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From the KATO Newsroom
William Perry - News Director

September 2006 Archive

55 Federal arrest warrants were issued in Southeastern Arizona, Monday and FBI, Border Patrol, Immigration, and Cochise County Deputies fanned out across Cochise County to arrest over 50 people allegedly linked to a human smuggling operation based in Bowie.

That's right Bowie, Arizona.

The arrests come after a two-year probe by the FBI, Border Patrol, and Customs and Immigration, into a family-run human smuggling ring based in Bowie.

The arrests come less than three weeks after a grand jury in Tucson handed down a sealed indictment naming 55 suspects for their involvement in the scheme.

According to the indictment, the smuggling organization catered primarily to Mexicans and Central Americans. The organization would solicit individuals wanting to be smuggled into the United States from Mexico. The aliens would be briefly housed in Agua Prieta prior to their crossing. Guides would cross the aliens through the desert to a predetermined location along Highway 80. A driver would pick them up on Highway 80, North of Douglas, and take them to Bowie.

Each alien would be charged between $500 and $800 from Douglas to Bowie.

Once in Bowie, the aliens were then charged more money to travel from Bowie to their final destination. The aliens would be held in Bowie until smuggling fees from family members or brokers were received.

The Juarez Alien Smuggling Organization or JASO, was headquartered in Bowie and run by Pablo Esteban Juarez, 31, and his wife Lori Juarez, 30.

       

The word is getting out about the new $600-million Phelps Dodge open pit copper mine and the tremendous economic boost that is expected to come to Graham County because of it.

An article was run in the Arizona Republic, Monday that announced the beginning of construction of the mine site, north of Safford and how 500 construction workers are building roads, putting in utilities, and erecting steel buildings that will process copper ore into sheets of copper cathodes.

The Republic spoke to Graham County Supervisor Jim Palmer who said, "The economy is on the upswing and that hasn't happened in a long time. The hotels are full, the restaurants are packed and there's a "help wanted" sign in every window."

By March, 1,000 workers are expected on the mine site. They will be in addition to the 200 people who have come to work at the new Phelps Dodge central laboratory and its process technology center, where engineers and scientists look for new ways to mine and produce copper.

The mine will employ about 500 people and generate 250 support jobs in the area after the construction crews leave in 2008.

Safford is also home of the Phelps Dodge central office, which oversees operations at the company's mines in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.

       

A Safford Police Officer recognized a driver, Sunday morning, who was wanted on an outstanding warrant, and discovered he and his female passenger were in possession of over 85-grams of crystal methamphetamine.

A Safford officer was patrolling, westbound on Highway 70 when he recognized Anthony Montano and a female passenger pulling out of the Alltel parking lot. When Montano saw the officer he put his vehicle in reverse and backed into the parking lot.

The officer drove into the parking lot and stopped Montano. The officer then confirmed that Montano was wanted on an outstanding warrant. He handcuffed Montano and placed him in the back seat of the patrol car.

Graham County and Safford Detectives and a Thatcher Officer arrived at the scene and they began searching Montano's vehicle.

The officers found two green plastic baggies that tested positive for meth. They also found some glass tubing used to smoke meth and around $900.00 in cash on Montano and inside the vehicle.

Montano and the female, who was identified as Sara Monares were arrested and taken to the Graham County Jail. They were charged with possession of dangerous drugs for sale and transportation of dangerous drugs for sale.

A sample of the over 85-grams of meth was sent to the DPS Crime Lab for analysis.

       

The federal government is setting aside one-point-one (B) billion dollars to keep the National Guard on the border through September 2007.

Lieutenant Colonel Mike Milord with the National Guard says that money comes from both the global war on terrorism supplemental fund and unused hurricane funds.

There are currently about 52-hunderd National Guard troops along the entire southern border.

Those in Arizona have helped the undermanned Border Patrol by building four miles of fencing and 15 miles of vehicle barriers.

They've also helped agents spot illegal entrants trying to cross and assisted with vehicle and helicopter maintenance.

Meanwhile, the Border Patrol has received funding for 15-hundred more agents in the 2007 Department of Homeland Security budget.

But that would leave the Border Patrol 45-hundred short of President Bush's goal.

At the current rate, it is expected to take 10 years to add six thousand agents along the Mexico border.

       

One man was beaten up and another man's car was stolen, last Saturday afternoon, in the Winchester Estates area, about 20-miles north of Willcox, on Ft. Grant Road.

