Couple donates art to UNM-G
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — For the past 27 years, Jack and Betty Chapman have been
collecting original paintings and sculptures by some of the best contemporary
Navajo and other Native American artists.
This afternoon, the two are officially turning over a major portion
of that collection to the University of New Mexico-Gallup in the hopes
that it will be the beginning of a growing collection of original
artwork owned by the college.
The Chapmans, former owners of KGAK Radio, have decided to donate
17 paintings and two sculptures with works by Beatien Yazz and his
sons Calvin, Irving and Marvin Toddy and James Cody, Gary Yazzie,
Jimmy Abeita and Richard Taliwood.
Others artists represented included Elroy Kaye, Duane Dishta, Bill
Rabbitt and John Suazo.
Betty Chapman said that the original paintings that she and her husband
collected were meant only to reflect their own tastes.
"Something connected us to each work," she said, "although
of different styles, differing tribes and differing themes. If there
is a connection in the works, it is about people and how they feel
about their place on our common earth."
She added that it was always their intention to one day donate the
works to the college.
"Here it can be seen and enjoyed by countless students as well
as people visiting the campus," she said.
Robert Carlson, director of the Gallup branch, said this marks the
first time that anyone has given the college artwork.
"We have received gifts of pottery, rugs and other artifacts
in the past but never any artwork," he said.
The college has agreed to keep the collection intact and not sell
any of the works, he said.
The college plans to put the collection on display once or twice a
year. There is also talk of making it a traveling exhibit that could
be loaned out to other institutions.
Carlson said the collection will be prominently displayed in a couple
of years when the student lounge near the snack bar is converted into
a permanent gallery.
College officials have been talking for several years about building
a permanent collection of area artifacts that could be exhibited somewhere
on the campus.
That dream was dampened a couple of years ago when several pieces
of pottery were stolen from Carlson's office.
"There really wasn't any secure place at the time to keep these
kinds of things, although whoever took the pottery had to go through
three doors to get it," Carlson said.
College officials think that the pottery made its way to Phoenix but
have been unsuccessful in recovering any of the pieces.
"We have since built a safe room which is double locked and people
have limited access," he said.
Carlson said it's possible that the Chapman's gift could result in
other donations of artwork from the community.
The collection can be seen this evening at a reception the college
is planning to hold from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Gurley Hall, during which
the Chapmans will officially donate the paintings and sculptures.
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Baca builds after blast
Sekai K. Mutunhu
Staff Writer
BACA — Two weeks after an explosion destroyed the Baca Chapter
House near Prewitt, officials are working with the community to pick
up the pieces and rebuild what was lost in the blast.
Chapter President Cecil Lewis Jr. said he is grateful to the local
Head Start for donating office space to temporarily serve as chapter
headquarters.
A modular building will be set up on an area adjacent to the site
of the former chapter house in the next two weeks, he said.
Insurance adjusters are scheduled to meet with Risk Management officials
next week, Lewis said, adding that he hopes work will begin as soon
as possible to replace the 4,000-square-foot building that was destroyed
last month.
The total cost of the damage has yet to be determined.
A pile of bulldozed debris surrounded by wire fencing is all that
remains of the chapter house that was destroyed in an explosion that
jolted people from their beds around 5 a.m. Nov.17.
Area residents described a thunderous sound accompanied by shaking
that many initially mistook for an earthquake that morning. Officials
said the force of the explosion threw debris as far as 300 feet, shattered
windows and shook the foundations of nearby homes.
Special Agent Larry Bettendorf of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco &
Firearms said the explosion was an accident that occurred as a result
of the installation of a new liquid operated wall heater. A leaking
gas line caused the chapter house to fill up with the gas which was
then set off by a spark from the refrigerator or space heater, Bettendorf
explained. No one was in the building at the time of the explosion.
Despite all that was lost in the explosion, Lewis said the accident
has brought the community closer together.
"People are just grateful that nobody got hurt," he said.
"I am grateful to the Navajo Nation for their prayers, support
and our constituents for their support and encouragement."
Lewis added, "After a dilemma like this we are going to have
a tremendous Christmas, a parade and dinner and get everyone back
in the spirit."
For more information about the parade, or to make a donation to the
Baca Chapter House, call 505-876-2993.
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Cibola considers building a jail
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
MILAN — Less than two years ago Cibola County sold its huge financially-faltering
county jail to Corrections Corporation of America and now the county
is contemplating building a jail of its own again.
Cibola County pays CCA about $1 million a year to house prisoners
and for that kind of money some county officials believe a new jail
can be built and operated. What's more, the county would not have
to be at the mercy of a CCA contract change and a probable rate increase.
"We could control our own destiny," County Manager Bob Ortiz
said.
The matter is not even a plan yet, but rather an infant thought that
will be allowed to grow and mature. Ortiz said the county contracted
with Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments to help come up with
a project feasibility study.
While there's no timeline on the project, Ortiz said Cibola County's
contract with CCA expires April 17, 2001. At that time if the county
doesn't have a jail of its own, it will have to renegotiate a contract.
How Cibola County got into the jail business and then out of it was
explained by David Ulibarri, the county's public works director.
Cibola County did not become a county until 1981. Before that it was
part of Valencia County.
"When we split from Valencia County we didn't even have a jail
and we were obligated to house prisoners," Ulibarri said. "The
city of Grants had a city jail, so we subsidized the city's operation
so we could house our prisoners there."
By 1993 the county knew it had to do something else
because of a growing inmate population.
County planners crunched numbers from all over the state and found
out that the state in general lacked an adequate number of beds to
house jail inmates.
