I moved to Gallup in 1978. Coming from the Northwest, I had hopes of scenic Southwest panoramas with mesas, canyons, and rock formations. On my drive across Arizona, I began to wonder where the scenery was. I was quite relieved and excited when I approached the spectacular cliffs of Lupton. Upon arrival in Gallup, my first impression was, “This place has tourist potential.” Thirty-eight years hasn’t changed my impression.

It was immediately obvious to me that our greatest tourist draw was located just east of town at Church Rock — however, easy access off the freeway was overlooked by planners. Like many outsiders of the Southwest, I was drawn to the spectacular cliffs...

The agent for exposure deaths resides with the feds

Gallup’s activist media continues to pound the drum, demanding the City of Gallup do something about the dozens of annual exposure deaths, yet we rarely hear of the conditions which bring about these tragedies, let alone the stark scarcity of personal responsibility.

Rather than homeless or vagrant, transients who risk their lives by leaving their homes and traveling long distances to escape the oppression and monotony of the reservation without transportation or a place to stay – all to experience the freedoms of Gallup — should be considered refugees. In order to rectify the problem, the system of rule that has led to the...

In a crowded field, political candidates stand out on street corners — and practically in your yard — with catchy campaign signs.

And in a city where people get a little hot under the collar when someone steals a campaign sign from a given spot, it’s not always simply theft. Rather, it could be somebody playing silly mind games.

Candidates running for office put up signs all around town — some of the signs survive through the June 7 primary and up until election day in November; some get blown away by the elements; and some are likely knocked down by people with nothing better to do.

Strangely, most candidates running for office this time around chose not to put up signs...

After being exposed to months of campaigning, and in some cases mud-slinging at whatever cost, McKinley County voters will pick winners June 7 in a number of interesting primary races, from possible new persons in the District 3 McKinley County Board of Commissioners seat to perhaps somebody equally new in seats related to District 5 and District 4 of the New Mexico House of Representatives and Senate.

In McKinley County hundreds of poll workers are set to start working. Besides who will win each of the races, and there are quite a few that pertain to McKinley County, one question yet to be answered is how many registered votes will actually turn out to vote. Early voting numbers around...