Annual event fosters community-police relations

With many police-community relations broken across the nation, the Gallup Police Department continues their efforts to forge positive relationships with the community by hosting its annual “National Night Out.”

The Aug. 2 event, held at the east-wing parking lot of Rio West Mall, 1300 W. I-40 Frontage Road, and amid balmy weather, marked new Gallup Police Chief’s Phillip Hart’s first year attending the family-fun affair that included helicopter landings, fire department demonstrations, bike safety courses, a climbing wall, three-on-three basketball games, hot dogs, and, of course, Hart’s officers.

“This is about community...

Local business serves the community by handing out free backpacks

What happens when a business wants to do more than take money from strangers? What if a business actually wants to be a valuable member of its community?

This is the case for The Cellular Connection. TCC is the authorized Verizon dealer you might have seen in the Rio West Mall, 1300 W. Maloney Ave. They’ve been around for 40 years as a family-owned business, and they even have a division called “Community Matters.”

It’s this part of the business that aims to give back to the Gallup community every three months.

On July 30, TCC participated in multiple events happening at the mall. Volunteers handed out 250...

My name is Nathan Jacob George. I am 11 years old and I live in Gallup. I got nominated by my school, Tobe Turpen Elementary School, in fifth grade, to attend the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. My teacher, Mrs. Maynerich, and my counselor, Mrs. Nye, nominated me due to my excellent leadership skills and academic abilities.

The name of the group that organized the conference is called Envision. The conference started on July 9 and ran through July 14.

There were 150 students from all over the country. There were four different activities on each day. The first activity was to get to know each other. The second was a conference site tour. The third was...

Navajo Nation education grant partially passed to help special education school

Have you ever wondered what happens to the students with the most severe of disabilities who have needs too great for the staffing and resources of the smaller school districts surrounding Gallup? Where can they go to receive an education and learn applicable skills for daily life?

The answer is just on the other side of the Arizona border at the St. Michaels Association for Special Education.

SMASE’s program for students with special needs has been in operation for over 40 years on the Navajo Nation, with no direct support from the tribe. That is, until this year, when a grant was officially...