Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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Earlier this month in Louisiana's capital of Baton Rouge, that city's oldest Mardi Gras carnival organization held its elaborate annual Tableau Ball in front of an estimated 700 people. That organization is called the Krewe of Tucumcari, founded in 1947. Yes, the organization is named after the Quay County seat. But how did this happen in a city 900 miles from Tucumcari? It turns out several of the Krewe of Tucumcari's founders were traveling west to visit relatives in Albuquerque in the late...
Three seniors on the Tucumcari girls basketball team played a sizable role in their team's dominating 64-29 district victory Friday over visiting New Mexico Military Institute. On Senior Night where those athletes in winter sports and their parents were honored before the game, those three Lady Rattlers upperclassmen - Kirksey Smith, Alexis Ramirez and Haisley Huffman - combined for 18 points during the win. That pleased Tucumcari coach Patrick Benavidez. "It's big for our team right now to get...
The Tucumcari boys basketball team turned up the intensity of their rebounding and defense late in the game, surging to a 64-53 district victory Friday over visiting New Mexico Military Institute. The Rattlers totaled just nine rebounds in the first half as the Colts staked a 33-32 halftime lead. THS had mounted a small rally in the third quarter for a slim 46-43 advantage, but coach Gary Hittson wanted more. "I told them, 'If we win this one, it's a three-way tie for second (in the district)....
About 2 1/2 years after moving here, artist Matt Monahan's efforts to make Tucumcari more of an artist-friendly city are ramping up. He recently finished installing five travel trailers, composting toilets and a stage at his Sunlit Ranch home south of town that will be used for artist residencies. Monahan recently closed on a purchase of 40 acres off Highway 104 a few miles north of Tucumcari that will become a so-called Art City - a sculpture park and luxury campground. Monahan spoke during a...
Over $38 million in road work on Interstate 40 in Quay County is on tap for this spring, with more projects in the planning stages. For some drivers, those repairs won't come soon enough. Tucumcari shops have been busy all winter fixing more damaged tires because of I-40's potholes. "I know it's really bad on the west side of town," Quality Lube & Tire co-owner Leif Gray said last week. He said he began noticing four months ago an upswing in tire repairs due to the bad condition of I-40. His sho...
Two resignations in city government in 2022 and a lack of follow-up inquiries apparently caused a proposal for a downtown memorial to New Mexico civil rights icon and Tucumcari native Alice Faye Kent Hoppes to stall until her nephew revived the idea last month. Former Tucumcari mayor Ruth Ann Litchfield admitted in a phone interview she “dropped the ball” with the plan to install the Hoppes memorial at Sands Dorsey Park downtown. Litchfield said she took biographical information about from Hoppes’ nephew, Anthony Kent, in the spring of 2022 and...
LOGAN - Logan junior Diego Sanchez was sidelined with an injury in virtually all of his team's previous clash against Melrose at the EPAC tournament. His presence Thursday showed how much the Longhorns missed him. Sanchez scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the No. 2-ranked Longhorns to a 61-53 comeback victory over the top-ranked Buffaloes in a key district game that featured 13 lead changes and several ties. Mason Wallin scored 15 points for the Longhorns (19-2,...
LOGAN - Strong defense carried the Lady Longhorns past foul trouble and a shooting slump in the second quarter to a 45-35 district victory Thursday over arch-rival Melrose. Camryn Cantrell scored five of her 11 points in the fourth quarter to expand Logan's lead to double digits. Hailee Robertson and Lizzy Horner also scored 11 points to lead the Lady Longhorns' balanced attack. They avenged a 44-43 loss to the Lady Buffaloes on Jan. 13 in the EPAC tournament final. Logan, ranked sixth in Class...
Board members for the Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corp. received a draft of a memorandum of understanding that would have one manager to direct both it and the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce. Regardless of whether the respective boards approve that arrangement, the EDC’s interim director said during the board’s meeting Jan. 30 the organization needs to straighten out its financial records. Interim director Kristine Olsen said the EDC’s accounting software still contains 60 open invoices. “Something with our Quickbo...
A Tucumcari police officer remains on administrative leave after being arrested and briefly jailed last week on domestic violence-related charges involving a former girlfriend. The woman also filed a petition for an order for protection against him, citing domestic abuse, court records show. Matthew Paul Lopez, 24, was arrested on a warrant and briefly jailed at the Quay County Detention Center on misdemeanor charges of battery against a household member, interference with communication and criminal trespass. Misdemeanor charges carry a...
Quay County commissioners on Monday approved a $550,000 revolving fund application with the New Mexico Finance Authority to help the emergency dispatch center move to a new site in Tucumcari. The no-interest loan to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center would be paid with gross receipts taxes. The dispatch center currently is housed in one room of the Tucumcari Police Department. According to documents in the commission’s packet, costs for moving to a new 911 center include $10,000 for planning and design, $350,000 for c...
It's hard to win a basketball game if you can't make shots at point-blank range. The Tucumcari boys basketball team found that out during a 62-51 loss Thursday to Clayton during the Rattlers' annual Homecoming game. It was a rough week for the Rattlers, with them losing three games. Calling up his iPad used to compile statistics after the Clayton game, THS coach Gary Hittson showed on the screen a flurry of red X's near his team's basket. Those X's signified missed shots 5 feet or less from the...
