Also from January 25
Photos
Polls
What do you think of the Forest Service plan to limit cross-country travel?
| Response | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| The Forest Service doesn’t have enough money to police the roads so it doesn’t matter | 47% | |
| It’s a good idea | 40% | |
| It’s too little too late | 12% | |
| I don’t use the forest that much, so it doesn’t affect me | 0% | |
| Total | 55 | |
Lead stories
6:00 a.m.
Forest Service releases plan to limit cross country travel- January 24, 2012
- A long-awaited Forest Service plan will limit cross-country vehicle travel on the 3-million-acre Tonto National Forest, but leave an expanded network of 5,300 miles of roads still open. More than two years behind schedule, the Tonto National Forest last week released its congressionally-ordered Travel Management Plan to contain the damage done to watersheds, streams, archaeological sites and wildlife by an explosion of ATV off-road vehicle use. The draft released after years of study adds 1,200 miles of now closed roads and trails to the system in one of the nation’s most heavily used national forests. However, the plan will ban the free-wheeling cross country travel that has added hundreds of miles of informal roads and done damage to streams, wildlife and sensitive sites in recent years. The plan creates four off-road areas of 1,417 acres that would still allow cross country travel — including a large area between Payson and Phoenix. In addition, the plan still allows hunters to go off-road to retrieve animals they’ve killed within 200 yards of an open road.
9:00 a.m.
Payson ‘takes the fright out’ of Star Valley’s water deal- January 24, 2012
- In the event of an emergency, Payson has agreed to provide backup water and help to Star Valley. The Star Valley Town Council lauded the agreement Tuesday night, Jan. 17, as the next step in the town’s development and working relationship with Payson. The town plans on May 1 to take over the Payson Water Company in Star Valley from Brooke Utilities. The town will run the 360-hookup system and is in the process of establishing water ordinances and rates. One of the requirements is having water available in an emergency and an operator on duty around the clock. Star Valley does not have the work force or resources, but Payson has agreed to supply both when needed. Earlier this month, the Payson council approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) where Payson would pump water to Star Valley and respond to after-hours calls when Star Valley’s water operator is unavailable. Behind the scenes, Payson’s staff has also helped Star Valley work through the technicalities of establishing a water department.
12:00 p.m.
County sets Presidential Preference Election for Feb. 28- January 24, 2012
- The Rim Country Republicans and Greens straw poll will occur Feb. 28. Gila County Supervisors accepted the governor’s proclamation to hold the Presidential Preference Election at a recent county meeting. Presidential elections determine which candidate their state’s delegates support at the Republican and Green conventions. “The public believes this is a primary,” said Linda Eastlick, county director of elections. “The primary isn’t until August.” Eastlick said this is a closed election where only registered voters of the running parties can participate. Since there are fewer people eligible to vote in an election this specialized, fewer precincts will be open. Due to the number of registered voters in Gila County, the county will have one polling place open for every 2,000 registered voters. The county plans to consolidate some precincts into one polling location.
3:00 p.m.
PSWID’s board meeting heats up- January 24, 2012
- At a stormy meeting Jan. 19, Pine and Strawberry Water Improvement District (PSWID) board members angrily denounced two members of the Water for Pine Strawberry group, a loose-knit organization critical of PSWID policies. The PSWID board also brushed aside public challenges and reinstated current board officers on a 4-2 vote. The clash between several board members and critics dominated the heated session. “I’m sick and tired of the criticism of your watchdog group,” said Gary Lovetro, PSWID board chairman, directing his comments to Water for Pine Strawberry members Sam Schwalm and Pam Mason. Lovetro said all board members had a high threshold for criticism, but Schwalm and Mason had crossed his threshold with their persistent questioning. “I’m fed up … it’s going to cost you very much personally to defend your actions,” Lovetro told Schwalm and Mason.
All stories
- Payson Regional Medical Center’s newly recruited doctors follow 100-year-old tradition
- January 25, 2012
- The doctors Payson Regional Medical Center brought to the community last year (and in previous years) are following a tradition that started 100 years ago. Payson’s first resident doctor, Christian Risser, hung out his shingle in 1912. He served the community and outlying areas until his death in 1933. One of his descendants, another Christian Risser, is still serving the Rim Country’s needs at the Risser-Thomas Eye Clinic. After the first Dr. Risser’s death in 1933, it was another 21 years before the wheels were put in motion to bring permanent medical care to the Rim Country. During the interim, residents had been served by itinerant physicians or those who only lived in the area for a short while.
- Senior Circle — a place for fun and good health
- January 25, 2012
- A member of the Payson Regional Medical Center’s Senior Circle could fill Monday through Friday with its activities. But the Senior Circle is more than a center for fun, it is also a place to learn about getting and staying healthy and the health care resources that the community’s older residents have available. The Senior Circle is a national, nonprofit organization committed to enriching the lives of adults age 50 and over. The $15 annual membership offers a generous selection of valuable discounts, activities and events, exercise and wellness classes, a chapter newsletter and national publication subscription, in-hospital privileges, reciprocal privileges and much more.
