Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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The state’s leading disease expert acknowledged last week that negative COVID-19 tests of Quay County residents administered outside of the state aren’t reported in a timely fashion, which could negatively affect test-positivity rates and possibly keep public schools from expanding in-person teaching. The admission confirmed the suspicions of two school superintendents and at least one school board member who said they’d heard New Mexico wasn’t receiving negative coronavirus tests from Texas. The revelation calls into question the accuracy of t...
Logan public schools Thursday confirmed they will expand in-person classes to fifth grade starting Monday after Quay County landed in the green zone for the state's school-reopening criteria, and Tucumcari might do the same. New Mexico Education Secretary Ryan Stewart also announced during a governor's news briefing Thursday that counties that fall back into the red zone during the next two-week reporting period won't mean an immediate closure of those schools. The good news for Quay County, which hasn't seen a COVID-19 confirmation in more...
A Tucumcari Elementary School staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the state's Public Education Department and rapid-response team database. The state's Department of Education reported Monday the afflicted staff member hadn't been on school grounds since Sept. 30. All staff members, parents and guardians of students have been notified, the PED stated. The state's COVID-19 rapid-response team database, which tracks businesses and entities that report cases, identified a case Monday at Tucumcari Elementary School. No...
The Quay County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a resolution that declared a state of emergency due to drought conditions and urged other counties, municipalities and state government to do the same. The U.S. Drought Monitor map for Sept. 22 shows Quay County to be in a “moderate” drought except for the southwest corner, which is deemed as “severe.” Parts of northern, southeast and southwest New Mexico are in “extreme drought,” the second-worst rating. Commissioners, who had hinted the map understates the severity, requested the resol...
The city of Tucumcari had a choice between principle and practicality in dealing with an abandoned pontoon boat that haunted a Tucumcari street for months before city officials hauled it to city lot, where it stands today. Tucumcari Police Chief David Lathrom told a City Commission work session Thursday that when the boat first was brought to the attention of city officials, he presented then-city manager Britt Lusk with a choice: Tag it, tow it and dispose of it, or find owner James Napier of...
New Mexico saw its daily average number of coronavirus case rise last week, but the governor sent a cautious message of optimism. The state saw four days last week where its COVID-19 case count hit the 200 and higher. In previous weeks, the number often had dropped below 100. The seven-day average had risen from the low 100s to near the gating-criteria number of 168. “I’m still feeling good and optimistic,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during her weekly health briefing Thursday, “though the last few days have jarred me.” She continued to ur...
I’ll not say who specifically is the basis of this article because everyone probably knows someone living the earthly life described below. So, picture this: A person becomes a Christian, but they’re never really able to get over their mischievous tendency, some of which is actually sin. Nonetheless, they always repent and ask forgiveness. Finally, they die, and after entering heaven, their mischief continues to the point that God tells them they must go back to Earth to become more mature. Sound familiar? Thankfully, there are a couple of maj...
Note: Events subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Oct. 16 and Oct. 30 — Fall Vendor Market. Tucumcari MainStreet will host three local vendor markets for local food and craft vendors this month, each from 5 to 7 p.m. at the historic Tucumcari Railroad Depot. All state health regulations will be followed, and vendors will be spaced to promote social distancing. For more information, call Connie at (575) 461-3701 or email [email protected]. • Nov. 7 — Denim and Diamonds. More information on this fundraiser for Tucumca...
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. Area schools are using a hybrid model of online and/or in-person teaching. Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Bagel-fuls, fresh apple, tropical punch juice, milk; Lunch: Chicken patty sandwich, potato smiles, lettuce salad, fresh tomatoes, dill pickle chip, Capri S...
On this date ... 1970: Janice Paris, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Paris, was crowned Miss San Jon during the Miss San Jon Pageant at the San Jon Sportatorium. Rayma Terry was first runner-up, and Linda Irving was second runner-up. Contestants were judged on their gown, talent and personality. Paris performed "Puff the Magic Dragon." During her personality quiz, she was asked, "What is the biggest problem that faces our young children today?" She replied, "Drugs and alcohol," then explained her...
Plateau Telecommunications’ internet service went out for at least six hours Friday morning and afternoon and caused a ripple disruption to other internet providers in the region. The outage occurred at a time when all schools in Quay County were using online instruction during the COVID-19 epidemic. The outage prompted Logan Municipal Schools to send a text message to students and parents, instructing them that assignments due Friday would be due Monday, instead. Launa Waller, regulatory manager at Plateau, stated in a news release a server i...
People of color suffer more than lost TV America does not have to be full of racists to have a situation of long-standing racial injustice. All that is needed is a political contingent that maintains power by pursuing this agenda. Michael Reagan, in his Sept. 9 column, spends a lot of space listing outstanding examples of achievements by people of different racial backgrounds. However they are exceptions to the rule. Reagan is very upset that the Black Lives Matter movement has received so much coverage on TV. An excellent source that reveals...
