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. Troy Hall is the finance director for Curry County. Q: How long have you worked with the county? A: I have worked for the county for 8 years. I was given the opportunity to internship with the County Finance Department my senior year of college and have been fortunate to climb the ladder within the county and have been the finance director for over two years now. I am very grateful to the county for giving a young college student from E...
Cal-Maine Foods’ poultry facility in Farwell tested positive for bird flu last week, forcing the destruction of 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets, officials said. “They’re going to be working hard to clean up the facility and get it ready to go back to work,” said Max Bowman, vice president and chief financial officer for the company. In a press release from the Texas Department of Agriculture, the loss accounts for approximately 3.6% of the company’s total flock. Cal-Maine, headquartered in Mississippi, is the U.S....
The Portales City Council adopted an ordinance for a cross connection, control, and backflow prevention plan that would allow the installation of backflow prevention valves. The ordinance was adopted on a 7-1 vote, with Councilor Rustin Self voting against. “This was something that wasn’t taken care of a few years back,” Ashley Flores, projects manager for the city said. Backflow valves are used to ensure that no hazardous condition exists between a non-potable and potable water supply. “There needs to be a backflow valve put...
The Portales City Council heard another water update on Tuesday, however they were again encouraged to remain in stage three water restrictions. “I still feel like we need to continue our conservation efforts,” Chris Mendoza, public utility superintendent said. He said to the council at their regular meeting that the city should not have the restrictions lifted. The city entered in a stage three emergency on June 28, 2023. Mendoza said the city is currently waiting on the approval of phase three of the geophysical sur...
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of stories looking at Clovis Municipal Schools plans for closure and repurposing. The series will continue over the next three weeks. Since the announcement of the possibility that Lockwood Elementary will become a preschool center last week, parents and others share mixed opinions regarding the proposal. Some believe the change is needed, however they don’t think Lockwood is the right answer, and a Pre-K program should be in a more central location. “My thought is that James...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Dr. Ronald Carver is the newly hired medical director for the city of Portales and Roosevelt County. Q: Give us some of your background, who are you, your career, etc. A: I grew up in Fredonia, KS. I am a family medicine board certified physician and work full time as medical director for Nor Lea General Hospital emergency department in Lovington. I also provide medical director services for several EMS and emergency dispatch services in e...
The Roosevelt County Commission heard a presentation on a program that could potentially bring more retail businesses to the area by recruiting and retaining. Jodi Diaz, executive director of the Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation (RCCDC) presented to the commission at their meeting on Tuesday. Diaz said the Economic Development Incentive program would include a small percentage of gross receipt tax that would be reimbursed to a new or existing business in Roosevelt County if they were expanding. It would not...
The Clovis City Commission denied a text amendment change to the Unified Development Ordinance regarding carports, going with the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission. At their regular meeting Thursday, the commission heard Jared Morris, city attorney read over the carport overlay district portion of the code of ordinances. In the ordinance, “The carport overlay district is intended to accommodate the use and construction of "stick-built" carports that generally match the appearance of the principal d...
Speed-detection cameras are active around school zones in the city of Portales, with a “grace period” in place until April 19. After the grace period, drivers will be charged $100 for speed-limit violations. Last year, Portales Police Chief Chris Williams presented an automated traffic enforcement study to the Portales City Council that showed drivers in the city aren’t too compliant when it comes to obeying posted speed limits. “This is an additional measure that our police department is taking to keep our community safe,...
Editor’s Note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Gail Tarson was recently elected to serve on the Clovis City Commission. Q: Tell me about yourself, your family, your background, etc. A: I grew up in a small Arizona town similar to Clovis in culture and climate. I was raised in a two-parent household with six siblings, a mix of brothers and sisters. I was raised on caring discipline and unconditional love. I am married to Todd Tarson who works for UPS. Todd and I will celebrate 23 years o...
Volunteer fire departments, dispatch, and fire and EMS along with the Portales Fire Department (PFD) signed an agreement to hire Dr. Ronald Carver as their medical director. The motion to enter into an agreement with Carver was passed on a unanimous vote by the Council at their regular meeting Tuesday. “Medical direction is required for all EMS services,” councilor Veronica Cordova said. Carver is an ER doctor in Lovington and has been an EMS medical director for several years across south eastern New Mexico, according to...
Editor’s note: Primary elections across New Mexico are scheduled June 4, with early voting beginning May 7. The general election is Nov. 5. We asked candidates in contested Roosevelt County commission races for their background and “Why do you want this job?” Here are their responses: District 1 Fabian Munoz (Republican) Q: Tell us about yourself. A: I am a Mexican American, and I was born and raised in Portales. I’m 28 years old. I have kids. I live in the community, I love this community. I’ve been everywhere in Roosevelt...
