WASHINGTON, D. C. – Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez was at the White House along with tribal, state, and federal leaders, Oct. 8 as President Joe Biden signed a proclamation that restores the Bears Ears National Monument, located in southeastern Utah, to the boundaries established by President Obama in 2016. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell were also present for the ceremony.

“The Navajo Nation, along with a coalition of tribes, wholeheartedly supports today’s action by the Biden-Harris Administration,” Nez said. “This historic signing of the proclamation and restoration of the Bears Ears National Monument is a victory...

An elite, tight-knit group of airmen compose the United States Air Force Honor Guard, among them Gallup’s own Wayne Lufkins. Lufkins is the son of recently elected Eleventh Judicial District Attorney Bernadine Martin.

“We’re all so proud of him,” Martin told the Sun. “Wayne comes from a long line of veterans. His grandfather served in the Korean War as a paratrooper.

“His grandpa George Willie was a Code Talker. He has numerous cousins and uncles that have served since World War II,” Martin said.

Lufkins is excited to continue this military legacy in the Honor Guard. The Honor Guard represents the United States Air Force in official ceremonial functions in...

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Oct. 15 that the statewide requirement to wear face masks in all indoor public spaces that expired today, would be extended. That means that face masks must be worn with only limited exceptions, and regardless of vaccination status.

Executive Order 2021-058 renews the State of Public Health Emergency initially declared in Executive Order 2020-004. It took effect Oct. 15 and will remain in effect until Nov. 12. unless it is renewed, modified or rescinded.

Health officials, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to recommend tight-fitting face masks be worn in indoor spaces as they are effective in...

Gallup transients continue to settle in alleys, on rooftops

Brian McDonald, a dedicated local business owner, has scaled the roofs of Gallup businesses and homes for some 23 years.

In his more than two decades of heating and cooling work on downtown Gallup rooftops, he’s noticed that he’s not alone.

The people he sees at work are not colleagues, friends, or anyone he knows. They’re squatters.

These folks take shelter by haphazardly climbing pipes and jumping on trash bins to launch themselves onto roofs — building hutches and make-shift tents out of the sides of swamp coolers, and creating makeshift toilets and fire pods for warmth.

As the owner of Universal...