DANCING for Our STARS

The March 25 Dancing for Our Stars raised $175,426 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Sun Corridor with 547 people in attendance and more than 100 viewers who watched via livestream.

It was a dazzling dance competition featuring local celebrities paired with local professional dance instructors.

Dancers practiced for months leading up to the event to perform their routines in Harrah’s AkChin Casino Ballroom.

The top vote-getters were Louie Sanchez and Krisenna Hancock. Sanchez is the general manager of Walmart Supply Chain, Distribution Center, No.

7013. Hancock has been dancing since she was 3 and is a professional dancer at The Studio. The pair raised $30,348.

Other local celebrities included:

• Trey Davis

• Tena Dugan

• Lisa Fitzgibbons

• Kelly Herrington

• Dr. Adam Leckie

• Dr. Tracey Lopeman

• Ray Nieves

• Henry Wade

Next year’s event is scheduled for March 3, 2024. Watch for the countdown and details at www. dancingforourstars.net. Registration is open now.

N ow ! EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

July 5th

Events at the Lavender Farm

Life Under the Oaks Lavender Farm

Oracle

Life Under the Oaks Lavender Farm is located in Oracle and offers a variety of events and activities. Please check website for the July schedule.

520.444.4453 www.lifeundertheoakslavenderfarm. com

July 6th

Events at Throwback Family Fun

Throwback Family Fun

Casa Grande

Activities include arcade games, axe throwing, live music, birthday parties and more! Can host private events. Check the Throwback Family Fun website and Facebook page for their latest events. Open Thursday-Sunday. 520.635.6411 www.throwbackfun.com/events

July 7th

Learn about Arizona’s Geology

Pinal Geology & Mineral Museum

Coolidge

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Exhibits include fossils from all over the world, gems and minerals and children’s activities. The museum is located at 351 N. Arizona Blvd. in Coolidge. Summer hours: Open on Fridays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM in July. 520.723.3009 www.pinalgeologymuseum.org

Events at Ak-Chin Circle Entertainment Center

Ak-Chin Circle Entertainment Center

Maricopa

The Entertainment Center offers movies, bowling, laser tag, an arcade, parties and special events. See the Ak-Chin Circle website and Facebook page for this month’s featured events. 520.568.3456 www.ak-chincircle.com

Check

July 7th

Visit the Ostrich Ranch

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch

Picacho

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM

The Ostrich Ranch has an amazing variety of animals that visitors can watch and feed, including stingrays, goats, miniature donkeys, fallow deer, tortoises and lots of ostriches! Located by Picacho Peak State Park, just off I-10. Open Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM in May, June, and July.

520.466.3658 www.roostercogburn.com

July 8th

Florence Farmers Market

McFarland State Historic Park

Florence

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The market is held on the porch at McFarland State Park in Historic Florence on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Produce from local farmers, farm fresh eggs, meat, cheese, bread, sweets, coffee & tea, seasonings and many other locally made artisan products.

520.868.9433 www.florenceazchamber.com

July 9th

Biosphere 2 Tours

University of Arizona Biosphere 2

Oracle

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Biosphere 2 is a world-famous research facility operated by the University of Arizona and located near Oracle. The Biosphere 2 Experience allows visitors to tour the interior of the facility. This fascinating, family-friendly experience is guided by a mobile app. Download the tour app prior to arrival. Tickets must be purchased online. Open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

520.621.4800 www.biosphere2.org

July 13th

Visit the Arboretum

Boyce Thompson Arboretum Superior

6:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Discover Arizona’s first and oldest botanical garden, situated on 343 acres of scenic upland desert with nearly five miles of trails. See website for tours and special events. Located 4 miles west of Superior on Hwy. 60. Open 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM May through Sep. Closed on Tuesdays, June-Sep .

520.689.2723 www.btarboretum.org

July 11th

Yoga Dynamics

The Live It Well Place

Gold Canyon

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

The Live It Well Place offers a wide range of yoga, pilates, and fitness classes. Visit their website for the full schedule. They also have other integrative health services such as therapeutic massage and reflexology. Located at 6607 S. Kings Ranch Road in Gold Canyon.

