The summer grass fire season may be over, but Lea County officials are concerned about grass fires this winter. Deputy Fire Marshall Jeff Broom said wildland fires burned a little more than 5,400 acres in 2017 by mid-November, compared to 12,986 acres burned in all of 2016. “So, we definitely saw a decrease in the amount,” he said, “but the …

What’s up? Employment, rigs and oil in Lea County. For the first time in two years, Lea County unemployment fell below 7 percent in September, the latest data available from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the first time in more than two years, the West Texas crude oil price topped …

Lea Elementary honors veterans with a Veteran’s Day Parade Friday afternoon in Lovington New Mexico..

EUNICE — Traffic safety will likely improve in Eunice soon, thanks to the observation and subsequent work of the Eunice Youth Advisory Council. The Youth Advisory Council consists of high school students appointed each year to advise the city council from a youth perspective. Concerned about both pedestrian and vehicular safety, the Youth Advisory Council sent a letter to the …

The large structure being built next to the Lea County Event Center, in front of Zia Park Casino, is Hobbs’ Center of Recreational Excellence and construction is on schedule and progressing smoothly. CORE officials have been offering tours of the new $63.5 million facility while it’s under construction near Millen Drive and the Lovington Highway. Some of the Hobbs News-Sun …

The large structure being built next to the Lea County Event Center, in front of Zia Park Casino, is Hobbs’ Center of Recreational Excellence and construction is on schedule and progressing smoothly. CORE officials have been offering tours of the new $63.5 million facility while it’s under construction near Millen Drive and the Lovington Highway. Some of the Hobbs News-Sun …

On Monday morning Hobbs Police Department officers responded to a shots fired call at Lea County State Bank. At around 11:14 a.m. HPD officers arrived at the scene they learned an armed robbery had taken place at an ATM machine located near the drive-thru teller lanes and the suspect, Lazarus Shamar Sanders, 19, fled the area on foot. Witnesses advised …

Carpenters were putting the roof on the porch that shelters the entrance of the El Bethel Church of God in Christ Wednesday morning as Rev. Dylan Barry opened the front door to a sanctuary that was ravaged by an electrical fire on March 13. The fire completely destroyed the interior of the church, leaving the membership to wonder whether it would be …

Major Lisa Smith took the helm of the local Salvation Army Wednesday following the retirement and departure of Capts. Les and Susan Spousta. Hitting the ground running on her first day, Major Smith said she first wanted to talk about the Christmas season. “This is a challenging time of the year to come in. I want to emphasize I’m looking …

LOVINGTON — It was cold, calm and quiet outside Nor-Lea Hospital Saturday morning. Inside the hospital’s clinic, however, was pandemonium. A “gunman” moved through the building shooting patients and hospital staff. Outside was silence, except for a lone broadcast across the hospital’s PA system, “Code trigger.” Within minutes Lovington police cars sped into the parking lot, lights flashing but sirens …