Now that the 2016 Gallup Film Festival has come to a close, we can safely say it boasted a unique schedule of shorts, documentaries, and features in what we hope is becoming a Gallup institution. The event brought all kinds of people downtown – close to 3,000, by some estimates. And the city should pat itself on the back for investing in this venture.

This isn’t to say past editions of the GFF have been lackluster. Each of the last three festivals has offered up a handful of truly memorable and brilliant selections. And there have been some misfires, too.

The directors and stars who attend film festivals hope to create buzz from advanced screenings. The offering of sneak-peaks is...

It’s hard to believe that 15 years have passed since Islamic terrorists murdered 3,000 people on American soil, shattering the notion that Americans were somehow immune to attacks like those that threatened residents of countries in the Middle East and parts of Europe, Africa, and the Far East on a daily basis.

Indeed, the only constant today is an even more dangerous world, and our national security is more important than ever.

We must never forget the attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. These attacks are to today’s generation what the attacks on Pearl Harbor were to generations past. The events of 9/11 woke the United States from a...

Mother Teresa’s sisters uplift the unwanted people of Gallup

Now, on one Tuesday evening, Sr. Auxilia and the other Missionaries prepare Casa San Martin for the evening meal, as they do each day. The food they serve is donated or funded by various stores and agencies in the area, and the sisters try to make each serving as generous and nutritious as possible.

Tonight’s menu is roast beef, broccoli, pasta salad, and bread. As several sisters busy themselves in the kitchen, two more go to the front door. First, a moment is taken to say a prayer before a statue of St. Joseph, and then the door is opened.

One sister prepares to search bags for contraband, and the other instructs...

About 20,000 salaried “white-collar” employees in New Mexico might be eligible for overtime pay in 2017 when an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act takes effect the last day of this year.

In May, The U.S. Department of Labor published its final rule revising the FLSA’s overtime exemption regulations. The most significant change was to the minimum salary levels that salaried employees must be paid to be considered exempt from federal overtime requirements.

Going forward, employees who earn less than $913 per week — or $47,476 per year — will be considered nonexempt, and employers must pay them overtime at time and a half. This is a dramatic increase from the former...