Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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On this date ... 1951: A Hereford family was asking Clovis-area residents to be on the lookout for their cocker spaniel named Blondie, last seen headed in the direction of home from Fort Sumner. Blondie and her family were visiting Fort Sumner when the dog “decided she didn’t like it” and started east, the Clovis News-Journal reported. 1956: Law officers were on the lookout for 15 prized bantam chickens stolen from a locked chicken house at 1312 E. 10th in Clovis. The victi...
In one inning on Sunday, Eastern New Mexico University's softball team nearly scored as many runs as were tallied combined during the rest of the weekend series. Senior designated player Taighen Whitzel capped an eight-run second with a grand slam, and the Greyhounds went on to blank Oklahoma Christian 8-0 and take the Lone Star Conference series at Greyhound Softball Field – their first series win all time against the Eagles. Saturday's doubleheader was a split, with each s...
Thanks to the so-called culture wars, debates about events on college campuses are being employed as useful weapons for attacking the gradual democratization that has occurred in higher education since the 1950s. Those of us who are academics and see education as crucial should be alarmed at the specter of partisan attacks, not to mention the garish and outlandish headlines that adversely affect many people trying to make sense of and understand their lives. Academic freedom,...
We have some big, rich and powerful neighbors, but that could change in the years ahead. Let’s start with Texas. New Mexico is heavily influenced by our neighbor to the east. In fact, a good number of New Mexicans on the east side of our state are wannabe Texans, aligning themselves to Texas values more than New Mexico’s. There’s a lot of chili (without the “e”) being eaten in eastern New Mexico. And the last time I visited the resort city of Ruidoso, I saw so many Texas license plates I wondered if I’d inadvertent...
Roosevelt County commissioners in a special meeting Monday agreed to a proposed intergovernmental services agreement with the city of Portales. Terms of the agreement have been debated for more than a year, with the entities exchanging proposals back and forth. The latest proposals – submitted to the county from the city last week -- will now go back to Portales City Council for final consideration. Interim City Manager T.J. Cathey said he expects city officials will approve the deal when the Council meets next week. C...
The fire that destroyed the Portales Hampton Farms peanut processing plant on Monday was initially reported as “a fire outside of the building that is not large at this time.” Minutes later, with sustained winds near 40 mph and gusts near 60 mph, Portales firefighters found “fire in several different areas of the commercial structure and outside the building,” according to a Portales Fire Department news release. It took five hours, 27 fire trucks and 34 firefighters from six... Full story
Had things gone according to plan, Clovis High's tennis girls might be looking at a big District 4-5A win over Carlsbad. Illness limited junior Madita Evert, the Lady Wildcats' No. 1 singles player, to just doubles against the Cavegirls. Then sophomore Emily Bjorklund had to default at No. 4 singles due to a leg injury with a 6-1, 2-1 lead over Carlsbad freshman Charise Young. The final result was a 6-3 victory for the Cavegirls in the district opener for both sides. Carlsbad...
Manny Chavez appears to be rounding into form. The Portales High junior is the defending Class 4A state boys javelin champion, winning by nearly 27 feet at 177 feet, 2 inches, and he's already easily surpassed that mark this season. On Thursday, Chavez posted his third consecutive personal best with a throw of 192 feet in Portales' George-Love Relays at Greyhound Stadium. It was the highlight for the Rams, who finished 10th in the 14-team meet with 25 points. "We had better...
The Clovis Community Chorus, along with ENMU choirs are gearing up for two concerts that will take place on April 20 and 23. Tami Martin, Clovis Community Chorus Director and Jason Paulk, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities for Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU), have teamed up to bring Carl Orff's Carmina Burana to the area. Paulk will conduct both performances. "It's going to be really neat," Martin said. "Orff composed this piece for large orchestra, chor...
Former Eastern New Mexico University men’s basketball assistant Daven Vo was chosen as the program’s next head coach in an announcement by the school on Thursday. A native of Oklahoma City, the 39-year-old Vo served for three years under outgoing ENMU coach Brent Owen as an assistant coach from 2020-23. Owen accepted the head coaching job at NCAA Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. After the program was shut down due to COVID-19 in 2020-21 in Owen’s and Vo’s first campaign, they helped the Greyhounds post a 1...
On this date ... 1935: “Black Sunday” brought what’s still considered the worst dust storm in High Plains history. “A mountain of blackness swept across the High Plains and instantly turned a warm, sunny afternoon into a horrible blackness that was darker than the darkest night,” the National Weather Service reports on its website. “Winds in the (Texas) Panhandle reached upward of 60 mph and, for at least a brief time, the blackness was so complete that one could not see the...
Congress is once again in the throes of trying to cobble together a piece of legislation that will provide Ukraine with some money in support of its war effort. The amount of money being discussed has changed several times in the past few months, but it generally comes down to about $60 billion, so let’s use that figure for discussion purposes. Supporters of the war would have you believe that the $60 billion has to be provided, right now, and that is already too late. The m...
Earning a bachelor’s degree is a lot more complicated than it used to be. Not necessarily harder, just more complicated. Set aside for a moment affordability, which is skewed toward the middle and upper classes along with straight-A students who test well. Getting into college is easier than staying in college, and staying in college to earn that degree requires lots of delayed gratification. I have long contended that a bachelor’s degree does more than show your developing “expertise” in a particular field or two. It show...
