Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Articles from the March 12, 2023 edition


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  • Clovis commission votes to lower city park fees

    Grant McGee, The Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    Clovis’ City Commission voted unanimously Thursday to lower fees at city parks. The action came at a regular session of the commission, reducing a $50 a year fee plan for anyone using the city sports fields or facilities, approved last month but not yet implemented. The $50 plan resulted in widespread citizen feedback. City Manager Justin Howalt, Parks and Recreation Director Russell Hooper as well commissioners and others in the city administration fielded calls, emails and other types of feedback over the new fee. The Parks...

  • Our people: A quarter-century at CCC

    Steve Hansen, The Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    Norman Kia is vice president for information technology and operations at Clovis Community College. He's a graduate of Eastern New Mexico University with a master's degree from Wayland Baptist University in Educational Technology. CCC was Kia's first employer, starting even before he graduated from ENMU, and, he notes, he started his 25th year at CCC in January. Kia, who recently ran for Curry Couny Commissioner, is also a father of five and farms as a hobby. The News caught...

  • Clovis to restart softball league for handicapped

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    CLOVIS – Denise Rodriguez started a softball league for handicapped and disabled youth in Clovis in 2019, and said it was a success. Then COVID-19 hit, and the program – called the Buddy League – was discontinued for three years. Now she's ready to start it up again, and is taking registrations for league which starts play on April 1 at Highland Park, 101 E. Manana. A Clovis native, Rodriguez moved to Albuquerque become coming back here six years ago. "My son had special needs...

  • Five area teams win in quarterfinals

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    RIO RANCHO – Five of the six area teams involved in state basketball tournament quarterfinals were able to win their games and move on to semifinal action. In girls matchups: Mesa Vista 38 (Tuesday, Class 2A) – Senior Catelyn Breshears scored 21 points, including 13 from the free throw line, and the seventh-seeded Lady Wolverines overcame a seven-point, first-quarter deficit against the second-seeded Lady Trojans at Rio Rancho Event Center. Texico (15-13) pulled ahead by a p...

  • Q&A: New ENMU boss sees 'great market to grow'

    Landry Sena, The Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    James Johnston in January became the 12th president and third chancellor at Eastern New Mexico University. He talked with The News last week in his first extensive interview. Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up, your education, and how did you make it to Portales? I'm 58 years old. I was born in Slaton, Texas. I grew up in the Panhandle. I'm a first-generation college graduate. I really had no plans for college until probably the end of my sophomore year in...

  • Lady Rams sweep past Muleshoe

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    PORTALES – Portales High's softball team got back on track Friday night, posting a doubleheader sweep over Muleshoe 8-2 and 12-1 at Wheeler Park. Senior Abby Marquez threw a seven-inning complete game in the opener, allowing four hits and no earned runs while walking just one and striking out nine. Meantime, sophomore Myleigh Banda went 2-for-3 and knocked in a pair of runs with a single and a groundout while junior Bailey Hinderliter was also 2-for-3 with an RBI. The Lady R...

  • Lady Chaps improve to 42-0 all-time against ENMU

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    LUBBOCK – It’s probably not going out on a limb to say that Lubbock Christian is a tough matchup for Eastern New Mexico University’s softball team. The Lady Chaps improved to 42-0 all-time against ENMU and completed a three-game Lone Star Conference series sweep of the Greyhounds on Wednesday, taking both ends of a doubleheader 5-0 and 11-0 behind the two-hit, 12-strikeout pitching of senior right-hander Maxine Valdez (7-2) in the opener and a five-inning no-hitter thrown by senior righty Taylor Franco (8-5) in Game 2. LCU (1...

  • Cats win in ninth, advance to finals in Goddard meet

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    ROSWELL – Senior Joe Albert delivered a two-run single in the top of the ninth inning on Friday night and Clovis High’s baseball team edged Roswell High 8-6 to advance to Saturday night’s championship game in Roswell Goddard’s eight-team Southwest Classic. The Wildcats (3-6) were to face the host Rockets (3-1), who edged Eldorado 9-8 in nine innings in Friday’s other semifinal, in the 7 p.m. title clash. “We’re starting to grow up, starting to mature a little bit,” CHS coach Richard Cruse said. “The kids have bought in ve...

