BISBEE WIRE #68/copper queen hotel for sale/houses sold /fire update/lotta shaking in the gulch/around town/biblical confusion in Alabama

BISBEE WIRE #68

editor: fred miller          February 28,2024              #68/February 2024

Hello,

There likely will be no estimate of the economic damage from the Main St fire for some time, but seems at the very least it will put a dent into city sales tax revenue  that will show up in two months, as well as affect employment.

There is a problem brewing up the Gulch. It involves a local construction company clearing land for building a few homes. In the process of clearing and getting the land build-ready, they are using a large jackhammer that has dislodged boulders that have tumbled down onto Brewery Ave, endangering passing walkers, bikers, and cars. Another potential problem is that the all day jackhammering is shaking the earth on both sides of Brewery ave near the building site, leading to fears of old houses shaking, possibly disrupting old pipes in the ground, and other problems. I was sent anonymous info, that someone was driving over one of the sites adjacent to the building sites without permission of the owner or any kind of easement. The City is looking into the sitch.

I'll be back all honey-toned whispering in your ear on KBRP on Friday March 1 and then every other Friday at 10 am on Mike Thornton's KRBP magazine. We have a time talking bout the nooz, the shenanigans, local stuff of interest, some of which is in the Wire some not. Give a listen or you can catch the show in the archives on the website.

I appreciate the best wishes from many people as I continue to recuperate from back surgery. Although I have several months more before I can once again play golf or do the usual gardening, I am walking about a mile a day and only carry a cane for possibly unstable ground. I try to follow instructions not to bend, lift or twist (BLT), but occasionally I feel the wrath of Anita the Vigilant, if I stray from the program.

Quite a few people ask about Charlie Parker. Four years +a couple months, he is doing well. This is a pic where he is alertly paying attention as I read him the proofs of the Wire. And you thought I didn't proof my copy, huurrmph fred

................​AROUND TOWN................

POLL OBSERVERS WANTED

Last Chance to be a Poll Observer for the Presidential Preference Election. Click below for the appointment form.  Please fill it out and return it to Headquarters by 10:30 am Thursday, Feb. 29th.  

https://mobilize.us/s/9ZvrSh

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GRIJALVA IN TOWN THURSDAY

Got problems with the feds? SS/IRS/VA/Immigration? The staff of Congressman Grijalva will be in town to help get it sorted, 1-3:00 on Thursday/29 at the library.

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FREE TAX HELP

Senior Center through April 13. In person appointments Friday 12-4, Sat 9-noon. Appointments here

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CENTRAL SCHOOL MEMOIR WRITING WORKSHOP

Venus DeMars and Lynette Reini-Grandell are offering a memoir writing workshop at CSP. It’s free, open to all, and it will be AWESOME!

Sunday, March 3rd, "Get to know your hosts" opening reception, 6-7 PM at Central School Project, with readings by Lynette and Venus.

The memoir writing workshop dates are:

Monday, March 4th, 6-8 PM,

Thursday, March 7th, 6-8 PM,

Monday, March 11th, 6-8 PM ( With Venus only),

Friday, March 15th, 6-7 PM, with readings of work by everyone who would like to read who takes the workshop. If you’d like to join us, please let Venus know via her email venusdemars2018@gmail.com

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KIDZ! MAKE FESTIVAL

March 23rd  10:30am - 3:30pm

Visit us at the MAKE Festival at Central School!

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THE BUZZ ON BUZZARDS

Fri March 8, Buzzard Bash, Jonquil Motel, 5-7pm. $5. Includes hot soup, music by local group Fatigo, road kill piñata. Fun!

Saturday, March 9, Bisbee Saturday Market, Vista Park. 9am- 1pm.  Processsion, kids activities, live vultures. Procession starts at flagpole in Vista Park at 11 am. Come join! Live birds will also be at the Copper Queen Library 12:3- -1:30p.

Sunday March 10, Vulture photos and art by Michael Montoya. Kafka Cafe, 12:30-1:30pm

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CHECK OUT THE BISBEE SCIENCE CENTER

Lotsa programs, stuff to do. Go here for info. Pie & Sky coming March 21 6-8

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SINGERS!

Come Sing With Us!  Bisbee Community Chorus (BCC) rehearsals Tuesday evenings 6-8 pm, at the Presbyterian Annex, 24 Howell Ave., Old Bisbee. BCC is a non-auditioned chorus with friendly weekly rehearsals leading up to a spring concert April 20 and 21.  Artistic Director is Nathan Darus, and our Accompanist is Timothy Dick. https://www.bisbeechorus.org/

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DANCERS!

