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...
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
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...
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...
On this date ... 1918: Bailey County school teacher Evelyn Monts, 23, was shot to death outside her home north of Muleshoe by a man who’d asked her to marry him. John Teal was not arrested and brought to trial until 1936, but confessed to killing Monts and received an eight-year prison sentence, according to multiple newspaper accounts. Some newspapers reported Monts had declined Teal’s marriage proposal, and that led to her slaying. Teal testified he had planned to div...
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...
An anonymous reader sent a letter last week reprimanding the newspaper because it “refuses to publish” an important story. “There is a big cover up,” the letter read. Our reader is referencing a lawsuit settled in February by the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department. The lawsuit alleged improper handling of a 2020 case in which a Clovis child was placed in her father’s home after her mother died. The father, Juan Lerma, subsequently killed the child, Samantha Ru...
On this date ... 1932: A man accused of “city slicking” had been arrested in Hot Springs, Ark., after a Clovis cafe owner reported he’d been tricked out of $95. George Johnson of Clovis told police the stranger had approached him with a story claiming he had found $1,500 worth of gold dust in Alaska. The stranger wanted to send the gold to a mint in San Francisco where it could be converted into gold coin. But the man did not have the money to pay for shipping. Johnson told...
January’s contract renewal for Eastern New Mexico University Chancellor James Johnston is “not valid.” That’s according to the Government Counsel and Accountability Division of the New Mexico Department of Justice. The DOJ issued a letter to ENMU regents Friday in response to complaints from The Eastern New Mexico News and New Mexico Foundation of Open Government. The complaint was that regents violated the state’s Open Meetings Act when they renewed Johnston’s contract on... Full story
Portales City Manager Sarah Austin has been placed on paid administrative leave, and her future with the city is expected to be determined in a special meeting on Tuesday. Austin, reached at her home, said Mayor Mike Miller presented her with a letter about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday stating she has been placed on paid leave until the end of her contract. "I asked him why and he wouldn't tell me," Austin said. "I am beyond devastated. I love this community. I thought I was doing a...
Americans’ concerns about marijuana use can be traced to the early 20th century. Government officials in 1917 claimed that Mexican immigrants smoked cannabis – another name for marijuana -- for pleasure and expressed concern they could assault women under its influence. That report comes from Emily Dufton’s book, “Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America.” While there was no evidence tying large numbers of Mexican immigrants to illicit drug use and v...
On this date ... 1946: Harold “Skinny” Holland had purchased Jack’s Body Works from Jack Calkins. The Clovis auto body shop was located at 512 W. Seventh St. ‘“Skinny,’ as he is known to the people in this area, is considered one of the most skilled and proficient men of his trade,” The Clovis News-Journal reported. 1949: Cricket Coogler, an 18-year-old Las Cruces waitress, went missing. She was later found dead, raped and run over by a car. Pittsburgh Steelers football player...
On this date ... 1944: A four-engined bomber from Clovis Army Air Base crashed into a plowed field nine miles north of Clovis on a routine training flight. All nine men on board were killed. Rancher A.J. Kemp saw the crash and rushed to the scene. He said bodies were strewn over a wide area and wreckage was scattered for about a half mile. 1952: The 4 Lane Drive-In movie theater on East Mabry Drive outside Clovis was preparing for its “gala opening.” The first two shows were ...
On this date ... 1951: Fifty head of Brahman calves, each weighing about 300 pounds, were purchased for an upcoming calf-roping competition. Officials with the Clovis Mounted Patrol reported the calves had never been roped. Champion roper Homer Pettigrew, formerly of Grady but currently living in Chandler, Ariz., said he planned to attend the April 8 competition and would bring his top roping horse. 1955: Clovis house mover Homer Bennett was fined $106 for traffic violations...
On this date ... 1940: Coach Rock Staubus’ Clovis High School football team had scheduled nine games but wanted three more to complete “one of the stiffest schedules arranged for a local team in several gridiron years,” the Clovis News-Journal reported. Teams on the schedule already included Clayton, Raton, Portales, Carlsbad and St. Michael’s College of Santa Fe. The season was slated to begin Sept. 13, but no opponent had been lined up yet. 1950: Johnny Reynolds of Dora wa...
