Serving the High Plains

Articles written by Thomas Garcia Cmi Staff Writer


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  • Special districts allowed in EPCOG under bylaw changes

    Thomas Garcia CMI staff writer|Feb 13, 2013

    The Eastern Plains Council of Governments amended bylaws Wednesday and joined others in opposing the listing of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened or endangered species. The most significant change to bylaws is the removal of at-large organizations and the acceptance of special districts as members to EPCOG, said Sandy Chancey, executive director. Chancey said special districts include organizations such as irrigation districts and soil conservation districts. "We need to offer these organizations the best type of services," said...

  • Second of three lawsuits against Ute water project dropped

    Thomas Garcia CMI staff writert|Jan 11, 2013

    The attorney representing the South Shore Home Owners Association dropped a second lawsuit filed against the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority. Thomas Hnasko of Albuquerque dropped the suit on Thursday; it was scheduled to be heard Thursday in the 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe. Hnasko said the association argued that the authority violated a 1996 covenant requiring lots to be used only for single-family residences and connected guest homes. He said after reviewing the case, he believed the authority could violate the...

  • Xcel asking for 14-percent rate increase

    Thomas Garcia CMI staff writer|Dec 13, 2012

    Xcel Energy is citing increased energy demand as the reason for seeking a 14.4 percent increase in customer rates. Xcel filed the proposal Wednesday with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, according to company spokesman Wes Reeves. Reeves said there has been as much as a 60 percent increase in demand over the past 10 years, prompting Xcel to ask the NMPRC to authorize the increase in electric rates beginning in January 2014. "One of the highest examples of that demand is in the Hobbs area, which during peak demand there was a 50...

  • Accused Tucumcari killer pleads not guilty

    Thomas Garcia CMI staff writer|Oct 15, 2012

    QCS Senior Writer Keller A Tucumcari man pleaded not guilty to an open count of murder Monday morning in Quay County Magistrate court in connection to the death of Kimberly Draman, said Tim Rose, 10th Judicial District, Chief Deputy District Attorney. Rose said Frank Keller, 45, was charged Friday with an open count of murder, tampering with evidence and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. Draman, 53, had been missing from Tucumcari since Sept. 13. Her remains were discovered Oct. 5 on private...

  • Bond would bring funding for library acquisitions

    Thomas Garcia CMI Staff Writer|Oct 9, 2012

    If passed, the 2012 GO Bond B question on the Nov. 6 ballot would spread $9.8 million across the state for equipment and supplemental library resource acquisitions, including print, non-print and electronic resources. For the property owners there will be a tax increase based upon the size of the projects and amount of money awarded to communities, said Tim Lyman, Curry County assessor. Lyman said the amount of increase is still not known and the Public Education Department will generate the tax rate to repay the Go Bonds. Lyman said the...

  • Tucumcari residents charged with crimes related to sexual assault

    Thomas Garcia CMI staff writer|Jul 26, 2012

    Three Tucumcari residents are charged with crimes relating to the sexual assault of two children under age 13, said 10th Judicial Chief Deputy District Attorney Timothy Rose. Gutierrez Capen Bemis Robert Capen, 31, Richard "Andrew" Gutierrez, 40, and Brandy Bemis, 31, were arrested Wednesday, according to a press release from the district attorney's office. The arrests were the result of an investigation by officers of the Tucumcari Police Department in conjunction with the Children, Youth and...

  • Governor campaigns for Spears in Tucumcari

    Thomas Garcia CMI staff writer|May 24, 2012

    Gov. Susana Martinez made a campaign stop last Wednesday in Tucumcari to promote the candidacy of Angie Spears, who is running for state Senate. Spears is running against Pat Woods for the Republican spot in District 7, which covers Curry, Quay and Union counties. The June 5 primary is essentially the election, with no candidate in the Democratic primary. "One of the things that impressed me about Spears is her values," Martinez told an audience of more than 100 at the Tucumcari Convention Center. The governor said people are tired of the same...

  • Village of Logan files suit to halt Ute water project

    Thomas Garcia CMI staff writer|Apr 17, 2012

    The Village of Logan filed suit Tuesday against state, federal and local agencies calling for the halt of construction, funding and advancement of any portion of the proposed Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System, more commonly known as the Ute Water Project. Logan's suit against the defendants, including the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority and Bureau of Reclamation, cite the entities for violating federal policy in the planning of the Ute Lake Diversion Project. "The Environmental Assessment conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation...