Scouts grapplers take 6th in state
Alan Arthur
Sports Editor
ROUND VALLEY, Ariz. — The Window Rock Scouts took sixth place
at the Arizona state wrestling tournament held this past weekend.
Payson captured the state championship with a score of 194.5 points.
Taking second was Winslow with 179 points, followed by Rio Rico 127,
Round Valley 117, Coolidge 98, Window Rock 94, San Manuel 76.5, Snowflake
72.5, Show Low 69.5, and Safford and Ganado finished in a tie for
10th with 69 points.
Other area teams and their finish were Monument Valley in 21st place
with 25 points, Tuba City in 25th place with 12 points, Pinon in 28th
place with three points and Greyhills in last place with no points.
For the Scouts, senior Neil Damon (121 lbs.) was fourth with a 3-2
record in the tournament and finishes 28-5; senior Chris Spencer (114
lbs.) was third with a 4-1 record in the tournament finishes the year
at 31-6; Michael Kee (162 lbs.) was fourth with a record of 3-2 and
finishes 27-10; Kyle Hale (heavyweight) was fourth with a record of
3-2 and finishes 26-9; freshman Jarrod Yazzie (105 lbs.) was fifth
with a record of 4-2 and finished the year with a 25-14 record; senior
Sheldon Burnside was 2-2 and finishes 19-10; Neil Bigthumb was 2-2
and finished 23-11; Chase Law (173 lbs.) was 1-2 and finishes 8-3;
Blaine Tso (217 lbs.) was 1-2 and finishes 25-8; senior Lester Kinsel
(127 lbs.) was 0-2 at state and finishes 11-16; sophomore Marcus Yazzie
(132 lbs.) was 0-2 at state and finishes 12-12; and sophomore Mike
Pahe (142 lbs.) was 0-2 at state and finishes 14-12.
Also in the area, Ganado's Erin Peshalakai (145 lbs.) was second,
Ganado's Sterling Cornfield (114 lbs.) was second, Ganado's Almon
Nelson was sixth and Monument Valley's Jeremiah Etistty (160 lbs.)
was fifth.
Winslow had nine wrestlers in the finals. Payson had three which accounted
for the final margin. Window Rock's inability to get wrestlers into
the finals cost them a higher placing.
"I was satisfied with the results. The kids came through. We
had five places," Window Rock head coach Les Kinsel said. "This
is the first time we didn't have anyone go in finals but we still
did pretty well. As a team we did real well.We've been consistent,
being in the top 10 at state the last six years. Last year we finished
third.
"We were sitting in third place behind Winslow and Payson. It
was just a matter of getting guys into the finals. We didn't do it."
| Top |
3A Enchantment Conference ready for run
in state tourney
Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — If the past is any indication, the always
tough 3A Enchantment Conference is expected to do well during the
Class 3A State Basketball Championships that get underway today with
the Sweet 16 round in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Area boys teams have claimed four of the last seven 3A state titles
(Monument Valley with three state titles in 1997, 1996 and 1993 and
Window Rock in 1995) and have been the state runnerups four times
in the last eight years.
Area girls teams have been even more dominating with 11 state titles
in the last 14 years along with eight state runnersup in the last
nine years. Window Rock claimed seven of the state titles with Winslow
with three and Monument Valley one.
On the boys state bracket, 3A Enchantment (North) top seed Winslow,
which claimed the 3A Enchantment Region top seed by virtue of knocking
off conference champions Tuba City 78-71 Saturday night in the regionals
finals, will go up against Dysart, the West No. 4 seed tonight at
7:30 p.m. at the Northern Arizona University Rolle Activity Center.
3A Enchantment (North) No. 2 seed, Tuba City, which advanced to last
year's state semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Coolidge,
goes up against West No. 3 Wickenburg at 5:30 p.m. at the NAU Skydome.
