Rep. David Cook has always fought to protect the interests of the residents of Pinal and Gila counties, whether by securing resources to build roads or to develop water supplies, and we are ve…
I started out as an assistant in a mom-and-pop textile mill. It’s been some years now. I worked my way to second in charge.
No clown car for the Three Stooges. Larry, Moe and Curly pull up to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in a 1937 DeSoto.
In today’s government, especially at the local level, the demand for enhanced services and reduced taxes remains the standard bearer. As city leaders, we must look introspectively into our daily actions and cast aside old actions that no longer serve the community purpose.
top story
ELOY -- Once a year, I’d head east on Jimmie Kerr Boulevard, turn off at Toltec Road. A block or two more and I’d end up at the Old Toltec Elementary School. Dick Myers would be there. He was there most days. Or so it seemed.
top story
CASA GRANDE -- Last December, we bought an Arizona yellow bell. We made it our Christmas tree, though it’s more of a bush.
Residents are starting to receive their mail-in-only ballots to vote on their 2030 city of Casa Grande General Plan. The plan is required by state law to be updated once every 10 years. If adopted, it will help to shape and manage Casa Grande’s future growth and water resource management, su…
top story
CASA GRANDE — Jim Dalton had a layover at Union Station in St. Louis. It was December 1943, well into World War II. Dalton, 18, was a sailor on a troop train. He had eight hours to kill and decided on a snack.
One thing this last year did was create a desire in people to get out in nature more. RV and camper sales have soared as people engaged more in the great outdoors desiring more personal space. The same has happened with land and non-HOA subdivisions. People want space and they are willing to…
It is a common error among people attempting to solve a problem to identify the symptom and offer a solution, without knowing what the actual problem is. Usually the solution involves spending money. An example would be a company has reduced sales and a sales executive decides that more must…
I recently shopped for paint at one of the mega-hardware stores. Enough to cover a plank for a gate falling off the hinges. A pint would do it.
top story
The question was: What kind of fish can you catch in a canal? So asked Andy Howell, PinalCentral’s assistant managing editor.
HOAs are a business anomaly. Anyone living in one knows that. They don’t operate like other multi-million-dollar corporations, and no two are identical. However, they share similar challenges and concerns, so let’s look at a few of the most common.
top story
CASA GRANDE -- Terri Topmiller was married to a Vietnam War veteran. The war was something he never got over. It was something she never got over.
Dana Allmond knows a great deal about living up to an oath. For four years, as a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy, she lived under the West Point Cadet Honor Code and by the West Point motto “Duty, Honor, Country”. Upon graduation, in 1994, she was commissioned a second lieutenant in the A…
February was a big month for health care.
CASA GRANDE — I hired on with the Dispatch in the summer of 2010. My job was to write feature stories. I preferred face-to-face interviews.
I would like to say that 2021 started off with a bang but really it is more like a crawl, at least in terms of available homes for sale in the city of Maricopa. Our inventory remains painfully low and homes that do come on the market are gone in a minute. It is very common for sellers to hav…
It is apparent to any citizen who cares about the success of our republic that it is vital to have two strong, competitive national political parties. Having only one party leads to dictatorship and more than two requires coalitions which are temporary and can be counterproductive. Currently…
top story
Arizona HOAs are nonprofit corporations, established by state statute and respective governing documents. HOAs must comply with various statutory requirements, primarily the Arizona Planned Community Statutes (A.R.S. §33-1801 through A.R.S. §33-1818) and Nonprofit Corporation Act provisions.
I’ve settled on my pandemic wardrobe. It’s not new, actually. It’s pretty much the same wardrobe I selected for retirement.
A fine man has passed. David Snider had many friends and acquaintances and was well known in the city, county and state. You will hear many people say wonderful things about him in the coming days. I was fortunate to have a special friendship with David that I want to share.
Rudy Giuliani started his public career as a real hero. As a U.S. Attorney, he investigated and prosecuted Wall Street executives who were corrupt. These were rich and powerful folks, yet Rudy showed no fear of retribution — justice was more important than personal safety.
I was lucky to land in a job I could handle with some competency. And one I like. Writing for newspapers.
If you drive a vehicle on public streets and roads it is very likely that you have violated traffic rules during the past few weeks. Perhaps you exceeded the speed limit, or failed to signal when changing lanes, or accelerated as you entered an intersection when the light turned yellow. Thes…
After having lived and served in the Casa Grande area for over two decades, I am still learning about the soul of our once small rural district. We don’t yet have the size or populace of the northern or southern Valley communities, although we are growing at an amazing rate. When I came to t…
When the impeachment trial of President Trump in the U.S. Senate ended with his acquittal, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine suggested that the president had now learned a lesson. Indeed, he had, he learned that he was exempt from punishment for any wrongdoing. Many of his actions since that day h…
CASA GRANDE — Here’s a fun fact: Over 80% of the New Year’s resolutions people make will fail by February (cue the “Debbie Downer” music).
