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 …

When Justin and Jeannie Alexander of Trinity Farms heard about the Lovington MainStreet Local Innovator’s Institute food truck program, they knew it would be a perfect fit for them to try a nation-wide restaurant movement seemingly tailor-made for their farm operation. That movement is farm-to-table, a red-hot concept in dining across the country, where local restaurants — or food trucks …

The City of Hobbs needs its’ citizens input. City of Hobbs planners are hosting two public meetings on Thursday to discuss any future Community Development Block Grant program projects. The meetings are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. in the Hobbs City Hall Annex city commission chambers, 200 N. Broadway. Two previous public meetings took place on June 22. …

The City of Hobbs needs its’ citizens input. City of Hobbs planners are hosting two public meetings on Thursday to discuss any future Community Development Block Grant program projects. The meetings are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. in the Hobbs City Hall Annex city commission chambers, 200 N. Broadway. Two previous public meetings took place on June 22. …

New Mexico became No. 2 in the nation for oil production this year. In March, the state’s oil production tally spiked at 35.8 million barrels, topping North Dakota’s 31.8 million barrels. For reference, Texas logged 147.1 million barrels in March, a number no other state expects to approach. For those who think of Texas as a “whole ‘nother country,” that …

JAL — After years of planning, construction of a new Jal City Hall inside the former Burke Junior High School building is under way. The first first-phase cost of the project is about $2.3 million and much-needed. The current municipal building at 309 Main St., is considered outgrown and aged. The building dates back to 1950 when it was first …

Personnel from the Hobbs Police Department and Hobbs Fire Department will be patrolling the streets this Independence Day as an ordinance passed earlier this year clarifying and updating the city’s fireworks ordinance gets its first test. Hobbs Police Chief John Ortolano has a simple message for residents who want to celebrate the holiday with fireworks: Do so safely and legally. …

LOVINGTON — Country music lovers will love the concert entertainment lineup for the 2021 Lea County Fair and PRCA Rodeo. The county’s biggest event of the year is set for July 31 through Aug. 7. Although specifics of the opening night’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Friday, July 31, remain pending, county commissioners excitedly approved the rest of the lineup during …

The Lea County Museum in Lovington is offering everyone a free virtual July 4 run or walk, with the first 100 to register receiving a free t-shirt. The distances are 1-mile, 2-mile, and 4-mile. All you have to do to participate and receive a t-shirt is to register with the museum. For those who wish to participate there are two …

Residents of Hobbs and Lea County will soon have more access to a variety of medical care thanks to a project about a year in the making. Nor-Lea Hospital District of Lovington is in the preliminary stages of a planned expansion of its Hobbs Medical Clinic and Outreach Laboratory on North Dal Paso Street. Dan Hamilton, chief operating officer for …