Nation under attack
World Trade Center crumbles
NEW YORK (AP) — In a horrific sequence of destruction, terrorists
crashed two planes into the World Trade Center and the twin 110-story
towers collapsed this morning. Explosions also rocked the Pentagon
and the State Department and spread fear across the nation.
The fate of those in the twin skyscrapers was not immediately
known. Authorities had been trying to evacuate the 50,000 people
who work in the twin towers, but many were thought to be trapped.
President Bush ordered a full-scale investigation to "hunt
down the folks who committed this act."
One of the planes that crashed into the Trade Center was American
Airlines Flight 11, hijacked after takeoff from Boston en route
to Los Angeles, American Airlines said.
The planes blasted fiery, gaping holes in the upper floors of
the twin towers. A witness said he saw bodies falling from the
twin towers and people jumping out. About an hour later, the southern
tower collapsed with a roar a huge cloud of smoke; the other tower
fell about a half-hour after that.
"This is perhaps the most audacious terrorist attack that's
ever taken place in the world," said Chris Yates, an aviation
expert at Jane's Transport in London. "It takes a logistics
operation from the terror group involved that is second to none.
Only a very small handful of terror groups is on that list. ...
I would name at the top of the list Osama Bin Laden."
All planes were grounded across the country by the Federal Aviation
Administration. All bridges and tunnels into Manhattan were closed
down.
The twin disaster at the World Trade Center happened shortly before
9 a.m. and then right around 9 a.m.
Heavy black smoke billowed into the sky above the gaping holes
in the side of the twin towers, one of New York City's most famous
landmarks, and debris rained down upon the street, one of the
city's busiest work areas. When the second plane hit, a fireball
of flame and smoke erupted, leaving a huge hole in the glass and
steel tower.
John Axisa, who was getting off a PATH train to the World Trade
Center, said he saw "bodies falling out" of the building.
He said he ran outside, and watched people jump out of the first
building, and then there was a second explosion, and he felt heat
on the back of neck.
WCBS-TV, citing an FBI agent, said five or six people jumped out
of the windows. People screamed every time another person leaped.
David Reck was handing out literature for a candidate for public
advocate a few blocks away when he saw a jet come in "very
low, and then it made a slight twist and dove into the building."
People ran down the stairs in panic and fled the building. Thousands
of pieces of what appeared to be office paper came drifting over
Brooklyn, about three miles away.
Within the hour, an aircraft crashed on a helicopter landing pad
near the Pentagon, a car bomb exploded outside the State Department,
and the West Wing of the White House was evacuated amid threats
of terrorism. And another explosion rocked New York about an hour
after the crash.
"Today we've had a national tragedy," Bush said in Sarasota,
Fla. "Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center
in an apparent terrorist attack on our country." He said
he would be returning immediately to Washington.
Terrorist bombers struck the World Trade Center in February 1993,
killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others.
"A second occurrence is just beyond belief," said Ira
Furber, former National Transportation Safety Board spokesman.
Several subway lines were immediately shut down Tuesday. Trading
on Wall Street was suspended.
"We heard a large boom and then we saw all this debris just
falling," said Harriet Grimm, who was inside a bookstore
on the World Trade Center's first floor when the first explosion
rocked the building.
"The plane was coming in low and ... it looked like it hit
at a slight angle," said Sean Murtagh, a CNN vice president,
the network reported.
In 1945, an Army Air Corps B-25, a twin-engine bomber, crashed
into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building in dense fog.
In Florida, Bush was reading to children in a classroom at 9:05
a.m. when his chief of staff, Andrew Card, whispered into his
ear. The president briefly turned somber before he resumed reading.
He addressed the tragedy about a half-hour later.
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Gallup officials on alert
Andrea Egger
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Gallup officials are preparing for anything, as terrorism
at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center this morning is filtering
down to all states, including New Mexico.
Jim Sheppard, owner of Gallup Flying Service, said this morning that
the Federal Aviation Administration's Flight Service Station in Albuquerque
grounded a private plane heading from Colorado to Arizona, soon after
the airplane crashes and bombs hit Washington, at the Gallup Municipal
Airport.
"At first it was, 'We recommend you land,'" Sheppard said.
"Five minutes later, it was, 'You will land.'"
The FAA told Sheppard the airport will be shut down and no one will
fly anywhere unless there is an incident with a critical patient who
needs to be flown to a hospital.
"Then I have to call the powers that be before I even start,"
Sheppard said.
