|
|
|
May 2006 Archive
5/31/06 With car burglaries in the Gila Valley on the rise, it's a sure bet that an increase in vehicle theft is not far behind. In Tucson, where vehicle theft statistics are more accurate, there is an average of 16 car thefts each day. However, a stolen car task force is busy cracking down on car thefts. The Southern Arizona Auto Theft Task Force was responsible for 44 percent of all arrests for auto theft in Arizona last year. In the past 15 months, the task force made up of three Tucson police officers and one Pima County sheriff's deputy arrested 187 people on suspicion of car theft. They also recovered 347 stolen vehicles valued at four-point-two (m) million dollars. Earlier this year, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported that Tucson dropped from the 13th-worst "Hot Spot" in the nation for auto thefts to 15th. So far this year, auto thefts in Tucson have dropped more than two-percent.
5/31/06 Arizona House Speaker Jim Weiers (wires) says a wide-ranging immigration and border-enforcement bill passed by the Legislature should satisfy concerns voiced by Governor Napolitano about earlier versions of the parts of the legislation. Weiers sent Napolitano a letter yesterday saying that the bill contains sound public policy, is constitutional, and answers her call for a comprehensive border security package. Napolitano has said she would veto legislation that contained a reprise of a previously vetoed bill to make illegal immigrants' presence in Arizona a crime under the state's trespassing law. Weiers says the new bill contains a safeguard against use of the trespassing measure to engage in racial profiling. And he says a New Hampshire judge's ruling overturning a trespassing law in that state doesn't apply to the Arizona measure. The Legislature approved the bill last Thursday night but has delayed sending it to Napolitano. Weiers says the bill will be transmitted to her today. That would give Napoliano until next Tuesday to act on the bill.
5/31/06 The Mormon church loaded a 747 cargo jet, Tuesday with medical and other emergency supplies for the survivors of Saturday's six-point-three earthquake in Indonesia. Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say the plane was loaded with eight truck loads of first-aid supplies, hygiene kits, crutches, materials to make casts for broken bones and clothing. It'll arrive in Indonesia late today. The supplies will be distributed by Islamic Relief Worldwide, which also provided the cargo plane. Since Saturday, church volunteers there have been cooking and serving meals. The Mormon church has roughly 58-hundred members in Indonesia.
5/31/06 The first National Guard troops to be stationed along the Arizona-Mexico border under orders of President Bush are expected to deploy sometime between June sixth and the 15th. The first guard personnel will be from out of state. They're being sent to Arizona as part of Bush's plan to send up to six-thousand National Guard troops to the four southern border states. They'll perform support duties that would free up federal authorities to focus on border security. Arizona already has about 170 National Guard troops at the border assisting federal and state officers with communications, fence construction and anti-drug efforts.
5/31/06 Fire officials are worried that heat, plus lower humidity means a potential wildfire disaster. Forecasters say temperatures throughout Arizona are expected to reach in the 100's by the weekend. It could be 90 in the high country. The big fires burning around the state are near Flagstaff, Prescott, Parker, Tucson and at the southern end of the Huachuca (wah-CHOO'-kuh) Mountains. The fires range from 65-percent to 95-percent contained. A fire information officer for the Kaibab (KEYE'-bab) National Forest says June is normally the month of greatest concern for fire officials because it's the hottest and driest month. Four of the five biggest fires in Arizona history started in June and seven of the top ten.
5/31/06 The New Mexico Forestry Division reports that firefighters are working the 12,000-plus acre Adobe Fire, near Animas, New Mexico, and have been able to hold fire lines despite high winds. The fire is burning grass and brush. Smoke from the fire has effected Silver City, Deming, and Las Cruces. The lightning-caused blaze is burning South and East of Animas and on Animas Mountain and over the weekend was approximately 40-percent contained. The Adobe Fire was reported Sunday.
5/31/06 Police say a 17-year-old boy riding in the back of a pickup truck suffered fatal injuries this afternoon when he fell out of the moving vehicle. The Department of Public Safety says the teenager was sitting on a large inflatable raft in the truck bed when a gust of wind lifted the floatation device and threw the boy onto State Route 77. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene near Winkelman, about 95 miles southeast of Phoenix. It's not known whether alcohol was a factor.
5/30/06 An Arizona State University researcher is trying a radical approach to speed up the process of making flue vaccines. He's using salmonella. Currently, the 50-year-old process using fertilized hens' eggs can take six months. But if ASU researcher Roy Curtiss figures out how to make salmonella work, it could mean no more needles. Instead, people would drink a liquid with a salmonella bacterium that has been neutralized and laced with flu-virus genes. To move forward in his research, Curtiss has applied to bring the H-5-N-1 avian-flu virus to Tempe. The bird flu has killed 115 people since 2003. Scientists like Curtiss hope to develop a vaccine-making process swift enough to roll out protection and stop the virus' march if it becomes communicable from human to human.