Lonnie Mitchell’s dance lessons have moved to the Covenant Presbyterian Church Annex. She will have social dancing after the lessons in West Coast Swing and Salsa.  Only $5 per person.  More info: 480 586 5961

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MUSIC!

Go here for the weekly lowdown of who is doing what where.

These events are coming to our lil burg in the coming months. 

The Prowl Motorcycle Show March 16

Alice in Bisbeeland April 19 – 2

The last two weekends in April, Rita Verri will be producing her show “The Rhythmn’s of Bisbee 2024” six shows/Central School.

Mile High Music Festival 4/20

Riot GRRL Fest May 3 – 5

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APS/ELECTRIC PRICE HIKE

Over many objections from ratepayers, the AZ Corporate Commission vote 4-1 (4 repubs-1 dem) to hike residential rates 8% which means that sometime after March 8, your electric bill will be about $10 higher. That is on top of an 11% hike in 2022.

And if you have solar be prepared to pay a $2.50-$3 monthly  charge for your rooftop installation.

It was pointed out during public comments about the rate hike, that there was a 5% dividend paid out to shareholders of Pinnacle West Capital, the parent of APS (APS is the main economic generator of PWC). This despite the APS prez whining that the Pinnacle West stock was 'underperforming'. Gee when is a whopping 22% profit in 3rd quarter of 2023 underperforming?

Executive salaries for  Pinnacle/APS  as of 2022. (the officers are often serving both orgs.) Total compensation for a few execs...

Chair/Guldner $7,427, 143 (In case you would like to look at the stock trades of J. Guldner go here. He sold Pinnacle stock this month worth $1,145,885)

Exec Veep/general counsel $2,222,812.

Exec Veep/advisor $2,727,894

Pres/APS/Geisler $2,862,323

Get the picture?

Three of the five seats, 2 repugnicans (Lea Marquez, Jame O'Connor), and 1 dem Anna Tovar-who is not seeking re-election, are up for election this year.

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FTC FILES SUIT TO BLOCK KROGER/ALBERTSON MERGER

Nine states sign onto the suit in addition to two other states already filed suits to stop the merger. The FTC contends that the proposed merger would result in higher prices for consumers, lack of competition in the industry, and threaten workers with reduced wages. Go here for the article.

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GET THE DIRT ON YOUR DIRT

The  Bisbee/Douglas Voluntary Soil Remediation Program  is open to those few property owners who did not participate in soil testing before the program concluded in 2016. This includes:

• ~ 800 properties scattered through Old Bisbee, Saginaw, Bakerville, Warren, Galena and Briggs and ~ 500 properties in Douglas between E Avenue to the east, W. Irvine Ave. in Pirtleville to the north and County Hospital Road to the west. 

• Solicitation letters sent to eligible property owners and open house events were held in Bisbee and Douglas to explain and enlist participants.

• Sampling is expected to begin in the first half of 2024.Call the Soil Program at 520-432-5418 or 866-930-3244 to schedule an appointment. 

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WILLCOX, WEIRDER THAN BISBEE

An Oklahoma man hijacked a semi-truck carrying 10 Corvettes at a Willcox gas station. No, he didn’t want the Corvettes, which were valued at $1.2 million. He had just gotten out of prison and wanted to drive the semi-truck home, he told local police. (from the AZ Agenda)*********** BISBEE MENTIONS wtf...Indonesia news article on Amy Ross daughter?https://www.malangpost.net/bisbee-couples-musical-legacy-endures-through-daughters-talent/https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/2024/02/28/atlas-obscura-bisbee-things-to-do-2024/72697889007/and more on Amy Ross's daughter: https://www.myheraldreview.com/news/arts_entertainment/mckenna-breinholt-shines-in-the-american-idol-spotlight-recalling-the-legacy-of-her-mother/article_c1f90b36-d5c4-11ee-8d69-5bf394756bf9.html******** UNCLAIMED STUFF AUCTIONThe Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) will hold its annual public auction of unclaimed property items from abandoned safe deposit boxes beginning Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Items for sale include jewelry, coins, currency, teeth, and a variety of collectible items that have not been claimed by their owners after many years. Unclaimed Property Auction Online only at http://www.sierraauction.com Wednesday, February 28 at 12:00 p.m. until Sunday, March 3 at 5:00 p.m.This is a sample of the 1282 lots. Lot 117: Grouping of 10 Gold and Platinum Rings w/ Diamonds Weight: 45 grams total weight Marked: 18k, 14k, .950 Condition: Good Lot 324: Vintage leather seer skin zip pouch.Condition: Fair,Gold Coins, Lot 1088: Vintage Alaskan Cribbage Board Depicting an Alaskan Village Scrimshaw Scene Measures: 21 1/2'' L Condition: Fair. Piece has not been tested to verify if it is bone or ivoryLot 1243: Grouping of Misc. including: Garmin GPS, Monkey WrGarmin GPS, Monkey Wristwatch with Rubber Band, Super MarioNintendo DS Game, and Necklace Condition: Good/Fair- Unknown if GPS and Super Mario game are working, watch needs battery

