Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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A Tucumcari man will be jailed in the county lockup without bond after he was accused of robbing a woman and stabbing another. Raymond Pacheco, 59, is charged with robbery, aggravated battery against a household member with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment. The robbery and battery counts are third-degree felonies that could lead to three years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. The false imprisonment count is a fourth-degree felony that could lead to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. According to an affidavit, Tucumcari police...
A Tucumcari man will be jailed in the county lockup without bond after he was accused of robbing a woman and stabbing another. Raymond Pacheco, 59, is charged with robbery, aggravated battery against a household member with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment. The robbery and battery counts are third-degree felonies that could lead to three years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. The false imprisonment count is a fourth-degree felony that could lead to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. According to an affidavit, Tucumcari police...
Mesalands Community College on Thursday announced former Tucumcari city manager Mark Martinez was hired as chief campus operations and procurement manager, replacing the recently retired Jim Morgan. “After years of working in public administration, it’s exciting to return to my alma mater to help the college excel in student success, access and the prudent use of its resources,” Martinez stated in a news release from the college. Martinez’s hiring came after a national search to replace Morgan, who retired last month after 23 years but was gra...
A former eastern New Mexico legislator appointed to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission resigned shortly before its first meeting after questions arose about his qualifications. Brian Moore, president and CEO of Ranch Market grocery in Clayton and a District 67 representative from 2001 to 2008, on Jan. 10 submitted a letter of resignation from the commission to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Moore, appointed to the PRC less than two weeks before, stated in his letter he did not meet the statutory educational qualifications, according to...
The board for Logan Municipal Schools last week unanimously approved a resolution supporting Quay County’s bid to build a new hospital in Tucumcari. Noting “a great need for a critical access healthcare facility” in the area, the resolution states “the infrastructure systems of the current hospital are failing and deemed to be at the end of the useful lifespans” and without a hospital, those seeking care would have to travel at least 80 miles. It also stated Stantec Engineering would complete a design of a new Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial...
A man is detained in the Quay County Detention Center after being accused of driving his car at speeds of more than 100 mph on Tucumcari streets and fleeing a police officer. Jarvis Christopher Garza, 20, no address listed, is charged with aggravated fleeing a law-enforcement officer, speeding 36 mph and over, operating a vehicle without headlamps, no insurance, no driver’s license and failure to stop or yield at an intersection. The aggravated fleeing charge is a fourth-degree felony that could lead to 18 months in prison or up to a $5,000 f...
The Melrose boys basketball team blitzed Logan with 16 unanswered points in the first and second quarters, setting the stage for a 71-50 win Saturday in the title game of the Reserve Tournament. The Longhorns trailed only 12-8 midway through the first period before the Buffaloes’ big run. When Logan broke the dry spell with 5:15 left in the second period, Melrose sported a 28-10 advantage. Logan’s drought occurred a short time after its junior point guard and leading scorer, Brock Burns, was benched after being whistled for a technical fou...
A hot-shooting Rehoboth Christian boys basketball team outscored Tucumcari 23-9 in the second quarter during its 53-37 victory in the consolation title game Saturday of the Mighty Lion Basketball Classic tournament at Santa Rosa. The Lynx made five 3-pointers during the critical second quarter, giving them a 31-13 lead at halftime. Rehoboth made 10 shots from behind the 3-point line during the game. "They were hitting some big shots, and they were hurting us with their team speed," Tucumcari...
After two hard-fought wins to advance to the finals, the Logan girls basketball team fell to No. 1-ranked Melrose 67-28 in the title game Saturday of the Reserve Tournament. The Lady Longhorns fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter and trailed 29-14 at halftime. “The girls executed our game plan almost perfectly in the first half,” Logan coach Dustin Robertson said. “However, we couldn’t hit shots.” Logan’s Hailee Robertson made a 3-pointer early in the third period to close the gap to 29-17. The Lady Buffaloes turned up the intensity o...
A second-half scoring drought doomed the Tucumcari girls basketball team in a 52-36 non-district loss Friday at Portales. The Lady Rattlers trailed just 23-19 at halftime, but the Lady Rams outscored them 29-17 in the final two periods to salt away the win. Portales went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the last two minutes. Portales held a size advantage over Tucumcari and, as a result, grabbed many offensive rebounds. “We got in some foul trouble and wasn’t as aggressive on the boards that we should have,” Tucumcari coach Patrick Benav...
The Tucumcari boys wrestling team finished eighth Saturday at the 16-team Sammy Vivian Invitational tournament at Socorro that was studded with larger-enrollment schools. The Rattlers finished with 76 points in the team standings. Miyamura High School of Gallup cruised to the title with 196 points, and Socorro was runner-up with 138 1/2 points. Espanola Valley finished third with 126 points. The top wrestler Saturday for Tucumcari was Fernando Ureste, who finished third in the 114-point weight class. Ureste went 4-1 during the weekend. “He g...
The United Way of Eastern New Mexico and other organizations in Tucumcari, Clovis and Portales are working to carry out a Point In Time count for people experiencing homelessness in the area. The count is conducted to provide accurate data for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The effort to hold an accurate count for New Mexico is being led by the NM Coalition to End Homelessness from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3 in the region. Those wishing to help can join the Point in Time count process or donate items that will be given to those in...
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Quay County last week decreased slightly last week but remained at a somewhat high level. The number of cases last week was 14, compared to 17 the previous week. According to the COVID Act Now website, the county’s rate of new cases stood at 181.8 cases per 100,000 people last week, the same as the previous week. The website kept the county at “low” risk of community spread of the disease, as it did with neighboring counties except De Baca, which was at medium risk. The total number of coronavirus cases in Quay...
