Waiting for a
RAINBOW Predictions of a wet winter already seem to have born fruit, with the weekend’s rain slopping over into the week. Weather forecasters predict a 60 percent chance for rain today and Wednesday, before skies clear on Thursday. The forecast then envisions a 20 percent chance for rain Thursday and Friday, with a clear weekend. Highs will dip into the mid 60s and then rise into the low 70s for the weekend. Payson has received nearly 18 inches of rain so far this year, including 1.87 inches in October. That makes 2015 the first nearly
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normal span in several years, in the midst of a drought that has consumed most of the last decade. Normally, Payson gets 1.45 inches of rain in October and about 21.3 inches of rain annually, nearly 72 percent higher than statewide average of 12.4 inches. Several days of scattered rainstorms have boosted the flow of the Salt River to 118 percent of normal, although Tonto Creek at Roosevelt remains at just 44 percent of normal, according to the Salt River Project daily water report.
PAYSON ROUNDUP Photo courtesy of DJ Craig
TUESDAY | OCTOBER 20, 2015 | PAYSON, ARIZONA
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Blowback on backflows by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
The Pine Strawberry Water Improvement District board voted to suspend any further action on the issue of backflow installations until a committee reviews the policy. The vote came after a series of stories in the Roundup, based on customer complaints. The board acted after listening to Ken Ashlock, a backflow specialist from Cross Connection Environmental, as well as its lawyer. Todd Hamblin, a longtime horse property owner in Pine, had protested the district’s policy after receiving a letter from the district
Pretty • in pink Sexters beware See Pine water board, page 10A
Parents, teens ignorant of new laws on sex and smartphones
Julia Randall Elementary students boost breast cancer awareness
by
Julia Randall Elementary students all showed up in pink on Monday in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, including Amy McEntire and Ainsley Meredith (at right). The Payson Roundup and its advertisers decided to get into the spirit of the month by printing the color pages in pink today. Check out the inside pages and the advertisers supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month, declared by the National Breast Cancer Foundation. One in eight U.S. women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives, according to the National Cancer Institute. The chief risk factors remain genetics, a family history, high tissue density on a mammogram, use of alcohol, early menstruation and late menopause, long-term use of hormone therapy, a lack of exercise and obesity. Cure rates have risen steadily, especially with early detection.
District still aims to add AP classes by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
The Payson Unified School District has launched a plan to bring more advanced placement classes to the district as well as upping the rigor of classes starting at the elementary school level. The move comes as researchers across the country grapple to find evidence AP courses promote success in college and improve a student’s education. Early in the year, Superintendent Greg Wyman responded to the board’s request to enhance opportunities for Payson High School students to increase academic rigor and AP courses. “Specifically, there were concerns in the district regarding course offerings at the high
See our ad and upcoming events on page 6B WEATHER
volume 25, no. 82
Outlook: 60% chance for rain today and tomorrow, highs in mid 60s. See 10A
school and the lack of courses being offered that were considered advanced,” Wyman said in a memo to the board. “The action plan develops strategies around staff certification, scheduling at the middle and high school, online education and summer school.”
Alexis Bechman
roundup staff reporter
Wyman said the district currently has teachers certified to teach AP classes in language, literature, U.S. history, chemistry, physics, biology, calculus and statistics. He said although there is a cost to certify teachers to teach the AP curriculum, he planned to
do that during staff development. Wyman cautioned that the district won’t offer all AP courses every year because not enough students will enroll, but the district will do its best. “The goal will be to ensure
• See Studies, page 8A
After a three recent sexting arrests, some Payson parents are wondering how they can prevent their child from sending explicit text messages and photographs. Recent surveys reveal sexting among teens is more prevalent than previously thought and most teens don’t know they face legal ramifications for sending or receiving messages, according to researchers. Many teens don’t call it sexting: For them, it is just sending photos. A sext — short for sex and text message — is defined by Arizona law as “visual depiction of a minor that depicts explicit sexual material. Phone applications like SnapChat, text messaging and websites like Facebook are popular avenues for teens to communicate, send “selfies,” and explicit messages — with or without images. A survey of undergraduates found that more than half had
100 years young & still dancing
by
Alexis Bechman
roundup staff reporter
Dozens of onlookers had tears in their eyes and cellphones in hand to film Myrtle Pyle Warter’s delighted turn across the dance floor Saturday at the Payson Elks Lodge. While she didn’t move as lightly as she once did, the smile on her face was as wide as the grin in the portrait of her in her 20s, which family had printed on a cake for the occasion. Warter celebrated her 100th birthday Saturday, making her one of the oldest pioneer descendants still living in Rim Country. Her secret to longevity: dancing, good genes and plenty of veggies. Friends, some also nearing centenarian status, described Warter as “young at heart” and someone who could still crack a joke. Warter grew up in Star Valley, her father’s family arriving in the area in 1890, with her grandfather once growing watermelons and corn where Banner Payson Medical Center now stands. On Oct. 17, 1915, Warter was born to Floyd Monroe Pyle and
Alexis Bechman/Roundup
Friends and family gathered Saturday to celebrate Myrtle Pyle Warter’s 100th birthday and recall her memories as a member of one of Rim Country’s original pioneer families. Eddie Armer claimed his turn, recalling the sweet lemonade she poured for the neighborhood kids when he was a young ruffian. Verda Childers. She was named after her aunt, Myrtle Pyle, along with a number of local landmarks including Myrtle Lake, Myrtle Point and Myrtle Trail.
Her father Floyd worked with Zane Grey, guiding hunts, cooking, roping the bear and lion for the Zane Grey
• See A century, page 2A
sexted as minors. An alarming 28 percent had sent photographic sexts. Most did not know the law bars underage sexting — for both the sender and the receiver. Those aware of consequences of youth sexting proved much less likely to sext, according to the Drexel University study. The recent Payson sexting arrests include two teen girls who sent graphic photos. One girl reportedly sent images of herself to a man. Another girl sent images she’d found on the Internet, which she told the man were of her. Five years ago, Arizona passed a law that defined sexting to make it illegal for juveniles to send or post sexts through a cellphone or a computer. Previously, sexting was considered felony sexual exploitation of a minor, which would require a convicted person to register as a sex offender. “Because the consequences were so harsh, legal authorities often did not charge youth with
• See Sexts pose, page 2A