Gas prices boost bus ridership
Navajo Transit fills a need
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK Officials for the Navajo Transit System don't have to
go to the nearest gasoline station to know when oil prices are on
the rise they only have to look at how many people are using tribal
buses.
Ridership is currently up, said Wayne Claw, the bus line's general
manager. In the last year, the number of bus travelers had gone down
slightly from 174,000 people to 172,000.
Regular riders like the Samson Tsosie family wife Loretta and two
children, ages 4 and 2 depend on tribal buses to get to Gallup from
their home in Ganado.
They make the trip once a week and use the bus because "it gets
us where we want to go."
But many regular users say riding the bus can be frustrating because
they never know whether the bus is going to come on time or at all.
Claw admits the majority of tribal buses are worn out most have had
their engines and transmissions replaced at least three times. They
keep breaking down, frustrating everyone, he said.
But Claw has hopes he will be able to trade in the 13 oldest buses
in the fleet which combined have more than 5 million miles on their
odometers by the time the Navajo Nation Fair rolls around in September.
He also hopes to have enough funds left over to buy a service truck
that would make repairs in the field. That way, bus travelers wouldn't
have to wait in broken-down buses for hours until another bus could
be found to take them to their destination.
The recent jump in gas prices caused many people to return to buses,
he said.
One of the buses new riders is Donald Yazzie, who climbed onto bus
No. 7729 for the first time Thursday.
Yazzie said he was tired of forking over $2 a gallon for a trip from
Ganado to an appointment in Gallup, so he opted to board the 41-passenger
bus that goes to and from Gallup four times each weekday.
George Koshinway is another passenger on the route.
"I ride every so often, he said. "Senior citizens get a
discount and that saves me dollars." Senior citizens and the
handicapped receive a 50 percent discount, with students receiving
a 20 percent discount.
Riders who don't fit in any of the special discount categories pay
about 8 cents a mile. Claw said passenger fares raise about $160,000
a year.
Koshinway boarded at 6 a.m. in Kayenta for the ride that goes by Diné
College's main campus in Tsaile and south through Fort Defiance to
Gallup.
He said he would be back home about 7 p.m. Although it would be a
seven-hour round trip if he drove, the Monument Valley resident relaxed
in his padded reclining seat while someone else paid attention to
traffic.
The round trip full fare from Bashas' in Window Rock to the Greyhound-Amtrak
depot in downtown Gallup is $4.35 per person less than one-fourth
the cost of driving.
The cost of boarding the bus didn't seem to be a problem for anyone.
Koshinway and the Tsosie's also said they haven't encountered any
problems on the bus.
But William Anderson, who rides twice a week from Fort Defiance to
Gallup and back, said "Sometimes drunks get on and do cause some
problems. And sometimes people smoke and drink in the back of the
bus, but normally it's OK."
Anderson said the 10:05 a.m. run into Gallup usually isn't full. "Most
of the time, we're full on the way back," he said. The run leaves
the Gallup Indian Medical Center about 2:05 p.m. He said he's back
home in Fort Defiance by 3:30 p.m.
Isabell Anderson, the driver on the route, said the bus fills up around
the first of the month, when everyone gets paid.
The brand new fleet of a dozen 29-passenger and 15-passenger buses
will be worth about $3 million, all being paid for with federal money,
Claw said.
He said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., introduced the bill that will
allow the Navajo Nation to become the first tribe to tap into this
revenue source.
American Indian tribes convinced Congress, through the senator, to
allow some of the money for the Indian Reservation Road system to
be diverted to transit, just as Congress allows states to do for cities
and counties. This is the $3 million that will be used to replace
the original fleet, still in service after two decades.
Navajo Transit began service in 1980 with 10 buses that cost about
$1 million, of which 85 percent was a federal grant.
Currently there are 10 fixed route drivers, plus a half-dozen charter
bus drivers who also fill in for vacations and illnesses. The transit
system has four mechanics and a three-person administrative staff
including the general manager. Of the annual budget of $1.2 million,
operating costs consume about $700,000, capital costs about $310,000
and administration about $180,000.
Buses run from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays (no Saturday or Sunday service),
although the first runs on most of the nine routes begin around 6
a.m.
Charter runs include Tuesday and Wednesday trips to the White Mountain
Apache Indian Tribe's Hon-Dah casino in Arizona and Wednesday and
Thursday journeys to Hollywood Casino at San Felipe in New Mexico.
