Hi everyone - I hope this finds you happy and healthy! :-) 

Please help spread the word - We at Edible Arrangements of Queen Creek / San Tan Valley are trying to help make one little girl's Christmas a little merrier - we are holding a Christmas Raffle in her honor! 

Raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.00. All proceeds go to Dylan Lindsay and her family - Dylan is a 7 year old girl with brain cancer her in our community.

On December 20th, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. a Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Jeep Cherokee at Martin and McRae Road, Coolidge. The driver of the vehicle refused to provide his identification, registration or insurance. The deputy recognized him from a prior contact as Jorge Flores (age 29 of Casa Grande). The deputy also knew Flores had an outstanding arrest warrant for false reporting to law enforcement. The deputy told Flores to get out of the vehicle but he refused. A physical struggle took place between the deputy and Flores. During the physical fight, Flores was pepper sprayed. Flores was able to get his vehicle into drive and accelerated away. The deputy pursued after him onto the Gila River Indian Reservation.

Pinal County sheriff lieutenant Kaye Dickson, has been named director of the county's Animal Care & Control unit.  Lt Dickson was appointed last Monday, after previous director Ruth Stalter, stepped down.

Board and County Manager are very appreciative of Lt Dickson's past service at the Sheriff's Office.  Her experience in law enforcement will be of benefit to the people of Pinal County and the staff at Animal Care & Control.

2010-2011 San Tan Valley High School Boys Basketball Scores and Roster Check back often for updated schools from all of our San Tan Valley High School...

It's been almost threee years since the last total lunar eclipse. Don't worry if you missed it last time, because it's back! 

The total eclipse will start tonight, December 20th, at 10:29pm but won't be obvious until midnight, says Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine. 

The best part of the total lunar eclipse will take place from 12:41am - 1:53am when the moon will be covered by the Earth's shadow.  No special equipment is needed to view the eclipse but a telescope or binoculars may help you see more detail.

On December 18th, 2010 at 11:46 p.m. the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a suspicious white Dodge Durango driving through the desert with no lights on near Sunland Gin Road in Eloy. A deputy located the vehicle which was now traveling northbound on Sun Land Gin Road. Behind the Durango was a green Chevy Cavalier. The Cavalier was following the Durango very closely and both drivers were on their cell phones.

A deputy stopped the Durango and began to approach it from the passenger’s side. The deputy could see several people in the rear portion of the vehicle attempting to hide. As soon as he contacted the driver, the driver gunned the vehicle and accelerated into the desert nearly striking the deputy.

Spice, K2, Genie, Ultra, Summit, Blonde, Yucatan Gold, Bombay Blue, Black Mamba: These exotic sounding names are just a few of the many brands of synthetic cannabinoids that are showing up in our community and around the nation. They are marketed as herbal incense and labeled "not for human consumption," but the products are usually purchased by teenagers and young adults who smoke the herbal/chemical blends to achieve a high that is similar to marijuana or hashish.

Wendy Wahl, Fine Arts Chair at FHS, has taken student artwork to the AZ State Fair for the past 10 years, and FHS usually wins a few awards, but this is the first time that EVERYONE who submitted won an award!.

To things even more exciting, Michael Trujillo is the first FHS student to win a Merit Award (Runner Up for Best in Show)!

The State Fair ran Oct. 15-Nov. 7 this year. The competition included student artwork from public schools, charter schools and home schools all over the state. The art was displayed in the first floor of the coliseum for the length of the fair.

EB on-ramp at Price Road closed at night through Dec. 23

The L202 EB on-ramp at Price Road will continue to be closed nightly as construction of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes in the median between I-10 and Gilbert Road continues.  Motorists should use an alternate route from 9 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 19) to 5 a.m. Monday (Dec. 20) and from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday (Dec. 20) to Thursday (Dec. 23). 

