Mendoza: Why was Dallago rejected?
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP McKinley County Commissioner Harry Mendoza wants
to know why the local hospital board rejected Dave Dallago Jr.
as one of the county's representatives.
When officials for the Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital appeared
before the commission on Tuesday, he asked them why Dallago was
not acceptable.
He said he realized that the hospital board was within its rights
under the lease signed by the county to reject the county's nominee.
"But I was wondering what your reason was," he said.
But Jay Mason, the hospital's attorney, pointed out that the lease
did not require the hospital board to give a reason or even to
have a reason for its decision.
"There was a discussion by the board," he said, which
apparently included some talk about Dallago's tenure on the board
several years ago.
But as to why the board took the action, Mason and other hospital
officials declined further comment.
Mendoza said after the meeting that the county will have to make
another appointment.
"I'm not upset about it because the board is within its rights,"
he said.
The county already has two nominees on the board so it will have
representation at future meetings.
Mendoza said that he has accepted an invitation to speak to the
board at its Nov. 6 meeting and the issue of Dallago will not
be the issue.
"I want to speak to the board about complains from people
who get sick and don't have access to the doctors or the hospital
right away," he said.
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Navajo Code Talkers must prove service
time
Jim Maniaci
Dinι Bureau
WINDOW ROCK Navajos who could be eligible to receive a Congressional
Silver Medal for being World War II Code Talkers need to submit records
verifying they were part of the famed unit.
President George W. Bush presented Congressional Gold Medals on July
26 in Washington, D.C., to the original 29 Code Talkers, or their
survivors. The new Congressional Silver Medals are to honor those
who served in the six U.S. Marine Corps divisions after the original
group.
A total of 413 young Navajo men are believed to have gone through
the special school in which Dinι words were used as a secret
code that the Japanese never broke. The code was credited with helping
win not only the battle for Iwo Jima but assisting U.S. forces capture
several other Pacific islands from the Japanese from 1942-1945.
(A Code Talkers exhibit is now on display at the Peterson Zah-Navajo
Nation Museum, Library and Visitors Center on Post Office Loop Road
in Window Rock.)
Of the 384 men, or their survivors, believed to be eligible, 318 have
been confirmed by the Marine Corps.
Because time is getting short, Navajo Nation Human Services Division
Director Duwaine Boone has hired Zonnie Gorman, daughter of famed
Code Talker Carl Gorman, to work with the Corps, Sen. Jeff Bingaman,
the Navajo Veterans Affairs Department, the Code Talkers Association,
and tribal veterans posts to get as many as possible of the remaining
66 potential recipients qualified.
She may be contacted by telephone at (928) 871-6375 or in person at
the division's central office in the Executive Office Building in
Window Rock.
The families need to provide Gorman with copies of any records that
would show their relative was a Code Talker.
"We've had cases in the past where the Marine Corps has confirmed
Code Talker (status) solely on copies of records provided by the Code
Talker," said Dana Krupa, the senator's lead staff member in
the effort.
Any of the remaining 66 who do not make the deadline the U.S.
Mint has already struck 375 of the medals and who later qualifies
will receive theirs in individual or small group presentations.
As of Sept. 24, there were 28 men listed, but not confirmed. Another
23 are listed as pending, waiting for records, with 15 listed on Gorman's
possible list, but not on the Corps' list.
The 28 men listed are Alfred Johnnie, Perry Allen, Ned Becenti, Edward
Begay, Jimmie Begay, Johnson Begay, Ned Brown, Jimmie Clark, King
Fowler, Harvey Gray, Nevy Jenson, Teddy Jose, Jessie Kennepah, Herbert
Morgan, Sam Morgan, Howard Nez, Howard H. Nez, Tom Otero, Tom Singer,
Enoch Smith, Jerome Sorrel, David W. Tsosie, Howard Tsosie, Howard
J. Tsosie, Joe Reid Whitman, William Wilson, Charley H. Yazzie and
Sam W. Yazzie.
