BISBEE WIRE #107/ looking a gift horse in the mouth/council-lotta talkin/Around town/ Future of tourism/economy/county border plans/Word
- fred
- 1 day ago
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BISBEE WIRE |
editor: fred miller January 29, 2026 #107/January 2026 Hello, It’s not a stretch to understand that this year and likely the next are pivotal to the future of Bisbee. That is why there is a vigorous and healthy discussion on Facebook, at council meetings, and between people about Tourism, the economic lifeblood of our community. Although the drop in 2025 bed tax of about 10% over 2024 (see below) is not the sky falling, it is a strong indicator of a problem. As is the proposed acquisition of the Fair Building. Given the cultural, historical, architectural, art, and environmental attractions in Bisbee, we do, and will, get a lot of publicity without trying. But publicity does not necessarily translate into visitation. Guiding visitors to Bisbee is a necessity since the end of the pandemic and rising economic costs have resulted in a far more competitive tourism environment in Arizona. As per the discussion at the last council meeting (see below) it is clear that the way forward is not clear. There is the old way that has been the focus for several years, primarily promoted by the now retired city manager; downgrading marketing/advertising and focusing on informing visitors once they are here. And there is a different way, advocated by many business people and others of using the bed tax fund for its original purpose to get people to come to Bisbee, marketing, while having a smaller service for visitors already here. Given the current conditions: a drop in visitation, rising costs, competitive environment, no city manager, no marketing, no clarity about a visitor center, a council/election year, I think it is time for prudence. I suggest the following for serious consideration by our city council:
...... Another non-profit is the Fiber Arts Guild. Check them out here. There are two foundations in town, The Bisbee Foundation and the Copper Queen Community Hospital Foundation that accept donations to fund their grant and scholarship programs. ..... I was remiss in the last couple of issues in not pointing out that the donors who funded the creation of the pickleball court and the refinishing of the basketball court in Higgins park as well as the Bocce ball court and children’s play area in Vista Park, were Sloan and Danielle Bouchever. Both have been active for many years in helping build Bisbee. Currently, Danielle works with Step Up Naco/Bisbee on providing workforce housing, and Sloan is the founder and Director of the Artemizia Foundation and immersive art gallery. I appreciate Anita reading this over, it has certainly cut down on the typos. fred ...............AROUND TOWN................ COUNCIL AGENDA 2/3 Go here for the agenda and background. Of interest: The FY24/25 audit by Squire auditors (hopefully someone will explain it to me); public participation in the General Plan Update; property sales of various parcels; 3 items about the bus system; and an exec session to select a company to perform a city manager search (why isn't this a public discussion rather than closed doors? So they are going to evaluate companies-why isn't that public?) ; and the next to final agenda item is to vote on the company. I think that there are too many executive sessions with the public excluded from participating or even hearing the discussion. And a bit of digging may prove that correct. At the very least the mayor and or attorney should explain to the public why it is necessary to discuss a particular subject in private. This is what I learned about executive sessions: Key Aspects of Arizona Executive Sessions
Employee Right: If the discussion involves an employee's dismissal, suspension, or salary, the employee can demand the discussion be held in publi ++++++++++ GOUGUET SUIT DISMISSED Nolen Gouguet, a Bisbee blogger, sued the city to get text messages between the city attorney and the chief of police. He had had a confrontation with the attorney outside a city council meeting and thought that the attorney called the cops on him. He attempted to get text messages between the two men but was denied by the city based on attorney/client privilege. Judge Richard Karwaczka upheld the city’s position and ruled that the messages were in fact, attorney/client privileged and not subject to public record requests. Gouguet had been accused of smelling like alcohol by the attorney, and the two men had previous verbal skirmishes. Some years ago, Gouguet won a $75k judgement against the city for harassment when he was in a confrontation with the animal control officer and two police officers. ++++++++++ SCHOOL TERRACE RD CLOSURE Feb. 3 Cochise County Public Works will be working on removal of rocks, on the north east side of School Terrace Road in Bisbee/Warren, on Tuesday February 3, 2026. A road closure will be in place, on School Terrace Road, from the intersection of School Terrace and Highway 92 to the County ROW just before Bisbee High School. Closure will be from approximately 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Message Boards will be placed this week to inform residents to detour using Bisbee Road during this time. ++++++++++ SING, SING, SING Bisbee Community Chorus started holding rehearsals for the 2025 Spring season on January 13. 2026, at 6:00 – 8:00 pm, at the Presbyterian Annex at 24 Howell Avenue in Old Bisbee. Open recruitment runs through February 10. ++++++++++ WARD 1 GETS NEW COUNCIL MEMBER Lori Reynolds was selected for Ward1 seat. A retired occupational therapist and 5 year resident, she has worked with Bisbee Holistic Wellness Center. She wasn't hesitant about voicing her opinions on a couple of important agenda topics at her initial meeting. A good sign. ++++++++++ MEDIA MENTIONS Copper Queen Mine History https://farmonaut.com/mining/copper-mine-bisbee-arizona-tucson-resolution-updates Dot’s Diner https://coppercourier.com/2026/01/21/arizona-hidden-gem-restaurants/ Neo-western town https://www.islands.com/2081600/america-neo-western-revival-getaways-2026-according-study/ ++++++++++ INCOME TAX DEADLINES Taxes are due on April 15, 2026. However, you can file an extension if necessary and have until Oct. 15, 2026, to submit your tax information. The IRS has not yet set a date for the start of tax filing, usually it is late January. Filing early is best. Go here for filing free with these qualifications.
