Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Roy Rice is the chief of police at the Clovis Police Department. Q: The city recently approved a $5,000 sign-on bonus for new hires in the police department. What else are you doing to recruit? A: We still utilize media sources such as Facebook, internet advertising programs and radio advertising. Word of mouth is one of the best methods, and we receive better responses from personal...
The Clovis Community College Board of Trustees has narrowed the search to find a firm that will assist them in their effort to hire a new president. In July, the board voted to appoint Trustee Jan Bradburn and Chair Lora Harlan to seek proposals from companies that can help them in the search. On Wednesday, the board narrowed its choice to two companies: ACCT Searches and Academic Search. Both companies share similarities in what they would provide for the search such as...
A false report of an active shooter in Clovis on Wednesday turned out to be a mental health crisis from the reporting party. Officers were dispatched to K-Bob’s Steakhouse about 9:30 a.m. after a caller claimed someone was shooting people inside. On arrival, police found only employees getting ready to open. Officers located the person who made the call and learned they were experiencing a mental health crisis, according to a news release from police. The incident was turned over to a Mobile Crisis Response Team. There w...
After nine years and $29 million, the Curry County Courthouse renovations are complete. The Curry County Commission and County Manager Lance Pyle introduced the space to the community Thursday at a ribbon cutting and open house. "This was part of a long-term plan, which required a lot of patience and had its fair share of frustrations along the way," Pyle said in his opening statements. Pyle then went on to discuss some of those frustrations, among them that the county was spe...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Lonnie Baca is the athletic director for Clovis Municipal Schools. Q: Now that school is back in session, what can people look forward to as they watch the Wildcats and Lady Cats this year? A: We did add powerlifting to our programs. We're going to be offering that for both boys and girls. That'll be a first for us this year. That season actually does not begin until January. We did hire a co...
Marijuana use and driving after using marijuana increased from 2022 to 2023 as did drinking and driving, but underage and binge drinking decreased from 2022 to 2023, Shannon Morrison of the Curry County DWI prevention program Tuesday told the Curry County Commission. At the same time, Morrison said, there was a decrease in the number of young people considering suicide and attempting suicide in the county between 2022 and 2023. E-cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana are the most-used illegal substances among middle and high sch...
The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority (ENMWUA) board on Thursday approved a loan agreement in the amount of $15 million with the New Mexico Finance Authority, with the city of Clovis footing the bill. “The city of Clovis is providing this up-front, $15 million capital contribution as a portion of their membership contribution” to ENMWUA, water authority administrator Orlando Ortega said. Another $150,000 is tacked onto the $15 million for insurance, bringing the loan total to $15,150,000. The loan will finance som...
Because New Mexico is considered a plaintiff-friendly state with high payouts from medical malpractice lawsuits, rural hospital officials say they are struggling to find insurance coverage. One of the many hospitals across the state that is dealing with this issue is Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales. New Mexico has established medical liability limits, but the maximums keep rising, said Kaye Green, RGH’s chief executive. “The limit now is $4.5 million,” Green said. “It started out at $4 million, and then it was to incr...
This week marks week 27, and Baby Sena is apparently the size of a head of lettuce. She doesn’t feel that big, though. It’s really me that feels a lot bigger. She kicks and moves around every day, multiple times a day. I think feeling those movements is what I’m going to miss most about pregnancy. It’s such a unique feeling, but I’m always comforted when I feel her doing her little twists and turns and flips. Can we also talk about Braxton Hicks? I would’ve never dreamed I’d be feeling small contractions this early on. It...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. John DeSha has been the public utility director for the city of Portales since 2011. Q: As of right now, what is the status on the water emergency in Portales? Has it gotten any better in the past week? Worse? A: The status on the wellfield really hasn't changed. We can't produce any more water than we did before. But we do have some encouraging information. The conservation efforts are...
The Roosevelt County Commission discussed dollar amounts and other numbers involved with services the county provides to the city and vice versa. On Tuesday, county commissioners Tina Dixon and Roy Lee Criswell presented recent discussions they had with city councilors Veronica Cordova and Chad Heflin about the ongoing negotiations. “What they're offering is $200 for anybody arrested, whether they're municipal, whether they’re state charges, whatever it is. $200 a day, up until arraignment” for Roosevelt County Deten...
Friday's Curry County Fair Junior Livestock Sale has a chance to be a record-breaker. Organizers said 96 4-H and FFA youth sold their animals for just over $417,600 before add-ons. Add-ons are donations made after the sale. Add-ons are accepted until Sept. 18. Mindy Turner is the Family and Consumer Sciences agent with New Mexico State University's Curry County extension office. She said Friday night that after add-ons are compiled, this year's total could surpass last year's...