The 23 pending are Edward Anderson, N.A. Brown, Francis A. Burnside,
Reuban Curley, Alfred David, Richard Dooley, Harold Y. Foster, Edwin
Freeman, Emmett Goldtooth, Billie Goodman, Rodger Harthorn, H. Jake,
William Kien, George Leroy, Edward Leuppe, Johnson Nazwood, David
Peterson, Joe F. Price, Wilson H. Price, Merril Leon Sandoval, Peter
Tracey, Woody B. Tsosie and Buster Visalia.
The 15 on the possible list are Don Babiye, Willie Barber, Flemming
Begaye, Charlie Bejay, Askee Burbank, Guy Clauschee, Jake Hanigahnie,
Carl Henry Kent, (first name unknown) Livingston, Joe T. Lodato or
Lovato, Martin Martinez, Wallace Peshlakai, Jr., William Singer, Leon
Yazzie and Peter Yazzie.
Officials also need the families of deceased members to select a representative
to accept the medal on behalf of their veteran.
The medals will be presented on Nov. 24 at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds
in the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Rodeo Arena, or in case of bad weather,
inside Nakai Hall. The time will be announced later.
When Congressional Silver Medals are authorized they must be presented
by the president, or his designate. In view of the Sept. 11 attack
on America, tribal officials do not expect President Bush to come
to Window Rock to present the medals. (If he did, he would be the
first Republican president to visit the Navajo Reservation, with past
President William Jefferson
Clinton, a Democrat, being the first president ever to visit the Navajo
Reservation.)
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Police attend stalking class
Andrea Egger
Staff Writer
GALLUP Stalkers don't go walking around with a sign that says,
"I will stalk you if you date me."
Ninety percent of all domestic violence related deaths were preceded
by stalking, said Grace Barreras, a training expert in Albuquerque
who held a class for police Monday and Tuesday at the Gallup Police
Training Center.
That's one of many messages police given by Barreras, who owns her
own business in Albuquerque as a training consultant as well as being
an Albuquerque Police officer. Barreras was hired by the New Mexico
Coalition Against Domestic Violence to do the training in Gallup.
It was free to the Gallup Police and other agencies that participated,
including local New Mexico State Police and officers from Magdalena
and Quemado University of New Mexico-Gallup campus police, the McKinley
County Sheriff's Department and the Zuni Police Department.
Cpl. Thomas Mumford, training coordinator for the Gallup police department,
got a call from Barreras saying that the class was available, and
Mumford immediately set it up. He hopes that residents of Gallup will
gain information from the program for their own family situations,
as domestic violence is rampant in McKinley County.
"He was excited about having me down here," Barreras said
of Mumford. "The District Attorney was wonderful, coming down
and explaining Supreme Court decisions and interpreting state statutes."
District Attorney Karl Gillson, Senior Trial Prosecutor James Bierly
and Assistant District Attorney Bernadine Martin gave information
to officers on both days of the class.
"It's refreshing to see he's taking such a strong stand on domestic
violence," Barreras said of Gillson.
The idea behind Barreras' training for officers is that the whole
case against a batterer or stalker rides on the first police officer
at the scene, Barreras said. Did they document everything appropriately
and legibly? Did they record or video tape their interviews? Did they
gather all evidence and preserve it? Did they get the appropriate
arrest warrants?
Mumford said he is working on getting video cameras for the Gallup
Police so the whole scene can be captured as it unfolds. That way,
if a victim or child witness changes their story, as is common to
protect the batterer, police still have a case.
Barreras provided a check list for officers to make sure nothing is
forgotten. Without all the proper documentation and evidence cases
are lost, Barreras said.
With the right information, convictions change lives for the victim.
But not always. For Gloria Zamora, 40, of Santa Fe, arrest led to
her death, and a change in New Mexico law.
Zamora had gone on two dates with Jack Adams, 50, of Santa Fe. When
she ended the relationship, he began stalking her and continued for
20 years.
Police couldn't do anything for Zamora because he never approached
her. But his vehicle would often be parked near her home. He followed
her to the grocery store and to work.
He staked Zamora at her office at the nearby library. He was going
to public places and wasn't physically threatening her, so police
told Zamora they couldn't help her.
Finally, in 1996, Zamora succeeded in getting Zamora arrested for
harassment.
"When he was arrested, he realized he was going to lose (her),"
Barreras said. "Gloria told him to stay away. She rejected him,
which is their (stalkers') worst nightmare."
