On Wednesday, December 13, New Mexico’s highest court convened to entertain oral arguments in the case State of New Mexico v. Board of County Commissioners for Lea County. In the lawsuit the State of New Mexico is challenging the legality of anti-abortion ordinances passed by four conservative southeastern New Mexico local governments – the City…

The American oil and gas industry, of which Lea Country is a key contributor, is thriving. U.S. oil fields are producing at record highs. This booming activity is painted in the background of talk amongst environmentalists, politicians and stakeholders worldwide that the era of fossil fuels must end. An article posted at TheGuardian.com sums up…

Data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms that the Permian Basin’s oil wells have “led all U.S. oil basins in oil production per well since 2021.” According to an EIA report dated Nov. 15, “In the first eight months of 2023, initial production per new well averaged 847 barrels per day (b/d)…

New Mexico’s Supreme Court has affirmed the Ninth Judicial District Court’s earlier ruling that upholds New Mexico’s newly reworked congressional district map. The new map was redrawn in 2021 by the state’s Democratically- controlled legislature. New Mexico has three congressional districts, and historically District Two has always performed positively for Republicans. Now with the southern…

A recent U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit ruling may prove to be the icing on the cake that stops Holtec International from building and operating a high level nuclear waste storage facility between Hobbs and Carlsbad. The high court recently ruled that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) lacks the authority to “issue licenses…

The parking lot of the Coral Arena in Hobbs was the scene of a traffic incident in the early hours of Sunday morning, November 5. According to a Lea County Sheriff’s Office press release, sheriff’s deputies were conducting a “security check” around 1:00 a.m. in the 1900 block of East Stanolind Road in Hobbs “……

On Friday, October 27, a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 82 near milepost 163 west of Lovington resulted in the death of three individuals. According to a New Mexico State Police (NMSP) press release, the accident happened around 6:00 a.m. Drivers of the two involved vehicles Miguel Angel Delacruz, age 24, of Hagerman, and Emigdio…

Fourteen year veteran of the Hobbs Fire Department (HFD) Mark Doporto has been named the department’s new chief. Chief Doporto assumed his new role on Monday, October 30. A native of Hobbs, Doporto has been with the HFD since he started his career at the age of nineteen. A press release (PDF) issued by Meghan…

The Hobbs Municipal Schools (HMS) district is asking voters to approve its “$50,000,000 Go Bond Election” proposal on Tuesday, November 7. Two major projects – the building of a fourth middle school and the replacement of Heizer Middle School with a “brand new facility” – will become realities with the passage of the bond. Any…

Alexis Avila, the Hobbs teenager who was sentenced to 16 years in prison plus two years on parole for throwing her alive newborn into a dumpster, is being released from prison while appealing her case. The ruling was made on Wednesday, October 18. Avila’s most recent ruling reverses last month’s decision by Fifth Judicial District…