First rug



Charline Willie weaves her first rug using block and diagonal stlyes of weaving Saturday at the Gallup extemsion of the University of New Mexico. Willie is taking the Navajo weaving class instructed by Isabell Deschinny. The class is only offered in the spring.



New Mexico State Police Senior Patrolman Rod Huffman writes a citation for a speeder who was going 80 mph through Gallup on Interstate 40, Saturday.

Photos by Craig Robinson

UNM-Gallup branch police program open to all

Bill Donovan
Staff writer

GALLUP — The UNM-Gallup branch plans to open up its annual police training program next year.

Branch Director Robert Carlson said Friday that the school next year will accept students who want to take the police training courses in the hopes of getting a job in law enforcement after they graduate.

In the past, the program has been open only to people who have already been hired by a local law enforcement agency and need to go through a police academy training program.

Students will go through the regular screening procedure, including psychological tests, that police departments put their candidates through but Carlson said that he didn't expect any graduate of the program to have a program finding a job.

He pointed out that area law enforcement agencies, such as the city and county, always have a couple of openings. The Navajo Nation has also had a chronic problem in finding enough people to fill vacancies and has had to look throughout the Southwest for possible candidates.

Opening up the program will solve one of the biggest problems the college has had in recent years having enough students to justify having the program.

"This is a very expensive program," said Carlson and because of that, the college has been trying to get as many students as possible to justify the expense.

In past years, this has been between 25 and 30 students. This year, however, the program started with 16.

About half of those students who take the training don't make it to the end, Carlson said. Some students can't handle the workload and others may have family problems that cause them to drop out.

"We're lucky this year," Carlson said. "It seems like we will be graduating 13 students, which is about how many we have graduated in the past."

Persons who want to take the police academy training next year should keep in touch with the college to find out when it will be held in 2002.

All of the local law enforcement agencies, and especially the Navajo Nation, also have regular recruiting drives and persons who are interested can contact the police agencies as well about getting hired and going to training under the agency's auspices.

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Gallup state cop felt the calling of the highway

Andrea Egger Rider
Staff Writer

GALLUP — He says his first name stands for "retired on duty."

But New Mexico State Police Senior Patrolman Rod Huffman is hardly that. Having started in the Gallup office in Special
Investigations and later a criminal agent before moving to patrol, Huffman has worked homicides, rapes and investigated other agencies' police shootings.

Still, every day is a new experience. "You have to take it one day at a time and get through it," Huffman said.

Saturday afternoon, Huffman wrote some tickets and took two drunk people to the detox center. One man was lying at the side of the road between Pinedale and Church Rock.

He had some choice words for Huffman, who dusted off the weeds on the man's clothing before helping him into the police
car.

"He's wasted," Huffman said.

As if to prove it, when Huffman asked him his name, the man said, "Yeah."

"Where do you live?" Huffman asked.

"Yeah."

Huffman might have taken him home had the man been able to verbalize his address. Instead, it was to the detox center. The man yelled at Huffman and called him names during the entire drive from the Church Rock area.

"I just want to take you home. You could die out here," Huffman kept telling the man.

When they arrived at the detox center, Huffman told his new friend, "OK. We're home."

Huffman, who has been with the state police for 10 years, said his brother-in-law, Major Faron Segotta of Santa Fe, influenced him in his decision to work for the state police. Segotta, who was a lieutenant for many years in Gallup, used to be married to Huffman's wife's sister.

Segotta used to talk about what it's like to be a state cop. Huffman used to do citizen ride-a-longs with Segotta.

Huffman, who served in the Army for six years in Air Defense Artillery, decided military life wasn't what he wanted to do forever. He worked for many years in construction before deciding he needed a job that provided retirement benefits.

He decided after being in the Army that he could handle being a police officer, and the state police seemed to be top-of-the-line.
Before he became a state police officer, though, Huffman experienced being shot at. He, Segotta, and their wives, were shopping in a mall when Huffman noticed a man push a teen-age boy.