The status between Israel and Bahrain is no longer ambiguous. Less than a month after the United Arab Emirates forged a peace agreement with the Jewish state, the Kingdom of Bahrain followed suit. Representatives from all three countries were on hand at a White House ceremony on Sept. 15 to celebrate the new Abraham Accords Declaration. In a region that will soon produce young Emiratis and Bahrainis who are fluent in Hebrew, Israeli graduates from UAE and Bahraini universities, and regular commercial flights among all three countries — with a...
President Trump has been calling Democrats “radical socialists” and just last week, he said they might be “Communist.” Trump knows that words like “socialist” and “Communist” are bad. But I wonder if he knows what these words mean. There are two common meanings for “socialism.” One is moving toward economic equality among people. The other is state control of goods and services. The U.S. is a capitalist country, we are taught to believe, so we think free markets should control just about everything in the way of goods and services. Most econ...
It didn’t matter what the findings of the Breonna Taylor grand jury were going to be. Black Lives Matters and their sympathizers were well prepared to riot on Wednesday night in Louisville and other cities, like New York and Washington. The video of that rented U-Haul filled with big signs and who-knows-what-else is all the proof you need that their “peaceful protest” was a planned operation. Taking over the streets, burning down buildings, destroying businesses, shooting things at police and roughing up ordinary citizens was like a summer job...
The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board during a special meeting Thursday voted to prioritize spending almost $40,000 toward renovations at the Tucumcari Convention Center, a new visitors guide, print advertisements in magazines and securing at least two new tourism billboards. The board also recommended its executive committee give $10,000 to $12,000 to a producer who wants to film his proposed “Bands of Enchantment” music television show in Tucumcari and another $3,000 to Fast TV Network, which is producing a Route 66 documentary on how Tuc...
Tucumcari Public Schools’ superintendent said he didn’t plan to exact any punishment for employees who refuse to undergo random COVID-19 testing as recommended by the state. School board member Heather Gonzales during the board’s Sept. 21 meeting asked whether faculty or staff would be reprimanded if they refused to take a test. The New Mexico Public Education Department in early September issued new guidelines that requires 5% of employees to be randomly tested for the virus. Superintendent Aaron McKinney said such employees have the right...
Tucumcari High School’s athletic director during a school board meeting last week expressed doubt the volleyball team’s schedule would begin on time in October. Wayne Ferguson said during the meeting Sept. 21 he was “less optimistic” the Lady Rattlers and other area teams would begin their seasons Oct. 10 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tucumcari is scheduled to travel to Pecos for its season-opener that day. In a follow-up phone interview, Ferguson said he and other athletic directors around the state hold “a gut feeling” volleyball season w...
The state of New Mexico on Wednesday added to the list of states from which visitors and arriving residents must quarantine. Colorado, Oregon and Rhode Island were added to the list of high-risk states as of Sept. 23. Individuals arriving from those states must quarantine for 14 days or for the duration of their stay in New Mexico, whichever is shorter. Michigan and Hawaii moved from high-risk to low-risk, according to the rolling positivity and test rates of those states. As of Sept. 23, the list of high-risk states is as follows: Alabama,...
Efforts to rebrand Tucumcari’s tourism efforts should be finished by the end of the year. Robyne Beaubien, who runs New Mexico MainStreet’s promotion and image department, told the Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board via videoconference Thursday her office was developing the city’s new tourism logo and style guide that includes font, colors and appearance. The rebranding effort began in earnest after assessing results from a Tucumcari MainStreet online survey of residents. New Mexico MainStreet also will redesign the city’s visitors guide a...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Sept. 21 to Sept. 25: • Aleidra Blea, 25, Tucumcari, tampering with evidence (misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor). • Raymond Holliday, 31, Tucumcari, open container (possession). • Feliciana Lovato, 27, Tucumcari, encouraging violation of probation, parole or bail. • Ashley Irene Brookes, 22, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, attempt to commit a felony (trafficking; possession with intent to distribute). • Adam Robert Quezada, 34, Hanover, Maryland, warrant from other counties...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Sept. 21 to Sept. 27: Monday • 12:21 a.m.: Arrest warrant at South First First and East Charles Avenue, Tucumcari. • 12:45 a.m.: Brush fire at South Eighth Street and West McGee Avenue, Tucumcari. • 1:45 a.m.: Suicide attempt in 200 block of South U.S. 54, Logan. • 1:59 a.m.: Arrest warrant at South Adams Street and East Hancock Avenue, Tucumcari. • 7:51 a.m.: Vehicle theft in 1000 block of South Rock Island Street, Tucumcari. • 3:20 p.m.: Trespassing in 1...