4-H girls hard work earns Lea County Fair sweepstakes buckles Denise Marquez/News-Sun LOVINGTON — Eager youth and parents crowded around covered showcases Monday at the Lea County Fairgrounds, waiting to see who would take home this year’s sweepstakes titles. The Lea County Fair and Rodeo 4-H Sweepstakes is a multi-project

New day Eagles eye new schedule that won’t include Lovington PETER STEIN NEWS-SUN Any team that falls short of a state title comes into the next season with unfinished business. That’s what the Hobbs football team has after earning a No. 3 seed in last year’s 6A playoffs and falling

Encore sets ’26-27 concert lineup Andy Brosig/News-Sun Another season of musical entertainment is just around the corner as Encore Entertainment and the Southwest Symphony Orchestra announce the lineup for the 2026-27 symphony season. The entertainment kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, in the Western Heritage Museum Theater, 1

Memoirs of a former rodeo queen Levi Hill/News-Sun Two seconds. It doesn’t seem like a long time until you are on the back of a bucking steer and holding on for six more. For 75-year-old Meloy Hill of Jal, two seconds was all she needed to know bull riding, in

Fast learner: Mile record setter trained with Hobbs grad PETER STEIN/NEWS-SUN Perhaps you’ve crossed paths with Josh Kerr and didn’t realize it. If you blinked, you may have missed him. Kerr – a native of Edinburgh, Scotland and former University of New Mexico track runner – became the world’s fastest

JF Maddox Foundation unveils vision for downtown development Two-building campus in Hobbs will establish the Foundation’s new headquarters, create a community center and food hall, and serve as a catalyst for continued downtown revitalization For the News-Sun The JF Maddox Foundation today announced plans for a transformative downtown development that

Mewbourne ranked #2 private producer in US Levi Hill/News-Sun Coming on the heels of the purchase of 22 acres of land to expand its operations in Hobbs, Tyler, Texas-based Mewbourne Oil Company was recently ranked the second most prolific private oil and gas producing company in the country by Enverus

NMJC to remodel Mansur Hall Levi Hill/News-Sun New Mexico Junior College is committing $6.99 million to renovate Mansur Hall for modernized classroom space. The NMJC Board of Directors unanimously approved the spend for the project in a short meeting Thursday via Zoom. The 15,499-square-foot building was on the school’s list

City works to rebuild HPD Christina Holt/News-Sun As the Hobbs Police Department works through months of leadership upheaval, the City of Hobbs’ immediate focus is to restore stability and leadership within the department. City Manager Manny Gomez said his appointment of interim chief Jimmie Jones this week is intended to

Gas production climbs faster than oil in Permian Levi Hill/News-Sun WASHINGTON, D.C. — Natural gas production in the Permian Basin is growing faster than oil production and it is creating a bottleneck. Solutions are coming, but too slowly. According to a recent report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, marketed

Air Force vet turned airline pilot enjoys soaring for relaxation PETER STEIN/NEWS-SUN As an Air Force Academy graduate and a seasoned commercial airline pilot, Brad Peterson knows about being grounded. So when it happened on Thursday during the Standard Class Nationals soaring competition at the Hobbs Industrial Air Park, and

NextEra commissions new electric transmission line Christina Holt/News-Sun LOVINGTON — Dozens of guests stood in the middle of rural Lea County Wednesday morning surrounded by grazing cattle, pump jacks and wind turbines, as NextEra Energy Transmission Southwest marked the commissioning of its Crossroads-Hobbs-Roadrunner electric transmission line. The location reflected the

Eunice ‘ground zero’ for N.M. screwworm response Levi Hill/News-Sun EUNICE – Eunice is ground zero for New Mexico’s first active response to the resurgence of the New World screwworm after it was officially eradicated from the country nearly 60 years ago. A dog was found to be infected with the

Former teacher, coach named to lead new middle school in Hobbs Andy Brosig/News-Sun Building something new comes with a whole host of challenges. What’s it going to look like? What’s the interior design going to be? What about furniture? And staffing? If building a business from the ground up is

Federal oil lease sale nets record $4B in NM, Texas Levi Hill/News-Sun SANTA FE — A regular Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease sale in May brought in more than $4 billion in total receipts from lease sales in New Mexico and Texas, in what is being called

Hobbs chamber honors community leaders Christina Holt/News-Sun The annual Hobbs Chamber of Commerce banquet blended inspiration with celebration as a message on accountability was delivered and community members were honored. Salem S. Thyne, guest speaker and author of “Nobody Cares (Until You Do),” spoke to an audience of about 100

Franklin tapped to lead HPD Christina Holt/News-Sun After a months-long hiring process that included input from an advisory committee and a public meet-and-greet, David Franklin has been picked as the next chief of police for the City of Hobbs. “I am pleased to announce that I have selected Mr. David

Energy Challenge could bring millions in investments to Lea Levi Hill/News-Sun Looking to bring energy-related companies to Lea County and even those involved in the budding space industry could bring millions to Lea County. That was the message at a recent public information workshop in Hobbs where New Horizons Foundation

Tatum council eyes ordinance to legalize side-by-sides in town limits Denise Marquez/News-Sun TATUM — Some off-highway vehicles could soon be legal on streets in the Town of Tatum under an ordinance under consideration by the town council. During last week’s town council special meeting, Tatum Police Chief Scott Conner and

Ya’ gotta break a few eggs Stone Elementary students learn STEM theory, practice with egg drop event Andy Brosig/News-Sun To the accompaniment of many cheers, a few groans and a good number of kerplunks, thuds and splats, students at Stone Elementary in Hobbs got a first-hand lesson in Science, Technology,

County sets regs for potential data centers Levi Hill/News-Sun Artificial Intelligence data centers are springing up across the world as the demand for computing power skyrockets. Lea County is poised to be a perfect home for data centers, but new industry breeds new problems and Lea County Commissioners are getting

Champions! Lady Eagles pull away from Rio Rancho for state title PETER STEIN/NEWS-SUN ALBUQUERQUE – The Hobbs girls basketball team is in the business of contending for state championships. It’s what they do, how they roll. Like a fast food joint churning out hamburgers, the Lady Eagles serve up title

‘Reaching new heights’ Final beam placed at future Heizer Middle School Andy Brosig/News-Sun It’s not everyone who can say they watched their new office grow from the ground up. Eligio Gonzalez, principal at the current Heizer Middle School on East Stanolind Road in Hobbs, can. He’s seen the progress on

Earthquakes spike by as much as 700 percent in Permian Levi Hill/News-Sun The ground is starting to shake in the Permian Basin and those who live in the region are beginning to take notice even as scientist watch the number of earthquakes in the region skyrocket. The sheer number of

Hobbs boy surrounded by love after loss Chrstina Holt/News-Sun DALLAS, Texas — The 10-year-old Hobbs boy who lost his mother, Megan Runnels, in a fire last month is now living with the Cardona family in the Dallas, Texas, area – a decision made by his mother in her final moments.