Local

Staff Writer September 1, 2023

Release provided by McDonald’s Media Relations Firm. Araceli Ornelas, Manager of the McDonald’s restaurant at 410 Main Street, has won a Ray Kroc Award, an accolade that recognizes the top performing McDonald’s Restaurant Managers globally. Named in honor of the McDonald’s Corporation founder Ray Kroc, the awards were established in 1999 to recognize hard-working restaurant…

Tia Duerrmeyer September 1, 2023

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…

Joseph Duerrmeyer August 28, 2023

Almost 600 acres, comprising 12 parcels of federal public land in southeastern New Mexico and Oklahoma, may be leased by online auction to the oil and gas industry on November 30 by the U. S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Approximately 75% of the land to be leased is located in Lea and Eddy counties –…

Tia Duerrmeyer August 22, 2023

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…

Tia Duerrmeyer August 22, 2023

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…

Joseph Duerrmeyer August 21, 2023

An Albuquerque company has taken the necessary first step to acquire permission to locate a medical isotope production facility in Lea County. Eden Radioisotopes, LLC (Eden) “…has formally notified the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of its plans to submit license applications in order to construct and operate a medical isotope production facility near Eunice,…

Editor August 17, 2023

US Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) spent a day meeting with oil and gas workers and their families in Hobbs on Wednesday, August 16. During the visit to Hobbs, Vasquez announced H.R. 5222, The Energy Workers Health Improvement And Compensation Fund Act, which he believes will prioritize the health care of energy workers and hold polluters and wealthy,…

Lura Jackson August 15, 2023

While New Mexico as a state has the second highest violent crime rate in the country (just behind Alaska), Lovington consistently has a crime rate that’s among the lowest in the state and well below the national average, according to multiple reports. As a state, New Mexico has a crime problem. Safewise reports that violent…

Tia Duerrmeyer August 8, 2023

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…

Editor August 4, 2023

The biggest event in Lea County is the annual Fair & Rodeo which takes place at the Lea County Fairgrounds located at 101 S. Commercial St in Lovington, NM. Visitors from all around the area come out to enjoy the festivities which include a concert series, carnival, arts & craft exhibits, livestock shows and the…