A former inmate is accusing a former Roosevelt County jailer of drawing crude images on his arm and face while the inmate slept in his cell. The complaints by Edward Alonzo are part of a federal lawsuit filed last month by Portales Attorney Chris Christensen. Alonzo alleges corrections officer Julian Vargas drew an image of a penis on Alonzo’s arm and face in two separate incidents about two years...

The Portales Police Department on Wednesday morning, July 8, will be conducting an active-shooter response training for the Roosevelt County Electric Cooperative at 121 N. Main. The exercise is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to noon, police said. “During this training, blank training munitions will be used as part of realistic, scenario-based exercises,” police stated on their Facebook page. “Residents...

More than 200 teams and about 800 players crowded onto the campus of Eastern New Mexico University over the weekend for Portales' Gus Macker basketball tournament. Organizer Jody Diaz, executive director of the Roosevelt County Community Development Corp., which sponsored the games, said about 2,500 people in all were associated with the tournament. "I think the community is very...

New Mexico Sen. Pat Boone, R-Elida, was not only on hand to witness the Roosevelt County Commission approve the 2026 Regional Behavioral Health Plan for Judicial District 9, he also acknowledged that, in an effort to make a statement about the need for stronger crime legislation, he voted against the plan's statutory parent. "I don't want to make it sound like I'm being...

As the nation gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday, I turned back the pages of old Roosevelt County newspapers to see how our predecessors marked Independence Day. There are some gems. The earliest written account I came across was from 1903 when Portales’ celebration included both a shooting contest and one-half mile trotting races for horses. A front-page story in the July 11, 1903, issue of...

The Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday announced it has canceled its fireworks show planned for July 3. From the Chamber’s Facebook page: “Unfortunately, the Chamber was unable to secure the required insurance needed to safely set off fireworks this year. “But the 250th Freedom and Heritage Days celebration is still very much on, and we have a full day planned for everyone at Portales...

They should be thinking of grand-opening ceremonies for the region’s new behavioral health facility. Instead, government leaders are getting nervous, and a gap in needed operating funds appears to be growing. That was the alarm sounded June 9 by Roosevelt County Manager Meadow Forget at a regular County Commission meeting. The projected need to operate the facility before funding is released — a g...

Incumbent Roosevelt County Sheriff Javier Sanchez defeated two challengers on June 2, earning another four years in office. Sanchez received 1,111 votes, or 57%. Challenger Mark Morrison received 519 votes, while Floyd Jones received 309 votes. “I’m very excited and very happy. I feel very supported by the community,” Sanchez said last Wednesday while cleaning up election signs. He said he is glad...