BISBEE WIRE #108...No Fair/local elections/around town/find a property owner/check a website/run for office/check a website/do something... Inbox
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editor: fred miller February 23 , 2026 #108/February 2026 |
Hello, As far as I'm concerned. it's not fair. There was a very disappointing council decision to proceed to accept the Fair bldg and locate a visitor center there. 6-1. Ms. Schumacher voted against proceeding. It was not a decision to accept the building, it was a decision to continue a process that would result in the city accepting ownership of the building. Not quite a done deal. It was disappointing in several ways. It seems that the Mayor and city attorney have relied more and more on executive session to avoid discussing difficult issues in public. This is one more example. There was no reason not to discuss the possible acquisition in public. If there were legal issues, those narrow issues should have been in exec session. But the pros and cons of acceptance of the building should have been public. As it turned out, it seems that the decision was made with incomplete information. And just to be clear, this isn't ragging on the council, this is just one of many important decisions that they have to make. If the information is not given to them, that's on the city manager, mayor, and attorney. (With the exception of Ms. Schumacher, I think the other council members should be more assertive in asking for information. The former city manager and mayor has had inordinate influence in not only the direction of discussions, but the topics that are to be discussed.) In the interest of brevity (relative!) this is a summary of what I see as the issues involved. >The council did not have access to the original deed that seems to say, according to minutes of a February 1, 2022 meeting on the museum's website, that the space is to be used as a museum. This needs to be investigated. If true, the building could not be sold or treated as a commercial entitiy. >The council did not have a 2019 engineer/architect's report that detailed a significant amount of work to be done. It is likely that some of that work has been done or planned, such as the purple glass sidewalk, but not all. The highest priority, according to the report, was securing the parapet to the adjoining wall and/or roof, securing bricks, and cover with a cornice.
********I'm learning how to use (and not use) AI so this was an exercise for me...I asked Chatgpt this: "What would be the cost of securing the parapet to a roof above or wall next door and installing a cornice to cover the work in an historic building?" The answer was lengthy but some costs associated with it would be::
This is obviously speculative, but in the absence of real information****** >There was no economic analysis of what happens if the museum volunteers retire, or they want to cease staffing it, what will be city employees role and the city's role? It is clear that the city will sooner or later end up running the museum and that will take staffing and oversight as well as operational costs. We're talking substantial dough here. >There was no discussion about how funds that were received by the museum would somehow land in the city's coffers. No public explanation, although there was discussion about how the the proceeds would pay for the building and VC operation. >There was an assumption in the council discussion that if the visitor center was moved to the Fair building, than all the operations/repairs/staffing of the building would come from the transient bed tax fund. However that fund is designed specifically to spend money to get people here; for marketing/advertising. In fact the fund has had over $200,000 taken from it to build a visitor center capital improvement fund. (Any money in the VC capital improvement fund should be returned to the transient bed tax fund since there is no building going to happen. And the visitor center should have a budget funded by the general fund.) >The council rejected an offer for the visitor center to move into a main floor space in the convention center. The very generous terms were $200 a month for two years, which included internet access, public bathroom access, window display space. About as cheap a primo space as the city will get. >The restoration museum has said little about what a working relationship with the city would look like.
