Two employees of Bulk Transfer were injured after a fuel tank exploded in downtown Gallup on Nov. 12.

Around 10 am that day both Gallup Police and Gallup Fire responded to reports of a possible explosion and fire near Round House Lane, located between Highway 66 and Interstate 40 close to Downtown Gallup.

People were asked to evacuate the area due to safety concerns, and multiple streets were closed down for about an hour, including Highway 66 at the intersection of Second and Third Streets and Maloney Avenue.

The fire was contained about an hour after the GFD responded to the scene, and the roads were reopened around 11 am.

Two people were injured during the explosion, and they were...

Nettie Cooley was jolted awake at 3 am on May 6, 2023 to a call from the mother of one of her sons’ friends. The woman on the other line had some terrible news: Nettie’s son Elon Cooley had been shot and killed outside of the Sports Page Lounge.

The mother couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d just been at the bar with Elon and her other sons. The family had started the night off at Sammy C’s Rockin’ Sports Pub & Grille, but they eventually moved on to Sports Page Lounge, which was formerly located at 1400 S. Second St. before it was shut down in late 2023. Nettie said they went over to Sports Page because her sons wanted to play pool.

In an interview with the...

ALBUQUERQUE — A Smith Lake man was sentenced to 11 years and four months in federal prison for the 2021 murder of a man in Church Rock.

According to court documents, Josiah Alan Smith, 29, shot and killed a man at a home near Church Rock on the Navajo Nation on May 17, 2021. Smith, who had arrived at the residence earlier in the day, allegedly fired into a window from outside the home, hitting the victim in the back and killing him.

Following the shooting, Smith fled the scene and attempted to conceal evidence by disposing of the murder weapon. Smith was arrested approximately three months after the incident.

Upon his release from prison, Smith will be subject to five years of...

MANY FARMS, Ariz. — The Law and Order Committee and the Health, Education, and Human Services Committee convened a special meeting at the Many Farms Chapter House to address pressing public safety issues affecting the community on Nov. 7. Community members voiced concerns regarding drug trafficking, alcohol abuse, and the critical shortage of law enforcement personnel.

“Addressing the community’s public safety concerns is paramount,” Law and Order Committee Chair Eugenia Charles-Newton said. “We came to listen, take action, and ensure that the voices of Many Farms and other Diné communities are informed of our approach to increasing law enforcement and decreasing...