Cochise County Deputies were called around 2:30pm, Saturday, and the victim told them that an unknown Hispanic male beat him up and stole his wallet, which had $500.00 in it.

Another Hispanic male at the scene told deputies that the same subject stole his white Ford LTD.

The stolen car was spotted by deputies a short time later, but all the occupants fled on foot and were not located.

       

10/27/06 AP WIRE This year's election campaigns called unique in intensity If you think Arizona's political campaigning is a lot nastier this year, so do pollsters and political scientists.

Pollster Earl de Berge, director of the Behavior Research Center, says he doesn't think he's seen anything quite like it.

For the first time in recent memory, Arizona's congressional races are truly competitive with Democrats pursuing credible challenges against Republican incumbents.

Patrick Kenney is chairman of the poly sci department at A-S-U.

He says hard-hitting ads do a better job of displaying a candidate's position on critical issues than soft-focus ads that feature a candidate and his or her family.

Kenney also says his research shows that incumbents are more vulnerable to negative blowback than challengers. He says voters appear to be more accepting of a challenger's hard-hitting ads on an incumbent's record than they are of the incumbent slinging accusations.

       

The head of a Tucson veterans counciling agency says most of his new clients are Vietnam veterans.

Ken Mroczek (Mro-zeck), the head of the Tucson Vet Center, says that he was surprised to see that his counselors caseloads have nearly doubled in recent years.

Mroczek, who is a psychologist and a Vietnam veteran himself, says that the news coverage of the war in Iraq and Afganistan is very similar to Vietnam. "When you hear about people being killed, it kind of makes people remember what is was like during the Vietnam era."

In some cases, he says, Vietnam vets with sons or daughters in the military develop stress syndromes when their offspring are sent to Iraq or Afganistan.

Between the 2003 and 2006 federal fiscal years, the number of counseling and outreach cases at the Tucson Vet Center rose from 4,469 to 5,634, an increase of 1,165 patients or a 26-percent increase.

Officials at Tucson's V-A Hospital are also seeing an increase in post-traumatic stress cases in Vietnam veterans who never suffered from it before and never new they had it.

Dennis St.Germaine, president of the Tucson chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, says, some troops from the Vietnam era suppressed their need for help because they felt scorned over the unpopular war. Decades later, they still grapple with stress symptoms that can include insomnia, substance abuse, chronic anxiety, and relationship problems. They often are deeply affected by today's conflicts, St. Germaine said, noting, "For some vets, it's still very emotional."

       

Whoever it is that is obsessed with over-weight people have really gone off the deep end.

Researchers say ever-expanding Americans can save some money at the pumps if they lose some of the extra weight.

A study suggests that Americans are burning almost a (b) billion more gallons of gasoline each year than they did in 1960, simply because of their added pounds.

Researchers at the University of Illinois estimate that more than 39 (m) million gallons of fuel are used each year for every additional pound of passenger weight. They figure that a typical driver who loses a hundred pounds might save 40 dollars a year.

A health care analyst not involved in the study says even if the numbers aren't exactly right, the premise makes sense -- more weight in cars means lower mileage.

Airlines have seen the same relation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that heavy fliers have contributed to higher fuel costs for airlines.

The government says the average weight for American men was 191 pounds in 2002 and 164 pounds for women. That's about 25 pounds heavier than in 1960.

The findings appear in the October-December issue of The Engineering Economist.

       

A land deal involving Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi reportedly is being scrutinized by the U-S Attorney's Office in Arizona over a land deal.

A law enforcement official in Washington says the inquiry is ongoing, the investigation has been under way for a few months and is still in its very early stages.

The official did not specify what land deal is under investigation.

At least one transaction involving Renzi has raised questions in Arizona recently.

Records and officials involved in the October 2005 deal say Renzi helped promote the sale of land that netted a former business partner four-and-a-half (m) million dollars.

The property eventually was to be part of a swap in which potential buyers could exchange it for land owned by the federal government.

And while Renzi's business partner James Sandlin made money off the land sale, Renzi never introduced legislation in Congress to complete the swap for the new owners.

       

Arizona Senator John Kyl was on the campaign trail through Southeastern Arizona, and made a stop in Safford, Tuesday afternoon.

Addressing a crowd of community leaders and interested Republicans, at the Manor House Convention Center, Kyl spoke on the progress being made in the Senate on illegal immigration, national security, and other topics.

Kyl joked that he was asking to be "rehired" for the job as Senator from Arizona.

