Just a blur

 

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Heating cost expected to increase

Diné Bureau

FORT DEFIANCE, Ariz. — Navajo Tribal Utility Authority customers will face higher natural gas prices this winter, so the Navajo Nation enterprise encourages gas users to plan ahead.

The "purchase cost adjustment" has gone up as NTUA's suppliers charge it more for natural gas. The authority's wholesalers jumped the cost of natural gas from 27.7 cents per therm to 45.2 cents per therm. The wholesale price of around 46 cents per therm is about double the mid-1999 price. While the price has dropped about 20 percent in the last two weeks, consumers' bill will depend on the weather.

NTUA recommends customers switch to a budget-billing plan that locks in a monthly billing based on the previous year's average.

As an example, a residential customer who paid $37.90 for 95 therms during the past year would pay about $47.13 a month for this year. Actual bills will vary depending on weather conditions, the home's energy efficiency and patterns of individual usage, NTUA points out.

The tribal business passes on the purchase cost increase to customers without any additional markup, so the utility does not gain any greater profit from the higher prices, said Ken Craig, engineering-technical services division manager. However, there will be a small adjustment for the anticipated increase in the wholesale natural gas cost for those who sign up for the annual
averaging program this month.

General Manager Randall Medicine Bear said natural gas costs have gone up dramatically all across the country. He added, "Natural gas remains a preferred energy choice that is clean, reliable and efficient. Natural gas remains very competitive at about one-half the cost of propane."

Customers also should improve the energy efficiency of their homes or businesses. They can consult with home energy audit services or call one of the eight NTUA offices.

Homeowners and businesses also should have a certified professional clean and inspect the heater for safe operation, change filters regularly, install insulating wrap around the hot water heater and any exposed water pipes, weather-strip around doors and windows, use a lower thermostat setting (less than 70 degrees) and consider replacing old furnaces to obtain a more efficient heating unit.

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Housing planned for elderly

Tanya Brazil
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Sometimes, God's love is witnessed through acts of kindness by true believers.

This is exactly what the Little Sisters of the Poor have been doing in Gallup since 1984 when they first welcomed an indigent elderly person to live in their church building.

Today, their home for the aged, Villa Guadalupe, houses 42 needy. Even more will be able to move into the home in February when an expanded 13-apartment facility will provide additional living quarters for elderly singles or married couples.

The Little Sisters are planning a blessing and dedication of the new building with an open house on March 19 when, by that time, residents will have begun moving in.

Sister Selene Therese, mother superior for the Gallup congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, said they built the facility in 1999 because of a lack of decent, low-income housing in Gallup.

The new three-story addition will be attached to the home for the aged to ensure safety, she said, with an enclosed entrance
connecting directly to the entrance/social area and will be equipped with elevators, laundry facilities and an outdoor patio area.

Each one-bedroom unit is designed with a kitchenette, living room and bathroom, as well as individual storage areas and balconies.

Windows, sky lights and sliding bedroom doors with a small space between walls were specially designed by Albuquerque architects Sanders/Rogers to provide plenty of natural lighting throughout the building.

Tenants who live in the new building will have access to nurse calls from a 24-hour-staff and privileges at the home for the aged, such as participation in all activities and at least one meal per day in the dining room.

Sister Gonzague said the chapel is open to everyone and that residents who are not Catholic attend the daily services because they find peace.

The main building also provides facilities such as craft and weaving rooms, the Sweet Shoppe, Country Store and a medical area staffed with a doctor and dentist.

Gonazague said the Little Sisters are paying for the addition with loans and donations they have received locally and nationally.
When the Little Sisters asked for help funding the project at a Pinetop, Ariz., church, she said a Phoenix businessman, Jim Romanaski, offered to donate about $40,000 worth of building materials, including all the skylights, doors, windows and associated hardware.

Although all the items except for the skylights already had been purchased, Gonzague said they are grateful to Romanaski for the generous offer.

And the Little Sisters are equally pleased to have hired Murphy Contractors to complete the construction, she said, because they do an honest job and are easy to work with.

Little Sisters of the Poor are taking applications for the new apartments but potential tenants must meet the elderly, low-income status in order to be considered.

