Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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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...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — No school. Thursday — No school. Monday — Breakfast: Pancake sausage on a stick, assorted cereal, graham crackers, apple, orange juice, skim, 1% or strawberry milk; Lunch: Turkey and cheese hoagie, shredded barbecued pork, french fries, baked beans, creamy coleslaw, fruit cocktail, skim, chocolate skim, 1% or strawberry milk. Tuesday — Breakfast: Bagel, strawberry cream cheese, graham crackers, Fruit Loops, fruit cocktail, apple juice, skim, 1% or strawberry milk; Lunch: Turkey and cheese sandwich, beef nachos...
On this date ... 1973: A swearing-in ceremony presided over by new 10th Judicial District Judge Stanley Frost was held Jan. 2 for newly elected local officials at the Quay County Courthouse. Officers sworn into office included the sheriff, assessor, county clerk, county treasurer, probate court, state Sen. Kenneth Schlientz and state Rep. Clifton Moreland. It was Frost’s first official duty as judge. Frost was sworn into office during a special ceremony the previous Friday. — Mr. and Mrs. Robert Trujillo of Logan had the first baby born in Qua...
Well, another year has flown by with all its hopes and dreams, fulfilled or not, and a new year has begun. Newness usually leads to a positive outlook, like turning over a new leaf, which anyone with a conscience readily admits they should do for their own good and the basis for New Year’s resolutions. The Bible says there’s nothing new under the sun, but the opportunity for a new life isn’t new and it’s not under the sun, anyway, because God planned it before he created the sun and Jesus said that anyone following the plan wouldn’t be of thi...
If the last few years have taught us anything, when it comes to politics, culture, the economy and international events, we should always expect the unexpected. After all, did anyone expect Elon Musk to buy Twitter or Will Smith to storm the Oscars stage and deliver the “slap heard ‘round the world” in 2022? I think not. In that vein, here are a few predictions for what could be in store for 2023: On the political front, I anticipate the new year will bring some fascinating revelations about the “Big Guy,” aka President Joe Biden, and his i...
If we were to randomly pick a time, date and place to throw a party, I doubt many people would choose midnight on Jan. 1 outdoors. It’s way too cold. Our forecast often calls for below-freezing temperatures, though we’re usually better off than in other areas of the country. The weather forecasts for celebrating on the East Coast often see freezing rain or snow as midnight approaches on Jan. 1. And sometimes it’s worse. It was minus 24 degrees a few weeks ago in my original hometown of Denver. You just never know this time of year. Then there...
The world, and particularly Brazil, lost a great one when Edson Arantes do Nascimento, famously known as Pelé, died on Thursday. Pelé was incredible in the sport of football, famously known in the U.S. as soccer, with championship play that lifted the spirits and the national pride of South America’s largest nation, even as it suffered through a brutal dictatorial regime in the 1970s and ’80s. Widely known as “the king of football,” Pelé is the only player to ever win the World Cup three times and is arguably the greatest ever in his sport. He...
Now that 2022 is in my rearview, I’m looking forward to whatever adventures 2023 holds. Nothing says “new year celebration” like sitting outside being sandblasted by intense winds and trying to convince a little brown semi-feral pup that I’m not an ax murderer. So far, it’s not going well. When his people moved out a couple weeks or so ago, the little dog that we call Brown Brown was left behind. He limped up to our place, and I immediately put food and water out. My husband Wayne configured some fencing so that we could shut him into our...
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...
Note: Events subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Saturday — Basic dog obedience lessons. Tucumcari MainStreet is hosting a six-week course on how to train a dog. Classes will meet each Saturday at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. from Jan. 7 to Feb. 11 at the Tucumcari Railroad Museum. You can learn how to troubleshoot common behavior issues, teach basic commands, get exercise and improve your relationship with your dog. Cost is $50 for the full six-week course, with proceeds going to Paws & Claws Animal Rescue and the railroad museum. Enr...
The Tucumcari girls basketball team won two of three during its inaugural Lady Rattler Invite tournament last weekend and came within an eyelash of winning the first-place trophy. The Lady Rattlers (8-3) closed the tourney Saturday with a come-from-behind 47-40 victory over Santa Rosa. Tucumcari scored the last nine points of the game. Alexus Lafferty, who made the all-tournament team, scored 17 points to lead the Lady Rattlers against the Lady Lions. Teammates July Lafferty and Caylee...
A 20-10 second-quarter surge gave the highly touted Clayton boys basketball team a double-digit lead it largely would maintain during a 74-63 non-district victory Thursday at Logan. The Longhorns trailed the Yellowjackets just 19-15 after one period, but Clayton’s big rally in the second quarter gave it a 39-25 lead at intermission. Logan at one point whittled Clayton’s advantage to eight early in the third period. The Yellowjackets responded with a rally of their own to build their lead back up to 20 during the quarter. “Clayton is a very...
The Logan girls basketball team hit a rough patch last week with consecutive non-district losses to Clayton and Springer. On Saturday, host Springer used an 8-2 run in the fourth quarter to turn a small deficit into a 42-34 victory on Friday. Logan coach Dustin Robertson said his team was bothered by the Red Devils’ length on defense. “They deflected a lot of passes and prevented, blocked or hindered a lot of our shots,” he said. “They also work hard to block out, although my girls did a better blocking out, also. “We handled their pressure a l...
A former Pecos High School assistant boys basketball coach pleaded guilty in federal court to coercion and enticement to minors. Federal prosecutor Alexander M.M. Uballez announced that Joshua Rico, 26, of Pecos pleaded guilty on Dec. 22 to five counts of those charges, according to a news release last week from the FBI. Rico will remain in custody pending his sentencing, which has not been scheduled. Beginning as early as January 2018, Rico used profiles on the social media platform Snapchat to coerce minor girls into sending him sexually expl...
FORT SUMNER — Cattle prices will be higher in 2023. That’s the consensus of market analysts across the industry. How those higher prices translate into rancher profitability is yet to be determined. That’s because the current “once-in-a-century” drought is worse than the previous “once-in-a- century” drought producers experienced a decade ago. “Cattle prices are higher and will continue to trend higher in 2023,” says Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University livestock economist. “At some point, when drought conditions abate, increased heifer re...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1: Monday — 4:38 a.m.: Shots fired in 400 block of East Main Street, Tucumcari. — 7:59 a.m.: Trespassing in 600 block of East Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 8:16 a.m.: Accident with injuries at milepost 342, Interstate 40, Tucumcari. — 10:45 a.m.: Threat in 200 block of East Center Street, Tucumcari. — 1:20 p.m.: Assault and battery in 500 block of East High Street, Tucumcari. Wednesday — 12:49 a.m.: Civil dispute in 3800 block of Ea...