Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 135
New Mexico FFA District IV's annual Creed Contest took place over Zoom last Wednesday. Usually held at a local high school or university, this year things were moved online so that young FFA members would not miss out on the opportunity only available to middle schoolers and freshman. Jerry Faver, Portales High School’s agriculture teacher, was the official host of the event and helped transition the contest onto the virtual format. “That was pretty stressful for an old ag teacher; it seems like the newer generation gets alo...
CLOVIS — Construction of the Clovis Winged-Shooting Complex has been underway for nine weeks but the City of Clovis recently posted an update of the projects progress showing a smoothed out foundation spot. The sporting facility is being built in the Ned Houk Park area on city land, but it is adjacent to the Ned Houk Motor Sports Complex and far away from any play grounds or walking trails. “We want this to be an all-around sporting complex for firearms, archery, air rifle, while also having the classroom for teaching the...
CLOVIS — Curry County submitted a request for a new 4H-Cooperative Extension Office in its 2021 capital outlays to the state this year. The new facility would be constructed at the Curry County Fairgrounds and provide additional space and resources for the expanding extension office. “What we, and what the county is hoping to do because this is a county request and it's coming from them, is to offer a place where we can do more programming for more diverse audiences and larger audiences. The location where we are now, we'...
Reported cases of the flu in New Mexico are down 50% from the baseline prediction for a normal season, which typically runs from the beginning of October until early April. Influenza-like illness (ILI), which is what the state tracks all flu strands under, accounted for just 1.7% of patient visits to healthcare facilities during the last week of 2020. The New Mexico Department of Health predicted the baseline for ILI visits to be 3.4%. The United States as a whole is reporting flu cases below its projected expectations. At...
CLOVIS - Organizers of a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Clovis said the event went smoothly Monday as Roden Smith Pharmacy and Clovis Family Healthcare began administering 2,500 Moderna vaccines they received from the state. Dr. Micah Lansford, head of Roden Smith Pharmacy, explained the vaccination process being housed inside the former Raintree Grocery that is scheduled to continue through Friday: Once patients have registered on the Roden Smith website and are approved for grou...
PORTALES — Portales’ Income Support Division office of New Mexico’s Human Services Department is considering shutting its doors for good. No official plans have been made. However, the Roosevelt County Health Council has created a survey to feel out the potential impact a closure could have on the area. The survey asks about residence in Roosevelt County, usage of Income Support Divisions services, if you would use their services online, the importance of the Portales branch over the Clovis location, and additional demog...
CLOVIS — A point of dispensing, or POD, for the COVID-19 vaccine will open on Monday at the former Raintree Grocery Store. Roden Smith, in partnership with the city of Clovis emergency management, Clovis Family Healthcare, and other local public health entities, will host the vaccine clinic. Vaccines will be available to New Mexicans who are part of Phase 1B, as well as any remaining from Phase 1A. Included in Phase 1B are individuals 75 years and older, those who are 16 and older with underlying medical conditions that c...
PORTALES — The new year was off to a busy start for the Roosevelt County Commission at their first meeting of 2021, with Rodney Savage welcomed to the commission and the commission unanimously declaring Roosevelt a pro-life county. During a presentation at Monday’s meeting, Right to Life volunteer Angie Smith asked commissioners for a formal declaration “in support of life” with Resolution 2021-08. The resolution, which essentially declared Roosevelt County against abortions and a sanctuary for the unborn, does not superse...
Eastern New Mexico received some much-needed moisture this past weekend. Snowfall reports from the National Weather Service in Albuquerque show areas in Curry County receiving 0.5 to 2.8 inches, and in Roosevelt County 0.2 inches to 2.5 inches. Saturday saw a high of 33 degrees in Clovis, with temperatures dipping to 27 degrees Sunday morning and peaking at 30 degrees that evening. The winter storm began with reports of heavy freezing drizzle and fog rolling in Saturday...
PORTALES — The Portales City Council met in a matter of minutes Tuesday night to approve two items on their consent agenda. The first item was to declare Jan. 18 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the township. On the agenda was included a description of the proclamation which said the council urges “all citizens to join in the continued effort to follow Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality for all.” A virtual celebration is scheduled to air 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Jan. 18 on KENW 3-1 and 3-2. Next came new appointments and r...
If not tonight, Curry and Roosevelt counties can expect to see snow on the ground Sunday. At least 2 inches are expected to fall by mid-day Sunday with a good chance of receiving more, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. “There is a high probability that eastern New Mexico will receive more than 2 inches. On the higher end, these areas could receive up to 6-8 inches of snowfall, with 3-6 inches seeming more likely. Models are in much better agreement, but there is still some uncertainty regarding the p...
The Clovis-Portales area can expect a snowstorm this weekend, a reprieve from recent dry weather. Forecasters said the region should see 2 to 5 inches of snow between Saturday and Sunday. The storm is expected to hit northwestern New Mexico on Saturday evening and progress southward toward the eastern part of the state overnight. The National Weather Service reports Sunday morning will see snow and northerly winds for the High Plains. While Clovis and Portales are likely to receive at least 2 inches of snow, NWS estimates...
