Firm wins bid to fix city streets
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The Gallup City Council Tuesday awarded an Albuquerque
firm the bid to repair the Third and Fourth Street bridges.
Albuquerque Underground won the contract to make the downtown
repairs with a total bid of $865,000.
Actually, the word bridge is a misnomer. In truth, the company
will be shoring up tunnels that were built under downtown Gallup
more than a half century ago.
The project has become somewhat controversial because of fears
expressed by merchants on Third Street that any planned repair
would severely disrupt their summer business, which accounts for
much of their profits.
Stan Henderson, director of the city's Public Works Division,
said that the plan originally was to do only the Third Street
project and have it started as soon as the bid was awarded.
City officials said that the deterioration of Third Street between
Coal and Aztec avenues has been getting worse and there was a
concern that if something was not done soon, there was a danger
the street would collapse.
Because of the objections expressed by downtown merchants, the
city did change the work order to have the project begin in September,
after the summer season is over.
City officials have estimated that it will be another five years
or so until Fourth is in as bad shape as Third but the decision
was made to go ahead and get both projects done this year, using
money from the bond issue approved by city voters last year.
Henderson said that the company can either do both streets at
the same time or separately but he expected that it would be completed
by Christmas or earlier if the company wants to finish before
the bad weather sets in.
The work will mean that Third and Fourth streets will be closed
off to traffic, which would require traffic coming south over
the railroad to make a detour and go up Fifth until it reaches
Aztec.
Traffic on Aztec and Coal is not expected to be affected, he said.
"We will be working with local businesses to minimize any
disruption as much as possible," Henderson said.
There was no actual debate on the proposal at Tuesday's council
session, which approved it through a consent decree.
The only issue that came up for discussion was a request from
officials for Gallup Indian Medical Center for permission to use
potable water in a parking lot resealing project.
City law prohibits using potable water but Indian Health Service
officials pointed out that getting a truck and driver to bring
in effluent water would add several thousand dollars to the project.
It was also pointed out that the resealing project would take
up very much water.
Council members were agreeable to allowing IHS permission to go
ahead but were hampered by council procedures that did not allow
such a motion to be made if the item was not on the agenda.
The council discussed naming it an emergency which would have
allowed bypassing the procedure but before that happened,
Utility Director Buck Monday pointed out that the law allows him
to give approval for a variance of this kind and if the council
was agreeable, he would go ahead and do so.
They were and the matter was resolved.
After meeting for less than 20 minutes, the council adjourned
to executive session to discuss the various applicants for city
police chief.
Each of the council delegates was given copies of the resume of
the 35 or so applicants and were asked to weed their lists down
to three or four finalists.
The plans were to have the council and the city's personnel office
to present their finalists with the hopes that the various lists
have the same names on them.
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Redistricting map is only first step
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Arizona redistricting officials explained Tuesday
that the first redistricting maps were only to meet a requirement
of Proposition 106 and to begin the discussions about redrawing legislative
boundaries.
The only rural member of the Independent Redistricting Commission,
Democrat Joshua Mark Hall of St. Johns, and IRC Democratic attorney
Jose de Jesus Rivera told tribal leaders that the proposition required
the first map to be grid-like and based only on population.
This split the Window Rock-Ganado area off from the rest of the reservation
for a U.S. House of Representatives seat and Coconino County's portion
of Navajoland from Navajo and Apache counties. Navajo officials objected,
issuing press releases stating their opposition.
Hall emphasized the commission wants as much public input as possible
for both sets of hearings it will hold across the state.
Public comments on the grid-based maps will be used to prepare the
first real maps which will be the subject of a second round of hearings
so that the final maps can be drawn and submitted to the U.S. Justice
Department for approval.
Rivera who was Bill Clinton's U.S. attorney for Arizona and was involved
in the 1991 redistricting that ended up in court said many other standards
must be met for federal approval, including "retrogression"
or not reducing the impact minorities such as Hispanics and Indians
have, compared to their current representation.
Hall pointed out Washington's concerns about both "packing"
and "dilution." The first is putting virtually all of a
minority's voters in one district to ensure electing a minority which
is what Navajo leaders have said they want; the latter is cutting
up a minority's strength to ensure a minority is not elected which
is what Navajo leaders say the first maps did.
The IRC men also pointed out that the Hopi Tribe has already taken
a position that it does not want to be included with Navajo.
Currently the Hopi Reservation is gerrymandered out of Navajo districts
in both the state and federal legislatures.
Rivera said the Hopi desire presented an interesting question of whether
it is retrogression to include the Hopi Reservation in a Navajo-dominated
district.