If accepted, rent will be based on a sliding scale fee according to income and living expenses, Gonzague said.

For more information, contact Therese or Gonzague at (505) 863-6894 or visit the Little Sisters of the Poor Villa Guadalupe at 1900 Mark Ave. to pick up an application.

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Hopis mum on prophecies

TAOS, N.M. (AP) — The Hopi Nation has asked a Taos man to stop telling non-Indians about sacred Hopi prophecies, saying the teachings are secret and should be controlled only by Hopis.

John Kimmey had been scheduled to talk about the oral history at a meeting Sunday night but decided instead to lead a discussion about white people practicing Indian spirituality.

In a letter Friday, Hopi cultural-preservation officers asked Kimmey, who is white, to stop billing himself as a "carrier of Hopi prophecy."

"The Hopi people have suffered immensely due to the insensitive nature by which so-called experts exploit our knowledge," the letter said.

Kimmey, a member of the Native American Church, contends Hopi prophecies, which date back about 3,500 years, are meant to be shared with the public. He said Hopi elder David Monongye gave the prophecies to him in the 1970s and 1980s, telling him he could pass on the information to whites and others. Monongye has since died, he said.

Kimmey said other Hopis have supported him, but he said the tribe is often divided over such questions. And he said that conflict keeps elders from officially recognizing him.

The Hopi prophecy is an oral tradition of stories that Hopis say predicted the coming of the white man to America, both world wars and the creation of nuclear weapons.

And it predicts that time, as humans know it, will end when humanity emerges into the "fifth world."

The Mayan calendar predicts a similar end in 2012; some Hopis have said their prophecy roughly coincides with that time.

The tradition says the years after 2012 could be a golden age with humans at peace and in harmony with nature. It also says the world will go through a time of trial, suffering and purification before a time of "one-heartedness."

Kimmey has said the Hopi prophecies contain a mandate that from 1946 onward, these secrets should be told to everyone and no longer kept secret.

"It's their oral history, and within that history are events they wanted the world to know in advance and instructions to go with that knowledge," Kimmey claimed. "Homogenized Americans don't have a story like that. We don't have a context for interpreting world events. The Hopi prophecy is a vehicle that allows us to do that."

Kimmey said he has been teaching about Hopi prophecy for about 20 years without complaints from the Hopi tribe.

However, Lee Wayne of the Hopi cultural preservation office in Arizona said the tribe does object and also doesn't like Kimmey making money off the prophecy.

"He comes out here and gets the information and goes back and makes money that's not good," Wayne said. "We have not endorsed anyone to be the carrier of Hopi prophecy."

A flier posted for Sunday's event suggested a donation of $10 to $15.

Wayne denied that Hopi prophecy mandates revealing the prophecy after 1946.

"I think it's not time for people to know about Hopi prophecy yet," Wayne said. "It shouldn't be out there in the public."

But, Kimmey said, "The prophecy has always been a vehicle for bringing hearts together, and now it's going to divide people. I've always tried to be respectful of people at Hopi, and this man has asked me not to do it."

So for now, he said, "I won't."

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Guliford paces Bengal girls to victory

Abelita R. Freeland
Staff Sports Writer

GALLUP — An injury-plagued season for Felicia Guliford and Paula-Etta Houston was forgotton as the Lady Bengals captured their fifth straight state title and their ninth in the last 13 years.

The previously unbeaten boys, however, didn't fare as well as top runner C.R. Davis was hit by the flu late this week which "The girls raced tremendously. To have four girls in the top eight, and to have one, two, three on the ladies, just an outstanding performance," Gallup head coach Curtis Williams said.

Bengal Guliford took the lead in the first mile and pulled away for her third straight state title in a time of 19:49.

"It was a lot of fun. I had fun running with the girls. It was a great experience to just come out and finish, especially what I have been going through this year with my hip. I was just happy I could finish off the year," Guliford said.

"We did awesome. Our girls really stepped up yesterday. Our goal was to get a perfect score but we knew it was going to be hard because of the competition, but we got one, two, three and that was good enough" Guliford added.

Roxann James, who led the team all season with two of her teammates out, finished the race in second with a time of 20:21, which was a over a minute quicker than she had at the Gallup Invite. Houston also finished the race a little over a minute faster on the same course for third place.

