April 17, 2009 - School of Journalism

Grandma, what
great sweets
you have!
>> Page 3
Another look
at Founders’ Day
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NO TOMBSTONE IS COMPLETE WITHOUT ITS EPITAPH
50 CENTS
LOCAL EDITION
Bad blood enrages townsfolk
VOL. CXXVII NO. 13
128
YEARS IN
Six Gun City owner feels the heat
for his challenges to mayor’s rule
By Adam Daley and
Taylor Baughman
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Six Gun City owner Mike
Carrafa is the latest Tombstone
business owner diving into the
whirlpool debate over solicitation rights in town. Now, he’s
facing closure and is convinced
his right to free speech has been
infringed.
“I’m hoping to go to court
and show the magistrate what
case law is because they can’t
infringe on my right to hand out
fliers, and they can’t infringe
on the right of free speech,”
Carrafa said.
In an encounter with
Marshal Larry Talvy on March
17, Carrafa asked for his citations. “I told him, ‘Cite me,
‘cause I need to get this in
court.’ So he cited me,” said
Carrafa.
Carrafa arranged to meet
with the marshal after one of
his employees received a warning over his advertising tactics.
Armed with a video camera,
Carrafa took to Allen Street
with the marshal in attendance,
shouting, “Six Gun City! Two
dollar margaritas!”
Hence, the first citation.
“I said, ‘If you’re going to
cite me for this, I’m gonna fight
you on the handbill ordinance,
too, so I’ll be over there handing out handbills this afternoon.’ And then he cited me for
handbills,” Carrafa said.
Tension between Carrafa
and the city has been on the rise
ever since Mayor Dusty
Business owners uneasy
being caught in middle
of political squabbles
By Andrew Bess
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Business owners are questioning new policies brought by
Mayor Dusty Escapule and
worry whether the conflict
thriving in town will hurt them
at the bank.
The owners are searching
for reasons for why the mayor
and council arrived at significant decisions regarding solicitation and the closing of Fourth
and Fifth streets between
Freemont and Toughnut.
Mayor Escapule’s ownership of Old Tombstone Tours,
The Tombstone News and his
family’s businesses in town
make some business owners
speculate whether his rulings
have political motives.
The recent street closures
effect many businesses’ parking
in town, but do not seem to
have any effect on the mayor’s
private businesses. It has even
reached the desk of the Los
Angeles Times, which reported
on the possible conflict of interest on April 1.
Kimberly Herrig, owner of
Crystal Palace, thinks the street
closures are going to effect the
revenue in Tombstone. She
Escapule took office and began
enforcing the old handbill ordinance.
“When they first started the
handbill ordinance, when they
said you have to get a permit, I
was trying to work with the city
and I said, ‘Look, I won’t fight
with you guys, I know it’s
unconstitutional,’”
said
Carrafa.
Two weeks after his confrontation with Talvy, Carrafa got a
surprise visit from Brown &
Associates
Certified
Inspections Services, Inc.
Escapule hired them to
inspect Six Gun City because
the city has no record of a certificate of occupancy for the
restaurant, a requirement for
Tombstone businesses in effect
Six Gun City / Page 2
THEEPITAPH.COM
THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE
FRIDAY, APRIL 17 2009
Mayor Escapule none too pleased
with those who dispute his leadership
By Taylor Baughman
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
“I’m the mayor. I’m
not the building
inspecter. I’m not the
marshal. I will do
what I think is best
for Tombstone.”
— Mayor Dusty
Escapule
Tombstone Mayor Dusty
Escapule said on April 14 that
he is troubled with some of the
current attitudes surrounding
his mayorship.
In the past several months,
the mayor has come under fire
for decisions made about street
closures, handbill solicitations,
dirt on the streets and potential
business closures.
Additionally, some residents
have called into question a
potential conflict of interest
between Escapule’s private
business interests and his public policy making.
Escapule said there is no
relevance in these declarations.
In addition to being a part
owner and the managing editor
of the Tombstone News,
Escapule’s family also owns
Old Tombstone Tours, a stagecoach company that provides
daily tours of Allen Street and
its surrounding area.
“(People) feel that if there’s
anything that is not going their
way, the only way that they can
attack me is through the stagecoaches,” Escapule said.
“Whether the horses are wearing diapers or whether there’s
rubber tires on (the stagecoaches), this has nothing to do with
what my job is as mayor.”
A closure of Fourth and
Fifth streets to motorized vehicles would directly affect the
Tombstone Trolley Tours,
which also provide tours of
downtown Tombstone. The
stagecoaches would be impervious to such closures.
The conditions of these
facts have provoked some citizens to question the mayor’s
policy making.
In an earlier interview, Lee
McKechnie, owner of the
Tombstone Trolley, explained
his view of the situation by saying, “I don’t think we’re in
competition with the stagecoach company, but people are
coming up to me daily and saying that he is trying to run us
out of town.”
Byron Newbauer, owner of
the Cochise Trading Post suggested that the town should be
able to vote on the street closing issue.
Escapule / Page 2
does not see how the recent
changes will help the town.
The decision to make these
changes came to the surprise of
many of Tombstone’s longest
business owners.
“They only gave a 24-hour
notice for their meeting,”
Herrig said. “They had a little
secret meeting without informing the residents. If you were
out of town you had no idea
they had this meeting. The
tourists, residents and citizens
are up in arms about this.
Everybody we talk to doesn’t
like it.”
Many business owners feel
the council and mayor did not
give enough time for the residents to vote on the closures.