5/30/06 Volunteers with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps have started building a fence on a ranch, South of Sierra Vista. They want to use to fence to force illegal immigrants to walk right into the hands of the Border Patrol. They're also trying to get the attention of the nation and the government. They want the government to take the lead from them and build a fence along the entire border. The ten-mile fence on the ranch is expected to take a few weeks to build at a cost of 100-thousand dollars. Minutemen volunteers say after this, they'll build more fences on more private property.
5/30/06 A post Memorial Day note. With the youngest of the World War II veterans now in their 80s, and Korean War veterans not far behind, Vietnam veterans have stepped forward as the new face and voice of those who served in American wars. In Arizona, there are more than 88-thousand World War II veterans and more than 177-thousand Vietnam veterans. On average, at least one thousand World War II veterans die each day around the country. In the past, Vietnam veterans were less public about their participation in an unpopular war. But these days, it's the Vietnam veterans going to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. They're the ones organizing parades and fundraisers, and they're the ones helping to drive the message on the home front to support the troops.
5/26/06 The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Safford Office completed an Emergency Closure of the Watson Wash hot tub area on May 25th. Watson Wash, located across the Gila River north of Thatcher, is the site of an artesian hot spring on public lands; several years ago, an unauthorized hot tub was constructed on the site. While the area has received some legitimate soaking and camping, it is mainly an all night weekend party spot, resulting in significant management challenges for both the BLM and local law enforcement agencies. Problems at that site included drug use, alcohol abuse, and violence, some of which has resulted in deaths. Unlawful activities at the hot tub have affected neighbors living in the surrounding area who have been impacted by home invasions and late night requests for help. The BLM tried to resolve these issues starting in 1997 and in 1999 a community based partnership team began work on a management plan for the site. However, due to the complexity of the issues, the team never selected a Preferred Alternative. In 2004-2005, the Gila Watershed Partnership spearheaded efforts to complete the plan with the understanding that, if the community group failed to select a Preferred Alternative, the BLM would likely close the site and cap the well. The team failed to reach to reach a consensus and, due to recent escalations in violence at Watson Wash, the BLM closed the site on May 26th, removing the hot tub and capping the well.
5/23/06 Blowing dust which severely reduced visibility was blamed for a pileup on Interstate Ten in Tucson. D-P-S says four 18-wheelers and four other vehicles were involved in the collisions, which occurred just before noon yesterday on eastbound I-Ten near Cortaro Road. D-P-S says three people were taken to hospitals, where they were treated and released.
5/23/06 Three people - including a five-year-old child - are dead after a freight train collided with a pickup at a crossing near Coolidge. Investigators say it appears the driver of the truck was trying to beat the train to the crossing. Witnesses said the pickup plowed through the crossing arms just before impact.
5/23/06 An elite firefighting team has been called in to battle a 650-acre wildfire burning north of Tucson in the Santa Catalina Mountains. With 100-degree temperatures and high winds expected over the next three days, authorities have requested a Type One incident management team to keep the Romero fire from spreading. Coronado National Forest spokeswoman Sarah Davis says the Type One team should be taking over tomorrow morning. A Type One team is typically called in to handle more complex fires. The fire was initially reported in the Romero Canyon area yesterday. No structures were threatened and no injuries had been reported as of this afternoon.
5/23/06
Despite gusty winds on Monday, containment lines on the North Taylor fire,
located 19 miles southwest of Safford in the Pinaleņo Mountains of the
Coronado National Forest, all held. On the east and southern flanks of the
fire, winds actually assisted firefighters by consuming previously unburned
vegetation further securing the fire’s perimeter. All fire activity was on
the interior.
The fire is burning in steep, rocky, inaccessible terrain at about 7000
feet elevation. Because wind conditions Monday grounded helicopters that
were supporting suppression activities, a pack train of mules and horses was
used to re-supply the line with food, water, medical supplies and sleeping
bags.
Today firefighters will continue mop up, focusing their efforts on a
corner of the fire that is retaining heat in pockets of heavy fuels.
Helicopters will again be used to support fire line activities. Full
containment is expected by 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Because helicopters will be taking water from Riggs Lake, the lake is
closed to fishing until suppression activities are completed. Riggs Lake
Campground remains open. Members of the public traveling Swift Trail
(Highway 366) should exercise caution and maintain an appropriate speed in
anticipation of heavy fire traffic.
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries; all received medical aid and
have returned to their crews.
Fire managers began releasing hand crew personnel today.
5/22/06
Not much is known at this time but a wildfire was reported on Mt. Graham, early Saturday morning, near West Peak.
