The Ajo Copper News is a Weekly Newspaper
Serving Ajo, Why, & Lukeville in
Southwestern Arizona since 1916.
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| Issue |
News |
Deaths,
Services |
Weddings, Births, Happy News |
| June 18, 2009 |
• The
body of a young Ajo girl was discovered in a wash near the 500 block
of Ocotillo, about a block from her home on Solana, about 7 p.m.
Thursday, June 18. The child was identified as 7-year-old Rhia
Almeida. Kyle Alegria,
19, has been arrested by the Pima County Sheriff's Department a on
suspicion of first-degree murder. The little
girl had reportedly gone to the suspect's house to play with her
friend, the suspect's little brother. Download the front page
article here (caution, pdf file is 1.8 MB). • SAMHC Behavioral Services was at the school on Monday to help the students and staff deal with the death of Rhia Almeida. • Plans are being made for the 4th of July. Applications for the parade and booths are available at the Ajo Copper News. • Robert Vaughn is the newly-appointed manager for Pima County Parks & Recreation in Ajo. • Area residents are reminded that burning trash is illegal. Pima County Department of Environmental Quality can cited residents and impose $400 in fines. |
• Les Mead, 61, of Garnett, Kansas, die
June 14, 2009, in Kansas City, Missouri. He was a former Ajo resident.
Services were held in Garnett, Kansas. Feuerborn Funeral. • Ana Lydia Aguila, 65, died June 20, 2009, in a Phoenix hospital. She was an Ajo resident. Mass will is 10 a.m. on June 27 in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Douglass Funeral Home. • Francisca D. Castillo, 89 died June 20, 2009, at a Phoenix facility. Services pending through Douglass Funeral Home. • Rhia Almeida, 7, died June 18, 2009 (see story at left). A candlelight vigil was planned for June 25; funeral services will be held in KaKa Village. |
• Happy Birthday Brandon Larremore. |
| June 17, 2009 |
• Two Ajo organizations, the International
Sonoran Desert
Alliance
and Desert Senita Community Health
Center, have been awarded grants by the Community Foundation for
Southern Arizona. The health center will use their $20,000 for a
digital x-ray system. ISDA use their $25,000 for program called
Ajo Cooks! that will create small cultural food businesses. • Teen drinking was the focus of the HOPE Coalition meeting last week. Many voiced concern over students opting for private parties, where alcohol was available, instead of attending the prom and the graduation night party. |
• Corinne (Fincher) Ray, 80, died May 26,
2009, in a hospice in La Grange, Georgia. She was a native of Ajo.
Services have been held in Fredonia, Alabama. Johnson Brown Service
Funeral Home of Lanett, Alabama. |
• Anthony Jake Severance was born May 20,
2008, in Bellevue, Washington, to Ruthie (England) & Shannon
Severance. • Happy birthday Mike Mekelburg. • The Rev. Roger Smith, pastor of Ajo Federated Church, is retiring after a decade in Ajo. |
| June 10, 2009 |
• The Western
Pima County Community Council met
for the last time this season on June 4. Topics included the street
light petition, county budget, changes at Pima County Natural
Resources, Parks & Recreation, local law enforcement, and library
programs. The meeting's minutes will be made available on the council's
website. • Nearly $1.5 million in meth was stopped at the Lukeville Port of Entry last week when CBP officers found over 20 pounds of the drug in a 2008 Pontiac Torrent. • New signs was being planned by Pima County. To serve on the signage committee for the Ajo area, call the International Sonoran Desert Alliance at 387-6823. • Development and tourism were discussed by a group composed of local business people, CofC personnel, county representatives, and a few others. |
• There were no new deaths reported in the
June 10 issue of the Ajo Copper News. |
• Happy birthdays to Dani Cowhig, Janet
Allen, Louie Walters. • Congratulations to JD Allen, Lonnie Guthrie, and Joe Hileman on becoming paramedics. |
| June 3, 2009 |
• Grad Night was a bust - instead of the
usual 40 to 70 students, only 4 paid admission and another 3 showed up
hoping to get in free. Organizers aren't giving up; they're already
thinking about next year's event. • The final Western Pima County Community Council meeting of the season will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4, at the community center in Walker Park. • The Virtual Fence has a green light again. Construction for towers south of Ajo is expected to start in late July or early August. |
• Juras Joseph Antone, 50, died May 27,
2009, in Tucson. He was a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation. Services
were held in Santa Crew and burial was at Charco 27. J. Warren Funeral
Services • Clarence E. Courtney, 85, died in a Goodyear hospice on May 29, 2009. He was a longtime Ajo resident. Private services are being planned. Douglass Funeral Home. |
• Tristan Elias Garcia was born May 5,
2009, in a Phoenix area hospital to Rebecca Mann & Tristan Garcia
of Ajo. |
| May 27, 2009 |
• Linda Guan led the Ajo High School Class
of 2009 as their valedictorian with Kayla Leon as salutatorian.
