Going up in a hot air balloon just once is an adventure for most of us. For Peter Procopio, it was just the start.

The first time he saw a hot air balloon drifting over Gallup – not long after he’d moved from New York in 1977 – he was transfixed. He followed it and met the pilot, Alan Wilson. Soon after, he ended up trading a construction job to converting Wilson’s carport into a garage for ballooning lessons from Wilson and his wife, Kaye.

The rest is history, and that 41-year history became the Red Rock Balloon Rally in 1981. The first event had just 25 balloons. Eventually that number swelled to 200, and now rallies draw about 150 participants each year. The Red Rock...

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Navajo Veterans Administration Director James Zwierlein visited the construction site of a new three-bedroom home that is currently being built in the community of Nenahnezad, N.M., for a Navajo veteran and his three children on Oct. 27. This is one of at least eight homes for veterans that are in progress through the Navajo Veterans Housing Program.

At each of the sites, Navajo veterans are employed as construction workers even if they have no prior experience in the construction field. Veterans with no prior construction experience have also been hired to be apprentices under experienced workers to allow them to learn new skills while earning...

Gallup local Sarah Wilson, also known as “Gallup’s Bird Lady,” will participate in the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s 13th annual “Be Beautiful Be Yourself” fashion show.

“I’m excited for the competition,” Wilson, who is 38 years old, said in an interview with the Sun. “I’m excited to wear my dress. It’s burgundy.”

The fashion show is the largest Down Syndrome fundraiser in the world. According to a press release, the show has raised over $24 million for life-saving and life-changing research and medical care to date. This is the first time in three years that the event has been held in-person.

According to a press release published by the Global Down...