Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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The Tucumcari Public Schools board spurned three search firms’ offers and instead turned to an in-house team to find a new superintendent. The board during its regular meeting Dec. 18 chose assistant superintendent Dave Johnson and administrative assistant Veronica Hernandez to search for a successor to Aaron McKinney, who retires on Jan. 1 after 18 years in the post. McKinney was not present during the meeting. Johnson will be paid a $5,000 stipend to find a new superintendent. Hernandez will be paid a $3,000 stipend. Johnson said after the m...
The Tucumcari Public Schools board declined to approve or even take a vote on final readings of policy reviews regarding gender identity and reproductive or gender-affirming health care. Both items were on the agenda for the board’s Dec. 18 meeting. But when Vice President Matthew Pacheco — presiding over the meeting in place of absent President Heather Gonzales — asked for a motion on both measures, none was offered, much less a second. After the board’s inaction, audience member Slik Knapp said: “I’d like to thank the board for being resilien...
A fatal dog attack, turmoil at the local college and a storm that damaged hundreds of buildings and infrastructure were the big stories in Quay County during the first half of 2023. Early in the year, a pack of dogs attacked and killed Stanley Hartt as he walked near Mesalands Community College. Two of the dogs' owners were criminally charged, and their cases still are going through the court system. The attack prompted a memorial service for Hartt, and it touched off soul-searching from city...
On this date ... 1973: A fire destroyed the Leslie Fish ranch home three miles south of Quay. The blaze destroyed the home and all belongings inside. The home was owned by Josephine Bradley, but Fish had been living there for five or six years. Fish was not home when the fire began. A passer-by initially noticed the smoke, thinking it was a trash fire, until he saw the entire east wing of the home in flames. Firefighters from Tucumcari, House and Forrest fought the blaze. — Among the prime-time television shows listed for that day were ...
Tucumcari Senior Center Wednesday — Red chile beef enchilada, corn salsa, refried beans, cucumber and tomato salad, fruit cocktail. Thursday — Green chile cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and onion, ranch beans, french fries, fresh apple slices. Friday — Turkey sandwich, pasta salad, celery sticks, pears (sack lunch; pick up between 10 and 11 a.m.) Monday — Closed for New Year’s Day. Tuesday — Chicken pot pie, tossed salad with dressing, biscuit, banana. Logan Senior Center Wednesday — Chicken strips, baked french fries, pasta salad with mi...
The new year stares us right in our faces like a gunslinger in a classic Western. Its gaze narrows. Its trigger finger twitches, waiting for a signal. The last several years have come after us like low-down, mangy desperados. After what we’ve seen, it’s normal to wonder what fresh misery has been brewed up for us in days to come. You may think you’re prepared, but you’ve thought that before, and still wound up having to ask, “Where in the world did all that come from?” This is a completely understandable way to think. We’re gun shy. We’ve be...
One of the fundamental principles of our representative republic is the concept of “checks and balances” to ensure one branch of government does not dominate the other branches. While this concept has been an accepted component of governing throughout our country’s history, sadly, the concept is often forgotten among the halls of the Roundhouse. In far too many cases over the past five years, the Democrat-controlled Legislature has refused to take action to preserve the constitutional authority of the legislative branch and has allowed the gove...
Most of us are aware of Donald Trump’s habit of routinely espousing devious and derogatory rhetoric. What we apparently were unaware of was the boundaries he was willing to cross, and his willingness to parrot the words of one of the most sadistic and scurrilous human beings to ever walk this earth. During a campaign stop at a hockey rink in New Hampshire, Trump echoed the words of Adolf Hitler with comments about migrants from mostly Africa, Asia and South America “poisoning the blood of our country.” This phrase is mentioned a number of ti...
Last week America said its final goodbye to Sandra Day O’Connor. The first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court was eulogized at Washington National Cathedral by President Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts. Justice O’Connor was appointed in 1981 by my father, served nearly a quarter century and died Dec. 1 at age 93. As Roberts said, she was “a strong, influential, iconic jurist. Her leadership shaped the legal profession, making it obvious that judges are both women and men.” Most people know about Justice O’Connor making history a...