The Senator answered questions from the crowd of around 100, and reminded them that his party was responsible in acquiring federal funding for the Safford wastewater treatment plant, construction funds for the Safford 8th Avenue bridge, and leading the way in the Arizona Water Settlement.

Senator Kyl was making the rounds Tuesday, speaking in Sierra Vista, Benson, Safford, and Payson.

       

Phoenix based and Eastern Arizona copper producer Phelps Dodge reported third quarter net income of $888-million, or $4.36 per share, on Tuesday.

The companies net income in the same period last year was $366-million or $1.81 per share.

The New York Commodity Exchange copper price averaged $3.54 in the third quarter compared with $1.70 in the same 2005 period.

       

Arizona's acting epidemiologist Ken Komatsu says he has no indication of how serious the upcoming flu season may become.

But there should be plenty of vaccine this year, unlike in 2004 when there was a national shortage and last year when distribution problems affected the supply.

Typically 5 to 20 percent of the population gets the flu nationwide every winter.

Flu season typically begins in mid-to-late October and the peak of the season usually hits in late January and early February.

Last year, 52-hundred flu cases were confirmed in Arizona and the peak of activity last year was in late December.

In 2004 -- the last year for which statistics are available -- more than eleven-hundred people died in Arizona of complications of flu, making it the eighth-highest cause of death in the state.

The Graham County Health Department will be offering their first round flu shots to the public on Thursday, October 26th, from 8am til 11am. If you are on Medical part B, your shot will be paid for.

For others the charge will be $15.00 per treatment.

       

Labor groups that worked to put a proposed minimum wage increase on Arizona's November seventh ballot say voters are being asked to settle the issue because the Legislature didn't take the idea seriously.

Labor groups say legislative leaders refused for four years to give their proposal a committee hearing.

So they gathered enough petition signatures to ask voters to decide whether to set Arizona's minimum wage at six dollars and seventy-five cents.

That's an increase of $1.60 over the standard now used by the state.

Business organizations rejected that explanation.

They say the campaign for Proposition 202 is part of a larger minimum wage push in five other states to turn out more Democratic voters on election day and strengthen unions in Arizona.

Supporters say the proposal was needed because adults working in the service industry and other business sectors can't support their families on the current minimum wage.

Opponents say an increase would raise business costs that could prompt employers to cut hiring and worker benefits.

       

If you're new to the Gila Valley or just looking for a place to buy or rent, at this time, housing is difficult to find.

City of Safford Community Economic Development Director, Pete Stasiak says, "the local housing picture has been desperate, but there's relief in sight."

Speaking in an issue of the City of Safford "City Vision", Stasiak says he is excited about a housing development in the Little Hollywood Road area, east of Safford.

The Little Hollywood Road housing project will consist of 280 homes and construction should be under way by the end of the year, with approximately 24 units starting each month.

The Tierra Bonita 2 housing project near the end of 8th Avenue in Safford has received final approval for 62-homes, with a possible 4 to 5 homes completed per month.

Other housing developments around Safford include Pinaleno Foothills on South 20th Avenue near Discovery Park, where land is being cleared for 60-apartment units. And a 92-capacity RV and Mobile Home park is being developed at the intersection of 20th Avenue and Golf Course Road.

Stasiak says the importance of a developing copper mine and prison expansion cannot be negated, but the success and growth of local small businesses is critical to the future economic stability of a community.

       

Drug company AstraZeneca announced Monday, that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a new formulation of its popular Seroquel schizophrenia treatment, making it the first medicine to treat both the manic and depressive sides of bipolar disorder.

About 7-million adult Americans have bipolar disorder, a condition that strikes people in their teens and late 20's and causes episodes of mania and depression.

Previous anti-psychotic drugs had side-effects giving patients tremors and restlessness. Newer drugs like Seroquel developed by other drug companies are intended to have fewer side effects and dominate a market worth around $16.2-billion.

Seroquel, introduced by AstraZeneca in 1997, is already used to treat acute manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The FDA approval adds to the treatment of patients with depressive episodes.

       

Eastern Arizona College officials are looking into what caused an altercation after the EAC Gila Monsters Football team defeated the number one ranked Snow College, Saturday night, in Thatcher.

According to an EAC press release, following the game an unfortunate altercation occurred. One individual, not a football player, allegedly assaulted Gary McKenzee, the Snow College head athletic trainer, as both teams were leaving the field.

Witnessess to the incident said that McKenzee was trying to keep players from both teams from fighting when the alleged assault occurred.

