BISBEE WIRE #86

editor: fred miller               January 25, 2025              #86/January 2025

Hello,

Lotsa goings on in Bisbee this month. I've captured a bit of it, but there will be more as we ease into high season. It is difficult to tell what is going on economically because of the mixed signals, Hopefully some of the stats below will help you.

Kudos to Jackie Oatman and Patisserie Jacqui for their James Beard nomination. More info below.

Wow! Can you believe how astounded and stupefied so many  people are at what trumpie is doing? I mean the Heritage Foundation only published Project 2025 (also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project) two years ago! C'mon there is small pleasure in seeing how disbelieving many of the talking heads and politicians are when the blueprint has been there for all to look at. trumpie is doing exactly what he said he is going to do. We're stuck and if one wanted to assess blame there is a ton of it to go around from progressive political groups, democratic party hierarchy, reporters, and many more. But why bother? More important is what to do now. Don't waste your energy bemoaning what is happening, you have no power.

   Local, county, and state is where it's at. There is no power in DC any longer. Support community organizations and pick issues that are broad,  I'll have a lot more to say in the coming months. In the meantime here is one specific to flex a little people power.

   Ali Morse is rounding up support to name Chief Deputy Recorder Heather Lopez, County Recorder. You can send an email to District 2 Supervisor Kathleen Gomez   kgomez@cochise.az.gov .  You can also request to speak or support someone like Ali who is speaking, at the county supe meeting Tuesday. You can do so during Call to the Public. You do not have to attend in person!  Speeches should be under 3 minutes and requests must be emailed no later than 8:00 AM Tues, 1/28. Go here for the form. You may also attend this meeting via Microsoft Teams computer or mobile app, or via phone by calling 602-609-7513 or 888-680-6714, Conference ID 104 097 20#. If you have trouble accessing this meeting remotely, call 520-432-9200 for directions.

fred

KBRP'S MARDI GRAS PARTY AT THE JONQUIL FEB 15

Put it on the calendar...It's a big party from 12-5 back of the Jonquil. Some of the best local music; Juniper Djinn, Fatigo BZB, the Rooks and more. Very good auction items, lotsa raffle stuff; former New Orleans native Mike Clements famous Gumbo (he owns outlaw Taqueria); The wonderous Eva (Jonquil) will be making batches of drinkies as well as MCing; I will be pouring your drinks along with Liz; Come out and support your local community radio station!

   Good things are happening with KBRP. In the next several months, some new DJs, maybe some monthly live music from our new digs, a table at the Bisbee Community Market, hopefully some remotes talking with you and at events, and lo and behold a strategic planning session to see if we can get the train out of the station. All in the works. There is stuff to do for volunteers. Drop a line to BisbeeKBRP@gmail.com or go to the website and drop a line.

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BISBEE MEDIA MENTIONS

Patisseri Jacqui

https://thisistucson.com/eat/tucson-chef-jose-contreras-james-beard-award-semifinalist-amelias/article_98a49906-d908-11ef-ad27-ff4fa032d7c0.html

Wills House

https://www.arizonahighways.com/business/wills-house

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UofA COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS LOOKING FOR PEEPS

The University of Arizona College of Fine Arts is seeking talented individuals to join our vibrant community of artists, educators, and scholars. Whether you’re an experienced professional or an emerging leader in your field, our open faculty positions offer the chance to inspire the next generation of creators and innovators. Go here for application.

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WORK ON HWY 90 BEGINS

For the next several months sections of Hwy 90 will be down to one lane as paving begins. Unfortunately the intersection of 92/90, the worst of the roads, will be the last paved. Visit az511.com for latest bulletins about road conditions.

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SV pool needs $800k work to become safe. That’s in addition to the $110k annually to operate the facility at Pueblo Del Sol golf course. The course and pool are now the city’s responsibility.

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DOUGLAS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY GETS SLAP ON THE WRIST.

