Sunday, April 27, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Arizona family rescued Arizona relics...
What may arguably be his greatest historical ``save'' is front and center for all to see: the portal from the old San Agustin Cathedral, which now graces the entrance to the Arizona Historical Society.
But for decades, many of George Chambers' other "rescues" - varying from the bar at Tombstone's famous Birdcage Theater to old courthouse documents dumped down a mine shaft - have enjoyed little visibility. Until now.
On May 3, that all changes when the Arizona Historical Society presents: "Saving History: the George Chambers Family Legacy."
The exhibit, which begins with a fundraiser celebration, will then be on permanent display at the museum.
And what an exhibit it is, with vignettes showcasing everything from the aforementioned bar where legends such as Wyatt Earp and Johnny Ringo bent elbows, to the registration desk of Tucson's old Orndorff Hotel, check-in site for everyone from Buffalo Bill to Gen. Nelson Miles.
Deborah Shelton, director of the society's Southern Arizona Division, calls the collection ``massive'' in scale.
Its upcoming exhibit, she adds, is a way to honor and celebrate donor and philanthropists such as George Chambers and various members of his family, who have generously donated items to the society over the years.
"They illustrate saving and preserving history," said Shelton. "They were so connected to the community and honored the history of it."
So who was this George Chambers?
Born in Kansas in 1901, young George was a teenager when he and his family wound up in Arizona purely by chance, says grandson Dan Chambers, who is a board member of AHS and contributed several items to the exhibit.
"They were going to California and camped at the side of the road," says Dan Chambers. "Another family heading east was camped across the way. They wanted to sell their dairy in Arizona and get a farm in Missouri."
George's parents had a farm in Missouri. And so a swap was made.
The family settled first at Fort Huachuca, and later Tombstone. With no high school in Fort Huachuca, young George enrolled at Bisbee's high school, took up residence in the basement of a Bisbee bordello and worked after school at the mine.
He spent a short time at what is now Arizona State University, joined the Navy at the tail end of World War I, then landed in Tucson.
Here, he enrolled at the University of Arizona, becoming business manager of the Wildcat and editor of the yearbook.
"He was dirt poor when he got out of school," says Dan Chambers. "He and my grandmother lived in a tent at Sixth Avenue and Grant Road for most of the 1920s."
Times got better. Chambers wound up working for what was then the Tucson Daily Citizen, and later, the Arizona Daily Star, rising to business manager at both papers.
When Tucson Newspapers Incorporated was formed in 1940, he became its business manager, a post he held until his 1963 retirement.
He also served on the Arizona Board of Regents, did one term on the Tucson City Council and served on various boards.
But his lasting legacy was in preserving our past. In the 1930s he led a campaign to save the original San Agustin Cathedral, which after its closure in 1897 degenerated into everything from a whorehouse to a fight arena.
The cathedral was razed in 1936, but not before Chambers had its portal removed block by block, numbered, then built into his own home. In the mid-'70s, it was rebuilt into the front of the Arizona Historical Society.
Chambers also swooped in before the old Orndorff Hotel was demolished in 1934, rescuing its registration desk, mailboxes and assorted furniture.
Even the seemingly mundane was precious in Chambers' eyes.
When the Cochise County seat was moved from Tombstone to Bisbee in 1929, courthouse workers dumped a lot of old court records down a mine shaft, says Dan Chambers.
"They knew there was a pit right under the courthouse so they pulled up a plank and dropped them down."
Undeterred, George Chambers did some research and found an old map that showed how to get into that mine shaft.
"He and my grandmother followed that map," says Dan Chambers. "They were wearing little pith helmets. They finally found the documents. Some of them go back to the 1880s."
Those too, will be on display - just a few of the many historical treasures saved by this remarkable man for future generations to savor.
Senate supports employer sanctions changes
The law prohibiting employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants has prompted complaints from business groups which say its requirements are burdensome.
