Begaye losing top officials
Herb Clah latest to resign
Jim Maniaci
Dine' Bureau
WINDOW ROCK Navajo President Kelsey A. Begaye on Friday announced
the appointment of Law Enforcement Department Chief Dorothy Fulton
as acting Public Safety Division director after Herb Clah Jr. resigned
to be closer to his family in Shiprock.
Clah recently named Fulton as the head of his largest department.
He is the fifth division head to leave the top post in the Begaye-McKenzie
administration three departed voluntarily and two were terminated.
However, he will stay with the tribe.
In addition to Clah, those who resigned have been Teresa Hopkins of
the General Services Division and Lester Tsosie of the Management
and Budget Office. Both left to return to private industry.
Begaye removed Estelle Bowman as Washington, D.C., Office director
and Marlene Jasperse as Health Division director.
He and Vice President Dr. Taylor McKenzie also lost three other top
executives Larry Foster, Tom Ranger and Sharon Noel.
Foster is a consultant and often seen around the tribal capital. Ranger
returned to his previous career as management trainer.
Noel joined the state of New Mexico's Office of Indian Affairs. Derrick
Watchman recently replaced her as Chief of Staff.
When Noel moved up to Chief of Staff from presidential legal advisor,
he named Michelle Brown to fill the spot, then transferred her to
head up the Washington, D.C., Office. Karen Bernally replaced Brown,
moving across the street from bein
g the Government Services Committee advisor.
In his memo to the Public Safety Committee, which is the Legislative
Branch oversight panel of the Executive Branch division, Clah noted
his departure was not due to any conflict or disappointment either
from himself or the administration, according to
presidential press officer Merle Pete.
Clah will stay with the tribal government, becoming Local Governance
Support Center Northern Agency Director in Ben Jones'
Community Development Division. He will work with chapters.
"The administration is truly saddened by Mr. Clah's departure.
The vice president and I, however, support his decision to leave
as his family will benefit most. Mr. Clah is a hard worker, a true
professional," Begaye said.
Clah, of the Hogback Chapter, earned both a bachelor's and master's
degree from Brigham Young University plus 45 hours at
the BYU law school.
He also is one of the few people to have been Navajo DPS director
twice, serving from 1993-95.
Before being tabbed as the head of the 700-plus employee division
with a current year's budget totaling $73.2 million, the 52-
year-old executive was with the Community Services Department of the
Legislative Branch. That department was transferred
and merged with a similar Executive Branch department and is now known
as the Local Governance Support Center, with an
office in each of the five agencies.
Clah also has been Dean of Instruction at Navajo Community (now Dine')
College, Utah Navajo Development Council director,
and the first director of the tribal Youth Development Program.
He previously was an area director for the seminary (school) of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And Clah
assisted in establishing Shiprock Alternative High School.
Among the accomplishments cited during his latest two-year stint as
the NDPS director are working with the oversight
committee, obtaining an additional $5 million of outside funds to
hire and equip officers, improved training, and introducing a
community policing philosophy. Another achievement was the completion
of the yet-to-open juvenile hall in Chinle.
Clah also cited the U.S. presidential visit in April to Shiprock,
what he considers a successful coordination of public safety
during the tribal fair and continuing work on obtaining a mega-prison.
He and his wife Sandy have four children, three boys and a girl.
| Top |
Water pumping station is huge
Larry Di Giovanni
Staff Writer
FARMINGTON The mammoth, $40 million Gallegos Pumping Station
on NAPI, when operational in late summer, will see the Bureau of Indian
Affairs activate one of the great engineering feats it has ever provided
to the Navajo tribal farm.
"When we started, we dug a 60-foot hole. There's a heck of a
lot of concrete in here," said Bob Krakow, the BIA's Navajo Indian
Irrigation Project manager.
"This is sort of the observation deck. These are the motors that
run the water pumps," he gestured, looking downward at eight
giant engines. Five are capable of pumping water with the force of
8,000 horsepower, and three at 3,000 horsepower.
Together, the motors and the water pumps under them can pump 800 cubic
feet per second of San Juan River water, fed by way of Navajo Lake.
The discharge lines run up to 10 feet in diameter.
"Essentially, with all eight pumps running at once, we could
dry up the San Juan River today," Krakow said.