The AZ AG has said that the DIDA violated open meeting laws by providing a faulty zoom link so the public couldn’t see the session, as well as hiring an attorney not made in public. The attorney was to defend the DIDA from granting Riverviews Dairy, a multimillion company operating in the county, a loan for $15 million. They have to go to open meeting law training

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

PATISSERI JACQUI IS NOMINATED FOR JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING BAKERY

Jackie Oatman, the owner of Patisseri Jacqui, and the staff are one of 20 semi-finalists for a James Beard award of Outstanding Bakery-the most prestigious food award in the US. It is an honor for this recognition. Looking through the nomination lists in all categories, Bisbee is by far the smallest city represented. (If you are not familiar with PJ's, at 91 Main, go here for more info.)

   Jackie has worked for six years to build her business.  She has expanded her product line to include savory as well as sweet offerings and creatively utilized traditional pastries in a new way. Along the way she gradually added employees that help her turn out superb pastries week after week. In addition to her staff, she is helped by her husband Tom Oatman who is generally the #1 gofer/supporter of the biz.

  This truly is a huge recognition for Patisseri Jacqui, but it also is big help economically for Bisbee because of this kind of national/international publicity our city will be a catalyst for more visitors that spread revenue around town, at lodging, restaurants, and retail stores, and the city gov also benefits from additional tax revenue.

   The Beard awards now encompass chef, bakers, restaurants, new restaurants, bars, bartenders, and more. Anyone can nominate a candidate or business in specific categories. For bakery, these are the criteria:

Outstanding Bakery

A baker of breads, pastries, or desserts that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.

– Eligible candidates must consistently sell goods directly to the public, but do not need a brick-and-mortar presence. Eligible candidates must have been in business for the pastthree years.

– A certificate is given to the winning bakery or outlet, and the medallion and a certificate are given to the business’ principal owner or general manager, or service director, at the discretion of the bakery.

(There is also a specific person category for Pastry Chef or Baker.)

  Nominees will be announced on Wednesday, April 2, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago

The selection process consists of Committees that meet after the open call for entries and recommendations close to review and confirm the eligibility of the entries and recommendations. The voting body, including judges chosen for their expertise per program, then review and vote on the entries to determine the nominees and winners, as applicable to each program. 

   The mission of the James Beard Awards® is to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.

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The long vacant Stock Exchange building has been sold to Mark Gray, the owner of Canyon Rose Suites. Hopefully when fully functioning it will add more vitality to OB viz district. He will be leasing 2 restaurants and bar as well as 13 office spaces upstairs.

  The two restaurants, one overlooking Brewery Gulch-seats about 65+15 bar seats, the other a bit below sidewalk level seats about 70 respectively. The stock exchange bar capacity is about 50-60 with about 15 seats, a few tables, and a stage. He said there is some interest in the spaces, but nothing definitive.

   The offices, which share common areas, will be leasing for around $500. It is a good opportunity for Old Bisbee small businesses. (Several years ago when I was on the econ dev committee, we made an initial effort to  attract Tucson and Phoenix businesses that needed physical office space with good internet service but did not want high city rent or walk in space, and did much of their work on the net. We didn't have the resources to follow it up unfortunately. I still think it is attractive idea and maybe the various chambers or biz organizations might have some leads for that )

(If interested in offices or the three other spaces, contact him at 213 364-2908.)

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The Table has been sold. The new owners are Lynn, who has worked there for several years, and Dave who has had some previous experience in OB.  The sale was for the restaurant business and not the building. The menu will stay the same but perhaps some new dishes introduced as they get more familiar with running the biz.

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Just in the nick of time before it closed, Bisbee Books and Music has been sold. The new owners plans have not been revealed as yet, but likely the operation will continue as it has been for the next few months while the owners get acclimated. More info here

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Omakasi Sushi, a new sushi restaurant in the former Thuy's next door to Old Bisbee Roasters, will be opening this Spring. The owners of the now closed Twisted Sisters Ramen in SV will be running the place. More details to come. (fyi Omakase is a Japanese phrase that means "I'll leave it up to you". It's used in restaurants to describe a style of ordering where customers let the chef choose the food)

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DEAL FOR ANOTHER YEAR AT BBC?

