Five inches!



New Mexico State police officers talk with the occupants of a pick-up truck and a McKinley County deputy Tuesday afternoon along I-40 near the Arizona border. Patches of slush and ice contributed to this one-vehicle accident in which nobody was injured.



New Mexico State Police officers speak to the driver of a pick-up truck that spun out and struck a light pole Tuesday morning at exit 26 on I-40. An 11-year old passenger was injured during the accident and taken to the hospital.

Photos by Jeff Jones

 

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Man with drugs arrested at NCI

Tanya Brazil
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A Phoenix, Ariz. Man was arrested Saturday after police said he was found with several plastic bags of marijuana and drug paraphernalia while being admitted to the Na'Nizhoozhi Center.

The suspect, Jermine Platero, 18, was the one who initially called police after he allegedly was the victim of an attempted criminal sexual penetration at the El Capitan Motel on Highway 66, police report said.

When police arrived, they located Platero in the motel office naked with only a blanket wrapped around him, police said.

He told police that he had been asleep in one of the rooms when his clothing was removed in the dark and his two of his male friends who also were staying in the room began hitting him in the stomach.

One of his friends, who also was naked, then allegedly made a lewd suggestion to the victim who replied that he was "not like that," a police report said.

Platero told police that he then told his friend he needed to go to the bathroom and escaped to the business office by crawling through the window.

Police helped Platero retrieve his clothing and belongings from the room and then transported him to NCI due to his being intoxicated, a police report said.

The other two men also were intoxicated but were not arrested or taken to detox as a result of the incident, police said.

Once at NCI, Platero was found to be in possession of eight plastic bags filled with differing quantities of marijuana, additional plastic bags, a silver scale, small scissors and about $398 in various denominations.

Platero told police the marijuana did not belong to him and also that he did not want to press charges against the two men at the motel because they were his friends and only were drunk.

The suspect was arrested and booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on a felony charge of distribution of a controlled substance.

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Burglary suspects nabbed

Tanya Brazil
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Four burglary suspects were arrested Thursday after police said they stole electronic equipment, saddles and a small dog from a residence near mile marker 25 on State Road 602.

While en route to the residence, a McKinley County Sheriff's Deputy spotted the suspects' vehicle heading north and initiated a traffic stop on Refuge Rock Road.

At that time, three suspects were detained Arlene Peterson, 27, of Church Rock, Kee Keyanna, 31, of Church Rock and Marvin Gray, 31, of Gallup.

Police then conducted a search of the area and located a third suspect Howard Gray, 24, of Gallup laying in the bushes of a nearby field.

The homeowner told police his daughter had come home to find that the residence had been vandalized audio equipment from the entertainment center had been thrown on the floor and that a videocassette recorder and several compact discs were missing, as well as six saddles from a storage shed.

Upon searching the suspects' vehicle, police recovered a small black and white dog belonging to the burglary victims as well as their VCR and four saddles.

Police were unable to locate two of the saddles and a missing global positioning system unit that had been gift wrapped for Christmas.

All four suspects were booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on felony charges of burglary, conspiracy and breaking and entering.

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County works to clear roads

Bill Donovan
Staff writer

GALLUP — County road crews were still working on county roads late Tuesday afternoon to get back to normal after the area's first major snowstorm of the year.

"This snowstorm caught everyone off guard," said Tom Trujillo, director of support services for the county. "We had been told that the storm was going to miss us."

Earlier weather reports on Christmas Eve had indicated that the snowstorm may go north of both McKinley and San Juan counties. Instead, both counties found themselves in the forefront of the storm, which left between eight and 10 inches of snow in most parts of the county.

By Tuesday morning, most county roads were snowpacked and Trujillo said crews in the early morning hours began clearing off the major roads.

"We were fortunate in that there was no school so we concentrated on the roads that were most traveled," Trujillo said.

The county did receive some calls from disgruntled area residents, upset that the road crews had not gotten to their areas in time for them to get to work on time.

"We tried to do the best we could with the crews we have," Trujillo said, "but you have to remember that we have a large area to cover which makes it difficult to get to every area as soon as everyone would like."

The county received several phones calls from residents in the Yah-Ta-Hey area in the morning and Trujillo said road crews were dispatched to that area as soon as it was possible.

