McKinley County voter turnout increases, but only by two percent

The official election results for McKinley County for the Nov. 2 regular election were reviewed by the McKinley County Commissioners during a special meeting on Nov. 9.

 

In an interview with the Sun, McKinley County’s Director of the Bureau of Elections Marlene Custer said that seven percent of the county’s population voted in the election. She noted that the number is up from previous years. She said that only about five percent voted in the 2019 election.

 

Custer said that despite the passions displayed by parents when the topics of how to respond to COVID or school violence or textbook content or digital...

The annual Best of the Best Rodeo looked a little different this year, and the pandemic definitely had an impact on the event’s revenue.

During the Nov. 9 Gallup City Council meeting, Assistant City Manager Jon DeYoung went over the final numbers of how much money the 2021 event brought in and how much money was lost.

“This past year and a half has been tough and putting on events has been extremely hard; but Walt Eddy was successful, I think, in putting on the Best of the Best for us this year,” DeYoung commented.

He explained that over $212,000 was made in revenue, but over $229,000 was spent creating a loss of about $17,000. He said the money comes from the city’s general...

Free internet service is now available for low income, tribal land households

Due to Comcast’s recent broadband upgrades, existing customers in Gallup can now  access additional internet speed tiers, with speeds reaching up to 1.2 Gbps (1,200 Mbps).

“There’s a digital divide and that is part of why we are focusing on offering the full speed tier in places like Gallup, to help close that digital divide.” Comcast spokeswoman Julianne Phares told the Sun.

“One of the things we learned from the pandemic is that everyone needs access to broadband,” Phares said. “Part of the reason we completed this upgrade as part of our planned upgrades across New Mexico, is to make sure...

Howitzer 105 dedicated at Courthouse Square

Veterans’ Day 2021 was a day of remembrance, with wreaths placed at Hillcrest Cemetery, 960 W. Aztec Ave. #1044, at the graves of unknown veterans and names presented on a pillar at Courthouse Square, 215 W. Aztec.

The day also brought former Mayor Jackie McKinney together with current Mayor Louis Bonaguidi at Courthouse Square for the dedication of a decommissioned cannon and City Councilor Fran Palochak, Dist. 4’s reading of the names of veterans newly-appearing on a memorial pillar.

Sixty-three names were added to the pillar thanks to the work of artists Howard Meehan of Silent Wing (Santa Fe), William Freer of Firefly Studios...