No safety citations leads to sparring between GMCS, PED

A state investigation found no reason to issue citations to the Gallup-McKinley County School District for allegations that it did not follow coronavirus safety protocols in its schools. The news was released to GMCS officials in a conference Feb. 22, but was not subsequently released to the press.

The recent development rebuffs the New Mexico American Teachers Federation, which attempted to halt hybrid instruction at GMCS starting Feb. 9 by asking the state’s Public Education Department to launch an investigation due to “dozens of reports from multiple school sites throughout the District” claiming a lack of...

There won’t be any big fireworks shows in McKinley County for Cinco de Mayo this year.

During the April 6 commissioners meeting, McKinley County Fire Chief Brian Archuleta told the commissioners about the severe drought situation in the county. The U.S. Drought Monitor is put out by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As of April 1, it showed McKinley County in the D3 and D4 intensity zones.

These intensity zones show areas where fire damage is extreme, irrigation allotments are decreased, vegetation and native trees are dying, federal...

People at the Navajo Law Center were left wondering ‘where did this tractor come from?’ when a blue tractor appeared outside the business one morning.

Linda Roanhorse saw the tractor when she arrived at work March 26. She did not know where  it had come from or who it belonged to.

McKinley County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Tammy Houghtaling arrived at the Navajo Law Center in Yah-Ta-Hey around 10 am. She met Roanhorse when she got there.

The tractor was a hay squeeze forklift with California tags. When Houghtaling ran the plates, she found the tractor belonged to Richard Martinez, of Lemoore, Calif., but that it had recently been sold to Esquivel Gavino of Buckeye, Ariz., in...

Bill signing is under way in Santa Fe

In the last few days, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed bills into law in quick succession.

A bipartisan measure providing more funding for New Mexico firefighters that will help departments across the state purchase essential equipment, including water tanks and firetrucks, was signed April 7.  Senate Bill 256, sponsored by Sen. William Burt, R-Alamogordo, and Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, passed both chambers with unanimous support.

Senate Bill 93, which advances broadband connection and development received the governor’s signature April 7. It establishes an Office of Broadband Access and Expansion to centralize and coordinate...