Serving the High Plains

Articles from the July 31, 2019 edition


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  • Racing commission to meet on Thursday

    Ron Warnick|Jul 31, 2019

    The New Mexico Racing Commission — minus one commissioner fired last week — will reconvene Thursday to hold its first regular meeting in more than two months, including discussing the possibility of awarding a sixth license. The commission emailed a lengthy meeting agenda Monday morning that included a closed session to discuss a sixth license and nearly a dozen other items, plus an item about a sixth license among 23 others in new business. The meeting will begin with a closed session at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and an open session at 10:30 a.m...

  • Parade route changing for Rattler Reunion

    Ron Warnick|Jul 31, 2019

    A few new wrinkles, including a change in the parade route, were added to the 48th edition of the Rattler Reunion set for Thursday through Saturday. Kathy Segura, director of the Tucumcari Alumni Association that organizes the annual event, said last week about 200 people had registered to attend, with more expected to register this week. “We’re expecting more than 300, and hoping for 400,” she said. On-site registration begins from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Tucumcari Convention Center along with a meet-and-greet there during that time....

  • Career in community

    Ron Warnick|Jul 31, 2019

    Brenda Bishop, who's retiring this week after 32 years with the Quay County Cooperative Extension Service, said an assignment by a professor long ago when she was studying for a master's degree probably led her to her long and influential career here. Her New Mexico State University professor assigned her to perform a community needs assessment for the Tucumcari region. "I'm a little bit shy by nature, and it was a little hard for me to step out," Bishop recalled last week in her office at the...

  • Preaching should move us to maturity

    Gordan Runyan|Jul 31, 2019

    The preaching you imbibe is either moving you toward Christian maturity, or it is not. You are either being stretched to grow, or you are being kept in a perpetual, spiritual infancy. We all realize this. Where we probably differ is in how we figure out which preaching is which. Some say their own church’s preaching is the good kind because the pastor only preaches the Bible. But this is like saying someone is a good parent because the children have food. Now, feeding your kids is good, but it’s...

  • Calendar - July 31

    Jul 31, 2019

    • Thursday-Saturday — Rattler Reunion. The reunion hosts will be the Class of 1989. Events include a golf tournament, pancake breakfast, parade of classes, luncheons and the big Saturday night dinner. For more information, go to rattlerreunion.com. Tucumcari Convention Center. • Friday — Fiesta Bingo. Play bingo at the Knights of Columbus for up to a $1,000 cash prize. Multiple winners will divide the prize. 7 to 10 p.m., 208 E. Main St., Tucumcari. • Friday — FSC Review for Brenda Bishop. The Quay County Extension Service is celebrating...

  • Jail log - July 31

    Jul 31, 2019

    These individuals were booked into the Quay County Detention Center from July 22 to July 28: • Mark Vernon Lawrence, 37, Logan, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle (first offense) and larceny ($250 or less). • Michael Joseph Martinez, 48, Tucumcari, probation violation. • Miguel Soria, 37, Tucumcari, charge not listed. • Emilio Casteneda, 31, Tucumcari, contempt of court. • Paula Chavez, 31, Santa Rosa, warrant from other counties or states. • Timothy Levi Johnson, 32, Wyandotte, Michigan, driving under the influence of liquor (impaired, first o...

  • Menus - July 31

    Jul 31, 2019

    Tucumcari Senior Center Wednesday — Oven fried chicken, braised onions, green beans and potatoes, carrot raisin salad, whole-wheat bread, mandarin orange, peanut butter cookie. Thursday — King Ranch chicken, salsa corn, Spanish rice, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, cottage cheese, pears. Friday — Fish sandwich, lima beans, carrot sticks, plums. Monday — Pork posole, salad and dressing, mustard greens, garlic bread, pumpkin spice cookie. Tuesday — Chicken and vegetables, pasta, broccoli with margarine, whole-wheat roll with margarine, pears. Lo...