The Fulton, Geronimo and Craig Hot Shot Crews were called out to fight the fire,
along with the Northwest Fire hand crew and a hand crew from the Arizona Department
of Corrections.
Two heavy air tankers, one lead plane, and three helicopters of different sizes were
also used to fight the blaze.
Coronado National Forest officials reported that approximately 50-acres of Ponderosa
Pine and grass in thick understory was reported burning.
Cause of the North Taylor Fire is under investigation.
5/22/06
Humanitarian groups say they're seeing a surge of volunteers
who want to help migrants crossing Arizona's southern deserts as
summer approaches.
That's despite the prosecution of two volunteers arrested last
summer while driving sick illegal immigrants to a clinic.
Leaders of the No More Deaths and Samaritan Patrol groups say
they have hundreds of volunteers to deliver food, water and medical
aid to those coming from Mexico.
No More Deaths legal adviser Margo Cowan says she's trying to
work out a deal with the Border Patrol spelling out how to deal
sick immigrants. Tucson Border Patrol chief Michael Nicley says
they should just call the authorities and he hasn't signed a deal.
Nearly 290 migrant deaths are confirmed in the Tucson Border
Patrol's region in the past year and a half. Most died from the
heat or dehydration.
5/22/06
Prison officials say two inmates who escaped from the state
prison in Safford late Friday night were recaptured Saturday morning.
The inmates were seen during a bed check just before 10 p-m, but
a guard doing rounds about an hour later saw footprints near a
perimeter fence and sounded the alarm.
The Department of Corrections called out officers from four
prisons to search for Misael Perez-Guerrero and Pedro
Valenzuela-Moyte. Local police and sheriff's offices, D-P-S and the
Border Patrol joined the manhunt.
The inmates were recaptured just after 10 this morning within the
County.
Guerrero is 20 and was serving more than 5 years for drug and
forgery convictions in Maricopa County. Moyte is 30 and doing a
four-year stint for forgery and shooting a gun within city limits,
also in Maricopa County.
They're facing new charges of escape.
5/19/06
Federal advisers say a new vaccine to fight
cervical cancer is safe and effective, and should be approved.
Food and Drug advisers have unanimously endorsed a vaccine that
blocks infection on the strains of H-P-V (human papillomavirus)
that cause most cervical cancer cases.
Merck says Gardasil could slash the number of cervical cancer
cases by more than two-thirds if it's given to females as young as
nine.
H-P-V is thought to be responsible for about 70 percent of
cervical cancer cases. The vaccine also protects against two other
viruses that cause most genital warts.
All of the viruses are sexually transmitted.
Full F-D-A approval could come within weeks.
5/19/06
The Commerce and Economic Development Commission has approved a loan
of up to $55,000 to the Sunsites-Pearce Fire District to deepen their well, install
a new pump, and a new water tank.
The current well has run dry, and the Fire District has been scrambling to find
funding as fire season approaches.
Sunsites-Pearce is located south of Willcox on Highway 191, and is experiencing
steady growth with many new privately owned businesses opening yearly. The
community provides residential support to Willcox, Douglas, and Benson.
“Because the Sunsites-Pearce Fire District covers 1600-square miles in Southeastern
Arizona, there is clearly an economic implication if a fire in one of the neighboring
communities cannot be put out” said Arizona Department of Commerce Director,
Gilbert Jimenez. “This loan will help protect businesses and the people of the
communities in what is expected to be a dry fire season.”
5/19/06
Meanwhile, would-be illegal immigrants vow to skirt them into
U-S territory anyway.
The administration of Mexican President Vicente Fox has called
the fence proposal "shameful" and "stupid" as recently as
December. But the administration was conspicuously silent after the
Senate added the proposal to its immigration bill, Wednesday. The
measure also opens the door for (m) millions of undocumented
Mexicans to achieve some legal status in the United States.
The Senate agreed to give many illegal immigrants a shot at U-S
citizenship, but also backed construction of 370 miles of
triple-layered fencing along the southern border. It's unclear
where the new barriers would be built.
5/18/06
The federal government is confirming the financial
pain that consumers have been feeling.
The Consumer Price Index rose six-tenths of one percent last
month, reflecting rising costs for a variety of items ranging from
gasoline, clothing and medical care. Excluding volatile food and energy costs,
the core C-P-I rose three-tenths for a second straight month.
The news comes a day after the Labor Department said that its
key gauge of wholesale prices rose nine-tenths of one percent last
month.
So far this year, consumer prices are rising at an annual rate
of more than five percent, well above the pace seen in 2005. Core
prices are said to be advancing at three percent pace, which is
also accelerating.
5/18/06
A Republican budget plan without guaranteed funds for teacher pay raises
is a mistake, according to Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horn.
