What if Lea County were it’s own state? If that were the case, then Lea would be the seventh largest oil-producing state in the nation. Steve Vierck, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Lea County, did the ranking from data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), an independent statistics and analysis agency within the U.S. Department of …

After a little more than a year of losing Cooper the CASA dog to cancer, CASA of Lea County welcomed its new canine assistance dog Phillip to its office Monday. Phillip, a one-and-a-half-year-old black English Labrador has been in training for the past several months preparing to work with the children of the CASA of Lea County program and those …

The summer grass fire season may be over, but Lea County officials are concerned about grass fires this winter. Deputy Fire Marshall Jeff Broom said wildland fires burned a little more than 5,400 acres in 2017 by mid-November, compared to 12,986 acres burned in all of 2016. “So, we definitely saw a decrease in the amount,” he said, “but the …

What’s up? Employment, rigs and oil in Lea County. For the first time in two years, Lea County unemployment fell below 7 percent in September, the latest data available from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the first time in more than two years, the West Texas crude oil price topped …

Katie Gutierrez, 19 of Eunice, is battling to fully wake up after having a stroke the night before having surgery in early August. As she continues her fight, her family and friends pour their love and support on her and won’t lose hope on Katie’s recovery. Katie suffers from a form of cancer called craniopharyngioma. Her last brain surgery on …

Coming soon to Hobbs, Anytime Fitness is under construction at 3901 N. Grimes, just north of Home Depot. Martin Lebrun, managing director for Anytime Fitness in Carlsbad and Hobbs, said the franchise is scheduled to open a 7,000-square-foot facility at that location in the first quarter of 2018. “We opened our first location in Carlsbad last September and it’s been …

Coming soon to Hobbs, Anytime Fitness is under construction at 3901 N. Grimes, just north of Home Depot. Martin Lebrun, managing director for Anytime Fitness in Carlsbad and Hobbs, said the franchise is scheduled to open a 7,000-square-foot facility at that location in the first quarter of 2018. “We opened our first location in Carlsbad last September and it’s been …

In spite of a “tragic” shooting at Texas Tech University Monday, Lea County residents insist the school is as safe as any other. A 19-year-old freshman identified as Hollis Daniels III was in police custody Tuesday after allegedly confessing to fatally shooting a campus police officer. According to an affidavit filed by Lubbock police, Daniels said he was “the one …

In spite of a “tragic” shooting at Texas Tech University Monday, Lea County residents insist the school is as safe as any other. A 19-year-old freshman identified as Hollis Daniels III was in police custody Tuesday after allegedly confessing to fatally shooting a campus police officer. According to an affidavit filed by Lubbock police, Daniels said he was “the one …

The following is the DACA resolution that supports undocumented students and teachers, passed by the Lovington School Board during Tuesday night’s school board meeting. For more on this story read Thursday’s Hobbs News-Sun. WHEREAS, Lovington Municipal School Board values our community’s ethnic, racial, linguistic, and socio-economic diversity, and believing that our diversity is a source of our District’s strength, and …