Serving the High Plains

Articles from the February 26, 2020 edition


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  • Commission approves final audit for fiscal year

    Ron Warnick|Feb 26, 2020

    The Quay County Commission on Monday approved its final audit for the fiscal year ending June 30 that flagged five findings — with four that were minor. A.J. Bowers of the Carr, Riggs & Ingram accounting firm told the commission his report found “no material weaknesses” and a “consistent” standing with its general funds and net position in recent years. The report found a “significant deficiency” in the county’s reporting of a $168,610 capital lease not identified in its capital assets. The auditor recommended the county review its list of lea...

  • Voters approve $3 million bond issue

    Ron Warnick|Feb 26, 2020

    Voters in the Tucumcari school district on Feb. 18 approved by more than a 2-to-1 margin a $3 million bond issue that will be used for a proposed redevelopment of its baseball and softball diamonds. A total of 815 people cast a "yes" vote, or more than 68%, while 371 voted against it during the special mail-in election. Turnout was 27%, which was 2 percentage points lower than the first-ever mail-in election a year ago for renewal of the school district's two-mill capital-improvement property...

  • Legislature awards Quay more than $2.5 million

    Ron Warnick|Feb 26, 2020

    The New Mexico Legislature awarded Quay County more than $2.5 million in capital-outlay projects before its session adjourned last week. The City of Tucumcari, villages of Logan and San Jon, Mesalands Community College, Quay County and Arch Hurley Conservancy District received allotments from three separate pieces of legislation. The main capital-outlay bill and a Department of Transportation appropriations bill for streets and roads are subject to final approval by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who can use a line-item veto to nix individual...

  • Mesalands hears report on strategic plan

    Ron Warnick|Feb 26, 2020

    The Mesalands Community College board of trustees on Feb. 18 heard a preliminary report on a strategic plan that lays out the college’s goals for the next five years and authorized a purchase order with an Amarillo firm to draft an overdue update of its master plan. The board approved a proposal to empower Mesalands President John Groesbeck to approve a purchase order with Parkhill, Smith & Cooper of Amarillo to draft the master plan. The firm’s fee for basic planning services is $86,550, plus additional services of $4,250. With about another $...

  • School board hears details on dorm project

    Ron Warnick|Feb 26, 2020

    Tucumcari school board members listened during a work session Feb. 17 as Mesalands Community College’s president gave more details about a plan to build a 150-bed dormitory on a district-owned vacant lot near the college. Mesalands President John Groesbeck said he wants to boost enrollment by adding intercollegiate sports and a residential component. He asked district officials to deed a parcel off South 11th Street, now used as a bonfire site for the high school’s football Homecoming, to build the dorms near a former armory being con...

  • Calendar - Feb. 26

    Feb 26, 2020

    • March 8-14 —22nd Iron Pour. Mesalands Community College will host its 22nd annual Iron Pour workshop. Meet sculpture artists and make your own creation from molten metal. The actual iron pour will take place Friday, March 13. For more information, call (575) 461-4413, Ext. 138. Building D, 911 S. 10th St., Tucumcari. • March 14 — History Field Trip. The Tucumcari Historical Museum is organizing a field trip to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum in Amarillo and the Julian L. Bivins Museum in Tascosa, Texas. Lunch will be at J...

  • Menus - Feb. 26

    Feb 26, 2020

    Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Cheesy scrambled eggs, bagel, whole-wheat toast, strawberry cream cheese, fruit, milk, juice; Lunch: Bean burrito, American harvest salad, diced potatoes, salad mix, cherry tomatoes, ranch dressing, salsa, fruit, milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Pork sausage biscuit sandwich, assorted cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, fruit, juice, milk; Lunch: Pepperoni pizza, salad mix, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, fresh broccoli, ranch dressing, fruit, milk. Monday — Breakfast: Ham and cheese breakfast bagel, apple cinna...

  • Kingdom a place for 'Nones' and 'Dones'

    Gordan Runyan|Feb 26, 2020

    You’ve heard the old joke about the dog who loved to chase cars until the day he caught one. This may speak to why God has allowed Christianity to dwindle in the West, if not always in numbers, certainly in influence. If we began to walk in the promises of God, and took hold of that advancing kingdom Christ inaugurated, frankly, we wouldn’t know what to do with it. One of the most glorious passages in the entire Bible is in Daniel, chapter seven, where the prophet writes: “I kept looking in th...

  • Police blotter - Feb. 26

    Feb 26, 2020

    These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Feb. 17 to Feb. 23: Monday • 9:33 a.m.: Traffic accident with damage at U.S. 54 and Yucca Street, Logan. • 10:47 a.m.: Fight with no weapon in 600 block of 540 Loop, Logan. • 2:41 p.m.: Hit-and-run with property damage in 200 block of East Center Street, Tucumcari. • 3:14 p.m.: Damage to property in 200 block of North Fifth Street, Tucumcari. • 4:53 p.m.: Arrest in 500 block of East Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. • 6 p.m.: Stalking in 200 block of Ea...