480.388.9808 www.liveitwellaz.com/schedule

Eloy Lions Club Meeting

Eloys Lions Club House www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/eloy

The Eloy Lions Club meets at the Lions Club House, located at 107 E. 5th Street. Meetings are held on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM.

July 13th

Zipline EcoTours

Arizona Zipline Adventures

Oracle

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The Zipline EcoTour allows you to zip on 5 different spans ranging in length from 400 to 1,500 ft. and lasts approximately 2 hours. Open Thursday through Sunday by reservation only. See website for details. Located on Mt. Lemmon Rd. in Oracle.

520.308.9350 www.ziparizona.com

July 13th

Food Box Distribution Day for Seniors

Hope International Food Pantry Coolidge

8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Senior food box distribution takes place on the second Thursday of each month. Located at 1280 North Arizona Blvd in Coolidge. For seniors only, age 60 and up. Please bring your ID. Volunteers are welcome. Check website for general food distribution days. 520.233.6699 www.hopeinternationalfoodpantry.org

July 15th

Casa Grande Farmers Market

702 E. Cottonwood Lane

Casa Grande

7:00 AM - 10:00 AM www.casagrandefarmersmarket. com

Held on the 3rd Saturday of the month at the First Presbyterian Church / PCSO-Pinal County parking lot. Cost is $15 for a box of farmer-direct produce. Cash only. Market hours are 7:00 AM until produce is sold out. See Facebook page to confirm market details. Contact the market if you are interested in volunteering. Vendors please see website for info.

July 18th

Rotary Club of Casa Grande

Eva’s Restaurant - Casa Grande

Rotary Club of Casa Grande

12:00 PM www.facebook.com/CGRotary www.casagranderotary.org

The Rotary Club of Casa Grande meets on 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 12:00 PM at Eva’s Fine Mexican Food, located at 665 N. Pinal Ave. Visit the website or Facebook page for information on becoming a member.

Aug. 19th

Casa Grande Farmers Market

702 E. Cottonwood Lane

Casa Grande

7:00 AM - 10:00 AM

July 13th

Newcomers and Neighbors of Casa Grande - Meet & Greet

Central Meeting Hall Newcomers and Neighbors Club of Casa Grande

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

The Newcomers and Neighbors Club of Casa Grande is a great place to meet new friends. Activity and interest groups meet regularly and all-club events are held several times throughout the year. Learn more at the monthly “Meet & Greet” orientation meeting, held on the second Thursday of most months. Meetings take place at 408 N. Sacaton Street. See website for details. www.cgnnc.com/calendar

Held on the 3rd Saturday of the month at the First Presbyterian Church/ PCSO-Pinal County parking lot. Cost is $15 for a box of farmer-direct produce. Cash only. Market hours are 7:00 AM until produce is sold out. See Facebook page to confirm market details. Contact the market if you are interested in volunteering. Vendors please see website for info www.casagrandefarmersmarket.com

But when they go to fix that problem, the collateral consequences are not always considered. What you get is you get a system that we have right now where the vast majority of people, if I sat down and I went through every offense and told you what the consequences, most people would say that that doesn’t make sense.

For example, if you have two prior felonies and you sell one fentanyl pill, one, the presumptive sentence is 15.75 years in prison. If you kill somebody, if I pull out a gun right now and I shoot you between your eyes, a presumptive sentence is 16 years in prison.

Grande LIVING: A fairly recent change here in Arizona was the legalization of marijuana. What has that done for your office?

Kent Volkmer: For the most part, it’s not had an impact other than we have seen a dramatic rise in driving under the influence of drug cases. It used to be DUIs were primarily alcohol. Now the majority are non-alcohol related. They’re drugs or prescription drugs. Anecdotally, it feels as if in the majority of our fatal car accidents we find people had traces of marijuana in their system, and there is not a real good way for us to deal with it.

I think this year we’re actually focusing on a DUI awareness campaign where we’re really just kind of pushing the idea out to people. Because again, most people know, “Hey, if I have two or three beers, I probably shouldn’t drive. If I have a couple glasses of wine an hour I shouldn’t drive.” That’s sort of in everybody’s psyche.

