An investigation which took Gallup patrol officers, Emergency Response Team members, detectives and narcotics agents to 501 E. Pershing Avenue on the morning of June 25, at 8:22 am, led to the arrest of Dorinel Binns-Wallace, 26, and Alex Andria Martinez, 22, following a residential search related to narcotics.

Binns-Wallace was arrested and formally charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl, cocaine, hydrocodone, suboxone) and unlawful use or possession of methadone.

Martinez was formally charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl, methamphetamine).

Firearms were also seized from the residence. Formal charges are also pending related to the recovered firearms.

The Los Alamos High School robotics team is trying to recruit more members, which is why they held a robotics demonstration on Nov. 18 at Rehoboth Christian School. Andrew Erickson, the mentor for the robotics team, along with his students from Team #4153, came down to show off their robot “Hoops-a-long.”

The robot was designed by the students to play a game wherein it picks up balls and shoots them into a net about eight feet high. The robot has been in several competitions and has placed fourth nationwide. Erickson said a lot of work has gone into designing the robot, and constant calibration is needed to have the robot perform well and adjust to temperature changes. A special drive was made on it to move in any direction and is operated with an Xbox controller.

Erickson hopes the students will be encouraged by the robot’s success to sign up for the Gallup robotics team and compete in 2023.

“A total of eight weeks and 1,000 manhours were needed to complete ‘Hoops-a-long’ to be ready for competition,” Erickson said. “We hope it will do its job for students who want to join the robotics program.”

Future Gallup team members will build a robot between January and March 2023 and travel out of state for competitions.

Rehoboth students got the chance to operate the robot and were amazed at how it performed. The Boys & Girls Club of Gallup brought the opportunity to the high school, according to Marisa Hutchinson, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Gallup.

Hutchinson said she learned of robotic engineering back in 2012 and thought it would be great for Gallup to be a part of the robotic fever. She added that Comcast gave the Boys & Girls club a grant to help build a robot.

“It’s not the future, but what is happening now,” Hutchinson said. “To put Gallup on the map would be great since high schools have been doing this - and why not our community?”

The small group came up with the motto “Fear the Gears” and is known as the Gallup Gearheads Team #4251. Hutchinson hopes to recruit students who are very interested in STEM.

In 2012 the team placed 43rd with their first robot, and Hutchinson said they’re shooting for the number one spot.

“We can be number one, and why not be number one?” Hutchinson said.

As the robot was whisking about the lobby of Rehoboth Christian School, Hutchinson explained that future team members don’t have to have any prior robotic engineering experience, they just have to participate and have fun.

“We’ll all learn as we go. There’ll be a start date and a stop date to make the robot in about eight weeks. Then we’ll go to Fort Worth, Texas to have the robot checked out for qualifications,” Hutchinson said.

Local companies have jumped on board to help the club reach that goal of becoming number one someday. The sponsors include DAB Inc, Pinnacle Bank, Home Depot, Controlled Air & Metal, and the Boys & Girls Club of Gallup. Hutchinson says they are still looking for more help from local companies. Currently, the budget for her group is allowing for eight students.

If any student is interested to be on the Gallup Gearheads team, you can call (505) 488-2378 or text (928) 235-7268; email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or visit the Boys & Girls Club at 416 W. Princeton Ave.

By Dee Velasco
For the Sun

Hiroshi Miyamura passed away on Nov. 29. He was 97 years old. Miyamura was known for his heroic actions during the Korean War, for which he won a Medal of Honor. A Medal of Honor is the military’s highest award given out to soldiers. Miyamura was one of two surviving Medal of Honor recipients of the Korean War.

Miyamura was born on Oct. 6, 1925 in Gallup.

He arrived in Korea in November 1950. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 24 and 25 1951. south of the Imjin River near Taejon-ni (Daejeon-ni) in Yeoncheon County, while serving as a corporal in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, Third Infantry Division.  According to congressional archives, during a night attack by the Chinese military, he saw that his squad could not hold much longer, so he ordered his men to retreat. He remained behind to cover their withdrawal, killing an estimated minimum of 50 invading Chinese forces.