  • Jail log - Feb. 26

    Feb 26, 2020

    These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Feb. 14 to Feb. 23: • Shelby Cahill, 26, Spring Hill, Florida, driving under the influence of drugs (first offense), driving while license suspended or revoked and open container (drink). • Adrian Justin Edwards, 29, Amarillo, failure to appear n a misdemeanor charge. • Cameron J. Gilcrest, 39, Carlsbad, criminal trespass (unposted) and unauthorized graffiti ($1,000 or less). • Daniel Edward Lott, 54, Tucumcari, assault against a household member and assault (unlawf...

  • Federalism might reduce political incivility

    Feb 26, 2020

    As America heads full bore into one of the most significant (and possibly contentious) elections in several years, many Americans are worried about the lack of civility in the current political discourse. Although the current state of civility in U.S. politics leaves much to be desired, when one takes a historic look at civility in U.S. politics (or lack thereof) voters should be reassured that our current plight is more the norm than the exception. Consider that from the beginning of our federal republic, civility in American politics has...

  • Any Democrat better than Trump

    Steve Hansen|Feb 26, 2020

    Michael Bloomberg may not be my first choice for president, but I very much object to some of the objections that have been raised against him. Let me take those one at a time: 1. He’s rich: Yes. He built a media empire through innovative entrepreneurial skill and effectively led a growing business through all the stages of its development to the point where it’s now worth $60 billion (with a “B”). His opponents hold that against him. Most of us out here call that success. 2. He’s a racist: He instituted “stop-and-frisk” policing in high-crime...

  • Trump still winning Dem debates

    Michael Reagan|Feb 26, 2020

    I never thought I’d feel sorry for a billionaire — a $60 billion billionaire. But watching Mike Bloomberg getting beat up in the Democrat debate in Vegas on Wednesday night was almost tragic. It was like watching an old boxer who gets clocked early in Round 1 and then wobbles around the ring in a daze for the rest of the fight while he’s pounded unmercifully. Mike never recovered from the opening series of left hooks and below-the belt punches delivered by Bernie, Liz, Pete, Amy and old Joe. For two hours he was slapped around and bulli...

  • Pages past - Feb. 26

    Feb 26, 2020

    On this date ... 1970: Three people were hospitalized after two separate accidents in Quay County. Brodie Webb, 15, and Steve Holcomb, both of McAlister, were taken to Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari after a one-vehicle accident two miles north of McAlister. The driver said he swerved to miss an animal that darted across the highway. He overcorrected, lost control and rolled the vehicle. A half-mile west of Tucumcari on U.S. 66, an Oklahoma City man suffered a stroke and lost control of his car. His vehicle hit a bridge railing and...

  • Garcia third at championships

    Ron Warnick|Feb 26, 2020

    RIO RANCHO - Colt Garcia finished third in the Class 3A 182-pound weight class Saturday, the only Tucumcari wrestler to earn a medal of 11 Rattlers who qualified for the weekend's New Mexico state championships. Garcia's pin on West Las Vegas' Eric Gallegos - his second victory over him during the tournament - during the third-place match kept Tucumcari from returning home Saturday night with no one on the medal stand. Garcia (28-12) lost in the semifinals to Robertson's Mackenzie Ebell but...

  • Tucumcari girls take Tularosa

    Ron Warnick|Feb 26, 2020

    The Tucumcari girls basketball team avenged a previous loss and downed Tularosa 56-46 Friday at the Snake Pit to force a tie-breaking game to decide the top seed in this week’s district tournament. The Lady Rattlers, however, lost the subsequent tiebreaker game Monday against the Wildcats. The Lady Rattlers, powered by Ashley Shipley’s 27 points on Friday, improved to 3-1 in Class 3A’s District 4. Tularosa, which defeated Tucumcari 46-45 on Feb. 8, fell to 3-1. On Monday night, Tularosa defea...

  • Rattlers close with losses

    Ron Warnick|Feb 26, 2020

    The Tucumcari boys basketball team closed its regular season last week with two straight losses to district foes, including a 63-50 defeat Saturday at Tularosa, which captured the top seed of this week's district tournament. A slow start doomed the Rattlers (8-15) against the Wildcats (18-7). Tularosa took a 24-13 lead after one quarter, and Tucumcari closed the gap to less than double digits just one time - 59-50 late in the fourth period. The Wildcats also converted nine 3-point shots. Tucumca...

  • Grady/San Jon victorious over Logan

    Staff report|Feb 26, 2020

    The Grady/San Jon boys basketball team ended its regular season on a high note Thursday with an 83-80 overtime victory over district rival Logan. Isaiah Mitchell led the Bronchos with 24 points, while Chisum Rush added 21. “We faced a lot of adversity last night from Chisum fracturing his thumb to Chad (Becerra) fouling out in the third, and we were resilient through it all,” Bronchos coach Jonathan Langan said. Grady/San Jon entered the fourth quarter trailing 54-46 but stormed back to tie it in regulation. Mitchell and Dustin Bryant (17 poi...

  • Logan girls wrap up with victory

    Staff report|Feb 26, 2020

    The Logan girls basketball team wrapped up a perfect regular-season district run Thursday with a 66-25 victory over visiting Grady/San Jon. The Lady Longhorns, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, improved to 22-3 overall and 8-0 in District 6. They will host the title game in this week’s district tournament at 6 p.m. Friday. Kyndall Ragland led Logan with 17 points, and Karli Webb added 12. “We started a little slow but looked good the second half,” Logan coach Glynna Strand said. “It’s always hard this time of year when you’re playing only one game a we...