WINDOW ROCK – The 23rd Navajo Nation Council commended the enactment of the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act, which was signed into law by President Trump April 18. Council members have advocated for the bill as a means to protect Native American children by amending the PROTECT Act to make Indian tribes eligible for grants from the U.S. Department of Justice for aid in implementing the AMBER Alert system.

The bill was named after 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, a young Navajo girl who was abducted and murdered on the Navajo Nation in 2016. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure on Feb. 26, followed by the U.S. Senate on March 23.

Council Delegate Amber...

April 16, Diné College started two bus routes, one from Shiprock, N.M., to Tsaile and another from Rock Point, Ariz., to Tsaile, via Round Rock, Many Farms, and Chinle.

“We decided to start a pilot busing program for the rest of the semester,” Bo Lewis, vice president of finance at Diné College, said.

“Based on the results from the pilot program, we’ll make a decision on whether to make it a permanent program or not—or even to charge a fee,” Lewis said. “We will have exempt employees be the drivers and it will be open to students as well as employees. The valid employee ID’s will be required to use the busing program.”

Prior to the start of making the bus program...

Power to residents in the west part of Gallup was disrupted the night of April 17 and the morning of April 18 when an automobile struck an electric pole on West Historic Highway 66.

The accident also crossed down that portion of the highway for more than two hours.

Richard Matzke, electric department director for the city, said the accident occurred about 4 pm near the Allison Crossing turnoff and disrupted electric service to customers from that area all the way to the west end of town.

The electric department crew was able to get electric service to customers up to the Gallup Airport by 7 pm but the customers west of the airport were without electricity until about 8:10 am April...

The Gallup Police Department and the FBI are still looking for a man who robbed Washington Federal bank on 221 W. Aztec Ave. April 16.

Gallup Police Department Cap. Marinda Spencer said the man entered the lobby of Washington Federal Bank just after it opened at 9 am and pulled out a gun, demanding money. The man then received an unspecified sum of money and left the bank, heading eastbound on Aztec Avenue.

No one was injured and the entire incident took only a few minutes, said Spencer.

Once he left the bank, he got on a bicycle and headed east, Spencer said.

Gallup Police converged on the area shortly after. Bank officials punched their panic alarm at 9:27 am and began searching...