Year in review: Turmoil in Tucumcari

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 officials and residents who'd dealt with loose dogs for years.

Mesalands officials issued a no-confidence vote against President Gregg Busch - weeks after he received a contract extension - after it was discovered the college was in dire economic condition and that he had issued alleged threats of firings if staff revealed that.

Busch left town shortly afterward and resigned weeks later. A longtime chairman of the board of trustees also resigned. The board hired Allen Moss as interim president, implemented pay cuts and used emergency state funds in an effort to right its finances.

In late May, a severe storm dropped baseball-size hail and torrential rains on the region, causing flooding and widespread damage - including a bridge east of San Jon days from completion. Contractors still were replacing roofs on Tucumcari buildings six months later.

Here are summaries of the Quay County Sun's top stories, listed by edition date, in the first six months of 2023. The second half of 2023 will be reviewed in next week's edition.

Lopez picked county chair

Jan. 11 - The Quay County Commission elected District 1 Commissioner Robert Lopez as chairman for the next year. New Quay County sheriff Dennis Garcia, new county commissioner Brian Fortner and other county officials also were sworn into office.

Design of hospital shown

Jan. 11 - A healthcare planner presented to the Quay County Commission a "90% finished" design of a new Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari that was expected to cost nearly $30 million. Funding, however, remained elusive.

Logan wins grant for rec complex

Jan. 18 - The state awarded the Village of Logan a nearly $5 million grant to build a recreational and softball complex near Ute Lake State Park.

City lands grant to fix pool

Jan. 18 - The City of Tucumcari received a $216,803 state recreation grant to repair its municipal pool, which had been closed since 2019.

MCC president gets extension

Jan. 25 - The Mesalands Community College board of trustees unanimously approved a four-year extension for President Gregg Busch.

Teen's death mourned

Feb. 1 - A Tucumcari High School freshman, Jayden Gloms, died in a one-vehicle accident at Five Mile Park, touching off spasms of grief from the student body and gestures of support from the community.

Dogs kill Tucumcari man

Feb. 1 - A pack of dogs attacked and killed a Tucumcari man as he walked near Mesalands. Five mixed-breed dogs attacked Stanley Hartt, 64, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Appointee doesn't live in district

Feb. 1 - The Tucumcari City Commission voted 3-1 to appoint Matt Bednorz to fill in as District 3 commissioner for the rest of the year, though he lived outside the district. Bednorz stepped down from consideration after District 4 Commissioner Christopher Arias filed a lawsuit to block his appointment.

Tucumcari police chief fired

Feb. 1 - Tucumcari city manager Paula Chacon confirmed Police Chief Pete Rivera had been terminated. She did not give a reason for the firing.

MCC president voted

no-confidence

Feb. 8 - Executive staff of Mesalands unanimously passed a vote of no confidence against President Gregg Busch amid reports of overspending and alleged firing threats against employees if details of the college being under state fiscal oversight were revealed.

MCC plan includes pay cuts

Feb. 8 - The Mesalands board approved an insolvency plan that imposed progressively deeper pay cuts for higher-earning employees and cut some programs for the financially distressed college.

Two charged in dog attack

Feb. 8 - Two Tucumcari residents were charged in the death of a resident who was attacked and killed by a pack of dogs. Mary Montoya, 50, and Kristopher Morris, 27, each was charged with involuntary manslaughter and a dangerous dog (death of a person).

Rattler Gym hosts teen's funeral

Feb. 8 - Coaches, family members and a classmate bared emotions, told stories and shared laughs about Tucumcari teenager Jayden Gloms during his funeral at Rattler Gymnasium. Gloms died in an accident at Five Mile Park.

MCC appoints acting

president

Feb. 15 - The Mesalands board of trustees appointed Allen Moss as acting interim president, but not without testy opposition from executive staff who labeled the move as "retaliatory."

County assessor resigning

Feb. 15 - Quay County Assessor Janie Hoffman said she was stepping down after a total of 14 years in the position. Hoffman announced to county commissioners she would resign effective June 30 due to a business venture she deemed as a conflict of interest.

Employees blast MCC president

Feb. 15 - Executive staff for financially troubled Mesalands and representatives from its faculty and staff senates during a special board of trustees meeting criticized President Gregg Busch, who wasn't present. The senates also criticized the board of trustees for alleged lack of oversight over Busch and the college's finances.

Animal-complaint calls jump

Feb. 22 - Animal-complaint calls in Tucumcari nearly double after a fatal dog attack earlier in the month.

