Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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At first, problems reported at the Portales Police Department appeared barely beyond ordinary, the kinds of things many small-town law agencies face as they train officers with limited experience. But recently there have surfaced incidents of a far more serious nature: An officer had his wife with him when he crashed his police car running a red light in pursuit of a traffic violator; not properly destroying unneeded evidence; not properly documenting officers' proficiencies with weapons, and longtime Deputy Police Chief Lonn...
Donald "Doc" Elder has brought multiple accolades to eastern New Mexico. The latest was announced this week: The Portales history professor by day is the Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year. In June, Eastern New Mexico University's golden voice was named to the New Mexico Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. We offer congratulations for his success, and thank him for helping us keep up with the Greyhounds and Zias. And we'd like to share something a little more personal as well: an email we received this week from...
Donald "Doc" Elder has brought multiple accolades to eastern New Mexico. The latest was announced this week: The Portales history professor by day is the Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year. In June, Eastern New Mexico University's golden voice was named to the New Mexico Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. We offer congratulations for his success, and thank him for helping us keep up with the Greyhounds and Zias. And we'd like to share something a little more personal as well: an email we received this week from...
Taxpayers and the media are not the only ones with questions about what's going on at the Curry County jail. Add local law enforcement to the list. When killer Louis Guerra beat his victim's brother with a broomstick in the jail on June 27, jail officials did not notify anyone in law enforcement for 15 hours. Law officers learned of an alleged broomstick beating from a March 26 incident on June 21 — when a lawyer filed notice of intent to file a lawsuit. "I cannot comment about the ongoing investigation in the Guerra m...
Curry County commissioners have a lot of work to do today. Their meeting agenda includes nearly 100 items, ranging from consideration of closing County Road R near Cannon Air Force Base for security reasons, to renewal of a burn ban, to yet another discussion on building a new jail. Oh, and they're planning to give themselves a pay raise. They're not planning to discuss giving themselves a raise. This item is on their "consent agenda" along with 47 other items, because they are all "routine" and can be approved by one...
Portales is preparing to hire a new police chief for the first time in 19 years. It's nice to hear City Manager Tom Howell say the process may take months, that he'll select a committee to help sort through the applicants and their qualifications and that he doesn't care if the next chief comes from Portales "or Timbuktu." Howell said he doesn't care how long it takes; he's determined to find a quality administrator with strong leadership skills for the department that employs 46. Jeff Gill announced this week he's retiring...
Congress is considering action that would allow states to collect online sales taxes. Retailers with storefronts are required to collect sales taxes across the country, but online retailers are often excluded from such collection. Proponents are calling the proposal "e-fairness" or "marketplace fairness." We have a more accurate term for lawmakers' proposal: "tax increase." National Retail Federation officials say Main Street retailers are tired of watching potential customers go window shopping in their stores, then making...
On Wednesday, Ninth District Judge Donna Mowrer denied murder suspect Noe Torres' request to remain in the Curry County jail until his trial. Instead, the longtime fugitive — arrested in Mexico in January and accused in 2005 of killing a sleeping 10-year-old Clovis boy — will be spending his pre-trial days in an unspecified state prison. It was a good decision. Undoubtedly most residents dismissed Torres' emotional plea to be housed in Curry County so he could be close to his legal counsel and his family. After all, how imp...
Curry County Commission Chairman Wendell Bostwick is not talking to the Clovis News Journal. He told a CNJ reporter last week he's upset with our July 1 editorial — "Incompetency root of jail's ongoing mess." It stated that "jail leaders and staff and the county commissioners are not qualified to run this jail." Bostwick demands an apology from us before he will deign to speak to the CNJ's reporters or editorial writers again. He shouldn't hold his breath. Expressing our views on our Opinion page over the dangerous Curry C...
Today we celebrate freedom. For some of us that means backyard barbecues, pool parties, watching baseball from the recliner or watching fireworks displays at Greene Acres Lake in Clovis or west of Greyhound Arena in Portales. Some also will celebrate our nation's independence with our own fireworks purchased at roadside stands scattered throughout the region. All such celebrations are great; we just urge caution when using fire, especially in the tinderbox conditions we're experiencing again this summer. Our cities, counties...
Today we celebrate freedom. For some of us that means backyard barbecues, pool parties, watching baseball from the recliner or watching fireworks displays at Greene Acres Lake in Clovis or west of Greyhound Arena in Portales. Some also will celebrate our nation's independence with our own fireworks purchased at roadside stands scattered throughout the region. All such celebrations are great; we just urge caution when using fire, especially in the tinderbox conditions we're experiencing again this summer. Our cities, counties...
Two Curry County commissioners want to ask voters — again — for money to build a new jail. The question would appear on November's general election ballot. If any other souls on Earth thought that was a good idea, their unreal expectations surely died Thursday when the latest example of jail staff incompetence was brought to light. This time, an inmate who witnessed his brother's shooting death was placed in the same pod of cells as his brother's accused killer. Guess what? A fight broke out. Twenty minutes later, det...
O ur newspapers received some harsh criticism for failing to provide coverage of a teenage girl who's been missing from her Clovis home since June 7. A few readers posted comments on social media sites claiming we did not report on the story because we did not "care about the child," and that "unless it bleeds it doesn't lead." Then, within 72 hours of the public outcry, we began publishing a series of stories about 16-year-old Aly Marques. We owe our readers some explanations. First, we almost never publish news stories...
