Serving Clovis, Portales, Tucumcari and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales, Tucumcari and the Surrounding Communities
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Country singer Mark Chesnutt is coming to Portales on Saturday, bringing his show to the One Portales Music, Beer, Wine and Peanut Festival. Chesnutt takes to the stage at the Roosevelt County Fairgrounds at 7 p.m. Gates open at noon. In addition to Chesnutt, performances are scheduled by Phil and the Phil Goods, Thomas Hinds, and Karson City Rebels Band. General admission tickets are $44.50 ($22.75 for those 18 and under). Bring your own chair. More information and tickets:...
Annie Hogland has been Curry County clerk since 2016. When she's not organizing elections, she's often found with her horses. Q: You're from the mountains of northern New Mexico. What brought you to eastern New Mexico? A: My husband Cody and Eastern New Mexico University. Q: Tell us about where you grew up. A: I lived in Los Alamos until I was about 13. After that I lived in Jemez Springs and Stanley, but I still spent most of my time in Los Alamos. Q: Tell us about your...
No, Mary Lou McAnulla did not get her name from the 1961 Rick Nelson hit song, "Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart)." "I got my name from the blessed Virgin Mother and my grandmother Louise," McAnulla said. She shared more about her life and why it's possible many people in Clovis recognize her. Q: What brought you to Clovis? A: My ex-husband and I were transferred from Plattsburg Air Force Base in Plattsburg, N.Y., in 1991. He went home to his mom and I stayed. Q: Tell us about wh...
The board of the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority on Thursday heard of work progressing on the authority’s test filtration plant at the Ute Reservoir. Board members learned construction on the site should be done by the end of September and operation should begin in early October. The ENMWUA Pilot Water Treatment Plant will be erected in a large tent at the intake location with the cost of erection and needed equipment put at $2.1 million, officials have said. “This will be a miniature version of the ultimate pla...
The Curry County Commission on Aug. 19 unanimously approved a 3.75% cost of living pay increase for most employees. According to the resolution on the matter, “Effective Sept. 14 all County employees who have completed one full year of continuous employment with Curry County shall receive a onetime 3.75% cost of living increase.” The resolution goes on to note “Employees who have not completed one full year of continuous employment at the time this resolution is enacted, will receive a one-time 3.75% COLA increase the day aft...
Portales City Council members on Aug. 19 assured representatives from the New Mexico Environment Department the city would get to work in correcting non-compliance issues with the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Kambray Townsend, NMED representative who handles the Portales Groundwater District, told Council the city was issued a notice of non-compliance on the city’s discharge permit in May. Townsend asked Council if the members had read the non-compliance notice. Not all had. Townsend said there are numerous aspects of...
Kimberly Parmenter came to the Clovis/Portales area, after graduating from Roswell High School, to attend Eastern New Mexico University. She ended up staying and marrying "the nicest guy" and making a life in Clovis. Q: You grew up in Roswell. What brought you to Clovis? A: Eastern New Mexico University initially. I graduated from Roswell High and went to Eastern to study special education and psychology. Q: What's the difference between Clovis and Roswell? A: Roswell has...
This is my last column for the newspaper. Oh, I may return someday. I have learned over the years one never really knows what is up ahead in the future. I may need to make some extra money to pay for that hypothetical high-dollar operation where they inject tiny nanobots in my eyeballs to repair my failing vision. In the meantime, I’m going to go all-in on fixing bicycles. After all, I am Bike Dude. I’m glad I got to work here at The Eastern New Mexico News, and for that I must say a big thank you to Publisher David Ste...
Ryan Ainsworth has been going to the Roosevelt County Fair for well over 40 years, ever since he started showing livestock when he was in the third grade. He's been on the fair's board of directors for eight years. There was something special about the 2025 edition, highlighted by Saturday night's musical performances headlined by Hudson Westbrook. "That was the best fair I've ever been to here," Ainsworth said after it wrapped up its six-day run on Sunday. "Everybody had a...
Most people know her as Mia. That's one of her two middle names. Her workmates at The Eastern New Mexico News know her as Elizabeth Joseph, the newspaper's bookkeeper. Q: What brought you to Clovis? A: The military. Let's just leave it at that. Q: You grew up around one of the busiest and largest seaports in the United States, Norfolk, Va. What's the difference between there and Clovis? A: Clovis is small and Norfolk is a city. One's a small town and one's a big city. There ar...
Portales Municipal Schools on Aug. 11 accepted a number of donations at the board of directors regular meeting. Donations included: • School supplies for all schools from the Roosevelt Health Council and New Mexico Christian Children’s Home. • J. P. Stone Community Bank donated $500 for school supplies. • Brady Barham donated $500 for the PMS Back to School Breakfast. The board also approved travel for various school groups: • A trip to Denver City, Texas, in October for the Portales High School band to attend the Tumblewee...
Col. Robert Johnston believes his team brought good things to the Aug. 13 Cannon Air Force Base Quality of Life meeting. The Cannon Air Force Base commander expressed confidence in his team’s work in his opening remarks to the session. The first presenter was Joelle Reed, CAFB marketing director. Reed outlned the new playground set to open in September or October inside the base’s main fitness center. She also talked up the new service to Cannon from Clovis Area Transit System. Col. Stuart Churchill told the gathering of a s...
