Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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Tucumcari Public Schools interim superintendent Dave Johnson said last week he received “eight or nine” applications from those seeking be the district’s next superintendent, with still time in the application window. Board members during their Feb. 19 meeting tentatively set work session dates of March 4 and March 29, both at 5:30 p.m., to meet the candidates. Johnson said a selection committee for the new superintendent would be formed. He said a survey to the community also would be drafted, asking what they want from TPS’ future leader....
Tucumcari’s city commission on Thursday delayed action on purchasing and installing new laptops for police vehicles until they receive more clarity on city finances. Police Chief Patti Lopez presented a $130,621.24 quote from Enchanted Technology Solutions of Albuquerque to buy and install Panasonic laptop computers on her department’s vehicles. Lopez advocated splitting the cost with cannabis sales tax revenue and about $92,000 in money saved from vacant sergeant and patrolman positions. City manager Paula Chacon said the city received nea...
The Quay County Commission on Monday accepted and approved its FY2023 audit that contained three findings faulting the county’s retired finance director. Farley Vener, a principal at the Hinkle & Landers accounting firm in Albuquerque that performed the audit, appeared by videoconference for the exit conference Monday. Vener said the county had about $30 million in assets and just $10 million in liabilities. The county had three new findings in the audit, which was an unmodified opinion — the best available. The audit found a material wea...
The Mesalands Community College board of trustees last week approved contracts with two businesses that are opening offices on campus, including a fast-growing wind-energy firm that will train technicians. The training program agreement between Mesalands and Houston-based Impact Wind LLC is subject to final approval by the college’s attorney, though Mark Martinez, executive director of operations and procurement, anticipated it would involve only minor wording changes. Lawrence Uresti III, Impact Wind’s executive vice president, told the board...
During my junior high school years, we lived in south-central Kentucky about 15 miles south of the Dogpatch Trading Post, a tourist trap based upon the “Li’l Abner” newspaper cartoon series. The cartoon included a character named Sadie Hawkins, the homeliest girl on earth for whom Sadie Hawkins Day is named. To get her a husband, Sadie’s father initiated a race in which bachelors got a head start on being chased by spinsters. Like running from a lion, you needn’t be the fastest, but you wanted to be faster than spinsters in pursuit. Originall...
On this date ... 1974: President Richard Nixon, cheered by 600 attendees of the Young Republican Leadership Conference in Washington, predicted the GOP would remain in the White House through 1984. Nixon predicted there would be a Republican in the Oval Office “for the next three years and eight years after that, because we’re going to be there for a long time.” Nixon, racked by the Watergate scandal, would resign from office in August. A Democrat, Jimmy Carter, would be elected president two years later. — A slew of thefts was reporte...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Pancake sausage on a stick, assorted cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, fruit cocktail, orange juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Macaroni and cheese, turkey and cheese hoagie, steamed seasoned corn, fresh broccoli, ranch dressing, fruit cocktail, 1%, skim, chocolate skim or strawberry skim milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Egg and cheese breakfast burrito, whole-grain doughnut ring, fruit cocktail, apple juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Pepperoni pizza, ham and cheese sandwich, gar...
• Saturday — Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration. This event by the Tucumcari Public Library to celebrate the children’s book author will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Quay County Fairgrounds. It will include door prizes, prizes for children who create the best birthday card and a scavenger hunt. For more information, call the library at (575) 461-0295. • March 23 — Second annual Chess Tournament. Preliminary rounds will be in the east room of the Tucumcari Railroad Museum, with the finals in Jackalope Coffee Haus. Beginner, intermedi...
For years, I’ve been calling Donald Trump a snake-oil salesman, but that’s such an antiquated term. Then I heard about the line of shoes and cologne he’s now promoting, and now I’m thinking he’s a telemarketer. And, I must say, he’s good at it. I heard on NPR that his red, white, blue and gold sneakers are selling out. Like the Trump brand itself, they’re getting terrible reviews, but he manages to sell them to his salivating suckers anyway. Trump may be bringing down our democracy, but hey, he’s one of the best pitchmen out there. He also...
It should probably come as little surprise that a majority of American millennial and Generation Z women identify as liberal. A Gallup Poll released earlier this month indicated the ideological gap between men and women across various generations has increased over the past few years, and that young women today are much more liberal than young men. Some of their findings: • Women aged 18 to 29 are now 15 percentage points more likely to identify as liberal than men of the same age group. • Young men are slightly more likely to identify as con...
The Democrats are trying to put Donald Trump in jail. The Republicans are trying to put Joe Biden in jail – along with the rest of his extended political crime family. Both sides think the only way they can win is by putting their opponent in jail. Is this what our beat up republic has to look forward to as we head for the election in November? The country is not just going to hell in a handbasket, it’s already there. I’m watching an invasion of illegal immigrants parading across the open border in Texas and crawling down the hills south of Sa...
The Tucumcari girls basketball team captured its second straight district title Friday night, but it wasn't easy. Trailing for much of the game, the Lady Rattlers gathered themselves to put together a 14-1 scoring run in the fourth quarter to take the lead, then hung on for dear life during a 54-52 victory over fellow district contender Ruidoso. Kyla Lopez scored 12 of her team-high 15 points during that key fourth quarter as the Lady Rattlers, ranked sixth in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com, improved...
