Stories
Little League All-Stars lose in heartbreaker
Double elimination format keeps Juniors in contention
Only two days after pulling off the biggest upset in recent Little League history by run-ruling powerful Chandler National, the Payson Little League Junior All-Stars dropped a heartbreaking 10-7 decision to Goodyear.
Payson Schools’ tax rate set to drop
Homeowners in the Payson Unified School District (PUSD) will pay 3 percent less on their property taxes this year to K-12 schools if the Gila County Board of Supervisors approves the estimates on Aug. 20. The changes would mean that the owner of a $100,000 home in Payson will pay to the PUSD $348.77 — an $11 decrease from this year. The bill will go down more if the assessed value of the home drops.
Couple airlifted after rollover
An elderly couple was airlifted to the hospital on Wednesday after their vehicle rolled on Highway 87, just north of town. The couple was traveling southbound about 9:30 a.m. to Payson from their home in Strawberry when their gold Honda CR-V rolled near milepost 256, landing on its side.
Payson woman awarded $7.3 million judgment
A 53-year-old Payson woman enduring years of debilitating pain after developing an infection following knee surgery has been awarded almost $7.3 million.
Campaign spending reports
With candidates campaigning for the upcoming primary election, some carry an early lead with donors while others need to pick up the pace, newly released finance reports show.
Barton lodges ethics complaint against senator
State lawmaker representing Rim Country claims Mesa senator threatened her in dispute about campaign signs
State Rep. Brenda Barton (R-Payson) Tuesday called a press conference to publicize her demand that the State Senate Ethics Committee launch an investigation into the conduct of state Sen. Rich Crandall (R-Mesa) for allegedly threatening to block her legislation.
Storm still blowing over 4FRI
Supervisor questions whether winning bidder for historic thinning project has enough investors to thin 300,000 acres
Controversy continues to dog the award of the historic Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), the best hope for thinning millions of acres of fire-prone forests surrounding Rim Country. This week Gila County Supervisor Tommie Martin raised questions about whether the winning bidder actually had any investors or the money needed to fulfill the contract to thin 300,000 acres in the next 10 years.
SV photo radar extended for a year
Star Valley will continue its photo radar enforcement program for another year. The council first signed a five-year contract to run the program with RedFlex back in 2007, with the option to extend the agreement for a year. At its July 17 meeting, the Star Valley council exercised that option.
Don’t miss Pleasant Valley Days this weekend in Young
The residents of the Young area aren’t letting the happily departed Poco Fire put a damper on their Arizona Centennial celebration of Pleasant Valley Days. Festivities start Friday, July 20 with the Pleasant Valley Fire Department dinner from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., along with a program by Cindy Shanks on the last group of sheep to walk the sheep driveway west of Young.
Community Almanac
The Arizona Democratic Party invites Rim residents to a wine and cheese reception honoring the Gila County Democratic Party to be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 20 at Gila County Democratic Party Headquarters, 1101 S. Beeline Highway.
Independence Day celebration — Part 2
Hello again, fellow Creekers. Due to an overwhelming response from the community and visitors, this is Part 2 of the 2nd Annual Christopher Creek July 4th Celebration and Independence Day Parade. It was a fun event that many came out to enjoy.
Meredith roping begins today in Young
Some of Gila County’s finest headers and heelers are chomping at the bit to put their cow punching skills to the test in one of the most competitive and exciting team ropings held in Arizona. It’s the Eighth Annual Ted Meredith Memorial Roping set for July 20-22 in Young. The competition is held each year in conjunction with the Pleasant Valley Days, which is the biggest and most festive celebration held annually in Young and Pleasant Valley.
Payson Junior All-Stars shock Chandler
Defense errorless; pitcher has ‘the game of his life’
Miracles do happen in sports. Consider, Wyoming dairy farmer Rulon Gardner beat Russia’s Alexander Karelin, who hadn’t lost in 13 years, to win a 2000 Olympic gold medal in wrestling. Shock waves reverberated throughout the mainland when lightly regarded NAIA school Chaminade upset top-ranked and unbeaten Virginia 67-62 in a Hawaiian tournament.
Ex-Olympian schools Longhorn pole vaulters
A world-class pole vaulter who once ate worm green beans and maggoty mashed potatoes on the reality TV program “Fear Factor” has shared her athletic expertise with a group of about seven Payson High School track and field team members. April Steiner Bennett did so July 17 on PHS track where Longhorn pole-vaulting coach Bo Althoff, the school record-holder, joined her in the session.
Annual rite of passage: band camp
Everywhere around Payson High School, signs of preparations for the first day of school appear. The smell of fresh-cut grass from the football field ... School buildings humming with the buzz of air conditioners ...
