Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
A Tucumcari man was found dead in a Dumpster near a local car wash last week, but New Mexico State Police investigating saw no signs of foul play. State police wouldn't immediately identify the man or other details about the case, but Tucumcari Mayor Ralph Moya and Dunn Funeral Home in Tucumcari confirmed it was Danny Bean Kirby, 54. A caller to the Tucumcari Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center at 4:19 p.m. Tuesday reported a body found in a Dumpster in an alley near the Acqua Mist...
An Albuquerque judge Friday rejected a lawsuit by Coronado Partners against the New Mexico Racing Commission to force it to issue a sixth and final license for a horse-racing track and casino in Tucumcari. District Judge Nancy Franchini on Friday morning issued an 18-page ruling in favor of the commission. Citing state law, Franchini ruled the New Mexico Legislature in 1978 authorized the racing commission to grant or reject licenses. “I’m very disappointed,” Logan attorney Warren Frost, one of Coronado’s principals, said in a phone intervi...
Hundreds of Tucumcari High School alumni are expected to flood into the city later this week for the 51st annual Rattler Reunion. Michelle Shipley Jaynes, president of the alumni association that organizes the event, said last Friday that over 100 had registered for the Reunion so far. She said she expects over 400 alumni to show up at the Tucumcari Convention Center by the time most of the activities kick off this Friday. The Class of 1993 is the Reunion host. Shipley Jaynes said organizers didn’t feel compelled to make many changes to the R...
Acquiring $25 million in state money to build a new hospital in Tucumcari remains the top item in Quay County’s proposed infrastructure and capital improvement plan. The county commission held a public hearing on July 24 about the plan, which serves as a wish list for the county. The infrastructure and capital improvement plan gives the New Mexico Legislature a framework to issue funds for capital outlay projects. The commission is scheduled to approve the plan at its next regular meeting. Trigg Memorial Hospital is almost 60 years old and no l...
Tucumcari MainStreet and the New Mexico Route 66 Association are joining forces to repair a dozen of Tucumcari's historic Route 66 neon signs damaged by a severe hailstorm in late May. In a news release last week, the association stated its damage assessment identified more than 60 pieces of broken neon tubing among 12 classic neon signs in the city. Johnnie Meier, preservation officer for the association and a neon expert, estimated about $7,500 is needed to repair or replace the broken tubing....
As with my last Quay County Sun column on July 19, this article is based on readings with complementary themes from books used for my daily devotion. One article was titled “The Holy Spirit: The Power of the Highest,” from “365 Ways to Know God” (Elmer Towns, Regal Books, 2004), and the other was from “The Best of the Bible” (Tyndale House Publishers, 1996) titled “Daily Life in the Early Church.” I’ve added some of my thoughts. The Towns article, based on Luke 1:35, emphasized that God is the highest authority/power. However, Jesus and the Hol...
I’m spending the dog days of summer complaining about the soul-sapping heat, and tweaking my teaching materials for the fall. Because of that, I’ve fallen into a rabbit hole of sorts. I always reference my dad in leadership presentations, as an example of honor and integrity, and doing the right thing even when it’s hard. Memories flooded my mind while I worked on my slides. I take those unexpected moments as a gift, a hug from heaven. I’m grateful to have another chance to lose myself in these flickers from the past. The other evening as I wa...
The New Mexico Department of Health’s Quay County Public Health Office in Tucumcari is providing no-cost, back-to-school vaccinations for all children age 18 and younger regardless of whether they are a patient or have insurance. The vaccinations will be offered at the office at 310 S. Second St. at the following dates and times: — Friday, Aug. 4: 8-11:30 a.m. and 1-4:30 p.m. — Monday, Aug. 7: 8-11:30 a.m. and 1-4:30 p.m. — Tuesday, Aug. 8: 8-11:30 a.m. and 1-4:30 p.m. Call (575) 461-2610 for more information or with any questions. Parents...
On this date ... 1973: The board of the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce voted during a special meeting to support a special mill levy to establish a branch community college in Tucumcari. The levy, if approved, would permit the financial support of the school at a rate of $100 per full-time equivalent academic student and $400 per full-time equivalent vocational student. The proposed college would offer courses to residents of the Tucumcari school district and allow them to participate in courses offered at High Plains Vocational...
• Thursday-Sunday — Rattler Reunion. The annual gathering of Tucumcari High School alumni will include a golf tournament, barbecue dinner, pancake breakfast, Golden Rattler Luncheon and the traditional Saturday night gathering at the Tucumcari Convention Center. Email [email protected] or go to rattlerreunion.com for more information. • Aug. 9-12 — Quay County Fair. The annual fair featuring all sorts of livestock and home contests will take place at the Quay County fairgrounds in west Tucumcari. The fair on Saturday will offer an itty...
