Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Hot spots have developed in New Mexico as the daily reporting of COVID-19 cases continues. Many of those cases and deaths have occurred in San Juan and McKinley counties, home to the vast Navajo Reservation. There, extended families often live together and many elderly have been victims. The other hot spot has been Albuquerque nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Clovis residents and business owners were widely supportive as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made the decision to close non-essential businesses and issue a...
PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University Chancellor and Portales campus president Jeff Elwell on Friday tendered his resignation, effective at the end of this week. The ENMU board of regents accepted the resignation in an emergency meeting, and named Patrice Caldwell as interim chancellor. Elwell, who joined the university in 2017, announced last month he would resign no later than June 30, 2021. It wasn’t immediately clear why the university’s 10th president is leaving so soon, and regents declined to give a specific reaso...
When Nazareth's Ralph Albracht was first diagnosed with COVID-19 in March, he thought it was a death sentence. "I'm 78 years old and they were saying that the older you are, the less chance you have," he said. "That was the main thing and so, of course, I called my wife and I have 10 grandkids and one of the boys is a real computer expert. He put us on a chatroom, a Zoom chatroom, and, of course, we began to pray." After prayer with his family and the Nazareth community,...
The following marriage licenses were recently issued at the Roosevelt County clerk’s office: • Hunter Everrett Smith, 20, and Kennah Ambrie Rodriguez, 18, both of Portales • Royce Eli Montgomery, 26, and Samantha Villanueva, 23, both of Portales • Jose Ramon Carillo Rocha, 52, and Melissa Lopez, 38, both of Portales • Matthew Alex Ulibarri, 32, and Destiny Elaine Romero, 34, both of Clovis • Christopher S. Thompson, 35, and Amanda Karen Elaine Clawson, 21, both of Portales • Bobby Silva Castillo, 31, and Dixie Gail Coats, 3...
TEXICO — Kristen Scanlan will take cabin fever over coronavirus any day. But that doesn’t mean Scanlan, a Texico elementary school physical education teacher and high school volleyball and golf coach, isn’t frustrated with how this spring is transpiring. “Yeah, it’s horrible,” she said. “You just get used to a routine throughout the year. You try to equip (the students) with some things during the summer because you know you’re not going to see them. But it’s strange to not be able to see them in April.” Distance learning h...
CLOVIS — The Curry County Commission is expected to close its juvenile detention center when it meets Tuesday morning. The long-discussed issue is one of numerous items on the 9 a.m. meeting agenda. The meeting will be streamed at currycounty.org and on the county Facebook page. Anybody with questions or comments can contact County Manager Lance Pyle at: [email protected] The closure request from Detention Administrator Mark Gallegos notes the county usually averages about one juvenile detainee a month and keeping the J...
PORTALES — The Roosevelt County Commission has scheduled a special meeting for 9 a.m. Monday. The virtual meeting can be joined at anymeeting.com/PIID=EE56DC80874F30, and a recording will be posted to the county website following the meeting. Agenda items include: • A resolution from Commissioner Matt Hunton requesting the state delegate authority to local governments to reopen non-essential businesses while using the safeguards in place for essential businesses. • Fire Protection Fund applications for the Arch and Milne...
SANTA FE — The state Supreme Court — in an unprecedented hearing by video link — rejected an emergency petition Tuesday that would have shifted New Mexico’s June 2 primary to an election by mail. The decision came after more than two dozen of New Mexico’s top election officials — citing danger to public health — pleaded for court permission to close polling sites and conduct the primary election largely through mail-in ballots. In a 2 1/2 -hour hearing, the justices wrestled with their authority to step in. They pointedl...
I was wearing a face mask grocery shopping the other day. I wish I had a sign on my back expressing my ignorance and accompanying biases. The sign would read: I am wearing the politically correct mask of surrender to my socialist governor and her liberal drone army. Thank you, Mr. President, for showing them the way, then green-lighting them. Some education would have been sufficient but the need to express power exceeds human rights and needs. It also came to mind that my purchases would deprive others of their needs. Then...
You know why they call people my age Boomers? Because we were the Baby Boom, the explosive result of all those soldiers coming home from World War II and all those women who were happy to see them. We were born out of relief that the war was over, that there weren’t supposed to be any more wars, and that prosperity loomed. And loom it did. Suburbs sprang up to house all the happy new families, and the American Dream was reborn after years of war, economic depression, recovery, and more war. And boy, was my generation indulged...
An irony of the coronavirus debate is that the more successful lockdowns are in squelching the disease, the more vulnerable they will be to attack as unnecessary in the first place. A growing chorus on the right is slamming the shutdowns as an overreaction and agitating to end them. A good example of the genre is an op-ed co-authored by former Education Secretary William Bennett and talk-radio host Seth Leibsohn. It is titled, tendentiously and not very accurately,...
In-person voting is safe. So are overflowing parking lots at big-box retailers. But it’s too dangerous for a small nursery to sell Easter lilies to individuals curbside. And if you see any suspicious activity downtown — say an alley door closing quickly and somebody slipping a shopping bag inside their jacket — well, you’ll need to call the cops, Gladys Kravitz. This coronavirus circus is crazier than any “Bewitched” rerun you’ve seen since we’ve all — sorta — been ordered to shelter in place. Guns and alcohol were “essen...