If you have any forms, do not try to file for free. This IRS site has info about the new tax law Usually the Senior Center offers free tax preparation. Check here to find out when. ++++++++++ COCHISE COLLEGE JOY OF LEARNING SPRING CLASSES Learn to play the guitar, expand computer knowledge, crafts of all kinds, cooking, firearms training, bird id, beer n food, and many more. Go here for full schedule ++++++++++ GEM AND MINERAL SHOW IN TUCSON If you haven’t been, Go, It is truly amazing. Composed of several shows, some of which are for wholesale only, the free market with thousands of dealers, is on the west side of I-10 between Congress and 22Nd. If they still allow it park at the convention center, go to western most end of the lot, park, walk under I’10 on Cushing street and start looking. The African Village is up over a block from where Cushing dead ends over a walkway, it’s worth going to. Go here for all the info. Go here for places to eat. ++++++++++ THE BISBEE FOUNDATION GRANT/SCHOLARSHIPS CYCLE TBF grant cycle is now open for Bisbee/Naco residents. Scholarship applications due March 1 and grant applications due April 1. Go here for details. ++++++++++ FOUNDATION FOR S. AZ HAS GRANTS/SCHOLARSHIPS CFSA has scholarships available for Cochise County students. Also grants for Cochise County artists and LGBTQ+ related projects. Go here for details. ++++++++++ HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW Linda Ly has a very useful website for gardeners. for Articles about seeds, fertilizers, what to plant, raising chickens, soil, worms, tools, techniques, products, and more. Go here The terms “growing zone,” “USDA zone,” “gardening zone,” and “planting zone” all refer to hardiness ratings from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), which divides North America into 13 growing zones based on their average lowest temperatures in winter.Find your grow zone here Among the many articles is one on making your own seed starting mix, comparing it with commercial mixes. Go here And if you would like to find the frost date, go here ..............EVENTS............... Friday...Jan. 30 Vigil for Alex Pretti. 4-6 pm Douglas City Hall 425 E. 10th. candles, flowers, signs welcome. Revitalize not Militarize our communities. Saturday…Jan 31 Moving casting…8-9am for extras to film this weekend for my feature film “Train Boy” about a ten-year-old boy who gains a mentor in a librarian, changing his life forever. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXTRAS, 6-13 years old (to portray elementary school age) LIBRARY KID EXTRAS 6-16 years old FEB 1st filming in Bisbee 9-10 am DINER EXTRAS, all ages, FEB 1st, filming in Palominas, 2-4pm The above roles are no compensation. If interested please DM or email me at http://ruralranchproductions@gmail.com Ongoing…Copper Queen Library events. Go here February 8...For the Love of Music, Women's Club, 7 Ledge, 3 pm. February 14…For the Love of Animals, cocktails & auction, $20, @Standard Waffle/4 Shearer 5:30-8:00 pm tix at Poco and Eventbrite, Friends of the Animal Shelter February 28...The great, really good, spectac, first ever! One & only KBRP Pickleball Tourney fundraiser!!!! 9 am-2 pm Vista Park, mixed doubles, 3 categories; beginner, intermediate, and advanced. To sign up text 402-304-8975 with name, phone #, and level. February 28... Fiber art show at the Carriage House Studios (308 Powell St. in Warren). Opening. Hours: 10-4:00. Free. Also March 1st and on Saturday, Sunday, March 7th and 8th. March 9...turkey vulture talk @the library March 14...Return of the Turkey Vultures, Yipee! Vista Park, live vultures, kidz parade, drum circle. at the market. March 28…Anti-Folk music fest, City Park March 28...No Kings demo, info to come... ++++++++++ f you find the Wire useful and would like to donate to offset the cost of news subscriptions, use the QR code for Zelle with my email bisbeewire@gmail.com or send a check made out to fred miller, 39 Hazzard, 85603. I would appreciate it, thank you.