EAC executives have said that there will be a full investigation of this incident. Also, maximum enforcement of the law shall be requested - appropriate disciplinary action will be taken and steps will be implemented to prevent such occurrences in the future.

       

Two vehicles owned by Gila Valley residents were vandalized Friday night or Saturday morning on 32nd Street in Safford.

Both vehicles were parked in the area where Phelps Dodge employees, who live in the Gila Valley, leave their vehicles and ride the bus to work in Morenci.

Saturday morning, Scott Haralson and Cristo Dominguez got off the bus after working all night and discovered that their vehicles had been vandalized.

Both men called Safford Police to investigate the damage.

Haralson reported that the vandals had shattered his passenger side window and took his car stereo and a CD case.

Dominguez reported that someone had thrown a large rock through his side window and cracked his windshield. Nothing was taken from the Dominguez vehicle.

Safford Police continue to investigate the incident.

       

On this date, Monday, October 23rd, in 1907, Arizona newspapers announced there had been six murders in Graham County in one month.

On this date in 1921, cattle rustling became so common that cattlemen decided to "shoot (rustlers) where they stood and leave them where they fall."

       

A Safford Walmart "Asset Protection" Officer called Safford Police to report shoplifting inside the store, last Monday afternoon.

The "Asset Protection" officer reported to Police that a Walmart employee discovered empty boxes that were suppose to contain items for sale.

The theft was discovered at around 6:00am, Tuesday morning.

The officers reviewed the security video tape inside Walmart and observed two unidentified suspects, one male and one female, enter the store. They were observed in the electronics department where they removed two Durabrand 7-inch mobile DVD systems, valued at $85.00 each, and one 7-inch two-screen car DVD players valued at $179.00.

The video security tape photographed the two suspects concealing the items inside a large bag that the female was carrying. The two then shopped for groceries and purchased over $200.00 worth of groceries, while concealing the electronic items.

According to a Safford Police report, the shoplifters have not been identified.

       

Using a cellphone, a group of illegal immigrants called 9-1-1 Thursday night from inside a stuffy boxcar near Willcox.

Border Patrol agents arrived on the scene and rescued ten illegal immigrants including a pregnant woman.

The group told Cochise County Sheriff's deputies it was getting extremely hot inside the boxcar.

The immigrants told investigators they made contact with an alien smuggler in Juarez, Mexico.

The smuggler took them to a train bound for Phoenix, where he also gave them a cellphone.

The four women and six men were subsequently evaluated medically.

They were processed and voluntarily returned to Mexico. Information gathered also led agents to a suspected smuggler.

       

Senate candidates Jon Kyl and Jim Pederson butted heads on immigration, the war in Iraq and terrorism, Wednesday night in a debate that was less confrontational than their first face-off.

The debate at the University of Arizona in Tucson was the second of three meetings between the incumbent Republican Kyl and Pederson before the November seventh general election.

Unlike the first debate on Sunday, Kyl and Pederson allowed former Graham County Sheriff and Libertarian Richard Mack to participate.

During Wednesday's debate, Kyl said voters should return him to office for a third term because of his experience, knowledge and track record.

Pederson used his time to point out the nation's need for change.

The Democrat says "It's time to start over, it's time to clean house."

The next public debate between all three candidates will be held on Saturday, in Flagstaff.

       

Wal-Mart says its program selling some generic drugs for four dollars a prescription is being offered in another

14 states, including Arizona. The announcement comes just two weeks after rolling out the low-cost program, involving hundreds of medications, in Florida.

The expansion is coming more quickly than the world's largest retailer said it intended, citing strong demand from consumers.

Arkansas-based Wal-Mart says the expansion involves more than 12-hundred stores.

       

Critics of a proposal to hike Arizona's minimum wage are using a new scare tactics to torpedo Proposition 202.

They claim it would increase the threat of identity theft by opening employers' records.

If you approve it, Proposition 202, or the "Raise the Minimum Wage for Working Arizonans Act," would set the minimum hourly wage at six-dollars and 75-cents, up from the federal limit of five-15 an hour.

The co-chair of the No On 202 campaign says the initiative would create an open window to personal and confidential information by giving the State Industrial Commission or some other commission access to business records.

The director of the state Industrial Commission says no one has raised privacy or identity-theft issues with him.

       

Ellen Simon, the Democratic candidate running against Republican Rick Renzi for the Arizona District 1 Congressional seat, was in Safford Wednesday morning, to speak to an audience about her campaign.

