Sahuarita Sun - ••1A & 4A & 8A...Sahuarita Sun Pam Mox, publisher of the Green ValleyN ews and...
1
FUN RUN REVIVAL CAMP LEGO BIRDING WEATHER Warm with plenty of sunshine. 76 THURSDAY HIGH 79 LOW 49 Partly cloudy, chilly night. 44 FRIDAY HIGH 84 LOW 48 SATURDAY HIGH 85 LOW 49 SUNDAY HIGH 81 LOW 48 MONDAY HIGH 79 LOW 45 TUESDAY HIGH 79 LOW 46 wednesday FEBRUARY 12, 2014 FEBRUARY 12, 2014 | vol. 9 no. 7 | published by the published by the green valley news green valley news TWITTER @sahuaritasun SHOUT IT OUT! gvnews.com/sahuarita_sun/forum FACEBOOK facebook.com/SahuaritaSun WEB SITE www.sahuaritasun.com GREAT EXPECTATIONS ACAD- EMY’S CUPIDS 5K (begins 8 a.m.) and Little Cherubs Fun Run (ages 12 & younger at 8:30 a.m.) is Saturday, Feb. 15, at North Santa Cruz Park, opposite Camino Ran- cheria in Rancho Sahuarita. Info & registration: www.taggrun.com. Everybody wins! House bill could hit local libraries hard BY REGINA FORD [email protected] Local libraries could be hit hard — though in very different ways — if a bill winding its way through the state Legis- lature is passed. HB 2379, introduced by Justin Olson, R-Mesa, would limit the Library District tax levy to its 2013-14 level and cap fu- ture increases to an inflationary rate. Sahuarita Library branch manager Michele White called the bill “devastat- ing.” “We have worked so hard, and basically if this bill passes, our branch closes,” she said. “We were pushing for a new build- ing, too. The community will suffer.” Pima County Library executive direc- tor Melinda Cervantes said they have been “very fiscally responsible but nine libraries are at risk of closing” if the bill gains traction. “This bill would also mean reduced library hours and the elimination of programs such as the Bookmobile and Books by Mail and could impact the jobs of 46 or more full-time employees, plus temporary employees and library pages.” A permanent library in Sahuarita is ex- pected to be part of a county bond pack- age next year. Joyner-Green Valley Branch Library manager Donie Gignac said if the Sa- huarita branch closes, the Green Valley library “will become very busy.” Traci Butler, who runs the R.E.A.D.S. Program — Reading, Exceeding, Achiev- ing, Developing and Succeeding” — for first- and second-graders in the Sahua- rita Unified School District, called the library a “critical educational resource.” “I have middle school kids who go to the library several times a week — some Sun publisher Mox planning to retire Sahuarita Sun Pam Mox, publisher of the Green Valley News and Sahuarita Sun, will retire March 31. Mox, 64, joined the newspapers in 1990, and became publisher in 2003. “It has been a pleasure to be a part of this fabulous Green Valley News/ Sahuarita Sun team,” Mox said. “These two communities and the residents are in- credible, intelligent and caring people and I will treasure the relation- ships always.” Under her leader- ship, the newspapers maintained and solidi- fied their dominance in Green Valley while launching a newspaper and establishing a firm presence in the fast- growing Sahua- rita area. The news- papers are part of the Sierra Vista-based Wick Commu- nications me- dia chain that stretches from Alaska to North Carolina. Over the years, Mox championed local or- ganizations including Pam Mox PHOTOS BY REGINA FORD | SAHUARITA SUN SERGIO LOPEZ, 12, helps out Dominic Arvayo, 6, before school last week. BY REGINA FORD [email protected] T raci Butler, the preven- tion specialist at Sahua- rita Middle School, has introduced a program at Sahuarita Primary School that would benefit children struggling with reading while showing mid- dle school volunteers the impor- tance of community service. It’s called R.E.A.D.S. — Reading, Exceeding, Achieving, Developing and Succeeding, a tutorial pro- gram where older students work with the younger. “National studies show over and over that if kids aren’t proficient in reading by the end of the second grade then they are probably going to struggle all their lives with school,” Butler said. Butler started R.E.A.D.S. at a previous school district where she worked. “The principal in that district kept six years of data track- ing the kids’ progress in the Middle schoolers help young readers JAZMIN GONZALES, 13, works with an online book with 6-year-old Gracie Soto. Griffin considers future of county-line bill BY PHILIP FRANCHINE [email protected] After hearing a “significant out- pouring” of comments on her bill to put Green Valley, Sahuarita and the mines into Santa Cruz County, state Sen. Gail Griffin said Monday that she