Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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The Quay County Commission’s approval during its last meeting of a nonbinding resolution declaring itself a “Second Amendment sanctuary county” apparently was not met with universal approval from constituents. Daniel Garcia, a rural Tucumcari resident, told commissioners during the public-comment portion of Monday’s meeting “I strongly oppose this” resolution. Such sanctuary-county resolutions similar to Quay County’s have been approved in at least 19 counties in the wake of the New Mexico Legislature considering several gun-control b...
The Tucumcari school board on Feb. 18 unanimously approved a five-year facilities master plan that will enable the district to more easily receive future state funding for improvements. Schools Superintendent Aaron McKinney told the board the state likely will match 69 percent the cost of $20.3 million in improvement projects listed in the plan. Officials don’t necessarily foresee the entire “wish list” being fulfilled, hence it being ranked by priority. The board previously went over the plan in more detail during its November meeting. Among...
A contractor still needed to apply paint to the walls, switch plates needed to be added, trenches for water lines needed to be filled and piles of pea gravel needed to be spread in the parking area. But the sound of barking dogs indicated Paws and Claws Animal Rescue of Quay County had moved to its new location on Airport Road by a Feb. 15 deadline. Kathi McClelland, chairwoman of the nonprofit shelter, said Thursday "it was a crazy weekend" for her and about 15 volunteers to move all the...
A Tucumcari man stands accused of dealing methamphetamine after several law-enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at his home. Danny Benavidez, 55, was detained at the Quay County Detention Center on Wednesday on complaints of trafficking controlled substances (by distribution of sale of narcotic drug, first offense), trafficking methamphetamine (by possession with intent to distribute, first offense) and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. The two trafficking complaints are second-degree felonies that can lead up to nine...
A Tucumcari man avoided further prison time Thursday after being sentenced to probation and time served in jail for sexual contact with two boys while acting as their foster parent. Sandoval County District Judge Louis P. McDonald sentenced Manuel Preciado, 68, to five to 20 years of supervised probation and time served after his arrest in late 2014, according to online court records. Preciado pleaded no contest to six counts of attempted second-degree criminal sexual contract of a minor and one count of third-degree criminal sexual contact of...
On this date ... 1969: Fire destroyed the Larry Trujillo family’s home at 2:30 a.m. today. The house trailer farm home was on Highway 104 near the Mennonite church. The family was not injured, but the home’s contents were destroyed. • The Tucumcari city commission called a special meeting to buy four police cars. It received bids of $12,406.80 from Mundell Motor Co. and $12,902.43 from Tucumcari Motor Co. Through a state purchasing agreement, the cars will be bought at a discount of $9,224. • The A.F. Flint and Sons Black Angus Sale is schedul...
• Friday-Sunday — St. Patrick’s Bingo Weekend. With multiple packs and specials, there’s plenty of green to celebrate this year’s St. Patrick’s Day. Bingo begins at 7 p.m. each day. Knights of Columbus Hall, 202 E. Main St., Tucumcari. • Saturday — Poetry Among the Arts. Enjoy an evening of family fun with poetry and artists from 6 to 8 p.m. Registration deadline is Feb. 28, with a $2 entry fee. Call 575-461-9908 for more information. The Gallery Etc., 201 S. Second St., Tucumcari. • Saturday — Walk with a Teacher. Quay County on the Move...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Sausage and cheese breakfast bagel sandwich, bagel with strawberry cream cheese, fruit, juice, milk; Lunch: Diced chicken and gravy with honey wheat roll, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, mashed potatoes, baby carrots, fruit, milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Trix cereal bar, cereal choice with cinnamon goldfish graham cracker, fruit, juice, milk; Lunch: Pepperoni pizza, garden salad, cauliflower, fruit, milk. Monday — Breakfast: Blueberry muffin and string cheese, cereal choice with cinnamon goldfish graha...
The Mesalands Community College board of trustees on Feb. 19 approved its annual audit in which the auditor said the college’s financial status is “pretty good.” Martin Mathisen of the Atkinson accounting firm in Albuquerque gave the audit report by teleconference during the board’s meeting. Mathisen had planned to present the report in person, but a snowstorm in Edgewood that day as he was en route prompted him to turn back. Mathisen said the college’s ratio of current assets versus current liabilities was 10-to-1, which he described...
As expected because of a pending lawsuit, the New Mexico Racing Commission during its regular meeting Thursday declined to take action on whether to award a sixth racetrack license. A court hearing is scheduled for April 4 on an injunction request from the Lordsburg license applicant. Principals for the proposed Hildalgo Downs racetrack in Lordsburg filed the request in late November, days before the racing commission was scheduled to award a license to applicants from Tucumcari, Clovis or Lordsburg vying to build a horse-racing track and...
The Supreme Court last week struck a blow against one of the most insidious practices of the American criminal justice system: the unfair confiscation of property from people convicted — or even merely suspected — of committing a crime. So-called civil asset forfeiture has been a cash cow for police departments even as it has disproportionately impoverished poor people and people of color. The court unanimously held that seizures by state governments of property used in the commission of a crime are covered by the Eighth Amendment’s ban on “e...
