Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Articles from the April 14, 2021 edition


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  • Former deputy issued jail sentence

    Kevin Wilson - Staff Writer|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    By Kevin Wilson EDITOR [email protected] CLOVIS - Handing a first-time offender 182 days in jail for a petty misdemeanor is a rarity. But the state argued the position and public trust afforded to Chris McCasland justified it, and District Judge Drew Tatum agreed Monday afternoon by giving the former Roosevelt County sheriff's deputy the maximum sentence for possession of stolen property. McCasland, convicted in a Feb. 21 bench trial, attended in person with assisting counsel Tye Harmon, while defense attorney Dean...

  • Local scoreboard - April 14

    Updated Apr 13, 2021

    BASKETBALL Prep summaries Saturday Boys Clovis 53, Portales 44 Portales (1-2) — Dason Davis 3, Chanden Neece 7, Adrian Ontiveros 4, Josiah Tellez 8, Kenevan Bailey 8, Quadale Brown 7, Greydon Rigsby 7. Totals 17 7-10 44. Clovis (4-1) — Darrell Lewis 12, Dominick Brown 2, Elijah Garcia 16, Bryson Goldsmith 12, C.J. Gutierrez 2, Juan Hernandez 2, R.J. Nora 2, Jaden Phillips 5. Totals 21 6-11 53. Portales 5 10 16 13 — 44 Clovis 11 17 16 9 — 53 3-pointers — Portales, Bailey, Q. Brown, Neece. Clovis, Lewis 2, Garcia, Goldsmith...

  • Cats keep cutting it close

    Dave Wagner - Staff Writer|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    CLOVIS - Clovis High boys basketball coach Jaden Isler says he isn't surprised his team is having trouble stretching leads in the early going this season. The Wildcats had a pair of overtime wins, including one in double OT, and a one-point loss in their first four games. Saturday, they opened a 15-point lead just before halftime and still led by 13 entering the final quarter before finally claiming a 53-44 victory over Portales at The Rock. Junior guard Elijah Garcia scored 1...

  • Kleyn-Kennedy: Community, connections abundant

    Updated Apr 13, 2021

    During this past year we've all been overwhelmingly involved in doing our absolute educational best for our students and staff. One crucial element we've come to appreciate is the importance of community. Working together as educators, students, families, and other community members as we've made our way through this past year's valleys, we've deeply felt the reality of community. Community is nurtured through traditions established and carried through the years, knitting us together as family, friends, and members of the...

  • Abbreviated swim season starts today

    The Staff of The News|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    CLOVIS — The Clovis High girls swimming team is the two-time defending District 3/4 champion and placed third both years in the state meet. So what can the Lady Wildcats do for an encore? Despite graduating just four seniors, CHS co-coach Gordy Westerberg said they have their work cut out. “We’re pretty young this year,” he said. “We only have one senior and one junior, and a couple of sophomores. The bulk of the team (consists of) eighth- and ninth-graders.” Westerberg shares coaching duties with longtime coach Vincent deM...

  • Ram girls keep rolling

    Dave Wagner - Staff Writer|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    PORTALES - Clovis High's girls appear to be making progress this season, but the Lady Wildcats aren't good enough to spot a team like Portales eight points right out of the gate. CHS managed only a pair of 3-pointers in falling behind 20-6 early in the second quarter on Saturday night. In addition, the Lady Cats lost 6-foot senior post Hanna Nussbaumer, their leading scorer and rebounder, for the rest of the half after she committed two fouls in just over three minutes. Meanti...

  • Wildcats set to hold court

    Dave Wagner - Staff Writer|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    CLOVIS — Clovis High girls tennis coach Jeannette Albin is returning a relatively experienced squad as the Lady Wildcats prepare to host New Mexico Military in a season-opening dual at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the CHS courts. Seven of the team’s 11 players return from last spring, although that season was abruptly cut short in early March by the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m real proud of these kids,” Albin said. “They’ve been working hard and improving a lot.” While Albin is pretty much set with her lineup, boys coach Brad Heat...

