Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Only the loudest sounds penetrate Jerrdan Jones’ world — the rumble of a lawn mower, the rush of a subway train, the buzz of a chain saw and, occasionally, the roar of a car engine in the auto shop where he works. Otherwise, his world is silent. His mother, Darynda Jones, also his interpreter, has been his shadow for quite some time. She transforms the words her son cannot hear into signs he can see. Mother and son are fluent in American Sign Language. For him, it is a first language; for her, it is secondary, one she lea...
Like a summer traveler cringing at $3 a gallon for unleaded gasoline, the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority is feeling pain at the pump. Fueled by higher energy and construction costs as a fallout from Hurricane Katrina and numerous other factors, the Ute Water Project’s price tag has shot up nearly $50 million in three months between cost estimates from Albuquerque consulting company CH2M HILL. If construction started today on the Ute Water Project, a proposed water distribution pipeline from Ute Lake to Elida, C...
Clovis Community College could lose nearly $1 million in state funding in fiscal year 2007-2008, mostly as a result of a decrease in enrollment, which slipped about 10 percent the last two years, according to CCC officials. The college could see several state-supplied coffers decline in fiscal year 2007-2008, according to projected calculations from the New Mexico Higher Education Department. They were described in a memorandum from CCC Vice President for Administration David Pacheco, released to CCC Board of Trustees during...
Most people living in eastern New Mexico these days may not remember the heyday of the communities of Causey and Lingo. Many may not even know where they’re located. But this weekend they’ll be the main topic for more than 200 people with ties to the two rural communities. The Causey and Lingo Reunion, this Friday and Saturday, is mainly for those who have lived in or gone to school in either of the communities, organizers say. Lifetime Causey resident, and secretary of the reunion, Marcel Merrick said anyone who had any deal... Full story
The director of production services at Eastern New Mexico’s KENW-TV said that the station is extremely busy preparing their new studios in the campus’ new Communication Center, which are expected to be completed in six months. Donald Criss said they have new equipment ordered — such as cameras — but it will not be completely installed until about the middle of the spring 2007 semester. The station is currently ordering and preparing equipment like lighting grids, camera pedestals and an intercom system for the station...
This Saturday the Classic Motor Cars and the Caprock Corvette clubs will host the third annual Kars for Kids car show at the Lubbock Dragway in Idalou, Texas, to help benefit children with heart problems. Caprock Corvette Club President Randy Edwards said the event will consist of a car show where all types of vehicle owners are invited to participate , but the unique attraction will be the drag races held during the afternoon. Edwards said the main purpose of the car show is to raise funds for children in need. Proceeds...
PORTALES — Daniel Burkert has been hired as Eastern New Mexico University’s fulltime volleyball assistant. He replaces Wendy Whelan, a native of Canada who spent one year at ENMU and has returned to the Montreal area to go into private business. A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., the 26-year-old Burkert was an assistant volleyball coach for 1 1/2 years at Division II Harding University in Searcy, Ark. He is a graduate of Harding. “I think he’ll be a fine addition to our staff,” ENMU volleyball coach Mike Maguire said. “He... Full story
PORTALES — Adam Pitterman has wasted little time getting acclimated to the position as Eastern New Mexico University’s sports information director. The native of western New York was hired in early June to replace Robert McKinney, who left after eight years at ENMU to take a similar position at Division III Willamette University in Salem, Ore. “I’m kind of diving right into it,” said Pitterman, 34. “I love it so far. All the coaches have been great.” ENMU athletic director and volleyball coach Mike Maguire said Pitterman bri...
A wire story out of Hawaii last week had all the makings of a good lawyer joke come to life. “The nation’s lawyers are coming to Hawaii,” reported The Associated Press, for an annual meeting of the American Bar Association, “and some of them apparently have no fear of sharks — unless they’re the kind that file lawsuits.” About 40 conference attendees signed up to participate in a “Lawyers on Longboards Surfing Contest” according to the story. The ABA refused to officially sponsor the event, fearing it might be sued if someon... Full story
It’s just another example of the dirty, rotten big-circulation elite media imposing its will on the rest of the country, disdaining just plain folks like you and me. Or, maybe, it’s you and I. Whatever. These inside-the-beltway columnists whose words bring even the most powerful to their knees trample the sensibilities of humble, hinterland hacks like your faithful columnist who tries his best to get it right. I refer here, of course, to one Laura Vozzella, columnist for the uppity Baltimore Sun, who asserted in a recent pie... Full story
Colleges and universities will start their fall semester soon. You might be interested in what parents’ and taxpayers’ money is going for at far too many “institutions of higher learning.” At Occidental College in Los Angeles, a mandatory course for some freshmen is “The Unbearable Whiteness of Barbie.” It’s a course where Professor Elizabeth J. Chin explores ways in “which scientific racism has been put to use in the making of Barbie (and) to an interpretation of the film ‘The Matrix’ as a Marxist critique of capital...