One proposed change would clarify that the law applies only to workers hired this year and thereafter _ and not those hired in previous years.
Republican Sen. Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City opposes the bill and says he believes the proposed changes would gut the law.
Other lawmakers expressed qualified support for the proposed revisions.
A similar measure has already been approved by the House.
Valley Food Prices Up 18 Percent Since Last Year
Food prices around the Valley have jumped 18 percent in the past year, largely due to rising energy costs.
Julie Murphree of the Arizona Farm Bureau said the biggest concern is the possibility of food producers moving overseas to save money.
Murphree said many local livestock farms won't see a profit this year.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
One of those sites you can't stop looking at
11/5/2007: Kendra, a transsexual Mesa woman, was arrested for indecent exposure and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after arguing with her neighbor about who threw an egg in her driveway.
Group creates border watching Web site
A group concerned about security along the U.S.-Mexican border has created a Web site that will let immigration hawks patrol the border over the Internet.
The American Border Patrol's Virtual Vigilance program will let viewers take control of a high-tech camera mounted on a 46-foot pole and watch as people illegally cross into the U.S.
The group said it wants volunteers to work half-hour shifts.
Five cameras will be set up at the American Border Patrol's ranch near Naco and will provide coverage of about 20 miles, the group said.
Glenn Spencer, American Border Patrol's president, pointed to an image of a wall Tuesday that federal officials say 300 illegal entrants go over every day.
``Americans can sit in their homes and they can watch that wall,'' Spencer said.
Two of the cameras are thermal and can see five miles into the dark. They cost $85,000 apiece, Spencer said.
Spencer said that while The Boeing Co. couldn't get its $20 million virtual fence up and running, his group developed the hardware and software for their project at a cost of $100,000. ``We could do more (than Boeing) for one tenth, one-twentieth the cost,'' he said.
Gas prices SUCK!
| Price | Station | City | Time |
| 3.23 | ARCO 16th St & E Thomas (NEC) | Phoenix - East | Apr 21, 11:45 AM |
| 3.25 | ARCO Indian School & Central | Phoenix - Central | Apr 23, 7:51 AM |
| 3.25 | ARCO 4060 N CENTRAL AVE | Phoenix - Central | Apr 23, 6:15 AM |
| 3.25 | ARCO 7849 N 43rd Ave & W Northern Ave | Phoenix - NW | Apr 22, 5:00 PM |
| 3.25 | ARCO 4235 E Thomas St | Phoenix - East | Apr 22, 2:30 PM |
| 3.25 | ARCO 4249 E Thomas Rd & 44th St | Phoenix - East | Apr 22, 11:57 AM |
| 3.25 | Costco 4502 E Oak St & 44th St | Phoenix - East | Apr 22, 11:56 AM |
| 3.25 | ARCO 3501 W Peoria Ave & N 35th Ave | Phoenix - NW | Apr 21, 9:54 PM |
| 3.25 | ARCO 7th Ave & Osborn | Phoenix - Central | Apr 21, 7:30 PM |
| 3.25 | QC 44th St & McDowell - NWC | Phoenix - East | Apr 21, 11:45 AM |
Mesa, Arizona - Plane crash in orange grove kills 3
Three people were killed when a small plane crashed in a Mesa orange grove Wednesday morning.
The single-engine plane reportedly was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived on the scene, said dispatchers for the Mesa Fire Department.
The plane, a Lancair, went down in an orange grove less than a mile from Falcon Field just after 7 a.m.
The plane, which was owned by a Scottsdale corporation, was carrying three people when it took off from Falcon Field for John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., according to Ian Gregor of the FAA.
Smoke was visible after take off and the pilot received permission to return to the airport.
The plane went down in an orange grove as it made a left turn.
100 degrees this weekend?
Here is the weather outlook thanks to channel 3 TV and Royal Norman!
It’s not a lock as we look at the forecast for this coming weekend. But there’s at least a 50 percent chance we’ll see 100 degrees in the Valley for the first time this year. If not Sunday, then perhaps Monday will be the day.
