Home gas bills to drop $17 this winter Levi Hill/News-Sun Lea County residents will be happy to know their home heating bills should drop by an average of $17 per month this winter. The 24 percent decrease in winter heating bills this year is due to a warmer 2022-23 winter and increased natural gas production over the summer. Natural gas …

Home gas bills to drop $17 this winter Levi Hill/News-Sun Lea County residents will be happy to know their home heating bills should drop by an average of $17 per month this winter. The 24 percent decrease in winter heating bills this year is due to a warmer 2022-23 winter and increased natural gas production over the summer. Natural gas …

Avila released from prison in baby in dumpster case Virginia Cunningham/News-Sun By order of the New Mexico State Court of Appeals, Alexis Avila has been released from prison, pending the outcome of her case in the NM Court of Appeals. Alexis, 19, of Hobbs, was found guilty of attempt to commit 1st degree murder and abuse of a child resulting …

Veterans group facing money challenges asks community for help Andy Brosig/News-Sun A group of local veterans is asking for help from the community to save what’s been a Lea County institution for almost nine decades. Mark Bowman, past commander and current quartermaster/adjutant for the Blakey VFW Post 3274 in Hobbs has started a GoFundMe campaign to help pull the post …

Remembering “Bean,” the fearless friend of all Levi Hill/News-Sun On Oct. 14, Hobbs lost a local legend, international celebrity, fearless daredevil and a good friend. Donny “Bean” Huerta was an icon of the drag strips and car shows with his famed wheelstander car The Mexican Jump N’ Bean. He took to showing the car and racing it following the passing …

Hobbs Schools continue enrollment growth Andy Brosig/News-Sun The number of students enrolled in Hobbs Municipal Schools increases yearly, continuing trends of recovery from lows brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. LaShawn Byrd, deputy director of data analysis for the district, presented preliminary numbers on 40-day attendance in the district during the HMS Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. As of …

Youth advocate Mike Clampitt leaves legacy for Hobbs community with Boys and Girls Club Andy Brosig/News-Sun Mike Clampitt was described by those who knew him as untiring, unflinching, influential, dedicated to area youth and more. The long-time director of the Boys and Girls Club of Hobbs died about 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lubbock Heart Hospital in Lubbock, Texas. He was …

Couple celebrating 70 years has no plans to stop Levi Hill/News-Sun In a world where celebrity marriages don’t last much longer than an ice cream cone on a hot day, seeing a couple go the distance of 70 years is almost unimaginable. But come Saturday, Oct. 7, that’s just how many years John and Addie “Peepsie” Lankford have been partners …

Teen charged with murder in Saturday shooting Levi Hill/News-Sun The details leading up to a fight that resulted in the shooting death of a 35-year-old man remain unclear but a 17-year-old is facing a charge of first-degree murder in the shooting death. The shooting took place around 10 p.m. Saturday at a hotel in the 200 block of North Marland. …

BREAKING: District court rules in favor of the current N.M. congressional district maps. District Court judge Fred T. Van Soelen issued his ruling today at 11 a.m. on the case of the Republican Party and other parties vs. N.M. Secretary State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and other parties. “The Court does not find that the disparate treatment of vote dilution rises …