Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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On this date ... 1974: Robby Birch, a former Tucumcari Rattler, became a pleasant surprise as a walk-on this season with the Western New Mexico University football team. Birch, a freshman, converted a 23-yard field goal to boost Western to a 17-16 victory over New Mexico Highlands, its first against that school in 11 years. It also gave the Mustangs a three-game winning streak. Birch was a three-year letterman at Tucumcari in football and track, though he was just a second-string place-kicker at THS behind Robin Smith. — New Mexico State P...
Saturday — Pumpkin Crawl and Carving Contest. The Tucumcari Historical Museum at 416 S. Adams St. will host this event from 2 to 4 p.m., with cash prizes from the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce. Saturday — Trunk or Treat. The American Legion Post 20 at 110 E. Tucumcari Blvd. will host this event of games and candy for all children from 2 to 4 p.m. To participate with decorated vehicles, text (505) 264-8188 for more information. Saturday — TucumScary Halloween Block Party. Two blocks of Second Street downtown will be closed to traff...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Breakfast banana split, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, apple, apple juice, skim, 1% or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Cheesy chicken and rice casserole, buffalo chicken wrap, seasoned Italian veggies, garden side salad, ranch dressing, ham and cheese sandwich, fresh baby carrots, barbecued baked Lays chips, fruit cocktail, 1%, skim, chocolate skim or strawberry skim milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Cherry frudel, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, apple, orange juice, 1%, skim or str...
In the wake of a 14% increase in enrollment this fall, Mesalands Community College’s vice president of student affairs presented an updated five-year enrollment management plan that seeks to avoid an “enrollment cliff” many colleges and universities are forecast to encounter. Many higher-learning institutions are bracing for when the number of high-school graduates is expected to peak in 2025 or 2026, then decline for many of the following years. The U.S. saw a falloff in its birthrates after the 2008 recession. Josh McVey told the college’s bo...
Darrel Ray Johnson's daughter-in-law isn't holding out hope he will be found alive after he disappeared from Conchas Lake State Park nearly four months ago. Johnson, 67, of Phoenix last was seen at the park shortly after midnight on June 29, said Michaelyn Kindly, also of Phoenix, who is married to Darrel Johnson Jr. She said Johnson, who had been camping at the park northwest of Tucumcari with a female companion and more than 30 other family members for a birthday party, zipped up his tent...
A Tucumcari student’s research at West Texas A&M University was among those highlighted at an event last week that marked a major anniversary of an academic program. The McNair Scholars Research Showcase was held Oct. 15 in the atrium of Cornette Library on WT’s Canyon campus. The showcase commemorated the program’s 25th anniversary. A total of 15 McNair students displayed posters and discussed their research with WT students, faculty and staff, as well as community visitors. Jodi Vance-Furlow, a senior sports and exercise sciences major from...
Three fired Mesalands Community College employees who sued the college’s board of trustees have settled their cases. District Judge Timothy Rose on Oct. 9 granted unopposed motions from the attorney of former MCC employees Rose Brito, Natalie Gillard and Donna Garcia to dismiss their lawsuits with prejudice, which means they cannot be refiled. The motions for each stated that “all disputed raised by the Plaintiff against the Defendant have been settled the the satisfaction of all parties.” Daniel Apodaca, one of the attorneys for the three...
A Tucumcari man was jailed on felonies after being accused of engaging with two high-speed pursuits with police in three days. Jimmy Lenard Johnson, 40, was charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, plus resisting a law-enforcement officer, criminal damage to property, no driver’s license, speeding by 36 mph and over, criminal trespassing and failure to maintain a traffic lane. The aggravated fleeing counts are fourth-degree felonies that could lead up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. A...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Oct. 14 to Oct. 20: — Mateo Romero, 27, Tucumcari, shoplifting ($250 or less). — Leslie Pacheco, 54, Tucumcari, contempt of court, receiving stolen property ($250 or less), tampering with evidence (third- or fourth-degree felony) and non-residential burglary. — Rudy C. Lopez, 29, Tucumcari, receiving stolen property (dispose; over $250), trafficking (by possession with intent to distribute0, tampering with evidence (capital crime or first- or second-degree felony) and t...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Oct. 14 to Oct. 20: Oct. 14 — 12:15 a.m.: Domestic disturbance at South Sixth Street and West Charles Avenue, Tucumcari. — 11:40 a.m.: Trespassing in 100 block of West Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 11:50 a.m.: Threat in 1000 block of East Heman Avenue, Tucumcari. — 12:59 p.m.: Noise complaint in 600 block of West High Street, Tucumcari. — 1:23 p.m.: Civil dispute in 700 block of North Third Street, Tucumcari. — 3:57 p.m.: Juvenile problem in 1100 blo...
An arrest warrant has been issued for a former Tucumcari restaurateur and city commissioner accused of taking more than $50,000 in kitchen equipment encumbered by a loan from the closed Pow Wow restaurant. Todd Duplantis, 56, is charged with one count of disposing of encumbered property, a second-degree felony that could lead up to nine years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Magistrate Judge Noreen Hendrickson issued the no-bond warrant on Oct. 1, the same day the charge was filed. Duplantis...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Oct. 7 to Oct. 13: Oct. 7 — 4:26 a.m.: Noise complaint in 600 block of South Jackson Street, Tucumcari. — 7:30 a.m.: Animal bite in 400 block of South Rock Island Street, Tucumcari. — 10:56 a.m.: Hit-and-run accident in 100 block of West Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 11:41 a.m.: Accident at South Mountain Road and East Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 11:45 a.m.: Theft in 600 block of East Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 12:41 p.m.: Arrest warr...