The family of the boy became enraged, and the families went outside to settle their differences. The man brought out a gun and started pointing it at everyone, finally centering his attention on the teen-age boy.

Huffman, who was standing a ways back, called out to the man to distract him from the boy. "It was the only thing I could think to do," he said.

The man turned and fired three shots at Huffman, narrowly missing him. Then he began shooting at various passers-by who were running back to the mall. In the incident, several people got wounded and were taken to the hospital.

Years later, when Huffman was a state police criminal agent, he investigated a shooting involving his brother-in-law, Segotta. A man who was on parole and had illegal drugs in his car ran from police in Arizona and headed toward the New Mexico border.
Just across the border, Segotta and other state police officers had set up a roadblock. As the parolee crossed the state line and
saw the road block, he tried to run through it and drove straight toward a state police officer who was standing by his police car.

To save a fellow police officer from death, Segotta shot the parolee, who was just wounded by the shot. Huffman helped the
FBI investigate the incident, and he gave his opinion that Segotta's shooting was justified.

It wouldn't be the first time Huffman investigated another police officer's shooting. He investigated a Gallup Police shooting a few years ago in which a 16-year-old died.

The Gallup officer was also trying to prevent the vehicle in which the teen-ager rode from running over a police officer. The vehicle, which had been evading police, had stopped and started several times, causing some police to exit their vehicles to arrest the driver.

Huffman determined the shooting was justified.

In another Gallup police shooting, which wounded a man, Huffman determined police were justified in shooting the man. The man wouldn't drop his gun, which was later identified as a toy gun. But the police officers couldn't tell it was a toy gun at night
on Maloney Avenue and Second Street.

Huffman also helped the FBI investigate a shooting involving a sheriff's deputy who shot and killed a man in 1997 on N.M.
602 near Uprooted Tree Road.

The man in the Jeep was later identified as a murderer who thought the deputy knew he had just killed a man. The driver of the
Jeep began shooting at the deputy almost immediately when the deputy asked for identification.

The man kept shooting, and the deputy returned fire. Huffman told the FBI he believed the deputy's shooting was justified.
"In all of the shootings, I would have done the same thing the officers did," Huffman said.

Huffman understands his job can be dangerous. He accepts the danger, as does his family.

"But I'm not as afraid of getting shot as I am of the motoring public ramming into me on the streets," he said.

He had an accident once when he was rushing on the interstate to a call and a driver didn't notice him and pulled out in front of Huffman.

Huffman hates tackling accidents or hazardous materials situations with semi-rigs. "If the public knew what came through Gallup, they'd all move. Some stuff in the trucks can kill you on the spot," he said.

For instance, chlorine gas carried in trucks can quickly asphyxiate a person. Not everything in trucks cruising the streets is marked.

One of the worst kinds of incidents could involve a Wal-Mart truck. With the mix of cleaners, guns, ammunition and other kinds of thing sold at Wal-Mart, an accident with a truck could cause an explosion, he said.

"You could make a pretty good bomb out of household items, and they're all there," Huffman said.

Huffman's favorite kinds of incidents involve those that tax the mind, like homicides or barricaded suspects.

He also likes to help stranded motorists.

" They're in a foreign situation. They're nice and appreciative," Huffman said.

With the tickets he has to write and other situations where he has to arrest someone, it's nice to get a little appreciation.

"Most of the time, we're going to hit their pocketbooks or lifestyle. You don't get too many 'thank yous' out of that. When I stop people, I try to get a 'thank you.' It's kind of a challenge."

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Elk hunting to open this year in Zuni Mountains

Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

ZUNI MOUNTAINS — Based on a survey seven years ago the New Mexico Game and Fish Department is opening up public elk hunting in these mountains drastically in an effort to reduce the herd size down to about 300 animals.

Sportsmen now apparently are upset.

The Zuni Mountains elk population in Cibola County through McKinley County is estimated at about 1,100 animals, far more than the game and fish department thought there were in these rugged mountains.

