LETTER: Payson's Bohlmeyer gracious in defeat

Photo by Alan Hudson

Elaine Bohlmeyer with family on election night.

Good morning, folks--

It's over, and it's hard to put into words what I'm feeling right now.

On one hand, there is definitely the disappointment and the feelings of futility. I would really have liked to represent you in the Arizona Legislature. I was looking forward to helping change our state for the better, or at least making one more progressive voice heard.

On the other hand, I'm relieved that I can run to the store without putting makeup on and don't have to look at everyone as a potential voter. I can spend my time with my husband and my dog instead of reading newspapers and articles about state issues.

Most of all, I feel grateful for the wonderful people I got to know or got to know better. It was gratifying and humbling to know that people I respect also have respect for me.

The best thing I can say about this election is that I lost in very good company. We had the best slate of candidates we could have had. Terry Goddard, Ann Kirkpatrick, Rodney Glassman, Penny Kotterman, Andrei Cherny, Chris Deschene, Felicia Rotellini, Manny Cruz, Bill Shumway, Prescott Winslow, and David Bradley are some of the smartest and finest people I have ever met, and it was a privilege to share their vision.

Thanks so much to all of you, and I wish you the very best as you continue with your lives.

Elaine

ARIZONA BALLOT PROPOSITION RESULTS

Prop. to move up filing deadline for initiatives too close to call

By TARRYN MENTO
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX – The outcome remained unclear Tuesday night for a measure to move up by two months the deadline for submitting citizens’ initiatives for the ballot.

Unofficial returns showed “yes” and “no” votes almost even late in the evening.

Citizen groups proposing initiatives to change statutes or the state constitution currently have a deadline of four months before the election. Proposition 112 would change that to six months.

Voters approve proposition to cut affirmative action 

By REBEKAH ZEMANSKY
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX – Arizona voters have approved a ballot measure to eliminate affirmative action programs in state and local governments.

Unofficial returns showed Proposition 107 leading by a wide margin.

Supporters said the need for affirmative action has long passed and amount to discrimination. They succeeded in amending the state’s constitution to ban state government and municipalities from giving preferential treatment on the basis of sex, race, color, ethnicity or national origin.

Four other states have passed similar measures. They are California, Nebraska, Washington and Michigan.

Voters approve proposition allowing health care plan opt-out

By JOANNE INGRAM
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX – Voters on Tuesday approved a ballot measure that would allow Arizonans to opt out of any federal or state health care mandate.

Unofficial returns showed Proposition 106 leading by a wide margin.

Supporters offered the proposition to amend the state constitution in anticipation of the federal health care reform law enacted earlier this year. They argued that Arizonans should retain control over their health care decisions.

“The majority of Arizona voters, I believe, have said very clearly that the decision belongs in the hands of families and not in the hands of politicians,” said Dr. Eric Novack, chairman of Arizonans for Health Care Freedom.

Leaders: Rejection of fund-transfer propositions means deep cuts

By JENNIFER A. JOHNSON
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX – Voters rejected two ballot propositions Tuesday that would have transferred almost $450 million from two voter-approved funds to address the state budget deficit.

Unofficial returns showed both propositions trailing by a wide margin.

Legislative leaders called the defeat of Proposition 301 and Proposition 302 a huge blow that will require cuts to state programs.

Voters say no to lieutenant governor for Arizona

By WHITNEY PHILLLPS
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX – Voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure to create the post of lieutenant governor, which would have replaced the secretary of state position.

Unofficial returns showed Proposition 111 trailing by a wide margin.

This is the second time such a ballot measure has gone down, with a similar proposition to create a separate office of lieutenant governor failing in 1994.

Voters approve secret-ballot proposition for union organizing

By REBECCA L. MCCLAY
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX – Employees interested in forming a union in Arizona may find the process a little lengthier after voters approved a proposition requiring a secret ballot vote.

Unofficial returns Tuesday night showed Proposition 113 passing with a wide lead.

The proposition is a move to counter proposed federal legislation called the Employee Free Choice Act that would eliminate the option of a secret ballot if a majority of workers sign a petition in favor of unionizing.

Supporters of the proposition, aimed at making a secret ballot mandatory after workers petition to form a union, say that without confidentiality employees are vulnerable to pressure to join in.

Voters reject prop to make hunting constitutional

By ELVINA NAWAGUNA-CLEMENTE
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX – Voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure to make hunting and fishing constitutional rights in Arizona and forbid laws or rules that restrict such activities.

