Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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PORTALES — Portales City Council on Sept. 10 voted unanimously to stay with the Ute Water Pipeline Project despite an attempt by Logan attorney Warren Frost to dissuade City Council members from doing so. Frost was given 10 minutes to give a presentation to the council on why the pipeline project should be immediately halted. “All planning was based on Ute lake water could use conventional processing. It was discovered water quality has deteriorated,” Frost said. Frost alleged in his presentation the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Autho...
The Quay County Republican Party last week filled an empty ballot for county treasurer after its previous candidate unexpectedly withdrew last month. The Quay County Republican Party Central Committee chose Theresa Lafferty, office manager at the Arch Hurley Conservancy District in Tucumcari, from four applicants after interviews on Aug. 13 at the Tucumcari Convention Center. Lafferty replaces GOP county treasurer candidate Albenita R. Rael, who withdrew from the ballot on July 24. Rael also...
The Logan school board is on the hunt for a new member after Cole Wallin submitted his resignation earlier this month. Wallin submitted his resignation effective Aug. 5. “I have recently inherited a great responsibility and another full-time job,” Wallin stated in his letter. “I didn’t foresee myself having these added responsibilities in this four-year term I was elected to serve. At this time, I must prioritize my responsibilities and like all of us family comes first. “Thank you for the opportunity to serve on a board where we put our child...
CLOVIS — The man accused of killing two Texico women on May 3 at Ned Houk Park now is also facing federal charges for kidnapping an infant and taking her across state lines. A federal grand jury on May 29 indicted Alek Collins, 26, on charges of kidnapping a minor and using a gun during a crime of violence. Court records show Collins waived reading of the indictment against him and entered a plea of not guilty. Officials also allege Collins shot and killed Harley Cisneros and Taryn Allen, both 23, for reasons unknown. Police say Collins may h...
ROSWELL — A district court judge last Monday granted an injunction prohibiting the New Mexico Public Education Department from implementing its 180-day school calendar. District Judge Dustin K. Hunter of Roswell stated in his ruling that the injunction will remain in effect “pending final determination of the merits of this cause.” More than 50 school districts, including all in Quay County, joined the lawsuit challenging the rule. They argue the mandate would result in budget shortfalls, essentially eliminate four-day school weeks that have...
A Roswell district court judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order preventing the New Mexico Public Education Department from enforcing its 180-day school rule, court records show. The PED’s new rule was to be implemented during the 2024-2025 school year. Districts on a four-day schedule could apply for a waiver, but it would require substantial increases in students’ reading proficiency this year. Tucumcari interim superintendent Dave Johnson has said only a handful of districts in New Mexico would qualify for the waiver. The ord...
FLOYD – Nevaeha Brown and Jona Baros combined for 32 points on Friday night as Floyd's girls basketball team picked up its first win of the season with a 41-38 triumph over San Jon. Senior Sarah Archuleta led the Lady Coyotes (1-5) with 15 points. Brown scored 17 points and Baros added 15 for the Lady Broncos (1-6), who erased a seven-point halftime deficit with a 16-9 surge in the third frame. In the boys' half of the twinbill, the Floyd boys basketball team overwhelmed the Coyotes from the s...
CLOVIS — The man accused of starting the Sept. 3 Walmart fire was arrested Sept. 13 in Lubbock, Texas, according to Lubbock police. Public Information Officer Amber Edwards said Jimmy Guillen, 59, of California was taken into custody at 1:25 p.m. (CDT) at 34th Street and Quaker Avenue in Lubbock. Ninth Judicial District Attorney Quentin Ray said he intends to extradite Guillen to Clovis as early as possible, a process that can take 10 to 30 days to complete, he said....
Quay County On the Move is inviting residents to spend Saturday afternoon exploring Tucumcari’s four museums for free from noon to 3 p.m. Participating museums are the New Mexico Route 66 Museum at 1500 W. Route 66, Tucumcari Railroad Museum at 101 E. Railroad Ave., Tucumcari Historical Museum at 416 S. Adams St. and the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum at 222 E. Laughlin Ave. Admission to the museums is free during the event. Those who wish to participate should stop by the Quay County On The Move table, register and pick up a scavenger hunt form a...
The Quay County Health Council is partnering with NMSU Cooperative Extension Service and United Way of Eastern New Mexico to provide opportunities this month for suicide prevention training. This evidence-based program will equip community members with the tools to engage and assist people during their most vulnerable moments. Suicide has become more common in rural communities. Those participating in these sessions will feel more comfortable talking to someone about suicide. Most people often are relieved to be able to talk to someone about...
CLOVIS - Wilson Alegria was stocking Walmart's frozen food section when the commotion began around him about 3:30 a.m. Sunday. "All the fire alarms went off, everyone started running toward the exit screaming 'Fire!'" he said. "It was scary. You could tell all the other employees were pretty shocked." Alegria said he was one of about 50 Walmart employees working the overnight shift when the fire broke out, likely in the automotive section on the store's south side. The building was ablaze when...
CLOVIS — Embattled Clovis City Commissioner David Bryant on Wednesday submitted his resignation, effective immediately. “It is with heavy heart I regret to inform you that I will no longer be able to (perform) my duties as City Commissioner,” Bryant wrote in his letter submitted to city attorney Jared Morris. “The continued hostility directed at myself by others has become not just a distraction but the constant barrage of personal attacks has taken its toll on myself, my family and my constituency. I have decided that ultimately the best thing...
CLOVIS — A 9th Judicial District Court jury last week found former Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher McCasland not guilty of felony child abuse. The jury handed down the verdict on the second day of a two-day trial in Portales before Judge Drew Tatum. McCasland, 37, a Tucumcari High School graduate, was charged on March 1, 2022, with child abuse not causing great bodily injury, a third-degree felony, in Roosevelt County Magistrate Court. New Mexico State Police Agent Justin Tiemann charged in an arrest affidavit that McCasland abu...