But with marijuana, if I took a gummy, I don’t feel the effects as much. I’m fine. If I took my prescription medication, I think I’m fine to drive. And you’re not, and what’s happening is people are losing their lives and it’s becoming increasingly dangerous.

We have a lot of people on very few roads. If people are driving recklessly, or if their reaction time is compromised even a little bit, there’s this fallout of fatal accidents. More accidents and more serious accidents are occurring on a daily basis and more than we’ve ever seen before. And it coincides perfectly with the legalization of marijuana.

Grande LIVING: What about gun violence? Thankfully, we have not made national news in our area, and we’d like to stay that way. What can be done?

Kent Volkmer: So one of the things that I’m very proud of our community is how we come together. All of our chiefs of police, our sheriff and our office come together. We have a number of intel meetings that occur on a pretty regular basis.

We work directly with the Department of Corrections when we know that dangerous people are being released into our community. And a lot of agencies are being proactive saying, “Hey, we’re welcoming you back to our community. Don’t do stupid stuff. You’re not going to have issues with us.” And we’ve, we’ve been able to be very successful in being proactive.

All of our agencies have great relationship with our local schools. So when there’s an issue with the school, if there’s something going on, they’re very proactive about it.

Our law enforcement goes through active school shooter scenes. It’s basically a simulation where they say, “This is how we’re going to react.” So we’re doing everything we can to be prepared if it happens while simultaneously doing everything we can to prevent it from happening

Grande LIVING: What have we not covered that you’d like people to know about the county attorney’s office or yourself?

Kent Volkmer: So I think one of the things that we don’t always do a good job of as a community, as a county, as a state, as a nation, is we rarely celebrate our victories and our wins. Our county’s in a really good spot. Our crime is better than anybody else in the state, any big county in the state by far. Everybody loves Prescott, everybody loves Yavapai County. Their crime rate’s about one and a half times as high as ours.

Somebody who lives in Maricopa County is about three times as likely to be a victim of serious crime as our residents. Somebody who lives in Pima County is about four times as likely. And that’s the thing that I want people to remember.

There’s been a slight uptick since COVID, and we’re working on it right now.

The biggest issue we have is substance use and abuse. So we did an anecdotal, general review of the felony crimes that are being committed in our community. Right off the top, about 40% are the possession, sale or transportation of drugs. Again, marijuana’s not even illegal anymore. So you’re talking primarily meth, secondarily, fentanyl, and then cocaine is third. That makes up 90some percent of all of our drug offenses. So that’s about 40%.

Then felony DUI is about 10% of our charges. Felony DUI means that your license has already been suspended for a DUI and you get another DUI, or you have a kid in the car when you get a DUI.

So now we’re at about 50% of our offenses. And if you calculate those offenses that were committed while somebody was under the influence. And when you add those offenses, like property crimes that somebody burglarized a house or somebody burglarized a car to feed their habit, suddenly we are about 85% of all of our crimes

The criminal justice system is not the best avenue to deal with substance abuse issues. The only thing I can do is put them in prison, put them on probation or give diversion. There needs to be a solution that doesn’t come from me, that doesn’t come from the cops.

So I am pleading with the public to work on public health solutions and other solutions that don’t involve arresting, incarcerating our way to safety.

We arrest an addict, we put them in prison, they get no treatment or minimal treatment, and they come back out no better than they were before. But now they’ve been removed from their community. They have no job, they have no car, likely no housing. And quite frankly, they’ve probably alienated their family because most people who go to prison are between 30 and 45 and have kids.

Somebody else has to take care of their kids, which falls to the family or the public. When they get out of prison, mom doesn’t want to bring them back into their home.

What we have is people going in as addicts, not getting any treatment, not getting any help and coming out worse than they were when they came in with fewer resources, less community support, less family support.

So we need to stop using the criminal justice system as the dumping grounds for people with substance abuse issues and mental health issues.

If we can find a way to give them treatment before they get to us, that’s our best chance of getting them the help they need to be successful members of our community.

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