The Curry County Commission unanimously approved a hospital claims policy that would increase the income eligibility criteria. The resolution was passed in 2012 and more recently in 2020. “What it currently does,” Lance Pyle, county manager said at their regular meeting Tuesday, “is increases the minimum income.” For a single, one person household, the income would increase from $19,000 to $25,000 and for a 2 person plus, it would increase from $30,000 to $35,000. The effective date is April 1, 2024. According to the resolut...
Editor’s Note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Sharon Rowley was recently hired as the new superintendent for the Portales Municipal School district, succeeding Johnnie Cain who is retiring. She has previously worked in the Portales district and is currently principal at Fort Sumner schools. Q: Tell me about your background, who you are, and how you got here. A: I moved to Portales in 1986 to go to school and to go to Eastern New Mexico University and got my degree there. I started t...
2 Yucca Middle School students have qualified for the national competition, following the 2024 Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) state conference this weekend. This is the first year FCCLA has been offered at Yucca. Nicole Olson, the food and nutrition and FCCLA teacher at Yucca Middle School, said FCCLA teaches students how to prepare for many life skills, such as finance, education, home making, culinary, entrepreneurship, and more. Some students provided insight on what the competition was like....
Stephanie Johnston never had "First Lady of Eastern New Mexico University" on her radar when she was growing up. But as the years passed, her professional signature shows just how long her journey was to get to where she is today. From a bachelor of science to a masters in radiology, Johnston has only continued to add more titles to her name. In honor of Women's History Month, Johnston gave a presentation Wednesday during a luncheon at ENMU to explain how she's faced many...
Sharon Rowley will be Portales' new school superintendent, effective July 1. "I feel called to this," Rowley said. "I'm excited." Rowley, the principal at Fort Sumner Schools, previously worked in the Portales district and was the assistant principal at Lindsey Steiner Elementary School for 4 1/2 years. "I married here, raised my family here, we live here," Rowley said. Rowley was in attendance Monday evening at the school board's regular meeting where she signed a letter of...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of state-of-the-entity interviews with local officials. Doug Pfaffenberger was recently appointed to serve on the Portales Municipal School Board, filling the unexpired term of Cade Skinner. Q: Tell me a little about your background and who you are. A: I grew up in Portales, went to school here, and really have been here my whole life. I’ve been in business for myself for the last 22 years. My daughter is a senior at Portales and my son is a sophomore. My wife is a school tea...
The Portales City Council has approved another water study; this one gives the green light to a company that will help them determine how to raise water utility rates. Waterworth, a utility rate management company based in British Columbia, serves around 200 communities across North America. According to Grange Gordon, who works for the company and presented to the council Tuesday. Waterworth provides the software necessary to plan financially when water rates go up. The cost to utilize the company is an annual charge of...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of state-of-the-entity interviews with local officials. Sarah Austin is the city manager for Portales. Q: What has been the recent discussion on the water situation? A: We’ve discussed how to increase our water supply, how to drill more wells, and how much funding is needed. We created the water drought plan, which is now the water efficiency plan. We are in the process of installing flow meters at our tanks, we are working on ordinances, rate increases, and incentives. Q: How...
Department of Transportation officials in Texas and New Mexico have heard from area residents regarding a bridge over the railroad splitting Texico from Farwell. Next on the agenda: an environmental study that likely won't be completed until sometime next year. Meetings in Texico and Farwell the past two weeks have helped DOT officials understand community concerns, they said. Now they review and wait. "As the project progresses, and as the environmental documentation is...
The Portales City Commission warns residents to prepare to continue conservation efforts after concluding the city will be staying in the stage 3 water restrictions at Tuesday’s meeting. The city has been in stage 3 since last summer. Councilman Eldon Merrick said in the discussion the peak demand in Portales is close to 5 million gallons a day, and that they are in a deficit of 1,000 gallons a minute. “There’s no way we could reach that peak demand… I know everyone hates to hear that, but I don’t see any other option,...
After two years of discussion, a Safe Haven Baby Box will soon be active at the Portales Fire Department. The baby box was delivered to the fire department on Monday. The official day as to when it will be active is still unknown. However, Angie Smith, the chair for Right to Life of Curry and Roosevelt counties, said contractors will get it installed soon and it will then be tested to make sure it's working correctly. She anticipates that to take only a couple of weeks....
It's the month of love, and what better day to get married than on Valentine's Day? The Ninth Judicial Court District in Curry and Roosevelt counties decided to make the holiday just a bit more special for some couples on Wednesday. The local courts offered free wedding services on Valentine's Day. For Lucinda and Spencer Noia, who was at the Curry County Courthouse, getting legally married was something in the works for a long time. The couple has been together for 17 years...
The Curry County Commission in a 4-1 vote approved a resolution that would give the county’s elected officials a 6.5% increase in their salaries. At their regular meeting Thursday, Chairman Robert Thornton was the only one who openly expressed that he was not in favor of the increase. “If you’re there (as an elected official) for the monetary part of it, then you’re in it for the wrong reasons,” Thornton said. While he understands the logistics of the salary increase, Thornton said he fights this action item every time it com...
