Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Two finalists were named in the search for Portales' new city manager Tuesday night at the Portales City Council meeting. Roosevelt County Community Development Corp. Director Doug Redmond and Stanley Livengood of San Antonio, Texas, are being considered to replace current city manager Tom Howell, who is retiring at the end of this year. Portales Mayor Sharon King sits on the city manager search committee along with a few other city councilors and a community member. King said the search will remain open until the position... Full story
An Eastern New Mexico University employee charged with embezzling more than $18,000 from the university said he was embarrassed and ashamed of the crimes he committed in a video of his interrogation. Plane tickets, hotel stays, limo rides, Disney World tickets and a tiara for a drag queen contest were among the 56 unauthorized purchases Jeremy Phillippi, 26, made with a university credit card, according to an ENMU Police Department incident report. Phillippi, the university's Math Department secretary and Science Fair coordin...
The promise of riding down water slides in 85-degree weather was one way Portales police were able to keep more than 200 second-grade students from getting out of control Monday at Rotary Park. Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune Angelina Martinez, left, is chased by Tristan Puckett during a game of Duck, Duck, Goose, but instead of tagging him with her hand, she sprayed him with a water gun. Duck, Duck, Goose was just one of the many games second-grade students from James Elementary participated in during the... Full story
Officials at Portales Municipal Schools say a decline in enrollment is the reason for a dip in this year's budget. The budget is down $885,000 from last year's budget of $22.4 million and Business Manager Sarah Marquez says that's an indication that the economy is causing families to relocate. "We're down in our total budget and that's largely due to having a decrease in 100 kids from last year," said Marquez, who added she believes that number does not reflect children in military families stationed at Cannon Air Force...
A person of few words, Sarah Walker's action speaks volumes about her passion to help others. Walker, a special need student at Dora High School, spearheaded her second food drive at Dora schools, collecting 380 pounds of non-perishable goods in four days for the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico. Walker, 21, has Angelman syndrome, a neuro-genetic disorder that causes developmental delays, particularly in her speech. But those who know her say her disorder has never held her back from doing what she does best, helping those in...
Environmentalists are concerned a new rule under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposed lesser prairie chicken listing will weaken protections for the bird if it's listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The special rule, commonly referred to as the 4D rule, says incidental take, or inadvertent killing, of a lesser prairie chicken would not violate the federal act if the take happens through either conservation programs or agricultural activities. The bird, native to New Mexico and four other states and... Full story
If you see a group of Ford Model T vehicles riding around Portales and Clovis between Thursday through the weekend, it is not because you time traveled back to the 1920s. The Tin Lizzies of Albuquerque's Model T Auto Club, along with friends from Amarillo and other locals, will be participating in a tour of eastern New Mexico. The antique automobiles, dating from 1909 to 1927, will log more than 200 miles during the four-day Llano Estacado Auto Tour. They will stop in local communities to visit, according to the club's press...
Sumer Garcia said she'll have to limit the number of trips outside of Portales after seeing gas prices jump more than 60 cents a gallon within two days. The gas station attendant and mother of three said her every day routine of dropping her children off to school and picking them up will become more costly. Most gas stations in Portales on Monday offered regular unleaded fuel for $3.07. On Tuesday evening, it was $3.69. "It's outrageous," Garcia said. "It will take about $80 to fill up my tank. We'll be traveling a lot... Full story
The search continues for the next Portales schools superintendent as the last pair of community meetings with candidates are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Portales Municipal Schools Director of Instruction David Van Wettering will lead this week's meet-and-greets and Grady schools Superintendent Ted Trice will follow. The community meetings were scheduled by the Board of Education of Portales Schools to receive input from parents and the public on its selection of the next superintendent from among four finalists.... Full story
Jamie Wilsher gets no bigger joy than seeing her children grow. She only wants the best for them, to know that they're safe and happy and like most mothers, one of the hardest parts is letting go after seeing that change. But unlike most mothers, Wilsher sees her chicks fly the nest frequently. Unlike most mothers, she has nearly two of every appliance to deal with the ever-changing population of her home. And unlike most mothers, Wilsher isn't the first parent her children have ever had in their lives because she serves as...
Woody Guthrie did what he was famous for Thursday night at the Portales Yam Theatre, organizing and uniting people. Locals sang with passion as they clapped along to the folk icon's tunes played by Eastern New Mexico University critical literacy Professor Doug Morris. Morris talked about Guthrie's legacy and said his music was about the struggle of the working people to win back the earth. Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune Doug Morris starts off his Woody Guthrie...
Woody Guthrie did what he was famous for Thursday night at the Portales Yam Theatre, organizing and uniting people. Locals sang with passion as they clapped along to the folk icon's tunes played by Eastern New Mexico University critical literacy Professor Doug Morris. Morris talked about Guthrie's legacy and said his music was about the struggle of the working people to win back the earth. Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune Doug Morris starts off his Woody Guthrie...
A Portales man charged with the criminal sexual penetration of a 14-year-old girl was released from jail Tuesday on a $30,000 cash bond. Jose Zamora, 29, of Portales has been accused of raping the girl in March during an overnight stay at his home, according to the criminal complaint. Zamora was arrested on Friday and charged with criminal sexual penetration, criminal sexual contact of a minor, and giving alcoholic beverages to a minor. Jose Zamora Released from jail Tuesday...
