Youth lend hand in San Rafael
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
SAN RAFAEL — Long blond hair tied in a ponytail hung thick
with grime and sweat as 16-year-old Shannon Donohoe of Littleton,
Colo., did something many young people her age would never think
of doing.
Shannon looked as if she belonged in a mall somewhere with a cluster
of other girls her age, but instead she was doing heavy manual
labor at the San Rafael Mission with some 50 other kids many from
Littleton and some from Milan, San Rafael and Acoma.
The youth volunteers were working in a program organized by the
Light of the World Catholic Parish in Littleton.
Shannon and her fellow workers were doing the work for free the
past week, helping another community, helping others, and Shannon
loved every bit of it.
"It's awesome helping other people," she said as she
stabbed at a row of weeds tucked neatly under a long log in a
parking lot at the historic mission with a shovel. Across the
street many other young people were busy building a straw and
stucco fence around the Guadelupe Plaza, the tiny community's
center-piece where celebrations and community gatherings take
place.
Barbara Lotze is director of the youth ministry for the Light
of the World Catholic Parish. She has been doing youth ministry
for 20 years, 17 of them professionally and 14 of them with the
Light of the World Parish.
For the past several years she and about 20 young people from
Colorado and seven adults have been coming to New Mexico for one
week to work and live in the communities; however, most of the
work they do is related to the Catholic Church. They have worked
in San Fidel, the Pueblo of Acoma and now in San Rafael.
All work is volunteer and Lotze has young people chomping at the
bits to get to come on the trips.
"I guess you could say the work camp is like a hot item,"
Lotze said. As she talked, Lotze, who prefers a hands-on approach
to ministry, pulled weeds and talked to a cluster of young girls
about life situations and problems.
To help subsidize the trip each young person pays $150 and the
rest of the money comes from donations from church organizations.
Lotze even has a waiting list of young people just begging to
go along.
The purpose of the trip is to foster a sense of helping others
to help themselves with the help of religion. Each morning the
young people come to the San Rafael Mission Chapel for scripture
lessons, which are geared to life experiences, and then the young
people go out into the world and work.
If people come by and tell the young people they are doing a good
job, that's fine, but if they don't, that is OK, too.
As Juliana Leon, 21, a team leader from Acoma, put it, the idea
is not to do things for others with expectations of getting something
in return, but to do things for others even when there are no
"thanks" involved. In other words, what these young
people learn is the true meaning of giving.
A shy person a few years ago, almost a self-described introvert,
Juliana now is an outgoing personality who has learned a valuable
lesson during the past five-year association with the organization.
She has learned about other cultures and best of all: "I've
learned to open up more to people. I can talk to people now."
Antonio Trujillo, a San Rafael Mission parishioner, acts as the
community liaison and he's got his hands full. About 22 of the
young people are from Colorado and the rest come from area communities.
What he has on his hands is the combining of three cultures from
Littleton, Acoma and San Rafael and surrounding communities.
The young people are fed breakfast and lunch, work from 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m. and at night they stay with the residents of San Rafael.
"We want to teach the kids a sense of giving back to their
communities, so that they know life is not all about taking,"
Trujillo said.
Lutze said the residents of San Rafael have turned out well beyond
expectations to greet the young people and make each feel welcome.
Beatrice Montano, 15, of San Rafael, was covered from head to
foot with stucco Friday and she wore a face-splitting grin as
she worked. One of the townies, Beatrice said, "I helped
because I thought it was really neat that they came down from
Colorado to help my little town."
She learned the lesson of hard work. "I think I'll take the
whole next week and sleep," Beatrice said.
Shannon, meanwhile, thinks of herself as a spiritual person, whose
religion simply adds to her persona.
"It's awesome learning about other cultures," said the
smiling 16-year-old who admits that "awesome" is about
her most favorite word in the world.
One of the lessons she is taking home with her is that "You
take nothing for granted," Shannon said. "I love the
work here, I mean you get dirty, you get grimy, you get sweaty,
I don't get paid for it ... and I love it!"
While in San Rafael she lives with a family with 13 children.
It has given her a different prospective on "family."
