Noah's Ark



"Arky," a hot air balloon depicting Noah's Ark, drifts silently in front of the red rock cliffs near Gallup Friday morning as the 20th Annual Red Rock Balloon Rally gets under way. This year's rally features 200 balloons from across the country, and continues until Sunday.

Photo by Jeff Jones

 

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Navajo official accused of taking bribes
Atene received free hotels, drinks, meals over 4 years

Jim Maniaci
Dine' Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — A former tribal council delegate whose Economic Development Committee oversaw the Navajo Nation Hospitality Enterprise board that he served on at the same time received more than $13,000 of free meals, drinks and rooms from Enterprise General Manager Don Hubbard, according to an ethics complaint.

The former delegate, Walter David Atene, may sign a plea bargain agreement before the Navajo Nation Council's Ethics-Rules Committee at a hearing Dec. 19.

Ethics Director Virgil Brown Jr. has told the committee that Atene and his attorney, Ethics in Government Law author and former Navajo Nation President Albert Hale, had agreed to the as yet undisclosed agreement of stipulations to the complaint.
Special Prosecutor Fred Chris Smith and Brown accuse Atene of accepting at least $13,005 that's all that could be tallied up in the complaint worth of free rooms, drinks and meals from Hubbard from 1996 through 1999.

The 28-page complaint states Atene broke both the Ethics in Government Law and the Standards of Conduct for Delegates while he was on the enterprise's management board from January 1995 to May 1999.

Atene also won election in September and is now the Oljato Chapter president, as well as a member of the Kayenta Community School Board.

Normally the committee imposes three penalties: immediate resignation from all tribally elected offices, prohibition against holding tribal office for five years in effect, two terms and paying back at least a portion of the money illegally used or obtained.
The special prosecutor and ethics director accuse Atene of:

Using his public office for private gain.

Receiving unauthorized benefit for official acts.

Unauthorized personal use of tribal property.

Accepting bribes.

Intentionally using his official position to improperly secure privileges

Abusing his official position by accepting free food, drinks and lodging from Hubbard, at two hotels in both Window Rock and Gallup and two Gallup restaurants.

The eight counts

Atene faces eight counts in the complaint.

Count one says, at the Navajo Nation Inn's discounted rate for council delegates of $43.20 a night, Atene received $77 worth of free rooms for 11 nights from Jan. 20 to May 20, 1999, plus a night for $59 at the Gallup Holiday Inn on Jan. 12, 1999.

Count two says Hubbard, either personally or through the Inn or the Enterprise, provided Atene $826 worth of food and drinks at the Panz Alegra and Butcher Shop, both in Gallup, on eight different days from March 19 to July 28, 1999.

Count three says from Jan. 2 to Dec. 10, 1998, Atene received 22 free nights at the Navajo Nation Inn, worth $950 at the council delegates discounted rate, plus 19 nights at the Gallup Holiday Inn, worth $1,001.

Count four says that during 1998 Hubbard provided Atene with $3,360 worth of food and drink at the Panz Alegra or Butcher Shop on 29 different dates. On Dec. 11, 1998, the bill was $542.

Counts five and six says from Feb. 6 to Dec. 29, 1997, Atene received 54 free nights at the Inn, worth $2,333, plus 25 more rooms at the Gallup Holiday Inn worth $1,375, plus $1,443 worth of food and drinks on 14 dates from Jan. 23 to Dec. 19, 1997 at the Panz Alegra and Butcher Shop in Gallup.

Count seven says Atene failed to reveal gifts totaling more than $100 a year on his financial disclosure statements in 1996 and 1997. The council repealed the financial disclosure section of the Ethics in Government Law in April 1999, but it was in effect in 1996 and 1997.

The complaint also said from Jan. 30 to Oct. 8, 1996, Hubbard provided Atene 17 free nights at the Inn, but does not state an amount; nor does it state an amount for Hubbard providing Atene 15 rooms at the Gallup Holiday Inn from Jan. 25 to Dec. 11, 1996.

