Serving the High Plains

Articles from the October 11, 2023 edition


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  • County to get $9.8M for new bridge

    Ron Warnick, The Staff of The News|Oct 11, 2023

    Quay County commissioners on Monday approved agreements to receive a total of $9.8 million in federal funds over two fiscal years to build a new bridge on Old Route 66 between San Jon and Endee. The funds would include about $2.92 million for a design pact. The total project cost would be $10.22 million, according to documents in the commissioners’ packet. It would include a local match of $426,030. County manager Daniel Zamora said the current 1931 bridge, called Bridge 1042, for years has been listed as one of the state’s lowest-rated bri...

  • Voters to decide on hospital tax renewal

    Staff report|Oct 11, 2023

    Quay County voters will decide in the Nov. 7 election whether to continue a longstanding sales-tax subsidy for Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari. The ballot issue would renew a one-eighth-cent gross receipts tax that would be used for the hospital’s operations and maintenance. The tax generates about $200,000 a year for the hospital and its primary care clinics in Tucumcari and Logan. Vickie Gutierrez, administrator and chief nurse executive at Trigg, said examples of equipment purchased with the sales tax are a new ultrasound machine, a n...

  • TPS board hears pitch on superintendent search

    Ron Warnick, The Staff of The News|Oct 11, 2023

    The Tucumcari school board heard a sales pitch last week from representatives of the New Mexico School Boards Association to help the board search for a replacement for its retiring superintendent. TPS superintendent Aaron McKinney gave the board verbal notice last month he intends to retire on Jan. 1 after 18 years of guiding the district. McKinney has signaled his retirement date might be fluid because he wants the ongoing baseball and softball ballparks redevelopment project to be substantially finished before stepping down. Tom Sullivan...

  • Bond votes on tap for four schools

    Staff report|Oct 11, 2023

    All four public schools in Quay County have bond questions for voters on the Nov. 7 election ballot, including what could be a highly consequential one for San Jon. For voters in the district for San Jon Municipal Schools, the ballot states the proposed bond issue would be for up to $350,000, though its superintendent has said the district would need only $200,000 to $250,000. (More on that later.) An approval of the measure could lead to a lot more. If voters approve the bonds, the district likely will be in line for a grant of up to $30...

  • Menus - Oct. 11

    Oct 11, 2023

    Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Chicken patty sandwich, chef salad, buffalo chicken wrap, ranch potato wedges, seasoned peas, fresh broccoli, fruit cocktail, 1%, skim, chocolate skim or strawberry skim milk. Thursday — Pepperoni pizza, ham and cheese sandwich, garden side salad, fresh baby carrots, fresh pear, 1%, skim, chocolate skim or strawberry skim milk. Monday — Barbecued pork sandwich, turkey and cheese deluxe hoagie, vegetarian chef salad, tater tots, dill pickle spear, baked beans, garden side salad, pineapple tidbits,1%, skim, choco...

  • Calendar - Oct. 11

    Oct 11, 2023

    • Friday-Saturday — 15th annual Mesalands Community College Grand Canyon Region Intercollegiate Rodeos. The Quay County Rodeo Arena will host two successive rodeos each day. Gates open at 5 p.m., with the rodeos beginning nightly at 6. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for teenagers and free for children age 12 and younger. • Friday, Saturday and Oct. 20 — “The Hauntings of Alex Street: A History Alive Tour.” The $20 tickets for these walking tours at 6 p.m. at the Tucumcari Railroad Museum include a snack and a ticket for a screening o...

  • Pages past - Oct. 11

    Oct 11, 2023

    On this date … 1973: U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned after accepting a plea deal in a Baltimore courtroom in exchange for a lighter sentence. Agnew also said he resigned to spare anguish to his family and the nation. He had pleaded no contest to tax evasion. Agnew also was fined $10,000 and given three years of probation. His associates told federal prosecutors he initiated a plan to extort thousands of dollars from consulting engineers that were awarded contracts by the state of Maryland without competitive bidding. President R...

  • Higher education needs a revolution

    Bloomberg News, Syndicated content|Oct 11, 2023

    When the revolution in higher education finally arrives, how will we know? I have a simple metric: When universities change how they measure faculty work time. Using this yardstick, the U.S. system remains far from a fundamental transformation. It is no accident that former college president Brian Rosenberg titled his new book, "‘Whatever It Is, I’m Against It’: Resistance to Change in Higher Education." Some background: Faculty at Tier 1 research universities (which includes my own employer, George Mason University) typically bargain for w...

  • McCarthy's ouster of his own making

    Elwood Watson, Syndicated content|Oct 11, 2023

    Oct. 3 will go down in American history as the first time a speaker of the House was expelled from Congress by his own peers. Kevin McCarthy, a man consumed of blind personal ambition and self-interest, was shown the exit door by his congressional colleagues. Eight Republicans – Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Nancy Mace and Matt Rosendale – joined all Democrats (who were unanimous) in voting out McCarthy. The American public witnessed Republican members of the House of Representatives engage in an int...

  • What's the plan with Speaker gone?

    Michael Reagan, Syndicated content|Oct 11, 2023

    OK, my fellow Republicans, you got rid of Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Eight of you joined with every Democrat in the House of Representatives – the only part of the federal government we control – to vote McCarthy out, 216-210. In the process you threw the House into chaos, killed any hope of passing important bills anytime soon and made yourselves the laughing stock of the political world. OK, so you made history. Now what’s your plan? And where is it? What? You have no plan? You don’t even know who you’ll replace McCarthy with yet? Many Repu...

