Teen inmate earns diploma
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Derrick Candelaria exchanged an orange jumpsuit for
a black robe briefly Wednesday as he became the first inmate at the
local juvenile detention center to earn a high school diploma.
The 17-year-old Grants resident has been taking classes at the center
along with 15-20 other inmates since last August, completing more
than a year's worth of courses in just six months.
"He's really worked hard," said Karen White, principal of
Gallup's Central High School, who supervises the four-year-old alternative
education program at the detention center.
School officials had been expecting that Candelaria, who has been
incarcerated at the center after being convicted on aggravated battery
charges, would walk down the aisle at the next Central High graduation
ceremonies in May.
But when they learned that he was to be transferred soon to another
facility and may not be able to make the May ceremonies, district
officials decided to hold a brief graduation ceremony at the center
in front of his fellow classmates.
School officials admitted that one reason the detention center ceremony
was being held was to help motivate some of his other classmates to
buckle down and earn enough credits to graduate.
"You're a role model," Angelo DiPaolo, an assistant to the
superintendent, said at the ceremonies.
Candelaria was praised for making education a priority since coming
to the facility. Julian Mestas, the center's assistant administrator,
pointed out that Candelaria would often take schoolwork back to his
pod and work on it through the night.
The city's newest high school graduate said that while he did OK attending
school in Grants, he had a major motivation to complete his high school
work.
"I wanted to have something to show to my son, Deion Dre Tafoya,"
Candelaria said. His son is now a little over two months old and Candelaria
expects to see him for the first time sometime later this week.
While he doesn't know yet what he plans to do with his life, Candelaria
said he has hopes one day of going to vocational school and learning
a trade.
"Right now, all of this has caught me by surprise," he said
after the ceremonies.
DiPaolo said Candelaria's graduation points out the value of alternative
forms of education to take care of people who, for one reason or another,
can't attend normal classes.
"Thirty years ago, I had my doubts about alternative education
programs," DiPaolo said.
But then he met a 15-year-old kid with a wife and two kids who managed
to get a high school diploma through an alternative ed program. The
kid worked hard and went on to become a surveyor.
"He's now about 50 years old but when I first saw him after he
became a surveyor, he came up to me and said, 'I bet you didn't expect
this.'"
DiPaolo said he is now a big supporter of alternative education and
the possibilities for Candelaria's future.
"This is your ticket to bigger and better things," he told
him.
But the best remark made about Candelaria's future probably came from
a graduation card given to him by district officials.
"It doesn't matter where you have been," the card reads.
"Only where you are going."
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Gallup police get drug dog
Tanya Brazil
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Crime Stoppers has used proceeds from its fundraising
efforts to purchase a new drug detection dog for the Gallup Police
Department.
Diane Bonaguidi, president of McKinley County Crime Stoppers, said
the organization raised $3,500 to buy the dog by selling T-shirts,
sweatshirts and pins at the Red Rock Balloon Rally.
She said that at the request of the police department Crime Stoppers
specifically purchased a drug detection dog to be assigned to the
schools.
The police dog, a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever named Polly,
is assigned to Gallup Police Officer Andy Yearley.
Gallup Police Lt. John Allen said they received a couple of requests
from officers who wanted to serve as Polly's handler but that Yearley
was chosen because he lives locally and therefore is available for
calls in the middle of the night.
Yearley, a school resource officer and Drug Abuse Resistance Education
(D.A.R.E.) instructor, is using the dog once or twice a week to do
locker searches mainly at Gallup High, Gallup Junior High and Rehoboth
Christian schools.
School officials always are present during the searches and actually
are the ones who open the lockers, he said.
Yearley said that Polly loves her work at the schools, that each morning
she becomes excited when she sees him heading to the police unit and
cannot wait to go back on duty.
Canine trainers did suggest Yearley allow Polly to get used to her
surroundings before allowing her to interact with the school children
who at first were hesitant about approaching the police dog.
But Polly has no behavior problems, he said, and gets along well with
the school children who are allowed to pet her as they make their
rounds.
