Removal of planter bearing Casuse’s image stirs controversy

The Gallup City Council heard sentiments from community members about a downtown planter that was removed from the front of the law office of attorney Barry Klopfer.

The planter depicted images of Larry Casuse, a Native American female bearing an AK-47 rifle, and a Native family of elders. In the eyes of the Native Americans that spoke during the public comment portion of the April 25 council meeting, removing the planter was a slap in the face to a people who already feel economically, politically and socially subjugated by Gallup.

“Do you know the Native population of Gallup,” Brandon Benallie asked Mayor Jackie...

Gallup Express MAY provide alternate transportation

The entire one-story Downtown Plaza Shopping Center structure is unsafe for occupancy and the Lowe’s grocery store and Subway outlets probably won’t open until a repair or new structure is built, officials familiar with the situation said.

C.B. Strain, director of the city planning and development department, said the grocery store and the other stores located within the plaza were red-tagged by the city on April 20.

“There was an engineering report on the structure of the building and that report indicates that the entire structure is not safe,” Strain said. “We red-tagged it. At this point, either repairs have to be...

TCC director SCRAMBLES TO MAKE deadlines

The McKinley County Board of Commissioners postponed a decision on the funding of the Thoreau Community Center. The act took place at the April 25 county commission meeting and was unanimous.

Priscilla Manuelito, the executive director at the Thoreau Center, told commission members that after the year 2021 that an $800,000 Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration grant from runs out and there is no more funding on the horizon. At the moment, there is $200,000 received yearly by the center for the grant, Manuelito said.

“The center has proven to be very helpful with respect to preventing suicides,” Manuelito, a Thoreau native...

GMSD, MCFUSE come to terms at April 3 meeting

The Gallup-McKinley County Board of Education has approved across-the-board pay raises for employees, officials confirmed. The action took place at the April 3 regular school board meeting at district headquarters and was unanimous. The action took place alongside the two-year ratification of the current collective bargaining agreement between GMCS and the McKinley County Federation of United School Employees.

“All returning salaried employees are receiving a daily wage increase for the 2017-2018 school year,” Interim Superintendent Mike Hyatt told the Gallup Sun this week. Hyatt is interim superintendent until the end of June. “I...