Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Articles from the May 27, 2020 edition


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  • Giving goes on throughout pandemic

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated May 26, 2020

    COVID-19 shut down just about every aspect of normal life. But good will in the community has continued on, under restrictions. The local not-for-profits, though being somewhat curtailed by social distancing guidelines, have kept providing meals, clothing, even essential bills. Neediness didn't take a COVID break. "For us it didn't slow down. In fact, it accelerated at a high rate of speed," said Sheila Savitz of Consigning Women-Angel Ministries in Portales. Savitz said her... Full story

  • Local primary ballots

    Updated May 26, 2020

    June 2 primary ballots Federal U.S. President Republican • Donald J. Trump Democratic • Elizabeth Warren • Tulsi Gabbard • Joseph R. Biden • Deval Patrick • Bernie Sanders • Andrew Yang Libertarian • Lincoln Chafee • Arvin Vohra • Jacob Hornberger • Adam Kokesh • John Monds • Jo Jorgensen • Sam Robb • Daniel Behrman • James Ogle U.S. Senator Republican • Elisa Maria Martinez • Mark V. Ronchetti • Gavin S. Clarkson Democratic • Ben Ray Lujan Libertarian • Bob Walsh U.S. Representative District 2 Republican • Claire Chase • Yv...

  • Jail logs - May 27

    Updated May 26, 2020

    Booked The following were booked into local jails (Friday - Tuesday): Clovis • David Galvan, 29, criminal trespass • Coniel McDaniel, 43, out of state fugitive, failure to appear on a felony charge, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge, failure to register as a sex offender, failure to pay fines • Mindi Johnson, 22, resisting, evading or obstructing an officer • Robert Lange, 50, probation violation • Miguel Anaya-Ramirez, 22, probation violation, possession of a controlled substance, failure to pay fines, failure t...

  • Roosevelt OKs reduced preliminary budget

    The Staff of The News|Updated May 26, 2020

    PORTALES - Roosevelt County, with so much still in the air financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had clearance from the state to submit its prior year budget to meet its statutory requirement for a preliminary 2020-21 budget. County Manager Amber Hamilton felt a little more detail could be offered to the state, and commissioners approved at their Tuesday meeting a preliminary budget down about $3.2 million from the current year. The meeting was held in person for the first...

  • Shelbunre: Mobs never easy to trust

    Curtis Shelburne|Updated May 26, 2020

    Mobs. I never have cared much for them. Personality — mine, that is — explains part of this. I’m not particularly freaked out by large crowds, I just don’t enjoy them and am happy to avoid them. It’s not a phobia. (“Enochlophobia” is “fear of crowds,” I’m told.) It’s a dislike. I don’t enjoy what often seems mindless and is most certainly loud, and those two features tend to cluster around big crowds like flies around a dung heap. Peace is good. Quiet is precious. And the so...

  • Williamson: Sauce surplus means time to share

    Betty Williamson|Updated May 26, 2020

    Whatever else we humans can or cannot find consensus on right now, maybe we can agree on this: When the going gets tough, the tough … um … er … the tough turn to comfort food. If that comfort food reminds you of your childhood home, even better. For Rob Borden — a Portales native presently living on the 33rd floor of a 36-floor building in Miami, Florida — it was a long-distance Mother’s Day visit with his parents, Sheryl and Bobby Borden of Portales, that got him thinking ab...

  • Stevens: Before Bluitt became a ghost town

    David Stevens|Updated May 26, 2020

    If you’ve ever been to Bluitt, you probably didn’t know it. It’s located about 48 miles southeast of Portales, or at least that’s where the Bluitt Cemetery is located. That’s about all that’s left of the ghost town today. Bluitt hasn’t really been a place since the mid-1940s. It had a school as late as 1938 when the student population was more than 50, according to “Roosevelt County History and Heritage.” But it was never big enough for an Allsup’s. Dirt farmers began homesteading in the area about 1916, but not everybody w...

  • McDonald: 202 seniors looking to future

    Tom McDonald|Updated May 26, 2020

    The defining national/international event for the infamous baby boomer generation was the Vietnam War. It was America’s longest war at the time, with combat fueled by soldier boys ages 18 and up. About 58,000 Americans died over our eight-year involvement in that war, but as terrible a death toll as that was, it has been eclipsed in less than three months by the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak has taken more than 100,000 American lives and climbing — and it’s hitting the boomers (as well as the “silent generation” whose def...

