Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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In another sign of a tentative return to normalcy amid the coronavirus pandemic, Tucumcari’s restaurants reopened to sit-down dining Monday morning, as did one of its gymnasiums, for the first time in weeks. Diana Jimenez, manager of Mary’s Mainstreet Gym, opened the doors on its downtown facility at 5:30 a.m. Monday for the first time since mid-March. When Jimenez was asked whether there was pent-up demand after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that such facilities could reo...
Jerri Rush and Robert Lopez easily captured their respective Republican and Democratic primary nominations for open Quay County Commission seats Tuesday night amid stronger-than-usual voter turnout fueled by a record number of absentee ballots. Rush, 49, a rancher, farmer and substitute teacher in Forrest, defeated Todd Duplantis, 52, a business owner and Tucumcari city commissioner, by nearly a 2-to-1 margin in the Republican race for District 2 that encompasses the southwest part of the county. Rush gained a total of 839 votes (65%) to...
Because of coronavirus, Mesalands Community College conducted its first-ever virtual commencement ceremony Saturday afternoon for 65 students who received certificates or associate's degrees. The 45-minute ceremony, stitched together from video clips and slideshows, streamed live over the college's YouTube channel and may be viewed at https://youtu.be/yycm1t6o9SQ . Mesalands' main campus has been closed since early April because of the pandemic and conducted its courses online. The event began w...
Tucumcari High School's virtual commencement exercises Friday evening may have been designed to foster social distancing during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but there was nothing distant or cold about it. The ceremony, held outdoors on a stage erected in the high school's bus lane instead of its traditional spot inside Rattler Gymnasium, brought new wrinkles for its 58 seniors to make the gala memorable, including shooting fireworks from the parking lot and confetti cannons near the stage a...
The coronavirus pandemic has claimed a longtime business in Tucumcari. The Gallery Etc., closed since mid-March because of mandated shutdowns of non-essential businesses due to the virus, will not reopen and is dispersing its artwork collection back to its creators. It had been a fixture in downtown Tucumcari for 13 years. Lynn Rodgers, president and director of The Gallery Etc., said its board of directors held an emergency meeting May 20. She said they unanimously voted to close the gallery at...
If God is so kind and patient, why does he need to have some innocent man die naked on a cross to forgive our sins? If God is really as loving as you say, why not just forgive sin and be done with it? He wants us to forgive each other freely, right? We don’t get to demand the shedding of blood in exchange for forgiving offenses against us, so how’s God get away with that? A really merciful God would just let these things go, without making anyone die. Maybe you’ve heard such objections, or wo...
On this date ... 1970: Conservative Republican Anderson Carter, riding a groundswell of public opinion against two-term Gov. David F. Cargo, won the right Tuesday to meet incumbent Democrat Joseph M. Montoya in the November battle for a U.S. Senate seat. Montoya, a veteran politician in Washington, handily defeated political newcomer Richard B. Edwards for the Democratic nomination during the primary election. Former Albuquerque City Commission chairman Pete Domenici, a Republican, will go against former New Mexico House Speaker Bruce King in...
• June 18-20 — Asavet Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic. Cost for each surgery is $40. Applications are available at Best Care Pharmacy, Tucumcari Subway, Logan Subway and the Paws and Clubs Animal Rescue of Quay County website at pawsandclawsanimalrescueofquaycounty.com. Applications must be mailed before June 1 to Paws and Claws, P.O. Box 143, Tucumcari, NM 88401. Payment also may be mailed there. Applicants will be notified one week before the event. • Sept. 26 — Wheels on Fire 100. Cyclists can enjoy a 25-, 50- or 100-mile ride on Route 666 and...
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, glazed carrots, garlic bread, oatmeal cookie. Thursday — Pork posole, mustard greens, flour tortilla, peanut butter cookie. Friday — Liver and onions, mashed potatoes, green beans, whole-wheat roll with margarine, peach...
Tucumcari High School athletic director Wayne Ferguson said during the Diamondback Booster Club’s virtual athletic banquet that sports would be played during the upcoming school year, contrary to some rumors. With the annual banquet at the Tucumcari Convention Center canceled because the coronavirus pandemic, the club compiled an 87-minute video from the school’s coaches that was uploaded Friday onto YouTube that served as a virtual banquet. The video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/-XEGgo0e3Xs . During his opening remarks, Ferguson ack...
The last time we flew out of Shanghai, China, it was 2015 and we stumbled across a sign hanging from the airport ceiling that seemed like an historical relic even then. It gave instructions — in English — for all travelers on domestic Chinese flights to head one direction and for all international travelers (which included those headed for Hong Kong and Taiwan) to head in the other direction. At the time, we smiled at the admission. The people of both places would appreciate that sign, but Beijing likes to think that both should be brought und...