The breakfast reception, held at the Manor House Rocking Horse Saloon, and sponsored by the Graham County Democratic Party, was an opportunity for Simon to introduce herself to Graham County residents and to campaign for local votes.

Simon, who is a resident of Sedona, told the audience that she was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and her parents were survivors of the Nazi Holocaust in Europe During World War 2.

She is a Civil Rights lawyer and was an ACLU volunteer.

Simon said that she is "against the war in Iraq', and feels that Americans need to "feel safe as a country".

She also said that she "wants health care for every American," and feels that our "borders need to be secure."

Simon then headed to Clifton for a public forum.

       

The Graham County Narcotics Task Force conducted a traffic stop on Tuesday afternoon, and arrested two suspects on possession of dangerous drug charges.

At around 3:48pm, Tuesday afternoon, the Task Force arrested 29-year old Tina Roybal, and 20-year-old Joseph Bejarano, on Airport Road.

Robal was arrested on an outstanding warrant and also possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Bejarano was also arrested for possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia. He is also on parole and will most likely be sent back to the Department of Corrections.

Officers recovered 1-gram of crystal meth.

Both suspects were booked into the Graham County Jail.

       

A Huachuca City man whose SUV ran out of gas was hit and killed by an 18-wheeler, early Wednesday, as he walked along I-10, west of Benson.

The man, whose name was not released, was apparently walking in the slow lane at around 2:00am, when he was hit by the semi.

The west-bound 18-wheeler noticed the SUV in the emergency lane and moved to the left to pass it. The driver then returned to the slow lane when he hit the pedestrian, killing him instantly.

No citations were issued.

       

In a debate chocked-full of accusations, name-calling and biting retorts, Senate candidates Jon Kyl and Jim Pederson agreed on one thing Sunday night - the race has gotten downright ugly.

Out of all the pressing issues from immigration to the war in Iraq, the first question posed to the candidates was why both sides have run so many accusatory ads.

Kyl says Pederson has dragged the race down into the gutter and that some of his ads are downright false.

Pederson defended his ads as being truthful and pointed to a Kyl commercial that accuses him of supporting amnesty for roughly twelve (m) million illegal immigrants living in the United States.

The debate was broadcast live from the studios of K-P-H-O-T-V in Phoenix. It was the first meeting between Kyl and Pederson after months of negotiations.

The next debate will be held on Wednesday in Tucson and is slated to include former Graham County Sheriff, Richard Mack, who is running as an independent.

Unfortunately, most Graham County residents cannot receive KUAT-TV, the educational channel out of Tucson.

       

A Mexican man who pleaded no contest to charges that he stole a pickup truck and later dragged a Sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop in Huachuca City, was sentenced to 3 ½-years in prison, Friday.

According to the Cochise County Sheriff's Department arrest report, Hugo Rodriquez Pelagio of Mexico was stopped at around 2:30am, on March 21st in Huachuca City, as he was driving a stolen Ford F-250 pickup.

After a license plate check revealed that the truck was stolen from an Oregon couple while in Phoenix, Sheriff's Deputy Wyatt Berry approached the truck and reached inside to turn off the engine. As he did, Rodriquez Pelagio reportedly accelerated and dragged Berry about 100-yards.

The deputy suffered a broken ankle.

The vehicle continued another half-mile before the two passengers abandoned the truck and fled into the desert. Rodriquez Pelagio was found hiding in a field but authorities were unable to find the other man.

Rodriquez Pelagio was ordered to pay the couple who owned the Ford F-250, $2,571 in restitution. He was also ordered to pay $2502.00 to an insurance company that reimbursed the owners for damages incurred in the case.

If he had not pleaded "no contest", Rodriquez Pelagio could have received 23 1/2 years if found guilty.

       

The military is looking into what caused the crash of a two (m) million dollar unmanned surveillance aircraft.

The drone went down Thursday just outside Fort Huachuca.

The military says the investigation should take several weeks to complete.

The two-engine Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle posed no danger to people or property.

Fort Huachuca is one of the main U-A-V training centers in the United States.

       

A couple of Safford Officers were able to track down three burglary suspects and recover several stolen items while on patrol Thursday night.

An officer pulled over a white Nissan that fit the description of a vehicle seen leaving a residence at 2010 S. 12th Avenue that had been burglarized at around 8:00pm, Thursday night.

Another Safford officer had taken a report from Danielle Carbajal who reported that a CD case and her check book had been stolen out of her car.