  • McManigal: No idea what government good for

    Kent McManigal|Updated May 26, 2020

    Many problems in modern societies happen because people confuse political government for something it isn’t. They expect it to do things it can’t do and isn’t suited for. To do things right you need to use the correct tools. A hammer is the proper tool for driving nails. A feather isn’t a hammer; neither is a shotgun. Even though you might be able to use a coffee cup to drive a small nail — don’t try this with your favorite cup — it’s not a hammer either. Using things for purp...

  • Editorial: Ratcliffe should get chance to serve

    Updated May 26, 2020

    During the long national struggle that is coronavirus, the grinding wheels of Washington have moved that much more slowly — something that in normal times we might mark as a good thing under the old adage that the government that acts least acts best. But a few important things have happened beyond the approval of the first stimulus package. Among these is the Senate’s confirmation of Texas congressman John Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence. In a 49-44 vote, Ratcliffe was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday alo...

  • Pages Past: May 27

    Updated May 26, 2020

    On this date ... 1970: Clovis and Curry County were celebrating “one of the healthiest growths in New Mexico over the past decade,” the Clovis News-Journal reported. Mayor Chick Taylor said unofficial Census figures showed the county’s population at 39,163 — up from 32,691 in 1960. The city’s unofficial count showed a population of 28,192 — up from 23,713 a decade earlier. “This is a good barometer to the type of growth we desire and experienced in Clovis,” Taylor said. “We didn’t want a boom, just a healthy overall gro...

  • Portales school board special meeting today

    The Staff of The News|Updated May 26, 2020

    PORTALES — The Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education will tackle a few loose ends during a special meeting this afternoon. The 1 p.m. meeting will be held virtually due to public health orders banning mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The livestream may be viewed by visiting the “webcasts” portion of portalesschools.com Items on the agenda include: • An application for federal relief dollars from the CARES Act, and a budget adjustment related to the act for $900,000. • A request to use the Valencia...

  • Water authority to meet Thursday as six-member board

    The Staff of The News|Updated May 26, 2020

    CLOVIS — The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority will meet Thursday for its first time as a six-person board. The 3 p.m. meeting at the Sitterly Professional Center will be conducted via conference call due to public health orders on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. To join the meeting, call 512-402-2718 and enter meeting ID 1765799784# The new makeup of the board was official May 20, and was amended by the state Legislature in response to the withdrawals of Curry County, Melrose and Grady. Previously, t...

  • Business Digest: Curtis named to USDA post

    Updated May 26, 2020

    Local businessman and rancher Blake Curtis was appointed as the new state director for USDA Rural Development, according to a USDA release. Curtis, a former state legislator and current regent for New Mexico State University, began his role on Tuesday. His role is to oversee rural development programs to achieve prosperity for rural areas of the state. “Blake Curtis brings a wealth of experience to his new position, and I welcome him to the Rural Development team,” USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Bette Brand sai...

  • CFD: Grass fire claims about 400 acres

    The Staff of The News|Updated May 26, 2020

    CLOVIS — The Clovis Fire Department estimated about 400 acres burned during a Saturday evening grassfire in Curry County. Chief Mike Nolen said a cause wasn’t determined for the fire, and it was probably something small like a cigarette. Crews were first called to the scene on Curry Road 6 between Curry roads N and O about 4 p.m. They knocked out the fire around 6:30 p.m. Battalion Chief Bill Hand said a unit did stay on the scene to check for hot spots. A dairy was near the fire site. Hand said the fire did get into the dai...

  • NMSP shuts down barber

    Kevin Wilson - Staff writer|Updated May 26, 2020

    CLOVIS — Shaves and haircuts may cost a Clovis barber $100. That’s because she’s been cited by state police for violating a public health order brought on by COVID-19. The Hotel Clovis Barber Shop has been closed since May 16. The citation filed Thursday against Jennifer Estes, 50, is the first of that nature filed in either Curry or Roosevelt magistrate courts since public health orders were issued in March shutting down non-essential businesses. Many businesses reopened at limited capacity earlier this month, but the state... Full story

  • State eyes contact tracing at eateries

    Peter Stein - Staff Writer|Updated May 26, 2020

    As Phase 2 of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s re-opening plan looms, restaurants, bars, movie theaters and casinos may be allowed to unlock their doors Monday. There’s no doubt sanitation and social-distancing guidelines will be part of any reopening. And for the restaurants, part of those guidelines could be strict and might raise more than a few eyebrows. There is talk of a mandate requiring restaurant owners and managers to maintain a daily log of customers who patronize their establishments. The log would be for use in con... Full story