will decide by Friday whether to hold the bill until next year. Griffin said she has received plenty of comments “both pro and con” since she introduced SB 1357 last week. The bill would let voters in Santa Cruz County and south- ern Pima County decide whether to move the county boundary from Amado to Pima Mine Road. The idea has drawn nearly unani- mous opposition from community leaders in Green Valley and Sahuar- ita and has been subject to a barrage of criticism since the Green Valley News last week reported that the bill had been introduced. Griffin said she is considering holding public hearings in Santa Cruz County and southern Pima County, adding, “I want to hear from the people who are affected. I want to hear all sides of the issue.” Griffin is chair of the Govern- ment and Environment Commit- tee, which would hear the bill, and said next week is the last week that a bill can be heard in committee if it is to be voted on this session. Griffin said she will decide by Fri- day whether to schedule a hearing next week or hold the bill for the next Legislative session next year. Griffin, a Republican from the Cochise County community of SEE LIBRARY, PAGE 4 SEE PUBLISHER, PAGE 8 SEE READING., PAGE 8 SEE GRIFFIN, PAGE 4 CORNERSTONE BAPTIST CHURCH hosts Revival Meetings with Evangelist and Mrs. Barry Webb on Feb. 16-20 at 18280 S. La Cañada Drive. Sunday at 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Monday-Thurs- day 7 p.m. Plus, nursery & kids’ classes. Details: 625-1737. REGISTER BY FEB. 14 for Wilder- ness Exploration Camp on Feb. 20-22 for ages 10-14 at Saguaro National Park West, 2700 N. Kin- ney Road in Tucson. Learn to safely explore outdoors, search for animals, pitch tent & more. De- tails: Ranger Chip, 733-5157. CHILDREN CAN USE their imagi- nations to build with Legos when the Lego Club meets Saturday, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. at the Joyner- Green Valley Library, 601 N. La Ca- ñada Drive in Green Valley. Details at 594-5295. LEARN ABOUT THE BIRDS of Madera Canyon with Friends of Madera Canyon naturalist Doug Moore on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 2 p.m. at Green Valley’s Community Performance & Art Center, 1250 W. Continental Road. $5 admis- sion benefits FoMC education program. pg12 Both high schools out of state playoffs sports TALK TO HER Let state Sen. Gail Griffin know how you feel about SB 1357. Email her at: [email protected], or call her office: 602-926-5895.
Transcript of Sahuarita Sun - ••1A & 4A & 8A...Sahuarita Sun Pam Mox, publisher of the Green ValleyN ews and...
FUN RUN
REVIVAL
CAMP
LEGO
BIRDING
WEATHERWarm with plenty
of sunshine.
76
THURSDAYHIGH 79 LOW 49
Partly cloudy, chilly night.
44
FRIDAYHIGH 84 LOW 48
SATURDAYHIGH 85 LOW 49
SUNDAYHIGH 81 LOW 48
MONDAYHIGH 79 LOW 45
TUESDAYHIGH 79 LOW 46
wednesday FEBRUARY 12, 2014 FEBRUARY 12, 2014 | vol. 9 no. 7 | published by the published by the green valley newsgreen valley news
TWITTER@sahuaritasun
SHOUT IT OUT!gvnews.com/sahuarita_sun/forum
FACEBOOKfacebook.com/SahuaritaSun
WEB SITEwww.sahuaritasun.com
GREAT EXPECTATIONS ACAD-
EMY’S CUPIDS 5K (begins 8
a.m.) and Little Cherubs Fun Run
(ages 12 & younger at 8:30 a.m.) is
Saturday, Feb. 15, at North Santa
Cruz Park, opposite Camino Ran-
cheria in Rancho Sahuarita. Info &
registration: www.taggrun.com.
Everybody wins!
House bill could hit local libraries hardBY REGINA FORD
Local libraries could be hit hard — though in very different ways — if a bill winding its way through the state Legis-lature is passed.
HB 2379, introduced by Justin Olson, R-Mesa, would limit the Library District tax levy to its 2013-14 level and cap fu-ture increases to an inflationary rate.
Sahuarita Library branch manager Michele White called the bill “devastat-ing.”
“We have worked so hard, and basically if this bill passes, our branch closes,” she said. “We were pushing for a new build-ing, too. The community will suffer.”
Pima County Library executive direc-tor Melinda Cervantes said they have been “very fiscally responsible but nine libraries are at risk of closing” if the bill gains traction.
“This bill would also mean reduced library hours and the elimination of programs such as the Bookmobile and Books by Mail and could impact the jobs of 46 or more full-time employees, plus temporary employees and library pages.”
A permanent library in Sahuarita is ex-pected to be part of a county bond pack-age next year.
Joyner-Green Valley Branch Library manager Donie Gignac said if the Sa-huarita branch closes, the Green Valley library “will become very busy.”
