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June 2006 Archive
6/30/06
The Gila Valley is breaking out all the stops with Fourth of July Celebrations.
On Saturday, July 1st, a “Nickel Picnic” and “Battle of the Bands” will be held at
the Graham County Fair Grounds to kick off this year’s 4th of July celebration. The gates open at 11:00am, Saturday and the Battle of the Bands competition is scheduled to start at noon and run until 10:00pm.
On Tuesday, July 4th, the Town of Pima will be holding a Flag Raising Ceremony,
starting at 6:00am, and a pancake breakfast, at the Pima Library, from 6:00 till 8:00am.
In Thatcher, the Thatcher Fire Department will begin an Independence Day Fire
Truck wake-up at 5:30am, with a people parade starting at 6:00am by the EAC
Fine Arts Auditorium.
A flag raising will take place at 6:30am, with an annual “Watermelon Bust”, and
free swimming from 9:00 till 10:00am at the EAC pool.
The City of Safford will begin their 4th of July celebration with a Parade to flow
West to East, down Main Street. Those in the parade should meet behind the Graham County Court House at 9:30am.
The Safford celebration will continue at the Graham County Fair Grounds beginning at 7:00pm.
The City of Safford, with contributions from many sponsors in the community, will start their 4th of July Fireworks display at around 9:00pm, July 4th.
Companies like Phelps Dodge, The Town of Thatcher, and Graham County Electric Coop., just to name a few, helped the City of Safford purchase $21,000 worth of fireworks for this years celebration.
The fireworks musical program will be simulcast on Sunny 102, 102.3 on your
radio FM dial, beginning at 9:00pm.
6/30/06
Things are dry in the Coronado National Forest, but it's not
enough to close it on the 4th of July.
The drought has left trees and brush extremely dry.
A forest spokeswoman says that, combined with a large number of
visitors, makes it especially important to be careful.
Also, because of fires elsewhere, firefighting resources could
be scarce.
Locally, all of the campgrounds on Mt. Graham will be open this
4th of July weekend. The Forest Service asks campers to bring their
own drinking water. The lack of snow fall the past two winters
has stopped the flow from most natural springs.
Fire restrictions include building, maintaining, attending or
using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, or wood stove, except
within a developed recreation site.
Smoking is prohibited, except within an enclosed vehicle or
building, or a developed recreation site.
6/30/06
It appears that Arizona voters in November will
decide whether to dramatically raise the state's tobacco taxes to
fund preschool programs, health screenings and other early
childhood services. The "First Things First" initiative would
tack on 80 cents to the current tax, which is a dollar-18 a pack.
Supporters Wednesday submitted more than 200-thousand petition
signatures to the Secretary of State's Office. At least
123-thousand valid signatures are needed to get the matter before
voters.
6/29/06
A family fight in Sunsites carried over to involve a 23-year-old man injuring his
father and his property, last Monday night.
Cochise County Deputies were called at around 9:34pm, Monday night, that Gary Lee Tucker had gotten into a property dispute with his parents.
After the argument, Tucker allegedly got into his truck and began using it to ram his parents mobile home and some vehicles on their property.
Tucker then drove his truck toward his father, Leroy, pinning him against another vehicle and causing him injury.
Despite the leg injury, the father escaped. He then went into the house – got a shotgun – came back outside – and began shooting his sons truck as his son continued to ram his parents mobile home and damaging their patio.
Gary Tucker finally got out of his truck, which had been shot up so much that it wouldn’t run anymore, and ran to another part of the property. Tucker then got
into another vehicle and left the property.
Gary Tucker was finally arrested, by Cochise County Deputies on Tuesday morning.
He had minor abrasions and cuts caused by buck shot from his father’s shotgun.
Tucker was taken to the Cochise County Jail and is currently in custody with a
$25,000 bond.
6/29/06
Holiday travelers to Arizona’s high country will find a checkerboard of
closures and fire restrictions on state, federal and tribal lands throughout
the Fourth of July weekend.
For example, the entire Coconino National Forest, which surrounds Flagstaff
South to the Mogollon Rim is closed, along with parts of Kaibab, Prescott, the
Tonto, and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests are closed.
The closures are being strictly inforced. In Coconino County, dozens of people
were reported for trespassing since the closures started last week. Six were cited,
and one was arrested.
Several closures in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest were announced on
Tuesday, June 27th. It seems that many areas are closed to camping but not
many campgrounds are closed.
All campgrounds on Mt. Graham will be open during the fourth of July weekend.
Camping and campfires will only be allowed in developed campground areas.
The Forest Service advises campers to bring their own drinking water. Because of
lack of snow and rain on Mt. Graham, most natural springs are not providing enough water.
6/28/06
For the first time in more than a decade, thousands of public
retirees in Arizona won't see a raise in their pension income. And
they likely won't get one for at least five more years.
The Arizona State Retirement System covers 76-thousand retired
teachers, school district and non-public-safety city and state
retirees.
It's blaming low returns on investments from 2000 to 2002.
That led to a draining of funds used for pension increases.
Officials say it'll take several years of strong returns before
the system is able to give retirees raises again.
Though not tied to the Consumer Price Index, annual July 1st
raises were viewed by many retirees as cost-of-living increases.
Some retirees are worried the lost income will add up over the
next five years, especially as health insurance rates rise.
6/28/06
The American Heart Association is giving a
great big "Amen" to a new surgeon general's report. It backs up
the association's view that everyone should be able to breathe air
without second-hand tobacco smoke in it.
The new report says things like separate smoking sections and
ventilating systems don't work. Surgeon General Richard Carmona
wants cigarette smoking banned in public places, to keep hundreds
of millions of nonsmokers from having to inhale the cigarettes of
others.
Carmona warns second-hand smoke is not some "mere annoyance but
a serious health hazard."
The heart association agrees. It says all workplaces need to go
smoke-free to eliminate the risk once and for all. Ultimately, the
goal is a 100 percent smoke-free nation.
6/28/06
The announcement by Phelps Dodge Corporation of a proposed purchase of
Toronto-based mining companies – Inco Ltd. and Falconbridge Ltd., should not
have much affect on Phelps Dodge Arizona and New Mexico operations.
Still, community officials were encouraged Monday by the companies announcement that it planned to buy the other two companies, making it the
world’s largest nickel producer and largest publicly traded copper producer.
The effect of the acquisition on the size of the Phoenix Phelps Dodge corporate office is unclear, according to Stan Rideout, a Phelps Dodge vice-president and
Treasurer. He said that job cuts were more likely in the Toronto offices.
According to Phelps Dodge officials, Monday’s buy-out announcement would not change the companies plans for the beginning of construction of the Dos Pobres mine in Safford, which is possibly scheduled for sometime next month.
Phelps Dodge operates four mines in Arizona towns, including Bagdad, Green Valley, Morenci, and Miami.
In Arizona, Phelps Dodge employs 5,200 people, including corporate office employees and mine workers. The company ranked as Phoenix’s 24th largest
employer on the Arizona Republic’s 2006 list of the top 100 employers.
6/27/06
Ever walk into a room only to forget why?