Ganado, the North No. 3 team, will have faced Seton Catholic, the
West No. 2 seed, earlier this morning. Monument Valley, which narrowly
missed pulling off an upset of eventual regional champion Winslow
during the regional semifinals before losing by three points, 59-56,
will have played West's top team Fountain Hills earlier this morning.
In other Sweet 16 opening round matchups, South No. 2 Globe will play
East No. 3 Blue Ridge at 5:30 p.m. at Coconino High School; East No.
1 Alchesay will go up against South No. 4 Sahuarita at 8:30 p.m. at
the Dome; South No. 1 Coolidge will play East No. 4 Snowflake at 5
p.m. at Flagstaff High School; and East No. 2 Show Low will play South
No. 3 Safford this afternoon at Coconino High.
If area teams advance past the Sweet 16 opening round, Winslow's second
round game will be at 8:30 p.m. at the Dome Wednesday; Tuba City's
second round game will be at 1 p.m. at the Dome; Ganado's second round
game will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Dome; and Monument Valley's second
round game will be at the NAU Rolle Activity Center at 4 p.m.
The girls state bracket has North No. 1 seed Tuba City, which rallied
to wipe out a seven-point deficit in the final 1:03 to beat Winslow
51-49, takes on West No. 4 Parker at 7 p.m. tonight at the Dome. North
No. 2 Winslow will play West No. 3 Fountain Hills at 6 p.m. at the
Rolle Center; North No. 3 Monument Valley, the defending state champion,
will play West No. 2 River Valley this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at Sinagua
High School; and North No. 4 Ganado will play West top seed Seton
Catholic at 1 p.m. at the Dome.
In other opening round games, South No. 2 Coolidge will play South
No. 3 Alchesay at 2:30 p.m. at Flagstaff High School; East No. 2 Snowflake
will play South No. 3 Safford at 5:30 p.m. at Flagstaff High School;
South No. 1 Globe will play East No. 4 Show Low at 4 p.m. at Coconino
High School; and East No. 1 Round Valley will play South No. 4 Sahaurita
at 4 p.m. at Sinagua High School.
Should the area teams advance past the Sweet 16 round,
Tuba City's second round game will be Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the
Dome; Winslow's second round game will be 7 p.m. at the Dome; Monument
Valley's second round game will be 10 a.m. at the Dome; and Ganado's
second round game will be 2:30 p.m. at Rolle.
The final four boys and girls teams will advance to
next week's Final Four at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Ariz.
The boys state semifinals are set for 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Friday,
Feb. 25 with the state finals set for 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.
The girls state semifinals are set for 3:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Friday,
Feb. 25 with the state finals set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.
| Top |
Tipsters help put criminals in their
place
Tanya Brazil
Staff Writer
GALLUP — In the past three years, tips received through Crime
Stoppers have resulted in the arrests of robbers and murderers who
might otherwise still be walking Gallup streets.
The worst of the lot included a man who robbed Nizhoni Laundry and
held a little boy at gunpoint, said Diane Bonaguidi, president of
McKinley County Crime Stoppers.
Luckily, a witness called Crime Stoppers with a description of the
suspect, which led to his arrest.
"We felt that was bad because it involved a child just him and
his mom doing laundry," she said.
Information called in by citizens also has helped solve
a burglary at Rainbird Pawn & Trading Co. and a murder behind
the Esquire Lounge, she said.
Besides ridding their community of criminals, she said, residents
can receive rewards of up to $1,000. The amount paid to informers
varies and is decided by a five-member board of volunteers and detectives
working on the basis of tips.
"We have a lot of money that we'd like to be able to give away
on tips that are called in on our confidential, toll-free line,"
Bonaguidi said.
Sandy Aragon, the acting director of Metro Dispatch, said the calls
are answered by her agency, which then relays the information to the
correct agency. The anonymous calls to Crime Stoppers are never recorded,
she said.
Aragon recently volunteered to act as a liaison to Crime
Stoppers to inform law enforcement agencies, fire departments, schools
and businesses about the ways the agency can assist them in solving
crimes.
