Gallup Sun • September 11, 2020

E FRE

VOL 6 | ISSUE 285 | SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Marathon closing its doors

By Beth Blakeman Associate Editor

M

a r a t h o n Petroleum’s Gallup refinery is heading into its last days.

The company expects to begin a phased reduction of staffing at the plant next month.

Sid Barth at Marathon’s home office in Findlay, Ohio told the Gallup Sun Sept. 2 that there are approximately 220 employees at the refinery and with the decision to indefinitely idle the refinery, and terminal, those positions will no longer be necessary.

“The decision is based on the company’s ongoing assessment of our operating costs and the competitive position of our assets, as well as our continued evaluation of the broader economic and financial impacts of COVID-19,” Barth stated in an email.

“The Gallup refinery and terminal will be idled indefinitely with no plans to restart normal operations,” she added.

When asked how much of a hit this would be to the area, Rep. Patty Lundstrom, D-Gallup, said, “You couldn’t

find a more crippling action to our economy than taking Marathon out of it.”

She s a id M a r a t hon i s McKinley County’s number

‘YOU COULDN’T FIND A MORE CRIPPLING ACTION’ - REP. PATTY LUNDSTROM, D-GALLUP one economic based employer a nd one of the top three sources of property, gross receipts and personal income taxes.

An economic impact analysis is currently underway, she added.

The refinery was refurbished at a cost of about $80 million in an upgrade last September according to Lundstrom and Gallup Mayor

MARATHON | SEE PAGE 17

Navajo Nation calls for inquiry at Fort Hood SEE PAGE 9

Parent Teacher Conferences Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 Your child’s school will contact you to set up an appointment to meet with their teacher with one of the following choices • Microsoft TEAMS-Virtual • In Person- Using PPE Protocols-(Certain Schools) • Over the Phone • Student Led Conferences-(Certain Schools)

At GMCS… Education Matters 2

Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

NEWS

NEWS

Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

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NEWS

LOCAL NEWS

Did Gallup get the short end of the stick?

ANOTHER LOOK AT CARES ACT FUNDING

By Beth Blakeman Associate Editor

T

he application form for CA RE S Act funds for local gover n me nt s i n New Mex ico ha s 15 quest ion s.

T ho s e 15 que s t ion s h ave caused confusion, even const er n at ion a mong Ga l lup leaders.

T he Ga l lup Su n t a lked to Mayor Louis Bonaguidi ( S e p t . 1) , S e n . G e o r g e Muñoz, D-Gallup (Sept. 2), Rep. Pat r icia Lu nd st rom, D-Gallup (Sept. 9) and they all agreed that they were disappointed with the CARES Act funding Gallup received.

Mayor Bonaguidi expressed confusion about the questions themselves, saying the finance committee didn’t know what the criteria was.

“We filled it out as best we cou ld a nd we were a s truthful as we could [be],” he said.

Gallup Mayor Louis Bonaguidi

Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup

Sen. Muñoz said different answers on the first two questions on the application wou ld have y ielded more money.

The first two questions on the application: 1. Plea se prov ide a detailed statement as to how your gover nment business was affected by the COVID19 pandemic. Please identify how the New Mexico public health order and any other federal, or local mandates

(if any) have impacted your local government operations and economy.

2. Wa s you r loca l government office(s) closed to the public completely for a period of time? ☐Yes ☐ No” Bonaguidi said in a follow-up inter v iew with the Sun Sept. 9 that when asked i f Ga l lu p w a s o p e n , t he answer given was “Yes. We were open.”

B u t h e a d m it t e d t h a t could have been interpreted

“The Gover nor invoked the Riot Control Act on May 1 to completely lockdown the City of Gallup in response to an emergency request from the Mayor of Ga llup,” the cit y’s CA RE S appl icat ion stated. “ T h is action completely closed t he cit y to outside visitors in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 to and from the community from May 1-10.”

T h at re spon se d id not Rep. Patty Lundstrom, D- Gallup include a statement of financial losses. in several ways by the state.

“We were closed dow n I n ex pla i n i ng wh at he more t ha n a nybody else,” mea nt by bei ng open, the Bonaguidi said. “All our busimayor said that even with nesses were closed down for three lockdowns, the utilities nine weeks, ten weeks.” department was operational.

Still, Bonaguidi acknowlI n a n swer t o t he f i r s t edged t hat t he st atement question on the application the city was open, may have asking for a detailed state- been misinterpreted by the ment about how t he New st ate L eg islat ive F i na nce Mexico public health order Committee, costing the city impacted local government money. operations and the economy, Gallup included information CARES ACT | SEE PAGE 7 about the lockdowns.

City receives $3 million in CARES Act funding

PLANS FOR SMALL BUSINESS HELP, COVID RESPONSE COSTS Ustick presented the two awards for acceptance and approval by the Gallup City Council during their Sept. 8 meeting.

T he f i r st awa rd i s for funding to local small businesses of $2,130,000. The city

By Cody Begaye Sun Correspondent

T

he City of Gallup was recently awarded two grants from CARES Ac t f u nd s by t he State of New Mexico as part of the federal act that was passed earlier this year.

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HIGHER PAY, MORE TAXES? County discusses potential ‘tax holiday’

10/29/19 9:35 AM

Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

CITY COUNCIL | SEE PAGE 7

WHAT’S INSIDE …

10 11 TRIBAL RELIEF Navajo Nation announces support for artisans, businesses

Gallup City Manager Maryann Ustick

GRANTS SCHOOLS Learning will continue online through October

14 20 RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPE Whistleblower grievance of excess tritium release

RELAY FOR LIFE Event transforms into luminaria evening

LOCAL NEWS

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More money in paychecks, but higher taxes next year?

COUNTY COMMISSION DISCUSSES POTENTIAL TAX DEFERRAL

By Cody Begaye Sun Correspondent

T

he McKinley C o u n t y B o a r d of Commissioners held a specia l meet i ng Sept. 8 to discuss a potential deferral of employment tax deposits and payments from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

Gallup Sun Publishing, LLC Publisher/Editor Babette Herrmann Office Manager Raenona Harvey Accounts Representative Sherry Kauzlarich Associate Editor Beth Blakeman Photography Knifewing Segura Ana Hudgeons Ryan Hudgeons Cable Hoover Correspondent/Editorial Asst.

Cody Begaye Dominic Aragon On the Cover A vehicle exits the Marathon refinery in Jamestown Sept. 9.

Photo by C. Hoover BOTTOM Wilhelmina Yazzie, one of the plaintiffs in the Yazzie/ Martinez v. the State of New Mexico case, speaking in June 2019. Photo by NMCLP

The Gallup Sun, published Fridays, is not responsible or liable for any claims or offerings, nor responsible for availability of products advertised. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Gallup Sun distributes newspapers in McKinley, Cibola and Apache counties.

Office: 1983 State Rd. 602.

Gallup, NM 87301 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gallup Sun, PO Box 1212, Gallup, NM. Mailing Address: PO Box 1212 Gallup, NM 87305 www.gallupsun.com Phone: (505) 722-8994 Fax: (505) 212-0391 gallupsun@gmail.com Letter to the editor/guest column ACCEPTED BY EMAIL ONLY. State full name and city/town. No pen names. ID required. All submissions subjected to editor’s approval.

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This proposal comes from the President’s author ization dated Aug. 8 and the IRS Administrative Procedure Not ice 2020 - 65, where employers can elect to defer the deposit and payment of employees’ share of Social Security Taxes.

Cou nt y At tor ney Doug Decker sa id th is defer ra l would essentially be a “tax holiday.”

“This is from a Presidential Directive through the Secret a r y of T rea su r y to find ways to give employees an extra boosted income,” Decker said. “This does not change the law, so those taxes are going to be owed no matter what.”

The Social Security withdrawal, which shows up on a pay stub as “FICA,” is made up of two parts: one is the employer’s match a nd the

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Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

McKinley County Attorney Doug Decker File Photo second part is the employee’s withdrawal from their paycheck as withholding. The combined payment is then sent to the IRS. The tax holiday would give employers the chance to allow employees to keep their part of the payment. The employer would still have to send their por tion of the payment in every pay period, Decker said.

Then starting on April 1, 2021, those employees would have to pay that extra tax back, meaning the employee

would receive a double withholding amount on each paycheck dur ing pay per iods from Jan. 1 through April 30, 2021.

Decker said there is a hope that Congress will forgive the deferred tax amount, and the Secretar y of the Treasur y will find ways to make that happen.

As of Sept. 8, this is a decision that has to be made by the County Commissioners before it ca n be given to employees that want to sign up for the deferral, Decker said.

The county’s recommendation was to not participate in this deferral process.

Commissioner Bill Lee said this topic had been discu s sed prev iou sly i n t he Ga l lup - McK i n ley C ou nt y Chamber of Commerce.

“It really is a catch-22 for the county,” Lee said. “We would like to put more money back in people’s pockets, but the bill would come due. The money could be forgiven, but there’s no guarantee of that.”

Having to repay the full amount later on would likely put a greater strain on people, Lee said.

County Chairperson Billy Moore agreed the tax deferral sounds like a catch-22.

“I think the amount withheld from each paycheck would be very minimal for the employee,” Moore said. “But then it would be a burden to take double that amount out starting in January. It sounds good in theory, but in the end, when they have to start paying that number back, they’re going to see it can be difficult for them.”

F i na nce Di rector Sa ra Saucedo sa id the average Social Security Tax percentage is 6.2 and Medicare Taxes are 1.45 percent of the base gross. If any county employee makes less than $2,000 per pay period, they would be excluded from this deferral.

I f t he defer r a l s a re given, those tax rates would

TAXES | SEE PAGE 20

LOCAL NEWS

CARES ACT | FROM PAGE 4 Rep. Lundstrom, who is vice chair of the LFC, said Ga llup wa s woefully m is handled by the State of New Mexico.

“My opinion,” she sa id, “I don’t think the state was clear on the criteria.”

Lundstrom said the questions were broadly written and there was very little time to fill out the application.

In the Gallup Sun Sept.

4 issue, Grants to support local gover nments article, Muñoz said the cost alone t o r ei m bu r s e t he Ga l lup Police Department from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 would amount to roughly $3.5 million, but the city only received a little over $918,500 in CARES Act funding in total.

In the application itself, GP D e x p e n d i t u r e s we r e listed as more than $20,000 for staffing the NCI detox fa ci l it y a nd over $15,0 0 0 for st a f f i ng lockdow n checkpoints.

A l s o l i s t e d u nder t he P u b l i c H e a l t h & S a fe t y section of the application, wa s the cost of prov iding

emergency meals and meal del i ver ie s t o t he a t - r i sk s e n i o r p o p u l a t i o n (o v e r $14,000) a nd the a nticipation of more than $150,000 i n C OV I D -19 s i c k l e a v e ex pen ses bet ween Ma rch and December.

L u nd s t r om s a id whe n it ca me to pol ice depa r tment expenses, the criteria was unclear on the point of whether it was acceptable to i nclude a cit y’s ent i re police force budget on the application.

Now it’s considered okay to do that, she said.

There was also a requirement for receipts to prove the money was needed.

The application stated: Please note that copies of documents for reimbursement ( proof of pay ment / i nvoice /r e ceipt s) w i l l be required. This information is necessar y for audit purposes, as the State of New Mexico will be responsible for verifying to the federal government that funds were used for COVID-19 related expenses.

B u t L u nd s t r om d id n’ t know which receipts were being requested — the

r e c e i p t s fo r t h e C OV I D period, or the receipts for the entire year. She also wasn’t sure when the receipts were to be turned in.

“I think our city got the short end of the deal and I don’t like it,” she said. “One county got a quarter of the [CARES Act] money. Santa Fe County ... that doesn’t fly with me … they didn’t have one-tenth the COVID cases we had.”

