Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
On this date ...
1974: New Mexico State Police confiscated more than 800,000 amphetamine tablets during a traffic stop one mile west of Tucumcari on Interstate 40.
Police arrested the driver from Scottsdale, Arizona, who once lived in Oklahoma City. The pills were found in 29 sacks inside a suitcase.
Officers estimated the pills had a street value of $435,000.
The suspect was booked into the county jail on $12,500 bond for a felony drug-distribution charge.
— The City of Tucumcari again was experiencing problems at its power plant. A valve collapsed in Worthington Engine No. 8, cracking the head and piston and scarring the liner. This prompted a shutdown of another engine and stopped all electrical lighting in the city where possible. Residents were asked to conserve energy.
— A 14-year-old boy from San Francisco was injured when the motorcycle he was driving collided with a pickup driven by a Tucumcari resident near Third Street and Hines Avenue. The victim, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered injuries to his head and face. He was admitted to Trigg Memorial Hospital
— Craig Cosner was elected president of the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce. Julius Fitzner was elected first vice president and Grant Morper as second VP. The new directors will be Morper, Alan Morris, Bettie Ditto, Neil Craig and Craig Currell.
— The Santa Rosa boys basketball team, using an effective press defense, handed Tucumcari its third loss in a row, 65-47. Rene Maciel led the Rattlers with 18 points, while TJ Parks came off the bench to add eight points and several rebounds.
— The Odeon Theatre was screening two true-life mystery films, “The Devil’s Triangle” and “Chariots of the Gods.” The producers of “Triangle” offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who could solve the mystery. It claimed 1,000 people and 100 vessels vanished in the Atlantic Ocean in a triangle between Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.