Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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The suspect in the killing of a New Mexico State Police officer from Logan was charged with federal crimes today. Jaremy Smith, 33, of South Carolina was federally charged with carjacking resulting in death and discharge of a firearm during an relation to a crime of violence. Smith is accused of fatally shooting NMSP officer Justin Hare, 35, of Logan on March 15 when he stopped behind the vehicle that Smith was driving that had a flat tire west of Tucumcari on Interstate 40. Smith was arrested two days later in Albuquerque after Bernalillo...
The suspect was caught after a two-day manhunt, but many residents in Quay County and the law enforcement community still were grieving a New Mexico State Police officer from Logan who was shot and killed Friday morning west of Tucumcari. NMSP patrolman Justin Hare, 35, a member of the force since 2018, was shot fatally on Interstate 40 when he stopped to help the driver of a disabled vehicle. The suspect, Jaremy Alexander Smith, 33, of South Carolina was apprehended in Albuquerque on Sunday 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...
The prospect of Tucumcari Public Schools going from a four-days-a-week of instruction to five days in the next school year dominated discussion at the board’s meeting last Monday — including having to submit two different budgets and school calendars for those schedules. Interim superintendent Dave Johnson said TPS likely would go from about 157 days of instruction to 185 or 187 in the 2024-2025 school year, based on a new plan by the state’s Public Education Department. Johnson said it remained uncertain whether the 180-day plan would inclu...
On this date ... 1974: President Richard Nixon brushed aside a plea from a previously staunch Republican ally that he resign from office, vowing he will “stand and fight.” Sen. James L. Buckley of New York urged Nixon to resign “as an extraordinary act of statesmanship and courage” so the country could emerge from “the Watergate swamp.” Nixon refused again to turn over 42 audiotapes to the House Judiciary Committee that the panel wants for its impeachment inquiry. Nixon would step down from office in August. — The House school gymnasium was...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — No school; spring break. Thursday — No school; spring break. Monday — Breakfast: Turkey sausage breakfast pizza, assorted cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, fresh pear, orange juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Chicken nuggets, turkey and cheese deluxe hoagie, mashed potatoes, cucumber, garden side salad, watermelon, 1%, skim, chocolate skim or strawberry skim milk. Tuesday — Breakfast: Veggie breakfast bowl, biscuit, assorted cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, cantaloupe, apple juice, 1%, skim or strawbe...
In my regular Bible reading, I was back in Genesis the other day and here’s the thought that struck me as I went through the life of Abraham: Abraham and Sarah did not have the kind of marriage that a lot of evangelicals promote as ideal. Specifically, a lot of modern conservatives, such as the Duggars on television and those informed by material from men like Bill Gothard, advocate for a “biblical patriarchy” in which the husband rules over everyone else. He gets the final say about everything, over everyone, and things are ordered according t...
Tucumcari’s city manager will resign in late June after less than two years on the job. Near the end of Thursday’s city commission meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Lopez said after a 75-minute closed executive session to discuss personnel and litigation that city manager Paula Chacon had submitted her resignation letter. Chacon was not in the commission chambers when open session resumed. Chacon was hired in August 2022 to replace Mark Martinez, who took a position at Mesalands Community College Lopez said after the closed session that Chacon had...
The Mesalands Community College board of trustees announced Friday it would begin a nationwide search for a president. The college stated it would take applications from candidates through April 17. A news releasee stated that five candidates would be proposed to the board by a selection committee, which includes board Chairman Richard Primrose as the search chair. Allen Moss has been Mesalands’ interim president for about a year. Josh McVey, vice president of student affairs, stated in an email that Moss would apply for the position. The b...
Saturday — 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, intermediate and advanced players are invited. Some proceeds will go to Paws & Claws Animal Rescue. For more information, call or text (575) 815-4486. April 6 — Six-week dog training class. Tucumcari Dog Training and Tucumcari MainStreet are sponsoring a dog obedience class on Saturdays from April 6 through May 11 at the Tucumcari Railroad Museum. Cost is $50 for the cla...
In the great red-blue divide that is America these days, we live in an atypical state. New Mexico is not as politically divided along rural and urban lines as other states. For years now, Democrats in New Mexico have dominated politics in enough rural counties to add to their “urban” majorities in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe. Meanwhile Republicans have held a grip on other rural area and many smaller cities, with a lock in the southeastern corner of the state, a region deep in agriculture and rich in oil and gas. Overall, however, it...
It was “The Stepford Wives” meets “The Handmaid’s Tale.” More than a week later, people are still talking about the State of the Union response given by Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, which has been widely mocked by politicians and pundits alike. It certainly didn’t require the skills of a futurist to realize her less-than-stellar efforts would result in a raw and ruthless parody on “Saturday Night Live.” One Republican pollster called Britt “creepy,” while a national Republican consultant told Rolling Stone, “I’ll give Biden this — He at leas...
Republicans are never going to impeach Joe Biden. I wish more Republicans would beat that fact into their skulls. Just as Democrats weren’t able to impeach Donald Trump because they didn’t control the Senate, Republicans are never going to impeach Biden for the same reason. It doesn’t matter how corrupt Biden and his family are, how he has allowed 8 million illegal immigrants to invade our Southern border or how mentally out-of-it he is. Biden will never be impeached and MAGA Republicans have already wasted far too much time and energy blust...
