July 30th, Morning News
Curry County Commission to Hold Special Meeting
The Curry County Commission will be convening next week in a special meeting. According to the agenda released through the County Managers Office, the purpose of this meeting will be for the authority for closure to discuss threatened and pending litigation/limited personnel matters/purchase, acquisition or disposal of real property. Following this executive session, the commission will be voting on their actions taken from the executive session. This meeting will be taking place on Monday at 1:30PM in the Commission Room located within the Curry County Courthouse.
Pre-Construction Bid Conference Held for Melrose Health Clinic
And in further news from Curry County, officials held a pre-construction bid conference for the Melrose Health Clinic on Thursday. According to the information released through the County Managers Office, there were eight general contractors who expressed intrest in bidding on the project, which is comprised of a 1,920 square foot facility that will be located at the corner of Main Street and Higby Avenue in Melrose. Bid opening for this project will be held a week from today at 10:30AM. A partnership established between Curry County and The Village of Melrose were awarded a Community Development Block Grant in April of last year for construction of the facility. The estimated construction date for the facility is January 2011.
Border Town Days Happening Saturday
The neighboring communities of Texico and Farwell will be hosting their annual Border Town Days festivities on Saturday. Several events will be taking place, including the annual parade that will start in Texico at 10AM, New Mexico time. A variety of booths will be set-up and a number of events will be taking place in the Farwell City Park for the duration of the day.
Oregan Man Arrested for Texas Kidnapping in New Mexico
An Oregan man was arrested in Raton late Wednesday evening by the New Mexico State Police for the kidnapping of a 16 year old girl from Richmond, Texas. State Police officials were alerted to the Texas Amber Alert that was issued in regards to the girls abduction and for the next 48 hours, officers patrolled and worked the roadways in an effort to locate the suspect. A tip that was followed up by the FBI sent officers into the northeastern region of the state where state police officers with the assistance of the Raton Police Department located the suspect, David Karan, 36, and the female victim. Karan was taken into custody on a $150,000 cash only warrant and is awaiting extradition back to Texas. The girl is reported to be in good health and was in the process of being reunited with family.
July 29th, Afternoon News
Appropriations Act Good News for NM
The US House of Representatives passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act yesterday by a vote of 411 to 6, and it bodes well for New Mexico. Contained within the appropriations act is a considerable amount of funding for Cannon Air Force Base and a National Guard Readiness Center in Farmington. The latter will be funded to the tune of $8.5 million, whereas Cannon will have a number of MilCon projects included. Among them is a 96 room dormitory facility to provide housing for the mission at the base. That project alone has been approved for $14 million. Others are an MC-130 simulator facility approved for just over $13 million, a $26 million parking apron, a separate apron funded at $12 million, a squadron operations facility for $20 million, a $24 million hangar, and an operations and training complex with a cost of nearly $40 million.
Senior Meal Program Announces Openings
The Community Services Center in Portales has announced that they currently have openings in their Home Delivered Meals program for homebound seniors 60 and over. According to the site supervisor for the program, seniors eligible for the program include those that are not able to drive themselves to the center for the meals and instances where, for example a spouse is the caregiver for the couple. The hot meals are delivered Monday through Fridays, with frozen meals being delivered on Fridays for recipients to have on hand for the weekends. An assessment will also need to be conducted by the site supervisor, which consists of a few questions.
Governor: No Plans for Kid Pardon
With less than five months remaining in office, Governor Bill Richardson is wrapping up loose ends, and one of those items that has been on the back-burner since his early days of his administration will probably remain there. According to the New Mexico New Network, Governor Richardson has no plan to pardon Billy the Kid, the outlaw who has been dead for 129 years. Alarie Ray-Garcia, a spokesman for Richardson, said Wednesday that, "The governor has said since 2003 that he would consider a pardon. He has had many conversations with different people, but right now we have nothing planned."
Gas Prices on the Rise
Gasoline prices climbed over this past week in New Mexico, Texas and nationally, according to the AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch. The national average price of unleaded gasoline increased from $2.72 to $2.74 per gallon from week-to-week. Part of what is driving the market, according to analysts, is that crude oil prices on Monday briefly climbed above the $80 range before falling back down to around $78 per barrel where it is trading today.
