Festival brings out nearly 1,600

Adults and young people alike explored the many different worlds of books April 7 at the 3rd annual Gallup Authors Festival. The two-day event was held at the Octavia Fellin Library and saw a little more than 1,600 people pass through the doors of Fellin and the Children’s Branch Library.

The theme of the 2017 Gallup Authors Festival was “Unity Through Diversity.”

“It was a tremendous success,” Library Director Mary Ellen Pellington said. “We had a variety of writers and every year there are more and more people who attend the festival.”

The event featured book talks and discussions such as one called “Diversity in Poetry.”...

Earlier today, April 7, at approximately 7 am, a New Mexico State Police Officer stationed in Gallup stopped a 2016 Hyundai Sonata 4-door vehicle on the west end of Gallup on Interstate 40 for a traffic violation.

During the traffic stop, the officer asked the driver, who was identified as Stephen Thompson, 33, from Oklahoma City, O.K., to stay out of the vehicle. During the stop Thompson quickly walked back to his vehicle and entered it through the front passenger door. The officer reached into the vehicle, through the open passenger door, in an attempt remove Thompson and was repeatedly ordering him away from the car. Thompson was able to drive off with the officer...

June 30 is last official school day

With less than two months left before the close of Gallup’s Uplift Community School, school administrators want students to have the best academic and social experience possible.

Alecs Mojica, director at Uplift since January 2017, said the absolute last school date is June 30. The New Mexico Public Education Department approved a charter application for the school, 406 New Mexico 564, in 2011. The PED did not renew the charter. By state law, charter schools are free and subject to the same open enrollment policy as regular schools.

“We are bringing training to staff and students to improve our school and our students performance,” Mojica...

Episode is one in string of costly infrastructure woes for Gallup

A significant water and sewer line break disrupted business at two hotels and a fast food restaurant and forced the city to shut off water April 3 at 20 residences, officials said.

Dennis Romero, city water and sanitation director, said a leak was called into Metro Dispatch at around 8:30 am. The break occurred at the intersection of Ford Drive and Aztec Avenue and impacted the smooth flow of business at the Best Western Plus, Taco Bell and the El Rancho Hotel.

The three businesses are located less than a mile from each other. The homes in question are located off Ford Drive. The break is connected to a 10-inch...