"I kinda take my own family for granted," she said.
"When I get back home, I'm going to change that."
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Gallup health care team to help Mexico's
needy
Heather Armstrong
Staff Writer
GALLUP — A child, sick with fever, cries out. It's a no brainer:
take the child to the doctor. But what if the closest town with medical
help is three or four days away on foot or by horse? By that time
it may be too late.
For the Tepeguanes Indians in Durango, Mexico, this is not hypothetical;
it's harsh reality.
Durango seems so remote from daily life here. The situation may seem
hopeless, but not to the 17- member team who will dig into their own
pockets to provide much-needed medical and dental care for the residents.
The group of four doctors, five nurses, a biologist, a veterinarian
and other support members and translators will journey to the remote
village of Suchil in the Sierra Mountains of Durango. They will depart
Gallup on Friday, with plans to return June 25.
"We're not planning to change the world," said Lorenzo Dominguez,
registered nurse at Gallup Indian Medical Center and originator of
the mission.
Maybe they can't change the world, but they can touch the lives of
some 2,000 people scattered throughout five little towns in the area.
The residents' ailments include tapeworm, skin diseases, bone deterioration
and teeth problems, most of which are caused by malnutrition.
The isolated inhabitants often have to travel days at a time to get
medical attention, by which time something as treatable as an
infection can result in the loss of a limb, Dominguez said in an interview
last week.
"Our purpose is to take (them) multivitamins and medications,"
Dominguez said. "And to educate."
Dr. Stephen Heath, doctor of internal medicine at GIMC, agrees.
"Part of medical care is education," Heath said. "We
hope to provide at least some education about possible ways of improving
their diets."
According to Heath, not having access to a hospital or lab will make
it difficult for the team since the nurses and doctors, accustomed
to technology, will rely solely on symptoms to diagnose patients.
"We'll be doing our best to provide services with whatever we
have," Heath said, since schoolhouses will most likely serve
as clinics.
"It will be challenging to do it the old-fashioned way,"
Heath said.
At this time donations and monetary contributions are welcome, but
money is preferred.
"It's easier to have money," Dominguez said, explaining
that intensive paperwork and documentation are needed to transport
supplies into Mexico. The group plans to purchase supplies and antibiotics
when they reach Mexico at a lower price than they could in the United
States.
The team dug into its own pockets to pay for gas, food and lodging,
which Dominguez estimates will cost each person around $500. To keep
costs at a minimum, the group, along with tents and camping gear,
will squeeze into five personal vehicles.
A priest, who will house the group the first evening, will then escort
the group up remote mountain roads to reach the isolated villages
around Suchil, where the group will camp. Dominguez estimates that
around 100 people in Durango pitched in to organize the event.
The group has received pharmaceutical donations from Wal-Mart. Rehoboth
McKinley Christian Health Care also donated medications and $1,000.
GIMC staff donated supplies and money.
Heath and his wife, Aida, a pediatric nurse, jumped at the chance
to go.
"We both thought it would be an interesting opportunity to serve
the people of Mexico," Heath said, adding that the people they
will serve are "not dissimilar to the Native American population
here."
Dominguez expressed his desire to help those in need.
"You feel like you're contributing to your fellow human beings,"
Dominguez said. His wife, Maria, who was born near
Durango, will be the group's cook.
Donations are welcome. Contact Lorenzo Dominguez at 726-9374 or 722-1000
for more information.
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Code officer files charges on mayor
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
MILAN — Charges now have been filed against Mayor Elisabeth Lopez-Rael
by village Code Enforcement Officer Ted Tindall over a flap last week.
During that dispute, the mayor had Tindall and Village Manager David
Jiron removed from Village Hall by the police.
Tindall went to the Cibola County Magistrate Court in Grants and filed
the charges Wednesday, the day Lopez-Rael directed Jiron to fire Tindall.
Jiron refused, so the mayor canned them both.
Jiron and Tindall left Village Hall at 11:52 a.m. Wednesday. About
3 p.m., Tindall went to the magistrate court to file charges.
Two charges were filed one interfering with members of staff of public
officials engaged in official duties and the second charge, harassment.
