Serving Eastern New Mexico and West Texas
Spencer Kendal Matthew Spencer was born Sept. 30, 2011, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis to Chris and Trish Spencer of Clovis. He weighed, 8 pounds 11 ounces. He has one brother, Tristan, 6. Grandparents are Bob and Peggy Spencer of McDonough, N.Y., and Johnnie Santos of Tucumcari. Great-grandparent is Joyce Gates of McDonough, […]
By Jean Verlich: CNJ news editor For Ken De Los Santos, the weather is serious business. “Every day, the first thing I do is check the weather,” the emergency management director for Clovis and Curry County said. He looks online at storm predictions and receives e-mail and phone call alerts from the National Weather Service. […]
By CNJ Staff What: Two town hall meetings are being hosted this week to help residents prepare for the slim possibility of a pandemic flu outbreak. Why: The meetings are part of a national campaign to raise awareness and educate people on preparedness, according to Ken De Los Santos, director of the Clovis/Curry County Emergency […]
By Sharna Johnson: CNJ staff writer Clovis law enforcers and emergency responders agree the post-9/11 climate has made federal funding more attainable for local agencies. Clovis/Curry County Emergency Management Director Ken De Los Santos said federal funding for responders in the area over the last five years has totaled more than $1.5 million. The terrorist […]
CNJ Staff Two children died late Saturday afternoon in an two-vehicle accident along the intersection of Curry County Road 10 and Curry County Road G, according to the Curry County Sheriff’s Office. Joe Gutierrez, 33, of Clovis, was driving a 1996 Chevy Lumina. In the front seat of the car were Gutierrez, Jennifer Montiel and […]
Janet Taylor-Birkey Janet Taylor-Birkey The Defending United States Softball Association Military World Champion, Cannon mens’ varsity softball team, opened their 2006 softball season with an impressive first place finish in the Clovis Umpires Tune Up and a second place finish in the Knights Challenge, May 6 and 7. The team is currently in first place […]
By Andy Jackson: CNJ staff writer Steve Summers has been a storm spotter for 12 years. Although he’s never seen one up close or heard the signature freight train sound, he is well aware of the damage they can do. The director of the Clovis Municipal Airport, Summers is one of 20 storm spotters in […]
Several funnel clouds were reported in the Clovis area, according to the National Weather Service. (Courtesy photo: Carolyn Spence) By Ryn Gargulinski: CNJ staff writer Clovis residents who took cover Friday evening when they heard the tornado warning sirens did the right thing. What they could not have known, was that the warning sirens were […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina: CNJ staff writer Emergency personnel from throughout Curry County met Wednesday to plan for a disaster they hope will never happen. In their scenario, a tornado appeared over the skies of southwest Clovis, touching down and destroying half of Plains Regional Medical Center and half of Sandia Elementary. Curry County Emergency […]
By Ben Kessler The recent dousing of Clovis may well have been a blessing for local gardeners, said Lowe’s hardware store employee Elmo Garcia. The zone manager for the store said the inclement weather is beneficial to plants and flowers. “I wish it (the rain) would go on all summer,” he said adding that gardeners […]
David Arkin Severe weather involving tornados and lightning can lift fish out of lakes, snap utility poles like soggy toothpicks and force cows to scatter like bowling pins in all different directions. So it’s no wonder storm chaser Jerome Provencio says he might be a little bit crazy. And you can’t really blame him for […]
David Arkin Those interested in learning more about storm spotting will have the chance to do so this week during two sessions being held in the area. Two Tornado Spotters Courses are set for Tuesday. A Clovis course will be from 1-4 p.m. in the Bert Cabiness City Government Assembly Room. The Portales course will […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina Communications problems which complicated an emergency medical run on Feb. 2 could have implications for any future disaster, members of the exercise design subcommittee of the Curry County Local Emergency Planning Committee noted Friday. Meeting to plan the county’s next disaster training drill, members discussed the Feb. 2 incident that didn’t […]
Reporter’s Notebook As a retired member of the Air Force, Ken De Los Santos of the Curry County Emergency Management Committee wants to make sure newcomers to Cannon Air Force Base know how to handle disasters — and he wouldn’t mind a few military members signing up as committee volunteers. To accomplish both goals, De […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina Media across New Mexico and the nation have been reporting on the progress of a worse-than-usual flu outbreak this winter for which the standard flu vaccine doesn’t provide specific immunity. On Friday, local emergency management staff reported on a state exercise bringing planners together to discuss what they would do in […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina As sleet bore down on Clovis late Monday evening, Curry County Emergency Management Director Ken De Los Santos said he wants people to be prepared and ready for winter weather conditions. De Los Santos said that while eastern New Mexico and West Texas don’t get that much snow, conditions that might […]
Ken De Los Santos is looking for volunteers to help staff a booth at the upcoming Curry County Fair. As Emergency Management Director for Curry County and the City of Clovis, De Los Santos said the Local Emergency Planning Commission has decided this year to offer pamphlets and other brochures that will help educate local […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina Curry County’s emergency management director worries people don’t take the threat of lightning serious enough. According to Ken De Los Santos, lightning is among the most dangerous weather phenomena in New Mexico — partly because people don’t know that storms can be dangerous long before rain begins to fall and therefore […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina Friday evening’s thunderstorms brought high winds, pea-sized hail, and heavy rain to the Clovis area, but area law enforcement agencies reported no major weather-related damage. “We did have some streets flooded, which is normal due to all the rain,” said Curry County Emergency Management Director Ken De Los Santos. “The flooding […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina New Mexico hasn’t had a tornado fatality since 1974, but severe wind and tornado damage have hit Clovis as recently as the late 1990s. Wednesday morning at Clovis’ city hall, 27 representatives of local law enforcement, government, school, fire, military, communications, utilities, and transportation agencies met to discuss how they would […]