..............BISBEE ECONOMY.............. MAIN ST. BISTRO TO CLOSE, BBC TO MOVE The former Contessa’s building, which has housed Mike Donahue’s Main St. Bistro for two and a half years is closing, according to his Facebook post. The building, owned by Christopher Brinkman, is under contract to Bisbee Breakfast Club, owned by Tucsonan Terry Kytes and family. BBC will be moving into the building. No date is set for the Lowell restaurant to move. Freeport McMoran owns the land under the landmark restaurant and has booted the biz because of unstable earth conditions on the brink of the pit. ++++++++++ COUNCIL MEETING: TALKING BOUT FUTURE OF TOURISM At the 1/20 meeting, the council in discussing two agenda items, was really making decisions about the future of tourism in Bisbee. It wasn’t billed that way, but that was the outcome. The council decided to rescind the offer of a contract for a DMO (destination marketing organization) with Bisbee Forward; hold a work session to discuss the specifics of a marketing contract; move toward accepting a free building and parking spaces with the intent to move the visitor center into that building. The twin agenda discussions illustrated the need to separate marketing from the visitor center in the FY26/27 budget. Kicking off the discussion, Mayor Budge said he had made a mistake by moving too fast and beginning contract negotiations with Bisbee Forward for doing the city’s marketing. He thought that criticisms of the negotiating process were correct and that according to the city’s procurement policy, the city needed to offer a RFP (request for proposal) and a RFQ (request for qualifications). The council then voted affirmatively on rescinding the offer to Bisbee Forward. A second lengthy discussion then ensued about the contract stipulations that were part of the agenda item for issuing a RFP. Several people, speaking against the proposed agenda item, mentioned that the contract was vague, did not define the services that the city needed for marketing, did not specify how the city was going to administer a contract. Beth Moorhouse, owner of Bisbee Brownstones, suggested a tourism advisory committee that would aid the city with discussions and recommendations about tourism issues. Cynthia Conroy of Bisbee Vogue spoke in favor of the contract offering. After public input the council discussed proposal for an RFP. The mayor’s position was to put out a contract to “see what was out there” and then refine a contract offering. Sort of putting the cart before the horse approach as someone mentioned. However, several council members thought there should be a work session. Some were in favor of a tourism advisory board or commission. Mayor Budge was seemingly chagrined that there was going to be a delay in the process. However, the council voted for a work session 6-1. There was a lengthy discussion about the second agenda item, a soon-to-be-proposed offer to the city of the Fair building (the 37 Main building houses the Restoration Museum) and the 10 parking spaces behind it on Subway St. and moving the visitor center into the building. Doug Dunn, a former council member and now on the board of the restoration museum, initiated the discussion and spoke of why it could be a good deal for the city as well as the condition of the building. I spoke against the city accepting it because 1) they own 15 substantial buildings including… 3 fire stations, police station, mining museum, Mulheim house, Camp Naco, City maintenance buildings, Hillcrest, Senior Center and Copper Queen Library. That is in addition to more than 140 small parcels, as well as 550 acres around the airport. And 2) the money for making repairs and upkeep of the Fair building would come from the bed tax fund. That fund which, is a revenue generating fund, was supposed to be for marketing to bring people to Bisbee. In a way that can only be described as ‘mission creep’, the visitor center utilizes a greater proportion of the budget than marketing. For instance, in the current budget, operating the visitor center costs about $140,000 while $80,000 is allocated for advertising. Another speaker, Amy Burkhart, talked of the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed for work on the Library/post office building to halt deterioration. She pointed out that building generates revenue (from the post office) whereas the Fair building will generate very little if any revenue. Mayor Budge told her that the Fair building maintenance would be coming out of the ‘visitor center fund’ whereas all the other buildings are maintained using money from the general fund. Ms. Conroy spoke again in favor of accepting the building, after extolling the virtues of Bisbee Vogue for a two of her 3 1/2 minutes. It was mentioned by members of the public as well as a few council people, that there were no engineering or architectural