WANTED: Buster and Beasts
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Film Reviews Pages 17 & 18 VOL 4 | ISSUE 189 | NOVEMBER 16, 2018
THEY GAVE THEIR ALL VETERANS DAY 2018: GALLUP HONORS SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN. Story Page 4
NEWS Gallup-McKinley County celebrates Veterans Day HONORS MEN AND WOMEN WHO GAVE THEIR ALL
By Dee Velasco For the Sun
D
espite the brutal cold, Veterans Day was celebrated in Gallup Nov. 12 with scheduled events to honor all veterans, past and present. Gallup-McKinley Veterans Com m it tee member s a nd Veterans Helping Veterans hosted the events, which began at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Gallup with an observance ceremony at the Veterans Plot, followed by a parade. The parade followed Aztec Avenue to McKinley County Courthouse Square, where those who braved the elements took part in the official ceremony to honor the country’s veterans. Naomi Sandoval sang the national anthem in Navajo as tiny snowflakes swirled about the square.
Flags were passed out to attendees, and patriotism was palpable in the air. The Acknowledgement of Dignitaries was presented by David Cuellar of Veterans Helping Veterans. As Jack Frost made his presence known at the event, Cuellar said the cold didn’t prevent a solid turnout or the display of the patriotic spirit. “I think it went well and we had a really good turnout as cold as it was. I think people here are very patriotic,” Cuellar said. “The ceremonies went great at the cemetery; we had a great turnout as well up there.” Keynote speaker a nd McK inley- County Com m issioner Bi l l L ee addressed the crowd about honoring all veterans. As a cold breeze swept across the cour thouse square, Lee spoke of the sacrifices and willingness of the
The Nov. 12 Veterans Day parade comes to an end at McKinley County Courthouse Square in Gallup for the honoring ceremony. Photo Credit: Ryan Hudgeons veterans who gave their all for our freedom. He was pleased
A historic fire truck rolls by in the Nov. 12 Veterans Day parade. Photo Credit: Ryan Hudgeons
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MURDER-SUICIDE Four adults dead, including suspected shooter
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to see so many folks out to honor those who served the country. “On such a frosty morning, it’s great to see so many people coming out,” Lee said. “The reason we do this is because we all need to take the time to honor the men and women who have sacrificed so much to have served, those who continue to serve and certainly those who paid the ultimate price. So it’s good to see a great crowd out here and good to be a part of these festivities as we remember the veterans.” Similar sentiments were expressed by Gallup City Councilor Linda Garcia who boldly stated her thoughts on professional sports players who take a knee during the National Anthem. Her words brought on claps and cheers from the audience. She said we can never forget
what our veterans have done and continue to do for all of us. “To act upon this degrading idea is a complete blow to all our veterans who sacrificed for what we have now,” Garcia said. Grand Marshall Leonardo P. Torrez was introduced with a brief statement about his service in the United States
VETERANS DAY | SEE PAGE 8
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WHAT’S INSIDE …
SANDWICH SNATCH Tse Bonito attempted robbery suspect sought by police
Friday November 16, 2018 • Gallup Sun
10 15 21 POLICE BEAT From DWIs to thefts and beyond
STAND DOWN Red Rock veteran stand down aims to help vets across country
RUN! High school cross country teams compete for state titles
NEWS
Will Gallup attract industry to the area? GGEDC PAINTS A POSITIVE PICTURE FOR CITY LEADERS By Cody Begaye Sun Correspondent
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atrick Mason, treasurer of the Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation’s board of directors, presented the GGEDC 2018 Annual Report at the Nov. 13 Gallup City Council regular meeting. The GGEDC is a nonprofit organization that aims to drive economic growth by building on local assets and strategic partnering to attract and recruit business and industrial employers that provide economic base jobs in the Gallup-McKinley County area. According to information presented at the meeting, the GGEDC website pulled the following stats from the past year: • 4,286 unique users from 61 countries, including Ukraine, India, the Philippines, Mexico, Germany and Canada. • 14,662 site pageviews from 1,030 cities, including San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Dallas, TX; New York, NY; and Houston, TX.
