With major shifts and changes occurring within the Douglas City Council, 2008 may prove to be an interest time for voters and city government.

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Realtor Emeritus
Longtime businessman and community leader Everett J. Jones was recently honored by the National Association of Realtors as a Realtor Emeritus. This status is awarded in recognition of Jones’ 40 years of membership in the association and in recognition of his valuable and lasting contribution to real estate in the community. Pictured with Jones (third from the left) in Jones Real Estate Office  Assistant Sandi Johnson, Property Manager Belen Durazo and Joan Jones, far right.

Refunds are waiting for these former or current residents
Douglas

Cloudy days and likely rain forecast for this weekend
SIERRA VISTA — Ready for some rain?

IRS has $110 million in refund checks looking for a home
PHOENIX - - The Internal Revenue Service is looking for 115,478 taxpayers who are due refund checks worth about $110 million after those checks were returned as undeliverable.

New law won’t stop program allowing Mexican trucks into US
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is going ahead with a controversial pilot program giving Mexican trucks greater access to U.S. highways despite a new law by Congress against it.

New Naco police chief seeks better security
NACO, Sonora — The new police chief in Naco, Sonora, said his main goal for 2008 is to improve security in this border town.

Illegal immigration still registers as serious problem for majority of residents
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - A poll released Friday found that illegal immigration registers as a serious problem for a strong majority of people living in four Southwestern states.

Cochise County Sheriff’s Office
Dec. 18

Arizona Chamber wants changes to sanction law
Capitol Media Services

GOP budget-writers propose cuts, withdrawal from reserve
PHOENIX (AP)- Republican legislative budget-writers on Friday offered a $981 million proposal that relies on extensive spending cuts throughout state government and big withdrawals from the rainy day reserve to erase the current revenue shortfall.

Smuggler abandons migrant
Border Patrol agents assigned to the Tucson Sector rescued a woman in critical condition.  

Public hearings big part of Wednesday council meeting
The Douglas City Council will hold a regular meeting Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the council chambers at 425 10th Street. A study session will be held at 2:30 p.m.

Judge will not postpone trial
BISBEE — A U.S. District judge in Tucson has denied a request to postpone a two-week jury trial for a U.S. Border Patrol agent charged with murdering an illegal immigrant near Naco.

County P&Z to look at missionary’s special-use request
BISBEE — NTMA, a nonprofit missionary organization that trains pilots and aircraft mechanics, is asking the Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission to approve a modification of the existing special-use permit to boost the number of planes that can be permanently headquartered at the installation on the 640-acre plot on Davis Road just outside of McNeal.

Online voter registration hits snag
PHOENIX — A national motor-vehicle computer network malfunctioned Monday, preventing Arizona’s online voter-registration system from being used on the day leading up to the deadline to register to vote in the state’s presidential primary.

Expert advice changes for preventing allergies in infants and children
CHICAGO (AP) - Breast-feeding helps prevent babies’ allergies, but there’s no good evidence for avoiding certain foods during pregnancy, using soy formula or delaying introduction of solid foods beyond six months.

Spreading the wealth
Grant funding is often the life-blood of non-profit organizations that depend on these funds for their survival. In many cases, grant funding means the difference between continuing or folding.

New rules for driver’s licenses meant to deter terrorists, illegals
WASHINGTON — Baby boomers don’t make good terrorists, the government has decided, so folks older than 50 will get extra time to comply with new post-Sept. 11 driver’s license rules.

State officials want manufacturers to sell vehicles with no pollution emissions
 PHOENIX — State environmental officials are moving to force automobile manufacturers to sell at least some vehicles to Arizona consumers that don’t emit any pollution at all. Draft rules released Thursday would mandate that 11 percent of each company’s vehicles sold in Arizona beginning in the 2011 model year have zero emissions. That would increase to 16 percent by 2018 and beyond.

Family says they were abused by Border Patrol agents
DOUGLAS — Members of a family allege U.S. Border Patrol agents were too aggressive when they responded to a house outside Douglas late last month.

House Democrats encourage Department of Defense to bring Air Force contract jobs to Arizona
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX– House Democrats have sent a letter to Congress urging their assistance in bringing Air Force contract jobs to Arizona.

‘For the Love of Music’ features a Festival of Winds for January
On Saturday, January 12 at 8 pm and Sunday, January 13 at 3 pm the Arizona Graduate Winds will present concerts at the Bisbee Woman’s Club as part of the “For the Love of Music” concert series.  The five musicians, Erica Schiller, flute; Devin Garner, oboe; Lisa Kachouee, clarinet; Gregory Miller, horn; and Jason Soulière, bassoon are all master’s degree students at the University of Arizona’s School of Music.  The members of the ensemble were chosen by competitive auditions from various schools of music from around the country.

