Articles written by steve hansen
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 467
Lake levels rising across central eastern NM
CLOVIS — Lakes in central eastern New Mexico have been looking less thirsty as the region has enjoyed a reawakening of the monsoon season. The level rise at Conchas Lake, about 30 miles northwest of...
Officials to add new language to zoning
Language will be added to Tucumcari zoning laws to accommodate growing, processing and retail sales of marijuana products for recreation, the Tucumcari City Commission decided in a special meeting on...
Reasonable climate measures can't hurt
It’s Friday and it has been raining in Tucumcari for three days straight. While I would have welcomed the thrill and sense of risk that comes with a thunderstorm, the rain we’ve been getting for...
City officials hire new attorney
The Tucumcari City Commission on Thursday hired a new city attorney to replace Randy Knudson, who had served as the city’s general counsel for at least 15 years. The commission's choice and...
Racial inequality something to deal with in present
I get it. I see the long way we have to go before we achieve race-blindness. We are making progress, and while I can’t stand the term “woke” (with its implication that you belong to this very...
Tucumcari faces $556,000 deficit
The city of Tucumcari faces a deficit of $556,205 for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2022, without some serious budget cuts, City Manager Mark Martinez warned city commissioners...
Break from masks worth the risk
I don’t want to discuss the Biden-Putin talks of last week or critical race theory. I know only enough about Biden-Putin to venture that their chess game will continue, that it won’t be friendly...
Officials discuss cannabis issues
Water issues, building and zoning codes and distance from churches and schools were among complications involved with establishing a legalized recreational cannabis industry in Tucumcari that were...
Still need guidance of scientists
Scientists start with the unknown. Then they apply the known to the unknown, thoroughly. Then, armed with that knowledge, they propose hypotheses, which form the basis of experiments to gain new...
NRA just isn't what it used to be
I got some mail last week from the National Rifle Association. They wanted money. I would have been inclined to donate years ago, when I remembered the NRA as the sponsor of my gun safety classes...
Construction raising concerns
Owners of property next to the troubled Second Street construction project in downtown Tucumcari told the city commission Thursday their properties...
Democracy may not make it to 250
It occurred to me recently that in five years, our country will be 250 years old. Our successful experiment in representative democracy without rule by birthright seems to have weathered wars with...
Events need separate investigations
Yes, a special commission should be to set up to probe what happened before and during the Jan. 6 attempt by rioters supporting former President Donald Trump to usurp the proper functioning of the...
Commission cuts allowance for salary in half
On a 3-2 vote, the Tucumcari City Commission on Thursday cut the city's allowance for the salary of Patrick Vanderpool, executive director of the...
GDP should be the main focus
Between headlines about back-and-forth name-calling and arguments over which party is engaging in “cancel culture” or “conspiracy mongering,” there has been little attention paid to...
Sen. Scott's view deserves respect
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, declared on April 29 that “America is not a racist country.” Scott is a conservative, so it would normally not register as much as a raised eyebrow, but he...
Taking a few cues from Hemingway
I need to write a column and nothing is grabbing me. So, I have now completed Ernest Hemingway’s first advice on writing when you’re not sure about what to write. “Write one true sentence,...
City to set up cannabis task force
The Tucumcari City Commission likely will set up a task force to get ahead of the state’s developing legalized recreational cannabis regulatory structure as it prepares to capitalize on the recent...
Officials make smart choice on weed
Tucumcari city commissioners are acting wisely by preparing to keep up with, and as much as possible, ahead of developments as New Mexico sets up its framework for a new recreational marijuana...
Removing cost devalues college
Beyond basic skills and exposure to the required amount of shared knowledge in history and citizenship, education should be something worked for and prized. Making it free, I think, reduces its...
Cannabis could work in Tucumcari's favor
Tucumcari could be poised to prosper from newly legalized marijuana, at least one city commissioner and City Manager Mark Martinez agree. Two factors work in Tucumcari’s favor, District 1...
Hope wiser heads lead GOP again
Ex-president Donald Trump’s influence over the disturbing 70-plus million people who voted for him is still powerful. It is disturbing because the party Trump hijacked, the Republicans, now...
City continues contract
The city of Tucumcari will continue its contract with Monarch Properties of Albuquerque for the management of the Chaparral Apartments for another...
Some reservations about marijuana
Yay. That’s about as much enthusiasm as I can drum up for New Mexico’s legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults. If the Legislature had rejected the proposal so important to Gov....
Organizers present plan for Five Mile Park
Organizers of efforts to revitalize Tucumcari’s Five Mile Park introduced a plan that has been more than three years in the making Thursday to the City Commission in a public work session before...