Unofficial returns showed Proposition 109 trailing by a wide margin.

Wildlife advocacy groups objected in particular to provisions that would make the Legislature the sole authority regulating hunting and fishing, forbidding any law or rule restricting the activities. They said that change would politicize wildlife management and curtail citizen initiatives.

Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, said voters recognized that Proposition 109 was a bad idea that did not belong in the constitution.

Bahr said defeating Proposition 109 was vital to the future of wildlife management in Arizona, ensuring decisions would be based on science and not politics.

“We hope that the Legislature gets the message,” Bahr said in a phone interview.

Robert Woodhouse, a member of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, which endorsed the measure, expressed disappointment. “We put out a good campaign, we spent quite heavily, but the voters have gone the other way,” he said.

He noted, however, that the commission was outspent by Proposition 109 opponents including the Humane Society. “It was just hard to counter all the misinformation that was put out,” Woodhouse said.

The Humane Society of the United States contributed $250,000, as of Oct. 13, to the effort to defeat Proposition 109, joining with the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter and the Animal Defense League of Arizona under the banner Arizonans Against the Power Grab.

In all, the effort had raised $273,000, according to a filing with the Secretary of State’s Office.

The National Rifle Association contributed nearly $70,000 to support the measure, through Oct. 13, while the hunting-rights group Safari Club International contributed $50,000, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Brad Powell, vice president of Arizona Wildlife Federation, a supporter of proposition 109, said his group will meet in two days for an assessment of the effort and to decide the next course of action.

“Our goal is to have healthy fish and wildlife in Arizona and make sure the citizens understand how important fishing and hunting is,” he said.

Approving a bill authored by state Rep. Jerry Weiers, R-Glendale, the Legislature referred the matter to the ballot last spring. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission, which is responsible for managing wildlife, registered its support.

Twelve other states have established a constitutional right to hunt and fish.

The groups warned that Proposition 109 would interfere with citizen initiatives seeking to amend state statutes on wildlife issues. They noted that voters in 1994 approved such an initiative banning the use of steel-jawed traps.

If the Legislature has sole authority over hunting and fishing, in order to affect wildlife management citizens would have to amend the state constitution, which require more petition signatures. Initiatives to amend statutes require petitions signed by 10 percent of registered voters; the requirement is 15 percent for initiatives to amend the constitution.

Gov. Jan Brewer and U.S. Sen. John McCain, both Republicans, were among the elected officials supporting Proposition 109.

Supporters noted that the state constitution has provisions supporting the timber industry and mining, which affect the outdoors. Such a designation for hunting and fishing would continue a long tradition of thoughtful wildlife management in Arizona, they said.

Tonto, Coconino forests will debate Fossil Creek

First of three meetings is Nov. 15 in Payson

Phoenix/Flagstaff, Ariz. (November 2, 2010) – Coconino and Tonto national forest officials will host three public meetings Nov. 15, 16, and 17 about the future management of Fossil Creek.

The Fossil Creek planning team is seeking public input on how to manage the Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River.

The meeting schedule:

Monday, Nov. 15, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Payson Public Library, 328 N. McLane St., Payson, Ariz.

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Arizona Game and Fish Office, 5000 W. Carefree Blvd, Phoenix, Ariz.

Wednesday, Nov. 17 6:30 – 9 p.m. Radisson Woodlands Hotel, 1175 W Route 66, Flagstaff, Ariz.

For more Information, call Lynn Humphrey, Fossil Creek planning team leader, 541-750-7158. Visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/projects/fossil/index.shtml for more information about the project.

RANT&RAVE

RANT&RAVE

RANT&RAVE
RANT&RAVE

Editor’s note: Each week we print a selection of anonymous rants and raves submitted by our readers. Keep them under 250 words, free of profanity and personal attacks, and have at it. You need not sign your submission, which you may e-mail to peoplesgazette@gmail.com or mail to Gazette Editor, 7736 N. Toya Vista Road, Payson, AZ 85541. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Gazette staff.

And don’t forget to visit BY THE PEOPLE. Just click on the right. You can leave your comments on any subject there as well.

