Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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Despite widespread complaints about the lack of coronavirus tests and personal protective equipment for health workers, an official for the health service that runs Tucumcari’s hospital said she was confident it had enough of both there. “We are comfortable with the number of tests available and are following CDC and NMDOH guidelines for testing,” Trigg Memorial Hospital administrator Vickie Gutierrez stated in an email Wednesday. “It is important to remember that patients must be screened before being tested. To have symptoms screened for a C...
New Mexico's governor on Monday officially extended her public health emergency order to April 30 and added new restrictions to combat the coronavirus pandemic, including limiting occupancy in essential businesses. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's order stated essential businesses – including grocery stores – must limit occupancy to 20% or less of the maximum occupancy of the retail space. The governor said during a briefing Friday she likely would impose those limits. Several businesses around New Mexico, mindful of the pleas for social dis...
Area schools ventured into uncharted territory of mass virtual classes after New Mexico’s secretary of education announced Friday all public schools would be closed for the rest of the academic year to slow the coronavirus pandemic. Area superintendents scrambled to determine how graduation ceremonies would be held, how to determine competency of departing seniors and other logistical hurdles caused by the virus upending the routines of people’s lives. Education Secretary Ryan Stewart, ack...
A pandemic that spread into Quay County prompted the closing of schools, quarantine in Tucumcari and pleas from its mayor to avoid personal contact. These conditions aren't from the current coronavirus epidemic. This is from more than a century ago, when the now-infamous Spanish flu swept into New Mexico. A look into the Tucumcari Times archives from that time period somewhat reveals the extent of the pandemic. According to a report from the newspaper in late November 1918, the influenza...
More than two dozen county clerks in New Mexico — including Quay County’s — have asked the state Supreme Court for an order that would allow the June 2 primary be conducted by mail. The clerks said they otherwise face an impossible choice — putting voters' and election workers' lives at risk or violating their oath of office. "The state of New Mexico faces a public health emergency unprecedented in modern times," the clerks stated in their petition, filed Monday. Quay County’s Ellen White was among the petitioners. White stated in a letter Tu...
A former Quay County sheriff’s deputy filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the county’s commissioners, saying he was wrongfully fired in August and alleging a conflict of interest by the county’s attorney. Christopher Valdez, a Quay County resident, filed the three-page suit March 17 in Tucumcari district court against the commissioners. The county’s attorney, Warren Frost, and District Attorney Timothy Rose weren’t specifically named but identified in the lawsuit. Both criticized the complaint when contacted by the Quay County Sun. Rose said...
Some have questioned the recent closure of New Mexico’s state parks through April 9, especially when visitors to those parks would be outdoors and can easily practice “social distancing” during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Quay County and Tucumcari see considerable traffic to two state parks — Conchas Lake State Park just across the San Miguel County line and Ute Lake State Park in Logan. “I know Logan is concerned about the state park closures because that affects their tourism,” Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce director Ca...
A 34-year-old Logan man was jailed March 24 following allegations he had sex with a 14-year-old girl. Joshua Lee Roubieu is charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual penetration, criminal sexual contract with a minor by force or coercion, fourth-degree criminal sexual communication with a child and enticement of a child. Four of the sex-related charges are fourth-degree felonies that can lead up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. New Mexico State Police investigator Andrew Martinez took over the case in January...
The city of Tucumcari is officially included among designated emergency areas in New Mexico in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as of Thursday. The Tucumcari City Commission unanimously approved a resolution that declared the city an emergency area and authorized the city to exercise “necessary emergency powers,” expend resources and request aid as needed. The commission amended the resolution Thursday to grant emergency power to Mayor Ruth Ann Litchfield as well as to the city manager. • City manager Britt Lusk’s last day in the post is Apri...
Events subject to change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic • April 24-25 — Father’s Forge Daughters of the King Ladies Conference. The session begins at 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, and resumes from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25. The free conference will offer refreshments. For more information, call (575) 461-4200. 622 S. Lake St., Tucumcari. • April 24-26 — 20th annual Chuck Wagon Cook Off. Chuck wagons will cook a meal in Dutch Ovens over hot wood coals. Meal consists of chicken fried steak, potatoes, beans, bread and fresh apple...
Quay County schools are closed for the remainder of the school year because of the coronavirus pandemic. For information on children’s meals provided at each school, go to newmexico.gov/education. The Tucumcari Senior Center and Logan Senior Center also will be closed to the public indefinitely but will deliver meals to those who qualify. Those interested in meal deliveries should call the Tucumcari facility at 461-2307 and the Logan facility at 487-2287 for more information. Tucumcari Senior Center Wednesday — Hamburger stroganoff, egg noo...
On this date ... 1970: Kay Terry of San Jon was named Miss Office Education Association of New Mexico during recent competition at Eastern New Mexico University. She will advance to national competition April 18 in Fort Worth, Texas. She was judged on poise, charm, dress, personality and secretarial ability. Terry also placed in the National Water Ski Tournament in Berkeley, California, last year. • Four people were injured after a driver 5.8 miles east of Tucumcari on Interstate 40 fell asleep at the wheel. The car left the roadway into a m...
On March 4, 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered these famous words: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This was the president’s attempt to reassure Americans they had it within themselves to defeat the Great Depression — if they did not succumb to fear that would prevent them from acting to end hard times. They are truer words today. Of course there is a fear as our communities face an invisible enemy. COVID-19 is everywhere and has no respecter of whom it attacks. Our schools are closed to prevent the spread....
