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Articles from the December 20, 2023 edition


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  • Obituary: Jean Smith Klebold

    Updated Dec 22, 2023

    Jean Smith Klebold, passed from this earth on December 19, 2023 to be with her Heavenly Father. Jean was born on September 6,1940 in Hobbs, New Mexico to Fred and Glenna (Dalmont) Smith. She graduated from Hobbs High School in 1958 and attended Eastern New Mexico University where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Education in 1963. She received her Master's Degree in Business Education in 1968 and continued her education to receive 45 hours above her...

  • Obituary: Margaret Beachum

    Updated Dec 22, 2023

    Margaret Beachum, age 88, passed away on Monday, December 18, 2023, in her home in Clovis, New Mexico. She was called home to glory with her family by her side. Heaven gained a loving mother, sister, aunt, cousin, grandmother, and friend. Visitation to be held on Thursday, December 28, 2023, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Chapel of Angels, 1430 Thornton Street. Funeral service to be held on Friday, December 29, 2023, at 11:00 am, The Chapel, 1500 Thornton Street with Pastor...

  • Alleged home intruder facing charges

    David Stevens, The Staff of The News|Updated Dec 22, 2023

    A man shot when he broke into a Clovis home on Dec. 4 is facing charges of breaking and entering, police said Monday. Records show Judas Naranjo was critically injured after he kicked in a door in the 200 block of Rosa Boulevard and was shot by the homeowner. Naranjo, 21, was recently released from a Lubbock hospital, but is still recovering from his injuries, Clovis Police Capt. Robert Telles said on Tuesday morning. Police said a warrant for Naranjo’s arrest was obtained o...

  • Faith: May God grant wisdom to know 'times and seasons'

    Curtis Shelburne, Religion columnist|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, the wise man wrote many things that will tax most people’s wisdom. Trying to understand is worth the effort. But I most often find myself gravitating to his words in Ecclesiastes 3 where he writes, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...” He goes on to list a slew of activities with which we all identify. And we all recognize the wisdom of those who know “when the time is right....

  • Jail log - Dec. 20

    Updated Dec 19, 2023

    Booked The following were booked into local jails (Friday - Tuesday): Clovis • Michael Archibeque, 34, failure to appear on a felony charge • Daniel Lugo, 23, failure to appear on a felony charge • Amber Finch, 29, no drivers license • Collin Brooke, 32, assault upon a peace officer • Shapiere Bryant, 27, probation violation • Cynthia Pena, 46, probation violation • Anthony Stubbs, 33, child abuse – intentional, possession of a controlled substance • Robert Cordova, 50, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge • Ezra Ara...

  • Clovis cowboy third in tie-down roping

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Clovis native Shad Mayfield scored his fourth consecutive top-10 finish in the World Tie-Down Roping standings following last week’s National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Mayfield won two rounds in the NFR to finish third in the 2023 standings behind Riley Webb of Denton, Texas, and Haven Meged of Miles City, Mont. Mayfield came into the NFR in second place behind Webb. Mayfield won the 10th round and fourth round and finished in the top three in two other rounds, adding $102,780 to his season’s earni...

  • CHS squads finish second, third

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    CARLSBAD – Clovis High's swimming teams finished the pre-holiday portion of their schedule on Saturday in the Carlsbad Holiday Invitational, with the boys finishing second in final team standings while the girls came in third. Hobbs took the boys' team title with 572 points to 394 for the Wildcats. On the girls side, Clovis finished with 412 ½ points to trail Artesia (461) and Carlsbad (454). Clovis squads return to action with a two-day meet on Jan. 5-6 at Andrews, T...

  • CHS girls second, boys eighth in Tucumcari meet

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    TUCUMCARI – Clovis High’s girls finished second in a field of seven teams while the boys were eighth out of 12 on Saturday in Tucumcari’s Rattler Invitational. The Lady Wildcats posted a pair of individual champions and finished with 30 points to 39 for Bushland. West Las Vegas came in third with 27 points. On the boys’ side, Los Lunas took team honors with 225 ½ points to 171 for Amarillo Tascosa and 229 for West Las Vegas. The Wildcats tallied 64 points. “It’s great to see the focus on improvement as the season progr...

  • Floyd, Clovis Christian notch split

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    FLOYD – Floyd's boys erased an eight-point deficit after the opening stanza on Monday night and defeated Clovis Christian 55-44 for their second win in a row. Seniors Benton Cain and Drew Essary scored 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the Broncos (3-4). Trailing by three at halftime, Floyd outscored the Eagles 19-8 in the third stanza to take control. Seniors Jaden Martinez with 19 points and Noah McKay with 14 paced CCS (6-6). They combined for seven 3-point baskets, inclu...

  • Rams post sweep at Pojoaque

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    POJOAQUE – Portales High’s boys got a second consecutive blowout in Saturday’s finale of a three-game, six-team event hosted by Pojoaque. Coming off wins over the host Elks (57-55) and Dulce (84-44) on Friday – first-day games were pushed back by Thursday’s snow in the northern part of the state – the Rams overwhelmed Monte Del Sol 65-16 to become the unofficial tournament champions as the meet’s lone unbeaten team. Junior Paxton Culpeper scored 11 points and collected nine steals on Saturday en route to most valuable play...

  • Lady Coyotes take title

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    ELIDA – Senior Faith Jasso poured in a season-best 29 points and reached a personal milestone on Saturday night as Dora claimed the girls championship in Elida's Clearway Energy Invitational with a 64-39 thumping of Reserve. Jasso had 971 points coming into the contest and her outing left her at exactly 1,000 for her prep career. Sophomore Dakota Jones added 19 points and senior Bre'Ann Rodriguez 11 for the Lady Coyotes (5-3). Sophomore Delicia Delgado led the Lady M...