Now Kenny wants to bring a Chinese company to Payson
Just got a phone call from a friend about the last issue of the Roundup, and she wanted to vent. So I went on-line and read the article about KennyWho telling an audience about a Chinese company coming to Payson, even looking at homes to buy (because) they are so taken with our town. They manufacture solar panels and want to locate their company here, supposedly in conjunction with the ASU plan. Are there no companies in the United States that manufacture solar panels? Why in the hell is someone even considering bringing in a Chinese company? “Be Loyal, Buy Local?” Yeah, right!

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KMOG is fast running out of relevance
Has anybody else noticed how irrelevant KMOG radio has become. It’s country format would be more accurately dubbed “tired old country.” And who listens to country music anyway? A few remaining good old boys maybe. And now that Dan Haapala is gone (we are told to cut costs), the Rim Country Forum with Ken Brooks is nothing but a shill for the Town of Payson, the Payson Roundup and the Chamber of Commerce. Why not rename it the “Rim Country Hour of Plugs and Propaganda.” The only impact KMOG has on my life is the interference it causes when I drive by its towers on Tyler Parkway while listening to KTAR in Phoenix (620 AM). The static is a good reminder of just how irrelevant it has become. It’s so much empty noise.

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Business as usual down at your local Chamber
Sounds like it’s business as usual down at the Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce. Sweetheart deals for the in crowd, while the rest of the businesses who dutifully pay our dues can go to hell. It will indeed be interesting to see who is chosen to do their website. They got rid of Tina Breuss because they had to, but they obviously haven’t changed their ways.

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Say what you want as long as we agree
So the Roundup has an online forum where people can express their views on just about anything – as long as those views agree with those of the Roundup editorial folks who are so far in Kenny Evans pocket they can’t see the light of day. Good story on the blog. And thanks to Dean Shields for her courage. Roundup – get a conscience. On second thought, just click your heels and follow Dorothy back to Kansas.

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Are Republicans out of their minds?
Have you heard these far-right Republicans running for office this year? These people are truly frightening. Check out these quotes:
"We need to phase Medicare and Social Security out."—Sharron Angle, Republican Senate candidate in Nevada1
"There should not be [a federal minimum wage]. That is not within the scope or the powers that are given to the federal government."—Joe Miller, Republican Senate candidate in Alaska
"I am pro-life. I don't believe in the exceptions for rape or incest."—Ken Buck, Republican Senate candidate in Colorado

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PSWID getting milked by Milk Ranch Well
Enough is enough. The final cost of the Milk Ranch Well is debatable. But I’m guessing Ray Pugel is laughing his head off at our stupidity. For the Pine Strawberry Water Improvement District (PSWID) to consider paying him a price for the well inclusive of the repair costs is ....... well, laughable, at best. If we do that, we are truly idiots. Who else would he sell the well to? It's not like there is a big market for his well. We made his well marketable by paying for the well repairs. It is looking more and more like the Brooke K2 well was the best answer this community has had in quite some time. For $300,000, repayable at 6 percent interest, we would get a water supply and our money back. Do you know ANYWHERE else you can get 6 percent interest? If the well did not meet the production criteria, we got an asset to sell the water back to Brooke. Compared to where we are now, we should have signed that deal in a heartbeat.  PSWID needs to give it up. The Milk Ranch Well is a pig with lipstick! Don't try to make us believe it is money well spent.

Prescott citizens wear masks to police protest

(Editor's note: The following article is reprinted from Prescott AZ Insights, a blog by former Prescott Mayor Jack Wilson. It recounts a case of forced entry by Prescott police officers and wonders if they used Gestapo tactics. The incident has apparently enraged a sizable group of Prescott citizens who are staging a protest rally today -- some wearing masks to avoid possible retaliation.  We believe the issue of small town police departments and rural sheriff's departments being overzealous in their pursuit of justice is a legitimate concern for Rim Country residents.  Feel free to post your comments on this issue below or by clicking BY THE PEOPLE on the right.)

by Jack D. Wilson

“Dynamic Entry” – normal procedure for minor white-collar search warrants?
In their October 29 issue, the Prescott Courier reporter Cindy Barks wrote in her City holds press conference on Castaneda arrest

“The police officers who used a ram to enter the home of former Elks Opera House Manager Dawn Castaneda on Oct. 13 were following normal search-warrant procedure, says Prescott Police Chief Mike Kabbel.”

and furthermore...

“Kabbel reported that the police knocked on the door and announced the search warrant. After knocking again and waiting 20 seconds, Kabbel said the officers used a ram to open the door, although he said the police did not break down the door.