...............BISBEE ECONOMY................

THE FIRE that destroyed the 28 & 30 Main St. buildings has disrupted other businesses on the same side of Main St as well as a few across the street. There is no set date for reopening the closed businesses. There is some structural and/or water damage to several of the adjacent buildings.  The city has allowed some businesses to enter their stores for a limited time to assess damage and rescue stock.

The following businesses are closed to the public either because of damage to the building and/or to the contents. However most of the closed businesses that sell goods have an online component that is fully functioning. 

Killer Bee Guy at 20 Main is closed temporarily. Pan Terra Galley at 22 Main had no structural or water/smoke damage but the building is still deemed to dangerous to be open to the public. La Dulce Vida at 24 Main suffered extensive water damage to the contents particularly Juliette's clothes, and likely some structural damage. They remain closed. The Letson Loft at 26 Main suffered heavy damage, they have hired a structural engineer and general contractor and will begin restoration, one of the owners has been quoted as saying it might be a year or so before they are back in business.  The Central School operated 32 gallery, was able to rescue most of the paintings and ceramics with minor damage. And 38 Main/Classic Rock Couture owned by Claire Harlin, has begun water damage restoration and continue to be closed to the public.  (Ms. Harlin is on the verge of breaking into the big time with her jackets being spotted on several celebrities. She recently opened another store in Tucson, and has signed up 40 stores that will carry her one of a kind designed jackets and other fashions.)

The latest, according to a press release from Mayor Ken Budge,  "Working with that team of experts has brought us the very special type of contractor that the city will hire and can do this work. It is dangerous work, and must be done carefully to get close to these buildings, take down what is unstable, and shore up the rest. I have heard about some of this plan which will include trucking in 15 concrete barriers, over 5,000 lbs apiece, that will be used at the front and rear of the buildings to hold in place the struts that will secure the walls. These will allow one side of Main Street to be open, downward traffic will use this lane and up traffic will still be in Subway. Also, all businesses on the far side of the street will be open and allow pedestrians to use the sidewalk."

And this from one of the owners of 30 Main, Anne Bush, who has set up a gofundme in order to deal with the devastating loss she and her partner have suffered.

"We also, unbelievably, had paused our insurance on the building temporarily to deal with a financial emergency. ... So, not only will the almost total loss of our building and all our furnishings and clothing not be replaced by insurance but the insurance covering other buildings destroyed or damaged by the fire will come after us, as will the City of Bisbee for the tremendous costs associated with the fire: the costs of fighting the fire, shoring up our building and at least two others, lest falling bricks injure pedestrians, and in our case only, structural engineering fees, and shoring up the inside of our building. And we will be responsible for cleaning up the debris and hauling it away; tons of bricks, ashes, etc. The City of Bisbee has been very sympathetic and helpful and we certainly understand why they need to get us to reimburse them for their expenses"

See fire photos here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/460686147450874/?multi_permalinks=2394561364063333&notif_id=1708231921

 and

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/new-photos-show-the-extent-of-the-recent-fire-in-historic-bisbee/

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COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS

Commercial buildings sales while not moribund seem stagnant. A few new listings, most significantly is the 48 room Copper Queen Hotel ($12,500,000!(if only a chain with a boutique brand would buy the CQ!). Another new listing for the Art Home building at 79 Main ($625,000).

There are several buildings that have been for sale for months including; Santiagos/San Ramon ($1,670,000), Grand Hotel ($3 mil), Acacia building ($800,000), Convention Center ($1,800,000), Stock Exchange ($1,750,000), Hermosa Vista (up for auction, $1,200,000), former Artemisia ($690,000), the storage compound on Cochise Row ($6 mil), Double P Roadhouse ($675,000).