“All I know is that everyone
should have a say when it
comes to the town,” said Byron
Newbauer, owner of Cochise
PHOTO BY KRISTA DAILEY
Trading Post. “Nobody even
The
Tombstone
Trolley
sits
on
Fourth
Street,
which
will
soon
be
closed
due
to
restoration
efforts;
one
of Mayor
knew about the vote until it was
in the paper. It was too quick of Escapule's stagecoaches makes its way toward Allen Street. The trolley is restricted to the pavement only.
a decision.”
lose and some won’t, so it not have the parking spots avail- spots in the last few years and adequate handicap parking have to walk to their parked
Byron suggested that the should be only fair for everyone able to serve their customers, they they (the government) haven’t spots and business was lost.
cars late at night. That’s a safeissue should have been posted to vote,” he said.
Parking does not just effect ty issue,” said R.J. Herrig, the
compensated for it. That’s a lot
will lose business.
for at least 30 days before the
the tourists and customers; it general manager of Crystal
“Tourists spend a lot of of tourists we lose.”
The closure of Fourth and
council voted, allowing busi- Fifth streets forces many cus- money in this town and they
The recent Founder’s Day also effects the employees who Palace and son of Kimberly.
ness owners and residents the tomers to park farther away to get don’t want to park three or four Festival saw the same prob- are forced to park farther away
Some Tombstone residents
chance to vote.
to the businesses. The problem blocks down the street,” Herrig lems. According to Herrig, the from their jobs.
“That way, some people will then arises that if businesses do said. “We lost 200 parking festival was not equipped with
“We have employees who Squabble / Page 2
Border Patrol’s explorer program preps youth for future
By Heather Trujillo
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
NOGALES (Arizona News
Service) —Ten kids, who looked no
older than 18, lined up outside of the
Nogales Border Patrol Station, standing face forward, arms at their sides, at
attention.
One of the girls stepped away
from the group. She walked around,
asking each person in line questions.
“When was the last time you
polished your boots?”
“Where are your handcuffs?”
Each teenager answered, never
forgetting to add a ma’am at the
beginning and end of the sentence.
The girl then asked, “What is
integrity?”
“Knowing right from wrong and
doing the right thing!” they all
replied in unison.
Welcome to a Nogales Border
Patrol Explorer Post #125 meeting,
which begins promptly at 5 p.m.
every Tuesday night and at 8 a.m.
Saturday morning.
The Nogales program is one of
six such explorer posts in the
Tucson Border Patrol sector, which
stretches across Arizona from Yuma
to the New Mexico border. It allows
children, ages 14 to 20, to work
directly with Border Patrol agents,
learning the protocols and gaining
field experience.
“I think that it is an excellent
program that helps these kids develop into responsible young adults,”
said Zuma Gomez, a Border Patrol
agent and the Explorer post adviser.
“They aren’t little kids. They are at
an age where they can go in a positive or negative direction.”
The Explorer program is part of
the Learning for Life program
sponsored by the Boy Scouts of
America. According to the BSA
Web site, the program is “designed
to support schools and communitybased organizations in their efforts
to prepare youth to successfully
handle the complexities of contemporary society and to enhance their
self-confidence, motivation and
esteem.”
Most states have explorer programs in a variety of fields besides
border patrol, including police
work, fire service, journalism,
health care, emergency medical
service, culinary arts, engineering,
business, farming, science, law, arts
and social services.
Denise Godinez, an 18-year-old
senior at Nogales High School and
the Patrol Explorer in Charge, has
been a member of the Nogales post
for almost four years. She said the
program has had a positive impact
on her and given her the discipline
necessary to pursue a career in
medicine. She plans to attend
Arizona State University in the fall.
“Being part of the program has
taught me a great deal of responsibility and respect,” Godinez said. “I
have learned integrity, which has
maintained my focus in school with
my academics and such, and that’s
what keeps me on track.”
She added that she also has
learned how to follow. “That is
actually what has allowed me to
become a leader,” Godinez said. “I
have always believed that in order
to become a leader, one must be
able to follow first.”
As the meeting continued, the
explorers demonstrated their discipline and physical fitness. They
continued working outside, doing
physical training such as push-ups,
jumping jacks and sit-ups before
practicing a building entry.
All 10 kids dressed in tactical
vests and were given fake guns outside of the mock building they used
PHOTO COURTESY OF MELISSA TAN
to practice their entries. They lined Guillermo Vasquez (front left) Will Morton (back right) salute the Patrol Explorer in Charge.
up before their leader yelled at them The Nogales program is one of six border patrol explorer posts in the Tucson sector where
Explorers / Page 2
children ages 14 to 20 work directly with border patrol agents.
PAGE 2
EXPLORERS:
continued from page 1
Border Patrol explorer program preps youth
FRIDAY, APRIL 17 2009
to be prepared, weapons ready.
They entered the building,
still yelling so each one knew
where and how many people
they found and detained.
The team did multiple entry
scenarios, talking after each
entry about how to improve
techniques.
Before performing a demonstration for the Citizen’s
Advisory Council, post advisers
showed off the kids’ most recent
trophies. In January, the post
participated in the Chandler
Tactical Competition, and Iliana
Magallanes, student at Nogales
High School, placed first in the
three-mile run with a time of 18
minutes and 37 seconds. The
team also received second place
in the tactical competition for
hostage negotiation.
The team’s trophies fill a
case on a large wall in the
Nogales Border Patrol building,
1500 W. La Quinta Road.
“Our kids work really hard,”
said Santos Flores, a Border
Patrol agent and post adviser.
