Shirley team set to make rash of early appointments
Larry Di Giovanni
Staff Writer
WINDOW ROCK — Those who have the opportunity to visit the
Navajo Nation transition team office of President-elect Joe Shirley
Jr. and Vice President-elect Frank Dayish Jr. are handed a colorful
photographic Christmas card featuring the two.
The card starts out "Y at' eeh Kshmesh!" the Diné
way to say "Merry Christmas," and it goes on to add
in English: "to you and yours ... Have a healthy, prosperous
and Happy New Year. Thank you for your continued support."
Though they're enjoying the holiday season with their families
and friends, the next Navajo Nation president and vice president
are continuing to work, almost non-stop. Their progress may start
to show soon, with an announcement expected at any time on the
naming of the first division directors to be hired.
The previous administration did not name division directors until
after the inauguration.
Shirley and Dayish say they are following through on their pledge
to "hit the ground running."
"We're willing to even say, maybe by the end of the week,"
Dayish said of the coming appointments. "We're real close."
That could mean as many as three or four division chiefs named
in a matter of days, Dayish added.
Shirley said he and Dayish will make the final selections for
each division director named. They will have three choices for
each slot from an ad-hoc committee.
"They -committee members- have been apprised that we might
go outside the recommendations," Shirley said.
There has been a flood of applications for the division chief
positions: Education, Economic Development, Community Development,
Natural Resources, Health, General Services, Public Safety, Environmental
Protection Agency, Department of
Justice and several others.
Some Window Rock politicians believe that the attorney general
will be the new administration's most important appointment because
once the council confirms the choice, that selection is locked
in.
Unlike the U.S. government's three-branch system — where
the U.S. president can appoint and fire his attorney general —
only the Navajo Nation Council can remove the tribal attorney
general. Some say that shields the Navajo AG from scrutiny, including
from the president who appoints him or her.
Shirley and Dayish have made improved educational opportunities
on the Navajo Nation their "No. 1 priority," so the
naming of a new Division of Diné Education director in
short order is a real possibility. The two have been to a Navajo
Area School Boards Association-sponsored event in Albuquerque
that has placed "a call to action" on the tribe's education
needs, Dayish said.
Limited federal funding to combat such problems as diabetes' impact
among Navajos means planning how to spend such funds in the manner
with the most-needed impact. Dayish noted that a U.S. House Resolution
is setting aside about $12 million to combat diabetes in Navajo
country. That equates to spending just $40 per Diné to
fight diabetes when dividing the $12 million by the tribal population
— about 298,000 according to the 2000 U.S. Census.
"I think that's just a drop in the bucket of what we need,"
Dayish said.
"There are a lot of challenges facing us," Shirley said.
"It's going to take a strong team to turn it around, to begin
to put a dent into some of these challenges."
Since his Nov. 5 victory over President Kelsey Begaye, Shirley
has been traveling and keeping a constant schedule. Nearly all
of his trips have been across Navajo country. Shirley said this
has allowed him to see the basic service needs of his people up
close and personal.
On Monday, for example, Shirley stopped by the Lupton Chapter
area to examine a 400-foot-long bridge that the Bureau of Indian
Affairs has closed for work. This will cost the Navajos who traversed
over the bridge another 20 minutes in their vehicles as they'll
have to loop around to their homes using another route.
Roads and the BIA's duty to take care of them is a major issue
in nearly every chapter, Shirley said. He wants to provide his
presence in hopes that the BIA will repair the bridge in a timely
manner.
The tribal farm, the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI),
is another issue that Shirley and Dayish are starting to examine
more closely. They have met twice with Tsosie Lewis, NAPI's general
manager. Shirley said he's aware of how much funding is at stake
with the tribal farm. It includes the millions that the federal
government spends each year to continue the development of the
Navajo Indian Irrigation Project (NIIP), the farm's Navajo Dam-fed
water system.
