Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Titus Plomaritus got into falconry -- the use of birds of prey to hunt -- on a suggestion from his wife; something the two of them could do together. "She lost interest when she first saw a red-tailed hawk catch a squirrel and the rodent's eye popped out," Plomaritus told a Clovis Rotary Club luncheon audience Thursday. Plomaritus, a Clovis orthopedic surgeon, and his golden eagle, Louhi, were guests of the Rotarians. "She's named after the wicked witch of Norse mythology,"...
LOVINGTON – Portales High's boys got off to a slow start in the first half on Thursday night and could never recover in an 82-64 loss to Lovington in the semifinal game of the District 4-4A boys tournament. Lovington built a 36-17 halftime lead and was quite content to essentially play the Rams even the rest of the way. "We couldn't get out of the hole we dug," PHS boys coach Randy McBroom said. "We dealt with a lot of foul trouble, and that didn't help." Senior guard J...
When West Texas A&M scored six runs in the top of the second for a 7-3 lead over Eastern New Mexico University on Friday at Greyhound Field, it certainly didn’t look good for the Greyhounds. A couple of huge innings took care of that, though, and the Hounds notched a 20-10 Lone Star Conference win over their rivals in a game shortened to 6 ½ innings by the 10-run rule after seven. All but two of ENMU’s hits were singles, and the Hounds also benefited from five walks, four wild pitches and four errors by WT (11-4, 10-3 LSC)...
MELROSE – Suffice it to say, the Logan Longhorns are getting a little tired of coming to Melrose. Logan has faced the Buffaloes four times this season, with three of those games in Melrose – and all three resulting in losses. Junior Chance Brittenum hit four 3-pointers and scored a personal-best 20 points as the Buffaloes (23-3), ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, posted a 73-66 win over the third-ranked Longhorns (23-5), who are 2-5 against Melrose and second-ranked district member Fo...
Portales High’s girls looked to be in deep trouble most of the way in Thursday’s District 4-4A tournament semifinal game against Lovington. Lady Wildcats junior guard Aubrey Aranda hit a 3-pointer on Lovington’s first possession, and they never relinquished the lead in a 50-46 victory over the Lady Rams at the Ram Athletic Center. Sophomore guard Malaiya Castro scored 12 points while Aranda and senior forward Erlin Salcido had 11 apiece. Lovington (17-12) traveled to top-seeded Artesia on Friday night in the finals and suffer...
RIO RANCHO – Clovis High’s baseball team jumped on Los Lunas early on Friday and handed the Tigers a 12-8 setback in a six-team get-together being hosted by Rio Rancho Cleveland. In Thursday’s season opener, the Wildcats dropped a 9-7 decision to the host Storm. They wrapped up play in the event on Saturday against Belen. “I’m happy with the way the kids have competed,” CHS coach Richard Cruse said. “If somebody hit us in the mouth, we always came back.” Senior Jasiah Mendoza went 4-for-4 with a double and three runs scor...
LUBBOCK – The ball didn’t bounce Farwell’s way at the end on Tuesday night, and as a result the Steers’ season is over. Floydada finished out the game on an 11-2 run and the Whirlwinds posted a 59-53 victory at Lubbock Christian’s Rip Griffin Center in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal game. It was the second consecutive season Floydada has eliminated Farwell to advance to the regional semifinals. Prior to last year, the Whirlwinds hadn’t gotten this deep in the tournament since 2008. Floydada (28-8) won its sixth in a row wh...
CARLSBAD – It would be interesting to see what kind of seed Clovis High's girls would get in next week's Class 5A state tournament if it weren't for Carlsbad. The Lady Wildcats have gone 20-8 this season, but three of those losses have been administer by the Cavegirls (16-11) – by a total of five points, no less. Carlsbad had only eight points at halftime on Thursday's District 4-5A tourney semifinal and trailed by 18 in the third stanza, but the Cavegirls held Clovis to 10...
Eastern New Mexico University's men recently had a game where seven of nine players in uniform scored in double figures and the other two finished with six points apiece. The Greyhounds topped that on Thursday night, returning senior guard/forward and Lone Star Conference scoring leader Jahcoree Ealy back to the mix. This time, eight of 10 players reached double digits while the other two had six each in a 125-84 rout of Western New Mexico at Greyhound Arena. The result left E...
Eastern New Mexico University’s softball team got a big monkey off its collective back on Tuesday. No, make that more like a gorilla. Senior designated player Taighen Whitzel’s one-out, walkoff home run in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Greyhounds to a 4-3 Lone Star Conference win over Lubbock Christian at Greyhound Softball Field, ENMU’s first win all-time against the Lady Chaps. LCU came into the series 42-0 against the Hounds dating to their first meeting in 2010. On Wednesday, the Hounds were primed to make...
Thirteen candidates are seeking six positions in Tuesday’s Clovis municipal elections. Early voting ended Saturday. The next opportunity to vote is Election Day. Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. City Clerk LeighAnn Melancon said 770 Clovis voters had voted early as of mid-afternoon Friday. Four years ago, Clovis had 19 municipal candidates seeking positions and 1,929 voters came out prior to Election Day. Melancon said there are five city polling places for Tuesday: • The Roy Walker Recreation Center, 316 W. Sec...
In the days leading up to the primary election in New Hampshire, several voters received phone calls from a voice that sounded like and claimed to be President Joe Biden encouraging them to stay home on election day. It was the first well-publicized use of artificial intelligence in a dirty tricks political campaign, but it undoubtedly will not be the last. The New Mexico Legislature took action this session to get in front of the problem. House Bill 182, which awaits the governor’s signature, amends the Campaign Reporting A...
