Year in review: Controversy, cancellations mark 2020 in Portales

PORTALES — The end of 2020 is right around the corner and Roosevelt County has had a year full of newsworthy events. While the pandemic may have taken center stage for most of it, plenty was happening behind the scenes as well.

January began with Roosevelt reporting the state’s first pediatric influenza death of the 2019-20 flu season. The Roosevelt County Commission appointed its new chairman Matthew Hunton, and vice-chair Tina Dixon. The United Way of Eastern New Mexico announced it would help bring The Imagination Library program to Roosevelt County. Roosevelt County’s Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 2019 anniversary with a banquet of 160 guests. Promise Duolo, then sixth-grader of Lindsey Steiner Elementary, won the Roosevelt County Spelling Bee with the word “connemara.”

February saw the Roosevelt County General Hospital Board of Trustees approving a land sale to Goodlife for a new assisted living facility by the hospital. The month also saw some political controversy as the state introduced the “red flag” gun bill. Over 400 people gathered at the Roosevelt County Courthouse to protest the measure, which allows law-enforcement officers to “temporarily disarm individuals who present a clear danger to themselves or others in emergency situations.”

March started off with senators and representatives from the area discussing the recently closed 30-day legislative session at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon. They discussed the passing of the red-flag gun bill into law, the non-approval for recreational marijuana, and the creation of a $320 million early childhood fund. Around this time Roosevelt County Manager Amber Hamilton was in talk with Eastern New Mexico University about live-streaming county meetings. Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education held an information session on school closures and virtual learning, and ENMU postponed its spring 2020 commencement ceremony.

Also in March, challenges were made for seats in the June primary elections. Incumbent Matthew Hunton would face-off against Rodney O. Savage for the District 2 county commission seat. Roosevelt County Clerk Stephanie Hicks would be running against Samantha Christine Bailey. And Michelle Bargas would have two opponents for her position of county probate judge, Gracy R. Stone and Kendall G. Terry. All incumbents and challengers were Republicans.

April was rung in with Census Day and the official start of the 2020 Census. Roosevelt County was declared an emergency area due to the emerging pandemic. This resolution by the County Commission was followed later in the month with another resolution asking the state to delegate local governments authority over public health orders.

May held early voting for primary elections and a movement by the Roosevelt Soil and Water Conservation District to eradicate thistle weeds. Several criminal cases were resolved, including the indictment of a Portales couple accused of stealing over $20,000 of goods from Ashley’s furniture store. A Portales man who started four fires near Elida was charged with arson. And Portales canceled its Independence Day fireworks display due to uncertainty over mass gatherings.

June gave way to resolutions of the contested primary races. Bentley withdrew from her race against Hicks, and the District 2 seat and county probate judge positions went to the challengers Savage and Terry. Peaceful protesters for the death of George Floyd held a candlelight vigil in front of the Roosevelt County Courthouse. A particularly hail-heavy thunderstorm tore through Roosevelt County causing millions in property and vehicle damage.

July was true to form as a summer month and things in the county slowed down a bit. ENMU regents appointed Ryan Trosper as the fifth president of the Ruidoso campus. An ex-Roosevelt deputy was accused of multiple counts of theft. Portales residents were asked to curb, and briefly halt, outdoor water usage as part of the city’s rationing plan.

August’s start of the new school year began a little differently as students remained at home, with plans to be reintroduced to in-person learning on a hybrid scale. In lieu of a fair, Roosevelt County held a livestock expo. An art installation depicting 18 empty chairs by Alyssa Idsinga, April Rutter, and Abigail Pritchett was set up on a hill by the Roosevelt County line. Roosevelt County lost a fixture of the community when County Clerk Stephanie Hicks McMath suddenly passed away at the end of the month.

September brought news of $150 million in federal CARES Act grants to be distributed by the state. The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority approved a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation which in time will pay for projects that connect Roosevelt County to the Ute Reservoir. The Eastern New Mexico University regents closed on the sale of the former Greyhound football stadium for $25,500. Roosevelt was awarded $239,625 for CARES Act small business grants and began accepting applications.

October commenced with the start of early voting for the 2020 general election. In the first week Roosevelt had over 1,000 early voters. Roosevelt County Magistrate Judge Christopher Mitchell was elected as a board member for the New Mexico Magistrate Judges Association. The body of a missing woman from Muleshoe, Jaime Edgmon, was found in Roosevelt County. Two local men, Keith Cordova, 22, and Francisco Bustamanate, 24, were charged with murder in connection with her slaying. Plans were made throughout the community to host drive-through trick-or-treating events at churches, parks, and the city library. The month ended with 2 inches of snow, and record low temperatures.

November was a busy month for the county with election day leading it off. Over 4,000 voters turned out on election day to vote in-person. For the presidential race Donald J. Trump and Mike Pence won the county with 4,634 votes. The much anticipated Bond C was approved by voters in a two-thirds majority, affectively approving $156 million for higher education. The county distributed its first round of CARES Act grants for small businesses. A former employee of ENMU was charged with embezzling from the university’s business office. Roosevelt County was declared to be in an extreme drought. With the 2020 Census coming to a close, the county announced that with adjusted self-response rates they reported at an approximate 73%.

December flew by with the county approving its second and last rounds of small business CARES Act grants. In total 25 businesses received aid. The county was declared to be in an “exceptional drought.” The Courthouse Cafe in downtown Portales was the sight of a peaceful protest against public health orders. And what began at the end of 2019 wrapped up 2020, Xcel Energy’s $900 million Sagamore Wind Project that successfully completed its construction phase with 240 turbines spread over 100,000 acres.