In the same count the complaint said Atene received $1,181 worth of meals at the Panz Alegra on 15 different days from Jan. 9 to Dec. 10, 1996.

The last count says he concealed, by failing to report, similar activities in 1997, but does not list any specific dates or amounts.

Ethics hearings are open to the public and will be held in the ethics office's conference room on Morgan Boulevard about a quarter-mile past the Education Center. Ethics hearings begin at 9 a.m., and the committee is one of the few that almost always begins on time.

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Soaring over the red rocks

Tanya Brazil
Staff Writer

GALLUP — As about 100 hot air balloons ascended over the sunny, clear skies of Gallup, onlookers and balloonists only could describe the first day of the 20th annual Red Rock Balloon Rally as a complete success.

Half of these balloons were launched from the Gallup Municipal Golf Course Friday morning where this reporter had the opportunity of being the member of a chase crew for the hot air balloon"Splash."

Kathy Craig, a stay-at-home grandma from Gallup, and I were invited to help Rio Rancho couple Fred and Cheryl Lete and their crew chief, Jerry Harrison, prepare their Aerostar RX-8 balloon for take off.

Cheryl Lete said she has been flying hot air balloons in Gallup since the inception of the Red Rock Balloon Rally 20 years ago and even participated in an unofficial, tryout rally held here the year before it became an established rally.

She said she has flown all over the country and that Gallup is by far the most beautiful place to fly.

The Lete couple, who both are pilots and instructors, fly their balloon in about eight to 10 rallies per year in both New Mexico and Colorado.

The experienced balloonists walked us through the process of rolling out the envelope, attaching the ropes to the wicker basket and using then using a fan to inflate the balloon by blowing cold air into it.

Once the envelope was inflated with cold air, Fred Lete filled the balloon with hot air using a propane gas burner, enabling it to rise.

There is much lifting and pulling involved in this preparation process but the small crew of only five of us managed just fine, that is until the wind suddenly shifted 180 degrees immediately prior to lift off.

As two of us struggled to keep the basket upright, the weight of the wind attempted to pull it down before three spectators standing nearby came to help.

Despite a few moments of panic on my part, the balloon successfully became airborne and Cheryl Lete said we did a good job of recovering it in the face of the wind shift.

As the wind carried multicolored"Splash"and the herd of other balloons toward the west of town, Cheryl Lete and I packed up the remaining supplies and hopped into her truck to begin the business of tracking our balloon.

With the exception of a few, most of the balloons ended up in a field just west of Mentmore where the first of the weekend's Hare and Hound games took place.

The way the game works, Cheryl Lete said, is the balloon appointed to be the lead balloon takes off 10 minutes before the others, lands at an undisclosed location and lays out a target for the others.

Once the other balloons locate the target, they attempt to hit it with bean bags that are labeled with their names.

Judges then measure the proximity of the bean bags and award points to the balloonists which are tallied at the end of the series of daily games.

Cheryl Lete said of all the rallies she has been to, the Red Rock Balloon Rally awards some of the nicest prizes consisting of handmade Native American art work, pottery and jewelry.

But"Splash"was not doing so well in the Hare and Hound race and ended up coming across Highway 66 where it made a brief landing on the other side of the road.

When it once again became airborne, the balloon rose to about 13,900 feet above sea level attempting to get the wind to carry it back toward the group.

The three passengers described the beauty of the snow covered mountains they could see in the distance and the thrill of the terminal descent they experienced at one point.

But instead of joining the other balloons, it was carried it south over the mesas and across a field west of the Red Rock Chapter House where it made its final landing.

With the help of residents in the area, Cheryl Lete and I took the back roads to where the balloon had landed in a remote field blocked off by a barbed wire fence.

After climbing the fence and trudging through the mud and brush, we helped the crew lead the low flying balloon back to the roadway where the truck was parked and it could be packed away.

All of us then headed to Red Rock State Park to refuel the propane and check in with balloon rally officials who monitor the safe return of all balloons that leave the launch areas.

