Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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On a stretch of U.S. 70, where Clovis fades into Portales, sits a yellow fireworks stand. Tractor-trailer rigs whizz by. Wind-whipped plastic flags flutter about. The Fourth of July is rapidly approaching. And inside this fireworks stand is Seth Tischler, a senior airman at Cannon Air Force Base, hoping that a car will veer off into the gravel lot and make a purchase. That's because money from the purchase will help provide Tischler and his Cannon 5/6 private org...
Monday was the start of a fresh fiscal year, meaning the state's new $10.21 billion budget is now in effect. And with the kickoff of fiscal year 2025, New Mexico officials should also be making some headway on crafting a new budget for the next fiscal year. The FY25 budget is set at $10.21 billion in recurring spending, a nearly 7% increase from the previous fiscal year. The fiscal year is from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The $10B breakdown Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las...
Somebody was telling me a joke the other day that dealt with yoga. "What did the dyslexic cow say in yoga class? Ooooooom." A good laugh was had. "That reminds me of something I said on the CB radio back in my trucking days," I said. Yes, once upon a time, about 22 years ago, I went to trucker's school in Arkansas, got my commercial driver's license and hit the road driving an 18-wheeler. I call it "My year I saw America." Other truckers accused me of being a spy from the...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local residents. Clovis' Steve Watkins is an avid pickleball player whose story illustrates the sport's meteoric rise in popularity. Q: Where does your journey with pickleball begin? A: I have a good friend by the name of Mike Willmon. I played softball with him since we were teenagers. I ran into him one day, and he said, "Hey, you need to come out and play pickleball. You're an athlete, you could do this."...
Ruby, our latest rescue dog, is a hoarder. She has a kennel in the living room, a good-sized wire kennel. We set that up the evening we trapped her. We floofed blankets and I put a couple of my t-shirts in there for her. The first couple of nights, I slept in the living room, just to keep her company. She never made a peep. She loves that kennel. She can come and go as she pleases. She has blankets, toys and a giant tennis ball in there. And if we don’t watch her, she’ll hav...
Words and birds. Freedom and faith. I’d planned to begin by sharing a simple story about a bird that “flew the coop.” But then I flew a little off course by looking for a little “poop” (as in, information) about “flying the coop.” Forgive me, but you understand that, with many birds around, the type of information I just mentioned drops pretty much everywhere. “Flying the coop” led me to a Merriam-Webster online article about “Common Idioms That Come from Chickens” (along wi...
We all know the Declaration of Independence was unanimously adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress, and signed by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock. But how much do you know about the other 52 men who pledged “our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor” and signed the Declaration? Test your knowledge with this short, fun quiz. 1. Which colony had the most signers of the Declaration? A: New York B: Massachusetts C: Pennsylvania D: Virginia Answer: C. Home of Phi...
By Daniel J. Chacón The Santa Fe New Mexican SANTA FE -- By her own admission, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has the enthusiasm of an 11-year-old boy when it comes to animals. Lizards, bugs, beetles and nonvenomous snakes — if she can catch them, she will. “What was the one I scared you with?” Lujan Grisham asked a member of her security detail, who sheepishly admitted the governor startled him with a garter snake. Lujan Grisham, who grew up with an array of critters — from cats and dogs to newts and gerbils and an occasion...
Booked The following were booked into local jails (Friday - Tuesday): Clovis • Monica Parker, 43, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge • Nathan Lucero, 28, probation violation • Michael Chacon, 45, failure to comply with specific requirements – attempt • Joselino Padilla, 21, failure to pay fines • Manuel Estrada, 26, probation violation • Brian Bautista, 18, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge • Daniela Jimenez, 35, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge • Destry Gonzalez, 20, escape or attempt to escape from peace...
On this date ... 1930: Willie Chambers of Portales was brought to the Baptist hospital in Clovis by ambulance after he was injured in a gravel pit accident north of Portales. Caliche caved in on top of Chambers, burying him under several tons of dirt, the Clovis Evening News-Journal reported. Chambers was able to keep his head above the slide and called to men working nearby for help. He suffered a double fracture of the hip and other bruises and cuts. 1941: Two cowboys were...