NEWS
GGEDC Board of Directors Treasurer Patrick Mason. Photo Credit: Courtesy milawfirm.net • 693 business contacts, with 31 of those contacts requesting information about GGEDC programs, 28 projects proposed, 21 in-person site visits, and nine active projects in the works. • Contact with 15 local companies, 13 local landowners, 98 domestic companies, 55 foreign companies, 15 work site selectors, 14 potential recruitment opportunities and six visits to industry trade shows. Mason also provided figures showing GGEDC has a projected
2018 revenue of over $300,000, against an estimated spending of nearly $250,000. Mason said a new business could potentially generate anywhere between 33 and 100 local jobs. He said while major cities might dismiss this number as insignificant, a town like Gallup would welcome such an opportunity for growth. Mason discussed the economic opportunities the GGEDC projects would bring to Gallup. The estimated fiscal impact of one active project, for example, is around $9.4 million, he said. “[Gallup] was a community that was going to help them bring [their plans] to a fruition,” Mason said, explaining why companies want to work with the GGEDC. Mason cited local assets like Highway 66 and the railroad, one of the busiest in the state, as economic opportunities for Gallup. Both bring a considerable amount of tourism traffic, he said. Mason also mentioned a frequent tourist from Korea who became interested in doing business in the Gallup area. Mason
said the tourist enjoyed the region when visiting, and found a business opportunity within a community that will back him. Results from projects like this would be seen within the next year, he said. “None of this [growth] is possible without you,” Mason said, citing the efforts of the city council to provide an avenue for these businesses to begin and flourish. City Manager Maryann Ustick expressed optimism about the potential business deals. “The city works closely with GGEDC staff and provides support on potential projects located in our city,” she said. “We are excited to see some of the economic development projects, that
are in progress, and which will create much needed new and well paying jobs, come to fruition.” Other items discussed at meeting: • The A n nua l Ch r istma s Parade will be held Dec. 1.
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Amazing Grace Insurance - 18 Auto Works - 10 Bubany Insurance Agency - 6 Butler’s Office City - 18 Gallup Christian Church -14 Gallup McKinley County Schools - 2 Gurley Motor - 24 Highland Springs Ranch - 20 Highlands University - 23 Lucky Loans - 7 Octavia Fellin Public Library -17 Pinnacle Bank - 20 Quintana’s Music - 8 Rico Auto Complex - 2 Small Fry Dentistry - 16 Thunderbird Supply Co. - 9 TravelCenters of America Uber/Lyft - 4
GGEDC | SEE PAGE 14
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Accounts Representative Raenona Harvey Calendar Editor Lealia Nelson Photography Cayla Nimmo Knifewing Segura Correspondents Cody Begaye Design David Tsigelman Cover: Flags flown high on Veterans Day 2018, Nov. 12, downtown Gallup. Photo Credit: Knifewing Segura The Gallup Sun, published Fridays, is not responsible or liable for any claims or offerings, nor responsible for availability of products advertised. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Gallup Sun distributes newspapers in McKinley, Cibola and Apache counties. Office: 102 S. Second St., Gallup, NM 87301 The Gallup Sun, pending USPS number 1, is mailed weekly. Application to mail at periodical rates is pending in Gallup NM. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gallup Sun, PO Box 1212, Gallup, NM. Mailing Address: PO Box 1212 Gallup, NM 87305 www.gallupsun.com Phone: (505) 722-8994 Fax: (505) 212-0391 gallupsun@gmail.com Letter to the editor/guest column ACCEPTED BY EMAIL ONLY. State full name and city/town. No pen names. ID required. All submissions subjected to editor’s approval. Guest columnists, email Sun for submission requirements.
Gallup Sun • Friday November 16, 2018
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