A flood of COVID patients in Lea County is stretching local hospitals to the breaking point. “The scenario we’re facing is a disaster,” said Dan Springer, CEO of Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital. “We have done everything possible to accommodate patients. We’re just completely overwhelmed.” As of midday Tuesday, Covenant Hobbs was “beyond capacity,” Springer told the News-Sun, with 19 patients …

LOVINGTON — In a bid for local control of pandemic restrictions, Lea County Commissioners unanimously supported the authority of elected school boards Thursday. Recent New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) mandates threaten punitive actions for local officials’ failure to comply with state rules, such as those involving masking, vaccinating, social distancing and closures due to COVID-19 cases. Commissioner Gary Eidson, …

LOVINGTON — In a bid for local control of pandemic restrictions, Lea County Commissioners unanimously supported the authority of elected school boards Thursday. Recent New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) mandates threaten punitive actions for local officials’ failure to comply with state rules, such as those involving masking, vaccinating, social distancing and closures due to COVID-19 cases. Commissioner Gary Eidson, …

The population in Hobbs has narrowly crossed a line. That line is a magic population line of 50,000 people, and preliminary data released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows growth in Hobbs of about 19.5 percent over the last decade. The Hobbs Census County Division (CCD) reportedly comes in at 51,736 for the 2020 Census, compared to 43,305 in 2010, …

JAL — There’s water and there’s water. And not all drops are fit to drink. When a street repair contractor accidentally broke a line with his backhoe on East Merriman Avenue in Jal late Monday afternoon, the odor coming from the black-tinted water under pressure briefly alarmed everybody in the area. “It was nasty,” Mayor Stephen Aldridge said. Fortunately, a …

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan’s $4.7 billion proposal would plug abandoned wells, including 700 in New Mexico U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., toured various well sites in Lea County on Tuesday hoping to get a complete picture of what new legislation sponsored by him would mean to New Mexicans. The Democratic senator is co-sponsor of the Revive Economic Growth …

Brent Satterwhite has been the head coach of the Tatum football team for over a year, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, his first year was a crazy one. Now, with New Mexico high school sports back on a traditional schedule, the Coyotes’ coach is looking forward to a full season with his team. The one benefit to last year’s …

Brent Satterwhite has been the head coach of the Tatum football team for over a year, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, his first year was a crazy one. Now, with New Mexico high school sports back on a traditional schedule, the Coyotes’ coach is looking forward to a full season with his team. The one benefit to last year’s …

Alley Crawl LOVINGTON — The gathered storm clouds of Friday the 13th couldn’t dampen the spirits in Lovington as the city celebrated with a block party “Alley Crawl.” Free roller skating on a 2,000-square-foot outdoor skating rink, free ice cream, the unveiling of five murals painted by local artists, a cornhole tournament, food truck featuring Pastify, vendors, a beer garden, …

An arrest has been made by the Lea County Sheriff’s Department in a north Hobbs murder that took place on July 17. Steven Nave, 39, of Lovington, was arrested on Aug. 12 and charged with first-degree murder, a capital felony; tampering with evidence, receipt, transportation or possession of a firearm or destructive device by certain persons (felon) and bribery of …