Clovis Municipal Schools failed to meet federal academic standards as a result of low performance by special education students and English Language Learners, according to results released Tuesday by the New Mexico Public Education Department. Those same subgroups performed below standard last year, leaving local educators frustrated with a system they say is skewed. Despite making strides, six of 17 Clovis schools failed to meet No Child Left Behind math and reading standards for 2006-2007 in an assessment called Adequate...
Rocky Mountain News photo: Todd Heisler Lou Smit, left, Scott Fischer, center, and Charlie Hess are cold-case investigators with the El Paso County, Colo., Sheriff’s Department. A Clovis native who developed a taste for crime fighting as a local newspaper reporter and photographer played a role in a convicted Colorado man’s confessing to the killing of as many as 48 people. Scott Fischer was part of a three-member cold-case unit in El Paso County, Colo., that coaxed Rob...
CNJ Staff Photo: Andy DeLisle Kathy Martinez makes peanut The Friends of Cannon Families helps airmen bridge financial gaps when needs arise, yet this year the group found its coffers lacking. That is when a Clovis businessman devised a plan to sweeten the pot. During a spring meeting of the committee for the Combined Federal Campaign Fund, Leslie Candy Co. owner Greg Southard learned of the plight from Master Sgt. Gary McCarty, who has been involved with the Friends of Cannon...
The following is a summary of Tuesday’s Curry County Commission meeting. • Curry County Assessor Randy Williams reported his office has been receiving a high volume of calls with queries related to Curry County tax rates and overall property value. Williams said many calls are from military families associated with the 16th Special Operations Wing. • Curry County Sheriff Roger Hatcher reported 15 suspects have been arrested or issued warrants in connection with 17 local burglaries. Hatcher said the arrests were made follo...
A fter a process that at times took on the tone of the Spanish Inquisition rather than a scientific inquiry, a panel of experts has declared the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse a bona fide subspecies once again — giving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service all the political cover it needs to keep “mighty mouse” on the list of protected animals and its regulatory regime in place. The agency is expected to make the de-listing decision sometime in August. At this point, we are bracing for the worst. Thus ends the latest chapter...
Huey Long, the fabled Louisiana populist governor and senator, had no special reverence for intellectuals and generally did his best to sound like an unlettered hayseed. But during his time in power, he poured money into Louisiana State University. His inspiration came from 18th-century Prussian ruler Frederick the Great, whom Long was fond of quoting: “My soldiers will take Vienna, and my professors at Heidelberg will explain the reasons why.” For anyone who might question his policies, Huey said, “I’ve got a univers...
If you haven’t visited former Soviet bloc countries it is difficult to appreciate the devastating impact socialism has on human community life. Judging by the continued popularity of socialism among academic political philosophers, economists and theorists, it is not likely that many of these folks have ever traveled to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, the Ukraine, Georgia, Poland or Albania. Of course, even among these people the form of socialism championed has changed from the massively planned, top-down economy to what are lab...
The deadline for participation in a state initiative to honor New Mexico women has been extended. Those who wish to nominate a deceased woman who influenced New Mexican history have until Sept. 5 to do so. The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs will honor the accomplishments of New Mexican women through the New Mexico Historic Women’s Marker Initiative 2006. One influential woman from each New Mexico county will be selected, along with 19 to represent each Native American pueblo, and two to represent the Navajo and A... Full story
There was progress, but all six schools in the Portales Municipal School District fell short of meeting Adequate Yearly Progress status, according to reports released Tuesday by the New Mexico Public Education Department. Portales Schools Superintendent Randy Fowler said progress was in most areas with the exception of the students with disabilities subgroup. All six schools failed AYP status last year as well. Failure to meet guidelines in any one of the eight subgroups results in a school not meeting AYP status. “We have t... Full story
Portales City councilors approved a resolution supporting a feasibility study to be done by the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority which will provide information about the community’s housing needs, possibly leading to a residential housing project. The resolution, authorizes the city to apply for the Workforce Development Program through the NMMFA. That application is due Aug. 11. As part of the program, the city commits to paying one-third of the costs to do the study, which City Manager Debi Lee said will probably be b...