Graduating as honor students were Mary Catherine "Katie" Fout, Ariel
Buckley Fry, Carolina Pasos, Renee Maria-Gloria Maldonado, Karla Pasos,
Stephanie Carrera, Ana Lorenia Mitchell, Anissa D. Aguila, Jesus Isaac
Arizqueta-Saavedra, Tatiana Marie Bush, Kyle Lewis Carpenter, Horacio
Y. Cubillas, Alejandro Flores, Hermann Lopez Gutierrez, Ana Maria
Lopez, Robert Wade Moss, Briseida Mariela Nunez, Athina Michelle
Padres, Dalia Emilze Perez, Candice M. Renner, Alicia Christina Rojo,
Richard Joel Roman, Bryan Andrew Runge, Loisana Torres, Francisco
Javier Valdez, and Edward Diego Vega. Retired school librarian Diane
Schumacher was the guest speaker and State Representative Pat Fleming
was the special guest speaker. • The swimming pool is open for the summer and other seasonal activities are starting. |
• Graciela Miranda, 75. died May 18, 2009,
in a Phoenix area hospital. She was a longtime resident of Ajo.
Services will be held Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. in Douglass Funeral
Home; burial will follow in Ajo Cemetery. |
• Jacquelin Jessi Diaz was born May 5,
2009, in Glendale to Bradi & Albert Diaz of Buckeye. • Happy birthdays to Crystal Thomas Ramirez, Lucian Ramirez, and Chad Coyle. |
| May 20, 2009 |
• Ajo High School graduation is Thursday,
May 21. Eighth grade promotion is Wednesday, May 20. Summer school for
kindergarten through twelfth grade will start June 1. Seats are limited
so students should be registered at the school as soon as possible. • Streetlights in the Arizona Public Service area are going out and not being replaced. There are two parts to the issue, says Scott Boyd. One is that parts of the old incandescent street bulbs are no longer available; the mercury vapor lights are still available but will be outlawed in 2011 under Project Dark Skies. The other is that APS can no longer collect streetlight funds the way it used to; a streetlight district must be formed in order to replace the old fixtures. • Temperatures ranged for a low of 66F to a high of 101F during the last two weeks. |
• Irma Park, 84, died May 6, 2009, in
Phoenix. She was a longtime Ajo resident. No services are planned. • Fred Helms, 68, died May 16, 2009, in Nevada. Services will be held in Chandler on June 20. • E. Rose Venables, 77, of Elfirda, died May 20, 2009, in Flagstaff. A graveside memorial service will be held May 30 in the Ajo Cemetery, followed by a celebration of her life at the Elks Lodge. |
• Happy birthday Miranda Yanez Kornack,
Mona Yanez and Don Weyers. • Cali Faith Sandoval was born in Sun City West on April 3, 2009, to Crystal DeWitt and Jose Sandoval Jr. of Ajo. • Kianna Lee Ivey was born in Phoenix on april 16, 2009, to Deanna Arviso and Jeremy Ivey of Ajo. • Kenneth M. Davis Jr. received a master of science degree from Liberty University in Virginia. • Jennifer L. G. Downey received a master's degree from Rio Grande University in Ohio. |
| May 13, 2009 |
• A meeting to air thoughts about the
Curley School bells controversy was held last week by ISDA. Some members of the Ajo community are
worried that ISDA will eliminate the carillon bells and want the volume
turned back up so the music can be heard. Some residents of the artisan
apartments say the bells are a disturbance and want the volume left low
or turned off. The digital bells sound the daytime hours and play tunes
on the hour; the apparatus, which cost more than $10,000, was paid for
by donations and installed in 1993. ISDA has another problem with the
