Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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CLOVIS - After consecutive 2-24 seasons, the Clovis softball team has nowhere to look but up. And they are doing that as Tuesday's season opener at Muleshoe approaches. They're looking toward this season not just with new optimism but new confidence, a new attitude. "We have so much more focus and wanting to get better, wanting to win," Clovis junior catcher Daisy Dodge said while taking a break from Friday's late-afternoon practice at the Clovis Softball Complex. "We have such a bad history. We want to change that. ......
TEXICO — District titles have proven elusive for Texico’s girls basketball team in recent years. No such luck for the Lady Wolverines’ opponents this year. Friday night at Texico Sports Arena, the Lady Wolverines used an opportunistic third quarter to pull away from Clayton for a 61-42 victory that gave them the District 7-2A championship. Sweeter still, it was against the same program that had beaten Texico for last year’s District 5-3A title. “We’re real excited,” Texico head coach Richard Luscombe said. “Actually, we...
New Mexico lawmakers are considering a plan that would give each member of the House $400,000 to spend on pet projects. Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, is chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. “Members recognize we have a lot more revenue,” Lundstrom told the Albuquerque Journal, referring to a projected $1.2 billion budget surplus driven by oil production. Lundstrom said money spent under the bill could go toward pilot programs, studies or existing state programs. The bill has not yet moved out...
PORTALES — The Eastern New Mexico men’s basketball team had quite a week, especially considering it was technically over for them on Wednesday night. The Greyhounds concluded the regular season Tuesday at West Texas A&M, bussed to Phoenix and took on Division I Grand Canyon University in a Wednesday exhibition. Eastern fell to the Buffs 92-79 in its regular season finale, ending any possibility the Greyhounds (13-13, 10-8) could finish higher than fourth place in the final Lone Star Conference standings. The finish was sti...
SANTA FE — A bill that would expand New Mexico background check requirements to cover nearly all gun sales inched toward Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk on Saturday, despite opposition from the National Rifle Association and most county sheriffs statewide. Two other measures dealing with access to firearms also advanced as New Mexico, which has one of the nation's highest gun ownership rates, moved closer to enshrining new gun laws after years of debate. A spokeswoman for Lujan Grisham, a Democrat who took office in J...
CLOVIS — The Clovis baseball team’s season opener wasn’t exactly one to put in a time capsule. Unless the time capsule is buried in Lubbock. Facing Lubbock-Coronado Tuesday night at Bell Park, Clovis was beaten 20-0, as the Mustangs belted 19 hits while holding the Wildcats to just two in a game halted in six innings by the mercy rule. It began OK enough for Clovis, as Coronado mustered only run in the top of the first on an RBI groundout by designated hitter Jaxson Edwards. The run wouldn’t even have scored had it not bee...
For months they hung out on the open market, two prime free agents waiting to be plucked. Third baseman/shortstop Manny Machado and outfielder Bryce Harper were the two brightest stars of the much-anticipated 2018-19 Major League Baseball offseason. It seemed their criteria for signing included bags full of money, at least a decade’s worth of security, a dotted line and a pen. By well into last month, though, neither had apparently received a satisfactory amount of the first two to put the last two into use. But on Feb. 19, M...
MELROSE — New district, same result. Friday at Melrose High School, the Melrose girls basketball team defeated Logan 40-32 to win the District 6-1A championship. It was the second straight district title for the Lady Buffaloes, but their first in the newly-realigned district. Last year, they nipped Elida 36-32 to capture the District 4-1A crown. Whatever the district, Melrose is happy to win it. “It’s a really good district,” Melrose head coach Caleb King said of 6-1A, “so to come out on top of it bodes well for us in the fu...
PORTALES - When you don't lead a game by more than four at any point, you need to take advantage of every opportunity the basketball gods give you. Even if it's not the first option. That's what senior Julian Urioste did, getting off a driving layup with 2.0 seconds left to give the Portales Rams a 47-45 victory Thursday night in the District 4-4A semifinals at the Ram Athletic Center. Rico Diaz scored 14 points to lead a balanced effort for the Rams (16-11), who rallied from...
It was a good and bad week for Clovis' girls basketball team. The Lady Wildcats won their District 4-5A quarterfinal over Roswell 57-24 on Tuesday at Rock Staubus Gymnasium, but lost their semifinal at Carlsbad, 47-30, on Thursday. As a result of the latter, Clovis' season might be over. As of Saturday night, they sat with their 10-18 record, waiting to find out if a state-tournament invite would be offered on Sunday. Either way, the Lady 'Cats had a strong effort in Tuesday...
PORTALES — Senior left fielder Jennifer McElroy doubled with one out in the eighth inning, driving home catcher Samantha Brockman as the Eastern New Mexico softball team won its fourth-consecutive Lone Star Conference contest 5-4 Friday at Greyhound Field. McElroy was one of three Greyhounds to go 2-for-4 on the day and got the game-winning hit off reliever Ruby Sanchez, who took the loss despite largely holding down the Greyhounds in a seven-inning relief appearance. The teams were scheduled for a Saturday doubleheader to c...
DENTON, Texas — Treyanna Clay scored 17 points, and the Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team ended a three-game losing streak with a 71-63 win Saturday to close out the regular season. Freshman Zamorye Cox added 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting for the Greyhounds (19-9, 14-6), who took control of matters with a 22-12 second quarter and kept a lead hovering between seven and 12 for the final 11 minutes. The win assured the Greyhounds the fourth seed in the Lone Star Conference tournament, and a 7:30 p.m. Friday contest again...