The Roosevelt County Commission unanimously approved a grant application that would provide funding for various renovations at the Roosevelt County Courthouse. At their regular meeting Tuesday, Kevin Spears with the Ninth Judicial District Court told the commission what renovations were needed upstairs, including improvements to the restrooms and jury room. “The total cost of the project would not exceed $1 million,” Spears said. The cost would be just over $858,000 and the county would cover only 50%, which would be aro...
Portales City Council members on Tuesday unanimously named city Fire Chief T.J. Cathey their interim city manager. Council member Veronica Cordova said Cathey will be interim manager until June 21 or until the Council finds a successor to Sarah Austin, who was fired early this month. Cathey said it’s his understanding he will be paid $5,538.46 twice a month “as an incentive in addition to my regular pay check.” “He understands that should we find somebody to take the job … That will be the end of that contract,” Portales Ma...
Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Amber Hamilton is the county manager for Roosevelt County. Q: What is the jail situation these days? Are you short of detention officers? How many prisoners are you averaging? A: Roosevelt County has been averaging 64 detainees (per day) in 2024. There are 31 total positions at the facility with two vacant positions. Interviews are ongoing as personnel are working to fill these two slots. The Detention Center continues to provide c...
It’s time again for the Clovis Music Festival. This year’s headliners will include the rock band Gin Blossoms and country music’s Kip Moore who will headline the 37th annual event. “You don’t get this in Clovis every day,” said Kim Tipton, events coordinator for Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce. Other performances, all taking place at the Curry County Events Center, will include Bowling for Soup and a Pink Floyd laser spectacular, which will be a laser show along to the music of the popular ’70s band. A schedule of eve...
Clovis High's girls won two of three doubles matches on Monday to eke out a 5-4 tennis victory over Roswell Goddard at the CHS tennis courts. Meantime, the boys had no such concerns, rolling to a 9-0 sweep as the Rockets managed to win only 15 total games. It was the start of a busy week for the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats, all at home. Clovis is slated to host District 4-5A foe Roswell High in non-district duals today, with the actual district slate beginning on Friday...
Luciano Terilli had a tough time in his first pitching start for Eastern New Mexico University's baseball team on Sunday, but he sure delivered at the plate. So did almost everyone else. The junior left-hander, normally the Greyhounds' closer, was thrust into the starting role in the wind-blown finale of a Lone Star Conference series against Arkansas-Fort Smith at Greyhound Field. He lasted three innings on the mound, giving up eight runs, but as the designated hitter from the...
Leave it to the right to make a cheap attempt to capitalize off human tragedy. For most people, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was a disaster of horrific proportions. Americans across the political spectrum expressed their sorrow and prayers toward the victims and their families. But for many in the bombastic world of right-wing conservatism, it presented an opportunity to partake in one of their favorite hobbies: injecting racism into the issue at...
On this date ... 1945: Ted Thomas, who spent a lot of time working in the Rogers area before joining the military, was back in the United States at a West Coast hospital, The Portales Daily News reported. Thomas was “being treated for his nerves,” the newspaper reported after surviving the Bataan Death March and subsequent imprisonment. 1951: Pioneer Air Lines at the Clovis airport reported sustained winds at 35 mph and gusts to 45 mph. High temperatures were in the 40s. “An...
From hissing cockroaches to energetic green iguanas, Clovis residents were able to learn about the lifestyles of exotic species at Hillcrest Park Zoo's Educational Center grand opening. More than 50 people, including families and local city leaders, came to Friday's big reveal. Among them, smiling ear to ear, was Zoo Director Stephanie Chavez, who has been planning big changes since she started working for the zoo about a year ago. "I visited a lot of zoos and I realized...
If there’s anything I know for sure, it’s that crime in Clovis is on many minds. I read on Facebook that local crime is spiraling out of control. Mostly it’s Joe Biden’s fault. But the anecdotal evidence shared on social media does not match up with the statistics, which suggest crime may be dropping … dramatically. Consider: In 2013, Clovis police recorded 2,646 arrests. That number has been steadily decreasing since. In 2023, CPD recorded 1,061 arrests – a 150% drop. Jail...
Cal-Maine Foods’ poultry facility in Farwell tested positive for bird flu last week, forcing the destruction of 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets, officials said. “They’re going to be working hard to clean up the facility and get it ready to go back to work,” said Max Bowman, vice president and chief financial officer for the company. In a press release from the Texas Department of Agriculture, the loss accounts for approximately 3.6% of the company’s total flock. Cal-Maine, headquartered in Mississippi, is the U.S....
Portales Fire Chief TJ Cathey will serve as interim city manager until the City Council replaces Sarah Austin who was fired in a 6-2 Council vote on Tuesday. Cathey said he will direct the public to the resources it needs and take over some “in-charge” duties. “I am willing to step in as interim, to be a team player and help out, but I am not interested in the City Manager position at this time,” he wrote in a text message Friday. He said the Council agenda calls for an executive session at this Tuesday’s meeting to discus...
