Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
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A Tucumcari man remains in federal custody after he was accused of trying to solicit sex acts from two underage children. An undercover FBI agent posed as the children online. Joseph Wayne Gadman, 40, was charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, which can lead to mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison if convicted. Gadman appeared in federal court Thursday for a detention hearing and is expected to remain in jail until his trial, which has not been scheduled....
Quay County’s deaths by suicide decreased to a more normal level in 2021 after the county experienced a big increase during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The New Mexico Department of Health, recently completing its 2021 data on deaths by suicide, reported that two such deaths occurred that year in the county. That was a big drop compared to the county’s seven deaths by suicide recorded in 2020 — the highest in recent memory. Only one death by suicide was reported in 2019. The number in the county totaled five in 2018, three...
The Mesalands Community College board of trustees last week unanimously approved a four-year extension for the college's president. The action came after a closed executive session of more than two hours to discuss personnel matters during the board's regular Jan. 17 meeting. Gregg Busch's contract now will expire in 2028. "Congratulations, Dr. Busch," board Chairman Jim Streetman said after the motion for the extension passed. "Thank you, Mr. Chair," Busch replied. Joshua McVey, the college's...
About 60 officials from all corners of Quay County attended the annual Quay Day event Wednesday in Santa Fe as the New Mexico Legislature convened for its 60-day session. Quay County manager Daniel Zamora said Thursday that not only did the usual officials from Tucumcari and the county attend Quay Day to meet with state lawmakers and their staff, but also officials from San Jon, Logan and House. “It was a great turnout, one of the best I’ve seen in five years of going,” he said. “It was the whole county community.” Cynthia Lee, clerk for the Vi...
Tucumcari schools Wednesday — Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with ham, whole-wheat toast, mini bagels with strawberry cream cheese, fresh banana, apple juice, skim, 1% or strawberry milk; Lunch: Cobb salad, barbecued chicken thighs, breadstick, garlic mashed potatoes, baked beans, chilled peaches, skim, chocolate skim, 1% or strawberry milk. Thursday — Breakfast: Sausage breakfast pizza, assorted cereal, graham crackers, apple juice, orange juice, skim, 1% or strawberry milk; Lunch: Ham and egg chef salad, chicken patty on a bun, french fries, cre...
• Feb. 11 — Diamondback STEM Paint Night & Cornhole tournament. The Tucumcari Elks Lodge is hosting a fundraiser for Tucumcari’s Diamondback STEM team from 4 to 8 p.m. The paint event is $25 per person with three designs to choose from. The cornhole tourney is $40 per team with a 50% payout. Contact [email protected] or through Facebook at @Diamondback_STEM. • Feb. 19, March 5 — Little League field cleanup day. Show your support for Quay County Little League players by lending a hand and helping clean up the field to get it ready for the upcom...
On this date ... 1973: Thousands of people lined the streets of Washington, D.C., for the funeral of 36th president Lyndon Baines Johnson. Borne on a creaking Army caisson, Johnson was accompanied by his successor, Richard M. Nixon, who followed the solemn procession down Constitution Avenue to the slow beat of muffled drums. Johnson’s body was placed in the Capital Rotunda, where friends and enemies alike gathered to silently pay him tribute. The funeral later was held at National City Christian Church in Washington, then his body was s...
When King Solomon died, the rule passed to his son, Rehoboam. His story doesn’t take up much space, but it changed the nation of Israel forever. The account of his sad reign can be found in 1 Kings 12-14. Upon ascending to the throne, he is faced with a huge leadership challenge. His father had made use of forced labor (known as slaves) in several building projects. The people appealed to Rehoboam to back off from the harsh treatment they perceived. He promised them an answer in three days. In the meantime, Rehoboam sought advice from two g...
The San Jon Municipal Schools board approved its annual audit for fiscal year 2022, which showed healthy finances but also two significant deficiencies that detailed shortcomings in the district’s documentation. The audit was performed by Clovis-based certified public accountant De’Aun Willoughby. “Our auditor commented that we did have a good audit, and our district finances were healthy,” superintendent Alan Umholtz wrote in an email to the Quay County Sun after the Jan. 16 meeting. “She said we saved $220,000 from last year’s budget whic...
An Albuquerque woman recovered her dog Saturday after it went missing almost two years ago, thanks to a microchip implanted in the animal and a Quay County sheriff's deputy who picked it up west of Tucumcari. Felicia Chavez was reunited with Fasa, a 4-year-old neutered bull mastiff weighing between 60 and 70 pounds, in the office of the Paws & Claws Animal Rescue of Quay County. The dog wagged its tail and licked her face as she knelt with the animal. Chavez also showed how she taught the...
More than a year after the shocking fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the movie “Rust,” prosecutors announced Thursday they will file criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter against Alec Baldwin, the star of the movie who allegedly discharged the replica of a vintage Colt .45. They will file the same charges against the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, whose job it was to check the guns to make sure they were safe to handle. The gunshot also wounded director Joel Souza, who survived, but n...
This month, as we celebrate Black history, millions of Americans will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King was, without question, one of the greatest historical figures of the 20th century. He dedicated his life in an effort to ensure the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness would be in reach for all those who were marginalized and had been denied access to full citizenship rights for far too long. Like many people, King was a complex man. He engaged in marital infidelity. He was prone to volatile anger. He...