"We know that NAPI has a lot of problem areas," Shirley
said.
Shirley also has plans to enhance the tribe's law enforcement
capability. He's aware that funding needs often impact Navajo
police officers' responses to critical situations such as a potentially
violent domestic violence situation involving gun play. Such a
scenario was exemplified by a recent incident in Upper Fruitland.
The funding for such police programs as training Special Response
Team (SRT) members is "absolutely" critical, Shirley
said. Police could not respond immediately to the Upper Fruitland
domestic violence episode because the Shiprock Police District's
SRT had a few members who were unavailable.
Shirley is a strong proponent of cross-commissioning neighboring
sheriff's personnel so that their officers can be the first to
take action at a scene on Navajo land, if they're the first to
arrive. This will help cut down response times on the reservation
that can mean hours before a tribal officer can respond.
"The Navajo Nation's law enforcement needs a lot of help,"
Shirley said. "It needs to be a priority. They need a lot
more manpower."
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Central schools' prez is called culturally
'insensitive'
Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer
SHIPROCK — Some parents of Central Consolidated School District
students fear that board President Randy Manning's call to reconstitute
the bilingual program, which he blames in large part for the district's
poor English language scores, clouds his desire to end the program
altogether.
During an Oct. 7 meeting of the district's Indian Education Committee,
at which parents' concerns came to a head, Manning attempted to alley
that fear: "We're not saying, 'Do away with it,' but improve
it."
Still, some parents remain unconvinced of Manning's commitment to
retaining the program, says Central Consolidated Director of Indian/Bilingual
Education Tina Deschenie and Hoskie Benally Jr.
Benally, CEO of Our Youth, Our Future, Inc. — a Farmington-based
substance abuse treatment center for American Indian adolescents,
says he's speaking for parents afraid to approach the media themselves
for fear of retribution by the school district upon their children.
Of all the possible reasons for the district's low-performing reservation
schools, say Benally and Deschenie, parents find Manning's justifications
for focusing blame foremost on Navajo language classes unfair and
culturally insensitive.
Manning's concern is that students are being pulled out of core curriculum
classes to study Navajo in the face of mounting pressure from the
State Department of Education to improve scores in key subject areas
— none of which include Navajo language or culture.
"I see nothing wrong with Navajo language assisting in teaching
English language if that's what it's doing," said Manning.
"But if we're spending too much time in our bilingual program
drawing pictures of cultural things and making hogans out of popsicle
sticks and those things, that is not assisting us in language development."
While insisting he appreciates the importance to students of a cultural
awareness, "when we're talking education," he continued,
"we're talking 'What is this district accountable for?' ... Nowhere
is Navajo language and culture part of the (state) accountability
system."
That's why Manning wants not to end the program, but to find ways
it can improve student performance in areas they are accountable for.
"So if our Navajo language program is assisting in children learning
English so that they can read the test, so they know how to communicate
in those tests, so that they can get the test scores that you're wanting,
that's great. If it's not, let's change it so that it is. That's my
concern."
As a potential fix, Manning suggests immersing non-English-proficient
students in a strictly English-based education — with no Navajo
language classes — from kindergarten through the third grade,
to help students he believes usually have a grade-appropriate grasp
of neither Navajo nor English a foundation in at least one language.
Navajo language classes, he suggests, could then begin in the fourth
grade.
Not teaching Navajo to children during their earliest years flies
in the face of research that favors language acquisition as early
as possible.
Manning, however, reasons that students not yet proficient in either
English or Navajo are better off learning one language at a time then
two. And that first language, he insists, should be English.
Benally, however, believes Manning is focusing blame in the wrong
place and finds the board president's thinking reminiscent of the
bygone days of American Indian boarding schools that forced students'
integration into Anglo culture by denying them their language and
traditions.