A lot of folks who do chalk it up to a "senior moment" or
just getting old. But it could be far more troubling, because a
new study finds it may really be a sign of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers did autopsies on the brains of 134 older people who
appeared to be fine mentally -- except that they'd occasionally
forget seemingly harmless things. That's often shrugged off as a
normal part of aging, and nothing to worry about.
But the study finds that more than one-third of the brains had
signs of degeneration associated with Alzheimer's.
Experts on the disease are trying to determine the earliest
point at which Alzheimer's begins affecting a person. They say this
study will shed new light on that.
They'll also continue looking into why some people with
Alzheimer's can function relatively normally, while others are so
debilitated.
The study appears in the scientific journal Neurology.
6/27/06
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has declared a state of emergency in
Southeastern Arizona, against the Glassy Winged Sharpshooter, an insect
pest that threatens Oleanders, Citrus Crops, and Vineyards.
The Glassy Winged Sharpshooter was found in Sierra Vista, last year and
has now returned. The Department of Agriculture set out more insect traps
in the Sierra Vista area and recently found 22 additional adult Winged
Sharpshooters in a 3-square mile area.
The Arizona Department of Agriculture will receive $200,000 to try and
eradicate the pest.
The Glassy Winged Sharpshooter is the primary carrier of Pierce’s Disease,
an infection of the grapevine that has no cure and has the potential to wipe out
the $18-million wine growing industry in Arizona, along with citrus trees, oleanders,
and nut trees.
6/27/06
A Safford Police Officer was called to an area North of the Valley Motel
along the canal road in reference to an assault.
The officer was directed along the canal road to where a 61-year-old
Hispanic man had been beaten and was in need of medical attention.
Hector Rodriquez, a local transient, had been badly beaten and had
several lacerations and contusions on his face. His speech was mumbled
and slurred and the officer called an ambulance.
A witness, Joyce Bettis of Bylas, described the fight and named Jose Jesus
Sanchez-Garcia, 43, as the person who assaulted Rodriquez.
The witness stated that Rodriquez, Bettis, and Garcia had been hanging out
in the area when Garcia got upset with Rodriquez and began beating and kicking
him.
Rodriquez told the officer that he wished to press charges on Garcia and was
taken to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center, at around noon, on Sunday.
Another Safford officer was able to locate Garcia in the 800 block of 20th Street,
and arrested him for assault.
Rodriquez was later transferred to University Medical Center in Tucson, suffering
from a Bilateral Subdural Hematoma, which is bleeding from both halves of the brain.
Rodriquez was also suffering from two fractures around his eye sockets and his right shoulder had been dislocated.
The officer suggested that Garcia be charged with Aggravated Assault.
6/27/06
A whopper of a mining deal has been announced.
Phoenix-based Phelps Dodge, one of the world's largest copper
producers, says it is buying Canadian mining companies Inco and
Falconbridge. It's a cash and stock deal worth about 40 (b) billion
dollars.
The new company is to be called Phelps Dodge Inco Corporation.
According to Phelps Dodge, it will be the the world's biggest
nickel producer and largest publicly traded copper producer.
As part of the deal, Phelps Dodge will initiate a share buyback
program of five (b) billion dollars.
The main office and the new company's copper division will be
based in Phoenix. Inco Nickel, the new company's nickel division,
will be based in Toronto.
The final deal, which is subject to shareholder and regulatory
approval, is expected to close in September. Phelps Dodge
shareholders will own about 40 percent of Phelps Dodge Inco, with
current Inco shareholders owning about 31 percent, and current
Falconbridge holders owning about 29 percent.
6/27/06
As spending by lobbyists has soared, some critics
worry that weaknesses in Arizona's laws governing how lobbyists
interact with lawmakers could be exploited.
Arizona lobbyists can wine and dine lawmakers and pay for trips
with no limit.
They spend tens of thousands of dollars every year on
legislators without being required to report the details.
The state also lacks some of the basic oversight and enforcement
tools that most other states have.
Arizona's lobbying law requires lobbyists to register with the
secretary of state and file reports of their spending. Gifts of
more than 10 dollars are banned. So are tickets to sporting or
cultural events for individual lawmakers.
A review by The Arizona Republic of lobbyist reports found that
lobbyists paid for more than 20-thousand dollars worth of meals
over 20 dollars for individual lawmakers and other officials last
year.
6/26/06
A Douglas rancher, his wife and brother have been cleared
in a lawsuit alleging they trespassed on a monastery's ranch to
detain immigrants.
Roger, Barbara and Donald Barnett were sued by the caretaker of
the ranch for a 2003 incident where they detained 30 men, women and
children immigrants at a well.
A Cochise County Superior Court jury in Bisbee took less than 15
minutes to clear them Friday.
Summerland Monastery caretaker Donald Mackenzie brought the
suit. He stated he thought the Barnett men were with the Border
Patrol because they wore law enforcement outfits and left the
immigrants in their care.
Roger Barnett owns a ranch near Douglas and claims he's made
citizen's arrests of more than 12-thousand illegal immigrants since
1996.
He says he became frustrated with hundreds of illegal immigrants
crossing his ranch and began making arrests.
Barnett faces another suit for detaining a family from Douglas who
were out hunting.
6/26/06
Legislation needed for Eastern Arizona College to become a 4-year college and offer 4-year college degrees to students has again failed to pass in the Arizona Legislature. This is the second year that EAC has been denied.
The bill introduced in the Arizona House of Representatives in January of this year by district 5 Representative Bill Konoponiki from Safford did not receive enough votes from either the Senate or the House to allow EAC to offer 4-year
college degrees.
If the bill would have passed, EAC could begin offering Bachelor’s Degree’s
in teaching, business, and nursing, along with other courses, in the fall of the
2007 – 2008 school year.
Konoponiki and EAC President Mark Bryce have said that they will again
introduce legislation next year to attempt to get state lawmakers to allow EAC
to offer a 4-year curriculum.
6/24/06 6
The New Mexico state mine inspector has
fined Phelps Dodge's Tyrone Mine 50-thousand dollars.
The state alleges the company violated the Mining Safety Act in
notifying the state about a fire.
The state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department says
a fire broke out in some mine equipment at the Tyrone Mine on June
17th.
Phelps Dodge notified the state about four hours later. The law
requires mine operators to notify the state's 24-hour emergency
operations center within 30 minutes of an accident.
No one was injured in the accident.
A spokesman for Phelps Dodge says the company hasn't been
notified about the violation by the state.
6/23/06
That's because the drug lost patent protection on Friday,
and the Food and Drug Administration is approving the first
genericmversions.
It almost didn't happen. Swiss drug giant Novartis went to
federal court trying to block the F-D-A from approving generic
versions from two rivals. But the judge denied their motion.
Zocor, made by Merck, is the second most widely prescribed of
the statins, which lower cholesterol. Merck sold more than four (b)
billion dollars worth last year.
6/23/06 6
Committee wants Arizonans driving cleaner emission cars soon
A gubernatorial advisory committee wants Arizonans driving cleaner
emission cars soon.
The panel is recommending that Arizona in upcoming years require
that cars sold in the state emit up to 30 percent less emissions.
The recommendation is one of several from the 35-member Arizona
Climate Change Advisory Group that will go to Governor Napolitano
in about a month.
She will decide which to propose to state agencies or the
Legislature.
The "clean car" proposal matches rules that California and
nine other states have adopted.
