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Articles from the August 14, 2024 edition


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  • Stories from the fair: Rides are 'fun for sure'

    Matt Weiner, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 17, 2024

    The ride swooshed from side-to-side like a seconds pendulum on a grandfather clock. And with each daunting swing, more momentum and fear were built. And it all reached a crescendo when the riders were suspended in air upside down for a few seconds – or lifetimes – before completing a loop that invited and denied death in one fell swoop. "I'm a thrill seeker so I wouldn't call it scary, but it's fun for sure," said Jax Piepkorn after surviving the ride. Known as the Kam...

  • Stories from the fair: Good eating

    Matt Weiner, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 17, 2024

    Night had settled in. Country music bounced through the speakers. Individual conversations at picnic tables combined to one neatly organized cacophony. And a variety of smells from food trucks and stands provided patrons at the Curry County Fair that familiar coziness: Ribbon fries smothered in nacho cheese; turkey legs the size of footballs, funnel cakes with an avalanche of powdered sugar and sugary, rainbow-colored slushies to wash it all down. And then there's kettle...

  • Stories from the fair: A carny barks

    Matt Weiner, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 15, 2024

    As the last glimmers of sunlight shot across the Clovis night sky on Tuesday, Richard Willadsen leaned against a wall adorned with massive stuffed animals on the midway at the Curry County Fair. Behind Willadsen were rows of glass bottles. Some Coors. Some Miller Lites. All begging to be shattered by a baseball thrown by someone willing to cough up a couple bucks. But after 45 years working at stands like this one, Willadsen's voice has turned gravelly, in a nearly imperceptib...

  • One critically injured in Sunday shooting

    The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 14, 2024

    Clovis police found 37 spent shell casings while investigating a Sunday morning shooting that left one man critically injured at the Clovis Apartments, 1000 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. No arrests had been made as of Monday evening. Police said the suspect or suspects may have been driving a dark-colored, full-sized SUV, but had no additional information. Police were summoned to the apartments soon after 1:30 a.m. Sunday “in response to multiple reports of gunshots and two shooting victims,” according to a police news rel... Full story

  • Jail log - Aug. 14

    Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Booked The following were booked into local jails (Friday - Tuesday): Clovis • Brittany Barrows, 33, failure to pay fines • D’Rel Jones, 25, probation violation • Guillermo Campos, 36, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge • Judas Lopez, 27, resisting, evading or obstructing an officer • Eric Mims, 60, possession of a controlled substance • Jim Arias, 31, criminal trespass • Theodore Robinson, 30, criminal trespass, possession of a controlled substance • Casey Townsend, 47, criminal trespass • Zachary Ward, 23, driving w...

  • Pages past, Aug. 14: Air Force to public: Look out for rockets

    David Stevens and Betty Williamson, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    On this date ... 1941: A Wichita Falls teenager was charged with killing two traveling companions and placing their bodies on the train tracks four miles south of Clovis. Officials at first believed J.V. Harden and Arthur William Hall had fallen from the tracks and been run over by the train. Charles Alexander then told authorities that the dead men had been traveling with him and Jess Fuller, but went ahead without them when Alexander and Fuller decided to rest for the night. Alexander, 15, theorized the dead men had...

  • Faith: Keep your souls plugged into the all-powerful current of God

    Curtis Shelburne, Religion columnist|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Oops! The power, as in, the electricity here, went off recently for a few hours. (I hasten to apologize to hurricane victims who will quite rightly see my moaning as a firecracker problem compared to the nuclear difficulty they’ve endured for days or weeks.) For about one minute, I didn’t even notice. My wife and I were sitting in the living room and drinking coffee. Had the power been fritzed a bit earlier and the coffee not been automatically pre-dripped for us, I’d have not...

  • CCC set to launch new CDL program

    Kathleen Stinson, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Clovis Community College is set to launch its Commercial Drivers License Program this month. Registration for the class extends through Aug. 23. The first class is set for Aug. 26. The college is partnering with Vehicle Safety Programs, L.L.C., based in Portales, which will provide the driving instruction. The program contains three components: Theory taught at the college; instruction at the range on how to operate the vehicle; and a road test on the highway. Elizabeth...

