It was time. Tharon Drake’s body told him so, although it took him some time to really believe it. He eventually listened and made the tough decision to retire from competitive swimming. The 2011 Hobbs High graduate and two-time 2016 Rio Paralympian Games silver medalist called it a career in competitive swimming, something he has done since he was a …

With the energy only 5-month-old puppies possess Ginny — named for the character in the Harry Potter books and movies — bounds around the yard Thursday, pausing occasionally to sniff new and familiar smells, outside Ashley Johnson’s Grooming and Boarding north of Hobbs. Dashing around with Zeus, an adult longhaired German shepherd, and Makenah Smith Baker, Johnson’s 11-year-old daughter, Ginny’s …

Lea County’s 4-H Muzzleloader team is New Mexico’s team. The Lea team won its 4-H state title competition in April and competed last month, representing all of New Mexico, at the National level. The four members of the team come from three of Lea County’s seven 4-H Clubs. Danni George and Sadie Savage, both of Hobbs, are members of the …

Stephen Helreich took a roundabout route to pastoring his first church, but he has found Hobbs to be “friendly and welcoming.” At the age of 72, Stephen Helmreich is beginning the career he prepared for when he went to seminary almost 50 years ago. He’s the newly ordained and newly installed pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hobbs. “After I …

Encapsulating a mix of dance, music and play, the long-awaited dedication ceremony for a public art installation in Hobbs is here. Colorado artist Gail Folwell will be on hand at 10 a.m. Friday at the CORE to help dedicate her sculpture, “Stay Human.” The piece was set in place last September but the official unveiling was delayed several times due …

EUNICE — The Eunice City Council forged ahead last week with a major housing project, but not without conflict. With a unanimous vote to re-plat a subdivision for more than 40 residential lots, the council declared completion of phase one of the planned Oaks at Coyote Crossing gated community. City officials had placed the project on hold in April due …

Tyana Franklin turned her own love of French macarons into a growing, home-based business. Tyana was just 17 and a senior at Hobbs High School when she got the idea a bit more than a year ago, just before the COVID-19 pandemic reached southeast New Mexico. She would routinely go to the bakery to get her fix of the sweet …

“Running showed me a new outlet, a way to escape the world. It is everything to me and is such a great metaphor for life,” Hobbs native Julian Florez said. It’s not every day a person qualifies for the Olympic Trials in the marathon and also excels as an artist. At only 29 years old, Florez has accomplished both of …

Ray Caraway can’t stop smiling. He loves his new job. He loves his new work family. He loves his new community. He loves smiling. And everyone involved with the JF Maddox Foundation loves his passion. Caraway became CEO of the JF Maddox Foundation in September following the retirement of Bob Reid, another man filled with passion for family and community, who worked for the foundation for …

Ray Caraway can’t stop smiling. He loves his new job. He loves his new work family. He loves his new community. He loves smiling. And everyone involved with the JF Maddox Foundation loves his passion. Caraway became CEO of the JF Maddox Foundation in September following the retirement of Bob Reid, another man filled with passion for family and community, who worked for the foundation for …