Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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CLOVIS - After two decades of dressing eastern New Mexico, Dillard's department store is planning to close its North Plains Mall location. Dillard's has been the southside anchor for the mall since 2000. It moved into its current location soon after Walmart left the mall spot in 1999. Clovis' store manager Christopher Addison confirmed the store's closing, but said additional information would have to come from corporate offices. About two dozen shoppers were gathered outside...
CLOVIS — City commissioners will look at more than $500,000 in savings to refinance two bonds over the next 22 years, and an opportunity exists to frontload the savings. Their 5:15 p.m. meeting at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Library will be virtual due to public health orders regarding mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting will be broadcast on Suddenlink Channel 10, cityofclovis.org and the city Facebook page. Questions can be called in to 575-763-9200. A resolution put before the commission c...
Booked The following were booked into local jails (Friday - Tuesday): Clovis ∞ Sally Flath, 43, out of state fugitive ∞ Daniel Guerrero, 40, driving while license suspended or revoked ∞ Deon Cleare, 29, out of state fugitive ∞ Priscilla Nunez, 22, failure to pay fines ∞ Albino Baca, 54, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge ∞ Anthony Stubbs, 30, failure to appear at time and place stated in citation, failure to pay fines ∞ Amos Wood, 47, assault ∞ Clayton Chavez, 26, probation violation ∞ Keon Jackson, 25, possession of a c...
CLOVIS — Curry County commissioners got no guarantees on what state public health orders would be a few days from now, let alone the next few weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. But commissioners did get some insight from Brian Moore, co-chair of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Economic Advisory Council, during their Tuesday morning meeting. Moore, a grocery store owner in Clayton, told commissioners he feels like he and co-chair Christina Campos represent the smaller populations of the state’s eastern side while most of the c...
CLOVIS — There’s still plenty of data Curry County has no idea about for the 2020-21 fiscal year. But there’s no question the county will have less money to work with as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioners approved on Tuesday a preliminary budget of $32.618 million — a decrease of $8.6 million from the current fiscal year. County Manager Lance Pyle noted that gross receipts taxes from March were off by 13.5% from March 2019. Since many business restrictions began in mid-March, Pyle estimates the next few months w...
Just for the record, it might be worth mentioning that “sheltering in place” is what we’re not doing. Forgive me, please. I am far too much in love with freedom to turn anyone over to the COVID-19 police. I won’t be scowling at you if I meet you pushing your basket the wrong way down the jelly aisle at the supermarket. Besides that, it’ll probably be me swimming upstream; I seem to be clueless when it comes to noticing arrows on floors. Nor will I cast a masked smirk at...
I’m writing this on a warm morning, settled in near the air conditioner with outside temperatures already well past 90 degrees and climbing. This was always a hopeful time of year when I was a kid. School was out — or we were breathlessly counting the minutes. The garden was planted. Our old mossy swimming tank was freshly filled with ice-cold water. We were close enough to watermelon season to taste them. We grew up without air conditioning. Our mother had a strange ave...
Rich, poor, tall, short, masked, unmasked — most of us have one thing in common: We love a good county fair. Let’s hope it happens this year. Curry County commissioners in the next few weeks will have to decide if the COVID-19 pandemic will prevent us from celebrating one of our favorite annual community festivals. Deadlines for vendor contracts are coming up and — if signed — County Manager Lance Pyle said taxpayers could lose more than $100,000 if the virus prevents us from enjoying the livestock shows, tejano music and car...
PORTALES — Three candidates, one the incumbent, are on the June 2 primary ballot to be the Republican nominee for Roosevelt County probate judge. The winner of the primary does not have any general election opposition from the Democratic or Libertarian parties. Michelle Bargas is the incumbent, with Gracy Stone and Kendall Terry running for the position as well. The judge handles the formal judicial process for transferring the property of a person who has died. The salary for the term will be $20,024. Michelle Bargas O...
PORTALES — There are two candidates in the June 2 Republican primary for the District 2 slot on the Roosevelt County Commission. The winner faces no opposition in the November general election. Matthew Hunton, the incumbent, is running against Rodney Savage. The position pays $22,832 annually. Matthew Hunton Occupation: Insurance agent/business owner Prior or current elected offices held: Portales City Council, 2012-16. Roosevelt County Commission, 2017-present. What experience do you have that will prepare you for the u...
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continued this week to reopen businesses that had closed to slow the spread of novel coronavirus. Phase 2, as he calls it, will allow tattoo parlors, bars and daycare centers to begin reopening. But the dates vary by each industry. And while the new order applies to the entire state, four Texas Panhandle counties — Deaf Smith, Moore, Potter, and Randall — will be delayed by over one week because of ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks. Here’s what you need to know. What’s the problem in the Panhandle? The num...
On this date ... 1970: Clovis’ Reese Cagle had received the Lobo Award of Distinction, characterized as the “most cherished” award presented by the University of New Mexico Alumni Association. Cagle was just the fourth person to receive the honor. Dallas Cowboys running back Don Perkins was among former winners. Cagle was chairman of the Lobo Booster Club in Clovis. Clovis’ Richard Rowley presented the award to Cagle and recounted his contributions to UNM, which went back to the early 1930s when he was president of several...