Senate hopeful’s education plan spurs debate
State legislative forum sparks blunt exchange with school board member about budget cuts
A brief, fierce exchange about whether the Legislature has crippled public schools provided one of the liveliest moments in last week’s appearance of Republican candidates for the state legislative seats that represent Rim Country. The moment came when Payson Unified School District Board Member Barbara Shepherd challenged Rep. Chester Crandell’s plan to dramatically change the way the state funds K-12 schools.
Drum majors already drawing attention
They wear purple tie-dyed shirts with STAFF written across the back in big letters — John Buskirk, Sierra McMartin, Brett Royer and Molly Beier — the award-winning drum majors for this year’s Payson High School marching band.
An election reminder
Ever helpful, I would like to remind voters that July 30 is the last day to register to vote in the primary.
Arizona ranks near the bottom of states for per-pupil spending on grade schools
WASHINGTON – Arizona had the third-lowest per-pupil spending on public elementary schools in the country in 2010, topping only Utah and Idaho, according to a recent Census Bureau report. Arizona schools spent an average of $7,848 per grade school student in that year, well below the national average of $10,615 per pupil, according to the Census report released in late June.
Better late than never
I want to publicly thank school board member Kim Pound for recognizing the mistake of the school board’s ways in eliminating the only counselor position at the middle school earlier this year.
Dog park friendly and safe
This letter is in response to Mr. Toth’s comments in the July 13 Payson Roundup.
Very happy with dog park
My wife and I have been going to the dog park at Rumsey Park for the past five years.
About PAWS and the Off-Leash Dog Park
A recent letter to the editor has cast a negative light on Payson’s PAWS in the Park group.
Welcome our guests
This is a regular quarterly meeting. It was my pleasure to encourage the party to meet here during the summer to share with delegates and their guests this beautiful
Photographer discovers jail is ‘my kind of place’
Fund-raiser for domestic violence shelters gives a prisoner’s-eye view of county’s new jail facilities
Everyone else was already on some assignment or other, so the burden of touring the Gila County Jail, fell to me. Whoo-hoo. Suck it up and do the job. We assembled in Payson, a motley assortment of reporters, photographers and people who actually paid to spend a night in jail with the money going to benefit the Time Out domestic violence shelter in Payson.
Gotta love an underdog
Why do we so love the underdog? Why do we so urgently need a surprising win? Why do we care whether some team with Payson on their shirts scores an upset? Well, we’re not sure. But we know one thing: We’re absurdly gratified that the Payson Little League Junior All-Stars this week laid waste to Chandler National — the New York Yankees of Little League in Arizona.
Little League grateful for contributions
The 10-11-year-old Payson Little League Fast-Pitch All-Stars, their manager and coach say “thank you” and give a thumbs up to those who contributed about $1,500 to help pay expenses for the team’s trip to Benson where they played in the state championship tournament.
Clubs and Organizations
The Arizona Democratic Party invites Rim residents to a wine and cheese reception honoring the Gila County Democratic Party to be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 20 at Gila County Democratic Party Headquarters, 1101 S. Beeline Highway.
Some know very early what they want out of life
I’m 80 years old and it finally occurred to me to ask myself what I want out of life. At this moment, of course, it’s an easy question. As you may know, my beloved wife, Lolly, is very ill.
Plenty to keep area residents connected
No matter your interests, in Pine and Strawberry there is a non-profit community group providing opportunities to participate in things you love. It’s a win-win proposition: doing what you enjoy while helping the community.
Our pine trees are now smiling
Finally!!!! The clouds opened up and let go with a considerable amount of rain for Payson and the surrounding area. The rain totals were widely spread from a small amount to three inches in some places.
New house on Main fits historic flavor
Kudos to Matt and Becca Sopeland on the recent construction of their beautiful, quaint new home in the 700 block of West Main Street. The couple, along with their three young children, Emme, Olivia and Jack, moved in just this past February.
Roper classification system a real head-scratcher
There is expected to be plenty of rodeo rookies and newbies in the audience at the Pleasant Valley Days Ted Meredith Memorial Roping that begins today, Friday, and continues through Sunday in Young. Which means, those novices might be scratching their noggins trying to figure out the parlance of the sport that can include a number of roping groupings, draws, picks and over and unders.
Adoption special continues
The pets featured below are just some of the many wonderful animals currently available for adoption from the Humane Society of Central Arizona.
Friends of Ferals has kittens up for adoption
Rim Country Friends of Ferals currently has kittens available for adoption.
Payson woman wins $7.3 million judgement
A Payson woman enduring years of debilitating pain after developing an infection following knee surgery has been awarded almost $7.3 million after a two-week trial in Globe ended last week.
