Payson Roundup

Also from January 20

Obituaries

• Viola May Kelly
• Gerry Mark Sterling

Photos

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Three juveniles, 11 to 13 years old, arrested for marijuana at RCMS

By Alexis Bechman

January 20, 2012

While synthetic marijuana or spice is a growing problem in schools, officials are still seeing students with the original green, leafy substance. Several months ago, officers arrested three middle school students for possession of the drug and paraphernalia after one reportedly traded a small baggy of marijuana for a baseball cap. The boys ranged in age from 11 to 13 years old. According to a report by Payson Police Officer Michael Hansen, Rim Country Middle School officials learned one of the boys had a bag of marijuana after another student reported the teen had showed it off in class.

PSWID purchase of generators raises some concerns

January 20, 2012

The Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District’s decision to award contracts for $80,000 in work without competitive bidding has raised questions from some customers. The district bid contracts to install 13 generators separately, all of which went to Hat Creek Electric. State law would have required competitive bidding had the district lumped the contracts together. State law requires competitive, sealed bids and a public vote of the board on contracts worth more than $25,000. Critics say the arrangement evaded state and district rules, which benefitted a company once owned by a board member. “The district did not follow purchasing rules in the regulations document,” claims Water for Pine Strawberry spokesman Sam Schwalm. PSWID board member Don Smith said the board should have approved the purchase and installation of the backup generators.

Consultants hired to help with superintendent search

By Michele Nelson

January 20, 2012

Moving quickly in the search for a new superintendent, the Payson Unified School District board hired a consulting firm at a special meeting Tuesday. The Arizona School Board Association (ASBA) will run the replacement search after Superintendent Casey O’Brien announced last week he would retire in June. Karen Beckdar, with the ASBA, will spearhead the search. The school board hopes to have candidates identified by April 15 and one hired soon after. “The ASBA offers a whole package for a price of $4,500,” said Barbara Underwood, school board chair. Not every board member approved the decision, however, board member Kim Pound voted against the ASBA.

Alliance OKs land buy for ASU campus

Plans for university advance amid questions about open meeting law procedures

By Pete Aleshire

January 20, 2012

The Rim Country Educational Alliance Thursday approved the $650,000 purchase of some 22 acres from Payson and Gila County to build the first phase of a university campus in Payson. In addition, the Alliance board approved an agreement with the Forest Service to take over road ownership and control trespassing on 230 acres of additional land the Alliance is buying south of Highway 260. Moreover, the board adopted a nearly $1 million budget for 2012, listing its income as a “loan,” without specifying the source. The meeting in a Payson Police Department conference room proceeded smoothly and with little discussion, except for a flurry of questions about whether the board, set up to build a campus and related businesses, will post agendas of future meetings. The only people in the audience, John Wakelin and Tom Loeffler, raised questions about whether the board appointed by the Payson and Star Valley councils had followed the state’s open meeting law.

Police searching for man who rushed girl, then fled scene

By Alexis Bechman

January 20, 2012

Police searched west Payson Monday afternoon after an 8-year-old girl reported a man ran at her with a leash. The girl was reportedly playing outside a friend’s house on West Frontier Street when a man, dressed in all black, ran toward her, said Payson Police Chief Don Engler. The girl told police she screamed and the man told her to shut up. Just then, the girl’s friends came around a corner of the home and the man fled up a nearby driveway. The girl said the man was carrying a rope or leash over his shoulder and she thought he was going to abduct her.

New ACC complaints filed in Mesa del Caballo water dispute

By Pete Aleshire

January 20, 2012

Three Mesa del Caballo water users have filed a formal complaint with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) alleging Brooke Utilities defrauded homeowners this summer in the way it imposed water hauling charges. Corporation Commission staff cleared the company of wrong-doing in reviewing essentially the same charges made several months ago in an informal complaint, but advised the homeowners they were free to file a formal complaint anyway, said Rebecca Wilder, a spokesperson for the ACC. Stephen Gehring, on the other hand, said the commission staff had upheld the informal complaint, which was why he and Bobby and Lois Jones filed a 14-page formal complaint, backed by about 50 pages of exhibits.

Julia Randall evacuated after bomb

By Alexis Bechman

January 20, 2012

For the second time in less than a month, the Payson Police Department has received e-mails threatening to blow up the PPD building. On Thursday, the threats included Julia Randall Elementary School as well, causing police to evacuate the school. There were few people in the school at the time, and officers found no bomb in either location. Payson Police Chief Don Engler said they have located who they believe is sending the threatening e-mails in Texas. The department is working with Texas authorities to have the man arrested. Until then, they are not releasing his name, Engler said.