Fred Lete said he and his wife's trip to this years Red Rock Balloon rally was made possible with financial support from their corporate sponsor, Gallup company Vernon Hamilton Construction, which paid for the registration, propane and hotel expenses.

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Even Gary Johnson sounds like a governor in Playboy

Walter Howerton Jr.
Managing Editor

It is not every day that you open an envelope at the office and the newest issue of <cm+it>Playboy<cm-it> magazine slides out, the one that's not even for sale yet. But I ripped open the plain brown envelope and there it was, slick and shiny and smelling of scratch-and-sniff cologne.

The first thing that happened, of course, was that another guy in my age bracket (50 and up and getting by mostly on memories) tried to grab it out of my hands. I didn't blame him. Playboy means a lot to guys like us who grew up thinking all beautiful women like Hugh Hefner's centerfold girls were young, flawless, with hairless bodies and staple holes in their stomachs, somehow naked and innocent all at the same time.

I read an essay once that claimed Hugh Hefner and Walt Disney had the same rather puritanical view of young women (Disney imagined Snow White; Hefner simply imagined Snow White naked). What that has done to the psyches of generations of American men still is being sorted out, but most of us have met real women since our regular Playboy -reading days and loved them even if they did have flaws and didn't have staple holes or need to be rescued from dwarves.

But that's only life and Playboy is still Playboy.

He tugged, I tugged. One of us probably muttered something about reading the articles (that's the real reason we said we always bought the magazine, that and the cartoons, right?). I won. I stuck the magazine in my desk drawer because I grew up in the generation that keeps magazines like that in the drawer. My father kept his dirty magazines (that's what we called them back then and that's why guys like us fight over them still) in his dresser drawer under his underwear. That's where I found them.

Like father, like son sometimes, whether a man likes to admit it or not. But that's another story. This one is about the latest issue of Playboy magazine, not about any of that father and son stuff at all.

So, why would Playboy send the most recent issue to the newsroom of the Independent?

Naked ladies just aren't news anymore, even in Gallup. Not here, not anywhere, not now. This is America. Anyone, young or old, with the price of a ticket to a movie theater can see naked ladies (naked men, too). Anyone with cable TV can see them.
Any kid with a computer or a VCR can see all the naked ladies he wants to see just by clicking a mouse a couple of times or pushing a button on the remote, clickety-clickety.

In fact, there seem to be so many mommy-and-daddy's-little-girls willing to take off their clothes and have their pictures made for a few bucks and so many, many other people willing to pay a few bucks to look at them that Playboy seems as quaint and old-fashioned as black and white TV.

So, if naked ladies Playboy -style aren't the news, it must be like we always said: The Articles!

And there it is, right on the cover, just below the "PLA" in Playboy and just over the naked right shoulder of January's cover girl:

"Playboy interviews Gary Johnson, the maverick Republican governor who wants to legalize drugs."

Our own Governor Lite (the Disney version for sure) has made it to Playboy. And he didn't have to take his clothes off (but then, guys usually don't). Bob Dylan once said that, "sometimes even the president of the United State has to stand naked," but, thank goodness, he didn't say we had to look at him. Besides, Johnson's only a governor and he says repeatedly and with emphasis that he never intends to run for any other office, president or anything else. Whew.

Johnson expounds in Playboy on his ideas about drug legalization (which make more and more sense despite the howls from self-righteous Democrats and prissy lip-pursing among betrayed compassionate conservative Republicans up in Santa Fe).

He talks about his own drug use (marijuana helped him overcome his insomnia but slowed him down on the ski slopes and he gave it up). He tried a little cocaine. He knew people who used heroin and did not become addicted. In fact, he thinks when it comes down to it most people use drugs responsibly and that legalization is a better way to deal with the ones who don't.

He wants to see the border with Mexico opened up, thinks women should make their own choices as far as abortion is concerned, supports an American's right to carry a gun.

