As the state legislative session swings into high gear, local leaders are optimistic their pitches to state officials went well and will help bring some much-needed funds to McKinley County.

Representatives from the county, City of Gallup, Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital and local school systems got their turn at the podium Jan. 24, dubbed McKinley County Day, and in a session with Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham Jan. 26.

The annual event gives locals the opportunity to plead their cases and show why their projects should make the list for funding.

“It makes a difference when a community goes up to Santa Fe and speaks directly with legislators,” Gallup Interim City Manager J.M. DeYoung said. “It comes back to Gallup in many ways.”

LEADERS MAKE THEIR CASE

Mayor Louie Bonaguidi had a positive outlook after returning from Santa Fe.

“I think it went well. We had a chance to meet with our representatives. We had a meeting with the governor Friday morning at 9 am. She spent over an hour and a half with us,” Bonaguidi said.

Rural hospitals generally and RMCH in particular were big topics at the meetings.

“We talked a long time about the hospital,” Bonaguidi said. “That was a big issue for the whole meeting … I think we got across to her that the situation is dire.”

RMCH Interim CEO Bill Patten is grateful for the support, in the form of three bills that might offer some financial relief for seven rural hospitals to keep their doors open.

“I appreciated that there was uniform support through the constituencies in the room for RMCH, and a common agreement that we cannot allow RMCH to fail,” he said.

RMCH is one of the hospitals that could benefit from the bills. The same problems – debt, low revenue, inflation and staffing issues – are common across the group of hospitals from around the state.

“The debt was the other big topic. People wanted to know, how is it we are going to get that debt resolved?” Patten said.

He’s been busy negotiating with creditors to chip away at the $38 million in debt that RMCH incurred before he took the job. He’s also lobbying to get the state to backfill the payroll support RMCH has gotten from the city and county to “make local governments whole on the money they have given us.”

INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES

Meanwhile, Gallup officials were also seeking money for a water treatment plant and a reverse osmosis treatment system that could make brackish water potable, a high priority locally as the date for completion of the Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project seems to get pushed back a little bit every year.

Gallup was also asking for $500,000 for street repairs begun last year. With a pandemic hangover in labor and rising supply costs, last year’s money only went half as far as expected.

That was also a starting point for McKinley County. This year, instead of asking for new project funding, the county’s asks were all about finishing projects that have already begun, Commissioner Robert Baca said.

“They are tired of giving money to start projects and never finish them,” he said.

For the county that mainly means roads and bridges, the industrial park project on Carbon Coal Road and Red Rock Park.

While roads are an ongoing maintenance project, the industrial park is expected to generate revenue when it’s done. That makes getting a gas line to it a high priority.

“We’ve been trying to get a gas line to the industrial park and that’s taking 18 months,” Baca said.

Across agencies, officials have high hopes for HB177, which would create a new pot of state money that local agencies could use as a source of matching money for federal funding. Since agencies have to disclose the source of the match when they apply, they would be able to cite that source instead of having to find money for every match in their own coffers. The money would stay in the state pot until federal funding is granted.

Not every application receives federal favor, so the money in the pot could have outsize impact because multiple agencies could “use” the fund on paper, but the state would only have to shell out for projects that get federal approval.

The session also included tributes to Judge Doug Decker, who was County Attorney for 27 years before taking the bench, and Pastor Mike Kleeberger, who serves as chaplain to both Gallup Police and McKinley County Sheriff’s departments. Through his Emmanuel Baptist Church, Kleeberger also provides family and community support with things like bereavement counseling and food deliveries, especially during the pandemic.

It never hurts to be memorable, and sometimes tchotchkes are the key. The local contingent continued its tradition of giving legislators custom lapel pins, which are designed each year to emphasize a particular issue in the region. This year’s pin is a native water jug, designed to put the spotlight on the need for water project funding.

“One thing that has become a popular, coveted item up in the Legislature has been the pins that the Gallup Day group hands out to help them remember the Gallup community and show a little appreciation for what they have done for — as well as do for us in the future,” DeYoung said.