On December 16th, 2010 at 6:33 a.m. a Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to stop a Chevy Suburban in the area of Storey Road and Eleven Mile Corner, Casa Grande. The deputy had observed the vehicle speeding and driving recklessly prior to the traffic stop. The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued. As the driver of the vehicle fled, he drove very recklessly in his attempt to get away. Deputies lost sight of the vehicle near Tweedy and Randolph Road.

Arizona Theatre Company is pleased to be announced as the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Johnson Family Foundation on December 14, 2010.  The primary purpose of this grant is to build and strengthen relationships within the schools of Pinal County by providing unique arts and literary educational opportunities for the youth of Pinal County.  This grant also supports the fourth year of ATC’s AMERICA PLAYS! Celebrating Great American Stories initiative.

On Sunday, December 12th, 2010 Pinal County Sheriff Deputy Scott Abernathy was awarded the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) “Gold Medal of the Year.” VFW District 10 considers nominations submitted from all thirteen law enforcement agencies in Pinal County also Sun Lakes and Chandler for this very prestigious annual award.

Sheriff Babeu and staff announce they are now live with their electronic OffenderWatch® registered sex offender registration, management and community notification program.  OffenderWatch® will enable the Sheriff and all police departments and other management professionals such as the Courts, County Attorney’s Office, Probation and the US Marshal, to collaborate and share information in order to provide all law enforcement agencies all the information concerning sex offender movements, history and activities anywhere in the county or the state. Pinal County joins 15 other agencies in Arizona using OffenderWatch®, and soon, all agencies in the state are expected to be on-line.

First Lady, Michelle Obama launched a national campaign this year to help put a stop to childhood obesity. Today, her husband, President Obama, signed into law, a school lunch nutrition bill, that allows standards to be set, by the USDA, for all foods served in schools.

Mrs Obama said, "We can agree that in the wealthiest nation on earth all children should have the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow. Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children. Nothing."

Governor Jan Brewer today announced that the federal district court has granted her motions to dismiss the challenges to SB 1070 filed by Phoenix police officers David Salgado, Corbet Clack, and Paul Dobson and Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc., and the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders et al. The court also dismissed several claims filed by the United States against the State of Arizona.

Do your holiday shopping with our local San Tan Valley vendors at Rosas Ranch Holiday Boutique and be one of the first to tour this beautiful facility!  This is a great facility right here in our own back yard located at 7262 W. Hunt Highway, just around the corner from San Tan Flats.

The San Tan Valley Holiday Boutique is this Sunday, December 12th from 1pm - 4pm.

Come out and do your holiday shopping, while supporting our local businesses!  Why deal with the stress of travel, malls and long lines, when you can shop right here in your backyard!  We are even going to have Gift Wrapping available too!  So shop your local San Tan Valley Businesses for your Holiday Gifts and have them wrapped onsite. All proceeds from Gift Wrapping benefit San Tan Valley Little League!

This event will be FREE for the public to attend.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office was forwarded information from the Chandler Police Department related to an Arizona City man who allegedly had unlaw...

Registration will end today for our 8-week youth basketball league for boys and girls ages 7-12. Registration is just $30 per child and includes a jer...

Improvement project work will require a few restrictions along Phoenix area freeways this weekend (December 10 - 13). The Arizona Department of Transportation recommends drivers allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes while the following restrictions are in place:

On Thursday, December 9th, 2010 at 4 p.m. the Pinal County Regional SWAT Team was serving a search warrant in the 400 block of South Washington Street, Coolidge. Michael A. Thornborrow (age 47 of Coolidge) was wanted for questioning regarding the sale of methamphetamines and other offenses.

As SWAT members were arriving on scene, Thornborrow was seen running from his backyard into the trailer. SWAT members made repeated verbal commands for him to surrender but he refused. A short time later smoke and flames were seen coming from inside of the trailer.

SWAT members risked their own lives in an attempt to save Thornborrow but he refused to come out. SWAT members had to back away from the trailer because of the intensity of the smoke and flames. A short time later, Thornborrow began to yell for help and once again SWAT members risked their lives and pulled Thornborrow to safety.