FAA awards $1.2M to Lea airports CURTIS C. WYNNE NEWS-SUN Awarding a total of $1.2 million to Lea County airports, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration announced the first of five annual rounds of funding established by the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Lea County Regional Airport in Hobbs will receive $1,018,010 while Zip Franklin Memorial Airport in Lovington …

Three legends one ceremony GABRIELLE ARSIAGA NEWS-SUN All of the Lea County Sports Hall of Fame inductees have one thing in common — the impact they made not only in the community, but on the youth. Bob Jackson, Guy Allen and Adrianne Ross were honored as they sat among family, friends, and admirers at Thursday night’s dinner at the Lea …

LOVINGTON — Many Lea County employees will have extra cash to spend this Christmas and going forward. Newly approved pay increases for safety-related agencies and departments will show up in Dec. 10 pay checks, with the new wage rates having become effective Nov. 21. Rebecca Long, chairwoman of the Lea County Commission, said the increases that for some departments exceed …

New treasurer in Lovington is third to hold the position in just under a year LOVINGTON – They say the third time is the charm, and for Tayni Kennedy, she hopes that’s true. Kennedy was offered the position of treasurer for the City of Lovington Tuesday night after a closed-door city commission session in which commissioners interviewed the final two …

LOVINGTON — A fully consolidated emergency 911 center for Lea County appears on the horizon, looking at Jan. 10, 2022 for implementation. All that’s left is for just about everybody else to approve it. The board of county commissioners on Thursday gave unanimous nods individually to a total of eight resolutions aimed at expanding emergency dispatch for police, fire and …

As the colder weather begins to roll in, so does the holiday spirit and the season of giving — at least at the Lea County Sheriff’s Office. Seven years ago, the LCSO created a “Santa Program” after it was brought to their attention that a family wouldn’t be having a Christmas. “We had a family that came to our attention …

LOVINGTON — The Lea County Commission on Thursday finalized a redistricting proposal with minimal changes. With a 2020 Federal Census count of 74,455 residents, County Clerk Keith Manes explained the ideal number in each of five districts would be 14,891. “But you can’t get that because you can’t split precincts,” Manes told the commissioners. Redistricting is required immediately after every …

The Lea County Communication Authority is having staffing issues, according to LCCA director Angela Martinez. The auto-attendant system the LCCA has implemented has allowed the agency to cut back on the number of incoming calls and has lightened the workload of LCCA employees, Martinez told the Hobbs City Commission Monday night. “Our schedules before COVID were five, eight-hour shifts, with …

Eunice Mayor Billy Hobbs on Tuesday retained his office, going into a second term, in a race against challenger Donald Allen Owings. The unofficial tally was 249-219, a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent. “It feels great to serve the citizens of Eunice,“ Hobbs said. With a long list of projects yet to be completed, Hobbs campaigned to remain …

LOVINGTON — Written warnings and citations over three years proved insufficient to clean up the property at 201 E. Teague Dr. in the county north of Hobbs. So, the Lea County Commission on Thursday unanimously approved the next step. The commission passed a resolution finding a building and the premises “to be a menace to the public and requiring the …