By Holly J. Wagner
Sun Correspondent

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham unveiled a water action plan at the State Capitol on Jan. 30 with the goal of ensuring New Mexicans will have access to clean water for the next five decades.

As one of the driest states in the west, New Mexico is no stranger to drought. Almost three-fourths of the state is currently experiencing severe to exceptional drought conditions. In 50 years, water experts predict the state will have 25% less water to use. Without decisive action, New Mexicans would have to dramatically alter their way of life to adjust to a bleak water reality.

Understanding this fact, the Lujan Grisham administration -- with the help of leading scientists, hydrologists, geologists, and researchers -- created a 50-Year Water Action Plan to safeguard the state’s most precious resource for future generations.

“New Mexicans throughout the State need to take actions now to ensure we can have resilient water supplies in the future. The 50-Year Water Action Plan elements are guided by science and innovation to ensure that our diverse communities and economies will continue to thrive,” Lujan Grisham said.

Taking into consideration vital input from nations, tribes, pueblos, acequias, farmers, and other stakeholders, the 50-Year Water Action Plan focuses on expanding water conservation in cities and on farms, developing new water supplies and enhancing water quality protections.

“Thanks to the Governor for prioritizing water issues through the 50-Year Water Action Plan and developing a proactive plan for helping New Mexicans respond to the challenges of climate change. By working with partners at the Federal level, the State will be able to protect its water resources for generations to come,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said.

Key provisions of the 50-Year Water Plan include:

A water education campaign to reduce community water consumption by 10%.

Expanding water conservation by incentivizing modern irrigation technology to reduce agricultural water use by 20%.

Deploying cutting-edge technology to complete a statewide water loss inventory.

Creating billions of gallons of new water for use for clean energy manufacturing via the Strategic Water Supply.

A new surface water discharge permitting program to keep rivers, streams, and lakes clean.

Investing in reforesting and managing forests to protect water supplies and reduce the threat of wildfires.

“The Governor’s 50-Year Water Action Plan builds upon existing work at NMED and other Agencies to prioritize actions that will increase water conservation, develop new sources of supply and strengthen water quality and watershed protections,” Environment Secretary James Kenney said.

Staff Reports

Gallup girls making progress

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. — Tohatchi beat Tularosa 78-43 and advanced to once again play in the New Mexico 3A state girls championship basketball game. The game is March 9 at 1:30 pm at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.

To get to the championship game, Tohatchi (24-6, 8-0) eliminated Loving 69-51, Dulce 67-45 and Tularosa. The Lady Cougars are led by all-state point guard Kalian Mitchell, who is averaging double figures for the state tournament.

“We still have another game to play,” Tohatchi head coach Tanisha Bitsoi said. “The girls have played hard and have played together in the tournament. I was very happy with the way our defense has played the last few games.”

The Lady Cougars held the Lady Wildcats to 20-second half points. The score in the Tularosa game was 45-23 at halftime.

3A Loving 69-51

Senior point guard Kalian Mitchell torched Loving for 27 points March 2 and the No. 2 Lady Cougars beat No. 15 Loving 69-52 in a girls first round state playoff game at Tohatchi High School.

In the subsequent quarterfinals playoff game against Dulce at the Sana Ana Star Center, the Lady Cougars sent the No. 7 Lady Hawks packing by the score of 67-45. Mitchell hit 22 points in that game and the win earned the reigning state 3A champs the right to play Tularosa (20-7).

Dulce beat Cuba 74-69 March 2 to go into the second round of play. As the reigning 3A state champions, the Totatchi team has made the post-season in each of the past five years.

Mitchell hit a game high 22 points in the Dulce game, which about equals what she’s putting up in post-season play recently. The Lady Cougars canned nine 3-pointers in the first half, with Mitchell getting two of them.

In the Loving game, junior guard Chastidy Onsurez helped carry the scoring load for the Lady Falcons and chipped in 12 hard-earned points in the game. Onsurez was mostly guarded by Cecil and junior forward Genae Morris of the Lady Cougars.

Gallup High 5A

The No. 3 Gallup Lady Bengals are also making headway through the 5A state playoffs. Gallup beat local rival Miyamura 61-52 in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. The Lady Patriots were seeded No. 11.