The discussion led Navajo consultant Ron Faich of Albuquerque to push
hard for expanding the existing state legislative district by about
40,000 people to raise it to the 171,000 needed to form a district.
(Each Congressional district must contain as close to 641,329 people
as possible.)
He said the only way to do this is to move the southern boundary farther
south, and he suggested putting almost all of southern Apache County
in the Navajo-controlled district. This would mean Sen. Jack Jackson
of Window Rock would be in the same district as Sen. Jack Brown of
St. Johns. Both are Democrats and Brown is the party's minority leader.
The current state District 3 cannot go east, north or west because
it already extends to the New Mexico, Utah and Nevada borders.
Hall and Rivera said Proposition 106 absolutely forbids the IRC from
considering incumbent or candidate residences in drawing the new boundaries.
"The intent is to eliminate abuses of power," he said.
Repeatedly Hall commented that the commission wants as much input
defining communities of interest, what people want to see included
in their districts and why.
The first round of hearings include: 6 p.m. June 25 in the Peterson
Zah-Navajo Nation Museum, Library and Visitors Center in Window Rock;
7 p.m. June 19 in Flagstaff at Northern Arizona University with NAU's
inter-active television system set up in Ganado, Chinle, Kayenta and
Keams Canyon; and 7 p.m. June 27 in Holbrook at Northland Pioneer
College's Painted Desert Campus Education Center.
Arizona will gain two U.S. Representatives, increasing to eight members.
The state legislature consists of 30 districts, each with two representatives
and one senator. U.S. senators are not affected since the U.S. Constitution
gives each state two.
The proposition, approved in November, took redistricting away from
the 90 state legislators and put it in the hands of a five-member
commission consisting of two Democrats, two Republicans and an Independent.
In addition to Hall, commissioners are Tucson Republican Daniel R.
Elder, Phoenix Republican James R. Huntwork, Phoenix Democrat Andrea
E. Minkoff, and Tucson Independent Steven W. Lynn, the chairman.
The IRC also has opened a toll-free telephone line at 1-866-864-7579.
Commissioner Hall also invited people to call him if they want to
talk to him individually at either (602) 364-1350 or (520) 367-5800
at his office in Pinetop-Lakeside.
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Ortiz contract still up in air
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — After almost three months of back-and-forth talks, commission
show and no-shows, regular meetings and special meeting Cibola County
Manager Bob Ortiz still does not know if he'll be the county manager
next month.
County commissioners took a contract behind closed doors for more
than two hours Monday. When they came out of executive session all
Commission Chairman Isaac Padilla would say is that the contract still
needs some fine tuning and would officially be presented to Ortiz
at a special June 18 commission meeting.
Padilla told Ortiz he would be given ample time to review the contract
before having to make a decision.
Ortiz's contract expires June 30.
It has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride for Ortiz and the
county since the matter of Ortiz's contract first cropped up in March.
Paid $60,000 per year, Ortiz has been the kind of county manager who
demands fiscal responsibility and who strongly advocates the New Mexico
Open Meeting and Open Government acts. He has been the county manager
since 1998, when he left a position as the director of public safety
in Grants to take over as county manager.
A person who speaks what is on his mind, Ortiz at one of the meetings
concerning his job told the commission members if they wanted a "good
ol' boy" form of county government, or wanted to re-invent the
old patron system, then he was not the man for the county manager's
job in Cibola County.
Since taking office Ortiz has wrestled with a number of different
crisis situations. Chief among them has been the one dealing with
the costs of housing inmates at a private institution, a cost which
has doubled in the past year.
In response, the upward trend has been placing county finances in
turmoil, a fact which has been evident for the past few months and
especially in the last month when the new county budget with no pay
raises or capital outlay projects was presented with words of warning
that another $220,000 had to be trimmed in order to make a balanced
budget. The budget must be balanced before it is submitted to the
state and the state cannot simply ignore the county budget. One must
be submitted and accepted.
The 50-year-old-plus Ortiz, who holds a university master's degree,
has his supporters in the county, as well as those who would like
to see him take up residency in another county.
His allies on the commission include Padilla and Commissioner James
Meisner. Commissioners who appear to oppose him are Arturo Candelaria
and Fred Scott. Commissioner Bennie Cohoe hasn't revealed which side
he favors.
When the commission meeting broke up after five and a half hours late
Monday, Ortiz said nothing about the contract deal.
Meisner attended the closed session and a portion of the open session
by telephone. He is on vacation in Florida.
In other matters the commission:
Appointed Pati McClure, Bob Ewell and Andy Vigil to the Cibola County
Hospital Board of Directors.
