Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Articles from the July 8, 2020 edition


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  • State: Indoor dining to halt, mask restrictions to tighten Monday

    The Staff of The News|Updated Jul 9, 2020

    SANTA FE -- Citing continued upward trends on New Mexico positive COVID-19 cases, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham rolled back indoor restaurant dining and tightened restrictions on face coverings in public places, and noted fall contact sports at schools would be on hold. A public health order, effective Monday, will limit restaurant service back to take-out with outdoor patio dining to 50% of capacity. The changes were announced Thursday via a press conference on the governor’s Facebook page. The state reported 14,251 positive C...

  • Portales enters second stage of water conservation plan

    The Staff of The News|Updated Jul 9, 2020

    PORTALES — The city of Portales on Thursday entered the mandatory water rationing stage of its contingency plan, according to a city release. The city had the prior week entered a voluntary water conservation phase, and asked residents to do the following: • Not water lawns from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on Mondays. • Odd-numbered addresses could water lawns Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. • Even-numbered addresses could water lawns Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. • Water from sprinklers or hoses should not enter gutters o...

  • Businesses: Few mask problems

    Kevin Wilson - Staff|Updated Jul 9, 2020

    A few angry customers have been turned away, but local small business officials said they haven’t seen many issues with a public health order mandating face coverings in public. The requirement was announced last week after infection rates rose in four of New Mexico’s five regions. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said enforcement was needed because encouragement hadn’t been effective. The citation carries a fine of up to $100 and possible jail time of up to six months. Locally, law enforcement agencies have reported no incid...

  • Police seek help in locating shooter

    The Staff of The News|Updated Jul 8, 2020

    CLOVIS - Police are asking for public assistance in locating a dark blue Dodge Stratus involved in a shooting on Tuesday night. According to a police news release, a CPD detective was in the area of 10th and Ash streets at 11:36 p.m. Tuesday when the vehicle passed him at a high rate of speed. The vehicle did not have a license plate or any type of registration displayed, the release said. A pursuit followed with the car's driver at one point firing several shots with a...

  • PRMC records first COVID-19 death

    The Staff of The News|Updated Jul 8, 2020

    CLOVIS — Plains Regional Medical Center on Wednesday confirmed its first death related to COVID-19. Presbyterian Healthcare Services spokeswoman Amanda Schoenberg said the death occurred on Tuesday. No additional information was provided. She said the hospital had no COVID-19 patients on Wednesday. The number of confirmed cases in Curry County has more than tripled in the past month. The county had 64 confirmed cases on June 8, and 207 on Wednesday. State Health Department records show 64 COVID-19 patients in the county h...

  • Commissioner says he won't wear mask

    Kevin Wilson - Staff|Updated Jul 8, 2020

    CLOVIS — The Curry County Commission was pretty much in consensus that the new adult detention center was money well spent and a step in the right direction. As far as wearing face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic, the debate was a little more contentious. The commission discussed both items during commissioner reports near the conclusion of its Tuesday meeting, held virtually due to limitations on public gatherings. The discussion of face coverings came up with Commissioner Seth Martin noting his thanks to area b...

  • Jail log - July 8

    Updated Jul 7, 2020

    Booked The following were booked into local jails (Thursday-Tuesday): Clovis • Damian Apodaca, failure to appear, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, felony possession of a firearm (two charges), resisting, evading or obstructing an officer • Deliah Chavez, 35, criminal damage • Habacuc Romero, 23, larceny • Erica Lucero, 34, aggravated battery against a household member • Marissa Silva, 27, failure to appear, failure to pay fines • Amanda Richardson, 30, probation violation, shoplifting, criminal trespass ...

  • Q&A: DoT answers health advisory questions

    Updated Jul 7, 2020

    As questions continue following New Mexico’s latest public health order, New Mexico Department of Transportation officials put together this Q&A: The state of New Mexico is under a mandatory health advisory issued by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to protect against the spread of COVID-19. Anyone crossing a border into the state must adhere to the New Mexico public health travel restrictions as outlined in Executive Order 2020-054 until further notice. Below you will find some frequently asked questions and answers. Are the b...