COVID-19 has us all living through a great story. We’re in the middle of the excitement now and all waiting to see how it comes out. COVID-19 has a lot of heroes and villains, too. The disease itself is a great villain. It can be nasty and deadly. It sneaks around in healthy people with no symptoms and then insinuates itself into the vulnerable. The disease is also unpredictable. It can leave one body after only a few sniffles, and devastate or even kill even young people who carefully watch their health. The human heroes and villains are f...
Every 4-year-old knows the official coronavirus drill by now. Wash your hands often, cover your coughs and sneezes and don’t touch your face. And also practice “social distancing,” stay away from large crowds and especially stay away from those who are most likely to die if they catch the virus — the very old and the already weak or very sick. That’s always been excellent advice for everyone to follow during any “normal” flu season, which for decades has been killing tens of thousands of us each year without media fanfare or public panic....
A divided Quay County commission on Friday approved a temporary reduction of its regular meetings from two to one during April in an effort to slow the spread and risk of coronavirus. District II Commissioner Mike Cherry made a motion to cancel the commission’s April 7 meeting with the stipulation that county manager Richard Primrose can call a special meeting if needed. District III Commissioner Franklin McCasland seconded the motion. The commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting would be April 27. District I Commissioner Sue Dowell, who...
Tucumcari’s district attorney said he was held in contempt of court after “heeding the governor’s declaration of a public health emergency” and failing to attend a hearing in Carlsbad earlier this month. Timothy Rose is asking the New Mexico Supreme Court to require Judge Lisa Riley to rescind the contempt order, which was issued after Rose’s request to attend the hearing by phone was denied. Tenth Judicial District Attorney Rose had agreed to take on a case in the 5th Judicial District, which prosecutors there were unable to accept because o...
Christopher Arias, a Tucumcari city commissioner, announced he is dropping out of the race for District 2 on the Quay County Commission. Arias’ withdrawal leaves fellow city commissioner Todd Duplantis and Jerri Rush of Forrest as the remaining candidates in the race. Arias, Duplantis and Rush were running as Republicans in the June 2 primary. Arias made his announcement at a Tucumcari City Commission meeting Thursday. “I am withdrawing out of commitment and faith that I am where I should be,” he said, representing District 4 on the city commi...
Area teams undoubtedly felt disappointment at the cancellation Friday of all spring sports for the rest of the school year. The team that probably felt that anguish the most was Tucumcari's softball team. That's because the Lady Rattlers had 10 seniors returning from a team that finished 17-5 - the program's best season ever - and qualified for the Class 3A state tournament. Combined with offseason workouts since November, the team and its coach held high hopes before the coronavirus pandemic...
Tucumcari senior Ashley Shipley last week earned all-state honors in Class 3A a third straight time. Logan's Karli Webb and Jordan Hines also earned all-state honors in Class 1A after the Lady Longhorns finished runner-up in the state tournament. The New Mexico High School Coaches Association announced its annual all-state teams for both boys and girls basketball last week. Shipley, the Lady Rattlers' point guard and captain, helped lead her team to a 19-11 record and the quarterfinals while...
Grady/San Jon senior forward Chisum Rush was named last week to the all-state team in Class 1A boys basketball. The New Mexico High School Coaches Association announced its annual all-state teams for both boys and girls basketball last week. Rush averaged a team-leading 17.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, both team highs for the Bronchos, who finished with a 12-12 record and competed in the rugged District 6 that included state-champion Melrose. The 6-foot-3 Rush was a four-year starter at...
My April Fool’s Day article will wait another year in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Our preacher’s sermon March 22, titled “Fear, Faith, and Hope” (the basis for this article), was exceptional for encouragement. You can view the entire 12-minute sermon at https://www.facebook.com/leonard.lauriault. Our church is complying with social distancing guidelines although worship centers remain exempt from mass gathering limitations. Since we have many at-risk members, several families met in homes in smaller groups (Philemon 1:1-2; Colossi...
The Tucumcari Housing Authority board agreed to surrender its property and management responsibilities to the Eastern Regional Housing Authority of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, based in Roswell. The housing authority board’s vote at a special meeting March 19 ended an effort to keep THA independent that began in August when state-level officials of the federal housing authority informed the THA board of their intention to bring THA under regional control. The March 19 decision came on a 4-1 vote of the THA board. T...
A new resident says she hopes the Tucumcari Talking Tour she expects to launch in May eventually leads to a secondary benefit — restoring neon lighting to historic signs along Route 66. Tucumcari Talking Tour will set up AM radio transmitters at up to 14 sites to broadcast short messages about the site’s history in a one-block radius. Small signs will be placed at each site that gives the broadcast frequency for each. “The talking tour would give travelers something else to do,” creator Tracy Johnson said. “They’ll spend a little more time h...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from March 23 to March 29: Monday • 7:28 a.m.: Vandalism in 1200 block of South Adams Street, Tucumcari. • 7:54 a.m.: Arrest warrant in 200 block of East Center Street, Tucumcari. • 8:26 a.m.: Breaking and entering in 100 block of North Adams Street, Tucumcari. • 8:31 a.m.: Trespassing in 100 block of West Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. • 10:16 a.m.: Reckless driving at Exit 333, Interstate 40, Tucumcari. • 10:58 a.m.: Assault and battery in 200 block of We...