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Cops stall on request for report
Publisher demands account of police chase
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — A dispute continued Thursday over the release of a Gallup
police report concerning the deaths of three members of a Navajo,
N.M., family in an accident caused by a suspected drunken driver.
Gallup Police Chief Danny Ross issued a written response Thursday
to a request by the Gallup Independent for a copy of the report of
the March 12 accident. The accident followed a police chase of the
suspected drunken driver.
Ross said the city would respond to the paper's request on or before
2 p.m. April 4. Under state law, Ross had to reply to the formal request
in three days but then could take up to 12 more days to release the
document or reject the request.
Normally incident reports which describe the basic circumstances of
the crime or event are released to the press, but Gallup police officials
have steadfastly refused to release this one, despite several attempts
by reporters to see it.
Ross, in his response, said the incident is being investigated by
the New Mexico State Police.
"Second, it is my understanding that the investigation into the
incident is ongoing," he said.
Bob Johnson, director of the New Mexico Foundation on Open Government,
said Ross' response doesn't address the issue.
"It really doesn't matter who is investigating the incident,"
he said. "There had to be an incident report, and even if the
original copy was given to state police, the city made a copy, and
that could have been released."
Johnson's organization, which is funded in part by newspapers, radio
and television stations in the state, monitors government agencies
and their compliance with state public record laws.
He said Thursday the city police have no choice but to release the
report because state law provides that incident reports are always
public record.
A refusal could end up with the newspaper taking the city to court.
Bob Zollinger, the paper's publisher, said Thursday that a court case
could wind up costing each side between $15,000 and $25000, but "when"
the city loses, it would be required under state law to pay the paper's
legal costs.
The police department picks and chooses which reports to release,
Zollinger said, and it's trying to protect itself and the "macho"
officer who pursued the driver through town.
District Attorney Mary Helen Baber and the Police Department are making
a concerted effort to hide from the public the actions of the police
officer, Zollinger said. Although the driver was wrong, the police
officer was out of line to initiate a high-speed chase through town,
he added.
"This an affront to the public's right to know," Zollinger
said. "We will vigorously pursue this as a gross violation of
the public's right to know."
Johnson said it's obvious the city is stalling for time, trying to
wait as long as possible before the report has to be released.
Although Ross' response was written by the city's legal counsel, Lynn
Isaccson, Baber became involved earlier this week when she was asked
by Ross for a legal opinion on the options available to city police.
In an interview Monday, she said that state law was not as open and
shut as Johnson and Zollinger appear to think and that there are sections
of the state code that would allow the police, under certain circumstances,
not to release the report.
She stressed that the district attorney's office will not advise city
police to release the document if the state law doesn't require it
and if its release would jeopardize the ongoing investigation or help
the person or persons responsible for the deaths to escape punishment.
Ray Hobb, his wife Christine and 8-month-old daughter Shasawn, were
killed when a pickup driven by Johnny Caballero, 30, of Brimhall struck
their vehicle after a high-speed chase with city police.
Earlier this week, Caballero was still in a local hospital recuperating
from injuries from the crash. Law enforcement officials said they
did not expect charges to be filed against him until after he was
released from the hospital.
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Author's memories of life in San Mateo
are still vivid
Mary E. Davis
Staff Writer
GRANTS — A gold ring. A letter written in Spanish formally asking
the parents of a 17-year-old girl for her hand in marriage. A midwife
who helped bring two generations of babies into the world. A Lebanese
shopkeeper. And a sleepwalking grandfather driving his horses out
at night to check on his fields.
These are the people and things some now long gone that once were
a part of everyday life for the 250 inhabitants of the Hispanic village
of San Mateo, about 23 miles northeast of Grants.
Abe Pea, now in his early 70s and living in Grants with his wife,
Viola, and a 24-year-old parrot named Paco, was once part of that
life in San Mateo. He was born and raised there, spending his boyhood
caring for his family's herd of sheep.
His father, Pablo Pea, was a sheep and cattle rancher. After his marriage
to Pablita in 1922, the couple settled in San Mateo with an inheritance
of a moderate house and 225 head of sheep.