The officer who had stopped the white Nissan found three suspects in the vehicle. He also found Danielle Carbajal's check book and her CD case, along with other items that had also been reported stolen from another residence.

The officers inventoried: a chainsaw, and x-box game, a bb gun, two more cd cases, a can of pepper spray and a nylon mini-flashlight that had been stolen from an employee of Department of Corrections, and several other items.

Safford Police arrested, Esteban Lozano, Francisco Rojo, and Brandon Herrera, on suspicion of burglary. One of the suspects was taken to the Graham County Jail and the other two were taken to the Juvenile Detention Center in Safford.

       

A Safford patrol officer stopped a woman driving a vehicle because she had no license plate lamp while traveling North on Highway 191 at 4:00am, Monday morning.

The officer stopped the woman and found that her license, registration, and insurance were in order but after he returned her items he noticed that she was making "afferitive movements".

The officer claimed that Amora Mueller, 32, was putting her hands in and out of her pockets and would not make eye contact with him.

The officer asked to search her vehicle and Mueller consented. Another Safford Officer arrived and they searched Mueller's vehicle.

One of the officers who searched Mueller found a hollowed-out lipstick tube in her pocket with a plastic baggie in it with what looked like crystal meth.

Mueller was considered under arrest at that time.

She told officers that she had left her two children at home and there was no one to watch them.

Mueller was transported to her home by Safford Police and the lipstick was placed into evidence.

Charges on Mueller are pending at this time.

       

When the U.S. Border Patrol is chasing an illegal immigrant, sometimes they don't wanna get caught.

The Border Patrol was chasing a suspected illegal immigrant in a pickup truck, at around 3:30am, Sunday morning, near San Simon.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Department joined in, and the chase was on. According to Cochise County Spokesperson Carol Capas, the Sheriff's Deputies and Border Patrol officers pursued the illegal immigrant to an area called Noland Road.

While being pursued, somehow, the illegal immigrant ran over and killed a cow with his vehicle. He then jumped out of his truck and was able to escape from the Border Patrol and the Cochise County Sheriff's Department, on foot.

The alleged illegal immigrant has not yet been located.

       

Graham County Deputies were called to the scene of a vehicle accident, early Friday morning, on North 8th Avenue, just North of the Safford Bridge.

Deputies discovered that the driver of a 1996 Nissan 200 SX, 23-year-old Timothy Dallas, of Safford, had run off of the Westside of North 8th Avenue, and struck an irrigation pump at a high-rate of speed.

Dallas was unconscious at the scene and had to be extricated from the car by the Safford Fire Department.

Dallas had apparently driven off of the road onto the northbound shoulder, then over-corrected and went across 8th Avenue and onto the Southbound shoulder, where the vehicle left the highway, went down an embankment, and went air-born after hitting a ditch bank and then struck the irrigation pump. The vehicle also hit an electrical pole and knocked it down.

An ambulance was called and they discovered that Dallas suffered a broken jaw and broken bones in his face, along with numerous lacerations.

A Life-Net helicopter was called to the scene and Dallas was flown to University Medical Center in Tucson. Sometime during the weekend, a UMC nurse stated to the investigating deputy that Dallas was in stable condition but would need reconstructive surgery to repair the damage done to his face.

Deputies stated that excessive speed was a factor in the accident. An investigation into the cause of the vehicle accident is continuing.

       

If you are closely following the Arizona Senatorial race between Republican incumbent John Kyl and Democratic candidate Jim Pederson, you might ask if Independent candidate Richard Mack is on the ballot, why has he not been included in the upcoming T.V. debates.

According to Mack, Senator John Kyl told KPHO news director Steve Hammel that if Mack was included in the upcoming televised political debates to be broadcast through out Arizona, that he would not show up.

Mack, who is a former Graham County Sheriff, also claims that Kyl and Pederson have a signed agreement that if Mack shows up for the debate that neither one will participate in the debates.

He claims that he is not getting a fair shake from pollsters either. Mack claims that when asking questions, pollsters ask, "Would you vote for Kyl, Pederson, or Other."

Mack believes that if his name is on the ballot that he should be included in televised debates or any other event that talks about the issues of being a Senator from Arizona.

       

A Safford officer was called to the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center Emergency Room, Saturday morning, to take a report of an accident that happened at the Sand Dunes Recreational Park, South of Safford.

The officer spoke to Kristopher Tinsley, 28, who stated he was the victims roommate.

The victim was identified as Jim Ratliff, 33.