Freeport and Bisbee Breakfast Club are in negotiations to extend their lease. No info has been released other than negotiations are in progress . Significant public pressure has been exerted in an effort to keep them at the location in Lowell. Freeport remains committed to keeping Lowell in some form,most often they are cited saying they would keep storefronts in tact while removing remainder of the buildings. More here

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EVICTION FILINGS 23/24

There wasn't a great deal of difference between 22/23 but a noticible uptick. This is the number of suits that were filed to evict people from their digs.

Bisbee 12

SV…287

Douglas…26

Benson…25

Wilcox…19

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BUDGET VS ACTUAL FOR CITY FINANCES

Summary of General Fund Status:

    Overall expenses are at 46% leaving a $221,000 net revenue over expense. The General Fund has about $41,700 per month ($250K so far this fiscal year) being transferred to the Fire Grants Fund in the event a grant for a ladder truck is awarded. This will be $500K out of the General

Fund by year end that may or may not be needed, depending on the grant award.

   Visitor Center: Bed Tax Revenue is at 82%; expenses are at 62% leaving a net revenue over expense of $52,000. Expenses are about $30,000 ahead of budget projections for this point in the year. Although there’s enough revenue to cover this, the fund is required to stay below what was budgeted for the year. There’s currently $100K left in budgeted expenditures. One-half of the year’s salary and benefits add up to $49,000 so another $49,000 will be needed to get through the other half of the year. After the transfers to capital projects and internal services this leaves about $29,000 left for operational expenses.

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NEW DISCOVERBISBEE.COM WEBSITE

Ummmm, take a look at it, see what you think.

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HOUSE SALES

For the past seven year, with the notable exception of the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, about 9 or 10 houses have sold in December. This December with 10 sales is no different. As you can see below the prices of homes have gone up, but the spread of where people are selling/buying remains similar; sales occur throughout Bisbee.

   This months closes out the roller coaster of house sales this year, some months a few, some months double digits. With interest rates inching back up to over 7.0 for a 30 year fixed, it is a crap shoot to try and predict what the new year will bring.

 531 Santa Cruz Dr.  215k/315k/$205,000

611 W. Vista $209,000

708 Tombstone #210,000

3720 W. Cll 4 Rd  235k/217k/$212,000

103 Park Av. 225k/225k//$215,000

141-A Brewery 250k/250k/$252,500

409 Black Knob Vw 370k/345k/$318,500

543E Adams     $329,000

101 Brewery $339,500

826 Sims Rd A 350k/345k/$345,000

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BUILDING PERMITS

There was a total of $1,812,000 worth of building permits registered in December. About $850k of that was for work being done on the Letson Loft. However tossing out the Letson, permits were for about the same amount of work last December. But those two years far outpaces the previous five years. Some of that is due to the cost of labor and materials, but some was simply the volume of work has been greater. The number of permits have increased substantially year over year. In 2024 there were 103 permits versus 70 in 2023

SALES TAX (for sales two months prior; October)

The 5% bed tax brought in a bit over $20,000  in October, about $1k over the prior month. That is somewhat surprising because Oct. is stair climb month. In fact restaurant bar receipts were just about the same, $41k as the two prior months. Retail was down $4k compared to the previous month, but up substantially over the the prior summer months, as would be expected.

Food for home consumption continued to vacillate over the year; up or down $5k. Internet sales were steady at $26k.