For a little while, it appeared the Tucumcari boys basketball team might act as spoilers in Ruidoso's quest to capture a district championship. However, a scoring drought in the second quarter, plus red-hot shooting from behind the 3-point line in the third quarter by the Warriors, foiled the Rattlers' plans in a 60-42 loss Friday at Rattler Gymnasium. Ruidoso (14-11) captured the regular-season district title with a 5-1 mark and landed the No. 1 seed in this week's district tournament. The...
RIO RANCHO - Tucumcari senior Antonio Gonzales had conquered every opponent in his 172-pound weight class during the Class 4A state wrestling championships. But at the finale, Highland junior Amiri Mumba stood in his way - again. Gonzales (30-6) lost a 6-2 decision to the top-seeded Mumba (31-2) in the finals Saturday at the Rio Rancho Events Center. It was Gonzales' fourth loss to Mumba this season, though Saturday's was his closest against him. Mumba scored a takedown and near-fall in the...
The Logan girls basketball team captured the District 6 regular-season title and the top seed and home court for this week’s district tourney title game with a 73-50 home victory Thursday. Camryn Cantrell scored 26 points to lead the Lady Longhorns, and Desta Rose added 25 points. The Lady Longhorns (19-7) won their seventh in a row. They finished 5-1 in district play to top the standings and earned two byes and a home game in the finals in this week’s district tournament. “I’m very proud of the girls’ hard work and the toughness they’ve s...
SAN JON - The San Jon girls basketball team had one player in particular to worry about during its game Friday against Corona-Vaughn, and it was impossible to not notice her. That player was 6-foot-5 freshman center Harper Dunn, who stands literally heads and shoulders above teammates and opponents. She is believed to be the tallest girls player in New Mexico. She has attracted recruiting attention from national contenders Louisiana State University and Iowa, to name a few. During Friday's...
Tucumcari boasted an individual champion in its first-ever powerlifting competition last week during a seven-team meet at Logan. Nolan Ryen, a senior at THS, lifted a total of 1,095 pounds in the 275-pound boys weight class for the Rattlers’ lone individual title. He lifted 440 pounds in the squat, 215 pounds in the bench press and 440 pounds in the dead lift. “He did fantastic,” Tucumcari coach Matt Benavidez said, noting Ryen had lifted 350 pounds in the squat and 185 pounds in the bench press just weeks ago. “Compared to what he did at the...
The Logan boys basketball team closed its regular season with a 90-50 victory Thursday over visiting Grady in a preview of this week’s district-tourney opener. Mason Wallin scored 32 points to lead the Longhorns, and Hayden Bruhn added 26. The Longhorns (22-4) finished third in District 6 with a 3-3 mark and was seeded third in this week’s district tournament, with the title game hosted by top-seeded Fort Sumner. The Foxes lost at Melrose 60-49 on Thursday but still earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a 5-1 mark in district play. Log...
The New Mexico Environment Department hosted a climate action engagement meeting Thursday in Tucumcari, including discussing the possibility of a renewable energy hub being implemented in the city. The meeting was at the North American Wind Research and Training Center at Mesalands Community College. The meeting sought community input on the state’s climate action plan. Claudia Borchert, climate change policy coordinator at the Environment Department, said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered a cut in greenhouse gas emissions. “The env...
After more than a year without one, the Village of Logan has a bank again. Plateau Telecommunications announced last week it purchased the former New Mexico Bank & Trust building along U.S. 54 in Logan and opened The Bank of Logan and a Plateau store there on Feb. 20. The Bank of Logan is a division of The Bank of Clovis. According to its website, The Bank of Clovis was founded as a state-chartered bank in 2000 and is insured by the FDIC. Rodney Paris, administrator for the village, said the...
The chairman of the local emergency communications board advocated using cash reserves to pay for a building for the 911 center, freeing up money for the center’s moving expenses. Rodney Paris, chairman of the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Board, said during the board’s Feb. 21 meeting he didn’t like the payoff terms of a proposed New Mexico Finance Authority loan for the 911 center’s move into a former pharmacy building on South Second Street. He advocated using the county’s cash on hand to pay about $190,000 for the forme...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Feb. 19 to Feb. 22: — Isaac Able Diaz, 31, Tucumcari, receiving or transferring stolen motor vehicles (first offense) and criminal damage to property (over $1,000). — Henry Joseph Salaz, 51, Tucumcari, driving while license suspended or revoked. — Daniel Edward Lott, 58, Tucumcari, contempt of court. — Stephine Talarico, 29, Tucumcari, criminal damage to property (under $1,000). These individuals were released from the Quay County Detention Center from Feb. 19 to Feb. 22...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Feb. 19 to Feb. 25: Feb. 19 — 12:17 a.m.: Disturbance in 1200 block of South Third Street, Tucumcari. — 12:19 a.m.: Shots fired at East Hines Avenue and South Choctaw Street, Tucumcari. — 1:31 a.m.: Disturbance in 700 block of West Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 7:57 a.m.: Trespassing in 600 block of East Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 8:02 a.m.: Juvenile problem ion 1700 block of South Ninth Street, Tucumcari. — 8:05 a.m.: Property damage in 5...