Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Sorted by date Results 851 - 875 of 2304
Quay County’s road supervisor told county commissioners on Monday he decided to close access to Airport Road from U.S. 54 northeast of Tucumcari while the notorious intersection undergoes construction for safety improvements. Larry Moore said he was prompted to close access to the road last Wednesday after he and several others in a vehicle experienced a near-accident there. The intersection has been the site of numerous crashes in recent years, prompting pleas to the state from county commissioners to do something about it. Airport Road, k...
The Logan football team had little trouble controlling host Dulce during a 60-6 Longhorns non-district victory Friday in eight-man football action. The game ended at halftime due to the mercy rule. Logan led 46-6 after one quarter. The Longhorns improved to 5-1 overall. The Hawks fell to 1-3. Logan coach Dwayne Roberts hadn’t compiled stats when contacted by phone Saturday but estimated that quarterback Kaeden Stoner threw for up to 300 yards against the Hawks. Those who scored TDs for the Longhorns were Stoner, Christian Kotara, Brock Burns, D...
The Logan school board last week approved a process to find a replacement for member Scott Osborn, who resigned from his position after nearly a decade. The board will solicit applications for the vacancy through Sept. 29, then will hold a special meeting Oct. 3 to review them. A replacement may be chosen during that special meeting or during the board's regular meeting on Oct. 10. Osborn submitted in his formal resignation letter on Sept. 12. "I make the announcement with a heavy heart, as I...
Light the torches. Tucumcari MainStreet's Fired Up festival returns Saturday after a three-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. MainStreet director Connie Loveland stated in an email Friday she was excited to get the free festival going again. The festival runs from 4 to 9 p.m. in the Tucumcari Historic Railroad Plaza and adjacent streets downtown. "While we did scale down the event slightly, it's still packed with fiery family fun," Loveland said. The festival also returns its...
Bestcare Pharmacy in Tucumcari closed on Sept. 10 after the store could not find another pharmacist to replace one who recently moved from the area. The closing leaves the city with one drugstore — the former Wellborn Pharmacy that recently moved from its longtime South Second Street location near downtown to a bigger building on South First Street. Wellborn also changed its name to Mesa Winds Healthmart Pharmacy. Papers taped to the doors and windows of the Bestcare building at 511 S. Second St. stated: “We regret to inform you you the Bes...
Those on social media might have noticed the company that produced the “Bands of Enchantment” music television series in Tucumcari about 18 months ago has resumed production in Albuquerque for its second season. Elkhorn Entertainment began shooting 10 national music acts’ performances at Albuquerque Rail Yards Market earlier this month and is scheduled to wrap production next week. During the first-season production of “Bands of Enchantment” in the spring of 2021, the City of Tucumcari gave Elkhorn $120,000 in lodgers tax funds to help defr...
Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory has won a number of awards over the years, but a recent one held a lot of significance to its owner. The company’s Ithaki feta cheese earned third-place during the recent World Championship Cheese Contest in Milwaukee, with a score of 99.595. Owner Charles Krause, who has a picture of himself holding the plaque, only half-joked last week it was the only time he’d worn a suit and tie. “This one was the most special award in my life,” Krause said. “I’m pretty damned proud of it, and we’ve been doing this fo...
Quay County’s number of new coronavirus cases dropped by nearly half last week, and a website that tracks the disease improved the county’s rating to “low” risk of community spread. COVID-19 cases totaled 10 last week, compared to the 19 last week reported by the New Mexico Department of Health. The COVID Act Now website on Friday dropped Quay County’s risk rating for community spread from “medium” to “low.” Quay County’s rate of new cases dropped sharply to 121.2 cases per 100,000 people last week, compared to 218.1 the previous week. All...