But the proposal is being challenged in court by auto
manufacturers. The industry argues that it will cost too much for
too few benefits and contend that states are overreaching their
authority by adopting such requirements.
HOMICIDE SUSPECT CAUGHT NEAR WILLCOX
POWER OUTAGE – COUNTY WIDE – FRIDAY MORNING
An electric power outage that occurred early Friday morning in the Gila Valley, literally caught residents with their pants down.
The County-wide power outage that happened sometime between 4 and 4:30am,
Friday morning, had people waking up – not knowing what time it was and making some late for work.
According to Graham County Electric Coop manager Steve Lines, - the power outage was a 15-minute county wide outage. He explained that the outage was caused by a “trip relay” on the Arizona Electric Power Coop line that runs from Benson to Graham County.
Lines said that Arizona Electric Power Coop had crews out checking on the power
lines but as of Friday afternoon, they did not know what caused the relay to trip and cause the power outage in Graham County, Friday morning.
HOMICIDE SUSPECT CAUGHT NEAR WILLCOX
Border Patrol agents on Tuesday arrested a man wanted in connection
with a California homicide after trying to make a traffic stop Southwest
of Willcox.
At around 9:45am, Tuesday morning, Border Patrol agents came across
a black SUV with several passengers headed west-bound on I-10.
Because the people inside the SUV seemed to be acting suspicious, Border
Patrol Agents decided to run a check on the vehicle.
The vehicle description came back from police dispatch reporting that the
SUV, with California plates was being sought in connection with a homicide
and the occupants of the vehicle could be armed.
DPS had to use a tire-deflation device to flatten the SUV’s tires and the vehicle
was finally forced to pull over along the shoulder of I-10, near Willcox.
The driver and four other passengers in the SUV were arrested and taken to
the Cochise County Jail.
The names of the suspects were being withheld.
One of the men was being held on suspicion of homicide, and the other four
were being held on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia, according to a
Tucson Sector Border Patrol spokesperson.
6/23/06
A large part of Arizona's northern forests will close Friday to
reduce the risk of wildfire.
Coconino National Forest will be totally closed to visitors. All
campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, lakes and cabins are off limits.
In the Kaibab National Forest, only Bill Williams
Mountain will be closed.
Closures in Prescott National Forest will be implemented near
Horsethief Basin.
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests will remain open, though
there are smoking and campfire restrictions.
Forest officials say closures reduce the risk of human-caused
fires.s.
6/23/06
Before wrapping up a 164-day session early Wednesday
morning, the Arizona Legislature decided to ask voters in November
to expand the list of government benefits denied to illegal
immigrants and make English the state's official language.
By bringing the proposals directly to voters, proponents say
they were bypassing the chance of vetoes by Governor Janet
Napolitano, who rejected a wide-ranging immigration bill two weeks
ago.
But advocates for cracking down on illegal immigration failed to
resurrect ballot proposals that would have criminalized the
presence of illegal immigrants in the state and set state
punishments for businesses that hire illicit foreign labor.
They also couldn't muster enough support for a ballot proposal
to make communities get rid of policies that prohibit police
officers from enforcing federal immigration law.
Napolitano says she vetoed the proposal two weeks ago because it
was a "crummy bill."
6/23/06
A dust and rain storm is being blamed as
contributing to a fiery chain-reaction accident on I-Ten near
Bowie, that left two people dead and send eight other
people to the hospital.
The Department of Public Safety says the two people who died
were in a semi-truck that rear-ended another semi. Three other
18-wheelers also became involved in the accident, which occurred in
the westbound lanes of I-Ten near Bowie around 5 p-m, Wednesday.
There also was a collision at about the same time on the
eastbound side of the interstate involving a semi that rear-ended a
car.
The accident, meanwhile, closed westbound I-Ten for several
hours.
6/22/06
The semi was carrying ceramic tile and the tile spilled in the road and on the
shoulder of I-10, causing an Eastbound lane to close.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, Lorenzo Guevara, 43, of Los Angeles, was slightly injured and was taken to a hospital in Benson. He was treated and released.
The tractor-trailer was registered to Central Freight Lines Inc., of Oklahoma
City.
UDA’S CAUGHT AT JOBI’S STORE, SOUTH OF SAFFORD
A Graham County Sheriff’s Deputy, on patrol on Highway 191 caught 9 illegal
immigrants, including a small baby, in a vehicle filling up with gas at Jobi’s
Market off of Highway 191, South of Safford.
While on patrol the deputy noticed a male subject walking from highway 191 into
the Jobi’s parking lot. The deputy turned around and noticed a vehicle parked
at the gas pumps.
When the deputy approached the vehicle he noticed a front passenger and several
passengers in the back. They all appeared to be undocumented immigrants.
The deputy had the immigrant vehicle follow him to the Graham County Jail.
The Border Patrol in Willcox were contacted and the Illegal Immigrants were kept in custody at the Graham County Jail until Border Patrol arrived had took them to Willcox.
6/22/06 6
National Guard troops promised for border duty in southern and southeastern
Arizona have begun to arrive in the Tucson Sector.
The deployment – about 100 troops arrived Tuesday, June 20th, with as many as
2,500 more expected by the end of August.
Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector have been catching an average of
880 illegal entrants per day since October 1, 2005.
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The National Guard troops will be supporting Border Patrol agents by manning
radios and control rooms, and repairing vehicles, roads, and fences.
In May, President Bush pledged to send 6,000 National Guard Troops to help out
along the 2,000-mile southwest U.S. border with Mexico and said he will add
6,000 more Border Patrol agents by the end of 2008.
More troops are expected in the coming weeks.
6/22/06
Arizona forests continue to burn in Sedona, Edgar, and Alpine, but across the
New Mexico border, three more fires continue to burn in the Gila National Forest.
The Reserve Complex, near Reserve, New Mexico, consists of two fires formerly
allowed to burn. The Wilson fire, estimated at 7,800-acres, and the Martinez fire,
estimated at 6,118-acres on Monday, are now being fought by a Type One Incident
Management Team, the top level of wild land firefighting.
The Skates Fire, 12-miles northeast of Silver City, New Mexico, also was converted to active suppression after growing to 12,000-acres and nearing homes in the area
of Lake Roberts.
Residents near the Skates Fire were briefed in advance about the firefighting procedures and were allowed to return to their homes on Tuesday.
Also, in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, the Bear Fire has been assigned
a Type One Incident Management Team after it blew up in high winds on Monday,
and grew to 7,000-acres on its first day.
6/21/06
“We’re in the “mop up stages” of fighting the fire,” said Dyson, Wednesday
morning. “We’ve created a bulldozer perimeter line around the fire and started a “burn out” line that will burn back into the fire and hopefully put it out.”
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Dyson says that there is a lot of heavy fuel on the forest floor in the fire area and he doesn’t expect the fire to be fully contained until possibly this weekend or until the Monsoon rains come to the area.
Dyson also said that Highway 191 is still closed to traffic and may be opened sometime this weekend.
The Beaverhead Fire, so far has burned a little less than 1500-acres of forest and was stopped about thirteen-and-a-half miles South of Alpine.
6/21/06
Safford Police officers were called to a desert area, West of 14th Avenue and
26th Street, Sunday night, at around 9:00pm, responding to a report of a man driving a vehicle
recklessly.