  • THS spikers win sixth in a row

    Staff report|Oct 11, 2023

    Tucumcari’s volleyball team extended its winning streak to six with a resounding 25-16, 25-17, 25-11 non-district victory over visiting Pecos on Saturday. Cambree Benavidez made a team-high 12 kills for the Lady Rattlers, and teammate July Lafferty added nine kills and three blocks. Haisley Huffman added six kills, and Harley McKinney served four aces. Caylee Benavidez totaled 31 assists. “The girls played fundamentally sound during the game,” Tucumcari coach Dana Benavidez said. “They worked on eliminating unforced errors. July and Caylee...

  • Logan rallies over No. 2 Ft. Sumner

    Staff report|Oct 11, 2023

    Logan came back from a three-touchdown deficit in the third quarter to nab a 38-34 district victory over No. 2-ranked and defending state champion Fort Sumner in eight-man football action on Friday. Logan senior quarterback Brock Burns threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Aydin Kotara scored three TDs. Logan was ranked sixth coming into the game at Fort Sumner. The Longhorns defense also forced two turnovers — including an interception return for a touchdown by Kotara. The Logan D also halted the Foxes’ offense on three possessions during...

  • Logan spikers edge No. 2 Legacy

    Ron Warnick, The Staff of The News|Oct 11, 2023

    LOGAN - Logan's gymnasium wasn't close to being full Saturday, but the crowd noise and especially the play on the volleyball court resembled a state-tournament atmosphere. In the end, fourth-ranked Logan (10-4) emerged triumphant in an epic 25-21, 20-25, 26-24, 19-25, 18-16 non-district battle against second-ranked Legacy Academy of Albuquerque (11-2) in what likely will be a preview of the Class 1A state tournament. The Silverbacks' only previous loss was to No. 1-ranked Melrose in four sets...

  • THS football finds itself in playoff contention

    Ron Warnick, The Staff of The News|Oct 11, 2023

    Tucumcari's football team finds itself in an unfamiliar spot - in the running for a berth for the Class 3A playoffs. After a 12-7 victory over district foe Ruidoso on Sept. 29, the Rattlers (3-3) were ranked 11th in Class 3A in last week's MaxPreps.com ratings formula. That's a decent position for the Rattlers, as the top 12 seeded teams earn a postseason berth. The last time the Rattlers made the playoffs was in 2017, when they went 2-9 and lost in the first round to Tularosa. First-year...

  • Faith columnist writes book about rule of Moses

    Ron Warnick, The Staff of The News|Oct 11, 2023

    Don't expect light reading from a local pastor's new book about Moses. Gordan Runyan, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari for the past 13 years and a faith columnist for the Quay County Sun, said readers probably will be "challenged" by the recently released "Radical Moses: The Amazing Civil Freedom Built into Ancient Israel" (self-published, 140 pages, e-book available). Runyan said during a phone interview that his book, published in late August, explains the libertarian type of gov...

  • MCC hosting a business boot camp

    Staff report|Oct 11, 2023

    Mesalands Community College is hosting a free “Business 101: Boot Camp” from 10 a.m. to noon on Oct. 25. The training will teach entrepreneurs key components of starting or owning their own businesses, including marketing, bookkeeping, accounting, financials and sales. The training will be in Room A222 at the college at 911 S. 10th St. in Tucumcari. It’s presented by the North East Economic Development Organization, Small Business Development Center at Luna Community College and New Mexico State University and is being promoted by the Great...

  • New Mexico to experience solar eclipse Saturday

    Staff report|Oct 11, 2023

    A sizable chunk of New Mexico will experience a near-total solar eclipse on Saturday morning, though the phenomenon will be a little less pronounced in Quay County. NASA describes the event that day as an annular eclipse - where the moon passes between the sun but is at or near its farthest point from Earth. As a result, the moon appears smaller than the sun and doesn't completely cover it. A NASA map shows the eclipse starting in New Mexico in the Four Corners area and moving southeast. Areas...

  • Remembrances are made of these

    Leonard Lauriault, Religion columnist|Oct 11, 2023

    Besides specific holidays, October is designated as the month of remembrance for many things. Likely, we all have special memories in October; some glad, some sad. For me, the month includes several special events – starting my first job after college, quitting smoking before my first child’s birth, my first date with Lisa, going to the Balloon Fiesta, and the births of Lisa’s mother and daughter (on the same day of the month) and my first granddaughter. Some memories should be kept; others are best forgotten. For example, because love keeps...

  • Police blotter - Oct. 11

    Oct 11, 2023

    These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Oct. 2 to Oct. 8: Monday — 2:30 a.m.: Noise complaint at East High and South Lake streets, Tucumcari. — 4:46 a.m.: Prowler in 1800 block of South Fourth Street, Tucumcari. — 6:33 a.m.: Accident in 32600 block of Interstate 40 east, Tucumcari. — 8:12 a.m.: Accident in 36800 block of Interstate 40 east, Bard. — 9:03 a.m.: Hit-and-run accident in 2400 block of South First Street, Tucumcari. — 10:51 a.m.: Fire in 500 block of East Turner Avenue, Tucumcari....

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