Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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A Tucumcari woman will serve as little as three months in jail for her role in a fatal dog mauling after the victim's father pleaded for tougher laws or enforcement to combat the scourge of loose dogs in the city. In a plea deal, Mary Olimpia Montoya, 52, pleaded guilty to one count in that case and a subsequent child-abuse case with a cap of no more than 18 months in prison. She pleaded guilty to a felony count of dangerous dog (death of a person) after being accused of owning several dogs...
A San Jon teenager was charged with two misdemeanors after being accused of accidentally shooting another teen in the face. Marvin James Reese Jr., 18, was charged with unlawful carrying of a handgun by a person under age 19 and negligent use of a deadly weapon (unsafe handling). The unlawful carrying charge is a misdemeanor that could lead up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. The other charge is a petty misdemeanor that can lead up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500....
Logan captured no worse than a share for a district title during a 67-16 road victory Friday over defending state champion Roy-Mosquero in six-man football action. The Longhorns, undefeated at 8-0 and ranked No. 1 in New Mexico six-man football by MaxPreps.com, can win a district championship outright this Friday with a home victory over New Mexico School for the Deaf. Grady (8-1 overall) is in second place in its district with a 5-1 mark, its only loss a 32-26 decision in overtime against the Longhorns on Sept. 6. The Longhorns, which built a...
Tucumcari’s top two cross-country runners ran fast. But they discovered during the massive Academy Extravaganza meet on Saturday at Albuquerque Academy they’ll need to run faster. Top Rattlers runner Alex Bueno De La O, a senior, ran the 5,000-meter course — which also hosts the sport’s state championships — in 17 minutes, 50.59 seconds. His teammate, Fernando Ureste, ran it in 18:32.79. However, Bueno De La O and Ureste finished only 16th and 24th overall in the Class 1A/2A race, respectively. The top runner, Oak Grove Classical’s Joshua Marq...
Darrel Ray Johnson's daughter-in-law isn't holding out hope he will be found alive after he disappeared from Conchas Lake State Park nearly four months ago. Johnson, 67, of Phoenix last was seen at the park shortly after midnight on June 29, said Michaelyn Kindly, also of Phoenix, who is married to Darrel Johnson Jr. She said Johnson, who had been camping at the park northwest of Tucumcari with a female companion and more than 30 other family members for a birthday party, zipped up his tent...
A Tucumcari student’s research at West Texas A&M University was among those highlighted at an event last week that marked a major anniversary of an academic program. The McNair Scholars Research Showcase was held Oct. 15 in the atrium of Cornette Library on WT’s Canyon campus. The showcase commemorated the program’s 25th anniversary. A total of 15 McNair students displayed posters and discussed their research with WT students, faculty and staff, as well as community visitors. Jodi Vance-Furlow, a senior sports and exercise sciences major from...
Three fired Mesalands Community College employees who sued the college’s board of trustees have settled their cases. District Judge Timothy Rose on Oct. 9 granted unopposed motions from the attorney of former MCC employees Rose Brito, Natalie Gillard and Donna Garcia to dismiss their lawsuits with prejudice, which means they cannot be refiled. The motions for each stated that “all disputed raised by the Plaintiff against the Defendant have been settled the the satisfaction of all parties.” Daniel Apodaca, one of the attorneys for the three...
A Tucumcari man was jailed on felonies after being accused of engaging with two high-speed pursuits with police in three days. Jimmy Lenard Johnson, 40, was charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, plus resisting a law-enforcement officer, criminal damage to property, no driver’s license, speeding by 36 mph and over, criminal trespassing and failure to maintain a traffic lane. The aggravated fleeing counts are fourth-degree felonies that could lead up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. A...
An arrest warrant has been issued for a former Tucumcari restaurateur and city commissioner accused of taking more than $50,000 in kitchen equipment encumbered by a loan from the closed Pow Wow restaurant. Todd Duplantis, 56, is charged with one count of disposing of encumbered property, a second-degree felony that could lead up to nine years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Magistrate Judge Noreen Hendrickson issued the no-bond warrant on Oct. 1, the same day the charge was filed. Duplantis...
With water orders staying strong, the manager of the Arch Hurley Conservancy District stated he anticipated its canals would remain open until their usual seasonal closing of Oct. 31. District manager Franklin McCasland stated in his report to the board of directors at its Oct. 8 meeting that water orders were remaining above 30 cubic feet per second — the criteria it set during its September meeting before closing its canals to Conchas Lake. McCasland stated he anticipated orders would remain above 30 cfs if the weather remained warm. ...
A Tucumcari city commission work session Thursday about municipal codes for water and sewer service prompted the mayor to request a change about the city’s responsibilities with such infrastructure. After hearing the property owners are responsible for sewer and water lines within their property lines, Mayor Mike Cherry recommended codes be changed so a homeowner is responsible only from the city curb to the back fence line. He noted property lines often go from the middle of a street to the middle of an alley. Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Lopez r...
The Quay County Commission on Monday approved a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy informing the agency it must inform the public before taking action over proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors in the county. The letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was written by Commissioner Jerri Rush and signed by Commission Chairman Robert Lopez. Rush wasn’t present in the commission chambers during Monday’s meeting due to illness, but she attended by videoconference. The DOE states on its website the Federal Power Act...
The Logan boys cross-country team finished a respectable eighth of 15 teams Saturday at the Los Lunas Invitational. Nearly all of the teams the Longhorns, in their inaugural season, competed against were schools with much higher enrollments. Logan finished with 240 team points. Organ Mountain won the team title with 24 points, while host team Los Lunas was runner-up with 71 points. Taos finished third with 76 points. Kale Griffiths was Logan’s top runner, finishing 46th in 20 minutes, 21.34 seconds on the 5,000-meter course at the Los Lunas H...