In a recent letter to the Gallup Independent, Benally writes, "Manning
must abandon his attitude that the community values must adjust to
the school district values; rather the school district must adjust
to the community, 88 percent of the students in the school district
being Navajo. In this case Navajos are not the minority culture, but
rather constitute the majority."
His letter continues, "Mr. Manning revealed his lack of respect
and prejudice against our Navajo language and culture. As school board
president and (a) long-time school board member, he should accept
his share of responsibility for failing to improve reading test scores
in the district; instead, he makes excuses and diverts attention from
himself and the board by blaming bilingual and cultural education."
Randy Roberts, chairman of the district's Indian Education Committee,
agreed with Benally's take on Manning's position as misguided.
"It's hard for me to see how the bilingual program is responsible
for students not reading. It seems more that it's the schools not
doing their jobs," said Roberts, speaking at the Oct. 7 meeting.
"I think the system is failing our students. The schools are
not doing the job, but the bilingual program is being blamed."
"You need to respect Navajo language and culture. I don't see
respect here," said Navajo Nation Head Start Program Director
Kaibah Begay despite Manning repeating his desire to improve —
not eliminate — the bilingual program.
Begay says she and other parents aren't buying Manning's claim that
he isn't interested in ending the bilingual program.
"From the very beginning you said the bilingual program is the
problem. You did not talk about how the system is the problem."
Benally also points to the plethora of research demonstrating the
positive role a cultural education can play in student success in
all subject areas by making students feel less alienated at school
and imbuing their studies with a greater sense of relevance.
If the district's bilingual program is not helping students achieve
in other areas, Deschenie says it's because the program is not being
implemented properly, one, because principals are increasingly exercising
their prerogative to limit Navajo language classes in favor of English
reading classes, and, two, because of inadequate staffing.
"Because of how inadequately the program is staffed, it certainly
could not and cannot be contributing to English language development
like it could be if it was properly staffed," she said.
"Because of the very limited time the Navajo language has been
given in the past, it is amazing that students have been able to pick
up any language at all, but they have."
Instead of allowing principals to determine the degree to which the
bilingual program is supported at each school site, Deschenie, like
Benally, believes the program could use more direction from central
office in order to guarantee districtwide consistency.
Inadequate site support and staffing, says Deschenie, have taken Central
Consolidated's bilingual program out of compliance with state regulations
that require districts which receive money for bilingual education
— by their request — to provide 45 minutes of bilingual
education per day per student enrolled in the program.
Although noncompliance could provide the state a pretext for closing
the program, Deschenie says the program has been out of compliance
for years without suffering any punitive state action.
Current federal, state and Navajo Nation tribal laws do not mandate
bilingual education for multicultural districts, but require that
they be provided to districts that want such programs.
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'Good Fellas' get cited for being bad
boys
Joe Kolb
Staff Writer
GALLUP — There won't be any holiday cheer for the owner and patrons
of Good Fellas Sports Lounge on West Highway 66 this Christmas. The
pub has had its liquor license suspended for violating state liquor
regulations.
Good Fellas was cited for serving alcohol to a minor for a second
time in less than a year. This carries a penalty of a seven-day suspension
of their liquor license as well as a $2,000 fine, according to Barbara
River, citation manager for the Alcohol and Gaming Division of the
Regulation and Licensing Department of the State of New Mexico.
According to the report filed by the New Mexico Department of Public
Safety-Special Investigation Division, a sting operation was being
conducted throughout Gallup on the evening of April 18 where state
and local law enforcement officials were checking if liquor establishments
were selling to minors. The bait was two 20-year-old undercover Gallup
police officers. The officers were instructed to purchase two Coors
light beers, and to pay the waitress. Other officers were waiting
outside waiting for the sale to be completed.
When the officers entered the bar, Don Good, the manager immediately
approached the officers and inquired if there was a problem. Good
was informed that a waitress identified as Gloria Chee, had sold the
undercover police the beer. She allegedly asked for identification
and viewed I.D. cards that had the pair's correct age, but sold the
pair beer nevertheless.