Adams didn't have a job; he didn't have family in town.
"The arrest raised his desperation,"Barreras said.
Finally, he confronted Zamora outside her job and said, "I have
something for you." Zamora hurried past him.
It wasn't long after that that Adams again confronted her with a gun
outside a grocery store she and her mother frequented.
Adams shot and killed Zamora in front of her mother. Then he laid
down on the ground and hugged Zamora's dead body close to him and
shot himself to death.
Soon after that, the state Legislature passed an aggravated stalking
law to prevent further incidents like the Zamora death.
Women aren't immune as perpetrators of stalking, Barreras said. She
described a Las Cruces case in 1996 when a woman stalked an old boyfriend.
This situation ended a little happier.
The woman left the man gifts on his vehicle. A religious fanatic,
she left a rosary one day. Another time she left a religious message.
She'd leave handwritten notes cautioning him to lock his vehicle.
The man received a court order of protection against the woman. She
was arrested for violating the order, and for burglary and stalking
and later for making threats to the President of the United States.
This brought up the point that many stalkers are "massive serial
stalkers" and have many targets, often celebrities, Barreras
said.
"It depends on how obsessed they become and any potential mental
health problems that may be involved,"Barreras said."Stalkers
are just a real unique group of people."
Gallup has seen stalking cases, usually in domestic violence situations
where protection orders are obtained by a judge.
"It's just that they won't let go. They believe this person is
theirs for life," Barreras said.
One of the ideas police picked up from Barreras class was a "threat
assessment" method to identify "red flags" that could
lead to fatal outcomes. Residents can also benefit by the checklist,
she said.
Red flags include:
Frequent stalking behavior.
Increasingly severe behavior.
Stalking progresses from less personal to more intimate, from phone
calls, letters to face-to-face contact.
Vandalism.
Implied threats.
Violation of restraining orders.
Trespassing.
Physical altercations.
Moving from removed contact like letters or simply watching their
victims to approaching the victim.
As the holidays approach, Barreras reminded officers that domestic
violence tends to rise. With more stress, overspending and visits
from relatives can add extra stress and sometimes family members crack,
she said.
Barreras mentioned police officers involved in domestic violence situations.
Since 1996, within the Violence Against Women Act, those convicted
of battery can't carry a gun, and police lose their jobs if convicted.
"They can't even go deer hunting,"Mumford said.
While a couple officers in the Gallup area have been charged with
battery, the victim changed her story, dropped the charges, or there
wasn't enough evidence to convict. Barreras said police agencies try
to weed out officers with potential to violence through looking at
how many "police brutality or use of force" incidents have
been charged against the officer.
"We cannot afford to have officers in our ranks who did this
type of behavior,"Barreras said.
Another problem in areas like McKinley County is the fact that Indian
tribes are sovereign nations and, and the state Violence Against Women
Act doesn't apply to civilians or police officers, Barreras said.
Kids are another target for domestic violence. Often witnesses at
a young age, they initially don't like seeing the abuse at home. Over
time, if not helped, the child might side with the abuser and later
the child becomes an abuser.
However, "we've had children that killed the batterers,"
Barreras said.
Anyone in Gallup being abused should call 911.
Other numbers to call for information include the National Hotline,
a 24-hour service, 1-800-799-7233; the statewide hotline, 1-800-773-3645;
Legal Resources, 505-243-4300; and the New Mexico Coalition Against
Domestic Violence, 505-246-9240, or the coalitions's website, www.NMADV.org/DV.
"You are not alone, you have choices. No one deserves to be hurt.
You deserve to be safe at home," are words included in a victim's
guide to domestic violence that Barreras passed out at the class.
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Tiger Basketball
The Associated Press
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) Ron Geyer, coach of the Tiger basketball
team for the past 12 seasons, has been placed on leave for the entire
upcoming season.
Alamogordo High School officials would not release details but said
the action was prompted by complaints from some parents over the way
Geyer managed his players.
"There is no good time for this kind of thing to happen, but
we certainly didn't plan for it to come this close to the start of
practice," athletic director Lawrence Johnson said. "This
situation came to our attention pretty recently."
Geyer, who was placed on leave last Friday, declined comment. He remains
a teacher at Alamogordo High.