Johnson himself does not do drugs, drink, smoke, eat sugar or carry a gun (he runs, bikes, swims and thinks about climbing Mount Everest), but he seems willing to go way out on a political limb to make sure the rest of us have the chance to do what we want to (responsibly, of course) and describes himself as a Republican Libertarian who believes in freedom and accountability. It's a limb so long and shaky that it probably is a good thing he doesn't plan to run for office again.
In the pages of Playboy, Gary Johnson sounds a great deal more interesting than the guy we have had for
governor for the past six years, that guy who preaches school vouchers, bickers with legislators and talks tax cuts until all the rest of us are falling asleep.

So, when some kid caught at that awkward age somewhere between Snow White and the Playmate of the Month goes into his father's underwear drawer and finds (to his surprise) the January 2001 issue of Playboy and flips through looking for articles he wants to read (hee-hee), there will be Gary Johnson, sounding almost like a guy anybody would like to have for governor.

And that is Playboy's secret, the thing that makes it worth fighting for to guys of a certain age: If Playboy can do that for Gary Johnson, just think what it can do for me.

"What kind of man reads Playboy?" That is the question they use to ask. Me, me, me, we all answered. And it seems we still are answering. It is one of the few sad secrets left for fathers to pass to their sons these days.

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Championship showdown
Gallup, Kirtland match up again

Carrie Loretto
Sports Editor

GALLUP — The 26th Annual Gallup Girls Invitational finals has the makings of a great championship.

The host Lady Bengals cruised into the finals with an easy 66-29 rout of Onate Friday night. On the other side of the bracket, the Kirtland Central Lady Broncos awaited following a tough 63-57 victory over Winslow.

"We took control of the game early and didn't let it get away," Gallup coach John Lomasney said following the nightcap. "We need to do the same thing tomorrow night. It's going to be another great game."

"We're looking for a clean sweep tomorrow night," Kirtland coach Dan Scroggins said anticipating another shot at Gallup. "We're hoping we can pull off another miracle."

The Lady Broncos, now 3-1 on the season, will be looking to avenge their only loss against a third straight perennial powerhouse. Kirtland opened the tournament with a 48-37 victory over Sandia and found themselves in a battle against last year's 3A Arizona state runner-up.

It will be the second meeting between Gallup and Kirtland in 11 days. Gallup, unbeaten at 4-0, beat Kirtland 46-43 last Thursday at home.

Tonight's championship is scheduled for 8 p.m. It will follow the third place matchup between Winslow and Onate set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. Window Rock, an 84-54 winner over Albuquerque Academy, will play Sandia for fifth place at 2:30 which follows the seventh place matchup between Tohatchi and Albuquerque Academy. Sandia beat Tohatchi 86-27 last night.

Gallup 66, Onate 29

An assist from Christine Begay to Tanya Bailey for a turnaround basket gave Onate a preview of what was to come from the Bengals all night. Gallup displayed an unselfish offense, a stingy defense and a strong showing on the boards to key their easy victory.

The Bengal defense forced the first of 18 Onate turnovers and converted it into a 5-0 lead when Iris Wilson grabbed the first of 12 offensive rebounds and put it back for a score while drawing a foul in the process. She converted the free throw to complete the three-point play.

Gallup capitalized on another Onate turnover with Tanya Bailey outmuscling the frontline defense for another Bengal score before Onate scored its first points, a shot from the perimeter by Heather Wilson.

Roberta Tahe sparked another 8-0 Gallup run with an assist to Vanessa Hubbard then scored twice off assists from Bailey as Gallup began to pull away. Tahe turned another Onate turnover into a fastbreak layup to put the Bengals up 15-2.

Onate managed to trim Gallup's margin to ten points at the end of the period, but another scoring drought in the second quarter put the Lady Bengals in control as they went on a 15-2 tear.

Sunny St. Clair sank a pair of free throws, hit a three-pointer, then forced a turnover which she turned into an assist to Tahe on the break to jump start the run.

Tahe and Bailey continued to distribute the ball on offense with assists to Hubbard and Mioshia Wagoner and Bailey and Christine Begay scored off offensive rebounding to put Gallup up 37-12 and the Bengals never looked back.