Despite increases to Conchas Lake’s levels in the last two months, the Arch Hurley Conservancy District during its regular meeting last week again voted to not allocate water. The district is ending its second straight growing season without diverting lake water into its irrigation canals because of drought. District manager Franklin McCasland reported the lake received 15,309 acre-feet of water in August with just 2,181 acre-feet of evaporation and other losses. He said Conchas Lake’s elevation rose 3.68 feet during the month. Despite tha...
The deadline for Quay County and New Mexico residents to vote in the November general election is Tuesday, Oct. 11. Early voting also begins on that day, according to a news release from the Quay County Clerk’s Office. Voter registration forms are available at the clerk’s office or online at NMvote.org. Also, anyone who is a new resident to Quay County or needs to update his or her registration from not previously establishing affiliation with a major political party may do so through the same-day registration portal that will be available dur...
The Tucumcari High School volleyball team on Saturday took home its second first-place trophy this season after winning its bracket at the Lady Braves Pink Classic tournament at Santa Fe Indian School. After splitting three two-set matches during pool play Friday, the Lady Rattlers were assigned to the Bronze Bracket, one of four at the tourney. There, Tucumcari defeated Zuni 25-9, 25-21, 25-15 in the opener and downed Mora 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 in the finale. Against Mora, Caylee Benavidez led the Lady Rattlers with 11 kills, while Haisley...
The Logan football team bounced back after a tough road loss the previous week with a 56-6 non-district victory Friday over visiting Mesilla Valley Christian in eight-man football action. The Longhorns (4-1) raced to a 14-0 lead after one quarter and commanded a 34-6 advantage over the SonBlazers (1-3) at halftime. The game was halted early in the third quarter due to the mercy rule after the Longhorns scored three quick touchdowns. The Longhorns were looking for a better performance after a slew of turnovers led to a 32-20 non-district loss...
New Mexico’s governor on Friday announced $41.5 million in grants from the state’s Law Enforcement Recruiting Fund, including more than $1 million total for police departments in Tucumcari and Logan. The funding awards will be awarded to 29 police departments in New Mexico over the next three years, with full funding of salaries provided the first year, 50% on the second year and 25% on the third year. Funding levels are based on an average officer salary of $75,000 and were awarded based on needs identified by departments in their app...
One month after seeing record sales of legal marijuana, Tucumcari did it again. Total sales of recreational and medical marijuana in the city of Tucumcari totaled more than $356,000 in August, edging the previous record of $352,000 in July, according to a news release Wednesday from the Cannabis Control Division of the state’s Regulation and Licensing Department. Total adult-use recreational sales in Tucumcari were nearly $293,000 in August, with more than $63,000 in medicinal marijuana sales. At least seven marijuana dispensaries are o...
Quay County’s numbers of new coronavirus cases rose somewhat last week, and a website that tracks community risk of the disease’s spread kept the region at “medium” risk. COVID-19 cases totaled 19 last week, compared to 14 last week and 15 in each of the previous two weeks as reported by the New Mexico Department of Health. According to COVID Act Now website Saturday, Quay County’s rate dropped slightly to 218.1 cases per 100,000 people last week, compared to 230 the previous week. Meanwhile, all the surrounding counties were in low risk of c...
State game officials tranquilized and relocated a black bear found in a tree in Logan near Ute Lake on Thursday morning. Logan Police Chief Rodney Paris said his department first received a call about the bear about 7:15 a.m. Thursday. He said barking dogs in the area prompted the bear to go up into a tree on Schneider Avenue, near the lake. Officials from New Mexico Game & Fish tranquilized the bear and removed it about 11:30 a.m. that day, he said. Game & Fish Sgt. Andrew Teaschner said it was a “good size,” full-grown black bear wei...
Tucumcari High School athletes paid tribute to a fallen Dalhart football player last week, and players for the Rattlers football team will wear the player's No. 22 affixed to the back of their helmets the rest of the season. Yahir Cancino, a sophomore on the junior varsity football team at Dalhart High School in Texas, suffered a head injury during a game on Sept. 1. He died of his injury a day later in a Lubbock hospital. Dalhart canceled all sports events the weekend after Cancino's death. Not...
