Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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The Quay County Commission during its meeting Monday approved 2019 property tax rates that will result in small tax decreases for most property owners except for some landowners in House, who will see a small increase. County assessor Janie Hoffman presented the new property-tax rates compiled by the New Mexico Finance and Administration Department. The county’s next taxable value is $231.7 million, up from $212.9 million the previous year. For nonresidential property in House, the owner of a tract valued at $100,000 would see an increase of $...
Connie Loveland has been Tucumcari MainStreet's executive director for only a few months, but that doesn't mean any hiccups should occur Saturday during the organization's ninth annual Fired Up festival in the downtown railroad depot plaza. Loveland is an old hand with Fired Up; she was one of the first committee members for the inaugural event. Mark Lake, Tucumcari MainStreet director at the time, was impressed with how she and Christy Dominguez, now manager of the Odeon Theatre, put together...
NARA VISA - The 26th annual Nara Visa Cowboy Gathering of poetry and music performances Friday through Sunday again became a reaffirmation and preservation of the western way of life. The event also serves as a preservation effort for the venue itself - the nearly century-old Nara Visa Community Center, once known as Nara Visa School, and its adjacent Works Progress Administration gymnasium. Teressa Bruhn, a board member, said the Cowboy Gathering generates about $1,000 each year for the...
Science is a bad excuse for atheism. In fact, science cannot be a servant to unbelief at all, since atheism cannot provide the philosophical underpinnings that make science a valid pursuit. I mean, there are certain concepts that must be in place and operative from the get-go, before any use of the scientific method of investigation can even make sense. Atheism, as it happens, cannot account for any of those starting-point concepts. (This is not to say that atheists can’t be great scientists. Obviously, they can, and I am thankful for this. It...
The Tucumcari school board unanimously approved a motion to let superintendent Aaron McKinney “move forward with the necessary steps” to acquire city land for a proposed redevelopment of the existing baseball and softball fields. McKinney also said during the board’s meeting Sept. 16 the district likely would hold a special mail-in election in February on a $3 million bond issue for the project, instead of using the Nov. 5 election. The district missed an Aug. 27 deadline to file paperwork for the bond election to be on the November ballo...
• Thursday-Friday — The Gallery Etc. has a new exhibit, just in time for the Fired Up festival. Stop by to look at the children’s summer art projects, local artists’ work and bid on items during the silent auction. 201 S. Second St., Tucumcari. Saturday — Wheels on Fire 100. An endurance bicycle event hosted in Tucumcari will go through San Jon, Grady and Ragland. Join in whether you’re competitive or just out for adventure. Cost is $35 to $75, ranging from a 25, 50 to 100-mile rides Riding begins at 8 a.m. Register at https://www...
A Tucumcari man accused of sexually assaulting a preteen girl saw the criminal charges against him dropped this month because of a lack of evidence. The charges against Fernando Samaniego, 43, officially were dismissed Sept. 5 in Tucumcari district court on the request of special prosecutor Russell Lance Miller of Santa Rosa. “We made the decision that there was not sufficient evidence to proceed primarily due to the child having recanted critical details from her first statement and the lack of any other evidence to prove guilt other than t...
Chicago police Officer Paul Escamilla liked corny jokes. He had three children, coached his son’s little league team and played golf. A former supervisor called him “the guy that everybody could work with.” He earned more than 120 awards in 17 years of service. Last week, Escamilla died by suicide in a Northwest Side forest preserve. He was 40 years old. His was the fourth suicide by a Chicago police officer this year, and at least the eighth since July 2018. Too many CPD officers are taking their own lives. Each is tragic and there is no ac...
Like the people in Alcoholics Anonymous, I sometimes feel like I should stand up and say, “My name is Steve, and I have an online addiction.” Making an income through journalism, which the internet has made much easier over the years by literally putting the world at my fingertips, is just the beginning. I find I spend hours and hours looking at headlines on newsfeeds, occasionally consulting my online subscription to the New York Times, and like our current president, making many visits to Twitter throughout the day. I occasionally con...
Donald Trump visited enemy territory last week. He came out here to the deep blue state of California to raise a few million bucks at private fundraisers in Silicon Valley and Beverly Hills. He also went down to the border with Mexico to inspect the wall the federal government is building to stop illegal immigration and protect what no longer deserves to be called the Golden State. What the president couldn’t see while he was out here were all the wealthy and productive Californians who are leaving this state in droves. They are the people w...
SANTA ROSA - Though Santa Rosa has dominated its football games against Tucumcari in recent years, the Lions' 35-33 overtime victory Friday over the Rattlers was a throwback to when anything could happen during their rivalry. In the end, the Lions relied on running back Elijah Velasquez as their workhorse. He scored the go-ahead touchdown in overtime and ultimately game-winning two-point conversion. He totaled 262 yards in 29 carries in Santa Rosa's vaunted single-wing offense, and he added a...
With a solid 25-9, 25-17, 25-14 victory Thursday over Maxwell, the Tucumcari volleyball team tied its total number of wins from last season even before September ends. The Lady Rattlers improved to 7-5, matching the victory total of last year’s 7-16 campaign. Tucumcari logged a 4-17 record in 2017. “This is the first time we’ve had a winning record since my first year in coaching here,” Tucumcari coach Dana Benavidez said, noting her inaugural season with a 13-8 record in 2016. “This is huge f...
The Tucumcari girls team finished eighth overall Saturday at the prestigious Ron Valdez Memorial Cross-Country Invitational meet at Pecos. Tucumcari coach Gary Hittson, noting the course is “one of the hardest in the state,” said he was “very pleased with the way the kids performed” against 470 runners at the meet. Erin Encinias was the top Lady Rattlers runner, finishing 28th in a time of 22 minutes, 59 seconds. Rounding out the rest of the Tucumcari girls roster were A’Leaya Lucero, 41st in 24:12; Lizet Castillo, 62nd in 27:00; Leslie Na...