Gallup finished with seven of their runners in the top 20 and their eighth runner Valerie Casuse (23:13) coming in 40th.

Although, Savannah Benally had a rough start, falling and being stepped on, she finished eighth in a time of 21:01, also improving her time by a minute and 42 seconds.

Seniors Candice Natachu (21:48) and Crystal Pinto (21:50), finished their race with the 15th and 16th positions.

"They ran up to their potential. Valerie Casuse had a problem but when you look at their faces when they came in, one, two, three, they were all smiles. When you look at Savannah Benally, who got knocked down about 125 meters into the start of the race, she get up and fought her way through all that crowd again. For her to finish as an all-stater in eighth position, we are pleased about that," Williams said.

"I just like to thank the girls for having a real good season, I know it was hard for them, and hard for me watching them not running with me, but they stepped up this year and did really good."

La Cueva' s Abby Schubert (20:43) took fourth; Las Cruces' Anne Heiner (20:50) placed fifth; taking sixth was Manzano's Angela Davie (21:0); and El Dorado taking ninth and 10th with Melanie Valarde (21:05) and Jamie Kane (21:09).

Sandia Matadors ended the Bengal boys win streak matching the Gallup girls' top three performance.

"We probably didn't have a great race for our boys, but they raced to the best of their ability for the day. The boys had a good score, they just got beat by the better team," Williams said. "I still don't think they were the best team, but (just) the better team for the day."

Despite their best pack time of the year, the Bengal boys couldn't beat a tough Sandia team.

A sick C.R. Davis gave Matadors Cameron Clarke a hard race the first half of the state meet. In the second half, Davis fell back and Clarke took the lead and the championship.

"There was a tremendous effect on him. There is no way C.R. should have finished fourth. He just completely ran out of gas when he was up there running with the front runner, and when he came back around on the turn to be passed by two other Sandia boys would have never happened if he were healthy," coach Williams said.

Clarke captured his first state title in a time of 16:43, 28 second faster than Davis, and Davis only four second faster than his time at the Gallup Invite giving him the fourth place finish, the worst finish for Davis all season.

"It (winning) feels so good. I have ran four years at state, placing top 10, so it feels so good," Clarke a senior said.

"We knew they (Gallup) were going to be tough, and they we tough all the way through. C.R. came out and we went at for two miles and he died off," said Clarke. "He (Davis) ran tremendously with the flu. I know how it is, last year I ran with mono and I knew how it feels. But him coming out running with the flu, he was tremendous."

"I am speechless because we won the race but because we defeated a very good Gallup team. A good Gallup team that has tradition, good coaching and some of the finest runners in the country. I am just ecstatic with what we were able to pull off here today," Sandia coach Michael Clarke said.

Followed by Clarke was teammate Eric Dean (17:07) for second and Clarke's sophomore brother Michael Clarke (17:09).
Finishing up for Sandia were Andrew Walquist (17:45) in 11th place and Craig White (18:0) 17th for their winning total of 32.
Gallup scored 56 points. Bengals Nabahe Austin (17:26) placed sixth and Lonnie Williams (17:28.9) placed eighth.

"We ran as good as we could but we weren't good enough. Sandia had the best team Saturday, but I think our boys are the best team in the state," Williams said. "We are not happy with second place, but we will take it and start preparing for next year."

The Bengals will compete next in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships West Regional at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California on Saturday, December 2. The top eight finishers in the boys and girls race will qualify for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals at the Oak's Trail Course at Shades of Green in Orlando Florida on December 9.

Monument Vally completes perfect season

Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Unbeaten defending state champion Monument Valley made it look easy as the Lady Mustangs toppled Ganado 15-7, 15-4 Saturday afternoon during the Class 3A state volleyball championships at Greenway High School.

Monument Valley, which finished at 47-0 overall, 43-1 last year and an incredible 90-1 the last two seasons, extended its equally impressive win streak to 79 consecutive victories in capturing their second straight state title and their fourth in the last eight years.

"People ask me if it gets any easier," said veteran Monument Valley head coach Lucinda Nash said of her 27th season of coaching and her fourth state championship. "We put pressure on ourselves. Our motto this year was:"Winners do more". This
is our fourth state title in eight years. The 90's have been good to us."