A n LFC meeting is scheduled for Sept. 30 and Lundstrom said her intention is to drill down on these issues.

“I think I’ll get clearer on the 30th,” she said.

She a lso believes more money could become available after the meeting, but not until November, and not without receipts.

“By then we’ll have our receipts ready to go,” she said.

R ega rd i n g t he CA R E S Act funding for small businesses, Lundstrom thinks the amount Gallup received was completely disproport ion a t e. But t h a t money won’t be under discussion Sept. 30.

CITY COUNCIL | FROM PAGE 4 will allocate up to five percent or $106,500, for administrative expenses. Ustick said the city may use these funds for staff overtime and to help eligible businesses file their applications to receive part of these funds.

The item states the limit per business is $10,000 and the city will offer the funds on a first come, first served basis until all available funds have been awarded.

Ustick did note the amount the city received was less than they had requested. “ There wa s $50 m illion available statewide [in CARES funds], and we asked for about $4 million, so we got half of what we asked for,” Ustick said.

The second awa rd wa s a g r a nt for $ 918 , 5 81 for reimbursement of costs to t he cit y for it s COV ID -19 response. The city originally asked for $1.7 million, Ustick noted. “ The ex penses i nclude t he e me r ge nc y m a n a ge r salar y, fire marshall staff with education a nd tra ining, detox funding and lockdown staffing by the police, public safety officers who

transported COVID-positive patients,” Ustick said. “Then there are (sic) also personal protective equipment, other safety supplies and equipment a nd t ech nolog y for remote learning.”

Ustick said because the city did not receive all the funding it requested, combined with already sheltering COVID-positive patients in certain facilities, it is unable to fully cover the costs of providing shelter for homeless people as fall arrives and the weather turns colder. As a result, the city will continue to look elsewhere for other funding opportunities, she said.

“We also were not able to fund a $25,000 partnership with Catholic charities to do eviction prevention, which would have helped people who lost their job[s],” Ustick continued. “It is unfortunate, but we are going to seek other avenues for those funds.”

Ustick said because the grants are federal funds, the city will have to make sure its expenses are documented thoroughly and covered in the time frame from March 1 through Dec. 31.

T he cou nc i l vot e d t o approve a nd accept bot h grants with a 5-0 vote.

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Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

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PUBLIC SAFETY

NEWS

WEEKLY DWI REPORT Staff Reports

FEATURED DWI John K. Hoskie Aug. 26, 12:40 pm Aggravated DWI McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Terence Willie was d ispatched to t he 9 m i le marker of Highway 264 in reference to a fight on the side of the road. The caller had said a rust-colored car had pulled over and two drunk men were fighting.

Willie wa s traveli ng westbound on Highway 264 when he was flagged down by another driver, who said she had seen a purple vehicle d r iv ing on the w rong side of the road. He then traveled back eastbound and was eventually flagged down by another driver who told him the suspect vehicle was parked at the Family Dollar in

Yah-ta-hey.

A f t e r a r r i v i n g a t t he store, Willie found the suspect vehicle parked in the middle of the lot and made contact with the driver, John Hoskie, 45, of Smith Lake, N.M. When asked where he was going, Hoskie said he was traveling to his mother’s house in Twin Lakes. Willie noted Hoskie had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, and he appeared confused when Willie questioned him.

Hoskie exited the vehicle and walked to the front of Willie’s unit, stumbling as he went. He admitted to drinking one can of beer earlier. He agreed to take the standard field sobriety tests, but failed.

Willie placed Hoskie under arrest and transported him to the sheriff’s office for a breath test, but Hoskie refused

DWI REPORT | SEE PAGE 13

Professionals respond to scene of Sept. 4 fatal collision with train. Photo Credit: Courtesy

Police identify person hit by train Staff Reports

A

passerby near the intersection of Third Street and Highway 66 made a grisly discovery early on Sept. 4 and reported their findings to Gallup police.

Captain Erin Toadlena-Pablo told the Sun Sept. 8 the call about the dead body came in about 7:36 am on Sept. 4.

She said the caller was on his morning walk near the railroad crossing on Third Street when he noticed the remains east of

the tracks.

The victim was identified as Steven Yazzie, 37, of Gallup. The confirmed cause of death was from a collision with a train at an unspecified time.

There is no other information available.

Fatal crash in Cibola County Staff Reports

The Gallup Police Department WANTS YOUR HELP! WHO Larry Spencer, age 60 WHAT Found deceased, possible homicide

T

wo tractor-trailers collided on Interstate 40 around milepost 109 near Laguna, N.M.

Sept. 6.

New Mexico State Police responded around 3 pm and found a 53-year-old Fresno, Ca lif. ma n had susta ined fatal injuries. The driver of a 2014 Kenworth CMV was pronounced dead on the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator. His identity is not being released until a positive identification has been made.

It appea rs that a 2001 F reightli ner, d r iven by a 26-year-old Lynnwood, Calif. man had slowed for traffic that was stopped ahead of him when both semis were traveling east on I-40.

The Fresno driver failed to stop and rear-ended the driver from Lynnwood.

The Lynnwood driver was uninjured.

Alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the crash and seatbelts appear to have been properly fastened. NMSP is investigating.

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Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

PUBLIC SAFETY

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NEWS

Navajo Nation calls for inquiry at Fort Hood TWO MEMBERS OF NAVAJO NATION DIED AT TEXAS ARMY BASE

Staff Reports

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I N DOW ROCK , Ariz. — Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer issued several letters to congressional members calling for a congressional inquiry and a formal investigation into the recent deaths of two members of the Navajo Nation who were stationed at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas.

It was recently reported that PVT Carlton L. Chee, a member of the Navajo Nation, collapsed during a training exercise on Aug. 28 and eventually passed away at Carl R. Darnall Medical Center on Sept. 2. His death marked the 28th casualty involving military personnel at Fort Hood this year.

In addition, the Off ice of the President a nd Vice President recently received

information from the family of Army SPC Miguel D. Yazzie, also a member of the Navajo Nation, who lost his life on July 3 while stationed at the Fort Hood Army Base. Yazzie enlisted in the Army in 2016 and served as an Air Defense En ha nced Ea rly Wa r n i ng System Operator. He wa s previously stationed in South Korea prior to his death at the Fort Hood Army Base.

Nez spoke with the mother of Chee to offer his condolences to the family and offer support for seeking a congressional inquiry into his death.

“On behalf of the Navajo Nation, we offer our thoughts and prayers for the families of PVT Chee and SPC Yazzie.

We spoke with the families of PVT Chee and SPC Yazzie a nd t hey have ma ny concerns and questions related t o i ncon si s t ent i n for m a tion a nd deta i ls prov ided by milita r y off icia ls. It is

Navajo Nation leaders recognize ‘Navajo Nation Suicide Prevention Week’

Private Carlton L. Chee, a member of the Navajo Nation who died Sept. 2 after collapsing during a training exercise at Fort Hood Army Base. Photo Credit: OPVP ver y t roubl i ng t hat wh i le they are mourning the loss of their loved ones, they are not receiving adequate and timely factual information regarding the time leading up to their deaths,” Nez said.

The families stated that

they suspect that foul play may have contributed to the deaths of Chee and Yazzie, who are among 28 military men and women who have lost their lives while stationed at Fort Hood Army Base.

“Our concern is not only

for these two members of the Navajo Nation, but for the many Navajo men and women who are serving in every branch of the military around the world,” Lizer said. “As you know, the Navajo people have a long and proud history of serving in the Armed Forces at a higher per capita rate than any other demographic in the United States.

“This is not only a call for a congressional inquiry, but it is a call for accountability and answers for the families that are grieving for their loved ones,” he stated.

Chee is survived by his parents, five sisters, fiancé, and two sons.

T he fa m i ly i s re que st ing donations through their GoFundMe page to help with expenses at: https://www. gofundme.com/f/7y4w9-funeral?utm_ source= cu stomer&utm_ medium=sms&utm_ campaign=p_ cp+share-sheet

''A Tradition''

Staff Reports

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I N DOW ROCK , Ariz. — Navajo Nation President Jonat ha n Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer signed a proclamation Sept. 6 recognizing Sept. 6-12 as Navajo Nation Suicide Prevention Week in coordination with National Suicide Prevention Week and World Suicide Prevention Day Sept.

10.

“Our administration recognizes the mental health needs of many of our people, including our young Navajo people.

The Navajo Nation Division of Behavioral and Mental Health Services continues to help many of our people, but we need to do more,” Nez said. “It starts with healing among families. There are far too many young people losing hope at a young age.

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SUICIDE PREVENTION | SEE PAGE 12

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Navajo Nation announces business, artisans economic relief grant PROGRAM BEGAN ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS SEPT. 7

Staff Reports

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I N DOW ROCK , A r i z. – Nava jo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer announced that the newly-created Navajo Nation Business and Artisans Economic Relief Grant Program began accepting applications on Sept. 7 to help Navajo businesses, entrepreneurs, and Navajo artisans facing financial hardship and/ or business interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $60 million that will be used for the program was part of the $475 million CARES Act funding package in Resolution CJY-67-20, which was approved by the 24th Navajo Nation Council Aug. 6 and signed into law Aug. 16 by Nez and Lizer.

“We’ve had business owners and Navajo artists ask about COVID-19 economic relief efforts. We know that many businesses and artisans have dealt with the economic downturn due to the pandemic and it is not just

here on the Navajo Nation, it is across the country,” Nez said “Under the leadership of Div i sion of Econom ic Development Execut ive Director JT Willie, his team put together the $60 million proposal and now they have implemented the Business and Artisans Economic Relief Grant Program. We encourage all business owners and artisans to take the initiative to apply for the funds,” he continued.

Navajo artisans who meet the eligibility requirements can receive up to $5K for “dire financial emergencies” defined as the lack or imminent endangerment of essentials such as housing, medicine, childcare, and food. Eligible businesses can receive as much as $10K to $60K depending on the demonstrated need.

“Many artisans depend on other businesses to showcase and sell their artwork and we know that many businesses had to close for periods of time due to the ongoing pandemic. With these funds, we

want businesses to keep their employees on the payroll, cover some operating expenses, and hopefully create some longterm stability,” Lizer said. “As a business owner, I understand the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on operations while we try to maintain our employees as well. I encourage all businesses out there to at least submit an application.”

Willie said the application website w i l l i nclude two separate applications – one for businesses and one for Navajo artisans. There is a two-step process, part one is the Navajo Business Certification Application and step two is the relief grant application. Applicants are required to complete their source list number in part one in order to apply for part two. All information is located at navajoeconomy. org. Additional information is available on the Division of Economic Development’s Facebook page, along with live webinars regarding the

application process.

The following general eligibility requirements apply to all businesses applying for financial assistance under this Navajo Business Economic Relief Grant: • Business is facing a financial hardship due to the COVID19 public health emergency.

• Business is organized for profit and at least 51% owned by an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.

• Business was in operation prior to Jan. 1, 2020.

• Business has fewer than 300 employees as of March 1, 2020 (for the purpose of this requirement, each individual employee, regardless of typical number of hours worked, and each owner, is considered one employee).

• Business is certified or to be certified or re-certified under the Navajo Nation.

Business Source List as published by the Navajo Business R e g u l a t or y D e p a r t me nt .

Website: navajoeconomy.org The following general eligibility requirements apply to all

artists and artisans applying for financial assistance under this Navajo Artisan Relief Grant: • Bu si ne s s i s cer t i f ied or to be certified or re-cert i f ie d u n d e r t h e Na v a j o Na t ion . Bu si ne s s S ou rce L i s t a s publ i shed by t he Navajo Business Regulatory Department. Website: navajoeconomy.org • Organized as an artist in a medium or discipline in art or performance.

• Artist or artisan is at least 18 years of age.