bells: insurance issues have caused them to limit access to the
mechanism to their employees only. Comments may be made to ISDA at PO
Box 687, Ajo, AZ 85321. • The Western Pima County Community Council met May 7. The meeting covered residential property valuations, law enforcement issues, the Curley School bells, and the Oasis Theatre movie night project. • There will be no fees charged at the Ajo landfill for the time being. The county board of supervisors heeded Supervisor Sharon Bronson's request that Ajo be left without a fee for non-commercial use. • There will be higher fees for many Pima County Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation activities, though Tots and youth afterschool and summer programs will remain free. The main increases affecting Ajo will be swimming pool admission and field use. |
• Carmelita Corella, 98, died May 11, 2009,
in Tucson. She lived in Ajo most of her life. Mass in Tucson
Thursday. Rosary 1:30 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in
Ajo on Friday, May 15; burial follows at Ajo Cemetery. • Cindy Orr died May 7, 2009, in a Tucson facility. She was a longtime Ajo resident. Memorial service 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16 at Douglass Funeral Home |
• Julia Angel Fulkerson was feted as Ajo's
Woman of the Year by the Xi Gamma Pi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. • Spencer Rolph Conway was born April 8, 2009, in Mesa to Heidi Grissom Conway and Josiah Conway of Maricopa. • Guadalupe Chavira Contreras Jr. was born April 16, 2009, in Goodyear to Sara & Lupe Contreras. • Benjamin & Abigail Markham LoManto were born in Scottsdale on April 23, 2009, to Rustell & Brian LoManto of Phoenix. • Nathan Markham was born in Surprise on April 23, 2009, to Michael & Amber Markham of Phoenix. |
| May 6, 2009 |
• The much feared swine flu arrived in Pima
County. Of the six known cases, four were on the Tohono O'odham Nation.
The flu strain has been milder than first anticipated but precautions
are still urged. • Marilee Williams will talk about the possibility of a childcare center in Ajo as part of National Women's Health Week. • The proposed landfill fee and increases in fees and program changes at Pima Country Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation will be on the county board of supervisors' agenda on May 5. • Two AVID students, both in the seventh grade but who completed the eighth grade courses, are asking for promotion to ninth grade. Superintendent Bob Dooley says he will consider the promotions after the two take a comprehensive exam. • The carillon bells, long a fixture at Curley School, are now the subject of debate. Many residents of the artisan apartments want them turned down or off. Other area residents want them sounding proudly. ISDA has an insurance dilemma. |
• Thelma Schnell, 89, died April 28, 2009,
at a care facility in Goodyear. She was a longtime Ajo resident.
Douglass
Funeral Home. • Santos Rios, 90, died at a Casa Grande Hospice on April 16, 2009. A former Ajo resident, she had been living in Casa Grande. Services were held in Casa Grande on April 20. |
• Happy birthday, Hilda Alvarez! • Happy 50th anniversary Bonnie & Richard Leppert! • Happy birthday Lari Krznarich and Katherine Schumacher. |
| April 29, 2009 |
• Cinco de Mayo and the Mexican Town
Reunion are being held in the Plaza this Saturday, May 2. Events start
at 9 a.m. and continue to 5:30 p.m., followed by a party at the
American Citizens Social Club, sponsors of the Cinco de Mayo fiesta.