By any of the measurements, if we get there by April 28, that will be early. Since 1896, the average first 100-degree reading in Phoenix has come on May 13. However, in the past 30 years, that average has moved up to May 5. Yes, that means it’s getting hotter, earlier in the year, on average.
Still, we won’t be setting any records. The earliest we’ve ever had 100 in Phoenix was March 26, 1988. I remember the highlight of that day was when 3TV weatherman Jim Howl took a dip in a pool “live” while he did the forecast. Folks, that was crazy TV in the '80s. There was nobody doing that kind of thing.
The latest we’ve ever gotten to 100 is on June 18, 1913. No, April. I don’t remember that.
Virtual Fence Scrapped
Officials say the government will replace its highly touted ``virtual fence'' on the Arizona-Mexico border with new towers, radars, cameras and computer software.
They're scrapping the brand-new 20 million dollar system because it doesn't work sufficiently.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff officially signed off on the program just two months ago.
But with the decision, Customs and Border Protection officials are acknowledging that the program to detect illegal immigrants doesn't work well enough to keep or to continue tweaking.
Critics say the system is highly flawed, but officials say it's only a demonstration project.
Phoenix lights may be hoax
Phoenix residents and the media still are abuzz over the mysterious four red lights that appeared in Monday night's sky in north Phoenix.
But a man who lives on the north side of the city claims he's responsible.
He told reporters that he used fishing line to attach road flares to helium-filled balloons, then lit the fares and launched them a minute apart from his back yard.
A Phoenix Police Department helicopter pilot who witnessed the lights said they appeared to be flares, possibly hanging from one or more helium balloons.
Witnesses said the lights initially appeared to be in a straight line, then formed a square and then a triangle before disappearing.
The man interviewed, who asked not to be identified, said he believed turbulence created by a passing jet caused the balloons to move around.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Gun fight at Lukeville port of entry, Arizona
LUKEVILLE - Government sources are telling KVOA in Tucson the manhunt is still on tonight after a gun battle.
They are reporting one man was captured on the American side and three on the Mexican side. We are still not sure if anyone was hurt or killed but there were dozens of Valley residents caught in the crossfire of a 20-minute shootout.
On the Mexican side of the border, waiting in line for customs, said they started to see swarms of officers surround a house a couple blocks away.
Then the gun battle begins. U.S. Border agents hear the shootout, seal the border crossing, and search for suspects on the american side.
So far, reports from Mexico show it may have had something to do with an illegal border crossing. U.S. Customs Chief Brian Levin spoke to 3TV by phone.
The border is back open tonight after being shut down for a couple of hours late this afternoon.
U.S. border officials are waiting on more information from Mexican officials on what happened today but Chief Levin told 3TV that in his time as a customs agent, nothing like this has even happened at the Lukeville port of entry.
Sheriff Pulls Out of Guadalupe, Arizona
Sheriff Joe tells the Town of Guadalupe, AZ they'll have to find another agency to patrol their streets. Sheriff Joe Arpaio last Friday said he'll terminate the agreement under which his deputies provide the primary law enforcement in the Town of Guadalupe, AZ. The agreement requires the Sheriff to give 180 days notice before the pullout can become effective. Town officials criticized the sheriff's recent crime enforcement sweep there, which the sheriff admitted was aimed at finding and arresting illegal immigrants for violating a state law prohibiting "conspiracy to commit human smuggling."
In a letter to Guadalpue Mayor Rebecca Jiminez, Arpaio said "recent actions and statements made by the Town of Guadalupe against the Sheriff's Office are unjust and ignore the professional law enforcement service provided by the Sheriff's Office for the past 30 years."
It went on to say, "The Sheriff's Office is not a sanctuary law enforcement agency. The agency does not pick and choose which laws it will and will not enforce. The Sheriff's Office is totally committed to enforcing all laws fairly and equitably. Statements made by you and the Phoenix mayor reflect a disturbing discrimination and selective enforcement agenda that certain laws passed by the legislature and voted upon by the citizens of Maricopa County should not be enforced."