• Artist or artisan must be an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.

• Artist or artisan must be able to demonstrate a sustained commitment to their work, career, and public audience for their work.

• Artist or artisan is facing a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Independently ow ned and operated with annual

ARTISAN GRANT | SEE PAGE 12

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Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

Staff Reports

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I N DOW ROCK , A r i z. – Nava jo Nation President Jonat ha n Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer signed a proclamation recognizing the month of Sept. 2020 as Navajo Nation Census Month to encourage the Navajo people to participate in the 2020 Census to ensure a complete count of all citizens on the Navajo Nation.

E v e r y 10 y e a r s , t h e Census Bureau is required by the Constitution to conduct a count of the U.S. population.

The federal government shortened this year’s census count by one month by imposing a deadline of Sept. 30. As of the signing of the proclamation, only 17.9-percent of households on the Navajo Nation had been counted.

“The 2020 Census Count is

a pr i me o p p o r t u n it y t o improve the future of our communities for generations to come. The Navajo people’s participation and response will shape how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed each year for tribal programs and grants for the next 10 years,” Nez said.

“The census also determines how congressional, state, [a nd] county redistricting is determined. We have had several challenges in recent years in regards to redistricting, but our Nation’s goal is to strengthen our representation at all levels of government to benefit our citizens and communities,” Nez continued.

T he Nez -L i zer Ad m i­ n i s t r a t ion i s a l s o worki n g clo s ely w it h Cen su s

CENSUS MONTH | SEE PAGE 15 INDIAN COUNTRY

NEWS

STATE & REGION

Grants schools to continue online through October

By Dominic Aragon Sun Correspondent

G

RANTS — The Grants Cibola County Schools will continue i n s t r uc t ion com pletely online through at least mid-October.

The GCCS school board voted Sept. 1 to continue instruction on an online platform. The district oversees schools in Bluewater, Casa Blanca, Cubero, Grants, Milan, San Rafael and Seboyeta.

“The crux of the plan is based on flexibility because in a crisis or a pandemic, we have to be ready, flexible, and adaptable to the unknown, which I think we have done. We’ve been methodical in not moving too fast, but at the same time, moving forward,” GCCS superintendent Max Perez told the Gallup Sun Sept. 8.

Administration from the district office, along with principals from school sites,

routinely do walkthroughs on the school campuses, checking in with teachers and students.

“I think it’s safe to say, the teachers I have talked with the last couple of weeks remain positive about their work and where they are taking their students,” Perez said.

The superintendent said teamwork, and the challenges of infrastructure of technology have been some of his biggest lessons during the era of virtual learning.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is how our educators and our support staff remain fully intent on still delivering instruction to all the students without hesitation,” Perez said.

At Grants High School, a school with over 800 students and 50 staff members, teachers and students are using online platforms for their hybrid model.

“We’ve got two days a week where kids are on Zoom, [Google] Meets. They’re having

Grants High School principal Lane Widner signs papers at his desk on Sept. 8. Photo Credit: Dominic Aragon [virtual] face-to-face interaction with their teachers, so they’re in the meeting for a lecture. And then, we have two days of the week where they’re working in Google Classrooms, which is the classroom platform, so they’re doing their assignments and completing their work based on the lectures,” GHS principal Lane Widner said.

The other school day is allotted for “office hours,”

where students can get one-onone virtual tutoring and help with specific teachers.

“We have a number of our staff that are working from home. We have a number that are [at the school.] I can walk into classrooms and physically see what’s going, or I can log into Google Classrooms and see what’s going on,” he added.

Widner said the feedback he is getting from students and parents is mostly positive

during the pandemic.

Ot her school d ist r ict s a rou nd the state have announced long-term plans, like the Albuquerque Public Schools, which is going to remain fully virtual through the end of the semester.

Will GCCS follow suit?

“We don’t want to get locked into a corner. We want to check our data, check our resources, checking the landscape, environment, and the Department of Health, before making any kind of commitment,” Perez said.

The superintendent said data will be presented to the school board at a future board meeting, which will include the results of community and staff surveys.

Over 31 percent of families surveyed said they would like to have their child(ren) remain at home through the

GRANTS SCHOOLS REENTRY | SEE PAGE 14

Free meals provided for New Mexico students through December USDA EXTENDS PROGRAM DUE TO COVID PANDEMIC Staff Reports

S

A N TA F E — New Mexico school children will eat for free t h rou g h December under a decision announced Aug. 31 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Schools may continue serving free meals to all children through the end of the year or until funding runs out, the federal agency said in a news release. This reverses an earlier decision to end the free summer feeding program when schools resumed in the fall.

“This is a huge relief for many New Mexico families who might not qualify for STATE & REGION

N. M. Public Education Secretary Superintendent Ryan Stewart free meals, but are still facing

FREE MEALS | SEE PAGE 13 Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

11

COVID-19 Response Toolkit gets thumbs up Staff Reports

A

LBUQUERQUE — American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, A mer ic a n Fe der a t ion of Te a cher s New Mex ico President Stephanie Ly and Executive Vice President Kathy Chavez released the following statement Sept. 9: On Aug. 19, AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFT New Mex ico P resident Stephanie Ly alerted Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that many Pre-K-12 school re-openings around the state have not met the standard set by her administration for safety and consistency. As a union of educators, public employees, and healthcare workers, we outlined the following conditions necessary for a safe return to in-person instruction:

SUICIDE PREVENTION | FROM PAGE 9 can to help families and young people who suffer from modern day monsters like depression, suicide, and other issues that often lead to people taking their own lives,” Nez said.

The Nez-Lizer Ad ministration continues to suppor t t he B ui l din g Communities of Hope initiative to empower individuals, families, and communities and to restore hope, self-sufficiency, and determination through comprehensive suicide prevention strategies. Building Communities of Hope was

1. Low infection rates and adequate testing in any region where in-school learning is being considered.

2. A public health infrastructure to provide support to school districts to implement effective disease surveillance, testing, tracing and isolation protocols in schools.

3. Public health safeguards in schools. This includes: • Physical distancing of a minimum of 6 feet • Face coverings required for all, and additional personal protective equipment equivalent to healthcare professionals is provided when close contact is unavoidable • Proper and well-maintained ventilation system • Fully stocked hand washing facilities and availability of hand sanitizer • Proper sanitation and cleaning protocols

• Reasonable accommodations for those at increased risk On Sept. 3, the New Mexico Public Education Department issued its COVID-19 Response Toolk it for open i ng New Mexico Public Schools. AFT New Mexico applauds the difficult work necessary to complete this task and appreciates the rigorous science-based approach taken by Gov. Lujan Gr isha m a nd Secy. Rya n Stewart.

T he P ubl ic Educ at ion Depa r tment conti nues to work collaboratively with New Mexico’s educators in order to achieve a most difficult goal: to educate safely. In that respect, the PED, in consultation with AFT New Mexico and other stakeholders, were (sic) able to create a reopening model which places an emphasis on the following necessary

The sensible, science-based model requires that districts are ready with essential items, including: • Appropriate PPE for every student and educator • Hand washing stations or approved sanitizer in each classroom or workplace • Limiting to 50%, the registered students in any given classroom at any one time • I n v e n t o r y o f C D C approved cleaning and sanitation supplies • S u f f ic ie nt c u s t o d i a l resources to insure completion of CDC cleaning and sanitation standards • Ventilation systems and procedures designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 with a

• Immediate reporting and consultation with the PED for confirmed cases • 24-hour reporting to families of students and staff • Sensible and clearly identified standards for school closings and reopenings where cases are confirmed in the school “AFT New Mexico will continue its relentless advocacy to ensure that we provide our communities with safe education so that we can all continue growing New Mexico’s most important natural resource for the future: our children.”

initiated in Nov. 2015. It aims to provide services in schools, universities, and communities on and off the Navajo Nation.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for our people. By having to shelter-in-place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, we know that many people are dealing with their issues at home and some are even taking the opportunity to heal their families using the time spent at home during this pandemic,” Nez pointed out.

“We have heard stories of families reconciling, coming together, and strengthening their relations during this challenging

time. We pray and continue to work toward helping more families become stronger and to revitalize the teachings of our elders,” he added.

According to the Division of Behavioral and Mental Health Services, suicide is the seventh leading cause of death on the Navajo Nation, and American Indian communities experience higher rates of suicide compared to all other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. “The Division of Behavioral and Mental Health Services and [the] Building Communities of Hope initiative play a vital role in saving lives and preventing suicides among our people,”

Lizer said. “If you or someone you know is having issues with their mental or spiritual well-being, we encourage you to use the resources available to seek help. We will continue to pray for strength, understanding, and healing for all of our Navajo people who are dealing with these tough challenges,” he concluded.

“In this COVID-19 pandemic it’s important to seek help for yourself or others, we can all do our part to prevent suicide.

Learn about suicide warning signs and symptoms to help someone today or in the future,” Department of Health Executive Director Dr. Jill Jim

said.

The Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President recognizes public awareness is key to preventing loss of life by suicide and remains committed to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.

The Navajo Nation supports the efforts of our divisions, departments, and programs as advocates for life by promoting resiliency, culture, traditional values, faith, and providing public education and direct services with the understanding that these efforts will create avenues to reduce the number of suicides.

ARTISAN GRANT | FROM PAGE 10

“Therefore, when we began developing this program in May, we took into account all possible situations our business owners and artisans are facing.

“A lot of hours of preparation, evaluation, and determination made this possible. My team deserves all the recognition in making this possible.

We are looking forward to a positive outcome for everyone,” Willie said.

Overall, the Navajo Nation received over $714 million in CARES Act funds: $600 million on May 6, $86 million on June 16, and $27 million on June 18. Approximately $537 million in CARES Act funds

has been approved and signed into law, leaving a remaining amount of $176 million, which the Nez-Lizer Administration is proposing to use to directly help Navajo students, elders, families, and others impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic t h r ou g h L eg i s l a t ion No. 0209-20.

For more information r egar d in g th e Nava jo Nation Bu siness and Artisans Economic Relief Grant Program, please contact the Division of Economic Development at (928) 871-6544 or send an email to navajoeconomy@ navajo-nsn.gov.

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12

Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

gross sales revenue of $100K or less (artists or artisans who typically earn over this a mou nt each yea r shou ld look into the Navajo Business Economic Relief Grant).

“As a business owner and most importantly as an artist, I know the challenges that one’s business can go through. It is also extremely difficult when you have no avenue to sell you r work or are instructed to close due to a public health emergency,” Division of Economic Development Execut ive Director JT Willie stated.

elements to any reopening:

INITIAL SCHOOL OPENING

deadline of Sept. 28, for necessary air filtration (MERV 13 or equivalent) for all spaces where students or staff are present

POSITIVE TEST REPORTING AND RESPONSE

STATE & REGION

NEWS

HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT

Speakers tout NM’s climate leadership, but are quiet on oil, gas production

programs and operations.”

“The state is committed to a coordinated, inter-agency strategy to support the 2015 Paris Agreement goals, and to achieve a state-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 45 percent by 2030,” she said.

The U.S. is poised to outpace ever y other countr y in the world in new oil and gas development, and current planned expansion into new oil and gas reserves will unlock up to 120 billion metric tons of new carbon pollution, according to a report released late last year.

The Permian Basin is at the center of that development.

Shale fracking in New Mexico and Texas is projected to account for nearly 40 percent of that new development by 2050.

RELATED: Report: New Mexico shale contributing to U.S. oil and gas expansion well beyond Paris climate goals S t a t e l aw m a ke r s a r e

currently working on a comprehensive climate plan that will “set emission limits in other sectors of our economy, reduce CO emissions and other greenhouse gases,” according to Egolf.

“We in the state House of Representatives have made addressing climate one of our top priorities over the last two sessions, and we will continue to make New Mexico a climate leader nationally and globally,” he said.