reports available to the council or public that would detail the condition of the building. Mayor Budge explained he had just received a list from the building inspector and that the fire chief had also inspected, but received it too late to make available to the council. During the discussion, it was clear a majority of the council wanted to accept the building. However, council member Mel Sowid brought up the issue that if the city owned the building, could they sell it ‘down the road’, if it became necessary. It was unclear whether there would be any restrictions. Councilperson Karen Schumacher said that there should be a structural engineer examine the building. She mentioned that talking to a couple of realtors, they said a structural engineer was absolutely needed to look at the condition of older buildings before taking possession. Mayor Budge said a civil engineer on contract with the city looked at it and found nothing wrong. Ms. Schumacher said that was not satisfactory; a structural engineer was needed. It was clear from the discussion that most on the council accepted Mayor Budge’s exhortation, “It’s a free building with 10 parking spaces! What’s not to like?” The motion to move ahead with negotiations to accept the building was passed 6-1. ++++++++++ THE BEST KEPT VISITOR CENTER SECRET IN BISBEE The big parking lot? Yep. Dale Turner, the lot owner, invited me to hang for an hour and see why he sees, talks, and probably gives more info to tourists than the current viz center. As it turned out, it changed my mind about the value of a visitor center. Saturday is the busiest day, and I caught Dale in the middle of giving customers a map, a postcard coupon to the mining museum, a postcard about Artemizia, an in-and-out pass for the lot, and a coupon for a couple of stores as well as talking a blue streak about what first-timers could do in Bisbee. In the short hour I was there, I spoke to about 30 people, plus kids. They were from Minn. Wisconsin, Sierra Vista, Tucson, Phoenix, Colorado, and other parts. Most were first-timers to Bisbee, although there were a few who had been here years ago. They heard about Bisbee in various ways, but many were WOM, word-of-mouth, or ‘I’m not sure’. Dale is not there most of the time, the parking lot is automated for payment at the small shed that serves for storage and a greeting porch for the lot. When the lot is full on Saturday, he rakes. During the week, he scrapes by. It is not the goldmine many think it is. It takes an awful lot of cars parking to replace the $130,000 he paid to resurface the lot and stripe it. It brightened my day to talk with visitors and be reminded of the wonderful place we live. And it is clear that a small viz center in the convention center where many visitors enter the town would be useful. ++++++++++ House Sales Eleven sales this month, continuing double digit. Five sales were all cash, four of the five cash buyers were from out of state. To my knowledge there have been no ‘corporations’ buying houses in Bisbee, unlike in larger cities. Address sell $$ seller buyer DoM Loan type 11 Moon Canyon $175,000 Oregon WI 65 loan 14 Black Knob $480,000 Bisbee TX 214 cash 1680 S. AV Q $416,000 Bisbee PA cash 606 Oliver Crl $299,00 Tucson Bisbee 71 cash Tbd Rio Vista $150,000 Bisbee CA 89 joint t. 120B Naco Rd $295,000 ME CA 120 cash 5 Old Douglas rd $248,000 Bisbee Bisbee 36 conv 85 Pima $305,000 CA Bisbee 68 VA 138 Graham $165,000 Bisbee Bisbee 1 loan 706 Shattuck $345,000 Bisbee Tucson 259 cash 32 Black Knob $204,900 CO Bisbee 99 conv .......... 121 2025 Houses sold 97 2024 houses sold 112 2023 houses sold 152 2022 houses sold >>>>>>> BUILDING PERMITS After November’s slow month of house fix-ups, December permits were robust, with 47 residential permits totaling $441,605, consisting mainly of replacements and upgrades, including electrical, plumbing, shoring walls, and, in one case, a room addition. Of the 13 commercial permits totaling $324,327, the county treasurers & election offices took a big chunk, $220k. The remainder were for utility upgrades and small remodels in a couple locations. The number of permits in 2025 has dropped considerably from the previous year, 162 permits less than last year, $1.2 million less. There has been only one permit in the past several years for a new house. All the other residential permits have been for upgrades, utilities, and a few renovations. Commercial permits in 2024 were significantly increased by the new Burger King and the Letson Loft rebuild. Accounting for the $3 million for that, totals 2025 were still significantly lower than 2024, but above 2023. As the chart below shows, 2025 permits totals and the amount of work done are below 2023 and far below 2024 which was the best year for permits. 