Approved 4-0 a resolution supporting the Regional Housing Authority
Region II to provide housing for low- to moderate-income individuals
in Cibola County as well as senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Approved 4-0 a resolution to establish precinct boundaries.
Approved 4-0 a $35,000 pass-through grant money budget increase for
Casa San Jose.
Approved 4-0 a $10,952.57 budget adjustment for the care of prisoners
fund.
Approved 4-0 a $35,765.39 pass through fund budget adjustment for
the Northwest Solid Waste Authority from the state tax and revenue
department.
Approved 4-0 a budget adjustment from the family center to the care
of prisoner fund.
Approved agreements with the federal National Park Service and Bureau
of Land Management for grant money for three rural volunteer fire
departments. The departments are San Rafael Volunteer Fire Department,
the Candy Kitchen Volunteer Fire Department and El Morro Volunteer
Fire Department. The grant money will be used to upgrade volunteer
fire departments to help fight fires on federal lands.
Approved an ordinance which establishes a one-eighth percent addition
to the county's gross receipts tax (sales tax) in a 4-0 vote.
Tabled an ordinance which would allow the issuance of and sale of
tax-exempt multifamily housing revenue bonds in a 4-0 vote.
Approved a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant to the family
center to tear down the Grants Swimming Pool bath house and fence
and build a new concession area.
Approved two Enhanced 911 grant agreements in 4-0 votes.
Approved a $108,000 state grant for the county's DWI Program, approved
a teen court coordinator position and teen court assistant position,
all to be funded with state money in 4-0 votes.
Approved a contract with a private contractor to build a barrier in
the Cubero area in a 4-0 vote.
Approved the Cibola Hospital Management Plan and Budget in a 4-0 vote.
Appointed Laura Malaj to the DWI Task Force Board of Directors in
a 3-0-1 vote with Scott abstaining from the vote.
Approved a contract with Family Connections for professional services
in a 4-0 vote.
Approved a contract with Gomez Counseling for professional services
in a 4-0 vote.
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Reds, Cubs both score 9-1 victories
Michael Peretti
Staff Sports Writer
GALLUP — The Reds and Cubs used defense to hold their opponents
to only one run each and pick up wins Tuesday night at Stafie Memorial
Park.
The Reds picked up a 9-1 victory over the Indians in four innings
and the Cubs were able to win in five innings by the same score.
Reds 9, Indians 1
The Indians could not get much going in the entire game, putting only
five runners on base in the game. The first five batters for the Indians
ended in strikeouts.
After getting the Indians 1-2-3 in the first inning, the Reds came
to bat and put up four runs. The first four batters for the Reds reached
and scored. James Brough led off the inning with a walk and then Steven
Summy reached on an error. Bryan Summy came to bat and reached and
then Terry Bowman knocked in a pair of runs. With one out Chris Berger
came to bat and knocked in Bryan Summy and Bowman.
The Indians got their first runner on with two outs in the top of
the second when Kevin Tom broke up James Brough's perfect game by
reaching on an error. The Reds were unable to advance Tom, stranding
him at first.
In the bottom of the second the Reds came up to bat and scored three
more runs. Jeremy Macias started the inning off by striking out but
got to first when the third strike got away from the catcher. Myron
Alonzo followed by knocking in Macias with a double. After the Indians
got two outs the Reds scored their last run of the inning with Bryan
Summy receiving a walk and scoring on a single by Bowman.
Four Indian batters struck out in the third, but they were able to
still break the shutout by scoring a run. After the first two batters
went down to strikes Anthony Baldonado came up and was walked. Ryan
Plese followed with a strikeout but got to first safely on a passed
ball.Joel Mora singled to bring in Baldonado and make the score 7-1.
The next batter struck out to end the inning.
The Reds scored their last two runs in the bottom of the third With
Chris Berger and Zach Schmaltz both receiving walks and scoring on
passed balls.
The Indians went down with three strikeouts in the top of the fourth
and the Reds did not need their at bat in the fourth.
Leading the way for the Reds was Terry Bowman going 2-for-2.
Picking up the win for the Reds was James Brough going the distance
giving up one run on two hits while striking out 13. All but one of
the outs for the Indians was a strikeout, and two batters reached
after being struck out with passed balls.
Cubs 9, Cardinals 1
The game started off evenly matched and the two teams battled even
for two innings. The Cardinals stranded one runner in the first and
the Cubs were unable to get any runners in the first.
The Cardinals went down in order in the second and the Cubs put one
runner on but he was picked off stealing.
