Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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Just one confirmed case of coronavirus was reported in Quay County last week, down from three during the previous week. Last week’s sole case brought the total number of coronavirus cases in Quay County since the pandemic began to 2,565. Quay County has reported weekly single-digit numbers of COVID-19 for much of the winter. According to the COVID Act Now website that tracks the disease, the county’s rate of new cases dropped to a low level of 36.4 cases per 100,000 people. That compared to 84.8 the previous week. Quay County’s risk of commu...
One of the suspects in a fatal dog-attack case in Tucumcari landed back in jail last week on an unrelated case in Curry County. Kristopher Jaquarias Morris, 27, of Tucumcari, was booked into the Quay County Detention Center last Monday after Curry County Magistrate Judge Stephen Whittington on Feb. 14 issued a bench warrant for his arrest. According to online court documents, Morris failed to pay almost $500 in fines related to charges of failing to register a vehicle and failing to secure a transfer of registration. Morris was transported...
Embattled and absent Mesalands Community College President Gregory Busch submitted a formal resignation letter, effective March 10, according to a news release this afternoon from the college. Busch’s three-page resignation letter, which stated it was sent from Tucson, Arizona, was received through his attorney, stated Mesalands director of communications Josh McVey. Busch and his wife, Workforce Development director Mary Beth Busch, left Tucumcari shortly after the college’s executive team, staff and faculty submitted no-confidence votes in...
Tucumcari ranked No. 1 in New Mexico for being the most affordable place to buy a home, according to a recent analysis by SmartAsset.com. Tucumcari scored an affordability index of 76.31, substantially higher than the second-highest New Mexico town, Lovington, at 62.89. Rounding out the rest of the top 10 in order were Carlsbad, Los Chaves, Grants, Hobbs, Roswell, North Hobbs, White Rock and Los Alamos. Tucumcari scored well with average closing costs ($2,105), property taxes ($376), homeowner’s insurance costs ($319) and average annual m...
Three schools, including one from Tucumcari, participated recently in the KidWind Challenge at the North American Wind Research and Training Center at Mesalands Community College. A total of 88 students, consisting of teams of two to six people each, participated from Tucumcari Middle School plus Marshall Middle School and Yucca Middle School, both of Clovis. Students built wind turbines from materials such as cardboard and hot glue guns, then had three chances to test their speed with a high-po...
Three COVID-19 cases were reported by state officials in Quay county last week, dropping the number by half from the previous week. Quay County has reported weekly single-digit numbers of COVID-19 for much of the winter. Six cases were reported the previous week by the New Mexico Department of Health. Last week’s number brought the total number of coronavirus cases in Quay County since the pandemic began to 2,564. According to the COVID Act Now website that tracks the disease, the county’s rate of new cases rose but still were at a low level of...
Cannon AFB will host its first airshow since 2018 next month. The airshow, "Wings Over Cannon," is scheduled for April 22. Gates will open at 9 a.m. The event is free. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs in bags, sunscreen, earplugs, brimmed hats, sunglasses, cameras, small purses, umbrellas, strollers and cellphones. All vehicles entering the base are subject to search. Prohibited at the show will be drones, coolers, backpacks, weapons, pets, canopies or tents, outside food or...
A fire Thursday morning heavily damaged a home northwest of Tucumcari and slightly injured a resident there. District 1 firefighters received the call about the blaze about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, said fire chief and Quay County fire marshal Lucas Bugg. Bugg said the house, located on Quay Road AR near Quay Road 64, “probably is a total loss,” though insurance adjusters were due to inspect the site to determine the extent of damage and the fire’s cause. Bugg said the blaze began in the kitchen area. Buggy said one resident suffered from smoke...