The couple, who married 17 days after Pablita's parents received a
letter of proposal from her prospective groom's mother and stepfather,
written in Pablo's handwriting, had seven children. Abe, named after
his paternal grandfather, Abelicio Pea, was their second born.
"We were all ranchers all the way back to Spain," said Abe
Pea, author of "Memories of Cibola: Stories from New Mexico Villages."
"Sheep ranching was the first industry of New Mexico because
sheep provided meat for the first colonists that came. It was like
a supermarket on legs."
Once the economic mainstay for most families carving out a living
in Cibola County, sheep have mostly disappeared from the landscape
here. After World War II, coyotes and other predators, a Congress
which prevented ranchers from setting out poison traps, and man-made
polyesters (which replaced wool) made it impossible for families to
continue supporting themselves on sheep herding.
Pea's first book, published in 1997 by the University of New Mexico
Press, paints what life was like in San Mateo during the 1920s through
the 1950s.
At one time the village didn't have electricity. The first car to
drive over its unpaved streets was a luxury, owned by his grandfather,
that constantly broke down. The village's residents were self-sufficient
and shared among themselves fruits picked and dried from their orchards,
pion nuts, which they sold at market, and the festivities of the annual
pig slaughters.
"We were small farmers and small ranchers. We all spoke Spanish.
We didn't learn English until we went to school at the age of 6,"
Pea said.
He still has an 18-carat gold ring that once belonged to his maternal
grandfather, Fermin Marquez. The ring, made around 1915, was taken
from Marquez's finger after he died of pneumonia.
When Marquez was young, he walked in his sleep, Pea said. When Marquez's
mother couldn't find him in bed, she suspected he was sleepwalking.
She would then find someone to follow Marquez, who was usually dressed
in his long johns, as he drove his horses around, checking his fields
all the while asleep.
The book tells about the lives of Doa Virginia Perea
Sanchez, a midwife who delivered most of the village's babies, but
outlived five of the six children she gave birth to: Max Miller, a
Navajo who is suspected of having been adopted and raised by Billy
the Kid; Lebanese immigrant Merhage Michael, who switched from speaking
Spanish to his native Arabic when he became angry' and Don Eduardo,
the village carpenter.
"These are individuals that passed away," Pea said. "but
their families are still in the area. They're the buyers (of his non-fiction
book). They're big families."
While Pea's writing focuses primarily on people he knew, he also lays
a foundation for how they got to New Mexico. The book tells the stories
of the area's first Spanish-speaking settlers Spaniards who traveled
through Mexico more than 300 years ago what they went through to get
here and the struggles they had to endure to survive.
The immigrants almost didn't stay in New Mexico. Tired of Indian attacks,
the killing of settlers and the kidnapping of their children, Spanish
settlers packed up in the 1680s and started heading home. A group
of Spanish soldiers ran into the settlers and, after promising to
protect them, the colonists finally decided to stay put.
Pea's family settled in New Mexico about 12 generations ago, when
his ancestor, Jose Mariano de la Pea, left Mexico with Don Diego de
Vargas and other colonists in 1692.
"He (Jose Mariano de la Pea) was a merchant with livestock and
farming in Pajarito (a community once located) outside of Albuquerque,"
Pea said.
It took being far from home to coax Pea into writing. After getting
out of the sheep business, he took a job as director of the Peace
Corps in Honduras and Costa Rica. He began to keep a journal of the
experience.
"In essence, I taught myself to write cynically and in detail,"
Pea said.
He plans to put his journal entries into a third book, "Memories
of Latin America." His second, "Villages and Villagers"
a follow-up on his first book is being looked at by publishers.
Though history had always been one of his favorite subjects (his high
school New Mexico history teacher, the late George Dannenbaum, wrote
"Boom to Bust" about the uranium industry), Pea began researching
his state's history only when he was in Australia studying the art
of sheep herding and wool production on a Fulbright Scholarship. He
visited the library, where he found books on Southwest history.
"I guess I was a fan of history," Pea said, "but I
never thought I would pursue history."
He first published his personal historical writings after a casual
conversation with a newspaper reporter led him to a local newspaper.
"Memories of Cibola County" is a collection of 10 years
of newspaper columns written between 1987 and 1997.
"People liked it and made comments and wanted me to write more
and more," Pea said about the columns. "People now keep
telling me, 'Are you writing another book?' and I say 'Yes.' They
get impatient."
