E FRE
Oh, Ralph… you’ve done it again. Film Review Page 19 VOL 4 | ISSUE 190 | NOVEMBER 23, 2018
ALL THE PRETTY HORSES — WHERE DO THEY GO?
Navajo Nation aims to reduce horse overgrazing, overpopulation. Story Page 4
#2 - Literacy Tip of the Week
Read Aloud to Your Child For a child, the more time spent with a parent reading aloud increases his or her level of attachment, enhances a sense of security, and imparts the knowledge that their parent feels they are worthwhile people to spend time with! AT GMCS…FAMILY LITERACY MONTH MATTERS #3 - Literacy Tip of the Week
Make Reading Relevant Give your teens books, newspaper articles and magazines about things that interest THEM…music, movies, computers and Phones! Talk with them about their interests. 2
AT GMCS…FAMILY LITERACY MONTH MATTERS
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Udall, Heinrich, Luján welcome LANL agreement CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES TO BENEFIT STATE ECONOMY
Staff Reports
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ASHINGTON, D.C. - U. S. S e n a t o r s To m Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján welcomed a new agreement for procurement opportunities for northern New Mexico businesses contracting with Los Alamos National Laboratory Nov. 20. Under LANL’s new management and operating contract between Triad National Security, LLC and the U.S. D e pa r t ment of E ner g y ’s National Nuclear Security Administration, that went into effect Nov. 1, there continues to be a pricing preference for contracting with small businesses in the northern New Mexico
region and a new and additional pricing preference has been established for the members of the Triad Pueblo business alliance (San lldefonso, Ohkay Owingeh, Acoma). These pricing preferences represent a significant new opportunity for our local small businesses and pueblos. “New Mexico’s entrepreneurs are a bright spot in our state’s economy. We lead the country in minority- and women-owned businesses, and small businesses employ over half of New Mexico workers,” Udall said. “This new agreement — the result of hard work from local entrepreneurs, cities, counties, and Pueblos — is a welcome commitment that Los Alamos National Lab will continue to be an active and
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján
essential partner in Northern New Mexico, and an affirmation that local businesses can and will provide world-class goods and services. I will continue to work to bolster the
INNOVATION | FROM PAGE 13 strengthens our commitment to building a healthier economy and helping our homegrown companies succeed.” To date, 36 companies from Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Doña Ana, Otero and San Juan counties have been awarded Innovation Vouchers. They run the gamut from biotech to softwa re and medical equipment to consulting. One example is Teeniors, a company that puts tech-savvy teens and young adults in place to help senior citizens learn technology through one-on-one coaching. Teeniors received an Innovation Voucher grant in 2017 and has recently received $10,000 in follow-on funding via the Experience IT New Mexico pitch fest. An impact analysis survey conducted on five participating companies by the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership indicates the Innovation Voucher funds resulted in $30,000 in new sales/revenue; $30,000 in retained sales/revenue; 10 new jobs created; 11 jobs retained; a cost savings of $61,000; and led businesses to make new investments in their facilities, products or employees totaling $246,403. New Mexico MEP, which is on the Innovation Voucher list of approved programs, is a nonprofit organization that helps
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Teeniors, a company that puts tech-savvy teens and young adults in place to help senior citizens learn technology through one-on-one coaching, received an Innovation Voucher grant in 2017 and has recently received $10,000 in follow-on funding via the Experience IT New Mexico pitch fest. Photo Credit: Courtesy bu si nes ses become more competitive. “Supporting science and technology start-ups in New Mexico is important for the growth of locally-owned small businesses,” Myrriah Tomar, Ph.D., director of the Office of Science and Technology, said. “Support for early stage companies fosters a strong technology ecosystem and a culture of innovation,” she said. The program is moving from monthly to quarterly awards, with the next application deadline on Nov. 30. To date, there has been an average of 10 applications per month. Strong ca ndidates include science or technology companies that use
Friday November 23, 2018 • Gallup Sun
technology in an innovative way. Also, the objectives in the application should enable company growth and provide a reasonable financial request to achieve their proposed accomplishments. F o r m o r e i n fo r m a tion, search Innovation Voucher at www.gonm.biz. Companies interested in applying for an Innovation Voucher grant should contact Tomar at (505) 8270222 or myrriah.tomar@ state.nm.us. Finance New Mexico connects individuals and businesses with skills and funding resources for their business or idea. To learn more, go to www. FinanceNewMexico.org.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich
mutually beneficial and critical working relationship that exists between our labs and surrounding communities.” Heinrich also discussed the benefits of the agreement. “We all know that small businesses are engines of job creation and are at the hear t of our state’s economy. By sourcing locally, Los Alamos National Laboratory will benefit from northern New Mex ico compa n ie s’ strong track record of providing quality services while encouraging new economic growth and job opportunities in the region,” Heinrich said. “I will continue doing everything I can to support closer collaboration between our labs, universities, and private businesses so they can thrive together.” Udall, Heinrich and Luján have long advocated for the new contractor to maximize procurement opportunities for loca l businesses, a nd given the regional economic dominance of the laboratory, strongly believe the new contractor should be an engaged and a constructive partner to the communities in northern New Mexico, the eight northern pueblos, and the citizens of the State of New Mexico. T he new a g reement i s t he re su lt of com mu n it y engagement a nd responds t o t he r e q ue s t m a d e by
Udall, Heinrich, and Lu ján in July 2016, urging the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to strongly consider ma ximizing contract oppor tunities for New Mexico local businesses. “Sma l l bu si nes ses i n northern New Mexico are a driving force of our economy and are critical to the success of Los Alamos National Laboratory,” Luján said. “A strong partnership between small businesses and the laboratory is key to the growth of our local workforce and our state economy. Loca l contracting is just one of the ways we can strengthen the relationship between the laboratory and New Mexico’s business community.” LANL’s existing Regional Purchasing Program has contributed to a strong ecosystem of small businesses that contribute to the success of the lab. Last year, LANL procured approximately 56 percent of its subcontracted goods and services in New Mexico of which $269 million went to small businesses in the state. Subcontracting with local companies improves efficiency, provides site-tailored, value-added goods and services while also building regional capacity that helps recruit new employees and their families.