  • Lincoln-Jackson student talks 100th reunion

    Landry Sena, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials and community leaders. Lucio Marin is helping coordinate a celebration of the Lincoln Jackson school's 100th birthday later this month. Q: Tell us about Celebration and Closure: A Century of Excellence. A: To commemorate this momentous occasion, we have planned a celebration to take place at iAcademy (the current name for Lincoln Jackson) on Aug. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please come out and...

  • Pawprints rescue seeking homes

    Kathleen Stinson, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Pawprints of Portales Rescue is a foster home-based nonprofit that operates through a network of volunteers. Volunteers care for the animals until they are adopted. Asked how many volunteers they have, Pawprints Director Bobbi VanDyke said: "We don't have enough volunteers-10 or 11." Last week, Petsense by Tractor Supply and the Tractor Supply Company Foundation donated $5,000 to Pawprints of Portales. "This donation is part of Petsense by Tractor Supply's ongoing commitment...

  • Events calendar - Aug. 14

    Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Wednesday *Curry County Fair: Military Appreciation Night – Curry County Fairgrounds, 1900 E. Brady Ave., Clovis. Admission: Adults (13-59) $7 daily, $18 weekly; seniors (60 and up) $6 daily, $15 weekly; kids (ages 5-12) $3 daily, $8 weekly; military $5 daily, $12 weekly; children 4 and under are free. 8:30 a.m. – booster dairy show; 9 a.m. – dairy cattle show; 4 p.m. - ag building exhibits, home arts exhibits, commercial barn exhibits open; 4 p.m. – free hamburger meal for all active duty and retired military served in fron...

  • Opinion: Harris, Walz unlikely to see scrutiny

    Michael Reagan, Syndicated content|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    You might still have questions about how the Biden Coup of 2024 went down. Or maybe you still want to know who has really been calling the shots in the Biden administration during Joe’s afternoon naps. But it looks like you’ll have to wait for the historians. The liberal journalists who control our mainstream media don’t care how Joe Biden was dethroned by his own party – not now and not when it happened. They don’t care that Vice President Kamala Harris – the reigning la...

  • Opinion: Opportunity missed for police reputation

    David Stevens, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Clovis Police Chief Roy Rice is facing harsh criticism for his handling of criminal allegations against a former cop. From here, it looks like Rice is not the only one to blame for justice delayed. The trouble began in February 2023 when a burglary suspect told Clovis police investigators she “knew some information about a cop who was providing her with information and drugs,” court records show. Eighteen months later, that Clovis police officer, Frank Careri, was arrested on charges that include drug trafficking and acc...

  • Opinion: Black victims deserve outrage too

    Elwood Watson, Syndicated content|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Violence and horror continue to haunt Black Americans. Most Americans are likely to be aware of the horrific death of Sonya Massey at the hands of a sadistic police officer. Massey, a 36-year-old Illinois mother, had called 911 because she believed an intruder had entered her home. Two Sangamon County deputies arrived, and one of them, Sean Grayson, began spewing a tirade of profanity-laced threats during an argument over a pot of boiling water she was holding. Grayson shot...

  • Meetings calendar - Aug. 14

    Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Today through Friday *67th Annual New Mexico Municipal League Annual Conference – Clovis Civic Center, 801 Schepps Blvd., Clovis. Information: 505-982-5573 Today *Eastern Plains Council of Governments – 10 a.m., EPCOG office, 418 N. Main St., Clovis. Information: 575-762-7714 *Friends of Clovis-Carver Public Library meeting – 11:30 a.m., Clovis-Carver Public Library, 701 N. Main St., Clovis. Information: 575-763-9687 *City of Clovis Planning and Zoning Commission – 3 p.m., North Annex, Clovis-Carver Public Library, 701 N....