Miyamura led 26-22 at halftime and still led 42-39 at the end of the third quarter. Sophomore guard Kamryn Yazzie hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Lady Bengals a lift late in the fourth quarter. After the shots, Gallup was able to maintain the lead until the end of the game.

Senior guard Amanda Mitchel scored 14 points and four assists for Gallup (20-10) in the game. Tia Washburn of Miyamura (14-16) ended with 11 points.

Gallup/Bloomfield

Gallup Lady Bengals took the court March 8, but were bested by Bloomfield by a score of 59-56.

Bloomfield goes on to play against Los Lunas for the Class 5A Girls championship March 9.

By Bernie Dotson
For the Sun

‘Palm Springs’ provides plenty of surprises and laughs

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars

Running Time: 90 minutes

By Glenn Kay

For the Sun

This movie is available for streaming on Hulu.

As a critic, you often see early screenings of films without any idea of the story or plot. Occasionally, it leaves us with much less knowledge than audiences who see promos and commercials on TV in the week leading up to a movie’s release. Often, the only information available is just the cast members and general premise. This usually doesn’t make a great deal of difference, as most titles are straight-forward and predictable right out of the gate.

However, that is not the case with the new indie film, Palm Springs. This reviewer came into the movie expecting one thing and found himself surprised and amused as it progressed. If you haven’t heard anything about the picture, it’s best to go in completely cold and let yourself be taken on a wild ride.

All that you need to know is that Nyles (Andy Samberg) is in Palm Springs attending a wedding with his bubbly bridesmaid girlfriend, Misty (Meredith Hagner). They’re an odd pairing, seeing as Nyles has a much more gloomy and downcast disposition. During the reception, Nyles decides to step in and help rescue the bride’s sister Sarah (Cristin Milioti) from giving an unenthusiastic and lackluster speech. The personalities of these two appear much more in sync (in fact, both of them might have some alcohol problems and impulsive behavior issues).

In any event, they become fast friends, sharing their personal opinions about marriage and life, as well as details about other attendees at the event.

For the first ten minutes, everything plays like a fairly typical indie romantic-comedy. There are a few funny moments early on as the characters are introduced and Nyles breaks out some entertaining moves on the dance floor. It’s all very enjoyable, but also nothing that would stand out as being unexpected or extraordinary. However, it isn’t long after that that Sarah discovers the very unusual and incredibly peculiar reason for Nyles’ eccentric behavior that veers from being completely unfazed by the world around him to being remarkably pessimistic.

What follows is a series of outrageous situations as Sarah joins Nyles in his very bizarre adventure and attempts to figure out what the heck is going on. Once viewers know where the movie is actually headed, the plot will admittedly remind them of other similarly themed pictures. But the focus on these two characters and their own specific ways of dealing with the problems at hand, as well as the effects on their psyches, are different and rewarding enough for this feature to stand tall on its own merits.

The two leads are quite likable as they deal with problems in their own distinctive ways, resulting in several outrageous and impulsive exploits. This is an independent film, so there is more discussion about personal philosophy and finding a way to live out one’s life with a sense of happiness. Samberg’s character isn’t too far removed from other roles he has played in film and on TV, but the character has a slightly darker soul. As such, the performer derives some extra laughs from bluntly stating his bleak future prospects.

His decision to give up on everything and embrace the fact that, in his own words, nothing matters, is quite funny in this story.

Milioti has a lot material to work with as well, running through the gamut of emotions from shock and surprise to anger and pro-activeness over the course of the pair’s intense relationship. The film also benefits from the appearance of another wedding guest named Ray (J.K. Simmons), who has a very violent and unpredictable streak. Admittedly, despite all of the soul-searching and discussions about the meaning of life, the movie keeps the ultimate revelations simple and sweet. However, it’s still a whole lot of fun watching these characters act out in surreal and funny ways.

Palm Springs delivers plenty of laughs and unexpected surprises over the course of its running time, and the eccentric leads even manage to express a few interesting philosophical arguments in the process. It’s a charming and triumphant little indie film, and one that will most certainly get viewers thinking about how they might handle such a predicament.

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