Clawson food drive
The student council of Clawson Elementary conducted a December food drive which resulted in 1,251 cans and boxes of food being donated to the Douglas Area Food Bank.  Pictured with the boxes of food are the Clawson Student Council officers, President Jessica Smith, Secretary Hannah Gonzalez, Treasurer Naomi Dailey, council representatives Jake Salmon and Nadiel Lopez, and Mr. Luis Alvarez, co-sponsor.  The student council thanks all the students and staff who helped collect the food.

Group promotes border relations through cultural exchanges
JONATHON SHACAT

Bisbee’s Obscure Productions presents “Snapshots”
Bisbee’s Obscure Productions will open the comedy “Snapshots”  by Cynthia Mercati on Friday, January 25, 2008.

Two counties lose phone, Web service due to line cut
BISBEE — A crew working to install power poles struck three fiber-optics bundles late Wednesday morning in Palominas, causing telephone and Internet outages in Cochise and Graham counties.

Making lives brighter
Shoes and socks were delivered to Brazos de Amor and Casa Pepito orphanages. There were over 100 pairs of shoes delivered, several hundred pairs of socks as well as diapers and undergarments. Also handmade beanies for the children were provided by Ms. Pernell in Phoenix.  “This was a great effort that involves local community and people from out of town.  It has been great that shoes and socks have been provided to these children for the last eleven years,” said program coordinator Louisa Romo.  See more photos on Page 5.

City approves upgrades to water system Wednesday
The Douglas City Council approved Wednesday a bid from US Power & Control to install new equipment for the city’s water system.

Feds set to sue landowners over border fence access
WASHINGTON — The federal government is preparing to go to court to force dozens of property owners in the southwestern U.S. to give it access to their land for possible construction of a U.S.-Mexico border fence.

Mission group granted permit modification for more planes
BISBEE — New Tribes Mission Aviation, located on Davis Road in McNeal, was granted a special-use permit that allows the organization to headquarter nine aircraft that can be a mixture of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

FBI warns of threat of Web pedophiles
SIERRA VISTA — Your children are potential prey for online sexual predators.

Lawmaker wants reduction in financial aid
PHOENIX — Needy students at Arizona’s three public universities might be forced to pay more under a plan to help balance the state budget.

Cochise College Nursing application deadline Jan. 15
January 15 is the deadline to apply for the fall 2008 start of the nursing program at Cochise College.

Program provides shoes for more than 100 orphaned children
For 11 years, there have been two annual drives to assist orphans across the border in Agua Prieta. In the fall, school supplies are collected, while in the winter months, clothing , particularly shoes are collected for donation. This year more than 1200 pairs of shoes and countless other items, including socks and homemade stocking caps were donated. Clockwise, from right, the group shows off some of their gifts; one child looks intently s another opens his gift; and program coordinator Louisa Romo, center, looks at the shoes received by Fernando and Willy.

College presents a classical guitar event on January 18
Tom Sheeley, a well-traveled musician who has performed around the world, presents “An Evening of Classical Guitar Music” at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18 at the Sierra Vista Community United Church of Christ. The performance is sponsored by Cochise College Cultural Events.

College forming new choral groups for this semester
The Cochise College Music Department announces the formation of two new choral ensembles that will begin practicing and performing in the spring 2008 semester.

Border to Border Airshow to be big event in March
The 2008 annual Border to Border Airshow is schedule for March 14 and 15.

McCain enjoys comeback in New Hampshire
NASHUA, N.H. (AP) -John McCain rode the Straight Talk Express straight into first place in New Hampshire, and back into the thick of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Cochise County Sheriff’s Office Reports
The following are arrests made by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Cochise County Jail.

Baby, father out in cold, dark for hours after their truck wrecks
SIERRA VISTA — A baby was thrown from a pickup truck that wrecked and her father remained trapped inside nearly all night before being found Monday morning by a passing motorist on Interstate 10 near Benson.

Police Reports
January 2, 2008

Legislators looking to stop collecting state property tax
PHOENIX — House Speaker Jim Weiers and a top Senate Republican will take the first steps today to effectively block the state from ever again collecting a property tax.

American Community Survey looks at Cochise County
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released results from its 2006 American Community Survey. This was the second year Cochise County was included in the survey, which provides annual updates to the census data collected every 10 years. Prior to 2005, only communities with a population of 250,000 or more were included. In 2005, this was changed to include populations of 65,000 or more.