An FAA spokesman was not available for comment at presstime.
Gallup Fire Department Capt. Perry DiPomazio said he's been in contact
with Clibert Zunie, who heads the Civil Preparedness Division of the
City of Gallup. Zunie was in an emergency meeting at presstime and
notified the Independent through his secretary that a city official
would inform the press about actions the Civil Preparedness Division
is taking in the situation.
Meanwhile, the Gallup Fire Department is on alert for trouble.
"We're always on alert for anything," DiPomazio said.
Gallup Police Department spokesman, Lt. John Allen, said all off-duty
police officers have been notified to be on standby to be called in
if any threats are made locally.
"We have no information of a credible threat. Should something
materialize, we're able to be in touch with all officers," Allen
said.
So far, the standard shift of seven officers are on duty.
"If we get a threat or see the need, we'll call more officers
out," he said.
If a threat is made, all police agencies will gather at Metro Dispatch
Authority for a critical incidents meeting and decide what action
to take, Allen said.
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Grants Council nixes discussion of greenhouse
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — Rather than to publicly answer questions about the proposed
sale of Colorado Greenhouse land, city officials did a quick dance
Monday and side-stepped the issue.
City Councilor Shirley Taylor asked that the proposed sale be placed
on Monday's council agenda as a discussion item.
However, before anyone could second her motion, City Manager Bob Horacek
said the city's attorney should be at such a discussion and the matter
simply died on the floor.
"I pretty well expected they would do that," said Taylor,
an outspoken critic of City Hall practices and the person who is spearheading
a citywide petition drive to force a referendum on the issue. "All
I ever wanted on this was for the matter to be discussed in the open
before anything is done."
A referendum is apparently one thing city officials do not want, or
even a public discussion. Virtually everything about the Colorado
Greenhouse has been done behind closed doors in executive sessions
with the exception of Taylor's petition drive and her request for
a discussion on the matter.
Taylor said she is championing the petition drive to force "whatever"
the city is doing into the open for the residents to see firsthand
all the details of the sale.
In a July city council meeting in a 3-1 vote, councilors approved
the sale of the land under Colorado Greenhouse to Mountain Plains
Farm Credit Services, the company which originally financed the multi-million
dollar facility on 20 acres of land the city allegedly leased to the
hydroponics tomato-growing company.
Eleven months after Colorado Greenhouse opened, the company shut down
the Grants operation and declared a company-wide bankruptcy. Colorado
Greenhouse officials cited finances, a tomato disease and employee
problems as the main reasons for the Grants shut-down. While the greenhouse
sits on 20 acres, the city is attempting to sell a total of 70 acres
for $281,000
Mountain Plains took over the property, but never reopened the facility,
which violated the lease agreement with the city, but those violations
have apparently been overlooked in the rush to sell the property to
Mountain Plain.
One area of concern is a portion of the lease agreement which states
that "If the Tenant holds over beyond the end of the term, the
Tenant will be a tenant-at-will at an annual Rent of $120,000, payable
in twelve equal monthly payments and will vacate the Premises on demand
of the Landlord or be deemed to be in forcible detainer of the Premises."
When Colorado Greenhouse went bankrupt, that became the end of the
term and Mountain Plains picked up the property and became the new
tenant, but never opened the facility. Taylor said no rent has been
paid, which means Grants has been allowing squatter rights on the
property.
She also said the $10,000 per month rent might give a better worth
of the land.
Taylor once again questioned why the city is in such a rush to sell
the property and be done with it. "Just do it right in the first
place," she said. "This just doesn't pass the smell test."
Other issues
In other matters the council approved 4-0 spending $27,000 for an
airport action plan study which City Project Coordinator Roberta Martinez
said is required by the FAA so the city can get more grant money to
spend at the airport.
But Airport Board of Directors President Ralph Sabroe wanted to know
why board's suggestions were going not corrected by the city. He said
it was believed that the recommendations would be corrected by the
city council. Several of the board members were at the meeting.
He cited the cost of the study, $27,000, and said the airport operating
budget for the entire year is $21,000.
"How come we don't spend as much money at the airport as we do
on the study?" he asked. "Why don't we have input into this
airport?"
Later, during the portion of the meeting which dealt with the airport
study, City Manager Bob Horacek said there were several
areas cited by the airport board the city is doing, or has done, but
Taylor pointed out several fixture-type items that needed repair,
and have gone on not repaired.