Tinsley stated that Ratliff was riding a 50-cc motorcycle at the Sand Dunes when he crashed.

Tinsley stated that the Ratliff sustained a broken right forearm and some abrasions on his face.

Ratliff was sedated and his injuries were cared for at the hospital.

       

Most High School graduates know about too much homework. One of the country’s top homework researchers says that high school students should no’t have more than 2 to 2 1/2-hours of homework per day.

I didn’t know that there was such a job as “homework researcher”, but many teachers say they are finding ways to lessen the homework load as parents grow more protective of their children’s time.

America has had a rocky relationship with homework. It peaked in recent years, when the government pressured schools to improve test scores and get more kids into college.

Teachers are trying different tricks to reach a happy median. Many say they send their students home with work they have already started in class under the teachers guidance. Some teachers tailor homework to individual students. Some E-mail spelling words home to parents so they can help a struggling reader catch up.

That “homework researcher” says that 10-minutes of homework a night per grade is a good guide. A second-grader should have 20-minutes of homework, a seventh-grader 70-minutes, and juniors and seniors no more than 2 1/2 hours of homework per night.

       

A Gilbert, Arizona couple who were in Safford, Sunday afternoon, discovered that the car that they had owned for about a week was stolen.

A Safford patrol officer stopped a Silver Honda Accord on 20th Avenue, for not displaying a license plate.

The driver, Bryan Rodgers, his wife Andrea, and their two children were stopped Sunday afternoon, and Bryan showed the officer a California dealer plate that he had removed.

The officer ran the plate and found that it belonged to Alamo Financing. He ran the vin number and found that the Honda Accord had been stolen out of Phoenix.

Bryan had no title or bill of Sale for the car but said that he had bought it from a friend in their church named Nathan Dowell.

Bryan was handcuffed and placed in the back of the patrol car.

Bryan’s wife called Nathan Dowell and he told her that there must be some kind of a mistake. He said that he had bought the car at a Phoenix car auction.

Safford Police had to confiscate the stolen Honda Accord, Bryan Rodgers and his family were released into the custody of Bryan’s brother-in-law, who lives in the Gila Valley.

- It is unknown how the Rodgers family were able to get back to Gilbert.

       

A Pima, Arizona couple has stepped down as leaders of a church that considers marijuana a sacrament and deity.

Dan and Mary Quaintance say pending federal charges against them have made it impossible to properly lead the church.

In February, the two were arrested in a car that contained 172 pounds of marijuana in the New Mexican town of Lordsburg near the Arizona state line.

The Quaintances are facing 40 years in prison if convicted on federal charges of conspiracy and intent to distribute marijuana.

The Quaintances are scheduled to go on trial October 30th in Las Cruces, New Mexico, though they hope the case will be dismissed before the end of the month.

The government contends the church is a front for drug trafficking.

       

Arizona exporters are on track for a record year of international sales. The Arizona Department of Commerce said exports totaled $9.15-billion in the first half of the year, a 30-percent increase over the same period last year.

Exported Arizona goods and sales to Mexico, the state’s number 1 international market, grew from $2.3-billion in the second quarter of 2005 to $2.8-billion in the same quarter this year, a 21-percent increase.

Trade with Canada increased 22-percent from last year. Asian trade to Singapore grew 103-percent in the second quarter, to Malaysia, 83-percent and to China, 75-percent.

According to the Department of Commerce, the largest dollar increases are due to exports of minerals and ores such as copper and molybdenum.

Communications technology such as computer chips and satellite dishes also contributed to the increased export figures.

The Department of Commerce also said that at the current pace, Arizona is on track for the strongest export performance to date, topping an annual $18-billion for the first time.

       

There is lots of excitement and entertainment for the entire family going on this Thursday through Sunday at the Graham County Fair and Rex Allen Days in Willcox.

The Graham County Fair kicks off Thursday evening with lots of food, carnival rides, performances by local talent, exhibits, livestock judging and lots more.

The same four days, Rex Allen Days will begin on Thursday at 1:00pm, with an open house at the Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame at the Rex Allen Museum.

Rex Allen Days honors 40's cowboy movie star and narrator for many Disney wildlife documentaries, Rex Allen, who was born and raised in Willcox.

The whole town of Willcox is involved in Rex Allen Days and it is an enjoyable four-day event for the whole family.

       

Federal authorities in Arizona are expected to crack down soon on businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers, joining a nationwide effort to bust employers most responsible for the job magnets that attract illegal immigrants to the U.S.