Chee, who was working with a temporary permit, was issued citations
for selling alcoholic beverages to a minor.
Good Fellas Sports Lounge was issued a citation for violating the
liquor control act for selling/giving alcohol to a minor along with
permitting a minor to enter a licensed establishment.
An aggravating factor for Good Fellas was that this was the second
time within a year they were cited for serving alcohol to a minor.
According to Rivera, their first offense was in October of 2001. She
said this carries a one-day suspension and a $1,000 fine.
Of the delay in leveling the penalty, Rivera said the citation has
to be approved by an agent of the Special Investigation Division of
the Department of Public Safety. She said it can be weeks before her
office gets the approved citation. From there a letter of notification
is sent to the establishment cited who then has an opportunity to
respond. In the case of Good Fellas Sports Lounge, the suspension
didn't go into effect until Dec. 19. Since Sundays and Christmas aren't
included in the day
count — it must be actual business days they will be suspended
until Dec. 28.
"These types of stings are done on a regular basis," Rivera
said. There is a cumulative fine and penalty schedule. "If an
establishment received five citations in a 12-month period they are
subject to a $10,000 fine and revocation of the liquor license,"
she said.
Good Fellas Sports Lounge just renewed their state liquor license
in May.
"They've only been open a few years and being closed already
for seven days indicates a problem," said Lt. John Allen of the
Gallup Police Department. The owner Rex A. Good could not be reached
for comment.
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Who will enforce animal cruelty laws?
Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Special to the Independent
SANDERS, Ariz. — So what happens with enforcement of animal cruelty
laws when some rural Arizona counties don't have even a single animal
control officer or an animal shelter? As members of the Navajo Nation's
Blackhat Humane Society have discovered in Apache County, not much.
Officials of the small, volunteer Humane Society, which was founded
on the Navajo Reservation in 2000, were contacted last summer by a
resident of Sanders, Ariz., who alleged that a neighbor was violating
animal cruelty laws. The man had upwards of two dozen dogs on his
small lot and an unknown number of cats inside his old trailer. The
neighbor claimed the man, who apparently lives elsewhere, rarely stopped
by to care for the malnourished animals.
After that initial report, members of the Blackhat Humane Society
began regularly driving down to Sanders to feed the dogs, and they
began leaving Blackhat brochures and notes offering help to spay,
neuter, vaccinate, and feed the animals. No one ever responded to
those brochures or notes, officials said, although a Humane society
member finally met the animals' owner in early December when she stopped
by to feed his animals.
Also after that initial report in the summer, Blackhat officials began
trying to get other agencies to help intervene in the situation. Humane
Society members say that for nearly five months they have placed a
series of calls to the Apache County Sheriff's Department and have
received little response. Another Blackhat volunteer said she has
tried to enlist the assistance of the Arizona Humane Society in Phoenix,
and her efforts have met with an equal lack of success.
Sheriff's responsibility
Although Arizona has animal cruelty laws on the books (see related
story), getting those laws enforced in rural counties is not always
an easy matter, say officials from Humane Societies in Phoenix, Tucson,
and Lakeside, Ariz.
According to Frank Corvino, Manager of Field Operations for the Arizona
Humane Society, there is "no state mandate" that Arizona
counties must employ animal control officers or fund animal shelters.
Most metropolitan areas do have animal control programs, but in rural
counties like Apache County, the areas outside incorporated communities
often have no programs. In those counties, said Corvino, the responsibility
of handling animal control problems falls to the county sheriff's
department.
This presents a serious problem when such sheriff's departments are
faced with reports of violations to the animal cruelty laws. Sheriff
officers must file a report and submit that report to the county attorney
who has the legal authority to pursue cruel neglect or cruel mistreatment
charges.
Animals can be temporarily seized by the sheriff's department, but
they must be cared for in a holding facility while the case winds
itself through the legal system. That usually takes between two months
to a year, Corvino said. In counties with no animal control programs,
law enforcement authorities have no animal shelters in which to place
the animals.
