A former Lea County corrections officer faces a second-degree felony charge punishable by up to nine years in prison after she allegedly had sex with an inmate at the county jail. Amelia Alvarado, 30, of Hobbs, was arrested Thursday on a charge of criminal sexual penetration in the second degree. A warrant for her arrest had been issued June 6 …

A family owned Hobbs grocery store still has its neighborhood feel and cultural appeal after a complete makeover that has customers buzzing. The owners and employees of La Tienda and guests celebrated an extensive remodeling of the 30,000-square-foot grocery store Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting in the store’s foyer where a new wood-style floor has been laid. Lea County Commissioner Jonathan …

Devon Energy Corp. announced plans to open a new office in Hobbs with about 40 employees. Located in the 100 block of East Bender Boulevard, in the Bender Plaza, and operating in 7,300 square feet of space, the facility will include private offices, conference rooms and an advanced technology data center. The space was refurbished from its previous use as …

The City of Hobbs’ Parks & Recreation Department announced Wednesday night that Del Norte Pool opens Saturday, but it will only be open three days a week. Starting Saturday, the city’s premier outdoor pool at 4314 N. Grimes St. with its water play structures and graduated, sloped entry will be open Tuesdays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and …

If you were planning to dip your toe in the Del Norte Pool this year, make other plans. Because of a shortage of lifeguards, the City of Hobbs has made the decision to not open what was once Hobbs’ premier pool facility at 4314 N. Grimes St. “Currently, the city has enough lifeguards to operate Humble and Heizer pools only,” …

Thanks to the energy of fifth-grader Emaleigh Criswell, students at College Lane Elementary School now have two bright red benches where they can go to sit if they find themselves bereft of playmates during recess. On Tuesday, Emaleigh dedicated the benches as her parents, Brian and Tonya Criswell, her grandmother, Sandra Hubbard, and the entire College Lane student body watched …

The Hobbs Public Library’s patron of the year approaches the essence of a Renaissance man. He started school in a one-room school house in Illinois. “The teacher taught grades one through eight in that room and you could hear what she was teaching the older students, so you got to learn a lot before you got into that grade,” Parker …

After again getting an earful from residents, Lovington leaders adopted a controversial ordinance Monday allowing the city to levy fines of up to $500 per day for certain properties with weeds, debris or graffiti. The Lovington City Commission voted 4-1 in favor of Ordinance 569 with Commissioner Arthur Sanchez casting the dissenting vote. The ordinance creates the “E” economic district …

We may be No. 2, but we try harder. The old commercial line comes to mind when oil production data from various sources show Lea County hit the No. 2 spot in the nation in January. According to County Finance Director Chip Low and Assistant County Manager Corey Needham, working the research together recently, Lea County produced 14.6 million barrels …

A Hobbs man who allegedly shot and killed a Lovington man in early February after reportedly kidnapping the victim with a group of men has been charged with murder. Justin P. Bates, 24, forcibly took Josue Orosco to a field off Stiles Road between Hobbs and Lovington on Feb. 3 where he battered and murdered Orosco, according to a criminal …