“We really focus mainly on the
physical part for the competitions, like building entries,
searching and arresting.”
Flores said academics are
important, too, and knowing the
law, policy and procedures is an
important part of the job.
The children are taught the
history of the post and agency,
the law regarding the border,
policies, procedures and how to
work as part of a law enforcement agency.
“One of the challenges is getting them in the ‘law enforcement mindset’ where they realize that there are situations that
can put your life, health and
safety into jeopardy,” Flores
said. “For the most part, kids
overcome that fear of what to do
next and learn how to react fast.
“Some come in shy and go to
a corner. They get to the point
where they can get up and give
commands and they have great
self-confidence. It’s really
rewarding to see that process.”
Will Morton, a 14-year-old
student at Little Red Middle
School near Patagonia, who has
been part of the Explorer post
for five months, said he believes
that his experience will help him
with his future career.
“I have always wanted to be
some type of law enforcement,
and Border Patrol is the particular
type that I want to do,” Morton
said. “Mr. Haynes (an agent from
Panama who is working in
Nogales) came to Little Red and
gave a presentation and talked
about the explorers, so I came
down to check it out.”
Morton said that the only
thing he dislikes is waking up
early on the weekend, but, “My
favorite part is the knowledge
you gain here. It’s outside of
school so you get to learn about
leadership and things like that,
which school might not teach
you. You learn about life skills
like integrity and modesty.”
The kids are not the only ones
who learn from the program.
Ariel Haynes, the agent from
Panama, said teaching the kids
helps keep his skills sharp.
“If you are always remembering and teaching the basics, it
makes you a sharper agent,” said
Haynes, who is also a drill sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve.
“Every time I go back and teach
them the basics, it enhances me
as an agent and keeps my skills
up the way they should be at all
times.”
Haynes said he wanted to
join the program because “in
Nogales and other border towns,
kids really need role models
because they are surrounded by
so much negative activity.
Having kids in high school participate gives them a different
outlook on things.”
In a small town like Nogales,
there is not a lot for children to
do, but in the explorer program,
“I’ve been able to become
friends with all the explorers,”
Godinez said. “They are now
close to being like my family,
and I consider them to be people
I can trust and I would do anything for.”
Godinez’s younger brother
Jose Godinez, a 17-year-old at
Nogales High School, is also an
explorer at the post. He said his
sister encouraged him to join
after he expressed interest in
being a Border Patrol agent
when he grows up.
“I love everything about it
and everything we do from
fund-raising to competitions,”
Jose said. “I want to pursue a
career in Border Patrol. I realized that it could be a big step
for me if I joined the explorers
and see what the Border Patrol
actually does.”
The advisers said that they
have become attached to the kids
and want to see them succeed,
even if they do not become agents.
“It is as if they are my own
kids,” Gomez said. “We just
want to see them succeed.”
By Krista Dailey
city’s laws are not followed.
However, there are ordinances
that have been on the books for
years, and they’re there for a
reason.
One major problem currently
at stake is the hullabaloo between
Six Gun City’s advertising techniques and Mayor Dusty
Escapule’s governing strategies.
On April 11, Six Gun City
had two signs in its front windows facing Allen Street. One
read, “Impeach Dusty,” and the
other, “Impeach the Mayor.”
“Those men (Six Gun City
owner Mike Carrafa and
involved employees) should
come to the plate and act like
adults,” Devere said.
The closure of Fourth and
Fifth streets was a lighter topic
for Devere, who likes the idea of
the streets becoming more historically accurate.
Tom Dushane, a five-year
Tombstone resident and retired
member of the Historic District
Commission (HDC), is 100 percent in favor of closing the streets.
“The town would be a lot better off with Fourth and Fifth
closed,” Dushane said. “It is mostly the businesses in opposition.”
On the other hand, Marsha
Spitler, who has lived in
Tombstone for around five
years, opposes the street closures because of parking.
“It’s a stir-up and is creating
tension,” Spitler said. “Why
some want them closed is
beyond me.”
Dushane said the people of
Tombstone need to put their
heads together in order to come
up with good solutions for all
the things that need to be fixed.
However, Dushane’s solutions
may not be verbalized. He said he
is no longer part of the HDC
because of Mayor Escapule.
“I won’t get into it,” Dushane
said. “It’s political.”
Dushane said his biggest
complaint is that there is no
ambulance service and the nearest hospital is 20 miles away, but
he still loves Tombstone despite
this and the mayor.
Spitler noticed the friction
Escapule, who was not mayor at
the time, created as soon as she
moved to Tombstone.
When the Rhino Snot, a liquid substance used to control
dust, was put down on Allen
Street, the stagecoaches were
asked to put rubber on their
wheels so it would not pulverize
the surface. At the time, the
town had one other little stagecoach and they put the rubber on
right away, but Escapule would
not, and didn’t, for quite a while,
Spitler said.
“The Escapule family is a very
old family in the area,” Spitler
said. “I know that he says it’s not
personal, but it just seems to be
popping up all the time.”
Sharon Zaccagnino, 53, took a
letter that was written by
Escapule’s daughter, Cindy, and
then printed in his paper personally. Personal enough to call the 13
months spent living in Tombstone
the worst time of her life.
“The letter was slanderous
and
fraudulent,”
said
Zaccagnino, who now resides in
Tucson. “(Cindy) said my dog
and husband attacked her son,
and he didn’t.”