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HOUSES SOLD

original/list/sold

226A Opera Drive

$299,000/$299,000/$287,000

buyer, Wheatridge CO

226 Opera Drive

$230,000

buyer, Tucson AZ

966 S. Coy

$325,000/$325,000/$299,000

buyer, Bisbee

840 Sims  Rd

$286,000/$286,000/$279,000

107 Bornite

$135,000

buyer, Bisbee

309 Park Av.

$229,000/$279,000/$279,000

609 Tener

$195,000

buyer, Bisbee

112 Graham Dr.

$189,000/$179,000/$175,000

buyer, Bisbee

426D Tombstone

$289,000/$289,000/$ 285,000

buyer, Phoenix

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BUILDING PERMITS

The number of commercial permits was up substantially although the dollar amount was only about $100k. The January report noted the $3,997,898 permit for the new city hall.

Although there were 39 residential permits, the value was  the lowest in nine months, coming in at $332,938.

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SALES TAX (The report is for actual spending two months previous)

The 5% bed tax collection was the largest since May of 2022, coming in at $31,264. Restaurant/bar sales were up substantially over the previous seven months, totaling $43,248. Retail sales continue fairly strong with 10 of the last 12 months more than $100k. Taxes on food for home consumption continue to vary about $10k month to month.

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ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

Jonquil Property LLC

317 Tombstone

Eva Rupert, Sterling Noren

Twin Dragon Studio and Landscape

36 E. Hwy 80

Milo Mietzner

.......

AUCTION

1372 Hwy 92

March 22, 11:00, County Courthouse

Beneficiary: Manmohan Singh

Trustor: Hermosa Vista Apts/Mesa

Original sum $750,000

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Congress has once again abdicated their main responsibility-passing a budget to fund government departments and services-and kicked the can down the road. Roughly 20 percent of the federal government — including the departments of Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Agriculture are now due to expire on March 8-instead of March 1.  The remainder of the government obligations is due to expire March 21.  Wow, such a deal!

There are people to blame for this including several Arizona house members who belong to the freedumb caucus.  At risk is delayed tax refunds among many other things like worker pay and services to us taxpayers if funds are not voted for.  If the house freedumb caucus chaos zealots have their way, these economic simpletons will continue to try and stop the government from functioning at every chance.

And there is a freedumb caucus in the AZ lege too led by that devout christian micro manager and troll farm operator senator Jake Hoffman. Sigh. Screw purple, how bout blue!

Since I've mentioned the house...this has been the most unproductive house of reps in decades, passing a total of-are you ready-27 bills!  Of course productivity in the house is no longer measured by legislative activity but by the accumulation of likes on social media and mentions in the most scurrilous extreme websites.

..............RESOURCES...............

NEWSGUARD IS A MUST TO TRACK MISINFORMATION

https://newsguardtech.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share

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THE ALABAMA CONFUSION ABOUT THE BIBLE AND LEGISLATION

Go here for an informative article about IVT, the legal ramifications of the Bama supremes decision that an embryo is a child, and the confusion that has erupted in the wake of that stupid decision.

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BILLIONAIRES BUYING ELECTIONS

'Guardian Angels' fund political groups and pacs. Four of the five most prominent fund extreme right groups, while one funds dems and progressive groups.

"Megadonors, who are considered to be guardian angel donors if they are a political group’s top contributors and account for 40% or more of its funds, wield considerable influence."

“There's been a sort of development towards larger and larger amounts from a smaller and smaller class of very big donors since Citizens United in 2010,” Vandewalker said. “Essentially, that's empowering those people in our politics over the millions and millions of voters who by majority rule are supposed to be controlling the outcome of elections.” 

Go here for the article

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HOW THE CREDIT CARD SYSTEM WORKS

The hugely profitable credit card business is detailed here

"Credit cards are insanely profitable, roughly four and a half times more lucrative for the lender than any other form of credit. If you add up the two main streams of revenue, this industry generates up to $257 billion in revenue every year, which is about $780 for every man, woman and child. That’s a ridiculous amount of money for a payments system, far more than it should cost (and far more than it costs in almost every other country.) And as you’d expect, the reason for the excess profits is simple. Monopoly power and cheating. The American payments system is deeply concentrated, beset with unfair practices designed to sustain market power and hide true prices. As one industry consultant put it, financial institutions “hide the fees and the customers will still have to pay for them.”

