Suspect Charles Van Nest Mug Shot At a hearing held at the Nogales Justice Court on Oct 16, Santa Cruz County Justice of the Peace Emilio Velasquez continued the preliminary hearing for Charles Van Nest, of Patagonia. He set Nov 20 as the date for Van Nest to appear in court after conferring with Deputy […]
Marion Vendituoli
Posted inLocal News
Fire Chiefs Unhappy With 911 System
SEFD Fire Chief Joseph DeWolf says that problems with the 911 system have been ongoing for the past 25 years. Photo by Marion Vendituoli Discontent with the current 911 system in Santa Cruz County (SCC) by local fire districts has led to demands for change in the way that emergency medical calls are handled by […]
Posted inLocal News
South32 Purchases Land in Patagonia
Data obtained from Santa Cruz County Assessors Website Red = AMI Purchases 2018-July 2019 Purple = Property under contract Arizona Minerals, Inc. has purchased several properties in the Harshaw Rd. and Red Rock Canyon area over the past year. Many residents of the Patagonia area are concerned by the recent acquisition of properties by Arizona […]
Posted inCommunity
Local Nature Sanctuary Offers Unique Experience
Vince Pinto and his wife, Claudia Campos-Pinto, have devoted the last eleven years to creating a unique wilderness experience for visitors to their 42-acre nature preserve near Lake Patagonia.
Posted inLocal News
Donors Step Up to Save Pool
The old pool filtration system is being dismantled piece by piece in preparation for the installation of the new system, thanks to a donation from the Stark Community foundation. The Patagonia Pool will be able to reopen this summer thanks to donations from the Stark Community Foundation and from Patagonia benefactor John Kendall. The plight […]
Posted inLocal News
Gates Shut Off Public Access to Forest
Photo by Marion Vendituoli Vehicular access to the forest has been blocked at this ranch on Red Rock Canyon Rd. outside Patagonia. It came as quite a surprise to hunters, birders, hikers and campers to find that vehicular public access to 34,000 acres at the northern end of the San Rafael Valley and the Red […]
Posted inLocal News
Sonoita Resident Contests Crippling Water Bill
Mary Truman checks the water meter in the back corner of her Sonoita property after being billed for using 154,000 gallons of water.Photo by Marion Vendituoli When part-time Sonoita resident Mary Truman got a water bill for $2141 for the month of Nov. 2018, she was sure there had been some mistake. The meter reading […]
Posted inSchool News
Mountain Empire Rotary Hosts Career Fair
Students explored career and higher education options at the MER Career Fair at the Patagonia School. Photo by Marion Vendituoli The Mountain Empire Rotary Club held its 3rd annual Career Fair at the Patagonia School on March 8. Students in grades 7 through 12 from both Elgin and Patagonia schools had the opportunity to meet […]
Posted inLocal News
Lions Still a Presence in Patagonia
A mountain lion relaxes under a house in Patagonia. When Justin McEldowney pointed his flashlight up in the trees at his home in Red Rock Canyon on January 24, the light was reflected in the eyes of a mountain lion staring down at him. McEldowney had been woken up around midnight by the sound of his […]
Posted inLocal News
AZGF Surveys Local Wildlife
Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGF) conducted an aerial survey over the Sonoita, Elgin and Patagonia region in January to determine the game population of the area. The data collected is used to set the number of hunting permits for game animals. This year’s survey was conducted in Game Management Unit 35B, which is bounded […]