What to expect from the 2008 economy
The year 2007 ended with much economic uncertainty, which is sure to carry over into 2008. The national housing market was in the midst of one of its worst slumps ever. Although economic growth remained strong through the third quarter, there were signs of an impending slowdown. Inflation also loomed as a concern. So what should we expect in 2008?

Board OKs weight limits for four county bridges
BISBEE — Four bridges on Leslie Canyon Road now have a weight limit restriction of 10 tons due to possible deficiencies that were found in a recent survey conducted by Arizona Department of Transportation and Cochise County engineers.

County schedules more Envision 2020 meetings
On Wednesday evening, January 16th the Cochise County Planning Department invites you to participate in the continuing Envision2020 project!

St. David artist gave life's work to promote learning
Hundreds of art pieces to be displayed at the Cochise College Benson Center this fall will be sold to raise funds for college scholarships.

Chamber players perform Oct. 26
Full of old-world grace, charm and, occasionally, fury, the Daystar Chamber Players present a face-to-face, quadraphonic experience of two violins, a viola and a cello at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26 at the Sierra Vista Community United Church of Christ. The concert is brought to Sierra Vista by Cochise College Cultural Events.

Call to Artists . . .
Interested artists are invited to submit original artwork, completed within the last two years, for the 2008 La Frontera Tucson International Mariachi Conference poster. The conference is scheduled for April 21-26, 2008.

Cochise College Events
Saturday, October 20

Mesquite milling, pancake breakfast Sat.
Bisbee Farmers Market

Drink up! It’s cold outside
Aside from coffee and tea, most of us do not venture forth too frequently into the realm of the hot drink. It’s a shame, as a nicely made cup of something — be it an Italian bicerin (a hot mocha drink from Turin), a Swedish glogg (rhymes with “chug”), an Indian chai or even a mug of hot Dr Pepper (apparently a New Year’s favorite in some households) — can hit the spot, especially on a chilly winter’s night. The new book “Hot Drinks” by Mary Lou and Robert J. Heiss (Ten Speed Press, 2007) is devoted to the subject, and three other freshly minted volumes, “Mocha” by Michael Turback (Ten Speed Press, 2007); “Coffee” by Betty Rosbottom (Chronicle, 2007); and “The Ski House Cookbook” by Tina Anderson and Sarah Pinneo (Clarkson Potter, 2007), all devote considerable ink to steaming beverages.

Reader’s smart shopping paving way to secure future
Over the years I have enjoyed hearing from one of this column’s many regular readers, Oren Spiegler of Upper St. Clair, Pa. He’s one of the many of you who updates me with the latest news of local grocery-store policy changes and developments, which I check into and report back to all of you here.

Nothing fishy here-Embrace your inner fish
Like "tree-huggers," we fish-huggers are concerned about the environment, specifically the impact of factory trawlers, bottom draggers, the problem of bycatch (e.g., dolphins caught in tuna nets) and industrialized aquaculture. We worry about the byproducts of bad fisheries management or farming, including mercury, antibiotics and colorants in fish. We want to save the fish so we can ... eat them. A little self-interest can, environmentally speaking, be a good thing.

Take rain checks when the shelves run dry
I recently shopped at my drugstore and was disappointed that the best bargains were out of stock. I had waited until the last day of the sale week, and other clever shoppers had cleared out the bargains.

Slippery slope of athletes and their religion
One of the big questions during last year’s National Football League playoffs was whether Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears would make it to the final game.

Rabbi Botright is local synagogue’s honorary leader
Tucson-born James Botright is leading services at Temple Kol Hamidbar in Sierra Vista. A “military brat,” he traveled the nation with his parents, living largely in Texas, Arkansas and California. It was a very religious home, he says. But now his world is centered in Cochise County ... and leading its 35-40 Jewish families at the temple.

Slippery slope of athletes and their religion
One of the big questions during last year’s National Football League playoffs was whether Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears would make it to the final game.

Rabbi Botright is local synagogue’s honorary leader
Tucson-born James Botright is leading services at Temple Kol Hamidbar in Sierra Vista. A “military brat,” he traveled the nation with his parents, living largely in Texas, Arkansas and California. It was a very religious home, he says. But now his world is centered in Cochise County ... and leading its 35-40 Jewish families at the temple.

Entertainment versus religious messages
The idea for the movie began with a vision of three fake pirates falling from the sky into the ocean, transported in a magical rowboat back to the 17th century.

Religion In The News
Students now required to observe moment of silence in Illinois

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