Is Davos over yet? Is it safe to turn on our TVs without being scolded by formerly important environmentalists like old Al Gore or creepy young climate warriors like Greta Thunberg? Finally. All the virtuous public talk about stopping climate change, saving the planet and putting the dirty fossil fuel industry out of existence at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland wrapped up on Friday. That’s when the political bigshots, billionaires and the media junketeers in bed with them stopped their partying, kissed their fav...
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Quay County were cut in half last week and began to mirror the general decline in New Mexico observed over the past few weeks. The county’s number of cases last week was seven, compared to 14 the previous week. According to the COVID Act Now website, the county’s rate of new cases plummeted to 84.8 cases per 100,000 people last week, compared to 181.8 the previous week. The website kept the county at “low” risk of community spread of the disease. For the first time in many months, the website graded all counties in N...
The Tucumcari Public Schools board approved the addition of powerlifting as an activity for next winter. Superintendent Aaron McKinney noted during the board’s Jan. 16 meeting that Logan and Santa Rosa already had added powerlifting as an extra-curricular activity. San Jon also is participating in it. Logan’s boys team won the inaugural powerlifting state tournament in 2021. Board President Heather Gonzales supported the proposal, saying it “would benefit our students.” The board unanimously approved the measure with little additional discuss...
A South African man convicted of killing four people - including two in a Tucumcari motel room in 2011 - was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole for a deadly shooting in Ohio. Muziwokuthula S. Madonda, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder and felonious assault in the 2011 shooting of Zenzele Davis Mdadane in Butler Township, Ohio. According to reporting by the Dayton Daily News, prosecutors sought the maximum sentence of life without parole and said he would kill...
The Tucumcari girls basketball hit a rough patch last week, suffering non-district losses at state-ranked Clayton and at home to state-ranked Santa Rosa. During the game Thursday at Clayton, the Lady Rattlers' shooting went cold in the second half and watched a 14-point lead ebb away during a 52-46 loss. Tucumcari fell to 11-6 and have lost three straight. Tucumcari coach Patrick Benavidez said his team played a great first half. Then the second half started. "We couldn't make a shot and didn't...
A fast start by a talented Clayton boys basketball team was all it needed during a 61-46 non-district victory over Tucumcari on Friday. The host Yellowjackets, ranked fourth in Class 2A by MaxPreps.com, raced to a 13-0 lead and held a 29-15 advantage at halftime. "We couldn't throw it in the ocean," assistant coach Gary Hittson said of his team's shooting woes during the first quarter. "We played with no energy, and the turnovers ... oh my goodness, the turnovers killed us. "We got down by 15,...
LOGAN - The No. 1-ranked Melrose girls basketball team survived its second district scare in three days with 72-66 victory Thursday that saw the Lady Longhorns erase a 20-point deficit with less than a minute left. In the end, Graci Odom scored the game's final five points to secure the win. Odom scored 18 points, and teammate Sorrell Allen tallied a game-high 27 points, including going 15-for-20 from the free-throw line. Melrose, which escaped on Jan. 17 with a 53-52 district victory at Fort...
LOGAN - The Melrose boys basketball team wanted a fast start during its district matchup against Logan, and it got it during a 62-51 victory on Thursday. The Buffaloes surged to leads of 11-2 and 15-6 in the first quarter. Melrose (13-4), ranked third in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, led by as many as 20 and never let the Longhorns get closer than 10 in the second half. "We challenged them to start fast," first-year Buffs coach Drew Hatley said. "We beat Logan at the Reserve Tournament last weekend...
Tucumcari wrestler Sarah Vallejo took home a gold medal on Saturday from the Spencer Cole Memorial Invitational in Las Vegas. Two Rattler wrestlers finished second in the boys competition of eight-team tournament. Vallejo, a junior in the 114-pound weight class, made three straight pins during the tourney, including in the title match against Henissy Gomez of West Las Vegas. Tucumcari coach Tim Clark said Vallejo is concentrating more on using technique during her bouts, and it showed. “She’s looking for opportunities for reversals,” he said....
These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22: Monday — 8:10 a.m.: Breaking and entering in 1200 block of South Fourth Street, Tucumcari. — 8:41 a.m.: Search warrant in 900 block of South Mountain Road, Tucumcari. — 1:33 p.m.: Domestic disturbance in 1900 block of South 10th Street, Tucumcari. — 2:58 p.m.: Attempted suicide in 1900 block of South 10th Street, Tucumcari. — 3:37 p.m.: Accident with injuries at 34600 block of Interstate 40 west, San Jon. — 3:50 p.m.: Accident in...
These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from Jan. 13 to Jan. 22: — Lupe Vallejo, 53, Amarillo, Texas, battery, disorderly conduct and contempt of court. — Billy Jack Baca, 43, Tucumcari, contempt of court. — Yahye Hashi, 20, no address listed, possession of a stolen vehicle. — Emilio E. Sustaita, 32, Tucumcari, felony possession of a controlled substance (narcotic drug), felony tampering with evidence, distribution of a controlled substance and contempt of court. — Aaron Gilmore, 20, no address listed, possessio...