Horn said Tuesday, that the state has required schools and teachers to do more and to be more accountable for the success or failure of their students.
Now is the time to reward those teachers.
Horn says that there is enough money in the nearly $9.9-billion Republican spending
plan to provide a $2500-across-the-board raise for all of the states teachers.
It provides $105 million, which would be divided up among school districts.
Horn says that the school districts can use the $105-million for other educational needs
or for an increase in teachers salaries.
Horn also says that in Arizona, teacher salaries are about $5,000 a year below the national average. He says this $2500 boost would help close that gap and help attract
and keep qualified people in the teaching profession.
The Arizona School Boards Association supports the plan – but only if it is written
to ensure that state funding won’t disappear after one year.
5/18/06
More than 70 illegal immigrants were arrested by Border Patrol agents in
Sierra Vista, Wednesday morning, after the box truck they were riding in
crashed in a neighborhood Sierra Vista park.
Border Patrol officials said they were trying to get the driver to pull over
when the truck made too quick of a turn and crashed at around 4:30am,.
About a dozen immigrants managed to run away, but the agents caught about
70 people. There were no reported injuries.
5/18/06
The DEA, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Arizona Department of
Agriculture are saying that a large percentage of drug smuggling and possible terrorist
strikes can be delivered through the association with commercial tractor and
trailer vehicles traveling through out the country.
Hauling produce has become a viable means to conceal contraband items such as
illegal drugs.
Arizona, California, and Florida, are the only states with dedicated ports of entry conducting agricultural inspections of fruit and vegetables traveling through out the U.S.
The Arizona Department of Agriculture will send 17-inspection agents to training to
learn to identify and look out for potential smuggling and terrorists threats.
In the last 12-months, ports of entry inspectors in Arizona inspected 120,000 commercial vehicle trailers for pests.
The possibility of finding smuggled drugs or discovering terrorists activity is very high
and agricultural inspectors will learn how to profile a driver before a load is inspected.
With specialized training, the Arizona Department of Agriculture is hoping to slow down the association between drug smuggling, terrorism, and commercial product hauling on our nations highways.
5/17/06
A top Minuteman Civil Defense Corps official said Monday that his group
was going ahead with the project to build border fencing on private land despite
President George W. Bush’s plan to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the border.
He also confirmed that the fence would be built on a property in Cochise County.
“Were going to continue what we are doing – we are going to continue patrolling
and we are going to continue with the wall or fence or whatever it takes,” says
Al Garza, the national executive director of the civilian border watch group.
Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman group, announced last month that the
Minutemen would put up two parallel 15-foot high steel-mesh barricades at a ranch in
Southeastern Arizona over the Memorial Day weekend.
The Minutemen have chosen a ranch in Cochise County to start their fence work
5/17/06
The City of Safford, the Town of Thatcher, and ADOT, are planning to close
20th Avenue, on Thursday morning – and then 8th Street for a short while,
Thursday morning for final striping of both roads.
Surface Contracting, the road construction contractor who built the new roads,
will begin the striping at approximately 8:30am, Thursday morning. The highway
striping should be completed by noon of the same day.
Temporary closure of 20th Avenue and 8th Street will be necessary, on Thursday,
and flagmen and detour signs will guide traffic around the construction.
This will be the final work to be done on the 20th Avenue and 8th Street project.
5/17/06 Governor Napolitano likes what she heard in President Bush's address to the nation on illegal immigration, Monday night. She says she thinks Bush touched on everything she's been saying: more security at the border with Mexico, including manpower, but also technology. She also calls Bush's guest worker proposal as sensible. She also thinks the use of National Guard troops should be short-term and in a support capacity. Napolitano pitched a similar proposal back in December to use National Guard personnel along the boarder. That's in addition to the assistance that the National Guard has provided in anti-drug and other law enforcement efforts along the Arizona--Mexico border for more than 15 years.
The governor's plan remained on the shelf while funding was
sought.
5/17/06
A Safford Police officer had to chase a speeding vehicle from Relation Street to Daily Estates before the pick-up truck stopped, Monday night. The Safford Officer was east bound on Relation Street, at around 9:15pm, Monday night, with his car window down when he heard the loud sound of tires squealing. The officer saw an older model pickup approaching him from 14th Avenue at a very high rate of speed. The truck sped past the patrol car. As the officer was turning around to pursue the truck he saw the truck turn South on 20th Avenue and continued at a high rate of speed. The officer continue to try and catch up with the speeding truck as the truck turned onto Golf Course Road and continued to speed up – exceeding 100-mph. The truck continued to speed and swerve in and out of traffic, down Golf Course road with the Safford Officer behind him with his lights and siren on. The truck sped into Daily Estates and finally pulled over to the side of the road near Robinson Avenue and Claridge Street. The officer ordered both occupants of the truck to the ground at gun point and they were handcuffed. The driver, David Pannell, told the officer that someone had pulled a gun on him at Roper Lake, earlier in the day and he thought that the flashing lights and the police siren was the man with the gun, trying to get him to stop. The officer ran a check on David Pannell and found that he was wanted on a felony warrant out of Georgia and had a warrant out for his arrest out of Thatcher Magistrate Court. Pannell was arrested on the two warrants and unlawful flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle, and taken to jail.