Despite graduating all six starting seniors and 11 of 17 players next spring, Nash noted that the Monument Valley JV team went 14-0 and the freshman team also went undefeated at 18-0 and now the varsity at 47-0.

"We're losing a lot of quality players," said Nash whose team was escorted into Kayenta Sunday evening by the local police and fire department. "That means I have to go to work. Ganado with only two seniors on the team will be tough next year with lots of freshmen, sophomores and juniors."

3A Enchantment (North) Player of the Year senior hitter Carrie Nash will be one of the major losses for the Lady Mustangs.

Named to the all-state team were Monument Valley's Carrie Nash, Yaanibaa Whaley and Tennell Gilmore along with Melissa Peterson and Jolene Benally from Ganado.

State finals Monument Valley, 2 Ganado 0

Ganado, which finished the year at 38-7 overall, was hoping for another close match like last week's regional finals 15-13, 16-14 loss to Monument Valley after blowing leads of 8-4 in the first game and 6-0 in the second game.

But it was not meant to be.

The opening game saw the Lady Mustangs, who have now won state titles in 1993, 1995, 1999 and now 2000, grabbed the early lead as senior hitter Carrie Nash, the 3A Conference Player of the Year, put away five consecutive kills along with a kill by younger sister Kim.

A kill by junior Rachael Nez pulled Ganado to within 5-4 but that would be the closest the Lady Hornets would get the rest of the match.

With senior Janthina Benally at the line, Monument Valley gradually nursed its lead to 8-4 and pulled away for a 12-5 cushion on kills by Kim Nash and Benally. The Lady Mustangs made it 14-7 on back-to-back kills by Kim Nash and Yaanibaa Whaley before Whaley put the opening game away on a nice dink kill for the final point.

In the second game, Monument raced to a quick 4-0 lead on kills by senior Fernanda Leonard and Carrie Nash. The Lady Hornets, who will lose just two seniors out of 15 players, got two points on a kill by sophomore all-state hitter Melissa Peterson and an ace by junior all-stater Jolene Benally.

But Monument Valley regrouped, surging to a 10-2 lead and gradually feeling its fourth state championship within its grasp. The Lady Mustangs outscored their conference rivals, 11-2, to win going away, 15-4.

"The girls might have pysched themselves too much," first-year Ganado coach Jerome Burns said after the loss. "But the girls did well. I was hoping for a repeat of the regional finals. At regionals we stepped it up and played real well at Winslow. A lot of people did not expect us to be this far. But I have to give credit to Monument Valley for its undefeated season. But next year all our starters will be back."

Monument's Whaley said she felt the pressure of playing in the state finals eventually got to Ganado.

"They have younger players," Whaley said. "The pressure might have gotten to them. We had a lot of experience (being in the state finals) and we had good support from people."

This season, Burns was assisted by his two assistant coaches, John McIntosh and Ivana Jones.

Coach Nash said that the pressure was constantly there for her team to be state champions again, what with the entire starting lineup returning for their senior year.

"Skillwise this team is heads and tails above any other team we've had," Nash said."They love lifting weights all year. They're the greatest bunch of kids I've worked with."

Senior two-time all-state middle hitter Yaanibaa Whaley, whose first name means"I reached my destination", admitted she felt the pressure this season.

"There was a lot of pressure since we had the same six starters back," said the 5-foot-4 1/2 inch senior who plans to attend Brigham Young University next fall and possibly be a walk-on for the volleyball team. "We won state last year and we handled the pressure really well. But this year (winning the state title) definitely was much sweeter."

Carrie Nash led the Lady Mustangs once again with nine kills and eight service points; Kim Nash added nine kills and two dink kills; and Yaanibaa Whaley had eight kills, two dink kills and four service points. Janthina Benally served for seven points while Tennell Gilmore served for five points.

Ganado's Melissa Peterson paced the Lady Hornets with eight kills, two dink kills and one stuff block while Rachael Nez had five kills.

State semifinals Ganado 2, Safford 0

With Hornet freshman Tawna Kee serving a pair of 9-0 runs in both games and sophomore hitter Melissa Peterson nailing seven kills along with five stuff blocks, Ganado had an easy state semifinal warmup Saturday morning with a 15-6, 15-6 win over former state champion Safford.