I remember the print ad for the Kevin Costner flick, “Thirteen Days.” The words across the bottom read, “You’ll never believe how close we came.” The words refer to how close we came to thermonuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union over the Russians putting atomic missles in Cuba. I was itty bitty, but I remember this showdown in October 1962. It brought back a dream I had. I remembered weird things that have happened in the dead of the night over the years involving big sirens, phone calls, strangers at th...
Big band battle. Nice crowds. Engaged audiences. Curry County Fair promoters said the 2025 edition, which ended a weeklong run Saturday, was a success. "It was good. All the new stuff like the indoor pavilion, the rodeo was full both nights, the 'Battle of the Bands' was great ... the talent and audience really got into that," Fairgrounds General Manager K. C. Messick said Monday. Messick said last week's fair attendance was 22,000, down from 2024's 27,000. "We were on track...
While Gene Apuan was born in El Paso, he has been to many places. He even lived in Hawaii for a bit because his father was in the U. S. military. Martha Apuan is also from El Paso, but she stayed there for 18 years. Once they were married, they lived in different places, including Arizona and Japan. The Apuans, both captains in the Salvation Army, are newly arrived to Clovis. Q: Tell us about your family. Martha: Our parents, both sets, are still alive in El Paso. We have...
Portales City Council on Aug. 5 unanimously accepted an anonymous gift of $6,000 for the city’s Parks Department. Announcement of the gift was made by the city’s Human Relations Director Genna Richards. The money is to be used for the Parks Department at the city’s discretion. In other business, councilors approved a number of routine city contracts. Councilors learned the search continues for the owner of a nuisance property in the city limits, the Primitive Baptist Church building on East First Street. City personnel have...
Clovis City Commission at its regular meeting Aug. 7 approved applying for $ 1.175 million in Community Development Block Grants for various projects around the city: • $500,000 for improvements to the city animal shelter on Ash Street • $250,000 for improvements to the Clovis Police Department. • $200,000 for residential street lighting. • $225,000 for Main Street Clovis items including “public art, sidewalk amenities, seating and signage.” After the meeting, Assistant City Manager Claire Burroughes outlined how the grant w...
New Roosevelt County Manager Drew Patterson on Aug. 5 signed his contract with the county, removing the interim title. Patterson had been interim county manager since July 13, replacing Annette Kirk who resigned last month. Contacted after the meeting, Patterson said he will be wearing two hats in Roosevelt County government: One as county manager and the other as finance director, a post he has held since early June. Commission Chair Tina Dixon said Patterson’s annual salary will be $115,000, reflecting his dual r...
The other day I heard a country song by the group Shenandoah with the line, “I wasn’t home when Mama passed away…” Between that line and the song’s title, “Mama Knows,” I had thoughts. I was out here in New Mexico when my mom went on to glory 11 years ago. The night she died I had fallen asleep on the sofa while watching TV. I was awakened by the loud classic ringing of a telephone. We didn’t have a classic land line telephone. I knew in my soul that Mom had gone on. I turn my phone off when I sleep. The next morning when I...
Orlando Ortega, administrator for the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority, announced his retirement last week. Ortega has been ENMWUA administrator since 2018, according to a July 28 news release. “Mr. Ortega has played a key role in our project beginning with his early involvement as Mayor of Portales, which helped jumpstart the Ute Pipeline Project and establish our Authority,” Authority Board Chairman Mike Morris said in the release. “Most recently, he has served as our administrator for the past 7 ½ years. We are...
John Conrad Laun wants us to call him Conrad. "Conrad is my mother's maiden name. She is very fond of that name and wanted to pass it on to the next generation," Laun said. Laun was born New Mexican and lives in Portales. Q: Where were you born? A: I was born and raised in Albuquerque, in the Northeast Heights. Q: What brought you to Portales? A: I wanted to study music and I wanted to live in a place where I hadn't been before and Portales provided both. One of my professors...
Curry County commissioners on July 29 approved a $51.2 million operating budget for fiscal year 2025-26. The new budget is almost $9 million less than the $60 million budget for FY 2024-25. “The county has done well with grants,” County Manager Lance Pyle told commissioners, explaining the reduction. Pyle also told commissioners the county has $19 million in reserves. Commissioner Seth Martin expressed concern about the possibility property taxes might go up due to the budget. Pyle assured Martin that would not happen. Fin...
The governing bodies of Clovis and Portales met in separate sessions July 29 and passed their individual annual operating budgets for fiscal year 2025-26. Clovis City Clerk Leighann Melancon said city commissioners voted unanimously to pass the $126,969,504 budget for fiscal year 2025-26. The Clovis budget for FY 2024-25 was $110,035,264. Melancon said the increase is attributed to more grants for the city, a total of just over $41 million this year. Grant money for Clovis last year, according to Melancon, was $27 million....
The Horizon Behavioral Health Center has scheduled its groundbreaking for 2 p.m. Friday at 2501 West 21st Street in Clovis. Clovis Assistant City Manager Claire Burroughes answered questions about the regional center in an email Monday. Q: How much will the facility cost? A: The HBHC will cost $9,499,775. Q: Where does that money come from? A: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham awarded $10 million in capital outlay funding for the purchase of the land and construction of the...
A few years ago at work, I was going about my job when a co-worker told a tale of something she saw in Clovis the day before. “I saw a naked guy,” she said. “Oh? Was he standing on a street corner waving?” I asked. “No. He was standing inside his front door just watching traffic go by up there just north of 21st Street. He wasn’t wearing any clothes. “I had to drive around the block to make sure I was seeing what I saw,” she said. I can count on one hand the number of naked people I’ve seen in public in my lifetime, some na...