A statement from the school district said the school board had reviewed
the varsity basketball program "and fully supports the administrative
decision to take it in a different direction."
"The board and administration agree that philosophical differences
in coaching style and conduct of the program indicate that it is time
for a change," the statement said. "The board's direction
is and will to continue to be focused on what it perceives is best
for the student athletes of the school district."
During Geyer's tenure as head coach, the Tigers went to the state
tournament 10 times and won three state championships.
Alamogordo lost to Hobbs in overtime in the Class 5A state semifinal
game last season. Hobbs beat Clovis for the championship March 10.
In the semifinal, the Tigers had led Hobbs by five points with less
than a minute left in overtime, but the Eagles rallied for an 84-81
win. The Eagles won despite the fact their five starters had fouled
out.
Geyer later termed the loss one of the toughest in his coaching career.
Alamogordo finished last season with an 18-8 record.
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The Kid could go on trial again
MESILLA, N.M. (AP) Billy the Kid could stand trial here again
for the 1878 murder of Lincoln County Sheriff William Brady.
Mesilla's board of trustees on Tuesday night heard a presentation
by people claiming to be descendants of the outlaw who want the village
to sponsor a reenactment of the Kid's murder trial that took place
here 120 years ago.
"I believe the Billy the Kid story is very significant,"
said Albert Garcia of Santa Rosa, who said the Kid was his great-grandfather.
"If Mesilla sponsored a retrial, it would draw attention from
throughout the state, the region, the nation and perhaps worldwide,"
Garcia told the trustees...
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Dinι Council OKs bond
Dinι Bureau
WINDOW ROCK Navajo Nation Council delegates Thursday approved
a Bond Financing Act. The votes were:
Yes (44) Apache, Arthur, Ayze, Bedonie, R. Begaye, JC Begay,
Jones Begay, L. Begay, W. Begay, Billison, Billy, Bitsoi, Charley,
Clark, Colorado, Daniels, Dayzie, Freddie, Goodluck, Gorman, Hudson,
Jack, E. Jackson, L. Jackson, Jim, John,
Jones, Lane, Lee, Milford, Mitchell, Naize, Ortiz, Peaches, Platero,
Plummer, Ross, Shelly, Tsinigine, H. Wauneka, Whitehorse,
H. Willeto, Williams and P. Yazzie.
No (15) S. Begay, Hardy, Hubbard, Keeswood, Morgan, Noble,
Salt, Simpson, Tsosie, E. Wauneka, F.C. Willetto Sr.,
Yabeny, A. Yazzie, B. Yazzie and S. Yazzie.
Abstain 0.
Not voting (24) E. Begay (the speaker only votes to break a
tie), K. Begay, O. Begay, Bennett, Bilagody, Cody, Cohoe,
Davis, Dennison, Descheny, Gishie, Greyeyes, Haswood, Johnson, Kirk,
LaPahe, K. Maryboy, Maxx, Nez, Perry, Tolth, Tom,
Watchman and D. Yazzie.
Excused (5) Bodie, Smith-Hodge, Howard, Hubbell and M. Maryboy.
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Pope appoints future bishop
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) The auxiliary bishop of Chicago was named
Tuesday to become the sixth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese
of Tucson when Bishop Manuel Moreno retires within four years.
Moreno announced the Vatican's appointment of the Most Rev. Gerald
F. Kicanas in a letter he read to clergy and other religious and
civic leaders.
The diocese serves more than 350,000 Catholics across nine counties
in southern Arizona: Pima, Graham, Greenlee, Gila, Pinal, Cochise,
Santa Cruz, Yuma and La Paz. Its 42,707 square miles the
fifth largest geographically in the United States includes
71 parishes, 17 parochial and seven private Catholic schools.
Kicanas, auxiliary bishop of Chicago since 1995, will be coadjutor
bishop of Tucson, aiding Moreno in governing the diocese and taking
his place in Moreno's absence...
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Old trading post burns
Jim Maniaci
Dinι Bureau
ST. MICHAELS Fire from an undetermined cause collapsed the
historic two-story old trading post being renovated as a
vocational school on the western edge of the chapter in a
spectacular blaze before dawn Tuesday.