Zaccagnino said she and her
husband used to walk their
“friendly”100-pound husky on
the boardwalk everyday. One
grandson
Escapule’s
day,
approached the dog when he
was eating, but her husband told
the boy to wait until the dog was
done. A letter was then printed
in the Tombstone News that said
Zaccagnino’s dog was vicious
and would attack.
“We left because of
favoritism and unethical business,”
Zaccagnino
said.
“Tombstone is a great place, but
he is destroying the town.”
Zaccagnino said because of
Escapule, everyone she knew in
Tombstone has left.
Rather than leaving, Devere
and Spitler are dealing with the
situation differently.
“Our elected officials are
only in office for two years,”
Devere said. “If people are
unhappy, they can vote.”
Spitler agreed and also said
people have to keep in mind that
the Escapules are an old
Tombstone family who care
about keeping history intact.
“There are so many nice people here that help build
Tombstone up instead of tearing
it down,” Devere said. “I really
hope everything gets cleared up
because it really is a nice town.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF MELISSA TAN
Elyana Mollineda, right, pretends to capture Will Morton, left, during
their hostage training drill Tuesday, March 10, in Nogales, Ariz.
Many weary of political firestorm, want peace
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Tombstone’s business owners are directly effected by the
recent enforcement of the 1998
Solicitation Ordinance and the
forthcoming closure of Fourth
and Fifth streets, but what do the
town folk think?
Turns out, the town folk are
just as concerned over the fate of
their historic town as are the
business owners.
All they want is peace.
“I don’t know why the solicitation ordinance has caused
such an uproar,” said Dorothy
Devere, on-and-off resident of
Tombstone since 1953. “It is
really unfortunate.”
Devere said some of the
SQUABBLE:
ESCAPULE:
SIX GUN CITY:
Owners in middle Mayor displeased with folks Officials threaten
who dispute his leadership to close up facility
continued from page 1
still have not heard solid justification for the closures. The council
stated that the reason for the closing of Fourth and Fifth streets will
help restore the historic feel of
Tombstone, but it comes at the
cost of many businesses.
“It’s a standard problem when
business and government get mixed
together. Certain businesses are connected and others are not,” said
Russell Cropanzano Ph.D., whose
expertise is in business ethics at the
Eller College of Management at the
University of Arizona.
Cropanzano said when there
is some sort of conflict of interest between government and private business, nobody wants to
invest in future development,
and it tends to have a negative
effect on business.
Now many businesses are
struggling with fewer places for
customers to park and the idea that
they might start losing business.
“Nobody wants to get off the
main drive. It’s going to be harder
for businesses on the other streets
to get customers and people don’t
really want to walk on the side
streets,” Byron said.
Like many other Tombstone
business owners, Kimberly did
not want to comment on the possible conflict of interest between
the mayor and his private businesses. But, R.J. Herrig noted it
was definitely a conflict of interest for Tombstone.
Six different business owners
interviewed did not want to go
on record regarding the idea of a
possible conflict of interest
between the mayor’s policy
making and private business
investments, but off the record,
they all considered it a growing
problem in Tombstone.
“When you live in a small
town, you need to go with the
punches and stay under the good
graces,” Kimberly said.
Escapule did not respond to
half-a-dozen phone calls for his
side of the story.
By Taylor Baughman
II, or “Rhino Snot” to deal with
the problem. He estimated that it
would cost the town $6,000 for
60,000 square feet of coverage.
• The council approved the
hiring of Brown & Associates
Certified Inspection Service,
Inc. to help “alleviate any conflict of interest.”
Brown & Associates is
continued from page 1
continued from page 1
“It should be up to the voters
and everybody should vote on it.
Everybody should have a say,”
Newbauer said.
Escapule stands by his decision to close Fourth and Fifth
streets, citing his success with
the closure of Allen Street during his first term as mayor.
“I was the one that closed Allen
street,” Escapule said. “Now
everybody thinks that that closure
is a fine thing. But I also didn’t do
it without years of research and
surveys and that was part of the
process. And we will continue to
develop this until we come up
with a solution.”
Escapule’s
colleague,
Councilman Steve Troncale,
said that conflict of interest is
hard to avoid in a small town
and that policy makers do the
best that they can to balance
their public and private interests.
”You have to understand that
we have a town a little over
1,500 people and that out of that
1,500, very few are willing to
serve the welfare of the town,”
Troncale said. “There’s very few
people in this town that know it
like he does. Whatever other
businesses he has he is the best
qualified man for the job.”
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Escapule was visibly short-fused by the presence
of journalists. Media ranging
from the Los Angeles Times to
Tucson news stations have
recently picked up on the bad
blood flowing in Tombstone.
Various Tombstone Epitaph
reporters have attempted to
reach Escapule in office or via
phone over the last month to get
his side of the story, but
Escapule has not returned phone
calls or requests for interviews.
Escapule explicitly mentioned that this publication had
been biased and one sided in
previous issues.
“You guys have speared me
two times in your paper in the
past two weeks, and if you’re
going to do a negative story on
Tombstone, or on me or on the
city council I will not talk to
you,” Escapule said.
Aside from his views about
the Epitaph, Escapule said that
the only thing he is concerned
about is his job as mayor.
“My job is to do what’s best
for Tombstone,” Escapule said.
“And I will do what’s best for
Tombstone.”
concerned with building safety services, civil fire codes
and
inspection
services.
Brown & Associates will work
for Tombstone for $75 per
hour. They usually charge
$100 per hour.
• The council approved the
appointment of Brian Gill, Jim
Lindsey, Don Taylor, Hadie
Forbes, Steve Goldstein, Betty
Krug and Celeste Cain to the
Street
Closure
Volunteer
Committee.
