PHOENIX –  In late November, Sylvia Begay, 50, of Fort Defiance, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 28 months in federal prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release, and ordered to pay more than $2.1 million in restitution.  Additionally, Virgil Begay, 53, of Fort Defiance, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 21 months in federal prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release, and ordered to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution. The Begays had previously pleaded guilty to health care fraud.

The Begays generated millions of dollars in fraudulent payments to themselves by falsely billing Arizona’s...

Menini calls for stadium to be named after educator, coach

The Gallup-McKinley County Board of Education unanimously agreed Nov. 14 to rename Public School Stadium Angelo DiPaolo Stadium. The action took place at the regular school board meeting and was not met with opposition from members of the community.

The matter was brought up by board member and retired educator Joe Menini. The vote called for changing the wait time from 10 to two years when it comes to name changes and buildings. The name change initiative includes a lengthy process, and Monday’s vote set into motion the plan to rename PSS.

“He was a pillar of the community,” Menini said. “I don’t know anyone more...

Report measures event viability, success

Four annual Gallup events were the subject of individual marketing and economic analysis reports that were done in July of this year. The reports have not been released to the public, but are available upon request.

Gallup Acting Tourism and Marketing Director Jennifer Lazarz said reports were done on the city’s Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, the Gallup Film Festival, the Squash Blossom Classic and the Ride Flight and Cruise.

The reports were authorized by the city’s Lodgers Tax Committee, comprised at the time of Cindy Tanner, Yogash Kumar, Ron Samardzia, Jeremy Boucher and Steve Harper, and in conjunction with Gallup City Manager...

Holiday hiring picking up, slowly

New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in October 2016, unchanged from September, but up from 6.5 percent a year ago, according to information from the state Department of Work Force Solutions.

In McKinley County, the unemployment rate was 8.8 percent for October. That figure was down from a 9.2 percent unemployment rate in September. Likewise, the unemployment rate in neighboring Cibola County, about a 55-minute drive for Gallup, was 8.3 percent in October and 8.4 percent in September.

Unemployment statistics are a month behind due to the amount of time it takes to compile them.

Seasonal hiring

“What you see in...