Poor attendance irks educators Poor summer school attendance has some Hobbs school leaders rethinking the school district’s policy allowing parents to override the grade retention of elementary students. School district superintendent TJ Parks told the school board Tuesday that summer school attendance has been very disappointing this year, with about 44 percent of high school students assigned to summer school …

Rig count peaks at record With Lea County leading in oil production, New Mexico’s rig count hit its historic peak this week at 103, the most ever, and close to double the 57 at the same time last year. Lea County’s count this week is 51 active rigs, up more than two-thirds from last year’s 30 active rigs and putting …

What is behind belief in weeping Virgin Mary statues Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross In a Catholic parish in Hobbs, New Mexico, a statue of the Virgin Mary has been “weeping.” Onlookers have gathered out of …

Matt White picked as Jal city manager JAL — On a unanimous vote of 5-0 at the Jal City Council meeting Thursday night, former Eunice mayor Matt White was chosen the next Jal city manager. Having lost his bid in March for a fourth term as mayor, White applied for the vacant seat in Jal left by the resignation late …

Dirty Jobs’ host headed to Hobbs to speak The man who became known as “the dirtiest man on TV” will be coming to Hobbs this fall to talk about the value of vocational education while offering other insights. Mike Rowe, who for eight seasons hosted “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel, is coming to Hobbs in September as part of …

Virgin Mary weeping scented olive oil It’s been almost eight weeks since the statue of the Virgin Mary at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church first cried. Almost eight weeks of photos, videos, social media posts, news stories and visitors traveling from throughout the world to see the statue. Since she first cried on May 20, the Virgin Mary has cried …

Homeowner holds B&E suspect at gunpoint Hobbs police officers responded to a break-in call at a East Copper residence on Monday and found the homeowner holding the suspect at gunpoint. Around 12:12 a.m. Monday, Hobbs officers were dispatched to a residence in the 500 block of East Copper for breaking and entering. Officers found a front window of the home …

Hobbs, Lovington gigabit cities thanks to Leaco Just as older homes lacked enough electrical outlets as Americans became accustomed to their appliances in the mid-20th century, an internet barrier exists in many homes today, limiting the speed of various electronic devices to stream TV, play video games online and download data. A local telephone cooperative is seeking to end the days …

Charge in Hobbs priest case dropped The criminal charge against former St. Helena Catholic Church priest Ricardo Bauza was dismissed Wednesday by the Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. The dismissal comes less than a week before his trial was scheduled to begin in Hobbs. Bauza, 51, turned himself into Hobbs police on Feb. 12 on the arrest warrant for a …

Use of Smart cars linked to awards for Pizza Inn owner Order a pizza to be delivered from the Pizza Inn on North Grimes Street, or either Pizza Inn in Carlsbad, and the Smart car that delivers it might remind you of someplace in Europe. Franchise owner Michael Moore garnered four awards last month at an Orlando, Fla., Pizza Inn …