Lopez-Rael, who has been mayor since 1998, was served with notice
of the charges Monday. She was also given a criminal summons to appear
in magistrate court at 10 a.m. July 18.
In his complaint Tindall said: "I swear or affirm under penalty
of perjury that the facts set forth above are true to the best of
my information and belief. I understand that it is a criminal offense
subject to the penalty of imprisonment to make a false statement in
a criminal complaint."
Last week Lopez-Rael said she gave orders to Jiron to fire Tindall
after she received a petition which had been circulating in the village
for several weeks seeking Tindall's removal as code enforcement officer.
Tindall, in village board of trustees meetings in the past, maintains
he is just doing his job as a code enforcement officer, but Lopez-Rael
said he is going above the duties of his assigned position.
In a flurry of memos Wednesday between the mayor and Jiron and two
to Milan Police Lopez-Rael fired Jiron and Tindall and asked for police
security at Village Hall.
On Thursday Lopez-Rael had Milan Police escort Tindall and Jiron from
Village Hall at different times during the day.
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Area golfers compete in Gallup Pro-Am
Michael Peretti
Staff Sports Writer
With 11 different teams in this year's competition, the team led by
pro Pat Gonzalez came out on top Monday at the Gallup Golf Course.
Gonzalez's team, made up of Annette Sieben, Joyce Draper, Sharon Maranito
and Irvin Cayedito shot a 183 total on the day to take the first place
team title. Gonzalez shot a 72 to take third in the individual pro
awards.
Draper shot a net score of 633 to tie with Galen Geofff for third
in the Net score totals. Cayedito shot a net score of 65, which was
good enough to tie with Rick Crabtree for seventh.
In a tie for second place in the team division was Alex Alvarez's
team made up of Marty Menapace, Howard Menapace, Debbie Thomas and
Johnny Thomas and Ron Ulibari's team made up of Bob Dosher, Nuey Johnson,
Percy Cole and Ray Gabaldon. The two teams shot 186's on the day.
Picking up the individual championship for the pro's was Manny Martinez
and Bill Harvey, both shooting a 69 on the day.
The two were followed by Gonzalez, and then Alex Alvarez shooting
a 73 and in fifth was Marc Benavidez and Dennis McKloskey, both shooting
a 74. Finishing seventh was Ron Ulibari shooting a 75. In eight place
was Derek Gutierrez with a 76.
Taking first in the individual non pro competition gross scoring was
Bob Dosher, shooting a 63. Dosher was followed by teammate Percy Cole,
who shot a 67 and then Johnny Watson, Tommy Gallegos, Don Thoney,
Kenny Bean and Don Dickerson, all shooting 69's on the day.
Finishing in eighth place was Tom Chee, shooting a 70.
Finishing first in the individual non pro net competition was Newt
Donaldson, shooting a 61. Donaldson was followed by Frank Mraz and
Draper, both with a 63. Cliff Hays and Howard Menapace both shot a
64 in the net scoring.
In the team competition Derek Gutierrez's team placed fourth along
with Jill Trujillo's team, both shooting a 187 to tie for fourth in
the team competition.
Gutierrez's team was made up of Don Dickerson, Calvin Begay, John
Dawling and Randy Radcliff. Trujillo's team was made up of Galen Geoff,
Johnny Watson, Gigi Bischoff and Tom Pino.
There were 12 teams scheduled to compete in the tournament, but Bobby
Baca's team withdrew before the competition.
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School chief takes job in Nogales
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
FORT DEFIANCE, Ariz. — Superintendent J. Ronald Hennings seems
to like Arizona's borders.
He will leave the Window Rock Unified School District at the end of
the month to work at the southern edge of Arizona in Nogales after
coming to this eastern border district from Parker on the western
line.
He told the Independent that he will become the assistant superintendent
of curriculum and instruction in Nogales, which has about twice the
enrollment of the local Fort Defiance-based district. According to
a list used by the Arizona School Facilities Board, the Parker district
has 2,112 students, Window Rock has 3,073 and Nogales has 6,271 students.