By late afternoon, county officials were saying that most of the county roads were passable, either because the snow was melting or because county graders had been working in the area. A number of county dirt roads were reported to be muddy, which in the past has meant that residents may have problems getting to and from the main roads.

Officials for the county road department were out in the field all day Tuesday and were unavailable for comment.

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Local teen places in football competition

Abelita Rose Freeland
Staff sports writer

GALLUP — When Tabitha Rangel attended her brother Donovan's TDFL practices with her father, Ignacio Rangel, she often found herself picking up a football and tossing it around while waited for her brother to finish up his practice.

It was at Donovan's practices that her father and other bystanders saw that Tabitha had a talent with the football.

When people saw the talent the seventh grader at JFK Middle School had, she was asked to participate in a punt, pass and kick competition in Gallup against other competitors.

Tabitha tried for three years in the competition that is national recognized, since the 1960's, and tried her first three times to make it past the local competition, which also included her brother Donovan.

Tabitha was able to beat her brother and other competitors to get as far as Las Cruses for the state competition.

Rangel feels that his son was a little jealous because his daughter beat him but they were all proud of Tabitha.

"She would go to practice with Donovan and (there) she would kick and throw the ball around. The coaches wanted her on their team," Ignacio Rangel said laughing.

But this year, Tabitha's hard practicing with her father, in the apartment parking lot and TFDL practice fields, got her beyond the state level and made her way to the regional competition in Phoenix, Arizona.

Rangel never doubted that his daughter Tabitha, who averages about 40 yards on punting, passing and kicking, would make it to regionals.

On December 17, 2000, Tabitha qualified to compete regionally at the 2000 NFL Gatorade Punt, Pass and Kick competition at half-time at one of the Phoenix Cardinal games where there are an average of 3.5 million participants in the United States and Canada competing to get where Tabitha got, but only a few will make it.

Many of the league's top athletic stars are Punt, Pass and Kick alumni's like Brett Favre, Drew Bledsoe and Troy Aikman.

Tabitha said that she was a little nervous because of the crowd that was there, but that didn't keep her from placing second at the competition against the 12 and 13 year olds competitors.

"I thought I was going to lose. There was a lot of people there," Tabitha said.

"I feel pretty proud (of her). I am glad that she can do this," Rangel said of his daughter.

Tabitha was given the tickets to get into the game, but her family and her made up for the rest of their expenses by going to local business for donations.

Tabitha still has not heard whether or not she has qualified for the national competition in January yet, but if her scores are good enough then that is where her and her family will be ready to go where ever it may be.

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Traffic deaths approach 100
Alcohol plays major role

Jim Maniaci
Dine' Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — With five days left in the year, the Navajo Reservation traffic death toll could easily reach a count of 100 deaths or more.

According to statistics, the New Year's weekend celebrations have the highest count of traffic deaths and accidents resulting from the use of controlled substances, responsible in approximately 75 percent of the traffic-related fatalities on the reservation.

With the death of Navajo, N.M. resident Freddie Gould Sr., 41, on Dec. 16 in Albuquerque, the Navajo Nation's death toll now sits at 99.

Navajo police reported Gould's death Tuesday. He died at the University of New Mexico Hospital where he had been taken after being struck by a car occupied Geraldine Howard and Andrew Begay, both of Navajo, N.M., when he wandered onto a highway about four miles south of Navajo...

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Navajo election board awaits its fate

Larry Di Giovanni
Staff Writer

WINDOW ROCK — The year 2000 was, in a vast understatement, a rough year for the 10-member Navajo Board of Election Supervisors.

Coming up fast is 2001, which will be decisive in determining whether the Navajo Nation Council allows the board to resume its duties of old, or seriously curtails them.

"We're still here," said LeNora Fulton, vice chairwoman of the election board.

The 10 board members haven't been paid their meeting stipends since August, following their July 31 cancellation of the Navajo Nation's Aug. 1 general election. Prior to July 31, they had held out for an October election, citing inadequate funds, time and resources to conduct an Aug. 1 election. They had instead voted to conduct an October election, then a November election in tandem with the Nov. 7 national election...