As a team, Gallup finished with 16 assists led by Bailey with five. The Bengals also converted seven of their offensive rebounds into 14 points. Led by Begay's 10 boards, Gallup outrebounded Onate 32-26.

"We came out strong offensively, finding the open person, picking up the changes on defense very well which shows we were communicating," said Lomasney. "We had some defensive breakdowns in the first half, it doesn't seem like it with 16 points, but we had great team defense in the second half."

Gallup held Onate to just four points in the third period and 13 total in the second half.

Gallup finished with balanced scoring led by Tahe's 12 points. Hubbard finished with 11, Bailey 10 while Begay and Candace Roanhorse each contributed eight.

Kirtland 63, Winslow 57

The other semifinal contest was a battle with neither team getting more than a six-point lead in the first half. A basket by Francine McCurtain and a three-pointer from Lexine Jensen put Winslow up 19-13 in the second quarter and the Lady Bulldogs still led 23-17 after McCurtain sank a pair of free throws with 4:13 left in the half.

But by halftime, after coach Scroggins went with a quicker lineup, the Lady Broncos had tied the game at 26-26 with a three-pointer from Tori Begay.

After the halftime break, the Lady Broncos defensive intensity along with success working the ball into senior post Shantel Begay, keyed an 11-2 run. Begay was fouled twice on the inside and sank 4-of-4 free throws at the beginning of the period.
Nadia Begay continued to feed Begay the ball who added another basket.

Nadia Begay then turned a steal into an assist to Tiffany Charley on the break then a heads up play underneath their own basket put Kirtland up by nine points. Charley saved the ball out of bounds and Kym Simpson scored and drew the foul. She converted the three-point play and with 5:54 still left in the quarter Kirtland led 37-28.

Winslow battled back to within one, 41-40, until back-to-back three-pointers from Jaimey Tanner and Nadia Begay put Kirtland back up 47-40. The Broncos took a 49-43 lead into the fourth quarter and were able to pull out to as much as an 11-point lead.

A steal by Simpson resulted in another fastbreak layup by Nadia Begay who was also fouled on the play. She sank the free throw for a 56-45 Bronco lead and Winslow was unable to recover.

"They missed a few of their shots in the second half and we were able to run on them a little bit and get some (quick) points,"
Scroggins said. "Shantel was non-existent in the first half. At halftime the team told her, just relax, we'll get you the ball."

Shantel Begay scored all of her team-high 17 points in the second half. She also had eight rebounds.

McCurtain led all players with 23 points, nine rebounds and four steals.

"We knew Francine is a great player," said Scroggins who opted to play the Winslow leader one-on-one. "I told the others they were going to have to play a lot of area because (going one-on-one) would leave lots of open area."

Window Rock 84, Academy 54

Led by Treva Jim's 21 points, the Lady Scouts routed Albuquerque Academy to advance into the consolation champoinship.
Window Rock had three other double figure scorers to complement Jim's performance.

Andrian Chee scored 16, Roberta Haskie 14 and Ronnie Begay 12.

Lauren Sagartz led Academy with 12 points. Monica Gonzalez and Christy King each contributed 10.

Sandia 86, Tohatchi 27

Sandia limited Tohatchi to single-digits in each of the four quarters to win easily. After opening up a 34-6 first quarter margin, the Lady Matadors expanded their lead.

Lindsey Arndt led Sandia with 27 points and Judy Vogt added 18.

Tasha James was the only double figure scorer for Tohatchi with 11 points, eight of those came in the first half.

Ganado dominates All Area Team

Carrie Loretto
Sports Editor

GALLUP — The biggest surprise of the area prep football season was undoubtedly the elimination of the Ganado Hornets in the opening round of the 3A Arizona state playoffs.

Nonetheless, the Hornets, whose only loss during the regular season was to eventual state champion Blue Ridge before being eliminated by Snowflake in the first round, dominated the <cm+it>Independent<cm-it>'s All-Area football team, placing a total of six players on both the offensive and defensive teams, including Defensive Player of the Year Jason Semore.

