DVS’ first African American agency head

SANTA FE—Sonya L. Smith was unanimously confirmed by the New Mexico Senate Feb. 17 as secretary of the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services.

The vote was 38-0, officially naming her as the fifth DVS secretary—and first African-American to serve as head of the agency. She had been serving on an interim basis since her nomination for the position by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last October after the retirement of then-Secretary Judy Griego.

Smith comes to DVS from the New Mexico Department of Health, where she served as a special projects coordinator--specifically helping guide the efforts of the agency’s COVID-19 testing team...

Week ending Friday, February 12, 2021


Ocean Noise

The racket of human activity beneath the ocean surface is drowning out the natural noises made by marine creatures, which researchers  say is as harmful as overfishing, pollution and climate change. A University of Exeter team made the conclusion after reviewing more than 500 studies on marine noise. The review says while military sonar and oil exploration blasts are obvious sources of distress and deafness in the ocean, noise from shipping has increased by 32 times in the past 50 years. The study says the din of offshore wind farms, bottom trawling and other sources are drowning out the calls many species use to communicate, spawn...

Construction scheduled for 515 Park Ave. in Gallup Feb. 25 and 26th, closed some water lines and shut down a pump station, causing the flow of water to change.

Residents and businesses in the Stagecoach Area and West of Fifth Street could experience discolored water.

There is no impact to public health. The yellowish tint is due to naturally occurring minerals getting stirred up in the iron pipe of the water main.

If you continue to experience the water issue, please call the Utility Dispatch at (505) 863-1200 or the Water Department at (505) 879-5722.

You may also “self-flush” the line by turning on cold water full force from your bathtub faucet, until the water runs clear again...

City of Gallup water customers in the areas of 601-611 W. Coal, 210 and 220 S. Fifth St., and 606-614 W. Aztec Ave. and surrounding areas may experience low water pressure between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Feb. 24 due to an unscheduled water outage.

The City of Gallup Water Department will be repairing a broken water line in the area and will need to shut off the water in order to proceed safely.

Questions can be directed to Utility Dispatch at (505) 863-1200 or Nicole Hawthorne with the water department at (505) 879-5722.