Tucumcari city manager said organizers have set the date for a drag-racing event on city streets in 2025 before a bigger one during Route 66’s centennial in 2026. Paula Chacon told the city’s Lodgers Tax Advisory Board on Wednesday that one of the organizers, Doug Woodward, scheduled the so-called “soft event” for April 26, 2025. Woodward said at an earlier meeting he wants the 2026 event — tentatively set for September or October — to have 300 vehicles. Organizers want to pattern it after the annual Kingman Route 66 Street Drags in Kingman,...
Only one Mesalands Community College athlete advanced to compete in Saturday's final of the 16th annual Grand Canyon Region Intercollegiate Rodeo at the Quay County Fairgrounds arena. That finalist, bareback bronc rider Logan Carpenter of Alamogordo, quickly was bucked off Saturday for no score. MCC's Rachel Sova of Newell, South Carolina, on Friday finished just one spot out of Saturday's finals. She finished 13th in the standings in breakaway roping; only the top 12 advanced. Mesalands...
A bridge on Old Route 66 east of San Jon destroyed by flash flooding last year won’t be replaced in time for the highway’s centennial in 2026. Quay County manager Daniel Zamora delivered that news to Tucumcari’s Route 66 Centennial Task Force during its meeting at City Hall on Oct. 8. The county is suing the architect and contractor after it found the multimillion-dollar bridge carried no insurance coverage. Severe flooding in May 2023 washed out the span just days from completion. Zamora said negotiations on a possible settlement were “goin...
The deadlock at TPS has been broken. New Mexico Public Education Secretary Mariana Padilla chose Carlos Romero to be the next representative for District 1 on the Tucumcari Public Schools board. Padilla was forced to make the choice after four TPS board members deadlocked twice in their votes for Romero or the other finalist, Andrea Madrid. "You have been identified as a person recommended to carry out these important responsibilities, and the determination has been reached to appoint you as...
Raton made sure Tucumcari’s potent passing didn’t go wild as it did the previous week. The Tigers stifled the Rattlers’ air attack for most of the game and seized a three-touchdown lead that stood up during a 51-25 district victory Friday at Raton’s Homecoming. Tucumcari quarterback Nick Goen, who amassed more than 350 yards passing and six touchdowns during the previous week against Estancia, managed just 101 yards on 15-of-29 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions against Raton. Tigers defense flooded the deep zones and kept th...
The Quay County assessor and his Republican challenger propose high-technology ideas to improve that office. The current Democratic officeholder, Dana Leonard, 54, will face off against former New Mexico Public Regulation Commission member Jefferson Byrd, 53, a rancher and windmiller, in the Nov. 5 election. Early voting began in the county on Tuesday. The county assessor is responsible for valuing all property for taxing authorities, including municipalities, school districts and conservancy districts. The office also prepares tax schedules...
An artist reception Wednesday for a new mural completed at the long-closed Apache Motel in Tucumcari was another sign of the Route 66 motel's eventual revival. The Amarillo-based artist, who goes by the name Dmngo Arte, created the large, Native American-inspired image on the east side of the motel, plus another on the second floor. The motel's owner, Joann Thompson, held a reception Wednesday to celebrate the artist's creations. Thompson said she hired Arte after seeing one of his artworks...
A former city commissioner who sought to regain his old seat last month was arrested Thursday on a felony charge of writing a worthless check of nearly $3,000 for a water and sewer bill for a restaurant he had operated. Christopher W. Arias, 31, was detained Thursday by a New Mexico State Police patrolman on an arrest warrant after being charged on one count of issuance of a worthless check, according to court documents. The charge is a fourth-degree felony that can lead up to three years in...
Art City will become Arf City later this month when dog owners and their four-legged friends gather at the Tucumcari sculpture garden and campground for a daylong celebration of responsible pet ownership. The inaugural Arf City event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 19 at Art City, 10134 Highway 104. The event will include a wiener dog race, canine costume contest, stupid pet trick contest, scavenger hunt, nail trims, microchipping, food vendors, a free vaccination clinic, workshops and more. Representatives from the City of Tucumcari also...
After spotting Holy Cross an early 8-0 lead, Logan scored seven unanswered touchdowns in a 53-8 non-district victory in Midland, Texas, in six-man football. The undefeated Longhorns ended the contest by the mercy rule early in the fourth quarter. In Texas six-man football, games are halted when the margin reaches 45 points. Aydin Kotara threw three touchdowns passes for Logan. Running back Haden Judd scored three TDs and Stratton Schoonover tallied two. The Longhorns’ defense frustrated the Crusaders for much of the game, forcing two t...
Mesalands Community College will host its annual Grand Canyon Region rodeo on Friday and Saturday at the Quay County Fairgrounds arena in Tucumcari. Gates open at 5 p.m. both days, with performances to begin at 6 p.m. The arena also will host a free slack competition at 9 a.m. Saturday. An addition to the Mesalands squad, teams competing at the rodeo will be Central Arizona College, New Mexico State University, Cochise College, Dine College, Navajo Technical College and the University of Arizona. MCC’s Stampede team is last of the region’s sta...
After losing its first two sets, the Logan volleyball squad rallied to win the next three and capture a key district match Saturday at Fort Sumner. The Lady Longhorns, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, prevailed by a 13-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 15-8 score over the Vixens, ranked fifth, in both teams’ district opener. Haylie Bidegain led Logan with 11 kills and four aces. Desta Rose added eight kills and a team-high 24 digs. Makinlee Judd and Aspen Casey each added eight kills. Charli Fuller made 25 assists. Logan improved to 12-3 o...