The Tucumcari girls basketball team held Clayton scoreless the last five minutes during a 44-33 victory Thursday, denying the Yellowjackets' bid to be spoilers of the Lady Rattlers' Homecoming. The Lady Rattlers (14-3) trailed early in the fourth quarter but scored 12 unanswered points to secure the win over the Yellowjackets (11-6), ranked fourth in Class 2A by MaxPreps.com. Tucumcari was ranked sixth in Class 3A by MaxPreps going into the game. Kyla Lopez, who scored a game-high 15 points,...
Mesalands Community College added almost $14 million to the region’s economy and supported nearly 250 jobs during the 2021-2022 fiscal year, a report stated. The economic impact report by Lightcast, a global labor market analysis firm, was presented during the college’s board of trustees meeting on Jan. 16 by Joel Kiser, vice president of academic affairs. Kiser said the New Mexico Independent Community Colleges organization wanted economic studies of all its members, and the state’s Higher Education Department said the data would be benef...
On Feb. 29, Judge Albert J. Mitchell Jr., the only jurist in the sprawling 10th Judicial District, will hang up his robe for the final time after 15 years on the bench. Mitchell sent a one-page letter on Jan. 10 to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Shannon Bacon, stating he would resign effective March 1. "I am privileged to work with fine people in the Tenth Judicial District, as well as my judicial colleagues statewide," Mitchell wrote. "In addition, the...
Classrooms at Tucumcari Elementary School might not be suitable as a temporary home for the Early Head Start program. However, a wing at the school district’s unit office might be considered. Interim superintendent Dave Johnson said during the school board’s Jan. 15 meeting the state may deem empty classrooms at TES as unsuitable for Early Head Start because they lack bathrooms and have window issues. Instead, Early Head Start might consider a wing of the district’s unit office at West Amarosa Avenue. That space is being rented by the New M...
Tucumcari girls basketball coach Patrick Benavidez was reluctant to use the words "moral victory" when he prefers the real thing, but the term came up after the Lady Rattlers' 45-35 loss Friday to Robertson. That's because the Lady Rattlers had lost their last three matchups against perennially state-contending Cardinals by an average of more than 31 points. On Friday, it was a more even matchup on paper and with the result. Tucumcari (12-3) was ranked fifth in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com coming in...
SAN JON — The superintendent of San Jon Municipal Schools received word Thursday that state officials had approved the first phase of designing a new school for the district. The New Mexico Public Schools Facilities Authority approved an award of $4.14 million to design a replacement for the current school facility. The award included a waiver of the district’s match, meaning San Jon schools won’t have to spend any of its money on a designer. Superintendent Alan Umholtz said during the board’s meeting Wednesday the PSFA had elevated San Jon...
Measures to boost hospitals are among the top priorities for two area lawmakers when the New Mexico Legislature convenes for its 30-day session this week. On a related note, they also want funding for Quay County so it can build a new Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari. State Sen. Pat Woods (R-Broadview), whose 7th District encompasses Quay, Union and Curry counties, and state Rep. Jack Chatfield (R-Mosquero), whose 67th District includes territory in Quay, San Miguel, Curry, Union, Harding and Colfax counties, spoke on the phone last week...
In response to Jan. 8’s blizzard, Tucumcari’s city manager said she would obtain sand and salt, plus a salt spreader, to make streets more passable during future snowstorms. City manager Paula Chacon said in her report during a city commission meeting Friday she wanted to obtain a salt spreader that can be pulled behind a truck. Chacon said she also was talking to the New Mexico Department of Transportation about obtaining more material to spread on city streets during snowstorms. She said the agency spread salt on streets near Trigg Mem...
Despite her team's recent struggles and not meeting her own lofty expectations, former Tucumcari High School girls basketball star Ashley Shipley holds no regrets in playing what may be her final season at Eastern New Mexico University. The Greyhounds (5-9) had been a seven-game losing streak under first-year coach Blake Huber until a 65-61 victory Saturday over Midwestern State. Shipley, a senior, attributed several things to the recent skid during a telephone interview last week. "We have a...
The Tucumcari City Commission began a new era last week with the swearing in of three new members and the appointment of a new mayor. District 1 commissioner Jerry Lopez, District 2 commissioner Jonathan Brito and District 3 commissioner CJ Oglesby - all newcomers - each took the oath of office from Municipal Judge Jerry Mares at the start of a special meeting on Jan. 2. Lopez defeated veteran commissioner and mayor Ralph Moya during the November election. Brito ousted incumbent Paul Villanueva...
A constituent voicing concerns during a Quay County Commission meeting last week revived a longstanding issue: What to do about the historic Quay School? During the public comment portion of Thursday's meeting, Benton Greer said the long-vacant building owned by the county needed "immediate" attention. He said a fence was down, allowing cattle to roam about the grounds. He said one back window also needed to be boarded up. After the meeting, Greer said he held an interest in the site. Not only...
The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board last week approved changes in its bylaws that include an alteration to its meeting times. Future meetings still will be on the first Wednesday of each month, except with a start time of 9 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. Two members who operate motels requested the change, saying it would be easier for them to attend. Board members were told during their meeting Wednesday the city’s municipal court convenes on that morning. However, city manager Paula Chacon said she would talk to court officials about moving h...
LOGAN - If any team hopes to conquer Logan's unbeaten boys basketball team at this week's EPAC tournament, it had better slow the Longhorns' high-octane offense. The Longhorns (12-0) rang up 32 points in the first period to take control during a 97-33 non-district victory Saturday over Springer (4-7). Logan led 56-29 at intermission and held a 45-point advantage after three quarters. Logan scored almost 100 despite plenty of substitutions and a running clock in most of the second half. Springer...
