Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 2793
On this date ... 1945: The victory over Japan as announced by President Truman was celebrated by a group of 15 young people who met at Portales’ West Side Baptist Church. The program consisted of prayers, songs and a testimony. 1946: The third annual water carnival had been scheduled at Hillcrest pool in Clovis. The carnival consisted of 37 swimming and diving competitions in four divisions. A beauty contest wrapped up the evening with 13 girls competing for a $25 prize. The swimming and diving events also offered prizes, i...
RICHARDSON, Texas – Defending Lone Star Conference football champion Angelo State has been tabbed to repeat its crown in a vote of league coaches and sports information directors, plus media members. The Rams (12-1 overall and 9-0 in the LSC in 2022) collected 241 points and 25 of 27 first-place ballots, according to the poll released by the conference office. Last season, ASU reached the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals before it was eliminated. Eastern New Mexico University, with Kelley Lee returning to the helm t...
The Portales Municipal School District has filed a response to a federal lawsuit by a former teacher who claims she was forced to resign her teaching job due to pressure from district officials. The response does not go into detail but denies the claims of Kelly Cradock, a former Portales High School teacher, who sued the school district in federal court after she claims to have been forced to resign for teaching the book “The Hate U Give” to her freshman honors English class. Cradock’s lawsuit, filed June 16, named as defen...
It was the second tournament for the Clovis Bassmasters club and the second time the high schoolers and middle schoolers picked up top honors. The Clovis club, an affiliate of New Mexico Bass Nation, took to Ute Lake Sunday for their second state qualifier and finished with first-place wins in the high and junior high school divisions, according to a news release from Clovis Municipal Schools. Autumn Kinglsey and Nicole Patton took first place in the high school division along with bringing in the biggest bass in their...
A former Portales teacher is suing the school district after she claims to have been forced to resign for teaching the book “The Hate U Give” to her freshman honors English class. The teacher, Kelly Cradock, was employed by Portales Municipal Schools from August 2020 to February 2022. “Mrs. Cradock’s first amendment rights were violated, her rights under the New Mexico Human Rights Act were violated,” Cradock’s attorney Kristina Martinez said. Portales schools Superintendent Johnnie Cain declined to comment on the lawsuit. A...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Johnnie Cain is the superintendent for Portales Municipal Schools. Q: The Legislature made up some new rules for public schools' classroom time that go into effect this school year. What's changing at Portales Municipal Schools? A: The biggest thing we're going to do for adding classroom time is we're going to go 30 minutes extra a day. So, you know, we'll go from 8 to 3:30, instead of 8:05 t...
It was Clovis High School's fishing club's first tournament and they came back with first-place honors. Colter Williams of the Clovis Bassmasters, an affiliate of New Mexico Bass Nation, caught the biggest bass of the tournament at Ute Lake with a weight of 4 pounds, 9 ounces, according to a report from Lonnie Hendren of Clovis Municipal Schools. Hendren reported all boaters were on the water by 5 a.m. Saturday and launched a half-hour later. The news release reports the...
Longtime area basketball coach Jimmy Joe Robinson passed away at the age of 87 last weekend, and the news has affected many locals that knew and loved him. According to his obituary, Robinson began his career as a coach and teacher at La Casita Elementary in Clovis where he taught 6th grade and coached football, basketball, gymnastics, and track. He then went on to teach other grades and coach other sports at various schools, but it was his coaching career at Clovis High Schoo...
I've been to a lot of funerals and memorial services. It comes with the territory when you live in a small community for a long time. The one for World War II veteran Thomas Vernon "Louie" Long held Thursday on a picture-perfect morning at the Portales Cemetery was one I'll never forget. For one thing, it was performed with full military honors, a moving ritual infused with tradition, beauty, respect, and precision that never fails to bring a lump to my throat. But what...
If you grew up in New Mexico and are my age or older, I would bet money you knew someone who was in the Bataan Death March in World War II. It might have been your dad, your uncle, a neighbor, a friend. Take just two of our counties. Fifty-four service members from Roosevelt County and 87 from Curry County ended up on that horrific march in April of 1942. Nineteen of those from Roosevelt County and 40 from Curry County died then or in the prison camp years that followed in... Full story
Four individuals are set to be recognized Saturday at this year’s Hall of Honor luncheon for Clovis Municipal Schools at the Clovis Civic Center. This year, all four recipients are Wildcat alumni. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, an individual must be nominated for excelling greatly after their time at Clovis High School or be a large supporter of CMS, school officials said. The four categories for this year are government and service, business and industry, sports and entertainment, and the Top Cat Award. The r...
Eastern New Mexico University is opening a foundation account to support athletic training while also honoring long-time trainer Bill Joy. “We are so grateful to the Joy family for agreeing to create this endowment in Bill’s name,” ENMU Athletic Director Paul Weir stated in a news release. “… At the very least it memorializes an absolutely amazing man. We hope to make our head athletic trainer position one dedicated to excellence and this endowment will help us do just that.” Joy got his start in Portales in 1966 after gradu...
The preliminary fiscal year 2024 budget for Clovis Municipal Schools (CMS) is more than the FY24 preliminary budgets of Clovis and Curry County combined. At Tuesday's regular meeting of the CMS school board, the CMS preliminary budget was put at $168.9 million. Combined, the preliminary budgets for Clovis and Curry County are $118 million. CMS Deputy Superintendent of Finance, Shawna Stowe, said one year ago, the preliminary budget for FY23 was $162.9 million. "The biggest...