Traci Butler, who runs the R.E.A.D.S. Program — Reading, Exceeding, Achiev-ing, Developing and Succeeding” — for first- and second-graders in the Sahua-rita Unified School District, called the library a “critical educational resource.”
“I have middle school kids who go to the library several times a week — some
Sun publisher Moxplanning to retire Sahuarita Sun
Pam Mox, publisher of the Green Valley News and Sahuarita Sun, will retire March 31.
Mox, 64, joined the newspapers in 1990, and became publisher in 2003.
“It has been a pleasure to be a part of this fabulous Green Valley News/Sahuarita Sun team,” Mox said. “These two communities and the residents are in-credible, intelligent and caring people and I will treasure the relation-ships always.”
Under her leader-ship, the newspapers maintained and solidi-fied their dominance in Green Valley while launching a newspaper and establishing a firm presence in the fast-
growing Sahua-rita area.
The news-papers are part of the Sierra V i s t a - b a s e d Wick Commu-nications me-dia chain that
stretches from Alaska to North Carolina.
Over the years, Mox championed local or-ganizations including
Pam Mox
PHOTOS BY REGINA FORD | SAHUARITA SUN
SERGIO LOPEZ, 12, helps out Dominic Arvayo, 6, before school last week.
BY REGINA FORD
Traci Butler, the preven-tion specialist at Sahua-rita Middle School, has introduced a program
at Sahuarita Primary School that would benefit children struggling with reading while showing mid-dle school volunteers the impor-tance of community service.
It’s called R.E.A.D.S. — Reading, Exceeding, Achieving, Developing and Succeeding, a tutorial pro-gram where older students work
with the younger. “National studies show
over and over that if kids aren’t proficient in reading by the end of the second grade then they are probably going to struggle all their lives with school,” Butler said.
Butler started R.E.A.D.S. at a previous school district where she worked.
“The principal in that district kept six years of data track-ing the kids’ progress in the
Middle schoolers help young readers
JAZMIN GONZALES, 13, works with an online book with 6-year-old Gracie Soto.
Griffi n considers future of county-line billBY PHILIP FRANCHINE
After hearing a “significant out-pouring” of comments on her bill to put Green Valley, Sahuarita and the mines into Santa Cruz County, state Sen. Gail Griffin said Monday that she will decide by Friday whether to hold the bill until next year.
Griffin said she has received plenty of comments “both pro and con” since she introduced SB 1357
last week. The bill would let voters in Santa Cruz County and south-ern Pima County decide whether to move the county boundary from Amado to Pima Mine Road.
The idea has drawn nearly unani-
mous opposition from community leaders in Green Valley and Sahuar-ita and has been subject to a barrage of criticism since the Green Valley News last week reported that the bill had been introduced.
Griffin said she is considering holding public hearings in Santa Cruz County and southern Pima County, adding, “I want to hear from the people who are affected. I want to hear all sides of the issue.”
Griffin is chair of the Govern-
ment and Environment Commit-tee, which would hear the bill, and said next week is the last week that a bill can be heard in committee if it is to be voted on this session. Griffin said she will decide by Fri-day whether to schedule a hearing next week or hold the bill for the next Legislative session next year.
Griffin, a Republican from the Cochise County community of
SEE LIBRARY, PAGE 4
SEE PUBLISHER, PAGE 8
SEE READING., PAGE 8
SEE GRIFFIN, PAGE 4
CORNERSTONE BAPTIST
CHURCH hosts Revival Meetings
with Evangelist and Mrs. Barry
Webb on Feb. 16-20 at 18280 S.
La Cañada Drive. Sunday at 10:45
a.m. and 6 p.m.; Monday-Thurs-
day 7 p.m. Plus, nursery & kids’
classes. Details: 625-1737.
REGISTER BY FEB. 14 for Wilder-
ness Exploration Camp on Feb.
20-22 for ages 10-14 at Saguaro
National Park West, 2700 N. Kin-
ney Road in Tucson. Learn to
safely explore outdoors, search
for animals, pitch tent & more. De-
tails: Ranger Chip, 733-5157.
CHILDREN CAN USE their imagi-
nations to build with Legos when
the Lego Club meets Saturday,
Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. at the Joyner-
Green Valley Library, 601 N. La Ca-
ñada Drive in Green Valley. Details
at 594-5295.
LEARN ABOUT THE BIRDS of
Madera Canyon with Friends of
Madera Canyon naturalist Doug
Moore on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 2
p.m. at Green Valley’s Community
Performance & Art Center, 1250
W. Continental Road. $5 admis-
sion benefits FoMC education
program.
pg12
Both high schools out of state playoffs
sports
TALK TO HERLet state Sen. Gail Griffin know how
you feel about SB 1357. Email her at:
[email protected], or call her office:
602-926-5895.
