January 15, 2014 •
• Anthem
Vol. 12, No.9
• Black Canyon City
Postal Patron Cave Creek
• Carefree
• Cave Creek
• Desert Hills
ECRWSS Carrier Route PreSorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 371 Cave Creek, AZ
• New River
• North Phoenix
• Tramonto
Warden gives insight on local federal prison Carefree to charge for paper public records Eric Quade Editor
As one of three guest speakers Jan. 10 in Tramonto, Associate Warden Josias Salazar gave the audience at the most recent New River/Desert Hills Community Association meeting a little insight regarding the federal prison tucked largely out of view between Anthem and the Pioneer Living History Museum. Salazar spoke on both the Bureau of Prisons as a whole and about the North Phoenix facility just off of the I-17. “Having been around the country—I think this is my eighth institution that I’ve worked at—I can tell you that it differs a little bit everywhere I’m at, but, by and large, there’s a lot of commonality,” he said. At the Phoenix prison, which is a medium level security institution, Salazar said the inmate population averages slightly more than 1,000 people on an ongoing basis. The average inmate is white, male, about 36 years old and serving a 3-5-year sentence. He said that part of the local inmate population includes a greenclad female camp of about 300. These inmates are mostly white collar convicts who are considered a minimal public threat and aren’t necessarily housed behind a fence. Salazar said that he is often asked what kinds of offenses the inmates are in for and what makes a case “federal” instead of a state matter. The first part of the
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Inside: New Chairman...... 3 Bluhm........................4 Events.......................5 Art............................ 10 Editorial.............. 16 Services................. 17 Crossword......... 20 Classifieds.......... 21
Tara Alatorre
Eric Quade photo
A community service — Josias Salazar of the Federal Corrections Institution Phoenix prison facility spoke to a small crowd Friday about his job and how the local prison attempts to reintegrate inmates back into society. Gangs, the threat of a breakout or riot and other topics regarding prison life were all touched on.
Indian Market and festival comes to Carefree The third annual Carefree Indian Market and Cultural Festival will take place downtown Carefree in the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day Jan. 24-26. Admission is free. The event, presented by Magic Bird Festivals, plays host to 100 distinguished artists, whose creations celebrate Native American culture and artisanship, as well as music and dance performers from across the region. Dance and music performances will take place throughout the weekend, including traditional Native American hoop dancing. A Native American and Southwestern Culinary Food Court will serve festival fare, and more than 10,000 visitors are expected to attend. The Indian Marketplace will feature handcrafted beadwork and jewelry. Sculptures and paintings will also be available
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Jerry Williamson photo
More than markets — World champion hoop dancers, including Moontee Sinquah (pictured above) and Brian Hammill will be on hand at next week’s Carefree Indian Market and Cultural Festival.
The Carefree Town Council unanimously agreed at its Jan. 7 meeting to implement a policy and fee structure for paper copies of public records. Currently, Carefree has no guiding policy or set fee structure in place when presented with requests for copies of its public records. The resolution passed would allow Carefree to develop a procedure to streamline commercial and non-commercial public information requests and implement a fee for providing duplicates in paper form. Without it, Town Clerk Kandace French said that Carefree taxpayers are left footing the bill. “We don’t have a system or a way to recoup the costs,” said French during the Jan. 7 meeting. Carefree receives several hundred public record requests a month, keeps no official record on the requests the town receives and does not charge for paper copies. The system the town is adopting is similar to how surrounding communities handle the issue and will not charge for electronic copies or for viewing record requests, according to French. The town is moving towards putting the most requested items, such as public meeting agendas, on the town’s website for easier access and viewing for the public and media. At last week’s meeting, council also authorized designated funds to be used for improvements to the new consolidated court building in Cave Creek. The council OK’d the use of up to $60,000 in funds for improvements to the Cave Creek court building as part of the intergovernmental agreement consolidating both towns’ courts. The funds were collected from Cave Creek court enhancement fees and do not come out of the Carefree budget. As of Jan. 1, Carefree operates and manages the newly consolidated court system, which is currently operating in Carefree. Once the renovations are complete to the Cave Creek court
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