Mayor Bill Snodgrass asked if the airport board has approached Horacek
about the problems and Sabroe admitted that the city manager has not
been sought out primarily because the board members work and it is
after normal working hours when they can meet. Snodgrass said to set
a meeting up with the city manager and he will meet with the board
members, even if it is after hours. However, the city charter and
the ordinance which sets boards up in the first place state that boards
answer to the governing body, not Horacek.
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Former Bengal becomes author
Michael Peretti
Staff Sports Writer
WEST POINT, Pa. — A former local athlete and coach, Harold Etheridge,
who has lived a life at an unrecognized position, now has a book about
the most underrated players in the game of football.
Etheridge, who attended Gallup High School and graduated as a Bengal
in 1977, recently published a book about playing on the offensive
line.
The book, Coaching the Frontliners discusses what it is like
to be on the offensive line and different aspects of being a coach
on the offensive line.
"It is a bunch of blue collar players that never get their name
in the paper," he said. "They are over worked and under
appreciated. Without the front line nothing else happens."
Etheridge, now an offensive coordinator at West Point for Army, was
an assistant coach under Alex McAllister. Etheridge then graduated
from Western New Mexico University where he played college football.
After graduating at WNMU, Etheridge went on to be an assistant coach
at the school for two years.
He then moved to Gallup High, were he was an assistant under McAllister,
and then coached for two years at a high school in Louisville, KY.
Etheridge moved up to the college level after two years at the Louisville
high school, becoming an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky.
After four years at Kentucky, Etheridge moved on to become a coach
at Illinois State University, where he coached for nine years.
Etheridge is now in his second year at Army.
During a coaching clinic Etheridge said that one of the coaches ran
the idea of doing a book on the offensive line.
"He said that there aren't many offensive line books," he
said.
Etheridge said that it took about two years to put the book together.
"It takes a while for a final draft," he said. "Seeing
the publishers takes time."
"It was a once in a lifetime thing," Etheridge said but
he does not think he will do a book again, because it was too much
work.
Etheridge has a bachelors degree in science marketing management from
WNMU, where he also played college football.
After high school, Etheridge said that it was natural for him to go
into coaching.
"It was in my blood, after school I wanted to go into coaching,"
he said. "McAllister was the coach at Gallup and he put me on."
Etheridge said that he got inspiration to coach at the college level
and Ron Madrick got him on at Kentucky.
Etheridge said that his book is good for college coaches as well as
high school coaches.
He also said that while most offensive line books are cut and dry,
his covers a lot of categories and tries to get every aspect of the
offensive line.
He said that there are not many offensive line books, because people
tend to prefer the more skilled positions such as quarterbacks or
wide receivers.
Etheridge said that he now plans to work on a video that he plans
to start next summer. It will be a drill video with his voice dubbed
over explaining the drills. He said that he plans to work on that
next summer because it is hard to work on it now with the football
season beginning.
Etheridge's book, Coaching the Frontliners is available at www.coacheschoiceweb.com.
Also available at the website are books by professional coaches and
college coaches on all positions.
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Kidney machines are par for course
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP Officials at the local Gallup hospital are hitting crunch time
as they try to raise the last $20,000 of a $300,000 goal to purchase
new dialysis machines.
The money is being raised as part of the sixth annual golf tournament
sponsored by the Western Health Foundation to help the Rehoboth-McKinley
Christian Hospital. The tournament this year is being held Sept. 21
with the main celebrity being Ken Blanchard, author of the best-seller
"One-Minute Manager."
Last year, the tournament raised $340,000, but $100,000 came from
a one-time grant from the William Knox Holt Foundation.
"This is an important event for Gallup," said RMCH director
David Baltzer, who pointed out that not only does it give a lot of
people a day of enjoyment, either from golfing, participating in a
walk/run and/or attending a banquet, but each year it raises hundreds
of thousands of dollars that are used to improve the hospital...
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Queen and her court
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The new Miss Navajo Nation, Jolyana Begay, admits
she was nervous as the names of the runners-up were announced Saturday
night for the 49th Miss Navajo Nation.
In fact, "My whole body was shaking, my knees were hitting each
other, and I was squeezing the arm of my Code Talker (escort Sam Billison)
real hard," she said in a brief interview Sunday at the Dean
C. Jackson Memorial Rodeo Arena.
Jolyana (pronounced Joel-Anna) and her three runners-up didn't have
a chance until Sunday to watch the rodeo, being busy with their own
competition all week, getting as little as three hours sleep a night.