New Mexico has received 49,625 vaccines, and administered 41,075 of them over the last two weeks, according to Dr. Tracie Collins, New Mexico Health Secretary-Designate during a press conference on Wednesday. “This vaccine distribution for this pandemic is really a complex, logistical operation so we are ramping up currently. I would say I am positive in the direction we are going and I would hope to see us move along in this direction, moving forward, to get everyone in New Mexico vaccinated,” she said. Collins added that pr...
PORTALES — The end of 2020 is right around the corner and Roosevelt County has had a year full of newsworthy events. While the pandemic may have taken center stage for most of it, plenty was happening behind the scenes as well. January began with Roosevelt reporting the state’s first pediatric influenza death of the 2019-20 flu season. The Roosevelt County Commission appointed its new chairman Matthew Hunton, and vice-chair Tina Dixon. The United Way of Eastern New Mexico announced it would help bring The Imagination Lib...
The New Mexico Department of Health launched a COVID-19 vaccine registration website last week. Registrants on the site will be notified when they are qualified to receive the vaccine once it becomes more widely available. The website allows individuals to register as well as employers. Those in Phase 1a who are qualified to receive a vaccine now and have registered have several options on the home page to schedule their appointment, reschedule an existing appointment, and find appointment details. For individuals who are not...
CLOVIS - A pandemic-era Christmas may be slightly less jolly for some. But two local entities - the Lighthouse Mission in Clovis and VFW Post 9515 in Portales - are planning on providing the same generous acts of service as they would any other year. The Lighthouse Mission was able to hold its annual Thanksgiving dinner by drive-through and plans to do the same for a traditional Christmas dinner of ham and stuffing. "We are going to have a Christmas meal on Christmas Day from...
New Mexico’s Economic Development Department released the quarterly economic summaries for each of the states counties this month. These summaries show data from the first quarter of the new fiscal year compared to fiscal year 2020. Each of the summaries leads with the disclaimers that the three months making up fiscal year 2021’s first quarter were “the worst three months of the state’s economic impact from COVID-19,” when comparing data from the same period one year ago. The EDD added that when the federal bonus for unemp...
PORTALES — Courthouse Cafe on Portales’ downtown square was the scene of a small, peaceful protest against public health orders on Friday afternoon. Owner Julie Rooney said customers were ordering their meals to-go and then chose to eat inside the large seating area of her restaurant, which is also a gift shop. Public health orders prohibit indoor dining throughout New Mexico because of COVID-19. Rooney said she was not opposed to the protest, as it was not causing a disturbance and she felt people had the right to sho...
Governor Lujan-Grisham's weekly COVID-19 update began with a grim milestone for the state. She reported that a total of 48 New Mexicans passed away on Thursday, a record high that brought total deaths to 2,097. “I am very concerned,” Lujan Grisham said, “that 48 may not be the highest number we see in the next several weeks.” Also high were hospitalizations, with 852 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 on Thursday and 162 on ventilators. The state, Lujan Grisham said, took 234 days to reach 1,000 deaths, but only another...
PORTALES — The Portales City Council authorized a loan and grant agreement between the city and the New Mexico Finance Authority for $3.3 million for its water project fund and the costs inherent to it. Included in the costs are construction and design of the joint water and sewer system. As well as, “site survey, cultural survey, construction management, permitting, electrical service, scada, water sampling, and construction of test holes, new municipal water production wells, and transmission lines in Blackwater Wellfield f...
Xcel Energy’s Sagamore Wind Project wrapped up its construction phase with a virtual celebration and news conference Wednesday with project and state leaders. Project Manager Brian Hudson said the last turbine has been commissioned and all turbines are 100% operational. “New Mexico will continue to invest in and develop renewable infrastructure and build out our all-of-the- above energy approach,” said New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “We’re grateful to partners like Xcel Energy and I’m incredibly excited about our d...
The first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine were administered at local hospitals last week. Roosevelt General Hospital began vaccinating employees last Tuesday and Plains Regional Medical Center gave its first vaccinations Thursday. Dr. Mark Lockett, medical director of the emergency room at PRMC, was the first in the Clovis facility to receive the shot. "It was really efficiently done," Lockett said. "Through Presbyterian we signed up for an appointment time on an e...
New Mexico received its first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. Christus St. Vincent hospital in Santa Fe was the first facility to receive the vaccine early Monday morning, and began administering it to frontline healthcare workers that afternoon. “Today we begin to turn the tide. Protecting ourselves and our communities and moving past this terrible virus toward a brighter day,” said Tracie Collins, New Mexico’s health secretary designate. Collins said an initial shipment of 17,550 doses is being priorit...
PORTALES — Roosevelt County announced the recipients of the last round of their small business CARES Act Grants during their Tuesday meeting. The $60,289.77 awarded this round effectively used up the remainder of the grant before the Dec. 31 deadline. County Manger Amber Hamilton said that the entities receiving funds were Thompson Dentistry, Clovis Wireless LLC., Juanitos, and McCarteys Cafe each for $10,000. Rosies Hair Salon received $4,821, Ramiros Tire Shop received $6,047, and Roosevelt Nail Salon received $9,224. A...
A Cannon Air Force Base staff sergeant was honored in a socially distanced ceremony Thursday for his acts of bravery more than three years ago in Afghanistan. Alaxey Germanovich, special tactics combat controller for the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, was awarded the Air Force Cross at Cannon. The award is the second-highest military award for valor in combat, behind the Medal of Honor. The official ceremony took place in an aircraft hangar at Cannon, home of the 27th Special...