  • Opinion: GOP must end immigration nightmare

    Michael Reagan, Syndicated content|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    We’ve got Israel looking for billions. We’ve got Ukraine begging for more billions. And the president and Democrats can’t wait another day to cut fat checks for both countries. Thank God the Republicans in charge of the House of Representatives are telling Democrats that before we dish out money to help Ukraine and Israel defend their borders, we have to defend ours first. Naturally, Democrats don’t want anything to do with that sensible deal. They’re calling it outrageou...

  • Cats, Lady Cats capture third-place tourney tilts

    Ron Warnick|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    RIO RANCHO – After sustaining their first loss of the season in Friday’s semifinals, Clovis High’s girls came back to defeat host Rio Rancho 58-52 on Saturday for third place in the Mel Otero Invitational. The Lady Wildcats (6-1) fired out to a 21-10 lead at the quarter and held off a late rally which saw the Rams (7-2) pull to within four points in the final stanza. “It was a good win for us,” CHS girls coach Jeff Reed said. “They’re a good team. We had two wins this weekend over teams that will definitely be in contention...

  • Opinion: Trump showing exactly who he is

    Elwood Watson, Syndicated content|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    The late author Maya Angelou once stated, “When people show you who they are, believe them.” Nowhere is that saying more applicable than the latest rantings of Donald Trump. The former president was asked twice during a Fox News town hall if he would rule out any abuse of power as retribution against his critics if he ends up returning to the White House. “Except for day one,” Trump responded, noting he would use his presidential powers to close the southern border with Me...

  • Pages past, Dec. 20: Grocery store owner wins election

    David Stevens, The Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    On this date … 1862: Washington Ellsworth Lindsey was born in Belmont County, Ohio. He moved to New Mexico Territory in 1900, settling in Portales where he opened a law office. Lindsey and John Brown Sledge formed the Portales Townsite Co. and sold lots from 1902 to 1911, according to the New Mexico office of the state historian. Lindsey became Portales’ first mayor and was New Mexico’s third governor. The statue outside the Roosevelt County Courthouse honors Lindsey, who i...

  • Publisher's journal: Readers focus on future and the past

    David Stevens, The Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    Two emails caught my attention last week – one about the future, the other about the past. The future came from Mario Caswell. He’s a proud dad whose daughter will likely be seeing her name in the newspaper a lot these next few years. Caswell tells us: “My daughter Janaeh Caswell is an eighth-grader at Yucca Middle school. “They had a game Thursday against Lovington. They fell short, 33-31. But my daughter had an amazing game. “I’m a youth coach and also have coached at...

  • Xcel Energy earns top score

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    Xcel Energy, which describes itself as a national leader in clean energy transition, announced it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index. According to an Xcel news release, the CEI is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. The release reports Xcel joins the ranks of 545 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year....

  • Mexican restaurant opens in Farwell

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    A restaurant offering “authentic Mexican food” has opened in Farwell. “El Chiwas” is a nod to the home region of owners Yajaira and Fernando Garcia, originally from Jimenez, Chihuahua in Mexico, according to spokesperson and server Alondra Sanchez. “Chiwas is also what chihuahua dogs are called in Mexico. That’s why one is part of our sign,” Sanchez said. The restaurant’s sign features a chihuahua in a sombrero. The restaurant at 200 Avenue A, where the Spudnut shop used to be, has daily specials. “Saturday and Sunday our sp...

  • Photography studio opening soon

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    The former Bob Morgan photography studio at 311 Main St.in Clovis will soon cater to area photographers who need a studio. “We’re working under the name of Clovis Studios but we are talking about changing it to ClickScape Photography Studio,” said Clay Benedict, a photographer who recently moved to the area from Albuquerque. The business will offer photography studio space by the hour and plans to open in the spring....

  • Christmas' past: Harry Hanukkah, big BAM!

    Grant McGee, The Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    Christmastime brings back memories of days gone by, like the time I got knocked down after sticking some decorative tinsel in an electrical outlet. Christmas morning 1963 I was itty-bitty and I wore my tiny firetruck print white robe. We had the typical Christmas tree with typical decorations including tinsel all over the thing. “Plug the lights in,” commanded my dad. I grabbed the plug and rammed it into the outlet with all the enthusiasm of a kid, not caring about the hunk of tinsel draped across the plug prongs. BAM! The...

  • Wanted woman turns herself in

    the Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    A woman accused of shooting and beating another woman on Dec. 2 turned herself in to authorities on Monday, police said. Desiree Maes, 35, is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to a police news release. Witnesses allege Maes shot Jennifer Gauna, 39, in the leg and then began to strike her in the head with the pistol. Police had been asking the public’s help in locating Maes since she was identified as a suspect in the attack against Gauna. Maes on Tuesday was being held without bond in the C...

  • Lawmakers expect big bucks for infrastructure

    Madison Willis, The Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    New Mexico can look forward to this legislative session providing more funding for local infrastructure. That was the word from area lawmakers who spoke at Tuesday’s Clovis-Curry County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast. “We all know how cumbersome the compliance, the paperwork is to go after these big … grants. But those are the grants that are going to help us push the needle to redo our roads and infrastructure and provide us with well needed things for our rural communities,” said Shanna Sasser, Departm...

  • Church hosts living nativity

    Madison Willis, The Staff of The News|Updated Dec 19, 2023

    A single star-shaped light above a makeshift stable shines like a beacon at Living Stones Community Church of the Nazarene these nights. Residents gathered in their winter attire Monday night as they watched in amazement of the living nativity. Pastor Rusty Brian said the Clovis church has been hosting this event for four years straight. He said it's not only good to get people in the holiday spirit, but to be reminded of the reason for the holiday. "Christmas is one of our...