It’s tempting these days to believe that once COVID-19 is contained, the U.S. economy will bounce back quickly, replenishing jobs and incomes lost in the pandemic. Yet there is an early warning sign that high-demand jobs may be hard to fill when the labor market fully reopens, even with mill…
top story
If you just woke up from a yearlong coma, you might ask: What’s with all the masks?
If the 2020 Maricopa Real Estate market could be described with a picture, there would be lots of fireworks and rockets. We started the year in what seemed like a normal start with a lower inventory and the expectation of an increase of inventory as January progressed.
We haven’t had a real Christmas tree for some years. By real, I mean the fir trees you pick up in a repurposed lot.
I have had liberal friends ask me in disbelief why more than 70 million Americans voted for President Trump. To answer that question, I use two analogies. Think about when you were a teenager and a good friend fell in love with somebody who you knew was wrong for your friend. You pointed out…
After more than 36 years of public service in the Arizona Legislature and Pinal County Board of Supervisors and being a lifelong resident of the Copper Corridor, I’ve seen my fair share of economic development proposals for our state. To form an opinion about whether a project makes sense fo…
Dec. 7 was to be my last City Council meeting. I had decided to retire after over 13 years serving on the Casa Grande City Council. I made the decision not to attend that meeting, having come in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID. Although we had been more than 6 feet apart a…
Welcome to lame duck time in our national government. Members of the House and Senate who are retiring or who lost their bid for re-election maintain their seats since the new Congress does not meet until Jan. 3. The lame duck Congress could be providing needed funds for small businesses, th…
We are in the middle of a contentious political competition involving executive orders. President Obama, unable to get his bills through Congress, used executive orders to do so. President Trump reversed many of those orders and it appears that when President-elect Biden is sworn in, he will…
In a shock to those of us who witnessed an extremely unpopular George W. Bush defeat John Kerry by 10%, followed by Barack Obama never getting within 8% of his Republican opponents, Arizona is now blue.
“Who’s in charge of my HOA?” Another loaded question! The answer: it has different levels and combinations of people and paper.
I have written this letter many times and finally have decided the truth needs to be known.
In days of old, we had the traditional Thanksgiving dinners. Mom cooking, Dad orchestrating and kids eating.
The once little town of Maricopa is growing up right in front of our eyes. The railroad overpass has changed the way we all commute around town and new commercial enterprises are springing up all over but so are new residential roof tops.
It would appear that a majority of American voters agreed with me and voted to deny President Trump a second term, as well as voting to maintain Republican control in the U.S. Senate. This latter perception is justified by the fact that, generally, Republican candidates for the Senate receiv…
top story
CASA GRANDE — It’s been a minute since I’ve written my column and that’s because, well, I didn’t have anything to say. Cue the laughter from everyone who knows me personally! But, it’s true. I’ve been doing a lot of observing these last few months and been on a bit of an emotional roller coa…
The K-12 public school system of the greater Casa Grande Valley encompasses the following school districts: Casa Grande Elementary School District; Casa Grande Union High School District; Sacaton Elementary School District; Stanfield Elementary School District; and Toltec Elementary School D…
A wonderful political advertisement went viral as millions watched it online. It was not broadcast in Arizona, since it featured the two candidates for governor of Utah. The two men appeared together on the screen; the Democrat wore a blue tie and the Republican had a red one. Each light-hea…
The Maricopa real estate market is trending upwards in available inventory homes for sale. As of this writing there are 104 active homes on the market. Even though this is still considered a low number of available homes for sale, it is about a 40% increase over last month’s active listings.…
top story
CASA GRANDE -- I went on a hike last Tuesday. That was a week before Election Day, which — if this column lands in its usual spot — is today.
top story
Following the death of Justice Ginsburg, there has been much national discussion about the Supreme Court. Several questions remain unanswered; what follows is an attempt to supply answers to those queries.
Picture, if you will, yourself on Nov. 3. Now take a deep breath and calm down. Are you ready to move on? OK, good. It’s election night, and as results come in from across the country, it’s becoming more and more likely that the entire presidential race will come down to who wins Arizona. Fo…
Trending
-
Man arrested after allegedly shooting gun around Maricopa neighborhood
-
Coolidge family mourns death of brother killed by woman driving stolen vehicle
-
Pinal supervisors declare wildfire emergency, then approve fireworks
-
Florence council members demand action on 'complete mess' on Hunt Hwy.
-
CG Police looking for suspects in CGUHS burglary