The December issue of the PRT is out now!

De La Ossas Cheer Return of Family Land at Annual Picnic

By Carrie White

Seventy members of the extended De La Ossa family took part in this year’s annual cemetery cleanup and picnic in Lochiel, where they celebrated their shared heritage and the recent return of the chapel and cemetery to the family.

Community Comes Together for Turkey, Fellowship

By Dave Lumia

There was Thanksgiving dinner for 156 at the Sonoita Fairgrounds, at a community event hosted by The Vine Church in Sonoita with support from other local churches and area businesses.

Harry Hower: A Legacy Set in Stone

By Mary Tolena

Patagonia mason and arborist Harry Hower has left a lasting mark on the private homes and public spaces of the town. Here is how he ended up here—and why he stayed.

Elgin Couple Opens New Feed Store in Sonoita 

By Eddie McArthur

Livestock, pet and horse owners have a new local option for all their feed and supplies, thanks to Tanner and Autumn Lyman, owners of the new Sonoita Feeds store.

Coach Somoza, 5 PUHS Players Earn All-Region Volleyball Honors

By Dave Lumia

Patagonia Athletic director Nate Porter said the team’s success was a point of pride for the entire school.

Sheriff’s Blotter – Dec. 2025

A log of calls to the Sheriff’s office from eastern Santa Cruz County from Nov. 3 through Nov. 30, 2025.

Notes From SEFD: Making Informed Decisions

By Eddie McArthur

A recent increase in the number of concurrent calls means the time is approaching when some difficult decisions about staffing may need to be made.

Food Insecurity in an Uncertain World

By James Staudacher, President, East Santa Cruz County Community Food Bank

The lapse in SNAP benefits in November was a crisis for many of our neighbors. Here’s how we responded—with help from our generous community—and some thoughts on where we go from here.

Area Schools See Improved State Grades

By Carrie White

Report cards are in. And both Patagonia public schools and Sonoita Elementary School have garnered improved grades as awarded by the Arizona Department of Education.

Activist Dora Rodriguez Speaks at Library

By India Aubry

The humanitarian leader’s talk centered on her new memoir, which recounts fleeing El Salvador’s civil war for safety in the U.S. in 1980, including the harrowing desert crossing that nearly took her life at age 19.

Local Youths’ ‘Second Home’ Celebrated at PYEC Fundraiser

By Sondra Porter

The Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center, which has provided ‘a safe, healthy, happy environment’ for young people for 11 years, is facing a budget crunch due to federal cutbacks. About 200 community members attended the dinner/ auction event to offer their support.

LNP Opens New Medical Office in Sonoita

By Pat McNamara

Sonoita resident Helene Heneger, ANP-BC, a self-styled “Christian-based practitioner,” is now accepting patients at Patriot Internal Medicine.

New Teacher at Elgin School: Rachel Lyman 

By Sondra Porter

The Elgin resident is enjoying the transition from being a specialist to teaching in a classroom with 13 students. “I feel blessed and so thankful to be working here,” she said.

Great Trees of Eastern Santa Cruz County: The Mesquite on Santa Rita Ave.

By German Quiroga

The mesquite tree growing near my grandmother’s chicken coop 70 years ago was huge, and it remains so: a silent sentinel to watch over us.

Sundays Are for Tortillas

By Cassina Farley

My mom strives to perfect every dish. I’ve never really tried. So a couple of months ago I declared that Sundays are for tortillas.

You Say Tomato, I Say Treemato 

By Dave Lumia

I’ve planted, watered and fertilized five trees over the past two and a half years and been rewarded with nothing that even reaches my chin. But now, Mother Nature has come to the rescue.

Take a Hike!: Apache Gulch

By Wayne Tomasi

The rarely visited Apache Gulch is home to several abandoned mines, remnants of an adobe home, remains of a few dilapidated stone buildings and the largest concrete dam I have seen in the Santa Rita Mountains.

Nature Journeys: Winter’s Silent Stalkers

By Vince Pinto

December is prime time to observe and (more importantly) listen to the handful of owl species wintering in the Sky Islands.

Check It Out at the Library: Photographer Edward S. Curtis

By Sarah Klingenstein

A new Patagonia Library exhibit highlights American photographer Edward S. Curtis, whose 20-volume set of plates and narrative on Native Americans was lauded in the 1910s.

Glimpses Into Our Past: Mary and Virginia Harrison’s Trip to Nogales

By Alison Bunting

A 1926 interview provides wonderful information about daily life on the remote Harrison ranch, including a trip to Nogales to purchase supplies and deliver a live turkey.