As COVID-19 continues to impact the global economy, local governments have to take steps to try to keep employment rates from dipping too low by creating new economic opportunities. One such avenue is the creation of new partnerships that will bring jobs.

This opportunity was discussed by the McKinley County Board of Commissioners during their Oct. 6 meeting. The board held the first reading of a proposed ordinance for a Local Economic Development Act project between the state, McKinley County, and Bio-Pappel, or McKinley Paper USA, which has a facility in Prewitt.

LEDA is a law that established job creation funds for the state. The employer signs a Project Participation Agreement...

FNF Construction started work on Phase 3 of roadway improvements on I-40 east of Gallup between milepost 37.3 and milepost 40.3 on Oct. 5.

Delane Baros, public information officer for New Mexico Dept. of Transportation Dist. 6, explained that Phase 1 of the project consisted of rehabilitation on the bridge and ramp extensions, while in Phase 2, workers built a climbing lane for eastbound traffic coming out of the refinery, along with road construction.

Phase 3, she told the Gallup Sun Oct. 8, will begin with building crossovers, to prepare roadway reconstruction for the spring of 2021. “When they do that, they will switch traffic over and do one side at a time.”

Baros did not...

With many students taking the option to learn from home during the pandemic, parents have found themselves with additional duties in addition to caring for their children. These duties can lead to a greater strain on their wellbeing and resources.

But there are programs, such as Gallup-McKinley County Schools Parents as Teachers, that aim to help parents get their children ready for school from a young age.

The GMCS Board of Education heard a presentation from Ashley Ryan, Ph.D., director of curriculum and instruction for GMCS, on some of the key statistics from the program during their Oct. 6 meeting.

“The purpose of the Parents as Teachers program is for our parent educators to...

SANTA FE— The New Mexico Human Services Department announced Oct. 6 that New Mexico households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will again receive the maximum amount for their household size for the month of October.

Beginning in March 2020, SNAP households that were not already receiving the maximum SNAP benefit amount for their household size received an increase to their benefits to bring them to the maximum amount each month. These increases were made to help reduce food insecurity for New Mexicans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“HSD will continue to help New Mexicans during this difficult time,” Karmela Martinez, director of HSD’s Income...