Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1717
A virtual hearing with the U.S. Department of Energy officials didn't allay concerns or skepticism of Quay County commissioners and many audience members about a proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor in the eastern part of the county. More than 30 people showed up for Monday's commission meeting, prompting a move from its usual chambers to the more spacious second-floor courtroom of the Quay County Courthouse. The commission in October sent a letter to the DOE, informing it...
A Tucumcari man accused of attempted murder after a shooting at a local health clinic will remain behind bars without bail as his case winds through the court system. District Judge David Reeb on Friday granted prosecutors' requests for pretrial detention for Anthony Kent, 56, who was charged after shooting at and wounding James Hutchison in the hip and ankle after an argument in front of the Quay County Family Health Center on Dec. 30. Kent also is accused of shooting at Hutchison's wife,...
You wouldn't know it from the final score, but Bosque hung in there against heavily favored Tucumcari during its girls basketball clash Saturday at Rattler Gymnasium. The Lady Rattlers led by just 10 points at intermission but outscored the largely overmatched Bobcats 47-5 in the second half during a 74-22 victory at THS' basketball homecoming. It was Tucumcari's season-high for points scored. Cambree Benavidez, a sophomore, led the Lady Rattlers (10-3) with 22 points. Caylee Benavidez, her...
The Tucumcari boys basketball team started fast against Class 3A contender Bosque but wilted because of turnovers and poor shooting during a 57-41 loss Saturday to the Bobcats at THS' basketball homecoming. The Rattlers (5-5) jumped to an 11-2 lead in the first quarter and had the THS fans roaring. "They came out ready to play, very excited," Bosque coach Clifton Davidson said, "and we weren't ready for the intensity and the effort that Tucumcari was putting out at the beginning of the game....
The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board recommended the city proceed with obtaining price quotes for 300 banners and hardware for streetlights on the Main Street, First Street and Route 66 corridors. John Echols, account executive for Amarillo-based Gray Digital Media, the city's tourism marketer, on Wednesday presented to the board three banner draft designs and a preliminary price quote for them. Echols estimated the 2-by-3-foot, sun-resistant banners and the hardware for about 300...
A Tucumcari man was jailed on attempted murder charges last week. Police say Anthony Ray Kent, 56, shot at a man at least 15 times and wounded him in front of the Quay County Family Health Center on Dec. 30. Kent was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at or from a motor vehicle (no great bodily harm). The attempted-murder charge is a second-degree felony that could lead up to nine years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The other ch...
Sammy Adell envisions a truck stop with a convenience store, motel and restaurant at the long-neglected Tucumcari Truck Terminal site on the city's west side. But Adell during an interview at the site Thursday grumbled over the sluggish pace in removing contaminants from the 20-acre tract. The cash-strapped city government also needs to obtain state funding to help replace miles of collapsed sewer lines and lift stations leading to it - another potentially long process. Adell estimated it will...
For the second straight year, Tucumcari looked dead in the water against Thoreau in the title game of the Lady Rattlers Invitational girls basketball tournament. For the second straight year, the Lady Rattlers rallied to earn the first-place trophy. Trailing by 10 points at intermission after miserable shooting against the Lady Hawks, the Lady Rattlers stepped up their intensity to start the third quarter and scored 13 unanswered points to completely reverse their odds. Another 9-2 run in the fo...
The new year brings new leadership in the City of Tucumcari, as one female city manager will be replaced by another female city manager. Paula Chacon a few months ago decided to retire as city manager at the end of 2024 after about 2 1/4 years at the helm. Assistant city manager and former District 4 commissioner Renee Hayoz assumes Chacon's position on Jan. 1. Chacon and Hayoz sat down in city commission chambers for a joint interview with the Quay County Sun before Christmas to discuss a varie...
Ralph Moya, a longtime Tucumcari city commissioner and behavioral health counselor in northeast New Mexico, died at his home on Christmas Day. He was 74. Moya was a member of Tucumcari city government for over 20 years. He first served as District 1 commissioner from 1980 to 1994, then again from 2016 to 2023. During his first stint in city government, he served two terms as mayor, becoming the youngest mayor in New Mexico at the time. He also was mayor his last two years in office. Moya describ...
A Tucumcari man was jailed on attempted murder charges Monday. Police say Anthony Ray Kent, 56, shot at a man at least 15 times and wounded him in front of the Quay County Family Health Center. Kent was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at or from a motor vehicle (no great bodily harm). The attempted-murder charge is a second-degree felony that could lead up to nine years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The other charges also are felonies. Kent is being held at the Quay County...
The Tucumcari City Commission approved a three-year employment agreement with incoming city manager Renee Hayoz during a special meeting last week. Commissioners on Dec. 17 approved the deal, effective on Jan. 1, after a closed executive session of about 1 hour, 40 minutes with Hayoz, the current assistant city manager who is succeeding retiring city manager Paula Chacon. The Quay County Sun wasn't able to obtain a copy of the contract before deadline. However, Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Lopez read...
The new Bank of Tucumcari held its grand opening Friday, less than 24 hours after it received an occupancy permit to open its doors. More than 40 people - many from the bank's mother office, The Bank of Clovis - gathered Friday morning at a ribbon-cutting ceremony organized by the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce, including a blessing and prayer by the Rev. Cameron Degani of St. Anne's Catholic Church in Tucumcari. Randy Harris, chairman and CEO of The Bank of Clovis, said the...