Russell "Pete" Ahr, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE, in Phoenix, said the agency's worksite enforcement unit is "active now", and is conducting investigations. "We are not fining companies anymore, we are going after criminal indictments."

Ahr also said, "Ice agents will not conduct random sweeps to round up undocumented workers. They will use tips and intelligence to identify business operators who purposely violate the law."

In April, ICE agents arrested seven managers from a pallet-manufacturing company. During raids at company sites in 26-states, including Arizona, 1,187 workers were discovered with false documents.

       

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office has announced that they are searching for a Bowie man who has been missing since August 27.

Robert Hernandez, 21, of Bowie was last seen leaving a party on August 27th, after a fight broke out.

While searching for Hernandez, deputies say that he left all of his clothing and personal property at his residence in Bowie.

Due to the circumstances of his disappearance, authorities believe foul play may be involved.

Hernandez is described as being 5-foot-7-inches tall, weighing 150-pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and tattoos on his right arm.

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue shorts, and white Nike-Air sneakers.

Anyone with information as to the where-a-bouts of Robert Hernandez, is asked to contact the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.

       

President George Bush signed a Homeland Security Department funding bill, Wednesday, in Scottsdale, that would pay for hundreds of miles of fencing along the U.S.- Mexico border.

The funding bill includes $1.2-billion for border security spending, including fences and other barriers along the border.

The signing ceremony was held at the Scottsdale Camelback Inn, following a fundraiser-breakfast for District #1 Congressman Rick Renzi.

The signing was also attended by Governor Janet Napolitano, Senator John Kyl, and Representative J. D. Hayworth.

Bush's actions came despite pleas from the Mexican government for him to veto the bill. Mexico has harshly criticized the Senate vote authorizing 700-miles of new fencing along the border.

       

Opponents of Proposition 202 - the proposition to increase the minimum wage in Arizona - have begun a scare tactic campaign to persuade voters to vote No on 202.

Sent to news organizations by fax or e-mail - disguised as important news releases and official reports by a Phoenix advertising group- opposition to Prop 202 is being backed by large, out-of-state corporations that do not want to be forced to pay the increase in salary to minimum wage employees.

Some of the companies and organizations opposed to Proposition 202 are: The National Federation of Independent Business, The Western Growers Association, The National Restaurant Association, The Arizona Retailers Association, The Arizona Farm Bureau, The Arizona Tourism Alliance, and Brinker International, to name a few.

Brinker International is the parent company of Chili's, On the Border, and Romano's Macarroni Grill, chain of restaurants.

Proposition 202 would raise the minimum wage in Arizona from $5.15 per-hour to $6.75 per-hour, starting in 2007, and wages would be adjusted for inflation therafter.

Advocates say a higher minimum wage is necessary in part because the federal minimum wage has not increased in 9-years, leaving workers far behind the rise in the cost of living.

Opponents say that paying their employees more money would put them out of business.

       

A University of Arizona economic researcher predicts Arizona's population will double in the next 30 years, with the Phoenix and Tucson areas merging into one urbanized complex.

Researcher Marshall Vest says current definitions for the two metro areas - which are about 100 miles apart - will change to include surrounding counties as developable land is exhausted. Vest also envisions significant development from as far south as Sierra Vista to Kingman in the northwest.

Arizona currently is home to about six (m) million people.

According to Vest, that number will jump to about 15 (m) million by 2036.

       

Frustrated law makers have beefed up penalities for those who injure or kill while driving on a suspended or revoked license.

According to new state laws that went into effect on September 21st, drivers without licenses can face felony charges, including prison time, for crashes that result in injury or death.

Under the new penalties, the drivers can be charged with a Class 4 felony, which calls for up to four years in prison and heavy fines, if they cause death while driving without a license and commit serious violations, such as running a red light, speeding or failure to yield to pedestrians.

If injuries occur during the same violation, they can be charged with a Class 5 felony, with up to two years in prison and heavy fines.

       

The City of Safford will begin Phase 4 of their City's Street Renewal Projects, beginning the 1st week in October.

CKC Construction has been awarded this $1.1-million dollar project to renew several important streets in Safford.

A lot of the street renewal will take place on the south side of Safford, in and around the Glenn Meadows area.

CKC will begin by removing the existing pavement on streets and then regrading and recompacting the base material.

Safford officials say that paving of these streets should be completed by the end of October.

The money to pay for this work will come from the half-percent sales tax passed in August of 2005, by the Safford City Council.