That will happen in about a week, when the soon-to-be discharged farm
irrigation waters stored at Navajo Lake will greatly increase San
Juan River flows.
The Gallegos plant's discharge lines will send NIIP water three miles
up a mesa, an entire elevation of 300 feet. The final destination
will be the Burnham lateral, one of the water delivery feeds supplying
56,000 acres of fields currently under production within the Navajo
Agricultural Products Industry.
Though the Gallegos Pumping station won't be functional until around
August, NIIP has about 80 smaller water pumping
operations to keep the tribal farm well irrigated until then. Navajo
Lake water for the just-started 2001 NAPI growing season
should be released between Monday and April 1.
Currently, NAPI's round fields are a combination verdant green and
tan. Green are the winter wheat fields, which will be
harvested in July. Also sprouting is the less colorful alfalfa. After
the dam water is released into NAPI's main canal, the next
crops for planting will be potatoes, beans, corn and specialty crops,
such as pumpkins and mint. NAPI also has orchards for
the harvesting of cherries, apples and other tree-bearing fruit.
Like other endeavors provided by the U.S. government to the tribal
farm, Gallegos Pumping Station will function as part of a
Public Law 93-638 contract with the Navajo Nation. That means the
feds pay for all aspects of NIIP, while the tribe takes over
operations and maintenance and must meet certain standards for those
operations.
Without the Gallegos project, the BIA was paying $4 million yearly
into the NIIP operations and maintenance contract.
"With this project, it will cost us considerably more,"
Krakow said.
But Krakow, who has worked for NIIP since 1979, said the tribal farm
will ultimately function best as a tribally owned and
operated entity. That comes despite the fact that NAPI lost about
$2 million per year between 1995 and 1999, with a bigger than
$2 million loss expected for the recently completed 2000 crop year.
The BIA's $25.5 million yearly NIIP budget also pays for the Bureau
of Reclamation arm of NIIP, which constructs all
projects.
NAPI simply could not survive without NIIP and the 370,000 acre-feet
of annual San Juan River water reserved for the farm
through a 40-year agreement with the Interior Department. That agreement
began in 1976 and can be renewed by the tribe.
NIIP is part of the U.S. government's repayment to the Navajos under
a treaty obligation, Krakow said. NIIP is also partial
repayment to the tribe for 110,000 acre-feet per year diverted to
the San Juan-Chama diversion project.
BIA gives much to NAPI
According to the Mid Kansas Agri Co. assessment, NAPI's
value without NIIP is $1 billion. When NIIP and its elaborate water
delivery system is included, NAPI's value increases more than 400
percent to $5.2 billion. That delivery system consists of all of the
canals, pumping stations, laterals, and sprinkler apparatus including
up to 1,800 foot-long center pivots necessary to deliver that water.
Krakow said his goal has always been to ensure that the tribal farm
operates efficiently enough in tandem with the BIA so as to earn a
profit. Sometimes, political differences of the past between the Navajos
and the U.S. government must be set aside for the good of the farm.
The BIA is negotiating a new memorandum of agreement with NAPI on
the roles and responsibilities for each.
"In order to make this thing work, we have to develop a partnership,"
he said. "I don't know how else to do it. You have to disclose
where you are, what your positions are."
The federal government has spent $500 million since 1976 building
NIIP's water delivery system in blocks. The Gallegos
Pumping Station is what will become Block 9 in a yet-to-be-constructed
Region 3. Within the next four years, more than $200
million above an authorized "ceiling" of $600 million will
be needed through a congressional reauthorization though "not
all at
once," Krakow said to construct Blocks 9 through 11. Block 8
is nearly complete.
In addition to free water and water delivery, the BIA provides NAPI
with an Agricultural Testing and Research Laboratory. The
lab checks water, fertilizer, soil and plant tissue samples. New Mexico
State University operates an experimental station for
NAPI, conducting research such as what varieties of crops grow best
in the NAPI environment.
Inside the agriculture lab, a fiber-optic system under development
will eventually allow all pumps and pivots to be operated by
remote control. This will reduce fluctuation in the main NIIP canal.
Al Nakai, the lab's Global Information Systems coordinator, engineers
maps that can tell farm managers what was planted in
each field, each year, and the precise location of items on each map
within one foot of variance. These advances are part of
NAPI's Management Information System.