In the end, Tohatchi was just too tall. The fifth-seeded Tucumcari girls basketball team struggled mightily against fourth-seeded and eventual state champion Tohatchi’s height and length during a 48-23 loss last Tuesday in the Class 3A quarterfinals at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Tucumcari freshman center Kyla Lopez led Tucumcari with eight points. Meanwhile, a total of 11 Cougars scored for Tohatchi (22-9), with junior guard Brooke Badonie leading the way with 10 points. The Cougars’ roster listed two players at 5-foot-10 and another at 5-f...
Magdalena was the only undefeated boys basketball team left in New Mexico, and it often played like it during a 68-39 victory over Logan in the Class 1A quarterfinals. The top-seeded and two-time defending state champion Steers (30-0) took an 11-0 lead to start the game Wednesday at Bernalillo High School and steadily expanded on that advantage against the eighth-seeded Longhorns. Logan had a hard time matching up against a Steers lineup that featured three players listed at 6-foot-5. One of them, Kael Stephens, scored a game-high 26 points....
Three players from the Tucumcari boys basketball team earned first-team all-district honors. For Logan, three players made the first team in their rugged district. Tucumcari senior point guard Curtis Gonzales, freshman center Kamren Apodaca and freshman guard Daymion Urioste each landed on the first team in District 3A-4. Gonzales and Apodaca consistently were the top scorers for the Rattlers all season. Urioste took on more ball-handling chores late in the season and proved to be a potent scorer. Tucumcari finished with a 9-17 record but...
The district-champion Tucumcari girls basketball team boasted four players on the all-district team and three honorable mentions. Three players from Logan earned all district honors in District A-6. Making the first team in District 3A-4 for the Lady Rattlers were senior guard Alexus Lafferty, sophomore guard July Lafferty, sophomore guard Caylee Benavidez and freshman power forward Kyla Lopez. Alexus Lafferty led the Lady Rattlers in points (15.1 per game), assists (3.4) and steals (3.9). Benavidez was second in points (11.0) and assists (3.0)...
Tucumcari senior point guard Curtis Gonzales was chosen as a selection for the New Mexico High School Coaches Association’s 3A/4A Red All-Star Team and also was an honorable mention all-state selection. Gonzales, the Rattlers’ leading scorer, will play at 5 p.m. Saturday against the Green All-Stars at Gallup High School. Athletes will report Friday afternoon before the game. The game is a traditional matchup of the state’s top seniors. On the Red team also will be players from Robertson, Santa Fe Indian School, Newcomb, Sandia Prep, Kirtl...
The chairman of the Mesalands Community College board of trustees stepped down last week after serving for 31 years as a member, citing the college’s financial turmoil. Jim Streetman stated in his March 1 resignation letter to acting Mesalands president Allen Moss that he was retiring and that he also was resigning from the college’s foundation, both effective immediately. “I have determined that as a result of the current financial challenges facing Mesalands it is in the Colleges (sic) best interest to have new leadership on the board...
New Mexico’s governor announced Friday she would let her COVID-19 executive order expire at the end of the month — ending three years of such orders since the pandemic began in early 2020. “While we’re still seeing COVID cases, our preparedness and collaborative work have helped turn a once-in-a-century public health emergency into a manageable situation,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham stated in a news release. “We are working diligently across state agencies to make sure New Mexicans continue to be supported as federal COVID programs wind down....
New Mexico-based Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Iowa-based health system UnityPoint Health announced last week they have signed a letter of intent to explore the formation of a new healthcare organization. Presbyterian operates Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari and a small clinic in Logan. The proposed healthcare company would see both systems preserve their brand and continue delivering care locally while collectively achieving administrative efficiencies under a parent organization, according to a joint news release....
The City of Tucumcari’s recently released audit for fiscal-year 2022 contained five findings — two fewer than the seven in the FY2021 audit. The New Mexico State Auditor publicly released the audit, performed by Axiom CPAs and Business Advisors of Albuquerque, on Feb. 9. City manager Paula Chacon said the Tucumcari City Commission will vote to accept the audit this month. She pronounced it a “pretty good” audit. The city had been on the state auditor’s “at-risk” list after it failed to file its FY2021 audit on time. Shortly after Chacon was hi...