Aragon, who described herself as the "middle guy," will
also work with the media to get the word out about unsolved crimes
and rewards for tips.
One tip for callers, she said, is to be factual about
their information so police can act quickly.
Bonaguidi said Crime Stoppers receives money from judge-mandated fines
paid by lawbreakers, as well as private donations and fund-raisers.
All of the money raised goes into the reward fund, she said.
She said McKinley County Crime Stoppers probably pays
somewhat more for tips than the rest of the state because the organization
has funds available.
One of the hardest parts of the arrangement involves anonymously getting
the money to tipsters, especially in such a small community, she said.
Sometimes police officers aid in the transaction by secretly delivering
the money. Crime Stoppers is exploring betters ways to secretly pay
the rewards and protect informers.
Bonaguidi said she does not feel Gallup is a violent community but
is disturbed by its problems of gang graffiti and illegal drugs the
two crimes that stimulate most of the calls to Crime Stoppers.
She said the agency has a difficult time attracting
volunteers and would like to have more. So she encourages those wanting
to get involved to attend the Crime Stoppers meeting at 7 p.m. every
second Wednesday of the month at the Gurley Hall board room at University
of New Mexico-Gallup.
For more information, call Crime Stoppers toll free
at (877) 722-6161 or write to P.O. Box 240, Gallup, N.M. 87305.
| Top |
Collision kills Gallup teen
Staff Report
GALLUP — A 16-year-old Gallup girl died Monday morning after
she ran a stop sign at Cipriano Street and State Highway 602 and was
hit by an oncoming car, police said.
Police said Laurie Rae Bertinetti's gray Toyota was headed eastbound
when she pulled out in front of a blue GMC pickup traveling south
on the highway.
Bertinetti's car was struck in the left door area, sustaining heavy
damage to the left front fender and left front and rear doors. The
truck's entire front end was wrecked, a police report said...
| Top |
Pieces of local, Navajo history to be
auctioned
Bill Donovan
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — A piece of Navajo and Gallup history will soon be going
on the auction block.
The family of the late Gallup trader, Asa Glascock, will hold a two-day
auction beginning April 1 in the Phoenix area to sell some 1,400 items
of the family's collection of 20,000 including some articles once
owned by Chee Dodge, the first chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council.
The auction will also include items from the collection of Bill and
Jean Cousins, another long-time trading family on the Navajo Reservation...
| Top |
Grants files to take over dino exhibit
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — The Dinamation situation appears to be a lot more explosive
than city officials are admitting in public.
In court filings Friday, the city of Grants indicated it might take
over the financially troubled museum. From the day the museum opened
this past June 28, it failed to draw the crowds that Dinamation officials
had projected.
While Grants City Council members Monday discussed behind closed doors
what to do about Dinamation, a truck was parked outside the museum,
apparently ready to haul exhibits to destinations unknown...
| Top |
Hiker made best of bad time
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
EL MALPAIS — Almost 23 hours after Bob Oconnell walked onto the
rugged Acoma-Zuni Trail for a three-hour hike Sunday, a New Mexico
State Patrol helicopter plucked the lost hiker from the jagged lava
rocks in good shape.
About 30 minutes into his three-hour walk, Oconnell, an accomplished
hiker, took a wrong turn and became hopelessly lost in El Malpais,
a maze of lava rocks and dry-bed canals. He ended up spending Sunday
night on the rocks and making the best of a bad time.
It was about 9 a.m. Monday when the helicopter crew spotted Oconnell
picking his way through sharp-edged lava rocks. The lava rocks can
cut a pair of tennis shoes to ribbons in a matter of minutes...
| Top |
Judge OKs P&M class action suit
S.J. Ludescher
Staff Writer
WINDOW ROCK — Navajo Nation District Court Judge Allen Sloan
ruled Monday that the lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 100 former
employees against the Pittsburg Midway Mining Co. can proceed as a
formal class-action lawsuit.