The officer arrived on South 14th Avenue in the Glen Meadows area and found
several pieces of a vehicle scattered in the road. He then saw headlights in the
desert area West of 14th Avenue and drove his patrol car out into that area.
The officer observed headlights speeding backwards, and then lost sight of the
vehicle for 10 to 15-seconds. He drove closer to the blue Chevy Cavalier and found
it stuck in a small ravine.
The officer got out of his patrol car and walked through the desert to where the
vehicle was located. The vehicle was still running and the officer called out several times to the man in the car, with no response.
The officer opened the car door and observed an unresponsive Mitch Taylor, 18, of Safford, smiling and looking straight ahead. Taylor wasn’t even aware that the officer was there.
The officer saw that Taylor had a black substance around his mouth and nose,
and was holding a plastic bag with what appeared to be paint inside.
Taylor was handcuffed and an ambulance was called to the scene.
Blood was drawn from Taylor and taken as evidence and he was taken by ambulance to the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center for observation.
Taylor allegedly stated when he was in the backseat of the patrol car, “Hey, where
are the cops?” And when asked if he had wrecked his car, Taylor allegedly replied, “I don’t remember”.
6/21/06
A Silver City man died Sunday after being found severely beaten near the
Silver City Park, on Saturday.
54-year-old Fred Allison, was found lying face down near the main entrance to
Penny Park, at around 2:00am. last Saturday morning.
Penny Park in Silver City is also known as the Community Built Park.
Allison was unresponsive to Silver City Police officers and was taken to Gila
Regional Medical Center and later flown to a hospital in El Paso, according to a
Silver City police spokesperson.
According to a witness, Allison had all of his teeth knocked out and blood was coming out of his ears, when he was found.
Police suspect that this incident is gang related and hesitant to release any information leading to the arrest of suspects in this murder case.
6/21/06
A wolf blamed for killing cattle is being tracked in southwestern
New Mexico.
The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service says the plans call for either
trapping the female wolf or killing it.
A male wolf who was part of the same pack was tracked down and
killed Sunday.
Officials say the two wolves were involved in the killings of at
least five head of cattle.
The Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing wolves into the
wild on the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998 to re-establish the
species in part of its historic range.
The agency estimates 32 to 46 wolves currently live in eastern
Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.
6/20/06
An inspector from the Arizona Department of Agriculture was able to help evacuate four horses around the Beaverhead Wildfire, near Alpine, on Monday.
The Apache County Sheriff’s Department received a phone call from the owner
of the horses, and they called the Department of Agriculture and asked if they
could help evacuate the four horses.
The Ag inspector took his truck, attached a horse trailer, found the horses, and took them to the neighboring Beaverhead Guest Ranch, about five miles west of the
blaze, to insure that the horses were not in the path of the wildfire.
6/20/06
Firefighters focused Sunday on strengthening a protection line
around a 14-hundred-acre wildfire, 13 miles south of Alpine.
While a containment line has been built around the blaze, the
Beaverhead fire is considered 58 percent contained.
The hottest part of the fire is burning in steep terrain on the
fire's southern flank.
A spokesman for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest says crews
hand-built a protection line that now needs to be made stronger.
The crews will then set fires along certain points on the inner
edge of that fire line to burn natural forest fuels in the fire's
path.
Eight homes were evacuated Thursday, but the people living there
were allowed to return Saturday.
Highway 191 is expected to remain closed between Alpine and
Hannigan Meadow because the fire is on both sides of the road.
6/20/06
Arizona National Guard troops began trickling
down to the state's border with Mexico over the weekend as part of
President Bush's plan to free up immigration agents so they can
focus more on border security.
About 50 National Guard members - the first Arizona troops to
work under the plan - were briefed on U-S Border Patrol operations
and will begin working this week as mechanics and radio dispatchers.
A Guard spokesman says a total of 300 Arizona National Guard
members were expected to arrive at the state's border by week's end.
The troops, who will be spread across Border Patrol stations in
southern Arizona, will monitor remote cameras, operate
communications equipment and perform other administrative duties.
Bush's plan calls for up to 6-thousand troops to be stationed
along the country's southern border to perform support duties that
tie up immigration agents.
The troops wouldn't perform significant law enforcement duties.
6/20/06
Lawmakers, law enforcement and activists agree
that Hispanics need to do a better job becoming financially
literate to avoid being conned.
A recent auto dealer agreed to pay nearly 55-thousand dollars in
fines after the state sued on behalf of 18 Latinos who either
bought defective autos or were cheated out of their deposits.
Last year, the Arizona Attorney General's Office received
25-thousand complaints with used auto-sale complaints leading the
pack.
Hispanics were the prime targets.
The Federal Trade Commission says language, cultural barriers,
immigration status and lack of trust in the government often make
Latinos ideal targets.
6/17/06
Dishing the dirt in Tombstone has become
more like slinging mud.
A dirt road running through the "Town too tough to Die" is
making a mess of things.
Crews put the dirt down on Tombstone's historic Allen Street
with the idea of making it look more like it did in Wyatt Earp's
day.
But the dirt kicked up dust, and many residents and merchants
complained. In late March, Mayor Andree DeJournett had the dirt sprayed with oil.
It was successful in keeping the dust down but created a grimy,
wet substance and was tracked through stores.
Complaints started rolling in.
The issue dominated last week's Tombstone City Council meeting.
The council will once again try to become dust busters during a
special meeting set for next Monday.
6/17/06
A Cochise County Sheriff’s spokesperson has corrected a story reported last week about a Bisbee woman who was stopped for speeding, West of Bisbee, and arrested for possession of dangerous drugs.
Victoria Barrow, 50, of Bisbee was not even in the vehicle that was stopped, Wednesday afternoon, for speeding, near the Mule Pass tunnel, by the Border Action Law Enforcement task force. An unidentified driver was stopped for speeding and was caught with an ounce of methamphetamine in the vehicle.
The traffic stop then lead task force officers to Barrow’s home at 326 Park Avenue in Bisbee where a search warrant was served.
The officers found 2.5-ounces of methamphetamine, one ounce of cocaine, two-and-a-half pounds of marijuana, and approximately four grams of heroin.
And undisclosed amount of U.S. currency was also found.
Barrow was arrested and taken to the Cochise County Jail and her bond was set at $35,000.
6/17/06
At last report, the fire that broke out Thursday in the
White Mountains, south of Alpine, burned at a relatively slower pace
over the weekend.
A spokesman for the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest says crews
stopped the forward progress with bulldozers and backfires
Thursday night.
The 13-hundred-acre Beaverhead Fire is burning south of Josh
Place, a 40-acre stretch of private land containing three
residences and some outbuildings.
The overnight work lessened the risk to those buildings.
Highway 191 will remain closed between Alpine and Hannigan
Meadow because the fire is on both sides of the road.
6/17/06
Phelps Dodge Corporation and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
have agreed on a plan to reduce groundwater contamination from the Sierrita Copper mine near Green Valley.
Under a consent order agreement signed Wednesday, Phelps Dodge will take
steps to ensure sulfates that seep into groundwater from the mine tailings ponds
don’t contaminate drinking water wells at levels exceeding recommended state
and federal levels.