More than a dozen firefighters from three fire departments battled
the stubborn blaze for three hours before bringing it under control.
It was another two hours before the"deep-seated hot spots under
the collapsed roof and walls" in the ruins could be extinguished,
according to the fire department. The last firefighters returned
to their station around 11 a.m.
The Navajo Nation Fire Department in Window Rock received the call
from the Window Rock Navajo Law Enforcement District at 4:10 a.m.
"At the time of the alarm the fire was visible from Window
Rock," said Fire Captain Dicky Bain. The large glow and heavy
dark smoke indicated the fire was far advanced...
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Anthrax cases pose doubts about how
spores spread
NEW YORK (AP) Two anthrax cases detected in women with no
connection to the postal service, government or media have investigators
worried that the potentially deadly spores could be spreading from
one piece of mail to another.
A 61-year-old New York hospital worker clung to life Tuesday with
the inhaled form of anthrax, a day after a 51-year-old accountant
in New Jersey was released from the hospital with the skin version
of the disease.
Both cases raised the possibility that anthrax letters are contaminating
other mail or that the spores are sickening people by means other
than the mail. Hundreds of fellow hospital workers were being given
antibiotics as a precaution.
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said worries
about "cross-contamination" anthrax spores sticking
to pieces of mail at postal facilities have grown with the
new cases...
Williams not hired as new hoops coach
By Larry Di Giovanni
Staff Writer
FORT DEFIANCE A selection committee recommending a new Window
Rock High School girls basketball coach said they are stunned by
3-2 school board decision Monday not to hire Elmer Williams, a 10-year
teacher with the district and their preferred candidate.
Selection of a coach was on the Window Rock Unified board's agenda
for Friday's special meeting. Williams, a Tse Ho Tso Middle School
math teacher who coached the boys team at Ganado High School for
two years, had been recommended a selection committee. That meeting
was postponed until Monday because board members Harold Wauneka,
Lorraine Nelson and Floyd Ashley were absent.
At Monday morning's meeting, board President Theresa Galvan made
a motion to hire Williams. But board members Floyd Ashley and Larry
Foster had yet to be linked to the meeting via a conference call,
and her motion died for lack of a second.
Once the conference call was successful, Galvan's motion to hire
Williams was recalled, and a vote taken. Galvan and Foster voted
for Williams, while Wauneka, Nelson and Ashley voted "no..."
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Deaths
John L. Becenti
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE Services for John Becenti, 54, will be held
at 10 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 1 at Cope Memorial Chapel. Pastor Tom Shelton
will officiate. Burial will follow at Gallup City Cemetery.
Becenti died Oct. 28 in Continental Divide. He was born Dec. 18, 1946
in Continental Divide into the Salt Clan for the Red Running into
the Water People.
Becenti worked for the railroad and was self employed.
Survivors include his son, Rickson Becenti of Thoreau; daughter, Brenda
Becenti of Thoreau, brothers, Hoskie Tom Becenti of Kayenta, Ariz.;
sisters, Martha Willie of Twin Lakes, Mary S. Jim and Dalene B. Yazzie
both of Continental Divide and five grandchildren.
Becenti was preceded in death by his parents, Tom and Ellen Becenti.
Pallbearers will be Dan Yazzie Jr., Edison Saunders, Ernest Tom Becenti,
Benson Saunders, Eddie Saunders Jr. and Eugene Begaye.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Darlene Yazzie's residence.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Laffie Jones
KLAGETOH, Ariz. Services for Laffie Jones, 73, will be held
at 10 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 1 at St. Anne Catholic Church.
Father Will McCue will officiate. Burial will follow at Klagetoh Community
Cemetery, Klagetoh.
Jones died Oct. 28 in Ganado, Ariz. She was born Nov. 15, 1927 in
Klagetoh into the Bitter Water for the Cliff Dweller.
Survivors include her brother, Pual Keeto of Hunterspoint, Ariz.;
and sister, Helen Jones-Newcomb of Phoenix.
Jones was preceded in death by her mother, Anna.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Correction
GALLUP In the obituary published for Richard Weigl, he was
listed as having died in Benton, Ariz. He died in Benton,
Ark. on Oct. 26.
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