Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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SANTA FE — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state is behind the virus as iCOVID-19 nfection counts, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise. Lujan Grisham asked New Mexicans to not spend time with non-household members, wear a mask whenever outside of the home and keeping at least six feet of distance from others regardless of mask wearing. No changes were announced to current public health orders. The state announced 862 new cases Thursday, with Lujan Grisham noting a record 23 deaths made it the toughest...
New Mexico didn't quite reach its highest turnout in election history when all of the pre-Tuesday votes were counted, but all indications were the state would fly by its 2008 turnout record Tuesday afternoon. Early votes, reported Tuesday morning by the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office, reached 777,265 - 456,260 early in-person and 321,005 by absentee mail ballot. The state turnout record of 833,365 set in 2008 was all but assured to fall by the time lunch hour voters...
State and U.S. Department of Health officials have partnered to launch an expanded COVID-19 testing effort, according to a DOH news release. Its goal is to drive down positivity rates and turn “red” counties to “green” and restore the economy of the region, the release stated. Beginning Thursday, the Department of Health will establish 12 new testing sites across southern New Mexico counties, where skyrocketing positivity rates indicate the virus is spreading rapidly. “We are working around the clock to expand New Mexico...
CLOVIS -- A standoff with Clovis police ended with a 36-year-old man committing suicide early Wednesday morning, police said. Jimmy Mondragon was found dead in a basement about five hours after police were called to the 1400 block of South Lea Street in reference to a man using a chain saw to cut a mailbox and the screen door of a residence. A police news release said Mondragon had threatened suicide before disappearing into a home in the 1100 block of South Lea. Mondragon told police he had rifles, but the news release did...
WASHINGTON — A tumultuous election night yielded no definitive result between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden, with both candidates locked in razor-thin races in a slate of battleground states that were expected to continue tallying votes into Thursday and possibly beyond. Contests in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin were all uncalled as of early Wednesday morning, with officials scrambling to count both ballots cast Nov. 3 and a surge of ballots sent through the mail. Of the major swing s...
President Donald Trump delivered a hazy claim of victory early Wednesday morning over Democratic challenger Joe Biden even as millions of votes remained to be counted, calling on the Supreme Court to "stop a major fraud in our nation." In a 2:30 a.m. appearance at the White House, Trump called the pending outcome "a fraud on the American public" and "embarrassment on our country." "We were getting ready to win this election — frankly we did win this election," he said, citing victories in some states that had yet to be d...
Clovis farmer and rancher Martin Zamora earned a second term in New Mexico's House of Representatives on Tuesday night. Zamora defeated challenger Randal Brown handily in the 63rd District with 59 percent of the vote. Zamora received 4,651 votes to 3,262 for Brown, a Santa Rosa doctor. In other contested New Mexico races, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office: -- Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Lujan won his Senate bid by 48,000 votes over Republican Mark Ronchetti. -- In the race for the U.S. House of R...
Snoring. All around me, snores are punctuated by little yips and growls. When I try to move my right arm so that I can type a little easier, I’m met with grunts and a giant paw for my trouble. I’ve had my share of black eyes thanks to monster paws. We have a retirement home for old dogs. We didn’t choose them so much as they chose us; we were the halfway house to foster them until they went on to rescue. As the dog biscuit crumbles, the furballs who reside here weren’t able to...
Here we go. Election Day 2020. Tomorrow, as I write. I’m not sure I remember ever dreading one, an election day, more (though the 2016 experience was very close). It’s not the day I dread so much as the very real possibility of an Election Month or months or, maybe worse still, an “election in the courts.” Maybe as you’re reading this you’ll know a good deal more than I possibly can (as I’m writing) about the outcome. Maybe it’s done and decided. Maybe really decided. Maybe...
MULESHOE — Coming off two seasons in which they went 1-19, the Muleshoe Mules have made significant strides this year. True, they’ve won just two games, but four of their six losses have been by 11 points or less, and they were tied at Dalhart last week until late into the third quarter before losing to the Wolves 41-21. “We played really good for three quarters,” Mules coach Jason Richards said. “They just kind of wore us down.” At 2-6 (0-3 Class 3A Division I District II), Muleshoe can still earn a playoff bid this week w...
CLOVIS — Marshall Middle School will not provide grab-and-go meal service for the remainder of the week due to a potential exposure to COVID-19, according to a release from Clovis Municipal Schools. The closure will allow time for safe and appropriate cleaning, as well as provide time for staff members to self-quarantine and monitor for symptoms. Families are asked to go to Highland and James Bickley elementary schools schools as alternate sites, but meals can be picked up at any district school buildings regardless of a c...
Booked The following were booked into local jails (Friday-Tuesday): Clovis • Lawrence Madrid, 62, failure to appear • Geronimo Guarcas, 27, driving while under the influence, no drivers license, failure to obey traffic control devices • Joseph Barela, 43, failure to pay fines • Henry Hernandez, 60, driving while license suspended/revoked • Damarick Harris, 34, failure to appear, possession of a controlled substance, probation violation • Jalua Edison, 30, probation violation • Aminu Gadidu, 25, criminal damage, no seatbelts,...
