Staff Reports

CHURCH ROCK –Navajo Nation President-Elect Jonathan Nez joined officials from New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez’s office, McKinley County and others at the Navajo Tech Innovation Center in Church Rock Dec. 13.

They announced that international nitrile glove manufacturing company Rhino Health LLC, plans to expand their operations and begin production at an existing manufacturing warehouse in Church Rock with the potential of creating up to 350 new jobs.

Rhino Health LLC is a U.S.-based company with a global management team from a leading Korean rubber company known as Jungwoo Rubber & Plastic, which plans to invest more than $49 million into an existing manufacturing...

Part 3 in a three-part series

Despite the tribe’s intentions with the program, Sharron Berry, vice-president of Four Corners Pet Alliance, sees Navajo Nation horses as a valuable, untapped asset to the tribe.

“The horses are a resource that can be trained [and] utilized in tourism,” Berry said. “People would pay a lot of money for [a trained horse.]”

In contrast, untrained horses are less adoptable, and face a greater likelihood of being sent to auction and eventually shipped to Mexico for slaughter.

For instance, Berry said she spent four hours loading a four-year-old horse that wasn’t halter broken onto a trailer. The horse was recently purchased...

Mother and boyfriend arrested for child abuse

Gallup Police Department officers responded to the shooting of an 8-month-old baby Dec. 8, which resulted in the arrest of the child’s mother and boyfriend for child abuse.

GPD Officer Darius Johnson was dispatched to Zia Motel, 915 E. Hwy 66, at about 6:35 pm Dec. 8 in reference to shots fired, according to a criminal complaint.

At the scene, Johnson met GPD Officer D. Hoffman, who arrived before him and had picked up an individual who was carrying an 8-month-old baby who had been shot in the face.

According to a Dec. 9 GPD press release, a person who had been nearby and heard the mother crying for help was rendering first aid when...

Foul play not suspected in death of 72-year-old

A body was discovered Dec. 9 near the Walmart Supercenter, 1650 Maloney Ave. in Gallup, when an unknown individual reported the person to Walmart security at about 9:47 am.

According to Gallup Police Department Captain Marinda Spencer, the security officer checked on the reported individual and discovered he was not breathing.

The deceased has been identified as David Joe, 72, of Twin Lakes, N.M, Spencer said.

Joe’s next of kin have been notified, and foul play is not suspected.

“There were no signs of trauma,” Spencer stated. “But can’t rule it out until we get a complete report from [the state Office of the Medical...