2022 illustrates the back end coming out of the pandemic. Year R-permits Totals C-Permits Totals 2025 390 6,348,081 87 $4,383,454 2024 552 7,551,204 103 $9,554,049 2023 467 6,616,319 70 $3,085,800 2022 448 $4,682,844 51 $1,792,444 >>>> SALES TAX I’ve tracked sales tax data in several key categories from the ADOR (az dept. of revenue) reports since 2019. I get a monthly report and enter their figures into a table. They are not adjusted for inflation. The chart below indicates the years since the pandemic abated. I also chose it because 2022 was the first full year that the 5% bed tax was levied. (It was begun in March 2021.) The tax revenue goes into a transient lodging fund (misnamed by the former city manager as a visitor center fund) that is separate from the general fund. The general fund pays for city services such as the fire, police, and public works depts. The bed tax fund is supposed to specifically promote Bisbee as an overnight destination however, the bulk of it has been paying for a visitor center. And in this year’s budget the former city manager and mayor decided to take $400,000 of bed tax money and move it to the capital improvements fund. It’s a raid on the fund for a use not in keeping with the intention of the fund.) The bed tax is the quickest way to see whether marketing the city for overnight visitation is successful. As the chart shows, the bed tax was down -9.41 in 2025 compared with 2024. And down a whopping -22.7% compared with 2022-the year people began traveling again. The decline illustrates 2025 as a tempestuous year in which city marketing efforts were abysmal. The person managing the marketing had little experience, collected very little visitor data, and had poor oversight by the city manager. Looking at the ad buys-many bought in July/2024 and July/2025, they were bought seemingly by whim, ‘good ‘ad deals for random cities, and AOT selections. In fact, the city hasn’t much of an idea where visitors originate because of the lack of data collection. The hotel tax is a city business tax that should go into the general fund and is another indicator of overnight lodging and visitation. It generally follows the same curve as the bed tax. Bar/Restaurant sales does indicate visitation, but in a general way because residents also eat and drink at establishments. In 2025 B/R sales were -10.4% lower than last year, -2.1% lower than 2023, and 8.3% drop from 2022. Retail sales taxes are only partially driven by visitation. They have varied little the last three years; From a $10k/-.7% drop in 2025 compared to 2024, and a very slight drop, -.1% from 2023. Revenue comparison from 2025 with 2022 show a +9.5 increase. Since retail sales tax data for individual businesses is unavailable for competitive reasons, it is difficult to assess the percentages of types of businesses that contribute to the total. I would guess that about 1/3 of the retail sales tax is generated by small OB businesses and is tourism-generated. The bulk of the tax comes from the larger businesses that generate millions in sales; Safeway, Ace, B&D, the four dollar stores, and maybe CQ hospital and Chiricahua clinic. Year Bed/5% Hotel/3.5% Bar/Rest Retail Sales 2025 279,198 193,164 488,399 1,355,866 1st 6 months 1 0.5%)/last 6 9.6%) 2024 308,227 222,191 545,546 1,366,482 (10.5%) 2023 277,097 195,597 499,152 1,354,242 2022 361,613 272,578 532,794 1,238,022 (9.6%) ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION Soltero Worldwide LLC Jose Soltero 102 Taylor ..............COCHISE COUNTY................ CROSBY SET FOR TRIAL Supe Tom Crosby trial is set for February 9 in a Maricopa courtroom. He is charged with two felonies. He has requested that taxpayers pay his attorney’s fees of $300,000. No decision on that, although the county’s insurance company said ignored their advice, consequently no dice potential felon. In another of a series of desperate moves, Crosby’s attorney wants to subpoena two journalists. There are specific rules for that, but the attorney has, so far, not followed them. It looks like it is another throw cow pies at the court to see what sticks. Crosby has rejected two plea deals offered by the AG. Another former supe, Peggy Judd, was charged and pled to a deal last year. And at a supe meeting on 1/27, he tried to cut off the ‘call to the public’ comments of Ali Morse, which is a large no-no. The man needs to get gone, a felony conviction will do it. And a late notice this week that Crosby's attorney is ill and the trial might have to be set back until April. ++++++++++ COCHISE CRONYISM These two articles are a continuation of the “Big Takeover” series of investigative reporting, detailing plans created by the Project 2025 Border Security Workgroup and the individuals involved in crafting them including county Sheriff Mark Dannels. The series is jointly published by Cochise Regional News and Phoenix New Times. Part 1 Part 2 Go here to donate to Cochise Regional News ++++++++++ JAIL PROGRESS BLOG The county has released a new site for information about progress towards building the new jail. Go here for info. According to the preliminary timeline on the blog, procurement for design and building firm will be finalized early next year and construction beginning September of 2027 with completion and move-in about late December of 2028. ..............STATE................ USE THIS AG FORM FOR REPORTING ANY ICE ACTIVITY from the Attorney General’s office: Members of the public in Arizona should use this form to report (including submitting video footage or photographic evidence) potentially unlawful activity in Arizona by federal agents or personnel, such as officers or agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), or Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Independent evidence, submitted directly to our office, could be critical for future independent investigations into alleged misconduct. https://www.azag.gov/complaints/federal-misconduct ++++++++++ VOUCHERS TOP ONE BILLION BUCKS, 100,000 KIDS Roughly one in ten school-aged children in Arizona are now recipients of the state's universal voucher program. Concurrent enrollment for the Empowerment Scholarship Account program on Jan 20. surpassed 100,000 for the first time since its inception, according to the Arizona Department of Education, which administers the program. The milestone comes shortly after the cost of administering the ESA program reached $1 billion in a single fiscal year in late 2025. ++++++++++ SOMEBODY STOP THEM! Arizona lawmakers have already filed a record-smashing 1,300+ pieces of legislation so far this year. ++++++++++ LAB GROWN MEAT OFF THE TABLE Damn, dude: Republican Rep. Lupe Diaz is trying to make it illegal to buy meat grown in a lab, and he’s not messing around, per Capitol scribe Howie Fischer. Under Diaz’s HB2791, if you sell “cell-cultured protein” you could be sentenced to 18 months in prison. Fellow Republican Rep. Quang Nguyen offered a more tempered measure. His HB2762 would allow the sale of lab-grown meat, but it would need a label saying it was “derived from cultivated cells.” (Arizona Agenda) ..............EVERYTHING ELSE.............. USE THESE TIPS WHEN RENTING A CAR If it's a day that ends in Y, the rental car agent will try to sell you on the company's prepaid gas program, offering a tank of gas for a cheaper-than-average per-gallon price. But, naturally, there's always a catch. Here's why it's a bad idea to opt for prepaid gas when you pick up your rental car. More money-saving pro tips:
Being armed with receipts is your best protection against getting overcharged. (From auto slash) ++++++++++ RESEARCH WHERE CORPORATIONS SPEND THEIR MONEY Stop buying from companies that donate to politicians who vote against child welfare, education funding, and healthcare access. Good Unite Us https://www.goodsuniteus.com/brands/#/brand/freeport-mcmoran Open Secrets ++++++++++ IF YOU WANT TO MAKE AN IMPACT START WHERE YOU CAN Show up to school board meetings about budget cuts. Make noise. Organize mutual aid in your neighborhood: community fridges, supply drives, meal trains for families struggling. Consider running for local office or school board yourself, or support another mom who will. Make weekly calls and send emails to your representatives. Not sure what to say? Download the 5calls app and they practically do everything but dial the phone for you. Sustaining the fire without burning out….The difference between rage that sustains and rage that consumes is community and strategy. Find the right way to turn your anger and passion into lasting, sustainable action. Build your collective. Find your people. The moms who get it, who feel it, who won’t gaslight you into thinking everything is fine. Meet regularly, even if it’s just a monthly text check-in. Celebrate small wins.. One mutual aid network that feeds ten families. One town hall where you made them squirm. These matter. Set boundaries. You cannot be at every protest, every meeting, every action. Sustainable activism means knowing your capacity and respecting it. Create “action hours” in your schedule. When that time is up, step away. Remember the long game. Social progress takes time. The civil rights movement wasn’t a single march, and women’s suffrage took decades. Your children are watching, and they’re learning that when things are wrong, we don’t just accept it. We act. ++++++++++ REP CISCOMANI FEEDS CHARTER SCHOOL GROWTH Rep. Juan Ciscomani introduced legislation aimed at expanding funding access for charter school facilities, addressing what he calls a major barrier to growth for Arizona's 580 charter schools. The Equitable Access to School Facilities Act (H.R. 7086) would expand State Facilities Incentive Grant programs and allow state entity funds to cover more facilities-related