The Portales City Council on June 25 unanimously approved a zoning change it hopes will make the downtown area more business friendly. At its regular meeting, the Council heard an explanation on a downtown ordinance first published about 15 years ago. That ordinance had multiple restrictions and rules for a section on Main Street, where the Courthouse and Courthouse Café are located. Those restrictions discouraged businesses from even making repairs to structures, said Kelly McLellan, community services director. So, the...
Going into Joe Biden’s debate with Donald Trump on CNN, the big question was whether Biden could last 90 minutes. We found out he couldn’t last 90 seconds. On Thursday night everyone saw what’s left of the president’s brain and body – and it was not just a disastrous political moment for Joe Biden, it was a sad one. It wasn’t just that his voice was hoarse at the start. It wasn’t because of his confused and muddled answers or his five-second freeze about 13 minutes in, w...
Set aside for a moment Joe Biden’s haunting performance at the debate last week, there was something even more troubling that just took place. It’s not getting as much attention because we’re used to it. The debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is an example of style versus substance. Trump won on style and Biden won, by default, on substance. Biden supporters blamed a head cold on their man’s hoarse voice and subdued manner, while Trump’s supporters declared Biden ready for the nursing home. Meanwhile, Trump used his...
Several years ago, when I was covering state government from Santa Fe, I attended the annual briefing given to reporters prior to the upcoming wildfire season. After going over the current conditions and expectations for the coming months, the discussion turned to reporters’ safety. We were warned about the unpredictable nature of fire and the importance of following their directions at all times. At the end, they talked about worst-case scenarios. The instructor pulled out what looked like an aluminum-foil blanket and e...
Domenici wants GOP voice back in New Mexico After almost 20 years in public office, including two terms as a senator, two terms in the U.S. House and a four-year term as an Albuquerque city councilor, Martin Heinrich is in his sixth political campaign, trying to keep the Senate seat he currently holds. “Right now, I believe it’s the place that I can be most helpful to the state of New Mexico, and I find enormous meaning in public service,” said Heinrich, 52. The Democratic incumbent faces political newcomer, Republican Nella...
Portales is hosting “Coffee Time with the Interim City Manager” from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday at the Do Drop In. T.J. Cathey is the city’s interim manager. Cathey is also Portales’ fire chief. Do Drop In is located at 123 S. Main in Portales....
Brown’s Shoe Fit, 1913 N. Prince St., Clovis, has been named the Clovis-Curry County Chamber of Commerce’s newest Retail Rockstar. The public is invited to a presentation of the honor at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Brown’s Shoe Fit, according to a Chamber news release. Brown’s Shoe Fit was nominated for the award by the Chamber’s previous Retail Rockstar winner, Johnson Lumber Company....
Independence Day is expected to be “mostly sunny and hot,” the National Weather Service reports. But chances of precipitation are at least 20% every day this week, starting tonight. The region can also expect a temporary break from the heat starting Friday, forecasters say, with high temperatures in the mid-80s. Lows are expected in the mid-60s all week. Most of the region saw their first 2024 triple-digit day for heat last month, with a high of 100.1 degrees on June 7 at the Agricultural Science Center north of Clovis. The...
Orenda Farms LLC of Clovis has been awarded $56,108 by the New Mexico Economic Development Department. The operation is a minority- and women-owned enterprise specializing in cannabis cultivation, according to an EDD news release. The release describes Orenda Farms as an indoor, state-of-the-art facility that has almost 1,500 plants. Orenda Farms has six trainees who are paid a wage of $17.41 per hour. The EDD approved the funding of $2.4 million that will be going to nine New Mexico companies to assist those companies with...
Ruidoso’s agony, like the rain, knows no end. In the days after wildfires engulfed more than 1,400 buildings and killed two in and around the Southern New Mexico mountain town, severe flash flooding has threatened more lives and destroyed yet more housing. As the region’s monsoon season continues, the threat to Ruidoso from flooding is far from over, weather forecasters say. Flooding over the weekend turned U.S. 70 near Ruidoso into “a huge, raging river,” mayor Lynn Crawford said in an interview Monday. On Sunday and ove...
