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  • District 1 incumbent faces a challenger

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    The Democratic incumbent chairman of the Quay County Commission is seeking re-election as the representative of District 1, but he faces opposition from a Republican counterpart whose wife previously served on the commission. Robert Lopez, 60, a farmer, is running for his second consecutive term on the commission. Lopez also served on the commission from 2004 to 2012 before he was term-limited. Dallas Dowell, 69, a rancher and a retiree from NuStar Energy, is running on the GOP ticket after being unopposed in the primary election. His wife, Sue...

  • Candidate's hospital plan runs into skepticism

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    A District 2 candidate for Quay County Commission is advocating turning part of Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari into a drug rehabilitation center — to the skepticism of officials and his incumbent opponent. David Holman, a Libertarian candidate who lives in Tucumcari, is running against incumbent Republican Jerri Rush of Forrest for the position. In a Facebook post on his candidate page, Holman wrote last month: “Turning 1/3 of the beds at Trigg into a contract rehab center would bring in enough revenue to upgrade the rest of the hos...

  • City approves tourism pact with Amarillo firm

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    The Tucumcari City Commission last Tuesday approved hiring Gray Digital Media of Amarillo to be the city’s tourism marketing arm through June 2025. The company, affiliated with News Channel 10 in Amarillo, will present its contract to the commission at a later date. It would be paid $58,582.50 for the nine-month duration of the contract. Officials from Gray Digital Media earlier proposed the marketing plan to the city’s Lodgers Tax Advisory Board, which recommended approval to the commission. John Echols, media executive of the company, sho...

  • Shooting suspect still remains at large

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    An Albuquerque man remained at large more than a week after he was accused of shooting a man and carjacking another in Tucumcari. Alex Joe Patrick Gutierrez, 24, was wanted on charges of first-degree kidnapping, attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Quay County Crime Stoppers has offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to Gutierrez's arrest. Those with information should call (575) 461-3507. Callers can remain anonymous. Tucumcari P...

  • Tucumcari man goes to prison for fentanyl trafficking

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    A Tucumcari man who shot another man at the Quay Apartments in December and found with dozens of fentanyl pills will go to prison for about four years after he was sentenced last week as part of a plea agreement. George J. Olguin Sr., 62, pleaded guilty in August to trafficking of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony. According to court documents, Olguin possessed about 100 fentanyl pills at the time of his arrest. Other charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, tampering with evidence, receiving stolen property and...

  • Flu shot events being offered

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    The Quay County Public Health Office is offering seasonal influenza shots at its facility and in parts of the county this month. The health office at 310 S. Second St. in Tucumcari will begin walk-in clinic days for flu shots beginning on Oct. 8. The office will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Fridays. Patients also can call for flu-shot appointments at (575) 461-2610. The health office also is offering these community flu-shot events: — Oct. 2 at Mesalands Community College from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p....

  • Standoff suspect gets almost two years in jail

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    An Arizona man was sentenced to almost two years in jail after he caused a nearly five-hour standoff with police in the middle of a busy Tucumcari corridor in February. District Judge Benjamin Cross last week sentenced Edwin R. Corrales, 40, of Glendale, Arizona, to a total of one year, 11 months and 28 days in the New Mexico Department of Corrections after a plea deal, according to court documents. Corrales had pleaded guilty to resisting, evading or obstructing an officer (refusal to stop), resisting, evading or obstructing an officer and...

  • Woman accused of running illegal gambling site

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    A Tucumcari woman has been summoned to magistrate court after being accused of running an illegal gambling site on Facebook. Annamarie J. Crespin, 49, was charged last month with gambling, commercial gambling, permitting premises to be used for gambling and racketeering (evidence of unlawful use of premises). The racketeering count is a second-degree felony that could lead up to nine years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The commercial gambling count is a fourth-degree felony that could lead up to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000...

  • NMDOT nixes drag racing on Route 66

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    If drag-racing events are coming to Tucumcari in 2025 and 2026, it won't be on Route 66. Assistant city manager Renee Hayoz said during the city commission meeting last Tuesday the New Mexico Department of Transportation rejected a proposal to hold drag-racing events on the city's Route 66, patterned after the Kingman Route 66 Drags in Kingman, Arizona. Hayoz said NMDOT, which holds jurisdiction over the city's Route 66 corridor, "shot us down" on the idea. The agency cited liability and safety...