The letter says the 180-day notice period should give the Town enough time to "research the law enforcement needs of the community and explore other law enforcement alternatives."
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I wonder how long after the 180 days the crime rate jumps up! Sounds like a big "Oops!" on the part of Guadalupe. Way to go Joe!
More lights in the Arizona sky
Phoenix police and media outlets got flooded with calls last night after people spotted four or five red colored lights hovering in the sky over north Phoenix. Callers said the lights appeared at one point in a straight line, and also formed a square and then a triangle. They were visible for about 15 minutes around 8 p.m. before heading to the east and disappearing.
Officials at Deer Valley Airport in north Phoenix and air traffic controllers at Sky Harbor International east of downtown Phoenix were among those who saw the lights. But they couldn't explain them, and the Air Force says the lights weren't part of any Air Force activities.
The incident was reminiscent of one that occurred on the night of March 13th, 1997. That night thousands of people reported seeing a mile-wide, v-shaped formation of lights over the Phoenix area.
I can't wait to hear what is said about this on Coast to Coast AM tonight. In AZ the radio channel is am 550 and in California it is am 640. Google search for Art Bell radio show or coast to coast am.
I wonder what will happen next...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Hispanic Lawmakers Request Federal Probe of Sheriff Joe
The Arizona Legislative Latino Caucus has sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, asking him to launch an investigation "as to whether the recent and ongoing 'neighborhood sweeps' by the Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, constitute a violation of civil rights."
The letter from Sen. Richard Miranda and his brother, Rep. Ben Miranda, on behalf of other Latinos in the legislature, says "the Sheriff is specifically targeting and arresting Hispanics. He is doing so by using saturation patrols in Hispanic neighborhoods under the guise of 'crime suppression.' Yet he is only stopping Hispanics or people who look Hispanic. This is pure discrimination and is causing a great deal of fear in our Hispanic Communities."
At a news conference to announce the sending of the letter, both Rep. Miranda and Rep. Steve Gallardo said because of the increasing tension between Arpaio supporters and opponents of the sweeps, the sheriff "is inviting violence." Gallardo added that he feels the sweeps are simply a way for Arpaio to get TV publicity and boost his re-election campaign. Arpaio is up for re-election this fall.
Let's support The Sheriff in this matter. People are trying the most unethical tactics against Sheriff Joe. These people just want the vote by all the illegal aliens. If you speak to most Mexicans who are here legally, they want the borders closed and the law to enforce the laws.
Keep up the hard work Joe!
Emergency Room Wait Times Posted Online
Worrying about how long you'll have to wait in the E.R. to get help may soon diminish.
Some Scottsdale Healthcare hospitals are posting E.R. wait times on its web site, www.shc.org. These times represent how long it would take to get a patient from the front desk to the exam room.
The times are updated every ten minutes for Scottsdale Heathcare Osborn, Shea and Thompson Peak locations.
Wait times can vary but we wanted to give our community an honest look at what actual times they can expect at our hospitals,� said Nancy Hicks-Arsenault, RN, director of emergency services. �Some hospitals may advertise a �door-to-doc� time guarantee but that can be a very difficult guarantee to live up to.�
Arizona ranked near the bottom of a national study conducted by Press Ganey Associates measuring the average amount of time patients spend in the E.R. from the time they arrive in the E.R. until the time they depart the hospital. Arizona ranked 48 out of 50 states in the study, with an average E.R. wait of five hours and 37 minutes. The national average wait time is four hours.
Sheriff Joe Debuts New Women's Chain Gang Apparel
Sheriff Joe Arpaio is out with new fashion designs for some of his female inmates aimed at discouraging kids from using drugs.After starting the first female chain gang in the U.S. over a decade ago, he's now making them wear pink outfits reading "I was a drug addict."