There is a way out of the situation with the Fair bldg. I suggest that the city delay consideration of acceptance of the Fair bldg until early 2027. And vote to move the visitor center to the convention building. This is a very uncertain time.There is a leadership vacuum. We have two new people on the council who did not vote on the current budget. FY 26/27 budget hearings begin soon and, if ADOR statistics are any indication, there may be less money coming in than projected. We have an interim (although experienced) city manager. We won’t have a new city manager for at least a couple of months and likely not till the new fiscal year. City elections are in July with 4 council seats + the mayor’s office to be decided and won't be seated until December. If the Fair bldg is still available at that time, more information will have become available including; actual condition of the building, the city's operational plans for the museum, parking area, oversight, and more. And the city manager will have been in office and a new council seated. Regarding the visitor center...it can and should move to the convention center with those very favorable terms for two years. At that point a decision can be made about future locations. Moving the vc would not a big deal nor the time period. This decision would be a council that is listening to residents & businesses and acting in a prudent manner. There is no rush. fred
...............AROUND TOWN................ FREE TAX PREPARATION If you need help with filing your taxes, The AARP foundation offers free tax prep. They focus on older adults with low to moderate income. Appointments are necessary, no walk ins. Friday 12-4 pm and Saturday 9 am-1 pm. At the Senior Center, 300 Collins Dr. Go online at www.calendly.com/sierra-vista-taxes or 520 352-9514 for appointments. It is an efficient process, the tax preparers are friendly and competent. We just had our returns done and all went well. ++++++++++ CITY COUNCIL/MAYOR CANDIDATE PACKETS AVAILABLE This election is not perfunctory. The people elected will help determine how we proceed the next several years. Issues of an aging population, tourism marketing, infrastructure repair, law enforcement, communication with residents, and many others, immediate and long term, are critical to our future. If you have an interest in ‘how things run’, this is your opportunity to talk about how you would help govern our city. Election info is here. Register to vote here These offices are nonpartisan, that is candidates are not identified by party. The following positions will be voted for : Mayor (2 year, elected city wide) The following elected only by voters in that Ward. Ward 1 (mostly OB+ 4 year term) Ward 2 (mostly Warren+, 4 year term) Ward 3 (mostly San Jose+ 2 year term) Ward 3 (mostly San Jose+ 4 year term) Go here for a map of the three Wards. Pick up packets from City Hall, 118 Arizona St. Basic requirements qualified Bisbee elector
DATES OF IMPORTANCE February 21…earliest filing date March 23…last filing date April 6…deadline for candidate challenges June 22…last day to register to vote June 24…Early voting begins July 10 …last day to apply for early mail ballot July 17…deadline to vote early July 21…Primary election day ++++++++++ TAKE A SURVEY, COMMENT ON BISBEE'S GENERAL PLAN The doc that will provide the blueprint for Bisbee in the next five years can use your input. You can do that by taking a survey as well as attending a meeting to get updates. Take the survey here: https://arcg.is/1bvSLD5. The meeting will be held March 17, 5:30 at City Hall, 118 Arizona St. Go here for the doc to be discussed ++++++++++ HOW TO FIND LOCATION/OWNERSHIP OF A PARTICULAR PROPERTY IN BISBEE If you would like to know specifications of any address, residential or commercial, in Bisbee, go here for an interactive map that will tell you. Just plug in the address and a wealth of info is at your eyes; ownership, zoning, property details, layers, uses, lot size and more. Further, If you would like to see who owns a commercial building, get the address and owner from the interactive map and then go here to the AZ corporation commission, plug in the owner name. ++++++++++ CITY COMMISSIONS NEED PEOPLE One of the best things you can do is to help govern the city through the various boards and committees. It makes our city livable and representative. The city has several commissions that are volunteer and serve as advisory and decision making. Terms are variable. Most meet once a month or as necessary. (Would like to see a Tourism Advisory Board soon!) COMMISSION/COMMITTEE/BOARD OPENINGS
++++++++++ TUCSON CONSTRUCTION MAP Lots of streets torn up. Avoid probs, see the construction sites here ++++++++++ SCAM ALERT Residents of Bisbee are being alerted to a telephone scam involving spoofed calls claiming to be from Copper Queen Hospital. Criminals are attempting to obtain sensitive personal and medical information under the guise of hospital representatives. Copper Queen Hospital has verified that these calls are fraudulent. The callers request details like insurance information or Medicare numbers, falsely claiming to update medical records. ++++++++++ NEW BIKER EVENT IN TOMBSTONE A whole new kind of biker event be rolling into Tombstone in early October. Organizers and promoters of The Prowl, an event in Bisbee, will instead be introducing a new event that will make its debut in the Town Too Tough to Die, according to Matt Romero, organizer and promoter of The Prowl. The Tombstone Common Council approved “Live To Ride,” event, a three-day celebration of motorcycles planned for Oct. 2-4. (Seems like this will be good for Bisbee, get some of the overnight overflow, but none of the congestion and hassle.) Romero has stated that although the “Prowl” will not be held in Bisbee this year, he would like to continue the event in Bisbee next year. ++++++++++ BISBEE MEDIA MENTIONS Cheap City Dark Skies Deportation/personal story htps://longreads.com/2026/02/19/bisbee-deportation-vigilantes-miners/