- Senior Center provides plenty of fun events
- January 25, 2012
- Since its humble beginnings at Nan Pyle’s Girl Scout Camp in the 1970s, the Senior Center has been serving senior citizens in the Rim Country. Today, it has its own facility — which served the community in the past as a skating rink, a bowling alley and the post office. There is a large dining room, commercial kitchen, meeting room, a multi-purpose room upstairs and a thrift store.
- Consider these points when selecting in-home care
- January 25, 2012
- Finding the right provider of in-home care — whether short or long term — can make all the difference in the mental, emotional and physical health of the patient and their family. But there’s more to consider than just checking the certification of the providers. You have a right to expect certain standards of behavior from both the individual caregiver and the company for which the caregiver works. You also have certain responsibilities.
- Rim Country Health gets high marks for care
- January 25, 2012
- Rim Country Health and Retirement Community is among an elite group of skilled nursing facilities in Arizona. For the second year in a row it has been given a 100 percent quality rating by the state of Arizona. The rating is the result of a very rigorous inspection, which investigates every aspect of nursing homes to determine the quality of the care provided, the environment, the food, the activities, the facility and more. Owner Harvey Pelovsky recently talked with the Roundup about the inspection and the rating. “Each facility in the state is inspected every 15 months. The state comes in with the objective to find problems and deficiencies,” he said. The facility’s personnel must then submit a plan of correction for any citations and make the required improvements within 30 days.
- Life insurance companies court seniors
- January 25, 2012
- With a growing population of American citizens over age 60, life insurance companies have created products to serve the financial needs of this important demographic. Sometimes these products make sense; however, some life insurance policies unfairly enrich the pockets of the company.
- The sound of your world
- January 25, 2012
- Only you know how your world sounds. Ken Dahlberg, a highly decorated World War II triple ace pilot, 65 years ago set out to “Help every person suffering from man’s oldest incurable disease, that silent, painless destroyer of human communication … deafness.”
- Women’s Wellness Forum turns 14
- January 25, 2012
- The 14th Annual Women’s Wellness Forum is March 24 and features Jason Schechterle as the keynote speaker. Schechterle is the Phoenix police officer who suffered fourth degree burns to his face, neck and hands when his patrol car went up in flames after being rear-ended in 2001. He became a motivational speaker after retiring from the Phoenix Police Department in 2006. His topic at the forum will be “Making Coffee.” The forum will be from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, March 24 at Payson High School. Participants will attend three break-out sessions, choosing from the following topics: yoga, skin care, domestic violence, automotive maintenance, hormones, scrapbooking, making unusual vegetable dishes, living well with diabetes or pre-diabetes, living the green life, and accessorizing.
- Home health care company one of tops in the country for 2011
- January 25, 2012
- KC’s Home Health Care has served Rim residents from Tonto Basin to Forest Lakes and Pine and Strawberry since 2009. Founded by physical therapist Kerry Halcomb in Phoenix a few years before coming to Payson, the office opened here to provide patients with a choice when it came to their home health care needs, said Colleen O’Connor, Payson branch director. “Kerry had looked at the area, visited facilities and doctors’ offices and when he saw Payson had only one home health agency at the time, he decided to give patients a choice,” O’Connor said. Since opening, KC’s has worked with about 800 patients throughout the Rim Country. “We’re really proud of all of our staff. They provide high quality care,” O’Connor said.
- Coming soon from Caring Presence and Majestic Rim
- January 25, 2012
- The Caring Presence and Good Samaritan Society — Majestic Rim are stepping up to give even more value to living an independent lifestyle for seniors who are downsizing.
- Seniors in Rim Country have lots of options
- January 25, 2012
- Whether it is a barbecue on the patio at the Senior Circle, at left, or a fund-raising breakfast at the Senior Center, above, the Rim Country’s older residents have lots of opportunities for fun at the organizations especially designed to serve their needs.
- Maintaining the spirit of commitment
- January 25, 2012
- This year, Payson Care Center is committed to a positive spirit and making a great, lasting impression on the people we serve. Celebrating our 26th year serving the community, we also celebrate the many employees who have worked at Payson Care Center for more than 15 of those years. People like Jeannie Cowan, who started working for our parent company, Life Care Centers of America, in 1992 and transferred to Payson Care Center in 1995. Jeannie works in restorative dining and loves working at Payson Care Center because of the camaraderie she maintains with fellow staff members and residents.
- Anderson Dental Group welcomes Scott R. Price
- January 25, 2012
- Anderson Dental Group of Payson has been joined by Dr. Scott R. Price. Dr. Price graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Utah. He went on to the University of Kentucky where he received his doctoral degree in dentistry. While at the University of Kentucky, he completed a three-year residency, earning a certificate in periodontology and a master’s of science degree.
- Alzheimer’s training
- January 25, 2012
- The Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter wants to provide free local training for Rim Country residents acting as caregivers to those with dementia or memory loss. If at least 10 people sign up for this free extended training opportunity it can be brought to Payson.
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Question of the week
Do you think new Principal Anna Van Zile has a valid idea in eliminating the Asst. Principal and replacing it with an Athletic Director position that would share her duties as Principal?
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