Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Sorted by date Results 551 - 575 of 2304
Despite ample rainfall in recent weeks, the Arch Hurley Conservancy District board of directors declined to allocate any water to farmers during a special meeting Monday. Board President Robert Lopez said he called the special meeting because corn farmers faced a June 15 deadline to file for a drought insurance claim. The deadline for similar claims for cotton farmers was May 31. Lopez and district manager Franklin McCasland said Conchas Lake had just 3 inches of water available for the district’s irrigation canals — a minimal amount for the...
Four Mesalands Community College athletes, including a regional champion, will compete starting this weekend at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. The rodeo runs from Sunday through June 17. It will be broadcast on ESPN3 or ESPNU. The obvious favorite from the Stampede team is sophomore Andy Guzman, who finished fourth in bullriding and earned Rookie of the Year honors at CNFR last year. Guzman also was the Grand Canyon Region champion in that event this year, finishing 86 points ahead of teammate Marco Juarez. Guzman, who...
A Tucumcari man’s lawsuit against the city, the police department and two officers after he was body-slammed to the ground during a 2021 arrest was dismissed last week. According to online court records, plaintiff Pete Apodaca and the defendants on May 23 filed a joint motion to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice because “they have reached a full and final resolution of this matter.” The motion did not elaborate. A dismissal with prejudice means a plaintiff cannot refile the same lawsuit again in that court. District Judge Albert Mitch...
A Tucumcari man accused of spraying bear spray on two people and punching a city police officer in November 2021 was given credit for time served in jail with a recent plea deal. Frank Christopher Link, now 54, initially was charged with aggravated battery upon a police officer (no great bodily harm), disarming a police officer (removing firearm or weapon) and two counts of aggravated battery (great bodily harm) — all felonies. According to online court documents, Link pleaded guilty to battery upon a police officer, and the other counts w...
Tucumcari will host its first slow-pitch co-ed softball event since 2019 with the B’s Crew Softball Summer Tournament this weekend. Organizer Brenda Lopez said at least five teams are signed up for the tourney, with another one or two possibly signing up before brackets are set Tuesday, after the Quay County Sun’s deadline. Lopez said as it stands, it likely will be a one-day event, with the first pitch at 8 a.m. Saturday at the diamond just off South 14th Street. She said the teams are all Tucumcari-based, but with players hailing from Ama...
One of the two suspects in a fatal dog-mauling case in Tucumcari pleaded not guilty to two felony charges in district court Wednesday. Mary Olimpia Montoya, 51, appeared by phone in front of District Judge Albert Mitchell Jr. during an arraignment by videoconference. Montoya’s public defender, Anna Aragon of Las Vegas, entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf. Aragon said she had spoken with District Attorney Tim Rose and that she was not ready to contemplate a plea deal. Mitchell scheduled status hearings for July 25 and Aug. 22 in the c...
A group of women based in Forrest recently gave a Quilt of Valor to a San Jon native for his long service in the U.S. Air Force. The Forrest Everybody's Club, affiliated with the Quay County Extension Service, is a group of woman that has been meeting continually since the 1930s. This year, they made a Quilt of Valor for Col. J. Corey Reed, who grew up in San Jon and graduated from New Mexico State University. Quilts of Valor is a national organization that presents quilts, usually in a...
An Albuquerque man was detained last week after being accused of stealing a vehicle from a Logan store and trying to flee from Tucumcari police and other law enforcement personnel. Damien Robles, 23, was charged with receiving or transferring stolen vehicle or motor vehicle (first offense), aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, tampering with evidence (third- or fourth-degree felony) and injuring or tampering with a vehicle (scratching or damaging). Three of the charges are fourth-degree felonies, which can lead up to 18 months in...
The New Mexico Supreme Court, in the wake of a case involving an Albuquerque man accused of murder, issued an opinion last week that provides guidance to district courts in deciding pretrial detention requests from prosecutors. The justices clarified the analysis that courts should follow in determining whether legal requirements have been met for a person charged with a felony should be held in jail while awaiting trial. Under state law, a felony defendant may be detained if prosecutors file a motion and prove in district court the suspect is...
A Hobbs man died and five others were injured in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday on Highway 39 near Logan. According to a release from New Mexico State Police, the deceased was identified as Cesar Gomez Lucio, 35. The crash occurred about 1 a.m. on milepost 32 of the highway, northwest of Logan. “The initial investigation indicated that a 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe (driven by Lucio) was traveling south on State Road 39,” the release stated. “For unknown reasons, the Tahoe crossed the center line into opposing traffic and collided head-on with a 2014...
Daylight on Friday showed the widespread damage from a severe hailstorm and heavy rain that caused flooding late Thursday. The Tucumcari Convention Center, and the Tucumcari Chamber of Commerce building both were closed indefinitely after hailstones broke through and allowed water from torrential rains to pour into those buildings. In the convention center's case, hailstones broke four skylights. The center's accompanying New Mexico Route 66 Museum also was closed due to several inches of water in portions of the building. Tucumcari Police Chie...
Xcel work crews began restoring power in Tucumcari in phases about 2 p.m. today using a big generator in the city, and a spokesman said all homes in the city should have electricity within two hours or so. Xcel workers from Amarillo began to arrive at the Quay County Generating Station in north Tucumcari about 1 a.m. today – about six hours after a severe storm south of Grady knocked out power to the city. Company spokesman Wes Reeves said workers anticipated being able to turn on the generator shortly after arrival but ran into issues. Once t...