He also touted the state’s sola r a nd w i nd energ y resources, pointing to the State Land Office, which recently a nnounced a 118 percent increase in revenue from wind energy projects.

Egolf said that development is “a very important step in diversifying our state’s revenue sources to begin to once and for all end our state’s reliance on so much of our revenue coming from a single industry,” in an apparent reference to oil

and gas production.

Air quality concerns and public health Gov. Lujan Grisham’s climate priorities have centered on air quality concerns, rather than oil and gas production itself. The state is grappling with worsening air quality and increased pollution as a result of increased oil and gas production. Lujan Grisham has targeted reducing methane emissions and pollution from volatile organic compounds and nitrous oxides with new regulatory rules currently in development.

RELATED: Worsening air quality in Permian Basin ‘cause for concern’ Barbara Webber, executive director of Health Action New Mexico, which organized the event, spoke about the worsening air quality in the state and its impacts to New Mexican communities.

“There’s no doubt oil and gas contribute to part of what’s

leading us down the path to climate change,” Webber said, pointing to methane leaks and flaring in the state’s energy producing areas.

Adella Begay, a retired he a lt h pr ofe s s ion a l a nd boa rd pre sident of Di né Citizens Against Ruining our Environment (Diné CARE), stressed the disproportionate impacts of oil and gas pollution in the state on indigenous populations, children and poor rural communities.

“More than half of all Native Americans in San Juan County live within a mile of an oil well site,” she said. She cited health impacts of long-ter m and short-term exposure to emissions and pollution, and other impacts from the oil and gas industry, including increased truck traffic, increased noise pollution and loss of grazing areas.

Begay said the climate crisis poses unique challenges to the Navajo people.

“More cl i mate cha nge means less water and more heat waves. Increased temperatures have significantly altered the water cycle in New Mexico,” she said. Those developments are especially dangerous to the Navajo people, she said, where 30 percent of residents do not have municipal water supplies, and 40 percent of residents do not have electricity and cannot cool their homes in the summer.

“Climate change is a public health emergency,” Begay said. “A strong methane rule is critical for climate and environmental justice for the Navajo Nation and for all New Mexicans.”

no cost — regardless whether they were enrolled or otherwise qualified for free lunch.

Five days later, USDA denied the request, saying Congress had not authorized a universal school meals program.

The reversal came Aug. 31 in a news release and notifications sent to individual states, including New Mexico, granting waivers to regulations governing the

Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option.

In-person learning is not required to receive a school meal.

Since schools closed in midMarch due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Mexico schools have provided more than 13 million meals to children at

grab-and-go sites or delivered by school bus drivers, and that

will continue in districts that remain in remote learning.

DWI REPORT | FROM PAGE 8

had come into contact with an unidentified person earlier.

Hoskie was transported to and left at a local hospital for medical clearance. A summons will be filed for aggravated DWI, and driving without registration or insurance.

By Kendra Chamberlain NM Political Report

A

group of local leader s touted New Mex ico’s work towa rds addressing climate change during a recent webinar on public health and climate change.

But speakers such as Speaker of the House Br ia n Egolf, a Sa nta Fe Democrat, a nd New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) Sec. Kathyleen Kunkel tip-toed around the state’s recent record oil production and its contribution to climate change.

Fossil fuel combustion is the chief driver of carbon dioxide emissions that are causing climate change. While many states have begun transitioning to renewable energy sources to replace coal, oil and natural gas, New Mexico is the only state to adopt a 100 percent clean energy mandate while also producing record levels of oil.

“For the [Gov. Michelle] Lujan Grisham administration, environmental issues are public health priorities,” Kunkel said in her remarks, adding that DOH is part of the governor’s climate change task force.

“Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in all communities across New Mexico; and presents growing challenges for human health and safety, quality of life and economic growth.”

Kunkel said state agencies are currently evaluating how climate change may impact programs and are “integrating mitigation practices into those

FREE MEALS | FROM PAGE 11 hard times because of this pandemic,” Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart said.

“Now feeding their children is one less worry.”

Lawmakers asked the USDA on Aug. 15 to extend regulatory waivers to allow schools to serve meals to all children at

A well pad with six fracking wells near Counselor, N.M. Photo Credit: Kendra Chamberlain

HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT

to give a sample. Willie then transported him to McKinley County Adult Detention Center, but they refused to admit him because he had a high fever and

Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

13

Release of radioactive isotope could start this month

WHISTLEBLOWER’S GRIEVANCE REVEALS LANL TRITIUM RELEASE OVER LEGAL LIMIT Staff Reports

S

ANTA FE — T he New Mex ico Env ironmenta l Law Center and Nuclear Watch New Mex ico not if ie d t h e E n v i r o n m e n t a l Protection Agency Aug. 28 that its rubber stamping of plans by the Department of Energy and the Los Alamos National Laboratory to vent up to 114,000 curies of radioactive ga seous tr itiu m is unacceptable.

The two orga n izations stated: “We believe that EPA and DOE, as federal agencies mandated to serve and protect the public, need to entirely reconsider their decision to allow this tritium venting project to move forward. The venting project has been poorly thought out; it would put an inestimable number of individuals needlessly at risk; it would disproportionately affect communities of color; it would exacerbate the distrust

that many people in the surrounding communities have for the Laborator y; and it would most likely violate the law. The agencies need to compel [LANL contractor] Triad to develop an alternative means to dispose of the radioactive tritium without expelling it into the ambient air.”

In March 2020 Nuclear Watch New Mexico publicized the Lab’s plans to intentionally release up to 114,000 curies of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen gas, beginning in April 2020. Public reaction was swift and outspoken, prompting the Lab to postpone the releases. However, a recent Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board report indicates that LANL is getting ready to restart these releases, perhaps as soon as this month.

DOE’s r a d ioa c t ive a i r emissions are regulated by the EPA under the federal Clean Air Act. That agency had rubber stamped LANL’s plans for these massive tritium releases a mere three days

A vial of tritium, a radioactive material, the release of which, is at issue between Nuclear Watch New Mexico, and the Department of Energy. Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org after receiving them. This is despite the fact that in the late 1980’s, LANL had violated the Clean Air Act’s legal standard of limiting the public’s annual radioactive air dose to 10 millirem, which EPA had done nothing to enforce.

LANL’s past Clean Air Act violations were discovered and disclosed by a citizens’ group based on a whistleblower’s labor grievance, and not by EPA. The Lab had been using

an unapproved dose reduction factor to stay under the Clean Air Act’s legal limit, which once disallowed put the Lab in violation. Similarly, with these currently planned tritium releases, the Lab is again using an unapproved dose reduction factor which EPA has not questioned.

If this unapproved dose reduction factor is disallowed LANL’s potential air emissions dose would be double the Clean Air Act’s standard of 10 millirem per year, hence blatantly illegal.

Tritium is used to boost the nuclear detonation of plutonium “pit” bomb cores. As part of the new nuclear arms race LANL is rushing to expand plutonium pit production, which is slated for a half billion dollar increase in the next federal fiscal year alone. As an emitter of low energy beta radiation, tritium is not dangerous externally. However, because tritium is an isotope of hydrogen it easily bonds with oxygen to form radioactive (or “tritiated”) water that living organisms (including fetuses) can uptake.

GRANTS SCHOOLS REENTRY | FROM PAGE 11 first semester, according to an Aug. 28 survey conducted

by GCCS. In a staff sur vey given during the same time period, 62 percent of GCCS staff said they would prefer virtual learning through the end of the semester.

“Do we step out and work our way back to normalcy, or do we stay totally isolated?

There’s unknowns on both sides, and that’s why it goes

14

Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

Thus, it can be a dangerous radiation hazard when inhaled as gaseous tritium or ingested in food or water or absorbed through the skin as tritiated water. Most atmospherically released tritium gas rapidly converts into tritiated water vapor and thus can readily enter the biosphere.

“Now more than ever we must demand long overdue environmental justice for all communities impacted by environmental pollution and toxins, expecially frontline communities that continue to bear the brunt of environmental racism,” Virginia Necochea, executive director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center commented. “The Law Center is committed to working alongside communities in ensuring their fundamental right to clean air and a health environment.”

“These planned massive radioactive air releases document that the Lab prioritizes expanded nuclear weapons production and more contamination and radioactive wastes above public safety and welfare,” Jay Coghlan of Nuclear Watch New Mexico added.

“Citizens may need to act again.

The planned tritium releases, and the Lab’s past history, show that Lab officials do not take their Clean Air Act obligations seriously, and that EPA has been all too lax and accommodating in its oversight and enforcement responsibilities.”

LANL’s notice to EPA on its planned tritium release is available at https://permalink .lanl .gov/ob ject / tr?what= info:lanl-repo / lareport/LA-UR-20-22239 back to being very careful and being thoughtful, and ear to the ground, listening to all the health experts and psychologists,” Perez said.

“We’ve got to be very aware of every decision we’re making for what’s best for students, and I’ve never said that with more thought and intent in my whole life,” he added.

The district is conducting another round of community and staff surveys through Sept. 14. You can find the surveys at https:// www.gccs.k12.nm.us/.

HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT

Earthweek: Diary of a Changing World

By Steve Newman Tropical Cyclones

Week ending Friday, September 4, 2020 Wounded Ice

This summer’s record heat around icy areas of the Northern Hemisphere has left a “deep wound” in the planet’s cryosphere, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says.

It said the damage to the icy landscape came amid record Arctic heat, dwindling polar sea ice and the fracturing of what had been Canada’s last fully intact ice shelf.

WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis called the Arctic heating at twice the global warming average a “vicious circle” that influences warming elsewhere.

“The rapid decline of sea ice in turn contributes to more warming, and so the circle goes on and the consequences do not stay in the Arctic,” said Nullis.

Earthquakes

Northern Chile was jolted by a magnitude 6.8 temblor and more than a dozen aftershocks.

• Earth movements were also felt in the eastern Caribbean, the IndiaMyanmar border region, far northern New Zealand and the mid-Mississippi Valley.

Maysak Iselle Hernán

3.6

Omar

4.9

+116° Rafha, Saudi Arabia

Nana

Haishen

5.3

6.8

5.2

Spill Legacy

La Niña Return

T he U.N. wea t her agency says that even with the chilling effect of a possible La Niña ocean cooling in the Pacific later this year, the deepening climate crisis will still bring above-normal atmospheric temperatures.

T h e Wo r l d Meteorological Organization says there is a 60% chance a weak La Niña will appear between September and November.

“2020 remains on track to be one of the warmest years on record, w it h mu c h e x t r e me weather, ranging from scorching temperatures and wildfires to devastating floods and marine heatwaves,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

CENSUS MONTH | FROM PAGE 10 A rea Office Manager Arbin Mitchell, to reach as many Navajo elders as possible, especially those residing in rural areas, to fully inform them and to provide guidance to ensure they are counted in the census process.

The proclamation states: The Census efforts on the Nava jo Nation have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Navajo Nation experienced a high COVID-19 infection rate in the country, and in response to the pandemic, the Navajo Nation has diverted many resources to ensure the safety and well-being of the Navajo People.

“The census count is very critical for our political representation and our ability

Dolphin Frolic

A pair of dolphins was observed and photographed off the coast of Scotla nd engaging in spor tful feats that included acrobatic flips a nd even moves that resembled playing fish volleyball.

Images that photographer Zaneta Blaszczyk captured of the marine mammals at play off the Black Isle Peninsula went viral.

“It almost looked like they were playing volleyball or something similar, but instead of a ball they used a fish, that kept flying in the air from one dolphin to another before it was finally consumed,” said Blaszczyk.

to advocate at every level of government. We need more Navajo people to run for office at every level of government, but we also need the voting districts to support them,” Lizer emphasized. “ To create cha nge a nd implement new policies that help our communities, we need the political capital to move in that direction and the 2020 Census is a key part of that,” Lizer said.

