Group presents follow up to landmark 2018 case

Public education in New Mexico was under the microscope when parents and elected officials gathered at the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Student Support Services boardroom Jan. 15 at a forum organized by Transform Education N.M.

Transform Education N.M.is a coalition of education, tribal and community leaders with the goal of advancing a new vision for the state’s public education system and holding the state accountable to fulfill the constitutional rights of its students.

CASE BACKGROUND

The central topic was the outcome the Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico lawsuit filed in 2017, which is based on the legal claim that the...

One of the premiere events for Gallup, “The Best of the Best Rodeo” is fast approaching, and Assistant City Manager Jon DeYoung wants to make it grow.  At the Jan. 14 meeting of the Gallup City Council, he called for funding, saying, “This year, there are plans for more sponsors, more contestants, and extending dates and increasing fees a bit.”

This year’s rodeo, the seventh, is slated for June 23-27 at Red Rock Park. The City of Gallup describes The Best of the Best Rodeo as the place where America’s top junior high and high school rodeo athletes compete for big cash payouts and prizes. DeYoung added, this could be one of the best years for the event.

He called for...

The Thoreau Community Center took the spotlight at the McKinley County Board of Commissioners Jan. 14 meeting with its semi-annual report.

Jasmine Desiderio, project director for The Healing Project, and Priscilla Manuelito executive director and community specialist for the center, presented the highlights of the report spanning the period from July 2019 to December 2019.

Some of the programs held by the community center included active shooter response training, and classes to raise awareness on suicide prevention and substance abuse prevention within the community.

“We want to spread positive messages and outreach about these issues and we’re trying to get the community...

gallupARTS, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum big winners

Two sizeable grants to the New Mexico arts economy were announced by the National Endowment for the Humanities Jan. 14. gallupARTS received a $100,000 grant to fund the second phase of its Gallup New Deal Art project showcasing and interpreting Gallup’s collection of New Deal Art through an interactive web site and virtual exhibits.

gallupARTS is one of only two New Mexico organizations, along with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, to receive NEH funding this cycle. Sens. Tom  Udall, D-N.M., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Congressman Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., commended the awards in a Jan. 14 press release highlighting the benefit to...