Sometimes, when faced with allegations of cruel neglect or cruel mistreatment,
some animal owners will voluntarily surrender their animals to authorities.
Other owners will permanently lose their animals after a court judgement
has found them guilty. In either case, however, counties with no animal
shelters still have no system in place to handle the animals.
According to Commander Brian Hough of the Apache County Sheriff's
Department in St. Johns, this is the case in Apache County, a county
that doesn't have animal control officers and "absolutely no
facility" other than the small programs in the incorporated communities
of St. Johns, Eager, and Springerville.
Hough was asked how the rural parts of Apache County deal with various
animal control problems. Because there is no animal control, he explained,
sheriff's officers don't deal with the decomposing bodies of dead
animals on the roadways, and they don't pick up stray dogs or cats.
Livestock owners are legally allowed to destroy dogs that attack their
livestock and most owners do so on their own. The sheriff's department
will get involved in reports involving dog bites, he said.
Hough was asked about Blackhat Humane Society's concerns regarding
the situation in Sanders. He said the county didn't have any ordinance
limiting the number of animals a person could own, but that sheriff's
officers would investigate cases involving reports of animal cruelty.
"I'm sure that would fall under cruelty," Hough said, when
asked about the allegations of puppies being eaten by malnourished
and emaciated dogs. Hough said District Commander Travis Simshauser
of Sanders would be the sheriff's official that could respond to questions
about the situation in Sanders.
When contacted last Thursday, Simshauser said his office had written
up a report and had forwarded it just that week to the county attorney.
Criss Candelaria, the new Apache County attorney who assumed office
on Nov. 19, was contacted just prior to The Independent's conversation
with Simshauser. Candelaria was unfamiliar with the situation in Sanders
and said he had not yet seen a report from the sheriff's department.
"The key to this is to get a real investigation going,"
he said, after hearing about the animal cruelty allegations being
leveled by members of the Blackhat Humane Society.
Don Foster, Director of the Apache County Health Department, was also
contacted about conditions in and around the trailer in Sanders. Foster
checked his records and said no complaint has been filed to date,
but that his office would investigate if neighbors or the Humane Society
would file a complaint.
Frustrations
Members of the Blackhat Humane Society expressed frustration with
the Apache County Sheriff's Department. Mary Furney of Blackhat estimated
that she made at least 10 to 15 phone calls over the last five months
to the sheriff's offices in St. Johns and Sanders, and Tamara Martin
estimated she placed another six calls.
Furney said she was aware that the Apache County Sheriff's Department
has been dealing with a number of major cases during this period of
time; however, she expressed frustration over the department's apparent
lack of interest in the matter.
A deputy did leave messages at the trailer, she said, and talked with
her a couple of times about Blackhat's concerns. However, she said,
nothing ever seemed to result from those actions. Furney said she
finally called the deputy in late November to tell him she was contacting
The Independent about the situation.
"These laws are set up to protect ... what good are they if not
enforced?" asked Hilje Hague, another member of the Humane Society
who has made trips to Sanders to feed the dogs. "What I witnessed
on a screaming, hot day in August has haunted me to this very day.
Five adult dogs 'cooking' in a stinking, filthy 'box'... I want to
make sure this atrocity has an end."
When contacted by The Independent, Frank Corvino of the Arizona Humane
Society, Marsh Myers of the Humane Society of Southern Arizona and
Debra Miller of the White Mountain Humane Society in Lakeside, Ariz.,
all said they would be willing to try to assist the Blackhat Humane
Society and Apache County authorities resolve this problem in Sanders.
If the animals were surrendered or seized, Myers said, he would be
willing to try to place the animals in facilities around the state.
Miller said her organization would be willing to take some of the
animals if they were surrendered by the owner, but for any animal
that is surrendered to the Humane Society, she cautioned, particularly
sick or unadoptable ones, "there's a possibility of euthanasia."
