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  • Our people: Portales music teacher Eunice Schumpert wanted to be an opera singer as a child

    Liliana Castillo

    Liliana Castillo: Freedom New Mexico Music is a part of each of Eunice Schumpert's days. Eunice Schumpert of Portales doesn’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t singing and playing the piano. She is on the cusp of her 90th birthday and continues to be active as a piano and voice teacher. Schumpert began teaching as early as her senior year of high school. She began her own studio in 1945. “I want to teach my students to love the divine art of music. I want them to strive for perfection and expression in inter...

  • First person: Cooking camp

    Liliana Castillo

    Courtesy photo Clovis High School culinary teacher Judy Uerling works on the cost specifics of a mac and cheese recipe in the Golden Corral test kitchen. Clovis High School ProStart and culinary teacher Judy Uerling spent a week in July getting what she called the best professional development training she’s had in years. Uerling was selected as a winner of the 2011 ProStart Educator Training and Development Awards by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. As part of the award, Uerling spent a week of t...

  • City officials announce pay increase

    Liliana Castillo

    CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Clovis Mayor Gayla Brumfield thanked city employees for their work during a press conference Tuesday at City Hall. City officials announced a 2 percent pay increase for city employees. Clovis city officials announced Tuesday in a press conference that they will be bringing a 2 percent pay increase for city employees to the city commission at its Aug. 4 meeting. Mayor Gayla Brumfield and City Manager Joe Thomas, flanked by city commissioners, presented the information to about 65 city employee...

  • Rodeoing family tradition

    Liliana Castillo

    As a girl raced toward the first barrel on her trusty steed, Sally Bland yelled “Go Stephanie!” Then she realized that wasn’t Stephanie. Stephanie was that girl’s mother. “She so looked like her, competing in the same event and everything,” Bland said. At the High Plains Junior Rodeo Association Finals, it’s not unusual for competitors to have generations of family watching them compete in the same finals those family members competed in as youngsters. In its 37th year, the association’s finals have been held in Clovis since...

  • Our people: Clovis obstetrician Dr. Richard Layman and his family travel frequently

    Liliana Castillo

    Liliana Castillo: Freedom New Mexico Dr. Richard Layman has been practicing as an obstetrician in Clovis for 22 years. Dr. Richard Layman has been practicing as an obstetrician in Clovis for 22 years. He’s delivering babies for some of the same people he delivered. He took that as a hint. He’s decided it’s time to retire. Layman, 61, said he enjoys practicing in a small town. “It’s great being able to know your patients and being able to watch the babies I have delivered grow up,” he said. He said his retirement is bitterswee...

  • Nearly 90 percent of New Mexico schools miss AYP

    Liliana Castillo

    Nearly 90 percent of New Mexico schools missed the latest targets for boosting student achievement, the Public Education Department reported Friday as it announced plans for replacing the federally-mandated system for rating schools. A total of 720 schools, or 86.6 percent, failed to make “adequate yearly progress” under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. That’s up from 76.7 percent, or 634 schools, last year. Two out of the Clovis Municipal Schools’ 16 campuses that were tested met AYP. Out of the 4,428 Clovis student...

  • Nearly 90 percent of New Mexico schools miss AYP

    Liliana Castillo

    Nearly 90 percent of New Mexico schools missed the latest targets for boosting student achievement, the Public Education Department reported Friday as it announced plans for replacing the federally-mandated system for rating schools. A total of 720 schools, or 86.6 percent, failed to make “adequate yearly progress” under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. That’s up from 76.7 percent, or 634 schools, last year. Two out of the Clovis Municipal Schools’ 16 campuses that were tested met AYP. Out of the 4,428 Clovis student...

  • Running tribute

    Liliana Castillo

    Courtesy photo: Henry Serrano About 60 Air Commandos participated in the run July 15 in honor of Maj. Gen. John Allison, who is considered the father of Air Force Special Operations. Cannon Connections Cannon Air Force Base non-commissioned officers ran a 5k in their uniforms July 15 in honor of Maj. Gen. John Allison, who is considered the father of Air Force Special Operations. Allison was chosen in 1943 by Gen. Henry Arnold, then head of the Army Air Forces, to serve as deputy commander of the First Air Commando Group in...