The Mexican Town Reunion is an ISDA project. A talent show is planned
by the school for Thursday evening. • A state budget hearing was held in Ajo by members of the Democratic Caucuses. Legislators attending were Pat Fleming, Manny Alvarez, Jorge Garcia, Kyrsten Sinema, Daniel Patterson and Lynne Pancrazi. Local residents primarily expressed concern over education and health care. • The Pima County Board of Supervisors turned down most increased feed requests by the Pima County Natural Resources Parks & Recreation department but did approve increases for adult aquatics and field use. Increased fees for other areas are possible, as are sweeping changes in youth afterschool, summer, and preschool programs. |
• William Laubner Jr., 75, died April 24, 2009. He was a former Ajo resident and was making his home in Gu-Vo at the time of his death. Services have been held in Gu-Vo. Douglass Funeral Home. | • Happy birthday Donna Glass and Lilia Mia. |
| April 22, 2009 |
• Blue Ribbon week at the Ajo schools was
full of activities designed to bring attention to child abuse. It was
organized by student body president Katie Fout to coincide with Child
Abuse Awareness Week. • A planned power outage on the Tohono O'odham Nation will take place on Saturday, April 25. • The fireworks fund needs donations if the skies are to light up on the 4th of July. Donation checks, with "fireworks fund" written on the memo line, may be sent to the Ajo/Gibson Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 909, Ajo, AZ 85321. Chief David Tibbitt says $3,400 must be raised just for the fireworks. Additional money will required for insurance and other costs. • Activities abound in town. Girls Scouts are having an All About Me program on Saturday, everyone is invited to Dicus Auditorium for live theater on Monday afternoon, the library has arts exhibits and other programs, and the county parks & recreation department offers sports and more. • The All-Ajo Reunion 2009 drew hundred of current and former residents to Rustlers Rooste in the Phoenix area on April 18. • Della Cole Mays was killed and David Fry seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident on Interstate 10 on April 18. They were on their way to the All-Ajo Reunion. |
• Della Cole Mays, 57, died April 18, 2009.
She was a native of Ajo. Services 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, Angel
Valley Funeral Home in Tucson. • Ruth Gertrude Morago, 89, died at her home in Sacaton on April 12, 2009, she was a longtime Ajo resident. Services Sacaton Presbyterian Church in Sacaton on April 18; burial East Sacaton Cemetery. Cole & Maud Gardens Chapel. • Dolores "Lola" Bustamante, 80, died in a Phoenix hospital on April 13, 2009. She was an Ajo native and lifelong resident. Rosary & mass Friday, April 24, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church; burial Ajo Cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. • John R. "Jack" Chandler, 73, died at his home in Ajo on April 14, 2009. No services have been planned. Douglass Funeral Home. |
• Aiden Anthony Nogales was born March 20,
2009, in Safford to Anna Nogales. • Happy birthdays Christopher Allen, Ruth & Roy, and Aubree-Lia Sandoval. |
| April 15, 2009 |
• State
Representative Pat Fleming, State Senator Manny Alvarez, and members of
their caucus will be in Ajo on
Monday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in the Ajo Community Center to
discuss the status of the state budget. • The Ajo school board accepted resignations from longtime teachers Jose Sepulveda, Tracy Sepulveda, and Julie Tiell; Jose Sepulveda and Julie Tiell hope to continue teaching under the Smart Schools program. The board also approved allocation of campus space for an athletic hall of fame, discussed out-of-state trips by student organizations and the school colors, and voted to approve budget cuts they hope will be restored by stimulus funds. • No decision was made on the controversial landfill ordinance by the Pima County Board of Supervisors. The hearing has ben continued to the May 5 meeting of the board. • Easter was celebrated at a sunrise community service as well as in local churches, homes, parks, and elsewhere. |
• Maria Bertha Carreras, 74, died in a
Tucson hospice on April 9, 2009. She was a longtime Ajo resident. Mass
was celebrated April 15 in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church;
burial will be in the Ajo Cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. • Dolores Bustamante died April 13, 2009, Services are pending through Douglass Funeral Home. • Charles Corella, 61, died April 11, 2009, in Michigan. He was a native of Ajo. Mass is being held at 10 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church; burial will be in the Ajo Cemetery. Life Story Funeral Homes and Douglass Funeral Home. |
• Happy birthday Ruth Runge, Audrey and Anissa Castillo, and Amanda and Lauren Weber! |
| April 8, 2009 |
• Easter sunrise services will start in the
Plaza about 6:30 a.m. Most area churches will hold Easter services and