expenses, https://www.myheraldreview.com/free_access/ciscomani-introduces-bill-to-improve-charter-school-facilities/article_ ++++++++++ MALL ART For the past year at least, anon artists have erected provocative art across from the national monument. They have a permit from the national parks service. The latest creation is a large B-Day card to Epstein with trump’s outline drawing of a nude woman. Spectators were invited to sign the card. The courage of these artists is a call to all artists to make resistance art. Here tis from an article in the WaPo .............. WORD............... BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN; A SONG ABOUT MINNEAPOLIS https://www.facebook.com/reel/2363328450776891 ++++++++++ WORD ODYSSEY Britt Hanson About words, their origins, and the stories behind them. (Former City of Bisbee attorney and Chief Civil County Attorney Britt Hanson wrote several columns about the origins of words or phrases, which appeared in the Tucson Weekly and the Sierra Vista Herald Review a few years ago. They are too good to be forgotten, so I will include them in most Wire issues.) Thank Goddess It’s Friggdaeg! Origins of Days of the Week Why are there seven days in a week? And those names like Tuesday and Wednesday, with their funning spelling: where did they come from and what in the world do they mean? Your inner nerd wants to know. The seven day week has been around for a long time, going back to Mesopotamia. Every once in awhile someone tries a different number of days—Julius Caesar thought that eight was better; the Soviet Union experimented with five and six; the early French Republic, when they weren’t busy lopping off heads, attempted to turn time into a rational decimal (ten-based) system, including the week. But over time the lucky number seven has stuck. Why seven? One guess is that it’s because the naked eye can see seven heavenly bodies that mysteriously move out of sync with the stars. The astrological thinking was that the heavenly bodies governed time; and the Romans did name the days after the pagan gods who were associated with these heavenly bodies. The seven Roman days of the week were, in Latin: dies lunae, the “day of the moon”; dies Martis, for Mars, the Roman god of war; dies Mercurii, for the wandering god Mercury; dies Jovis, for Jove, who was the big enchilada in the pantheon; dies Veneris, for Venus, the goddess of love; dies Saturnii, for the god of the harvest; and dies solis, the Sun god. In Spanish, Monday through Friday are: lunes, martes, miercoles, jueves, and viernes. These resemble the Latin names because Spanish evolved from Latin, as did the other Romance languages. Spanish-speakers will notice that something funny happened to Saturday and Sunday. Saturn and Sun got dropped, and replaced with Sabado and Domingo. Sabado is from Sabbath, the origin of which is shabat, Hebrew for “to cease” because it’s a day of rest. Domingo is rooted in the Latin word for Lord, referring to Jesus Christ, as in “anno domini”, the year of our Lord. But how about the English days of the week? The English calendar was adopted from the Roman calendar, but the Latin days of the week were transferred to the Anglo-Saxon equivalents. Dies solis became Sunnen daeg, or day of the Sun, shortened to Sunday. Dies lunii was transferred to monnen daeg, for moon day, now corrupted to Monday. For Tuesday through Friday, the Anglo-Saxons preferred their own gods. So the Norse god of war, Tyr, substituted for Mars. Tyr lost a hand during a trick the gods were playing on Fenris, a monster wolf. So Tyr was known as one-handed, and not a reconciler of men—the gods of war seldom are. In Old English Tyr evolved to Tiw, so the day became Tiwsdaeg, which is now Tuesday. The god Wodin was thought to resemble the wandering Mercury. Wodin was known as the god of the hunt, but he also ran a hall in which warriors slain in battle could carouse during the afterlife. Wodin travels the world in disguise, as an old man with a long white beard—sort of like a sad Santa Clause—and has lent his name to Wednesday. You’ve surely seen Jupiter depicted as raining lightning bolts from the heavens to frighten we mortals. In Northern Europe, Thor had somewhat the same job. So Jupiter got swapped out for Thor, and we now we have Thorsdaeg, which we modern English speakers call Thursday. The Germanic goddess of love, Frigg, took the place of Venus, so now we say “thank goddess it’s Friggdaeag”—or something like that. A painting shows Frigg spinning clouds, like cloth from cotton—a lovely thought. After three straight days named after masculine, war-related gods it’s nice to finish the work week with love. By the way, you might recognize the Germanic root “fri” in some other friendly English words, including friend and free. So we can remember Fridays with love, freedom and friendship—and happy hour. |
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