  • Walgreens leaving Tricare pharmacy program

    Liliana Castillo

    Just over 89,000 Tricare beneficiaries in New Mexico will be affected by Walgreens leaving Tricare’s drug network. Walgreens says it will split with Express Scripts, the company that manages Tricare’s pharmacy program by the end of the year. Express Scripts is Tricare’s pharmacy contractor responsible for the Tricare retail pharmacy and pharmacy home delivery programs that provide the best value for the government, according to Tricare Management Activity Public Affairs Chief Austin Camacho. Camacho said that as a resul...

  • Walgreens leaving Tricare pharmacy program

    Liliana Castillo

    Just over 89,000 Tricare beneficiaries in New Mexico will be affected by Walgreens leaving Tricare’s drug network. Walgreens says it will split with Express Scripts, the company that manages Tricare’s pharmacy program by the end of the year. Express Scripts is Tricare’s pharmacy contractor responsible for the Tricare retail pharmacy and pharmacy home delivery programs that provide the best value for the government, according to Tricare Management Activity Public Affairs Chief Austin Camacho. Camacho said that as a resul...

  • Walgreens leaving Tricare pharmacy program

    Liliana Castillo

    Just over 89,000 Tricare beneficiaries in New Mexico will be affected by Walgreens leaving the Tricare’s drug network. Walgreens says it will split with Express Scripts, the company that manages Tricare’s pharmacy program by the end of the year. Express Scripts is Tricare’s pharmacy contractor responsible for the Tricare retail pharmacy and pharmacy home delivery programs that provide the best value for the government, according to Tricare Management Activity Public Affairs Chief Austin Camacho. Camacho said that as a resul...

  • Walgreens leaving Tricare pharmacy program

    Liliana Castillo

    CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Kwame Griffith, a graduate pharmacy intern at Walgreens in Clovis, enters orders into the Walgreens system Thursday. Just over 89,000 Tricare beneficiaries in New Mexico will be affected by Walgreens leaving the Tricare’s drug network. Walgreens says it will split with Express Scripts, the company that manages Tricare’s pharmacy program by the end of the year. Express Scripts is Tricare’s pharmacy contractor responsible for the Tricare retail pharmacy and pharmacy home delivery progr...

  • Banquet to honor unsung citizens

    Liliana Castillo

    CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Clovis resident Ethel Shankle has 2,600 flowers in her home that she is using for decorations at the Legacy Award Banquet next week. A Clovis resident is digging deep into her pockets and her contacts to honor unsung heroes of the town at a banquet July 29. Ethel Shankle, who has lived in Clovis for 40 years, will be hosting the Legacy Award Banquet to recognize people she feels need some recognition for the work they do in the community. “The unsung citizens, people who never get r...

  • Our people: Clovis barber Tom Wade has helped develop city

    Liliana Castillo

    LILIANA CASTILLO: Freedom New Mexico Tom Wade has been a barber for 52 years. When he moved to Clovis, he said there was little developed above 21st Street. Clovis resident Tom Wade, 74, has been a part of big things in Clovis. He worked with the Junior Chamber to turn Greene Acres Park Lake from a “swamp with weeds over your head” into a park where people want to spend time. Wade formed the Clovis Softball Association, which began with four teams and has grown to nearly 100. He recruited Guy Leeder into the CSA. Wade als...

  • Low water levels expose berm in Greene Acres Lake

    Liliana Castillo

    CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Due to drought conditions and low levels at Greene Acres Park, a berm was exposed in recent weeks in the southeast corner of the lake. A berm in the southeast corner of Greene Acres Lake has become exposed in recent weeks with drought conditions causing low water levels at the lake. But the history of the berm is uncertain. Clovis Parks and Recreations Director Bill Bizzell said that in the 1960s when the lake was created out of a playa area, the berm was built to corral fish and water when t...

  • Bookmobile short on staff

    Liliana Castillo

    Courtesy photo The New Mexico State Library's rural bookmobile program has operated for 50 years. The Bookmobile East services eight counties in the area — Curry, Eddy, Chavez, Roosevelt, Guadalupe, Lincoln, Otero and Quay. Curry County resident Marjorie Simonton can’t wait for the bookmobile to stop in Grady each month. With staffing shortage issues, she may be waiting as long as two months for the next batch of books to appease her need to read. The bookmobile won’t be able to make its previously scheduled trip around...

