Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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For Tayelor Chavez, "Next year," is finally just, "Now." CNJ staff photo: Kevin Wilson Madison Howard concentrates before the starting signal during a heat in the Clovis Soapbox Derby. Howard was one of 13 competing in the race, hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Clovis. The shortest run in the 11-year history of the Clovis Soapbox Derby — clocking in at three-and-a-half hours — ended with one of its longest-tenured contestants taking the victory Saturday afternoon on Sycamore Str...
The family of Army Sgt. 1st Class Dale Smith always knew he'd never be the same after his tour in Afghanistan quickly came to an end with a gunshot wound. Courtesy photo: Raymond Smith Sgt. Dale Smith holds his daughter, Cadence, 5, as they pose for a picture during a homecoming ceremony for the 4th infantry division at Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, Colo., where Smith was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor. Smith suffered a gunshot wound to the head while he was serving in...
The family of Army Sgt. 1st Class Dale Smith always knew he'd never be the same after his tour in Afghanistan quickly came to an end with a gunshot wound. Courtesy photo: Raymond Smith Sgt. Dale Smith holds his daughter, Cadence, 5, as they pose for a picture during a homecoming ceremony for the 4th infantry division at Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, Colo., where Smith was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor. Smith suffered a gunshot wound to the head while he was serving in...
Citing a "culture of confidence," Clovis' MainStreet executive director is noting that 2012 has so far been a noteworthy year for the city's downtown area. CNJ staff photo: Tony Bullocks Work is on schedule for renovation of Hotel Clovis, with outside work set to begin in a few weeks, Community Development Director Claire Burroughes said. MainStreet Executive Director Robyne Baubien believes the renovation is a catalyst for growth in the downtown area. Robyne Beaubien said...
For the 11th year, Clovis youths will be on a roll as the Clovis Soapbox Derby takes over Sycamore Street 10 a.m. Saturday. File photo Rockell Horton, back, and Chloe Cowman race down Sycamore Street during the semifinals of the 2011 Clovis Soapbox Derby. There are 13 riders signed up for the annual event, race organizer Larry Erwin said, with a double-elimination bracket set up for racers. The winner will move on to the National Soapbox Derby, scheduled for July 21 in Akron,...
Add the threat of shutting down the kitchen to the litany of problems incurred at the Curry County Adult Detention Center. A New Mexico Environment Department inspection discover a series of violations at the jail kitchen, most dealing with an outdated and deteriorating cement floor. The county commission discussed options Tuesday for dealing with the problem. None of the solutions were simple as the jail doesn't have the luxury of not serving meals to inmates. After discussion on the matter, the commission allowed Administra...
Following a debate on the need for road improvements, and the need to go through proper channels, the Curry County Commission moved ahead on a $300,000 budget transfer from cash reserves to pave a five-mile stretch of County Road 6. Commissioner Frank Blackburn, head of the road committee, said the road had just received new caliche, and timing was perfect to improve the road between State Road 348 and Curry Road F — known, he said, as an unofficial truck bypass from Clovis to Farwell. He said the road, which was not in h...
Curry County Adult Detention Center Administrator Gerry Billy got a thumbs-up from the Curry County Commission on establishing inmate work crews. Gerry didn't need approval from the commissioners during the Tuesday meeting, but said he brought the item up for informational purposes and to get concurrence on such a program before he created a scope of work. He found concurrence throughout the commission. "In my time as a judge," Commissioner Caleb Chandler said, "I found that inmates wanted to be on work detail." Billy said...
Zach Logsdon never shied away from lobbing jokes at his sister, his classmates or even the brain tumor that eventually took his life. Zach Logsdon Logsdon, a 2011 graduate of Clovis High School, died May 29 after a five-year battle with a brain tumor. "Nobody felt bad for him; he was always so happy," said Colton Dant, friends with Zach since junior high. "He found ways to feel bad for other people, and he would comfort them even though he was struggling." Zach was born Sept....
With a fraction of the discussion that took place during the introduction in May, the Clovis City Commission approved an ordinance annexing 523 acres of county land owned by developer Sid Strebeck. The land, about a mile north of the intersection of Llano Estacado Boulevard and Thornton Street, includes the site of the future Gattis Middle School, set to open in the 2013-14 school year. That land was donated to the Clovis Municipal School District by Strebeck in 2010. Following the vote, Strebeck thanked the commission,...
Great Lakes Airlines is looking to opt out as Clovis' commercial air service provider. Clovis officials have received a 90-day termination notice from Great Lakes, which provides round-trip air service daily between Clovis and Albuquerque as part of the federally funded Essential Air Service program. Under its latest contract signed in April 2011, Great Lakes is paid to provide two round trips per day and each weekend to Albuquerque from Clovis, with a federal subsidy rate of $1.6 million per year. Clovis Municipal Airport Di...
Darla Rhodes is the grand marshal for Saturday's Pioneer Days Parade, though a few days before she was unaware of the duties. File photo Rodeo queen contests wave to the crowd during the 2011 Pioneer Days parade on Main Street. This year's parade is 10 a.m. Saturday. "I don't think I have to do anything but wave," Rhodes said with a laugh. "That's all I'm counting on doing." The participation level is usually a lot higher for Rhodes, a Whiteface, Texas, native who helped her...
Shondel Lofton, friends said, was a kid at heart and loved being around children. Courtesy photo Shondel Lofton, a custodian at Barry Elementary during the school year and an employee at the Casel-Land Fun Center from the day it opened, was fatally shot Wednesday night Lofton, a custodian at Barry Elementary during the school year and an employee at the Casel-Land Fun Center from the day it opened, was fatally shot Wednesday night at the age of 35 in what police believe was a...
