Serving Eastern New Mexico and West Texas
CNJ staff photo: Sharna Johnson Clovis Police Department evidence technician Wendell Blair stands in the evidence room. There are around 18,000 items currently logged in evidence, he said. By Sharna Johnson: Freedom Newspapers Bicycles, guns, electronics, clothing — the diversity of items in the small, shelf-lined room is reminiscent of a pawn or thrift shop. […]
CNJ staff photo: Sharna Johnson Capt. Patrick Whitney of the Clovis Police Department makes a second cut through a rifle Friday afternoon at the police department. The guns are destroyed to keep them off the streets, Whitney said. By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer A sawed-off shotgun, a pearl-handled pistol, a rifle complete with leather […]
Staff ilustration: Sharna Johnson Portales’ police captain says calls are pouring in from people worried about loved ones addicted to methamphetamine. By Helena Rodriguez: CNJ staff writer Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series dealing with the growing problem and unique challenges posed by addiction to the manmade chemical of methamphetamine. Meth, […]
By Kevin Wilson: Freedom Newspapers I work with a lot of women in my office, and I’m pretty sure that nearly half of the people I know are women. They always tell me the lesson Cinderella teaches is the right pair of shoes can change your life. But what if the opposite is true, and […]
By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer Officials will not pursue criminal charges against a teen who admitted to being in an altercation in April that has hospitalized Eric Burrell, 39, of Clovis. The teen came forward after reading newspaper reports and told police he beat Burrell in self-defense, Clovis Police Chief Dan Blair said. Police […]
CNJ staff photo: Sharna Johnson A Cannon Air Force Base explosive detection dog and his handlers, members of Cannon Security Forces, run away from Bank of America on Prince Street Monday after the dog indicated the possible presence of explosives in the building. By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer Clovis Police closed down several blocks […]
By Freedom Newspapers British Prime Minister Tony Blair, after weeks of speculation and leaks about when exactly it would come, has announced he is stepping down as leader of the Labor Party and therefore as prime minister — as of June 27. As the longest-serving prime minister besides Margaret Thatcher in recent British history, he […]
By Sharna Johnson: CNJ Staff Writer The Clovis Police Department is trying to revive a fundamental element of law enforcement through community policing, according to Police Chief Dan Blair. The campaign push for togetherness with the community has been named “One with Clovis,” Blair said. Officers want to strengthen their bond with residents by getting […]
A 911 call from an abducted girl was made from the Allsup’s convenience store on Mabry Drive. (CNJ staff photo: Andy DeLisle) By Sharna Johnson: CNJ Staff Writer A missing 10-year-old Texhoma, Okla., girl was found safe Friday afternoon in Clovis, according to authorities who were still seeking her abductor. Marissa Marie Graham was able […]
Community relations officer Eric Muller plans to start a public information campaign that will cover topics from crime prevention to educational messages about gun safety and drunken driving. (Staff photo: Tony Bullocks) By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer As the new community relations officer for the Clovis Police Department, Eric Muller hopes to strengthen the […]
By Jean Verlich: CNJ News Editor City Manager Joe Thomas stayed within the system in hiring a new police chief. Thomas announced at Thursday’s Clovis City Commission meeting he has selected Deputy Police Chief Dan Blair to succeed Bill Carey, who retires Sept. 29. Blair, a 21-year Clovis Police Department veteran, was promoted to deputy […]
By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer Clovis city manager Joe Thomas said he will seek the advisement of the City Commission to determine the process by which the new chief of police will be appointed. He said the matter will be discussed during an executive session prior to Thursday’s scheduled commission meeting. Police Chief Bill […]
By Karl Terry: Freedom Newspapers Five years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the event Americans call 9/11 is still affecting people’s lives. According to local historians, the event is probably still in search of its place and perspective in history. “It really made us aware that we are […]
Clovis Deputy Police Chief Dan Blair identifies graffiti across Clovis Thursday aftertnoon. (CNJ staff photo: Tony Bullocks) By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer Holding parents financially responsible for graffiti painted by their children and getting property owners to remove it quickly are solutions Clovis city officials are considering for the consistent vandalism problem. Deputy Police […]
By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer Violent crime in Clovis was up last year almost 12 percent from 2004, according to a Clovis Police Department annual report released Wednesday. The number of violent crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault rose from 267 in 2004 to 298 in 2005, or an average of […]
By David Stevens: CNJ Editor Friends and family of Clovis’ latest homicide victim have planned a concert next weekend and it has two missions: Help offset hospital bills and funeral costs for Wilfred Salas’ mother and, according to one of its organizers, “to stop the violence.” “We’re trying to make something positive from what happened […]
By Marlena Hartz: CNJ staff writer Curry County faces a tough task in finding a new jail administrator, according to County Manager Dick Smith. The annual salary for the position is about $50,000 plus benefits, according Smith, which is below the national average for the position and could make finding a candidate slightly harder. “We […]
Editor’s note: World War II officially ended Sept. 2, 1945, when the Japanese signed surrender terms. We’re honoring the war’s area veterans over the next several months with these brief profiles. Joe Blair Date of birth: Oct. 15, 1925 Dates of service: 1942 to 1946 Hometown: Portales Lives in: Portales Theater and locations of service: […]
By Tonya Garner: CNJ staff writer From his stature to his personality, everything about Teddy Blair is large. Even his entrance to Tuesday’s Curry County Commission meeting to give his first departmental report as interim administrator of the Curry County Detention Center was grandiose. Blair, 70, made a dramatic entrance to the meeting by tossing […]
By Steve Chapman: Syndicated Columnist No one really wants to fault Tony Blair as he strives to address the threat of homegrown Islamic terrorism. After one round of deadly bombings and a second round of attempted ones just two weeks apart, everyone knows that his fears are not exactly a hallucination. In this case, most […]
