New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday, September 15, narrowed her 30-day “emergency public health order” signed by New Mexico Health Secretary Patrick Allen that suspended both the open carry and “permitted concealed carry” of firearms in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Now the order applies “…only to public parks and playgrounds where children and…

A deceased infant was found by hospital staff at Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital on Wednesday morning, September 13. According to a press release issued by the Hobbs Police Department (HPD), officers responded to 4900 North Lovington Highway (Covenant Health Hospital) “…in reference to a deceased baby.” “A 16-year-old juvenile, accompanied by her mother, was being…

A Thursday, September 7, power outage damaged the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems at several City of Hobbs facilities – the Public Library, City Hall, the Teen Center and the Municipal Court.  Damage to the public library’s HVAC system was extensive “…to the point that it no longer cools the facility,” states a…

Mary Johnson, of Hobbs, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the stabbing murder of her 11-year-old son Bruce Johnson, Jr. Originally charged with First Degree Murder by District Attorney Diana Luce and pleading “insanity and incapacity to form specific intent” to that charge, Johnson agreed to the lesser guilty charge of Second…

Anyone wanting his or her name to appear on the ballot as a candidate for one of the local offices up for grabs in the 2023 Regular Local Election must officially file a “Declaration of Candidacy” on August 29. Local election day is Tuesday, November 7. The Lea County Clerk’s website states, “Candidate filing day…

Hobbs resident, who labels himself as a “consistent conservative champion”, State Rep. Larry Scott (R-62) was unanimously selected on Wednesday, August 16 by Lea County Commissioners as the individual they want Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to choose to fill the State Senate seat recently vacated by Sen. Gay Kernan. Representing District 42, which consists of…

The uranium enrichment provider Urenco is expanding its Lea County facility by 15%. The company announced last month that it is expanding “…its enrichment capacity at its US site in New Mexico, known as UUSA.”  UUSA, which has been operating near Eunice since 2010, currently employs 230 individuals and plays “a key role in the…

Fugitive Ricardo Ruiz “Gramps” Leyva, age 43, of Hobbs has been attested. A Lea County warrant for Leyva’s arrest on First Degree Murder and other charges has been active since April.  Leyva’s arrest was made on Monday, July 31, after the Lea County Drug Task Force (LCDTF) received a tip regarding Leyva’s location. A press…

During the last week the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) has confirmed two human cases of West Nile Virus in the state. One of the cases is in Lea County. The other is in Sandoval County. Both infected individuals have been hospitalized and are recovering.  NMDOH also reports that in Sierra County one horse…

Midland, Texas based Davis Gas Processing has been added to the list of companies the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is fining for air quality violations. The fine for permit violations at the company’s Denton Gas Plant located in Lea County near Lovington is the outgrowth of a 2020 NMED Air Quality Bureau inspection. According…