The Cardinals went down in order again in the third and the Cubs took
control in the bottom of the inning.
The Cubs came up to bat and scored three runs on two hits and two
walks. All three runs came off an in the park home run by the pitcher
for the Cubs.
In the fourth the Cardinals got on the board with one run. Sunny Jaramillo
led off the inning with a hit and was advanced on a sacrifice by BJ
Vargas. Isiah Baca followed with a single to break the shutout. The
Next two batter for the Cardinals were struck out.
The Cubs added four runs in the bottom of the fourth to give them
a 7-1 lead. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the fifth with Harry
Martinez and Elijah Lucero getting walks and Sunny Jaramillo singling,
but came away empty after a pair of strikeouts and a ground out to
the second baseman.
The Cubs scored two runs in the bottom of the inning and the game
was called because of the eight run rule after five innings.
The Cubs did not give lineups with last names to the Independent.
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Cibola nixes parking for bike rally
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — Cibola County commissioners voted 2-2 Monday for the
county to provide parking for the Fire and Ice Bike Rally in July
which means the issue failed.
With Commissioner James Meisner absent, the vote came down to Commissioners
Arturo Candelaria and Isaac Padilla voting to approve a memorandum
of understanding between the city of Grants and Cibola County for
the parking lot and Commissioners James Scott and Bennie Cohoe voting
against the issue.
A tie vote is as good as a "no" vote.
The plan was to build a 10-acre dirt parking lot on 40 acres the county
owns across from the municipal golf course on Golf Course Road in
Grants. Two concerts are planned to be held on the golf course driving
range and the plan was for the county to provide adajacent parking
on a dirt lot...
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Chapter slots being filled
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Several chapters have filled elected office vacancies,
the Navajo Election Administration reports.
But many more chapters must still turn in resolutions appointing men
and women to fill their openings.
In the Low Mountain Chapter Benedict Gonnie has taken his oath of
office as the district grazing committee member, while Brenda Mescal
has completed her 10-day protest period and is the Little Water Chapter
secretary-treasurer.
The Pinon Chapter has named Preston McCabe Sr. to the Pinon Community
School Board, and the Many Farms Chapter has named James Bitannie
to the Farm Board...
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Family of hanta victim awarded $2.1 million
SANTA FE (AP) — Hardy Haceesa had classic symptoms of hantavirus
when he showed up sick and feverish at a Navajo Reservation hospital
in 1998.
Instead of ordering a quick test that might have saved his life,
a nurse practitioner at the hospital told Haceesa he had bronchitis
and sent him home. He died of hantavirus three days later.
U.S. District Judge Martha Vazquez blasted the Northern Navajo Medical
Center in a 13-page ruling filed late Monday. She said the northwestern
New Mexico hospital should have been on alert to the symptoms of
the disease, which is prevalent in the area.
Vazquez awarded Haceesa's widow and young daughter $2.1 million
in damages more than three times the normal limit on medical malpractice
claims...
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Family honors miner killed in accident 98 years
ago
Heather Armstrong
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Almost 100 years after his death and countless questions
later, the Prevedel family learned the truth: their grandfather
was not murdered.
Francesco Prevedel waved good-bye to his wife and six young children
and immigrated to the United States to work in the Clarkville coal
mine near Mentmore in 1902 or 1903. His family remained behind in
Tyrol, which later became part of Austria and then part of Italy.
Correspondence was spotty during that time, due to the distance.
The Prevedels received word that Francesco died, but lacked the
details. Francesco's widow died soon after. Relatives raised the
six youngsters, five of whom later immigrated to the United States.
Frank Prevedel, Francesco's grandson, did not know his grandfather's
death was under question until his father visited Gallup in 1989,
seeking information about Francesco...
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Rockies' Andy Ks 10 in win
Abelita Rose Freeland
Staff Sports Writer
GALLUP — Tomrita Andy's struck out 10 batters to lead the Rockies
to a 13-0 shut out victory over the Angels in the 13&14 girls
softball division at Veteran's Memorial Field Tuesday.
In the earlier game, the Indians outscored the Cubs 20-15 in the
9&10 division.
Besides her 10 strikeouts, Andy gave up only two walks and two hits.
Andy started the game with three strike outs in the first inning.
It was also in that inning that she walked Mari Avila and gave up
a double to Lacelle Begay. Neither runner scored however when Andy
picked up her third strikeout...
Gallup woman on trial for armed robbery
Andrea Egger
Staff Writer
GALLUP — A Gallup man described how he grabbed the barrel of
a gun that was pointed at him during an armed robbery.
