THURSDAY,FEB. 8, 2018 Inside: 75¢ Get the most out of your Olymic coverage. — Page 1-8D Vol. 89 ◆ No. 269 SERVING CLOVIS, PORTALES AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES EasternNewMexicoNews.com Company to pick up bill for road work ❏ Public works director says mineral oil will inevitably damage streets. By Eamon Scarbrough STAFF WRITER [email protected] PORTALES — The company that controls a facility from which mineral oil spilled, covering downtown Portales on Jan. 25, has pledged to incur any costs associated with road damage, according to the city’s public works director. John DeSha told the Portales City Council on Tuesday night that in con- versations with J.D. Heiskell, he has been told “they’re absolutely on board with handling all those costs.” Mineral oil, a solvent that DeSha said will inevitably damage the roads in Staff photo: Tony Bullocks some way, was released from a valve in Contract workers on Tuesday afternoon carefully piled the century-old bricks of Clovis’ Main Street while in the early phases of J.D. Heiskell’s Portales feed manufac- infrastructure improvement near the Fifth and Main street intersection. turing facility by vandals, according to officials. The oil leaked onto First Street, Second Street and Abilene Avenue. Officials said last month that repair Another brick in the road costs could be more than $40,000 per block. ❏ Historic Clovis should be back as it was. The work asks for a little bricks of Main Street have been While First and Second are consid- “This is just an extension of more delicacy and attention to moved, but Huerta said it was ered parts of U.S. 70 and under the juris- bricks will return what we’re calling the Fifth detail than other jobs, since the the first time in 14 years he diction of the state, Abilene is the city’s Street Project,” said Mark intent is to lay the old bricks recalls doing work there. And responsibility, DeSha said. after road upgrades. Huerta, an EPCOR representa- back exactly where they were there is little surface evidence of He said J.D. Heiskell has agreed to tive. “It involves changing out before the street surgery. past projects. pay engineers to test the road to deter- By David Grieder some aging infrastructure and “We’re making every effort to “We’ve had to remove them mine how much damage has been STAFF WRITER increasing the size of (water) make sure each brick is taken in several places and put them caused, and determine if oil has seeped [email protected] mains in alleys.” out individually and pictures are back,” said Public Works under the road. The goal of the project is to taken prior so each can be laid Director Clint Bunch. “It’s just “If the oil is below, they’ll have to CLOVIS — How do you go completely remove the roadway, improve water flows in the area back,” Huerta said. “I’m a resi- the way that you maintain them, about digging under an historic — adding some fire hydrants dent of Clovis, born and raised, remove the contaminated soil, and then if you put them back with the street made of century-old and increasing water pressure so I remember that cobblestone come back in with new material and put bricks? and fire flows. road for as long as I remember. correct compaction, embed the new road on top of it,” he said. Carefully, that’s how. “It is unfortunate that there ... For my own good I certainly them in sand then grout them Councilor Veronica Cordova asked if Those who may have are utilities in that street, given want to see that street (restored in.” rain could cause oil to seep out from the noticed a stack of bricks next that it is an historic street, but properly).” If by some chance a brick or road, to which DeSha answered that rain to a short trench at the inter- there is sewer, gas and water,” Newspaper archives show the two are compromised during the is a “big concern” in the affected areas. section of Fifth and Main Huerta said. “Hopefully we can bricks were installed from operation, the city still has a few “We’re ready with more sand and streets need not fret for the lessen the amount of outages in Fourth Street to Eighth Street by backups from the original pile. equipment to put out there to keep peo- stones of Clovis’ storied old the future, with that being a a Plainview, Texas, company in “We do have some that break ple from having problems on the road,” thoroughfare, officials say. business district that still seems 1918. Cost of the project was every once in a while, but we do he said. It’s part of necessary upgrades to be thriving with a lot of store- $32,846.20. have a few left in public works,” and in another week the road fronts.” This is not the first time the Bunch said. SPILL on Page 3A Records: Police