Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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CLOVIS — The Clovis City Commission will technically meet Thursday evening at the Clovis-Carver Public Library’s North Annex. Due to state restrictions of mass gatherings, however, the meeting site will be closed to the public and attendance will be limited to Mayor David Lansford as meeting chair and four city staff members. All commissioners and presenters will be participating via teleconference. Residents can watch on the city’s Facebook page, Suddenlink public access channel 10 or online at cloviscitynm.iqm2.com. The c...
CLOVIS — COVID-19 has officially arrived in Clovis, where Plains Regional Medical Center reported a positive test on Monday. Presbyterian Healthcare Services spokeswoman Amanda Schoenberg said the patient lives in Curry County and has been quarantined at home. Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said he was contacted by the governor’s office on Tuesday morning and told the patient is a woman in her 50s. The virus is likely travel related, Pyle said. Jodi McGinnis-Porter, communications director for New Mexico’s Human Servi... Full story
CLOVIS — Colonial Park Golf Course is scheduled to close, beginning today, in response to a recent New Mexico Public Health Order. A news release from the city of Clovis stated maintenance activities will continue during the closure. “While we understand people will have access to the golf course, we ask that they respect the closure,” the release said. The city did not announce a planned date for the course to reopen. Information: 575-769-7828... Full story
It has been another busy week here in New Mexico tracking COVID-19 cases and we are promoting social distancing everywhere. The Lujan Grisham administration is doing everything we can to protect New Mexicans. But the majority of questions that get emailed, phoned and texted to us are not technical questions about social distancing — “Are we supposed to stay 6 feet or 6 meters apart?” — but rather, “Should I get tested?” and “Where can I get tested?” Should I get tested? First, do you have symptoms? If the answer is no, t... Full story
Editor’s note: Jodi McGinnis-Porter is communications director for New Mexico’s Human Services Department. The Q&A that follows is unedited and complete. The op-ed she references is published above this Q&A. Q from The Eastern New Mexico News: How many coronavirus test kits are available in area counties? A from McGinnis-Porter: We don’t have those numbers but testing has been happening all across the state. Let’s get clear about testing and taking swab samples. A swab sample can be taken by an individual’s provider, local ar... Full story
About 11,000 people filed for new unemployment claims in New Mexico last week. For perspective, officials said the state’s average number of new claims in a week is about 800. With COVID-19 shutdowns in full swing, many workers have found their hours cut drastically or have been sent home altogether. The New Mexico Department of Workplace Services has been working to educate the public on the best ways to file for unemployment given the scope of the situation. “We’re hearing the same story from all around the state,” said Bi... Full story
CLOVIS — Just two weeks ago, you risked getting laughed out of the room if you called the average public meeting a mass gathering. How things have changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. In the latest effort to slow the virus’ spread, a Monday New Mexico Department of Health order has limited mass gatherings to five people through April 10. There will be issues moving ahead for public meetings, an anchor of local government transparency. For instance, the Clovis City Commission and Portales City Council are each comprised of nin... Full story
New Mexico health officials on Wednesday announced the state’s first death related to COVID-19. A man in his late 70s died Sunday at Artesia General Hospital, according to a news release from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. According to the release: "On March 22, he went to the hospital, where his condition deteriorated rapidly. He died the same day. "A COVID-19 test was performed locally and sent to the state laboratory, which received the test Tuesday, March 24. The lab confirmed the positive test late the same day. "The indiv... Full story
CLOVIS – Mayor David Lansford on Tuesday responded to the first case of COVID-19 confirmed in Clovis. “It was inevitable there would be cases in the area,” Lansford said in a city news release. “We must remain calm and think of our neighbors. Please do not hoard supplies during this time. We will contain this by respecting the rules and guidelines that have been put in place by the State of New Mexico and the President of the United States. Please continue to practice good sanitation and hygiene methods and limit your ex... Full story
SANTA FE — With the coronavirus spreading across New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday announced the closure of all “non-essential” businesses statewide and delivered a blunt message to state residents. The message: Stay home and only go out when absolutely necessary. “If we limit person to person contact, we will be doing everything in our power to slow the spread,” Lujan Grisham said during a Monday news briefing at the state Capitol. The “stay at home” order is functionally no different than the “shelter in p... Full story
Most local educators aren’t taking the chance that the coronavirus shutdown will end by April 6. They’re preparing to teach remotely. From Portales to Texico, teachers are beginning to arrange lesson plans via online teaching platforms, putting together work packets or even loading what students need onto flash drives and preparing to pass out tablets or computers. “We are all making internal backup plans right now if we’re directed to go online, but all the schools are really in the same boat, “ Dora Superinte... Full story
CLOVIS — A local public defender who self-quarantined after experiencing flu-like symptoms has tested negative for COVID-19. That’s according to a spokeswoman for the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender, Maggie Shepard. District Attorney Andrea Reeb said an assistant district attorney who also self-quarantined as a precaution was not tested and has never felt ill. The ADA never stopped working from home. Shepard said the public defender has also returned to work, mostly from home like many New Mexico residents, as... Full story
CLOVIS - Thomas Paine wrote in 'Common Sense:' These are the times that try men's souls. If Payne had been alive to write about the coronavirus he might have referred to these times as trying men's and women's souls, especially those who work in the supermarket industry. Since COVID-19 became a pandemic in the United States two weeks ago, grocery stores have been crowded, and some of those crowds have been hoarding essential items like paper products, cleaning supplies, meat... Full story
The coronavirus has its grip clenched on every aspect of life — and death. An important and necessary part of the human experience is what happens at the end of it, and funerals are a prime example of events where people gather in large groups, saying goodbye to their departed loved ones. As of Tuesday, no New Mexico deaths had been reported due to COVID-19. But in these days of the virus, while large groups of people can still gather to mourn, they cannot do it in the same room. “That is true. We are limited to no more tha... Full story
Through Friday • Curry County Youth Services “Help Yourself to Positive Empowerment” (HYPE) program for students — postponed until summer Thursday • Portales Senior Citizens Center potluck — canceled • Prime Pursuits cattle marketing meeting at Creighton’s Town and Country in Portales — postponed • ENMU Polynesian students’ “Aloha, Portales: 2nd annual Polynesian Luau” at First United Methodist Church — postponed • “Winterreise,” with Travis Sherwood, baritone, and John Olsen, piano — canceled Friday-Saturday • 70th ann...