Ganado freshman Tawna Kee, who served for 21 of her team's 30 points, played a major role in the victory as she served for the final nine points in the opening game and nine of the final 10 points in the second game.

"She's only a freshman," Ganado coach Jerome Burns said of Kee. "I saw something in her. She stepped it up today. She's a great kid and she'll do well."

Senior middle hitter Candice Kirk, the only senior starter and only one of two seniors on the team, served for the game's first four points which included Peterson's first of five stuff blocks along with a Jolene Benally kill.

Safford, which last won the state title in 1990 over Snowflake, got its first point on a stuff block by Lindsey Gray. But an ace by Kee along with a Peterson dink kill put the Lady Hornets firmly in front, 6-1.

Safford made a game out of it with a 4-0 run on a pair of kills by senior Misty John and a dink kill by Gray.

Ganado called for a timeout and got the sideout by Benally.

Kee served and ended the game with her first of two crucial 9-0 runs. Peterson put away one kill on a nice cross court spike along with a stuff block and Benally added two more kills as Ganado won going away, 15-6.

The second game proved to be nearly a duplicate of the first game.

The Lady Hornets led 5-2 as junior outside hitter Rachael Nez delivered a kill. But the Lady Bulldogs pulled ahead 6-5 on kills by senior hitter Vangie Beals and senior hitter Keri Morris.

Ganado, who played smart ball with its well-placed hits and by playing aggressively attacking the net time and time again for the kill or stuff block, got the sideout on a kill by junior outside hitter Terra LaMotte. Kee again served and ran off her second 9-0 blitz.

Benally put away a pair of kills and junior Philandra Nelson added a kill and a stuff block. Peterson put Safford away with three stuff blocks for a 14-6 lead.

Safford got the sideout on a dink kill by Audrey Angie but Ganado got it back on a Benally kill.

Nelson nailed the final kill for the game and the match, 15-6.

Melissa Peterson finished with six kills, one dink kill and six key stuff blocks for the Lady Hornets. Jolene Benally also helped out with six kills, one dink kill and five service points.

"She's great," Burns said of Peterson. "She's a real versatile hitter. She can hit line or angle and she reads the defense well.
Everybody expects her to hit the ball. And she's a good blocker. She's multi-talented."

State semifinals Monument Valley 2, Snowflake 1

Monument Valley had to endure a tough state semifinal match against Snowflake, the East's top seed, in a rematch of last year's state finals. Monument Valley won the opening game 15-6, but stumbled in the second game 11-15 before bouncing back in the third game to win, 15-2. The Lady Mustangs jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the opening game on kills by senior Bridgette Logg and senior Fernanda Leonard along with a kill by senior Carrie Nash.

Snowflake was never able to recover as Monument Valley surged to a commanding 10-1 lead on a kill by Carrie Nash along with a stuff block by senior Yaanibaa Whaley.

The Lady Lobos briefly got back with three quick points on a pair of net hits along with an illegal lift.

Leonard delivered a kill for Monument Valley's 11th point and after a sideout, senior Tennell Gilmore dropped a dink kill, Leonard added another kill and Logg put away an ace for a 13-5 cushion before Monument won on a hit out-of-bounds by junior Nicole Simon.

The Lady Mustangs looked poised to sweep the Lady Lobos in two straight with a 4-0 lead but Snowflake grabbed the lead with junior Ashley Brimhall serving.

Brimhall ran off 10 straight service points that rattled Monument Valley's confidence.

Simon, who struggled during Snowflake's opening game against Tuba City, rose to the challenge with a pair of stuff blocks along with a kill.

Monument Valley bounced back to draw to within 11-9 on pair of kills by Whaley along with kills by Logg and Kim Nash. Playing inspired and aggressively Snowflake forced a third game as Simon put away back-to-back kills and sophomore Becky Reynolds nailed successive stuff blocks for a 15-11 win to put Monument Valley's 77-consecutive win streak and state finals bid in serious jeopardy.