An Eastern New Mexico University employee has been charged with embezzling more than $15,000 from the university. Jeremy Phillippi, 26, was arrested Saturday after admitting to using a university purchasing card for personal hotel stays and gifts, according to an arrest affidavit. In addition to embezzlement, Phillippi is also charged with forgery of his supervisors' signatures on receipts of the purchases he made in an attempt to pass them through ENMU's Financial... Full story
Farmers waiting on payouts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their participation in an insurance program for grazing losses can expect to see the money as early as Friday, according to a rep for U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. After payments for USDA's Farm Service Agency Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program ceased on March 1 due to the sequester, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association Executive Director Caren Cowan said farmers pressured USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to move funds around so that the...
Portales Mayor Sharon King is enthusiastic about U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., opening an office in Portales, a first for the area. "I'm very excited because he's always been so supportive of our projects," King said. According to Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation Director Doug Redmond, the senator's representatives were looking for office space in the Clovis and Portales area in order to be more in tune with the needs of his constituents in this area. Redmond...
New Mexico farmers who signed up with a U.S. Department of Agriculture insurance program for grazing losses are out thousands of dollars and fear things will only get worse. New Mexico Cattle Growers Association Executive Director Caren Cowan said farmers signed up with the USDA's Farm Service Agency Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) haven't been paid in more than a month, even though the funding has been approved. Cowan says phones have been ringing non-stop with concerned farmers who are now expecting...
Scott Parker says if a few days of sun follow Monday evening's thunderstorm, his lawn and shrubs may have a chance. "There's nothing like a good rain," said Parker, Portales High School's girls assistant soccer and softball coach, about the 0.56 inches of precipitation that drenched Portales. Parker said his smoke bushes were completely bloomed before the overnight freezes last week wiped them out. He hopes Monday night was the start of good weather for the area. "Usually by now everything is green and budded," Parker said....
As Eastern New Mexico University's school year comes to an end, graduates aren't the only group of the ENMU family to start a new chapter in their lives. ENMU recognized 17 retirees earlier this week at a reception, honoring the employees for their years of dedication and service to the school. Ginger Creighton, a native of Artesia, is among the list of retired ENMU employees and was the person who loved to get up and go to work each day. She served as the school's safety officer. "It was an excellent job, I loved it,"...
George Crawford says he expects "children" ages 8 to 80 lining up for atlatl (spear) throwing this weekend at Blackwater Draw just six miles north of Portales. Sure the fun stuff will attract people to Saturday's Prehistoric New Mexico Open House, but Crawford, Eastern New Mexico University's Blackwater Draw Site director and archaeologist, said the open house is held to bring awareness to New Mexico's contribution to the nation's prehistory. ENMU: Courtesy photo Community members gather at the Blackwater Draw site in 2011... Full story
Ninth Judicial District Judge Drew Tatum enlisted the help of children from Brown Early Childhood Center and James Elementary to redecorate his courthouse. Hundreds of Portales students recognized U.S. Law Day in Portales on Wednesday by sending their Law Day-themed colored pictures to Tatum. The pictures lined the hallway that leads to Tatum's chambers. According to Lawday.org, President Dwight Eisenhower established the first Law Day on May 1 in 1958 to mark the nation's commitment to the rule of law. Christina Calloway:...
Unless you were alive during the Great Depression, today might be the first time you've seen snow in May in the Clovis and Portales area. According to the National Weather Service's projected forecast, there is a 40 percent chance or rain and snow early this morning that may carry on until 11 a.m. The last time it snowed in the area in May was 1935, when 2.4 inches of the white stuff was recorded on May 5, according to weather service meteorologist Todd Shoemake. But even if it doesn't snow, forecasts call for a high...
Hailey Vandewiele wants you to see growing up in America through the eyes of Ariela, a teenage girl who is the epitome of a teenager growing up in the "1.5 generation." Vandewiele, an Eastern New Mexico University senior and a native of Oregon, described the 1.5 generation as the group of immigrants who come to the U.S. fairly young, but only know the states as their home, or as the generation between the first and second. Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune Hailey Vandewiele, right, acts as her character teenage Ariela... Full story
Elida Municipal Schools Superintendent Jim Daugherty will be the first candidate of four vying for retiring Portales Superintendent Randy Fowler's seat to meet with the public. The first in a series of meet-and-greets with superintendent candidates is May 8 in the administration building. In an effort to receive public and parent input, the Board of Education of Portales schools is holding meet-and-greets with the four finalists prior to interviewing them and making its decision. Board President Alan Garrett said the board... Full story
U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall said they are confident a solution can be found that will protect the habitat of the lesser prairie chicken while allowing ranching and the booming oil and gas industry to flourish. The New Mexico Democrats are being criticized from not taking a stance on the issue by the director of GOAL Advocacy, a pro oil and gas industry group. The lesser prairie chicken, known for its rare mating rituals, is proposed to be listed as threatened under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's federal reg...