To clear the air about the Game and Fish Department intentions in the Zuni Mountains, a meeting is scheduled for April 14, in Gallup, hosted by the McKinley County Wildlife Federation.

Charles Byrd, a federation member said he wants all outdoors enthusiasts interested in the future of the elk population in the Zuni Mountains to attend.

"I'm also talking about hunters from Cibola County too, because this will affect these hunters just as much as it will the hunters in McKinley County," Byrd said.

The meeting will not be one where hunters are preaching to a choir of other hunters. New Mexico Game Commissioner Karen Stevens, Game and Fish Department Assistant Director Glenn Case, Albuquerque District Wildlife Superintendent Mike Johnson, New Mexico Game and Fish Department Northwest Area Game Manager R.J. Kirpatrick, New Mexico Game and Fish Department Northwest Area Public Affairs Officer Chris Chadwick, Gallup District Wildlife Officer Drew Spencer and
Grants District Wildlife Officer Craig Sanchez are some of the state officials who will be at the meeting.

The meeting will start at 10 a.m. at the Gallup Community Service Center on Hasler Valley Road.

The elk herd, made up mostly of the huge Manitoban strain of the Rocky Mountain Elk species, has been multiplying and flourishing in the game-rich Zuni Mountains.

Chadwick said the Zuni Mountains (Game Unit 10) have historically been kept as a quality deer hunting unit. While there are some monster mule deer bucks in the Zuni Mountains, there are not great numbers of deer, due in a large part to fawn kill by coyotes, and possibly winter kills by mountain lions. Sthere are so many coyotes in the Zuni Mountains that the game
department hires a state hunter to control the population. But that person can only do so much so Chadwick said, the state
encourages coyote hunting.

Studies show that as more elk move into an area, mule deer tend to move out and the mule deer numbers in all Western states are dwindling at alarming rates, although there are pockets of sporadic growth in some areas of some states. So far, no one has
placed the blame for the declines on any one reason.

It is that sporadic growth which the New Mexico Game and Fish Department is trying to achieve in the Zuni Mountains based
on a survey done about six or seven years ago of sports enthusiasts who utilize the mountains. The consensus of the survey at
that time show people want the Zuni Mountains to be a quality deer hunting unit, not an elk hunting unit.

But, it appears times and attitudes change. Said Chadwick: "It seems that public opinion has shifted now and the public want to
see more elk." Chadwick also said the department still hears from individuals who want to maintain the Zuni Mountains as a
quality deer hunting unit.

After a somewhat more intensive elk population count for this year's season it was discovered more elk are in the Zuni
Mountains than the New Mexico Game and Fish Department realized.

To start the process of reducing the elk herd, the number of licenses were increased in Unit 10. In the rifle hunt 250 either sex permits will be issued and 300 cow permits will be issued. There will be 250 bow hunting either sex permits issued and
smokepole shooters will get 250 either sex permits for a total of 1,050 permits, plus about 200 landowner permits will be
issued. Chadwick said it would take a few years of such permit numbers to reduce the herd to 300 elk. Hunter success in Unit
10 has traditionally been around 20 percent.

Byrd said, "Now after we get a decent elk herd all built up, now they want to reduce the heard to make the Zuni Mountians
more of a deer unit."

Some of the issues to be discussed at the meeting include:

Reduction of the elk herd.

Forest access.

Predator control.

Hunter harassment.

Access on open ranches.

"We want to fill the room with hunters from both counties," Byrd said."We also want to hear all views on this issue."

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Window Rock, Page take team titles

Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer

CHINLE, Ariz. — Window Rock veteran girls track coach Jim Law was so pleased his girls track team edged out Winslow for the team title during Saturday's Chinle Invitational that he made them run a victory lap.

Window Rock beat out Winslow for the girls team title, 185 points to 167. Host Chinle placed third with 126 points, followed by Valley Sanders 98, Tuba City 94, Ganado 81, Monument Valley 64, Page 61, Hopi 48, and Pinon 18. Greyhills and Cibecue did not score.

