After the polls closed Tuesday at Nor-Lea Hospital District, more than 180 voters approved the continuance of the $1.5 million mill levy. The total votes for the mill levy were 181 for and 43 against, totaling in 224 votes. The mill levy funds projects that benefit the hospital and the hospital district community, including the Lovington Wellness Center currently being built. …

LOVINGTON — No more tokens at the fair. The token machines at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo have served their purpose. At the recommendation of Jim Kemp, general manager of the fairgrounds, and the Fair and Rodeo Board, county commissioners approved a new method of collecting fees from outdoor vendors, during a county commission meeting May 25. After hearing …

Xcel Energy has completed a $5.6 million grid improvement project that will boost reliability and alleviate voltage dips in north Hobbs, especially during the peak summer months. The centerpiece of the project is the new Bensing Substation, located on North Bensing Road near West Lawrence Road roughly 10 miles north of downtown Hobbs. The facility is providing a new power …

Hobbs city officials unveiled the new logo for the the Center of Recreational Excellence Wednesday, and gave a tour of the construction site. The new logo consists of the word “CORE” with the letter “O” made up of three different colors. “The (blue) representing the aqua facility and all the water amenities, the green representing the astroturf where you can have …

Denise Marquez NEWS-SUN The Hobbs City Commission was hesitant to approve the publication of an ordinance amendment that would allow certain relatives of the city commission and city manager to be hired as seasonal or temporary employees by the city. During Monday’s city commission meeting, the Hobbs commission voted 5-2 for the publication of an ordinance that would amend a …

$200,000 contract rejected, Murphy could still get $306,000 LEVI HILL NEWS-SUN Sparks flew at the Hobbs City Commission Monday night as commissioners split 4-3 over giving City Manager J.J. Murphy a modified severance contract that would have had him coming back to the city as a consultant until June 30, 2018. It appears Murphy will be out the door either …

BuildZoom’s new study looks into Urban Expansion across the country on a city by city bases. The urbanized metro area of Hobbs has expanded 19.65 square miles since 1940. Below is a breakdown of the decade by decade expansion of Hobbs and a map depicting this change:  In the 1940s Hobbs expanded 0.51 square miles.  5.59 square miles in the 1950s.  2.82 square miles in the 1960s.  3.31 square miles in the 1970s.  1.70 square …

Collaboration served as the core of the CORE, according to Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb. Ceremonial groundbreaking for the Center of Recreational Excellence, formerly called the Health, Wellness and Learning Center, drew more than 300 people Monday afternoon.

Kelly Farrell News-Sun According to Hobbs police statistics, car crashes are down 27 percent citywide this year. When comparing year-to-date number of accidents from January through July to last year’s tally, the numbers reflect a decrease of 132 crashes — a drop from 487 during the same time last year to 355 this year. Hobbs police say it’s a result …

Gas leak cause of home explosion TODD BAILEY NEWS-SUN On Thursday, Victor and Alma Dominguez saw what was left of their home following Tuesday night’s explosion in South Hobbs. “It was a sad thing to see,” Dominguez said. Hobbs Fire Marshal Shawn Williams was still conducting his investigation as HFD officials searched through the debris looking for a cause.