Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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The chairman of the Mesalands Community College board of trustees stepped down last week after serving for 31 years as a member, citing the college’s financial turmoil. Jim Streetman stated in his March 1 resignation letter to acting Mesalands president Allen Moss that he was retiring and that he also was resigning from the college’s foundation, both effective immediately. “I have determined that as a result of the current financial challenges facing Mesalands it is in the Colleges (sic) best interest to have new leadership on the board...
A letter from the leader of the New Mexico Higher Education Department to the state’s attorney general and auditor detailed concerns that officials at Mesalands Community College may have broken laws and created “a higher risk for fraud, waste and abuse at the college.” The Feb. 15 letter from HED Cabinet Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez specifically names Mesalands President Gregory Busch and former board of trustees chairman Jim Streetman, who resigned from his post last week after more than three decades with the board. Busch, who took a medic...
New Mexico’s governor announced Friday she would let her COVID-19 executive order expire at the end of the month — ending three years of such orders since the pandemic began in early 2020. “While we’re still seeing COVID cases, our preparedness and collaborative work have helped turn a once-in-a-century public health emergency into a manageable situation,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham stated in a news release. “We are working diligently across state agencies to make sure New Mexicans continue to be supported as federal COVID programs wind down....
The director of the local chamber of commerce was hired last year to organize three events, but he said he was having difficulty organizing even one because of an inability to book musical acts. Scott Crotzer, director of the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce, told the city’s Lodgers Tax Advisory Board on Wednesday he also was more motivated to improve the finances of his office than organizing events. Noting the lack of funding from the city and county in 2020 and 2021, he said the chamber’s coffers have not bounced back suf...
In Acts 16:1-12 we have the story of Paul and Silas on a missionary journey. Compared to the rest of Acts, this narrative seems a little dull. There are no shocking miracles; no devilish opposition; and no riots. It contains, however, some good lessons on decision-making, and these are badly needed, especially for the younger folks around us. We’ll talk about one such lesson. Not everyone grew up with wise parents who taught them how to govern their lives or make important choices. Even fewer have that in our day. I think especially of the r...
New Mexico-based Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Iowa-based health system UnityPoint Health announced last week they have signed a letter of intent to explore the formation of a new healthcare organization. Presbyterian operates Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari and a small clinic in Logan. The proposed healthcare company would see both systems preserve their brand and continue delivering care locally while collectively achieving administrative efficiencies under a parent organization, according to a joint news release....
The City of Tucumcari’s recently released audit for fiscal-year 2022 contained five findings — two fewer than the seven in the FY2021 audit. The New Mexico State Auditor publicly released the audit, performed by Axiom CPAs and Business Advisors of Albuquerque, on Feb. 9. City manager Paula Chacon said the Tucumcari City Commission will vote to accept the audit this month. She pronounced it a “pretty good” audit. The city had been on the state auditor’s “at-risk” list after it failed to file its FY2021 audit on time. Shortly after Chacon was hi...
On this date ... 1973: Gene Klaverwelden’s team sold the most tickets for the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce’s banquet and were awarded steak dinners at the Sheraton Inn. However, Arnett Hooser’s team sold fewer tickets and were given a dinner of beans and cornbread instead. Despite the ribbing and jokes from their steak-winning rivals, most of Hooser’s team claimed the bean dinner was pretty good eating. The steak-versus-beans wager was designed to boost more ticket sales for the annual event. — The Center Street United Methodist...
• April 1 — Easter egg hunt at Dunn Park, Tucumcari. This free event from 10 to noon will be for children from kindergarten through fifth grade only. The Pure Elegance Car Club and Tucumcari Disc Golf Club are organizing it. The clubs are asking for donations, with a $500 goal, to help put on the hunt. • June 16-18 — Tucumcari Rawhide Days. The annual event that salutes the “Rawhide” TV show will feature team roping events, a ranch rodeo, gun show and target-shoot competition, stickhorse races, arts and crafts show, Old Route 66 car and motorcy...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Biscuit with sausage gravy, graham crackers, reduced sugar Cinnamon Toast Crunch, red grapes, orange juice, skim, 1% or strawberry milk; Lunch: Turkey and cheese sandwich, hot dog, fresh broccoli, baby carrots, ranch dressing, fresh pineapple, skim, chocolate skim, 1% or strawberry milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Blueberry and yogurt parfait, bagel, cream cheese, banana, apple juice, skim, 1% or strawberry milk; Lunch: Ham and cheese chef salad, pepperoni pizza, garden salad, baby carrots, ranch dre...
The saga of the comic strip “Dilbert” and the racist rants of its creator, Scott Adams, isn’t the out-of-control cancel culture that Twitter boss Elon Musk and others on the right claim. It’s actually an example of the free market in action — the free market of newspapers responding to readers who are appalled at Adams’ outspoken racism. Adams has the right to those views, but no newspaper or reader has an obligation to support them with attention and money. Adams has promoted Trumpian conspiracy theories for a while now, but last month he cr...