Community Almanac

January 20, 2012

To raise money to purchase library materials, the Pine Library has started a See’s Candy Sale and will be raffling a Valentine’s gift basket. The candy sales — cash and carry — started Wednesday, Jan. 18 and there is limited availability. Tickets for the gift baskets are $1 for one, six for $5 and 15 for $10. The drawing will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Offering my one cents worth

January 20, 2012

Could not agree more with the letters of Ted Paulk (Dec. 30) and Dale Oestmann (Jan. 6). Let me add my 2 cents worth, well, nowadays, 1 cents worth.

Support of GCC, publishing of ‘Mogollon Muse’ is appreciated

January 20, 2012

Thank you very much for supporting the Payson campus of Gila Community College through your underwriting and publishing of the recent “Mogollon Muse” insert of the Payson Roundup.

County legal notices should be in the Roundup

January 20, 2012

I presume the Payson Roundup is not on the approved newspaper list to print “advertise call for bids” for Gila County.

Wyden-Ryan plan a bipartisan solution for Medicare

U.S. Senator Jon Kyl.

January 20, 2012

recently to see two politicians from very different political perspectives —Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and Republican Congressman Paul Ryan — come together and propose bold ideas for how to solve one of our nation’s most intractable challenges: the preservation and protection of Medicare. Their plan would introduce some much-needed competition into the Medicare program, which would drive costs down while also ensuring seniors continued access to the Medicare program they know and like. The Wyden-Ryan plan is not perfect — I, for one, have some concerns — but at least it is a sober step in the right direction and a genuine attempt to spark serious cross-party conversation on the topic.

Open meeting law applies to board

January 20, 2012

The Rim Country Educational Alliance SLE board has taken up its crucial task with energy and enthusiasm. The board members face a daunting task in overseeing a complex, $400 million project, on which so much of Rim Country’s economic recovery relies. So it seems reasonable to cut them some slack, despite some of the early, organizational growing pains. That would include this week’s questions about the board’s adherence to the state’s open meeting law, designed to ensure the public’s business gets conducted in public. The six public-spirited board members have started regular monthly meetings, but are still working to master the rules that govern such public bodies. The board already suffered the disquieting resignation of one member as a result of what seemed like poor communications.

The only word for some people is ‘different’

By Tom Garrett

January 20, 2012

I had been transferred to Sheppard AFB down in Texas to work in what the Air Force called Phase Two Basic Training, but so far all the barracks in my new squadron were sitting empty, waiting for men from Phase One. I was moving my desk across my office when I heard a voice behind me with a distinct Texas twang. “Airman Garrett?” I said yes and heard a loud, “Airman Davis reporting, sir!” Figuring my first basic trainee had arrived, I turned around, but the two stripes on the sleeve on the smiling man’s facing me told me he wasn’t a basic. “Did I getcha?” he asked. I think I said, “Huh?” “Always wanted to try that out on another DI,” he said.

Rec program has something for everyone

By Max Foster

January 20, 2012

PATS Hike — American Gulch Trail, meet at 9 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 21 at the American Gulch South Trailhead, 2.6 miles west of Highway 87 on Main Street (Doll Baby Ranch Road). This route includes majestic views off high points in the Rim Country toward Fossil Creek, along with mountain meadows with wildflowers. It is 3 miles in length and moderate in difficulty. Watchable Wildlife — Increase the chances of having a positive wildlife viewing experience. Learn the five steps to successful wildlife viewing. Register between Jan. 20 and March 16. The class will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, March 24 at the Parks and Recreation office building in Green Valley Park. All ages welcome; $5 registration fee.

Senior matman set for run at gold in Payson Invite

By Max Foster

January 20, 2012

Jacob Spear, a hard-nosed senior ranked fifth in the state in the 138-pound weight class, leads the Longhorn charge into the Payson Invitational against some of the finest wrestlers and teams in Arizona. The tournament begins at 10 a.m. today, Jan. 20 in Wilson Dome and continues tomorrow also in the dome. Spear will be out to improve on his third place invitational finish last season and add to his impressive 2011-2012 credentials that includes a 2-0 record at the Show Low Duals and a gold medal effort at the Tucson Catalina Invitational where he was a dominating 7-0 on five pins and two technical falls. In the invitational none of the Division III individual wrestlers ranked ahead of him are entered. However, he might meet up with a hard-charging tough guy in Chandler’s Dalton Mora who is ranked No. 3 in Division I.