"Overall I was pleased," said Window Rock coach Jim Law whose team will be off for spring break before competing in the Shiprock Invitational April 7. "Our girls team is not as strong as last year. We don't have the depth but overall we'll be stronger at the end of the season. The kids are working hard."

Chinle's Nathan Salabiye along with Monument Valley's Rebecca Wiseman and Tuba City's Taella Begay were the high point male and female athletes respectively.

Page ran away with the boys team title with an impressive 294 points, nearly double that of runnerup Winslow with 155 points. Chinle took third with 139 points followed by Window Rock 102, Tuba City 74, Ganado 60, Hopi 48, Valley Sanders 38, Monument Valley 23, Greyhills 7 and Pinon 2. Cibecue did not score.

In the combined team scoring, Page topped the competition with 355 points, followed by Winslow with 322 and Window Rock 287, Chinle 265, Tuba City 168, Ganado 141, Valley Sanders 136, Hopi 96, Monument Valley 87, Pinon 20 and Greyhills 7. Cibecue did not score.

Monument Valley senior Rebecca Wiseman easily qualified for state in winning the 1600 meters with a 5:34.19, under the state qualifying time of 5:42. Wiseman beat Chinle's St. Germaine who was clocked in 5:37.75. Wiseman and St. Germaine ran side by side for the first two laps with Window Rock's Virginia Begay trailing in third place. On the third lap, Wiseman pulled out to
a slight lead over St. Germaine before pulling out to a bigger lead on the final lap to win by over five and a half seconds.
Window Rock's Begay placed third with a 5:46.87.

Wiseman, who finished third at state during the cross country season and third in the 3200 and fourth in the 1600, also easily qualified for state in the 3200 meters with a fast time of 11:58.61, well under the state qualifying time of 12:20. Wiseman
lapped seven of the runners on the final three laps of the eight-lap race. Window Rock's Virginia Begay just missed qualifying with a 12:24.38 as she took second while Scout teammate Davina Segay took third with a 13:05.08.

Wiseman said she was disappointed that she was not able to run against Page's top runner Sheena Scott, who had a sore throat
and opted to skip both the 1600 and 3200 and ran on her team's relays instead. Scott finished sixth in the Class 4A at state
during the cross country season.

"I was a little disappointed she didn't run," Wiseman said. "She beat me in cross country but track is my strength."

Despite qualifying for state in both the 1600 and 3200, Wiseman said she could still improve on her times.

"I could have done better," she said. "I felt pretty strong in both races. I just run and did what I could. But I know I can do a lot
better."

Wiseman ran personal bests of 5:26 in the 1600 and 11:33 in the 3200 at state last year.

Wiseman said she is hoping that her time spent in weight training this year will help her prepare for state.

"It's my last year and I heard all the sports benefit from a litte of weight training," she said. "I love it. I should have started
doing it earlier."

Wiseman, who has a 4.0 cumulative GPA for four years, is hoping to attend the Air Force Academy or Rio Grande University
in Ohio and major in biochemistry.

Tuba City's Taella Begay also picked up a pair of firsts in qualifying for state in the discus and shot put.

Begay tossed the discus 121-11 3/4 for first place honors, nearly 10 feet over the state qualifying mark of 111-6. Winslow's
Jackie Foster trailed a distant second at 101-9 3/4 with Chinle's Antonia Dominguez third at 94-2.

Begay also qualified for state in the winning the shot put with a winning toss of 34-6 1/2, which was just past the state
qualifying mark of 34-6. Winslow's Foster again finished second at 31-10 1/2 with Chinle's Jaime Begay third at 31-10.

Window Rock's Leona Birtcher helped the Lady Scouts as she swept both 200 and 400 meters.

Birtcher posted a 28.74 to win the 200 meters with Larissa Bratt of Winslow trailing with a 30.15. Terilyn Keedah of Valley
Sanders placed third with a 30.16.

Birtcher also nailed down the 400 meters with a first place time of 1:04.69, beating Valley Sanders' Alisha Tsosie with a
1:05.69.