The world’s economy is being damaged by this pandemic, or, more accurately, it’s being damaged by government reactions to the pandemic. The damage is adding up; getting worse with time. The only questions are: How bad is the damage going to be? And how long will it take to recover? I don’t know the answers; no one does. The economy will show scars of this time for years to come. Maybe forever. There are businesses that were forcibly closed and are never coming back. Whole...
It’s been said that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. The future is always an uncertainty, but it’s especially acute for this year’s graduating classes. Not only did the pomp and ceremony surrounding their milestone accomplishments get nixed by the coronavirus pandemic, but what lies ahead is more of a mystery than a plan. As of last weekend, New Mexicans started opening their doors just a crack, to gauge the temperature of our collective illness in the hope that we’re over the worst of it. We’re not, but...
The quality of our water in eastern New Mexico is threatened by man-made chemical compounds named Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, commonly known as “PFAS,” used by the U.S. Air Force at Cannon Air Force Base as fire-fighting foam. These chemicals are toxic and are linked to health issues including cancer, birth defects, autoimmune diseases, high blood pressure and more. Over the past 50 years, the Air Force has washed nearly 18 million gallons of PFAS solutions into our region’s groundwater. It slowly seeped into our private and...
Recruitment is an exciting time for high school athletes. No exception locally, as Clovis High’s Chance Harris and Jaden Phillips committed to play Division I football during the past week. Harris will play quarterback for Colorado State; Phillips will be a defensive lineman or linebacker for the University of New Mexico. In the strange days of COVID-19, the commitments of Harris and Phillips seem like a break in the gloom, even more exciting than usual under the circumstances. “Oh, extremely, extremely, man. It’s a huge...
CLOVIS — Following positive tests for two of its employees over the weekend, Retirement Ranch has tested all of its residents and staff and early returns showed one positive resident test. Trisha Gross, social services director at the facility, said Tuesday afternoon that full results are still pending, but the facility received the positive resident test Monday night. The resident is asymptomatic, and has been put into isolation. The facility tested 234 people through Sunday, which included all residents and 95% of its e...
June 2 primary ballots Federal U.S. President Republican • Donald J. Trump Democratic • Elizabeth Warren • Tulsi Gabbard • Joseph R. Biden • Deval Patrick • Bernie Sanders • Andrew Yang Libertarian • Lincoln Chafee • Arvin Vohra • Jacob Hornberger • Adam Kokesh • John Monds • Jo Jorgensen • Sam Robb • Daniel Behrman • James Ogle U.S. Senator Republican • Elisa Maria Martinez • Mark V. Ronchetti • Gavin S. Clarkson Democratic • Ben Ray Lujan Libertarian • Bob Walsh U.S. Representative District 2 Republican • Claire Chase • Yv...
Xcel Energy resumed in-person meter reading in New Mexico on Monday following more than a month of meter estimates, according to a company release. In-person readings were put on hold April 14 due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The release notes employees will be wearing protective masks in the field, and asks residents to not approach employees in the field. The company has announced it will not disconnect residential customers for nonpayment until further notice, and has installed employee safety measures that...
ALBUQUERQUE — Cancer Services of New Mexico will hold a free virtual family cancer retreat June 6-7, according to an organization release. More than 250 people from 100 families in New Mexico that are coping with cancer are expected to attend. The program will include approximately two dozen educational sessions, and participants will have informal discussion opportunities to share their experiences and coping tips. To register or learn more about the retreat, contact Janet Cook at 505-288-0331 or visit: c...
CLOVIS - Jaden Phillips is a New Mexico native. And his residence status isn't expected to change until at least mid-decade. Late last week, the Clovis High defensive end/wide receiver announced that he had committed to playing for the University of New Mexico. Climbing the football ladder up to Division I will involve a 3 1/2-hour car ride to Albuquerque. Phillips, who will be a Clovis High senior in August, was recruited by UNM as a defensive athlete, and will play either...
CLOVIS — The Clovis Fire Department battled a house fire Sunday evening, with the department reporting one person suffering minor burns. Lt. Chris Elam of the CFD reported the call came in about 5:30 p.m. The blaze at 1604 Axtell, a single-story residence, was knocked down within half an hour. The response to the fire, which involved two rooms and some hallway space, was responded to with three fire engines, an ambulance and a battalion commander unit along with various Clovis Police Department units for traffic control. E...
PORTALES — When the Heartland Continuing Care Center resident first learned on Friday that she’d tested positive for COVID-19, she was none too happy about it. “She gave us an earful,” Heartland CEO Ranelle Tweedy said of the 96-year-old woman’s reaction to the news. “She said nobody was going to tell her she had this silly virus.” Tweedy said the resident, whom she would not identify because of privacy laws, had not felt sick before or after she was most recently tested on May 12. The positive result — the first involving...
The weekend was a dark one for eastern New Mexico in its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. On Saturday, the region set a one-day record for new cases and two local nursing homes reported confirmed cases. But officials said there is little reason to suspect eastern New Mexico is becoming a hot spot for the virus. “No ... the data isn’t supporting that,” Roosevelt County Manager Amber Hamilton said. “Our community is doing a great job of combating this.” Roosevelt County had 12 new cases reported Saturday, increasin...