These individuals will be
responsible for researching the
possible closure of Fourth and
Fifth Streets. They will appoint
their own chairperson. The
mayor asked that they take
immediate action.
• A request for a handbill permit by the Tombstone Boarding
House Bed and Breakfast
Lamplight Room Restaurant
owner Sylvia Prysant died after
a lack of a second motion.
This was Prysant’s second
attempt to attain a handbill
permit.
Council hears suggestions on closures of Fourth, Fifth
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Notes from Tuesday’s City
Council Meeting:
• Frank Groppo gave a presentation regarding the dirt on
Allen Street. He suggested that
the council invest in Envirotac
since the city adopted the
International Business Code in
2007.
“I actually have a video tape
of the building inspector saying,
‘Oh, no, we’re not trying to shut
you down,’” said Carrafa.
“Three days later he sends me a
cease and desist order shutting
down my place.”
The inspector deemed an
outback patio renovation unsafe.
Carrafa was scheduled to
appear in court on April 14 to
fight for the future of his business.
However, that date was cancelled until further notice, and
the city told him Six Gun City
could remain open pending
court proceedings.
When asked at Tuesday’s
city council meeting what Six
Gun City could do to fix the
situation, Escapule said, “I
don’t know how they’re going
to remedy it and that’s not my
problem.”
Council member Steve
Troncale explained the city has
its hands tied.
“The city of Tombstone
belongs to a risk insurance pool
and when the insurance company found out about it they
informed the city that if we
don’t do anything and if the
structure fails that the city will
be liable,” Troncale said. “The
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city had to act. That’s basically
what had to happen.”
Brown & Associates is a private building safety and inspection service that was not officially hired by the city until
Tuesday’s council meeting, two
weeks after the Six Gun City
inspection.
“I have the authority to hire
them without a contract,” said
Escapule.
Carrafa believes his challenge of solicitation laws and
the inspection are more than a
coincidence.
“I think Escapule’s orchestrating it,” said Carrafa.
“He wants the streets to be
run a certain way and I’m fighting it, and ever since then is
when they started coming after
me with the building issues.”
Escapule insists his influence
does not exceed his job description as mayor.
“I’m the mayor. I’m not the
building inspector, and I’m not
the marshal,” said Escapule. “I
will do what I think is best for
Tombstone.”
Marshal Talvy did not return
six messages left at his office by
the Epitaph asking for comment.
According to Carrafa, the
city wants to close Six Gun City
immediately and the fast turn of
events has his head spinning.
“It’s bang, bang, bang,” he said.
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Slow emergency response nearly kills local
PAGE 3
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2009
By Casey Olbermann
and Alec Nielson
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Leah Collins doesn’t remember anything that happened that
Thursday afternoon.
March 19, on her daughter’s
birthday, Collins’ heart valve
gave out. At the same time,
Tombstone’s emergency services fell short.
Collins,
a
26-year-old
Tombstone resident and server
at Six Gun City, fell down and
had a seizure in the kitchen.
Johnny
Ball,
Collins’
boyfriend and coworker, gave
her CPR with the help of a
coworker as they waited for
medical professionals to arrive.
“We couldn’t get hold of the
Marshal’s office at all —
nobody,” Ball said.
The volunteers at the fire
department could not be contacted and Marshall Larry Tavly
said he was busy on a different
call.
“Emotionally, I couldn’t
understand why no one was
there yet,” Ball said. “And the
biggest thing that kept running
through my mind was, ‘What
am I going to do without her?’”
When Talvy arrived, after
being called over the radio by
the animal control officer,
Collins had turned a red-purple
color.
“To me, she appeared to be
dead,” Talvy said.
Talvy contacted the Cochise
County Sheriff’s Office and
requested a helicopter.
The department said it would
inform Health Care Innovations
(HCI), the ambulance service
provider for Northern Cochise
County.
Talvy was denied his request
for a helicopter, and was told
that the paramedic with HCI
would decide if a helicopter was
necessary once she arrived.
It took about 45 minutes for
the ambulance to get to Collins,
Ball said.
“They weren’t even (driving)
with their lights on or anything
when they came by City Hall,”
said Mike Carrafa, owner of Six
Gun City.
By the time the ambulance
arrived, Collins was breathing
on her own again, but was taken
to Tucson soon after to get a
pacemaker.
Collins’ catastrophe raised
concerns about the status of
Tombstone’s emergency services and their ability to quickly
respond.
But these problems are not
unique to Tombstone, or
Arizona for that matter.
In 2008, Arizona ranked 48th
in the nation in the most weighted category — access to emergency care — according to the
American
College
of
Emergency Physicians’ National
Report Card on the State of
Emergency Medicine. Factors
contributing to its failing grade
include the state only having 7.1
emergency departments and 1.1
trauma center per one million
people.
In the case of a 9-1-1 emergency like Collins’ a few weeks
ago, Tombstone is truly at a disadvantage.
Without a hospital in town
and with residents still waiting
for the health clinic promised to
open months ago, Tombstone
relies on communication with
other agencies for medical support. But in Collins’ case, that
communication buckled than
broke.
“(Talvy is) the Marshal of
this town and he was denied a
helicopter,” Ball said. “That
really ticked me off.”
And Ball is not the only one
frustrated with the failed communication.
Talvy said he filed concerns
with both the Cochise County
Sheriff’s Office and HCI.
After meeting with HCI,
Talvy and the agency came to an
agreement
on
helicopter
requests.