Payson octogenarian runs to Rock ’n’ Roll gold medal finish

By Max Foster

January 20, 2012

Tom Cooka, an 81-year-old Payson retiree who remembers as a small boy rounding up horses on foot at his family’s ranch on the Hopi reservation north of Winslow, ran his way to a first place age group finish at the P.F. Chang’s Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon. The race drew more than 25,000 runners and was held Jan. 15 on streets in Tempe, Phoenix and Scottsdale. Although he was a first-place finisher, Cooka expressed his dissatisfaction with his time of 2:18.09. “I started out a little too fast and it threw me off,” he said. “I was hoping for a better time.” Last year, Cooka was also a first-place finisher, but in a time of 2:13.11. In 2008, Cooka entered the Rock ’n’ Roll full marathon of 26.2 miles and was third in the 75-79 years age division in 5:56.49.

Lady Horns split versus Mingus and Blue Ridge

By Max Foster

January 20, 2012

Lady Longhorn basketball coach Jennifer White might be sprouting a few gray hairs after watching her team battle through two squeakers — edging Mingus 49-46 on Jan. 13, but three days later dropping a 58-54 gut-wrencher to Blue Ridge. With the split, the team stands 9-8 overall and 0-1 in Section III play. In the win over Mingus, a fourth quarter rally in which the Lady Horns outscored the Marauders 17-13 sealed the win.

Winning out is Horns quest

By Max Foster

January 20, 2012

With the 2012 season winding down, Longhorn basketball players and coach Joe Sanchez are battling for victories in hopes of adding power points, which will improve chances for an advantageous seed into the Division III, Section III tournament. Just as all Horn faithful had hoped, the team added a victory to its resume on Jan. 17 in Wilson Dome where PHS outscored Blue Ridge 46-33. The victory improved the team’s record to 12-8 overall and 4-3 in the section. While almost nothing is certain in high school sports, it’s almost a given the Horns will add another “W” to their record when the team travels today to near Scottsdale to take on the Salt River Eagles.

SV council considers SLE member

By Alexis Bechman

January 20, 2012

If the separate legal entity formed to bring and build a four-year university campus in Payson were a town, Mike Vogel would surely be its mayor. Vogel serves as the Rim Country Educational Alliance SLE board chair and in a “town” that does not yet have any residents, he is one of the only contact points for “town” updates. And right now, the town is working to buy land, work through a mountain of legal paperwork and start designs on a state-of-the-art campus that could one day have more than 6,000 in-town students and another 60,000 online. Vogel explained at Tuesday’s Star Valley council meeting that the SLE is just like any other public entity in Arizona and must file a budget, post notice of its board meetings, buy insurance and once the campus is built, hire everything from police protection to trash service. “We have to set up an identical government to what you have,” he said, referring to Star Valley’s incorporation in 2005.

News Briefs

January 20, 2012

The new year brings with it opportunities to help non-profit groups, including Payson’s domestic violence shelter, Time Out, Inc. Time Out is working with Chili’s restaurant, 900 S. Beeline Highway, to raise funds the third Tuesday of every month through the year. Chili’s will donate 10 percent of sales to Time Out for customers who present a “Time Out Tuesdays” certificate. “We are so grateful to Chili’s and restaurant customers who began their support with Time Out Tuesdays last year,” said Linda Timmer, Time Out’s acting executive director. “Research shows that individuals living in rural communities are at greater risk for family violence and much-needed resources are very limited. Local business partners, like Chili’s, are to be commended for their dedication to family and community safety.” Time Out uses funds for outreach and domestic violence programs. Time Out, voted Best Non-Profit in Rim Country in 2011, runs a number of programs — from providing safe shelter and transitional housing for women and children to programs for victims outside the shelter.

Clubs and Organizations

January 20, 2012

The Rim Country Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society invites all who are interested in Arizona pre-history to attend monthly presentations by knowledgeable and interesting guest speakers. The chapter meets the third Saturday of each month. This month only, it meets at the Senior Center, 514 W. Main St., Payson; the program begins at 10 a.m.   On Saturday, Jan. 21 the group hosts Ellen Brennan, cultural resource program manager at Grand Canyon National Park, who will give the program, “Grand Canyon Archaeology: Excavations along the Colorado River” and focuses on the findings of an excavation project that took place along the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park between 2006 and 2009. Please take this opportunity to learn more about Arizona’s preeminent treasure, the Grand Canyon, and about the activities the Rim Country Chapter of Arizona Archaeological Society.

