Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Drought and fire have destroyed crops and vegetation in eastern New Mexico, leaving the dry and barren soil vulnerable to wind erosion and leading the governor to declare a state of emergency earlier this month. CNJ staff photo: Tonjia Rolan Sand dunes accumulating along fencelines southwest of Clovis on N.M. 467 are signs of rapidly eroding farm and grassland. Curry County Road Supervisor Steve Reed said the blowing sand and resulting drifts the last two years are the worst...
Drought and fire have destroyed crops and vegetation in eastern New Mexico, leaving the dry and barren soil vulnerable to wind erosion and leading the governor to declare a state of emergency earlier this month. CNJ staff photo: Tonjia Rolan Sand dunes accumulating along fencelines southwest of Clovis on N.M. 467 are signs of rapidly eroding farm and grassland. Curry County Road Supervisor Steve Reed said the blowing sand and resulting drifts the last two years are the worst... Full story
A 1935 dollar bill, signed by the deceased brother of a Clovis man in 1943, turned up at Daphne's restaurant in Lincoln Ill., earlier this month. Courtesy photo: Amy Baker A short snorter bill signed by Lt. Curtis Chapman, brother of William Chapman of Clovis. The lieutenants signature can be seen over the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill. Retired Clovis resident William Chapman, 82, said he and his wife were having breakfast the morning of May 8 when they received a...
The Clovis Municipal Schools Board of Education on Tuesday heard from two men and accepted a petition asking for reinstatement of the school's former athletic director and baseball coach. But board members took no action on the issue. "We can't. It's board policy. These matters need to be addressed with the administrators," Board President Max Best told the crowd of about 70, most of whom left after Best's response. Best said state law gives the board a limited role in personnel matters. Todd Kuykendall submitted the...
The defense attorney for a Clovis police officer involved in a fatal vehicle accident while on duty asked a judge to dismiss charges against him Monday on grounds the district attorney interfered with the grand jury deliberations. A grand jury indicted Officer Stephen Gallegos in January 2011 on vehicular homicide and causing great bodily injury. The charges stemmed from an accident in November 2010 in which investigators say Gallegos ran a stop sign in his Clovis police car and crashed into a vehicle, killing passenger Mary...
The man Clovis police shot on Wednesday spent a week threatening his ex-girlfriend before breaking into her house and sexually assaulting her, court records show. Paul Villanueva, 23, of Clovis, was shot after he tried to run out the back door of the woman's house and collided with police. Officer Kevin Littlejohn shot Villanueva in the abdomen after a hand-to-hand struggle in which Villanueva pointed a .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol at the officer's head, District...
The man Clovis police shot on Wednesday spent a week threatening his ex-girlfriend before breaking into her house and sexually assaulting her, court records show. Paul Villanueva, 23, of Clovis, was shot after he tried to run out the back door of the woman's house and collided with police. Officer Kevin Littlejohn shot Villanueva in the abdomen after a hand-to-hand struggle in which Villanueva pointed a .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol at the officer's head, District... Full story
Clovis native Lauren Sackman is determined to make something positive out of the drowning death of her 7-year-old daughter last month in Georgia. Courtesy photo Hannah Ross, who was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old, went missing April 29 from her family's Fort Gordon, Ga., home. She was discovered the next day at the bottom of a neighborhood lake. Hannah Ross, who was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old, went missing April 29 from the family's Fort Gordon, Ga., home.... Full story
Clovis native Lauren Sackman is determined to make something positive out of the drowning death of her 7-year-old daughter last month in Georgia. Courtesy photo Hannah Ross, who was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old, went missing April 29 from her family's Fort Gordon, Ga., home. She was discovered the next day at the bottom of a neighborhood lake. Hannah Ross, who was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old, went missing April 29 from the family's Fort Gordon, Ga., home.... Full story
Within weeks of her birth, Kye Skelton was bouncing across wheat fields in the family tractor with her mom and dad. Ky Skelton Amy Campbell, Skelton's mother, said by the time she was 2, "she was riding in a box on the floor of the tractor with her crayons and coloring books". Skelton, who is enrolled in the agriculture education program at West Texas A&M said, "Agriculture is a way of life to me. It symbolizes my family and the people I love." Skelton works part-time for a la...
Editor's note: The name of the victim in this story has been removed from the initial report. Court records obtained the day after this story was published show the victim was sexually assaulted, information not previously available. The Clovis News Journal does not routinely name victims of sexual assault. Clovis' Paul Villanueva, 23, was the man shot by a Clovis police officer Wednesday evening while fleeing a residence on Sheldon Street, police said. According to a press release from the District Attorney's office,...
Editor's note: The name of the victim in this story has been removed from the initial report. Court records obtained the day after this story was published show the victim was sexually assaulted, information not previously available. The Clovis News Journal does not routinely name victims of sexual assault. Clovis' Paul Villanueva, 23, was the man shot by a Clovis police officer Wednesday evening while fleeing a residence on Sheldon Street, police said. According to a press release from the District Attorney's office,...