some are observing Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. • More than 60 people attended the Western Pima County Community Council meeting last Thursday, Two of the hottest topics on the agenda were the Ajo landfill's hours and possible fees and the Neighborhood stabilization program. Other items included activities of Border Patrol and the Pima County Sheriff's Department, the Victim Witness program, childhood development, and ISDA's plans for the Plaza. The council's minutes appear on their website. • Anyone seeking a companion is advised to visit Pima Animal Care Center on Well Road to adopt a dog or cat. Adoption fees include mandated shots and neutering or spaying. |
• David Vega, 59, died February 2, 2009, in
Tucson. He was a native of Ajo. • Filberto C. Canez, 79, died at his home in Ajo On March 29, 2009. He was a lifelong resident. Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 18, in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Douglass Funeral Home. • Howard E. "Buck" Nixon Sr., 82, died April 4, 2009. He was a longtime resident of Ajo. Graveside services Saturday, April 11. • John Tysseling, 81, died January 26, 2009, in Texas. He was a former Ajo resident. Services have been held. |
• The Rev. Roger Smith was feted at an early farewell party following the Palm Sunday service at Ajo Federated Church. He will retire in June. |
| April 1, 2009 |
• Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson has
gone on record as opposing fees for the Ajo Landfill. • There were four arrests from the 978 vehicles that went through a sobriety checkpoint north of Ajo on March 15. Two were for DUI, one for an outstanding warrant, and one for an open container of Ajo. • There are lots of events going on, ranging from a jackpot roping with chuck wagon dinner and a swamp meet to lectures and seminars. |
• Sara Monreal, 90, died March 27, 2009, in
Tucson. She was an Ajo native and lifelong resident. Graveside
services were held April 2 in Ajo Cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. |
• Happy birthday Mac McGrady and Pat Alley! |
| March 25, 2009 | • Joen Painter of Yuma has been hired as
the new Ajo school principal. • In addition to the cut in hours, a fee may now be charged to use the Ajo landfill. • Roads within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Barry M. Goldwater Range, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and adjeacent Bureau of Land Managment land will be closed on April 15 for the fawning season of the endangered Sonoran pronghorn. • Travel warnings can be found at www.travel.state.gov. |
• David Wesley Snell, 66, died March 20, 2009, in a Tucson hospital. He was a longtime Ajo resident. Services were held at Ajo Assembly of God Church; burial in Ajo cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. | • Congratulations
John-David and Kattie Allen! • Happy birthday Chloe! |
| March 18, 2009 | • Budget cuts at the Ajo schools are
relatively mild so far, but still present a hardship. • Hours are being cut at the Ajo Landfill, which will now be closed on Sunday and Monday and open limited hours the rest of the week. • Decisions about hiring a new principal have been briefly tabled by the Ajo school board. They are seeking a replacement for Fred Fout who tendered his resignation but is finishing his contract for the year. • The Ajo/Gibson Volunteer Fire Department is conducting their annual fund drive. Without generous support, the fire department cannot function. |
• Kay Francis Peterson, 69, died March 14,
2009, in a care center in Litchfield Park. She was an Ajo native and
longtime resident. Services Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m. in
Ajo Federated Church. Douglass Funeral Home. • Richard "Dick" Tracy, 79, died March 9, 2009, in Peoria. She was a winder resident. Cabot Funeral Home, Woodstock, Vermont. • Jesse Grazier, 89 , died March 8, 2009, in Sparks, Nevada. H was a former Ajo resident. The Gardens Funeral Home, Fallon, Nevada. |
• Happy birthday Lianna Castillo. • Andraya Celia Encinas was born January 16, 2009, in Gilbert to Jennifer Carrera ad Adrian Encinas. |
| March 11, 2009 | • The Sonoran Shindig headlines the weekend
that also includes a trio of one act plays, craft sales, tours,
seminars, and more. • Marge Hagen got probation for her latest criminal charges. She pled guilty to attempted forgery. • Discussions at last Tuesday's meeting of the Western Pima County Community Council included the Victim Witness program, the school budget, a program to reduce the number of blighted houses in Ajo, and updates from the Pima County Sheriff's Department and US Border Patrol. |
• William Nunnelly, 71, died March 5, 2009, in Tucson. He was a former Ajo resident. Douglass Funeral Home. | • Happy 94th birthday, Bernie Berry! |
| March 4, 2009 |
• Dr. Allen Lee, will join Dr. Carol
Johnson and the other providers at Desert Senita Community Health
Center. A second dentist is still being sought for Desert Senita Dental
Center. • The Ajo High School talent show was a hit, with some teachers surprising everyone with hidden talents. • The Indian Village Reunion on March 7 will be held outside the Ajo Museum. • A Season of Tradition at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument celebrates O'odham culture every weekend in March. • Classes, art shows, food sales, meetings, rummage and craft sales are keeping many people busy. |