  • Coaching legend who began in Tucumcari dies at 65

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    Joe Bailey, a longtime Moriarty coach who earned multiple Hall of Fame honors and began his career at Tucumcari, died on Sept. 20 due to cancer complications. He was 65. Bailey spent more than 40 years teaching and coaching in New Mexico. He was inducted into the New Mexico Cross Country & Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and the Moriarty High Athletics Hall of Fame. He began his coaching career in 1981 at Tucumcari...

  • Logan steamrolls Floyd 52-0 in six-man football

    Staff report|Oct 2, 2024

    Logan stayed undefeated in six-man football by rolling over district foe Floyd 52-0 in a road game on Friday. The Longhorns (6-0) led 46-0 at halftime and ended the game by the mercy rule midway through the third quarter. Logan, ranked No. 1 in the New Mexico’s six-man division, remained atop its district with a 4-0 mark. Floyd fell to 1-4 overall and 0-4 in district play. Logan coach Dwayne Roberts said he played his starters for only two series against the overmatched Broncos. “It was a good game to get a lot of kids some playing tim...

  • Suspect sought in Tucumcari shooting, carjacking

    Staff report|Sep 25, 2024

    An Albuquerque man is accused of shooting another man and committing a carjacking in Tucumcari, and he remained at large two days after the attack. According to a news release Sunday from New Mexico State Police, the shooter was identified as Alex Gutierrez, 24. An arrest warrant was issued for Gutierrez on charges of first-degree attempted murder, kidnapping and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As of midday Monday, he still had not been apprehended. About 12:20 p.m. Satu...

  • Lady Longhorns finish 2nd at Cimarron tournament

    Staff report|Sep 25, 2024

    The Logan volleyball team went 2-1 during the rugged Anna Archuleta Memorial Volleyball Tournament in Cimarron on Friday and Saturday, losing only to Class 3A foe Santa Fe Prep in the final. The Lady Longhorns (9-3), ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, conquered Quemado and Raton during the tournament, both which were ranked in the top 10 of their respective divisions. Santa Fe Prep emerged victorious in the championship by defeating Logan 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23. Logan’s Haylie Bidegain, who was named to the all-tournament team, t...

  • Two THS runners finish in top 10 at Amarillo

    Staff report|Sep 25, 2024

    Two Tucumcari cross-country runners finished in the top 10 on Saturday at the Amarillo ISD Invitational. Alex Bueno De La O finished fourth overall on the 5,000-meter course at Rick Klein Park in Amarillo in a time of 17 minutes, 14 seconds. His teammate, Fernando Ureste, finished sixth in a time of 17:16, said THS coach Tim Clark. “For Alex and Fernando to be near the top, they were smokin’,” Clark said. “Everyone ran well. They all improved their personal records.” Full results from the meet weren’t available. Nearly 30 teams competed. C...

  • Logan notches key 50-0 district win over Elida

    Staff report|Sep 25, 2024

    What appeared to be an even matchup on paper turned into a dominating 50-0 victory by Logan over visiting district foe Elida on Friday in six-man football. Elida and Logan both were 4-0 overall and 2-0 in district play going into the game. Elida had outscored its opponents 246-46 before Friday. But the Longhorns grabbed a 16-0 lead after one quarter and held a 30-0 advantage at intermission. Logan ended the game by the mercy rule midway through the fourth quarter. “The boys played a great game,” Logan coach Dwayne Roberts said. “We had a few p...

  • I-40 storm rolls 6 vehicles, injures 1

    Staff report|Sep 25, 2024

    One person was hospitalized and at least six vehicles were overturned during a severe storm last Tuesday afternoon that hit Interstate 40 west of San Jon and closed the freeway for nearly 3 1/2 hours. According to a New Mexico State Police public information officer, high winds rolled over five semi-tractor trailers and a camper near mile marker 348 of the interstate about 3 p.m. Sept. 17. I-40 was shut down from 3:20 to 6:45 p.m., NMSP stated. Traffic was re-routed to Old Route 66. One person...

  • Village of Logan sued over pot license rejection

    Staff report|Sep 25, 2024

    A Union County company has filed a civil-rights complaint against the Village of Logan over its rejection of a cannabis dispensary license. The complaint, filed in Quay County district court, demands a six-person jury trial. According to the complaint, KD’s Dispensary, a company owned by Kirk and Debbi Jesko in Union County, applied for a cannabis dispensary license in Logan in March. The Jeskos received a letter from the village informing them the license had been denied, stating all cannabis businesses must be at least 200 feet away from a...