A Tucumcari man was jailed last week on a felony count of aggravated battery after he was accused of choking a woman to the point of unconsciousness. Jordan Salas, 32, was charged with aggravated battery (strangulation or suffocation) and battery of a household member. The aggravated battery charge is a third-degree felony that can lead up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine. According to a complaint filed by Tucumcari Police officer Matthew Lopez, he was sent to East Rankin Avenue on Feb. 28 to check a domestic disturbance call. Haley...
Tucumcari was named the 41st-favorite small town to visit in the United States by FamilyDestinationsGuide.com. The website surveyed 3,000 families to find the top 150 small towns across the country where they would love to spend. A news release from the guide cited Tucumcari’s Mesalands Dinosaur Museum, Tucumcari Historical Museum and other historical sites, outdoor activities and unique attractions. Other New Mexico small towns that made the list were Chimayo (29th) and Gallup (73rd). The top three small town in the U.S. by the guide were H...
The 16th-seeded Tucumcari boys basketball team was hanging tough against top-seeded St. Michael’s during its first-round playoff game Saturday at Santa Fe, with the Rattlers trailing just 13-11 at one point. Then the roof fell in. The Horsemen outscored the Rattlers 47-20 in the second and third quarters to secure a dominating 75-42 victory and advance in the Class 3A tournament. St. Michael’s (24-4) plays ninth-seeded Socorro (12-16) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The semifinals and finals are Friday and Saturday. The Rattlers briefly too...
The ninth-seeded Logan girls basketball team’s comeback bid at eighth-seeded Springer fell short during a 54-53 loss Friday in the first round of the Class 1A tournament. The Red Devils’ 16-8 surge in the third quarter gave them a sizable lead, and they still led 52-44 with 2 1/2 minutes left. The Lady Longhorns whittled that advantage to 54-51. They had the ball but committed a turnover with 26 seconds left. With 4.4 seconds remaining, Logan sophomore guard Marilyn Moreno drove into the lane and scored while being fouled. If she made the fre...
The chairman of the Mesalands Community College board of trustees stepped down today after serving for 31 years as a member. Jim Streetman stated in his March 1 resignation letter to acting Mesalands President Allen Moss that he was retiring and that he also was resigning from the college’s foundation, effective immediately. “I have determined that as a result of the current financial challenges facing Mesalands it is in the Colleges (sic) best interest to have new leadership on the board,” he wrote. Streetman stated he served on the board when...
The father of a Tucumcari teen killed in a one-vehicle accident in January filed a petition that sets up a possible wrongful-death lawsuit involving the case. Steven Gloms, father of 15-year-old Jayden Gloms, on Feb. 21 filed a petition in Quay County District Court to appoint him as a personal representative of the estate of his deceased minor son “for the purposes of instituting a wrongful death action,” it states. The petition states Gloms died on Jan. 24 “as a result of acts and omissions supporting a cause of action pursuant to the Wrong...
Two COVID-19 cases were reported in Quay County last week, indicating the disease remained at a low ebb in February. That compared to one case the previous week, three cases two weeks ago and six cases three weeks ago. That brought the total number of coronavirus cases in Quay County since the pandemic began in spring 2020 to 2,555 by Friday. According to the COVID Act Now website that tracks the disease, the county’s rate of new cases rose somewhat but were at a still-low level of 28.3 cases per 100,000 people last week. That compared to 18.2...
The Tucumcari girls basketball team earned a No. 5 seed in the Class 3A tournament and will host 12th-seeded Cuba in the first round Friday. Logan earned an ninth-seed for the Class 1A tournament and will travel to eighth-seeded Springer for its first-round game Friday. Playoff pairings were announced by the New Mexico Activities Association on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Rattlers (19-6), which recently finished their district schedule unbeaten, will play the Lady Rams (16-14) at 6 p.m. Friday at Rattler Gymnasium, aka The Snake Pit. The winner...