CLOVIS — The music part of the annual Draggin’ Main Music Festival is off, and the event’s budget has been slashed by 2/3, but organizers are still hoping to salvage some summer fun. The June 13-20 festival will still include classic drive-in tours, the Gearhead Gathering and the Main Street drag, and possibly 200 visitors with the New Mexico Harley Owners Group. Chamber board members on Wednesday approved a budget of $62,155 — far from the pre-coronavirus plan to spend $180,000. Festival Chair Thom Moore said the committ...
On this date ... 1970: A series of tornadoes over a dozen communities had left 23 dead and multiple homes destroyed across eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. The violence began the night of April 17, while many were sleeping. One F4 twister was reported to have stayed on the ground for 26 miles. It killed a woman and destroyed three farm houses near Lazbuddie. Five people died in the Hale County area and Plainview reported $4.5 million in damages. Early on the morning of April 18, 17 more people were killed, mostly...
Meetings are subject to change due to coronavirus concerns Monday • Roosevelt County Commission special meeting — 9 a.m., teleconference. Any person interested in listening to the meeting can go to http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EE56DC80874F30 and register for the webinar. Registrants will be provided the option to listen online or by phone. Meeting will also be recorded and available at www.rooseveltcounty.com. Information: 575-356-5307 Tuesday • Curry County Commission — 9 a.m., teleconference. Information at https:/...
PORTALES — The Portales City Council will conduct what should be a brief meeting Tuesday evening, with all action items listed on the consent agenda. The meeting is virtual due to state public health orders regarding mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The audio for the meeting will be streamed at the city’s Facebook page (cityofportales). Comments or questions can be submitted to City Manager Sammy Standefer ([email protected]) or City Clerk Joan Martinez-Terry ([email protected]). Agenda items inc...
Saturday • Women Empowering Women Virtual Expo — 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m., online at https://www.facebook.com/events/670926983478959/. Hosted by Clovis Civic Center and Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce – CIDC. Facebook Live events throughout the day. Vendors who are interested in participating should message the Clovis Civic Center on Facebook or email [email protected] • Kiwanis Club of Portales annual flower sale — 8 a.m.-until sold out, parking lot, C&S Inc., 300 W. First St., Portales. Petunias and geraniums...
The state rolled out a new webpage last week that gives more detailed data on how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting each county in New Mexico, such as the ages of those infected and the breakdown of patients by gender. The page also provides a statewide look at how the novel coronavirus, which causes the respiratory illness, is affecting ethnic groups in the state. The data shows nearly 37 percent of people who have contracted the virus are Native Americans — a group that makes up only 10 percent of the state’s pop...
CLOVIS — The Curry County Road Department will chip seal a section of Curry Road K Monday and Tuesday, according to a county release. The work will go from Curry Roads 14 to 17 and will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes, and residents near the work area are encouraged to minimize use of the road during the three to four hours following oil application. Information: 575-762-1501...
PORTALES — The Roosevelt County Road Department will begin an anticipated two months of work on various county roads on Monday, according to a county release. Work will upgrade the roads from dirt to caliche, and will include: • South Roosevelt Road AE from N.M. 480 to South Roosevelt Road 10 • South Roosevelt Road AF from N.M. 480 to South Roosevelt Road 10 • South Roosevelt Road AE beginning at South Roosevelt Road 5 and continuing two miles. The anticipated end date for work is June 20, weather permitting. Motoris...
WASHINGTON — Local municipal airports received nearly $100,000 in grant monies as part of the recent coronavirus response package, according to a release from the New Mexico congressional delegation. The funding is part of $25.2 million going to 50 New Mexico airports to help sustain critical operations as travel revenues drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Clovis Municipal Airport received $69,000, and the Portales Municipal Airport $30,000. About 80% of the grant dollars went to the state’s five largest airports, wit...
CLOVIS — Randy Petty said he put his life savings in his downtown Clovis furniture store because he believes in the community and its strength to survive. But his survival is being challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and state public health orders mandating he close while national chain competitors stay open. The Clovis City Commission agreed with him and other small business owners, and called a special meeting for 3 p.m. Tuesday to consider a resolution asking the state to let nonessential businesses and nonprofits r...
CLOVIS - The Curry County Fair has added another musical act to its Aug. 15 concert lineup. Texas-based Josh Ward has been confirmed to play Saturday with Aaron Watson headlining in the Saturday concert, according to a release from the Curry County Events Center. Ward has three top 40 national singles, including "The Devil Don't Scare Me," and 13 No. 1 songs on the Texas Regional Radio Charts to his credit. He also has more than three million Spotify streams from his three...
Surely you've seen it, the neon sign just below the sign for Traci's Greenhouse, flashing the date and time as well as other nuggets of information for those making their way along Clovis' Mabry Drive. That neon sign is now dark, kind of a metaphor for these strange and scary times. But Traci's Greenhouse is still trying to brighten things up for its customers, just not at its usual location. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's order of April 7 forced small businesses...
Booked The following were booked into local jails (Tuesday-Friday): Clovis ∞ Edwin Valasquez, 63, battery against a household member ∞ Marcos Romero, 20, failure to appear on a felony charge ∞ Chancy Marez, 31, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, larceny, possession of a controlled substance ∞ Anthony Stubbs, 30, failure to appear at time and place stated in citation ∞ German Ibarra, 19, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge ∞ Chelsea Lopez, 24, failure to appear at time and place stated in citation ∞ Anthony Moore, 33, no...
