Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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The New Mexico Public Education Department on Thursday imposed a minimum of 180 instructional days for public schools in the 2024-2025 school year despite widespread opposition — including from all four superintendents of Quay County’s schools. The new rule, which takes effect July 1, means many rural schools will have to set a five-day school week instead of the usual four. The PED would allow exemptions, but only if they show substantial growth in reading proficiency during the current school year. Public Education Secretary Arsenio Rom...
The suspect in the killing of a New Mexico State Police officer west of Tucumcari was captured Sunday morning in Albuquerque after a foot pursuit and shootout. Jaremy Smith of South Carolina was taken into custody in Albuquerque after being shot at least once by pursuing officers. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to a Bernalillo County sheriff's officer during a news briefing shortly before noon. A store clerk at an Albuquerque gas station spotted Smith and called police,...
A New Mexico State Police officer with area ties was shot and killed west of Tucumcari on Interstate 40 on Friday morning, and the attacker remains at large. A statement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham hours later expressing condolences confirmed the fallen officer was Justin Hare, who lived in Logan. Hare also grew up in Moriarty. “I’m heartbroken by the devastating news that State Police Officer Justin Hare was killed in the line of duty while responding to a call near Tucumcari this mor...
A Tucumcari woman remains in the county jail after being accused of fatally shooting a local man in the back of the head at Five Mile Park. Ashley Danielle Hall, 22, is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. The murder charge is a capital felony that requires a sentence of life in prison if she is convicted. Hall is accused of shooting Ernest Arguello, 32, also of Tucumcari, during an argument on March 11 at the park on the city’s west side. According to the criminal complaint and affidavit filed by New Mexico State P...
A line-item veto on $10 million in state funding for a new Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari actually expands on the ways the county can use the money. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday made line-item vetos in multiple sections of an appropriations bill approved by the New Mexico Legislature during its recently completed 30-day session. In the bill, a $10 million Health Department allocation “for the construction of a hospital in Tucumcari-Quay County,” the words “the construction of” were stricken by the governor. In a veto stateme...
The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board recommended approval of a $7,840 request from Mesalands Community College to host a concert by country artist Joe Peters at the nearby convention center on March 20. The city commission can accept, reject or amend the board's recommendation, though it typically approves such requests. The concert, which begins at 7 p.m., is part of a celebration by Houston-based Impact Wind setting up an office and wind turbine certification courses on the Mesalands...
About a dozen employees of Tucumcari Public Schools weighed in on what they want from their next superintendent during a special board meeting. Many ideas were voiced during the March 4 session, but a consensus emerged of wanting someone who is invested long-term in the community and not someone who views Tucumcari as “a stepping stone” to another school-administration job. The board ultimately will pick a replacement for superintendent Aaron McKinney, who retired in January after 18 years at the helm. Interim superintendent Dave Johnson said a...
Probably every child heard their parents say something like, “If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times!” — usually because the child keeps repeating the same mistakes or outright acts of disobedience. As I heard John 1:1-3 read at church recently, I realized the Bible has a lot of repetitions. John 1:1-3 includes two repetitive concepts: 1) The Word (Jesus) was in the beginning with God, and 2) Everything was made through him and without him, nothing was made. Since all Scripture is God-breathed, originating from the Word himself...
A Tucumcari police officer arrested for domestic violence-related counts in January saw his charges dismissed last week on the request of the prosecutor. Quentin Ray, the 9th Judicial District Attorney in Clovis-Portales who was assigned to prosecute the case, filed a notice of dismissal on Friday regarding charges against Matthew Lopez. Ray stated the case was dismissed for cause “in the best interest of justice.” The charges against Lopez were dismissed without prejudice, which means they cannot be refiled. Ray stated in an email Monday he...
The City of Tucumcari and Tucumcari MainStreet will host a community meeting at 5:30 p.m. March 18 at City Hall chambers so residents can provide input on a wayfinding signage plan. The plan aims to guide residents and tourists to key destinations, including government buildings, educational and healthcare facilities, museums, parks, trails, sports facilities and other points of interest. The plan will create cohesive design standards for wayfinding while celebrating the city’s history and identity. The project team will conduct a study on exis...
Cannabis sales in New Mexico officially topped the $1 billion mark last week, less than two years after the state legalized the substance. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the sales mark on March 5, less than a month before the second anniversary of legal cannabis sales in the state. Tucumcari has recorded more than $9.2 million in adult-use and medical cannabis sales from more than 157,000 transactions since legalization began in April 2022. Twelve registered dispensaries have opened in the city. In the past year, Tucumcari has averaged...
On this date ... 1974: New World Inns, which leases and manages the Pow Wow Inn in Tucumcari, filed for bankruptcy in Minneapolis. A creditors meeting was set for March 18 in front of a federal bankruptcy judge where creditors would prove their claims and nominate a provisional trustee. New World Inns stated it would continue to operate its business and keep its personnel in the meantime. — Former Nara Visa resident John A. Wilson was promoted to president and chief operating officer of the Tandy Corporation, based in Fort Worth, Texas. W...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Blueberry muffin, string cheese, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, banana, apple juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Chicken patty sandwich, ham and egg chef salad, ranch potato wedges, seasoned peas, fresh broccoli, ranch dressing, fruit cocktail, 1%, skim, chocolate skim or strawberry skim milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Whole-grain doughnut ring, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, mandarin oranges, orange juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lun...