PORTALES - When you're not shooting the ball well, you can stay in a game if you rebound well enough. If you don't do either one well ... game over, good night, drive home safely. Portales held visiting Artesia without a basket for a 13:50 stretch in the second half, and dominated the second-half glass to turn a comfortable early lead into a 48-25 rout Friday night to claim the District 4-4A championship. Taylee Rippee had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while...
CLOVIS - Clovis' boys basketball team is still hoping for a home game in the upcoming state tournament. But if the Wildcats' 60-36 victory over Carlsbad in Thursday's District 4-5A semifinal turns out to be their last game at Rock Staubus Gymnasium this season, they went out in style. By transforming a close game into a blowout during the second and third quarters Thursday, the 'Cats earned their spot in Saturday's district championship game at Hobbs, playing vice-grip...
PORTALES — The middle of the order did its damage in the middle of the game, and Eastern New Mexico opened its four-game series against Cameron Friday with an 11-8 win at Greyhound Field in the Lone Star Conference opener for both teams. Greyhound 4-7 hitters Eurick Perez, Joseph Zubia, Bryan Waltemath and Blake Friey went a combined went a combined 6-for-12 with five runs scored, two triples, two walks and eight RBIs as Eastern New Mexico (6-4, 1-0) scored 10 of its runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The teams w...
RIO ARRIBA COUNTY — John Villareal, an electrician whose family has owned ranchland in Alcalde for a century, pops into La Cocina New Mexican restaurant in downtown Española on a recent day to catch up with his cousin — a regular at the restaurant who always sits in the same corner table. Villareal isn’t shy about how he feels about the gun bills making their way through the Roundhouse. He said he has called his county commissioner and his state senator to express his worries that the bills would pave the way for the governme...
SANTA FE — Personal income tax cuts signed into law in 2003 by former Gov. Bill Richardson would be essentially wiped off the books under a sweeping tax package that’s headed to the House floor. Members of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee voted 8-5 along party lines Wednesday to approve the measure, which would increase some tax rates — including personal income taxes on higher-earning New Mexicans — while also broadening tax breaks for families. Backers of the bill, House Bill 6, said the state needs more stable...
SANTA FE — A familiar name provided lunch for the state Senate last week. Former Rep. Debbie Rodella, a Democrat who represented Española, lost her re-election bid last year, but she’s still a presence in the Roundhouse. Now she’s a lobbyist for an association of community bankers, and, as many lobbyists do, she provided lunch for lawmakers as they worked on a recent afternoon — enchiladas with red chile. Rodella is one of a few former officials who were public servants last session and lobbyists this year — including...
SANTA FE — The state House late Friday adopted legislation that would reshape New Mexico’s tax system and raise about $356 million a year in new state revenue for public schools, government operations and roads. The 134-page proposal would increase personal income taxes on some New Mexicans — especially high earners — and raise taxes on cigarettes and car sales. It would impose new taxes on some hospitals, online retailers and e-cigarettes. Tax breaks are also built into the proposal — including bigger tax credits for low-...
CLOVIS — A public meeting to discuss the Community Block Development Grant program is scheduled for 5 p.m. March 14 at the Curry County Commission Chambers at 417 Gidding. Members of the public are invited to attend and suggest project ideas, with supporting data and testimony if necessary. The CDBG program, established under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, assists communities in providing essential facilities and infrastructure. Previous CDBG projects in Curry County include the M...
CLOVIS — Officials responsible for reviewing a deadly officer-involved shooting in Clovis last year had not publicly released their findings by late Saturday afternoon. Calls placed Friday and Saturday to 11th Judicial District Attorney Rick Tedrow were not returned. He is the liaison for the New Mexico District Attorney’s Association panel for evaluating conflicted cases across the state. Tedrow had previously said he expected the panel to make a ruling Friday on whether criminal charges should be filed in the Oct. 8 fat...
CLOVIS - At Clovis High School, there's no such thing as too many cooks in the kitchen. Students from the CHS ProStart class, which teaches students the basics of cooking, will travel to Albuquerque on Monday to take part in the annual New Mexico ProStart Invitational, a statewide cooking and restaurant management competition for high schoolers. "It tests their skills and it shows their determination, their teamwork, just so many different things," teacher Diane Chapman said...
CLOVIS — Wednesday’s meeting of the Clovis Public Works Committee lasted just 15 minutes. City Manager Justin Howalt updated committee members on five projects: • Work on Seventh Street is ongoing, Howalt said, with New Mexico Gas and EPCOR Water moving service lines to accommodate the project work. Initial talks have taken place with CenturyLink to do the same thing. • Improvements to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the railroad crossing to Seventh Street are complete. “It came out really well,” Howalt said of the...
PORTALES — The Eastern New Mexico University board of regents is once again fully staffed as Curry County Manager Lance Pyle and ENMU student Joseph Gergel III were among the nine appointments to higher education boards across the state announced Thursday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Prior to his appointment, Pyle, a 2004 ENMU graduate, served as the treasurer for the ENMU Alumni Association, a position he will now be resigning from, he told The News. “I am very excited and humbled of the appointment by Gov. Lujan Gri...
CLOVIS — The Clovis Municipal Schools Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Tuesday to consider approval of an advertisement for the district’s superintendent search. The advertisement is the only action item on the agenda for the special meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the CMS central office, 1009 Main Street. Superintendent Jody Balch announced in January he’ll be retiring after this school year....