O ur newspapers received some harsh criticism for failing to provide coverage of a teenage girl who's been missing from her Clovis home since June 7. A few readers posted comments on social media sites claiming we did not report on the story because we did not "care about the child," and that "unless it bleeds it doesn't lead." Then, within 72 hours of the public outcry, we began publishing a series of stories about 16-year-old Aly Marques. We owe our readers some explanations. First, we almost never publish news stories...
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has been a loud and proud supporter of government transparency. That's why we're surprised to hear she's been in the middle of recent media reports questioning her actions related to public records. First it was revealed the governor and other high-ranking administration officials discussed state business using email accounts connected to her political action committee, The Associated Press reported. Then, a disgruntled former cabinet secretary claimed the governor's chief of staff, sometime...
We celebrate Father's Day with a few stories from readers: Patti Dobson, Portales: My dad is one of my heroes. He's faced some awful health issues. Through all of them, he maintained his grace, his dignity and his humor. He also taught me that you can give someone a black eye with Knox Blox ... (I got too close trying to sneak up on him. He nailed me. ... The ceiling in the house was punctuated by red and orange stains for years.) Edna Carby, Clovis: My dad never turned his back on anyone in need. He taught me to always give...
We celebrate Father's Day with a few stories from readers: Wes Robertson, Clovis: My dad passed away when I was 6, so I didn't know him well. He was a Pearl Harbor survivor, and served in the Navy through World War II and the Korean War. He smoked a pipe. To this day, when I smell Prince Albert tobacco, I have flashbacks to being curled up in his lap while he read to me. We lived in San Diego. When his ship would leave, my mom and I would see him off at the Navy pier, then rush all the way around to the Port Loma Lighthouse,...
Eastern New Mexico has seen its share of random acts of violence against innocent people through the years. Many remember Ola Temple, 80, of Clovis who answered her door to a stranger on Jan. 31, 1986. She was raped and murdered just before her house was set on fire. But we cannot remember any examples of violence against multiple innocent strangers more brutal and senseless as those perpetrated last Wednesday. Police say Jimmy Reagan, 31, killed one man, threatened to shoot about a dozen more and sexually assaulted three...
Eastern New Mexico has seen its share of random acts of violence against innocent people through the years. Many remember Ola Temple, 80, of Clovis who answered her door to a stranger on Jan. 31, 1986. She was raped and murdered just before her house was set on fire. But we cannot remember any examples of violence against multiple innocent strangers more brutal and senseless as those perpetrated last Wednesday. Police say Jimmy Reagan, 31, killed one man, threatened to shoot about a dozen more and sexually assaulted three...
Eastern New Mexico residents are a hearty breed of independent, headstrong people loyal to each other. That trait shows through regardless of politics — most of the time. However, we saw that link tested before Tuesday's primary election. It nearly broke for Republican friends and neighbors. The last two months were especially nasty for the GOP members of Senate District 7 (Curry, Union and Quay counties). The race ended with voters rejecting Republican Gov. Susana Martinez' ham-fisted attempt to tell her east-side f...
Eastern New Mexico residents are a hearty breed of independent, headstrong people loyal to each other. That trait shows through regardless of politics — most of the time. However, we saw that link tested before Tuesday's primary election. It nearly broke for Republican friends and neighbors. The last two months were especially nasty for the GOP members of Senate District 7 (Curry, Union and Quay counties). The race ended with voters rejecting Republican Gov. Susana Martinez' ham-fisted attempt to tell her east-side f...
Now that we've narrowed the field for our next set of elected representatives, let's remind them all what they're supposed to be doing on our behalf: Securing our unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Three recent news stories suggest they need a good reminding. Somehow we doubt the Founding Fathers would have approved of today's government efforts to imprison Roger Clemens, make chicken pens bigger or outlaw Big Gulps. It's not that we necessarily approve of the baseball pitcher's antics, tiny...
Now that we've narrowed the field for our next set of elected representatives, let's remind them all what they're supposed to be doing on our behalf: Securing our unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Three recent news stories suggest they need a good reminding. Somehow we doubt the Founding Fathers would have approved of today's government efforts to imprison Roger Clemens, make chicken pens bigger or outlaw Big Gulps. It's not that we necessarily approve of the baseball pitcher's antics, tiny...
At least our state Senate candidates are consistent. More than once, Angie Spears and Pat Woods have declared their No. 1 priority if elected to represent District 7 would be repealing state law that allows illegal immigrants to receive driver's licenses. Really? The biggest issue is not reducing poverty or illiteracy or kids having kids, or finding solutions to overcome our water shortfall? The individual pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, which the Constitution says is the purpose of government, is tied to who drives i...
I f we tried to put a face to Eastern New Mexico University athletics, it would look a lot like B.B. Lees. No individual in the school's history has brought more prestige and respect. Lees, 81, has battled serious health issues the past four years, but we caught him leaving his Portales home on his way to the golf course late Thursday morning. "I wanna see if I can still hit the ball," he proclaimed. We're guessing most of the community is happy to see him back in the swing of things. So are we. Lees was recently honored by...
