Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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A divided Tucumcari City Commission on Thursday settled on $1.50-an-hour raises for all city employees for fiscal year 2023 after considering $2.50-an-hour hikes for those workers or exclusively police officers. Most commissioners admitted they wanted the bigger raises to help the city’s pay scale be even more competitive with other municipalities. They expressed concerns, however, about the possibility of a national recession blunting city revenue, plus deficits that might empty the city’s cash reserves in just a few years. The city’s finan...
After unexpectedly large attendance last year, organizers for the 51st Rattler Reunion are hoping to piggyback on that success and draw even larger numbers of Tucumcari High School alumni this week. Reunion Chairman Joe Szaloy said last Wednesday that just under 300 people had preregistered for the event, and he expected more by mail or from walk-up registrations when the event begins Thursday at the Tucumcari Convention Center. “We’re hoping we’ll have 400 to 500 or more,” he said. “Hopefully, we’re expecting larger numbers than ever before...
The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board voted last week to recommend up to $20,000 to participate in the New Mexico Music Commission’s new cost-share grant program. Carlos Medina of Santa Fe, chairman of the commission, told the board the New Mexico Legislature gave the commission a first-ever budget of $100,000. Medina said about $75,000 of that could be used for cost-share grants with municipalities to help pay for New Mexico-based music acts to perform there. Medina said he anticipates Tucumcari could be eligible for up to $10,000 in c...
Our grandson spent a week at two church camps this summer — one in northern New Mexico and one in southern New Mexico, both in the mountains. When we dropped him off at the second camp, I mentioned to his cabin counselor he’d spent a week at the other camp a couple of weeks previously. The counselor jokingly apologized, saying he’d gone to that camp as a youth. He also admitted both camps knew many young people attended both, which led to the development of a healthy but congenial rivalry. Regardless, he hoped our grandson also would enjoy...
I’ve been thinking about my dad more so than usual. Probably because it’s August, his birth month. August has always been a time of celebration because of my dad’s birthday. I’d start practi-baking the beginning of the month for the grand shindig on the 31st. Even though it’s been a little over four years since he’s been gone, that practice hasn’t stopped. I always make my Grandma Sarah’s spice cake during this time of year. This recipe is about a hundred years old. It belonged to my great-grandmother, as the story goes. I always feel connected...
The Quay County Health Council is hosting a community presentation this week by Brenda Bishop on ways to deal with stress. With county fair, getting in that last summer trip, back-to-school activities and other events of the fall, stress is on the rise for many. The council wants to offer ways to reduce that stress. The workshop will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4. Participants may attend this workshop in person at the Quay County Extension Service at 216 E. Center St. by using the side door. Participants also can watch the presentation by Zoom...
Note: Events subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Thursday — Stress Buster Workshop. The Quay County Health Council will help you learn ways to reduce stress with this fast-paced session at 6 p.m. You may attend this workshop in person at the Quay County Extension Service at 216 E. Center St. by using the side door. You may also watch over Zoom or Facebook Live from the Health Council’s page at @quaycountyhealth. You may request a Zoom link by texting 575-815-4575 or emailing [email protected]. • Thursday-Sunday — Tucum...
The Tucumcari Senior Center and Logan Senior Center also offer grab-and-go meals to those who qualify. Those interested should call the Tucumcari facility at 575-461-2307 or the Logan facility at 575-487-2287 for more information. Tucumcari Senior Center Wednesday — Chili beans with beef, coleslaw, cornbread, peaches. Thursday — Pork carnitas, spinach, Spanish rice, tortilla, cantaloupe. Friday — Chicken tenders, steamed cabbage, tater tots, whole-wheat roll with margarine, orange Jell-O, mandarin oranges. Monday — Beef and macaroni, Italian...