All three are unified districts with students in kindergarten through
12th grades.
Hennings will have spent about a year at the WRUSD helm, coming from
Parker, which serves the Colorado River Indian Reservation, with Navajos
being one of four main tribes in the Arizona-California reservation...
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Lions Club Rodeo set to kick off
Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer
CHURCH ROCK — It's the state's largest amateur rodeo.
Nearly 600 contestants from all over the Southwest are ready for the
53rd Annual Lions Club Rodeo that gets underway Wednesday night at
Red Rock State Park.
"It's the largest amateur rodeo in the state," said Lions
Club rodeo chairman Mike Lunnon about his organization's biggest fundraiser
of the year. "We hope the people come out for the rodeo. We're
a local rodeo trying to give back to the community.
We have local cowboys that come back every year. The local cowboys
bring their families and friends. Each year we've been approached
by different rodeo organizations that want to sanction the rodeo.
It's a double edge sword. We feel if we had a different sanction we
would have the professional contestants coming in and pushing the
local contestants out of the rodeo..."
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Citizens get last chance to air area-code views
Dallas Moyer
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The intrastate rivalry of urban and rural representatives
will face its next battle on the campus of New Mexico Tech Wednesday.
The question is: Who will keep the area code 505 and who will be
forced to switch to 575?
The five members of the Public Regulatory Commission (PRC) have
been quarreling among themselves for the last year as to who should
be able to keep the 505 area code. At a meeting last month, the
commission voted 3-2 for rural New Mexico to keep the current code.
The vote reflected an urban-rural split among the regulators. Commission
chairman Tony Schaefer along with commissioners Lynda Lovejoy of
Crownpoint and Rory McMinn of Roswell voted to assign the new area
code to the Albuquerque-Santa Fe urban corridor. Commissioners Herb
Hughes of Albuquerque and Jerome Block of Santa Fe wanted rural
areas of the state to switch numbers...
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Murder suspect skips hearing
Tara Drolma
Staff Writer
GRANTS — Arcy Martinez was a no-show at his pre-trial conference
Monday and the judge has issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
Pauline A. Chavez, a spokesperson for the 13th District Court, said
Judge Camille Olguin has ordered a no-bail bond bench warrant for
Martinez's arrest and has started forfeiture proceedings for the
$5,000 cash assurity Martinez had posted on the $50,000 bond.
Martinez, 63, is charged with one count of open murder for the killing
of Anthony Vallejos, 33, and one count of aggravated battery for
wounding Ralph Gonzales, 41. The three men, all of Milan, had been
drinking at Martinez's home on Feb. 5 when the shooting occurred.
Chavez said Martinez was scheduled to appear in court at 11 a.m.
Monday, but neither he nor his attorney, Robert Aragon of Gallup,
showed up...
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Cibola's budget still needs cuts
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — Cibola County commissioners Monday took a unique approach
to eliminating a $220,000 budget deficit by adding more money to
it.
The approach did not work before and it failed to work this time.
In the end, it only added to the deficit.
The idea was to trim the budget by $220,000 so Cibola County could
send the mandated 2001-02 balanced budget to the New Mexico Department
of Finance and Administration by the end of July, but that is not
quite what happened.
Instead of taking a budget knife to non-essential programs, the
commission actually added a program which was not in last year's
budget. So now County Manager Bob Ortiz has to find some way to
trim $221,000 from the county's already lean budget instead of $220,000,
which is the amount needed to be cut before Monday's meeting...
Aerial fireworks illegal in city
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — When vendors in the county begin selling aerial fireworks
on June 28, Gallup Fire Chief Louis Chavez hopes that someone reminds
the buyers that these fireworks are illegal in the city.
But he doesn't expect that to happen.
"We've already seen some bottle rockets in the Stagecoach area,"
he said.
As usual, the laws for Gallup residents regarding the use of fireworks
this Fourth of July are different from the county. After
banning aerial fireworks in 2000 because of the severe drought conditions,
the county is allowing vendors to sell aerial fireworks this year...
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Deaths
Ella Morgan Bates
CROWNPOINT — Funeral services for Ella Bates, 90, will be held
at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 13 at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Crownpoint.