• Joe J. Garcia, 88, died February
22. Mass will be celebrated Monday, March 2, at 10 a.m. in St.
Catherine of Sienna in the Phoenix area. • Juanita Mattia, 78, died February 20. Services were held in the Menager's Dam recreation hall on Saturday; burial was at Menager's Dam. |
• Happy birthday Carol Ann Guthrie, Ken
Kermode, and Joe Martinez. • Happy anniversary Ken & Dawn Kermode! |
| February 25, 2009 |
• The Ajo Amateur Radio Club has
volunteered to refurbish the benches in the Plaza. By an odd
coincidence, this year's Copper Phonebook features a picture of the of
the old benches as painted by local artist Diane Carnright. • Landfill hours will be cut to 40 hours a week. Before the new hours are set, input is being requested from the community. Comments may be e-mailed to district3@pima.gov and Sharon Bronson's office will forward them to the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality. • It's a busy weekend with the American Legion's chili cookoff and bazaar, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the museum yard sale, the high school talent show, food sales, lectures, workshops, and more. • Valuations on many area properties increased in the 2010 valuation notices mailed out recently by the Pima County Assessor's Office. The notices are not tax bills; the values are the basis used to determine owners' 2010 tax bills. |
• Interment for Wayne Stewart, will be in Ajo Cemetery on Saturday. Funeral services have been held in Globe. Miles Funeral Services. | • Former resident James Holt is recovering
from horrific facial injuries sustained at a roping event in Casa
Grande. |
| February 18, 2009 |
• The Ajo Community Golf Course greens have
been reseeded and trees pruned; however, equipment and buildings need
repair and membership and volunteerism are down. • Seven lots in Ajo will get makeovers through a grant to International Sonoran Desert Alliance through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Foreclosed or blighted property may be chosen for purchase by Pima County to be rehabilitated or cleared to remove the blight. • An increase in drug seizures on the Ajo area has been attributed not to increased drug trafficking but to an increase in staffing levels at the Ajo District of the Pima County Sheriff's Department. • Motorists may refuse a vehicle search but must be ready to be detained until a drug dog can be brought to the scene; if contraband is in plain sight, no consent for a search is needed. • Dr. Reed Ishak has started visits to Ajo to provide veterinary services. • Seven javelinas were found drowned near a large drainage culvert near the school after a storm brought rain, hail, and snow. Debbie Morrow of Pima Animal Care Center said the animals apparently got tangled in the brush as a five-foot wall of water engulfed them. |
• Soila
Alegria Kilpatrick, 79, died February 12, 2008. She was a longtime
resident and native of Ajo. Visitation and rosary will be February 16.
Mass will be February 17 in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.