CORRECTIONS In Nov. 16 issue, page 16, the stand alone photo caption of the truck that struck a building, hit the offices of B.I.A. Navajo Appraisal Office. In same issue, page 11, the Veterans Day photos were taken by Hawk Segura. We sincerely regret the errors. OPINIONS
COMMUNITY Na’Nizhoozhi Center, Inc. shows its spiritual side
OPEN-HOUSE ATTENDEES TOUR RENOVATED FACILITY, HEAR FROM GUEST SPEAKERS By Cody Begaye Sun Correspondent
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a’Ni z hooz h i Center, Inc., a substance-abuse treatme nt a nd d e t ox facility located at 2201 Boyd Ave. in Gallup, held an open house of its newly renovated facility Nov. 16. Updates to the facility, which provides both short- and long-term inpatient treatment, include 60 new beds in the residential areas, a renovated kitchen and dining areas, an intake center and the facility’s spiritual areas. A c c o r d i n g t o fo r m e r McKinley County Commission Chairman David Dallago, NCI takes in roughly 26,000 patients a year. NCI Clinical Director Kevin Foley said the facility renovations began after NCI received a Preventing Alcohol Related Deaths grant from Indian Health Services for $1.5 million on Oct. 1, 2017. T he open-hou se event began with a speech by Mayor Jackie McKinney, who praised the efforts of NCI in reducing public intoxication and providing humane care to the publicly intoxicated. “The support shown here is above and beyond,” McKinney said during the event. “It shows
the compassion in your hearts, and that you are tried and true to provide [detox] services.” McKinney discussed the project’s funding and praised t he ef for t s of McK i n ley County, City Manager Maryann Ustick and Behavioral Health I nvest ment Zone P roject Director Debra Martinez in supporting the efforts of NCI. “This [facility] shows we’re capable of running programs to prevent alcohol-related deaths,” McKinney said. He discussed NCI’s efforts to protect troubled individuals from themselves, citing his own experience working with the facility toward sobriety some time back. McKinney said NCI does not provide handouts, but rather a hand-up to help people change their lives. “If we can save one life, we’ve done a good job,” he said. NCI gives people a chance to learn they can change, McKinney added. And thanks to the funding in place, which includes an annual $500,000 BHIZ grant from the state, the design of a new IHS facility could be completed by 2020, he said, with another four years to finish construction on the new building. “We need to continue to save lives,” McKinney said.
Na’Nizhoozhi Center, Inc. held an open house Nov. 16 to show the public its recently completed renovations which include 60 new beds in the residential areas, a renovated kitchen and dining areas, an intake center and the facility’s spiritual areas. Photo Credit: Knifewing Segura “The final decision [to quit] is [the patient’s], but we plant the seed.” Foley told the crowd about the annual pow-wow held at Miyamura High School on New Year’s Eve, which he said is attended by thousands of people. It’s one of the NCI events aimed at reducing public intoxication during the New Year. Guest speaker and 2018 NCI Pow-Wow Princess Mary Beyal
NCI Clinical Director Kevin Foley speaks to the a crowd of NCI open-house attendees Nov. 16. Photo Credit: Knifewing Segura COMMUNITY
said the work she’s done with NCI is close to her heart. She said she’s enjoyed meeting people through NCI’s efforts. “NCI opened my eyes and gave me perspective,” Beyal said. Sasha James, an intake clerk for NCI’s First Step program, also spoke at the event. She said the goal of First Step is to give the people enrolled in the program more manageable goals to achieve sobriety. First Step takes place in four phases, she said. During the first phase, the patient addresses their reasons for seeking sobriety. During the second phase, they work with an NCI counselor to formulate a plan to get and stay sober, followed by the third phase, when the person ennacts their program plan. The final phase entails reintegration, when the person in recovery is given the means and assistance to return to society as a functioning, sober individual. The program lasts 90 days and uses a combination of Western and traditional healing to help individuals on their path to sobriety.
Peter Begay of BHIZ said NCI admits a round 1,000 patients a month, and the people in the First Step program pick the 200 most promising patients to work with in an intensive way. Begay mentioned a particular patient brought in for recovery. He said the patient’s primary objective was, “I want to live.” Begay said caring for such people is what they do. After listening to the speakers, open-house attendees toured NCI’s new and updated facilities. Near the basketball court in the center of the NCI grounds, attendees visited a small kiva with a fireplace and space for talks with a medicine man. Folks warmed themselves inside the kiva on the cold November day. The spiritual area is north of NCI’s main facility, and comprises a hogan, tipi and sweat lodges used by patients. Inside the tipi, open-house guests received a cedar blessing as they stood in a circle around
NA’NIZHOOZHI | SEE PAGE 21
Gallup Sun • Friday November 23, 2018
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