Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
1 The season’s first big grass fire was reported last Sunday morning, fueled by 50-mph winds.
Officials said the blaze north of Clovis burned about 2,000 acres, but no injuries were reported and no structures were damaged.
Firefighters and weather forecasters are predicting a busy fire season. Many areas have gone more than 100 days without significant moisture after a wetter-than-usual summer.
2 Vandalism was blamed for a large mineral oil spill in downtown Portales early Thursday morning.
Officials rushed to sand city streets while encouraging motorists to avoid the area or at least slow to 15 mph.
The oil came from a J. D. Heiskell feed manufacturing facility.
A news release from J. D. Heiskell reported someone had stolen tools from the company in addition to opening a valve on a tank that caused the oil to spill over more than three city blocks.
Worse, city officials said they are concerned the damage could cost taxpayers up to $40,000 to repair roads.
3 Clovis law officers spent time throughout the week chasing threats and scares.
Police said they arrested three people in connection with “telephonic threats” early in the week and a fourth “person of interest” was questioned, but not charged.
Then on Friday, the Curry County Courthouse received a telephoned threat, followed by the discovery of a suspicious package adjacent to the courthouse.
“It was determined that the package, which had been deliberately disguised as a bomb, contained no explosives,” a news release from the Curry County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Sheriff Wesley Waller said “There is nothing to indicate a relation” between the telephone threats early in the week and Friday’s events.
No arrests had been made in connection with the suspicious package.
4 Influenza was on the rise across the region as well as the state and nation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported flu activity across the country is the most widespread since 2009.
Clovis and Portales hospital officials said they had seen “dramatic” increases in the number of flu patients in the past two weeks.
Dora schools closed on Thursday because of illness among staff members, but most local school officials said flu among students was not significantly impacting attendance.
5 Muleshoe hired a Portales native as its new football coach, while a Clovis High graduate was selected to head up Grady’s baseball program.
Lee Walker, a 1986 PHS grad, will succeed longtime football coach and athletic director David Wood in Muleshoe. Wood announced his retirement last month after 21 seasons and a 184-79 record.
Jared Piepkorn, who played baseball at Clovis High before graduating in 1995, will take over Grady’s team as soon as basketball season ends.
“5 things ...” is compiled by Staff of The News
