Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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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...
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...
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...
Most of us will step outside and look up when we know there's an eclipse. Jaslyn Gilbert and Kilian von Bibra are going beyond that – in this case, about 500 miles beyond. The Portales couple plans to make the seven-hour drive to San Antonio, Texas, so they can witness Monday's solar eclipse. That's expected to be an ideal location to experience the moon totally blocking out the sun, which only happens a few times in a lifetime. Millions of people are expected to travel to s...
Writing is a solitary profession, but in Betty Williamson’s eyes her Uncle Jack Williamson always knew how to bring a community together through his literature. “We all really love this community and Jack certainly did love living in Portales and love his long association with ENMU,” she said. Eastern New Mexico University hosts its 47th annual Jack Williamson Lectureship April 11-13. “ENMU has such a rich history with science fiction through Dr. Jack Williamson’s incredible life and legacy. ENMU is honored to be a part of t...
The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority board on Thursday unanimously approved Drake Industries, LLC to provide land restoration services. “I think we’re all excited about (the agreement) because of what it means in the way of increased valuing and respect for property owner rights as these property owners partner with us on this critical project,” said Mike Morris, Clovis mayor who also chairs ENMWUA. Water Authority Administrator Orlando Ortega presented the recommendation to the board. Ortega said the board had a...
Curry, Roosevelt, Quay and De Baca county residents and companies gave $455,000 to the United Way of Eastern New Mexico in the past year. They received thanks at the charity's annual banquet Tuesday. Over 110 people attended the Safari-themed event at the Clovis Civic Center. "The banquet is just our chance to celebrate the generosity of the community and tell the story of what is occurring at United Way," Executive Director Erinn Burch said. For feeding nearly 300 people on...
Despite being stuck inside due to the cold weather, Eastern New Mexico University students and staff could still be heard laughing and dancing to bollywood music in the Union Building on Monday afternoon. Gathered for the celebration of love and the introduction of spring, ENMU International Affairs hosted their first ever Holi Festival. For attendees such as Catalina Arana Mendoza, who is studying to get her masters in communications, getting the opportunity to learn diverse...
The last two of the five candidates for the Clovis Community College president position last week explored the area and were interviewed by college board trustees. Candidates on Thursday and Friday were given the opportunity to speak with several employee constituencies and the public before meeting with trustees. Each candidate was questioned by elected officials, representatives from Cannon Air Force Base and the public. After the public forum, the audience was encouraged to fill out a survey via QR code to give feedback...
In hopes of challenging the state's Public Education Department's proposed changes to school calendars, the Clovis Municipal Schools Board on Tuesday unanimously voted to be part of a planned lawsuit. The board approved a resolution supporting CMS Superintendent Renee Russ joining the New Mexico Superintendents Association's opposition to the 180-day rule ordered by the PED. Multiple area school superintendents have said they also will join in the planned lawsuit. The mission...
Cameo Elementary School will close, Lockwood Elementary will become a preschool center and the Freshman Academy will move to Clovis High School. Those are among recommendations Clovis Municipal Schools board members will be asked to consider in the coming month. "We want to emphasize that we are just now starting the conversation period. We did take the last week or 10 days or so to go personally visit campuses that might be most directly impacted through recommendations,"...
Cameo Elementary School will close, Lockwood Elementary will become a preschool center and the Freshman Academy will move to Clovis High School. Those are among recommendations Clovis Municipal Schools board members will be asked to consider in the coming month. Superintendent Renee Russ led the board of education work study session on Tuesday morning. Russ said she and other school officials have informed impacted schools’ staff of the proposed changes but emphasized the board will have the ultimate say in any changes. ...
Three candidates for the Clovis Community College president position explored the area and were interviewed by the college’s trustees last week. Each candidate was given the opportunity to speak with several employee constituencies and the public before meeting with trustees. Each candidate was questioned by elected officials, representatives from Cannon Air Force Base and the public. After those public forums, the audience was encouraged to fill out a survey so they could give feedback for trustees review. “All the inf...
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...
Junior enlisted members and their families are now able to access food, as well as other household necessities, from the new Airmen’s Attic at Cannon Air Force Base. A crowd of civic leaders, airmen and Cannon leadership gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday morning. While the Airmen’s Attic has long provided household goods and clothing, volunteer and Air Force spouse Maggie Fleck knew that more assistance was needed. In December, she and other volunteers began making that happen. “I have a heart for our junio...
