Houston Middle School in Hobbs was briefly locked down by the Hobbs Police Department (HPD) on Thursday, April 28 because “someone reported seeing two males dressed in black and with ski masks enter the school with a firearm,” according to a previous article by the The Lea County Tribune. A second lockdown took place at…

On Thursday, April 28th, the Hobbs Police Department received a report of a firearm at Houston Middle School. According to a release by the HPD, someone reported seeing two males dressed in black and with ski masks enter the school with a firearm. The report resulted in a brief lockdown of the school as police…

Alexis Avila, the 18-year-old teen mom who threw her newborn into a dumpster in January, has been denied supervised visitation with her child. According to a KRQE News 13 video report, New Mexico Fifth District Court Judge William Shoobridge on Monday, April 26, denied Avila her request to see the infant.  About herself Avila says…

Daniel Decker, 39, a former social studies teacher at Highland Middle School in Hobbs, was arrested on Tuesday, April 20, by the Hobbs Police Department (HPD) regarding inappropriate behavior toward two female students. Extensive investigation conducted by HPD officers and detectives led to the arrest. According to a Wednesday, April 21, HPD press release posted…

Lea County Commissioners have booked popular stand-up comedian/Grammy nominated recording artist/author Bill Engvall with special guest Australian country singer/songwriter Jamie O’Neal to perform at their 2022 Spring Event. Area folks are in for a big treat! The extravaganza, which will be held at the Lea County Event Center, 5101 North Lovington Highway in Hobbs, is…

Early Saturday morning April 16, a woman was attacked by five pit bull dogs near the intersection of East Marland Street and Fifth Street in Hobbs. According to a Hobbs Police Department press release (PDF) of Monday, April 18, officers were dispatched to the location at 7:27 am, April 16, to respond to a “vicious…

The City of Lovington has a new mayor. Shortly after being sworn in as the city’s District 3 City Commissioner at the commission’s regular meeting on Monday, April 11, Howard “Robbie” Roberts was elected by his fellow city commissioners as mayor. Roberts defeated former District 3 City Commissioner Bernard Butcher in the March 1 Municipal…

Current Interim Chief of Police Dr. August Fons has accepted a conditional offer of employment from the City of Hobbs to become the city’s next Police Chief. City of Hobbs Director of Communications Meghan Mooney made the announcement in a Tuesday, April 12 press release (PDF). What Is A Conditional Offer of Employment A conditional…

The Hobbs Animal Adoption Center (HAAC) is still fighting a serious outbreak of canine distemper. The public was originally alerted to the problem on March 10 by the City of Hobbs. Now, a month later, even though HAAC staff and the city’s contract veterinarian Dr. Linda Westall, DVM, have “worked tirelessly to try to rid…

Longtime Lovington residents would know the building as the old Noack Western Wear store, once an iconic staple of the small town. It was situated right in the heart of Lovington, across from the Ave D park where high school kids through the generations would hang and pass their evenings. Dormant since the close of…