MCC board chairman resigns

March 1 - The chairman of the Mesalands board of trustees stepped down after 31 years as a member. Jim Streetman stated in his resignation letter he was retiring and resigning from the college's foundation, effective immediately.

Memorial held for dog victim

March 1 - About 20 people viewed a tree-planting ceremony in memory of a Tucumcari man killed by a pack of dogs in February.

Governor to let COVID order expire

March 8 - New Mexico's governor announced she would let her COVID-19 executive order expire at the end of the month - ending three years of such orders since the pandemic began in early 2020.

Busch resigns from MCC

March 15 - Embattled and absent Mesalands President Gregory Busch submitted a formal resignation letter. Busch and his wife left town after the college's executive team, staff and faculty submitted no-confidence votes in February.

MCC approves Moss as interim president

March 22 - The Mesalands board approved Allen Moss as the college's interim president, effective immediately, during its first in-person meeting in three years.

County's mapper hired as assessor

March 22 - Quay County commissioners chose the county's geographic information system mapper, Dana Leonard, as its next assessor.

House superintendent on paid leave

March 22 - House Municipal Schools Superintendent Bonnie Lightfoot was placed on paid administrative leave by the school board. Parents said the move was in response to the handling of an alleged threat made by a student, but board members would not confirm.

Logan chief hired as

administrator

March 29 - The Village of Logan tapped its police chief, Rodney Paris, as village administrator.

Interim House

superintendent hired

April 5 - Coby Norman, former Farwell, Texas, high school principal, was chosen to as interim superintendent of House Municipal Schools by the school board.

Ex-county manager lands MCC seat

April 12 - The Mesalands board appointed former Quay County manager Richard Primrose to fill an open District 1 seat created by the resignation of longtime chairman Jim Streetman.

Attorney wants new county lobbyist

April 26 - Quay County government's attorney, alleging a conflict of interest by Clovis-based lobbyist Clinton D. Harden & Associates, suggested the county share the cost of another lobbying firm being considered by the Village of Logan.

Primrose elected chair of MCC board

May 3 - Former Quay County manager Richard Primrose attended his first meeting as a member of the Mesalands board and promptly was elected its chairman.

Legion post to be in Hardee's building

May 3 - A former Tucumcari resident reactivated the city's American Legion Post 20 after more than a quarter-century hiatus and will house it in the long-closed Hardee's building after renovations.

Huffman wins 2 state titles

May 10 - Haisley Huffman became the first Tucumcari girls athlete to win multiple events at a state meet in more than 20 years. The junior used a clutch final attempt to repeat as Class 3A champion in the long jump. The next day, she broke a school record while winning the triple jump - an event she began practicing for only a few weeks ago.

Logan boys win state track title

May 10 - Thanks in part to Haden Judd winning four events in record fashion, the Logan boys captured their first team title since 2016 during the Class 1A-3A Track & Field Championships.

Storm causes long outage

May 24 - A tornado knocked down a transmission line supplying electricity to Tucumcari, causing a 19-hour outage.

Hail, floods cause damage

May 31 - A severe hailstorm and heavy rain cause widespread damage and flooding throughout the area. The Tucumcari Convention Center and Tucumcari Chamber of Commerce building were closed after hailstones broke through roofs and allowed rainwater to pour inside. Tucumcari's police chief said she received reports of 4 to 5 inches of rain during the storm.

City commission OKs raises

June 7 - The Tucumcari City Commission during a special meeting approved a preliminary budget that gives $1-an-hour raises to employees, with a $2-an-hour raise and a $5,000 retention bonus to police officers.

County OKs disaster

resolution

June 7 - The Quay County Commission approved a declaration-of-disaster resolution after flash flooding severely damaged county roads, including a bridge days from completion.

Suit dismissed over body-slam arrest

June 7 - A Tucumcari man's lawsuit against the city, the police department and two officers after he was body-slammed to the ground during a 2021 arrest was dismissed. Plaintiff Pete Apodaca and defendants filed a joint motion to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice because "they have reached a full and final resolution of this matter."

Lawsuit: Driver in crash lacked license

June 14 - The father of a Tucumcari teen Jayden Gloms, who died in an accident at Five Mile Park in January, alleged in a wrongful-death lawsuit that an unlicensed juvenile was driving during the crash.

MCC finances improve

June 28 - A report by Mesalands' chief financial officer and documents sent to the state indicate the college's finances had improved significantly after it earlier was in danger of not making payroll.

Native inducted to NM Sports Hall

June 28 - Tucumcari native Danny Villanueva was named to the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. He had several big moments for New Mexico State University, then played with the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.