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last Wednesday signed the Fiscal year 2025 state budget and the capital outlay spending bill for New Mexico, providing nearly $1.8 billion in projects throughout the state. Local officials said they were largely pleased with the funding. The budget totals $10.21 billion in recurring spending, which is 6.8% more than FY 2024, according to a news release from the governor’s office. The release stated there is a “historic high” of 32.5% in reserves. “The budget I signed … represents a strong in...
Clovis voters on Tuesday were pretty clear: They didn't want change on the City Commission. That especially held true with the mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Mike Morris defeated opponent Misty Bertrand, 1,780 votes to 487. Morris said he believed it was his experience and vision that won him the race. "I believe the community recognizes that I have the experience and values to represent Clovis and lead us to the future," Morris said. Bertrand did not respond to requests for co...
New Mexico will be the fourth state in the nation to implement stricter regulations on gasoline and fuels used for transportation. That was the word from local lawmakers at Roosevelt County’s Legislative Luncheon on Thursday. Sen. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell, told the audience that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had signed House Bill 41, the Clean Transportation Fuel Standards bill. Nibert said the bill is a carbon tax and will ultimately increase gas prices anywhere from 30 cents to $2 per gallon. Nibert said this will hamper rural...
With the update of the facility master project, Clovis Municipal School Board members Tuesday discussed the possibility of missing out on state funding due to a facility-to-student ratio. CMS Deputy Superintendent Jay Brady presented the subject to the board at its regular meeting. Brady said the district has 12,000 seats available for children K-12, but every year 4,000 are empty. “I want you to understand that we have more facilities than kids,” Brady told the board. If the board does not take the necessary steps in app...
Plans for a new go-kart attraction at the recreational business St. Bernard Farms went up in smoke Monday. A wind-driven grass fire burned an estimated 15 to 20 acres, destroying cedar fencing, lighting, signage and the go-carts. Owner Rocky Bernard said the farm sustained about $50,000 in damages. Good news, he said, was the flames never reached the farm fields, so they will be able to provide corn mazes and pumpkin patches this fall as usual. However, he said Monday’s f...
Since she was a child, Clara Thomas has found herself immersed in the sights and smells of the kitchen. Always challenging herself with difficult recipes like cheese cake, Thomas knew she wanted to cook her entire life. With the cooking industry always being a part of her family, Thomas said she knew she had to chase after her dreams. "I've been cooking since I was 12 and I love seeing people eat my food when I cook. That's my love language, it's cooking," Thomas said. Owner...
Economic development was among the main issues Thursday as candidates for the March 5 municipal elections gathered for a third forum. Global One Media hosted the most recent two-hour forum at the Clovis-Carver Public Library, with Raymond Mondragon as the moderator for the event. Twelve of the 13 candidates attended, each fielding five questions with just one minute to speak. The only candidate missing from the forum was Josefita Griego, who is seeking the District 4 Commissio...
Crime is on the mind of area residents and political candidates. That was the primary takeaway from the political forum hosted Monday by radio station KTQM. Greg Southard and David Lansford hosted the two-hour event, which featured 12 of the 13 candidates seeking municipal positions in the March 5 election. The only candidate missing from the forum was Mayoral Candidate Misty Bertrand. Candidates pulled questions at random, while also given the option to answer other candidates’ questions with 60 seconds allotted to speak. T...
Molly Hickok said her chocolate lab Mamas has always been a little explorer. She's prone to jumping over the fence at the family home in Melrose. She doesn't usually get far, but that changed around Jan. 22. With her family gone to the store that morning, Mamas scaled the fence and somehow ended up 60 miles from home. Through the combined effort of local animal lovers and social media, she returned home Jan. 23 with a story to tell. Santa Rosa Animal Control Director Crystal T...
With the end of the 30-day legislative session on Thursday and nearly 70 bills awaiting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s signature, area lawmakers said the session was an up-hill battle for gun rights. “It was a tough session, but I think all in all we got some things done. … We stood up really hard for the Second Amendment rights,” Rep. Jack Chatfield, R-Mosquero, said. Sen. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell, said only four Republican bills made it in the cut. He said though it was supposed to be a budget session, gun-control was the domi...
