McBride saying goodbye to Gallup
Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer
GALLUP - Gallup boys basketball head coach Zach McBride announced
his resignation Monday night after his Bengals closed out the season
with a 70-63 loss to Farmington during the opening round of District
1AAAA tournament.
McBride, 36, revealed that he will be leaving at the end of the school
year along with his wife Debbie and two daughters Summer, 12, and
Heather, 10, to move back to Virginia where he grew up and still has
family.
"My dad got real sick there last spring and I want to be closer
to my family and relatives there," said McBride who has spent
the last 10 years in the Southwest. "Alexandria's my hometown."
McBride says he will be moving to Alexandria, VA., where he attended
TC Williams High School, graduating in 1982.
"One of my goals when I was in college was that I always wanted
to go back to my high school," McBride said. "I'm real excited
to be moving and having a new challenge. Now I'll be able to watch
my Washington Redskins play."
McBride spent a year at Valley Sanders High School from 1989-90 before
dropping out to get his Master's in Special Education. After college,
McBride worked at Gallup for six years as an assistant basketball
and assistant volleyball coach.
McBride was then offered the head coaching job at Tohatchi where he
spent two years, taking the Cougars to state both years.
The heading coaching job at Gallup High was open two years ago when
Mark Ruybal, who coached at Greyhills, resigned after a one-year stint.
McBride got the Gallup job and guided the Bengals to two district
wins in the last four years.
McBride said he will miss all the people and the reservation where
he spent the last 10 years coaching and teaching.
"The people here have been part of my life," McBride said.
"I grew up as a person and as a coach. I'll miss the excitement,
the way the people here love their basketball. I really truly love
this area. It wasn't my intention to leave but you can never rule
out the possibility of coming back to Gallup."
McBride said that his wife, Debbie, will be working for the Bureau
of Indian Affairs as an environmental specialist.
McBride says he's hoping to go back to school to get
his Master's in counseling.
McBride had been the Gallup High head boys basketball coach for the
past twobs and won't have to put up with the kinds of problems they
face here."
If IHS officials want to cut down on the high turnover rate, he suggested
they take a hard look at which wards are keeping the nurses and which
ones are not.
"On those wards where there is little or no turnover, the management
should look at what these supervisors are doing right," Artis
said. A program to spread good management styles would not only keep
more nurses, it would provide better care for the pgals were led by
senior guard Sibert Leslie, senior wing Brandon Neel and junior guard
Maurice Giliford each with 11 points.
Farmington's Jeff Dalton led the way with 22 points while Travis Eldredge
scored 18 points and four treys while Adam Grines chipped in 10.
"We just couldn't score in the fourth period," McBride said.
"We had good shots. We just stopped ourselves."
Gallup lost to Farmington twice during the regular season by scores
of 77-57 and 77-66.
Next season Gallup will be competing in the newly formed District
5AAAA.
The Bengals ended their season at 6-16.
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Milan trustees reject manager hopeful
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
MILAN — Village trustees Tuesday rejected a college-educated
businessman with experience in finance and government for the part-time
village manager job because he has lived in Cibola County only five
years.
For the village trustees, five years was not long enough.
William Kip Morales stood before the trustees discussing his qualifications
for the job, but it did no good. However, he was Mayor Elisabeth Lopez-Rael's
top pick among nine candidates.
Morales sought the village manager's job being vacated by Joe Murrietta
of Grants, who is taking a position with the Northwest New Mexico
Solid Waste Authority. Murrietta's last day on the job as village
manager will be March 17.
Rael selected Morales from the list of candidates, saying he had the
most experience to offer the village.
"Three of the candidates had experience, but one had more,"
Rael said of Morales. "I feel he does qualify for the qualifications
of the job."
Murrietta's salary was originally $27,000 a year for the part-time
position. In 1999, he budgeted a raise to $36,000. The raise was approved
by the board of trustees despite objections from Rael. Murrietta,
at the time, said the raise would make it easier to find another part-time
village manager.
Rael asked for a motion to appoint Morales, but none came.
Instead, Trustee Tom Ortega said, "I would vote 'no' for one
reason: Mr. Morales hasn't lived in town very long."
Morales said he lived in the area since 1995.
"There are people who've lived in town with more
time than that," Ortega said.