Arpaio introduced the new outfits on a gang of 15 women who were out picking up trash near 40th Street and McDowell.
The women on this chain who used drugs have such sad and tragic stories about what it did to their lives, Arpaio says. Each says they are willing to contribute to the effort of helping others make better choices than they did.
Good job Joe!
236 Fugitives Busted in Valleywide Round-Up
Over 200 fugitives were arrested throughout Maricopa County last week as part of National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
Five of the 236 arrested were sex offenders, including 59-year-old Lawrence Cox. Considered by authorities to be a violent sexual predator, Cox was arrested as he was leaving to work at the Maricopa County Fair. He was convicted in the 1980s for having sex with two girls, ages 8 and 10. He failed to register as a sex offender numerous times and could face federal charges.
"Our fundamental responsibility of the law enforcement community is to aggresively pursue fugitives who have victimized the citizens of its communities," said David Gonzales, a U.S. Marshal. "After this week, it should be known throughout the Valley that those who victimize the citizens in our community will be aggresively pursued.
National Crime Victims' Rights Week runs from April 13-19.
'Crystal Darkness' documentary airs to portrays Meth dangers
The following information was submitted by the Crystal Darkness c ampaign:
PHOENIX - Crystal Darkness, the 30-minute documentary on Crystal Meth and the young people who have gone through the dark and lonely depths of Meth addiction, aired on television and radio stations across Arizona tonight.
In conjunction with the documentary the campaign operated a call center at the Phoenix Convention Center from 3:00p.m. – 11:00p.m. The help hotline number, 1-888-METH-AID, scrolled across television screens and over radio airwaves periodically throughout the documentary. Residents around Arizona phoned in to the center requesting information, to report a crime and looking for help.
Phones at the center remained relatively dormant until the Spanish language broadcast hit the airwaves at 5:00p.m. Within seconds of the hotline number scrolling across television screens the phones began ringing.
At 6:30p.m. the program aired on all English-language television stations and many radio stations across the state. Immediately a steady stream of calls were taken by volunteers.
Volunteers were trained to raise three different colored paddles when receiving certain types of phone calls including; crisis, law enforcement such as reporting a meth lab or requesting other police services, and bi-lingual operators. Throughout the evening volunteers manned the roughly 100 phone lines and helped victims across the state.
This release is a record of calls received as of 8:30p.m. at the Arizona Crystal Darkness call center in the Phoenix Convention Center.
Calls Received by 8:30p.m. and Breakdown
-353 total calls
-144 seeking treatment for themselves or family members
-13 requiring immediate crisis attention
-20 crime tips and requests of law enforcement
About Arizona Crystal Darkness
On April 15, 2008, from 6:30p.m. – 7:00p.m. nearly every network-affiliated and independent Arizona television station simultaneously broadcasted a shocking and in-depth documentary on the dangers of Crystal Meth. Spanish-language stations aired the program from 5:00p.m. – 5:30p.m.
Crystal Darkness is told through the powerful testimonies of young people who have gone through the dark and lonely depths of Meth addiction. With heart wrenching and raw honesty, they speak to their generation with an unforgettable message of warning. The program is targeted for youths and their parents, but the message extends with conviction to an entire community and throughout the nation.
All participating television and radio stations donated the half-hour time period and preempted their regularly scheduled programming in order to air the commercial-free program. The Crystal Darkness Campaign is a unique collaboration between local media, schools, law enforcement, recovery specialists, faith organizations and the business community. These organizations work together to help victims, create awareness and prevent drug use
Student slams chair over head of classmate, attack recorded
PRESCOTT VALLEY -- A brutal attack on a student at Achieve Academy in Prescott Valley was recorded and posted online.
The attack shows a girl taking a chair and slamming it over the head of another student. The attack is being video recorded by someone at a nearby table.