  • Clerk's office: Election deadlines coming up

    Staff report|Sep 25, 2024

    The Quay County Clerk’s Office is reminding voters of deadlines and upcoming procedures related to the Nov. 5 election. Absentee ballots are available at the clerk’s office at 300 S. Third St. in Tucumcari or online at NMVote.org. A voter may request to be a permanent absentee by marking the appropriate box on the form. The last day an absentee ballot application can be processed is Oct. 22. Voters who need to update or make changes to registrations must do so at the clerk’s office or at NMVote.org before the end of the day on Oct. 8. New voter...

  • Tucumcari shooting suspect identified

    Staff report|Sep 18, 2024

    The suspect in a shooting Saturday in Tucumcari has been identified, and he is still at large. According to a news release Sunday from New Mexico State Police, the shooter was identified as Alex Gutierrez, 24, of Albuquerque. An arrest warrant was issued for Gutierrez on charges of first-degree attempted murder, kidnapping and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. About 12:20 p.m. Saturday, the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was requested to investigate a...

  • 1 hurt in shooting in Tucumcari

    Staff report|Sep 18, 2024

    A person was hospitalized after being shot in northwest Tucumcari about noon Saturday. Tucumcari Police Chief Patti Lopez said the shooting occurred in the 600 block of West High Street. Dispatchers received several calls of shots fired in that area. The victim was taken to the emergency room of Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari, then transferred to an Amarillo hospital due to the seriousness of the injuries, she said. Lopez said the crime scene had been secured, but no arrests have been...

  • Former treasurer candidate charged with felonies

    Staff report|Sep 18, 2024

    The former Republican candidate for Quay County treasurer and former deputy treasurer was charged today with felony charges of fraud and tampering with a public record. An arrest warrant was issued Friday for Albenita Rene Rael, 50, of Tucumcari. She was not in custody at the Quay County Detention Center as of Friday afternoon. Both charges are fourth-degree felonies that can lead up to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. According to the criminal complaint filed by New Mexico State Police, Rael twice removed a property she owned from...

  • DAR dedicates Patriot marker

    Staff report|Sep 18, 2024

    GiGi Parker, a regent for the Tucumcari chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution dressed in 18th-century garb, speaks Thursday after the DAR officers from all over the state helped unveil a Revolutionary War Patriots marker at the Tucumcari Convention Center. The marker is the first of four in New Mexico to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026....

  • Logan school board appoints new member

    Staff report, The Staff of The News|Sep 18, 2024

    The board for Logan Municipal Schools last Monday appointed Taylor Smith to fill a vacancy due to a recent resignation. Smith replaces Cole Wallin, who stepped down on Aug. 5 due to what he described as new work responsibilities. Wallin was unopposed during his election in November 2023. Smith would serve through 2025. According a resume he submitted to the board, Smith is a real estate broker at Ute Lake Premier Properties, an insurance agent and current president of the Logan-Ute Lake Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors. The board interv...

  • Arch Hurley board declines allocating more water

    Staff report|Sep 18, 2024

    The Arch Hurley Conservancy District board of directors voted 4-1 last Tuesday to not allocate any more water for the fall growing season and officially set criteria to close its canals from Conchas Lake for the year. The action sparked grumbling from five farmers who wanted more water to grow hay, winter wheat or other crops. “Y’all are going to break a bunch of people,” one said. Before the board’s action, they generally voiced wishes for a small water allocation this fall but to also leave some water in the lake for next spring. Board m...

  • Longhorns blast Dora in 53-0 victory

    Staff report|Sep 18, 2024

    Logan started slow but finished strong with a 53-0 district victory Friday over visiting Dora in six-man football action. Haden Judd led the Longhorns (4-0) with 116 yards rushing and four touchdowns on just nine carries. Quarterback Aydin Kotara completed 11 of 18 passes for 156 yards and four touchdowns and one interception. Logan coach Dwayne Roberts acknowledged his team’s slow start during a scoreless first quarter, but he indicated he wasn’t too worried about it. “Our defense is pretty stout,” he explained. “Once we made some adjustmen...

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