Douglass Funeral Home. • Freeman B. Hover, Jr., died February 9, 2009, in Tucson. He was a former teacher in Ajo. Mass will be celebrated March 1 in St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Tucson. Bring's Broadway Chapel. • Ernesto Mendoza, 71, died February 3, 2009, at his home in Gila Bend. Mass was celebrated in Gila Bend with burial in Pioneer Cemetery. Ganley's Mortuary. |
• Happy birthday Cary Lee! • Ariel Fry is the Ao Rotary Club's student guest for February. |
| February 11, 200 |
• Discussions
at last Tuesday's meeting of the Western
Pima County Community Council
included online courses available from Pima Community College, US
Border Patrol, Pima County Sheriff's Department, local schools, and
volunteerism. • Events this week include a school board meeting, dental center open house, garden club clean-up, a field trip, craft sale, art show, classic concert, lectures, and several Valentine events. • Gunshots heard north of town were a suicide attempt; the victim was transported to a metropolitan hospital for treatment. • When state legislators cut the state budget, among those affected was the Heritage fund. Locally, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church won't receive funds to repair the church roof and ISDA won't receive funds for purchase of the depot and renovation of a manual arts building. |
• Jack
A. Cameron, 93, died February 5, 2009, in Tucson. He grew up in Ajo and
lived here for many years. Services February 12 at Ajo Federated
Church; burial in Ajo Cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. • Florene Nixon, 80, died at a hospice in Casa Grande on February 4, 2009. She was a longtime Ajo resident. Services February 14, Calvary Baptist Church; burial Ajo Cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. • Helen Fay Blount died February 8, 2009, at a hospice in Surprise. Services February 16 at Ajo First Assembly of God; burial on Ajo Cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. |
• Happy Valentine's Day! |
| February 4, 2009 |
• Desert
Senita Community Health Center will soon have a new physician. Dr.
Allen Lee is expected to start in about two months. • Vaudeville, a quilt show, and a fiddlers' contest all headline the weekend. Quilting in the Sonoran Desert is sponsored by the Ajo Piecemakers. the 13th annual Vaudeville Show is sponsored by the Ajo Community Players. The 31st annual Old Time Fiddlers Contest is sponsored by the Ajo Country Club/Ajo Community Golf Course. • Western Pima County Community Council meets February 5 in the community center in Walker Park. This meeting will focus on volunteers. • A narcotic cocktail with a street value of about $700,000 was seized by CBP officers at the Lukeville Port of Entry on January 29. It included 35 pounds of heroin, 6 pounds of methamphetamines, and 2 pounds of cocaine. |
• Father
Augustine Kattady, 74, died January 24, 2009 in Apace Junction. He was
a former parish priest in Ajo. Services were held in Apache Junction;
burial was in Tucson. Apache Junction Mortuary. |
• Rosemarie
Fales was named to the Fall 2008 dean's list at Pensacola Christian
College in Florida. • Happy birtday Joseph Jaye Bejarano. |
| January 28, 2009 |
• Drug
interdiction efforts at the Lukeville Port of Entry continue to stop
smuggling attempts large and small. Last week, more than 250 pounds of
marijuana were seized in four separate events. • Events this week include an open house at the Ajo Historical Society museum, Super Bowl parties, a gospel concert, the school's Hoopcoming, and more. Next week will be even busier with the fiddlers' contest, quilt show, rummage sales, and lots of food sales. • Two new vehicular laws went into effect at the first of the year. License plates holders cannot obscure the word Arizona at the top of license plates. All terrain vehicles with a an unloaded weight of 1800 pounds or less must now have a Motor Vehicle Division decal. |
• Rudy
Valenzuela, 37, died January 15, 2009, in Rimrock. He was a native of
Ajo living in Rimrock. Mass was celebrated in Flagstaff. Norvel Owens Mortuary. • Esther Romero, 59, died January 19, 2009, in Tucson. She was native of Ajo living in Tucson. Services were held at Childs Ranch. Douglass Funeral Home. • Wayne Stewart, 80, died January 11, 2009, in a hospice in Mesa. He was a former longtime resident of Ajo living in Globe. Services have been held in Globe. Miles Funeral Services. |
• Taylor
Ann Brandon was born in Mesa October 5, 2008, to Brian and Andrea
Brandon. • The engagement of Kori Elizabeth Gilliam to Matthew Allen adams has been announced. The bride-to-be is a former Ajo resident. • Happy birthday Kathy Murphy. |
