Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Don Oppliger, one of the region’s largest agribusiness operators, has been killed in a helicopter crash in Castro County, Texas. Parmer County Sheriff Randy Geries said Oppliger was piloting the helicopter and was its only occupant. One of Oppliger’s employees found the crash site early Sunday morning, but Geries said Oppliger may have been killed as early as Saturday afternoon. “My office was contacted early (Sunday morning), about 6:30 or 7 Texas time,” Geries said. “Mr. Oppliger’s son reported him missing.” Geries said O...
Emily French was born and raised in Thornton, Colorado. She has lived in Clovis since 2013. She enjoys various types of art and technology, spending time with her husband, her dogs and watching movies. She loves camping and the outdoors. French said she has a "serious love" for journalism and writing and her true passion is helping people. French is the recruitment and retentions specialist for the local Girl Scouts program. She started in 2014 as a volunteer for the "Be a Fri...
PORTALES — A former Roosevelt County Detention Center officer was arrested Saturday morning, charged with smuggling drugs into the jail. Officials expect to make more arrests as the investigation continues, according to a news release from Roosevelt County Sheriff Malin Parker. Michael Chavez, 25, is charged with introducing contraband into a prison facility and delivering illegal substances and items to inmates. An investigation led by the sheriff and Jail Administrator J...
Funding for higher education in New Mexico has been restored after a brief political battle in Santa Fe, much to the relief of local university administrators. Gov. Susana Martinez on May 26 signed House Bill 1, appropriating $745 million to higher education institutions in the state and easing fears that colleges would not have a budget before the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Clovis Community College President Becky Rowley was elated to hear the appropriation was the same amount as House Bill 2, which was rejected by Martinez in...
PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University's board of regents officially said goodbye Saturday to retiring university President Steven Gamble. Gamble received an inscribed Nambe bowl and president emeritus status. "It is quite an honor, thank you," Gamble said. The letter announcing his new emeritus status listed his watchful eye over hundreds of thousands of dollars of construction, his consistent attending of events and many other duties performed by Gamble over his 16 years a...
CLOVIS — City officials are reviewing Clovis’ planning and zoning codes for the first time in 21 years. The mission: Make codes more “flexible,” Zoning Officer and Commissioner Louis Gordon said. “With the old code, we are starting to see a lot of development that we are scrambling to modify our code to accommodate,” he said. The Planning and Zoning Commission is working with contractor Duncan and Associates on a $100,000 re-write that was supposed to be completed in 17 months in a six-step process. P&Z commissione...
CLOVIS — Steve Pearce, Republican representative for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, was in the region Wednesday morning to discuss jobs, immigration and health care. He said he was also here to gauge public feedback on his prospect of running for governor in 2018. Here are excerpts from an interview: Question: What brings you to Clovis? Pearce: This is our district work period that is around Memorial Day and that’s always a big time for all of us. Then we generally take the next week here while we’re in the distric...
CLOVIS — Food, fun, face painting and other festivities overwhelmed Clovis on Saturday — most of it completed despite heavy rains that dropped nearly half an inch on the city mid-afternoon. The annual Pioneer Days Parade kicked off the family activities in the morning, while the annual rodeo was scheduled to bookend the fun on Saturday night. Many of the parade goers found their way to the first Pioneer Days Tailgate at Hillcrest Park. It was full of food booths, game booths,...
Confederate flags do flutter in Portales. At least two stores — appealing to Johnny Rebels Without a Cause for Self-Esteem — display them. On Memorial Day, several waved at the Confederate monument in the Portales Cemetery. Some say the flag symbolizes Southern heritage — even though that heritage encompasses the ugliest era in American history. Try convincing the ancestors of concentration camp victims the swastika is merely an ancient religious symbol adapted to refle... Full story
It’s been one of those weird and wacky weeks of news, both locally and nationally. Let’s take a few minutes to recap some of those happenings and put them in perspective: • Kathy Griffin made a photo with a bloody face of President Trump, posted it on Twitter and caused the masses to go into an uproar. Of course the comedian / TV host / actress quickly backtracked and apologized. But let’s remember, she certainly said sorry because of the “reaction” not for her “action.” S... Full story
A man came to our newspaper office on Wednesday to renew his subscription. He didn’t seem to like the paper, so it’s difficult to understand why he wanted to continue reading it, but old habits die hard I suppose. Specifically, he said he was unhappy that we had “too much Portales news” and he had issues with our “black boy” who takes pictures. There must have been some confusion on that last part. We don’t have any black boys working here. I can only assume he meant Tony Bullocks. Our photographer is a black man. He hasn... Full story
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with editors. I’m a firm believer in the saying that a good editor will elevate your work, and a bad editor might destroy your (and/or the) work. I think the same may be said of teachers. I’ve been fortunate in my school career to have incredible teachers. Mrs. Balfanz and Mrs. (Nell) Jones are two of my high school English teachers. They were my first true editors. They. Were. Tough. Both women were incredibly compassionate, energetic and demanding (in a good way). Each met my insat...