He said the only threat the friendly canine poses is her wagging tail
and affectionate dog kisses. Although Yearley is the dog's handler
and she stays with him at all times, she is considered the property
of the Gallup Police Department.
The department buys all of the dog's food and pays for her medical,
maintenance and training costs.The City of Gallup has paid for an
outdoor kennel to be built for Polly complete with wood paneling,
carpeting and insulation.
The department has two other police dogs a Belgian Malinois trained
in drug detection and a German shepherd trained for dual purposes
such as criminal apprehension, evidence retrieval and narcotics interdiction.
Yearley said many different breeds of dogs can be trained for police
work as long as they have the desire to do the work.
All three canines were trained at Ellen B. Special Canines in Artesia,
N.M., and the instructors come to Gallup once a month to do continued
training with the police dogs.
While it takes longer to train attack and multi-purpose dogs, it only
takes about three weeks to train drug detection dogs, he said.
Yearley said Polly was able to pick up on the scent of cocaine by
the second day of training and now can also detect heroin and methamphetamine.
She has been almost 100 percent accurate except for a couple of occasions
when she indicated on food rather than drugs.
Drug detection dogs also are able to pick up on residual smells such
as those found in pipes used for smoking drugs, he said.
In a presentation given at the last Crime Stoppers meeting, Yearley
demonstrated how he can motivate Polly to find concealed drug pipes
using a tennis ball as a reward.
He begins by pretending to throw the ball to get her attention and
then commands her to find the drugs.
Polly sniffs around the room until she picks up the scent of the drugs
in one of the cabinets at which time she puts one paw up on the area
and then sits down.
When her mission is complete, she is praised and given the much desired
tennis ball to play with for a few minutes.
But Yearley stressed that the tennis ball only works when it is used
solely for drug detection, that she cannot receive the reward unless
she actually finds drugs.
The normal length of service for police dogs is about six years at
which time they generally retire with their handler.
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Audit woes in Grants won't end
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — The city's 2000-2001 audit is now public and while some
issues pointed out as problems in last year's audit appear
to have been resolved, some key ones have not.
Perhaps the most notable unresolved issue is the fixed assets section
of the audit.
Fixed assets are property, equipment and parts bought with taxpayers'
money.
According to the FY 1999-2000 audit done by contract auditor Griego
& Co., for State Auditor Domingo Martinez, "Sound internal
accounting controls require that detailed property and equipment ledgers
be maintained with adequate cost detail to allow
for an audit trail and to provide management with a tool that can
be used for in-house asset verification procedures."
The audit points to a lack of internal controls, the very thing that
put Milan into a legal quagmire with at least $180,000 lost over a
five-year period, allegedly embezzled by a single employee. The largest
single factor in that theft cited by the auditor was "lack of
internal controls."
Suspended Village Clerk Sandra Gonzales was indicted Nov. 2, 2000,
by the Cibola County grand jury on 42 counts of embezzlement and one
count of destroying public documents to cover the theft trail.
Because city-owned property and equipment were not listed completely
in Grants, the scope of the audit was limited. In short, the audit
is only as good as the documentation provided to the auditor.
The reason for not listing fixed assets is simple: inventorying the
property and fixed assets is expensive.
The audit recommends a complete physical inventory of property and
equipment be performed and the audit goes a step further to suggest
that historical costs should be established for each asset and historical
cost appraisals should be obtained.
A case in point is a sprinkler system the City of Grants bought for
the golf course for about $180,000 and was never used. It sat in a
shed for years and recently sold for $15,000 to a rancher who happened
to drop into town looking for such a piece of equipment. Without the
appraisal, no one knows exactly how much the piece of equipment was
actually worth.
City Manager Bob Horacek responded in the audit about the lack of
listing fixed assets by saying, "We concur. We will continue
to work on this situation as resources allow."
This seems to have become the standard response to auditors over the
years.
The 1997-98 audit cites the city for not maintaining a detailed listing
of all property and equipment.
The management response: "We concur. We will continue to work
on this situation as resources allow."