The Rabbit Brush (Fort Defiance Chapter) resident said that standing
in the arena before thousands of people at the 55th annual Navajo
Nation Fair gave her "a really scared feeling, like I wanted
to run away..."
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Whippoorwill fraud case granted delay
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The tribal Ethics-Rules Committee has provideda
five-week delay in the largest case of alleged chapter mismanagement
in Navajo history.
But no delay has been allowed for a co-worker facing separate charges
in the incident.
The continuance will allow Samuel Pete, legal counsel for former
Whippoorwill Chapter Community Services Coordinator Alta M. Begay,
to prepare her defense to charges of stealing a total of $54,525
during a seven-month period.
Previously the largest case involved more than $40,000 of illegal
checks written by then Aneth Chapter Secretary-Treasurer Tina Lansing
that ended in her removal, along with the ouster of her chapter
president and vice president, orders for the three to repay the
amounts each was involved with and a prohibition against holding
tribal office for five years...
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Navajo gambling may have chance for its third vote
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — A Navajo Nation Council delegate is calling for
the third referendum in seven years about legalizing gambling all
across the Navajo Nation.
Delegate Omer Begay Jr. (Greasewood Springs Chapter) has cleared
Title 2 Section 164 reviews by two tribal legal offices, with the
last stop before the matter reaches the council being the Ethics-Rules
Committee. Begay was on the panel's agenda Friday, but could not
be present, so his proposed resolution was continued to the next
regular meeting, Sept. 21.
The resolution points to President Kelsey A. Begaye's veto on April
26 of the To' Hajiilee Chapter's gambling control ordinance in which
he cited the rejection by voters in November 1994 and November 1997
of reservation-wide gambling.
"This veto makes it impossible for the To' Hajiilee Chapter
to pursue its gaming development proposal as the chapter had been
encouraged to do by the president," said a draft resolution
that is part of Begay's package...
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Naschitti man dies in 1-vehicle rollover
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Traffic fatalities near Kaibeto and Ganado have
claimed the lives of two more people on the Navajo Reservation.
Leland Lyle Bryant, 20, of Naschitti died shortly before 10 p.m.
Saturday in a one-vehicle rollover that Navajo police said involved
high speed and alcohol on Arizona Route 264 east of Ganado.
Witnesses indicated to the Window Rock Criminal Investigations District
detective that Bryant was driving east with Gordon Williams, 28,
of Tohatchi as a passenger. Their vehicle crossed through the westbound
lane, then off the north side of highway, near Mile Post 450, about
three miles east of the school pedestrian overpass.
Bryant died at the scene after being ejected when the undescribed
vehicle rolled several times. He was not using a seat belt, police
said...
Athletes of the Week
Michael Peretti and Abelita R. Freeland
The Athletes of the Week for the week of September 3-10 at Shiprock
Cheiftain Marcus Benally and Ganado Lady Hornet Melissa Peterson.
Benally, a senior at Shiprock High School, is coming off a big weekend.
Last Friday Benally rushed for over 180 yards against Chinle. He
also scored five touchdowns in the game.
"It feels pretty good," said Benaly. "I think it
is great that people around here are noticing me."
Benally, who also is in wrestling and baseball at Shiprock, said
that he also boxes outside of school...
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Deaths
Benito D. Flores
ALBUQUERQUE — Services for Benito Flores, 58, will be held at
10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, at Gabaldon Mortuary, 1000 Coors Blvd.,
S.W., Albuquerque. Burial will follow at San Jose De Armijo, 2957
Arenal Rd. S.W., Albuquerque.
Flores died Sept. 9 in Albuquerque. He was born Feb. 24, 1943, in
Morton, Texas.
Survivors include his wife, Geraldine Kline-Flores; sons, Benny Flores
Jr. and Albert DeLara, both of Gallup; daughters, Veronica Flores,
Loretta Rosete and Debbie Cordova, all of Albuquerque; brothers, Tommy
Flores of Gallup and Frankie Flores; sisters, Teresa Lopez and Lucy
Lopez; and 14 grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Daniel Romero, Anthony Rosete, Eric Cordova, Gabe
Martinez; Jake Kline Jr., Robert Kline and Tommy Flores Jr.
Mary Excie Gorman
GALLUP — Services for Mary Gorman, 77, will be announced at a
later date.
Gorman died Sept. 9 in Albuquerque. She was born Sept. 4, 1924, in
Warren, R.I.
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