"I like to brag on Al," Krakow said. "When we started
this thing, he didn't have a whole lot of experience.'
A lab of scientific luxury
"There are universities that would just croak
to have what we've got," said Blake Onkan, the ag lab chemist.
He works with plant pathologist John Keenan.
The lab has enough state-of-the-art equipment to satisfy Frito-Lay
technicians when they visit the lab to run tests.
Proper analysis of fertilizer involves weekly adjustments of how much
nitrogen is placed into planted crops, Onkan said.
Fertilizer mainly consists of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
Soil samples are finely ground before study.
Crops are "fertigated," which means in addition to spreading
fertilizer the traditional farm way, some fertilizer is also dripped
through center pivots during the sprinkling process.
"What we want to know is how much (fertilizer) the plant can
get to," Onkan said.
All plants, such as corn, beans and potatoes, are examined for their
nutrient values. Alfalfa, as one example, is measured for its
fiber, protein and moisture content.
"Any alfalfa below 25 percent fiber is premium-grade hay,"
Onkan said.
Taters a NAPI mainstay
Well-cultivated potatoes produce high-value crops that are prized
by NAPI. The tribal enterprise and BIA are currently examining three
sites for a proposed potato processing plant, which will manufacture
french fries, tater tots and other fast-food faire.
The most expensive potato crop comes from "chipper potatoes,"
which, as one example, are those from which potato chips come from.
Samples of potato chips are cooked before they are transported by
truck to such areas as Casa Grande, Ariz., where
Frito Lay warehouses are located.
The best potato chip "chippers" depend on two main factors:
when the potatoes are picked, and how well they were stored.
Potatoes must be picked promptly when ready, and stored at the ideal
cool temperature, or will contain too much starchy sugar.
Holding one plastic bag of ideal, nearly white potato chips in one
hand, and looking at a less desirable bag of "carmelized"
brown chips in his other hand, Onkan said, "That's what Frito
Lay doesn't like."
The carmelization is caused by a high sugar content, and produces
a burnt-like effect.
At the NAPI potato warehouse, where russets and other brands are bagged
and boxed under the "Navajo Pride" label, it's hard
to tell that the potato market has bottomed out in recent years. Navajo
laborers were busy hoisting the finished product onto plastic-wrapped
pallets.
The price of the potatoes once sold is what is hurting NAPI and other
potato buyers. One 100-pound bag of russets sells for $3.
The happy home cook wants an 8-ounce tater that fits nicely "in
the palm of your wife's hand," said NAPI potato processing manager
Aaron Benally.
Benally is definitely someone who is waiting with anxious concern
for the potato market to bounce back.
That size we're running now, it's perfect," he said proudly.
| Top |
Public relations, public education and
the naked truth
Walter Howerton Jr.
Managing Editor
I was reading a book last week by a writer who couldn't resist including
some Bill Clinton jokes. They were jokes about Clinton the president,
not Clinton the ex.
That book and those jokes left me thinking about the Gallup-McKinley
County Schools. Especially after I found out this week that Superintendent
Robert Gomez wants to hire a public relations specialist.
It was a book about murder, but it really was about how the story
of a murder or anything else gets told, how information is revealed
and hidden, who knows what, where the truth is, all of those things
the best books are about. And some of the jokes were funny, too.
One joke had to do with Clinton showing up at the gate of the White
House with a plump pink pig under his arm. "I got it for Hillary,"
the smiling president says to the guard at the gate. "Good trade,
sir," the guard leans over and whispers as the president walks
by.
Now, try to tell me you didn't laugh at that one.
It is a joke written by a certified Clinton hater. Nothing sophisticated.
Just mean-spirited and crude on a level anyone can laugh at, even
those of us who go on trying to like Bill Clinton and his wife the
senator.
Then there is the one about Bill Clinton and Jesus and the press.
It goes this way:
It seems that Clinton and Jesus are out fishing and Jesus's favorite
fishing hat blows off and floats away. Jesus starts to hop over the
side and go get his hat, but Clinton won't have any of it. "I'll
do it," he says. Clinton hops over the side, walks across the
water, picks up the hat and brings it back and plops it on Jesus'
head.
"That was amazing," Jesus says.
"Sure," Clinton says. "But you know what the headlines
in the newspaper will say tomorrow? 'Clinton Can't Swim.'"