The Navajo Nation also created t he Cen su s 2020 Complete Com m is sion to co or d i n a t e a nd pr omot e t he census. T he com m is sion ha s met per iodica lly throughout the year to mobilize census activities and to disseminate census information, participate in events that raise awareness of the census, provide advocates to speak to local government chapters

HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT

The 1,000 tons of fuel oil that spilled around Mauritius from a grounded Japanese tanker in July appear to have left at least 40 dolphins dead. Dead -93° fish, turtles, whales and crabs were Vostok, also observed.

Antarctica Fishermen say they saw a mother dolphin using the last of her energy in a futile attempt to keep her faltering calf alive.

While the country’s fisheries minister said that at first glance, the deaths didn’t appear related to the spill, local oceanographer Vassen Kauppaymuthoo told reporters the dead dolphins smelled of fuel.

Photographer Zaneta Blaszczyk said the warm light of the setting sun gave her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture this amazing image.

Dist. by: Andrews McMeel Syndication ©MMXX Earth Environment Service

and local events about the importance of the census, suppor t census sta ff, a nd encourage all Navajo citizens to participate.

“I hope the signing of the Navajo Nation Census Month pr o c l a m a t io n w i l l mo t i vate our people to continue to repor t their household information to the 2020 U.S. Census,” Miss Navajo Nation S h a a nd i i n P a r r i s h s a id .

“Every 10 years we are tasked with the responsibility of participating in the Census and when we report we directly become a part of history.

“When I was in college, I would often refer to the general population statistic of the Navajo Nation in my papers, but now that data is 10 years old,” Parrish pointed out. “As a Nation we have grown so much, so please, fill out the Census; mail it in, call the

Census number, or fill it out online.

“We can still provide accurate numbers to the Federal government safely. This data will help our future generations!” she said.

The proclamation “recognizes the month of September 2020 as the Navajo Nation Census Month to grow and build our future on our traditions and culture taught to us from the beginning of

Category-2 Typhoon Maysak ravaged the South Korean coast near the country’s second-largest city of Busan before inundating an already-waterlogged Korean Peninsula.

• The same region was threatened by developing Typhoon Haishen, which was predicted to attain Category-4 force before making landfall.

• T ropica l stor m s Hernán and Iselle churned the Pacific near the southern tip of Baja California.

• Hu r r ica ne Na na doused Belize, Honduras a nd Guatemala while Tropical Storm Omar formed briefly off the U.S. eastern seaboard.

Mud Eruption

Four villagers in Central Java were recovering from fumes they inhaled during the sudden eruption of a mud volcano that killed nearly 20 of their cattle.

A toxic mixture of mud, methane, carbon diox ide a nd nitrogen spread widely across the landscape surrounding the eruption site.

Scient i st s say t he spewing mud was the result of seismic activity and not drilling.

time, and we must ensure the Navajo Nation remains strong to carry us for many more generations, a nd to ensure our Navajo People are counted to make an impact in the 2020 U.S. Census.”

You may self-respond for the 2020 Census online a t ht t p s: / / 2 0 2 0 c e n su s . gov or by calling (844) 3302020. For more information, please visit the 2020 Census website.

GALLUP SUN ARCHIVES

Effective June 24, 2016, ALL Gallup Sun *archives (past issues) will be mailed.

Must provide exact release date and mailing address.

Send info. and check or money order for $1.50 to: Gallup Sun PO Box 1212 Gallup, NM 87305 *Based on availability.

Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

15

OPINIONS

Udall, Heinrich tell U. S. Postmaster to reverse changes, answer questions Staff Reports

W

ASHINGTON, D. C.—U.S. S e­n a t o r s To m Ud a l l , D - N. M ., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., joined a group of 25 senators in a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, pressing him about recent changes to the U.S. Postal Service that caused delivery delays and increased costs for small businesses already struggling with lost revenue during the COVID19 pandemic.

USPS is the “carrier of choice” for many small businesses that have fewer than 10 employees, which are among the most vulnerable small businesses. Over 70 percent of these vulnerable businesses regularly rely on the Postal

Sen. Tom Udall, D- N.M.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.

Service. The majority of those use the service more frequently than other carriers. In the four months since DeJoy became Postmaster General, he has taken actions that have compromised mail service for all Americans and constructed yet a not her obst a cle for

small businesses struggling to survive the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Small businesses are the driving force of our economy, making up 99.7 percent of all firms in the U.S. with paid employees,” the senators

wrote. “Many of these businesses have structured their business models around the U.S. Postal Service, which has long offered fast, reliable, and affordable service for their needs, from shipping products to sending paychecks to connecting with customers.

“Due to the ongoing pandemic, countless small businesses have shifted from brick and mortar operations to online ordering and delivery—intensifying the need for consistent, dependable postal services,” the senators continued. “Changes that you have instituted at the Postal Service threaten the financial well-being of small businesses and their employees. Since you directed operational changes in post offices and processing centers that restrict timely

mail delivery, small businesses across the country are reporting significant delays after years of reliable service.

“The Postal Service is a critical service and lifeline for small businesses across the country and your actions are needlessly damaging a service that has reliably served our businesses and communities for decades,” the senators concluded. “We call on you to clarify the status of any initiatives you have implemented at the Postal Service and to reverse all changes you have made to operational services since becoming Postmaster General.”

The senators requested that DeJoy answer a series of questions regarding the purpose, procedure and effect of the recent changes he directed at USPS no later than Sept. 11.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

W

ell guess it is time for another letter and a change in the subject topic,

16

WHERE DOES HABITAT STAMP PROGRAM GO? my family and friends have been hunting for years since I was a teenager in high school.

I can remember my dad taking

Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

us out of school for two weeks to go hunting. In those days, the two-week license covered most all animals from deer, turkey, and bear, you might run across.

As time has gone by the State of New Mexico and its Game and Fish department has increased the rules and made it harder to draw out for a license and tacked on many extra fees which has increased the cost of buying a license. I and my better half even taught hunter education for almost 12 years to encourage the young people to get into the hunting sports.

Many people are against hunting, but the truth is over population by hunting keeps the large game animals in check, many of which get sick or eat needed farm and ranch land grasses needed to feed cattle that we all eat at McDonalds and beef in your local grocery store.

Recently I got an email the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has scheduled two public meetings on

proposed revisions to the Public Land User Stamp Rule 19.34.6 NMAC (Habitat Stamp Program Rule).

A short presentation providing background information about the Habitat Stamp Program and details of the proposed revisions will be given.

The presentation will be followed by a Q & A session where members of the public are encouraged to ask questions and provide input. Members of the public are invited to attend one or both meetings (to be held virtually) to become familiar with the program and the proposed revisions: Sept. 10 at 6 pm. Register, and September 28 at 6 pm.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Comments on the proposed revisions can be provided by mail: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Attn: Habitat Stamp Rule Development, P.O. Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM 87504; or by email, dgf-habitat-stamprule@state.nm.us.

While hunting I have found several places in the Zuni Mountains where money from this Habitat program was spent to improve the collection of water for wildlife with these extra monies taken in over the years by Game and Fish.

These locations have been torn up by cattle, damaged by weather a nd no longer work to collect any water for wildlife.

I replied to the email above and asked for an investigation of the department on where all this money over the years has been spent and why they refuse to maintain and repair many of these so-called water collection tanks, many of them on public forest lands that hunters must pay for the privilege to hunt on.

I do not expect to get an answer but would encourage those of you do hunt to ask the same question at the email above.

Signed: Mr. Harry L. Hall USAF Vet Retired Police Officer OPINIONS

early retirement.

Muñoz presented a different picture.

“I think it was pretty unethical to do what they did to those people … to have 290 employees losing their job right before the holidays,” he said.

Marathon mentions 220 employees in its email, but per conversations with Bonaguidi and Muñoz, that number is incomplete. They estimate it to be around 290 workers.

Muñoz says the discrepancy

is likely due to the company not including contractors in the count.

Lundstrom thinks some of the employees could come back to work at the plant in the future under new owners.

But first there needs to be a response to COVID-19.

“Once this vaccination is in place, I’m very hopeful that this plant is up and running and maybe with a different fuel stock,” she said. “It’s been a great corporate citizen in McKinley County.”

Advertise in the Sun! A sign marks the boundary of the Marathon refinery in Jamestown, N.M. Sept. 9. The Ohio company is shutting down the plant indefinitely. It has no plan to reopen it. Photo Credit: Cable Hoover

MARATHON | FROM PAGE 1 Louis Bonaguidi.

“I can’t believe that there wouldn’t be a market for it out there,” Lundstrom said.

She and Bonaguidi are hopeful that it will be sold.

Bonaguidi told the Sun Sept. 1 that the plant has had a long string of owners including Shell Oil, Giant in the ‘80s, Western Refining, Tesoro, Endeavor, and then Marathon.

But Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, doesn’t think the refinery will be resold. He believes Marathon has made it so that that plant will never be successful again.

“Marathon will keep the pipeline,” Muñoz said Sept. 2.

He said he was told that Marathon will divert that oil into Texas at Midland refinery at a discounted rate.

“I have looked [at] how they could move into renewables,” he told the Sun, Sept. 9. “I called their lobbyist and asked if it’s for sale.”

He said their answer was they would get back with him, but he hasn’t received a response to date. “They put me in the blender,” Muñoz said.

The future for employees at the Marathon refinery in Jamestown vary. Barth stated in her email that severance and outplacement assistance will be available in accordance with the company’s severance plan.

Howe ver, r e pr e s e nt e d employees are subject to bargaining and their issues will be addressed in coming weeks.

NEWS

Lundstrom said that she’s talked with some Marathon employees who have been

offered opportunities to move to another company facility; but, some have decided to take

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(505)863-2535 Gallup, NM Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

17

COMMUNITY

Variables in ‘Tesla’ hurt the experiment

By Glenn Kay For the Sun

RATING: «« OUT OF 4 RUNNING TIME: 102 MINUTES This mov ie from IFC F i l m s i s av a i l a ble for streaming rental on most platforms.

Biopics can be a difficult business. Condensing a complex person’s life into a couple of hours and following a conventional narrative format doesn’t give one enough time to really do justice to the subject or present a complex portrait of their experiences.

Still, many try and several do manage to both entertain and enlighten. Tesla details the life of a famous and enigmatic personality who, among other discoveries, was responsible for inventing and developing the alternating current system that powers much of the world today.

A nne Morga n (Eve Hewson), narrates the story of Nicola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) an obsessive Serbian inventor who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1880s. Working tirelessly for T homa s Ed ison (Kyle MacLachlan), the protagonist is upset after his proposal for an alternating current motor

18

Nicola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) in contemplation about one of his inventions in the movie “Tesla.” Photo Credit: IFC Films s y s t em i s deemed u n f it , unsafe and unprofitable by his superiors. Tesla quits in frustration and continues his work elsewhere. Along the way, he befriends the independent Anne, who forms a close bond that flirts with becoming a romance. The inventor also finds a new supporter in George Westinghouse (Jim Gaffigan).

However, w it h a l l h i s attention focused exclusive on his work, Anne becomes frustrated with Tesla. The scientist is also taken advantage of by his investors after it becomes clear he doesn’t care about personal wealth and only desires funding to

Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

continue his research.

T he f i l m’s h ig h l ig ht is Hawke, who ably embodies the famous figure and captures his focus and drive to create life-changing scientific advances. He’s very convincing in the part and discussions involving Tesla and his friends about their important work are inspiring to watch.

Even conversations between inventors involving disappointment and sadness after someone’s effort is misunderstood, or their ground-breaking idea arrives too late feel authentic and add empathy to the characters and their pursuits.

However, many of these

scientists do live in their heads and the movie attempts to add some unusual gimmicks to add v isual f lair.

