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  • Suspect in officer's killing captured

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    The suspect in the killing of a New Mexico State Police officer west of Tucumcari was captured Sunday morning in Albuquerque after a foot pursuit and shootout. Jaremy Smith of South Carolina was taken into custody in Albuquerque after being shot at least once by pursuing officers. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to a Bernalillo County sheriff's officer during a news briefing shortly before noon. A store clerk at an Albuquerque gas station spotted Smith and called police,...

  • State police officer slain near Tucumcari; suspect identified

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    A New Mexico State Police officer with area ties was shot and killed west of Tucumcari on Interstate 40 on Friday morning, and the attacker remains at large. A statement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham hours later expressing condolences confirmed the fallen officer was Justin Hare, who lived in Logan. Hare also grew up in Moriarty. “I’m heartbroken by the devastating news that State Police Officer Justin Hare was killed in the line of duty while responding to a call near Tucumcari this...

  • Tucumcari woman accused of murder

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    A Tucumcari woman remains in the county jail after being accused of fatally shooting a local man in the back of the head at Five Mile Park. Ashley Danielle Hall, 22, is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. The murder charge is a capital felony that requires a sentence of life in prison if she is convicted. Hall is accused of shooting Ernest Arguello, 32, also of Tucumcari, during an argument on March 11 at the park on the city’s west side. According to the criminal complaint and affidavit filed by New Mexico State...

  • Veto expands ways to use hospital funds

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    A line-item veto on $10 million in state funding for a new Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari actually expands on the ways the county can use the money. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday made line-item vetos in multiple sections of an appropriations bill approved by the New Mexico Legislature during its recently completed 30-day session. In the bill, a $10 million Health Department allocation “for the construction of a hospital in Tucumcari-Quay County,” the words “the construction of” were stricken by the governor. In a veto...

  • Charges dropped against city officer

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    A Tucumcari police officer arrested for domestic violence-related counts in January saw his charges dismissed last week on the request of the prosecutor. Quentin Ray, the 9th Judicial District Attorney in Clovis-Portales who was assigned to prosecute the case, filed a notice of dismissal on Friday regarding charges against Matthew Lopez. Ray stated the case was dismissed for cause “in the best interest of justice.” The charges against Lopez were dismissed without prejudice, which means they cannot be refiled. Ray stated in an email Monday...

  • City, MainStreet developing signage plan

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    The City of Tucumcari and Tucumcari MainStreet will host a community meeting at 5:30 p.m. March 18 at City Hall chambers so residents can provide input on a wayfinding signage plan. The plan aims to guide residents and tourists to key destinations, including government buildings, educational and healthcare facilities, museums, parks, trails, sports facilities and other points of interest. The plan will create cohesive design standards for wayfinding while celebrating the city’s history and identity. The project team will conduct a study on ex...

  • State's legal pot sales top $1 billion

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    Cannabis sales in New Mexico officially topped the $1 billion mark last week, less than two years after the state legalized the substance. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the sales mark on March 5, less than a month before the second anniversary of legal cannabis sales in the state. Tucumcari has recorded more than $9.2 million in adult-use and medical cannabis sales from more than 157,000 transactions since legalization began in April 2022. Twelve registered dispensaries have opened in the city. In the past year, Tucumcari has averaged...

  • Logan earns $15,000 marketing grant

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    The Village of Logan learned last week it received a $15,000 outdoor marketing grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department. Village Administrator Rodney Paris said the no-match grant will be used to print pamphlets, update websites and place print advertisements to publicize the village and Ute Lake. “A lot of people in New Mexico don’t realize that Logan and Ute Lake are there,” he said. “We want people to know we’re here.” The village’s grant was among 41 awarded statewide, totaling more than $873,000, plus $1.18...

  • Lady Longhorns cruise in Class 1A opener

    Staff report|Mar 13, 2024

    The third-seeded Logan girls basketball team punched their ticket to the Class 1A quarterfinals with a dominating 78-29 home victory Friday over 14th-seeded Alamo Navajo in the first round of the tournament. The Lady Longhorns jumped to leads of 23-6 after the first quarter and 42-17 at intermission. Desta Rose led Logan with 31 points. Hailee Robertson made five 3-pointers and totaled 17 points. In all, the Lady Longhorns made 11 3-point shots. Logan coach Dustin Robertson said his team played hard, despite their foe being overmatched....