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, unhappy with President Donald Trump after last month’s meetings, declared last Sunday that Europe “really must take our fate into our own hands.” That’s good news for American taxpayers, the world and Trump. Merkel, who has done plenty to undermine the security of Western Europe with reckless, terrorist-friendly immigration policies, apparently was unhappy with Trump’s continued lecturing on the need for NATO allies to pick up their share of defense costs as defined in the organizat...
Here’s a short note to Kathy Griffin in reply to her “beheading” photo. Dear Miss Un-American, After seeing your beheading of Trump picture, I have a serious suggestion for you to consider. Why not join ISIS as a non-combatant? You don’t have to fire a gun and your duties will keep you in the “morale” barracks where you don’t even have to get out of bed to perform your job. You should do just fine in this position. While you’re at it, take Maxine Waters along with you. Bill Sconone Clovis...
On this date ... 1972: The “second annual edition of Clovis’ revived Pioneer Days celebration” was preparing to kick off a three-day weekend run. Three rodeo performances were scheduled, along with a Saturday morning parade, “followed by a barbecue on the court house lawn,” the Clovis News-Journal reported. About 60 entries had been received for the parade. 1972: Tuesday nights were “bank nights” at Clovis’ Boothill Saloon. The Tuesday night raffle drawing was up to $200. If no winners were drawn, an additional $50...
Today • Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Fiesta — Noon-6 p.m. at the church, Clovis. San Jose Church in Texico will also be celebrating. Information: 575-763-4445 Monday • Full STEAM Ahead — 10:30 a.m. at Portales Public Library for grades K-6. Activity: DIY fidget spinners. Information: 575-356-3940 Tuesday • Budding Artists — 10:30 a.m. at Portales Public Library for grades 2-6. Activity: Tex New Mex Rocks. Information: 575-356-3940 Wednesday • Little Sprouts storytime — 10:30 a.m. at Portales Public Library for preschooler...
Monday • Civic Center Policy Committee — 3 p.m. at Civic Center, Clovis. Information: 575-763-9654 • Cultural and Ethnic Affairs — Noon at city hall, Clovis. Information: 575-769-7828 Tuesday • Public hearing — 10 a.m.-noon at Baxter-Curren Senior Center, Clovis, to discuss senior issues in our area, and surrounding areas. Information: 575-769-7908 • Roosevelt County Commission — 9 a.m. in commission room at county courthouse. Information: 575-356-5307 • Portales City Council — 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at Memoria...
Breathable footwear is essential for summer and that's why we love shopping the latest shoe fashions. But some of the latest trends may either get you excited to try something new or find yourself settling for the styles of last summer. The first pair are the buckle-strapped jellies. How can anyone forget jelly shoes from the 1990s? Either you owned a pair or you knew someone who did. I remember wearing a version of them as a little girl in the mid 1980s and again when they...
True fans of baseball will tell you it’s a rite of passage — breaking in your first baseball glove. It was a big deal when I was a kid. The glove I tried out for Pee Wee League baseball in didn’t need breaking in, it had been broken in for at least 25 years and I suspect more like 50. It was the flat, Shoeless Joe style glove with no web to speak of and not much pocket. It was well worn and really hard to use even if you were experienced at catching a baseball. It was a hand-...
Information on restoring vintage furniture and problems facing pediatric dental patients will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon. (All times are Mountain.) Bruce Johnson is the spokesperson for Minwax in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, and he says that contrary to some advice, vintage furniture pieces often look better if they are restored rather than covered with paint. He’ll demonstrate how to restore a small Tudor end...
Baxter Curren Senior Center 908 Hickory, Clovis Monday: 8:30 a.m. exercise class, 10 a.m. jewelry pals, noon pinochle, 1 p.m. line dance, 5 p.m. social night Tuesday: 8 a.m. quilting, 9 a.m. and noon pinochle 101, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. exercise equipment, 6 p.m. trivia mania Wednesday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. exercise equipment, 1 p.m. crafts, 6 p.m. ladies night Thursday: 8 a.m. blood pressure, 8 a.m. eggs, gravy and biscuits $4, 8:45 a.m. board meeting, 9 a.m. pinochle 101, 1 p.m. bingo, 6 p.m. line dance Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. exercise...
