Week of May 1, 2024
Week of May 1, 2024
The Tucumcari Film Festival capped its annual awards ceremony Saturday night with a surprise award to the owners of the historic Odeon Theatre. Bobby Hockaday, the festival's chief organizer, announced the Curtain Call Award to the husband-and-wife team of Robert Lopez and Christy Dominguez, who have owned the venue since 2013. The Odeon, which dates to 1936, is under contract to be sold to an unnamed local resident. Hockaday described Lopez and Dominguez as "stewards" of the theater. "Your...
Tucumcari city commissioners during a Thursday work session discussed possible changes to the animal control code, including higher fines for owners of dogs or cats not neutered or spayed and a requirement to hold a license for breeding animals. City manager Paula Chacon, Tucumcari Police Chief Patti Lopez and Paws & Claws Animal Rescue of Quay County President Kathi McClellan have met regularly since last fall to discuss possible changes to the code. The amendments to animal codes weren’t acted upon during Thursday’s regular meeting....
More than 50 school districts, including all four in Quay County, joined a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the New Mexico Public Education Department’s 180-day instruction rule set for this fall. The 90-page suit, filed in Curry County, seeks a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief to keep the rule from taking effect on July 1. The suit had been expected for weeks. The PED’s rule, announced in March, essentially would force nearly all school districts with four-days-a-week schedules to move to five days. Four-day districts can...
A district court judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order preventing the New Mexico Public Education Department from enforcing its 180-day school rule, court records show. The PED’s new rule was to be implemented with the 2024-2025 school year. The order issued by Judge Dustin K. Hunter of Roswell requires the PED to “show cause” at a hearing on May 13 as to why the order should not continue “as a preliminary injunction pending final determination” of the case. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs – New Mexico School...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from April 22 to April 29: — Brian Gene Robinson, 47, Albuquerque, felony contempt of court. — Kelsey Kite, 30, Tucumcari, warrant from other counties or states. — Anique Montano, 20, Tucumcari, battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. — Jimmy Lenard Johnson, 39, Tucumcari, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer (arrest), felony tampering with evidence (capital crime of first- or...
Newly hired Tucumcari Public Schools superintendent Carl Marano said he’d talk with teachers, staffers and parents in the district, but he said his first priority is students. “A lot of times we forget about listening to the students,” he said shortly after the school board voted to hire him during a special meeting on April 22. “And I think that’s No. 1.” Marano, 52, said he learned that approach during his quarter-century in education, including at his current employer, Santa Fe Public Schools, where he is an assistant...
The City of Tucumcari and Mesalands Community College are joining forces to throw a Cinco de Mayo celebration on Saturday. The Tucumcari Convention Center at 1500 W. Route 66 Blvd. will host two musical acts from 8 a.m. to midnight Saturday. Performing will be Peter Vigil and The All-Star Band, plus the Colorado AllStarz. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the doors, which open at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Mesalands, the City of Tucumcari or the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call (575) 461-3451,...
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from April 22 to April 28: April 22 — 6:22 a.m.: Domestic disturbance in 100 block of South Jackson Street, Tucumcari. — 10:48 a.m.: Civil dispute in 200 block of South First Street, Tucumcari. — 1:10 p.m.: Arrest warrant in 200 block of West Aber Street, Tucumcari. — 4:36 p.m.: Breaking and entering in 1300 block of East Main Street, Tucumcari. — 4:50 p.m.: Hit-and-run accident in 400 block of West Tucumcari Boulevard, Tucumcari. — 4:56 p.m.:...
On this date ... 1974: The National Transportation Safety Board criticized the New Mexico Highway Department for failing to improve hazardous conditions at a narrow U.S. 60 bridge before a church bus and cattle truck collided two years ago, killing 19 people. The report stated that highway officials were aware of hazardous conditions at the bridge near Fort Sumner, but “the officials, instead of making spot improvements, waited for construction of a new highway.” In another report, school buses put in to operation in New Mexico since Jan....
Saturday — Quay County rabies clinics. These four locations will offer $15 rabies shots for dogs and cats: Nara Visa fire station from 10:30 to 11:30 Central; Logan city warehouse behind the Annex from 1 to 3 p.m.; San Jon old fire station from 4 to 5 p.m.; and in Tucumcari from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. at the city warehouse at 302 W. Center St. Other vaccinations are available at additional cost. Please bring dogs on a leash and cats in a carrier. Saturday — Cinco de Mayo Celebration. Peter Vigil and the All-Star Band and...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Peach and yogurt parfait, Cocoa Puffs cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, fruit cocktail, orange juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Green Frito pie, chef salad, pinto beans, shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa, fruit cocktail, 1%, skim, chocolate skim or strawberry skim milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Blueberry muffin, string cheese, Lucky Charms cereal, cinnamon graham cracker, fruit cocktail, apple juice, 1%, skim or strawberry skim milk; Lunch: Cheeseburger with garnish, turkey...
