Free Republic

WILLCOX — A Scottsdale consulting firm, retained by Excelsior Mining Arizona, Inc., has estimated that if the Gunnison Copper Project is approved it will contribute nearly $21.2 million to local school districts during the next 11 years. In its Feb. 26 report, Elliott D. Pollack and Company cites a valuation forecast generated by Excelsior’s tax consultant, RSM, and the impact of the Safford Mine in neighboring Graham County as the basis for the tax forecast. “The Gunnison project, set to begin production in 2019, is projected to increase in value substantially each year over the next 10 years,” the report...

Editor’s Note: Wednesday we run a “Blast from the Past” feature – excerpts of articles that ran in the Huachuca Herald around this date 50 years ago. March 31, 1968 “Confiscated Guns net City $139” – The City of Sierra Vista realized $139 from a public auction Wednesday of 12 firearms confiscated by the Sierra Vista Police Department and used as evidence in the prosecution of criminal violations. Arizona State Law requires the disposal of such firearms. (In August 2012, Arizona passed a new law designed to prohibit police agencies from destroying weapons they confiscate. Previously, agencies would scrap weapons....

PHOENIX -- Arizona voters won't get a chance to outlaw "trophy hunting'' in the state, at least not this year. The Humane Society of the United States has pulled the plug on its proposal to put a measure on the November ballot to make it illegal to pursue, shoot, snare, net or capture any "wild cat.'' That specifically means bobcats and mountain lions. In a prepared statement, Kitty Block, acting president of The Humane Society of the United States, said she still believes that Arizonans would support the initiative. But she said efforts to gather the minimum 150,642 valid signatures...

<p>WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Tuesday that he planned to order the military to guard parts of the southern border until he can build a wall and tighten immigration restrictions, proposing a remarkable escalation of his efforts to crack down on migrants entering the country illegally.</p>

Twitter Email Print Save Leo the Lion is one of the more recognizable constellations in the April sky. It is also a great place to point a telescope and try your hand at deep sky observing. The “deep sky” is what astronomers call the realm beyond our solar system; it is populated with galaxies, nebulae and star clusters in abundance. As winter turns to spring, our evening sky turns away from the plane of the Milky Way. Our view is directed into deep space where we find external galaxies unhindered by the obscuring gas and dust of our own galaxy....

FORT HUACHUCA — A new major will take command of the Marine Corps detachment on Fort Huachuca Friday. When Maj. Daniel E. Lindblom hands over command to Maj. Michael B. Manna, it will mark another milestone: He is retiring after 20 years of service. Lindblom said he’s enjoyed his time at Fort Huachuca. “It's difficult to identify a particular high point. What I have enjoyed most is the support that our detachment has received from both the base and the city of Sierra Vista. Whether it was our relocation to our new barracks, fundraising for our annual birthday ball or...

PHOENIX — What's the difference between a Grade A egg and one that's labeled Grade AA? Pretty soon it could be as much as three weeks. The state Senate this week gave final approval to legislation that allows Grade A eggs to remain available for sale for up to 45 days after they were packed. That's nearly twice as long as currently permitted. In fact, the cartons for these eggs won't use terms like "sell by'' or "buy thru'' — the language in the current law. Instead they will be marked "best by'' or "use by.'' Consumers who want to...

Most people have a Wish List. Some may call it a Bucket List, but they are not necessarily the same. A Bucket List usually refers to things we want to do or places we want to see before we die. A Wish List typically itemizes stuff we want to accumulate while we are still kicking. Sometimes the Bucket and the Wish cross paths. That happens when the person compiling the two is unclear on the concept of Wish and Bucket. If you are an enthusiastic shopper with sufficient funds, it is possible you support the “see something, buy it” mindset....

Save The German language has a few fairly unique features, both in writing as well as the spoken form. For one, there’s the dieresis, which turn the vowels a, o, and u into ä, ö and ü. These two simple dots over the vowel indicate a phonetic shift, and /a/ becomes /ɛː/, /o/ becomes /œ/ and /øː/, and /ʊ/ and /uː/ turn into /y/. Another distinctive and unique feature is the letter ß, “sharp S” as it is usually referred to. It’s pronounced /s/ and traditionally follows long vowels or diphthongs while “ss” would follow a short vowel. For example,...

Woodward Fire Update A wildland fire started Thursday morning north of the Ft. Huachuca west gate on the west side of the Huachuca Mountain range. The approximately 125-acre burn had its forward progress stopped during firefighting operations Thursday night into Friday morning. Aided by ground crews and air assets, firefighting will continue throughout Friday. At the Friday morning operations briefing this morning, fire command was guardedly optimistic about fire containment. However, as expected, significant SW winds have developed throughout the day that may make firefighting difficult. No injuries or resident evacuations are reported.