Despite a bum shoulder, Tucumcari wrestling senior Josh Pacheco notched his 100th career victory and a second-place finish at the rugged Rattler Invitational on Saturday. Tucumcari junior Fernando Ureste finished third, and sophomore Sarah Sanchez placed fourth in the girls competition. Tucumcari coach Tim Clark said Pacheco, wrestling in the 152-pound weight class, aggravated a left-shoulder injury during preliminary rounds Saturday, though he emerged victorious in both those matches. He also...
Not only was Norman "Smitty" Smith honored Friday for longevity in Tucumcari as a barber, but well-wishers celebrated his upcoming birthday, as well. Tucumcari MainStreet honored Smith and his Smitty's Barber Shop with a Legacy Business Award at the shop at 101 S. First St. About 20 friends, family members and customers - including a few who'd had their hair cut by Smith for over a half-century - gathered in the tiny shop for the ceremony led by Tucumcari MainStreet Executive Director Connie...
As the fall semester drew to a close, staff and administrators for Tucumcari Public Schools drew praise from school board members for improvements seen during that time. At least two of three schools at TPS have reported a boost in student achievement during the semester under new superintendent Carl Marano. Elementary school principal Deanne McKinney told the board during its Dec. 16 meeting that reading proficiency grew 11.4% at TES since benchmark testing began at the beginning of the school year. McKinney said math proficiency with TES...
The city has spent a lot of time and money improving the Tucumcari Recreation Center this year, and it decided last week to show it off the the public. The city hosted an open house on Dec. 9 at the revamped facility - a former New Mexico National Guard armory - at 900 E. Laughlin Ave. The city received a $2 million state recreation grant earlier this year and spent over half that renovating the building, city manager Paula Chacon said. Funds also were used to renovate the Little League fields....
The president for Mesalands Community College said the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor would continue to perform audits for the financially distressed college through at least the 2025 fiscal year. President Allen Moss told the board of trustees during its Dec. 10 meeting he talked with State Auditor James Maestas about future audits. Moss said state-performed audits on the college would be more expensive than an independent auditor, but such reports would have more consistency. State auditors have performed the college’s audits for fisc...
The manager of the Arch Hurley Conservancy District last week said he would consider a tentative water allocation in January because of the highest levels at Conchas Lake in years. Robert Evans attended the Dec. 10 board of directors meeting and asked whether it could allocate water that month so he and other farmers could make plans for the spring growing season. Larry Perkins, serving as chairman for the absent Robert Lopez, said the board probably would allocate water in February. District manager Franklin McCasland said the board might...
Simply put, Tucumcari didn't have an answer for Logan's big guys. The Longhorns' big men of 6-foot-7 Hayden Bruhn and 6-foot-5 Mason Wallin combined for 39 points and a truckload of rebounds during a 73-44 victory Saturday in the annual Quay County bragging rights battle at Rattler Gymnasium. Wallin scored many of his game-high 22 points after offensive rebounds. In addition to being another big presence inside, Bruhn made two 3-point shots and slammed home a dunk during a fastbreak during the...
For the second time in less than a week, Tucumcari senior Caylee Benavidez's free-throw shooting helped preserve a victory - this time, a 42-39 nail-biter over Quay County rival Logan on Saturday at Rattler Gymnasium. With the Lady Rattlers clinging to a 40-39 lead, Benavidez made both foul-shot attempts with 10.8 seconds left to give her team more of a cushion. In the final seconds, the Lady Longhorns attempted two shots - including what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer - but both...
SAN JON — San Jon High School won’t host basketball games at the Ed Lee Activities Complex for a few more weeks because of problems with its gym floor — again. Athletic director Bobby Kandel told the school board during its Dec. 9 meeting that cupping in one corner of the floor worsened after heavy rains hit the region starting in late October. It is believed that water intruded underneath the floor in that area. Kandel said that same corner of the gym has experienced problems before. The affected area involves about 500 square feet. Kande...
Quay County Commissioners on Monday approved a fee proposal to finish the final 10% of the design for a new Dr. Daniel C. Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari. The proposal from Arizona-based Stantec Engineering would cover drawings, permits and bidding to replace the nearly 60-year-old hospital. According to county documents, the total cost would about $1.855 million. County manager Daniel Zamora said he would use $1.1 million in federal American Rescue Act coronavirus relief funds for the...
The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board on Wednesday discussed with the city's tourism marketer possible designs for banners that would be placed on Main Street, First Street and the Route 66 corridor. John Echols, account executive of Gray Digital Media in Amarillo, brought three mockups of potential banners that would be hung from light poles along those streets. Each of the banners mention Route 66's upcoming centennial in 2026. One banner, stating "Celebrating 100 Years" of Route 66, was...
The Tucumcari City Commission on Thursday approved a nearly $2 million construction agreement for a new fuel farm at Tucumcari Municipal Airport. Project manager Ralph Lopez urged approval of the pact, or else about $1 million in state funding for it would be rescinded in about five months. Lopez said the city is short about $55,000 to cover the total cost of $1.97 million. He said the New Mexico Department of Transportation has pledged to cover that shortfall. The commissioners’ approval of the contract is contingent on the state coming up w...