Queen Creek Beat

Sheriff-elect Paul Babeu has named the two top commanders for the 800-person Pinal County Sheriff’s department.

Babeu appointed Chandler traffic commander Steve Henry to be the chief deputy. That post is currently held by Jeff Kirkham, a former Mesa cop.

Kirkham released a memo Monday that says he was caught unaware of the change.

“The Sheriff elect has announced my replacement via his website,” Kirkham wrote. ” … I was never given the opportunity to personally meet with the new sheriff …”

Henry is a Pinal County resident who holds the rank of lieutenant in the Chandler force.

James Kimble was picked to be the chief deputy of the jail. The jail is currently run by Terry Altman.

Kimble currently serves as the deputy warden of the central unit of the state prison in Florence. The facility houses medium and maximum security prisoners.

Babeu made the top officials in the department reapply for the jobs and said he wants his own command staff. The two selections are the first ones announced.

Babeu takes over as sheriff at the first of the year.

Queen Creek’s town council voted Wednesday to continue three general plan amendment proposals until March 18.

Applicants for the three proposals said they hoped to be able to present more specific plans for their sites to the council at that time.

The three amendments at question would pave the way for a housing development with some retail areas at Barney Farms, a targeted adult oommunity near town center and a mixed-use project in town center.

The PetSmart store in Casa Grande is offering pet photos with Santa Claus as a partnership with Pinal County to help its animal control department.
Photos are $9.95 and for every one taken, $5 will be donated to Pinal County Animal Care and Control.
The Casa Grande PetSmart is located at the Promenade Mall off of I-10 and Highway 287. The address is 986 North Mission Parkway.
Pet photos with Santa will be taken from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec.6, Dec. 13, and Dec. 20.
PetSmart has helped the county adopt animals to people for about a year, said Ruth Stalter, animal care and control director.
“They have been an integral part of our efforts to find homes for cats and dogs that wind up in our shelters,” she said.

Pinal County officials announced the 23rd annual Fiddlers and Bluegrass Jamboree to be held Jan. 9 to 11 at the Pinal County Fairgrounds.
Three days of music will be complemented by arts and craft bazaar, car show and tractor pull.
The car show will take place on Jan. 10. Scheduled are 27 different categories — from muscle car to trucks. Registration fees run from $30 to $40.
“It will be three days of non-stop music food and fun,” said Kent Taylor, interim fairgrounds director.
Gates open at 9 a.m. and close and close at 5 p.m. The admission is $4 a day.
“This is one of the largest festivals in Pinal County,” Taylor said. “It’s a great opportunity for food or craft vendors to display and sell their products to music and car fans each day.”
Taylor said the fairgrounds is accepting vendor applications for the jamboree. Arts and crafts, food and commercial vendors are being asked to participate in the event. Booths start at $125.
For more information on renting a booth or entering an automobile into the car show call (520) 509-3555.

Voters who are looking to avoid long lines at the polls Nov. 4 can cast their ballot at numerous locations throughout Pinal County.

County recorder offices in Florence, Casa Grande and Apache Junction will accept early votes.

“We are working hard to make voting a little easier for those who want to place their ballot before the general election,” said Laura Dean-Lytle, county recorder.

The three main locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

- The Florence office is located at Building E in the county complex in Florence

- Apache Junction’s satellite office is located at 575 N. Idaho Road, Suite 110

- Casa Grande’s satellite office is located 820 E. Cottonwood Lane

Some regional voting locations are open to the public at select times:

A San Tan location at 968 W. Hunt Highway will be open Oct. 21 and Oct. 25

A location in the city of Maricopa will be open at 19955 N. Wilson Ave. on Oct. 16 and Oct. 23

Call 1-888-431-1311 with any questions or (520) 509-3555.

The railroad spur on the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway near the Frito Lay plant will hold up traffic as the track is replaced and the road resurfaced.

The work began last week and will last for an unknown period of time.

Pinal County is working with the city of Casa Grande to maintain traffic flow while the area is under construction.

The rail improvement will be completed first. The new pavement will be put down after that for about 1.5 miles from the crossing to Ethington Road.

Road conditions can be checked on by calling the county’s information line at (520) 866-6078.

The San Tan Area Chamber of Commerce has invited all candidates running for Pinal County office to attend a forum from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The event is scheduled at  Walker Butte School in Johnson Ranch at 29697 N. Desert Willow Boulevard.

The forum is not set up as a debate. Each candidate will have three minutes to speak about their election platforms. The candidates can also set up a booth for their election effort.

A program for seniors to receive help from government agencies is scheduled for Oct. 11 in Queen Creek at the town’s performing arts theater at 22149 East Ocotillo Road.

The program will feature experts in elder care, fraud, identity theft and so-called “multi-generational” issues - such as the custodial care of a minor by a grandparent.

The program, which will run from 10 a.m until 2 p.m.,  will also offer two additional services for people of all ages: Personal document destruction to prevent identity theft and expired prescription drug pick up.

Pinal County officials say destroying expired or unused prescription drugs is a major push right now. The point is to keep potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals out of the hands of children and adolescents and prevent pills and other medicines from simply being flushed down the toilet.

A recent series of news reports have documented that trace amounts of pharmaceuticals have been showing up in the drinking water supply of major cities across the U.S. The Phoenix area tested clean, according to media reports.

The agencies participating in the event include Pinal County, Maricopa County and the town of Queen Creek. Representatives from the state Attorney General’s Office, Arizona Corporation Commission and the Social Security Adminstration will be on hand.

Food will be available to purchase and entertainment is scheduled for the event.

Banner Health appointed Nancy Burton the chief executive officer of a future hospital in northern Pinal County.

Banner Ironwood is currently under construction at Combs and Gantzel roads in Pinal County and is anticipated to open in late 2009.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the community that Banner Ironwood will serve,” Burton said. “It is an exciting opportunity to open and build a new hospital that will serve the growing needs of the southeast Valley.”

Burton was most recently the CEO of Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City. Prior to her experience in Arizona she was a chief nursing executive at St John Detriot Riverview Hospital and an associate adminstrator for patient care services at Henry Ford Hosptial in Detriot, Michigan.

Burton has a masters degree in heath services administration and a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The Pinal County public health department will begin providing flu shots to the public beginning in October, but they are asking people to begin scheduling appointments Sept. 22.

To schedule appointments for adults residents are asked to call 1-888-431-1311 during regular business hours. The cost of the flu shots are $15.

Walk-in flu shots can be done at various locations across the county after Oct. 1. Sites available to the public will be open in Apache Junction, Casa Grande and Coolidge, and other areas in the county.

Children’s vaccinations are not yet available. An information hotline has been set up 1-866-763-7252 to update people on that information.