July 29th, Morning News
Officials Investigating Predator Crash at CAFB
Officials with Cannon Air Force Base have yet to determine the exact cause of Wednesday's crash of an unmanned MQ-1 Predator. At this time, it appears that the link was lost between ground control and the Predator, that's according to Freedom Newspapers. Though there are multiple fail-safe options on the aircraft and it is manned by highly trained personnel, if there is a disconnect between ground controllers and the aircraft while in flight, these options are not available to personnel except while the plane is on the ground. A safety investigation is ongoing into this matter. Officials released information on Wednesday that the aircraft MQ-1B Predator taxied off a runway at approximately 8:15 , and crashed through a perimeter fence before coming to rest in an adjacent field. The aircraft is assigned to Cannon's 3rd Special Operations Squadron. There were no injuries in the incident as only inert munitions were utilized.
Sites for Middle School Narrowed Down to Two
During the Tuesday night meeting of The Clovis Board of Education, the board narrowed the possibility of the proposed new middle school site down to two, after rescinding the selection of what was known as "Site 1." According to Interim Superintendent Mr. G.C. Ross, one site would be at the corner of Llano Estacado and is owned by the Burns family. That site is 47 acres. The second site being considered is one mile north on Thornton at the northwest corner of Wilhite, and is 40 acres. There is a difference between the two, however. The first site would have to be purchased by the schools whereas the second location would be donated with some advantages thrown in such as water, sewer and other infrastructure. Location would presumably play into the decision however, as the second site is on county roads, which are chip sealed rather than fully paved. Both locations provide enough acreage, as the Adequacy Standard requires around 30 acres. The determination of the site location will likely not be completed until after the Bond Election that is coming up at the end of August.
NMDG&F to Hold Public Meetings
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish will soon be holding meetings across the state to address proposed hunting rules for bear, cougar and antelope. Public comment will be accepted during these meetings in regards to the hunting and licensing rules. The proposed rules can be reviewed online at www.wildlife.state.nm.us. Meetings that will be taking place in close proximity to this area will be held on August 5th in Roswell at the Department of Game and Fish office from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on August 17th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Tucumcari at the Convention Center.
July 28th, Afternoon News
Predator Crashes Through Fence at CAFB
A Predator Drone mishap at Cannon Air Force Base leads the news this afternoon. According to officials at the base, an MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle taxied off a runway at approximately 8:15 this morning, and crashed through a perimeter fence before coming to rest in an adjacent field. The aircraft is assigned to Cannon’s 3rd Special Operations Squadron. There were no injuries in the incident as only inert munitions were utilized. The South Perimeter Road is closed at this point, and members are being directed to use the North Perimeter Road until further notice. More information in the matter will be made available at it becomes known.
Budget Passes Commission
The Curry County Commission voted for the approval of the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Final Budget during this morning's special meeting. The overall budget for the county is $19,887,129, while the general fund is at $11,728,769. Also contained within the budget is funding that will be used to hire an additional six detention officers for the Curry County Adult Detention Center and for a financial specialist position at the detention center. Funding is also included for two positions at the Juvenile Detention Center that will be bumped up to supervisor positions. Some transfers from the general fund will be made in the future to cover items within the road department. In response to the lose of Capital Outlay Funding, the county will be working in house to compensate for those losses, including putting together a five year plan for the road department, as well as aggressively applying for federal funds and other grant monies.
Two Sites Being Considered for New Middle School
And then there were two… The Clovis Board of Education met last night to determine where the next middle school will be located, and the analysis is down to two possibilities, after rescinding the selection of what was known as “Site 1.” According to Interim Superintendent Mr. G.C. Ross, one site would be at the corner of Llano Estacado and is owned by the Burns family. That site is 47 acres. The second site being considered is one mile north on Thornton at the northwest corner of Wilhite, and is 40 acres. There is a difference between the two, however. The first site would have to be purchased by the schools whereas the second location would be donated with some advantages thrown in such as water, sewer and other infrastructure. Location would presumably play into the decision however, as the second site is on county roads, which are chip sealed rather than fully paved. Both locations provide enough acreage, as the Adequacy Standard requires around 30 acres. The determination of the site location will likely not be completed until after the Bond Election that is coming up at the end of August.