Window Rock's Christina Tomah claimed the 100-meter intermediate hurdles with an 18.01 clocking. Chinle's Cheyvonne
Nelson took second with a 19.25 with Monument Valley's Charis Yazzie third with a 19.38.

Window Rock's Roberta Haskie took the 300-meter low hurdles with a 50.21, just off state qualifying of 49.6. Scout teammate
Christina Tomah placed second at 54.49 with Valley Sanders' Terilyn Keedah third (56.32).

Window Rock's Haskie took second in the long jump with a 15-10 effort with teammate Krystal Kontz third (15-5). Winslow's
Jackie Foster won with a leap of 16-5.

Valley Sanders' Lauren Ashley won the high jump, clearing 4-11. Tuba City's Georgiane Brown placed second at 4-10 with
Monument Valley's Racquel Farley third also at 4-10.

Ganado's Audiane Begay claimed the 100 meters with a 14.17 clocking, beating out Tuba City's Georgie Brown with a 14.20.
Valley Sanders' Denise Roan placed third at 14.40.

Window Rock's Andrian Chee finished third in the triple jump with a 31-5 effort. Winslow placed two in the first two spots
with Jenna Adams first at 33-2 and Jackie Foster second at 32-2 1/2.

Winslow's Amy Payne won the pole vault, clearing 7-0. Window Rock's Bonnie Canyon took second at 6-6 and Monument
Valley's Jobeth Salt third also at 6-6.

With favorite Window Rock being disqualified in the 400-meter relay for a false start, Winslow ended up winning with a 56.53
just ahead of Valley Sanders with a 56.86. Ganado placed third at 57.61.

Window Rock cruised to a 4:26.54 in winning the 1600-meter relay. Page finished back at 4:30.31 with Winslow third at
4:31.55.

Chinle's Kristin St. Germaine won the 800 meters with a winning time of 2:32.01, edging out Hopi's Kim Zahne with a
2:33.94. Hopi's Alyssa Fredericks took third with a 2:41.39.

Host Chinle won the 4 by 800-meter relay with a winning time of 10:32.42. Page was five seconds back at 10:37.35 with Hopi third (10:37.45).

High-point male athlete Ganado's Nathan Salabiye easily swept both the 110-meter high hurdles and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles while finishing second in the high jump and fourth in the long jump.

Salabiye posted a 15.88 in the 110 easily beating Chinle's Morris Denetdeel with a 17.80. Salabiye blazed to a 43.51 in the 300 hurdles, outdistancing Winslow's Ron Jones who came across in 45.25 and Chinle's Denetdeel (45.85).

Tuba City's David Santana was also a double winner, taking both of the sprints, the 100 and 200.

Santana sprinted to an 11.69 in the 100 with teammate Andrew Johnson second at 12.13. Santana again beat Johnson in the 200, 24.30 to 24.93.

Chinle's Corey Terrell claimed the 400 with a winning time of 55.08, just edging out Page's Heder Carillo with a 55.10. Monument Valley's Jerrick Blake placed third with a 57.85.

Window Rock's Frandale Segay won the 800 with a first place time of 2:07.04. Page's Leif Lomeland placed second with a 2:13.49 and Hopi's Chris Hawk third (2:14.19).

Page junior John Scott cruised to double wins in the 1600 and 3200.

Scott posted a 4:36.27 in taking the 1600 with Window Rock's Segay second with a 4:44.41. Chinle's Aaron Bahe finished third (4:45.32).

Scott, who finished fifth at state in cross country, blew the competition away in the 3200 meters, winning in 10:03.27. Scott lapped six of the runners on the final three laps of the eight-lap race. Chinle's Raymone Paul finished far back at 10:39.88 with Window Rock's Garrett Haskie third at 10:41.59.

Ganado's Salabiye finished second in the high jump, based on fewer misses. Salabiye cleared 6-2 but Page's Stever Erb took first based on fewer misses.

Page's Erb also took the long jump with a winning effort of 20-4, beating teammate Doug Kwong with a 20-1. Ganado's Salabiye finished fourth at 19-6.

