Articles from the April 12, 2014 edition

Kevin Wilson

Staff writer [email protected] Portales sophomore Kiersten Ramirez was still a little disgusted she missed her first chance to close out a doubleheader sweep over Hope Christian. She didn’t waste her second. link Kevin Wilson: Staff photo Portales senior shortstop Valerie Villanueva dives to catch a short popup in the first inning of the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Wheeler Park. Ramirez slapped the 521st pitch of the day to first base, where it snuck under th...

link Baxter Black On the edge of common sense The legalization of marijuana in Colorado has brought to a head a common point of contention that has happened in state after state. It is a generational change, a population shift that is the result of the inevitable roll of civilization. It also marks a shift from rural to urban. Over the years I have watched certain western towns and cities evolve into mini-metros that no longer belong to the state that bore them; Santa Fe,... Full story

link Courtesy photo Connie Belcher with her father, William Creech. Editor William Creech died March 15, 2012. Clovis’ Connie Belcher has been thinking a lot about her dad lately. She tells about their relationship better than I ever could. “I am an Air Force brat and grew up on military bases around the country,” she wrote in an email. “We settled in Clovis during my junior high school years. I went to Gattis Junior High, then Clovis High, and graduated in 1973. “During...

link Lillian Bowe: Staff writer From left, Petie Baca, Adri Baca and Alexis Gonzales are picking |up trash from the side of U.S. 70. They were part of Great American Clean-up on Saturday and they in the group from St. Helen Catholic Church. Staff writer [email protected] Chyanne Copp, 13, spent her Saturday morning not sleeping in like most teenagers, but with a trash bag and gloves. Copp was alone in this endeavor, but that did not faze her. “I think it is a great thing t...

link Lillian Bowe: Staff writer Lynda Putzier, organizer for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9515’s chili and cake cook off, serves a piece of Tammy Lewis’ first place cake on Saturday. Staff writer [email protected] Tammy Lewis prepared one of her favorite cakes and waited silently for five judges to decide who had best cake. Lewis prepared a key lime cake she found in a cook book and has tweaked into her own recipe that she believes is close to perfection. “I wante...

State columnist Last week the Supreme Court opened the door to even more influence by money in American politics. One of the arguments was that contributing money to a candidate is a First Amendment right, no different whatsoever from, say, a newspaper endorsing a candidate. Let’s look at how that may play out. link Ned Cantwell I write a letter to the editor enumerating the many charms of Congressman Steve Pearce, urging New Mexicans to return him to office. (OK, so this i... Full story

Local columnist Some say everything happens for a reason. That seems simplistic — even cruel. What possible purpose is there for 239 people to lie on the bottom of the ocean. Whether mechanical failure or deliberate act, the final moments of terror were incomprehensible. Vanished, ranging in age from 2 to 76, are honeymooners, families with toddler siblings, grandparents, first-time fliers, artists, executives, business owners, teenage sweethearts… link Wendel Sloan Dur...