  • Education digest - July 8

    Updated Jul 7, 2020

    Officials seek family input CLOVIS — Officials with Clovis Municipal Schools are seeking family input for reopening plans in the fall. A survey is available at clovis-schools.org/ COVID-19.html Separate surveys for families of students in grades K-5 and grades 6-12 will obtain data and input for planning purposes and to share findings of a survey conducted earlier in the summer. Participants are asked to respond to the survey once for each child in the household who will be enrolled at the respective campus in the 2020-21 s...

  • Opinion: If you can't trust a turtle, who can you trust?

    Curtis Shelburne|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    Well, I guess the turtle was right, and rain was on the way. If you can’t trust a turtle, the epitome of slow, faithful plodding, who can you trust? Not flighty or flitting, manic or depressive, just one step at a time dependability — that’s the ticket, turtle! But I’m getting ahead of myself. A couple of days ago, I looked through a window at the back of our house and spied, trudging across the property in a generally southerly direction, a fine example of Terrapene ornata,...

  • Ford not selected for Texas position

    the Staff of The News|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    BURNET, Texas — The former police chief in Cedar Park, Texas, has been named chief in Burnet, Texas, officials said this week. Clovis Police Chief Doug Ford had been one of four finalists for the job, but Burnet City Manager David Vaughn said the city has hired Sean Mannix. Ford said he has family in the Burnet area and decided to apply for the job when it came open. “I still enjoy serving and protecting our community,” Ford wrote in an email to the News. “I am not involved in any other hiring processes....

  • Greyhounds add D-1 transfer Amand

    the Staff of The News|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University’s women’s basketball program wrapped up its signing class for 2020, with the addition of Dallas post Jemesia “MeMe” Amand. The 6-foot-3 Amand comes to the Greyhounds with one year of eligibility following her junior season at Division I Louisiana Tech University. In her lone season with the Bulldogs, Amand played 26 games and started eight contests, averaging 5.2 points on 45.2% shooting with 4.2 rebounds. At Hill Junior College, Amand averaged 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds as a soph...

  • Officials respond to questions on school reopenings

    Kevin Wilson - Staff|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    With more than a month to go before area schools are set to open for fall instruction, there are still more questions than answers regarding COVID-19. “That’s the million-dollar question,” Floyd Superintendent Damon Terry said Monday when The News asked him about plans for the upcoming year. Though not every school could be reached for comment, school plans generally fall into two areas. The larger schools, Clovis and Portales, will look at a hybrid plan that will separate students into cohorts where one goes on campus while...

  • Opinion: Historic bakery coming back to life

    David Stevens - Staff|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    The Roosevelt Brewing Company Tap Room becomes a part of Clovis history at noon on Friday. That's when owner Justin Cole said he plans the next grand opening for the building at 515 N. Main St. You know the place. It's been Sutton's Bakery since 1946. If you'd like to go way back, the location was also home to Clovis Music Shop in the spring of 1930. That's when Denver Pettitt was doing "expert phonograph repairing, furniture refinishing and upholstering," according to a...

  • Opinion: Recipe books a step back through time

    Betty Williamson|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    With a little more time at home these past few months, I’ve found myself flipping through some of the vintage cookbooks that fill a couple of shelves in one of my bookcases. Two of my favorites are slim, battered, spiral-bound volumes that are in my rarely-used-but-I’ll-keep-them-forever-anyway collection. “What’s Cookin’ in Portales, New Mexico,” was published by the Portales Woman’s Club in 1948. “Our Favorite Recipes,” was compiled by the Homemakers Clubs of Roosevelt Coun...