Burial will follow in Nahodishgish.
Visitation will be held today, June 12 at Cope Memorial Chapel from
5-7 p.m.
Bates died June 8. She was born October 10, 1910 in Nahodishgish into
the Salt People Clan for the Water Flows Together
People Clan.
Bates was a lifelong resident of Nahodishgish. She was a homemaker
and a rancher. She served as a chapter officer, member of the Navajo
Area School Board and the senior citizens council. She was a foster
grandparent for the BIA school in Crownpoint and she was a traditional
Navajo rug weaver.
Survivors include her sons Alfred Bates Sr.of Nahodishgish and Abel
Bates Jr. of North Hollywood, Calif.; daughters Laverne Stillhammer
of Thoreau, Louise Henry and Lorraine Bigthumb, both of Nahodishgish
and Christine Bates of Gallup; brothers, Cecil Morgan and Charles
Morgan, both of Crownpoint; sister Elinor Arviso of Crownpoint, 17
grandchildren and
26 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by Richard Bates, Alfred Bates Jr., Benjamin
Bates Jr., Lynch Sandoval, Norman Bates, and
Willard B. Henry.
Cope Memorial Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
John C. Wilson
KINLICHEE, Ariz. — Services for John Wilson, 82, will be held
at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 13, at the Tse Bonito Mortuary Chapel.
Minister Phillip James will officiate. Burial will follow at Kinlichee
Community Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 1-3 p.m. today at Tse Bonito Chapel.
Wilson died June 7 in Summit, Ariz. He was born Jan. 20, 1919, in
Kinlichee into the Bitter Water for the Hopi.
Survivors include his sons, Roy Wilson, Walter Wilson, Alban Wilson,
Ronald Wilson and LeRoy Wilson; daughters, Carol
Largo, Caroline Martin, Alberta Wilson, Laverne Martin, Emma Valezquiz
and Vernita Kee; brother, Willie Wilson; sisters,
Annie Roanhorse, Isabelle Shirley, Rose Roanhorse and Alice James;
33 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Wilson was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Wilson; parents;
Mr. and Mrs. Willie Wooly; and brothers, Freddie
Wilson and James Wilson.
Pallbearers will be Roy Wilson, Walter Wilson, Alban Wilson, Ronald
Wilson, Leroy Wilson and Speeza Begay .
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Kinlichee Chapter House.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Benigno "Ben" Griego Sr.
GRANTS — Services for Benigno Griego Sr., 83, were held at 10
a.m. today, June 12, at St. Teresa de Avila Catholic Church. Father
Godfrey Blank officiated. Burial followed at Grants Memorial Park.
Griego died June 9 in Grants. He was born Oct. 15, 1917, in Sena.
Griego was a member of St. Teresa Catholic Church and Knights of Columbus.
He was a retired miner. His hobbies included
ranching and farming.
Survivors include his sons, Ben Griego Jr., Santiago "James"
Griego, Henry Griego and Anthony Griego, all of Grants, and
Ruben Griego of Albuquerque; daughters, Georgia Romero, Lucy Gomez
and Rachael Lujan, all of Grants; brother, Alejo
Griego of Grants; sister, Josie Bustamante of Los Lunas, 12 grandchildren
and 16 great-grandchildren.
Griego was preceded in death by his wife, Lucinea Griego.
Pallbearers were Ronnie Griego, John Griego, James Griego, Marty Griego,
Henry Griego Jr., Michael S. Greigo, Lucky
Romero Jr., Marty Lujan, Ronnie Griego Jr., Jessica Lujan, Peggy Romero
and Kathy Romero.
Charlotte Nelly Guerra
GALLUP — Services for Charlotte Guerra, 81, will be announced
at a later date.
Guerra died June 10 in Gallup. She was born Jan. 1, 1920, in Mentmore.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Johnnie B. Miller
THOREAU — Services for Johnnie Miller, 66, will be announced
at a later date.
Miller died June 10 in Gallup. He was born June 15, 1935, in Thoreau.
A family meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at Thoreau Chapter
House.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
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