Trustee Jose Ortega concurred saying, "You haven't been in Milan
that long."
Morales defended himself. "I am very well established in Cibola
County, and I am familiar with government," he began. "My
success rate in business had been impeccable. I have dealt with local,
state and federal businesses, and I have moved them all forward."
He invited the board to contact any of his past supervisors about
his credentials. Morales added that every business he has dealt with
was more successful when he left than when he arrived.
"I'd like to see Milan successful because I live here,"
Morales said. "I'd like to see the village's projects succeed.
I've built a very good reputation here."
Trustee Vivian Brumbelow asked whether Morales sought a full-time
or a part-time job, and he said he would be comfortable with either.
Rael called for a motion. Tom Ortega motioned to disapprove the nomination.
Jose Ortega seconded the motion. The vote was 3-0 to refuse Morales'
nomination.
Rael said she wanted to go on record that she did not approve of the
trustees' actions and she apologized to Morales.
Murrietta said the board has 10 days in which to hold a meeting on
another candidate.
Tom Ortega said in the future any candidate for the village manager's
office needs to submit resumes to the board as well as the mayor.
"The candidate denied tonight, I never received any information
on him," he said.
Rael responded immediately. "You have the right to come into
my office to see the resume," she said.
In other matters Tuesday, the board approved an $18,957.65 bid from
M&M Resources Inc. for the Elkins Sewer Line Extension Project.
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Blue Gap woman dies of injuries
Diné Bureau
CHINLE, Ariz. — A 37-year-old Blue Gap woman died recently of
head injuries when the car in which she was a passenger rolled over
and she was ejected through an open window, Navajo police said.
The Chinle District report identified the victim as
Darlene Yazzie and said alcohol was involved in the accident.
The driver, Arlene Yazzie, 35, of Chinle and another passenger, Winifred
Charley, no age listed, of Chinle, also were injured.
Police said the incident occurred about 4 a.m. Feb. 18 on U.S. 191
at mile post 439.5 near Chinle.
The police report did not indicate whether the Yazzies were related.
DUIs
WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Department of Corrections booked the
following adults Feb. 23 and Feb. 25 on charges of driving while under
the influence of alcohol:
Window Rock James Ervin, 26, of Yah-Ta-Hey and John Martin, 55, of
Black Hat.
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Union: Bad bosses drive nurses away
Bill Donovan
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — The head of the federal nurses' union in this area says
he knows why the Indian Health Service is having problems keeping
nurses.
"You have some bad supervisors within the area," said Peter
Artis, president of Local 1376 of the Navajo Nation Health Care Employees
Union.
"There are some hospitals wards in this area that have very little
turnover because nurses are happy working there," he said. "Then
you have some wards where there is constant turnover because the supervisors
really take the joy out of being a nurse..."
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County OKs light at Ninth, Rt. 666
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
GALLUP A proposal to put a traffic light at North Ninth Street and
Chino Road was approved by the McKinley County Commissioners on Tuesday
but only after questions were answered and a little resistance was
overcome.
The light would be placed at U.S. 666, where the two roads meet.
The New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department plans to
extend North Ninth to cross Route 666 across from where Chino Road
hits the highway...
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Grants science students advance
Mary E. Davis
Staff Writer
GRANTS Forty-seven local students advanced to the regional science
fair after collecting top scores in the local competition last week.
The 20th annual Four Corners Regional Science and Engineering Fair
will be held Thursday through Saturday at Saint Teresa's Community
Center, 400 E. High St.
The sixth through 12th graders advanced to the regional fair after
scoring up to 300 points on their projects at the local contest. About
102 students competed in the Grants fair for first- through fourth-place
prizes...
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Kirtland holds off Shiprock
SHIPROCK — The Kirtland-Central Broncos remained in a tie for
the District 1AAA lead with a 59-54 win over the Shiprock Chieftains
in boys prep basketball action Tuesday night.
The Broncos jumped on the Chieftains for a quick 38-24 lead at halftime.
The Broncos were still up 50-39 after the third quarter before having
to hold back a Cheiftains' run in the fourth quarter.
Davis Harwood led the Broncos with 27 points wtment plans to extend
North Ninth to cross Route 666 across from where Chino Road hits the
highway...