County officials came up with the idea to build a county lockup large
enough to house not only Cibola County inmates but prisoners from
other counties and to charge the other counties in the process. It
would not only eliminate the county's lack of a jail problem but would
also be a means of income.
A new $18 million, 320-bed facility was built. The city jail shut
down in 1996, but by then Cibola County was in the jail business.
Cibola officials had worked a deal with Gov. Bruce King's
administration to house prisoners from other counties, but then there
was a change in administration to Gov. Gary Johnson, who thought that
prison and jail privatization was key to New Mexico's prison future.
The county embarked on a unique prisoner marketing campaign.
"We thought that when we opened we'd have all this
business, but we had to work to get it," Ulibarri said.
Business was slowly growing and when the county began to take in juvenile
offenders from throughout the state, the dollars skyrocketed.
"We were making money," Ulibarri said.
Then the state built a juvenile facility in Albuquerque
and business began to slide downhill fast.
"CCA knew we were in trouble," Ulibarri said. "We sat
down and started negotiating with them and on April 17, 1998, we sold
the jail to them."
The county came out of the deal smelling like a rose. CCA took over
the debt service from the county and the county also had about $500,000
in the black from the prison.
Ulibarri said the reserves were quickly fading and with no buyout
it wouldn't have been long until the county would be in the red. Cibola
County worked out a sweetheart deal with CCA. County officials are
now unsure if a similar deal can be worked out in 2001.
County Manager Bob Ortiz said building a new jail was
one of the priority options he was given by the county commission
when he stepped into the county manager's job earlier this year.
"With our own jail we'll be able to control our own destiny and
with CCA it will be able to raise rates when it wants," Ortiz
said, adding that the county wants to save as many tax dollars as
it can for the citizens of Cibola County.
Until April 17, 2001, the private prison corporation is locked into
rates established with the sweetheart contract.
Ortiz said the county is considering a 100-bed facility to allow for
future needs. At the same time he said he is not "crazy"
about building and maintaining a county lockup because of all the
headaches involved in the process.
There is a bottom line to the equation.
"CCA is in the business of making money and we are not,"
Ortiz said. He said $1 million a year is a lot of money. "The
commissioners were just as alarmed as we were about how much money
we're spending."
A CCA official at the company headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., said
Cibola County is taking a responsible approach.
"It sounds like they are doing what's best for the county,"
said Susan Hart, CCA vice president of communications.
She said CCA will be happy to sit down with officials and help them
crunch figures for a new jail if that's what the county wants, or
CCA will sit down with county officials to talk about a new contract.
"Either way, we'll help," Hart said.
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Balloon rally schedule
Staff Report
GALLUP — This morning's much anticipated Gallup Balloon Rally
was a "no go" after heavy cloud coverage and winds forced
coordinators to cancel the ascension.
Balloon enthusiasts will try again Saturday morning
when the three-day rally continues.
A record 185 balloons will climb high above Gallup during the 19th
annual rally at Red Rock State Park...
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Man stabbed in fight
Staff Report
GALLUP — A Chinle, Ariz., man was stabbed three times when a
drunken argument turned violent at the Cowboy Saloon early this morning.
When police were called to the popular bar on 412 N. Ninth St. around
1 a.m., they found an employee trying to separate Terry Silversmith
and Fred Allen Thompson. The two men had been drinking at the bar
when a fight reportedly broke out over money...
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Prisoner mum about jailbreak
Sekai K. Mutunhu
Staff Writer
GALLUP — After turning himself in at the Bernalillo
County jail last Sunday, former fugitive Timothy Mora is keeping his
lips sealed and refusing to give authorities any details about how
he and four of his fellow inmates escaped from the McKinley County
Adult Detention Center.
Soon after Mora surrendered to authorities, McKinley County sheriff
deputies headed to Albuquerque to interview Mora about the jailbreak
and the possible whereabouts of the other escapees...
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College plan stems from status worry
George Hardeen
Special to the Independent
KAYENTA, Ariz. — Concern that Diné College may actually
lose its accreditation the apparent reason for its recent reorganization
finally surfaced Thursday, halfway through a week of hearings.
A small but expressive number of local residents also voiced displeasure
that the popular Northland Pioneer College was essentially chased
out of town by Diné College President Tommy Lewis using legal
leverage provided by the Navajo Nation Council's Education Committee...
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Bates gets 4-year contract at NAPI
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — LoRenzo Bates will continue to serve as general
manager of the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry.
The Economic Development Committee agreed Wednesday to extend Bates'
contract for another four years, rejecting an attempt by the president's
office to limit his contract to one year.
Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye recommended the one year extension
so that a management review could be done of the enterprise...
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Land-dispute change revolves around royalties
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The change in the federal Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement
Act that council delegates are being asked to approve today is a compromise
worked out among many parties.
Under the existing law which has been amended since it was enacted
in 1974, the tribe must select lands within 18 miles of the reservation
in New Mexico which would be placed in trust status. Under the changes
that the U.S. Congress will be asked to approve, the Navajo Nation
will select less land in the Eastern Agency but would gain in royalties
from coal, oil and gas...
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Group seeks Red Rock Park casino
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — A group of Gallup residents is seeking city council
approval to build a race track, casino and possibly a tramway at Red
Rock State Park.
The group, headed by area businessmen Frank Budick and Rudy Garcia,
is hoping to get support from the city for the venture in the next
couple of months and be up and operating by the summer of 2001...
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Delegates take action on NAPI, land controversy
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Here is a summary of the actions taken Thursday
by the Navajo Nation Council during the first day of its two-day special
session:
Approved, 45-11, a one-year extension to use $10 million from the
undesignated reserve for the NAPI french fry potato plant...
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