The 1996-97 audit cites the city for not maintaining a detailed listing
of all property and equipment.
The management response: "We concur. We will continue to work
on this situation as resources allow."
The 1995-96 audit cites the city for not maintaining a detailed listing
of all property and equipment.
The management response: "We concur. We will continue to work
on this situation as resources allow."
The 1994-95 audit cites the city for not maintaining a detailed listing
of all property and equipment reflecting historical cost and source
of funds expended. The management response: "We concur. We will
continue to work on this situation as resources
allow."
At a city council meeting last year money, or the lack of it, was
said to be the culprit for not complying with the audit recommendation.
An inventory of the city's fixed assets could cost as much as $30,000
to complete.
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Ramah advances with win over Tohajiilee
Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer
RAMAH — Ramah outlasted Tohajiilee 85-73 in a shootout Wednesday
night during the second round of the District 6A tournament.
"When they (Tohajiilee) get hot, they don't have to get set,"
Ramah coach Grant Clawson said. "It's hard to beat anybody three
times. It's sometimes scary playing the underdogs."
Ramah (14-8 overall) will now travel to No. 2 seed Pine Hill tonight
for a third round game. Pine Hill defeated Ramah twice by scores of
58-55 and 73-59. The winner of tonight's game will earn the right
to play at No. 1 seed Gallup Catholic Saturday night in the district
tournament finals. All games are at 6 p.m.
"We have to play with intensity on defense," said Clawson
of tonight's matchup. "We have to play smart offense and cut
down on turnovers. Pine Hill is a great team that shoots well. You
have to earn everything with Pine Hill. But it's anybody's game."
Despite beating Tohajiilee twice during the regular season, Ramah
had all it could handle. The game was marked with five ties, all coming
in the second half and with a total of 12 lead changes.
The Ramah Mustangs blitzed the Tohajiilee Warriors 12-0 at the outset
with senior forward Jed Henrie scoring six of his 13 points during
the run and junior guard Tucker Simons, who poured in a game-high
26 points, knocking in a pair of buckets.
But the Warriors (10-12) stormed back with a furious run-and-gun offense
that nearly matched the Mustangs.
Senior forward Dwight Platero, who led the Warriors with 21 points
with five treys, buried successive three-pointers that got Tohajiilee
rolling.
With a sizzling 11-of-17 shooting from the field in the opening period,
Ramah still held a 25-14 lead.
The Mustangs staked out a 32-20 lead midway through the second period
on another Simons trey. However the Warriors trimmed the Mustang lead
considerably by intermission with an 18-8 run. Tohajiilee grabbed
the lead for the first time at 37-36
late in the first half on a score by freshman Alex Montoya before
settling for a slim 40-38 deficit at intermission.
Tohajiilee surged into the lead, 52-46, with senior forward Randy
Mailboy, who tallied 18 points, tallying five points in the period.
But Ramah bounced back with a 9-0 run of its own that wiped out Tohajiilee's
lead.
The game was deadlocked for the 12th and final time at 66-all early
in the final period. The Warriors took the lead at 68-67 on a power
move inside by Mailboy for the go-ahead score.
But the Mustangs staged a furious run to close out the win that was
fueled by eight Warrior turnovers in the final minutes of the game.
Ramah outscored Tohajiilee 18-5 with Simons adding six more points
and Preston Morris netting all of his eight points during the run
as the Mustangs won going away, 85-73.
Ramah had 11 players break into the scoring column with Tucker Simons
leading the way with 26 points and four treys with Jed Henrie with
13 points and seven rebounds and Reginald Antonio 10 points.
Tohajiilee had three players score in double figures with Dwight Platero
with 21 points and five treys, Delmer Watuema 19 points, seven rebounds
and four steals and Randy Mailboy 18 points and nine rebounds.
The Mustangs shot extremely well from the field, shooting 65 percent,
35-of-54 while the Warriors hit on 27-of-55 for 49 percent. From long
range, Ramah shot 31 percent, 5-of-16 with Tohajiilee shooting an
impressive 58 percent, 7-of-12.