A well-balanced distribution of offensive duties on the Hornet squad left room for other area players to earn a spot on the team including Shiprock tailback Marcus Benally who was the Independent's unanimous choice for Offensive Player of the Year.

Ramah head coach Ron Stevenson was tabbed the Coach of the Year for guiding the Mustangs to an undefeated regular season and the Six-Man State Championship.

In the small school (2A and 1A) division, the Laguna-Acoma Hawks dominated the all-area selections with five players.

Benally proved that big things can indeed come in small packages. The 5'4" 138 lbs. junior tailback rushed for 1,751 yards on 216 carries, 28 of those for touchdowns. He added another 100-yard game in the Chieftains' 26-0 Class AAA quarterfinals loss to Portales two weeks ago. For the season, he finished with 2,100 all-purpose yardage.

Also named to the All-Area Offensive Team were Chinle quarterback Pat Ashley and receiver Corey Terrell; Tuba City running back Joshua Allen and punter Tristan Kewanyama; Thoreau running back Michael Lambson; Tohatchi receiver Jonah Billie;
Ganado kicker Lavona Salabye; and linemen B.J. Begay and Jim Ramirez of Gallup; Fabian Talley of Shiprock and Kasey
Bluehouse of Ganado.

Semore heads up the All-Area Defensive Team which features four Hornets off a defense that posted four shutouts and held Blue Ridge to its lowest offensive output in 2000. He was joined by his twin brother Chris Semore at cornerback and linemen Jesse Becenti and Sterling Cornfield.

Other players selected for the team were Gallup linebacker Frank Budick; Tuba City linebacker Jason Yazzie; Window Rock lineman Augustine Anderson; and Kirtland players Tim Brusin, Kenny Schake, Kenny Smith and Nick Martinez.

In an area dominated by running games, Ashley stood out with close to 1,000 passing yards. The 6'3" 190 lbs. senior
completed 72-of-179 passes for 958 yards and nine touchdowns for the Wildcats. He was an honorable mention player in the 4A Grand Canyon Region which includes several Flagstaff High Schools as well as Mingus and Page.

Ashley's leading receiver was Terrell, a first-year player who was also named honorable mention in the 4A Grand Canyon Region. Terrell, a 5'10" 170 lbs. senior caught 32 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns.

Allen led a host of running backs with over a thousand yards rushing was selected All-Area running back with 1,216 yards despite missing two games this past season due to injury. The 6'0", 189 lbs. senior provided 70 percent of Tuba City's offense amassing 2,035 all-purpose yards with 20 touchdowns. Allen is a two-time 3A Enchantment Region first team and All-State
player.

Michael Lambson's 1,265 yards rushing earned him the third running back spot on the All-Area team. The Thoreau senior scored 16 touchdowns during the regular season and was one of two Hawks with over a thousand yards rushing.

Billie's impressive 40.4 yards per catch average placed him at the other receiver position. The second-team all-district player had nine catches for 364 yards and a touchdown.

Tuba City's 6'1" 210 lbs. punter Tristan Kewanyama averaged 44.5 yards per kick this season which was the best average of those nominated by coaches. Ganado kicker Lavon Salabye made 22 of 26 extra-points.

Ganado junior Kasey Bluehouse was a first-team 3A Enchantment All-Region lineman who was called "the best guard in the North...equally effective as a run and pass blocker" by his coach Russ Semore.

Five-foot-11, 260 lbs. offensive guard Fabian Talley helped Shiprock total over two thousand yards rushing. He had 44 key blocks and 23 pancake blocks and edged out teammate Kevin Lee for all-area honors.

Gallup Bengal Jim Ramirez was one of a few bright spots for the Bengals this season. More often than not, whichever side the 6'3", 301 lbs. junior lineman lined up, that was the direction the Bengal running game was headed. He was a first-team District 1AAAAA selection.