| January 21, 2009 |
• The Ajo school board met last week,
accepting with regret the resignation of principal Fred Fout. Lisa
Rossi was chosen to head
school board with Amy Runge as clerk; other board members are John
Byrnes, Rose Cameron, and H.J. "Hop" David. The board also handled
other personnel matters and voted to suspend three students. • Author Stella Duarte will sign her books at the public library on January 25. • Recycle Ajo has reduced hours, a change prompted by the sagging economy. Many metropolitan recycling centers are refusing material, even that offered for free. • Pima County Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation continues its programs for youth and adults. • A concert by the Wilde Boys is the first program of the year sponsored by the Ajo Council for the Fine Arts and will be followed by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. ACFA is joined in sponsorship of many programs by the Tucson Pima Arts Council. |
• Frank
E. Ramirez, 81, died in Phoenix on January 16, 2009. He had lived in
Ajo since 1950. Mass was celebrated in Immaculate Conception
Catholic Church; burial was in Ajo Cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. • William "Bill" Jones, 81, died in Avondale on January 13, 2009. He was a former Ajo resident. A memorial service will be held at the Elks Lodge in Ajo on February 7. • Margorie Mojica, 59, died December 13, 2008, in Maryvale. She was an Ajo native. Services have been held in Phoenix. Abels Mortuary. |
• Julian
Viviano Valenzuela was born in Chandler on December 23, 2008, to Amy
Valenzuela and Gerardo Robles. • James Holt is recovering after an accident at a roping event in Casa Grande. |
| January 14, 2009 |
• The Western
Pima County Community Council met Thursday with a large audience
in attendance. Items covered included an Arizona Public Service policy
change about power line extensions, the future of the Plaza, updates
from the Pima County Sheriff's Department, US Border Patrol, and Desert
Senita Community Health Center, as well as an open floor discussion.
Minutes of WPCCC meetings can be found on their website. • The International Sonoran Desert Alliance was awarded $500,000 for design and rehabilitation of the old train depot on the Plaza. • Local employers were reminded that the Arizona minimum wage increased to $7.25 on January 1.• San Simon School will resume session on January 20. An underground gas leak had forced the evacuation of students and faculty on January 5. |
• Edith
Denny, 86, died in Scottsdale on January 3, 2009. She had lived in Ajo
since 1954. Services were held in Douglass Funeral Home, burial was in
Ajo Cemetery. Douglass Funeral Home. • Juanita Noreen Leeper, 84, died December 26, 2008, in Henryetta, Oklahoma. She was a former Ajo resident. Services were held in Weleetka, Oklahoma. Shurden Funeral Home. |
• Alexander Angel Reyna was born in Goodyear on December 1, 2008, to Jeannie and Angel Reyna of Ajo. |
| January 7, 2009 |
• Local deputy has been trained to draw
blood in DUI arrests; she joins two others with similar training in the
Ajo District of the Pima County Sheriff's Department. • Work crews recently completed installation of a vehicle barrier along the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge's international border except for a small gap in rough, hilly terrain that will soon be filled. • The new Copper Phonebook is now out. It can be picked up at the Ajo Copper News, Olsens, and several other local businesses. It is also available by mail for $2 from Copper Phonebook, PO Box 39, Ajo, AZ 85321. • The breast cancer support group continues to meet in the public library. |
• Elviera
Elizabeth Elms, 62, died December 16, 2008, in Goodyear. She was a
former Ajo resident. Graveside services were held in Buckeye.
Thompson's Valley West. • William Gilbert Templeton, 81, died December 17, 2008, in Anthem. He was a former longtime Ajo resident. Services were held in Phoenix. • Al Gay, 81, died January 2, 2009, in Phoenix. He was a longtime resident of Lukeville. Services were held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. • Donna "Dege" Galles Floch died in Washington. She was a winter resident of Ajo. Services were held in Spokane Valley, Washington. |
• Mary
Millsap celebrated her 103rd birthday on January 3 in California. • John Paul Gagnon was born in Page on December 11, 2008, to Corina and Paul Gagnon. • Spencer Jay Manley was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, on December 28, 2008, to Randi Roland and Jason Manley. • Kali Tounge-V Cox was born September 25, 2009, to John and Vien Cox of San Diego. • Happy birthday Paula Krehbiel Call! |
| 2008 |
