HOUSTON (AP) — Halliburton will institute a mandatory furlough for 3,500 employees in Houston beginning next week amid falling oil prices. The furlough will begin Monday and will last up to 60 days, company spokeswoman Emily Mir said Wednesday. During the furlough, affected employees will work one week on followed by one week off, the Houston-based company said. Employees will …

SANTA FE – New Mexico Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel will strengthen her previously issued public health order to include additional mandatory closures and guidelines to stem the spread of COVID-19 in New Mexico. The new public health emergency order, which will take effect Thursday, March 19, prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people. The order, which will be signed tomorrow, …

ALBUQUERQUE — This time last season, the Hobbs girls’ basketball team and its fans left The Pit disappointed when the Lady Eagles lost in the state championship game to West Mesa. Saturday, the No. 1 ranked Lady Eagles played in a crowdless Pit as they beat No. 3 Volcano Vista 58-43 to win their second title in three years, and …

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Houston and Dallas closed bars and clubs, standardized tests for more than 3 million public schoolchildren were canceled and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday told the public to brace for a surge in coronavirus cases as the outbreak continued to dramatically reshape life in Texas. “We are at a pivot point in the trajectory of …

Soon, veterans living in and around Hobbs will no longer have to make the grueling trip out of state, or many hours away, to receive the care the need. A new veterans clinic has a location planned, and has the green light to begin renovations in April. The project was placed on the “fast track” and completion is expected within …

New Mexico schools to temporarily close Governor, education & health officials to address the public Friday morning From the N.M. Governor’s office SANTA FE –Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the New Mexico Public Education Department and the New Mexico Department of Health on Thursday announced that New Mexico K-12 public schools will close for three weeks beginning Monday, March 16, in …

SANTA FE – New Mexico Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel issued an order Thursday temporarily prohibiting mass gatherings in New Mexico in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health order defines mass gatherings as events that bring together 100 or more people in a single room or connected space like auditoriums, stadiums, arenas, conference centers and theaters. The order is …

Auto thefts in Hobbs have doubled since this time last year. “In 2019, in February there was 10, in 2020, in February there was 20 of them. Year to date last year there was 23 at this time, in 2019 and in 2020 we’ve had 49 year to date,” said Hobbs Police Captain Shane Blevins, as of March 4. According to …

There’s plenty of toilet paper in the US – so why are people hoarding it? Jay L. Zagorsky Boston University (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) The other day I went into Costco to buy some toilet paper. It came as a small shock when I couldn’t find a single …

SEATTLE (AP) — Amid all the fears, quarantines and stockpiling of food, it has been easy to ignore the fact that more than 60,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus spreading around the globe. The disease can cause varying degrees of illness and is especially troublesome for older adults and people with existing health problems, who are at risk of …