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Quay County last week jumped to 17 last week, compared to three reported during the previous week. According to the COVID Act Now website, the county’s rate of new cases also jumped to 181.8 cases per 100,000 people last week, compared to 84.8 per 100,000 during the previous week. The website, however, kept the county at “low” risk of community spread of the disease, as it did with all neighboring counties. The only spot in New Mexico that saw an elevated risk of spread was the northwest part...
Those who want more details and wish to ask questions about a proposed new hospital in Tucumcari can attend this week’s Quay County Health Council meeting. According to a news release from the council, county manager Daniel Zamora and county mapping technician Dana Leonard will make a presentation about the proposed $20 million-plus hospital during the health council’s meeting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. County officials are seeking a new hospital to replace the nearly 60-year-old Dr. Daniel C. Trigg Memorial Hospital, which has reached the end of...
The Tucumcari girls basketball team scored 30 unanswered points to turn what had been a close contest into a 60-36 blowout of host Estancia in the title game Saturday of the BVC Tournament. Tucumcari guard Alexus Lafferty was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and teammates Caylee Benavidez, Cambree Benavidez and Kyla Lopez each were named to the all-tournament team. The Lady Rattlers started the title game with a 9-0 run but saw the Lady Bears rally to within 17-12 early in the second quarter. Tucumcari then held Estancia s...
The top-seeded Fort Sumner boys basketball team stormed to a 17-point lead in the first quarter and cruised to an 81-54 victory Saturday over third-seeded Logan in the title game of the Plateau EPAC Tournament at Texico. The Foxes, ranked second in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, grabbed a 31-14 lead after one period and was in control by halftime with a 49-22 advantage. Fort Sumner, led by Clay Norman's 23 points, drained 13 shots from 3-point range. "When they're shooting like that, they're hard to...
Robertson remains the top-ranked boys basketball team in New Mexico’s Class 3A, and it played like it during a 90-58 non-district victory Thursday over visiting Tucumcari. Curtis Gonzales and Kamren Apodaca led the Rattlers (4-7) with 21 points each. “We had our moments where we looked good; we just weren’t consistent,” Tucumcari coach John Span said of the game. “Thing is, (Robertson) is like a machine. They shot the ball well, and they just pressure, pressure, pressure you. That’s why they’re No. 1. “My kids played hard; I was pleased wit...
The Tucumcari boys wrestling team, showing little rust after the Christmas break, won four of five dual meets during the Pinto Duals event Saturday at Moriarty. The Rattlers defeated Sandia 48-24, downed Gallup 51-24, defeated Albuquerque 54-18 and conquered Shiprock 54-17. Tucumcari’s only loss on the weekend was a 42-36 decision against host Moriarty. Tucumcari coach Tim Clark said if two of his wrestlers — Nate Romero and Billy Otero — hadn’t been injured or sick, his squad might have pulled out a victory against Moriarty, as well. Despite...
The top-seeded Melrose girls basketball team captured its first Plateau EPAC Tournament title since 2015 with a resounding 69-36 victory Saturday over third-seeded Logan at Texico. The Lady Buffs, using a relentless press defense, took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and stormed to a 43-14 advantage by halftime. "We didn't handle the pressure well right from the tipoff," Logan coach Dustin Robertson said. "Second quarter, it just snowballed on us because we could not hit shots. We had...
The Village of Logan is on the lookout for a new administrator after the village council fired Scott Parnell right before Christmas. Mayor David Babb said in a phone interview last week the five-member council unanimously voted to terminate Parnell’s position during its regular meeting on Dec. 20. Parnell had been the village’s administrator for a little over four years. Babb declined to give a reason for Parnell’s firing, citing personnel reasons, but he acknowledged “it was an ongoing issue.” An attempt to phone Parnell for comment through a...
The Tucumcari City Commission seeks to appoint a replacement for District 3 commissioner Ruth Ann Litchfield by late January after her unexpected resignation at the end of the commission’s previous meeting on Dec. 15. The four members of the commission convened a special meeting Dec. 28 to discuss how to proceed after Litchfield’s sudden departure for health reasons. She had been mayor for six years and a city commissioner for eight years. Commissioner Ralph Moya, who was mayor pro tem before Litchfield’s retirement, served as mayor durin...
The second half of 2023 in Quay County saw a multitude of local leadership changes that occurred or were imminent. Paula Chacon, a former manager of Quay and Union counties, in August was hired as city manager for Tucumcari. She replaced interim city manager Mark Martinez, whose wishes to go back to his previous position as assistant city manager was granted. At her first city commission meeting, Chacon gave a lengthy list of issues she addressed or wished to resolve. In July, former longtime...
New Mexico governor on Friday announced the appointment of three new members to the state’s Public Regulation Commission, including a former eastern New Mexico legislator. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Brian Moore, Gabriel Aguilera and Patrick O’Connell to the PRC. They began in their roles at the agency on Sunday. Moore is president and CEO of Ranch Market supermarket in Clayton. Moore stated his background in business and government would be a good fit for the PRC, in addition to his “reputation for honesty and ability work acros...
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Quay County last week plummeted to just three last week, compared to 16 during the previous week, according to state data. According to the COVID Act Now website, Quay County’s rate of new cases plunged to 84.8 cases per 100,000 people last week, compared to 193.9 per 100,000 the previous week. The website kept the county at “low” risk of community spread of the disease, as it did with all the neighboring counties but De Baca, which was at “medium” risk. However, one confirmed COVID-19 death in Qu...