On this date … 1970: Fire gutted one unit of Portales’ Hillcrest Motel. Two other units, including the manager’s living quarters, were badly damaged by smoke. A passing trucker first reported the blaze. “He stopped his semi-trailer truck and attacked the fire with a small hand fire extinguisher after alerting the motel manager,” the Portales News-Tribune reported. “However, his fire extinguisher was ineffective and the fire gained considerable headway before Portales fire units reached the scene.” Officials said the unit wher...
I grew up in an era and in a region where there was a sweet payoff for both politicians and voters in the autumn weeks leading up to elections: Community gatherings to meet candidates and, yes, eat pie. Back then the rural communities took turns inviting local candidates to events in their respective community buildings or school cafeterias or whatever space they had that was roomy enough to seat a crowd. Someone would come early to unlock the building, set up folding chairs,...
Let’s catch up on New Mexico’s space exploration. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is getting close to its first bona fide commercial tour of space — probably early next year by the looks of it all. It’ll be launched from our own taxpayer-funded Spaceport America in southern New Mexico, on State Trust Land that’s adjacent to the White Sands Missile Range. Hopefully, the revenue generated inside Branson’s financial orbit will show a good return for New Mexico as well, since the spaceport itself has cost taxpayers som...
With the election now behind us, you need to find a way to live with the neighbors who supported a different candidate than you did. The neighbor who had a sign in the yard supporting the other candidate; go make up with them. Even if their sign is still there. Don’t act as though you’re doing them a favor — it’s as much to your benefit as it is to theirs. Don’t be a sore loser or a sore winner; be a neighbor. Forget politics for awhile. I know it’s difficult, in this time w...
With its lethal potential, the coronavirus has injected itself into almost every facet of our lives the past seven months. And the efforts to combat it have triggered no end of arguments over mask-wearing, business limitations or closures, in-person or remote education, public gatherings and even attending church. Even the safety of trick-or-treating. And, oh, yes, participation in high school fall sports as well. The city of Racine, Wisconsin, was at the heart of the COVID hand-wringing over high school sports this summer,...
CLOVIS — Central Baptist Church will host a “Surviving the Holidays” program by GriefShare Saturday. The event will be 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at the church at 2501 N. Norris St. The program helps people dealing with the loss of a loved one as the holidays approach. The event will include a video and a free workbook. Social distancing and face coverings are required. Information: Kathy Hammill, 760-917-3051 or [email protected]...
CLOVIS — La Casa is offering appointments in Clovis and Portales to help residents during the open insurance enrollment period that runs through Dec. 15. Residents who sign up for an appointment are asked to bring • A Social Security number and date of birth for every family member enrolling • Picture ID and proof of citizenship • Pay stubs, tax returns and a W-2 from every working person within the home. • A current email address. Appointments can be made in Clovis through Yadira Reyes (575-749-4169) or Mellissa Mileg (57...
CLOVIS — The state appeared on its way to eclipsing the 50,000 mark on COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in March, and a Roosevelt County resident was among 10 deaths reported Monday by the New Mexico Department of Health. According to a Monday release from the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the state confirmed 877 new cases to push the total to 48,104. That total included 52 new cases in Curry County and 21 in Roosevelt County. A female in her 80s from Roosevelt County was listed among the 10 fatalities Monday,...
Much of the snow from last week’s record-breaking storm has melted in central and northern New Mexico. And eastern New Mexico’s record-breaking low temperatures have given way to more seasonal norms. Now, the state is gearing up for a return to warmth and sunshine. Clovis, Portales and Tucumcari, which dipped into the teens last week, could have high temperatures in the mid-80s this week. Albuquerque is expected to hit a high of 73 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, and 70 degrees on Friday. Clay Anderson, a met...
CLOVIS - Two men from Cannon Air Force Base were in critical but stable condition Tuesday following a single-vehicle crash Sunday morning, according to the Clovis Police Department. According to a CPD release: • Crews from the Clovis police and fire departments were dispatched at 7:06 a.m. to the 3000 bock of La Fonda Road. Upon arrival they found a white Nissan which had left the roadway, impacted a vehicle parked in a driveway and then hit and uprooted a tree. • The dri...
PORTALES — A teacher in Portales received national accreditation for connecting kids to locally grown produce. Patricia Cain, a second grade dual language teacher at James Elementary, was one of 30 that were recognized as 2020 Community Food Champions. The National Farm to School Network celebrates National Farm to School Month every October since Congress designated it in 2010. This year marks the 10th anniversary of its celebrations, which included “expressing appreciation and amplifying underrepresented voices in ord...
FORT SUMNER - A Fort Sumner woman remained at large Tuesday following allegations she killed her grandfather and tried to conceal his whereabouts for months. An arrest warrant has been issued for Candy Jo Webb, 27, alleging first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of A.J. Harden, 83. Harden, according to his obituary, grew up in Fort Sumner. Following a trucking career that took he and wife Virginia across the country, the two moved to Fort...