  • DA, local lawyer recommended for judge

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    A panel last week recommended the current district attorney and a Tucumcari lawyer as the top candidates to be the next 10th Judicial District judge. The 10th Judicial District Court Judicial Nominating Committee, through the University of New Mexico School of Law, met at the Quay County Courthouse on Wednesday and chose to recommend 10th Judicial District Attorney Timothy L. Rose and longtime local lawyer Nancy English from three applicants who were interviewed. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will make a decision in the coming weeks with who to...

  • State parks propose changes to fees

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    New Mexico State Parks is proposing significant changes to its fees this summer, including the elimination of day-use fees and annual passes for state residents but significantly raising fees for boats. The proposal would affect all 35 state parks, including Ute Lake in Logan and Conchas Lake northwest of Tucumcari. Mesalands Community College’s wind energy center will host an informational meeting about the proposed changes from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on March 6. “NM State Parks are decades behind surrounding states when it comes to our fees...

  • Tucumcari man dies in Texas crash

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    A Tucumcari man died in a two-vehicle accident last week near Midland, Texas. Zachary Rogers, 31, was a passenger in a Ford F-150 pickup hit by a dump truck at the intersection of Highway 158 and County Road 1150 in Midland County, Texas, at 8:12 a.m. Feb. 26, according to a report from the Texas Department of Public Safety. After the collision, the pickup left the roadway and hit a utility pole. Rogers was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup, Cheyenne Lattin, 36, also of Tucumcari, was taken to Midland Memorial Hospital and...

  • Three area athletes receive scholarships

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    Three Quay County athletes received word last week they had received scholarships from the New Mexico Activities Association Foundation. Camryn Cantrell of Logan received a Mario Martinez Memorial NMAA Extraordinary Participation Scholarship worth $2,000. Hailee Robertson, also of Logan, received a Together We Rise scholarship worth $1,000. Marvin Reese of San Jon received a trade / technical school scholarship from the foundation worth $1,000. About 450 students submitted applications, with a total of $76,000 distributed through 68...

  • Local efforts earn NM Route 66 award

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    Robert Moore Jr. admits he and his brother's efforts to fix up and eventually reopen four long-closed properties along Route 66 in Tucumcari have been a work in progress. That progress must have been impressive enough for the New Mexico Route 66 Association. On Thursday, Moore and William Cooke received the organization's annual Route 66 Heritage Award. The award recognized their acquisition and cleanup of the Circle S Ranch Court motel (formerly the Relax Inn) at 1010 E. Route 66 (aka...

  • Older people eligible for updated COVID-19 vaccine

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    The New Mexico Department of Health is urging people age 65 and older to receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine dose for enhanced protection against severe effects from the virus. The agency made the recommendation last week after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged such booster shots. “Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older,” Dr. Miranda Durham, chief medical officer for NMDOH, said. “An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over...

  • Lady Rattlers play Ruidoso again in playoffs

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    Two days after conquering Ruidoso for the district title, the Tucumcari girls basketball team learned Sunday it will play the Warriors again in an opening-round Class 3A home playoff game on Friday. The Logan girls and boys basketball teams earned third and fifth seeds respectively in their Class 1A playoffs. Both will play home games this weekend. Class 3A girls The Lady Rattlers (22-3), winners of 10 in a row, earned the fifth seed in Class 3A tournament pairings announced Sunday by the New Mexico Activities Association. Tucumcari will play...

  • Longhorns fall to Buffs in district semifinals

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    The third-seeded Logan boys basketball team fell into a 17-point deficit in the third quarter and never could climb back out of it during a 73-66 loss Thursday at second-seeded Melrose in the semifinals of the district tournament. The Longhorns (23-5) trailed 35-28 at intermission, and that gap grew to 54-37 midway through the third period. Logan several times rallied to within six points in the fourth quarter but drew no closer. “We dug ourselves in a hole in the beginning of the third quarter,” Logan coach Kyle Griffiths said....