Fun: Gettin’ lost searching for the Dutchman

Driving the Apache Trail and hiking Lost Dutchman State Park

By Michele Nelson

January 20, 2012

The car sat empty in the parking lot of the Lost Dutchman State Park in the famed Superstitions. “Where are they?” I asked my daughter Brooke, with a twinge of panic at the thought of my parents wandering bewildered among the volcanic spires and violent legends of the Superstitions. “Maybe they got lost,” she shrugged. I sighed. Served us right, this played into the whole day’s theme. My parents, daughters and I had heard of the legend of the Lost Dutchman and his gold mine. We decided to go on a day trip from Payson down the Apache Trail, through Tortilla Flats, to end the day with a hike through the jagged, saguaro-dominated landscape. We wanted to learn about the Lost Dutchman since he is an Arizona legend. The area we traveled covered the old stomping grounds of Jacob Waltz, a German adventurer who sparked a century-long search for gold in the Superstitions.

Local resident breathes new life into historic Oxbow Saloon

DJ Craig

January 20, 2012

When I cruised into town nine years ago in my “flashy” U-Haul one-way truck rental (Jeep Cherokee in tow), I had no job, no place to stay and didn’t know a soul in town. Needless to say, it was quite an adventure and I was a man alone. After three nights in the 5-star Budget Inn on the Beeline Highway, I moved into what was then Frontier Apartments, were I would spend the next two years of my life. During my first few days and weeks in Payson, I spent part of my time looking for a bit of social life. Since I enjoyed dancing, I was hoping to find somewhere to go that I might be able to strut my two-stepping prowess around a dance floor. Several people that I met suggested that I mosey on down to the Oxbow Saloon on Main Street. So I did.

Pioneer spirit lives on, making ours a great community

By Joy Hafford

January 20, 2012

In the late 1800s, wagon roads were forged by the military through the thick forested, mountainous terrain, penetrating the land of the Tonto Apache. Adventure seekers and Mormon homesteaders were first to journey into the vast, unexplored territory now attainable by horse, sled and wagon, and discover its magnificence and challenges. With faith, courage and determination, an oasis called Pine Creek and Strawberry Valley sprang up in the Arizona wilderness. In 1884, the first Pine post office was established in the home of Mary D. Fuller, and mounted mail carriers followed a trail forged by General Crook from Camp Verde to Pine, Payson and Globe. Word spread that Pine was “one of the prettiest villages in the Southwest.”

New bulletin boards available at post office

By Zane Watts

January 20, 2012

The warming days we experienced this week will develop into showers possibly Saturday into Sunday with a possibility of snow on Monday and Tuesday. A steady drop in temperatures each day will occur with the highs of Friday in the low 50s to upper 30s on Tuesday. The lows will start in the low 30s and plummet to the low 20s in the beginning of the week. Qualifying tax exemption or reduction application is due by the Navajo County assessor’s office on Feb. 29. Those who may qualify include widows, widowers and disabled persons or non-profit organizations if they meet certain criteria. “An owner signing up for the first time must appear in person to sign all the appropriate documents in front of an assessor’s office staff member,” said Navajo County Assessor Cammy Darris.

Hashknife Pony Express rides again

By Jason Harris

January 20, 2012

Hello again, fellow Creekers. The Hashknife Pony Express will be back again this year in Christopher Creek on Feb. 8. They will arrive at Creekside Restaurant between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Creekside Restaurant will have posters and mailers for sale. The posters are $10 and mailers are $1. Envelopes may also be purchased at the Holbrook, Overgaard, Pine, Heber, Payson, Fountain Hills and Scottsdale post offices.

Food drive continues through January

By Janet Snyder

January 20, 2012

Tonto Village turned white this past weekend with a smattering of snow mixed with rain and sleet. The temperature stayed in the 30s, so most of the snow melted and turned the ground into mud! What a mess. The forest needs the moisture, so I won’t complain too loud.

Remembering a beloved supporter

Chandra Cushman

January 20, 2012

On Dec. 15, 2011 the Humane Society of Central Arizona lost a beloved friend and supporter — Mr. Thomas Tainsh. Tom served on the Payson Humane Society Board of Directors for many years as president and vice president. He and his wife, Velma, spearheaded the Spay and Neuter program and also the Save Our Shelter plan by calling for matching funds. The people of Payson responded generously and saved the shelter. The amount of love and support Tom had for the humane society and its lost, abandoned and unwanted pets is remarkable. We have been truly blessed to have such a strong, dedicated man and of course his wife, Velma, be a huge part of something we all believe in. He will be missed, but never forgotten. So here’s to you, Mr. and Mrs. Tainsh; thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for everything.