The recent merger announcement of Capitol One and Discover is explained here.

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UNITED HEALTHCARE UNDER SCRUTINY

I've mentioned the problem I had with a postponed back surgery due to UHC taking too long to agree to cover the procedures. Mine is just one story of how individuals' lives are disrupted because of delays in agreeing to cover procedures or drugs.

For a Wall Street Journal rundown on an antitrust scrutiny of UHC by the FTC go here

An excerpt:

"UnitedHealth, based in Minnetonka, Minn., had $372 billion in revenue last year. Its insurance unit covers about 53 million people, across a range of plans including employer, Medicaid and Medicare coverage. 

After years of acquisitions, UHC owned Optum includes about 90,000 physicians, as well as surgery centers, an array of health data and technology units, and one of the largest pharmacy-benefit managers."Here are three more articles about UHC.https://justcareusa.org/united-health-now-controls-1-in-ten-physicians/https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/hospitals-are-dropping-medicare-advantage-left-and-right.html#:~:text=Among%20the%20most%20commonly%20cited,over%20their%20high%20denial%20rateshttps://prospect.org/health/2023-12-20-building-a-giant-unitedhealth

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A/K FOOD MERGER DEAD?

I've mentioned this newsletter before, BIG, it is well worth subscribing. In the current issue, there is a bit about UHC, but a longer article about the Albertsons/Krogers merger that is now being challenged by the FTC in addition to ten states.

Go here for the newsletter article.

..............COCHISE COUNTY................

JUDD TAKES THE FIFTH, CROSBY WANTS CHARGES TOSSED

This is reprinted from votebeat.org. Jen Fifield is an excellent reporter for Votebeat based in Arizona. Contact her at jfifield@votebeat.org.

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Court filings reveal secret grand jury interviews that led to indictments of Cochise County supervisors

An Arizona grand jury alleged that Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd engaged in a conspiracy and interference after the midterm election when attempting to expand the hand-count audit of ballots and refusing to certify the county’s results.

The two Cochise County supervisors who face felony charges for allegedly attempting to interfere with the certification of the county’s midterm election recently filed documents in court that give glimpses of the secret grand jury interviews that led to their indictment.

The filings by Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd, the board’s two Republicans, reveal how state prosecutors attempted to connect the supervisors’ ploy to expand the county’s hand-count audit of its election results to an alleged conspiracy to delay or prevent the county’s elections results from being certified.

The documents quote grand jury interviews in depth, providing a view into proceedings that, under state law, must be kept private. The filings were originally public records, but are now not available publicly after the state requested they be sealed. Votebeat obtained them from local independent journalist David Morgan, who got them before they were sealed.

Crosby answered the grand jury’s questions in detail, while Judd invoked her Fifth Amendment rights and did not answer a single question, according to the documents.

Crosby also blamed Democratic Supervisor Ann English, who was at the time the chairman of the board, for the board’s failure to vote on the county’s Nov. 28, 2022, deadline to canvass, or certify, the election, stating that she didn’t put the correct agenda item on the agenda. “I didn’t delay,” Crosby told the jurors, according to his court filing, “Ann English caused the delay… She misagendized what was supposed to happen on the 28th.”

Meeting minutes show that the agenda item was to certify the election, as it was 10 days prior, too, when Crosby and Judd first voted to delay the vote. But the item did not include what Crosby had requested. Prior to the vote, Crosby wanted the supervisors to hear a formal debate between the Secretary of State’s Office and “experts” on voting machines. English said in an interview Thursday that, as chairman, she didn’t create meeting agendas — the board clerk does.

Hearing from Votebeat that these two filings, which provide short snippets of a 293-page grand jury transcript, were already circulating in the public, a spokesperson for Attorney General Kris Mayes said Thursday that the office is now going to request that the entire transcript of the grand jury proceedings be made public. Mayes, a Democrat, launched the initial investigation that led to the supervisors’ indictments.

Request for case to be remanded back to grand jury

The grand jury indicted Crosby and Judd in November for one charge of conspiracy and one charge of interference of an election officer, alleging they conspired to delay the canvass of votes cast and knowingly interfered with the Arizona Secretary of State’s ability to complete the statewide canvass. Both pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in December. A trial is scheduled for May 16.

