GRANTS — Students attending classes within the Grants-Cibola County Schools will begin their school year virtually.

The GCCS school board met July 14, voting to have the first 30 days of the school year held in a virtual capacity via Google Classroom.

The measure was originally scheduled for a vote July 7, but was tabled until July 14 to provide more time for review.

The board meeting was broadcast on Zoom, a virtual conferencing platform, with employees of the district tuning in.

GCCS services schools in Acoma, Bluewater, Casa Blanca, Cubero, Grants, Milan, San Rafael and Seboyeta.

“The GCCS Reentry Team has been meeting and working carefully for the last few months to make...

Ronald Begay

July 3, 3:37 pm

Aggravated DWI

McKinley County Sheriff’s Sergeant Tammy Houghtaling was on patrol near U.S. Highway 264 when she was advised of a call for service for a vehicle that had left Sagebrush Liquors.

Houghtaling saw the truck as it traveled east and she began following it. They passed the Ya-ta-hey Family Dollar store and continued southbound on the highway. The suspect vehicle swerved between lanes and abruptly stopped, at which point Houghtaling made contact with the driver, Ronald Begay, 54, of Flagstaff, Ariz. She noted he had a smell of alcohol on his breath and bloodshot eyes.

Begay placed his hands on the back of his pickup and kept saying “I...

DRUNK STEPPARENT

Thoreau, July 5

McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Davis Jr. was dispatched to a residence on Windsong Avenue early in the morning in reference to a young girl saying her stepfather was fighting with her mom.

She said her mom’s neck was hurt and someone named “Josh” had tried to choke her. She also said her mom was standing next to a door in the bedroom to keep him from entering.

The girl’s mom told Metro Dispatch the man was Joshua Talamante, 32, of Continental Divide. When Davis arrived at the residence a few minutes later, he made contact with Talamante, who told him the girl and her mother were in a back room.

Davis spoke with the callers, who said...

ALBUQUERQUE — An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation appeared in federal court July 9 for arraignment on an indictment charging him with a second-degree murder that occurred in March.

According to the indictment and other court records Blaine Morgan, 35, of Crownpoint, N.M. attended a small gathering March 29 in a trailer within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation in Church Rock, N.M.

An argument started between Morgan and the victim and the two left the trailer and went outside. Morgan reportedly fought with the victim and stabbed the victim several times.

The victim was later pronounced dead at Gallup Indian Medical Center.

The FBI arrested Morgan July 6. He is in custody pending...