“If there are no medics and
one of my officers knows we
need a helicopter, they will send
one.” Talvy said. “(We will)
make sure we’re working
together and not against each
other.”
But problems with emergency services are not new to
Tombstone, and Collins’ case is
unfortunately, not a one-time
deal.
Dawane Harris, an actor at
O.K. Corral, experienced a similar incident four years ago
when he dropped to the ground
on Allen Street with a heart
attack. Witnesses made a 9-1-1
call to HCI, who arrived 35 minutes later.
While working as a security
guard at Crystal Palace Saloon,
Harris watched a man fall and
hit his head on the boardwalk.
After 50 minutes of waiting, an
ambulance still failed to arrive
on scene.
While these daunting stories
did not end tragically, that may
not always be the case.
Many Tombstone citizens are
not satisfied with the current
access and response to emergency care.
“I don’t think it’s a high priority for anybody,” Harris said.
“In this town people say they’re
going to do a lot of things but
unfortunately they generally
don’t.”
Collins said she does not
want to be ungrateful but she
thinks the town needs to work to
prevent these problems.
By Bethany Slim
than what you can get here,”
said Patricia Hartson, an
employee and fudge enthusiast
at the shop.
There is even fudge available
for diabetics at Grandma’s. The
diabetic fudge is made with
fructose.
“You don’t want to get that
instead if you are on a diet,
though, because it is actually
higher in calories. It is for diabetics, not weight watchers,”
Reed said.
Reed begins with a pre-made
fudge base, then adds different
ingredients to develop several
flavors of fudge. Grandma’s
offers everything from a basic
milk chocolate or vanilla to
raspberry cheesecake, pistachio,
maple, chocolate orange and
penuche, a brown sugar flavor.
There are 27 different flavors
of fudge available right now, but
Reed would like to make more.
“We’re working our way up
to about 32 flavors, maybe 33,”
Reed said, “Ice cream has got
nothing on us.”
The fudge is all made in
house, along with some of the
other specialty treats, said
Hartson.
“When we are making fudge
or glazing nuts, the aroma just
draws people in off the street,”
she said.
Town’s best
sweets made
by Grandma
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
PHOTO COURTESY OF SCOTT DAVIS
Scott Davis and Simon Russell stand outside of the State of Maine Mine
during a day in the field. By using geological mapping and sampling techniques they are able to find and qualify prospective drilling sites.
Local firm seeking
another silver run
By Adam Curtis
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
The City Tombstone would
not exist without silver and the
mining that happened in the
early part of the 20th Century.
Large-scale mining stopped
decades ago and only reached
metal near the surface, leaving a
potential fortune behind.
The Tombstone Exploration
Corporation (TMBXF), which
owns the majority of the land in
the Tombstone mining district,
announced that it is expanding
its exploration efforts. The
expansion is part of a program
started in 2007, according to a
finance report by Beacon Equity
Research.
The program has identified
almost $400 million worth of
metals after exploring only 5 to
10 percent of its property.
Any plans to start large-scale
mining hinges on many factors
including a need for outside
investment and the productivity
of the exploration, Scott Davis,
TMBXF project manager, said.
So far he admits that the
explorations have met expectations.
“It all boils down to the price
of silver,” said Alan Brown,
TMBXF president.
Silver needs to be at $15 per
ounce or higher in order to
attract investment and start
large-scale mining.
Brown hopes to have a
drilling program this summer at
the sites chosen based on the
exploration efforts, he said.
Davis and a team of two
geologists are in the process of
using geological mapping and
sampling techniques to find
good prospective site, Davis
said.
Last summer the drilling program employed 10 people,
including four Tombstone
locals, Brown said.
“There are hard-rock miners
from all over the state but it’s
good to hire closer to home,”
Brown said.
It takes at least a year or two
before a large-scale mining plan
is put together and, depending
on the price of silver, might not
happen at all, Brown said.
“We need to have good drill
results and to continue explorations on our property,” he said.
The current price of silver is
$12.76 and has shown an
upward trend over the last
decade.
erly — anyone who can walk
up and down stairs.
“We don’t bar anybody from
doing the current tour,” said
Carey Granger, senior tour
guide.
The new Toughnut Mine
Tour will be a step up from that,
more advanced, where children
younger than eight may not even
be permitted to go.
The tour will include “steep
ladders, long tunnels, and tighter
areas to negotiate,” Granger
said. There are also bigger, more
spectacular features in the mine,
including one room that’s as big
as a football field.
The tour is a two-and-half
mile underground hike versus
the 600-foot Good Enough
route. The two-and-a-half to
three-hour tour will also include
a miner’s lunch.
Although the DeJournetts
expected to have the mine open
for business earlier this year, the
economy has held back some of
the tourist action, pushing the
opening date to later this summer. “The season was so slow
and we didn’t have much of a
season till about two weeks ago
because people aren’t really
traveling,” Shirley said.
But the hold back didn’t discourage the group at Tombstone
Consolidated Mines Company.
“The Tounghnut Mine is an
ongoing project, and like everything else we do here, we will
work on it meticulously and on
our own schedule,” Granger
said.
The tourist anticipation has
become fairly high.
“They all want to see it,” said
Granger, who pushes the
Toughnut Tour every time he
leads a group through the Good
Enough. “Every mine tourist
that hears about the new tour
promises to come back for the
Toughnut.”
New mine tour opening
delayed until summer
By Chelsea Kerzner
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
When Andree and Shirley
DeJournette opened the Good
Enough Mine Tour in March of
2007, they were skeptical of its
pending success. It didn’t take
long for them to realize that it
was something tourists would
love.