Valley Sanders' Evan Benallie placed third in the discus with a toss of 115-10 1/2. Page took the first two places with Darren Kristofic (125-10 1/4) and Aaron Webber (124-11 3/4).

Ganado's Kasey Bluehouse took second in the shot put with a heave of 42-6. Page's Webber took top honors with a 43-11 effort.

Winslow's Anthony Carter topped the competition in the triple jump with a 39-9 1/2 beating Page's Heder Carillo with a 38-7 1/2.

Winslow topped the first two spots in the pole vault with Tom Taylor clearing 11-6 with teammate Scott Dobbins clearing 11-0.

Chinle easily won the 4 by 800 meter relay with an 8:45.35. Window Rock trailed in second with an 8:57.51 with Hopi third at 9:04.78.

Chinle placed second in the 4 by 400 meter relay with a 3:51.62. Page took first at 3:49.62. Window Rock was third (3:54.80).

Tuba City placed third in the 4 and 100 meter relay with a 47.12. Page topped the competition with a 46.59 just edging out
Winslow with a 46.99.

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Arizona's new way to do business

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona's new general consul to Mexico has a mandate to make sure a new way of doing business is quickly adopted.

Rubin Beltran, 47, replaced Salvador Cassian-Santos this month in a job that entails overseeing consulates in Tucson, Nogales, Douglas and a potential fifth site in Yuma.

Cassian-Santos, who served for two years, still awaits his new diplomatic assignment.

Mexican President Vicente Fox took office Dec. 1 and vowed to break good-old-boy Mexican political traditions, dispatched Beltran to Phoenix to rebuild the country's image abroad...

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Private audit shows election discrepancies

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Some Dona Ana County residents have requested an investigation of the November election results after a private audit showed some possible discrepancies.

The audit, conducted by Citizens Asking for Fair Elections, concluded the county reported more signatures of voters at the polls on election days than the group found.

More than 60 percent of precincts had vote totals that did not match signature totals, according to the audit.

"I think this audit has only brought on more concerns about the elections," said Shelley Hayner, a former county treasurer candidate who released the audit. "What if we could've pointed out these differences before the election was certified? The commission should look at how they certify it..."

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Deaths

Pete R. Sarmiento

GALLUP — Services for Pete R. Sarmiento, 82, will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 27 at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Father Ulric Pax will officiate. Burial will be held at Hillcrest Cemetery.

Sarmiento died March 23 in Gallup. He was born Oct. 24, 1918 in Carthage.

Sarmiento served in World War II with the U.S. Army. He was a member of the VFW, United Coal Miners Union and Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish.

Survivors include his son, Pete E. Sarmiento of Gallup; daughters, Bebe Sarmiento, Celine Sarmiento, Claudia Sarmiento, Renie Sarmiento all of Gallup; Stacey Lynn Sarmiento of Las Vegas, Nev., Ceclia Sarmiento-Peone and Melissa Sarmiento
both of Albuquerque and Patrica Sarmiento-Ramirez of Bell Garden, Calif.; brothers, Cecelio Sarmiento of Albuquerque and
Raul Sarmiento of Ontario, Calif.; sister, Lucy Villa of Gallup; 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Sarmiento was preceded in death by his wife, Helen Sarmiento; parents, Juan and Refugio Sarmiento and sisters, Manuela
Chavez, Concha Mendoza and Luisa Ortega.

Pallbearers will be Bebe Sarmiento, Celine Sarmiento, Claudia R. Sarmeinto, Pete E. Sarmiento Jr., Renie Sarmiento, Cecilia
Sarmeinto-Peone, Patricia Sarmeinto-Ramirez.

Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Frank Mora

GALLUP — Services for Frank Mora, 70, will be announced at a later date.

Mora died March 23 in Gallup. He was born Dec. 3, 1930 in Gibson.

Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Irene R. Capazoni

STEAMBOAT — Services for Irene R. Capazoni, 78, will be announced at a later date.

Capazoni died March 23 in Farmington.