The Gallup City Council approved a budget adjustment to begin a water line replacement and road pavement project at its March 9 meeting.

Replacement of the water line — on East Wilson Drive, from McKinley Drive to Marguerite Franco Drive — was slated to take place within two years, with supervision from the city’s utilities department. But since the public works department wants to utilize time-sensitive funds for a mill and overlay on Marguerite Franco Drive, the utilities department proposed moving up the process to get the water line done.

On March 9, Dennis Romero, the department’s executive director, went before the city council and asked for a budget adjustment, which...

Over 3,000 New Mexicans participated in committees in Weeks Five and Six

SANTA FE — With less than two weeks remaining in the 2021 Legislative Session, the New Mexico House of Representatives continues to move quickly on legislation while involving thousands of New Mexicans throughout the process.

As of March 7, the New Mexico House of Representatives has worked efficiently on the 312 bills introduced into its chambers since the beginning of the session. About 289 bills have had a hearing in a House committee and out of that total, 129 have made it through the committee process, passed the House floor, and are now in the Senate for consideration. In weeks five and six, over 3,000 New...

During the city council meeting held on March 9, Clyde Strain, Gallup’s Planning and Development Director, presented a grant that would pay for a new public safety building to house the Gallup Police Department and the Gallup Municipal Court.

The grant by the State of New Mexico’s Department of Finance and Administration, totals $1.5 million.

The design for the new building is complete, and in an interview after the meeting, Strain said the city is now looking at funding for the project. He explained that it is a $16 million project, but that the city has been putting money aside for it for years, and that it is at about the halfway mark now.

The grant is for the design...

SEARCHING FOR SHOOTER

Lupton, March 5

McKinley County Deputy Gavin Panteah was dispatched to the three-mile marker of I-40 along with Deputies Nocona Clark and Frank Villa in reference to a potential shooting. But on the way there, the dispatch location switched to the Yellowhorse Trading Post in Lupton, Ariz.

The deputies arrived and met with the victim, Elias Espinoza, who had sustained a gunshot wound  on the right side of his face. Panteah spoke with the caller at the scene, Antonio Agguire, who told him that he and Espinoza stopped at a nearby gas station. Espinoza left the vehicle to go inside, and Agguire said he heard a gunshot.

While Agguire helped Espinoza to a nearby bench...