Athletes of the week
Michael Peretti
Staff Sports Writer
The Athletes of the Week for the week of Feb. 12-19 are St. Michael
Lady Cardinal Natasha Begay and Monument Valley Lady Mustang Lorena
Sullivan.
Begay, a senior at St. Michael High School, was part of the Lady Cardinals
basketball team that finished second in the Arizona 1A state tournament
last weekend.
"It's a real honor," said Begay of being selected as the
Athlete of the Week.
Going into the season, Begay said she wanted to work on her teamwork
and patience. She said that the Lady Cardinals were a young team and
she wanted to defend their state championship that they won in the
1999-2000 season.
"Throughout the season I think I improved alot," she said.
"At the beginning of the season I was practically mortified.
I was scared to handle the ball."
Begay said she had to overcome her fear and be able to handle the
ball well, especially since she was the point guard. "I had to
help the team, because I was the one that handled the ball."
Begay said that she thinks hashing the responsibility helped build
her confidence and make her a better player.
"I think I did a lot better than my previous years," she
said.
In the state tournament, Begay had her best game in the quarter finals,
where she scored 10 points in the Cardinals win. In the championship
game against Joseph City, Begay scored six points, grabbed four boards
and had two blocks.
Begay was named 1A North Conference Co-Player of the Year.
After graduation, Begay said she wants to go into law at ASU, and
that she would love to be a walk on for the basketball team. "I
have not consulted the team or coach, but I would love to play college
ball," she said. "I would work twice as hard to get on the
court if I could."
Begay said that blocking the fans out was one of the biggest challenges
during the season. She also said that she needed to have more patience.
"Patience is a virtue," Begay said. "Patience helps
everything."
Despite placing second in the state tournament, Begay said that she
still thinks it was a great season. "We worked together as a
team and we just mixed. We were able to put our disagreements aside
and work well as a team."
In closing, Begay said that none of her accomplishments this year,
or any of her other four years of playing on the Cardinals varsity
team, would have been possible without help from her head coach, Joey
Rollings.
"He has been my coach for four years. He has taught me a lot,"
she said. "He taught me to strive to be my best and helped me
accomplish my goals."
Sullivan, who has been the Athlete of the Week two times this year
already, said that she feels great about being selected a third time.
"I have done really great lately," the senior at Monument
Valley said. "I got my shooting back and my three-point shooting
has come back as well."
"I had a real good game in Flagstaff last week," Sullivan
said.
Sullivan has made her presence known in the Arizona State Tournament,
scoring 17 points in a 67-48 Lady Mustang win over
Globe, and then she exploded for 42 points in a 77-55 win over Round
Valley.
Sullivan said that she wants to win a state championship and that
that was her main goal at the beginning of the season.
"I want to be the best I can be as a player," she said.
After high school, Sullivan said she wants to, "play college
ball anywhere," even though UNLV is her top choice right now.
She said she hopes to get a scholarship to play basketball there.
The Lady Mustangs will play in the Arizona State Finals this weekend
in Phoenix, and Sullivan said the games won't be easy.
"They are going to be real tough," she said. "Our team
has to get up and play tough and work together as a team."
Sullivan said that she has accomplished most of her goals this season,
and she is happy with the way the season has gone.
One thing that Sullivan said was that there were a few games that
she feels Monument Valley could have won, but were unable to. "We
lost a few games that we shouldn't have lost," she said, but
other than that, she was happy with the way the season has gone.
Sullivan requested that her picture not be printed in the paper.
| Top |
Grants police reports
Two runaways picked up in Grants
Tara Drolma
Staff Writer
GRANTS — Grants Police arrested two runaways on Valentine's Day.
Dennis Ray Misener, 17, of Mansfield, Ark., and Amber Christenberry,
14, of Heavener, Okla., were taken into custody and booked into the
Juvenile Detention Hall in Gallup for running away and unlawful taking
of a car.
