FIRES DESTORY OVER 23,000 ACRES STATE & REGION, A5
Gallup Sun VOL 10 | ISSUE 482
www.gallupsun.com
June 21, 2024
BORDERLINE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ALLOW FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS CITY DECIDES TO CELEBRATE HOLIDAY WITH DRONE SHOW By Molly Ann Howell Managing Editor Each year as summer draws nearer, the Ga l lup Cit y Cou ncil a nd t he c it y ’s f i r e department take a look at drought conditions and determine whether or not the citizens of Gallup will get to light off fireworks for the Fourth of July. As of June 13, the nor thea ster n cor ner of McK i n ley Cou nt y is in the D0 (abnorm a l ly d r y) z one of the Drought Monitor, which is published by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of NebraskaL i ncol n, t he Un ited States Depa r tment of A g r icu lt u re, a nd the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad m in istration. The rest of the county is in the D1 (moderate drought) zone. Gallup Fire Chief Jon Pairett went in front of the city council on May 28 to explain that the drought conditions weren’t extreme enough to allow the city to put a fireworks ban in place. “ R i g h t n o w, w e are not in a severe or extreme drought so we cannot move forward with issuing a proclamation for restricting fireworks, which is a little scary because last year, even though we were not in a drought on the Fourth of July, we responded to 14 fires in four and a half hours.” T he New Mex ico F ireworks Licensing a nd Sa fet y Act only allows cities and counties a small window of time to declare a
fireworks ban for the Fourth of July holiday. With July 4 less than a month away, that window has closed. Pairett said that last year the fire department was mostly dealing with br ush f ires, but one building did receive some m i nor st r uctural damage. Some of the paint on the cityowned building at 3030 Sanostee Dr., which is next to the old soccer fields, peeled off due the heat from a fire. Pairett estimated that it cost the city about $2,000 to repaint the building. T h e G a l lu p F i r e Department’s main concern around the summer holiday is people’s safety. A ll fireworks should be used on a paved surface on barren land. People who want to light fireworks should do it on their own property, with the ability to suppress a fire if needed. Although there isn’t a fireworks ban this year, some fireworks are still illegal in New Mexico. T he New Mex ico State Fire Ma rsha l Fireworks Ordinance states that three types of fireworks are not permissible: stick-type rockets having a tube less than five-eighths i nch outside d ia me ter and less than three and one-half inches in length; and fireworks intended for sale to the public that produce an audible effect, other tha n a whistle, by a charge of more than 130 milligrams of explosive composition per report. CITY CHOOSES A DIFFERENT OPTION
So while fireworks aren’t banned this year, the City of Gallup is still going with a different option to celebrate Independence Day. In November, the cit y’s Tou r i sm a nd Ma rket i ng Di rector Matt Robinson went in front of the cit y council and proposed a d i f ferent for m of entertainment. Robinson explained that the city didn’t get any bids from firework
As of June 13, the northeastern corner of McKinley County is in the D0 (abnormally dry) zone of the Drought Monitor, which is published by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The rest of the county is in the D1 (moderate drought) zone. Image Credit: Courtesy of Richard Tinker, National Drought Mitigation Center
The City of Gallup has been working with Pixis Drones to create a unique drone show for the Fourth of July celebration. The show will feature a “Thunderbird” design. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Pixis Drones
vendors for the 2024 Fourth of July celebration. In fact, they only received one bid from Pixis Drones. The company is rapidly becoming the top aerial drone provider in the country. They’ve put together shows for t he NF L , NBA , a nd ma ny nationa l companies. I n a n i nt er v iew with the Sun Robinson went into a little more detail about why the
city isn’t putting on a f ireworks show this year. “ We probably could’ve gotten fireworks a week later or a week before or something like that, but that doesn’t line up with the purpose of the event, so we went with the drones,” he said. He said the city had a budget a nd a pla n for a fireworks show this year, but without a vendor to help put it,
the city couldn’t do the show. Instead, Robinson wa nts to get people excited for the drone show. “I t h i n k [ people] can expect a celebration of America’s Most Patriotic Small Town,” he said. “We’re going to have some rea lly amazing visuals timed with some music. It’s just going to have some really patriotic visuals representing the patriotism of our community.” T he 10 - m i nu t e drone show cost the city $100,000, which is being paid through the Lodger’s Tax fund. Robinson defended the steep price tag at the November council meeting. “We r e a l ly t h i n k that’s going to take a huge impact,” he said. “That’s really going to
shoot for the stars and ma ke a rea l ly good show.” A lthough drone shows are definitely different from the fantastical spectacle of f ireworks, Robinson pointed out that they may actually have a more positive impact on the community. “I just wa nt to remind everyone how loud fireworks can be, and sometimes that’s hard for some of our service members who have been in conflicts, a nd t hen of cou r se there’s the pets and the dogs who get kind of alarmed by [fireworks as well],” he said. “I think the drone show aligns well with our ‘Most Patriotic Small Town.’ It’s going to be enjoyable for everybody, so I think it’s going to be a good deal.”
Chee Dodge Elementary goes under lockdown Staff Reports
C
hee Dodge Elementa r y went u nder lo ckdow n a fter a ma n a llegedly showed up to the school with multiple guns and th reatened to shoot his ex-wife, who is an
Donovan Nuckols
employee there. A round 2:15 pm on June 11, McKinley County Deputy Jarad Albert was dispatched to the elementary school at 64 U.S. Hwy. 491 when a woman called Metro Dispatch and said that a man, who was identified as Donovoan Nuckols, was on school property with a gun. When Albert arrived at the school he met with two women who were standing in the parking lot. One of the women said that Nuckols, 40, was her ex-husband. She explained that he’d come to the school wanting to talk to her. The former couple had been married for about 20 yea rs. The woma n said there was no former
incidences of domestic abuse, but she admitted that Nuckols had been acting strangely the last couple of weeks. They reportedly met in the school’s front office and began arguing. The woman said that Nuckols believed she had cheated on him. The victim said Nuckols had accused her of cheating on him multiple times in the past couple of weeks. The former couple had been living in separate residences for a few days. The woman said that e a rl ier t h a t mor n i n g Nuckols had texted her multiple times, starting at 5 am and ending at 11 am. One of the last texts he allegedly sent to her said “Later goodbye b****, I hate
you.” Dur ing their a rgument in the front office Nuckhols allegedly told his ex-wife “I just wanted to come see your face, tell you that you make me sick.” He continued by saying “I f*****g hate you, go look at your car.” Nuckols then allegedly walked out of the school bu i ld i ng a nd hea ded toward his own vehicle which was parked in the school’s bus lane. The woman said she followed Nickols outside. When she got outside Nuckols was standing next to his SUV with the front passenger side door wide open. He then reportedly
See CHEE DODGE, Page A6
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