5/16/06
A Graham County deputy was dispatched to an area of Stockton Road where there
was a report of a 6-year-old girl who had been bitten by a rattlesnake and was being brought into the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Graham County Dispatch had been told that a maroon and tan Chevy Suburban would
be bringing the girl to the hospital and the deputy met the Suburban on 32nd Street, on its
way to the hospital.
At the hospital emergency room entrance, the deputy saw a small girl being taken out of the
Suburban and handed to a doctor. The child was screaming and crying.
The deputy spoke to Mrs.Ortiz, who was the girls aunt, and she said that her niece had been
snake bit.
About 10-minutes later Alfredo Ortiz came to the hospital with the dead rattlesnake.
The snake appeared to be a Western Diamondback.
Alfredo Ortiz stated that his niece, who is from Tucson, had run out of the house after
dark, Friday night, to get into the car. That is when she was bitten by the snake.
Doctors observed that the snake had bitten the girl 2-and-one-half times on the leg.
The swelling was localized and not spreading.
The 6-year-old girl was then flown to Tucson for treatment.
5/16/06
A 53-year-old Douglas mother was killed in a single vehicle roll-over accident,
Saturday night, when the truck her son was driving rolled and she was ejected.
Mercedes Morales, 53, and her son, 23-year-old George Morales, were traveling
on State Route 80, at around 7:00pm, Saturday night, near the Cochise College campus, when the left-rear tire on the truck failed and George Morales lost control of the vehicle.
The truck rolled 2-and-one-quarter times and ejected both occupants.
Mrs. Morales was killed in the roll-over. George Morales was air lifted to University
Medical Center and placed in intensive care with serious injuries.
Neither occupant was wearing seat belts.
5/16/06
Nearly half of the nation's so-called Christian
educational credit counseling services will be losing their
tax-exempt status.
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Mark Everson says the move
comes as I-R-S audits found the organizations exist mainly to prey
on debt-ridden customers.
Everson says many of the groups, which represent more than 40
percent of the revenue in the industry, offered little, if any,
counseling or education as required of groups with tax-exempt
status. He says the groups "have poisoned an entire sector of the
charitable community."
And, the investigation is far from over. The I-R-S is sending
compliance inquiries to each of the other 740 known tax-exempt
credit counseling agencies not already under audit.
5/15/06
Arizona is facing another potentially destructive
wildfire season.
Already, tree thinning projects are under way throughout
Arizona's national forests.
Crews are trying to rid the forests of ground fuels that could
help spread a forest fire.
In overgrown forests, fires burn hot, spread quickly and cause
long-lasting damage.
It's not only trees and plants, but also to the soil's ability
to support life.
The state's ongoing drought, higher than normal temperatures,
growing communities and increased public use have increased the
fire danger for forests.
Officials say nine of the ten biggest fires to hit Arizona have
burned in the past decade.
5/15/06
Contractors and builders in Arizona are turning
toward state prisons and trade schools because of a severe shortage
of skilled workers.
The shortage has caused builders to lose business and delay
projects.
The Corrections Department now has six construction-technology
skill programs offered at four prisons.
That's in addition to eleven programs that provide in-depth
training such as welding and plumbing.
At any given time, there are 640 inmates in the one-point-one
(m) million-dollar program.
Participants can reach journeyman level by the time they are
released, giving them the chance to make about 20 dollars or more
an hour.
Corrections officials are in early talks regarding plans to have
inmates build house parts as well as entire houses from behind
prison walls to be shipped by flatbed truck to low-income
Arizonans.
5/12/06
TASK FORCE FINDS MARIJUANA
The Southeastern Arizona Narcotics Task Force served a search warrant on a residence
in Safford, here they suspected marijuana was being sold, Wednesday night.
At around 11:15pm, Wednesday night, members of the Task Force served a search warrant at 488 West Evans Lane, in Safford, looking for marijuana.
One of the officers knocked on the front door and when no one answered the door,
one of the Task Force members broke the door down and entered the residence.
After they entered the residence, they saw a man running down the hallway carrying a TV tray with marijuana on it.
With weapons drawn, the Task Force handcuffed the suspect, Angel Atencio, 28.
The Task Force searched the residence and found approximately 12.90 ounces of marijuana along with a set of weight scales, smoking pipes, baggies containing marijuana, and bongs.
