County officials discuss findings

The recent 2017 McKinley County audit summary report is a clear indication that the county is headed in the right direction when it comes to fiscal accountability. There were no major findings in the report.

Farley Vener, president and managing shareholder of Hinkle & Landers, an Albuquerque-based CPA firm, presented the report during the Jan. 23 regular meeting of the McKinley County Board of Commissioners.

“We conducted an audit of financial statements according to generally accepted accounting standards within the United States,” Verner said. “We’re required to give opinion on the single audit.”

He said the engagement team for the audit...

ALBUQUERQUE –Attorney General Hector Balderas issued a Consumer Alert Jan. 30, targeting New Mexico consumers who were affected by the recent Equifax data breach.

The Attorney General is asking New Mexicans to contact the Office of the Attorney General if they have been a victim of the Equifax breach, and additionally, if they have received any correspondence from Equifax since the breach.

“We are working on gathering more information about how Equifax is responding to New Mexicans who were victims of the data breach,” Balderas said. “The more documentation we have, the better we can protect our citizens by ensuring that they are being given consistent, legal, and helpful...

Gallup memorializes Bernhard Schulze

Sometimes a kind word or gesture goes a long way toward being remembered.

A Gallup man wise in the ways of the street passed recently and was remembered by those whose lives he touched through the years. Dozens gathered in his honor.

The memorial service for Bernhard Schulze was held at the Gallup downtown Courthouse Plaza Jan. 23. Schulze was born on Aug. 4, 1957 and passed on Jan. 12, 2018. He has lived in Gallup since the 1970s.

Rev. Lorelei Kay began the service with a story about the first time she met Schulze. She was at a community event when he approached and asked her what her name was.

“I recognized his German accent and thought...

The McKinley County Board of Commissioners convened Jan. 23 for their regular meeting.

Included on the agenda was a proposal to add the San Mateo Creek Basin uranium legacy site to the Superfund National Priorities List.

Brenda Cook, NPL coordinator for the U.S. EPA joined by phone, along with colleagues LaDonna Turner, site assessment manager, and Adam Wiesce, community involvement coordinator.

“I apologize for us not being able to come, but because of the [federal] shutdown, they cancelled all travel,” Cook said.

The San Mateo Creek Basin is approximately 321 square miles within the Rio San Jose drainage basin in McKinley and Cibola counties. Numerous legacy uranium mines...