Tucumcari Senior Center Wednesday — Barbecued brisket, baked beans, roasted tomatoes, cornbread, watermelon. Thursday — Chicken stir fry, brown rice, mandarin oranges. Friday — Meatloaf, roasted Brussels sprouts, garden salad with Italian dressing, baked potato, whole-wheat roll with margarine, cherry cobbler. Monday — Hamburger macaroni, green beans, corn, apricots. Tuesday — Green chile lasagna, tossed salad, Italian vegetables, steamed cabbage, whole-wheat dinner roll, mixed fruit....
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from July 24 to July 28: — Gilbert Leroy Romero, 56, Tucumcari, contempt of court. — Dillon Dwayne Carmichael, 23, Tucumcari, battery. — Cecilia D. Maestas, 35, Tucumcari, battery against a household member and charge not listed. — Melissa Danielle Martinez, 32, Tucumcari, contempt of court. These individuals were released from the Quay County Detention Center from July 24 to July 28: — Wendy Ann Chick, 51, no address listed, bail or bond....
The weekend brought news that several hundred Cannon Air Force Base personnel and seven MC-130J aircraft are transferring to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. That’s supposed to happen “in the upcoming fiscal years,” according to a news release from New Mexico’s congressional delegation. But Mayor Mike Morris said the announcement is no reason to worry about Cannon’s future. “(A)ny news that the Air Force is moving a squadron from CAFB is definitely troubling,” Morris said. “However, I understand that force structure and personnel numbers do tend t...
Recently I was asked how I voted on a bill in the Legislature. I was interested in why that person, a friend of mine, didn’t already know! So, I sat down and explained how they can watch how I voted on any piece of legislation or how I voted on bills in the past and how they can monitor my votes going forward. Every voter should have immediate access to their representative and senator’s votes. The website is: www.nm legis.gov. Anyone can search any legislator’s votes on any bill before the House or Senate and with a little work you can see how...
Despite the Republican Party’s routine claims it wants to increase its appeal with non-white voters, it often seems to find a way to impede any progress made. Such supposed attempts encountered a series of roadblocks last month when two GOP lawmakers made racially offensive comments, resulting in fierce condemnation from civil rights groups and further weakening the party’s message that it is a large and politically diverse tent. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Arizona Rep. Eli Crane made the racially inflammatory statements, prompting reb...
The former superintendent of House Municipal Schools was honored as New Mexico Schools Superintendent of the Year just a few months after the school district ousted her. About the same time Bonnie Lightfoot was honored by the New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders, a petition was filed in district court where the House school board would pay her $180,000 in a settlement agreement. During a New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders conference in Albuquerque in mid-July, Lightfoot was...
The Quay County Clerk’s Office stated in a recent news release that potential candidates for local offices in the Nov. 7 election will have to update their voter-registration information, if necessary, by Aug. 9 before filing for candidacy later this month. The office stated that potential candidates cannot make changes to their voter-registration affidavits after the state on Aug. 9 issues its proclamation that calls for a November election. Any prospective candidates with questions should call the office at (575) 461-0510. The official f...
The Pow Wow restaurant in Tucumcari reopened Friday after being closed for several months, and Carlson Coffee Co. several days earlier moved to a higher-traffic location along the city’s Route 66 corridor. The Pow Wow Restaurant and Lizard Lounge at 801 W. Tucumcari Blvd., a fixture in the city for decades, was rechristened as the Pow Wow Lounge with a scaled-down menu to complement its bar. Christopher Arias, a city commissioner, and his wife Tori bought the Pow Wow in late June. “The first few days have gone pretty good,” Arias said after...
A Quay County sheriff's deputy received a Life Saving Award for his acts on an injured person involved in an accident on Interstate 40. Sheriff Dennis Garcia presented the award to deputy Mario Chavez-Thicc'ums during a Quay County Commission meeting on July 24. The accident occurred the afternoon of July 7. Deputies were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash at mile marker 360 of Interstate 40 east of Tucumcari. Dispatchers informed law enforcement a four-door vehicle involved in the crash had le...
The Odeon Theatre in downtown Tucumcari later this month will host a screening of the documentary “Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road” and a panel discussion after the showing. The screening will be at 2 p.m. Aug. 13 at the historic theater at 123 S. Second St. The event is free, but the organizers are asking attendees to register at shorturl.at/yEQU7. The film explores how women overcame segregation and gender discrimination to build fulfilling lives for themselves and generations to come on “America’s most beloved road....
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from July 17 to July 30: July 17 — 5:47 a.m.: Disturbance in 600 block of East McGee Avenue, Tucumcari. — 6:35 a.m.: Accident at milepost 324, U.S. 54, Logan. — 8:19 a.m.: Harassment in 300 block of South Third Street, Tucumcari. — 9:01 a.m.: Threat in 1000 block of East Whitmore Avenue, Tucumcari. — 10:16 a.m.: Juvenile problem at South Fifth and East Center streets, Tucumcari. — 11:27 a.m.: Missing person reported in 200 block of East Center Street, Tuc...