Who wrote this one? A Clinton lover or a Clinton hater?
Probably neither. Too much room for questions. Why are Clinton and
Jesus out fishing (don't ask)? Ever see Jesus wearing a hat (a fishing
hat, don't ask)? Is it a shaggy Bill joke or a shaggy Jesus joke?
What kind of a punch line is "Clinton can't swim"?
Are we laughing yet? Why not?
It is a calculated joke, a joke with an agenda. In fact, it's a joke
that is all agenda and no emotion. There is no love or hate in it.
That's why it is not as funny as the pig joke.
It is a joke written by someone trying to help Bill Clinton blame
his problems on somebody else. (The press. Who else?)
A public relations specialist probably wrote it because that is what
public relations specialists do. For a price they will make it seem
like Bill Clinton or anyone else can walk on water.
No wonder Gomez thinks that would be a good investment.
There is no doubt that Gomez has had some good ideas in his years
here well, selective testing might not be such a good idea
and according to state Rep. Leo Watchman Jr. there are a fair number
of Navajos who aren't too happy with some of Gomez's ideas either
and he just might have some good ideas left in him yet, but this is
not one of them.
Hire a public relations expert. That'll learn 'em. Right, Bob?
Wrong.
When someone (i.e. Gomez at the last school board meeting) starts
talking about how the newspaper never prints anything good about the
schools (untrue), or how the newspaper concentrates on "gossip
and rumors" rather than factual information (also
untrue) and that someone (Gomez) brings those things up while talking
about hiring a public relations person to feed stories to
the press (Gomez said stories had been "fed" to the press;
the press is hungry, but it never likes to be fed), it smacks of
controlling information, not providing it.
Gomez contends that we of the press have not bothered to report that
schools in the district have shown improvement. We have.
In fact, a year ago, I personally met with Gomez, the principals of
several troubled schools and other officials at their request. I reported
what they had to say at length in this newspaper.
But problems have persisted, the list of troubled schools has grown
and too many of our children still are not being prepared to compete
where it counts in the world away from Gallup.
We are entitled to ask some questions and expect some answers. And
I think we are entitled to answers from someone other than a public
relations specialist.
Do we really want to pay someone $30,000 or more to ask us if we've
heard the one about Robert Gomez and Jesus going fishing? And Jesus's
favorite hat blows off. And well, you know the rest.
We don't want to hear about how Robert Gomez walks on water. We don't
expect him to do that. We don't even care whether he can swim or not.
We just want some real answers about our children's educations and
some real measurable results where they count.
And we shouldn't need some public relations person to dress any of
this up. We already have heard the one about the emperor's new clothes,
too.
The only thing that leads to real progress is the naked truth.
| Top |
Thoreau Invitational
Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer
THOREAU The Shiprock boys and girls track teams made it look
easy as they cruised to their respective team titles during
Friday night's Thoreau Invitational.
The Shiprock boys racked up 130 points to walk off with the team title
with Ramah a distant second with 69.5 points while Rehoboth was third
with 66 points. Host Thoreau placed fourth with 56.5 points followed
by Crownpoint 39, Newcomb 33.5, Tohatchi 26.5, Gallup JV 25 and Navajo
Pine 14.
The Shiprock girls nearly matched the boys total with 125 points for
top team honors. This time Rehoboth slipped into second place with
82 points followed by Crownpoint with 77. Thoreau was next with 49.5
points, followed by Ramah 38, Gallup JV 28, Wingate 23, Navajo Pine
17.5, Newcomb 13 and Tohatchi 3.
Shiprock head coach Al Madera said when he returned back to the track
program several years ago he had a plan.
"I wanted to concentrate on the sophomores when I knew we were
going into realignment in a couple of years," Madera said. "Now
they're seniors. We're trying to get them into events that they'll
be competitive in."
Shiprock will be off next week for spring break before hosting its
own meet in two weeks with 13 teams expected to compete. The teams
scheduled to compete are Tohatchi, Thoreau, Zuni, Newcomb, Navajo
Prep, Window Rock, Ganado, Delores,
Colo., Pagosa Springs, Norwood, Dove Creek and Bayfield.
