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Community News

HOBBS AUGUST NITESis Aug. 5-6 onBroadway in down-town Hobbs.Sponsored by HobbsMainStreet, festivitiesinclude many freeevents such as concertsboth nights. Fridaynight is headlined bySurf City All Starswhile Saturday night isheadlined by thePlatters/Drifters/Coast-ers tribute band. Lookfor the special sectionon Hobbs August Nitesin today’s News-Sun.

WEST SANGER STREETbetween West CountyRoad and French Drivewill be closed tothrough traffic forabout three weeks toreplace a drainagestructure crossing onSanger.

JOULE UNLIMITED, acompany that is sched-uled to build a pilotplant in Lea Countyfor making biofuels,was featured on FoxNews’ Energy inAmerica on Tuesday.

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KIMBERLY RYAN/NEWS-SUN

Boys and Girls ClubKids dance to Michael Jackson songs Monday at the Boys and Girls Club of Hobbs.

LANCE CRENSHAWNEWS-SUN

Lea Regional Medical Center has anew chief executive officer.

Tim Thornell was named CEO onAug. 1. Thornell, who most recentlywas chief operating officer atMountainView Regional MedicalCenter in Las Cruces, has over 15years of health care administrativeexperience.

“We have been privileged to get to

know Tim over thelast few months asour interim CEO,”Jerry McLaughlin,chair of the LeaRegional MedicalCenter board, saidin a press release.“He has takenadvantage of theopportunity tolearn about ourhospital’s stren-

gths, our employees and our medicalstaff, along with our shared commit-ment to deliver the highest qualitycare to all of our neighbors in thearea.”

Thornell has a master’s degree inhealth care administration, and abachelor’s degree in physiology andFrench. He said that in the short timehe’s been here, he has come to under-stand firsthand how each of theemployees at Lea Regional puts

patients first.“I’m excited to work with the hospi-

tal, clinic and medical staff to aug-ment the services we provide,”Thornell said in the release. “I look toimprove the way we take care of thepatients in our community.”

Thornell has been working in thehospital as interim CEO for morethan three months and with his wife,Tamara, and his three children, he isrelocating to Hobbs.

Medical Center appoints new CEO

SandyFarrellmovedfromPaducah,Ky., tobecomethe newHobbslibrarian.

RICHARDTROUTNEWS-SUN

BETH HAHNNEWS-SUN

After almost a year without alibrary director, the HobbsPublic Library is welcomingSandy Farrell this week.

Farrell, originally fromKentucky, drove into HobbsSunday evening. Monday washer first full day on the job.

“I have two priorities rightnow,” she said Tuesday, “gettingto know the library staff and get-ting ready for the renovation.”

City officials delayed a renova-

tion project on the Hobbs PublicLibrary until a library directorwas hired. Farrell said she’slooking forward to the changes.

“It’s very exciting,” she said.Part of the appeal Hobbs had

for Farrell is the library’s openfloor plan and the well-keptbuilding.

Farrell said she initially visitedthe library unannounced duringan interview process with citymanager Eric Honeyfield. Afterthe interview was over, she wan-dered through the library.

“I found the staff to be veryfriendly and welcoming,” shesaid. “And there were patronshere too.”

Farrell “fell into” library workas a geology graduate student atthe University of Kentucky.While conducting research for apaper in geology, she discovereda love of research.

“I’m not your stereotypicallibrarian with a strong back-ground in the humanities and

New library chief ‘fell into’ her career

BETH HAHNNEWS-SUN

A 15-year-old Hobbs studentis facing murder charges afterallegedly stabbing an elderlywoman to death.

Juan Rivas Jr. was arrestedMonday by Hobbs police. He isbeing held without bond in the

Lea County Detention Center.Hobbs police officers were

called to the 100 block of EastTemple at about midnightSunday by family members of83-year-old Clara Alvarez.

Family members were con-cerned because they had notheard from Alvarez in a few

days and her car was missing,reports stated.

Officers noticed an open doorand found the woman wrappedin bedding in a bedroom.

According to police reports,Rivas tried to break into the

15-year-old charged with murder

LANCE CRENSHAWNEWS-SUN

Some changes have been madeacross campuses in theLovington school district inpreparation for the upcomingschool year.

One of the biggest changes hap-pened at Taylor Middle School,where $60,000 was spent onreplacing old kitchen equipment.

“We didn’t have much of abudget this year, like the rest ofthe districts around the state,”said Superintendent SteveO’Quinn. “But with the moneywe had, we made some improve-ments to our schools.”

Money was also used to add anLED lighting system atLovington High School, and toreplace some of the old chalkboards with dry erase-markerboards.

“We re-paved parking lots, fin-ished installing new sprinklersystems for all the lawns at thecampuses, and replaced air con-ditioning units,” said O’Quinn.“There is still a lot of work to bedone, but we just didn’t have thebudget this year to do it.”

Other improvements made tothe Lovington school districtinclude new cafeteria tables atthe elementary schools, new car-

Campusupgradesmade

� LOVINGTON SCHOOLS

Thornell

Rivas SEE LOVINGTON, Page 4SEE MURDER, Page 4

SEE LIBRARIAN, Page 4