Sulfates are sulfur-based compounds that come from copper production. They can cause stomach and intestine damage, according to the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality.
Phelps Dodge has agreed to produce a plan in 60-days to define the extent of
sulfate pollution lying in groundwater downstream from the mine, which is six
miles northwest of Green Valley.
It is the first time that the state has used its legal authority to force a company to deal with contamination caused by a substance such as sulfates that are considered
non-hazardous under federal and state law.
ADEQ Director, Steve Owens, said, “It sets the standard for dealing with other areas with sulfate contamination around the state.”
6/17/06
A Bisbee woman was arrested West of Bisbee, Wednesday, for possession of an
ounce of Methamphetamine.
Victoria Barrow, 50, was stopped for speeding by the Cochise County Border
Alliance Group at about 3:00pm, Wednesday.
A search warrant was obtained after further investigation and the Border
Alliance officers executed the warrant at Barrow’s residence at 326 Park Avenue
in Bisbee, according to Cochise County Sheriff’s Spokesperson, Carol Capas.
After the search of her home, Barrow was charged with illegal possession and use
of prescription drugs, two counts of possession of narcotics. possession of dangerous drugs for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Seized during the search of Barrow’s home was another 2.5-ounces of methamphetamine, one ounce of cocaine, two-and-a-half-pounds of marijuana, and
approximately four grams of heroin.
An undisclosed amount of U.S. currency was also found.
Barrow was arrested and taken to the Cochise County Jail and her bond was set at $35,000
6/16/06
A wildfire that broke out Thursday afternoon 13 miles south of
Alpine, in Greenlee County, is still burning out of control.
However, a Forest Service spokesman says crews stopped the
forward progress with bulldozers and backfires overnight.
The Beaverhead fire - fanned Thursday by high winds - has
charred 13-hundred acres south of Josh Place. That's a 40-acre
stretch of private land which contained three residences and some
outbuildings.
The Forest Service spokesman says the overnight work lessened
the risk to those buildings.
Highway 191, however, will remain closed between Alpine and
Hannigan Meadow because the fire is on both sides of the road.
Winds in the area are not expected to be as high as in previous
days, giving firefighters a chance to try and gain control of the
fire.
6/16/06
A forest fire has closed Highway 191, North of Morenci, to Alpine.
The Beaver Head fire started about 2:00pm, Thursday afternoon, East of
Highway 191, near Hanagan Meadow, causing DPS to close highway 191.
Clifton Ranger Fire personnel have said that the fire is in the Josh Ranch
area and had burned 150-acres by 4:00pm, Thursday, and was being spread
by very high winds in the area.
Fire personnel were at the scene of the fire and were in the process of deciding
how to fight the Beaver Head fire, Thursday afternoon. Heavy equipment and
more firefighters were being sent into the area.
6/16/06
The Supreme Court says police don't have to knock before coming
in with a search warrant.
The high court has ruled that evidence collected with a warrant
can be used in court even if officers don't knock before rushing
into a home.
Justice Samuel Alito broke a four-four tie by siding with
Detroit police, who called out their presence at a man's door and
went inside a few seconds later. Previous rulings said police armed
with warrants have to knock and announce themselves in most cases,
or risk violating constitutional protections against unreasonable
searches.
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in the dissent that the decision
"weakens, perhaps destroys" constitutional protections.
6/15/06 6
Stun guns have soared in popularity as a nonlethal alternative
to bullet-firing guns. But some suspects do die after being shocked
by the electronic control devices.
The Justice Department's research arm counts 184 such deaths,
most of them since 2000. Amnesty International has called for a
moratorium on stun gun use, saying its tally comes to about 160
deaths in the past five years.
Officials say the study won't look at whether the stun guns were
used appropriately. They'll only make medical assessments in the
instances where the weapons were used.
Local police officers say the tazer is prefered by most officers.
The alternative is using a firearm.
6/14/06
Two experimental pills seem to help older diabetes drugs lower patients’
blood sugar, with the added bonus of a little weight loss.
Drug companies hope once-a-day medications for Type 2 diabetes drugs
can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration by year’s end.
Specialists say that these new diabetes drugs increase levels of a hormone
that triggers the pancreas to produce more insulin to process blood sugar
while simultaneously signaling the liver to quit making glucose. The pills
do that by blocking production of an enzyme, called DPP-4, that normally
inactivates that hormone.
The drug company, Novartis AG, said that in nearly two-thirds or 65-percent, of the patients it tested it’s new pill on - in a six month trial, reached the American Diabetes Association recommended blood sugar level.
More than 230-million people worldwide have diabetes, up from just 30-million in 1985, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
Diabetes is expected to affect 350-million people by 2025.
6/14/06
A Graham County Deputy was called to the Safford East Mobile Home Park, number 31, to the scene of a 12-year-old boy who
had been run over by a blue Chevy.
The deputy made contact with the driver of the vehicle, 18-year-old
Reina Saiz, who lives in the mobile home park.
She told the deputy that she was traveling through the trailer park,
at around 6:30pm, Monday, with 15-year-old Heidie Hanson sitting on the hood. Saiz was traveling about 5-MPH.
Apparently, 12-year-old Jacob Hanson saw his sister, Heidie riding on the hood of the car and he tried to jump onto the moving vehicle.
Jacob lost his balance and slipped off of the car, his sister Heidie began pounding on the car, trying to signal Saiz to stop, and Saiz started driving faster because she thought a car was coming.
When Saiz sped up, she said that she heard two loud “thumps”.
That sound was Jacob Hanson being run over by the car.
Jacob was taken to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center and later
flown to a Tucson hospital and as of Tuesday, June 13th, was being
kept in the hospital for observation.
6/14/06
The Arizona Association of Counties will honor State Representative
from Safford, Republican Bill Konopnicki, from Legistlative District 5,
on Thursday, June 15th, at an awards luncheon to be held in Scottsdale
at the Chaparral Suites Resort.
Konopnicki has been selected by the Arizona Association of Counties
as the recipient of the 2006 Legislator of the Year award to be presented
during the Associations Mid-year Conference and Tradeshow.
The luncheon celebration will be held in the West Ballroom at the
Chaparral Suites Resort at 5001 North Scottsdale Road, beginning at
12:00pm, Thursday.
The Arizona Association of Counties was founded in 1968, and is dedicated
to strengthening the enterprise of county government in the State of
Arizona.
6/14/06
The arrival of National Guard troops in Arizona and New Mexico
apparently has scared off people seeking to cross the U-S-Mexico border
illegally.
U-S authorities said Tuesday that detentions along the entire
border have decreased by 21 percent so far this month, compared
with the same period a year ago.
The Border Patrol says along the Arizona border - the busiest
crossing spot - detentions have dropped 23 percent.
Fifty-five members of the Utah National Guard arrived in Yuma
June third. They are the first of some six-thousand troops who are
to be gradually dispatched all along the border at the request of
President Bush.
The soldiers aren't allowed to detain migrants and have been
limited to projects like extending border fences and repairing
roads. However, migrant rights activists say the military's
presence is keeping would-be crossers away from the area.
6/14/06
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke says most American
households are doing a good job of managing their finances.
But he acknowledges that lower income families face challenges
because they have less of a financial cushion to deal with
unexpected problems.