If you find the Wire useful and the thought balloon appears with the question 'How can I help", one way is a donation that would offset the increasing cost of 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. ..............EVENTS............... Ongoing…Copper Queen Library events. Go here 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 1…Art/poetry/sounds, Chimera Gallery, 27 Main st.1-2 pm March 6...Ward 3 community meeting with council reps Trish Damon and Anna Kline, 5:30, Library Annex 519 Melody Lane. March 9…The vultures as purifiers, 5:30, Copper Queen library, 6 Main March 14…Return of the Turkey Vultures, lower/middle Vista Park, live vultures 9:30-11:30, drum circle 10:00, parade + Carrion Kid Dance 11:00, go here for info March 14…Tales from the Trash; a thrift store art show, Central school/43 Howell, 6:00 reception. March 17...General plan update meeting, 5:30 city hall March 28…Anti-Folk music fest, City Park on The "grand opening" on the 28th will include refreshments. March 28…NO KINGS ..............BISBEE ECONOMY.............. COPPER CITY INN CLOSED Copper City Inn has closed. It’s kinda sad for us because we put a lot of our energy and love into creating one of the premier places to stay in Bisbee. We owned the business for 16 years. Danielle and Chuck who bought the business from us, just decided that insurance and goods costs were high and getting higher and they wanted to close. To my knowledge the business is not for sale. The current owner of the property has made no decision about what will be done. ++++++++++ Warren Hotel for sale for $750,000. ++++++++++ Former Le Cornucpia for sale/lease for $735,000 +++++++++++ CITY BUDGET ABOUT TO BE CRUNCHED City department heads’ budgets are due Feb. 28, which should help staff begin outlining a broader visitor services budget. There will be meetings with the city manager and treasurer during early March and the draft budget will be released to the council and presumably to the public, April 6. Budget hearings, open to the public, are scheduled for April 13-16 ++++++++++ CITY JOB OPENINGS Personnel Director Equipment Operator Police Officer Firefighter/EMT Bus Transit Driver Bus Transit Manager ..............COCHISE COUNTY................ GOOD JOB OPPORTUNITY The County Election Administration Fellowship piloted through the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office allows for college students and recent graduates to work in county election offices for five months in a fashion similar to AmeriCorps. Participants get a $15,000 stipend and a certificate upon completion. https://azmirror.com/2026/02/03/arizona-has-lost-more-top-election-officials-than-any-western-state-since-2020/?emci=1cb3fcad-cf01-f111-832f-000d3a1f0e4c&emdi=18347dda-d101-f111-832f-000d3a1f0e4c&ceid=63448 ++++++++++ CROSBY TRIAL STILL ON, BUT MAY BE DELAYED AGAIN Supe Crosby seems to be trying every thing in the book to avoid going to trial. Another hearing is scheduled in April to determine if an investigator not on the case, was detrimental to his case. Sheesh! The article is here ..............THE LEG/THE STATE................ THANKFULLY, 1000 OF THE 2118 BILL SUBMITTED ARE DEAD Of the 2,118 bills introduced this session 1000 are dead(both record-breaking numbers) never having gotten a hearing. Do you think that legislators ought to be limited in the number of bills they propose? Fuckin A! For instance Rep. Griffin (LD-19/most of Cochise) is the prime sponsor of about 60 bills and is cosponsor on another 30. She likely has back problems from carrying so much water! ++++++++++ GRIFFIN KILLS ‘BALCONY SOLAR’ BILL A bill that would have opened up the door for Arizonans to install small plug-in solar energy systems on their back patios, balconies or backyards died in committee amid opposition from utility companies Tuesday. The measure would have barred utilities from requiring customers to obtain prior approval, pay additional fees or install additional equipment to use a “portable solar generation device.” Such devices, which can range between $500 to $2,000 have become a new area of legislative interest across the nation as President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin have rolled back incentives for solar, wind and other renewable energy initiatives. House Bill 2843 was scheduled to be considered by the House Natural Resources, Water and Energy Committee, but the panel’s chairwoman did not allow it to receive a vote. Chairwoman Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, said that was because of concerns from public utilities, though she still allowed for testimony on the bill. From the Arizona Mirror article ++++++++++ 20% OF ESA PURCHASES SHOULD HAVE BEEN BANNED A newly obtained Department of Education memo covering ESA spending from December 2024 through last September found that of 385,000 ESA purchases the department reviewed, nearly 84,000 were deemed unallowable. That's just more than 20 percent of all transactions that should have been banned.Some of the purchases went for:
Go here for the article ++++++++++ A PETITION FOR REFORM OF CORRUPT ESA VOUCHERS Last week, the Arizona Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union and Save Our Schools Arizona, a public education advocacy group, filed language with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office for a ballot measure that would completely overhaul the state’s school voucher system. (Go here to find out what is really wrong with vouchers) AEA President Marisol Garcia said that intent is to rein in the program’s exploding costs — the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, as they’re formally known, will cost more than $1 billion this year — which inevitably detracts from the state funding that is available for public schools. Public education advocates are hoping to convince Arizona voters to do what GOP lawmakers have so far adamantly refused to. The initiative, titled the Protect Education, Accountability Now Act, would enshrine strict eligibility requirements into state law. It would prohibit most students with families who make more than $150,000 a year from participating and bar the purchase of luxury goods with voucher money. (The income cap doesn’t apply to students with special needs.) Before voters can weigh in on whether to regulate the program, however, the groups behind the proposal must work to collect 255,949 voter signatures. And they have a little over four months to do that, with a July 2 deadline to submit them. (Arizona Mirror) According to communications with SOS, they are currently in a legislative review period, and will not be able to collect signatures until mid-March. Right now, they are directing everyone who is interested in signing or volunteering to bit.ly/ProtectEdAZ I'll keep you posted. ..............EVERYTHING ELSE.............. USE THIS TOOL TO FIND OUT IF A WEBSITE TRACKS YOU Go here for Blacklight, type in a website you use, in the lil box. Give it a half or full minute and you will get a report back on the website to tell you what it is doing with your information. (I put bisbeewire.com in and wallah! It’s all good.) This is what it does: Third-party cookies Is this website using cookies that track users around the web? Tracking that evades cookie blockers Is this website invisibly identifying your browser? Session-monitoring scripts Blacklight looks for scripts that record how a user interacts with a page. Keystroke capturing Is this website logging text typed by users, before they hit submit? Is this website sending data about users to Facebook? TikTok Is this website sending data about users to TikTok? Twitter/X Is this website sending data about users to Twitter/X? Google Analytics Is this website sending data to Google so it can advertise to I ts visitors? ++++++++++ A VERY GOOD ARTICLE ABOUT WHAT AI TO USE Like many, I have been diddling around with AI. Really basic stuff. This article details the pros and cons of the three major apps and acknowledges the huge jump in the way these apps are used. “Until a few months ago, for the vast majority of people, “using AI” meant talking to a chatbot in a back-and-forth conversation. But over the past few months, it has become practical to use AI as an agent: you can assign them to a task and they do them, using tools as appropriate. Because of this change, you have to consider three things when deciding what AI to use: Models, Apps, and Harnesses.” Go here for the article. ++++++++++ HOW TO GET RID OF THE ANNOYING GOOGLE AI SEARCH SUMMATION "If you don’t want to see an AI-generated summarization of webpage links when you use Google Search, you can type “–ai” at the end of your query. It’s an option WIRED readers highlighted under a recent article about scams found in Google’s AI Overviews. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using this nifty addendum over the past week, and I wish Google offered a permanent toggle with similar zapping capabilities. If you want to try this out, you can put any combination of letters or numbers attached to an en dash, like “–1” or “–z,” at the end of your Google search, and it works just the same," This is the Wired article ++++++++++ MORE SURVELLIANCE CREEP: PHOTO LOCATION The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have bought access to GeoSpy, an AI tool that can near instantly geolocate a photo with plans to use it in criminal investigations. Made by Graylark Technologies from Boston, the tool is trained on “millions” of images worldwide “enabling it to recognize distinct geographical markers such as architectural styles, soil characteristics, and their spatial relationships,” according to marketing material available online. In essence, it does the same sort of tasks an open source intelligence (OSINT) researcher or GeoGuessr player might do but automatically, allowing someone with much less or no geolocation experience to potentially figure out where a photo was taken. Go here for the article. ++++++++++ WHY DEMOCRATS ARE BEING