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YEAR OVER YEAR...INCREASE IN VISITORS, DECREASE IN STUFF BOUGHT

These sales tax stats from ADOR, illustrate that visitation in Bisbee increased in 2024 over the previous year and also indicates visitors are spending of food and lodging and not on stuff. A $74k drop in retail is significant

                   2024                           2023

Bed tax     59,396                        $54,943

Hotel        $43,430                     $38,801

Rest./Bar $123,303                    $112,584

Retail        $314,638                    $386,868

FOOD AND BEVBIRD FLU SPREADS; CHICKEN PRODUCTION COMPLETELY SHUT IN GEORGIABird Flu continues to bedevil egg and chicken producers. Over 20 million egg-laying chickens in the United States were killed by bird flu in the last quarter of 2024. Unlike in past years, in 2024, all major production systems experienced significant losses including conventional caged, cage-free, and certified organic types. The USDA has  said it had spent $1.25 billion on payments to farmers since the outbreak started in 2022. Although bird to human cases have been found, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tallied only 66 confirmed human cases in the U.S. from bird flu viruses.The state of Georgia, responsible for about 15% of all poultry production in the United States,  stopped ALL production due to bird flu. Shortages of eggs have become common in markets, and egg prices have bumped up as much as $3. Expect eggs and chicken meat to get a lot more expensive, fast.+++++++++++++RAMEN REVIEWIf you like Ramen of various kinds, or maybe try something other than the ubiquitous Top Ramen, this Wirecutter article reviews some of the best.++++++++++++SURGEON GENERAL LINKS ALCOHOL AND CANCEROutgoing U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy outlined on Jan. 3 links between alcohol consumption and cancer. He noted that an individual’s risk of developing cancer from alcohol consumption is driven by a complex mix of biological and environmental factors.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States — greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. — yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Murthy said.

POLITICAL SHORTS.

Both major political parties are having some internal struggles. Statewide the dems elected a new chairman, Robert Branscomb,and  a new treasurer, Greg Freeman. Branscomb owns an insurance company and previously was a vice chair. Both were elected by wide margins indicating major discontent from the rank and file and that a change was needed because of the shellacking the dems took in the 2024 elections. There was considerable discontent about the lack of transparency in the party's finances also.

   Statewide repubs are set to select re-elect Gina Swoboda as their chair, but there is a fierce battle about who gets lucrative contracts from the party. Apparently Ms. Swoboda is not selecting some of the businesses that are favored by Turning Point, the organization responsible for the turnout in the past election. Both, however, show fealty to trumpie. The GOP (Grand Old Party) is gone and the republican makeover both nationally and in Arizona has been completed.

   Cochise County has elected a new chair, Theresa Walsh has replaced Elisabeth Tyndall,

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At the County...

David Stevens, CC Recorder, abruptly retired effectively at the end of February. His state reasons were for family and health reasons. By law, the new Cochise County supes will choose a new recorder from republican ranks. A new election in 2026 will be for filling the remainder of the two year term. In an article in Vote Beat, one of the new supes Frank Antenori was quoted as saying he was interest in not only the technical job, but also looking for someone to run in the 2026 election. Behind that statement was an acknowledgement of the strength of Anne Carl's failed bid challenging Stevens. Although she lost by several thousand votes, it is clear a good portion of that 2024 election was a republican sweep with no ticket splitting.

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Tom Crosby’s initial trial talks on two felony counts of obstruction the AG will apparently will begin the end of the month.

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At the Lege....

Republican state Rep. Gail Griffin, who famously doesn’t like limiting Arizona’s water demands, is determined to solve this problem by adding more water to our supply side.

She has introduced 20 water bills out of 61 that have so far been introduced. Bills sponsored by Griffin scheduled to be heard at next week’s meeting of the House Natural Resources, Water and Energy Committee, which she chairs: 10 Other bills to be heard at the meeting: Zero

Fred sez....How bout limiting the number of bills a legislator can put in? There are already more than 1000 bills in the proverbial hopper!

At the Supreme Courts...

AZ----The AZ high court will consider whether Republican legislative leaders have the right to challenge “dark money” disclosure rules created by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission under Proposition 211, the “Voters’ Right to Know Act,” which voters overwhelmingly approved in 2022. The court will also determine if a provision limiting legislative oversight can be separated from the rest of the law.

and...