The Tucumcari High School volleyball team racked up two more non-district victories last week, giving it its best start in recent memory and earning a top-10 ranking in the state. The Lady Rattlers downed Raton 25-11, 25-13, 15-25, 25-15 on Thursday and defeated West Las Vegas 27-25, 25-20, 25-21 two days before. Tucumcari improved to 7-2 and rose to third in the latest Class 3A rankings by MaxPreps.com. In the coaches poll released Thursday, Tucumcari tied with Thoreau for the No. 7. Unbeaten...
Turnovers — especially in the fourth quarter — doomed Logan during a 32-20 loss Friday at non-district foe Magdalena during eight-man football action. The Longhorns, ranked fifth in the latest coaches poll, suffered their first loss of the season and fell to 3-1. Magdalena, ranked sixth, improved to 3-1. Kaeden Stoner scored two touchdowns for Logan, and teammate Bill DeLuca added another TD. Both teams battled to a 20-20 tie early in the fourth quarter before the Steers broke through. “We had a few too many turnovers in the whole game,...
The Tucumcari High School football team didn’t have much of an answer for Raton star running back Cayden Walton during a 58-8 loss Friday at the Tigers’ home stadium. Walton, a senior, ran for 254 yards and four touchdowns in just 10 carries on Friday. Walton already has amassed more than 1,000 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns in just four games this season for the unbeaten Tigers. Tucumcari coach Donnie Garcia said Walton, whom he said is fifth in the nation in rushing, was a handful for his defenders. “He is very, very intelligent on when...
Changing up their schedule, the Tucumcari cross-country program headed east and participated Saturday at the sprawling Amarillo ISD Invitational meet. The Rattlers had been scheduled to go south to compete at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, but Tucumcari coach Tim Clark reconsidered for another meet that was closer. Clark said up to 30 teams participated in the Amarillo meet. “It was packed,” he said. Creed Owen was the top runner for the Rattlers, finishing the 5-kilometer course in 21 minutes, 22.86 seconds for a 75th place in the...
Quay County’s new cases of coronavirus continued to be at a low and stable level last week. Also, the administrator of Tucumcari health clinic said she expected a shipment of new COVID-19 vaccination booster shots by next week. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved those updated boosters. The county’s COVID-19 cases totaled 14 last week, compared to 15 during each of the previous two weeks as reported by the New Mexico Department of Health. That’s a far cry from early August, when the county saw 67 cases in one week, the h...
The Mesalands Community College board of trustees approved a low bid for a new storage building for its dinosaur museum during a brief special meeting Thursday. College President Gregg Busch requested the purchase requisition of $129,578.57 to Daniel Construction Co. of Tucumcari to replace the destroyed Mesalands Dinosaur Museum storage building on Adams Street. Busch said the new structure will be paid for with an insurance settlement. A severe storm in August 2021 ripped the roof from the previous building. The other bids were $140,995 from...
A group of New Mexico Highlands University students and an artist who specializes in "augmented restoration" showed how a faded advertising mural and other images that long had been covered were brought to life in vivid detail on Friday night. Craig Winslow and five students from Highlands' School of Art spent about 12 hours in Tucumcari examining the faded Center Gift & Frame Shop mural created years ago by Tucumcari sign artist Rudy Gonzales on the west side of the Arteformz building, near...
The youthful Tucumcari football team suffered another loss, but it scored its first touchdown of the season during 54-6 non-district loss Friday at Loving. The Rattlers’ first score of the year occurred in the first quarter after the Falcons scored their second touchdown. On the ensuring kickoff, Daymion Urioste found a seam down the sideline and streaked to a 78-yard score. “We got some good blocking on the front line, he got around, got outside and took it to the house,” Tucumcari first-year coach Donnie Garcia said. “Any way to score i...