When is a four-day school week appropriate? The answer is simple: When it meets the educational needs of the students, when it is supported by parents and educators and the community. Why does it have to be so difficult, especially when it works? I have said on the House floor that New Mexico has a hard time dealing with prosperity. When we have an industry providing over 100,000 great jobs, creating billions of dollars of revenue, what does the Legislature do? It attacks, taxes, regulates and imposes anti industry...
What’s a liberty lover to do? Authoritarian government seems to be gaining by leaps and bounds. Again. Did humanity learn nothing over the past hundred years? This time authoritarian government is using captured corporations to crack down on liberty in ways it can’t usually get away with, at least in America, due to that pesky Constitution. Authoritarianism also uses the lies of “safety” and “national security.” A variety of tools, all leading to one miserable place. There is...
I try and avoid writing about Donald Trump, even though I voted for him twice. But sometimes you cannot avoid the elephant in the room, literally. As a preface, I have to admit that I understand why Trump is particularly upset these days. He has been the target of prosecutions that in most cases seem stretched to the legal limits and designed to influence an election. Liberals reject that premise and believe that Trump incited a riot, that he paid “hush money” to a porn sta...
As of today, six states and the Virgin Islands have held their primary elections or caucuses. Early voting for the much-touted Super Tuesday primaries has begun. Fifteen states and American Samoa will vote or caucus on March 5 to determine who will be candidates for the general elections in November. I can’t remember a time when Super Tuesday was this irrelevant. Both the Republican and Democrat candidates have been nominally selected, if not actually chiseled into stone. T...
I never visited the Dan Buzzard Memorial Law Library. And now I never will. The seven-decades-old building behind the Curry County Courthouse was demolished Wednesday morning to make way for a new magistrate court. I've always wondered about that odd little building – what's a law library? – and the man for whom it was named. While looking for those answers, I discovered one far more interesting: The building for more than 20 years was home to Clovis' first real public lib...
The Portales City Council has approved another water study; this one gives the green light to a company that will help them determine how to raise water utility rates. Waterworth, a utility rate management company based in British Columbia, serves around 200 communities across North America. According to Grange Gordon, who works for the company and presented to the council Tuesday. Waterworth provides the software necessary to plan financially when water rates go up. The cost to utilize the company is an annual charge of...
Jose Maldonado, 25, of Clovis on Tuesday was convicted by a Curry County jury of kidnapping, criminal sexual penetration and burglary in a May 2021 incident. He faces up to 30 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled this week. A news release from Ninth Judicial District Attorney Quentin Ray stated the sexual assault occurred on Clovis’ Sycamore Street. Prosecutors allege Maldonado broke into the victim’s home. Police investigators matched Maldonado’s DNA to the sexual assault evidence kit collected by ARISE sexual assau...
A “Complete House System” for school activity and instruction is being implemented at Clovis’ Cameo Elementary School. According to a news release from “the house teacher leaders” at the Clovis Municipal School, the house system is inspired by the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. “We are excited to introduce a House System to our school. The House System has proven to be a transformative educational model that fosters a sense of community, camaraderie, and shared purpose among students, staff, and the broader community,” the new...
A Farwell man died Wednesday night after he was struck by a vehicle in the 200 block of Curry Road 10 northwest of Texico. According to a news release from Curry County Sheriff Michael Brockett: Authorities at 7:08 p.m. Wednesday received a 911 call about a person struck by a vehicle near the Clovis airport. When rescue workers arrived, they found Brandon Galvan, 23, had died as a result of his injuries at the scene. “Deputies learned that Galvan had been out on Curry Road 10 running eastbound as a part of his physical f...
Clovis Community College trustees have called a special meeting for 8 a.m. Monday to select finalists for the school’s president. School officials have said a search committee has been reviewing more than 40 applicants for the job. Last month, they said five finalists will be announced. They’ve said they hope to name a new president by April. Robin Jones has been interim president since Charles Nwankwo was placed on administrative leave in August 2022. Nwankwo resigned Feb. 1, 2023. Neither he nor trustees have given a rea...
Believing great things can come out of others when they're given the chance to learn is something Anu Ogunleye has lived by. That idea is what helped her get from West Africa to North America. Ogunleye is an assistant professor of agriculture at Eastern New Mexico University. She's from Ibadan, Oyo State in Nigeria, and moved to the U.S. in 2019 with her husband and two children. She has been at ENMU since August of 2022. Ogunleye gave a presentation at the university...
With the update of the facility master project, Clovis Municipal School Board members Tuesday discussed the possibility of missing out on state funding due to a facility-to-student ratio. CMS Deputy Superintendent Jay Brady presented the subject to the board at its regular meeting. Brady said the district has 12,000 seats available for children K-12, but every year 4,000 are empty. “I want you to understand that we have more facilities than kids,” Brady told the board. If the board does not take the necessary steps in app...
Wildfires continued to engulf the Texas Panhandle and parts of Oklahoma on Friday as officials were concerned warming temperatures and growing winds could elevate fire conditions through the weekend. The Smokehouse Creek fire, which ignited Monday, has burnt through more than 1 million acres becoming the largest wildfire in state history. The fire - which grew in size after merging with a smaller 687 Reamer fire ― is among the largest in the Lower 48 since record-keeping b...