For top individual honors, Shiprock's Benson Billy was the high point
male athlete with 24 1/4 points with Thoreau's Michael Lambson a close
second with 23 points. Billy posted firsts in the long jump and triple
jump, second in the javelin, fourth in the
400 and ran on the winning 800-meter relay. Lambson won the 100, 200
and 400 and ran on the second place 800-meter relay
team. In the girls competition, Thoreau's Cassandra Ping was impressive
racking up 30 points, winning the long jump, triple
jump and 400 and finishing second in the 200 and third in the 100.
Shiprock's Billy finished first in the triple jump with a winning
effort of 39-7 3/4. Jace Blea of Ramah trailed in second at 37-1.
Billy easily topped the field in the long jump, leaping
18-5 5/8 as Ramah's Austin Clawson finished second at 17-2 1/2.
Billy said he was pleased with his first high point
athlete honor this season.
"I hope to do well in two weeks at our meet at home," said
the 5-foot-9, 170-pound standout who is still nursing a shoulder
injury.
Billy, who was the District Player of the Year in basletball,
also excels as a tailback and linebackler in football.
Thoreau's Lambson swept all of the short sprints, winning
the 100, 200 and 400 meters.
Lambson was clocked in 11.42 seconds in taking the 100
with Ramah's Tucker Simons second at 11.94. Lambson also took
the 200 with a first place time of 23.88. Teammate Phillip
Elkins finished second with a 24.30. Lambson ran away in the 400
with a fast time of 55.09. Crownpoint's Michael Norton
finished back in second with a 56.55.
Shiprock claimed two of the five relays, winning the
800 and 3200-meter relays.
Shiprock posted a winning time of 1:38.82 in the 800-meter relay,
beating Thoreau with a 1:40.63. Shiprock breezed to a 9:00.58 in winning
the 3200-meter relay. Rehoboth was over 40 seconds back with a 9:42.70.
Rehoboth claimed the 1600-meter relay and 1600-meter medley.
The Lynx turned in a 3:49.46 in the 1600-meter relay with Shiprock
right behind in second with a 4:00.99. It was the same in the 1600-meter
medley with Rehoboth taking first with a 3:57.87 with Shiprock a distant
second at 4:15.90.
Newcomb claimed the 400-meter relay with a first place time of 47.17.
Ramah finished second at 47.57.
Shiprock swept both hurdle events, winning the 110-meter high hurdles
and also claiming the 300-meter hurdles.
Shiprock's Orlando Walter won the 110-meter high hurdles, turning
in a 17.30, beating teammate Terrance Yesslith with an 18.32. But
Yesslith came back and claimed the 300-meter hurdles with a 45.06.
Newcomb's Jared Yazzie placed second with a 46.88.
Shiprock's Sheldon Benally won the 3200 meters with a first place
clocking of 10:44.69, just edging out Rehoboth's Lloyd Yazzie at the
tape with a 10:44.77.
Fabian Talley of Shiprock took the shot put competition with a winning
toss of 42-0 on his first attempt. Gallup JV's Brian Long placed second
at 40-3 3/4.
Rehoboth's Andy Yazzie won the 1600 with a 4:44.04, beating Shiprock's
Yesslith who turned in a 4:53.45.
Crownpoint's Michael Norton topped the 800-meter field with a first
place time of 2:08.65. Rehoboth's Tim Tamminga finished a close second
at 2:09.62.
In the field events, Newcomb's Jerald Yazzie won the javelin with
a 157-4 effort with Shiprock's Billy second at 150-4.
Gallup's Long tossed the discus 119-9 1/2 for first place. Shiprock's
Talley took second at 117-10 1/2.
Ramah's Jace Blea won the high jump, clearing 5-8 with teammate Austin
Clawson second at 5-6.
Thoreau's Cassandra Ping, only a sophomore, picked up three firsts
in winning the 400, long jump and triple jump.
Ping, who was taken ill before the meet was over, easily beat the
400-meter field with a 1:05.35, Shiprock's Cita Yesslith trailed in
second with a 1:10.26.
Ping also claimed the long jump, leaping 14-8 1/8 with Shiprock's
Crystal Frazier second at 14 1/4.
Ping added another first in taking the triple jump with a 30-11 1/2
effort. Shiprock's Evita Martin took second with a 30-6 1/2.
Shiprock won the 3200-meter relay with a winning time of 11:26.71.