  • Opinion: Not your right to infect others

    Tom McDonald|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    Stop signs are an infringement on my freedom as an American. There are four of them between my house and my work, along a half-mile stretch of neighborhood streets through this little town of Santa Rosa. It’s almost always safe enough to coast right through those four-way stops; the risk is minimal. So I would consider it a serious injustice if I were ticketed for such behavior. After all, it’s my right as a free American. Right? If, however, you think I should be cited for such an infraction of the law, well then, you...

  • Opinion: Ruling a step back on church, state separation

    Los Angeles Times|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    The Supreme Court last week needlessly poked a hole in Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation between church and state.” By a 5-4 vote, the court ruled in a case from Montana that if a state provides a tax break that benefits students at a secular private school, it must include private religious schools as well. The decision is doubly disappointing. First, states should be free to decline to subsidize religious instruction so long as they treat all religious schools the same. Second, the way the court broke down on ideol...

  • Opinion: Mask fine theft by government

    Kent McManigal|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    When a politician makes a mistake and makes a problem worse (or creates a problem out of thin air), they rarely change course. Instead, they double down. It’s hard for them to admit they did the wrong thing and so easy to claim it was the right thing but didn’t go far enough. Welcome to Political Shut-Down Theater, Part Two. The first shut-down was a terrible idea. I’d be willing to forgive those responsible since it was done in ignorance. No one knew how dangerous the virus m...

  • Pages past - July 8

    Updated Jul 7, 2020

    On this date ... 1940: City Motor Co. in Portales was promoting the Olds Sixty, which was “lots more car at but little more money.” “You get handling ease second to none. You get Oldsmobile’s celebrated Rhythmic Ride. And you get Oldsmobile quality throughout,” according to a newspaper ad. “No time like today for a convincing trial ride.” Olds prices began at $810 for coupes and $856 for sedans. City Motor was located at 200 S.E. Main. The phone number was 182. Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens. Contact: dstevens@then...

  • Life's-blood events lost to COVID-19 pandemic

    Peter Stein - Staff writer|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    COVID-19 has torn through American life like a boll weevil, disrupting just about everything in its path. Locally, most events have been canceled, sending hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars out the window. Clovis lost its life’s-blood events this summer, and the revenue that goes along with them. And sadly, some of those events may be gone permanently. Among those are Clovis Livestock Auction’s horse sales that occur quarterly — during spring, summer, fall and winter — and bring loads of money into the area. N...

  • Schools' competitive marching band season canceled

    Kevin Wilson - Staff|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    CLOVIS — The Clovis High marching band’s eight-year winning streak at the Zia Marching Band Fiesta is on hold, and the entire competitive band season with it, due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns. The decision to cancel the schools’ competitive marching band season and all band camps and marching band activities was announced in a Tuesday letter from Clovis Municipal Schools Music Education Director Brandon Boerio. In the letter, Boerio said the news was undoubtedly disappointing to students and parents alike, but said the p...

  • To market, to market

    Kevin Wilson - Staff|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    PORTALES - As an avid planter of pretty much any fruit, vegetable or flower the eastern New Mexico climate will allow, Margie Plummer knows there are cycles when it comes to growing food. The same applies to selling food, so she wasn't dissuaded Monday by sparse turnout as Portales officially opened the farmer's market for the year. That's just the pattern for the first few events in July in Portales and Clovis. The Portales farmers market at First Street and Avenue B runs...

  • Heat wave to bring triple-digit temps to area

    the Staff of The News|Updated Jul 7, 2020

    CLOVIS — Recent days across eastern New Mexico have seen the heat of July, with a little bit of cooling from the rains. This week brings more of the former, and very little chance of the latter with triple-digit highs predicted through Monday by the National Weather Service. Today’s expected high is 98 degrees for Clovis, with the next five days predicted past the century mark — 103 on Thursday, 102 on Friday, 103 on Saturday and 104 both Sunday and Monday. Other areas of southeast New Mexico will see even hotter tempe...