John Fetterman’s announcement that he has checked himself into a hospital was met with bipartisan praise. Far right politicians from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to fellow Pennsylvania centrist Rep. Susan Wild to New York left wing Congressmen Richie Torres lavished support on the senator for publicly disclosing and confronting his illness. Reaction to Fetterman’s predicament demonstrates the dramatic transformation of perception and attitudes toward public health and mental illness. For decades, it was seen as a stigma to be afflicted with such an ail...
The poor Democrats trapped in the bloody and broken city of Chicago finally came to their senses. In their primary election for mayor last week they gave the boot to their goofy and dangerously woke mayor, Lori Lightfoot. Unfortunately, when Lightfoot leaves office, Los Angeles, where I live, will have the honor of having the worst mayor in the country – Karen Bass. Elected only last fall, Bass has already proven she is just as clueless as Lightfoot when it comes to fighting crime and cleaning up a city. For example, to get more cops to join t...
A Tucumcari man was jailed last week on a felony count of aggravated battery after he was accused of choking a woman to the point of unconsciousness. Jordan Salas, 32, was charged with aggravated battery (strangulation or suffocation) and battery of a household member. The aggravated battery charge is a third-degree felony that can lead up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine. According to a complaint filed by Tucumcari Police officer Matthew Lopez, he was sent to East Rankin Avenue on Feb. 28 to check a domestic disturbance call. Haley...
Tucumcari was named the 41st-favorite small town to visit in the United States by FamilyDestinationsGuide.com. The website surveyed 3,000 families to find the top 150 small towns across the country where they would love to spend. A news release from the guide cited Tucumcari’s Mesalands Dinosaur Museum, Tucumcari Historical Museum and other historical sites, outdoor activities and unique attractions. Other New Mexico small towns that made the list were Chimayo (29th) and Gallup (73rd). The top three small town in the U.S. by the guide were H...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Feb. 27 to March 2: — David Michael Sparling, 63, Mesa, Arizona, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and contempt of court. — Jordan Salas, 32, Tucumcari, aggravated battery (great bodily harm) and battery against a household member. — Adrian Zamora, 31, Clovis, contempt of court. — Natasha Ogren, 31, Tucumcari, contempt of court. — Jesse L. Garcia, 32, no address listed, felony possession of a controlled substance (narcotic drug). These individuals were released...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Feb. 27 to March 5: Monday — 6:52 a.m.: Disturbance in 700 block of West Sunset Avenue, Tucumcari. — 7:51 a.m.: Property damage in 500 block of South Eighth Street, Tucumcari. — 9:04 a.m.: Property damage in 200 block of First Street, Logan. — 10:02 a.m.: Theft in 800 block of West Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 12:23 p.m.: Assault and battery in 1400 block of South Fourth Street, Tucumcari. — 1:49 p.m.: Domestic disturbance in 200 block of West Mesa V...
The 16th-seeded Tucumcari boys basketball team was hanging tough against top-seeded St. Michael’s during its first-round playoff game Saturday at Santa Fe, with the Rattlers trailing just 13-11 at one point. Then the roof fell in. The Horsemen outscored the Rattlers 47-20 in the second and third quarters to secure a dominating 75-42 victory and advance in the Class 3A tournament. St. Michael’s (24-4) plays ninth-seeded Socorro (12-16) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The semifinals and finals are Friday and Saturday. The Rattlers briefly too...
The Tucumcari girls basketball team didn't rely as much on 3-pointers and press defense during its first-round playoff game Friday against Cuba. This time, the fifth-seeded Lady Rattlers received a big lift from freshman center Kyla Lopez, who scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 68-41 victory over the 12th-seeded Lady Rams at a crowded Rattler Gymnasium. "She was a game-changer, for sure, just going up there and getting rebounds," Tucumcari coach Patrick Benavidez said. In...
The ninth-seeded Logan girls basketball team’s comeback bid at eighth-seeded Springer fell short during a 54-53 loss Friday in the first round of the Class 1A tournament. The Red Devils’ 16-8 surge in the third quarter gave them a sizable lead, and they still led 52-44 with 2 1/2 minutes left. The Lady Longhorns whittled that advantage to 54-51. They had the ball but committed a turnover with 26 seconds left. With 4.4 seconds remaining, Logan sophomore guard Marilyn Moreno drove into the lane and scored while being fouled. If she made the fre...
LOGAN - The Longhorns were losing at halftime and needed a boost from an offense stuck in low gear. It got that boost from junior guard Kaeden Stoner, who scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the third quarter to ignite eighth-seeded Logan to a 46-39 victory Saturday over ninth-seeded Legacy Academy in the first round of the Class 1A boys basketball tournament. The Longhorns (18-11) advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were scheduled to face defending state champion and top-seeded...