Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
GRIER — One man died Tuesday morning in a truck-pickup collision on U.S. 60/84 near Grier, about 11 miles west of Clovis. According to a news release from the Curry County Sheriff's Department: "The investigation has determined that a 2020 Volvo semi-tractor and trailer, driven by Harjap Singh (40, of Hayward, California) was traveling east on US 60/84. In the area of milepost 275, a westbound 1991 Nissan pickup crossed left of center and collided with Singh’s vehicle. The driver of the Nissan pickup died at the scene. His... Full story
They call themselves the New Mexico Civil Guard for Curry County. Their mission: Defend citizens and their private property. "We will not allow businesses in our community to be put through the pain we've seen nationwide," their Facebook page reads. "The protests are necessary, we fully understand that, and to an extent the violence is necessary, but we will not allow that violence to be directed at our citizens and their property." The group, headed up locally by painter... Full story
Booked The following were booked into local jails (Friday-Tuesday): Clovis ∞ Corey Coley, 28, out of state fugitive ∞ Jared Torrez, 30, probation violation ∞ Jesus Magallanes, 27, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge, failure to appear on a felony charge ∞ Michael Aragon, 33, failure to maintain traffic lane, driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug ∞ Rodolfo Perez, 61, aggravated driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, aggravated fleeing a law enforceme...
The Hawaiian shirt O'Rion Petty wears as a member of the New Mexico Civil Guard is not a coincidence. He supports the "boogaloo," an anti-government movement that Fox News and others have described as "on the verge of a second civil war." Petty, 32, of Clovis, is captain of the NM Civil Guard's Curry County company, which has made its presence known this week at rallies protesting police treatment of blacks across the country. The NMCG's mission, according to Petty, is to... Full story
Even a deadly virus couldn't stop democracy on Tuesday. Despite COVID-19 fears and restrictions, Tuesday was primary day in New Mexico and thousands of local voters turned out to exercise one of their intrinsic rights as citizens. "Think of what many countries would give to be able to vote, to have a say-so," Robin Montano, a poll worker at Colonial Park Golf Course's voting center in Clovis, said Tuesday morning. "It's our way to speak out." The coronavirus has taken over...
PORTALES -- The Portales Police Department are investigating a Tuesday night shooting, according to a PPD release. According to the release from Deputy Chief Christopher Williams: -- The department responded to a convenience store at the 1000 block of West Second Street at 9:18 p.m. for a report of a possible gunshot injury. When they arrived, officers found a 25-year-old male. -- The male was moved to Roosevelt General Hospital and later transported to a Lubbock medical facility. His name and condition were not disclosed in...
It was a difficult night for incumbents for contested Republican primary races in eastern New Mexico, with two of the three races involving an incumbent going to one of his or her challengers. Election results are as of 10 p.m. Tuesday on the New Mexico Secretary of State's website. All races are unofficial until canvassed by their respective county commissions next week. Both contested Republican primaries in Roosevelt County went the way of a challenger, with Rodney Savage defeating Matthew Hunton 335-218 in the District 2...
CLOVIS — The city’s community college is making plans to reopen its campus to the public, beginning Monday. According to the release from Clovis Community College: • The CCC Health and Fitness Center will be open 6 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4 p.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, and will be closed 1 p.m.-4 p.m. for cleaning. • The center will operate at 50% capacity with no group activities, face-to-face classes or aquatic activities. • The tennis courts will be partially open, with only the two end courts to be used for social distancing purposes. ...
I’ve been thinking a lot about Charlie Broz lately. The most recent occurrence involved a kitchen incident and a chunk of salmon that may or may not have caught fire. As I was trying to extinguish the salmon, I giggled thinking I couldn’t wait to tell Charlie about the flaming fish. And then I remembered. The world lost the light that was Charlie Broz a few months ago. Apart from being one of the best humans I ever had the pleasure to meet, he was a fabulous teacher. Any tim...
This weekend was supposed to celebrate the region’s trailblazers. The annual Pioneer Days parade, rodeo, reunions and more were scheduled Thursday through Saturday until we were all thrown by the coronavirus. So that makes today a good day to remember Clovis’ first Pioneer Days, on June 5, 1935. The Clovis Evening News-Journal, one of the event’s major sponsors, reported 15,000 people were in town that Wednesday. That’s significant because the town’s population was about 9,000 at the time. A parade kicked off festiviti...
The man we know as the prophet Amos wrote these words: “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet.” He said he was just a shepherd and a caretaker of sycamore trees when he was called by God to deliver the Lord’s message. I understand. I’m a “non-prophet” myself. And right now I’m “sucking air” on delivering anyone’s message, even as a deadline for this column is racing down the rails toward me. Newsworthy current events are currently plentiful. We just successfully l...
Of all the adaptations to tradition we humans have made in these past few months, I'll hazard a guess that one we may hold on to is the drive-by parade. These impromptu horn-honking, poster-waving lineups of cars, trucks, fire engines, baby strollers - you name it - have been used to celebrate graduations, retirements, birthdays, and anniversaries. But for greatest emotional impact, I'd have to nominate one that took place on Cherry Street in Portales on the Saturday of...