The class-action suit will lump all affected workers in one lawsuit,
rather than requiring each person to file a separate suit.
Lynn Isaacson, the legal counsel for P&M, argued against the class-action
status...
| Top |
Embattled lobbyist for RECA withdraws
S.J. Ludescher
Staff Writer
WINDOW ROCK — Cooper Brown, the controversial lobbyist for the
Navajo Nation on uranium miner compensation issues, has publicly withdrawn
his involvement with the Navajo Nation.
In a letter to Navajo Nation President Kelsey A. Begaye earlier this
month, Brown said he thought his continued involvement in the RECA
reform effort would continue to create "needless strife and further
confusion at a critical juncture in the legislative process when all
need to be working together as one."
Organizations concerned with the health problems uranium mining caused
Navajo miners have contended that Brown received an excessive amount
of money for the work he did for the Navajo Nation...
| Top |
Final salute for fallen officer
Nancy Watson
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — A final flag-raising ceremony will be
held Thursday for Navajo Police Officer Samuel Redhouse, who was killed
in the line of duty in the Iyanbito area on Feb. 17, 1997.
The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the residence
of Ray and Elizabeth Redhouse, Samuel Redhouse's parents, about 1.5
miles northwest of the Lukachukai Thriftway Store on Route 12 in Lukachukai.
Samuel Redhouse was killed when he responded with other
area law enforcement officers to a call about a man with a gun in
the Iyanbito area, east of Gallup...
| Top |
Deaths
Leander Talayumptewa
CHINLE, Ariz. — Services for Leander Allen Talayumptewa, 27,
will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, at the Canyon Family Church.
Pastor Ron Rajca will officiate. Burial will follow at the Chinle
Community Cemetery.
Talayumptewa died Feb. 12 in Chinle. He was born Feb. 4, 1973 in Ganado,
Ariz., into the Cliff Dwellers People Clan for the Hopi People Clan.
Talayumptewa attended Chinle High School and graduated from Sherman
Indian School in Riverside, Calif. He was employed as a security guard
at Chinle Public Health Services, Phoenix IHS, Rough Rock NHA and
Cliff Castle Casino. He received athelic awards and his hobbies included
listening to music and watching movies; he also enjoyed history.
Survivors include his son, Kordell Christian Talayumptewa
of Phoenix; daughter, Danielle Nicole Talayumptewa of Phoenix; parents,
Allen Talayumptewa and Caroline Draper; sisters, Tasheena Talayumptewa,
Tanisha Talayumptewa and Tierra Draper, all of Chinle; and grandparents,
Wilson and Lorene Yazzie, and Velma Selesteua.
Talayumptewa was preceded in death by his sister, Natasha Talayumptewa,
and grandfather, Erickson Talayumptewa.
The family will receive relatives and friends at 6 tonight, Feb. 15,
at Caroline Draper's residence.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements.
Jay N. McCollum
SUN CITY, Ariz. — Services for Jay N. McCollum were held Saturday,
Feb. 12, at the Sunland Mortuary.
McCullum died Feb. 8 in Sun City.
Survivors include his son, Paul McCollum of Gallup.
Rollie Mortuary of Gallup was in charge of arrangements.
Laurie Rae Bertinetti
GALLUP — Services for Laurie Rae Bertinetti, 16, will be announced
at a later date.
Bertinetti died Feb. 14 in Gallup.
Cope Memorial Chapel of Gallup is in charge of arrangements.
Harry Notah Jr.
THOREAU — Services for Harry Notah Jr., 40, will be announced
at a later date.
Notah died Feb. 12 in Continental Divide. He was born
March 14, 1959, in Fort Defiance, Ariz., into the Towering House People
Clan for the Edge of the Water People Clan.
| Top |
All contents property of the
Gallup Independent.
Any duplication or republication requires consent of the
Gallup
Independent.
Feel free to send any questions or comments to
gallpind@cia-g.com
E-mail the webmaster at
martyr_dom@hotmail.com
