A barrel of history Watson Truck and Supply in Hobbs unearths 25-year-old time capsule Andy Brosig/News-Sun A bushel of old newspapers. Logo caps vacuum-sealed in plastic. Dozens of photographs. Vintage Beanie Babies. A broken socket from a well-used wrench set. These are just a few of the items unearthed last week when a crew of long-time employees at Watson Truck …

3 million tortillas and counting Feeding people is Nora Avila’s calling Levi Hill/News-Sun Every morning for 40 years, Nora Avila, 67, wakes up at 2:30 in the morning and by 3 a.m. she’s at her restaurant making tortillas. At a rate of an average 300 tortillas a day for 40 years, Avila has made an estimated 3.1 million giant, fluffy …

A reason to be thankful Moms grateful to be parents of first baby surrendered in Baby Box Andy Brosig/News-Sun For a time, two years ago, he was arguably the most-known baby in Lea County. Dubbed only Baby John Doe at the time, he was the first infant surrendered via the then just weeks-old Safe Haven Baby Box, located at Hobbs …

NMJC enrollment on the rise Levi Hill/News-Sun Enrollment is booming at New Mexico Junior College, so much so the college is looking at building a new on-campus student housing facility. The NMJC Board of Directors voted unanimously Oct. 16 to select Dekker Limited as the vendor to design and oversee construction of the new student housing facility on the campus. …

Solar power surging in Lea Christina Holt/News-Sun Lea County is shining bright as it will soon have 10 solar farms providing nearly 1,600-megawatts of power, expanding the county’s role in renewable energy and diversifying an oil and gas driven economy. “Lea County is a great location for solar development and the number of utility-scale solar projects under development in Lea …

Mill levies, GO bonds on November ballot   Denise Marquez/News-Sun In addition to the candidates seeking a variety of offices across the county, some Lea County school districts are seeking voter approval to continue funding mill levies and general obligation bonds to support their work in the coming year. Hobbs voters are being asked for an up-or-down vote on a …

Oil theft a booming industry for thieves Levi Hill/News-Sun The recent arrest of five men as part of a “large-scale” oilfield theft ring involving a Mexican cartel is shedding light on a booming crime business plaguing the Permian Basin on both sides of the state line. “About 96 percent of the (property) crime in Lea County is oilfield,” said Rex …

‘Record-breaking year’ 2025 Fair & Rodeo Sale of Champions hits new record Christina Holt/News-Sun LOVINGTON — The 89th annual Lea County Fair and Rodeo Junior Livestock sale set a new record this year, generating more than $1.25 million, with that total potentially still increasing. “The Sale of Champions on Saturday was a record-breaking year,” Fairgrounds Director Wyatt Duncan said. “We did …

Hobbs mayoral candidates gather to debate Caleb A. Gallegos/News-Sun Thursday night the three City of Hobbs mayoral candidates took to the stage to field questions from the citizens they hope to lead as the Republican Party of Lea County hosted a mayoral debate. Candidates Dwayne Penick, Joe Imbriale and Jonathan Sena drew for high card to determine the order, with …

JSX to add Wednesday flights to Dallas Christina Holt/News-Sun JSX, the newest airline service at Lea County Regional Airport flying to Dallas, will be extending its operations from three to four days a week to meet the needs of the community. Beginning Sept. 24, the service will be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, said Jennifer Grassham, president and …