Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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Of the 14 years Richard Primrose served as Quay County's manager, he said the final one was the toughest. Primrose, who retires April 16, said the past year "absolutely" was his most challenging because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "It was extremely stressful for everybody to try to be safe, especially with the courthouse being a public building," he said during an interview last week in his third-floor office at the county courthouse. "The district court and Quay County did not close, so we still...
Quay County remained in the coveted turquoise zone again after COVID-19 risk assessments were announced Wednesday afternoon by the state’s Department of Health. The county saw a small increase in the per-capita number of coronavirus cases from March 23 to April 5 compared to the previous two-week period. Quay County’s daily cases per 100,000 people was 2.6, compared to the previous period’s 1.7. The benchmark is 8 daily cases per 100,000. The county’s test-positivity rate also rose to 2.31%, compared to the previous two-week period’s 1.1%. It...
New Mexico lawmakers have approved recreational pot, but no one should fire up a doobie just yet. The Legislature last week during a special session at the Roundhouse voted to legalize recreational marijuana, becoming the 18th state to do so. Even with a prompt and likely signature by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, legal recreational marijuana sales in New Mexico likely won’t be happen until early next year. The basics from the special session: • The law would allow those 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of cannabis, 16 grams o...
The city of Tucumcari will continue its contract with Monarch Properties of Albuquerque for the management of the Chaparral Apartments for another three years, the city commission decided during a special meeting March 31. Under the contract, the city pays Monarch $56 per unit per month, or $16,128 annually, to manage the 24-unit apartment complex at 800 W. Hancock Ave. as rent-subsidized housing. The city's share of management costs is subsidized as rent for the units by the U.S. Department of...
Immigration is a big news item, as we find ourselves still dealing with “kids in cages” on our Southern border. My conservative friends blame Obama for building them. My liberal friends point out that Trump kept on filling them. So here we are, and they’re overflowing. Clearly this is a bi-partisan issue, in the sense that both parties have proven inept in dealing with it. I plan to spend some time in this space investigating a biblical view of immigration and what, if anything, the Scrip...
The developer of a nearly 300-megawatt wind farm is seeking location approval from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. The Grady Martin Wind Project would encompass more than 37,000 acres of land in Quay and Curry counties just north of Grady. The commission unanimously approved a schedule for the location application during its meeting last week that was conducted remotely via Zoom. The order requires Grady Martin Wind, which is partnering with the Virginia-based company Apex Clean Energy, to post a location notice for the public by...
Mesalands Community College will host a series of six online video conferences starting Wednesday through April 14 for its six presidential candidates in which residents can participate. The college will use the Google Meet platform, and everyone in the community is encouraged to participated. Each session begins at 6 p.m. After each videoconference session, a link will be provided to collect feedback. That input will be compiled into a report presented to the Mesalands Community College board of trustees to aid in the selection process. The...
On this date ... 1971: A number of teachers were honored during the annual Tucumcari Educators Association banquet at Mountain View School. Mary Wilms received her 35-year certificate for service to the school district. Ceola Sutton and Sue Tucek received 25-year certificates. Receiving 15-year certificates were junior high principal Hurley Lovely, senior high school principal W.C. Litchfield and junior high counselor Franklin E. Wheeler. Bertha Parker was honored as Teacher of the Year. • The Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce held a m...
Note: Events subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Friday — Helping Hands Hospice enchilada dinner. The Elks Lodge in Tucumcari Is hosting this annual fundraiser from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Orders, which will be to-go, will be $8 per plate. Orders can be called inat (575) 461-1510, (575) 403-7941 or (575) 403-5364 or placed online on the hospice’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/helpinghandshospice as the date approaches. Orders can be picked up at the back of the lodge. 2118 S. Adams St., Tucumcari. • April 16-18 — Spay and neuter cl...
The Tucumcari Senior Center and Logan Senior Center remain 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 — Lasagna, spinach, breadstick, pears. Thursday — Baked ham, baked sweet potato, green beans, whole-wheat roll, pudding. Friday — Sausage, wild rice, steamed broccoli, whole-wheat roll, peaches. Monday — Beef tips, egg noodles, mustard...
Barring a last-minute outbreak, Quay County likely will remain in the turquoise zone — the highest attainable — for COVID-19 risk when the latest state assessments are announced Wednesday. From March 23 through Friday, the county had recorded only two coronavirus cases. The county can tolerate up to 10 cases during a two-week assessment period and still be below the threshold of eight daily cases per 100,000 people. The county’s test-positivity rate was estimated at 1.8% through Friday, well under the benchmark of 5%. The state Depar...
By this time next year, pot will be legal and openly for sale across New Mexico. The Legislature approved cannabis legislation in a special session last week and the governor is expected to sign it any minute now. There are plenty of reasons marijuana is a bad idea, as Republicans, and a few Democrats, have argued: It can result in impaired driving, workplace injuries, delayed brain development, and it may be a gateway to more serious drug addictions, which can result in lifelong health problems and death. But of course you are not required to...
Yay. That’s about as much enthusiasm as I can drum up for New Mexico’s legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults. If the Legislature had rejected the proposal so important to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that she called it back for three long and costly days to bring it about, my reaction would have been, “Oh, darn.” I approve of marijuana’s legalization, but with lots of reservations. Marijuana and other consciousness-altering cannabis products can be enjoyed safely in homes or in specially designated areas without causing a...