Tucumcari senior long-jumper Haisley Huffman came close to breaking the school record in that event but settled for first place instead during the six-team Tucumcari Quad meet at Rattler Stadium last Tuesday. Huffman, a two-time Class 3A champion in the long jump, was hoping to surpass the THS record of 18 feet set by Sandy Fortner in 2002. Huffman logged measured jumps of 18 feet, 5 inches and 18 feet, 8 inches but scratched during both attempts, thwarting her bid to break the school mark...
The Tucumcari softball team reeled off four straight wins last week, including a doubleheader sweep Wednesday at Clayton. Tucumcari won the non-district games over the Yellowjackets by scores of 26-2 and 18-0, with both shortened by the mercy rule. In the opener, the Lady Rattlers scored nine runs in the third inning and 13 in the fourth. Tucumcari rapped 15 hits and drew 24 walks. Alexis Ramirez went 2-for-3 at the plate, including a double and a triple, with six RBI. Angel Vasquez also hit a double and a triple and drove in three runs....
The Logan High School boys and girls teams each prevailed over the rest of the field at the nine-team EPAC Varsity Meet on Saturday at Logan. The Longhorns breezed to the title with 139 points, well past runner-up Melrose and its 104 points. House finished with nine points. The Lady Longhorns scored 99 points to edge the runner-up Lady Buffs and their 93 points. Logan’s Haden Judd won three events — the 100-meter dash (11.36 seconds), the 300-meter hurdles race (0:42.55) and pole vault (15 feet). He also finished second in the 200-meter...
Logan broke open a close game in the sixth inning to secure an 11-4 district victory at No. 1-ranked Melrose last Monday. The Longhorns were clinging to a 5-4 lead when they scored five in the top of the sixth. Jace Jackson and Mason Wallin each had big hits during the rally. Wallin went 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and four RBI. Jackson and Kaeden Stoner each drove in two runs, and Mitchell Wall hit a solo homer. On the mound, Stoner and reliever Brock Burns combined for 12 strikeouts and allowed just four runs (two earned). “Our...
The Rattlers managed just three hits during a 12-0 district loss last Tuesday at Sandia Prep. The Sundevils scored in every inning of the game, which was shortened due to the mercy rule. Nick Goen, Josh Griego and Pat Garcia were the only Rattlers to produce hits against Sandia Prep. Goen smacked a double. Three Sandia Prep pitchers combined to strike out eight and allowed five walks during the shutout. Five Tucumcari errors led to six unearned runs for starting pitcher Goen and reliever Griego. Tucumcari fell to 3-13 overall and 0-8 in...
“Pastor, how can you believe in the Bible when it’s been translated so many times?” That’s a common objection. Meaning no insult, but it’s an argument based on ignorance. The objector doesn’t know anything about how the Bible came to be and assumes the worst: a shadowy history littered with corruptions both accidental and nefarious. It’s assumed that we got the Scriptures through a process much like the old party game, “Phone Message.” In that game, you line up several children in a row. A long sentence is told to the first...
We could learn a lot from the animal kingdom. Hundreds of critters have passed through the gates of Head Acres over the years. We’ve had Spanish bulls, emus, hogs, ducks, horses, snakes, chickens, lots and lots of chickens, chickens, feral cats, and most recently a “not-my-peacock” named Chicky. Chicky’s screeches did take some getting used to but now we look forward to his call. Some of our animal friends were destined to go on to rescue; we were a safe albeit temporary place for them to land. Others were destined to stay, whether...
The noise may be more pronounced elsewhere, but here in New Mexico, we’ve got plenty of hot topics of our own. Hottest at the moment, I suppose, is the lawsuit that’s been filed challenging the Public Education Department’s new rule requiring 180 days of classroom instruction per year per school district, which effectively nixes the four-day schedule that dozens of school district have been operating under. There are two questions before the 9th Judicial District Court in Curry County: Whether to order an injunction that would prevent...
Another week, another round of Republicans attacking each other. This time it was over the Ukraine funding bill that was passed by the House and ultimately became part of the big military aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that Congress passed late last month. The Republican controlled House, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, passed the Ukraine funding bill after what seemed like years of delays by a vote of 311-112. All the “no” votes came from Republicans and Johnson had to rely on Democrats to get the bill over the finish line....
For almost a decade, Donald Trump has sent the Republican Party and much of the mainstream media into a political whirlwind. Trump’s bombastic behavior and searing personal attacks have angered many establishment Republicans while endearing him to hard-line conservatives. But it’s nothing new for the Grand Old Party. Over the past half-century, Republicans have engaged in behavior that has allowed individuals like Trump to rise and flourish in their ranks. Much of it can be traced back to the 1964 Republican National Convention in San...