Officers were called to Wal-Mart to investigate a complaint that three
people were looking into vehicles in the parking lot. The caller said
they had gotten into a black car with tinted windows.
When they arrived officers found the suspects in the car. When they
checked their identification they found Meisner was listed as a missing
person. They called Christenberry's mother; she said the girl was
a runaway who had taken the car from her...
| Top |
Woman held in stabbing of man
Police say incident due to alcohol
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Navajo police arrested a 39-year-old Dzilth Na
O Dlithle woman on an aggravated battery charge in an alcohol-related
domestic violence incident Tuesday night.
Crownpoint Police District detectives said Lolita Wilson was arrested
after she retaliated against Emerson Johnson, 38, for injuring her
nose. She stabbed him in the wrist and chest, sending him to the Farmington
hospital, the Criminal Investigations Department report said.
Both had been drinking at their home, Navajo Housing Authority No.
15 on San Juan County Road 7588, when the fight occurred between 10
and 11 p.m...
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Tribal court candidates down to 4
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Four people have been nominated as candidates
to fill the third seat on the Navajo Nation Supreme Court, while
one district judge has been nominated for permanent status, and
another rejected for permanent status.
It took three consecutive business days of meetings by the Navajo
Nation Council's Judiciary Committee to make the decisions starting
last Thursday.
President Kelsey A. Begaye will pick one of the four to recommend
to the council as the successor to the retired Wayne Cadman. Begaye
has 60 days once he receives the committee's formal resolution,
which should be adopted within two weeks, to submit his nomination
to the council for ratification...
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Navajo Nation leaders to lobby in D.C.
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — At least three of the four top men of the Navajo
Nation government's leadership plan to spend next week in Washington,
D.C., lobbying Congress and the Indian Health Service on critical
topics.
President Kelsey A. Begaye, Vice President Dr. Taylor McKenzie and
Council Speaker Edward T. Begay are tentatively scheduled to be joined
by tribal Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Yazzie.
However, McKenzie is expected to spend most of his time at IHS headquarters
in Rockville, Md., negotiating the proposed $433 million takeover
of the Navajo Area IHS operation of almost 3,300 employees under a
Public Law 93-638 contract with a tribally chartered non-profit corporation...
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Speaker to air views on forest
Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Special to the Independent
GALLUP — A controversial environmentalist will speak Friday
evening in Gallup, offering his outspoken take on the protection
of the Zuni Salt Lake and the Cibola National Forest.
Sam Hitt, founder of Forest Guardians, a non-profit environmentalist
organization headquartered in Santa Fe, will speak at 7 p.m. in
the Calvin Hall auditorium at UNM-Gallup. The Center for Service
Learning at the university is sponsoring Hitt's appearance.
Forest Guardians is dedicated to the protection of native biological
diversity in the Southwest. Since its founding in 1989, the Forest
Guardians has become known for its willingness to engage the federal
government in litigation over environmental issues, particularly
logging and grazing on public land...
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Deaths
Bertha Lynch Billy
SANDERS, Ariz. — Services for Bertha Billy, 86, will be held
at 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 23 at the Navajo Assembly of God Church,
Houck, Ariz. Rev. Alan Goetjen will officiate. Burial will follow
at McCarroll Cemetery.
Billy died Feb. 18 in Gallup. She was born March 25, 1914 in Wide
Ruins into the Towering House People Clan for the Red House People
Clan.
Billy was a homemaker.
Survivors include her son, Lloyd Billy; daughters, Irene Lynch, Lena
Estrella, Clara Begay, Virginia Sam and Pat Billy; sister, Marie Shaw;
20 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.
Billy was preceded in death by her husband, Tom Billy.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Gilbert Gonzales Jr.
GALLUP — Services for Gilbert Gonzales Jr., 43, will be announced
at a later date.
Gonzales died Feb. 21 in Gallup. He was born Jan. 13, 1958.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Jennifer Jenkins
CRYSTAL — Services for Jennifer Jenkins, 36, will be held at
10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, at the Church of Latter Day Saints, Crystal.