Crosby’s motion to dismiss the case filed earlier this month, which Judd joined, presents their main defense: They believe state law provides them legislative immunity from prosecution for the conversations they have and their votes during supervisors’ meetings, because they act as the county’s legislative body. Legislative immunity was intended to apply to state lawmakers, and historically has, but Crosby and Judd say it applies to county officials, too.

They also deny any illegal actions, claiming that their duty to certify the election results are discretionary. “There is no unlawful act let alone any conspiracy by Supervisors voting their conscience,” Crosby said in the document.

But if the judge decides not to dismiss the case, Crosby and Judd in the recent documents ask the judge to instead remand the case back to the grand jury because they say they weren’t given fair proceedings.

Witnesses called before the grand jury during a two-day proceeding in November included Crosby, Judd, a special agent from the Attorney General’s Office, and County Attorney Brian McIntyre, according to Judd’s filing. The transcript of the proceedings are 293 pages, according to Judd’s filing, and not public — at least for now.

The supervisors believe the state should have informed grand jurors of what they believe to be the supervisors’ legislative immunity and should have better informed the jury about the law on supervisors’ role in certifying the election. Judd also says that the state didn’t properly inform the grand jurors of her Fifth Amendment rights.

Their other main complaint is with McIntyre’s testimony, which they felt was opinionated and shouldn’t be taken as evidence. McIntyre, a Republican, advised the supervisors in November 2022 not to expand the hand-count audit and to certify the election on time.

During grand jury proceedings, Crosby said, the state allowed “misleading testimony regarding the character and aim of the hand count, infra, to further its baseless conspiracy theory that the hand count was pursued to intentionally interfere with the Secretary of State’s duty to canvass the election.”

Crosby alleges that McIntyre gave testimony to the grand jury that was full of “his baseless opinions on the law in his effort to smear his own client.”

McIntyre did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Richie Taylor, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office, said the office declined to comment on the documents.

From hand counting to certification

The state prosecutors and grand jurors asked the witnesses many questions about how the effort to expand the county’s post-election hand-count audit of ballots unfolded.

Cochise County supervisors were among the many across the state that faced pressure from GOP leaders and activists to conduct a full hand count of ballots, claiming without evidence that ballot tabulation machines were not accurate or properly accredited.

A judge ruled the day before the election, on Nov. 7, that the supervisors and recorder couldn’t perform a hand count of all ballots cast, since the post-election audit under state law only includes a portion of ballots. But the supervisors still wanted to expand the hand count, and took steps to prepare, even after the judge’s decision.

On Nov. 14, without voting publicly to do so, Crosby and Judd sued Elections Director Lisa Marra for blocking the expanded hand count. Residents filed open meeting law complaints to the Attorney General’s Office, saying that decision should have been made in a public vote.

Expanding the hand-count audit at this point, when the elections director was attempting to prepare for an expected statewide recount and with the supervisors’ deadline for certifying the election two weeks away, might have made it difficult for the county to certify on time.

Crosby implied that the supervisors’ hand-count decisions were what brought the grand jury to its conspiracy charge. He said in his filing the state used its witnesses to present to the grand jury “a truly ridiculous (and itself misleading) ‘conspiracy’ theory that the efforts to conduct an expanded hand count constituted a conspiracy to interfere with the Secretary of State’s duty to canvass the statewide election merely because of how long an expanded hand count might theoretically take.”

Crosby revealed new details about that time period in his filing, claiming that he and Judd had both decided independently, without speaking to each other, to consult the attorney the board chose to represent them, Bryan Blehm, during the same time period and both independently agreed to file the lawsuit against Marra.

He wrote that he was “relying on [his attorney Bryan] Blehm’s obligation to advise the board of any possible illegalities.” Blehm is a former family law attorney whose work in election law began the year prior to the midterm, in 2021, when he represented the Cyber Ninjas in the partisan “audit” of Maricopa County’s 2020 ballots.

Crosby and Judd withdrew the lawsuit against Marra two days after filing it, on Nov. 16.

They then voted on Nov. 18 to delay the certification, also called a canvass, of the county’s election results, until Nov. 28. At the time, Judd stated that she wanted the hand count of 100% of ballots to back up the election results, and Crosby voted to delay the vote until the tabulation machines’ accreditation was “confirmed by persons with expertise in that field.”

After the supervisors’ second refusal to certify the canvass again on Nov. 28, the Secretary of State’s Office sued, and on Dec. 1 a court forced the supervisors to certify, prior to the Secretary of State’s deadline to certify statewide results. But Crosby didn’t show on Dec. 1, leaving Judd and English to cast the deciding “yes” votes to certify.