"The police chief acknowledged that the six or seven police officers who were involved in the search entered the home with their guns out, although he said, 'They weren’t pointed at anyone.'”

Did Prescott police use Gestapo-like tactics with their 'Dynamic Entry?
The type of entry used is called a dynamic entry, and is normally employed when there is a great risk of violence involved, or a credible threat to the officers (such as a drug bust, apprehending a murder suspect, etc.). This situation failed to meet either of those standards.

The police admitted they had Dawn under surveillance, but still felt compelled to break her door down and terrify her kids with guns drawn on them. They used seven (7) sworn officers, six with guns drawn and the last with a battering ram, to execute a simple search warrant based on accusations of credit card misuse amounting to $6,000. Deploying seven (7) sworn police officers was overkill.

There were four children in the house at the time, two of grammar school age and two of high school age, the oldest being 17. Most parents teach their children not to open doors for strangers. It is easy to understand why a seventeen year old might not have understood what was happening in 20 seconds.

Brown Bag Protest Rally – Please attend!
Due to Mayor Marlin Kuykendall’s ongoing behind-the-scenes retaliation against members of the newly formed “Prescott Citizens Against Bullies,” participants in Monday’s protest march on Prescott City Hall are encouraged to wear Halloween masks for the protest to avoid retaliation (wearing of masks is optional – I will not be wearing one, but if you fear retaliation go ahead and wear one) . The protest will be led by “The Unknown Protester,” whose head will be covered with a large paper bag to avoid being identified.

Prescott Citizens Against Bullies is a group of citizens concerned about the recent firing and subsequent arrest of former Elk’s Opera House manager Dawn Castaneda. The Brownbag Protest March takes place at Prescott City Hall from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Monday, November 1, 2010. All citizens concerned about the firing and subsequent arrest of Castaneda, following allegations she made that Prescott Administrative Services Director Mic Fenech berated her and created a hostile work environment, are invited to join in this peaceful civic protest at City Hall.

The group’s official chant for this protest march is: Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Mic and Norwood Have to Go! Ho! Ho! Hey! Hey! You Must Clear Dawn Today!

Some citizen comments on the Courier article

Legal Use of Dynamic Entry
I am not a lawyer, but one of the comments on the Prescott Courier story by “Prescott Citizen” raises some legal questions:

“There are only certain situations when this 20 second announcement and ‘ramming’ procedure can be considered a ‘normal procedure’. To say it is unequivocally ‘normal’ procedure is not correct. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Hudson v. Michigan clarifies this. Failure to carefully and clearly follow procedure as defined by the guidelines issued by the ruling of the Supreme Court can result in serious and unintended consequences. Plaintiffs have the constitutional right to sue law enforcement officers who violate their constitutional rights.

The Federal Civil Rights Act, Title 42, United States Code Section 1983 provides Americans with remedy for violation of civil rights secured by the laws of the United States. When a person is placed in danger by a law enforcement officer, or their civil rights are violated, charges may include but not be limited to assault, battery, trespass, false imprisonment, false arrest, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and breaking and entering resulting in litigation.

There were 4 children alone in this house, and the effects on them cannot be denied, when the police rammed the front door, giving a few seconds notice, with 6 guns drawn out of their holsters.”

How are the four children doing?
Another posted comment on the Prescott Courier story by “AUNT Afraid for our family’s future” points out the damage the four children have suffered:

“We instill in our children from the time they begin to walk and talk, that Police Men are our friends. If Mommy or Daddy are hurt, or if you are hurt, and or someone is trying to hurt you call the Police, find a Police Officer and they will help you and keep you safe! After seeing the terrified faces of my nieces and nephew ranging in ages from 17yrs. down to 6yrs. old, explaining how they were forced to put their hands up while a gun was being held to them. It makes you think before teaching your children that police men will help you and keep you safe from the “Bad People”. Some of you may not agree, but after looking into the eyes of a 6yr. old as he explains and demonstrates how he was told to put his hands up with a gun being held at him, with a terrified look in his eyes and his hands shaking. He was told to do this by someone he thought would help him and keep him safe. So as we were up through the night trying to comfort them from the nightmares of the sound of big men screaming and yelling at them while being ripped from there beds with guns in their faces, I want to say Thank You Prescott Police Department for 'HELPING OUR CHILDREN'! Oh but don’t worry because as I quote from the mouth of a child 'Don’t Worry We’re the GOOD GUY’S'”

I held off including the above comment until I could verify that it was authentic. Dawn Castaneda has verified that it is. And even more troubling is something else she said – she said her husband Gabe and she were arrested at Albertsons before the police executed their “dynamic entry” into their home.

