A triple threat & a great kid: 9 Comment on Fossil Creek: 12 ARIZONA NEWSPAPERS AND NATIONAL LOCAL MEDIA ASSOCIATIONS’ NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
PAYSON ROUNDUP
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Coping with shifting climate
Well woes by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
The production numbers for the three Milk Ranch wells in the Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District between 2014 and 2016 show radical swings over three years. Newly elected PSWID board chair Maher Hazine said the district has many reasons for the fluctuation in numbers. He said sometimes those wells are not needed for the system to have enough water. Other times, they may need maintenance. “We have a series of wells we own and wells we have through sharing agreements,” said Hazine. “(Production) depends on cost and production. We move water around as
Milk Ranch wells fixes expensive
• See Well woes, page 2
Tragic abuse Peter Aleshire/Roundup
New research shows that climate shifts caused population crashes and spikes in the Southwest — including sites like Wupatki, near Flagstaff. by Peter Aleshire
Fire worked dramatic change on landscapes
roundup editor
The climate’s warming. The glaciers are melting. The carbon dioxide’s rising. But if it’s any comfort — human beings have been mucking with the planet’s ecosystem for a very long time. The most recent evidence comes from several studies documenting the connection between humans and climate in the desert Southwest dating back to the 1200s. Another study looked at the impact Ice Age hunters had on the forests of Europe. Population crash in the Southwest One shocking study suggests that European diseases decimated Native American populations in the Southwest in the 1600s. The death of 90 percent of the Native Americans left its mark in a drop in forest fires and a surge in tree growth.
• See Climate shifts, page 3
History, organics inspire writer by
Teresa McQuerrey
by
Alexis Bechman
roundup staff reporter
A man that left his ailing mother in filth while he spent her money, was sentenced to more than two decades in prison. James Robert Carroll, 53, elected not to go through a jury trial or plea negotiations with the Gila County Attorney’s Office. Instead, he pleaded guilty to all five counts in a grand jury indictment, including unlawful imprisonment, fraudulent schemes, aggravated assault, theft and abuse of a vulnerable adult. Carroll wrote the court that he felt overwhelmed taking care of his mother and failed to do so properly. His 86-year-old mother meanwhile, asked the court to impose the strictest sentence possible, saying Carroll had always been a burden on her, the family and society. The Gila County Attorney’s Office recommended Judge Gary Scales sentence Carroll to 46 years in prison. Scales Dec. 27 sentenced Carroll to 22 years in prison. Police were called to the home of Carroll’s mother in March after a neighbor heard her yelling for help.
Man gets 22 years for neglect of his mother
roundup staff reporter
A love of history serves as a foundation for Josephine DeFalco’s fiction. Her work as a nutritionist, health advocate and urban organic farmer are the cornerstones for her cookbooks. DeFalco, an Arizona native, splits her time between a cozy cabin in Christopher Creek — Getaway Meadow — and a one-acre organic farm in the Valley. DeFalco has published two “It is the kind of books, a historical novel, “The wheat that was Nightbird’s Song” used at the old and a cookbook, Hayden Flour “The Best Little Bread Book.” Mills in Tempe published and dates back to herShe novel in 2015. the time of Father She said the book is based on a small, Kino (1690s).” obscure event Josephine DeFalco that took place in Nutritionist, author Bisbee, Ariz., when mining management and miners went up against each other and divided the community. DeFalco learned about the event while serving as a volunteer with the Arizona Historical Society. “The more I learned about these brave people of all backgrounds and ethnicities, and what they sacrificed to settle Arizona, the more I realized they needed to be recognized,”
• See Abuse of mother, page 3
Naked mayhem by
draft of the book. DeFalco premiered her cookbook at the 2016 Payson Book Festival. She said it was written for a couple of reasons: as a nutritionist and health advocate she is concerned when large masses of people start eliminating certain foods from their diets. Her “The Best Little Bread Book” is a counter to the current fad of removing gluten from diets. “True gluten allergies are rare. That is not to downplay that some people are sensitive to certain foods,” said DeFalco, a registered
A man that drank three bottles of vodka and then threatened to cut a woman’s head off was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison Thursday. Ronald John Martens, 65, is reportedly a changed man from that crazy night in February 2015, according to his lawyer Michael Bernays. Bernays said Martens is now clearer headed, as 237 days he has sat in jail have done him good. Judge Gary Scales sentenced Martens to a minimum sentence of 1.5 years in prison for two counts of disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon. On Feb. 7, 2015, deputies were called to Martens home after he drank three 750 milliliter bottles of vodka and became verbally abusive toward his wife and her sister, according to a pre-sentence report. Martens got his sword, sharpened it and threatened to cut off one woman’s head. The pre-sentence report does not include the women’s names so it is unclear if he threatened to cut off his wife’s head or her sister. Martens then walked around the home naked because he was “horny.” Martens reportedly used an ax and a knife to cut two holes in a bedroom door. Both women said they feared for their lives, according to the report. Martens told a probation officer he was in an alcoholic
• See Writer, page 2
• See Mayhem, page 2
Photo courtesy of Allison Photography
Josephine DeFalco has made a part-time home in the Rim Country since she was a child. She now has a home in Christopher Creek, where she visits as often as she can. she said. Her planned second novel, “The Butterfly Bush” is set in the hills of North Carolina and addresses the changes in this beautiful part of the country sustained after World War II. She said she is about halfway through the first
THE WEATHER
volume 27, no. 5
Alexis Bechman
roundup staff reporter
Outlook: Mostly sunny Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the mid 50s, lows in the mid 30s. Becoming cloudy Thursday with rain likely by the evening; high 48, low 33. Temperatures expected to drop to the low 40s and upper 30s Friday & Saturday with rain and snow likely. Details, 5
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Drunk man threatens to cut off a woman’s head