Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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New Mexico's U.S. senators and local officials who attended a meeting Tuesday at Cannon Air Force Base with high-ranking Air Force officials said they came away thinking that long-term commitment from the U.S. Air Force to the future of Cannon Air Force Base was secured. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who helped organize Tuesday's meeting, said reassurances for Cannon's future from ranking leaders gave "powerful" reasons for optimism. The discussions at Cannon involved Hei...
Embattled Clovis City Commissioner David Bryant on Wednesday submitted his resignation, effective immediately. “It is with heavy heart I regret to inform you that I will no longer be able to (perform) my duties as City Commissioner,” Bryant wrote in his letter submitted to City Attorney Jared Morris. “The continued hostility directed at myself by others has become not just a distraction but the constant barrage of personal attacks has taken its toll on myself, my family and m... Full story
The Clovis City Commission on Thursday more than doubled the sign-on stipend for hiring new police officers. On Clovis Police Chief Roy Rice’ recommendation the commission raised the sign-on stipend from $2,000 to $5,000, effective immediately. Rice said the higher stipend would help the Clovis Police Department stay competitive with other police departments in the area. “The staff has worked really hard and I like to think our team has proven themselves on this by the different programs we’ve brought to you (the commi...
Marijuana use and driving after using marijuana increased from 2022 to 2023 as did drinking and driving, but underage and binge drinking decreased from 2022 to 2023, Shannon Morrison of the Curry County DWI prevention program Tuesday told the Curry County Commission. At the same time, Morrison said, there was a decrease in the number of young people considering suicide and attempting suicide in the county between 2022 and 2023. E-cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana are the most-used illegal substances among middle and high sch...
Nearly 50 city and county residents crowded into Tuesday night’s Portales City Council meeting, eager to hear updates on water use reduction efforts and to learn whether restrictions will continue within city limits. City Manager Sarah Austin told the council and the audience the water reduction efforts are a “multidimensional project.” She said the issue cannot be solved with a single solution and will require a lot of effort and time from everyone involved. She said the city has decreased in usage since last year by 20% b...
Since opening in 1934, it is only on rare occasions and for exemplary reasons that the Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents has approved renaming a campus facility. There are numerous meeting rooms and halls named to honor graduates or employees – Buchanan Hall, Dallan Sanders Pavilion, and Becky Sharp Auditorium, to name a few. But there have been only two buildings named to honor individuals: The Golden Student Success Center, named for legendary University P...
The Clovis school board on Tuesday approved issuance of a “notice of sale and delegation of authority resolution for its $2.5 million general obligation school building bonds.” The bonds were authorized in February of 2021 to generate funds for any or all of the following purposes: • Erecting new facilities. • Remodeling. • Making additions to and furnishing school buildings. • Purchasing or improving school grounds. • Purchasing computer software and hardware for student use in public schools. • Providing matching funds for...
The New Mexico Supreme Court on Friday extended the deadline by five days for Ninth Judicial District Judge Fred Van Soelen to issue findings related to a gerrymandering case filed in Lea County in 2022. Van Soelen is expected to render a ruling acting as judge for the Fifth Judicial District, which includes Chavez, Eddy and Lea counties. Van Soelen now has until Oct. 6 to file a ruling in the case, instead of Oct. 1, the Supreme Court decided in an amended order filed on Friday. The guidance issued to Van Soelen remains in...
Just 6-weeks-old, this pit-mix, brother and sister can't seem to get enough of each other, said Clovis Animal Shelter Officer David Guajaza. Named after the love they have for another, Marilyn, left, and JFK are often found wrestling one another. When they're tuckered out from all the excitement, they make sure to watch each other's backs while the other sleeps, Guajaza said. Both siblings are available for adoption at the Clovis Animal Shelter....
As summer vacation comes to a close, New Mexico residents are returning to the classroom and office. While backpacks and lunches are being prepared for the long hours away from home, it is time to consider how your furry companions will handle the change. New Mexico State University Professor of Companion Animals Gaylene Fasenko said most pets experience some level of separation anxiety, the fear created when an animal is left alone, at some point in their lives. Fasenko said separation anxiety is triggered when there is a...
Often I’ve said that my dad wasn’t the “greatest” man I’ve ever known, but he was the “best” man I’ve known. In my book, that puts Dad over Bill Clinton any day. Let’s apply that to nations. The U.S. is the greatest nation on earth, as long as you equate greatness with wealth and power. But “best” we are not. Nearly a year ago, U.S. News & World Report put out its seventh annual “Best Countries Rankings” and we weren’t even in the top three. But at least we moved up from the previous year. Surprisingly (or not), the...
I hate to be cliché, but I’m going to tell you a proverb you’ve probably already heard a hundred or so times. There was a frog, and he saw this pot of boiling water and said to himself, “I’m not going there. I’m not crazy.” A few days later, he saw another pot of water, and it looked rather lukewarm. Since the frog wanted to take a quick dip, and he was far from his lily pad, he jumped in and started doing the backstroke. It felt good and he thought, “this isn’t so bad a...
My last paying gig was covering the state Legislature for its 2021 session, which was conducted entirely over Zoom to protect lawmakers and staff from the COVID-19 virus. It didn’t go well. The Roundhouse was closed to the public, and lawmakers were allowed to stay home and phone it in, via Zoom. My favorite moment was when an older legislator from a rural part of the state attempted to participate in a committee meeting from his car in the McDonald’s parking lot because it was the only place he could find an internet con...