The Good Enough had
quickly become one of the most
sought after attractions by
tourists
who
came
to
Tombstone.
It was easy for Andree and
Shirley to decide to open a second mine tour across the street,
where a much larger mine was
about to be made tourist-ready
and dubbed the Toughnut Mine
Tour.
The original Good Enough
Mine Tour is a good match for
beginner. It’s for kids, dogs, eld-
“Forget love, I’d rather fall in
chocolate,” reads the sign hanging behind the counter at
Grandma’s Fudge Factory.
Those who agree with the sentiment will find themselves a little
bit of heaven in the small shop
located next to the Bird Cage
Theatre on Allen Street.
Paula Reed is the owner and
chief
fudge-maker
at
Grandma’s, which opened in the
current location after Christmas
in 2008.
Reed operated a gift shop and
fudge stand at the Boothill
cemetery for 12 years before
moving to the historic district.
Grandma’s is a haven for
chocoholics, but anyone with a
sweet tooth can find a treat to
enjoy.
“We have handmade turtles
and pretzels dipped in caramel,
rolled in chopped walnuts and
dipped in fudge. They are a little
salty and sweet,” Reed said.
“We also make cinnamon glazed
cashews, almonds and pecans.”
The fudge is the focal point,
but you can find saltwater taffy
and three flavors of licorice
imported from Australia at
Grandma’s.
“It has a much better flavor
“I think that we should step it
up a little as a community,”
Collins said.
Ball said he was not concerned about Tombstone’s
health services before he witnessed Collins’ emergency, but
his confidence in the town’s
services has lowered.
“I had no idea of how incapable we are,” Ball said.
“Everyday I pass by the firehouse I think to myself, ‘Where
the hell were they?’”
Harris said that since Mayor
Dustin Escapule took office
things around town have gotten
even worse. Medical assistance
and response is no exception.
“We’ve always been a unique
town but a lot of goofy things
have been going on around here
lately,” Harris said.
Harris admitted feeling
apprehension toward the mayor
even before he took office. More
than a year ago, Harris suggested to him that they turn
Tombstone a fire district, meaning the firehouse volunteers
would be trained and paid.
“His response was ‘Why
should the city pay them when
we have them for free now?’”
Harris said. “I remember thinking ‘Did he just say that out
loud?’”
But Escapule recently said
that getting involved in day-today emergency activities is not
part of his job as mayor.
But it is part of Talvy’s job as
Marshal.
The Marshal’s office is currently open Monday through
Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but
it is being transformed into a
full-time dispatching office.
Talvy said his goal is for the
office to become full-time by
May 1. That means dispatchers
will be available full-time
Monday through Friday and
part-time on the weekends.
Talvy said the change was
brought by an increased need,
with Collins’ recent emergency
shining light on the issue even
more.
“We were lucky to have this
young girl alive to this day,” he
said. “It’s important that we collectively get together to resolve
those issues.”
PHOTO BY BETHANY SLIM
Patricia Hartson serves up some fudge at
Grandma’s Fudge Factory on Allen Street. The
shop offers 27 different flavors of fudge, as well
as a variety of other treats.
Grandma’s makes fudge in
small batches as it is needed, but
the fudge has a shelf life of three
weeks. Nothing in the shop lasts
that long, but it allows Reed to
ship fudge all over the country.
Reed and Hartson strongly
recommend against refrigerating
fudge, because the cold air will
dry out the fudge and make it
taste grainy.
If sweets are not your thing,
Grandma’s is also a gift shop
where you can find postcards,
mugs, crystals, old-fashioned
Fenton lamps and even Emmett
Kelly, Jr. autographed clown
collectibles.
So whether you are looking
to satisfy a chocolate craving or
pick up a unique gift, Grandma’s
may be a good place to look.
Just don’t think too hard about
your diet, and take to heart
another sign behind the counter:
“When I hear the word exercise,
I wash my mouth out with
chocolate.”
Where’s youth at area churches?
By Mya Dollin
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Youth involvement regarding faith is
faint in a city with eight churches.
Only three of the churches in Tombstone
sponsor youth groups.
There are not a lot of public places for
children and teenagers to socialize in a safe
and cost-free environment, said Susan
Dominguez, who is a Sunday school teacher
and youth leader at the First Baptist Church
in Tombstone.
“(The youth group) offers participation
with other kids on a different basis, more
relaxed but with structure,” said Kathy
Golden, a member at First Baptist Church
and a recent youth group leader. “A lot of
youth don’t go to church or anything like
that. The youth group puts more God structure into them.
“(Rev. Greg Baird) wanted to reach out
to the youth factor in town and give them
more things to do,” Golden added.
The youth group at First Baptist Church
is heavily faith-oriented, providing a reward
system for memorizing versus of the Bible.
Children post smiley face cutouts on a board
in the church basement, which allows them
to see their accomplishments, Golden said.
During the March 4 session, a paper bag
was passed around the table with phrases.
Each child blindly selected a paper from the
bag and incorporated the phrase in a prayer,
which they led.
At the end of the session the children
played a game of Jesus Says, similar to
Simon Says.
The
Tombstone
Community
Congregational youth group is more openminded and diverse with a focus on community building, said Rev. Tina Squire.
Tombstone Community Congregational
youth group is non-denominational – three
of the teenagers are heavily involved with
the church, two other members are Mormon,
PHOTO BY MYA DOLLIN
Youth group leaders Kathy Golden (left) and Susan Dominguez
(right) lead children Cierra McAlister (left) and Keeta Eberle
(right) in an activity at church during a March 4 meeting.
and another is an atheist, Squire said. Not all
of the attendees are from Tombstone.