A drug dog was also used in the search of the mobile home.
Atencio was arrested - taken to the Graham County Jail and charged with possession
of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
5/12/06
Fences deny easy entry into country, but shift immigrant traffic
Immigrants rights proponents and advocates
for a fence along the U-S border with Mexico continue to debate the
impact it would have.
Currently, there are 83 miles of fences along the two-thousand
mile border. Some of them - like the one in Douglas - consist of
12-foot vertical metals bars, spaces inches apart to keep people
from squeezing through.
A bill that cleared the House in December would put up fences
along 850 miles of border, especially near urban areas. The price
tag would be about about two-point-five (b) billion dollars.
Supporters say that's cheaper than current enforcement and patrol
costs. Critics say its a waste of money.
Human rights groups say fences will force would-be
border-crossers to more dangerous and remote spots. They also say
fences may also trap some illegals in the U-S.
5/12/06
Could the drought kill the "living caves" of Kartchner Caverns?
It has scientists very concerned the limestone covered caverns
could stop growing.
They worry the caves may not be moist enough, may be getting too
hot and could be drying out.
Even a park ranger and tour guide at Kartchner Caverns says the
caverns appear drier and don't glisten the way they used to in the
dim light.
But caves can change.
Formations become noticeably wetter two to three days after a
significant rainfall in the park near Benson.
EAC COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES TO BE HELD FRIDAY
Eastern Arizona College will hold their 116th Annual Commencement Ceremony
on Friday, May 12th, at 7:30pm, at Mickelson Stadium in Thatcher.
More than 300 students will be crossing the stage to receive degrees in the areas
of Associates of Arts, Associate of Business, Associate of Science, Associate of
Applied Science, and Associate of General Studies.
The faculty speaker this year will be retiring English Instructor, Mr. David Tammer.
The public is invited to the graduation ceremonies, Friday, May 12th, at 7:30pm at
Mickelson Field in Thatcher.
EAC President Mark Bryce added that, “We want the whole Gila Valley to feel invited
To come and share in the joy of achieving the goal of higher education.”
5/11/06 6
Arizona's high school seniors who haven't passed the AIMS
test may find out soon whether they'll have to pass the
controversial test in order to graduate this year.
A judge heard the plaintiffs' request for a temporary
restraining order Monday, then asked both sides to turn in findings
of fact and findings of law by Wednesday.
The William J. Morris Institute for Justice filed the suit on
behalf of about ten-thousand seniors statewide who have not passed
all three sections of Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards.
This is the test's first year as a graduation requirement.
The suit contends the state's school funding formula is
arbitrary and does not provide the resources students need to meet
the state's educational standards and pass the AIMS test.
5/10/06
Safford Police were called to a mobile home at 615 Relation Street in reference
to a woman who had broken into the residence, at around 3:00am, Monday morning,
and was screaming and causing a disturbance
The officers told Lebanc to put her clothes on, and she did.
The officers then identified themselves to Kevin Sniffen and Amber Hines who were the residents of the moble home and had locked themselves inside the bedroom.
Sniffen and Hines told the officers that they were asleep when Sniffen heard someone
knock the door in and Lebanc start screaming inside the house.
There were children inside the house who were also woken up when Lebanc broke into
the house.
Neither Sniffen, Hines, or their kids new who Lebanc was and when she broke into the house, they locked the bedroom door and called the police.
Lebanc was placed in a patrol car. She continued to scream while officers took her to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Emergency Room for observation.
5/10/06 6
Republican lawmakers at the state capitol are struggling to
draft legislation to combat illegal immigration, and House Speaker
Jim Weiers says lawmakers may scale back a possible criminalization
measure because of concerns that it otherwise could lead to mass
roundups.
Weiers and other House Republicans, on Monday, discussed the planned
legislation during a two-hour caucus that indicated some issues are
nearly settled but that others aren't. Meanwhile, Senate G-O-P
leaders held a shorter session that covered some of the same
ground.
The proposed elements include making illegal immigrants'
presence in Arizona a crime under the state's trespassing law,
money for radar to spot illegal border-crossers, new dollars for
law enforcement, sanctions against employers who knowingly hire
illegal immigrants and funding to deploy additional National Guard
troops along the border.
5/9/06
At 10:00 pm, on Sunday night, a wildfire was reported near Riggs Lake on Mt.
Graham. To date, the fire has burned approximately two acres.
Hand crews from the Arizona Department of Corrections at Ft. Grant and one crew
and two engines from the Safford Ranger District were called out.
Forest Service officials think the fire was started by an illegal abandoned campfire,
because all of the Coronado National Forest is under fire restrictions.
