Doctors at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital submitted signed union authorization cards to the National Labor Relations Board as a step toward forming a union in partnership with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. The announcement came on Aug. 10.

The UAPD is an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees International.

Dr. Stuart Bussey, the president of UAPD for almost 15 years, said a group of about 25 RMCH doctors has been talking to UAPD.com via Zoom over the past month.

The physician organizing committee at RMCH issued a public statement which was reproduced by the UAPD in its Aug. 10 press release.

“We have decided to...

Treks miles for his missions

Bearsun aka Jesse Larios is a 33-year-old California native who created Bearsun in 2016 with the help of a friend. The costume consists of a huge football shaped head made of durable material. The head has two 10-inch ears with eyebrows, eyes and a nose, but no mouth. Larios states, “Bearsun’s actions are his words.”

The large bear has shown up on social media platforms where he has been spotted on State Road 602 south of Gallup and in and around the Chuska Mountains. He’s been been a topic of discussion in the communities surrounding Gallup the past four weeks.

He entered the Navajo Reservation just south of Tuba City Ariz. Aug...

Radar signs don’t just cost speeders, they cost the city.

Radar signs that alert drivers to how fast they’re going have been around Gallup since 2016 in an effort to stop speeding. During the Aug. 10 city council meeting, Gallup’s Construction Superintendent Robert Hamblen told the council that the signs need some maintenance, and that the work would cost the city $20,000.

Gallup has 27 radar signs, and Hamblen said they cost about $4,000 apiece. He said that each sign has three batteries, and those cost about $700 each and last about two years. The LED boards cost about $700 each.

Hamblen explained that there has been a switch to red lithium batteries, which last...

Week ending Friday, August 6, 2021


Wild COVID

A U.S. survey of wild deer in four states found that many of the animals showed signs of being infected with the COVID-19 virus.

The finding suggests that even if the virus is brought under control in the human population, wild animals could act as reservoirs for the virus in the future. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the percentage of deer with antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 ranged from a low of 7 percent in the samples from Illinois to a high of 60 percent in Michigan’s deer. In total, a third of the deer tested positive. None of the infected animals appeared to be ill, and it is not certain how they were exposed. Experts say...