A simple question for Mayor Kuykendall and/or City Manager Norwood
I ask a simple question: why could not the police have driven her and Gabe a few short blocks to their home and had them open it for the search? Perhaps Mayor Kuykendall or City Manager Norwood has a simple answer to that. Let us see.

Citizens – it is time to stand up
Our city leadership took the worst possible course of action in this case. Dawn Castaneda had submitted a letter of resignation accusing City of Prescott Administrative Director Mic Fenech of creating a hostile work environment.

The City wanted to get rid of a prickly thorn in their side, Dawn Castaneda, and protect Mic Fenech. Let us not pull punches; by city leadership we mean Mayor Marlin Kuykendall and City Manager Steve Norwood. Leadership starts at the top. If you believe these were acts of retribution, let your elected officials know what you think.

DNA fingerprinting traces global path of plague

NAU professors part of effort to rewind time

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Oct. 31, 2010) – An international team of scientists has traced major plague pandemics such as the Black Death back to their roots using DNA fingerprinting analyses.

Researchers from Ireland, China, France, Germany and the United States, including Northern Arizona University’s Paul Keim and David Wagner, have turned back the clock to examine the past 10,000 years of global plague disease events. Their findings regarding the plague pathogen, Yersinia pestis, will be published in an upcoming issue of the international science journal, Nature Genetics.

Keim, director of NAU’s Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics and division director of Translational Genomics Research Institute, said that while the plague is less of a threat to humans than at other periods in history, such as the Middle Ages, the current plague research can be applied to ongoing health threats around the world.

This type of DNA fingerprinting can be used to characterize both natural and nefarious plague outbreaks—which is crucial when a bacterium is used as a biological weapon.

“This work is more of a model for our control of epidemic diseases such as Salmonella, E. coli and influenza,” Keim said. “Plague took advantage of human commercial traffic on a global scale, just as the flu and food-borne diseases do today. Future epidemiologists can learn from this millennium-scale reconstruction of a devastating disease to prevent or control future infectious disease outbreaks.”

Tracking the worldwide spread of plague required identifying mutations in as many strains as possible. But transferring live bacterium across country boundaries is highly regulated and difficult due to its potential danger, presenting a challenge to scientists.

To make this research possible, the team devised an innovative research strategy of decentralized experiments where scientists in worldwide locations worked with one or several of 17 complete plague whole genome sequences. By electronically combining all of the research data, the team identified hundreds of variable sites in the DNA while assembling one of the largest dispersed global collections of plague isolates. That data was used to reconstruct the spread of plague pandemics, calculate the age of different waves of outbreak and was linked to descriptions in the historical record to better explain the current existence of plague.

The results serve as a map of how the plague made its way around the globe.

Their collaborative research determined that the plague pathogen originated in or near China where it has evolved and emerged multiple times to cause global pandemics. The international team also identified unique mutations in country-specific plague lineages.

Tracing its evolution, the plague spread over various historical trade routes as early as the 15th century. Chinese admiral and explorer Zheng He’s travels may have taken the plague to central Africa. The Silk Road, which led from China to Western Asia and on to Europe as described by Marco Polo, also may have served as an avenue for disease. The latest plague pandemic of the late 1800s still persists today in wild rodents throughout the western United States.

“The plague found its way to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century through multiple port cities by infected ship-borne rats,” said Wagner, assistant professor of biological sciences at NAU. “Based upon DNA variation detected from these comparisons, we determined that the original plague strains that infected the U.S. had their origin in Asia and likely made their way to California via Hawaii.”

While plague pandemics are something of the past, the disease has never fully disappeared. The bacterium remains ecologically established in animal populations around the world, and has resurfaced in Africa and Madagascar.

“This study gives one the exciting feeling that we are able to rewind time,” said Elisabeth Carniel, director of the National Reference Laboratory and World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Yersinia at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. “However, this should not lead us to consider plague a disease of the past. We are observing its re-emergence in countries where it has been silent for decades. Therefore, far from being extinct, plague is a re-emerging disease.”

The scientists’ research, “Yersinia pestis genome sequencing identifies patterns of global phylogenic diversity,” is available through advance online publication at the Nature Genetics website.