Although campfires are allowed in designated areas within campgrounds, Coronado
National Forest officials would like to remind all forest visitors to use extreme caution
and make sure your campfire is “dead cold” before leaving your camping area.
Violation of fire restrictions, which include building a campfire other than within a
developed recreation site, is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor, by a fine of not more
than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not
more than six months, or both.
The fire is being investigated by Coronado National Forest officials. 5/9/06
At around 12:45am, Friday morning, a Safford officer was called to Los Jilberto’s
Restaurant, on East Highway 70 in Safford, to a report of verbal argument going on
in the drive-thru window.
When the officer arrived, a white passenger car was attempting to drive away from the
restaurant window.
The officer blocked the vehicle’s escape and he observed a beer can being thrown from the passenger side window.
The officer also saw a man, with no shirt, get out of the vehicle and begin yelling and
cursing him and throwing his hands in the air.
The officer asked the man to get back into the car. The man refused, continuing to curse him.
Believing the man to be acting in an aggressive manner, the Safford officer attempted to handcuff the man. The suspect struggled with the officer and attempted to punch
him.
The man pulled away from the officer and ran out into the East-bound lane of Highway 70.
The Safford officer ran after the man and tackled him in the highway. The suspect and
the officer struggled in the highway and was able to finally handcuff the suspect with help from employees from Jilberto’s and other Safford officers.
The suspect had to be tased several times before he was arrested and taken to the
Graham County Jail. The Safford Officer suffered abrasions on his elbows and knees.
The subjects name was Mercedes Tyrone Garland of Bylas.
5/9/06 6
Safford Police Officers were dispatched to the Safford Elk’s Lodge, Thursday morning,
at around 11:50am, to a report of a burglary.
Phil Curtis, who is the Safford Elk’s secretary, reported that the Lodge was closed the
night before at 10:30pm, and all of the doors were locked and checked.
Curtis reported that sometime after 10:30pm, Wednesday night, someone broke into the
Lodge.
The burglar apparently had pried open the doors to the Elk’s kitchen and then pried open the office and broke into two small safes and a file cabinet.
Curtis reported that $698.00 and two Elk’s checks were missing.
Curtis also told Safford Police that he thought that the break in was done by someone
who knew the routine for the money placement and also the routine of the people who
work there.
Safford Police are still investigating the break in.
.
5/5/06
A Safford Police Officer stopped a vehicle for having no tail lights and found
some marijuana and a man who had a warrant out for his arrest.
The officer ran a check on Conyer and Contreras through police dispatch and found that
there was a warrant out for the arrest of Contreras.
The officer the asked Conyer if he could search her vehicle. Conyer consented and
during the search, the Safford officer found a small amount of marijuana in Conyer’s
purse. Some drug paraphernalia was also found.
Conyer and Contreras were both arrested and taken to the Graham County Jail. The police report was forwarded to the Graham County Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution. 5/5/06
The Arizona Cardinals Football Club has announced that season tickets for
the 2006 campaign at Cardinal Stadium have completely sold out.
The team sold 1,500 new season tickets over the draft weekend and had
fewer than 3,000 remaining, last Monday.
For this inaugural season, which will feature the opening of the brand new Cardinal Stadium in Glendale, the Cardinals have set aside 3,000 tickets for each of the
10 home games. The first opportunity to purchase single-game tickets will go to
those fans on the team’s season-ticket waiting list.
Individuals can join a ticket waiting list by placing a deposit of $200-
per seat. Individual-game tickets will go on-sale in June. A specific
date and time has not yet been announced. While the amount available at
that time will depend upon sales to waiting list members, it will be at
least 1,000 tickets per home game.
For more information, please contact the Cardinals ticket office at: 602-379-0102.
5/5/06
A Bowie woman was killed in a single-vehicle rollover accident on Interstate 10,
last Tuesday.
Debra L. Moreland, 46, of Bowie was westbound on I-10, at around 10:40am, Tuesday, when the vehicle left the road,
“for an unknown reason – went into the median – and rolled”, said Harold Sanders, from D-P-S.
Moreland, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected and pronounced dead at the
scene from massive trauma.
Moreland leaves behind a husband and three children, all of Bowie
5/4/06
A Mock-disaster drill was held in Thatcher, Wednesday morning, to help train local
Police, EMT and Fire personnel, Nurses and Hospital workers, and Helicopter Air-EVAC
Companies to work together just in case a major disaster or accident occurs in the Gila
Valley.
The mock-disaster drill started at 7:30am, around the Eastern Arizona College campus area, where a serious vehicle roll-over accident was to occur and 6-people inside
the vehicle were seriously injured.
Ambulance and EMT personnel were called to assess the injuries of the victims and take them to
Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center. Local Firemen were called incase there was a fire and to
extract the victims out of the vehicle. And local police were used
for traffic and crowd control at the scene.