OUT-ORGANIZED For anyone serious about electing candidates and the future of the democrat party, this is for you. Too many litmus tests for dems, to much ‘correct’ speech, too insular. ++++++++++ 50% PUBLIC HEALTH DATABASES MISSING INFO Researchers are raising alarms over “unexplained pauses” that have interrupted dozens of U.S. federal health surveillance databases covering vaccinations and overdose deaths during the second Trump administration. The breakdown is creating critical gaps in public health according to a study published on Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine. During 2025, nearly half (46 percent) of 82 routinely-updated databases managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) experienced delays or total cessations of new data, an interdisciplinary team reports in their new audit. The majority (87 percent) of the affected databases monitor vaccination-related topics, and most experienced data blackouts for a period of more than six months as of late October 2025. ++++++++++ UNDERSTANDING THE ECONOMY Go here for this illuminating article. ++++++++++ SOOO, YOU THINK YOU HAVE STYLE? LOOKEEE HERE! https://www.facebook.com/reel/4412587365676759 ++++++++++ A SITE FOR FILM FANS (and some good reviews!) .............. WORD............... BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN; A SONG ABOUT MINNEAPOLIS https://www.facebook.com/reel/2363328450776891 ++++++++++ WORD ODYSSEY 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.) When he was on his way out, Churchill commented that he was ready to meet his maker, but “whether my maker is ready for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” Touché. Laying on his deathbed, Karl Marx’s housekeeper nagged him to say his last words so that she could record them for posterity. His response? “Go on, get out—last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.” Well, the housekeeper had the last laugh because those turned out to be some pretty fine last words. And that’s today’s topic on Word Odyssey: famous last words. Some last words became famous because of their ironic timing. During the Civil War, Union Major General John Sedgwick chided a soldier for ducking from enemy fire, saying “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance”—whereupon a ball struck Sedgwick, mortally wounding him. Another general, the infamous George Custer, was just asking for it when, before attacking a Sioux and Cheyenne village, he bragged “hurrah boys, we’ve got them. We’ll finish them up, then go home for supper.” Sedgwick and Custer probably would have regretted their last words, while others, on their deathbed, have expressed regrets about aspects of their lives. The late great actor Humphrey Bogart said, “I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.” The most influential economist of the 20th century, John Maynard Keynes, said “I should have drunk more champagne.” Cheers to that! The English Colonel Francis Chartres should have had a lot to regret, as he was notorious in his time for being a despicable human being—a brothel-keeper who treated women terribly, a gambler, moneylender and all around bad guy. Humorist John Arbuthnot penned this epitaph for him: “Here continueth to rot the body of Francis Chartres.” As for Chartres’ own last words, the Earl of Chesterfield reported that when Chartres, as he lay dying, was asked about accounting for his life full of sin, he said “let us look forwards.” About his sins, the 19th century German poet Heinrich Heine observed, “God will pardon me, that's his line of work.” Voltaire, the 18th century French enlightenment philosopher, who was known for his skepticism about just about everything, including the existence of God, was highly critical of the Catholic Church. A priest came to Voltaire’s deathbed to convince him to foreswear Satan. Voltaire replied, “this is no time to make new enemies.” A priest suggested to the long-time Spanish prime minister Don Ramon Maria de Narvaez y Campos that he forgive his enemies before he died. He responded: “I do not have to forgive my enemies. I have had them all shot.” As you’d imagine, a dying person has time to ponder death itself. When asked if he thought dying was tough, actor Edmund Gwenn reflected, “Yes, it’s tough, but not as tough as doing comedy.” Physicist Richard Feynman proclaimed “I’d hate to die twice. It’s so boring.” You’d expect Oscar Wilde to have something witty to say on his deathbed, and he did. “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.” The French writer Rabelais announced his will: “I owe much; I have nothing; the rest I leave to the poor.” Lady Astor awoke briefly to find that she was surrounded by her family, and asked: “Am I dying or is this my birthday?” People can get a little crazy when they’re dying, too. Henry VIII’s last words were “All is lost. Monks, monks, monks!” Nobody quite knows what that was supposed to mean. But people also can be profound. The last line of the last speech of Dr. Martin Luther King’s was apt: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” The Book of Luke records Jesus as saying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” It’s never too soon to plan your last words for posterity. Et tu, reader? What would you like your last words to be? |
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