  • Lady Longhorns nab district tournament title

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    The top-seeded Logan girls basketball team used a second-half surge Friday to conquer second-seeded Fort Sumner 58-44 and capture the district tournament title at the Lady Longhorns' gym. The Lady Longhorns (20-7), ranked fourth in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com coming into the game, won their eighth in a row and already had won the regular-season district championship the previous week. Camryn Cantrell scored 17 points and Desta Rose 16 to lead Logan, which outscored the Vixens 32-22 in the second...

  • NMMI blasts Tucumcari in district semis

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    The third-seeded Tucumcari boys basketball team struggled to get anything going offensively and were ousted from the district tournament in a 62-37 loss Thursday at second-seeded New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell. The Rattlers trailed 14-7 after the first quarter and 32-17 at intermission. "I'm not sure what happened," THS coach Gary Hittson said. "It was not the same team that played Dexter on Wednesday night. They just got in our face, played good defense and out-physicaled us." Luis...

  • Logan FFA team captures state title

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    The Logan FFA parliamentary procedure team recently won the state competition in Portales and will advance to the national competition in October in Indianapolis. The Logan team members were President Braeden Lightfoot, Secretary Kyleigh Philips, Charmaynn Hall, Trinity Grant, Javida Roberts, April Landsdell and alternate member Elizabeth Kanapilly. According to adviser Clay Lightfoot, each team at the state competition took a 25-question multiple-choice written test. The advanced to...

  • Court rejects appeal of racino decision

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    Due to a technicality, an appellate court denied Coronado Partners’ appeal of a case where it hoped to force the New Mexico Racing Commission to issue a horse-racing and casino license in Tucumcari. The New Mexico Court of Appeals on Jan. 31 filed a mandate to the Bernalillo District Court clerk, stating it denied Coronado Partners’ appeal and closed the case. Warren Frost, a Logan attorney and a principal for Coronado Partners, said Saturday he would pursue other avenues for a sixth and final racing license to build a more than $50...

  • Support cools for one director for EDC, chamber

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    The enthusiasm for a plan to have one director to run the Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corp. and the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce appears to have cooled down somewhat. The chamber board is set to vote this week on a proposed memorandum of understanding for one director for both organizations to save costs and due to overlapping responsibilities. Both entities saw their leaders depart last summer. The EDC board meeting last Tuesday lacked a quorum to take any official action. Instead, interim director Kristine Olsen...

  • Filing day for June primary is next Tuesday

    Staff report|Mar 6, 2024

    The filing day for candidates in New Mexico’s June primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12. The Quay County Clerk’s Office in Tucumcari recently issued a new release, reminding prospective local candidates what they must do to properly file. Each candidate must bring this information: — Declaration of candidacy that’s completed and notarized; — Copy of the candidate campaign committee registration form that’s been completed online; — Nominating petitions (if required); — Filing fee or pauper’s statement (for...

  • Lady Longhorns capture district title

    Staff report|Feb 28, 2024

    The Logan girls basketball team captured the District 6 regular-season title and the top seed and home court for this week’s district tourney title game with a 73-50 home victory Thursday. Camryn Cantrell scored 26 points to lead the Lady Longhorns, and Desta Rose added 25 points. The Lady Longhorns (19-7) won their seventh in a row. They finished 5-1 in district play to top the standings and earned two byes and a home game in the finals in this week’s district tournament. “I’m very proud of the girls’ hard work and the toughness...

  • THS senior wins at first powerlifting meet

    Staff report|Feb 28, 2024

    Tucumcari boasted an individual champion in its first-ever powerlifting competition last week during a seven-team meet at Logan. Nolan Ryen, a senior at THS, lifted a total of 1,095 pounds in the 275-pound boys weight class for the Rattlers’ lone individual title. He lifted 440 pounds in the squat, 215 pounds in the bench press and 440 pounds in the dead lift. “He did fantastic,” Tucumcari coach Matt Benavidez said, noting Ryen had lifted 350 pounds in the squat and 185 pounds in the bench press just weeks ago. “Compared to what he did...

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