knew Flores was ‘suicide threat’ ❏ Officials still not saying ANALYSIS Fact: The gun Flores used was a Kimber Micro automatic pistol, accord- ing to a Sheriff’s Department report how gun reached jail. records, we’re slowly learning some of issued Tuesday. The gun had four bul- the details about what happened. By David Stevens Fact: Clovis police at 1:51 p.m. last lets in the magazine and one in its EDITOR Thursday received a report of a “suicide chamber. Officials said only one shot [email protected] threat” in the 1600 block of Jonquil was fired at the jail. Park Drive, according to police docu- Curry County Manager Lance Pyle CLOVIS — It’s been almost a week ments. A dispatcher’s log shows Flores sent out a news release on Monday that since Wesley Flores somehow managed “is telling everyone he is going to kill appears to lay the blame for the incident to bring a gun into the Curry County himself,” “He has stolen several at the feet of Clovis police. Pyle even Adult Detention Center, briefly hold a weapons,” “... he was going to shoot suggested in his news release that hostage, keep law enforcement at bay himself” and “He gets aggressive.” media ask Clovis police about Officer for four hours, and ultimately shoot Fact: Flores was arrested at 1609 Wagner’s job status. himself in the face. Jonquil at 2:30 p.m. that day, according While police have mostly declined to At last report, he remained in critical to Curry County jail documents. answer questions about anything, citing condition in a Lubbock hospital. Fact: Flores was arrested because he the ongoing investigation, Chief Doug The obvious question — How did failed to appear in court on charges he Ford on Wednesday did provide the dis- Flores get the gun into the facility? — was a felon in possession of a gun, patcher logs and responded via email to remains a mystery because investiga- say no police employees have been among other allegations, court docu- Photo illustration: David Stevens tors have declined to answer that ques- ments show. placed on administrative leave since the tion. Fact: Police Officer Sanford Wagner jail incident occurred. Officials said the gun Wesley Flores used in Thursday’s But through public information brought Flores into the jail facility, jail incident was a Kimber Micro semi-automatic pistol, simi- requests and readily available public records show. FLORES on Page 3A lar to this one available for purchase at a Clovis gun shop. Forecast: Today Friday Saturday Index Calendars..........................2A Puzzles..............................5B Reach us at: High: 66 High: 70 High: 55 Classified ..........................8B Markets ............................2A (575) 763-3431 Comics ..............................4A Obituaries..........................3A Low: 33 Low: 24 Low: 18 Voices................................1B Sports ............................1-4C PAGE 2A ✦ THURSDAY, FEB.8, 2018 LOCAL THE EASTERN NEW MEXICO NEWS Events calendar Officials warn of jury duty scam Today the artists. Presented by Pintores ■ General Obligation Bond Art League. Information: 575-309- By Jamie Cushman Curry County Undersheriff Mike a scam like this could be charged Presentation — 6 p.m. at the Youth 9893 STAFF WRITER Reeves said the sheriff’s office has with up to a second-degree felony, Recreation Building, 1504 E. [email protected] received a few calls in the past week Reeves said. Seventh St., Clovis. Information: Sunday alerting them to the scam, though District Attorney Andrea Reeb said 575-763-7828 ■ Jurassic Quest — 9 a.m. to 8 CLOVIS — Law enforcement and none of those citizens reported actu- her office has never prosecuted any- ■ Page Turners Book Club — p.m. at Curry County Events court officials are warning citizens ally sending the scammer any money. body for a scam like this because 6:30 p.m. at Clovis-Carver Public Center, 1900 E. Brady Ave. about a jury duty scam being con- Spears and Reeves warned that they have not been able to track down Library. Book: “All The Light We Admission: $18 to $34. Interactive ducted in the area over the past week. these calls are not coming from legit- the perpetrators or determine where Cannot See.” Information: 575-763- dinosaur and archaeology exhibits According to a press release from imate law enforcement or court offi- 9687 will be available. Information: 575- the money is going. ■ Kevin Spears, the court executive cials. Reeves and Reeb both said these Golden Dragon Acrobats — 935-7000 officer for the 9th Judicial District Spears said the district court prima- sorts of scams are fairly common. 7 p.m. at Marshall Auditorium, 100 Court: Somebody claiming to be a rily contacts potential jurors through Commerce Way, Clovis.