  • Texico rallies for win

    The Staff of The News|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    TATUM — Trailing by five at halftime, the Texico Wolverines erupted for 23 points in the third quarter on Monday night en route to a 51-36 victory over Tatum. Sophomore Jahvon Askew scored 16 points and sophomore Max Villarreal added nine for the Wolverines (2-2), who led 38-30 entering into the final stanza and won going away. The leading scorer for the Coyotes (1-2) was senior Kivan Cardenas with 18 points. Tatum 35, Texico girls 26 — The Lady Coyotes (3-0) dominated the first and third quarters and held off the Lady Wol...

  • ENMU roundup: Baseball has tough day at LCU

    The Staff of The News|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    LUBBOCK — Saturday turned out to be a long one for Eastern New Mexico University’s baseball team. The Greyhounds gave up five innings of at least five runs in a Lone Star Conference doubleheader as host Lubbock Christian posted 17-2 and 18-6 victories, completing a three-game series sweep. Despite that, ENMU led 4-3 in the fifth inning of the finale, thanks to a three-run, third-inning home run by catcher Andres Quintana. In the home fifth, though, right fielder Trevor Andrus hit a go-ahead, two-run shot for the Chaps (11...

  • Williamson: On exceptionalism, this one's for the birds

    Betty Williamson|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    It comes as no surprise that the drought monitor maps continue to keep our area solidly in center of a puddle of the dreaded deep brown patches that forecasters designate as “D4 - Exceptional Drought.” There are many situations where being labeled “exceptional” is positive. “Those biscuits were exceptional!” “What an exceptional novel.” “She is a pianist with exceptional talent.” But when it comes to drought, exceptional is what we don't want to be. For those who don't sha...

  • Shelburne: Running out of time sounds OK

    Curtis Shelburne|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    Won't it be nice to be out of time? Say what? I'm serious, and I repeat: Won't it be nice to be out of time? I don't wonder that you're confused. You're probably thinking: Whaddaya mean? “Nice” to be out of time? I find myself “out of time” innumerable times every week, and running out of time may be many things, but “nice” is not one of them. Try another word, Bucko! How about “frustrating”? Maddening? Depressing? Infuriating? I think all of those words well describe how mo...

  • Pages Past - April 14

    Updated Apr 13, 2021

    April 14 On this date … 1951: J.D. Ralston, a sophomore at Dora, had hurled his second no-hitter in the same school year. Ralston led the Coyotes past Ranchvale, 10-1, most recently; his first no-hitter was against Floyd in the county finals in the fall. 1966: Disney's “That Darn Cat” was showing at Clovis' La Fonda drive-in movie theater. The Yucca drive-in offered “Old Yeller,” Clovis' State theater promised “something horrid for everyone when a pretty ghoul trades in her bed sheet for a bikini.” The movie was “Ghost in...

  • Curry, Roosevelt remain on pace to stay turquoise

    The Staff of The News|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    Both Curry and Roosevelt counties are in the state’s vaunted turquoise status, and halfway into the latest data collection period they seem likely to stay there. The state has, since Nov. 30, graded counties every two weeks on meeting gating criteria of 8 daily cases per 100,000 residents and test positivity at or below 5%. Green counties meet both, yellow counties meet one, red counties meet neither and turquoise counties make green for two consecutive data collection periods. Curry County made green March 24 and t...

  • Jail log - April 14

    Updated Apr 13, 2021

    Booked The following were booked into local jails (Friday - Tuesday): Clovis ∞ Ruben Rubio, 49, driving while license suspended or revoked ∞ Emmanuel Mendoza, 25, failure to appear on a felony charge ∞ Richard Rees, 31, possession of a controlled substance, no seat belts ∞ David Aragon-Sena, 64, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge ∞ Luis Tarango, 37, parole violation ∞ Terance Abeyta, 19, failure to appear on a felony charge ∞ Zachariah Reynosa, 27, probation violation ∞ Carlos Bojorquez, 41, probation violation ∞ Barry B...

  • McManigal: Gun control based on lies

    Updated Apr 13, 2021

    If you have a better idea, share it and convince people it’s a good idea. If you can’t convince them with the truth, that should be the end of it. If you can’t let it go, and decide to force everyone to go along with you, you’ll use politics to make them do something you couldn’t talk them into doing. In other words, you’ll cheat. There are different ways this can be done. You can let Congress make up new legislation, but this is hard and takes a long time. These days a president will often just declare “It is so” and skip al...

