The Postscript

My sister and I told my mother we were throwing her a party for her 90th birthday.“Not everyone knows I’m 90!” she said.“Well, it’s good we tell them,” I said. “We told everyone that Dad turned 90 last year, and we don’t want people to think he robbed the cradle.

Shivani’s Consequence

Editor’s Note: This story is a work of fiction published in the fun spirit of Halloween. This story is on the opinion page and is a work of fiction, not a factual account of events in Cibola County.The streets that once bustled with life now echoes with hushed whispers.

Letters to the Editor . . .

Dear editor, How are we supposed to feel safe anymore? A dad can’t even set up soccer goals for kids without getting jumped at a public park. And the police are too busy showing off drones to respond. Drones. Little robot cameras flying around like that’s going to fix anything.This is progress?

Op-Ed

The Gallup McKinley County School District is currently suffering from a severe teacher and staff turnover crisis.

The Night the Yucca Bloomed Blue

Editor’s Note: This story is a work of fiction published in the fun spirit of Halloween. This story is on the opinion page and is a work of fiction, not a factual account of events in Cibola County.I am a cow with a bell-shaped mind. My thoughts go grass, water, sleep, calf.

Shivani

Editor’s Note: This story is a work of fiction published in the fun spirit of Halloween. This story is on the opinion page and is a work of fiction, not a factual account of events in Cibola County.

Letters to the Editor . . .

Animal ControlDear editor, I worked at the Cibola County Sheriff's Office for 18 years. We had no animal control officers, so we contracted with the City of Grants ACOs, who took calls in the county, which they rarely did.

State of Affairs

There’s a moment in the movie Across the Universe that’s stayed with me.Soldiers carry the Statue of Liberty through the mud while The Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” fills the air.It’s haunting and beautiful — because it captures the weight of freedom in a way we rarely discuss.

The Postscript

“I had a very strange dream,” my sister said, “and you were in it. You want to hear?”“Sure.” “I was fired! I came to school, and my fob wouldn’t work.”My sister is a teacher. It is very unlikely that she would be fired and unlikelier yet that she would be fired without notice.

Wayfinding

I knew my students would be sad when I told them the NMSU Gym would be closed from October 1 to 3, 2025, for an event. This means they wouldn’t be able to play volleyball. I brought indoor games such as jacks, pick-up sticks, chess, and Uno.