  • Hounds cruise to victory against struggling Highlands

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Nyles Duren had more runs batted in in Friday’s game against New Mexico Highlands than he had at-bats for the season coming in. The junior infielder from Windsor, Ontario – 2-for-6 this season prior to Friday – belted a pair of home runs and drove in seven as the Greyhounds pulled away to a 10-1 victory over their in-state rival. ENMU (8-12) pounded out 14 hits off three Cowboys hurlers. Duren and sophomore second baseman Demetrio Archuleta were both 4-for-5, with Archuleta hitting two doubles and a triple....

  • Lady Wolverines capture Class 2A crown

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    ALBUQUERQUE – When they were saddled with a 6-12 record in late January, it seemed unlikely that the Texico Lady Wolverines would be the last area team standing. Talk about getting hot at the right time. Texico won seven in a row and 11 of its last 12, capped by Friday’s 44-30 victory over top-seeded Escalante in the Class 2A girls start championship game at The Pit in Albuquerque. Second-year coach Jaylyn Cook now has a blue trophy to add to the ones she helped win for the school as a player in 2010 and 2012. “I would...

  • Area posts 1-3 record in state semifinal games

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    RIO RANCHO – For three teams, it was Heartbreak City in Thursday’s state basketball semifinals. Texico’s girls helped the area avoid getting swept as the seventh-seeded Lady Wolverines advanced to Friday’s Class 2A state title game with a hard-earned 45-41 victory over third-seeded Laguna Acoma. The Lady Wolverines led most of the contest, but had a hard time putting the Lady Hawks away until senior Catelyn Breshears knocked down four consecutive free throws in the final minute. Breshears finished with 21 points, includi...

  • Pages past, March 12: Judge: Kid's bones stay in De Baca County

    David Stevens, The Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    On this date ... 1950: Temperatures dropped to 9 degrees after a high of 50. Buds had started to come out on local fruit trees, but the freeze likely killed the fruit crop, The Portales Daily News reported. 1955: The 22nd session of the New Mexico Legislature ended with a record 735 bills introduced. The previous record was 714, set in 1951. Officials said it would be weeks before the governor would decide which bills would become law. One bill approved by the Legislature...

  • Roosevelt County to purge ineligible voters

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    The Roosevelt County Clerk and the Roosevelt County Board of Registration will meet at the Roosevelt County Commission Room at the courthouse on Monday at 2:00 p.m. to remove ineligible voters from the Roosevelt County voter rolls. According to a news release from Roosevelt County Manager Amber Hamilton, the meeting and action are in compliance with Section 1-4-28, NMSA 1978 of the New Mexico Election Code, “the secretary of state, county clerks, and boards of registration, in compliance with the National Voter R...

  • N.M. delegation announces funding to address PFAS and other contaminants

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – New Mexico’s Washington delegation announced Friday $18.91 million is coming to the state from the federal infrastructure law to address emerging contaminants, like Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) in a joint statement said New Mexico will receive the federal funding through the U.S. Environmental Prote...

  • Jail log - March 12

    Updated Mar 11, 2023

    Booked The following were booked into local jail (Tuesday - Friday): Clovis • Frankie Owen, 40, failure to pay fines • Bradley Starbuck, 37, battery against a household member • Michealle Grabowsky, 38, battery • David Garcia, 46, probation violation • Nicholas Salazar, 24, failure to pay fines • Rodulfo Rodriguez, 40, possession of a controlled substance, no seat belts, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge • Chquavery Bynum, 39, battery against a household member • Jeyslid Rivera-McFaline, 22, battery against a house...

  • Cannon to host first airshow since 2018

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    CANNON AIR FORCE BASE - Cannon AFB will host its first airshow since 2018 April 22. The airshow, Wings Over Cannon, will be headlined by the Air Combat Command’s A-10 Thunderbolt demonstration team from Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Ariz. Gates will open that Saturday at 9:00 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. Cannon’s own Air Commandos will highlight their capabilities during a capabilities exercise (CAPEX) consisting of the AC-130J Ghostrider, MC-130J Commando II, U-28A Draco, CV-22 Osprey, and Special Tac...

  • Opinion: Scott Adams aside, still plenty of comic strips out there

    Danny Tyree, Syndicated content|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    I’m heartbroken that cartoonist Scott Adams recently self-destructed — but hold the presses! This big, beautiful world still has plenty of comic strips to tickle our funny bones. Don’t believe me? I crunched the numbers and realized that on a good day, I read 138 comic strips and panels. My obsession has grown with time and technology, but my interest in the funnies goes way back. I have a photograph of myself at less than 2 years old, “reading” the Sunday comics. I couldn’t get enough of Donald Duck, Henry, Li’l Abner,...