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Deaths

Evelyn Louise Blevins Fjord

ANNABELLE, Utah — Services for Evelyn Fjord, 49, will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28 at the Grants Latter Day Saints Church. Bishop Ernest Whetten will officiate. Burial will follow at Pioneer Memorial Park, Bluewater.

Visitation will be held at 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28 at the Grants Latter Day Saints Church.

Fjord died Dec. 24 in Annabelle, Utah. She was born Sept. 12, 1951 in Albuquerque.

Survivors include her sons, Johnny Wade Fjord of Skiatook, Okla., Stuart Roy Fjord of West Jordon, Utah and Dusty William Fjord of South Jordan, Utah; daughters, Christina Lee Fjord and Lyndse Pauline Fjord both Annabelle, Utah; parents, Pauline Rowley Dolezal and Roy Franklin Blevins both of Grants; brothers, Elbert Blevins of Bluewater and John Dolezal of Ridgecrest, Calif.; sisters, Ruthanne Shin of Oklahoma City, Okla. and Marta Johnson of Grants and four grandchildren.

Mike Robert Begay Sr.

ROUND ROCK, Ariz. — Services for Mike Begay Sr., 77, will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 28 at the Saint Isabel Mission, Lukachukai, Ariz. Father Caron will officiate. Burial will follow at the Community Cemetery, Lukachukai.

Begay was born Aug. 18, 1924 in Round Rock, Ariz. into the Big Water People Clan for the Edge Water People Clan.

Begay was employed with Fort Defiance Hospital as a carpenter and Chinle Public School as a janitor. Involved in the Chapter House, Chinle Agency Aging Program, old timer rodeo cowboy and a foster grandparent program. He served in the Navy during War World II and recognized for many awards.

Survivors include his wife Marie Rose Begay; sons, Roderick Begay, Marray Begay, Rex Begay, Mike Begay Jr., Ricky Begay and Douglas Begay; daughters, Cecilia Begay of Lukachukai, Ariz, Doris Davis of Chinle, Ariz, and Martha Begay, Phillarena Begay and Lilly Gorman all of Round Rock, Ariz.; brothers, Harry Begay of Round Rock, James Begay and Chee A. Begay both of Lukachukai, Ariz., and Edward Begay, Woodrow Begay and Chuck Begay all of Shiprock; sisters, Candi Begay, Rose Begay, Elizabeth Begay and Esther Begay all of Shiprock; 63 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.

Begay was preceded in death by daughter, Vivian Begay.

Pallbearers will be Rederick Begay, Murray Begay, Mike Begay Jr., Rex Begay, Ricky Begay and Keith Gonnie.

The family will receive friends and family Round Rock Junction at 6 p.m., tonight.

Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Henry K. Chee

GREASEWOOD, Ariz. — Services for Henry K. Chee, 79, will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 28 at Our Lady of the
Rosary Catholic Church, Lower Greasewood. Father Flann O' Neill will officiate. Burial will follow at Community Cemetery, Lower Greasewood.

Chee died Dec. 24 in Greasewood. He was born March 24, 1922 in Greasewood into the Coyote Pass Clan for the Edge Water People Clan.

Chee was a rancher and involved in rodeos as a calf and team roper. He was a member of the senior citizens group. His hobbies included song and dance activities. He was employed with the Union Pacific Railroad and served in the United States Army, special forces.

Survivors included his wife, Mary S. Chee; sons, Arnold Chee of Steamboat, Ariz. Bruce Chee of Ganado, Ariz.; daughters, Barbara Chee and Henrietta Chee both of Fort Defiance, Ariz, Loretta Chee of Nazlini, Ariz., Mary Jane Watchman of Greasewood, Ariz. Teresa Chee of Stockton, Utah and Michelle Chee of Tooele, Utah; brother, Chee B. Yazzie; sister, Mary Louise Begay; 21 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be family members and relatives.

Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Gene H. Peters

TOHLAKAI — Services for Gene H. Peters will be announced at a later date.
Peters died Dec. 25 in Gallup. He was born May 10, 1939 in Rehoboth into the Saline Water People Clan for the Zuni Clan.

Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Edison Yazzie

TWIN LAKES — Services for Edison Yazzie, 39, will be announced at a later date.

Yazzie died Dec. 24 in Gallup. He was born April 17, 1961 in Crownpoint.

Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.