Marty Bonacci, 31, testified Tuesday in a jury trial accusing Michaelynn
Thompson, 20, of Gallup, with attempted armed robbery, conspiracy
and two counts of aggravated assault from an incident that occurred
around 9:30 p.m. Jan. 1 outside Gallup Indian Medical Center.
Also involved in the case is Thompson's brother, Derrick, 17, who
pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
He was sentenced to a year at the New Mexico Boys School in Springer.
Michaelynn Thompson's boyfriend, Brandon Yazzie, 20, pleaded guilty
to attempted armed robbery with a firearm and conspiracy to commit
attempted armed robbery. He is in custody at the McKinley County
Detention Center and has not yet been sentenced...
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Deaths
Joe James Largo
HOUCK, Ariz. — Services for Joe Largo, 28, will be held at 10
a.m. Thursday, June 14, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Mission,
Houck. Father Gilbert Schneider will officiate. Burial will follow
at Houck Community Cemetery.
Largo died June 9 in Houck, Ariz. He was born Nov. 3, 1972, in Fort
Defiance into the Bitter Water for the Starting of the Red Streak.
Largo attended school at Sanders Elementary and Gallup High School.
He was self-employed as a inlayer. His hobbies were auto mechanics
and Navajo edge pottery.
Survivors include his parents, Joe and Lorraine Largo; brothers, Harrison
Largo Sr., Chester Largo Sr., Harold Largo, Leroy George, Laroy George,
Elroy George, Harrison George and LeAnderson Largo; sisters, Laverna
Bahe and Bernice A. Chee; and grandparents, John and Mary Silver,
Big Jim and Hasbah Largo.
Largo was preceded in death by his brother, Jimmie George Jr.
Pallbearers will be Leroy George, LaRoy George, Calvin Gaddy, Clifford
Ashley, Irvin Jim and Gary Yazzie.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Houck Chapter House.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Ben K. Jake
RAMAH — Graveside services for Ben Jake, 85, will be held at
10 a.m. Thursday, June 14, at the Unit Five, family plot, Pinehill.
Pastor Frank E. Paul will officiate.
Jake died June 9 in Ramah. He was born May 4, 1918, in Nickel Hill
into the Sleep Rock People for the Mexican-Mescalero Apache Clan.
Jake was a sheepherder and a horseman.
Survivors include his son, Randy Beaver; brothers, Jimmy K. Jake,
Allen K.L. Coho and Francis Coho, all of Pinehill, and Monnie K. Jake
of Alamo; and sisters, Mary K. Skeet and Elsie K. Pino, both of Pinehill,
and Nellie K. Jake and Lucy K.
Jake, both of Alamo.
Jake was preceded in death by his wife, Mary C. Coho; parents, Nora
Natan and Asuyano Jake; brothers, Willie K. Jake and
Lee K. Jake; and sisters, Barbara K. Jake, Delores K. Jake and Susie
K. Jake.
Pallbearers will be Carlos Martine, Paul Apachito, Harris Skeet, Timothy
Pino and Sirus Eriacho.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Tsosie Holona
BARSTOW, Calif. — Graveside services for Tsosie Holona, 85, were
held at 10 a.m. Monday, June 11, at Mountain View Memorial Park, 37067
Irwin Road.
Holona died June 4 in Barstow. He was born July 29, 1915, in Tohatchi.
Holona was a former machinist for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad.
His hobby was reading.
Survivors include his wife, Essie Holona of Barstow; daughter, Arlene
Torivio of Barstow; son, Lloyd Holona of Heartville,
Ohio; brothers, Lionel Holona and James Holona, both of Tohatchi;
sister, Mabel Beyal of Tohatchi; 11 grandchildren; 13
great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Holona was preceded in death by his daughter, Deanna Holona Portillo,
and son, Erwin James Holona.
Marjorie L. Blackgoat
COYOTE CANYON — Services for Marjorie Blackgoat, 50, will be
announced at a later date.
Blackgoat died June 11 in Gallup. She was born Jan. 26, 1951, in Fort
Defiance, Ariz.
A family meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at Bread Springs Chapter
House.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
George K. Toledo
ANTELOPE LOOKOUT — Services for George Toledo, 78, will be announced
at a later date.
Toledo died June 11. He was born Dec. 12, 1922, in Crownpoint.
A family meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight at New Testament
Holiness Church, Antelope Lookout.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Ruby Gallagher Cord
BARSTOW, Calif. — Services for Ruby Cord, 75, will be announced
at a later date.
Cord died June 11 in Barstow. She was born June 24, 1925, in Fort
Wingate.
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