Because Grants doesn't have a bookstore, "Memories of Cibola
County" is being sold at local businesses. It can be found at
the Chamber of Commerce, Cibola Arts Council office, Grants Floral
Shop and Habiger's Service Printing.
| Top |
Candidates named for county, state posts
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The McKinley County Bureau of Elections reported this
week the names of candidates who are running for five elected positions
in the county in the June primary.
The election bureau named those running for state representative for
District 5, Magistrate judge Division II, McKinley County commissioner
for District 3, county treasurer and county clerk. The names of people
running for several other positions which McKinley County residents
will vote on will not be released until Tuesday.
In all but one of the races for these five offices, two or more Democrats
will face off in the primaries. Only two races have a Republican candidate...
| Top |
Bengals, at 4-3, enjoying some early
success
Gallup faces tough competition again this year
Bengal baseball
Alan Arthur
Sports Editor
GALLUP — The Gallup Bengals are a bunch of fun loving guys. But
they do know when to get serious.
The Bengal baseball team has thus far earned themselves a winning
record of 4-3 early this prep season. That includes a fifth place
finish last weekend at the Farmington Invitational where they won
two games in the consolation bracket after losing their opener to
a tough Colorado opponent.
Earlier, this year, the Bengals swept the Belen Eagles to open their
year before being swept by the Del Norte Knights in Albuquerque...
| Top |
Gallup swimmers compete at state
GALLUP — The Gallup Gators swim team sent five swimmers to this
year's New Mexico state championships.
Tylor Sanchez and Shane Senoski competed in the 8-under state championships
on February 26 at Kirtland Air Force Base. Senoski took a fourth place
in the 25-meter backstroke, seventh place in the 50-meter freestyle
and an eighth place in the 25-meter freestyle. Sanchez took a fifth
place in the 25-meter backstroke, eighth place in the 50-meter freestyle
and seventh place in the 25-meter freestyle. Both boys were competing
in the 7-year-old boys division and improved their times...
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Fund-raiser snowballs to success
$3,000 raised for Overgaard
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — A young couple walked into the Grants Station Restaurant
here Thursday and flashed a couple of white cards. Waitress Jenine
Lopez smiled at them, and they followed her to a table.
The white cards were tickets for a special benefit spaghetti dinner
to raise money to help Norman Overgaard, who has suffered a brain
aneurysm.
Grants Station owner Bud Rieck last week estimated the benefit dinner
would bring in about $750...
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Half of county clerk's office seeks position
Mary E. Davis
Staff Writer
GRANTS — Half of County Clerk Patricia Aragon's full-time staff
wants her job. Three staff members filed for a place on the June 6
primary ballot in the county clerk's office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Tuesday.
Tuesday was the only day candidates seeking the five county office
openings could file.
It's the first time, Aragon said, that her staff members are competing
for the county clerk title since her appointment and several re-elections
14 years ago...
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Shiprock man gets OK to run for board
seat
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — A Shiprock council delegate is being allowed to
run for a local school board even though he failed to meet the election's
filing deadline.
Richard T. Begaye, one of three council delegates representing Shiprock,
had high hopes this election season, planning to run for positions
on four school boards.
Begaye said he wanted to run for the four school board positions simply
because they were open. He also pointed out that two of the board
positions are for small schools...
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Dog leads hikers to safety on Navajo
Mountain
Nancy Watson
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — A stray rottweiler is credited with saving the lives
of five women stranded during a blizzard Monday night on Navajo Mountain.
But the dog may not get the credit for rescuing four other people
the next day who were hiking the same area.
On Saturday morning, when the five women began hiking the Rainbow
Trail to the Rainbow Natural Bridge, the four-legged companion began
to follow them...
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Deaths
Archie Anthony Lewis
PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Services for Archie Anthony Lewis, 81, were
held at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Prescott. Father Fred
LeClaire, C.M.F., officiated. A private family burial followed the
service at Mountain View Cemetery with military honors by American
Legion Post 6.
Lewis died March 5 at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in
Prescott. He was born Feb. 25, 1919, in Casa Blanca to Frank and Jennie
(Oweka) Lewis.
Lewis served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the South Pacific
during World War II. He helped build the Alcan Highway in Alaska.