Na r ration is interspersed throughout with plans and stills of inventions. These bits are fine and help clarify some accomplishments, but there are other accoutrements that don’t fit in. Central storyteller Anne is written and presented in an unusually modern manner.

She cer t a i n ly d re s s e s like a woman of the era, but speaks and carries herself in an anachronistic way (at one point even using a laptop as she tells the story). Some scenes also present unreliable narration. An argument or incongruous conflict will

break out like it might have occu r red i n a recent era before A nne presents the real story of what actually occurred. While it’s a bold choice in presenting the story in a way that one wouldn’t expect, these bits are more often jarring and distracting.

A nother bit of stra ngeness occurs late in the movie when Nicola Telsa picks up a microphone and performs a karaoke version of a Tears for Fears song to sum up a series of events. It’s amusing in the moment and adds unpredictability to the proceedings, but also takes one out of the story. Hawke is talented enough to pull some of it off and occasionally raise a smile. Still, the attempts make the viewer feel like the f ilmmakers did n’t believe that the cha racters themselves would be interesting or relatable enough to audiences without modern references thrown in.

The subject is fascinating and his passion is quite compelling to watch, but the contempora r y touches i n Tesla are hit-and-miss and don’t help us to understand the figure any better. This reviewer is all for attempting something new, but had difficulty adjusting to the movie’s avant-garde additions. In the end, these unexpected variants end up hurting the experiment and ultimately take viewers out of the story.

COMMUNITY

Blu-ray/DVD Review Roundup for September 11, 2020

By Glenn Kay For the Sun

W

e lc o m e t o ye t another look at highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. Once again, there’s plenty of exciting stuff here to choose from in a wide variety of genres. So, since you likely can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

BIG NEW RELEASES! T H E CORDIL­ LERA OF DREAMS: This documentary follows a Chilean man who left his home country 40 years ago after a military dictatorship took control of the country. He decides to return to Chile and in order to process and examine his experiences and feelings about the place, as well as to revisit and reconnect with some of its most beautiful locations (including a vast chain of mountains). The press greatly admired this non-fiction effort.

One or two felt that the metaphors being used to detail his feelings were a little too on-the-nose and felt that the movie overstayed its welcome.

Everyone else felt very differently about the feature. They called it a beautifully shot, poetic, moving and completely personal tribute to the country and the mixed and complicated feelings he still harbors so many decades later.

DESERT ONE: In 1979, the U.S. gover nment undertook a secret operation a nd attempted to rescue 52 U.S. citizens who were taken hostage by Iranian revolutionaries in Tehran. The operation did not go as planned and this documentary tells the story of what happened using archival sources, never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with the people involved (including President COMMUNITY

Jimmy Carter). The film earned raves almost across the board from reviewers. A couple of them had minor issues, stating that the movie was too talky and didn’t tell them anything new about the ordeal.

However, the rest felt very differently. They thought the newly discovered footage and sound was powerful and also thought the story was put together in such a way that it made viewers feel as if they were right there with the participants. At this moment, this feature is only available on DVD. FIRST COW: Set in the 19th century, this drama follows a cook who decides to head west. After arriving in Oregon Territory, he befriends a group of fur-trappers and develops a close working relationship with a Chinese immigrant. Together, the two men set out to start their own business. The two quickly realize that the success of their venture depends on the health and safety of a specific milking cow.

Critics gave this drama extremely high marks. A small number of them said they found the feature slow-moving, obtuse and impenetrable.

Everyone else thought it was excellent, stating they were impressed with the photography, found the story engaging and believable, and felt that the movie also had plenty of things to say about the pitfalls of capitalism. The movie stars John Magaro, Orion Lee, Ewen Bremner and René Auberjonois.

SUPERMAN: MAN OF TOMORROW: It seems like Warner Bros. releases more and more titles in their line of animated, adult-themed DC superhero f l ick s j u s t about every week. T h is PG-13 effort depicts the early days of Clark Kent and Superman. The plot follows Kent as he is hired by the Daily Planet. He struggles to balance his professional career in Metropolis after the city comes under assault from villains like Lobo and Parasite.

The press gave this effort s ol id m a rk s . I n f a c t , s o far there haven’t been any

negative write-ups. They all state that while it isn’t the deepest or most insightful of superhero f licks, it is a well-animated and entertaining feature that does a good job depicting the origins of the character. The voice talent includes Darren Criss, Zachary Quinto, Alexandra Daddario, Ike Amadi, Ryan Hurst and David Chen.

VITALINA VARELA: This for ei g n - l a n guage feature from Portugal takes the na me of its lead actress a nd t el l s a completely fictionalized story about her. The movie is also a follow-up to another film by the same director with the same lead that was called Horse Money. The performer plays a newly arrived immigrant in Lisbon and recent widow who attempts to start a new life while uncovering the disturbing past of her late husband. This drama was very well received by critics.

One or two simply couldn’t get into the stor y a nd fou nd it a l l a bit too forced. However, the va st ma jor ity descr ibed it a s a powerful story with impressive photography that deals effective with heavy themes l i ke r eg r et , r emor s e a nd a n ger. T he c a s t i nclude s V it a l i n a Va rel a , Vent u r a , Manuel Tavares Almeida and Marina Alves Domingues.

BLASTS FROM THE PAST! As usual, there are plenty of interesting older titles getting high definition upgrades.

R e c e n t l y, A r r o w V i d e o announced a Special Edition of the strange UK cult science fiction pic The Comic (1985) to Blu-ray. Its release was ultimately delayed, but interested parties should be happy to learn that it is now hitting store shelves.

A r row is also putting out a “2-Disc S p e c i a l Edition” Bluray set of a Ja pa ne s e feature, Graveyard

of Honor. The story charts t he r i se a nd fa l l of rea llife Yakuza gangster Rikio Ishikawa. You’ll get both the 1975 K inji F uka saku or iginal a nd the 2002 Taka shi Miike remake. Both of the t it le s h ave be en g iven a high definition presentation and arrive with impressive bonuses.

Several studios are delivering 4K upgrades of previously released titles. The highest profile set coming this week is The Alfred Hitchcock Classics. Collection from Universal. If you have the proper set up, you’ll be able to watch 4K versions of Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) in the best possible quality.

Additiona lly, Universa l is rolling out 4K editions of The Incredible Hulk (2008) and the recent remake of The Invisible Man (2020). And, if you don’t want the entire Hitchcock set, you’ll be able to pick up Psycho (1960) on its own in 4K. You’ll have to check the details on each individual title to see if they also include the extras that have been released on previous editions.

Lionsgate is also getting in on the 4K action with a new edition of the popular Japanese animated feature, Ghost in the Shell (1995).

A nd those who enjoy Rob Zombie f licks a nd want to see

all the gruesomeness in the highest quality possible can pick up a Target Exclusive Steelbook of the Rob Zombie Trilogy, which includes all of the flicks featuring members of the villainous Firefly family. You’ll get House of 1,000 Corpses (2003), The Devil’s Rejects (2005) and the most recent entr y, 3 from Hell (2019).

Finally, Warner Archive is making the comedy Kentucky Ke r n e l s (1934) ava i lable through its site as a made-toorder Blu-ray.

YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS! Here are some kid-friendly titles that may enter ta i n children.

JoJo Siwa: Party P a c k ( 3 - D i s c G i f t S e t) (Nickelodeon) PAW Patrol: Jet to the R e s c u e ( N i c k e l o d e o n) (A mazon Ea rly Release Exclusive) Wiggly Halloween (The Wiggles) ON THE TUBE! A nd these are the TV-themed releases coming your way.

And She Could Be Next (PBS) B a d E d u c ati o n ( H BO movie) Bull: Season 4 Frankie Drake Mysteries: Season 3 (PBS) Love, Fall & Order (Hallmark TV-movie) PAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue (Nickelodeon) (Amazon Early Release Exclusive) Supergirl: Season 5 V ISIT: W W W. CINEMASTANCE.COM

Check out our FREE access community website! www.gallupsun.com Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

19

Operation Crystal Shield

METHAMPHETAMINE SEIZED BEFORE REACHING NEW MEXICO

Participants preparing for the American Cancer Society’s 2020 Relay for Life in Gallup June 16. Photo Credit: Linda Shelton

Relay for Life is transformed into a new event COVID-19 PUSHES CANCER ACTIVISTS TO CREATE NEW FUNDRAISER Staff Reports

L

ast year’s Relay For Life has been transformed i nto a Lu m i na r ia Lights of Hope & Love Evening by volunteers working to raise money for the American Cancer Society – Cancer Action Network).

Due to changes caused by COVID-19, the 2020 version

TAXES | FROM PAGE 6 increase to 12.4 percent for Social Security and Medicare would turn to 2.9 percent starting in January.

“I really feel this decision is up to an individual,” Lee said. “It puts an extra strain on the county payroll department to figure this out. I think it should be up to the employees to choose if they want to do this, but there should be stronger language in the notice they sign that this could basically come back to bite them, that you’ll see less money in your paycheck starting in January.”

County Manager Anthony Dimas Jr. said a few employees are already taking the deferrals, and the process

of the Relay For Life will be held Sept. 12 from 8 pm-9:30 pm with the luminarias for the relay set up on the 400 block of Logan (in the space of the former Roosevelt Elementary School).

People can drive by and purchase a bag from their car or make a donation.

Last year, on June 19 the Relay For Life 20th Anniversary

was celebrated at Courthouse Square, under the banner, “We’re going wild for a cure.”

It also featured a luminaria ceremony.

This year supporters can buy a $5 luminaria for the Relay, or for $10 they can become ASC/CAN members.

The Lights of Hope bags will be on display with the Luminaria bags.

would have to be redesigned and tailored for the whole county. But Dimas and Decker think doing that might be a “nightmare.”

Saucedo said it would not take a lot more time to process payroll if this deferral is adopted, but agreed the possibility of increased financi a l st r a i n on employee s spurred her to recommend the county not implement the deferrals.

“The employees right now are used to having an amount being taken out of their paychecks,” Saucedo said. “So to have that amount deferred, but then come back doubled starting in January would be hard for them, because a lot of them will probably need money a f ter the holidays and before they file their tax

returns next year.”

Lee said it will come down to a decision by the federal go v e r n m e n t o n w h e t h e r or not t hey w i l l for g ive the deferred amount come January, which makes it an uncertainty.

“You’re rolling the dice with the federal government on this one,” Lee said.

A s a resu lt , t he ot her speakers during the meeting felt this was not a risk worth taking.

“I ju st don’t t h i n k we should gamble with our staff because t hey m ig ht have to pay those deferred taxes back,” Dimas said. “It could all come back to bite them.”

The motion was made to not adopt the countywide tax deferrals, which then carried with a 2-1 vote.

20 Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

Drugs picked up in a Houston, Texas DEA operation linked to Operation Crystal Shield in the week of Sept. 1. Photo Credit: Sammy A. Parks, PIO, DEA Houston Division Staff Reports

W

A SH INGTON –Attor ney General William P. Barr and Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea announced the results of Operation Crystal Shield, DEA’s six-month-long effort targeting the command and control elements of Mexican cartels that operate major methamphetamine “transportation hubs” in the United States.

At a press conference Sept.

10 in Phoenix, Ariz., Barr and Shea announced that in just six months, Operation Crystal Shield generated a total of more than 750 investigations, resulting in nearly 1,840 arrests and the seizure of more than 28,560 pounds of methamphetamine, $43.3 million in drug proceeds, and 284 firearms.

I n t he DE A El Pa so Division alone, which covers New Mexico and West Texas, the DEA conducted 101 investigations, made 176 arrests, and seized 919 pounds of methamphetamine, more

than $1.1 million dollars in drug proceeds, along with 19 firearms.