You don’t have to be a lawyer in Arizona anymore to provide legal services in civil matters, thanks to a change from the Arizona Supreme Court, which authorized new “community justice workers” that can prepare documents, negotiate and provide legal advice under the supervision of a real lawyer, the Tucson Sentinel’s Natalie Robbins reports. Last year, the Supreme Court created an apprentice program allowing would-be lawyers who narrowly failed the Bar to work under the supervision of a lawyer, all in an attempt to increase Arizona’s poor population-to-lawyer ratio.

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National---The first attack of the year, but not the last, is on the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to ACA. The issue is the board that makes decisions mandating insurance companies pay for some preventative care that is objectionable to the plaintiffs. Basically it says that that board is illegal. "The new challenge is directed at a task force that decides which treatments are covered. It has determined that insurers must pay for, among other things, screenings to detect cancer and diabetes; statin medications to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes; physical therapy for older adults to prevent falls; and eye ointment for newborns to prevent infections causing blindness."

A federal district judge and fifth circuit court of appeals agreed that the way the task force was appointed violates the constitution. The two christian businesses and some residents petition said, among other things, that they

"...objected to some forms of preventive care, including “a highly controversial pronouncement that compels private insurance to cover all F.D.A.-approved contraceptive methods, including contraceptive methods that some regard as abortifacients.” Go here for the article.

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WHO BE THE ARIZONA LEGISLATURE?

This information comes from the Arizona Agenda, the best source of politics/legislation for the state.

There are...

90 legislators, 20 of them are new legislators. Republicans, some of them repugnicans, increased their majority in the last election

30 Senators repubs 17, Dems 13       60 House reps  33 repubs, 27 dems

District 21 Includes Bisbee the entire border area to west of Nogales, a section west of I-19 Green valley/Saurita, and a sliver into Tucson East of I-10 to Broadway

AZ-21 Senator Rosanna Gabaldón (602) 926-3424

AZ-21 Rep Consuelo Hernandez (602) 926-3523

AZ-21 Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (602) 926-3279

District 19 includes Douglas north past Safford and West to Green Valley, includes all of Sierra Vista

AZ-19 Senator David Gowan (602) 926-5154

AZ-19 Rep. Lupe Diaz  (602) 926-4852

AZ-19 Rep. Gail Griffin (602) 926-5895

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UNDERSTANDING THE STATE BUDGET

https://www.arizonaagenda.com/p/building-the-budget?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

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EASY LOOK AT 2024 ELECTION RESULTS AND ALSO A COMPARISON WITH 2020

A very detailed look at the 2024 elections results in percents and sortable by by zip code. Also can compare 2020 with 2024 For example Sierra Vista (both 85636 and 85650 combined) democrats in 2024 dropped 2% and repubs gained 4%; Overall a +6% shift in favor of repubs

............... WORD...............

Change a word by one letter:

Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of dry wit and the recipient who doesn’t get it. (one of my favorites of all time/f)

Good/bad ideas:

Good idea: Give her a bowl of irises. Bad idea: Give her Ebola viruses.

Change a movie title by one letter:

Four Weldings and a Funeral: A man attaches a set of rocket engines to his Chevy and momentarily achieves his dream of driving a flying car.

Two words differing by one letter:

The difference between genial and genital: It’s okay to greet your neighbors with a genial wave.

Cynical takes on platitudes:You can do anything if you want it bad enough. That is why we see so many people who can fly.

Song parodies about the news: To "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas":

Have yourself a gerrymandered district, Draw some artful lines; Make it look like 12 exploding porcupines. Have yourself a gerrymandered district, Slice and dice the votes: Safe seat, even if they catch you screwing goats. Once we'd choose folks who stood for us; "Go do good for us," we said — Threw out those who were abusing us. Now they're choosing us instead. Draw it up so you can't be defeated, Be you saint or heel, 'Cause John Roberts says that this is no big deal, So have yourself a seat no one can ever steal.