  • Opinion: US's reliance on Russian uranium a growing problem

    Jim Constantopoulos, Guest columnist|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    Hard as it might seem to believe, a year after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, nothing has been done to stop the flow of billions of dollars that Russia is making from selling nuclear fuel to the United States. The money is fueling Russia’s brutal war machine, and its effect on Ukraine is horrible to contemplate. U.S. nuclear power plants are using Russian nuclear fuel to generate electricity, and we have a moral obligation to stop doing it. Now is the time to expand uranium production in America by reopening min...

  • Opinion: History of misleading journalism keeps repeating

    Tom McDonald, Syndicated content|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    Now don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely no straight-line comparison, but it’s like good ol’ Mark Twain said: History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Let’s start with a look at the birth of cable news. Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld were the first to offer around-the-clock news with the launching of CNN. That was in 1980. CNN dominated its all-news niche for years in a growing cable television industry. Then in 1996, Rupert Murdoch introduced Fox News and put Roger Ailes in charge. It appealed, by design, to...

  • Opinion: Is it time to impeach President Biden?

    Rube Render, Local columnist|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    Last week I discussed Seymour Hersh’s charges that Nord Stream was destroyed by the U.S. government, acting under the direction of President Joseph R. Biden. These charges have resulted in Illinois College of Law Professor Francis A. Boyle, preparing a Resolution of Impeachment against the president of the United States. In an interview on YouTube with American journalist and political commentator Don DeBar, Boyle notes that he delivered copies of his resolution to every R...

  • Opinion: A freer world worth a little pain

    Kent McManigal, Local columnist|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    Almost no one enjoys pain. Humans spend a lot of time, effort, and money avoiding it or trying to avoid it. Often, pain is unavoidable and sometimes it’s necessary. Occasionally, pain leads to something better in the future. When it works out, it’s always worth it. It might hurt to achieve a freer world. Getting rid of the obstacles to “liberty for all” will be unpopular with a lot of people. There are probably even some anti-liberty things you want to hold on to. They ne...

  • Opinion: Proposed tax bill will cripple many state businesses

    Albuquerque Journal, Syndicated content|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    It seems as if everywhere you go in New Mexico these days, businesses have “help wanted” signs, or reduced hours and services, or both. Many New Mexicans had hoped lawmakers would offer meaningful business tax relief during the 60-day session underway, given that the state is flush with $3.6 billion in “excess revenues,” primarily from oil and gas proceeds. But the omnibus tax package that emerged Monday will only make it harder for businesses to stay open in New Mexico, and the state’s greedy largest cities and the New M...

  • Commish: LPC listing 'harmful to working families'

    Landry Sena, The Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    The Roosevelt County Commission approved two oppositions in its regular meeting Tuesday morning that would “revolve around land use and ensuring residents are able to steward their lands without overreach by the federal government,” according to County Manager Amber Hamilton. The opposition to the lesser prairie chicken (LCP) as an endangered species and the Gila wilderness livestock removal were a common theme in the meeting. Commissioner Tina Dixon has taken the lead on both items of business; however, the commission has...

  • Clovis man convicted of battery

    the Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    CLOVIS – A Clovis man faces sentencing next month on his Wednesday conviction of battery upon a peace officer and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. Ninth Judicial District Attorney, Quentin Ray, reports in a news release Adam Crespin, 37, was found guilty by a jury of the two charges. A third charge of shoplifting was dismissed. According to Ray’s report, the charges come from an incident that happened last June 11. Officers with the Clovis Police Department responded to Gebo’s on Sycamore Street in refer...

  • Legislative session enters final week

    Steve Hansen, The Staff of The News|Updated Mar 11, 2023

    The New Mexico Legislature is entering its final week of a 60-day session. Legislators who represent Curry and Roosevelt counties -- all Republicans -- favor stronger criminal penalties and have unanimously opposed a bill that would support abortion and gender-changing services, which would invalidate local ordinances. The “Reproductive and Gender Affirming Health Care” bill received Senate approval on Tuesday and headed for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk. The bill passed the Senate on a vote of 23-15. Sen. Pat Woods...

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