Miyamura was captured immediately after the actions that led to his award. As he and other prisoners of war were marched away, he helped his wounded friend Joe Annello keep moving, but the North Koreans threatened to shoot him if he did not leave Annello behind. Miyamura refused, but Annello convinced him to put him down.

Annello survived the war and later visited Miyamura in Gallup.

Miyamura's was the first Medal of Honor to be classified Top Secret. As Brigadier General Ralph Osborne explained to Miyamura and a group of reporters upon notifying them of his medal, "If the Reds knew what he had done to a good number of their soldiers just before he was taken prisoner, they might have taken revenge on this young man. He might not have come back."

Miyamura was held for 28 months. Following his release on August 20, 1953, he was informed that he had been awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to sergeant. He was repatriated to the United States and honorably discharged from the military shortly thereafter. His medal was presented to him by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on October 1953 at the White House.

Dave Cuellar, head of the Veterans Helping Veterans, explained why Miyamura was an inspiration for himself and the Gallup community.

“He’s inspirational because he was the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, but more than that it was the way he conducted himself in the neighborhood. I don’t know how to explain it, he was just a very nice guy,” Cuelllar said.

Rating: «« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 101 min.

Bad Moms is the latest comedy from the writers of The Hangover series, who made their directorial debut with the underwhelming flick 21 & Over (2013). Promos for this effort promise the same kind of wild shenanigans for mothers as the filmmakers have depicted for bachelor parties and college students. Admittedly, the concept has potential, and it features a great cast. Alas, this title is far more generic than one might expect — Bad Moms even seems like a misnomer; Bad Husbands and Children is far more apt.

Amy (Mila Kunis) is a harried working mom struggling to juggle a career and family. Unfortunately, her family doesn’t seem to be helping her in the least. Husband Mike (David Walton) is, well, an idiot who expects to be waited on hand and foot, and her children are no different. She finally reaches her breaking point, kicking Mike out and deciding to run against judgmental and snooty Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) for the head of the PTA. Along the way, Amy commiserates with moms Kiki (Kristin Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn). Frustrated, the trio begins to shirk the ridiculous duties expected of them.

First, the good news. These are very funny ladies, and when they gather to shoot the breeze and riff on the trials of parenting, they deliver some funny stuff. Carla’s crude and blunt comments result in some laughs. Tied-down Kiki also earns some yuks; her fantasy of being horrifically injured and hospitalized so that she won’t have to tend to her family is amusing. And there is an entertaining montage wherein the women go out to a supermarket to buy booze. However, that’s about as outlandish as events get. It’s unfortunate that the performers are trapped in a dull and bland story that doesn’t allow them to truly be the bad moms viewers want to see.

Besides tossing a few insults around and throwing a party, the majority of gags revolve around Amy attempting to win a heated PTA election. Not exactly edgy material here. Threats are made by the nasty Gwendolyn, but no outrageous pranks or sabotage is attempted by the leads. Any time the movie makes a biting remark or seems to be leading to something raunchy, the script hedges its bets. For every joke directed at their kids, a character will deliver a line like, “I know we make fun of our kids, but I love them so much.”

In fact, it’s so broadly written, there’s an air of falseness surrounding the whole enterprise. There’s also a serious problem with the supporting cast. As written, Mike appears to be one of the worst, dimmest husbands ever witnessed. This exaggerated behavior could work in a zany comedy, but there’s so much sappiness and sentiment wedged in between the humor that it doesn’t play. Mike is so clueless that not only is it difficult to buy, but one can’t help but wonder if he might actually be suffering from a traumatic brain injury. The majority of family members are one-note with, of course, the exception of widower/man-of-Amy’s-dreams, Jessie (Jay Hernandez). He’s clearly supposed to be perfect in every way, which is, well, also kind of dull.

Clearly, I’m not the target audience for Bad Moms. This movie is intended to hit a very specific demographic, and the screenplay is blatantly obvious in its manipulations. However, the cast is very talented, and could have executed a dark, satirical comedy about moms behaving badly and breaking convention. That does not happen here; these moms are more bland than bad.

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun