What are the qualities that will make the best sheriff for McKinley County?

All five candidates got a swing at answering that in an April 5 forum sponsored by the McKinley County Democrats and hosted by the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce.

Candidates included one Republican, Elreno C. Henio; and four Democrats: Matthew K. Hughbanks, Francie L. Martinez, Paul R. Lucero and current Undersheriff  James Maiorano III. Most have backgrounds in local law enforcement and many in multiple agencies. All have lived locally for many years, and some have family ties to the Gallup area going back generations.

All of the candidates pledged to work the job full time (although the post only...

GMCS uses housing incentives to retain, draw quality staff

School districts across the nation are experiencing staff shortages.

According to a National Education Association survey that was published on Feb. 1, 74% of the teachers surveyed said they’ve had to fill in for colleagues or take on other duties because of a staff shortage. While 55% of the teachers interviewed said they plan to leave the profession sooner than they originally planned because of the pandemic.

The Gallup-McKinley County Schools district is trying to counter this national exodus from the profession and the area’s housing shortage by building housing specifically for teachers.

“As many people are aware...

The City of Gallup and the Gallup-McKinley  County Schools are finalizing a land swap that will solve problems for both sides while helping to keep expenses down.

The entities will be swapping the school district’s 4.4-acre Bus Barn property, which it no longer uses, for a 10.7-acre wedge of city land adjacent to Rocky View Elementary School.

Despite the difference in size, the properties appraised within $10,000 of value because the smaller property includes structures, and the larger parcel is in a more desirable location along Boardman Avenue.

City Attorney Curtis Hayes called the swap “one of those situations where everything falls into place at the right time. The school...

Week ending Friday, April 1, 2022

 

Early Birds

A new study reveals that some birds in the American Midwest are now laying their eggs about a month earlier than they did a century ago, with a steadily warming climate pointed to as the cause. Led by Chicago’s Field Museum, a team compared century-old eggs preserved in the museum’s unique collection with recent avian observations. Each egg is accompanied by a label, noting the kind of bird and precisely where and when it was collected. A third of the 72 species studied around Chicago now lay their eggs about 25 days earlier than they did a century ago. The gradual shift to an earlier spring has resulted in large impacts on animal...