On this date ... 1972: Tucumcari city officials will meet this week with state highway engineer L.G. Boles in Santa Fe about the possibility of adding a fifth interchange to the Interstate 40 bypass route. It would be placed in the vicinity of Mountain Road on the city’s east side. City officials weeks ago approved a resolution requesting the fifth interchange. Boles has questioned the cost of the project. • City police officers were called to the scene of an accident between a truck and a horse north of town on Highway 104. The horse, own...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from July 26 to July 30: — Reese Smith, 18, Nacogdoches, Texas, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. — Simon Falkner, 18, no address listed, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and conspiracy to commit contributing to the delinquency of a minor. — Jedidiah Smith, 45, Tucumcari, two counts of contempt of court. — Timothy Reid, 22, Tucumcari, battery on a household member (fourth or subsequent offense) and criminal damage to the property of a househo...
Celtics legend Bill Russell, on the Mount Rushmore of Boston sports with a whopping 11 titles as a player and two championships as the first Black head coach in North American pro sports, died on Sunday. He was 88. His Twitter account on Sunday read: “Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side.” His iconic accolades include a record 11 NBA championships and five MVP awards. In addition to all his winning on the court, Russell was being rem...
People see me say I don’t want government doing something and often jump to the conclusion I don’t want that thing done at all. Sometimes they are right, as in the case of legislation enforcement. More often they are wrong, as in the case of environmental protection, security, or justice. Government is more likely to make a mess of it. I love the natural environment, which is why I oppose letting government control it or set rules concerning it. I’ve seen what happens when government is put in charge of protecting the environment. So have...
Downsizing for an old-school media junkie involves lots of newspapers and magazines, the hardcopy kind, where the first draft of history was laid out for all the world to consume through linear reading. I’ve got an intimidating number of newspapers laying around my house; almost as many as I’ve got laying around my newspaper office. So I opted for an easier path, though still daunting, by jumping into the boxes of magazines I’ve kept in storage all these years. I suppose I was waiting for the day when historians, or at least my kids, would...
Quay County for the fourth straight week saw elevated case numbers of COVID-19, with 30 confirmed by the state last week. That compares to the 34 cases reported during the previous week. It was the fourth consecutive week more than 25 cases were reported in the county. The COVID Act Now website on Friday stated Quay County remained at a “high” level of community risk, along with the neighboring counties of Curry, Roosevelt and De Baca. San Miguel County’s risk was at a moderate level, and Guadalupe, Harding and Union counties were listed as lo...
A local motorcycle rider died Saturday after crashing into a semi-tractor trailer on U.S. 54 near Nara Visa. About 8 p.m., New Mexico State Police officers were sent to U.S. 54 milepost 351 east of Nara Visa to investigate a crash between a motorcycle and a semi-tractor trailer. The initial investigation indicated John Alfonso Tafoya, 45, of Nara Visa was riding a small 212cc motorcycle going west in the right lane of westbound U.S. 54. For unknown reasons, Tafoya veered into the side of a Kenworth semi-tractor trailer also traveling west in...
SANTA ROSA — An Oklahoma couple died in a head-on crash with a tractor-trailer July 25 on Interstate 40 in Guadalupe County, according to New Mexico State Police. The collision occurred at about 8:40 a.m. east of Santa Rosa. State Police reported that the initial investigation showed that a 2017 Freightliner was going west on Interstate 40 when, for reasons still being investigated, the rig crossed the I-40 median and struck an eastbound Nissan Sentra head-on. The driver of the Nissan, Stephen Barnes, 67, and passenger Susan Barnes, 69, both o...
CLOVIS - A Fort Sumner woman accused of killing her grandfather and hiding his remains in a toolbox in August 2020 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday before Judge Benjamin Cross in a Clovis courtroom. Candy Jo Webb, 28, also pleaded guilty to charges of tampering with evidence and fraud. Cross accepted the plea agreement and called for a sentencing hearing in 30 days. Cross said the second-degree murder sentence could be as long 21 years in prison, plus court costs. Under the plea...
SANTA ROSA — Off-duty New Mexico State Police officer Omar Carrasco, 24, died of natural causes, State Police announced last week. “No foul play was suspected,” State Police Officer Dusty Francisco said on July 27. Carrasco was found dead in his Santa Rosa apartment off Blue Hole Road on July 18. A native of El Paso, Texas, Carrasco had moved to Santa Rosa, where he had been assigned after completing New Mexico State Police 99th Recruit School and being assigned to the Uniform Bureau here. He had been with state police for about a month and w...