Should the animals be eventually surrendered or seized, Tamara Martin
envisions the removal of the animals from the property to be a huge
and difficult undertaking. Martin is the Blackhat volunteer who has
made the most trips to feed the dogs in Sanders. Based on her experience
removing three pregnant dogs that the owner did surrender to Blackhat,
she thinks most of the dogs will be frightened and aggressive since
they are not used to human contact, and she believes many of them
are suffering from illnesses and injuries.
"We really want to work with other agencies," she said,
"We don't want to be Lone Rangers on this. Or Tontos."
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And the winners are ...
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Here is the list of Navajo Nation general election
winners certified Thursday by the Board of Election Supervisors:
President-Vice President — Joe Shirley Jr. and Frank Dayish Jr.
Board of Election Supervisors:Eastern Agency, Leslie Chavez; Fort
Defiance Agency, Katherine D. Arviso; Chinle Agency,
Marcus Tulley; Northern Agency, Roy H. Tso Sr.; Western Agency, vacant.
Council Delegates:
Eastern Agency — Harry Hubbard, Tim C. Morgan, Alice W. Benally,
David B. Rico, Lavern A. Wagner, Charles Damon,
Ernest D. Yazzie Jr., Joe M. Lee, Lawrence T. Morgan, Harriett K.
Becenti, Young Jeff Tom, Ida M. Nelson, Bennie Shelly,
Danny Simpson, Cecil Frank Eriacho, Harry J. Willeto, Lawrence R.
Platero and Edward P. Padilla.
Fort Defiance Agency — Leroy L. Thomas, Jerry Freddie, Lee Jack
Sr., Sampson Begay, Larry Noble, Mel Begay, Peterson
B. Yazzie, Edison D. Jones, Norman John II, Orlanda Smith-Hodge, Omer
Begay Jr., Willie Tracey Jr., Benjamin Curtis,
Ralph D. Bennett, Roscoe D. Smith, Harold Wauneka, Tom M. White Jr.,
Larry Anderson, Ernest Hubbell, Lorenzo Curley,
Curran Hannon, Ray Berchman and Roy B. Dempsey.
Chinle Agency — Lorenzo Bedonie, Tom LaPahe, Arthur D. Yazzie,
Elbert R. Wheeler, Kee Allen Begay Jr., Johnny Naize,
Leonard Teller, Nelson Begaye, Nelson Gorman Jr., Andy R. Ayze, Harry
H. Clark, Leo R. Begay, Duane Tsinigine, Evelyn
Acothley, Philbert L. Tso, Tommy Tsosie, Leslie Dele, Willie Greyeyes
and Harry D. Brown Sr.
Western Agency — Thomas Walker Jr., Leonard Chee, Alice M. White,
Roy Laughter, Willie Begay, Katherine Benally,
Herman Daniels Sr., Harry J. Goldtooth, Raymond Maxx, Hope Macdonald
and Harry Williams Sr.
Northern Agency — Kenneth Maryboy, Mark Maryboy, Rex Lee Jim,
Woody Lee, Francis Redhouse, Edward V. Jim Sr.,
Willie W. Johnson Sr., Jerry Bodie, Wallace Charley, Pete Ken Atcitty,
Richard T. Begaye, George Arthur, Lorenzo C. Bates,
David L. Tom and Ervin M. Keeswood Sr.
One office remains to be determined in a Jan. 7 run-off between Eddie
J. Arthur and Naadli G. Manymules-Bitsoi.
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Chapter president's $23,000 ethics case is put off
a 2nd time
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Former Thoreau Chapter president Herman Yellowhorse
received a second continuance from the Navajo Nation Council's Ethics-Rules
Committee.
His administrative hearing on charges of misusing almost $23,000
in one of the largest financial scandals in tribal history will
now be held Jan. 10, the panel decided Monday...