Bernanke says on average "debt burdens appear to be at
manageable levels and delinquency rates on consumer loans and home
mortgages have been low."
Bernanke comments to a group of local officials come as families
cope with sharply higher energy prices and borrowing costs.
He also noted they have to deal with an increasingly complex
array of financial products that sometimes can seem bewildering.
Bernanke also noted that household net worth, which hit 53 (t)
trillion dollars in the first quarter of the year, is at a fairly
high level.
6/13/06
A rollback initiative funded by Big Tobacco
and Arizona business owners would allow smoking in all bars and
some restaurants statewide.
The issue will be on the November ballot and would overturn
smoking bans in cities including Tempe and Prescott.
The possible unraveling is the work of a group called the
Non-Smoker Protection Committee.
The committee wants a uniform state smoking law, with
restrictions applied across the board. It would also prohibit
cities from passing strict bans.
The group is headed by a Phoenix bar owner, and has the support
of tobacco giant R-J Reynolds. The North Carolina company gave ten
thousand dollars to get an initiative on the November ballot.
Another smoking initiative is also scheduled for the ballot.
It's called the Smoke-Free Arizona Act and would be a total smoking
ban.
6/13/06
State Route 90 is open again just north of Sierra Vista.
D-P-S says the highway was reopened early Monday after being
closed for about 19 hours due to a gasoline tanker truck accident.
D-P-S says the driver was driving too fast to make a turn and
struck a traffic light before ending up upside down in the
intersection. About five-thousand gallons of gasoline spilled and
had to be cleaned up before the roadway could be reopened.
The accident occurred about 6 a-m Sunday at the intersection
of S-R 90 and Buffalo Soldier Trail, near the Main Gate entrance to Fort
Huachuca.
D-P-S says the driver was taken to a hospital for minor
injuries.
6/13/06
Arizona's animals are outpacing the number of new veterinarians,
leading to long waiting lines for pets with physical ailments.
In the past five years, the number of dog licenses has increased
by 23 percent. And that increase doesn't take into account cats,
birds and other pets.
In that same time period, the number of veterinarians in the
state increased by only about 15 percent.
Some facilities have openings they just can't fill.
Officials say waiting lines for injured or sick pets can often
be two hours - that's just as long as the line for humans.
Another factor contributing to the shortage is that there are
only 28 veterinary schools nationwide, but none in Arizona.
6/10/06
Firefighters struggled for hours to control a blaze that
whipped through a residential neighborhood in Douglas.
The fire destroyed three homes and two apartment buildings.
Douglas police say high winds whipped the flames from home to
home along a block after it broke out late Thursday afternoon.
No injuries are reported.
The Sierra Vista chapter of the American Red Cross provided
housing vouchers for evacuated residents in local hotels. The cause
of the fire is under investigation.
Fire departments from miles around rushed to help the Douglas
department stop the flames. The fire was out of control for more
than four hours, and still flared up nearly eight hours later.
6/10/06
Developers of a power plant to be built near Bowie, want state
regulators to approve a change in plans so the plant generates electricity
from coal instead of natural gas.
Phoenix-based Southwestern Power Group, developers of the Bowie
Power Station, will ask the Arizona Corporation commission to approve
A 600-megawatt plant fueled by gasified coal, which pollutes the air much
less than regular coal plants, said Ian Calkins, spokesman for the Bowie
Power Station.
In 2002, state regulators approved a plan for the Bowie Power Station
To operate as a 1,000-megawatt plant fueled by natural gas. The new plan
would require the Arizona Corporation Commission to approve an amendment
to the earlier plan.
The plant proposes using a “clean-coal” technology called Integrated
Gasification Combined Cycle, or IGCC.
The 2002 approval of the plant required assurances that the plants
groundwater use would not harm pecan farmers in the area.
A 600-megawatt plant can power about 165,000-homes in Arizona. The
plant is scheduled to go online in 2012
6/9/06
Phelps Dodge board members were not able to give the final O.K., to begin
construction of the Dos Pobres mine, Tuesday, because of a procedural
question from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, directed at the Arizona Department
of Environmental Quality.
According to Kimball Hansen, Phelps Dodge spokesperson for the Safford
Mine operations; Phelps Dodge needs an air quality environmental permit from the
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
This would be the final permit needed by the copper giant to begin construction of
the Dos Pobres mine.
Phelps Dodge had allotted a public comment period for the 31 days of May, to address any problems or objections to the mine being opened, north of Safford.
In the final hours of May 31st, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
informed Phelps Dodge management that lawyers for the San Carlos Apache Tribe
had informed them that they had a “procedural problem” with Environmental
Quality, and not Phelps Dodge.
Phelps Dodge has now extended their public comment period into June and Hansen has said that if the procedural problem can be resolved relatively soon,
then Phelps Dodge can hopefully receive their environmental air quality permit
from ADEQ, and then continue into the construction phase of the new mine.
If the permit is granted, Phelps Dodge says that construction of the mine should
take two years.
6/9/06
Three lightning-caused wildfires were started during thunderstorms on
Mt. Graham, Tuesday evening. (6/6/06)
According to Safford Ranger District Acting Fire Management Officer,
Buddy Zale, lightning started the Ash Creek, Shingle Mill Canyon, and the
Dead Man Ridge fires on Mt. Graham, late Tuesday evening.
Witnessess in Thatcher said that they observed two of the three fires start
After lightning strikes, and flames from the mountain were visable from their
back yard.
Zale reported that rain extinguished the Dead Man Ridge fire, Tuesday night,
and the Shingle Mill Canyon fire was controlled by fire crews on Wednesday.
Firefighting hand crews have the Ash Creek fire under control and expect
it to be put out by today.
Zale said that a 20-man hand crew is on the Ash Creek fire and 15-firefighters
were able to control the Shingle Mill Canyon fire.
Some of the firefightning crews are from out of town but Zale said that a
local crew of approximately 18-firefighters will be on hand in Safford through out the fire season.
6/9/06
Organizers of a humanitarian group detailed plans, Wednesday for
a summer campaign to stem the numbers of illegal immigrants dying in
the Arizona desert.
The Border Patrol and a coalition of faith-based organizations
called No More Deaths have reached a handshake agreement to work to
keep people trying to cross the border from perishing.
The Border Patrol says so far this fiscal year, 88 people have
died in the Tucson sector, compared to 100 during the same period a
year ago.
Another 19 deaths have been recorded in western Arizona's Yuma
sector - four fewer than for the corresponding period in fiscal
2005.
Humanitarian groups put the death total at 99 - including three
children, 18 women and 78 men.
6/8/06
Rangers at Kartchner Caverns State Park
near Benson have closed a hiking trail after two mountain lions
were spotted several times in a wilderness area.
Arizona Game and Fish rangers are monitoring the lions for any
unusual behavior.
The lions were first spotted off a side trail in February by a
park ranger.
They were seen again Tuesday by a Game and Fish wildlife officer
sent in to assess the potential risk.
Game and Fish says no immediate threat exists.
The lions are believed to be a female and a half-grown cub.
So far, they've avoided human contact.
However, if the lions become a public safety threat and no
longer fear humans, they may be captured and killed.
6/8/06
The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service has begun taking comments on draft
economic and environmental assessments for a plan
to redesignate critical habitat in New Mexico and Arizona for two
threatened fish species.