Clifford Tompson will officiate. Burial will be held at a family plot,
Crystal.
Jenkins died Feb. 17 in Shiprock. She was born Aug. 3, 1965, in Shiprock
into the Salt Clan for the Bitter Water Clan.
Jenkins attended Crystal Boarding School, and schools in St. Michaels,
Ariz., and Artesia. She was employed with Rise, Inc.,
Blanding, Utah. She participated in Special Olympics. Her hobbies
were needlepoint, quilting, arts and crafts and listening to
music.
Survivors include her mother, Nellie Jenkins of Crystal; and sisters,
Jeanie Kiro of Blanding, Utah, and Darlene Jenkins of
Tempe, Ariz.
Jenkins was preceded in death by her father, Phillip Jenkins; brother,
Randell Benally; and grandparents, Imelda and Mollahon Nez and Nellie
and Tom Jacob.
Pallbearers will be Shane Lewis, Hondo Lewis, Kumen Lewis, Larry Lewis,
Alden Lewis and Kendall Nez.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Freddie Scott Mitchell
LITTLEWATER — Services for Freddie Mitchell, 46, will be held
at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23, at Cope Memorial Chapel. George Jim will
officiate. Burial will be held at Smith Lake Cemetery.
Mitchell died Feb. 19 in Crownpoint. He was born June 19, 1954, in
Boulder, Colo. into the Red Running into Water People for the Towering
People Clan.
Mitchell attended Monument Valley High School. He enlisted in the
Army Reserves. After his service was over, he held numerous sales
associate postions in national parks in the Western United States.
His hobbies included traveling and collecting Indian art.
Survivors include his son, Shawn Mitchell of Phoenix; daughter, Lolita
Mitchell of Mesa, Ariz.; mother, Annie Mithchell of Littlewater; sisters,
Anita Ration of Littlewater and Juanita Valles of Phoenix; grandfather,
Philip Nez; and five grandchildren.
Mitchell was preceded in death by his father, Scott Mitchell, and
maternal grandmother, Ruth Sanchez.
Pallbearers will be Jimmy Garcia Jr., Shawn Mitchell, Anderson Ration
and Ricky Ration.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at the Annie Mitchell residence, Littlewater.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Helen Altsoosie Burbank
TAHCHEE CANYON, Ariz. — Services for Helen Altsoosie Burbank,
88, will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23, at Our Lady of Fatima
Catholic Church, Chinle, Ariz. Father Blane will officiate. Burial
will be held at a family plot, Tachee, Ariz.
Burbank died Feb. 2 in Chinle. She was born Aug. 1, 1913, in Tachee
into the Bitter Water Clan for the Towering House People Clan.
Burbank was a member of the Native American Church. She practiced
the ancient Navajo astronomy, promoting language and culture, and
was a traditional midwife practitioner in her younger days. Her hobbies
included storytelling, cooking, weaving, horseback riding and sheep
ranching.
Survivors include her husband, Murkey Burbank of Tachee, Ariz.; sons,
Jimmy Burbank of Nazlini, Ariz., and James Burbank of Tachee; daughters,
Ella M. Begay and Arlene Burbank, both of Tachee, Leanna Toledo of
Torreon and Eve Little of Taos;
brother, Donald Kiiyann'ahnii of Chinle, Ariz.; sisters, Marie Morris
of Shiprock and Grace K. Myers of Manuelito; 10
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Burbank was preceded in death by his parents, Kiiyaa'ahii Altsoosie
and Ettcitty Biitsi; brothers, Steven Tsosie, Kiiyaa'ahnii
Begay, Allen Chee, Todichinnie, Sr.; and sister, Kiiyaa'ahnii Biitsi.
Pallbearers will be Michael Suazo, Emmitt Begay, Cornell Begay, Shawn
Toledo, Ned Begay Jr. and Warshaw Suazo.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at the Murkey Burbank residence, 15 miles north of Blue
Gap Trading Post.
There will be a family meeting at Murkey Burbank's residence tonight
from 5-9 p.m.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
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