"A lot of it was a mental letdown," coach Nash said of the second game. "The girls had a lot of pressure on them but they know what they want and have to do. You don't have to tell seniors much. Snowflake was tough and it took a lot out of us."

"We couldn't do anything about it," Carrie Nash said about Snowflake's comeback in game two. "We just messed up but we got our heads back in in the third game. We realized it was now or never."

Carrie Nash, who is hoping that she will be picked to play in next summer's all-star game, says she's still undecided about where she will be attending college and hopefully play collegiate volleyball.

After seizing the momentum in the second game, it appeared that Snowflake would put up a serious challenge to the defending state champions but Monument Valley regrouped and refocused for the final drive to yet another state finals berth.

The Lady Mustangs woke up in the third and deciding set racing to a quick 4-0 lead with a kill and a dink kill by Carrie Nash sandwiched around a Leonard kill by Leonard.

Whaley pounded a resounding kill and Kim Nash put away a cross court kill that pushed Monument firmly in front, 10-2, before quietly disposing of the quickly fading Lady Lobos, 15-2.

Sophomore hitter Kim Nash said she will miss playing alongside her older sister Carrie along with the other seniors that will be graduating.

"I'll miss playing along side her but we'll be alright next year," said Kim who will now be going out for basketball. "Hopefully we'll make it to state."

Carrie Nash led the Lady Mustangs with 12 kills, three dink kills, two stuff blocks and nine service points. Kim Nash added nine kills, one dink kill and six service points. Bridgette Logg put away eight kills and had 15 service points. Fernanda Leonard had six kills and one dink kill.

Snowflake was led by Nicole Simon with eight kills and two stuff blocks. Charoe Cook and Jessica Westover each added five kills.

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Hopi teams go out winners

Stan Bindell
Special to the Independent

GILBERT, Ariz. — The Hopi boys placed five runners in the top 15 and the Hopi girls packed five runners in the top eight to grab their respective state titles during the Class 1A-2A state cross country meet at Freestone Park Saturday in Gilbert, Ariz.

The Hopi Bruins overcame a challenging St. Michael's squad to win its 11th consecutive Class 1A-2A state cross country title while the Hopi girls won its fifth straight state title and 13th overall.

The Bruins won the state meet by scoring 39 points. St. Michael grabbed second with 63, Valley Sanders took third with 76 and Tombstone finished fourth with 93. The other area schools finishing in the 17-team field were Red Mesa fifth with 180 points and Many Farms sixth with 208.

Wes Winslow from Tombstone took first place with a time of 16:57. Joshua Thompson from St. Michael grabbed a close second in 17:01 with Hopi's Delwyn Takala placing third with a 17:03. Jeremiah Thompson from St. Michael came in fourth (17:21) while Hopi's Ralston Lamson took fifth (17:28)...

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Candidates vie for job as state representative
Lundstrom touts her background

Tanya Brazil
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Patty Lundstrom, Democratic candidate for state representative for District 5, figures she has been preparing for the New Mexico legislature for 15 years.

Lundstrom, executive director of the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments, said her experience as Gallup and McKinley County's liaison to the state legislature and her background in government and public administration makes her a more qualified than her Republican opponent, Daniel Kruis.

"If you were looking to hire somebody to represent you in Santa Fe," she said, "the first thing you're going to look at is somebody's experience and their education. And I have both of those."

As the Democrat nominee in a Democrat-controlled house, she said, if elected, Gallup will be in a good position in terms of her appointments to key committees and ability to work on major initiatives...

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Deaths

Herman Dominguez

GRANTS — Christian burial for Herman Dominguez, 68, will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday at the Grants Memorial Park. Rosary and mass will be held at 7 p.m. tonight at the St. Teresa Catholic Church.

Dominguez died Nov. 4.

Dominguez retired from Santa Fe Coal Company and Homestake Mining Company. He was active in Grants Community recreational actitivies, coaching and manging various sports programs. He was a member of St. Teresa Catholic Chruch.

Survivors include his wife, Mary Dominguez; sons, Dr. Frank Dominguez, Anthony Dominguez, Billy Dominguez and Mark Domingueaz; daughters, Janice Emerson and Audrey Dominguez; mother, Refugia (Ray) Dominguez; 10 grandchildren; and 3 great-grandchildren.