The following award was given at the Awards Luncheon for the New Mexico Rural Water Association April 18, which was held at the Albuquerque Hotel in Old Town, Albuquerque:

Gallup Wastewater Treatment Plant – Wastewater System of the Year

The Gallup Wastewater Treatment Plant has worked since Dec. 2016 to improve their wastewater treatment plant. As a result, the plant passed its EPA inspections with minimum to no violations. It has saved the city nearly $350,000 by implementing projects to improve the overall operation of the facility.

The plant has also improved the messaging system by which it receives complaints about odor.  Calls used to flood in and now have nearly stopped...

Children’s Branch hosts event on environmental awareness

Earth Day is a worldwide occasion held yearly on April 22, with 1 billion people celebrating in 192 countries, according to earthday.org—including right here in Gallup. Faced with littered landscapes and waste-clogged streams and landfills, Earth Day aims to change human attitudes and behaviors when it comes to keeping our shared lands free of pollution.

Storyteller Ellen McAllister-Flack hosted “Earth Day Stories” April 21 at The Children’s Branch, bringing students, parents, and concerned citizens of all ages and backgrounds together to confront the issues facing today’s environment.

A teacher by trade...

Literary fans gathered at the Second Street Events Center April 14 to hear featured poet Roanna Shebala perform her work at the Gallup ArtsCrawl Poetry Slam.

Shebala, 35, has competed at national slams, women’s poetry slams, and the annual Individual World Poetry Slam. She recently returned from the “Women of the World Poetry Slam,” which was hosted by Poetry Slam Inc, a non-profit focused on organizing and promoting slams. Shebala was the only Native American poet to compete.

“It was cool, but it was kind of overwhelming, disappointing. The poems I performed, nobody could understand them,” Shebala said of the audience’s lack of exposure to natives.

Shebala has built...

Classic rock band still going strong after 40 years

Rock n’ roll spans eras and genres, connecting fans through the years. The history of rock was on full display at the recent Doobie Brothers concert held at Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque April 14. With fists raised high in the air, a sea of gray and white hair dominating the crowd, fans gathered to see one of America’s classic acts.

Originally from San Jose, The Doobie Brothers formed in 1970 with lead vocalist Tom Johnston and guitarist Patrick Simmons. The band has continued to rock audiences over the past five decades, selling more than 40 million albums worldwide. Their hit singles include “Black Water,” from 1974...