Body found in gravel pit near Maricopa
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body found at a County gravel pit near Farrell and Hidden Valley Roads.
Pinal County workers were using heavy equipment in pit, early Tuesday afternoon, when they discovered the body. The responding deputies found obvious signs of foul play and summoned homicide investigators to the scene.
According to PCSO spokesman Tim Gaffney, the victim was 45 year-old Carlos Pablo, a member of the Ak-Chin Indian Community. ”The case is being investigated as a homicide and the cause of death is blunt force trauma,” said Gaffney. Detectives have no suspect information at this time.
Anyone with information regarding the homicide is asked to call Pinal County Sheriff’s Detective Landon Rankin at (520) 866-5163.
Sheriff seeks to better arm deputies against rising border violence
Citing rising border-related violence, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu is seeking public help in raising money to arm his deputies with semi-automatic with semi-automatic weapons.
A statement released by PCSO last week said “Dangerous incidents have increased through the past few years and are now escalating to a point where deputies are involved in high speed vehicle pursuits, shoot outs between deputies and smugglers, incidents of ambush, as well as the deputy who was injured in a shooting (Related story). Babeu stated, “My deputies are outgunned and we are outmanned. We need help to raise money to buy Arizona-made semi-automatic rifles to fight this threat against our citizens.”
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Applications now being accepted for new Maricopa Youth Council
The City of Maricopa has announced a new and exciting opportunity for high school students.
The City of Maricopa Youth Council will provide youth an opportunity to increase their knowledge of civic education through practical hands on experience. The Youth Council will be comprised of students, ages 14 through 18, who will be charged with representing youth in Maricopa.
Members of the Youth Council will attend monthly meetings, be asked to complete an assignment assigned by the City Council, enhance civic education, and help increase communication between youth and adults.
Youth Council members will graduate from the program only by earning a total of 300 points. All graduating members will be honored at a Graduation Ceremony.
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West Nile Virus, a serious health concern in Pinal County
In all of 2009, Pinal County had no reported cases of West Nile virus in humans and little of the disease found in its carrier, mosquitoes. In just the last 2 months, Pinal County has had six cases of West Nile virus in humans, all of them with meningitis, one of the most severe complications of the disease.
According to state health officials, Arizona is leading the nation in the number of human West Nile cases as of this date.
Substantial West Nile virus activity has been reported in portions of Maricopa and Pinal counties as evidenced by mosquito surveillance and documented human cases in the past two months. The area of most intense activity has been in the suburban east valley area of Phoenix including Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Queen Creek, and San Tan Valley. Surveillance activities are now indicating a further spread into Pinal County with positive mosquitoes identified in Maricopa, Florence, Coolidge, Casa Grande, Arizona City and Stanfield.
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Pinal County Library District launches live, online tutoring for students of all ages
The Pinal County Library District has launched a new program that offers students of all ages live, one-to-one help from certified tutors online. The program also offers professional writing help for job seekers interested in creating or improving their resume.
The K-12 Student Center, College Center and Adult Career Center from Tutor.com includes live, one-to-one tutoring, a real-time writing center and 24/7 access to worksheets, videos and tutorials in just about any subject. Any patron with a Pinal County library card can access the new online services from the library or right from home.
The live, online tutoring and resume writing service is available every day from 1:00 pm until 10:00 pm. The service is completely free for Pinal County library patrons. To access the service visit the library’s website at http://catalog.pinalcountyaz.gov.
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Snider named to Water Resources Commission
Pinal County Supervisor David Snider has been appointed to serve on the recently formed Water Resources Development Commission.
The creation of the Water Resources Commission is a result of legislation passed earlier this year. The bill charges the new commission to examine the current and future water needs of Arizona and make recommendations to guide future legislative and policy deliberations. The Commission is comprised of 15 members who represent a cross section of the state. All were chosen based on their expertise in the area of water resources and water management.
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Road work to begin in Hidden Valley
Pinal County work crews will for the next three weeks be busy with the ARDP phase (weather permitting) of road improvements which have been ongoing for the past several months on parts of Hidden Valley Road and Farrell Road.
“The crews will be placing what is known as an Asphalt and Rock Dust Palliative or ARDP,” said District 3 Supervisor David Snider. “It is similar to a heavy chip seal for dirt roads but much more cost effective than hot mix paving. This will go a long way to knocking down dust that comes with dirt roads. I urge drivers in the area to be careful for the next three weeks when they are driving on Hidden Valley Road and Farrell Road.”
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Elderly homeowner and six dogs rescued from burning home
Wednesday afternoon, around 3:00 pm, the Maricopa Fire Department was summoned to a home in the 35000 block of West Marin Avenue in Tortosa.
Upon arrival, fire crews found heavy smoke coming from attic vents at the front and back of the house.
Entering the home, firefighters found smoke from the ceiling to the floor in the back rooms. During the search, they located the home’s owner, an elderly woman, walking around disoriented and confused. Fire crews removed her from the home as the conditions inside were worsening.
The elderly homeowner was treated on scene for smoke inhalation, and was not transported to the hospital. Six small dogs were also rescued from the burning house. One firefighter was transported to a local hospital in stable condition with heat exhaustion.
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Snider: August happenings around Pinal County
Can it really be true? Is it really August already? Yes, Virginia – it’s once again time to report to the classroom for another scholastic year of academic achievement and excellence. For some the month of August is also the last gasp of summer vacations as at least one more trek into Arizona’s mountains or long weekend trip to San Diego is undertaken. However, the one thread that’s common to all of us is the need to once again practice vigilance when we drive through school zones and crossings: slow down to 15 mph, don’t pass one another, and keep an eye out for children who don’t always wait for the crosswalk and a crossing guard.
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Gusse: Maricopa needs a new direction
Dear Citizens of Maricopa,
I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve each of you as we jointly mold Maricopa into a city that can reach it’s truest potential. As a newly elected Councilmember I am spending a large amount of my time learning how to become an effective councilwoman. However, the experience has been quite interesting due to the fact that every step I take forward is scrutinized and questioned by City Management.
I have reviewed our City Code and the structure of our town is simple. The City Council sets policy and the City Manager works at the will and pleasure of the City Council. However, in our case, it seems to be the other way around.
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