Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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Xcel Energy declared an Energy Alert on Monday morning because of unusually frigid temperatures and warned of rolling blackouts if power consumption didn’t fall. The strain on the power grid was expected to persist through Wednesday. Other electric utilities in the region issued similar pleas for electricity conservation. The storm system that brought a half-foot of snow and extremely cold temperatures over the weekend prompted the cancellation of church services Sunday and schools Monday. Xcel’s Energy Alert came after the Southwest Power Pool...
Barely two hours after Quay County went from red to yellow in the state's bimonthly COVID-19 risk assessment Wednesday afternoon, a waitress at the Pow Wow Restaurant in Tucumcari was arranging silverware and placemats on tables inside. That's because the new designation immediately allowed indoor dining in the county for the first time in more than three months. The Pow Wow and Del's Restaurant, also in Tucumcari, swiftly announced they would host indoor dining that night. Other restaurants in...
Quay County last week saw a big uptick in the number of people vaccinated for COVID-19 not only because of more vaccines shipped to clinics but because of vaccination events in Tucumcari and Logan. The previous week, Quay County had fewer than 5% of its residents vaccinated for the disease and the second-worst administration rate in New Mexico, according to the state's vaccine database. At the end of last week, the county's vaccination rate rose to 17.7%, more than tripling that proportion, and...
The Tucumcari City Commission is one meeting away from approving a donation of three baseball and softball diamonds to the Tucumcari Municipal Schools district after preliminarily approving the agreement Thursday. Three fields would be given to the district, including the diamond used for high-school boys baseball and two diamonds used for girls softball games. The Little League fields to the southwest of those diamonds will remain city property. The school district plans to build new baseball and softball fields, and add parking and a...
I’m a creature of habit, but I’m also fairly flexible so I can address things on short notice. Otherwise, when some of my routines get disrupted, the consequences can be extensive. For example, I usually charge my cellphone overnight, every night, on my nightstand. Recently, on a Saturday night, I left the phone on the arm of my living room chair. I knew before I went to be I should get it, but I didn’t follow through on that. Sunday morning, I put the phone on charge with plenty of time for it to fully charge before time to leave for churc...
A former Logan resident who last month was sentenced to having underage sex with a girl found himself in more trouble when he failed to report to the county jail at the required time. Joshua Roubieu, 35, was arrested Wednesday evening on a bench warrant from District Judge Albert Mitchell Jr. after he failed to report as required to the Quay County Detention Center by 6 a.m. Feb. 9, according to online court documents. The warrant stated Roubieu’s conditions of release should be revoked or reviewed. According to jail booking logs, Roubieu w...
To continue ensuring safe New Mexico workplaces, help businesses safely stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic and make it easier, more efficient and more accurate to report positive COVID-19 cases among employees, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) launched a new webform for employers. Through the online portal, employers not only can report positive employee cases within four hours as required, but simultaneously complete the rapid response process. Benefits of the new tool include: • 24/7 availability, providing employers the f...
On this date ... 1971: Mary Crespin of Tucumcari received the New Mexico State Police Citizenship Award, presented by Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce President King Aitken Jr. Crespin took care of children after an accident 12 miles west of Tucumcari on Interstate 40 as their mother was pulled from the wreckage. Crespin road into down in a police car while taking care of the couple’s 6-month-old daughter and stayed at the hospital until nurses could take care of the infant. Crespin received a free care-care inspection and wash at G...
Note: Events subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • April 16-18 — Spay and neuter clinic. A low-cost clinic to spay and neuter pets will be sponsored by Quay County Paws and Claws Animal Rescue. The cost for each surgery will be $40. Payment is due when applications are submitted. Applications are available at Best Care Pharmacy, Logan Subway, Tucumcari Subway and the shelter’s website at pawsandclawsanimalrescueofquaycounty.com. The application and payment must be received by mail by April 10 to: Paws and Claws, P.O. Box 143, Tucum...
The Tucumcari Senior Center and Logan Senior Center remain closed to the public indefinitely but will deliver meals to those who qualify. Those interested in meal deliveries should call the Tucumcari facility at 461-2307 and the Logan facility at 487-2287 for more information. Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Ultimate breakfast round, fresh apple, 1% milk; Lunch: Barbecued chicken sandwich, potato salad, celery sticks, fat-free ranch dressing, applesauce cup. Thursday — Breakfast: Cinni mini, red grapes, orange juice; Lunch: Ham...
There comes a point in every child’s life when he or she first learns of the sin of slavery in America. While it’s a jolt to all children, those of us who are not African American can only imagine the dismay felt by young Black children when they first learn that their ancestors were dehumanized under the U.S. Constitution and state laws. That’s what makes Black History Month so important, and unique. We are a melting pot of diversity, a nation with a history of wrongs and rights, but it should go without saying that one of the greatest wrong...