Teammate B.J. Begay was the other Bengal garnering all-area honors at center.

A sterling all-around defensive record, Jason Semore was also a unanimous choice for top player honors by the Independent sports staff.

Rated as one of the top three linebackers in Arizona, Semore finished with 98 solo tackles and assisted on 56 more for a total of 154 tackles, 12 of which were for losses. He caused five fumbles, recovered four, and returned two of three interceptions for touchdowns in addition to blocking four kicks. He accumulated those totals playing in only four complete games because of big leads.

The two-time All-State player had season highs that included 27 tackles against Tuba City, 25 against Snowflake, including three for losses, 23 against Winslow and 17 against Blue Ridge, a game in which he was double and triple blocked all night.

His brother Chris Semore, who had over 1,700 yards of offense playing three positions, was placed on the defensive team as a cornerback because of his impact. After leading the state in interceptions in 1999, teams stayed away from his side of the field which limited his 2000 total to three. The 5'10" 190 lbs. senior finished with 37 tackles, recovered two fumbles and caused
another.

Jesse Becenti led the Hornets' defensive line with 75 tackles, 46 solo and 29 assists. He also had four quarterback sacks, two quarterback hurries, five tackles for losses, caused three fumbles and recovered three fumbles. The 5'9", 170" senior was also first team All-Region.

Noseguard Sterling Cornfield had 60 tackles with 34 solos and 25 assists with three quarterback sacks and two quarterback hurries. He also had four tackles for losses and is a first team All-Region player two years running.

Tuba City middle linebacker Jason Yazzie had 162 tackles, 66 unassisted with 96 assists. He had two interceptions, five fumble recoveries, four sacks and six tackles for losses.

Gallup Bengal Frank Budick led a defense which kept Gallup in position to win some ballgames this season. The 5'9", 210 lbs. linebacker had 32 solo tackles, 55 assists, with 2 1/2 sacks and a handful of defensive touchdowns off interceptions and fumble recoveries. He was named to second team All-District in 1AAAAA in the Albuquerque school dominated field.

Four Kirtland players complete the defensive squad led by senior Kenny Smith. The 6'3", 210 lbs. linebacker led the Broncos in three categories: tackles (133), sacks (12) and interceptions (6).

Tim Brusin, a 5'10", 225 lbs. linebacker added 124 tackles with seven sacks. Kenny Schake, a 6'1" 210 lbs. defensive end had 84 tackles, five sacks, two fumble recoveries, caused two fumbles and picked off an interception. Strong safety Nick Martinez, 6'1", 205 lbs., had 81 tackles with five interceptions. Brusin and Martinez garnered All-State honors in 1999.

Laguna-Acoma's Graham Drummonds threw for 1,231 yards completing nearly 50 percent of his passes (82-of-165 for
49.6%). He threw for 15 touchdowns. Drummonds also ran the ball 112 times for 608 yards for another nine scores.

Much of that success came behind the strength of offensive linemen Jerin Aragon and Louis Sarracino who were two of the reasons that Laguna rushed for 2,092 yards as a team.

Although Laguna coach Dan Sanders does not keep stats on his linemen, he said: "Ivan is one of the fastest pulling guards on the team."

"(Sarracino's) very strong and aggressive. He's real powerful and can blow people off the ball," Sanders said of his center.

Joining them on the offensive line were Newcomb linemen Ivan Lewis, Hopi's Abel Nash and Navajo Prep's Luther Martin.

"Ivan got off the ball really well and maintained his blocks," Newcomb coach Anthony Goodwin said of the Skyhawk senior.

Nash was part of an offensive line which helped fellow all-area teammate Ray Dashee accumulate 1,444 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. Both were named to the all-conference team, Dashee on the first team and Nash on the second.

Martin was the Eagles' top lineman which helped produce a pair of thousand-yard rushers. Royal Martin rushed for 1,058 yards.

Valley's Anthony Zazueta was the other all-area running back rushing for 1,247 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was also a first team All-Conference player in the 2A North.

