Organizations and people hand in glove

People were picking through winter clothes when the music started.  Tables stacked with sweaters and pants were left behind when We Are the World began to play over the loudspeakers. The anthem for USA for Africa drew volunteers and attendees to the center of courthouse square, where they joined hands.

“The healing power of giving - in so many areas.” Bill Camarota called it.

Camarota is the special projects director of WellSpring Recovery Center, part of Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services. This first-time event was organized in part by clients of the center.

The First Annual RMCHCS/Gallup Day of Giving at the Courthouse...

Vote to come in December

The McKinley County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation regarding a new ordinance involving the Liquor Excise Tax at their Nov. 19 meeting.

“The ordinance was voted for during the Nov. 5 election,” Lori Parra, director of the McKinley County Community Services Department, said. “This ordinance is in effect for three years from the approval date.”

County Attorney Doug Decker specified the effective date of the ordinance will be March 1, 2020 if adopted as written.

The ballot asked voters if they think McKinley County should continue to impose the Liquor Excise Tax at the maximum amount of six percent, as allowed by state law.

The tax revenue...

Scams seek personal information

Voice messages that say your Veterans Affairs profile was flagged for possible new benefits may not be telling the truth.

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a notice about scams targeting veterans’ benefits.

Reports by the Leader-Herald in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and KARE11, an NBC station in Minneapolis, say scam callers are attempting to elicit financial and other personal information from veterans. Callers may tell vets there is a new type of veterans benefit related to home loans. The reports say the scammers use caller ID spoofing to deceive their intended victims.

The scammers often leave voice messages, following a script...

Arrested and removed from staff in October

A former Miyamura High School football coach is no longer facing felony charges in connection with his arrest in October for stealing money from one of his players.

John Roanhaus, 42, still faces a misdemeanor charge of larceny in connection with the incident. He is scheduled to have a non-jury trial in Magistrate Court Jan. 16. The court held a preliminary hearing on the matter last week.

The New Mexico State Police issued a statement Oct. 7 stating that Roanhaus was arrested after police reviewed a video which allegedly showed him removing money from a football player’s wallet, which the player had placed in his school locker.

Shortly...