SanTanValley.com

Monday morning at 9:38 a.m. a bank robbery occurred at the "Wells Fargo Bank" located at 6607 S. Kings Ranch Road in Gold Canyon.  

During the robbery, a firearm was displayed by the suspect and fired inside of the bank.  Nobody was injured.  After obtaining an undisclosed amount of currency, the suspect fled in a white Ford Ranger.  

The 2013 Agri-Country Bluegrass Festival is shaping up to be a real toe-tapping good time.

The year’s festival will once again feature marvelous music, exciting entertainment, classic cars (Saturday only), super shopping and fantastic food.

Held at the Pinal Fairgrounds and Event Center on Eleven Mile Corner Road, this annual event is host to some of the nation’s top Bluegrass artists.  “We have brought in some major national acts this year.  It’s three days jam packed with great talent,” commented Executive Director Michael Searle.  “Whether you’re a long time fan of Bluegrass music or new to the whole scene, this year’s festival is not to be missed.”

Dear fellow Pinal County residents,

I have received many emails and calls regarding a female dog named “Conan.”

As a fellow animal lover and proud new owner of a dog rescued at our shelter, I was also concerned about her welfare.

Freedom is supposed to be the cornerstone of our American Value System.  These freedoms should resonate with every aspect of our lives, whether professional or private.  These freedoms have eroded exponentially over the past decade, but Pinal County Government was not seriously affected, not until the bullying style of politics that Sheriff Paul Babeu brought with him.  

Pinal County Recorder Virginia Ross has selected Gary Hanby to serve as Chief Deputy Recorder.  Hanby will begin his new position on January 22.  In the meantime, he is relocating his family to accept this position.

Hanby has served in a similar position at the Coconino County Recorder’s office.  He began working for Coconino County in 1991 and has seen that county through the process of converting from microfilm to digital recording of documents. 

Pinal Partnership, a coalition of community, business, education and government leaders, will host a breakfast at The Property in Casa Grande, Jan. 18 at 7:30 a.m. The topic of discussion will be the formation of a Pinal County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

MPOs are federally mandated and federally funded transportation policy-making organizations for larger cities. 

County payroll deduction to the Arizona Public Safety Foundation represents a set-up for abuse of public resources in promotion of a private organization.

Two years ago an identical proposal came before the Board of Supervisors and was justifiably rejected.  At that time its name was Pinal County Justice Foundation.  

The Apache Junction Police Department’s Chief Jerald L. Monahan was appointed to serve on a national advisory board, the National Center for the Prevention of Community Violence (NCPCV).

Archeologist Allen Dart will be giving a free lecture entitled “Set in Stone, But Not in Meaning: Southwestern Indian Rock Art.” The Superstition Mountain Museum (SMM) will host the lecture on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 2 p.m.

With more than 30 years’ experience in New Mexico and Arizona and well known in archeology circles as the executive director of the Old Pueblo Archeology Center in Tucson, Dart will introduce his listeners to ancient Indian petroglyphs (symbols carved or pecked on rocks) and pictographs (rock paintings). This ancient rock art is claimed by some to be forms of writing for which meanings are known. 

On Friday, January 04, 2013 at 5:31 p.m. deputies from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence in the 21800 block of North Shooting Star Road, Saddlebrooke in reference to a harassment call made by one neighbor against another neighbor. While driving to the scene, information was updated by the reporting party indicating the neighbor had threatened to kill him. There have been ongoing civil disputes between these same parties in the past. When the first deputy arrived on scene, he went to the alleged suspects home which was in the 22100 block of North Shooting Star Road. As the deputy was walking up the driveway he began to yell “Sheriff’s Office.”