The Tucumcari boys basketball team overcame an eight-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to rally for a 66-62 victory over state-ranked Raton in the Rattlers' home opener on Thursday. Luis Archuleta scored 10 of his team-leading 19 points in the fourth quarter for Tucumcari. Julian Griego, who added 11 points and eight rebounds, scored a critical three-point play to tie it with two minutes remaining, then sank two free throws with nine seconds left to secure the victory. Kamren Apodaca...
It took almost a month, but the Lady Rattlers basketball team finally played its home opener. And what a happy home opener it was. Tucumcari took control early Thursday against a mismatched Raton squad during a 66-14 victory at Rattler Gymnasium. The Lady Rattlers scored the first 25 points of the game and didn't allow the Tigers a field goal until late in the second period. The Rattlers originally were scheduled to hold their home opener against Robertson in late November, but that was...
Storming to a 20-2 first-quarter lead, the Logan boys basketball team cruised to an 86-48 victory Friday over county rival Tucumcari to improve to 10-0 on the season. The Rattlers went through long periods of shooting woes during the game at Logan. THS coach Gary Hittson attributed his team’s erratic scoring to all the effort expended during a comeback win over state-ranked Raton the night before. “I think we had a big-night hangover after the win against Raton,” he said. “We could not buy a bucket.” Hittson said his team rebounded well again,...
The Tucumcari girls basketball team secured bragging rights against Quay County rival Logan for another year. The Lady Rattlers overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half to notch a 61-53 victory Friday at Logan. Tucumcari capped the last four minutes of the game with a 15-6 run. Tucumcari’s Caylee Benavidez had a monster game, with 37 points and 15 rebounds. It was the highest-scoring game for a Lady Rattler since Ashley Shipley scored 38 in a state tournament game against Navajo Prep in 2020. Kyla Lopez added 13 points and nine r...
The Annie’s Project for women in agriculture will return to the region with a six-week course from Jan. 13 through Feb. 17 at the Tucumcari Convention Center. Agricultural women of all backgrounds and experience are encouraged to participate. Registration is $100 for all six classes, and seating is limited. The classes will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday. Scholarships are available upon request and proven need. All registration includes lunch for each session. Visit the NMSU Quay County Cooperative Extension Web site at q...
The top names given to babies born in New Mexico in 2023 were Olivia for girls and Liam for boys. Liam has been the top boys’ name for three of the last four years. The state’s Department of Health, which has reported on names given to newborns since 2014, on Wednesday released the list of the year’s most popular baby names through Dec. 18. For girls, the second-most popular name was Amelia, followed by Isabella. The rest of the girls’ names, listed by popularity, were Emma, Sofia, Mia, Sophia, Aria, Luna and Camila. For boys, the second-...
Mary B. Mayfield, who became Tucumcari's first female mayor nearly 20 years ago, died on Dec. 1 at her home in Tucumcari. She was 85. Mayfield, a District 4 commissioner, was elected mayor by her fellow commissioners in 2004, stating that the biggest challenge facing the city at that time was economic development. Mayfield succeeded Antonio Apodaca, who declined to run for mayor again after a new commission was seated. She resigned as mayor and city commissioner in 2007 after being advised by...
After struggling to find an alternate site to the doomed Mountain View School, an official with the Early Head Start program said she wants to use classrooms at Tucumcari Elementary School before a modular facility would be installed nearby. Pagie Evans, education specialist of the program, gave a presentation in front of the Tucumcari Public Schools board during its Dec. 18 meeting. She said the program serves 32 children. Evans said she’s been told that Early Head Start would have vacate Mountain View School by March. The program leases t...
A Tucumcari construction company has filed a money judgment complaint and foreclosure lien against the Glenrio Smoke Stop, accusing owners of the marijuana dispensary of not paying for more than $104,000 in construction work. Pacheco Construction & Trucking of Tucumcari filed the complaint on Dec. 18 in Tucumcari district court against Glenrio Properties LLC, dba Glenrio Smoke Stop. Pacheco stated in the three-page complaint it had performed construction at the Glenrio Properties site in February. The company stated Glenrio Properties owes...