With water orders staying strong, the manager of the Arch Hurley Conservancy District stated he anticipated its canals would remain open until their usual seasonal closing of Oct. 31. District manager Franklin McCasland stated in his report to the board of directors at its Oct. 8 meeting that water orders were remaining above 30 cubic feet per second — the criteria it set during its September meeting before closing its canals to Conchas Lake. McCasland stated he anticipated orders would remain above 30 cfs if the weather remained warm. ...
Friday-Saturday — “History Alive: Ghosts of the Old West.” Gather around a campfire to hear stories and legends from the Bell Ranch and Beyond. Storytelling begins at 6 p.m. at the Anchor Chuckwagon the Quay County Fairgrounds. The Tucumcari MainStreet office will have tickets for sale at (575) 461-3701, or they can be obtained at https://square.link/u/WBEiKASq. Saturday — Arf City pet event. Art City in Tucumcari at 10134 Highway 104 and Paws & Claws Animal Rescue of Quay County will host an event of wiener dog races, canine costume connote...
A Tucumcari city commission work session Thursday about municipal codes for water and sewer service prompted the mayor to request a change about the city’s responsibilities with such infrastructure. After hearing the property owners are responsible for sewer and water lines within their property lines, Mayor Mike Cherry recommended codes be changed so a homeowner is responsible only from the city curb to the back fence line. He noted property lines often go from the middle of a street to the middle of an alley. Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Lopez r...
The Quay County Commission on Monday approved a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy informing the agency it must inform the public before taking action over proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors in the county. The letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was written by Commissioner Jerri Rush and signed by Commission Chairman Robert Lopez. Rush wasn’t present in the commission chambers during Monday’s meeting due to illness, but she attended by videoconference. The DOE states on its website the Federal Power Act...
These are results from Quay County entrants at the recent Eastern New Mexico State Fair in Roswell. Poultry Ashton Smith: Champion Production Hen Pen, third overall Production Hen Pen, fourth overall Production Hen Pen, first place Leghorn Hen, first place Barred Rock Rooster. Lizzie Kanapilly: Grand Champion, Baker Rabbit. Market Swine Addie Lafferty: Sixth place Yorkshire, sixth place, Heavy Cross Braden Lightfoot: Eighth place Heavy Hampshire, sixth place Class 12 Cross Market Goat Charmaynn Hall: Second place (third overall), Class 4...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Oct. 7 to Oct. 13: — George Nickolas Molinas, 25, Albuquerque, warrants from other counties or states. — Mark Vernon Lawrence, 42, Logan, aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, driving while license suspended or revoked, speeding, no insurance and no evidence of registration. — Christopher Alfredo Sandoval, 51, Tucumcari, contempt of court. — Angela Madrid, 55, Truth or Consequences, intentional child abuse (no death or great bodily harm). — Dalton Christesson, 29,...
Tucumcari city manager said organizers have set the date for a drag-racing event on city streets in 2025 before a bigger one during Route 66’s centennial in 2026. Paula Chacon told the city’s Lodgers Tax Advisory Board on Wednesday that one of the organizers, Doug Woodward, scheduled the so-called “soft event” for April 26, 2025. Woodward said at an earlier meeting he wants the 2026 event — tentatively set for September or October — to have 300 vehicles. Organizers want to pattern it after the annual Kingman Route 66 Street Drags in Kingman,...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Apple spiced muffins, blueberry overnight oats, string cheese, pear, apple juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Chicken patty sandwich, buffalo chicken wrap, potato wedge fries, seasoned peas, fresh broccoli, fruit cocktail, 1%, skim, chocolate skim or strawberry skim milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Whole-grain donut ring, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, cinnamon graham cracker, banana, orange juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Beef and bean Frito pie, ham and cheese sandwich, green leaf let... Full story
On this day of Oct. 16, 1974: Tucumcari voters rejected a bid to recall Mayor James Saltz and two city commissioners from office over their controversial annexation decision. About 55% of the city’s voters cast their ballots against recalling Saltz and the commissioners, according to unofficial results. Residents had gathered 600 signatures for the recall petition after they voted to annex the land, setting up a decision by Judge Stanley Frost to call for the election. On a related note, voters also rejected an annexation of 110 acres south of...
Members of the Princess Theatre Task Force on Thursday received a glimpse of several possible facade improvements as part of an incremental plan to bring the long-closed Tucumcari venue back to life. Artist renderings of the reimagined facade were well-received by task force members. But news that morning of a break-in and damage at the theater cast a pall over the meeting, as did some pointed back-and-forth talk over a lack of communication about the draft of the plan. The city, which has...
A bridge on Old Route 66 east of San Jon destroyed by flash flooding last year won’t be replaced in time for the highway’s centennial in 2026. Quay County manager Daniel Zamora delivered that news to Tucumcari’s Route 66 Centennial Task Force during its meeting at City Hall on Oct. 8. The county is suing the architect and contractor after it found the multimillion-dollar bridge carried no insurance coverage. Severe flooding in May 2023 washed out the span just days from completion. Zamora said negotiations on a possible settlement were “goin...
The deadlock at TPS has been broken. New Mexico Public Education Secretary Mariana Padilla chose Carlos Romero to be the next representative for District 1 on the Tucumcari Public Schools board. Padilla was forced to make the choice after four TPS board members deadlocked twice in their votes for Romero or the other finalist, Andrea Madrid. "You have been identified as a person recommended to carry out these important responsibilities, and the determination has been reached to appoint you as...
Jarrett Marcum captured this image of the glow of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, through the clouds early Friday at Ute Lake State Park in Logan. Many in northern New Mexico caught a rare glimpse of the phenomenon, which is caused by an unusually strong solar flare from the sun....