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Patagonia Regional Times
Toxic Spills, Hermosa Trucks, and Us
A set of recent accidents on rails and highways should serve as an urgent warning that our region is headed for an entirely preventable disaster of similar proportions. A train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio on Feb. 3 caused a fire that burned for two days, releasing hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air. As a result, residents within a one-mile radius were evacuated, and an emergency response was initiated from agencies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The extent of the damage to public health and the local ecology is still being determined by authorities, but anecdotal reports of strange illnesses are widespread, and the local economy is already taking what might be a death blow. Nobody wants to travel to East Palestine. And soon, no one may be able to safely live there.
Senior Spotlights – March 2023
This month the PRT begins our series of profiles of the PUHS senior class of 2023. Look for more profiles of these talented and interesting young people in upcoming issues of the PRT. Jose Manuel Beltran. Participation in school clubs and sports: Manager of the basketball team all four years.
What Is That?: Curios From the Patagonia Museum (March 2023)
Another interesting item at the Patagonia Museum that is asked about quite frequently is this contraption that was donated by the Dr. Mock family. I thought that it might be some kind of anesthesia device since Dr. Mock was an anesthesiologist. I was able to convince a few museum visitors of that until recently one of our docent volunteers, Murphy Musick, researched this machine and was able to identify it as a Jones Motor Basal metabolism tester. It was invented in 1937 and it measures the amount of energy expended per day by a person or animal at rest.
Local Scholarship Opportunities Available
The Anne C. Stradling Equine Foundation is offering scholarships for students graduating in the Class of 2023 who attend public or parochial high school, trade school, or are home schooled in Santa Cruz County. County residents who attend high school in neighboring Pima or Cochise County are also eligible to...
Starstruck: Procynon and Friends
One of the sky’s largest constellations and probably its most recognizable, Orion, is not just easy to see. It’s a must see. It is, for me at least, like the Grand Canyon. I never tire of its glory. Throughout March in the early evening it will be prominent to the southwest. This month, it is the perfect celestial object to focus upon. However, as easy as it might be to lose oneself within its enormous frame, and to dwell upon the bright stars that encircle its famous star nursery, it’s also very useful as a tool to zero in on a splendid nearby star, Procyon.
Book Review: In the Sky, a Friend
If you want a quick reference to the most observable objects in the sky, Tim Hunter’s “The Sky at Night” is for you. If you want some information about the brightest stars, the phases of the moon, and the most recognizable constellations, the book is for you. If you’re wondering what a medical doctor does in his spare time, Dr. Hunter’s book takes you on a tour of what he calls his “heavenly hobby.”
Let’s Go Get Stones: Rolling Stones
It’s the dead of winter. The temperature here in Elgin has been running well below average for several weeks now and I don’t feel much like going out to look for rocks. I guess I’ve become totally acclimated to southeast Arizona weather. The below-average highs have been running in the 50° range. Back in pre-retirement Connecticut, 50° in January used to feel as if one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse had paid a visit, but in a good way. Then it would have been an occasion to strip down to short sleeves. Out here it just causes confusion.
Santa Cruz County Animal Care and Control Services Receives Generous Donation
Press Release Santa Cruz County, Arizona – The Santa Cruz County Animal Care and Control Services (SCCACCS) recently received a generous and unexpected donation from the estate of a community member. Animal Care and Control Officer, Lt. Jose L. Peña Jr. received a letter from the Louis Windel McCauley...
Hearing Held for Kino Springs Rancher Accused of First Degree Murder
During a preliminary hearing held on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at the Nogales Justice Court, Kimberly Hunley, chief deputy Santa Cruz County Attorney, alleged that George Alan Kelly shot and killed Gabriel Cuen Buitimea, 48, of Nogales Sonora, an unarmed man in an “unprovoked attack” during her remarks at a court hearing. The shooting took place on Kelly’s Kino Springs area ranch on Jan. 30, 2023.
County Looks to Increase Winery Tourism
The Santa Cruz County government has begun the first phase of a new, $300,000 project to increase tourism around our region’s wine industry. The SCC Board of Supervisors approved a solicitation for a new study at their regular meeting on February 7, at the request of Frank Dillon, SCC Community Development Director. The County is seeking proposals for development of a market study and winery district master plan and land use overlay district as part of a larger Southern Arizona Cuisine Tourism Initiative.
Cunningham Arson Case Dismissed Without Prejudice
A criminal complaint filed last November by federal prosecutors against Robert Cunningham, 74, of Patagonia, has been dismissed without prejudice. Cunningham had been arrested in connection with the May 2017 fire that destroyed Cunningham’s Ranch House Restaurant, the Sonoita family business he co-owned with his two sisters. In documents...
The Making of Knottapark: From Eyesore to Community Space
The PRT received countless nominations last year for our first annual Good Neighbor Awards, meant to recognize someone who voluntarily builds a better community in our region. But one nomination stood out. That’s because it wasn’t for one neighbor: it was, at heart, for an entire neighborhood – West Gate, in Canelo – where neighbors worked together last fall to create a four-acre community space from scratch.
Two Stylists, One Salon
They work together, but on different days. They love talking to people but enjoy the quiet of working alone. Though both are happy to cut any kind of hair, she specializes in short, while he especially loves cutting long hair. It seems to be working out quite well for Robert Moreno, owner, and Cynthia Costas, stylist, at the new Manos Salon at 275 McKeown Ave., Suite A, in Patagonia. Moreno works in the one-room salon Thursday through Saturday, Costas is there Mondays through Wednesdays. They relish the quiet and the independence of a small salon and each is enjoying the small town life that is so different from what they are used to.
Work Begins Along Creek
Crews working for Tucson Audubon (TA) have begun removing invasive plants along Sonoita Creek, the start of a two-year effort to clear invasive plants from the riparian area around the creek and replace them with locally harvested Fremont cottonwood seedlings and other native plants. The crews are working on lands...
Local Man Appointed to AZFG Commission
Patagonia resident Retired Lieutenant General Jeffrey Buchanan, an avid and experienced outdoorsman and native Arizonan, was recently appointed to serve on the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. Buchanan was nominated by then-Governor Ducey, to fill the position vacated by Elgin resident Leland (Bill) Brake whose term had expired. His appointment is pending confirmation by the State Senate.
Nature Journeys: Winter’s Gold
The Sky Islands region is a haven for snowbirds of all types, including the human type. Relatively balmy winter temperatures and clear skies prevail often enough to lure those folks seeking solace from frigid conditions in more northerly latitudes. Among the local joys to be had in nature come February are winter wildflowers: colorful sprays of blossoms unexpectedly perking up from a dull, frost-bitten land. Winter’s gold. Although our region is rather renowned for its “spring” wildflower season, the appearance of blooms is not a given, nor are they confined to spring alone.
Town Council Notes – Feb. 2023
Business began with the approval of three procedural items concerning the Harvest Moon Hostel, a business at 316 Smelter Ave in the alley behind the Doleswood Warehouse building; approving the Planning and Development Committee’s review and recommendation on the project; and approving the Town’s Resolution relating to the Use Permit for a transient lodging facility of approximately 1750 sq. ft.
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Patagonia Regional Times is a free monthly publication serving the Mountain Empire communities of Canelo, Elgin, Patagonia and Sonoita in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
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