  • Pages past - July 31

    Jul 31, 2019

    On this date ... 1969: Pete Sisneros of Tucumcari reported his car stolen from his home between 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. yesterday. A man who called city police today said he saw skid marks leading to a canal, then saw the overturned car in the canal. Only the trees growing in the canal kept the vehicle from rolling into the water. • Workers righted the Cooper’s Market sign at Second and Hancock streets in Tucumcari after it was blown over by high winds. The only reason the large sign stayed on its pole was because of its electrical wir...

  • Prime minister big figure in UK relations

    Jul 31, 2019

    Looking at the United Kingdom from this side of the Atlantic, it’s fair to say that who becomes prime minister isn’t always a crucial development. The “special relationship” is solid — so keep calm and carry on, as the British would say. Tuesday brought something different. Not panic-inducing, but different: the ascension of Boris Johnson, a quirky, cerebral figure, to the post of prime minister. Johnson won a Conservative Party election to succeed Theresa May. Johnson will become a consequential figure in American eyes for three reasons:...

  • Hearing narrative work of fiction

    Steve Hansen|Jul 31, 2019

    The GOP narrative that came out of the Mueller hearings on July 23 could have been written by Clive Cussler, John Le Carre or Ian Fleming. It was compelling fiction and, like much good fiction, it was inspired by true events. But the story Republicans laid out in the hearings and the truth are two different narratives. Against their better judgment, even knowledgeable Republicans rush to defend President Donald Trump, supporting even his attraction to conspiracy theories and the con artists who concoct them. Spy novelists at least admit their...

  • America can still do great things

    Tom McDonald|Jul 31, 2019

    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 that tells the story of the first U.S. mission to the moon. Now there was a moment when America was great. It encourages me to know that when our nation really applies itself, we can do incredible things. Going to the moon in 1969 — when computers were as big as houses, digital technology was still a baby, and the moon was made of cheese for all we...

  • Logan and San Jon school districts improve proficiencies

    Ron Warnick|Jul 31, 2019

    The Logan and San Jon school districts showed higher proficiency rates in mathematics and reading compared to state averages according to spring data released Friday by the New Mexico Department of Public Education. The Tucumcari and House districts in Quay County hovered near the state averages. According to the education agency, 32.7% of New Mexico pupils were deemed “proficient” in English skills. Those students had shown a steady increase in proficiency in each of the last three years, from a 27.6% rate in 2016. This spring, 20.3% of New...

  • Rodeo draws 72 from around state

    Staff report|Jul 31, 2019

    A total of 72 participants from all over New Mexico competed for saddles, buckles and prizes during the Quay County 4-H Rodeo on Friday and Saturday at the Quay County Fairgrounds rodeo arena in Tucumcari. 4-H youth competed in goat tying, pole bending, barrel racing, team roping, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and other events. A total of 32 buckles and three saddles were awarded to top entries in the novice, junior and senior categories. Among the Quay County winners were Rylan Montoya in...

  • Logan boy wins wakesurfing division

    Staff report|Jul 31, 2019

    About 25 people participated in the Beck's Boats second annual wakesurf competition Saturday at Ute Lake, with a Logan boy winning his division. Mason Wallin of Logan won the boys age 11 and younger division. The event on the south side of the lake near Horseshoe Bend drew competitors from all over eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. Here are the winners of the competition: • Girls 11 and younger: Brylee Burgin of Clovis • Girls 12 to 14: Aubrey Hill of Clovis • Boys 11 and young...

  • Records receive high marks

    Steve Hansen|Jul 31, 2019

    The state’s official review of the city of Tucumcari’s fiscal year 2018 financial records resulted in a rating of “unmodified,” the best rating the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor can give, the city commission learned at Thursday’s regular meeting. Fiscal 2018 ended June 30, 2018. City Manager Britt Lusk said the city can now breathe “a sigh of relief” after the state auditor gave the city a very low rating of “disclaimer” for its reported 2017 records. “It’s like having a teacher tell you your homework was so messy you got a zero...