“In the months leading up to the launch of Operation Cr yst a l Sh ield, com munities across the United States experienced a surge of methamphetamine,” Shea said. “The COVID pandemic locked down many communities and impacted legitimate businesses, but the drug trade continued.

“Under difficult conditions, DEA – along with our federal, state, and local partners – never stopped working as we helped stem the flow of methamphetamine onto our streets, even as violent drug traffickers sought new ways to smuggle it into the United States,” he continued.

T he DE A lau nched Operation Cr ystal Shield Feb. 20, after identifying nine ma jor methampheta m i ne t ra f f ick i ng hubs: Atlanta, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Diego a nd St . L ou is. Toget her

CRYSTAL SHIELD | SEE PAGE 22 COMMUNITY

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GALLUP SUN ARCHIVES Need a past issue? $2.00 per copy. Note issue date and send check or M.O. to: Gallup Sun, PO Box 1212, Gallup, NM 87305. Subject to availability.

HELP WANTED September 2, 2020 McKinley County is now accepting applications for the following positions: POSITION Field Technician DEPARTMENT Assessor’s Office FOR BEST CONSIDERATION September 17, 2020 Applications and additional information regarding positions can be found on the County web site www.co.mckinley. nm.us Dezirie Gomez, CPO Human Resource Director *** Gallup Sun seeks a local, experienced newspaper reporter.

Email: gallupsun@gmail.com LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES INVITATION TO BID Public Notice is hereby provided that the Gallup-McKinley

County Schools is accepting competitive sealed bids for: NEW, FLEET VEHICLES ITB-2021-06MA Commodity Code(s): 07180 & 07203 As more particularly set out in the BID documents, copies of which may be obtained by downloading from the Gallup-McKinley County Schools eBidding platform website https://gmcs.bonfirehub.com Sealed BIDS for such will be received until 2:00 P.M. (LOCAL TIME) on, September 23, 2020. FAX and HARDCOPY BIDS will NOT be accepted.

Bidders will not be able to upload bids or documents after the specified CLOSING date and time.

The Gallup-McKinley County School Board of Education reserves the right to reject any or all bids, waive any formalities or minor inconsistencies, and/ or cancel this solicitation in its entirety.

Dated this 31st Day of August 2020 By: /S/ Charles Long, President Board of Education Gallup-McKinley County School District No. 1 BID ISSUE DATE: August 31, 2020 PUBLICATION DATES: September 4 & 11, 2020 (Gallup Sun)

*** ELEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF MCKINLEY STATE OF NEW MEXICO IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF JAMES GIACOMO LORENZO UNALE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Cause No. D-1113-CV-2020345-VII NOTICE OF PETITION TO CHANGE NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that JAMES GIACOMO LORENZO UNALE, a resident of the City of GALLUP, County of McKINLEY, State of New Mexico, and over age of fourteen years has filed a Petition to Change Name in the District Court, McKinley County, New Mexico, wherein he/she seeks to change his/ her name from JAMES GIACOMO LORENZO UNALE to JIMMY UNALE, and that this Petition will be heard before the Honorable Robert A. Aragon, District Judge, on the 24th day of September, 2020, at the hour of 1:30 p.m., at the McKinley County Courthouse, 207 W. Hill Ave., Room 200, Gallup, New Mexico.

Weldon J. Neff Clerk of the District Court

By Rochelle Chischilly, Deputy Clerk

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EMAIL: GALLUPSUNLEGALS@GMAIL.COM DUE: TUESDAYS 5 PM Published: The Gallup Sun September 4, 2020 September 11, 2020 *** ELEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF McKINLEY STATE OF NEW MEXICO IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF MAGDALENA SANCHEZ FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF NATALIS OCAMPO. Cause No. D-1113-CV-2020384-V NOTICE OF PETITION TO CHANGE NAME (OF PERSON UNDER 14 YEARS OF AGE) TO: MAGDALENA SANCHEZ, Mother NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that MAGDALENA SANCHEZ has filed a Petition to change the name of his/her child from NATALIS OCAMPO to NATALIS SANCHEZ. This Petition will be heard before the Honorable R. David Pederson, District Judge, on the 5th day of OCTOBER, 2020 at the hour of 10:00 A.M., at the McKinley County Courthouse, 207 W. Hill Ave., Gallup, New Mexico.

Weldon J. Neff Clerk of District Court

By Jaycelyn Etsitty, Deputy Clerk Publish: The Gallup Sun September 4, 2020 September 11, 2020 *** PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the McKinley County Board of Commissioners will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 9:00 a.m.

Adhering to the Social Distancing Protocols, issued by the Governor’s Office; and the requirements of the Open Meetings Act allowing members of the public to attend and listen to meetings of the quorum of the governing body, this meeting will be physically closed to the public but open to the

public via technology services.

Members of the public may view the live stream feeds offered on the approved Facebook account of the McKinley County Office of Emergency Management. Members of the public are welcome to call in with comments about any of the items on the agenda.

The comment call in number (505.863.1400) will be monitored beginning at 8:45 am on the day of the meeting; and, it will stop being monitored at 9:10 am on the day of the meeting. Please give your name, and the Agenda Item Number you desire to comment on, and a return phone number.

When, at the appropriate time for making comments on the agenda items, (beginning at approximately 9:10 am) the Commission Chair will call you on your return number so you can make your comment. The Commission Chair pursuant to state law and county policy can limit the time of comments and reduce common or cumulative comments as needed; comments will be limited to 3 minutes.

The members of the County Commission at their option can participate by phone or other technological participation methods. A copy of the agenda will be available 72 hours prior to the meeting in the Manager’s Office and the County Clerk’s Office and can be sent electronically upon request.

All interested parties are invited to attend via the live stream mentioned herein.

Done this 3rd day of September 2020 McKINLEY COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS /S/ Billy Moore, Chairperson Publication date: Gallup Sun September 11, 2020 *** ADVERTISEMENT

FOR

CLASSIFIEDS | SEE PAGE 22

Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

21

CLASSIFIEDS | FROM PAGE 21 BIDS SANTA FE WELLS NO. 11 AND 12 MODIFICATIONS CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT NO. 1 CITY OF GALLUP Formal Bid No. 2028 (ReBid) Notice is hereby given that the City of Gallup, New Mexico will receive sealed bids for construction of CITY OF GALLUP SANTA FE WELLS NO. 11 AND 12 MODIFICATIONS CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT NO. 1 until the hour of 2:00 p.m., local time, October 6, 2020 at the office of the Procurement Manager at City Hall, 110 West Aztec Avenue, Gallup, New Mexico. Bids will be opened, read and tabulated at that time.

No bids will be received or considered if received after the time stated above. A previous solicitation was advertised using Formal Bid No. 2019 however no bids were received and therefore is now being re-solicited.

This project consists of the construction of a new well head, a well head enclosure, yard piping, precast concrete manholes, electrical pedestal and transformer pads, a tie-in to existing waterline, site electrical, and SCADA programming and furnishing. Work will also include valves, fittings, demolition, grading, excavation, trenching, backfilling, and compaction. Access road and gravel surfacing will also be required.

This project is located in Gallup, New Mexico near West Historic Highway 66 and Allison Rd. Santa Fe Well No. 11 is just east of Allison Rd. and Warehouse Lane in BNSF Railway right of way. Santa Fe. Well No. 12 is located just west of Allison Rd. Plans, Specifications and Bidding Documents may be examined at the office of the Purchasing Director 110 West Aztec, Gallup, NM 87301, (505) 863-1334. Additional information regarding this bid may also be viewed at www.GallupNM.gov/bids.

Plans, Specifications and Bidding Documents may be obtained from DePauli Engineering and Surveying, LLC, 307 S. 4th Street, Gallup, New Mexico 87301, (505) 863-5440, upon deposit of $250.00, all of which will be refunded upon return of the documents within ten (10) days after bid opening.

NOTE: As Covid-19 has begun affecting our community, we want to reassure you that your health and safety, and that of

our employees is extremely important to us. The City of Gallup Purchasing Division will be taking every necessary precaution to keep us all safe while we continue to maintain the integrity of the Procurement process. Therefore, as outlined by the State of New Mexico Department of Health, we will proceed using virtual meeting tools to accommodate social distancing requirements as ordered. Pre-Bid/ Pre-Proposal Conferences, Bid Openings, and Pre-Construction Conferences will be held via conference/video calls or other virtual means until further notice. Details regarding virtual bid opening are provided within bid documents.

Dated this 9th day of September, 2020 By: /S/ Louie Bonaguidi, Mayor Classified Legal Column: Gallup Sun Publishing Date: Friday September 11, 2020 *** ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS SANTA FE WELLS NO. 11 & 12 MODIFICATIONS CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT NO. 2 CITY OF GALLUP Formal Bid No. 2029 (ReBid) Notice is hereby given that the City of Gallup, New Mexico will receive sealed bids for construction of CITY OF GALLUP SANTA FE WELLS NO 11. AND 12 MODIFICATIONS CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT NO. 2 until the hour of 2:00 p.m., local time, October 6, 2020 at the office of the Procurement Manager at City Hall, 110 West Aztec Avenue, Gallup, New Mexico. Bids will be opened, read and tabulated at that time. No bids will be received or considered if received after the time stated above.

This project consists of furnishing and installing a deep submersible water well pump assembly, column pipe, check valves and appurtenances for existing Santa Fe Well No. 11. Pump is to be 75 HP minimum and shall be installed in existing 12 3/4» O.D. well casing at a setting of 1200. Work will also include removal of well pump, column pipe and appurtenances of existing Santa Fe Well No. 12.

This project is located in Gallup, New Mexico near West Historic Highway 66 and Allison Rd. Santa Fe Well No. 11 is just east of Allison Rd. and Warehouse Lane in BNSF Railway property Right-of-Way. Santa Fe Well No. 12 is located just west of Allison Rd.

22 Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

CLASSIFIEDS Read online at gallupsun.com

Plans, Specifications and Bidding Documents may be examined at the office of the Purchasing Director 110 West Aztec, Gallup, NM 87301, (505) 863-1334. Additional information regarding this bid may also be viewed at www.GallupNM.gov/bids.

Plans, Specifications and Bidding Documents may be obtained from DePauli Engineering and Surveying, LLC, 307 S. 4th Street, Gallup, New Mexico 87301, (505) 863-5440, upon deposit of $250.00, all of which will be refunded upon return of the documents within ten (10) days after bid opening.

NOTE: As Covid-19 has begun affecting our community, we want to reassure you that your health and safety, and that of our employees is extremely important to us. The City of Gallup Purchasing Division will be taking every necessary precaution to keep us all safe while we continue to maintain the integrity of the Procurement process.

Therefore, as outlined by the State of New Mexico Department of Health, we will proceed using virtual meeting tools to accommodate social distancing requirements as ordered. Pre-Bid/Pre-Proposal Conferences, Bid Open-

ings, and Pre-Construction Conferences will be held via conference/video calls or other virtual means until further notice. Details regarding virtual bid opening are provided within bid documents.

Dated this 9th day of September, 2020 By: /S/ Louie Bonaguidi, Mayor Classified Legal Column: Gallup Sun Publishing Date: Friday September 11, 2020 *** STATE OF NEW MEXICO COUNTY OF MCKINLEY ELEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT RICARDO R. PRIETO-PALACIOS. Plaintiff, vs.

No. D-1113-CV-2020-00400 HERMAN R. CANTU and SAUL CANTU, and UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS OF INTEREST IN THE PREMISES ADVERSE TO THE PLAINTIFF’S, Defendants.