Editor’s note: Primary elections across New Mexico are scheduled June 4, with early voting beginning May 7. The general election is Nov. 5. We asked candidates in contested Curry County commission races for their background and “Why do you want this job?” Here are their responses: Curry County Commission District 4 Seth Martin I am a fourth-generation farmer, small business owner, elected county official, and deacon at the 16th and Pile Church of Christ. I’ve been married...
Every elementary school in the Clovis Municipal School district may be impacted in some way when officials submit their Facilities Master Plan to the state later this spring. “There is potential for closure and repurposing” in recommendations that will be made to the school board on Tuesday night, Superintendent Renee Russ said. “There are shifts in boundaries, where some students and staff will transition, and other recommendations …” Deputy Superintendent Jay Brady tol... Full story
SANTA FE – The state Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a new trial for the Portales daycare providers who left two children unattended in a hot car in July 2017. Sandi and Mary Taylor in 2019 were each sentenced to 36 years in prison after they were convicted of reckless child abuse. One of the girls in their care – 22-month-old Maliyah Jones -- died, while the other -- 23-month-old Aubri Loya -- suffered serious injury before recovering. According to a news release from the Court: “In a split decision, the Court concl...
On this date ... 1950: A solid red flying saucer, traveling at an estimated speed of 1,000 mph, was spotted near Eunice in Lea County. Ruth Hedgpath and her husband C.E. Hedgpath both said they witnessed the object hovering about 500 feet. It was silent and left no vapor trail, they reported. 1951: Portales Builders and Supply, located on the Lovington Highway, claimed it offered 1,322 paint colors. “Pastels, accents, deep tones — all the colors you’ve ever wanted, for perfe...
On this date ... 1941: The region was recovering from “the worst duster since the Black blizzard days of January 1935,” the Clovis News-Journal reported. A teenage Clovis newspaper delivery boy rode his bicycle into the side of a moving freight train, but was not seriously injured. Billy Martin had his head down, trying to avoid the sand blowing in a 50-mph wind when the accident occurred. Skid marks on the road suggested Billy heard the train just before impact. His bike, dem...
Marlowe J. Churchill heard about his family's greatest tragedy many times growing up. He didn't really feel it until he visited the gravesite for his murdered great aunt and her eight children in Farwell in 2017. Tears ran down his cheeks when he placed his hands on the gravemarker and followed the letters of the nine names carved into the stone. "It surprised me, it really did," Churchill said about the emotion that raced through him when he first encountered his ancestors. "...
On this date ... 1836: Peter James Bailey III died, along with other Tennessee Mounted Volunteers, in the battle of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. For Bailey’s service to Texas, his heirs received land parcels that are now in Archer, Baylor and Hamilton counties. Bailey County in the Texas Panhandle is named in Bailey’s honor, according to the Texas State Historical Association. 1912: A slumber party had been given in honor of Misses Beulah and Georgia Stewart at the hom...
On this date ... 1951: Eastern New Mexico University was fighting for its life as a four-year college. State Comptroller Richard Strahlem had proposed the university's budget be limited to $374,487. The 1950-51 fiscal year's appropriation had been $414,000 and University President Floyd Golden had requested $629,000 for the 1951-52 fiscal year. Golden wanted the increase to raise faculty salaries by 25% and to hire additional instructors. Strahlem's position was that only Univ...
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...
On this date ... 1950: “Sands of Iwo Jima,” starring John Wayne and Forrest Tucker, was playing at the State theater in Clovis. “Clovis is cheering the Marines’ greatest hour,” a publicity ad reported. 1956: Two local men were sentenced to prison by Judge E.T. Hensley Jr. after pleading guilty to unrelated crimes. Nelson Foster, a 34-year-old farmer from Oklahoma Lane, received a one-to-10-year sentence for larceny. He admitted to stealing a rotary shredder from L. L. Collins...