The recent filings do not provide the full picture of grand jury interviews. With the release of these documents publicly, Taylor with the Attorney General’s Office said the office believes “this means the entire grand jury transcript should be released and we are going to work towards that.” Taylor said he didn’t have an immediate timeline for when that would happen.

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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR JAIL PLANNING SERVICES

Cochise County has issued a request for jail planning services. Copies of the procurement may be seen here It closes March 28 at 4:00 at Melody Lane Building C.

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VID OF CC ELECTION SYSTEMS SOFTWARE

 Recording of presentation of voting equipment used in CC.

https://cochise.zoom.us/rec/play/mehXnIsCRHFQ-gEVIzPdXCgOAALjOEp23sWkfYPEPcrP7gYzsz3Ev1GNmQxemfWuqUkxZ3T-sfRMpFbw.srbu93KWj1NzSTCJ?canPlayF

Password: *13kZppu

...............THE LEGE................

THE WEEKLY

(This will give you an idea of the assault by anti-democratic legislators. Unfortunately many of these committees have already met this week. But there is next week!)

https://cebv.substack.com/p/cebv-weekly-february-26-2024?emci=a17811e7-bcd1-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=21503f57-ead3-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=12483701

Use your request to speak to register opposition or support. There are lotsa stinkers here. Micro managers forever. The lege as arbiter of what students read, free water forever for corporations, empowerment scholarships for all-at a huge cost to public schools and transferring the cost of private education onto taxpayers, unregulated gun shows, forbid sale of non-meat/meat, nix on protests involving highways/bridges/tunnels, limiting cities' rights to regulate housing, and lots more.

One of the tactics by repugs this year is to refer legislation to the ballot rather than going through the bill process. Jeez you would think they don't know that what the term  legislators mean! not I don't know why they be doing this, when the people speak on ballot measures, they try to ignore them anyway.

Jake Hoffman, one of the repugs who is in the freedumb caucus, is one of the more prolific bill writers. So many you would think he wouldn't have time to write them all.  Copy cat from ALEC?

Rep Gail Griffin, the-free water for corporations-queen, has several bills thwarting the AWA  in Douglas, as well as keeping that water free flowing for those corporations.

...............EVERYTHING ELSE................

ANTI VAX ORGS AND EXECS RAKE IN THE LOOT

Spreading anti-science info is lucrative. A WaPo article details a huge jump in donations to four major non-profits that spread medical misinformation about vaccines and COVID. Also documented was a substantial increase in salaries to the top execs (including RFK junior) and the establishment of a network of sketchy 'medical' info.

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JUNK SCIENCE SUPPORTS BANNING ABORTION PILLS

The anti-abortion movement has and continues to try and take away women's right to make decisions that affect their bodies and lives.

This is the but the latest attempt to ban mifepristone, a drug that can cause pregnancies to be aborted. Although there has been studies for at least a couple decades showing the drug is safe and effective when taken as directed. There is a case before the Supreme Court trying to do just that. The three studies that underpin the case have been retracted and that may or may not affect the ruling.

For a thorough explanation of why three studies were retracted by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the nonprofit research arm of the anti-abortion powerhouse Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, that published them, go here.

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BORDER SURVEILLANCE TOWERS

The border is covered electronically. If you would like to see the extensive network and location of border towers, go here You will find, Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS), Autonomous Surveillance Tower (AST), Integrated Fixed Tower (IFT), and Uncategorized. For instance there are seven RVSS around Naco This map was done by a private group, the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They also provide VR access to the border system of surveillance, including location of towers, license plate readers hidden in traffic cones. (The Markup is one of the most important newsletters informing us of how technology is used to change society. Often reporting on surveillance techniques used by corporations to extract our personal data. Well worth getting.)

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THE POWER OF NATURE

https://www.facebook.com/reel/397438216218127

............... WORD...............

An Oxymoron is two apprantly contradictory terms in conjunction with one another. Some very common pairings. (a tip of the hat to RC)

Found Missing

Open Secret

Small Crowd

Act Naturally

Clearly Misunderstood

Fully Empty

Pretty Ugly

Seriously Funny

Only Choice

Original Copies

Only Choice

Exact Estimate

Tragic Comedy

Foolish Wisdom

Liquid Gas

Alone Together

Jumbo Shrimp

Silent Screa