COMMERCE, Texas — With a win over No. 12 Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, Eastern New Mexico stood a great chance to break the top 25 in the AFCA Division II poll. The Lions, however, wanted no part of that, taking advantage of early miscues to build a 24-3 lead that turned into a 45-27 victory Saturday night. The Greyhounds seemed primed to hang in with the No. 12 Lions late in the fourth, after taking the early lead on a Tyler Vargas 26-yard field goal followed by a goal-line interception by Vicen'te Walker. But the Greyhounds fumbled away the...
The Mesalands Community College men’s rodeo team finished second and the women’s team fourth in their first competition of the 2019-2020 season at Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona. “This was a great start to the rodeo season,” said Matt Hughes, rodeo coach and faculty member at Mesalands. “We continue to get better every year.” In roughstock events, Mesalands bull rider Taylor Pierce of Vinton, Louisiana, finished second. Saddle bronc rider Bonner Voss, of Stamford, Texas, also finished in second and teammate Wyatt Wells of Hereford, Te...
San Jon/Grady held off host New Mexico School for the Deaf in a 76-74 shootout Saturday in six-man football action at Santa Fe. The visiting Coyotes, which improved to 2-2, fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter but rallied with three unanswered touchdowns and led 29-20 at halftime. San Jon led the rest of the way, except for a brief stretch in the third quarter when they fell behind 34-29. The Coyotes sealed the game with a touchdown with three minutes left for a 76-67 lead. The game was a last-minute fill-in for the Coyotes’ schedule after R...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Sausage and cheese breakfast bagel sandwich, cereal choice with cinnamon goldfish graham cracker, fruit, juice, milk; Lunch: Diced chicken and gravy with honey wheat roll, chef salad, mashed potatoes, baby carrots, fruit, milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Trix cereal bar, cereal choice with cinnamon goldfish graham cracker, fruit, juice, milk; Lunch: Pepperoni pizza, garden salad, cauliflower, fruit, milk. Monday — Breakfast: Blueberry muffin and string cheese, cereal choice with cinnamon goldfish graha...
A mountain lion was spotted Friday night on Tucumcari’s south side, and the encounter with motorist was captured on cellphone video and shared on social media. Initial social-media reports indicate the big cat was seen in the 1800 block of South Fourth Street, although the person who shared the video said it was in the 1800 block of South Sixth Street. In a nighttime video shared by Aries Villegas, a large cat with a long tail was seen trotting and running along the streets and sidewalks of Tucumcari. The video was shot on a cellphone t...
Presbyterian Healthcare Services offers a medication take-back program for disposal of leftover, unused and out-of-date prescription and over-the counter medications at nine locations in New Mexico, including Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari. The green disposal bin at Trigg Hospital is in the PMG Family Medicine clinic. “We want to help provide a safe, easy way for people to clean out their medicine cabinets and dispose of leftover prescription medications,” said Erica Downing, executive director of Pharmacy Services at Presbyterian Hea...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Sept. 16 to Sept. 22: Monday • 7:13 a.m.: Traffic accident with injuries at milepost 309, Interstate 40, Tucumcari. • 7:38 a.m.: Attempted theft in 900 block of South First Street, Tucumcari. • 10:24 a.m.: Arrest warrant in 300 block of South Third Street, Tucumcari. • 10:58 a.m.: Criminal damage to property in 1600 block of South Sixth Street, Tucumcari. • 11:07 a.m.: Civil matter in 600 block of North First Street, Tucumcari. • 11:45 a.m.: Arrest in 2...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Sept. 16 to Sept. 19: • Mariah Meier, 27, Clovis, failure to appear at time and place stated in citation. • Ashley Nolan, 36, Tucumcari, shoplifting ($250 or less). • James Woodward, 33, Tucumcari, felony contempt of court. • Lawrence Wayne Barranca, 55, Tucumcari, larceny (over $250 but not more than $500) and residential burglary. • Bernadine Gutierrez, 57, Logan, residential burglary and larceny (over $250 but not more than $500). • Antonio Flores Lopez, 19, Tucumca...
Mesalands Community College’s vice president of student affairs reported a 20% increase in enrollment this fall from the previous year, reflecting the college’s more aggressive attempts to recruit students. Aaron Kennedy told the Mesalands board of trustees during its regular meeting Wednesday the enrollment boost was “a whole-campus effort.” Kennedy said one staff member recently was assigned as a registration support specialist, in addition to faculty helping prospective students. Asked after the meeting what else the college did to draw stud...
Quay County Extension Service agricultural agent Jason Lamb earned a national award this month during the National Association of County Agricultural Agents conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lamb’s entry was from his weekly “Garden Minute” that broadcasts on the local radio stations in Quay County. Lamb beat out 51 other entrants in the Communications Award for Audio Recordings category, according to a news release from the extension service....
On this date ... 1969: Worley Mills, a manufacturer of feed pellets, and Tucumcari Industries, a maker of outerwear, were scheduled to hold open houses this weekend after expansion of their operations in Tucumcari. Tucumcari Industries was touted for its million-dollar payroll, and Worley would serve free barbecue during its event. • Candidates for Pinata Queen for the annual Tucumcari festival were announced. They were Pam Reid, Patricia Maestas, Marilou Broce, Jackie Ann Cothern, Della Sanchez, Judy Jimenez and Ginger Freed. • Lloyd’s Shoe...