No matter what the faith standard is, both
provide youth in and around Tombstone
with a place to socialize with peers.
The youth group at First Baptist Church
provides Greg Baird Jr. with a place where
he can see his friends and learn about God.
“I just have a lot of fun with it and stuff,”
he said.
On Wednesday, March 4, five children –
ages 6 to 10 – were in attendance at First
Baptist’s weekly youth group meeting.
On a good day, seven to 12 people attend
the youth group at Tombstone Community
Congregational Church, held on Sunday
night from 6 to 8 p.m., Squire said.
The youth group at the 85-member
church is directed toward sixth to 12th
graders, with the majority in high school.
Youth group attendance has been teetering off at First Baptist. Now, there is a
steady flow of about five children every
week, Golden said.
Tombstone’s lack of ability to maintain a
strong youth group population is not unique.
According to the Pew Forum, out of
more than 35,000 adults surveyed, “more
than one-quarter of American adults . . .
have left the faith in which they were raised
in favor of another religion - or no religion
at all.”
Despite the decline, church attendance in
Tucson, at Christ Presbyterian Church, has
increased in recent months partly because of
their successful youth ministry, said Lesley
Abrams, director of children’s ministry.
Flashback to Founders’ Day
FRIDAY, APRIL 17 2009
PAGE 4
PHOTO BY RODNEY HAAS
People walk their pets down Allen Street for Tombstone’s Pet
Parade. Several of the animals from the Tombstone Animal Shelter
participated in the parade.
PHOTO BY ADAM CURTIS
Loop Rawlins surrounds himself in a tremendous rope loop as a transfixed crowd looks on. Rawlins
has been practicing rope tricks since he was 8 years old.
ADAM CURTIS
Joey Dillon focuses intensely on the
gun balancing on the palm of his
hand, while a captivated audience
looks on. Dillon is a two-time world
champion six-gun handler.
PHOTO BY
PHOTO BY ADAM CURTIS
Members of the Tombstone Vigilettes honor the Tombstone Rose with
their bonnets, fans and parasols during the Rose Parade. Alexis Ray, 16,
was crowned this year’s Rose Queen.
ADAM CURTIS
Marty Hill (left) and Fernando Valencia (right) fight over Flor Tapia during a
performance by the Cochise County Folkloricos.
PHOTO BY
PHOTO BY ALEC NIELSON
Left to right: Flor Tapia, Jakie Othon and Mia
Montaño twirl their dresses through the air during
the opening dance of the Cochise College
Folkloricos. The Folkloricos also participated in the
Rose Parade on Saturday.
Tombstone gets its drill on
By Chad Roy
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
During the mining days, hammering
holes into rocks was a standard labor job,
but now it’s a recreational activity.
Tombstone, one of the historic mining
towns in Arizona, held a Hard Rock Drilling
competition on April 4 at the Founders’ Day
Festival.
The contestants had 10 minutes to pound
a drill into flat granite, with their only help
coming from an assistant who ran water into
the hole so the loose stone chips could
splash out with every stroke of the hammer
on steel. The deepest hole won the contest.
People from all over Arizona and other
states came to Tombstone to show off their
drilling skills in an atmosphere filled with
the mining culture.
George Renteria, a 33-year-old mechanic
in Bisbee, won the contest by drilling a hole
around nine inches deep and claimed $500
in prize money.
“I’ve been drilling and mucking for 15
years,” Renteria said. “Watching my uncle
as a kid inspired me and I always wanted to
try after he was done.”
This was the first win for Renteria in a
drilling competition, but he has placed second in other tournaments.
Renteria said the upcoming 4th of July
contest in Bisbee will be his next event.
“I do it for the fun and it’s a getaway,”
Renteria said. “…It’s a vacation.”
Standard drilling contests allow contestants to drill for 10 minutes, use a 4 pound
hammer, have 12 drill steels with a diameter
of three-quarter inches and one water tender.
Tobin Rupert, a 42-year-old automechanic from Carson City, Nev., has been
entering drilling contest in Nevada, Arizona
and Colorado for the past six years.
“I love the challenge,” Rupert said. “You
PHOTO BY ADAM CURTIS
Richard Blake dances for the crowd as he
walks in front of the Tombstone Trolley parade.
Blake started working for the Trolley after he
“got tired of retirement,” he said. For 25 years
Blake impersonated Abraham Lincoln in a oneman show.
have to overcome the fear of hitting your
hand like mind over matter.”
According to Rupert, the main contest is
the World Championship in Carson City,
which is held annually in November and
usually features 20 drillers.
Matt Decker is a welder out of Safford,
has been drilling competitively for 20 years
and placed fourth in the World
Championship last November. He said repetitions make a good driller.
“I practice in my back yard,” Decker
said. “It’s great conditioning and getting the
rhythm with the hammer and steel down is
important.”
Decker loves the competition of drilling
and said the experiences he has had will be
remembered for the rest of his life.
“I love the traveling and meeting people,”
Decker said. “Also making money in the
contest is important because it usually pays
for the trip.”
PHOTO BY ALEC NIELSON
Alexis Ray, 16, smiles at the
crowd after being crowned Rose
Queen.
PHOTO BY ADAM CURTIS
The competition’s organizer, Michael Bednorz, takes his turn on the
rock. At the age of 62 Bednorz not only hammered away for the full
allotted 10 minutes but placed fourth in the event.