  • Man charged in Sunday shooting

    The Staff of The News|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    CLOVIS — A Clovis man was jailed early Monday morning on accusations he targeted three people the prior day in a drive-by shooting. Cesar Murillo, 40, was booked into the Curry County Adult Detention Center, where he is being held without bond. Murillo faces six counts of assault with intent to commit a violent felony, two counts of shooting at or from a motor vehicle and possession of a firearm or destructive device by a felon. He made his first appearance Monday afternoon in Curry County Magistrate Court, and is due for a...

  • McDonald: Older white men losing culture wars

    Updated Apr 13, 2021

    Older white men are losing the culture wars. Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines have turned against them. And since their supreme leader, Donald Trump, is out of office, they’re losing power as well. Or perhaps I should say “we” since I too am an older white man. Fortunately for me, however, I’m not part of Trump’s beloved base. In fact, quite a few of us “liberal” older white men despise Trump, even if we too are being left behind in this 21st century. My biggest complaint about this modern world is tech...

  • Pandemic policy response must be broader

    Updated Apr 13, 2021

    The International Monetary Fund’s new economic forecast offers encouragement to the world’s rich countries. They’re on track to recover strongly from the pandemic. For many poorer countries, the opposite is true: The end is not in sight, the pandemic is still getting worse, and their economic losses are mounting. Their debts, in many cases, will prove unsustainable. Rich countries should be doing more to help in all kinds of ways, above all with the production and distribution of vaccines. But designing a more resil...

  • Former band director to plea

    The Staff of The News|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    LUBBOCK — A former Muleshoe school band director is expected to plead guilty today in federal court to charges of enticement and attempted enticement of a minor. William Alan Shelly, 61, of Portales, entered a plea agreement Monday in U.S. District Court in Lubbock. Court documents state Shelly admitted March 8 to having an inappropriate relationship with an eighth-grade female student at Watson Junior High for the last few weeks, with the relationship including texting and sexual contact. Shelly has a rearraignment set f...

  • Portales school board OKs calendar

    Kevin Wilson - Staff Writer|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    By Kevin Wilson EDITOR [email protected] PORTALES — With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting every part of life, and school operation no exception, “same thing as last year” has become one of the rarer statements uttered. But that’s the approach Portales Municipal Schools is taking with the 2021-22 school year, as board members approved next year’s calendar with the dates one day different due to the shift of a year. Instruction will begin Aug. 16, and conclude May 27. The calendar includes 176 instructional days and seven...

  • Governor calls pot law 'game changer' for state

    Daniel J. Chacon - The Santa Fe New Mexican, Syndicated Content|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    Calling cannabis a "game changer" for New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill into law Monday that legalizes recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. "Congratulations to every single one of us in New Mexico for getting this right," the governor said during a windy and socially distanced news conference on the west side of the state Capitol. "I couldn't be prouder." The governor also signed into law a separate measure that expunges certain cannabis-related convictions, which could affect tens of thousands...

  • Peacock: Time is best gift to give

    Updated Apr 13, 2021

    April is National Volunteer Month, and smack dab in the middle of the month is National Volunteer Week. That starts Sunday and runs through April 24. We here at the Volunteer Action Center are excited to be hosting a variety of activities to engage the community and share the great works of the many agencies and organizations in our communities. Not only that, we want to share how important it is to volunteer and how easy it is to sign up and use the Volunteer Action Center website. The Neighbors in Action Kick-off event...

  • LEDA change requires city vote

    Kevin Wilson - Staff Writer|Updated Apr 13, 2021

    CLOVIS — Legislation that would allow Clovis to use economic development dollars to lure retail businesses cleared the biggest hurdle on the state level, with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signing Senate Bill 49 on Thursday. Now the next hurdle remains for Clovis officials — selling the change to its voters. Economic development is one of two allowable exceptions to the state’s antidonation clause, along with affordable housing. Senate Bill 49, passed 63-5 in the House and 36-4 in the Senate, allows municipalities of all sizes...

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