Crownpoint placed second at 11:34.13.
Crownpoint took the 400-meter relay with a winning time of 57.06.
Shiprock was a close second at 58.0.
Rehoboth won the 800-meter relay with a first place clocking of 1:57.66
with Crownpoint trailing with a 2:00.04.
Crownpoint won the 1600-meter relay with a 4:37.33 with Rehoboth second
at 4:49.41.
Rehoboth's Jessie Hale scored a double, winning the 1600 and 3200
meters.
Hale battled Wingate's Cateka Tsosie in the 1600 meters before finally
prevailing, 5:50.53 to 5:51.59. Hale coasted to another
win in the 3200 with a winning time of 12:37.05, with Gallup's Candace
Natachu a full minute back at 13:37.38.
Shiprock's Nicole Rockwell claimed the 100-meter hurdles with an 18.25
with teamate Evita Martin second at 18.44.
Shiprock's Jamie Begay won the javelin with a winning effort of 96-4.
Teammate Debbie Phillips finished second at 92-1.
Shiprock's Natasha Dick won the shot put with a winning toss of 29-11.
Teammate Tana Roanhorse finished second with a 29-1 1/2 effort.
Roanhorse of Shiprock took the discus with a 94-0 toss. Crownpoint's
Melina Manuelito finished second at 83-5 1/2.
Rehoboth's Jenelle Hartog posted a double in the 100 and 200.
Hartog won the 100 with a 13.41 with teammate Millie Charles second
at 13.69. Hartog bolted to a 28.20 in winning the 200 with Thoreau's
Ping second at 29.06.
Rehoboth's Tara Kamps took the high jump, clearing 4-10 with Crownpoint's
Stephanie Powell second at 4-2.
Rehoboth's Naomi Kruis won the 300-meter hurdles with a 53.43 with
Shiprock's Nicole Rockwell second at 55.17.
Wingate's Cateka Tsosie won the 800 with a 2:44.41 with Navajo Pine's
N. Lewis second at 2:45.09.
| Top |
Area in brief
Open house
IYANBITO The Iyanbito Save the Children will be open during
Spring Break and a open house will be held at 4-7 p.m.,
Sunday at the Information: (505) 488-5223 after 3 p.m. or 786-7376.
| Top |
Charges stacking up against local auto
seller
Andrea Egger Rider
Staff Writer
GALLUP Court will be held April 2 against a Gallup car seller
who is accused of 60 felony charges relating to false evidence of
title or registration.
Doug Bishop of Gallup will have to face a magistrate in McKinley County
that morning concerning those charges and three
misdemeanor charges of selling vehicles without a dealer's license,
according to a criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court.
Bishop also has to appear at District Court in Santa Fe on another
date regarding a restraining order issued to prevent him from selling
cars in the future.
New Mexico State Police Criminal Agent Henrietta Soland of Gallup
served Bishop the restraining order and the criminal complaint Thursday
at Bishop Cars, behind Bishop Optical, 1500 S. Second St. Bishop could
not be reached for comment Friday...
| Top |
Student suspended after threatening classmate
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) A fourth-grade student has been suspended
from Sunset Elementary School here after threatening to use a gun
against classmates.
The threat apparently followed a school lockdown drill Wednesday.
School officials said the student did not have a gun and was not
sincere in the treats.
"Sometimes, when we talk to students about something like this,
inappropriate comments will follow," said Principal Rita McCracken.
"Naturally, though, we take all such comments very seriously..."
| Top
|
Sports Briefs
GHS booster club meeting
GALLUP There will be a Gallup High School Quarterback Club
meeting Monday, Mar. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Route 66 Doughnut Shop.
For more information call 863-6210.
2-Ball Shootout results
GALLUP The team of Gabriel Edison and Codi Leslie captured
the 10-and-11 NBA 2-Ball Shoot Out title that was
sponsored by the NM PAL, McKinley Co. Sheriff's Office and the City
of Gallup Recreation Dept.
Other age division winners were Courtney Cowboy and Rebecca Ortega
in the 10-and-11 girls division; John-Paul Fitzjerrell and Eddie Taylor
in the boys 8-9 year old division; and Rebecca Malic and Justin James
in the 8-and-9 division.
Becenti captures national title
GALLUP Gallup Bengal Jr. Wrestler Bryon Becenti captured the
Rocky Mountain Nationals in Denver last weekend.