• Saturday — March for More fair. The Quay County Health Council is hosting a free family resource fair from noon to 3 p.m. at the Quay County Fairgrounds barn. The fair will provide information to help families find services and prevention information on substance misuse. The event plans door prizes every 15 minutes, a food truck and fun activities for children and youth. It includes a Show and Shine car show by the Rollerz Only car club. • March 23 — Second annual Chess Tournament. Preliminary rounds will be in the east room of the Tucumca...
Tucumcari recently hosted a New Mexico State Parks meeting to discuss the possibility of implementing new fees for all state parks. The meeting was held on March 6 at Mesalands Community College’s wind energy center. The new fees, announced earlier this month, are being suggested due to inflation, lack of upgrades and low employment rates. Between 10 and 15 people attended. CJ Wiegel, a member of the State Parks Advisory Board, said he understands the necessity of increasing fees. “(I didn’t realize) the need to increase our fees (and the n...
The Village of Logan learned last week it received a $15,000 outdoor marketing grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department. Village Administrator Rodney Paris said the no-match grant will be used to print pamphlets, update websites and place print advertisements to publicize the village and Ute Lake. “A lot of people in New Mexico don’t realize that Logan and Ute Lake are there,” he said. “We want people to know we’re here.” The village’s grant was among 41 awarded statewide, totaling more than $873,000, plus $1.18 million in ma...
Anyone hoping Republican voters around the country would use Super Tuesday to slow their party’s careening trajectory toward the Trumpian cliff now must face facts: It’s over. Donald Trump’s near-total sweep of Super Tuesday states, and challenger Nikki Haley’s subsequent campaign suspension last Wednesday, means that, barring some epic surprise, American voters on Nov. 5 will be faced with a presidential rematch that most don’t want. Even among the many Republicans out there who recognize Trump’s obvious unfitness for office, there will...
Historically viewed as a fringe belief system, Christian nationalism has become a considerable force in American politics, particularly as it relates to the current Republican Party. A new survey from Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution revealed more than 50% of Republicans believe the country should aspire to become a devoutly Christian nation by ascribing to the fundamentals of Christian nationalism, or, at a minimum, identifying with such beliefs. Christian nationalism is the assumption the United States is a...
A miracle occurred last week in California’s U.S. Senate primary race. In a deep Blue state where Democrat voters outnumber Republicans 2-1, Steve Garvey, the former L.A. Dodgers star, ran against three Democrats and came in a close second to Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff. Garvey, a conservative Republican, finished behind Schiff in California’s crazy “jungle primary,” where voters are allowed to vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation. That means in the general election this fall Garvey gets to face off against Rep. Schiff,...
It's road-trip time for the Lady Rattlers. The fifth-seeded Tucumcari girls basketball team advanced to the Class 3A quarterfinals with a solid 54-32 victory over 12th-seeded Ruidoso in a first-round playoff game at Rattler Gymnasium. In four games against their district foe, the Lady Rattlers' performance Friday was the most dominating of the lot. Tucumcari grabbed an early lead from the outset, never trailed and commanded a 20-point advantage by the third quarter. Ruidoso ended its season...
The third-seeded Logan girls basketball team punched their ticket to the Class 1A quarterfinals with a dominating 78-29 home victory Friday over 14th-seeded Alamo Navajo in the first round of the tournament. The Lady Longhorns jumped to leads of 23-6 after the first quarter and 42-17 at intermission. Desta Rose led Logan with 31 points. Hailee Robertson made five 3-pointers and totaled 17 points. In all, the Lady Longhorns made 11 3-point shots. Logan coach Dustin Robertson said his team played hard, despite their foe being overmatched....
LOGAN - After a closely fought first half, the big men on the Logan boys basketball team asserted their will on Roy-Mosquero in the second half during an 81-66 victory Saturday in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs. Six-foot-6 forward Hayden Bruhn scored 24 points, and 6-foot-4 center Mason Wallin added 23 - mostly in the critical second half when the Longhorns led by as much as 23. Point guard Brock Burns totaled 21 points. Fifth-seeded Logan (24-5) advanced to the quarterfinals, where...
Home, sweet home - even if it's a new home. Last season, the Tucumcari High School baseball team played all its home games in Logan while a new field was being constructed from a voter-approved $3 million bond issue in 2019. Since about Feb. 1, the Rattler players have been practicing on their new diamond. Hopes are high with them and third-year coach George Montano. "I'm happy I got a field this year, you know?" Montano said. "I couldn't be more grateful. I know Logan's not far away, but it...
With a half-dozen girls still playing basketball this week, Tucumcari High School softball coach CJ Oglesby will have precious little time to prepare his team for its season-opener Saturday at Raton. Oglesby, in his sixth season, said he's been training about eight non-basketball players in the meantime, and he hasn't been taking it easy on them. "We're just trying to condition them a little bit more," he said. "In previous years, we haven't been too conditioned should we get to the state...
SAN JON - The San Jon Municipal School board approved a new logo that will be used by the school's sports teams and merchandise. The board also voted Wednesday to continue to keep the boys and girls sports teams on junior-varsity schedules for the next two years. Business manager Stormi Sena, speaking on behalf of absent athletic director Bobby Kandel, said a logo committee met with a designer a few weeks ago regarding the design that took elements from drafts by two San Jon students. Sena said...