Quay County Sun - Serving the High Plains

This nation has been divided over the “facts” for some time now, but does that mean we’re divided over telling the truth, too? Used to be, Americans valued honesty, even if we didn’t always pr...

Sometimes politicians govern. Sometimes they campaign. Most of the time, it’s hard to tell the difference. Take, for example, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s legislative agenda for this...

New Mexico’s 30-day session begins Jan. 18, and while its emphasis will be on the state budget, the governor can add to the legislative “call” and already has. On the first anniversary of last...

Seems to me, 2021 began on Jan. 20. That’s when Joe Biden was sworn in as president. Because of Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results, opposition to Biden’s election turned...

Christmas is exhausting. These days, as a man teetering on old age and living alone most of the time, I’m just not motivated to get all dressed up for these holidays. My adult kids are having their...

If you think New Mexico’s commitment to alternative energy sources is evident only by the wind turbines and solar farms going up, think again. Hydrogen gas is on the way. Earlier this month,...

Sound the alarm! Gas prices are going up! Throughout my life, I’ve noticed a certain obsession Americans have with gas prices. I used to tease my father for driving out of his way just to save a...

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I grew up on them. They were the first thing I learned to make in the kitchen. That and a glass of milk. Microwaves hadn’t been invented yet. Playing basketball...

Every year I write about Thanksgiving with a hope that I can avoid, or at least minimize, my political commentary, opting instead to make an annual kumbaya column, writing about what’s close to my h...

Forget what the polls say. President Biden is getting things done. Some on the left say his accomplishments are too little too late, while others on the right cry socialism and foul play. But let the...

The port city of Glasgow in southern Scotland is a happening place right now. So much so that even the governor of a small state feels she must be there. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham went to Glasgow...

The divisions in our nation mostly lie along urban and rural lines. Why is that? Recently I spent a week in Memphis. It’s famous for Beale Street and the Blues, Elvis’s Graceland and Dr. Martin Lu...

Since this pandemic has upset the economic applecart and challenged the actual value of work, maybe we should consider some radical new ideas about how to compensate people. So, after being...

In 2020, the frontline in “the battle for the soul of America” was the election between Joe Biden, who spoke of that battle many times, and Donald Trump, who spoke about how it was all rigged....

“Progress” is a word liberals grabbed to avoid the “liberal” label that those on the right have soiled so effectively. Feel free to call me either; better that than to embrace the stagnation...

The other day I attended a special meeting on crime. I came away thinking that we’re actually making progress. I say that despite reports that show a sharp increase in violent crime these days. FBI...

With a pandemic bearing down, Christmas is a bit subdued this year. That makes it a good year to curl up in bed with a Christmas book or plop down on your couch for a magical Christmas movie. I must a...

Here we are again, about to enter into the abyss of a 30-day legislative session. It’ll be one of the fun ones, when lawmakers will get to spend-spend-spend. It must be refreshing for legislators...

I have a dog in the house. He doesn’t live here, he just came to visit. And I have a family of feral cats living in my back yard. The momma cat claimed squatters rights, having lived here before I...

Back when you could do it with little or no hassle, I remember casually walking across the bridge (and therefore the border) between downtown El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. As I left the U.S. side,...

Up until recently, it’s been pretty much a seamless takeover. Worn out by Susana Martinez’s can’t-do/won’t do policies as governor toward issues like clean energy, full marijuana legalization...

Like a lot of Americans, I got caught up in the 50th anniversary of our first moon landing. My moment was on CSpan3, where I channel-surfed into Reel America’s Moonwalk One, a dated NASA documentary...

We are about a year away from legalizing recreational marijuana in New Mexico. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has already set the wheels in motion for its passage at the Roundhouse next year, and if the...

Recycling has always been a feel-good issue for the casual environmentalist, but it’s turning out to be even less than that. It’s becoming less practical and affordable. Silver City and Taos are...

I took advantage of a long holiday weekend to travel up to the Continental Divide, where I camped and explored some of the highest points in Colorado. “Civilization” came to me through the radio,...