Federal redesignation of species usually creates confusion amoung
those who need access to local rivers like the Gila and the San
Francisco.
Fish and Wildlife proposes to designate some 600 miles of rivers
and streams and their flood plains as critical habitat for the
spikedace and loach minnow.
Most areas are on federal land, but some lie on state, tribal or
private land.
The species are threatened by destruction of their habitat and
competition from nonnative aquatic species.
Their range has been diminished by an estimated 85 percent to 90
percent.
6/8/06
A woman died and another woman was seriously injured, Tuesday,
when a Fed Ex truck and a commercial truck hauling concrete blocks
collided near Buena High School.
Grace Busk, 29, from Bisbee, was thrown from her FedEx truck at around
10:30am, Tuesday morning,
She died of severe head and body trauma after being taken to Sierra Vista
Regional Health Center, according to a Sierra Vista police spokesperson.
Witnesses told police that the FedEx truck ran a red light at Giulio Cesare
Avenue and hit the Chevy dump truck hauling a lower-bed trailer with
two pallets of decorative concrete blocks.
Amanda Nuti, 22, who was a passenger in the FedEx truck, suffered injuries to
her lower extremities and severe head injuries. Nuti was flown from the
scene by helicopter to University Medical Center in Tucson and was listed in
critical condition.
The driver of the commercial truck was walking after the accident. He was
also taken to Sierra Vista Regional Hospital for evaluation.
6/8/06
Graham County Deputies were called to 1055 West Safford-
Bryce Road, to a report of garbage truck that had pulled down
several power lines.
When the deputies arrived at the scene, Safford City employees
had already arrived and had placed road barricades to warn motorists
of the downed lines.
According to the deputies report, an employee of Vista Recycling,
David Friedrichsen, stated that he had just unloaded the contents of
his garbage truck at the Safford landfill, and forgot to close the back
gate on the dump truck, which extends higher than the truck.
Friedrichsen said that the top of his truck caught the Cable T.V.
and power lines that cross Safford-Bryce Road and pulled them down
with the gate of the dump truck.
When the deputy arrived at the scene, the power line wires were still attached to the dump truck.
Two power poles were snapped in two and another pole was damaged.
Also, the south side of a tin roof at 1055 W. Safford-Bryce had a piece of
a wooden power pole sticking out of the roof.
Graham County Electric Coop and Cable One crews were called to
repair the damage.
Friedrichsen was not charged in the accident.
6/7/06
A petroglyph near Phoenix might by the only
record in the Western Hemisphere of the brightest supernova visible
from Earth for more than five-thousand years.
That according to astronomer John Barentine of the Apache Point
Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico.
The supernova of 1006 appeared in the constellation Lupus, a
little below and west of the constellation Scorpius.
The petroglyph panel is in the White Tank Mountains west of
Phoenix.
Barentine says the petroglyph shows an eight-point star that
appears to represent the supernova.
And he says an irregular circle, from which several arms
protrude, appears to represent Scorpius.
6/7/06
A two-thousand acre lightning-caused
fire is burning, West of Pima, on the San Carlos Apache Indian
Reservation.
The Bonita Fire is 80-percent contained.
The fire is burning 15 miles north of Safford on the southeast
corner of the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.
Authorities estimate full containment sometime today.
Crews are battling the fire from the ground and the air.
Authorities say there are no structures threatened. The fire is
burning oak, juniper and some Ponderosa Pine.
6/7/06
Governor Janet Napolitano vetoed a bill, Tuesday
that would criminalized the presence of illegal immigrants in the
state.
The wide-ranging bill also would have set fines for employers
who continue to rely on illicit foreign labor after receiving
warnings.
The governor's criticism centered on the bill's employer
sanctions section, saying the bill would provide amnesty for
employers.
The bill would have let state prosecutors seek civil penalties
and the suspension or revocation of business licenses if an
employer fails to follow an order to stop employing illegal
workers.
Napolitano says an employer who complies with the order would
face no fines or jail time and could continue with normal business
operations as if nothing has happened.
House Speaker Jim Weiers says the governor thwarted the will of
voters to get tough on illegal immigration.
6/7/06
A Safford man was arrested last Thursday night (6/01/06) for false reporting to
Officers and for two outstanding warrants.
Safford officers were called to a residence at 609 1st Avenue at around 4:00am,
Thursday morning, to investigate possible shots being fired and loud music disturbing the peace.
As Safford Officers approached the residence with patrol rifles, they observed four
people exit the house. The officers ordered two of the suspects, at gun point, to lay on
the ground and they were handcuffed.
One of the suspects claimed that his name was “Jimmy Webb”. The suspect had the name “Arrellin” tattooed on his arm. One of the Safford Officers recognized the suspect
as 23-year-old Chezerae Arrellin. They ran the name through Graham County Dispatch and it came back that Arrellin had two warrants out for his arrest.
Arrellin was placed in a patrol car and the officers searched the residence for other suspects.
In the process of clearing the house, the officers found an AK-47-type assault rifle with
with two magazines loaded with live ammunition. In a bedroom they found a Mossberg
.12-guage shotgun and in another room they found another shotgun that had been disassembled.
Two of the suspects at the scene were arrested and taken to the Graham County Jail.
The firearms were placed into evidence and the case was turned over to the County Attorney.
6/6/06
Today, June 6th, 2006, is the 62nd anniversary of the largest military invasion
of a country in history.
62-years ago, on this date, “Operation Overlord”, the allied invasion of Europe
was launched on June 6, 1944. It was the simultaneous landing by sea of U.S.,
British, and Canadian military forces on five separate beaches in Normandy,
France.
The morning of June 6th, 1944, - the largest invasion force and naval
armada in military history - a gathered of more than 6,500 ships off the shores of Normandy, France, began the invasion of Europe.
Along beachheads with names like “Omaha”, “Juno”, “Utah”, “Gold”, and “Sword”,
the British, Canadian, and American troops by the thousands landed and fought their
way, through intensive machine gun fire, onto the beaches.
The military also landed nearly 200,000 vehicles and 600,000 tons of supplies in
the first three weeks of the invasion.
D-Day , began the liberation of France from the Third Reich. When France was finally
liberated in September of 1944, more than 200,000 allied troops had been killed,
wounded or missing.
The coming winter would see much hard fighting as the allies advanced toward Berlin.
The allies would face many more men killed in action - a German counteroffensive in the Belgian Ardennes, and the Battle of the Bulge, before the German army in the west was finally beaten, and it all began on this day, June 6th, 1944, 62-years ago today.
6/6/06
A rally in Palominos - a small spot in the road, just South
of Sierra Vista, on the Arizona-Mexico border fell far short of the
hundreds of people organizers hoped to attract.
About sixty-five people showed up to call for the closing of the
border as Congress prepares to reconcile conflicting House and
Senate immigration reform bills.
The rally included people from Ohio, New Jersey and Los Angeles.
It coincided with 18 simultaneous protests outside Mexican
consulates across the country.
6/6/06
A program designed to bring back the wild
Mexican gray wolf population to southern New Mexico and
southeastern Arizona is failing.
