Featured DWI

Owen Barbone

Sept. 2, 6:49 pm

Aggravated DWI (Third)

A Smith Lake man, Owen Barbone, 32, was pulled over for a license plate matter and ended up charged with his third DWI.

McKinley County Deputy Brandon Salazar pulled over a silver GMC Yukon near the intersection of Ollieve and Third Avenue in Thoreau. The Yukon displayed the incorrect license plate that Metro Dispatch advised belonged to a 1978 Ford.

Salazar met the driver, Barbone, who did not provide his driver’s license and proper documentation for the vehicle. Barone showed signs of intoxication as he spoke to Salazar, which the report detailed as slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and smelling of...

Development proposal tests limits of mixed-use zoning designation

Quick! Picture a mixed-use neighborhood. What does it look like?

The future of housing in Gallup may depend on the answer to that question.

The idea of mixed-use neighborhoods – where small businesses are part of residential neighborhoods – has caught on across the country in the last couple of decades. The idea is to create walkable neighborhoods where homeowners can live, work and access basic goods and services without ever starting their cars.

It’s an appealing idea for developers, who get a backstop for their investments if housing doesn’t sell. In many parts of the country it also appeals to...

Gallup’s housing situation is dire. It’s not just that housing is unaffordable, it’s that there simply isn’t enough housing to sustain the local population – much less growth – at any price.

Gallup’s City Council declared a housing emergency in May and Gallup-McKinley County Schools is planning a 152-unit apartment complex to ensure housing for teachers. Businesses from the hospital to public service agencies to the school district cite the lack of housing as a big hurdle to recruiting and retaining workers.

“I have two police officers right now who are looking for houses in the $250,000 to $300,000 price range.” realtor Jason Valentine said. “If we do nothing...

TRYING TO GET CLEAN

Gallup, Aug. 29

A woman told a police officer that she was trying to detox from fentanyl when he found a blue pill in her pocket.

On Aug. 29, around 6 pm, Gallup Police Officer Daniel Brown was dispatched to the Historic El Rancho Hotel at 1000 E. Hwy. 66 when reports came into Metro Dispatch about a dispute at the hotel.

When he arrived at the scene, Brown met with a man and a woman outside of the hotel. The woman, who was sitting on the rear bumper of a pick up truck, was identified as Stephanie Peterson. Peterson, 23, told Brown that she was trying to get away from her parents because they had been “watching her closely.”

Peterson explained that she was...