On this date ... 1910: J.D. Osborn, Portales' new city marshal, was cracking down on violators of city ordinances. He was focusing on "speed of drivers of horses," and "hitching horses to awnings," the Roosevelt County Herald reported. 1937: Santa Fe Railway train carloads through Clovis for the previous week totaled 24,097. That was up from 20,195 from the previous year, Santa Fe officials said. A Santa Fe freight agent told the Clovis Evening News-Journal that 22 cars of livestock were shipped out of the city during the...
ALBUQUERQUE – Clovis High's boys needed a big day from senior R.J. Nora on Saturday, and he certainly didn't disappoint. Nora was a busy man as he competed in five finals, winning both hurdles races, finishing second in triple jump and helping two relay teams to the awards podium as the Wildcats posted a fifth-place team finish with 34 points. He accounted for 22 points to share individual high-point honors for the meet with La Cueva freshman Tanner Montano. "I knew I had f...
Maggie Mendoza has been directing the choirs at Portales High School for four years, and this year, the choir took home top honors among the state's 4A schools. Mendoza, however, has known she wanted to direct school choirs since she was in the sixth grade. Since graduating from Eastern New Mexico University in 2017, school choir conducting has been her career. The News spoke with Mendoza on Wednesday in Portales High School's chorus rehearsal room Here are our questions and h...
ALBUQUERQUE – Texico’s girls and Clovis Christian’s boys were both second heading into Tuesday’s final round of Class 1-3A state golf at Canyon Club at Four Hills, and understandably playing for second place. The Lady Wolverines were able to hang on to their standing while the Eagles were caught at the wire by Socorro. Texico, which entered the second round with a 29-shot lead over third-place St. Michael’s, pulled away from the Lady Horsemen with a 434 score to finish at 883, a 42-stroke margin. Socorro was in command a...
SAN ANGELO, Texas – Freshman left fielder Jonatan Clough and sophomore second baseman Demetrio Archuleta earned spots on the All-Lone Star Conference baseball team, announced on Wednesday prior to the start of the LSC’s four-team, double-elimination tournament. Clough, from the Dominican Republic, was chosen to the second team while Archuleta, from Farmington, claimed third-team honors. Batting cleanup, Clough proved to be one of the LSC’s top power hitters, leading the Greyhounds in triples (five) while finishing second in t...
ALBUQUERQUE – Clovis High senior R.J. Nora was hoping for a big Saturday in this weekend's Class 5A state track meet at the University of New Mexico track facility. Nora won his heats in the Class 5A boys 110 and 300 hurdles races on Friday, and went into Day 2 hoping to sweep those events. He also participated in triple jump on Saturday morning and helped get two Wildcats relays into Saturday's finals. The Cats earned three points on Friday – senior Jeremiah Johnson pla...
Two local, soon-to-be college graduates were scheduled to participate in West Texas A&M University’s (WTAMU) Donning of the Stoles ceremony Friday. The pre-commencement ceremony honors students and their cultures. African American, Native American, Hispanic, and international students were scheduled to take part in the tradition. Out of ninety-one, Alexandria Sanchez is the only one to be native to Clovis. Sanchez, 23, said she spent a lot of her time growing up in Clovis because of her stepdad being a Clovis resident. She s...
Vernon Long died in a Japanese prison camp during World War II in 1942, records show. On Oct. 9, 1949, a sealed casket the military assigned to Long was buried in the Portales Cemetery. The Portales Daily News reported it was a "reburial" service. Long's family believed his remains were finally home. The local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars provided full military honors. Now fast forward almost 75 years to a time when DNA testing allows the Department of Defense...
ALBQUERQUE – Not everything went just right for Melrose's girls in Class 1A state track competition, but enough did that in the end the Lady Buffs had plenty of points to spare. Melrose ran away to its second consecutive 1A title, rolling up 95 points to 61 for District 6-1A rival and runnerup Logan on Friday and Saturday at the University of New Mexico track facility. The schools swapped places on the boys' side, with the Longhorns winning with 93 points to 74 ½ for th...
ALBUQUERQUE – Both entries in state individual tennis competition were eliminated in the first round on Wednesday at Jerry Cline Tennis Center. In Class 5A boys singles, Clovis High senior David Case went down in a 6-4, 6-3 decision against Albuquerque High eighth-grader Mitchell Rocha 6-4, 6-3. Rocha went on to make a strong showing, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Philip Bosin of Eldorado 6-1, 6-0. In Class 1-4A girls doubles, Portales High senior Jenna Brown and junior Maggie Duong absorbed a 6...
TYLER, Texas – If nothing else, Eastern New Mexico University’s softball team can hold its head up after its first appearance in the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament in 21 years. The Greyhounds, seeded 10th in the 10-team single-elimination meet, opened the three-day event with a 1-0 victory over No. 7 St. Mary’s on Thursday morning before bowing out with a 3-2 quarterfinal loss later in the day to 10th-ranked and second-seeded rival West Texas A&M. ENMU (26-30) posted its most conference wins (17) and total wins...
A spate of recent shootings serve as a depressing reminder that accidentally ringing the wrong doorbell, driving to an incorrect residence, or mistakenly getting into the incorrect vehicle can be deadly. In Kansas City, 16-year-old honors student Ralph Yarl mistakenly arrived at the wrong home while looking for his younger siblings. There he was shot and severely wounded by 84-year-old Andrew Lester, a chain of events that shocked residents and sent citizens and the country on...