The fourth-seeded Santa Fe Indian School girls basketball team pulled away late, handing fifth-seeded Tucumcari a 49-40 loss in the Class 3A quarterfinals last Tuesday at the Rio Rancho Events Center. The Lady Rattlers cut their deficit to two points with less than three minutes left, but the Lady Braves finished with an 8-2 run. Caylee Benavidez led Tucumcari with 18 points and added 11 rebounds. Kyla Lopez added 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Lady Rattlers, who finished 23-4. July Lafferty totaled 10 rebounds. Emma Lewis scored a...
The New Mexico Activities Association announced Thursday that current Tucumcari athletic director and longtime THS multisport coach Wayne Ferguson would be inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame. Ferguson will be formally inducted during the second annual New Mexico High School Sports Award Show and Dinner on July 25 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Ferguson, whose career in education spans over 30 years, has coached boys and girls basketball, wrestling, football and, currently, trac...
By Ron Warnick QCS senior writer [email protected] ALBUQUERQUE - It stings for a team to lose to district rival after winning the two previous matchups. It especially stings when the loss occurs in the state championship game. That's what happened to the Logan girls basketball team Saturday at The Pit at the University of New Mexico. District nemesis Fort Sumner-House dominated most of the game and cruised to a 54-36 victory for the Vixens' second Class 1A title in three years. The...
RIO RANCHO – Despite being down by 20 points, the fifth-seeded Logan boys basketball team mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter and gave a big scare to No. 1 Magdalena during a 58-54 Longhorns loss in the Class 1A semifinals. The Steers (30-1), which made nine 3-point shots during the contest Thursday at the Rio Rancho Events Center, surged to a 48-28 lead late in the third period and still commanded a 53-36 advantage with 4 1/2 minutes remaining. The Longhorns switched to a f...
Matt Hughes, the rodeo coach at Mesalands Community College since 2017, soon will leave to guide a newly launched rodeo program in his native Missouri. Missouri State University-West Plains is adding a co-ed rodeo team to its athletic programs in the fall that will compete in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association in the Ozarks Region. Hughes is a native of West Plains, Missouri. He was a professional rodeo athlete before becoming a coach. Mesalands interim president Allen Moss talked about Hughes’ imminent departure during the board o...
The Tucumcari baseball team’s first game on its new baseball field Saturday turned out to be a triumphant one, an 8-6 victory over Estancia. Juano Martinez hit a key two-run triple for insurance runs late in the game. Luis Archuleta also went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a double. Josh Griego earned the win, pitching 3 1/3 innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out four. Griego also scored four runs after drawing three walks and being hit by a pitch once. Tucumcari coach George Montano also praised the defense by second baseman A...
The Arch Hurley Conservancy District’s board declined to allocate water during its March 12 meeting despite pleas from a half-dozen farmers and ranchers. Board members said they were disinclined to divert water to the irrigation system’s canals until levels at Conchas Lake rise substantially higher. The level’s elevation was 4,171.84 feet on the morning of the meeting, a bit lower than the previous month’s 4,172 feet. Evaporation and other losses during the month of February totaled 1,431 acre-feet, compared to 1,260 acre-feet in inflow. Distri...
Voters in Quay County will face a decision on a three-way race for the county assessor’s position during the June 4 primary election. Two incumbents up for re-election on the county commission face challengers, as well. Candidates who filed for the county treasurer and clerk’s position likely will be unopposed, barring the filing later this summer by any independent candidates. A candidate for district attorney also is unopposed, but the current DA, an independent, may file for re-election in late June. For assessor, current officeholder Dan...
The Logan Municipal Schools board last week held a first reading on a revised and toughened cellphone policy for students set to take effect during the 2024-2025 school year. The board will be scheduled to vote whether to adopt the new policy during its April meeting. Superintendent Dennis Roch said the policy revisions came after two work sessions. “The board still welcomes stakeholder input as they consider revising this policy,” Roch wrote in an email to the Quay County Sun. A key part of the revised policy states: “Logan Municipal Schoo...
The Higher Learning Commission placed Mesalands Community College on probation as expected, but the college’s president again expressed optimism its finances would be above water by the end of the fiscal year in late June. The HLC awards accreditation to educational institutions in nearly 20 states. Mesalands interim president Allen Moss said HLC signaled months ago the college would be placed on probation. That designation was made official by certified mail on March 5, with the HLC board stating the college was “out of compliance” for its a...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from March 11 to March 15: — Reina Alicia Lovato, 23, Rio Rancho, contempt of court. — Lee J. Sisneros Jr., 62, Tucumcari, contempt of court. — Jason Ruben Rojo, 40, Tucumcari, violation of restraining order prohibiting domestic violence, battery against a household member and criminal damage to property of a household member (over $1,000). — Jazmin Ortiz, 20, Tucumcari, encouraging violation of probation, parole or bail. — Josiah J. Martinez, 18, no address listed, contempt...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from March 11 to March 17: March 11 — 1:19 a.m.: Disturbance in 500 block of South Fourth Street, Tucumcari. — 2:10 a.m.: Disturbance in 400 block of South Dawson Street, Tucumcari. — 4:58 a.m.: Disturbance in 400 block of South Third Street, Tucumcari. — 7:35 a.m.: Disturbance in 400 block of East Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 8:08 a.m.: Animal bite at South Rock Island Street and East Rankin Avenue, Tucumcari. — 7:40 a.m.: Arrest warrant in 200 block of W...