The case of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn now has the clarity of a mud bath. First, his court case. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Then, Attorney General William Barr, his ultimate prosecutor, decided to drop charges, even after Flynn had confessed to lying to both the FBI and to Vice President Michael Pence. Barr thought the investigation that led to Flynn’s charges was begun on faulty grounds. Barr’s motion to dismiss the case was so unusual that the judge, Emmet Sullivan, followed with his own oddity. He called in a retired federal jud...
I feel terribly sorry for the hundred thousand Americans who’ve lost their lives to the coronavirus. I also feel sorry for all the small business owners in the country who have become innocent victims of the government’s mishandled war on COVID-19. They worked long and hard to start up their local restaurants, coffee shops, clothing stores, hair salons, health spas, book stores and pet grooming shops. But in just three months their livelihoods — and the livelihoods of millions of their employees — were destroyed by the unnecessarily severe...
The Tucumcari City Commission on Thursday passed a preliminary city budget for fiscal year 2021 that will leave a $489,000 deficit in the city’s general fund, which is covered by reserve allowances and cash expected to remain at the end of this fiscal year. Fiscal 2021 begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2021. The budget calls for laying off one full-time employee and two part-time employees and converting eight full-time positions into part-time jobs, said Rachelle Arias, the city’s finance director, to the commission. The city must make the per...
Of the industry sectors impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, it's difficult to find one more affected than theaters. In addition to states shutting down those venues because of the virus, studios stopped sending them new films in March. Despite that, the husband-and-wife team that owns and operates the historic Odeon Theatre in Tucumcari, which remains Quay County's only operating movie venue, is optimistic they'll show films again in late July and will offer a quasi-preview by selling...
Editor's note: Some of the information in this article is sexually explicit. A Tucumcari man was given 18 months of probation Wednesday and must undergo sex-offender supervision and counseling after pleading guilty in district court to a felony charge of fourth-degree criminal sexual penetration with a 15-year-old boy. Daniel Gallegos, 26, was arrested in December after being accused of having sexual contact with the teen last summer after exchanging flirtatious texts with him. The charge, a fourth-degree felony, could have resulted up to 18...
The Quay County Commission on May 26 unanimously approved a preliminary $16.16 million budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 its finance director said would give 3% pay increases to workers but no changes to property taxes. Finance Director Cheryl Simpson said after the meeting the budget rose from $13.475 million, or 21%, in the previous year. She said the increase is attributed to the county receiving more than $3 million in state appropriations, mostly for a new bridge that will be built on Old Route 66 between San Jon and Endee. Simpson said...
The Logan Board of Education last week during a special meeting unanimously approved a graduation date of 10 a.m. June 27 at its football field, with a possible option of moving the ceremony 70 miles northeast to Dalhart, Texas, if public-gathering bans remain in effect in New Mexico because of coronavirus. The board surveyed parents of the 19 graduating seniors to find their preference of three possible dates and venues in Logan. Superintendent Dennis Roch said about 60% favored June 27, with July 3 and July 11 trailing respectively. He said...
The Tucumcari Public Schools board approved an application to receive $417,300 in coronavirus relief funds during an emergency meeting Thursday. Superintendent Aaron McKinney said the money would be used to buy Chromebook computers for all of the district’s approximately 950 students. He said the district favors Chromebooks because teachers can restrict certain websites with them. They also are ideal for remote learning, which remains a possibility when the school year resumes this fall because of the virus. Other funds from the Coronavirus A...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from May 25 to May 31: Monday • 1:59 a.m.: Threat in 500 block of East Main Street, San Jon. • 1:26 p.m.: Threat in 1800 block of South Monroe Street, Tucumcari. • 2:57 p.m.: Arrest warrant in 500 block of East Walnut Avenue, Tucumcari. • 4:09 p.m.: Arrest warrant at West Tucumcari Boulevard and South Sixth Street, Tucumcari. • 5:05 p.m.: Theft in 600 block of East Smith Avenue, Tucumcari. • 5:10 p.m.: Child custody problem in 200 block of East Center Street, T...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from May 23 to June 1: • Johnny Aughtman, 32, Tucumcari, contempt of court. • Ronald Beaulieu, 69, Tucumcari, aggravated driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug (0.16 or above). • Lora Cowlishan, 28, Tucumcari, failure to appear on misdemeanor charge. • Stephanie J. Coy, 61, Tucumcari, contempt of court. • Vera Dawn Ortiz, 44, Tucumcari, driving while license suspended or revoked and possession of drug paraphernalia. • Lela Ann Marie Ross, 34, L...