Here are some brief thoughts for the end of a short month: Victim or survivor? Why is it if you are mugged, you’re called a “victim,” but if you have undergone sexual abuse you are a “survivor?” I always thought survivors were people who had faced a strong probability of death in an incident and come out alive, like a plane crash, a heart attack or a bout of an often-fatal cancer. Sexual abuse is traumatic, but then so is having your house broken into, being assailed by a robber, and having your identity stolen. These acts produce “victims....
Move over marijuana. Your straight cousin is about to become the latest cash cow for agriculture in America. In case you missed it, the biggest news to come out of the 2018 Farm Bill is the federal legalization of hemp, a cannabis species that doesn’t get you high. The legislation, signed into law in December, sets up a structure for regulating commercial or “industrial” hemp in a way that will encourage its growth nationwide. Before this latest farm bill’s passage, more than 20 states had already legalized the production of hemp. But now it...
The Tucumcari girls basketball team captured the regular-season district title and the No. 1 seed for this week's district tournament with a 55-42 win Friday at Tularosa. The Lady Rattlers, who improved to 20-4 overall and are ranked third in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com, will host at the Snake Pit the winner of the Dexter-Tularosa game at 6 p.m. Friday to decide the district tournament title. Aliyah Herrera led the Lady Rattlers with 17 points. Jasmine Jones added 15 and Kalani French 12....
Dexter used a strong second half to turn a close game into an easy 75-50 district victory Feb. 19 over the visiting Rattlers. Tucumcari led 34-33 at halftime, but the Demons outscored them 42-16 the rest of the way and stayed in strong contention for the Class 1A, District 4 regular-season title by improving to a 4-1 record and 14-11 overall. “They kept scoring, and we didn’t,” Tucumcari coach John Span said in summing up the critical second half. Span said 6-foot-7 Bryan Cano, who scored 10 of his 14 points, and David Miramontes, who scored 15...
RIO RANCHO - The Tucumcari wrestling team took home four medals - including a Class 3A state title by Kaleb Hayes - during the NMAA state wrestling championships Saturday at the Santa Ana Star Center. Hayes (21-6), a senior who finished third last year, captured the title by defeating Javier Mares (27-8) of Las Vegas (Robertson) in a 3-1 decision in the 220-pound finals. Tucumcari senior Rod Dunlap, competing at 145 pounds, and junior Joe Martinez at 152 each fell in their championship match....
The Fort Sumner boys basketball team jumped out to a 25-4 lead in the first quarter en route to a dominating 78-40 victory Saturday over Logan in a tiebreaking game that decided the regular-season district championship. Because both teams had 7-1 records in Class 1A, District 6, they were forced to play the tie-breaker in a neutral gym — Tucumcari. “We couldn’t get the basketball in the basket, and they didn’t miss much,” Logan coach Kyle Griffiths said of his team’s first period. “They came out with more energy and fire than we did.” The Fox...
The Melrose girls basketball team captured the regular-season district title Saturday with a 64-47 victory over Logan. Because both teams had a 7-1 record in Class 1A, District 6, they were forced to play a tiebreaking game in a neutral location in Tucumcari. Harlie Roach led the Lady Longhorns, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, with 15 points and Makenna Brewer added 10 as they fell to 21-5. Melrose, ranked No. 2, improved to 20-6 overall. In this week’s district tournament, Clovis Christian was scheduled to play at Grady at 5 p.m. M...
Born about 85 A.D., a man named Marcion became an important figure in the history of Christianity. His contribution to the growth of the ancient church was the novel idea that the deity pictured in the Old Testament was fundamentally opposite from the “heavenly Father” of the New Testament. So, according to this theory, there is a radical disjunction between the two Testaments: The earlier writings pictured a god who was petty, angry, and cruel; and, the latter revealed a nicer, loving, com...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Feb. 18 to Feb. 24: Monday • 9:24 a.m.: Theft (shoplifting) in 100 block of West Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. • 1:35 p.m.: Traffic accident with damage at milepost 333, Interstate 40, Tucumcari. • 1:57 p.m.: Arrest warrant in 200 block of West Aber Street, Tucumcari. • 3:23 p.m.: Traffic accident with damage at milepost 331, westbound Interstate 40, Tucumcari. • 6:26 p.m.: Traffic accident with damage in 1000 block of Yucca Street, Logan. • 8:24 p.m.:...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Feb. 15 to Feb. 24: • Qiong Chen, 49, Union City, California, driving under the influence of liquor (impaired, first offense) and reckless driving. • Tyje Ji-Tu Garret, 38, Tucumcari, battery on a household member (third offense) and criminal damage to the property of a household member (under $1,000). • Dillion Paul Harlan, 22, Tucumcari, non-residential burglary, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and criminal trespass (posted). • Troy Larson, 37, Pueblo,...