  • Poker room opens in Farwell

    the Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Summer saw Gin Mill Card Club open in Farwell. The club opened with an inaugural tournament June 29 “and we’ve been thrilled with the interest and support of the community ever since,” reads a news release from the business. The club has more than 100 members and offers “tournaments and cash games in a card room with five professional tables, professional dealers, professional floor staff, and cashiers.” The release notes, “Some people have asked if it is legal to play poker in Texas.” “Yes, it is entirely legal. There ar...

  • New Mexico Muni League comes to Clovis

    the Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Clovis is hosting the New Mexico Municipal League annual conference through Friday. About 400 government officials from around the state are expected to be at the Clovis Civic Center for the conference, according to a news release from Clovis Assistant City Manager Claire Burroughes. The NMML is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association that represents the state’s cities, towns and villages. The conference was scheduled to begin Tuesday when delegates were set to help with a community service project at the Clovis Salvation A...

  • Roosevelt Chamber names photographer

    the Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Roberto Jimenez of Portales has been named Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce photographer. Jimenez said Monday he is “taking a break from work.” Jimenez said he had most recently been working in electronic engineering technology for an Albuquerque firm. “I picked photography up as a hobby then I got into taking portraits and just fell in love with doing it,” Jimenez said. Jimenez said his passion for photography is to take pictures of the community. “I want to be able to capture people’s greatest moments,” he said....

  • Chamber announces new Retail Rockstar

    the Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    The Clovis-Curry County Chamber of Commerce has named MediSpa & Body Shop as the organization’s newest Retail Rockstar. An award presentation is set for 8:30 a.m. Thursday at 1901 W. 21st St. MediSpa & Body Shop offers services that include injectables, CoolSculpting, massage, Thermage, laser treatments, hair reduction, sclerotherapy, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning, weight loss programs, tattoo removal, HydraFacial, PicoLazer, CoolTone, vitamin IV therapy and more, according to a Chamber news release. MediSpa & Body Shop w...

  • Tucumcari dog-attack suspects take plea deals

    Ron Warnick, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Two suspects in a fatal dog attack in Tucumcari last year pleaded guilty to one felony count each in plea agreements filed last week. Mary Montoya, 52, and her son Kristopher J. Morris, 28, both of Tucumcari, initially were charged with involuntary manslaughter (reckless) and dangerous dog (death of a person) after a pack of dogs attacked and killed Tucumcari resident. Stanley Hartt, 64, was killed on Feb. 1, 2023, on a street near Mesalands Community College. Under the agreements, Montoya and Morris each pleaded guilty to...

  • Kind of wish I'd stuck to my bicycle longer before driving

    Grant McGee, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    The grandchildren are growing up. My how time flies. This was recently evidenced by a grandchild signing up for driver’s ed classes. The news catapulted me back in time to those days when I was learning how to drive over 50 years ago. Was it that long ago? It was that long ago. I hear things are different here in the future. The classes, the driving, it’s all handled differently than way back when. I hear there are fees and such, at least where grandchild lives. Back in the early ’70s you just signed up for the course and t...

  • New livestock pavilion debuts for use

    Matt Weiner, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Tylan Barnaby remembered the Livestock Pavilion at last year's Curry County Fair. "It was so hot and there was no air conditioning," said the 12-year-old. Not the ideal conditions for a confined space filled with cattle, swine, lambs and what they leave behind. "Just nasty," Tylan said. But Monday, following a $14.2 million grant from Regional Recreation Centers Quality of Life that led to massive construction, Tylan stood near some of his lambs and beamed at the Livestock...

  • Red-flag laws: Just 'feel-good' or preventative?

    Matt Weiner, The Staff of The News|Updated Aug 13, 2024

    Sheila Lewis, a gun violence prevention trainer, spoke at length on Thursday to a cluster of people at Clovis' La Casa Senior Center.   One focus was ERPOs – Extreme Risk Protection Orders.   In simple terms, ERPOs, or red-flag laws, are aimed at preventing people who "pose a significant danger of causing imminent personal injury to self or others" access to guns, said Lewis, a member of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence.  Lewis feels ERPOs could help residents of New Mexi...