NOTICE OF PENDENCY OF SUIT THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO TO: HERMAN R. CANTU and SAUL CANTU and UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS OF INTEREST IN THE PREMISES ADVERSE TO THE PLAINTIFF

You or your attorney are hereby directed to file a pleading or motion in response to the Complaint to Quiet Title on file herein on or before 30 days from the date of the last publication of this Notice in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court, Eleventh Judicial District of the State of New Mexico, sitting within and for the County of McKinley, that being the Court in which said Complaint is filed, and to serve a copy of the same pleading or motion upon Plaintiffs or Plaintiffs’ attorneys, Mason & Isaacson, P.A., 104 East Aztec, P.O. Box 1772, Gallup, New Mexico 87305, (505-722-4463).

Unless a responsive pleading or motion is entered by you in this cause on or before the above date, judgment will be rendered against you by default.

The general object of said action is a Complain of Quiet Title.

WITNESS the District Judge of the Eleventh Judicial District Court of the State of New Mexico, and the seal of Court this ____ day of September, 2020.

Clerk of District Court Publish: The Gallup Sun September 11, 2020 September 18, 2020 September 25, 2020

CRYSTAL SHIELD | FROM PAGE 20

then distributed across the country.

Operation Crystal Shield leveraged existing DEA initiatives that ta rget ma jor drug trafficking networks, including the Mexican cartels that are responsible for the overwhelming majority of methamphetamine trafficked into and within the United

States.

From Fiscal Year 2017 to FY 2019, DEA domestic seizures of methamphetamine increased 127 percent from approximately 49,500 pounds to about 112, 000 pounds. During the same timeframe, the number of DEA arrests related to methamphetamine increased by nearly 20 percent.

these nine cities accounted for more than 75 percent of methamphetamine seized by DEA in 2019. Under this operation, DEA directed enforcement resources to these cities where methamphetamine is often trafficked in bulk and

CLASSIFIEDS

COMMUNITY CALENDAR SEPTEMBER 11-SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

CALENDAR

FRIDAY, September 11

MONDAY, September 14

TUESDAY, September 15

THURSDAY, September 17

SENSORY SEPTEMBER 11 am. Join us on Facebook and Youtube @ galluplibrary for fun sensory activities you can do at home for everything from learning the alphabet to improving motor skills. Today’s activity is Lava Bottles. Videos are posted Wednesdays and Fridays at 11 am.

HORESEHAIR & ETCHING 10 am-12 pm @Healing Hands Studio (194 E. Hwy. 66) To sign up call (505) 488-2051 or contact klunasee@rmchcs. org. Sessions are $15 plus supplies.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES AND SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 1 pm-2 pm @ Student Support Center Board Room (640 S. Boardman).

MCKINLEY COUNTY BACK TO SCHOOL IMMUNIZATION CLINICS 8:30 am – 4 pm. @ McKinley Public Health Office, 1919 College Dr. Call (505) 7224391 to schedule an appointment. Vaccines provided at no cost for children through 18 years of age. Bring your child’s shot record.

POUR MOLDS 10 am-12 pm @Healing Hands Studio (194 E. Hwy. 66) To sign up call (505) 488-2051 or contact klunasee@rmchcs.org. Sessions are $15 plus supplies.

LIBRARIES TRANSFORM DIGITAL READING PROGRAM Sept. 14-28 OFPL joins public libraries nationwide in a digital reading program by offering access to the same ebook for a two-week period through the Libraries Transform Book Pick. The ebook selection is Lauren Francis-Sharma’s epic saga Book of the Little Axe. During the lending period, ebook copies will be available without waitlists or holds through U.S. public libraries using OverDrive.

Readers will only need a library card and the Libby app to borrow and read the ebook. For more information: bmartin@gallupnm. gov; (505) 863-1291 .

Follow the Libraries Transform Book Pick on Facebook and Twitter and join the discussion on social media using the hashtag #LTBookPick.

LOBO PLATFORM TRAINING SESSION 10 am-11 am @ https://unm. zoom.us Meeting ID: 929 7648 1570. Hosted by Shynal Robinson. Please join student services personnel as they offer training sessions focused on services.

CREATIVE CORNER 4 pm-5 pm @ Octavia Fellin Public Library You Tube.

Make your own art from materials around your home.

Art courses are for the inner creative, geared toward people 15 years old and older.

This week we will focus on 3D printing Basics. (Free open source software programs. Send your completed projects to jwhitman@ gallupnm.gov for printing)

ONE-2-ONE VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY HELP 4 pm. The Library will offer one-2-one technology assistance online on Facebook Live and through Zoom.

Ask technology questions and get assistance during the live one-hour sessions.

Please email libtrain@gallupnm.gov to get access to the zoom link, or join us on Facebook live at one of the scheduled times. For more information: (505) 863-1291.

REGULAR COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING 9 am-12 pm. All interested parties are invited to attend the livestream on the approved Facebook account of the McKinley County Office of Emergency Management.

The comment call in number (505) 863-1400 will be monitored from 8:45 am-9:10 am on the day of the meeting.

COVID-19 TESTING DRIVE-UP EVENT 9 am-12 pm Casamero Lake Chapter. No appt. needed.

For more information: (505) 786-6294, (505) 786-6240.

CRAFTY KIDS 4 pm on Facebook and Youtube @galluplibrary (all ages) for family-friendly crafts and step-by-step tutorials for all skill levels. This week we will create glass magnets.

ONE-2-ONE VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY HELP 10 am. The Library will offer one-2-one technology assistance online on Facebook Live and through Zoom.

Ask technology questions and get assistance during the live one-hour sessions.

Please email libtrain@gallupnm.gov to get access to the zoom link, or join us on Facebook live at one of the scheduled times. For more information (505) 863-1291.

SATURDAY, September 12 LUMINARIA LIGHTS OF HOPE & LOVE EVENING 8 pm-9:30 pm @ the 400 block of Logan (in the space of the former Roosevelt Elementary School).

Relay luminarias and lights of hope (American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network) bags will be set up. People can drive by, purchase a bag from their car, or make a donation. Board and Team members will be at each end of the block to accept donations ($5 minimum donation). You can become an ASC?CAN member for $10. For more information: bleedingpurple@centurylink.net or call Joyce (505) 862-1457; Linda (505) 297-9515.

SELF-CARE SATURDAY 1 pm on Facebook @ galluplibrary. to make your DIY cosmetics from items around your home.

We will folcus on a honey-based lip scrub and sage with blackberry body scrub. Each ingredient list will be available in advance on our website, ofpl.online/programs/#makerspace under the MakerSpace Classes and Workshops section. For more information: jwhitman@gallupnm.gov; (505) 863-1291.

MCKINLEY COUNTY BACK TO SCHOOL IMMUNIZATION CLINICS 8:30 am – 4 pm. @ McKinley Public Health Office, 1919 College Dr. Call (505) 7224391 to schedule an appointment. Vaccines provided at no cost for children through 18 years of age. Bring your child’s shot record.

CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, September 16 KIDS’ CLASS 6 pm-8 pm @Healing Hands Studio (194 E. Hwy. 66) To sign up call (505) 488-2051 or contact klunasee@rmchcs.org. Sessions are $15 plus supplies.

SENSORY SEPTEMBER 11 am. Join us on Facebook and Youtube @galluplibrary for fun sensory activities you can do at home for everything from learning the alphabet to improving motor skills. Smell Challenge is today’s activity.

Videos are posted Wednesdays, Fridays at 11am.

TECH TIME ONLINE: COMMUNITY COMPUTER TRAINING CLASSES 4 pm. Using Formulas in a Spreadsheet - Learn how to use formulas to make calculations in spreadsheet programs such as MS Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc.

For more information: libtrain@gallupnm.gov; (505) 863-1291.

MCKINLEY COUNTY BACK TO SCHOOL IMMUNIZATION CLINICS 8:30 am – 4 pm. @ McKinley Public Health Office, 1919 College Dr. Call (505) 7224391 to schedule an appointment. Vaccines provided at no cost for children through 18 years of age. Bring your child’s shot record.

ONGOING GIRL SCOUTS ROBOT BUILDING PARTY Times will be scheduled based on demand. This free ongoing activity continues until Nov. 30. For more information: https:// wwwnmgirlscounts.org/ en/about-girl-scouts/join/ robot-building-party.html; (505) 343-1040.

VIRTUAL TUTORING AND HOMEWORK HELP Beginning Sept. 8, The Boys & Girls Club of Gallup has been offering virtual tutoring and homework help with trained mentors using Zoom calls. Club members with a 2020 membership can attend for free after they fill out a virtual permission form on the club website.

To get a 2020 membership, fill out an online application and permission form. It’s free. The help will be available until Dec. 31. For more information: bgcgallup.com; (505) 488-2378; Facebook@ BoysandGirlsClubGallup DRIVE-UP COVID-19 TESTING 9 am-11 am T, Th @ UNM Gallup Lions Hall parking lot (705 Gurley Ave.). Testing open to first 200 people.

RMCHCS COVID-19 DRIVE-UP TESTING 9 am-5 pm M-Sat @ Urgent Care Center (520 NM Hwy 564, north of the New Mexico Cancer Center).

MCKINLEY COUNTY BACK TO SCHOOL IMMUNIZATION CLINICS 8:30 am – 4 pm Mon., Wed., Fri. continues through September. @ McKinley Public Health Office, 1919 College Dr. Call (505) 722-4391 to

schedule an appointment.

Vaccines provided at no cost for children through 18 years of age. Bring your child’s shot record.

STIMULUS PAYMENT: ECONOMIC IMPACT SURVEY In March, the U.S. Congress passed, and the President signed, the CARES Act, legislation designed to provide economic help for Americans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the law, most households would receive an “Economic Impact Payment” (a “stimulus check”) of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child under 17 years old, or up to $3,400 for a family of four.

It’s now September -- have you received your payment?

Please take a moment to share your experience with us so that we can better serve the needs of the community.

TALKING TUESDAYS 4 pm on Facebook and YouTube @galluplibrary for book, author, movie, tech talks and more.

VIRTUAL FUN FRIDAYS WITH OFPL 2 pm-3 pm Fri. @ Octavia Fellin Public Library Facebook. Join the OFPL staff and special guests every Friday on Facebook Live for trivia games and more.

OFPL BOOKMARK DESIGN CONTEST OFPL is excited to announce the next phase of the contest. Vote online for your favorite bookmark in three age group categories. Winning designs will be professionally printed and distributed at OFPL’s Main Library and Children’s Branch. Vote now at ofpl. online, or social media, @ galluplibrary! Online polls close Wednesday, September 30 at 11:59 pm. For more information: jwhitman@gallupnm.gov; (505) 863-1291.

DIAL-A-STORY Storytime anytime, call (505) 862-9177 to hear a story any time of the day or night. Stories will change daily, at the end feel free to leave us a message to let us know what stories you want to hear. For more information: childlib@gallupnm.gov; (505) 863-1291.

To post a nonprofit or civic event in the calendar section, please email: gallupsunevents@gmail.com or fax: (505) 212-0391. Deadline: Monday at 5 pm.

Gallup Sun • Friday September 11, 2020

23

Dig Into DOWNTOWN

CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY! COAL AVENUE COMMONS is an infrastructure initiative to transform two blocks of Coal Avenue in Gallup, NM into a vibrant plaza street. Phase 1 will extend from 3rd Street to 2nd Street. Street closures will affect vehicular traffic, but pedestrians can easily use sidewalks to access businesses!

PROJECTED TIMELINE: JULY 2020 - MARCH 2021* Hwy 40

W. Aztec Ave.

S. Woodrow Ave.

FREE PARKING

S. Strong Dr.

W. Coal Ave.

S. Puerco Dr.

S. 1st St.

S. 2nd St.

OPEN

S. 3rd St.

Businesses are

Cliff Side

E. Aztec Ave.

Construction Area FREE Parking

available in city lots!

G A L L U P M A I N S T R E E T. O R G *Projected timeline is subject to change.

24 Friday September 11, 2020 • Gallup Sun

COMMUNITY