Becenti, seeded number two, decisioned top-seeded Leroy Vigil, of
Adams City, Colo., 12-0 to win the 10-and-under super
heavyweight division. Becenti reached the title match with a 2-0 decision
over Bobby Holguin of Colorado in the semifinals.
Becenti had drawn a first round bye...
| Top
|
California men wanted in Shonto assault
Jim Maniaci
Dine' Bureau
WINDOW ROCK Two California men face a series of charges in
Navajo County Superior Court after an aggravated assault incident
March 17 in Shonto, according to the Navajo Nation Criminal Investigations
Department.
Art Paz, 24, and Alexander Valera, 24, of Brawley, Imperial County,
California face criminal damage, drunk driving and
disorderly conduct charges in state court because they are non-Indians,
a Criminal Investigations Department spokesman said.
The department's report did not indicate what happened to a 17-year-old
Shonto Navajo boy who also was listed as a suspect.
The incident happened around 1 a.m. at the new Navajo Housing Authority
subdivision and Shonto Community School's subdivision. It began
when the Kayenta Police District station received a call around
1:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, of a possible hostage situation
there...
| Top |
Deaths
Juanita Nez Billy
STANDING ROCK Graveside services for Juanita Billy, 77, will
be held at 10 a.m., Monday, March 26 on private family burial site.
Pastor Wilson Morgan will officiate.
Visitation will be at held from 1-3 p.m., today at Cope Memorial Chapel.
Billy died March 21 in Grants. She was born June 6, 1923 in White
Rock into the Red House Clan for the Sleeping Rock
People Clan.
Billy was employed with Lake Valley School, Crownpoint Boarding School,
Standing Rock Chapter, teaching basket weaving and sash belt weaving.
She received teaching awards from the BIA Schools. Her hobbies included
rug weaving and sewing.
Survivors include her sons, Roy Billy of Thoreau, Ray Billy and Raymond
Billy both of Standing Rock; daughters, Janice
Jarvison of Mescalero and Janet Yazzie of Coyote Canyon; brothers,
Frank Nez Begay and John Nez Begay of White Rock;
sisters, Bessie Smith, Erma Yazzie both of Shiprock, Lolita Nez Begay
of Whiterock, Lois Nez Begay of Denver, and Martha
Alman of San Antonio, Texas; 21 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Billy was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Billy and parents,
Betoniey N. and Mary Manuelito Begay; brother, Ned
Nez Begay and sister, Rita Bailey and son, Frank Billy Jr.
Pallbearers will be Arvil Billy, Emery Billy, Jonah Ray Billy, Marvin
Tso, Michael Tso and Watson Billie.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Standing Rock Chapter.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Gladys Ellison
ALBQUERQUE Services for Gladys Ellison, 90, will be held 1
p.m., Monday, March 26 at French Mortuary Chapel, University Blvd.,
1111 University Blvd. NE. Pastor Lemuel M. Boyles will officiate.
Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park, 924 Menaul Blvd. NE.
Ellison died March 21 in Albuquerque.
Ellison owned and operated Mode O'Day Dress Shop in Gallup. She was
a member of Del Norte Baptist Church.
Survivors include her daughter, Patsy Fisher of Albuquerque; sister,
Eola Garner of Utah and two grandchildren.
Ellison was preceded in death by her husband, William Laudy Ellison
and son, Donald Ellison.
Pallbearers will be Stephen Fisher, Michael Fisher and Tom Fisher.
Don Bryant
APACHE JUNCTION Memorial services and private disposition for
Don Duncan Bryant, 88, were held today, March 24 in Apache Junction,
Ariz.
Bryant died March 14 in Arizona. He was born March 5, 1913 in Salida,
Colo.
Bryant was an engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad for 46 years. He
lived in Gallup from 1939 to 1980.
Survivors include his sons James L. Bryant and "Eddie" Don
Bryant; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceeded in death by his wife Ruby Bryant.
Contact the Gallup
Independent
Please send the Gallup Independent feedback on
this website and the paper in general.
E-mail: gallpind@cia-g.com
By mail:
The Independent
PO Box 1210 Gallup, NM 87305
500 N. 9th Gallup, NM 87301
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
for problems concerning the website ONLY.