Some knew Wiley Teel as an Albuquerque school teacher, where he devoted more than three decades of his life. Others knew the Portales native as a cattle rancher, restorer of antique furniture, emergency medical technician and lover of antique cars. He moved back to Roosevelt County in 2000 after retiring as an educator. "We were born and raised in Albuquerque," Teel's son Mike Teel said. "So, I just knew the Albuquerque schoolteacher, Wiley. "He was the hardest working man...
Adding the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) as an economic development partner seemed to be the idea of the day Wednesday as the Eastern Plains Council of Governments (EPCOG) held its regular meeting in Clovis. The meeting's guest speaker, Jorge Ayala, regional director for EDA's Austin, Texas, Regional Office spoke to EPCOG about why to him it is important for the council to work towards being a partner with EDA. "It may not always be an EDA funded project...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of state-of-the-entity interviews with local officials. Tina Dziuk is the executive director for Clovis Economic Development (CED). Q: How exactly is Clovis Economic Development funded? How is it governed? Who decides how the money is spent? A: Our organization is primarily funded through memberships, grants, and our contract with the city of Clovis. CED is governed by a board of directors who is responsible for approving the b...
This week marks week 25. Only 15 to go! This summer has flown by, and with back-to-school in the air, I can’t help but think about what my baby girl’s first day of school will look like. Will she make a lot of friends? Will she like her teacher? Will she eat the food that’s served in the cafeteria? I’m not sure if it’s a maternal instinct or what, but these are the thoughts that flood my every day life. I constantly wonder what she’ll be like, look like, what her voice will sound like. Will she have more of my features or...
Before the Clovis Community College (CCC) Board of Trustees hire a new president, the board needs to decide on hiring a consulting firm to help them find qualified candidates for the job. Board Chair Lora Harlan presented an update on progress toward choosing a firm at the Wednesday’s regular board meeting. In July, the board voted to appoint Trustee Jan Bradburn and Harlan to seek out proposals from companies that can help them in the search. The proposals will include the cost, what each company is going to do, and the t...
Financial challenges continue at Roosevelt General Hospital, along with the other rural hospitals across the state. RGH leaders and board members held a briefing Tuesday to provide an update on the state of the hospital and what the future holds. The briefing came after the financial challenges were made apparent by the fact that RGH recently had to cut back on staff hours and even dismiss some employees. RGH Chief Executive Officer Kaye Green said in May the cutbacks...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of state-of-the-entity interviews with local officials. Erinn Burch has been the executive director of United Way of Eastern New Mexico since 2002. Q: Inflation is an issue across all boards. For this organization, has inflation cut into any of your donations? A: We did have a smaller response to our diaper drives this year than we have in the past ... I think that there's a lot of things at play. Inflation and costs of...
Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of state-of-the-entity interviews with local officials. Col. Jeremy Bergin is the commander, 27th Special Operations Wing, Cannon Air Force Base. Bergin took command in May. Also in this interview is 27th Special Operations Wing Chief Master Sgt. Colin Fleck. Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What inspires you? What frightens you? What makes you laugh out loud? A: (Bergin) Both my mom and my dad served in the Air Force....
It was a busy, yet successful, two-day summit for Ogallala Commons (OC) as they put on their first ever Brazos River Headwaters Local Food Summit at Clovis Community College (CCC) on Tuesday and Wednesday. OC describes itself on its website as a multi-state "nonprofit education and leadership organization that reinvigorates commonwealth to build vibrant Great Plains communities." OC's website states the organization has established chapters in areas covered by the Ogallala...
Xcel Energy announced on Wednesday that it will invest approximately $770 million in existing Texas and New Mexico power generating facilities by extending the life of two older natural gas-fueled units, constructing solar generating systems and adding battery storage. According to an Xcel press release, the investments are designed to “meet growing electricity needs and retire power plant generators that have served customers for close to seven decades.” Xcel Energy’s plan is to extend the life of the two natural gas units a...
With the first day of school just around the corner, the Portales and Clovis school districts have been boosting security measures in response to concerns of students, parents and school employees. Portales is implementing a new system called Rave Panic. This consists of an app that all teachers and administrators will have access to on their phones. It allows them in emergencies to dispatch law enforcement to their location with the push of a button. "It's for fire, ambulance...
The summer break ends on Aug. 7, the first day of classes, for students in Grady and Melrose schools, with classes to begin on dates ranging from Aug. 9 to Aug. 21 in other districts in Curry and Roosevelt counties. Students and parents should be ready for somewhat longer school days as schools have additional time requirements to help bring student achievement levels up after the COVID-19 pandemic. Following are first days of classes and other important information for students and parents to know before class begins. Some...
This week marks week 23, and Baby Sena is the size of a grapefruit. I’ve definitely been able to feel the growth inside of me, considering I can’t button any of my pants anymore. I’ve officially moved into maternity clothing. Also, I know my belly is stretching because of how itchy my skin gets throughout the day. Still no stretch marks yet … but I’m sure they’ll make their appearance toward the end. Ever since we found out Baby Sena is a girl, all of our family has started gifting us with goodies and shopping for all thi...