Completing the A-AA offensive team were receivers Ian Anderson of Ramah and Jamie Hooee of Zuni.

Hooee caught for over 500 yards with six touchdowns this season.

Defensively, Ramah's crushing defense placed three players on the All-Area team. All-State linebacker Austin Clawson averaged 10.7 tackles for the Mustangs. He caused seven fumbles, recovered three, had two interceptions and a quarterback sack. Joining him were teammates Tucker Simons and Reginald Antonio.

From the Valley team which finished second in the 2A North and lost in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs, Kenji McCoo and J.C. Baldwin earned All-Area selections. McCoo averaged 10 assisted tackles per game, four unassisted and finished the season with four interceptions and 12 quarterback sacks while his teammate had seven interceptions.

Laguna-Acoma Hawk defensive tackle Frank Ortiz-Cerno had 43 tackles and recovered one fumble. Teammate Jerin Aragon had 72 tackles and 7 1/2 quarterback sacks.

Zuni's Bobby Bowekaty averaged 12 tackles per game to make the team.

Pine Hill players Lyman Paul, who had 68 tackles and one interception, along with teammate Brandon Hooper with 66 and two interceptions, completed the team.

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Friends, families remember area AIDS victims

Larry Di Giovanni
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Candles were lit on marble stairs, tears welled in eyes and the warm comfort of hugs exchanged Friday night inside the McKinley County Court House.

Friends and loved ones remembered locals who have succumbed to AIDS. The Navajo AIDS Network Inc. of Gallup and Chinle, Ariz., which provides case management and prevention services here and on the Navajo Nation in Arizona, treated World AIDS Day as a celebration of life, not death.

The Navajo AIDS Network currently has 56 clients and two case managers. The list of clients is growing at a rate that case manager Maynard Shurley and health educator Mattee Jim would rather not see.

On the positive side, Shurley told an intimate group of victim supporters that more Navajos "are coming out" to reveal their disease and seek help, which reflects the rising number of cases...

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NPS warned of carbon monoxide problems as far back as 1994

PHOENIX (AP) — The National Park Service warned the Coast Guard as far back as 1994 about a disturbing trend of carbon monoxide poisonings involving rear-venting generators on houseboats, The Arizona Republic reported Friday.

Officials at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area sent two letters to the Coast Guard asking the service to make changes to ventilation systems.

The Republic reported this week that nine deaths and 102 serious injuries at Lake Powell in the past decade have been caused by carbon monoxide fumes.

Of those, five deaths and 67 serious injuries have resulted from the odorless, colorless gas coming out of houseboat generators and pooling beneath the swimming deck platform...

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Deaths

Gail Fitzjerrell

TEXAS CITY, Texas — Services for Gail Fitzjerrell, 47, will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 3 at the Fellowship Church. Pastor Franklin Fitzjerrell will officiate. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park.

Visitation will be held at the Fellowship Church at 7-9 p.m., tonight.

Fitzjerrell died Nov. 28 in Texas City, Texas. She was born Feb. 23, 1953 in Yuma, Ariz.

Fitzjerrell was a long time resident of Gallup before moving to Texas City, Texas. She was employed with Helilg-Meyers in Texas City, Texas.

Survivor include her son, Bryan McMackin of Miami, Okla.; daughter, Gina Baldonado of Gallup; parents, Franklin and Verlia Fitzjerrell of Gallup; sisters, Judy Fitzjerrell, Sandy Fitzjerrell, Valrie Galaviz and Grace Lueras all of Gallup and four grandchildren.

Fitzjerrell was preceded in death by brother, Paul Fitzjerrell.

Pallbearers will be Judy Fitzjerrell, Sandy Fitzjerrell, Tanya Fitzjerrell, Valrie Galaviz, Grace Lueras and Sam Lueras.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Dave Gilmore

GALLUP — Services for Dave Gilmore, 77, will be announced at a later date.

Gilmore died Nov. 30 in Gallup. He was born Jan. 9, 1923 in Pittsfield, Mass.

Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.