  • Rural bookmobile faces staffing shortage

    Liliana Castillo

    Curry County resident Marjorie Simonton can’t wait for the bookmobile to stop in Grady each month. With staffing shortage issues, she may be waiting as long as two months for the next batch of books to appease her need to read. The bookmobile won’t be able to make its previously scheduled trip around Curry County next week. The New Mexico state library operates three bookmobiles that target library and information services to people in underserved and rural communities. Each bookmobile serves a region of the state. Joy Poo...

  • Our people: Resident enjoys helping veterans

    Liliana Castillo

    Liliana Castillo: Freedom New Mexico Beverly Miller can be seen wearing red, white and blue nearly every day. Clovis resident Beverly Miller is involved in a number of auxiliary groups for veterans in the area and Friendship Senior Center. She said she enjoys her work and wouldn’t change it for the world. Miller, 76, can be seen wearing red, white and blue almost every day. “I love it,” she said. “There’s nothing better than supporting the men and women who have fought for our country.” Her husband Bob Miller served in t...

  • Cannon command changes in emotional ceremony

    Liliana Castillo

    Cannon Connections: Liliana Castillo Col. Stephen Clark, right, congratulated Col. Albert Elton II, left, after the change of command ceremony while Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel looks on. Col. Stephen Clark paused during his outgoing speech to quell a rush of emotion July 8 as he bid farewell to the airmen of Cannon Air Force Base during a change of command ceremony. Clark turned command of the base over to incoming commander Col. Albert Elton II, ending his two years in charge of Cannon’s 27th Special Operations Wing. Lt. Gen. Eric F...

  • Upward Bound focuses on hands-on learning

    Liliana Castillo

    CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Upward Bound students participated in team building and camaraderie activities in the Upward Bound Olympics Wednesday at Ned Houk Park as one of the final activities of the program's Summer-on-Campus program. Space exploration, bridge building, crime scene analysis and lotion making were just some of the projects the TRiO Upward Bound students participated in during the summer program focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. TRiO Upward Bound at Clovis Community College...

  • Education digest — July 7

    Liliana Castillo

    Muleshoe college offering digital photography seminar South Plains College Muleshoe Center is offering a one-day digital photography seminar Saturday, according to a news release. The class costs $40 and payment is required with registration. Participants must have their own camera, which should be digital, including SLR and point-and-shoots, the release said. The class will be taught by Wes Underwood, photographer and communications specialist at SPC. To register, contact Kasey Reyes at 806-716-2341 or kr...

  • Change of command coming for Cannon AFB

    Liliana Castillo

    Cannon Air Force Base Commander Col. Stephen Clark will pass leadership of the 27th Special Operations Wing to Col. Albert Elton II during a change of command ceremony Friday morning. Clark, who has been selected to the grade of brigadier general, took command of Cannon in May 2009, nearly two years after the wing stood up at Cannon on Oct. 1, 2007. Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, the Air Force Special Operations Command commander, will officiate the ceremony. Clark’s next assignment is as director of plans, programs, requirements and a...

  • Change of command coming for Cannon AFB

    Liliana Castillo

    Cannon Air Force Base Commander Col. Stephen Clark will pass leadership of the 27th Special Operations Wing to Col. Albert Elton II during a change of command ceremony Friday morning. Clark, who has been selected to the grade of brigadier general, took command of Cannon in May 2009, nearly two years after the wing stood up at Cannon on Oct. 1, 2007. Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, the Air Force Special Operations Command commander, will officiate the ceremony. Clark’s next assignment is as director of plans, programs, requirements and a...

  • Our people: Clovis resident Tina Vassar enjoys working with children

    Liliana Castillo

    Liliana Castillo: Freedom New Mexico Tina Vassar has worked for the Clovis Municipal Schools for 12 years. Clovis resident Tina Vassar has two jobs. One as the Clovis High School principal administrative assistant and another as a children’s director at Highland Baptist Church with her husband. The second she doesn’t even consider work. At both jobs, Vassar helps people and she enjoys being able to help people every day. Vassar said she serves because that is what followers of Christ are called to do. “I believe God has l...

  • Fireworks choreographer shares tricks of trade

    Liliana Castillo

    File photo Flight of Red Comets – To Red, White, Blue Peony Gary Caimano with Western Fireworks has choreographed the Smoke on the Water show in Clovis for more than a decade. Caimano said because Smoke on the Water show is choreographed to music, he feels he works with a cast of characters rather than pyrotechnics. “You want to have the different types of fireworks hit the sky on cue with the music,” he said. “That’s the art part of the show.” There are thousands of types of fireworks, Caimano said, including firework plumes...

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