July 28th, Morning News
Mistakenly Released Inmate Apprehended
The inmate who was mistakenly released last week was apprehended by Curry County Sheriff's Investigators and returned to the Curry County Detention Center. That inmate- 45-year-old Johnny Cordova- was located at a family member's residence in the 200 block of Brionne Street in Clovis, where he was taken into custody without incident at approximately 1 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. Cordova was serving a sentence of six months for driving on a revoked license among other traffic offenses. Cordova was also pending trial for a seventh or greater DWI offense.
Commission Meets This Morning for Special Meeting
The Curry County Commission will be convening this morning for a special meeting. In an earlier agenda that was released, the commission was set to vote on a number of items. Since that time, the agenda has been adjusted and the final agenda shows that the commission will only be voting on one item, the request for approval of the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year Final Budget Resolution. This meeting will take place at 9AM in the Commission Room located within the Curry County Courthouse.
Clovis PD Hosting National Night Out Event
The Clovis Police Department will once again be hosting local festivities in honor of the 27th annual National Night Out event. The National Night Out event was established in 1984 and is designed to heighten crime awareness as well as generate support from communities for participation in local anticrime programs. It is also designed to strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and the community and send a message to criminals that the neighborhoods are organizing together and fighting back. This year's event will be held on Tuesday from 6PM to 9PM at Greene Acres Park in Clovis. For further details on this event, contact Officer Parkin at the Clovis PD.
Habitat for Humanity Quarterly Meeting Slated for Clovis
The Habitat for Humanity State Organization will soon be meeting in Clovis for their quarterly meeting. The board meets on a quarterly basis for training and discussion of the organizations policy and procedures. Volunteers and other parties interested in seeking further information or working with the Habitat for Humanity Organization are asked to contact the local office at 359-1344 or visit there website at www.habitatrcc.com This meeting will be taking place next Friday and Saturday at the Trinity Lutheran Church located on West 21st Street in Clovis.
July 27th, Afternoon News
Released Inmate Apprehended
We reported this morning that an inmate at the Curry County Adult Detention Center was mistakenly released last week. That inmate- 45-year-old Johnny Cordova- has been apprehended by the Curry County Sheriff’s Investigators and returned to the Curry County Detention Center. Cordova was located at a family member’s residence in the 200 block of Brionne Street in Clovis, where he was taken into custody without incident at approximately 1 o’clock this afternoon. Cordova was serving a sentence of six months for driving on a revoked license among other traffic offenses. Cordova was also pending trial for a seventh or greater DWI offense.
Public Invited to View Deep Well
New Mexico American Water is giving the public a chance to see an exploratory deep well in Clovis, as their technicians continue the search for more viable water options. What is called the Lower Dockum Formation lies about 1,600 feet below the City of Clovis and it may help to bridge the gap between the dwindling supplies in the Ogallala Aquifer and the anticipated construction of the Ute Pipeline by the Eastern New Mexico Water Authority. The exploratory well into the Lower Dockum Formation will allow hydrologists and engineers with New Mexico American Water to determine the quantity and quality of existing water supplies. The drilling for the well will cost an estimated $900,000. The public viewing of the deep well is taking place on Thursday at 2 PM. For more details and to RSVP, contact New Mexico American Water.
Curry County Commission Holding Special Meeting
The Curry County Commission will be convening on Wednesday for a special meeting. In an earlier agenda that was released, the commission was set to vote on a number of items. Since that time, the agenda has been adjusted and the final budget shows that the commission will only be voting on one item, the request for approval of the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year Final Budget Resolution. This meeting will take place at 9AM in the Commission Room located within the Curry County Courthouse.
BP Sells Assets in New Mexico, Texas
Lastly, BP has agreed to sell $3 billion worth of their Permian Basin gas and oil holdings in southeast New Mexico and Texas, to Houston-based Apache Corp. According to the New Mexico News Network, the sale is part of BP’s $7 billion fire sale of assets around the world to help pay for a government-mandated $20 billion victim fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off Louisiana’s coast, the worst oil spill in U.S. history.