For more than a year Robert Hall called the USS Missouri home. Even after witnessing death, destruction and the horrors of war, the World War II veteran longed to return to the ship he flew planes off of from 1944 to 1945. Robert’s family knew that he wanted to return to Hawaii but were uncertain when and how they would get the 94-year-old Florida resident across the country. In February 2017 Duane Chun, band director at Buena High School, announced the band would be taking a trip to Hawaii in March 2018. With current sophomore Macey Hall in the band...

A prominently displayed sign at all three Tombstone Unified School District campuses is getting a lot of attention. The decision to post a warning at the entrance of the school sites — “Some TUSD staff may be armed and will use whatever force necessary to protect our students” — was made by TUSD Superintendent Robert Devere. “This is nothing more than one small piece of school safety that we have in place on our campuses,” Devere said. “We’re interested in keeping our kids safe. What I’ve seen on Facebook has been overwhelmingly positive.” Check back for more updates, and read...

I am waiting in the "Poor Pathetic Schmuck" line for my boarding pass at the airport. There are at least 30 people in front of me. In the next line over, at the counter for the same airline, an attendant is doing nothing but waiting for the next "Elite" customer to show up. The Elite passenger has no time to waste waiting in line. It's doubtful that they will even let his baggage rub up against mine, because there's no telling what loathsome disease it might be passing along. The airline to my right has a similar caste system, but...

FORT HUACHUCA — Fort Huachuca, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, will conduct a prescribed burn of Area Delta on the East Range on Tuesday to support military training, reduce the risk of wildfires and maintain the ecological integrity of the fire-adapted ecosystems dependent on recurring fire that benefits forest health. Ignition will start around 8:30 a.m. Prescribed fire activities are expected to continue throughout the year when favorable weather permits. Before fires were suppressed here around the turn of the century, areas such as Fort Huachuca had fire burn across them every three to seven years, which is...

SIERRA VISTA — The Mountain View Officers’ Club on Fort Huachuca was a bustling banquet hall and social center for African-American soldiers more than 70 years ago. Today, it sits vacant, and faced threats of demolition for years. However, the historic building could receive a facelift in coming months. After gaining the Army’s approval to restore the building to its original facade in December, national preservation groups are one step closer to getting the project off the ground. Arizona State Parks & Trails received a $500,000 grant earlier this week to help restore the old building. Funding for the grant...

Facebook Twitter Email Print Save FORT HUACHUCA — As one chapter comes to an end, another begins. On Friday, the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca will host a change of responsibility ceremony between Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas J. Latter and Command Sgt. Maj. Warren K. Robinson. Maj. Gen. Robert P. Walters Jr., the post’s commanding general, will host and review the ceremony. Latter will be leaving Fort Huachuca and retiring later this month. As for the incoming leader, Robinson just finished his tenure as talent manager in the Sergeants Major Management Division, Human Resources Command at...

PHOENIX — Some Arizona seniors could be in line for a big property tax break -- including some that a few lawmakers question whether they deserve it. The House Ways and Means Committee voted 6-2 Wednesday to grant Class 6 status to the homes of seniors who meet certain income requirements. What makes that significant is Class 6 properties are assessed for tax purposes at 5 percent of their assessed valuation. So a home worth $200,000 would get an assessed valuation of $10,000. And if the combined property tax rate is $12 per $100 of assessed valuation, that would put...

“Corn is not a vegetable!” This is something my mother said throughout my life. Growing up, the only vegetable my sister would eat was corn, and I could tell it was disappointing for mom. My sister didn’t care, though she did add green beans eventually, and will now happily eat a Caesar salad. My mother loved corn, but also said of it, “Corn is what they feed pigs.” I came to understand the notion of moderation through her relationship with corn. From a nutritional point of view, corn is more of a carb than anything else. But protein is right...

Facebook Twitter Email Print Save SIERRA VISTA — A walk around a wastewater treatment plant might not sound appealing, but allow us to explain it. The plant — formally known as the Sierra Vista Environmental Operations Park — is a 50-acre wetlands planted with aquatic plants, including cattails, and grasses that attract migrating and nesting birds. The plant is open for bird walks each Sunday morning. The walks take about two hours and are led by docents from Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory and the friends of the San Pedro River. Tours are restricted to 22 people (including docents) on a...

Save HEREFORD — It was January 2010 when Horse’n Around Rescue Ranch and Foundation opened its doors on Single Star Ranch in Hereford. The nonprofit’s co-founders, Theresa Warrell and Steve Boice, opened the rescue after seeing a dire need to help neglected, abused and abandoned equines in southern Arizona. “At the time we started the rescue, we knew there was a need, but had no idea how great that need really was,” Warrell said. “To date, we have rescued 131 equines and adopted out 67.” On Sunday, Horse’n Around will be hosting an open house from 1 to 3 p.m....