That's what environmentalists who favor wolf reintroduction and
ranchers who don't want wolves near their cows are saying.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had set goals for the number
of breeding pairs and wolves to go into the wild.
The Albuquerque Journal reported in copyright story that
the agency hasn't met those goals.
John Morgart is the wolf recovery program manager.
He says the program did suffer some setbacks last year.
But he says he's hoping releases scheduled for this month will
help offset some of the agency's losses.
6/6/06
A 42-year-old man was found with a broken leg on Rattlesnake Road where
he was eventually rescued and flown to Tucson Medical Center, on Saturday.
Graham County Sheriff’s Dispatch reported that Joey Layton had an accident
and was suffering from a broken leg.
It was reported that Layton’s wife had called dispatch to report the accident and
said that Layton was in shock and unconscious at the end of Rattlesnake Road.
Rattlesnake Road is in the Klondyke area, South of Pima.
Layton and his wife had driven up on a mesa in the area and advised that it was
easier and faster to get to Layton by helicopter than waiting for a ground ambulance.
When the Airvac paramedics arrived at the scene, they advised dispatch that they
believed that a horse had stepped on Laytons leg, causing the break.
Layton was then flown by helicopter to TMC at around 10:00am, Saturday morning.
6/6/06
Since Thursday, June
1st, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers have already seized
more than 2,200 pounds of marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine, in
eight attempts to smuggle illegal drugs into the country.
On Friday, June 2nd, CBP Officers in Nogales, arrested the 48-year-old driver of a tractor-trailor containing almost 1,636-pounds of marijuana hidden among pallets of grapes.
The officers, using a special truck X-ray machine, were able to locate the 125-bundles of marijuana inside the tractor-trailor and retrieve the drugs.
On Thursday, June 1st, CBP Officers at the San Luis port of entry arrested a 39-year-
old man in connection with a failed attempt to smuggle more than 106-pound of
marijuana into the U.S., hidden in a 1990 Ford F-250.
Also on Friday, CBP officers arrested a 47-year-old man and his 40-year-old female
companion in a failed attempt to smuggle more than 70-pound of cocaine into the
country through the Nogales port of entry.
And on Saturday, officers arrested a 36-year-old Nogales, Sonora man in a failed attempt to smuggle almost 30-pounds of methamphetamines into the country, hidden
in a 1992 Chevy pickup.
Since the beginning of the Governments fiscal year, beginning October 1st, CBP officers at the ports of entry in Arizona have stopped more than 480 attempts to
smuggle drugs into the country, seizing more than 42,816-pounds of illicit drugs
with an estimated street value of almost $259-million dollars.
6/6/06
A unit of Connecticut National Guard engineers have arrived
in Arizona to help with work related to the crackdown on illegal
immigration.
Officials say the 247th engineer detachment, based in New
London, will dig three wells, one of which will be at a Border
Patrol facility. The wells will substitute for trucks now used to
make daily water deliveries.
President Bush has ordered that six-thousand guardsmen be sent
to the U-S-Mexico border to provide support to Border Patrol
agents.
Members of the Connecticut unit will serve their annual 15-day
service requirement in Arizona, but could be gone longer depending
when they reach water.
The unit spent a year in Mosul, Iraq, restoring running water to
towns in which the former government had shut off the water supply.
6/6/06
A Graham County Sheriff’s Deputy was called to an area East of Safford,
near the Diversion Dam in San Jose, in reference to a roll-over accident involving
several people, early Sunday morning.
The deputy called for back-up from Safford Police and the Safford Fire Department.
When the deputy arrived near Buena Vista Road, in San Jose, he found a Black
Dodge Durango and a Blue Chevy S-10 on either side of the road.
Apparently there had been a desert party going on and the deputy found two men in the area. They told him that the Blue Chevy S-10 had come up behind the Durango - the driver lost control – and rolled the vehicle with two women and a man inside.
The Chevy S-10 landed on its side and trapped one of the girl’s ankle and foot underneath the truck. Several people at the party helped push the S-10 back on its
Wheels.
The rollover accident happened before the deputy arrived and the two girls had already
been taken to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center for treatment.
The deputy arrived at the medical center and found that one of the girls in the accident
was suffering from bumps and bruises and the other girl was complaining of pain to her
ankle. They were both in the emergency room.
The male driver of the Chevy S-10 was located later Sunday afternoon and at the time of the report, no citations were issued.
6/1/06
Firefighters expect to be able to call a wildfire burning in
southern Arizona fully contained by 6 a-m today, June 2nd.
The 103 fire has charred close to 21-hundred acres since it
began Saturday about eight miles south of Sierra Vista. Coronado
National Forest officials say it was human-caused, but remains
under investigation.
No homes or other structures have been damaged. Crews are
continuing mop-up operations.
Officials say the fire is 95 percent contained.
6/1/06
Someone vandalized two water stations set up by a humanitarian
group that's trying to prevent deaths among illegal immigrants crossing
the desert.
A volunteer for the group Humane Borders says two 55-gallon
water tanks east of Naco were poked full of holes during
the holiday weekend.
The tanks were then thrown over a border fence into Mexico. The
tanks' spigots were stolen, as was the station's 30-foot flagpole,
which is topped with a blue flag to alert migrants to the location.
A flagpole at the second station was bent and the spigots were
stolen from its two water tanks.
The stations are meant to prevent dehydration among illegal
immigrants crossing the Arizona desert from Mexico.
6/1/06
Just days after the Memorial day holiday weekend that racked
up 18 all-terrain-vehicle fatalities, government regulators say
they want to crack down.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is proposing a ban on
three-wheeled A-T-V's. And the commission staff wants four-wheelers
for kids limited to 15 mile-an-hour speeds.
A-T-V manufacturers would also be required to offer free
training to families that buy the off-roaders.
A report outlining the proposals says "limiting maximum speed
is the most critical safety factor" for A-T-V's for the youngest
riders. A-T-V's are blamed for hundreds of deaths every year and
tens of thousands of injuries.
6/1/06
A unit of Connecticut National Guard engineers will be heading
to Arizona today, June 3rd, for work related to the crackdown on illegal immigration.
Officials say the 247th engineer detachment, based in New
London, will dig three wells, one of which will be at a Border
Patrol facility.
President Bush has ordered that six-thousand guardsmen be send
to the U-S-Mexico border to provide support to Border Patrol
agents. The guardsmen will serve two-week rotations.
The 247th detachment could spend longer in Arizona, depending on
the time it takes to reach water, which can be unpredictable.
The unit spent a year in Mosul, Iraq, restoring running water to
towns in which the former government had shut off the water supply.
6/1/06
With summer nearly here, the Border Patrol
is sending out the message that illegal immigrants who allow
themselves to be packed into smugglers' vehicles face great danger
from the heat.
A spokesman for the Border Patrol says temperatures can reach
over 140 degrees in a passenger car.
On May 18th, Border Patrol agents stopped a 20-foot long box
truck heading north on Arizona 82 just east of Nogales. It was
carrying 91 people stacked inside.
The back interior wall of the confiscated box truck had two
square air-holes in the roof and a circular vent and a small fan.
On this day, inside temperatures reached well over 100-degrees.
So far this year, 85 illegal immigrants have died crossing
deserts in the Border Patrol's Tucson sector, which includes most
of the Mexico-Arizona border.
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