Any time a court sides with a government employee, giving government more power over your life, liberty dies a little. There isn’t much liberty to spare; the last remnants are circling the drain, washed down with public apathy. Or approval. Such is the case with the recent Supreme Court of New Mexico ruling that allowed a police officer to question a vehicle passenger -- a suspected thief. You may approve of the officer’s actions, but it isn’t good for your future right...
Two widely different stories that caught my attention recently. I had planned to do a piece on the Marion, Kan., newspaper kerfuffle, but the publisher of this newspaper beat me to it. I will add one fact to the story, that may be of interest. The search warrant was signed on Aug. 11 and served on Aug. 14.. On Aug. 16, the Marion County attorney said his review of police seizures from the newspaper found “insufficient evidence exists to establish a legally sufficient nexus b...
Before he played the bouncer in “Road House” … before he was the focus in the documentary “Beyond the Mat” … before he was elected to five wrestling hall of fames … before he retired from the sport the first time in 1983 ... Terry Funk was a legend in Clovis and across the High Plains. If you grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, you were a Funk fan, whether watching him wrestle on television or seeing him in person at the Clovis Arena, 1509 E. Mabry Drive, or at the National Guard Armory in Portales. We lost the legend last week f...
Law officers have received preliminary autopsy results in connection with the Aug. 4 shooting death of Javier Jimenez in the 700 block of Dawn Loop in Clovis. District Attorney Quentin Ray on Friday declined to comment on the findings, but said a grand jury to consider criminal charges will probably take place in late September or early October. Police found Jimenez, 39, dead in the home after a 911 call reporting a burglary in progress. A woman who described herself as his “ex” told police she shot Jimenez. Court rec...
The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority (ENMWUA) board on Thursday approved a loan agreement in the amount of $15 million with the New Mexico Finance Authority, with the city of Clovis footing the bill. “The city of Clovis is providing this up-front, $15 million capital contribution as a portion of their membership contribution” to ENMWUA, water authority administrator Orlando Ortega said. Another $150,000 is tacked onto the $15 million for insurance, bringing the loan total to $15,150,000. The loan will finance som...
Candidate filing day for all local offices for the Nov. 7, 2023 Regular Local Election Nov. 7 will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday in both Curry and Roosevelt counties. Filing day will be held at the Curry County Clerk’s Office at 417 Gidding St. in Clovis and the Roosevelt County Clerk’s Office at 101 W. First St. in Portales. Tuesday is also the deadline for submitting ballot questions. In Curry County, positions up for election in November include: • Village of Grady – mayor and two councilors • Village of Melrose ...
When will Clovis’ Seventh Street Project be completed? Is there more construction coming for Seventh Street west of Main Street? “The project is scheduled to be done this October pending any unforeseen delays or weather delays,” Clovis City Manager Justin Howalt said. As for exactly what has been done to Seventh Street between North Prince and Main Street Howalt said the roadway is undergoing “full depth reconstruction.” “The subgrade is being stabilized with lime to reduce cracking and pavement failures, along with new ba...
Because New Mexico is considered a plaintiff-friendly state with high payouts from medical malpractice lawsuits, rural hospital officials say they are struggling to find insurance coverage. One of the many hospitals across the state that is dealing with this issue is Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales. New Mexico has established medical liability limits, but the maximums keep rising, said Kaye Green, RGH’s chief executive. “The limit now is $4.5 million,” Green said. “It started out at $4 million, and then it was to incr...
Of all the events that take place each year at the Roosevelt County Fair, there’s something about the Saturday morning pet show that has a special place in my heart. I’m not sure how common pet shows are at county fairs — I did a little internet searching and didn’t come up with a lot of mentions. I didn’t see one on the schedule at Curry County or at Lea County this year. Yet, the Roosevelt County Fair has hosted a pet show as far back as my memory goes, and for most of t...
The crowds clapped and cheered as youth ranging from 9 to 17 led their various livestock into the pen. Rumors of "geese laying golden eggs" and steers being sold as high as $16,000 kept this year's Roosevelt County Junior Livestock Sale lively as ever. The sale raised $220,550 before add-ons between 54 of the 4-H and FFA youth, organizers said. Add-ons are donations made after the sale. Last year, they came to $76,065, according to Joy Levacy, junior livestock sale secretary f...
One man was left with a gunshot wound to his leg early Tuesday after a verbal altercation apparently turned violent in Clovis. Clovis Police Department stated in a news release that at shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, officers found Loydale Kirven, 52, suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg after responding to a call to the area of Eighth Street and Sheldon Street. Officers administered emergency first aid to Kirven, who was then transported to Plains Regional Medical Center for advanced medical care. In an affidavit of...
A Clovis man who allegedly threatened to “burn the house down,” was arrested Aug. 17 and charged with arson for a fire at 519 E. Grand Ave. Isaiah Macias, 22, was in Curry County Adult Detention Center on Friday with a $5,000 cash-only bond, records show. According to a criminal complaint: Marco Macias, who lives at 515 E. Grand Ave., told police his brother, Isaiah, was upset that he could not go to the county fair. Isaiah told family members “Gonna burn the house” and “Yo...