So far, the defining word of the Biden era is “trillion.” The Joe Biden who portrayed himself as a moderate, old school, bipartisan dealmaker during the presidential campaign is now a distant memory. He’s been replaced by the Joe Biden who is dazzling progressives with his willingness to “go big” — in other words, spend jaw-dropping amounts that would have been unimaginable prior to the pandemic and are still shocking even now. Why has Biden embarked on a historic spending splurge with nary a whisper of bipartisan support? Well, Democrats t...
Tucumcari has another talented wrestling team getting ready to belatedly begin its season, but there will be a greater sense of urgency with each match this year. That's because of the condensed schedule and a tougher qualification standards for the state tournament. Tucumcari's Eddie Encinias, a Hall of Fame coach in his 20th year of leading the Rattlers, said the New Mexico Activities Association is considering as few as eight and maybe six wrestlers statewide per weight class qualifying for...
Three Tucumcari volleyball players earned all-district honors in Class 3A's District 4. Senior outside hitter Felicity Lopez, junior outside hitter Amber Owen and sophomore libero Alexus Lafferty received the recognition after the Lady Rattlers' 2-9 season. Lopez was the Lady Rattlers' top attacker, with 89 kills during the season. She had an 84.2% success rate with serving attempts, with eight aces. Owen made 54 kills during the season and logged an 86.2% accuracy rate on serves, with 14 aces....
The Tucumcari girls basketball team took it on the chin during a 64-22 season-opening loss Friday at Robertson in Las Vegas. Alexus Lafferty scored 12 points to lead the Lady Rattlers, and Caylee Benavidez added 10 points. The Cardinals took control of the game with a 12-0 scoring run in the first quarter and a 16-0 run in the second. Robertson led 41-14 at intermission. Tucumcari coach Gary Hittson said ball-handling woes plagued his young team, which lost four starters from last season’s Class 3A quarterfinals squad. “We need to value the...
The Logan girls basketball team fended off a challenge from Clovis Christian during a 50-44 victory in both teams’ season opener Saturday. Kambry Burns led the Lady Longhorns with 13 points. Karlee Cantrell added 12 points and Kyra Conway 11. Logan had a 30-22 lead at intermission, but the Eagles made a 15-9 run in the third quarter to tighten the game. The Lady Longhorns went 5-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final period to preserve their lead and the win. Conway also made two key 3-pointers during the period. “(Clovis Christian) are pre...
The Logan boys basketball team fell 69-62 to hot-shooting Clovis Christian during both teams’ season-opening game Saturday. Dante Sanchez scored 19 points to led the Longhorns. Kaden Riggs added 18 points and Garrett Bollinger 14 for Logan. The Longhorns briefly had a 55-50 lead early in the fourth quarter. But the Eagles went on 9-0 run to retake the lead and never trailed again. Logan coach Kyle Griffiths said his team’s first foe was a tough one. “Clovis Christian can really shoot it,” he said. “We struggled to score at times, and our defen...
Tanner Croom of Mesalands Community College’s golf team has been invited to participate in this month’s National Collegiate Golf Club Association’s championship in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Croom won a tournament in Windsor, Colorado, in late March. He shot a 5-over-par 77 on the first day and fired a 3-under-par 69 on the second day, a personal best. The Stampede golf team will travel to Kingman, Arizona, for its next tournament Saturday and Sunday, followed by Prescott, Arizona, on April 17-18, and completing the season at the natio...
New Mexico on Monday opened COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone over age 16 as Quay County health clinics prepared for two vaccination events this week. In addition to the Quay County Public Health Office’s weekly vaccination event from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Tucumcari Convention Center, the Quay County Family Health Center has scheduled one from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, also at the convention center. C. Renee Hayoz, administrator at the Quay County Family Health Center, said her clinic would have about 400 M...
New Mexico Gas Co., which serves Tucumcari, has established $1.2 million in COVID-19 relief funding to assist income-qualifying residential customers and small business owners who have fallen behind on their natural gas bills because of the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re here to help,” New Mexico Gas Co. President Ryan Shell stated in a news release last week. “We understand that many of our customers have been impacted by the pandemic. We want them to know that assistance is available, and we want to do our part to help them recover.” Residenti...
Real Water Inc. has issued a voluntary multi-state recall of all sizes of its Real Water brand drinking water, including in New Mexico, because it may be linked to certain instances of non-viral hepatitis that were reported in November in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area. Symptoms of all types of hepatitis, including non-viral hepatitis, are similar and can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay or gray-colored bowel movements, joint pain, yellow eyes and jaundice. Those experiencing these...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from March 29 to April 4: Monday • 12:23 a.m.: Vehicle fire in 33800 block of Interstate 40 west, Tucumcari. • 9:33 a.m.: Arrest in 300 block of South Third Street, Tucumcari. • 11:40 a.m.: Property damage in 1700 block of South Monroe Street, Tucumcari. • 1:08 p.m.: Hit-and-run accident at milepost 321, U.S. 54, Logan. • 10:43 p.m.: Trespassing in 700 block of West Sunset Avenue, Tucumcari. Tuesday • 8:14 a.m.: Hit-and-run accident in 1800 block of East Hin...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from March 29 to April 2: • Raymond Holliday, 31, Tucumcari, warrant from other counties or states. • Daniella Jean Pacheco, 30, Tucumcari, contempt of court. • Brenda Lee Robinson, 59, Alamogordo, aggravated driving under the influence of intoxicating alcohol (0.16 or above) and stopping or parking prohibited in specific places. • Marlettee Marie Tejada, 30, Albuquerque, felony possession of a controlled substance (narcotic drug), intentional child abuse (no death or great b...