The New Mexico Supreme Court on Wednesday issued an order providing guidance to the 5th Judicial District Court for resolving a partisan gerrymandering claim in a legal challenge to the state’s congressional district map. According to Barry Massey, public information officer with the state Administrative Office of the Courts, the court also issued a writ of superintending control that directed the district court to proceed in the redistricting litigation in accordance with Wednesday’s order. The state Supreme Court also gave the 5th Jud...
PORTALES – The director of the Portales Islamic Center said the mosque was attacked by vandals Friday for a fifth time since June 1. Ahmed Benssouda, the director, said police and firefighters responded to a report of smoke emerging from the center about 1 a.m. Benssouda said there was smoke inside and outside the building. In addition, Benssouda said, “racial messages” were spray-painted on the center’s walls, including “N-word” and the initials “KKK.” Benssouda said vandals damaged carpets, poured beer in places and urinated on carpets. “Th...
CLOVIS - In the words of Patrick Kircher, the agriculture agent for Roosevelt County: "They are really obnoxious and troublesome." And it's likely you have some in your house right now. The flutterbugs that are invading eastern New Mexico are called army cutworms. In their adult stage, they're more commonly known as miller moths. "Cutworms have been early season pests in New Mexico, becoming active when soil temperatures are above 40 ... The adult moth lays eggs in elongated clusters of 60 to...
The Tucumcari softball team dropped its district opener Friday with a 15-4 home loss in five innings against Ruidoso. The Warriors, which scored in every inning, surged to a 7-1 lead in the top of the third and added a total of 10 runs in the fourth and fifth. Taeden Hyslop drove in two runs on a single for the Lady Rattlers. Alexis Ramirez and Haisley Huffman each went 2-for-3 with an RBI, including a solo home run by Huffman. Juli Rivera suffered the loss for Tucumcari, allowing 11 hits and four walks and seven earned runs in four innings....
CLOVIS — More federal dollars are on their way for the Ute Water Project. The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority has received notice from the United States Bureau of Reclamation regarding the second round of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. According to a news release from water authority, the federal FY2023 appropriation is in the amount of $89.5 million for use in the construction of the Ute pipeline. ENMWUA will receive an additional $4.63 million from FY2023 administration and congressional funding. The t...
A Chicago man died in a two-vehicle accident Saturday morning on U.S. 54 northeast of Tucumcari. According to a news release from New Mexico State Police, Ervin Burton Jr., 32, of Chicago died at a hospital after his Chevrolet Impala, partially parked in the northbound lane of the highway, was struck by a Volvo commercial motor vehicle at about 10 a.m. Saturday near milepost 329. Burton later died of his injuries and was pronounced dead by the Office of the Medical Examiner. A 27-year-old passenger in the Impala also was taken to the hospital...
CLOVIS — The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority board officially socked away a nearly $672.4 million agreement during a special meeting Sept. 29 that guarantees 75% of the funds needed for completion of the Ute Lake Water Project. “It’s a milestone day,” Mike Morris, the mayor of Clovis and chairman of the ENMWUA’s board said as he called for the vote on the agreement between the water utility and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that finalizes funding arrangements for the remainder of the Ute Lake project. The agreement locks in the fe...
PORTALES — A group of Roosevelt County citizens, most noting their Republican party affiliation, plan on auditing county ballots for the 2020 presidential election this week. The matter came up during the “public requests” portion of a Roosevelt County Commission meeting. Person after person came to the speaker’s podium at the session to tell commissioners of the lack of confidence they and their friends have in voting in New Mexico. Speakers praised the work of Roosevelt County Clerk Mandi Park and county commissioners but not the state h...
New Mexico Department of Transportation chief Michael Sandoval retired effective Sunday after 27 years in state government, according to a news release last week from the agency. Under his leadership, NMDOT implemented more than $3 billion in construction programs over the last 3 1/2 years. Before his appointment as cabinet secretary, he served as executive manager of the department’s Modal Divisions, in which he oversaw hundreds of contracts, the state’s 12 ports of entry and major transportation projects including the Rail Runner, com...
PORTALES — A former Roosevelt County Sheriff’s deputy convicted in 2021 of receiving stolen property now is facing felony child abuse charges, records show. The former deputy, Chris McCasland, was charged on March 1 with child abuse not causing great bodily injury, a third-degree felony, in Roosevelt County Magistrate Court. In an affidavit for McCasland’s arrest, New Mexico State Police Agent Justin Tiemann charged that on Feb. 14, McCasland had struck his 7-year-old son repeatedly while McCasland was driving a motor vehicle. According to the...
TEXICO — Max Villarreal scored three touchdowns on Friday night and the struggling Texico Wolverines got back on the winning track with a 53-0 blistering of visiting Tucumcari. Texico (2-4) snapped a three-game losing streak with the rout, ending the game early in the final stanza on the NMAA’s 50-point mercy rule when Villarreal tallied from 30 yards out. He also ran in Texico’s first tally and later caught a long scoring pass from sophomore quarterback Cade Figg. Texico led 33-0 at the quarter and 47-0 at halftime against the Rattlers (1-5)...
The Altrusa International Club of Tucumcari recently inducted its officers for the 2020-2021 year. Inducted officers were Janie Hoffman, president; Ellen White, past president; Lois Sappington, two-year board member; Sam Sparks, one-year board member; Jeannette Maddaford, treasurer; Merlinda Turner, recording secretary; Beverly Lake, corresponding secretary; and Charlene Montgomery, first vice president. Altrusa International is a nonprofit organization that strives to make local communities better through leadership, partnership and...