Drivers should watch for deep standing water and slow moving vehicles following area downpours.

As of 9:30 pm July 23, the McKinley County Sheriff's Office  proclaimed Interstate 40 clear in both directions.

However, the frontage road, Highway 118 was closed between Highway 566 and Exit 33 due to flooding and debris.

Additional flooded roads included Mentmore Road/Defiance Draw and Highway 566 at Mile Marker 5.

I-40 around the 33.5 mile marker, east of Gallup was also flooded.

The FBI is looking for Josiah Alan Smith, 27, of Smith Lake, New Mexico, who is wanted on a federal murder charge.

Smith is accused of a fatal shooting on the Navajo Nation earlier this year. According to a press release, no specific details of the crime can be provided at this time due to the ongoing investigation.

Smith's physical description:



Height: 5'11'Weight: 180 poundsEye color: BrownHair color: BlackRace: Native American

A federal arrest warrant was issued in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico in Albuquerque June 11, after Smith was charged with murder and crimes committed in Indian Country. The Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety is...

Bulls, riders electrify crowds

After canceling last year’s show due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WildThing Championship Bullriding was back at Red Rock Park “bigger and badder than ever” July 9 and 10.

WildThing organizer Larry Peterson said the crew put on an event where all the guests had a fantastic time.

“Everything we had planned more or less went off,” Peterson said July 13. “We almost sold out the event on Friday, and then we actually sold out on Saturday. The crowds really had a good time, and we’ve been hearing nothing but how much fun they had and how great it was.”

Peterson said the crew did all it could to prepare Red Rock Park for the large turnout...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New Mexico Public Health Department recommend that unvaccinated people continue to wear masks, while vaccinated people can remove them.

What that means for Gallup-McKinley County Schools has yet to be determined. At the June 12 board meeting, GMCS Superintendent Michael Hyatt said he would pass along the guidelines from the New Mexico Public Education Department for the upcoming school year as soon as they became available. He also said the CDC may be changing the mask directives again.

Hyatt said the district would address issues about students’ return to school in the fall by sending out a survey to parents about in-person...