I've been watching bits and pieces of former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, and it is plain to me that partisanship is overwhelming reason and any semblance of jurisprudence. The trial will be over before this column is published. If it were a criminal case, not just a decision on whether Trump will be allowed to run for office again, I would be impressed with the Democrats' prosecution and their appeals to the emotions of the jury, who also happen to be the victims of the Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol at the center of Trump's i...
It was only a matter of time before Cicero got canceled. The New York Times the other day profiled Princeton classicist Dan-el Padilla Peralta, who wants to destroy the study of classics as a blow for racial justice. The critique of classics as stultifying and privileged isn’t new, but in the woke era this attack is more potent than ever and has a better chance of demolishing a foundation of Western education. At a time when Abraham Lincoln doesn’t pass muster in the progressive precincts of America, poor benighted Homer, whose chief subject wa...
The San Jon Municipal Schools board of trustees last week approved two separate contracts with the same firm to be the district’s facilities master planner and project manager. The board weeks ago issued a request for proposals for the two roles. Northstar NM of Albuquerque won both bids. Northstar NM, with Ian Harmon as the project manager, won the project manager pact for the design phase bid of $29,499.73 and construction phase bid of $56,071.05. The total of $85,570.78 was nearly $18,000 lower than the other bidder, NV5. Superintendent J...
The Public Education Department announced last week it will request a waiver that would allow schools and districts to skip high-stakes student assessments again this spring, shifting instead to optional testing to benchmark academic achievement and identify any gaps in learning. The U.S. Department of Education waived the end-of-year assessment requirement for all 50 states last spring amid abrupt school closures and a shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. New Mexico will join other states, including Michigan, New York,...
Plateau’s Education Foundation is again offering college scholarships to graduating high school seniors. Applications are available on the cooperative’s website at www.plateautel.com/company/scholarships. Scholarships available include the $8,000 Evelyn Patterson Memorial Scholarship, the $8,000 Robert M. Harris Memorial Scholarship, the $3,000 Banner Scholarship, the $1,500 Tonie Martinez Memorial Scholarship and the $1,500 Committed to Excellence Scholarship. Completed applications must be postmarked no later than Feb. 26 and mailed to Educat...
Quay County dropped back into a low ebb in coronavirus cases, totaling five in the past week. That was a significant drop from the previous week, when county recorded 10 cases. New Mexico continued trending downward in its caseload, as well. With no cases Sunday and Monday, the county’s overall total stayed at 413 since the pandemic began last spring, with eight deaths. The breakdown by ZIP code through Monday was 320 in Tucumcari, 59 in Logan, 10 in House, eight in McAlister, seven in San Jon, four in Nara Visa, three in Grady (part of w...
The Logan Board of Education said “thanks, but no thanks” to an estimated $50,000 state grant for the district’s preschool for 4-year-olds for the 2022 fiscal year because of accumulating red tape. That preschool program will continue at Logan, but superintendent Dennis Roch said the district would make up the shortfall through its operational fund or using federal Title IX funds. During the board’s Feb. 8 meeting, preschool teacher Angie Medrow detailed the growing burdens the state has added to her and other staff members in exchange for the...
Tucumcari's athletic director finished revisions on the high school's volleyball schedule in anticipation the state will green-light sports resuming next week for the first time since March. The Lady Rattlers' first match is scheduled for March 1 at Elida, with their first home match March 4 against Raton. Because of ongoing health restrictions that forbid public gatherings, spectators wouldn't be allowed at matches. Matches would be live-streamed instead. Athletic director Wayne Ferguson has...
The Logan High School boys last week captured the small-schools title in the inaugural NMAA powerlifting state championships. Logan freshman Izaiah Kneitz also won an individual state title in the 123-pound weight class. The Logan girls team finished sixth of seven teams in the event. Weightlifting in the championships was conducted virtually the previous week, but results weren’t announced until Wednesday. Competing against large and small schools from across the state, Logan boys racked up 22 points in the team scores to defeat s...
The New Mexico Department of Health on Friday announced the launch of a new toll-free hotline number (833-525-1811) for breast and cervical cancer screening services and support. Managed by the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection program, the hotline will provide direct assistance by connecting individuals to a healthcare clinic that provides such cancer screening services. Services will be available in languages including Diné, English, Spanish and Vietnamese, among others. The BCC program provides free breast and cervical cancer...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Feb. 9 to Feb. 11: • Arnulfo Ascencio Jr., 39, Alamogordo, warrant from other counties or states. • Nathaniel J. Lopez, 23, Tucumcari, probation violation. • Aaron Keith Martinez, 20, Tucumcari, criminal damage to the property of a household member (under $1,000) and criminal trespass (unposted). • Joshua Lee Roubieu, 35, Flora Vista, felony contempt of court. • Jackson Douglas Talvitie, 42, Tucumcari, two counts of felony contempt of court. • Mark Douglus Padilla, 46...