Doctors, nurses, and hospital workers were notified and told to be prepared to receive multiple
accident victims, and Air-Vac helicopter crews were on standby incase any of the injured needed
to be transferred to hospitals in Tucson or Phoenix.
According to EAC Security director, Bill Mulleneax, the mock-disaster drill was very
successful and seemed to be a valuable learning experience – working together with different agencies.
The mock-disaster drill was sponsored by Eastern Arizona College and Mt. Graham Regional
Medical Center and is required by the Arizona Department of Health Services
to qualify to receive federal funds.
5/4/06
After a week of statements claiming that he would sign the bill, Mexican President
Vicente Fox refused to sign a drug decriminalization bill and sent it back to the Mexican
Congress to make corrections.
A spokesman for Fox stated that he wanted the Mexican Congress to make it absolutely
clear that the possession of drugs and the consumption are, and will continue to be,
a criminal offense.
The new Mexican legislation was announced, last Friday, and when it appeared that
Fox was going to sign it, the U.S. government expressed a rare public objection to the
internal Mexican political development, saying that they urged Mexico to review and to
avoid the perception that drug use would be tolerated in Mexico.
Supporters claim that the bill contained many points that experts said were positive.
It empowered state and local police – not just federal Mexican officers – to go after
drug dealers, stiffen some penalties and closed loopholes that dealers had long used
to escape prosecution.
The main concern to most people was
that it appeared that Mexico was inviting and encouraging a “tourist drug industry”
in Mexico.
The Mexican
Congress has adjourned for the summer and will have an entirely new
lower house and one-third new Senate members following the July 2nd
elections, which will make the outgoing Fox a lame-duck president. 5/3/06
The
Safford Volunteer Fire Department was called out three times, Wednesday
morning, to extinguish fires in the Gila Valley. The
Fire Department’s first call was at a residence on the 3300 Block of
Highway 191. At
around 7:50am, the residents of the home had taken their children to
school and had returned home. When they got out of the 1985 Chevy
Blazer, the back of the vehicle was smoking and was on fire.
During an investigation into the cause of the truck fire, Safford Fire
Chief Mike Rhodes
discovered that a fuel line on the truck had sprung a leak and was
ignited by hot exhaust
from the truck.
The
truck was totaled. And
around 8:54am, Safford Fire Volunteers were again called out to the new
Wal-Mart on 20th Avenue in Safford. Chief
Rhodes described that an electrical short in an air conditioning unit on
the roof of
Wal-Mart, had burned through a natural gas line. The electrical short
ignited the natural gas and
a fire was started on the roof.
The
new Wal-Mart was evacuated and no one was injured. Rhodes estimated damage to the Wal-Mart roof and AC-unit at around
$25,000. 5/3/06 Sierra Vista police say that 21-year-old James
Feller lied about being robbed by a man whom he disliked and had a grudge
against.
Feller told police, Saturday morning, that an
acquaintance had robbed him of his wallet at gunpoint in an alley. He picked
the man out of a group of photographs and told Sierra Vista police where the
alleged robber lived. Police went to the home and ordered
everyone out of the home, but the suspect and a woman stayed inside.
Because they thought the man was armed, Sierra Vista police called out
their SWAT team. When the suspect would not come out of the
home, they smoked him out with tear gas, arrested the man, and took him to
jail.
During questioning, Sierra Vista police
checked out the suspects alibi and detectives started noticing discrepancies
in Feller’s story. After police realized that Feller had lied to
them, they released the unidentified suspect. Feller was then booked into
the Cochise County Jail and charged with false reporting to Police, a
misdemeanor.
Sierra Vista police will ask the court to
order Feller to pay the $2,400 cost of the police and SWAT operation to find
the suspect.
5/03/06 Scientists at The Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine in Maryland say by working with genetically engineered
mice, they were able to interfere with the brain’s ability to control an
animal’s response to a high-fat diet.
According to the researchers, a certain gene
known as CPT1c makes a protein that protects against weight gain caused by a
high-fat diet. Mice lacking the gene gained more weight than their
litter-mates carrying normal copies of the gene.
The Hopkins researchers are hopeful the
discovery has broad implications for understanding the genetic underpinnings
of obesity and weight management.
5/02/06 That's according to Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar.
The bill was approved Friday by Mexico's Senate, despite
criticism by some in the United States that it could increase
problems with casual drug use by visitors or in border areas.
Currently, Mexican law allows judges to drop charges against
suspects if they can prove they're addicts and an expert certifies
they were found with only the amount needed for personal use.
The new bill makes the decriminalization automatic, allows
so-called "consumers" as well as addicts to have drugs, and
delineates specific allowable quantities, which do not appear in
the current law.
|
|
|
|