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Ariz. animal cruelty laws
Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Special to the Independent
SANDERS, Ariz. — Just what does Arizona state law say about
cruelty to animals?
Dr. Rick Willer, DVM, the State Veterinarian for the Arizona Department
of Agriculture, e-mailed a copy of the law to Hilje Hague of the
Blackhat Humane Society. Hague highlighted the following sections
of the law that Humane Society members believe apply to the current
situation in Sanders...
Deaths
Edward A. Beyuka
ZUNI — Services for Edward Beyuka, 82, were held at Monday,
Dec. 23 at the home of Madeline Beyuka. Burial followed at Quincy
Panteah Cemetery.
Beyuka died Dec. 21 in Zuni. He was born Aug. 15, 1920 in Zuni.
Beyuka attended Zuni and Fort Wingate. He served in the U.S. Army.
He was a Bataan Death March Survivor and was a
POW. He was a jewelrysmith, rancher and Tribal Council Member. His
hobbies included reading, and watching sports on
T.V.
Survivors include his sons, Jonathan Beguka, Jeb Beyuka, Jasper
beyuka, Alison Beyuka, Philbert Beyuka all of Zuni;
daughters, Shirley Walela, Janet Amesoli, Christine Beyuka, Cheryl
Westika and Ione Beyuka all of Zuni; sisters, Margaret
Johnson of Zuni; 26 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Beyuka was preceded in death by his son, Rizal Beyuka; parents,
Eugene Beyuka and Iva Poncho; brothers, Eugene Beyuka
Jr. and Mickey Beyuka Sr. and sister, Christine Beyuka.
Peter Jim Chee
BREADSPRINGS — Services for Peter Jim Chee, 70, will be held
at 10 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 26 at Rollie Mortuary Palm
Chapel. Pastor Jake Yazzie will officate. Burial will follow at
Sunset Memorial Park.
Chee died Dec. 22 in Two Wells. He was born March 21, 1932 in Gallup
into the Folded Arms People Clan for the Sleeping
Rock People Clan.
Survivors include hsi wife, Helen R. Chee of Breadsprings; sons,
Emerson Chee, Kenneth Chee Sr. and Peterson Chee all of
Breadsprings; daughters, Charlotte Firestone of Terre Haute, Ind.,
Charlene Chee and Darlene Chee both of Breadsprings;
brothers, Jones Chee of Church Rock; Maurices Chee of Thoreau, Ronald
Chee of Fort Defiance, Ariz., Tom Chee Jr. of
Gallup and Oscar Merrill of Breadsprings; sisters, Marilynn Chee
of Denver, Bessie Silago of Crownpoint, Nora Russell and
Mary Tomachee both of Albuquerque, Loretta Hood and Evelyn Chee
both of Gallup, Hasbah Benally, Julia Chee, Betty Hood
and Rita Nelson all of Breadsprings, Helen Burbank; 21 grandchildren
and four great-grandchildren.
Chee was preceded in death by his father, Tom Chee.
Pallbearers will be Emerson Chee, Garrett Chee, Kenneth Chee Jr.,
Peteson Chee, Travis Chee and Art Tom Sr.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Merle Burns
GRANTS — Services for Merle Burns, 74, were held at 11 a.m.,
today at Grants Mortuary Chapel. Rev. Taube Jenkins
officiated. Burial followed at Grants Memorial Park.
Burns died Dec. 21. He was born Feb. 24, 1928 in Altamont, Mo.
Survivors include his wife, Martie Burns of Grants; children, Julie
Keel of Wasilla, Ark., Brian Burns and Dale Burns both of
Grants; brother, Keith Burns of Petaluma, Calif.; sister, Donna
Silvers of Petaluma and four grandchildren.
Pallbearers were Johnny Elkins, Alfred Urioste, David Keel, Justin
Keel, Todd Burns, Steve Farris and Ronnie Keel.
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