A Gallup man was booked for first degree murder and tampering with evidence April 20 for the murder of Gallup resident 57-year-old Jami Nechero.

Randolph "Randy" Schmaltz reportedly left plenty of clues for police to arrest him for the murder, as revealed in the arrest warrant.

When Gallup Police Department officers arrived at the 1700 block of South Cliff Drive on Sept. 2, 2014, at 1:22 pm, in response to shots fired, they talked to the caller who said that she heard at least six gunshots in a row, coming from a home north of her residence.

Officer Douglas Hoffman made his way over to that home at 1710 South Cliff Dr., the home of Schmaltz, 64, who greeted the officer at the door...

City unveils $90M proposed 2018 budget

The Gallup City Council approved two measures at an April 19 special meeting related to surface water backup of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.

The two measures dealt with the approval of a settlement agreement on G-22 water application litigation with Whispering Cedars Mutual Domestic Water Users Association and a separate approval of a settlement agreement on G-22 water application litigation with Juniper Trails Water Association. Both matters were introduced by City Attorney George Kozeliski.

Gallup City Manager Maryann Ustick unveiled the proposed 2018 operating budget during the second half of the special meeting.

“These two...

 





Gallup swamped in water line repairs

Accidents happen.

That was the word April 18 from Gallup Water and Sanitation Director Dennis Romero about an accidental water line break at the intersection of 5th Street and Historic Highway 66.

Romero said the contractor working on the 5th Street line replacement project was preparing to tie into the new 16-inch line when the accident happened. There is water line construction activity as far south as Hill Avenue from Highway 66. The new break resulted in standing water and the re-routing of downtown traffic.

“While clearing up the excavated area to allow for more room to finish the tie-in, the contractor, Adame Construction...

Iowa administrator picked over Chiapetti

Frank Chiapetti’s quest to get back into business of education came close last week after not getting picked for the top job at the Flagstaff Unified School District, according to information provided to the Gallup Sun from the Flagstaff Unified School District.

Karin Eberhard, spokeswoman for the FUSD, said Chiapetti was one of 20 candidates who applied for the job. Eberhard said six candidates ended up getting a preliminary interview and two were finalists for the job. Chiapetti was the superintendent at Gallup-McKinley County Schools for about three years.

The Flagstaff Unified School District Governing Board voted 3-1 at a March...