On this date ... 1960: The headline read “Red Birds, Panthers Win.” It summarized Clovis youth league baseball games from the night before. The Red Birds, also known as the Cardinals, beat the White Sox, 21-4. Coley Clay had a three-hit game, including a league-leading third home run, to pace the Cardinals’ win. The Cardinals scored six runs in the home half of the first inning, then poured on 11 more to clinch the win in the fifth. In the nightcap, the Panthers managed only four hits but took advantage of 14 walks as they...
As the panic over coronavirus loses steam, and everyone who isn’t a political power junkie gets back to normal, remember the lessons you learned over the past few months. The virus wasn’t as dangerous as the fear-mongers wanted to scare you into believing, but it did kill some people. While it hasn’t gone away, it has lost much of its power to frighten people. This is bad news for most politicians. The virus is likely to surge again this fall, if not sooner. This may trigg...
The outrage is growing, and for good reason. It was a week straight out of hell. When the national death toll from the coronavirus topped 100,000, you’d think that would have captured our undivided attention. Instead, one death in Minneapolis took the headlines. It happened on Memorial Day, when yet another black man was killed by police — only this time it was a brutally slow death, caught on video by a bystander and leading to outrage all across the nation. The video of George Floyd’s death shows the world how he was kille...
The last time we flew out of Shanghai, China, it was 2015 and we stumbled across a sign hanging from the airport ceiling that seemed like an historical relic even then. It gave instructions — in English — for all travelers on domestic Chinese flights to head one direction and for all international travelers (which included those headed for Hong Kong and Taiwan) to head in the other direction. At the time, we smiled at the admission. The people of both places would appreciate that sign, but Beijing likes to think that bot...
CLOVIS — The Clovis City Commission will consider a motion asking Dillard’s department store to rethink its planned closure, and possibly work with the state to incentivize a reversal. On the agenda for the Thursday commission meeting is a resolution focused on the North Plains Mall anchor store. The resolution has language that could be leveraged to help other retailers impacted by public health orders relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5:15 p.m. meeting at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library will onl...
CLOVIS — A vigil and protest in honor of the Minnesota man who died in police custody on May 25 have been scheduled for later this week. A Facebook group called “Clovis Vigil for George Floyd” has planned a 7 p.m. Saturday vigil at Greene Acres Park, and a separate protest 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday in front of the Curry County Courthouse. The group has also scheduled meetings 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Greene Acres Park as a space to discuss racism experienced in the community and necessary chang...
CLOVIS — A Curry County sheriff’s deputy — instructed to self-quarantine last Wednesday because of a possible COVID-19 exposure — has tested negative for the virus, county officials said. The deputy, who was not identified, notified county officials last Wednesday of “a possible exposure a household member had to an individual who had tested positive for COVID-19,” according to Melissa Gunn, the county’s personnel coordinator. County Manager Lance Pyle said Monday that the deputy received the negative test results on Sunday n...
Four to receive awards Two local administrators, a parent and a former school board member have been recognized as winners of the 2020 Excellence in Student Achievement awards, according to a release from the New Mexico School Boards Association. The four selections are included in a pool of 142 award recipients from 64 school boards. Individuals selected are determined to have played an important role in improving student achievement in their district. Recipients will be honored at their respective school board meetings...
Editor's note: This is the final in a recurring series on local teachers trying to maintain normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic. CLOVIS - The coronavirus' effect on teaching has shown how far the profession has come, with educators able to reach their students through the internet. In some cases, though, the best way to communicate can be old-fashioned. Take Elizabeth Hita-Ledezma, for instance. Before school ended for the summer, the Yucca Middle School math teacher was...
PORTALES - Joseph Stroud isn't that different from anybody else in his graduating class at Portales High School. He wants to travel the world, and while he understands the COVID-19 pandemic he's disappointed it took away prom, potentially Maypole and various other social activities. He's not too unusual when it comes to his graduation accomplishments, either. He's one of more than a dozen members of the PHS Class of 2020 to receive recognition in the graduation program to...
Things aren't completely back to normal in eastern New Mexico, but the second phase of statewide reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic has people breathing a little easier - even as many wear a mask. Gyms and sit-down restaurants were cleared Monday to open at 50% capacity, while salons were capped at 25% with appointments required. The banner outside Creative Images Salon in Portales says, "WE ARE OPEN" in giant red block letters, but asks people to stay in their car and cal...
CLOVIS — One way or another, Curry County commissioners agreed Tuesday, there will be a county fair to celebrate the skills of residents young and old. Some fair staples like concerts and carnivals, however, will remain up in the air for about a week. Following around 45 minutes of spirited discussion about state public health orders on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic and prioritizing the fair’s various elements, the commission voted 5-0 to still feature the Junior Livestock Sale and its associated shows, plu...
CLOVIS — The annual Draggin’ Main festival has become as much a part of Clovis as Wildcat football, windy springs and friendly people. Every year’s festival brings out the locals and brings in the visitors, and they come together to celebrate Clovis’ heritage along with some great music. Last year, Loverboy highlighted an array of performers, the year before, Warrant. But 2020 is not at all like “every year.” COVID-19 has seen to that, with schools and some businesses closing, and yes, even good ol’ Draggin Main being af...