Editor's note: This is part of a continuing series of profiles on graduating Clovis High seniors. Graduation is 10 a.m. Saturday at the Curry County Events Center. Trevaun Sanders Trevaun Sanders has managed to excel despite his rough start in life. The oldest of three brothers, Sanders was born three and a half months premature, according to his mother, Kim Tipton. But by the time he was in fourth grade, Sanders was reading high school classics such "20,000 Leagues Under the... Full story
Clovis native Lauren Sackman is determined to make something positive out of the drowning death of her 7-year-old daughter last month in Georgia. Courtesy photo Hannah Ross, who was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old, went missing April 29 from her family's Fort Gordon, Ga., home. She was discovered the next day at the bottom of a neighborhood lake. Hannah Ross, who was diagnosed with autism at 18 months old, went missing April 29 from the family's Fort Gordon, Ga., home....
An interactive online crime reporting program used by the Clovis Police Department has been viewed 4,103 times since it was launched March 19, according to police Capt. Patrick Whitney. Whitney said data indicates use of the anonymous tip line has increased 24 percent since CrimeReports was launched. There were 161 calls in April, compared to an average of 129 calls per month in the first three months of 2012. Whitney said the April tips generated 10 confirmed criminal acts, w... Full story
Area officials said they were aware of Eastern Plains Council of Governments' failure to comply with federal- and state-mandated annual audits, but believed the benefits of agency outweighed the problems. The EPCOG board reviewed and approved the first of seven delinquent annual audit reports Wednesday that date bask to 2005. The 2005 report concluded that virtually no accurate financial records were kept by EPCOG that year. EPCOG helps county and municipal governments in seven in eastern New Mexico counties with planning...
Chuck Tipton, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, will be attending Clovis Relay for Life for the first time this year. In fact, he'll be singing at the event. File photo Cancer survivors line up for the first lap at Ned Houk Park during a previous relay. "I'm working on a song called 'Prognosis Life,'" Tipton said Thursday from his car. The 51-year-old retired Clovis music teacher was returning Thursday from Lubbock, where he had stitches removed from his head. Tipton...
The first of seven government-mandated audits of the Eastern Plains Council of Government dating back to 2005 painted a picture of financial mismanagement and ineptitude that is likely to be repeated in consecutive audits, according to Sandy Chancey, executive director of EPCOG. EPCOG board members reviewed and approved the 2005 audit, which the accounting firm Woodard, Cowen and Co., concluded did not provide enough information to express an opinion on the financial statements. Mary Gray, EPCOG executive assistant to the...
The first of seven government-mandated audits of the Eastern Plains Council of Government dating back to 2005 painted a picture of financial mismanagement and ineptitude that is likely to be repeated in consecutive audits, according to Sandy Chancey, executive director of EPCOG. EPCOG board members reviewed and approved the 2005 audit, which the accounting firm Woodard, Cowen and Co., concluded did not provide enough information to express an opinion on the financial statements. Mary Gray, EPCOG executive assistant to the...
The city's water policy advisory board unanimously affirmed support of the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System Tuesday, after City Commissioner Randy Crowder presented research on the viability of pumping ground water from Fort Sumner to Clovis. Crowder, who chairs the board, pointed to the Berrendo water project of 2009 as evidence that a proposal to pump water from the Pecos River basin is likely to fail. The Berrendo project was an attempt by a private company in Santa Fe to pump ground water from the Pecos River basin...
Clovis Relay for Life fed more than 400 cancer survivors last year at its annual event. File photo Relay for Life organizers hope to raise $140,000 from this year's event, according to co-chair Rebecca Holt. Glowing luminaria that lit the relay walking trail until dawn memorialized hundreds more who didn't survive. "I think every single person knows someone who has or has had cancer," said Cutter Burnett, Relay for Life entertainment chairman. Cancer survivor Marlene Bela call...
More than 300 worshippers gathered Thursday for the National Day of Prayer looked to the heavens for more than just guidance. CNJ staff photo: Tonjia Rolan Oyin Kokoricha, left, and daughter Ariel, right, attend Thursday's National Day of Prayer observance held on Main Street in front of the courthouse. Pastor David Swann of Faith Christian Family Church kicked off observance in front of Curry County Courthouse with a plea to the heavens for rain and an end to the drought....
Melrose High School made history this year, when Kendra Jacobs and Misha Riley received Pursuing Victory with Honor scholarships. It was the first time in New Mexico Activities Association scholarship history that two recipients were chosen from the same school. The scholarship is awarded to athletes and students involved in school and community activities. Melrose school Superintendent Jamie Widner, who graduated from Melrose High School 30 years ago, said "The traditional...
Clovis Community College will be raising student fees next semester, but not tuition, according to President Becky Rowley. Debbie Zurzolo, CCC's chief financial officer, said a student facility use fee of $10 per credit hour will help pay for debts on capital outlay projects. The Board of Trustees passed the increase Tuesday in an effort to balance $25 million in expected revenues with $25.5 million in projected expenditures for fiscal year 2012-2013. More than 1,600 CCC students enrolled full-time will see fees jump from...
Clovis Community College will be raising student fees next semester, but not tuition, according to President Becky Rowley. Debbie Zurzolo, CCC's chief financial officer, said a student facility use fee of $10 per credit hour will help pay for debts on capital outlay projects. The Board of Trustees passed the increase Tuesday in an effort to balance $25 million in expected revenues with $25.5 million in projected expenditures for fiscal year 2012-2013. More than 1,600 CCC students enrolled full-time will see fees jump from... Full story