The San Jon Municipal Schools board of trustees last week approved a 2023-2024 budget that reflects state-mandated 6% raises for its teachers and staff. The district’s operating budget in the next fiscal year will be about $2.77 million. Superintendent Alan Umholtz said in addition to raises, the budget total rose because of higher health insurance costs. Umholtz said the district’s projected cash balance at the end of the fiscal year will be about $300,000, which he described as “very good.” In other business from the meeting: — The board appr...
Logan senior catcher Park Strong, Logan senior third baseman Skyler DeLuca and Tucumcari senior outfielder Billy Otero recently were selected to the annual Class 1A-3A Red vs. Green All-Star baseball games organized by the New Mexico High School Coaches Association. Games will be played at 7 p.m. June 2, 10 a.m. June 3 and 30 minutes after the second game at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho. Strong and Otero will be part of the Red team coached by Robertson’s Leroy Gonzales. Strong hit .565 this season with 39 RBI, a .956 slugging p...
Altrusa International of Tucumcari announced its annual scholarship winners for most Quay County’s school districts and its one college. Each of those students received $600 to the college or trade school of their choice, plus alternates were chosen, as well: — Tucumcari: Jade Duplantis, alternate D’Naylia Rivera; — Logan: Skyler DeLuca, alternate Jayden Stewart; — House: Cole Sultemaer; — Mesalands Community College: Wyollah Moses, alternate Nicholas Moreno. No application was received from San Jon High School. Scholarships were awarded bas...
Wednesday’s severe storm impacted a transmission line supplying electricity to Tucumcari, causing the outage that has affected all city customers. “It’s unclear at the moment how long power will be out,” Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves said Thursday morning. “We do know that 20 structures have been destroyed on the transmission line feeding the city and repairs will likely continue into (Friday) if not later.” But Reeves also said Xcel Energy has an “infrequently operated backup power station” that is capable of energizing the city. “Power pl...
Four former employees of Mesalands Community College filed lawsuits last week against the college’s board of trustees after they said they were fired from their positions. Natalie Gillard, former vice president of academic affairs, and Milan Rasic, former director of athletics, health and wellness, each filed the suits on May 9 in Tucumcari district court. One day later, Rose Brito, a former administrative assistant for Gillard, and Donna Garcia, a former professor of sociology and social work, filed their lawsuits. The Gilpin Law Firm in A...
The second suspect charged in a fatal dog attack in Tucumcari recently waived his right to a preliminary hearing last week and was bound over for trial. Kristopher Jaquaris Morris, 27, of Tucumcari, on May 4 waived his right for a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday. He is being represented by public defender Brett Phelps of Las Vegas. After the filing of the waiver, Magistrate Judge Noreen Hendrickson transferred Morris’ case to district court, according to online court documents. Phelps and District Attorney Timothy Rose also filed a...
A Tucumcari man filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Clovis hospital and Dr. Daniel C. Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari after he suffered two hip injuries. Mario Barreras filed the suit on May 3 in Tucumcari district court against Trigg Hospital and Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis, both which are managed by Presbyterian Healthcare Services. Also listed as defendants are Trigg registered nurse Monique Smith and several “John and Jane Does.” Albuquerque lawyer Erika Anderson filed the lawsuit on Barreras’ behalf. The complai...
Tucumcari MainStreet recently was designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Tucumcari MainStreet Executive Director Connie Loveland also laid out some of the nonprofit organization’s activities during a city commission work session Thursday. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of accredited programs to recognize their commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach. Tucumcari M...
The Logan school board approved lightly modified list of priorities for the district’s five-year facility master plan, with security upgrades as the most important. According to the document ratified by the board during its May 8 meeting, the top priorities, in order, are security upgrades to the main entrance, internal passageway construction to the family and consumer sciences and vocational agriculture area, security fencing district-wide, sidewalk repairs district-wide and replacement, playing surface renovations and door and lock r...
Quay County 4-H teams finished second in hunting and fourth in archery at the New Mexico Shooting Sports Championship in Raton earlier this month. The event hosted 400 youths from across the state on May 4-6 in small bore rifle, archery, air rifle, air pistol, shotgun, hunting, muzzleloader and small-bore pistol shooting disciplines. The Quay County hunting team of Payton Oliver, Ashton Smith, Aubrey Oliver and Paxton Smith finished second overall, with Payton Oliver being the No. 2 high...
Tucumcari’s police chief requested more law-enforcement presence last week in the wake of a social-media threat that targeted numerous schools in New Mexico, including Tucumcari’s. Chief Patti Lopez said the threat, which identified no specific school, came from Facebook and Snapchat. She provided to the Quay County Sun a screen-capped image of the threat. It stated a school and an Albertsons Market “would get shot by me and 17 other people” at 2:30 on May 10. It also stated a bomb would go off on that day at 6:00. “… So stay away from the sc...
RIO RANCHO — West Las Vegas made the Tucumcari softball team’s postseason a short one during the Lady Ratters’ 15-0 loss on Wednesday. The ninth-seeded Lady Rattlers faced the eighth-seeded Lady Dons in a single-elimination play-in game at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho as part of the Class 3A playoffs. West Las Vegas scored early and often, tallying four runs each in the first and second innings and seven in the third to end the game via the mercy rule. “We just didn’t start off hitting,” Tucumcari coach CJ Oglesby said. “Against go...
Three members of Tucumcari's softball team earned all-district honors during voting results announced after the state tournament this past weekend. Earning top honors in District 3A-4 for the Lady Rattlers were senior shortstop Alexus Lafferty, senior pitcher Juli Rivera and junior outfielder and first baseman Alexis Ramirez. During district play, Rivera hit .545 with a slugging average of 1.091, both of them team-highs. Lafferty hit .400 with a .560 slugging average during district play while...