Gallup Sun

What started as something to pass the time, turned into an exciting and rewarding career choice for one local artist.

Adam Maria, of Ramah, said he has been painting and drawing since he was in high school.

“[Drawing] was all I really wanted to do,” Maria said Sept. 11 when talking with the Sun. “Looking back at my school grades, I saw I got a lot of A’s in drawing and welding courses.”

 

ENGAGING WITH LOCAL ARTS

Maria said he decided to pursue the arts professionally, which led him to attend the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe in 2006 and graduate with a B. A. in 2012.

The mission of IAIA is to “to empower creativity and leadership in Native Arts and...

Reports of shots fired. No active shooter found.

The first day of fall turned into an alarming one for Tohatchi residents.

At an unspecified time Sept. 23, Navajo Nation Police responded to a call about an unknown male individual intending to harm himself at Tohatchi High School.

The school was placed on lockdown, and units from multiple jurisdictions responded to the incident, according to Navajo Nation Police. The assisting units included McKinley County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police.

People in the area stated that they heard shots fired at the scene, leading to word of a possible active shooter circulating on social media. There were also witnesses who said they...

Crash at Puerco and Hwy. 66

Gallup police officers were called to South Puerco and Highway 66 at 5:08 pm Sept. 23 to investigate a car crash which involved a white Dodge Durango that had crashed into a lightpole.

Upon their arrival officers saw the Durango on Highway 66 and a red Chevrolet Camaro parked in a city lot just north of the highway. The Camaro was determined to be the vehicle that caused the crash.

GPD Capt. Erin Toadlena-Pablo told the Sun that the Durango had been headed westbound on Highway 66 when the Camaro was headed eastbound on the same roadway.  The Camaro made a left turn into the Gallup Cultural Center parking lot. In making the turn, the Camaro hit the left...

A number of customers near downtown Gallup were without water for about three and a half hours Sept. 24 after a water line burst.

Dennis Romero, water and sanitation director for the City of Gallup, said the line in the alley east of Second Street between Hill Avenue and Aztec Avenue opened up.

Romero said the saddle valve corroded over time, which led to the water gushing out earlier in the day.

Several addresses on Aztec Avenue, First Street, and Hill Avenue waited while the city made repairs to the water line, which was fixed by the end of the day.

“We were able to isolate it pretty quick,” Romero said, saying that they had been notified about the line break early in the...