KELLEY MCMILLANNEWS-SUN

What better way to learn aboutHercules than to become Hercules?

That’s the philosophy of G-Squared— two traveling actors who have alsodiscovered a talent and passion forteaching.

The duo, whichhas become knownlocally as theGregs, holds sever-al week-long ses-sions with Hobbsfifth and sixthgraders each year.

Last week theGregs led TaylorElementary fifth-graders in a week-long lesson about

Greek mythology that culminated ina production of “The Twelve Laborsof Hercules,” written by the duo andacted out by a group of students whowill likely never forget what theylearned that week.

“The kid who played Zeus willnever forget what he learned aboutZeus,” said Greg Lawson, one of TheGregs.

Lawson said he and partner GregTankersley create each play them-selves based on the curriculum thestudents are studying.

“It’s immersion,” Lawson said.“It’s all day long for four days.”

And since different students learnin different ways, Lawson said, “thegoal is to get everybody, no mater

how they learn.”Lawson said the students at Taylor

read several Greek myths, learned towrite the Greek alphabet and got toact out one myth for their classmatesand families, all in just four days.

Taylor student Isreabell Villegas,11, said her favorite lesson of the

week was learning the Greek alpha-bet because she got to write hername in a different language.

Villegas also learned somethingelse important. Though she wasnervous about performing in theplay as Medusa, she said she felt

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Obituaries ...........................2Mark the date ....................3Fun & Games ......................5Weather ..............................6Sports ..................................7Classifieds............................8TV ......................................10Lottery...............................10

Community News

LEA COUNTYHOUSING is holdingan affordable housingneeds input meetingfor Eunice today from10-11 a.m. at City HallConference Room. Forquestions contact RussDoss at 575-691-9637.

THE HOBBS POLICEDepartment will beconducting DWICheckpoints andSaturation Patrolsthroughout the monthof January. Thesecheckpoints and satu-ration patrols will beconducted at undis-closed locations in aneffort to locate per-sons operating amotor vehicle underthe influence of intoxi-cating liquor or drugs.

THE LEA COUNTYCommission meets at 9a.m. today at theCourthouse inLovington. Agendaitems include approvalof road recommenda-tions on Matt Driveand approval of roughstock contract for theLea County Rodeo.

TAKE THE FIRST STEPin achieving yourNew Year’s goal ofweight loss byattending the freeWeight Loss SurgeryEducation Seminar onSaturday from 10 –11:30 a.m. at KniplingEducation ConferenceCenter in Lubbock.Participants will havethe opportunity totalk with Dr. DavidSyn, other patientsand an insurance spe-cialist.

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Learning through acting

Tankersley

BETH HAHNNEWS-SUN

If gross receipts tax revenueand the price of oil continue atcurrent levels, Hobbs could seeanother record budget for 2011-12.

City finance director TobySpears said Hobbs’ record for thebiggest budget was set in 2009with about $42.5 million. If grossreceipts tax revenue and theprice of oil stay at current levels,Spears is projecting about a $42.6million budget for 2011-12.

“If oil holds at $100 a barrel,which is what we’re seeing now,we will possibly exceed therecord,” he said.

But what followed that record2009 budget of $42.5 million wasthe current budget, which isabout $33 million after a drop inoil prices.

TOP: Stacey Tarrango, Alyssa Diaz, Sam Moreno, Lydia Ortega, OdalizOrozco, Ja’Khai McGaha and Sally Candia play their roles during a pro-duction of Hercules last week; ABOVE: Nicklaus Boydston performs asHercules during the production.

Want to learn about Hercules? Then become him

Recordbudgetpossible

NEWS-SUN STAFF REPORTA drunken argument over a

bicycle landed one man in thehospital and another behindbars.

Toby Garza, 63, of Hobbs wasarrested Saturday and chargedwith aggravated battery afterallegedly stabbing another manin the chest.

According to police reports,Garza and the victim were drink-ing beer at a home on the 500block of North Morris when thetwo men began arguing over abicycle.

Officers were called to the areaat about 9:30 p.m., after the argu-ment broke out.

The victim told police the menargued because Garza hadloaned him a bicycle a few daysago and he had not returned it.

Argumentresults instabbing

New fencerShannonThompson,left, wearsfencingequipmentfor the firsttime withexperiencedfencerSamuelSmith, right.

KELLEY MCMILLANNEWS-SUN

KELLEY MCMILLANNEWS-SUN

A centuries old sport has at least seven fansin Hobbs, but Brian Henning, organizer of anew fencing club is hoping to find more.

Henning says he has a hunch fencing will bea big hit in the area.

“Everything from Star Wars to Errol Flynnmovies, there’s sword fighting,” Henning said.“It has a romantic quality to it.”

Henning and a half-dozen other fencingenthusiasts met in the New Mexico JuniorCollege’s training and outreach centerThursday night for the club’s first meeting.

Henning said fencing isn’t sword fighting,but it is how sword fighters used to be trained.

Mostly, Henning said, the sport is fun andgood exercise.

Fencers use foils, epees and sabers — not actu-al swords — so there’s no getting cut or stabbed.

Safety comes first, Henning said, and all clubmembers will be required to have a full set ofsafety gear before they’re allowed to fence.

Anyone is welcome to attend club meetingsto work on their footwork, however, withouthaving to purchase gear, Henning said.

Henning, a fencer since college, said hedecided to create the group because his twoyoungest children are also interested in fenc-ing and have been going to Midland for les-sons.

“Fencing is a good family activity,” Henningsaid.

Henning said he is currently pursuinginformation from the Hobbs High Schoolathletic program to see if he can offer fenc-ing classes for students to receive credit atthe school.

Fencing club seeks members

� Higher oil pricesmean a chance to funddelayed projects andfill vacant positions

� CITY OF HOBBS

SEE GREGS, Page 4

SEE BUDGET, Page 4

SEE STABBING, Page 4

SEE FENCING, Page 4