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Pine Hill beats Lynx
PINE HILL — The Pine Hill Warriors advanced to the District 8A
Championship game with a 57-54 victory over the Rehoboth Lynx Tuesday
night at Pine Hill High School.
The Warriors were led by Justin Begay with 13 points, including a
9-for-10 free throw effort in the second half. Also leading Pine Hill
was Jovian henio with 12 points, Urian Maria with nine points and
Dominic Chischilly with nine points.
For Rehoboth, Jordan Hale led the way with 20 points, followed by
Andy Yazzie with 12 points and Toby Crooks with 11 points...
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Pay power
Chapters keep right to veto or approve raises
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The attempt by members of the Navajo Nation Council
to get chapters on the reservation to give them the power to approve
their own pay raises appears to have failed.
By Monday's deadline, only 13 of the 31 chapters that had turned in
resolutions had agreed to give up their right to veto council pay
raises. Another 14 voted against the proposal. The other four chapter
resolutions were rejected because they did not have the necessary
25 voters to make a quorum.
There is still a slim chance the council can pull off its pay raise
request, since chapters not already counted may have voted but not
turned in their vote totals to the Legislative Branch...
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'Scream' mimics sought
Staff Report
ZUNI — Two assailants who dressed like the killer in the "Scream"
movies and assaulted two Zuni residents in separate incidents are
being sought by police.
The Zuni Police Department has no suspects in either case so McKinley
County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information about the
assaults.
The first report police received was from a 63-year-old female who
was stabbed in the hand with a 10-inch kitchen knife between 3 and
3:30 a.m. Jan. 16...
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Deaths
Derald Leroy Sweten
GALLUP — Services for Derald Leroy Sweten, 58, will be held at
10 a.m. Thursday, March 2, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Pat Universal
will officiate. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park.
Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, March
1, at Rollie Mortuary.
A rosary will be recited at 7 tonight, March 1, at Rollie Mortuary
Palm Chapel.
Sweten died Feb. 27 in Gallup. He was born April 9, 1941, in Okema,
Okla.
Sweten was a U.S. Army veteran, serving in Vietnam.
Survivors include his wife, Carmen Sweten of Gallup; daughters, Cindy
Griego and Debbie Weickum, both of Gallup; mother and stepfather,
Ruth Lee and Robert Glosup of Dale City, Okla.; brothers, Steve DeSantis
of Dale City and Nathanal Yazzie of Joplin, Mo.; sister, Ann Floyd
of Dale City; and two grandchildren.
Sweten was preceded in death by his father, Leroy Sweten, and stepfather,
Greg DeSantis.
Pallbearers will be Donovan Alonzo, Steve DeSantis, Eddie Gonzales,
Don Mitchell, Manuel Rodriquez, James Seay, Kenneth Weickum and Nathanal
Yazzie.
Rollie Mortuary of Gallup is in charge of arrangements.
Des Bah Castillo
STANDING ROCK — Services for Des Bah Castillo, 96, will be held
at 10 a.m., Thursday, March 2 at St. Paul Catholic Church in Crownpoint.
Father John Boland will officiate. Burial will follow on family land
in Standing Rock.
Castillo died Feb. 21 at the Good Samaritan Center in Grants. She
was born Feb. 15, 1904 in Standing Rock into the Folded Arms People
Clan for the Sleepy Rock People Clan.
Castillo was a homemaker, rancher and rug weaver.
Survivors include her sons, Tony Largo, Tommy Castillo and Peter Castillo;
daughters, Julia Upshaw; 24 grandchildren; and 33 great-grandchildren.
Castillo was preceded in death by her husband, Emilio Castillo; and
parents, Clyde Begay and Alna h bah Begay; brothers, Willie Largo,
John Largo and John Long and sisters, Maxine Largo, Louise Etcitty
and Della Chee.
Pallbearers will be Robert Largo, Jimson Largo, Anthony Castillo,
Calvin Castillo, Herman Upshaw and Steven Upshaw.
The family will receive friends and family after the burial services
at the Standing Rock Chapter House.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Flossie Begay
NASCHITTI — Services for Flossie Begay, 62, will be announced
at a later date.
Begay died Feb. 27 in Albuquerque. She was born May 12, 1937, in Naschitti.
A family meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight, March 1, at the Naschitti
Chapter House.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
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