Public comment period attracts 30 speakers

It was standing room only when persistent issues at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services came up at a joint work session between the City of Gallup, the McKinley County Board of Commissioners, and the hospital Oct. 18.

County attorney Doug Decker began the work session with a detailed history of the relationship between McKinley County and RMCHCS, covering the lease agreement, mill levy funding, and a recent county audit that uncovered co-mingling and mismanagement of county funds.

Decker described the relationship between the county and RMCHCS as a “rollercoaster ride,” noting that he has worked for the county since 1995. He...

The Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services Board of Trustees convened at the Grace Bible Church at 222 Boulder Dr. Oct. 20 for its first public board meeting in a step toward demonstrating transparency.

In addition to the new open board meeting format, the public was also allowed to speak.

The newly-added public comment period came early in the meeting,

One businesswoman, Mary Walker, took the opportunity to point out that she moved to Gallup four years ago and that her business Weaving in Beauty at 233 W. Coal Ave., which attracts students from France, Australia and China to learn Navajo weaving, wanted to offer students a safe environment.

“I’m becoming very...

With remote learning, full attendance is possible

Snow days may soon become a thing of the past for Gallup-McKinley County Schools students.

COVID-19 showed districts around the world that remote learning is possible, and now GMCS is taking what it learned and applying it to other situations where students may not be able to be in the classroom in-person, as in the case of snow days.

During the Oct. 25 school board meeting, the district’s superintendent, Mike Hyatt, introduced the idea of Virtual Days to the board.

“We’re looking at ways in which we can provide an online [experience] or learning happening at home during those days that’s appropriate and fits what’s...

Early on Wednesday morning a woman in Fort Wingate, N.M. got up to visit the bathroom and saw light coming from a structure near the Fort Wingate Old School Building at 322 Painted Horse Trail.

She dialed 911 and McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Terence Willie responded.

The woman told Willie she sometimes sees light on at the school, but she didn’t see anyone on Oct. 20. That morning she saw smoke and tall flames.

Willie reported that he could see the flames as he was approaching exit 33 on I-40. When he arrived at 3:30 am, he saw a single story structure fully engulfed and the area had heavy black smoke.

Nearly two hours later, at 5:20 am, Deputy Chief Tim Berry with the...