "We're learning but the focus is fun," said Sarah Victor, children's librarian. For seven weeks, kids, teenagers and even adults can be part of the program. The program started the first week of June and will take a break the week of July 4. Tawna Luscombe, the director for the library, has seen the summer reading...
An Eastern New Mexico University alumnus has donated $2.5 million in what college officials are calling the “single largest gift in university history.” ENMU announced in June it had accepted a large donation from Steve Loy, a sports agent and former ENMU football player, but did not announce the amount until this week. The donation is to support ENMU athletes and athletic programs. In honor of the gifts, ENMU will rename Greyhound Stadium and Greyhound arena after the Loy family, according to an ENMU news release. ENMU spo...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Annie Hogland is the Curry County clerk. Q: You were recently named the president for New Mexico Counties. What does that position entail? A: My job is to be an advocate for good county government and help guide the collaborative efforts of all 33 counties in their mission. Q: Do most of the state’s 33 counties have similar issues? What are most county officials spending their time addressing? A: Each county is unique with its own dem...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Mike Nolen is the fire chief for the Clovis Fire Department. Q: You sent a dozen personnel to help with the Ruidoso fires. What was their mission? A: Their mission is to assist where possible. We had received a statewide request for help on the initial day of the fire (Monday). A crew of 12 Clovis Fire Department personnel staffing two structure trucks and an ambulance were sent out early Tuesday. As of Thursday morning, we sent an a...
Despite weather challenges, Draggin' Main organizers declared the 2024 event bigger and better than last year. Rain interrupted gatherings on three different days during the eight-day focus on motorized vehicles. "People are diehards," said Sherri Wilson, event coordinator. "We had a nice sizable crowd, more than we expected, because hot rodders are particular about their cars getting wet." The rain did wipe out the Hittin' the Bricks Block Party on Friday evening, including...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Claire Burroughes is the assistant city manager for the city of Clovis. Q: How did you end up in Clovis? How often do you go back home (England)? What is the most significant difference between the countries? A: I moved to Clovis as a result of my husband’s service in the United States Air Force, and I enjoy traveling back to the UK most years to visit my family there. The most significant difference between the countries is having to dri...