I’ve long thought that, in so many ways, the biggest blessings of life are the small ones. The weeks we’re living through right now underline that, don’t they? If, just a few weeks ago, you were a little bored and tired of the “normal” routine of your life, I’ll wager that is not the case now. I admit that I can hardly understand ever being bored. I’ve always got more to do than I know how to get done, and, if I’m ever caught up with work and duties and that sort of challen...
If you need a bracing dose of good cheer or a stiff shot of feel better, this is a fine time to check in with Crystal Pritchett. The new executive director of Portales MainStreet and founder of the Portales Creative Group may be the antidote we all need right now. "My ultimate goal is to inspire people to be creative," Pritchett said. "That is it." Pritchett has had less than a month to settle into her new office high above the Yam Theatre. The MainStreet headquarters are...
By the time President Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, nearly half the nation’s governors had already declared health emergencies of their own. The states, not the federal government, have been leading the battle against COVID-19. In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a health emergency on March 11, and since then, our state’s effort to contain the spread of this new disease has come out of Santa Fe. It started with cancellations of everything that draws a crowd and, within a week, extended to...
CLOVIS — A special Curry County Commission meeting is scheduled Friday via teleconference to declare Curry an emergency area. Most Curry County offices have shut down this week to comply with new restrictions laid down by Gov. Lujan Grisham on Monday, but Curry will meet digitally to consider an ordinance to grant the county emergency powers. The ordinance reads that it will allow the county to expend available resources and request aid from the state to help cope with the epidemic and assist the county's political s...
Do you know what I’d rather not think about? The coronavirus panic. Do you know what it seems no one, including me, is thinking about? Anything other than the coronapocalypse. People think about the things that catch their attention. That’s normal. The changes forced on society over the past couple of weeks are huge. It’s no wonder people can’t stop thinking about this. It’s wise to take things seriously, but not to let them cause panic. Here are some other things that migh...
We celebrated Sunshine Week (March 15-21) by looking at the disgraceful manner in which our state’s budget is produced. The process by which the state’s budget is finally formed is a complicated one, punctuated with many committees and sub committees of both the House and Senate. When the Fiscal Year 2020-21 $7.6 billion budget was approved Feb. 20, it was only after a select group of staff and legislators met in secret for weeks. The fruit of those many secret meetings was 160 amendments cutting $160 million from the bud...
Meetings are subject to change due to coronavirus concerns Thursday • Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority — 3 p.m., ENMWUA Offices, Sitterly Professional Center, 801 Pile Street, Clovis. Information: 575-935-4262 • Clovis City Commission — 5:15 p.m., North Annex, Clovis-Carver Public Library, 701 N. Main St., Clovis. No public access; will be available on Facebook live. Information: 575-769-7828 March 30 • Clovis City swearing-in ceremony for newly elected officials — 3 p.m., City Hall, 321 Connelly St., Clovis. No pub...
Events are subject to change due to coronavirus concerns Today • Blood hero blood drive hosted by Clovis Fire Department and Clovis-Carver Public Library — 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Bloodmobile, Clovis-Carver Public Library, 701 N. Main St., Clovis. Blood donors are greatly needed during this time. Register online at www.bloodhero.com. Information: 877-258-4825 Thursday • Facebook live reception for Sandra Taylor-Sawyer, departing Clovis City Commissioner — 3:30 p.m., North Annex, Clovis-Carver Public Library, 701 N. Main St...
On this date ... 1970: Clovis police briefs as reported by the Clovis News-Journal: • A Cannon Air Force Base airman reported he’d lost his wallet “somewhere between the Copper Penny and the BZB Cafe.” • A Cannon airman reported one of his car’s tires was slashed while it was parked in front of a local lounge. The tire was valued at $25. • Someone broke into a home at 1109 Cypress and stole “an undetermined amount of clothing and a portable television.” Entry was made through a rear window. Pages Past is compiled by David...
PORTALES — A Portales City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday on whether or not to approve a tax hike was canceled after a new public health order from the governor. The hearing would have allowed the public to speak before the council decided whether or not to raise local gross receipts tax by up to 0.6125 percent. For now, the meeting has been canceled to comply with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's order Monday to limit gatherings to five or less people. A new date to readdress the issue has not been set, but Portales C...
