SHIPROCK – A house fire in Shiprock claimed the life of an unidentified male Dec. 13. The Navajo Nation Police Department and Fire Department responded to the fire.

The fire was reported to have taken place north of Bluff Road and east of 4th Lane.

The Shiprock Police Department was on-scene within eight minutes after the fire was reported and the Shiprock Fire Department was there within 12 minutes. Support was also given by the Ojo Amarillo and Newcomb Fire Departments. The NNFD had enough support and manpower that they didn’t need to alert the San Juan County Fire Department.

After the fire was extinguished, a burnt, deceased human body was discovered within the...

ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury sitting in Santa Fe, N.M., returned a verdict Dec. 12 finding Cornelia Tom Tapaha, 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., guilty on assault charges after a six-day trial.  The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and Director Jesse Delmar of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.

Tapaha was arrested in June 2016, on an indictment charging her with assault with a dangerous weapon, a vehicle, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  The indictment alleged that Tapaha committed the crimes on July 8, 2015...

New school district grades see Gallup outperform ABQ, Santa Fe

The Gallup-McKinley County Board of Education presented awards to 11 teachers and administrators at the Dec. 5 regular meeting of the Gallup-McKinley County Board of Education. The recipients were rated exemplary by the New Mexico Public Education Department earlier this year.

“This is the school district recognizing individuals who have previously been recognized by the state,” Gallup Schools Superintendent Frank Chiapetti said. “The awards are well-deserved.”

Those receiving awards included Peter Ippel, a fifth grade teacher at Indian Hills Elementary; Marie Diaz, a first grade teacher at Indian Hills; Felicia...

Report: Dakota Access Pipeline construction halted

Mervyn Tilden, a Church Rock human rights activist, is the leading face of protest when it comes to area issues that impact Native Americans. Tilden has led the local effort for Gallup to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day and do away with Columbus Day.

The Gallup City Council proclaimed the former a couple of months ago.

Tilden, a freelance journalist, was back at it again Dec. 3 in front of the Gallup Cultural Center along East Historic Highway 66, demonstrating against business interests, and the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.

“This is for the people who can’t speak for themselves,” Tilden said. “There are young...