  • Tucumcari bulk-water dispenser vandalized

    Ron Warnick|Jul 31, 2019

    Some rural Quay County customers were forced to find other water sources for almost 36 hours after a burglary last week rendered inoperable a bulk-water dispenser owned by the city of Tucumcari. City manager Britt Lusk said service was restored to the dispenser about 3 p.m. July 23 after the break-in was discovered the previous morning. Lusk credited facility maintenance director Chris Gries for his repair work at the facility at Main and Third streets. "He did an amazing job," Lusk said. "We...

  • Woman faces three felony charges in drug, child abuse case

    Ron Warnick|Jul 31, 2019

    A Tucumcari woman faces three felony charges after being accused of possessing methamphetamine and powerful painkiller with a child next to the narcotics in the front seat of her car. Monica Marie Bradley, 38, was jailed on two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, felony abuse of a child (first offense; placed in a dangerous situation), possession of drug paraphernalia, no driver’s license and lack of proof of insurance. The child-abuse count is a third-degree felony that can lead to three years in prison and a fine of up t...

  • Timmy's tell-all ruined more than 'Lassie'

    Karl Terry|Jul 31, 2019

    Turns out Timmy is not stuck in a well and, furthermore, he never has been stuck in a well. What deception! I caught a Fox News interview with Jon Provost, better known as Timmy Martin, where he confesses that Timmy never was trapped in a well in any of the TV classic serials of the show “Lassie.” He says he’s not exactly sure where the modern-day myth came from, but before he penned his autobiography “Timmy’s in the Well,” he reviewed every episode just to make sure he never spent time at the bottom of a well. Apparently there were other...

  • Police blotter - July 31

    Jul 31, 2019

    These calls were made to the Tucumcari-Quay Regional Emergency Communications Center from July 22 to July 28: Monday • 6:53 a.m.: Breaking and entering at Main and Third streets, Tucumcari. • 10:08 a.m.: Arrest in 200 block of West Aber Street, Tucumcari. • 4:22 p.m.: Arrest warrant in 400 block of South U.S. 54, Logan. • 6:28 p.m.: Theft (shoplifting) in 2300 block of South First Street, Tucumcari. • 10:43 p.m.: Attempted theft in 2600 block of South First Street, Tucumcari. Tuesday • 2:07 p.m.: Court order violation in 1800 block of South Si...

  • Logan mayor reaches plea deal

    Ron Warnick - Staff|Jul 31, 2019

    The mayor of Logan was fined $800, given a suspended 90-day jail sentence and put on unsupervised probation for illegally working and bidding as an electrical contractor without a license during a plea deal Tuesday afternoon in Tucumcari magistrate court. David Babb, 63, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor violations of the Construction Industries Licensing Act — one for working as a contractor without a license and the other for bidding as a contractor without a license. He was charged in May after the state of New Mexico filed a criminal c...

  • RaciNO: Racing commission won't award new license

    Ron Warnick - Staff Writer|Jul 31, 2019

    The New Mexico Racing Commission issued a big "no" on awarding a sixth racing license — not just to Tucumcari, but to everyone else who'd applied for one. A principal member of an investment group that wants to build a “racino” in Tucumcari said he’d appeal to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to intervene to have the commission reconsider. The commission announced during its first regular meeting in more than two months Thursday it would not approve a sixth license. Applicants from Tucumcari, Clovis and Lordsburg had been jockeying for one for mor...

  • Presbyterian reports patient database breach

    Ron Warnick - Staff writer|Jul 31, 2019

    About 183,000 patients and health-plan members for Albuquerque-based Presbyterian Healthcare Services may have been affected by database breach in early May that came to light Thursday. Presbyterian Healthcare operates nine hospitals, including Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari and Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis, plus a statewide health plan and a medical group. According to a news release Friday from Presbyterian, “unauthorized access was gained through a deceptive email to some of Presbyterian’s workforce members sometime aro...