Prescott Valley Police confirm that the attack happened on Thursday, April 11th. Authorities say the attack was prompted after a sunflower seed fight in the cafeteria. The video shows a 14 year old girl grabbing a nearby fold-up chair and slamming it over the head of a 13 year old girl at another table. The 13 year old girl went unconscious after the attack, but has since fully recovered. Authorities also say that at least one other student knew the attack was going to happen and had their cell phone ready to record the incident. The 14 year old girl who hit the girl has been arrested.
Peoria teens injured in a You Tube stunt gone wrong
The following is a press release from the Peoria Police Department:
Driver:
John T. Hock W/M, 16 years old, life threatening injuries
Passenger:
Laura Melton W/F, 17 years old, non-life threatening injuries
Vehicle: Vehicle 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
On Saturday, April 12 at 11:30 pm, two Peoria teens were injured as a result of a one-vehicle rollover collision at 91st Avenue and Beardsley Road.
His friends followed him north on 91st Avenue and after the vehicle went through the Beardsley Road intersection he lost control of the vehicle, drove off the road, struck several trees and rolled. Hock was ejected and his passenger, Laura Melton, was helped out by friends.
The friends who were to video Hock's vehicle stated they were too scared to do the video due to the high speeds. They also told investigating officers that Hock had intended to put the video on "YOU TUBE."
The collision is currently under investigation by the Peoria Police Traffic Services Section.
There have been several incidents that have drawn heavy media attention from incidents that occurred involving teens and were placed on "You Tube." The Peoria Police Department strongly recommends that parents sit down with their teens and talk with them about the extremely serious consequences resulting from these "You Tube" stunts. In this case the two injured teens are very lucky to be alive.
Homeowner shoots, kills suspect during break-in
Police said a homeowner shot and killed a man who allegedly broke into his Mesa home early Wednesday morning.
According to investigators, the homeowner and his wife were sleeping when they thought they heard somebody break in through a bedroom window.
The wife ran to call 911 while the husband checked out the situation. He confronted an armed man who had forced his way into the house.
As the homeowner and the suspect struggled, the homeowner was able to get the suspect's gun.
The homeowner shot the suspect. That man, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police detained a second suspect who was apparently outside during the whole thing. He reportedly was acting as a lookout, said Det. Diana Tapia of the Mesa Police Department.
Investigators are interviewing the couple, as well as a third person who was in the home at the time of the break-in and shooting.
They are also questioning the man detained outside the home.
Tapia said everybody involved in this morning's shooting apparently knew each other.
She also said that based on information gather so far, it's likely that the incident is drug related.
No other injuries were reported.
Guadalupe finds itself at center of immigration debate
The fight between Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon is heating up.
Tonight some of the sheriff's men are telling the mayor to butt out of their efforts to protect and serve. Those men say the mayor is misinformed and out of line so they sent him a letter signed by 15 deputies.
The letter is filled with crime statistics from the small town of Guadalupe located in the middle of the Valley and now at the center of the immigration debate.
Slyvia Jimenez says she moved to Guadalupe a few weeks ago hoping to find her slice of the American dream. That week the sheriff's crime sweep came to Guadalupe where deputies met protestors and made arrests, both legal and illegal residents.
That is when Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon got really vocal, calling the crime sweeps racial profiling and requesting a federal investigation.
Never one to stand by in silence the sheriff and some of his top guns fired back calling Guadalupe a violent area.
Sylvia admits that with her brown skin, she feels targeted and would not mind someone else protecting her town.
The mayor sent out a statement late today responding to the sheriff and his men. He claims their letter is filled with factual errors and that they are engaged in political attacks, which for deputies and commanders, is entirely inappropriate.
The sheriff says the crime sweeps will continue in the East Valley and mentioned Mesa and Chandler by name.
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Keep up the good work Sheriff Joe!!!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Support Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Support Sheriff Joe Arpaio here in Arizona!The lies and cheap shoots Sheriff Joe Arpaio is getting is insane! He is one of the few who still care about America and the laws of this great nation. Please give him your support.
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