Voters went with an incumbent, a former commission chairman and a new face in a trio of contested Curry County Commission primaries Tuesday night. Unofficial results, which are scheduled to be canvassed Friday in a Curry County Commission special meeting, give Ben McDaniel the nod in the District 2 Republican race, Wendell Bostwick in the District 4 Democratic race and Tim Ashley in the District 5 Republican race. McDaniel and Bostwick face no opponent in the November general election; Ashley will face Paul Barnes, who ran...
A biodiesel producer at the Clovis Industrial Park is setting up to sell its product locally. Renewable Energy Group is prepping a wholesale terminal at the plant, with product available for delivery in July. Alicia Clancy, corporate affairs manager for REG, said the terminal will have an inventory capacity of 500,000 gallons, with three tiers of potential consumers — petroleum refineries, petroleum wholesalers and companies with large trucking fleets that keep diesel on site. "The facility right now, as it stands, is 40 p...
Not all of them may be around any longer, but every June, residents of the Clovis area spend a week honoring those who gave them a Clovis in the first place. File photo Emory Mann of the Maulsby Angus Wagon of Clovis preps chicken fried steaks during the 2011 "Duke of the Dutch Ovens" Chuck Wagon Cook-Off "It's to honor our Western tradition, way of life," Wilma Fulgham said of the 42nd annual Pioneer Days, which runs throughout the week. "It was traditionally started to...
Xcel Energy officials are confident their Texas and New Mexico customers will be all right, even with the possibiilty of rolling blackouts in the Texas energy grid, but noted that conservation is always helpful in the heat of May through August. "It's a little bit down from where we were last year," Xcel spokesman Wes Reeves said of power usage for Xcel's New Mexico customers. "We didn't have nearly as much heat. It's still hot, but we didn't have nearly as much." Reeves said customers have been in touch with the company...
From the commanding sound of Air Force aircraft overhead to the somber sounds of trumpets playing, "Taps," Clovis residents marked Memorial Day Monday morning at the Lawn Haven Garden of Honor CNJ staff photo: Kevin Wilson Col. Buck Elton, commander of Cannon Air Force Base, delivers the address Monday morning during the Memorial Day observance at the Lawn Haven Garden of Honor. The annual event is organized by the Curry County Joint Veterans Council. About 125 were in...
From the commanding sound of Air Force aircraft overhead to the somber sounds of trumpets playing, "Taps," Clovis residents marked Memorial Day Monday morning at the Lawn Haven Garden of Honor CNJ staff photo: Kevin Wilson Col. Buck Elton, commander of Cannon Air Force Base, delivers the address Monday morning during the Memorial Day observance at the Lawn Haven Garden of Honor. The annual event is organized by the Curry County Joint Veterans Council. About 125 were in...
Even when it was time for closing statements, Pat Woods and Angie Spears were willing to open attacks on each other at the KTQM political forum. The two-hour forum, aired by Zia Broadcasting from the KTQM studio south of Clovis, featured the two Republican candidates for state Senate District 7 and 14 others candidates for six county or state positions in the June 5 primary. Moderator Grant McGee goes over pre-forum particulars Tuesday night at the KTQM candidate forum. McGee has handled the duties since 1999, except for two...
Local broker Carolyn Spence had a specific item in mind when she said it, but her advice for one section of the Monday night Landlord Rights and Responsibilities Forum covered most incidents a landlord could expect to face. "Whatever you want to do," Spence said, "put it in writing." Spence was one of three speakers addressing topics viable to landlords during the hour-long forum at the Clovis Community College Town Hall. She was joined by Sonya Reyes-Tapia, the Section 8 director for Clovis Housing, and Matt Rowland,...
After 22 years at Texico, R.L. Richards is trading in his Wolverine green for Mule black. Richards, 54, superintendent at Texico Schools, is taking an assistant position with the Muleshoe Independent School District. As assistant superintendent, Richards will be in charge of curriculum and academic accountability, and also act as a service provider to principals as a representative of the superintendent's office. "Muleshoe looked like a great place to go and try to help another school district," Richards said of the move, whi...
With quotes received, quotes researched and quotes regifted, the Clovis High School class of 2012 took the next step forward in life. CNJ staff photo: Kevin Wilson Clovis High senior Keegan Rury celebrates as she comes onto the stage during the school's graduation ceremony Saturday morning at the Curry County Events Center. In front of a packed house at the Curry County Events Center, 366 graduates adorned with purple caps and gowns received the last piece of paper Clovis...
As part of a military family, Matt Woodbury is more than accustomed to only spending a few years at an elementary school before moving on. With that in mind, his college baseball experience should be a relatively smooth transition, as the Clovis High senior committed to Spartanburg Methodist College in Spartanburg, S.C. The 6-foot-5 Woodbury, who pitched and played first base for the Wildcats, is hoping he can make an impact in the Pioneer rotation. "I loved the school, I really liked the pitching coach," Woodbury said. "I...
The Clovis City Commission approved a small business setup at the Potter Park Pool, and Mayor David Lansford cast the first vote of his current term during an hour-long meeting Thursday night. As mayor, Lansford's primary commission duties are to preside over the meetings and vote only to break ties. The opportunity came up with a proposed $100,000 dedication toward median beautification. The commission unanimously supported the project, but differed on what city fund should pay for it. City Engineer Justin Howalt said there...