After his discharge as a staff sergeant, he worked for the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad for 42 years, retiring in 1981. He
was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans. He was a former
Gallup resident before being transferred by the railroad.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Lewis; sons, Anthony Lewis of Laughlin,
Nev. and Donald Lewis of Flagstaff, Ariz.; daughters, Ann Adams of
Spring Creek, Nev., and Geraldine Doty of Glendale, Ariz.; eight grandchildren;
and 10 great-grandchildren.
Lewis was preceded in death by a brother and a sister.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Sacred Heart Catholic School,
Education Fund, 131 N. Summit Ave., Prescott, Ariz. 86301.
Burnell L. Hubbard Jr.
GANADO, Ariz. — Services for Burnell L. Hubbard Jr., 42, will
be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 25, in St. Michael. Father
Melton Hickey will officiate. Burial will follow at the Ganado Community
Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m. today, March 24, at the Cope
Memorial Chapel.
Hubbard died March 21 in Phoenix. He was born Oct. 23, 1957, in Ganado
into the Red Running into the Water People Clan for the Water Edge
People Clan.
Hubbard was employed with T.W. Steel in Phoenix. He was a 1976 graduate
of Ganado High School. He trained as a welder in Long Beach, Calif.,
and as an iron worker in Crownpoint.
Survivors include his wife, Carolyn Hubbard of Ganado; sons, Brandon
Hubbard and Bronsen Hubbard, both of Ganado; daughter, Colleen Hubbard,
Colinda Hubbard and Crystal Hubbard, all of Ganado; father, Burnell
Hubbard Sr. of Kinlichee, Ariz.; brothers, Lincoln Hubbard and Anthony
Hubbard, both of Kinlichee, Ariz.; sisters, Bernice Henderson of Window
Rock, Elvira Upshaw of Gallup, Alice Marie Shirley of St. Michaels,
Ariz., Buelah Mae Hubbard of Kinlichee, Ariz., and Burnella Begay,
Brenda Ann Hubbard and Beverly Slivers, all of Ganado ; and one grandchild.
Hubbard was preceded in death by his mother, Sarah Williams.
Pallbearers will be Lincoln Hubbard, Anthony Hubbard, Sherwin Monroe,
William Teller Jr., Bensen Yazzie and Donovan Begay.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Helene A. Cozzens
GRANTS — Memorial services for Helene A. Cozzens, 84, will be
held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Grants Mortuary Chapel.
The Rev. Richard Danek will officiate.
Cozzens died March 22 at the Grants Good Samaritan Center in Grants.
She was born Sept. 14, 1915, in Lea County to James Green Randle and
Dollie May Stewart Randle.
Cozzens was raised on a homestead farm near Eunice. She was a 1932
graduate of Lovington High School and class salutatorian. She married
Harold B. Cozzens in 1933 in Lamesa, Texas. They moved to Milan in
1957.
She was the founding member of the Rebekah Lodge in Milan. She served
as Noble Grand numerous terms; served on the board of Mother Whiteside
Library; was a presiding judge for the election board of Milan for
10-15 years; and was a member of the First United Methodist Church.
She was employed as office manager for the engineering firm that surveyed
the original Village of Milan and later managed the Montgomery Wards
Store in Grants before retiring in 1980. She was a prize winning gardener
and quilter, artist, poet, and card player.
Survivors include her son, A. Bailey Cozzens of Pleasant Hill, Calif.
Nathaniel Woody
MANY FARMS, Ariz. — Graveside services for Nathaniel Woody, 30,
will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, March 25, at the family cemetery plot
in Many Farms. Amos Redhair will officiate.
Woody died March 20 in Phoenix. He was born Oct. 28, 1969, in Ganado,
Ariz., into the Salt People Clan for the Towering House People Clan.
Woody attended Rough Rock Community School and attended AIBT. He was
working in Phoenix at the time of his death. His hobbies included
artwork, riding horses and traveling.
Survivors include mother, Nellie Woody of Many Farms; brothers, Emanuel
Woody of Farmington and Brandon Lee of Many Farms; and sisters, Gloriana
Woody of Tempe and Ramona Woody of Many Farms.
Woody was preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Francis
Woody.
Pallbearers will be Aarnin Yazzi, Emanuel Woody, Elson Honnie, Alvin
Yazzie, Martin Yazzie, Johnny Honnie Sr. and Johnny Honnie Jr.
The family will receives relatives and friends at the Woody residence
after the service.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
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