Former Fountain Hills Mayor Jerold Miles died over the weekend at the age of 84 from natural causes. Miles served as Mayor from 1996 to 1998.
“There is so much Jerry Miles accomplished that will be spoken about in the coming days and weeks, but what immediately comes to mind is that Jerry embraced Fountain Hills as his hometown and left no doubt about his commitment to our community,” said Town of Fountain Hills Mayor Ginny Dickey. “Jerry and Jackie’s generosity of time and resources in many areas… including his public service as Mayor, the arts and education… benefited many over the years, and we are the better for it.”
Miles and his wife Jackie “retired “to Fountain Hills in 1985 after he retired as an attorney from Southern California. They became full-time residents in 1990.
According to the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame website, Miles served as a Director of the Golden Eagle Foundation, the River of Time Foundation, the Senior Services Foundation, the Library Association, Civic Association, Historical Society, and Sunridge Foundation. He was the founder and first president of the Neighborhood Property Owners Association, a past president of the Noon Kiwanis Club, and an elder of the Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church. He was the Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year for 2003.
Former mayor Miles provided free legal services to numerous local non-profit associations, helping them become incorporated and acquire tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Service rules.
The Miles were one of the driving forces behind the development of the Town’s public art collection by being the most significant benefactors toward the acquisition of public art in the community. Today, the Town’s art collection features 150 pieces. In 2011 the public art collection was named “Milestones, an Odyssey Through Public Art” as a tribute to Jackie and Jerry Miles.
In 2012 he was instrumental in recommending to the Centennial Committee the naming of the plaza area adjacent to the Community Center and the Library/Museum as the Centennial Circle in celebration and recognition of the 100th Anniversary of Arizona’s statehood. The sculpture garden in this area was dedicated on March 18, 2017, as The Jerry Miles Sculpture Garden in recognition of his many contributions to the visual arts in Fountain Hills.
On Tuesday, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was joined by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas on a tour of two facilities housing migrants in Tucson. Sinema and Cornyn will be in Texas today.
Sinema and Cornyn received a tour of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “soft-sided facility” in Tucson, which is used to house migrants apprehended by Border Patrol.
Cornyn, Sinema and U.S. Representatives Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) in April introduced The Bipartisan Border Solutions Act, their bipartisan, bicameral legislation to respond to the surge in migrants coming across our southern border.
The sponsors say the bill would “improve both the Department of Homeland Security’s and the Department of Justice’s capacity to manage migration influxes and adjudicate asylum claims in a timely manner, protect unaccompanied migrant children, reduce impact on local communities, ensure migrants are treated fairly and humanely, and ultimately deter those who do not have realistic asylum claims from placing themselves in danger by making the treacherous journey to our southern border.”
The Bipartisan Border Solutions Act:
Establishes at least 4 regional processing centers in high-traffic Border Patrol sectors to properly handle the influx of migrants along the southwest border and improve interagency coordination.
Creates pilot programs to facilitate fairer and more efficient credible fear determinations and asylum decisions, while ensuring fairness in proceedings through provisions to protect access to counsel, language translation services, and legal orientations.
Establishes prioritized docketing of migrants’ immigration court cases during irregular migration influx events to deliver legal certainty for migrants., and disincentivize would-be migrants with weak asylum claims from making the treacherous journey to the southwest border.
Expands legal orientation programming and translation services, and protects access to counsel for migrants.
Implements new protections for unaccompanied migrant children released to sponsors in the United States, including regular follow-up and absolute bars on placement with persons convicted of certain crimes, such as sex offenders and child abusers.
Increases staffing to better handle irregular migration influx events, including 150 new Immigration Judge teams, 300 asylum officers, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations staff, ICE litigation teams, CBP officers, and Border Patrol processing coordinators.
Improves DHS coordination with NGOs and local governments to prevent release of migrants into small communities that are poorly equipped to handle the influx of a large number of migrants.
Improves DHS, DOJ, and HHS reporting to Congress to support future legislative efforts in areas in which bipartisan agreement does not yet exist.
The Bipartisan Border Solutions Act is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Immigration Forum, National Border Patrol Council, American Business Immigration Coalition, Major Cities Chiefs Association, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Evangelicals, Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Niskanen Center, Mayor Luis Sifuentes of Eagle Pass, Texas, Texas Border Coalition, Border Trade Alliance, Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition, Southwestern Border Sheriffs’ Coalition, Texas Association of Business, South Texans’ Property Rights Association, RGV Partnership, New American Economy, Americans for Prosperity and The LIBRE Initiative.
PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey ordered flags at all state buildings be lowered to half-staff until sunset on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, to honor Phoenix Police Officer Ginarro New, who died from a car accident while on duty last night.
“Officer Ginarro New of the Phoenix Police Department worked each day to protect Arizonans,” said Governor Ducey. “We are devastated by the loss of Officer New, who served with the Department for just under two years. He made safe communities his top priority, and we are grateful for his bravery and dedication to protecting others. Our prayers are with his wife and loved ones. I’ve ordered flags at all state buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of Officer New’s life and service.”
Officer New was killed by a red light runner on Monday night. The crash occurred in north Phoenix at around 10:30 p.m. near Cave Creek Road and Greenway Parkway, according to the Arizona Daily Independent.
Officer New was transported to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was pronounced deceased on the scene.
We are heartbroken by the incident which took the life of 27-year-old, Officer Ginarro New. On May 31, 2021, Officer New was involved in an on-duty collision near Cave Creek/Greenway. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/tRRxhVtd64
On Friday May 28, 2021, U.S. Navy Signalman Third Class Austin Henry Hesler entered his final resting place at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery 80 years after his death during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Arizona Patriot Guard escorted Mr. Hesler’s hearse to the cemetery. The U.S. Navy Funeral Honors team escorted Mr. Hesler’s U.S. flag draped casket to the committal shelter with about 30 attendees, mostly family, following closely behind.
During the service, a seven-person team from the U.S. Air Force conducted the rifle volley before a bugler played “Taps.” The firing of three volleys over the grave of a fallen warrior has its origin in the old custom of halting the fighting to remove the dead from the battlefield. The U.S. Navy Funeral Honors team conducted the flag folding and presentation, presenting the flag to Mr. Hesler’s niece, Kathy Ayala.
“We would like to extend our most sincere condolences to the family of Austin Hesler,” said Cemetery Administrator Joe Larson to Mr. Hesler’s family and those in attendance. “It’s an honor to have him interred here at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery.”
Larson noted that Mr. Hesler is the first WWII service member that was killed in action to be buried at the SAVMC.
Mr. Hesler was only 21 years old when he was killed. After enlisting into the U.S. Navy on August 8, 1939 in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. Hesler reported for duty aboard the USS Oklahoma that October.
Just before 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941 the USS Oklahoma was attacked by Japanese forces killing 429 crewmen aboard, including Mr. Hesler. The ship would later be recovered in 1944, however the bodies could not be identified and were commingled and buried in several mass graves at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu and marked as “Unknown.”
In 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) began reexamining the unidentified remains using advanced DNA testing. On February 24, 2021, DPAA confirmed that Mr. Hesler’s remains were identified which led to the notification of his loved ones before finally ending with a service fit for a hero.
Arizona’s Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was one of eleven senators that did not cast a vote on a proposal to investigate the January 6, Capitol Hill protest. The proposal failed, needing 60 votes to pass.
Sinema was joined by fellow democrat, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington.
Progressives are furious with the moderate Sinema over her failure to cast a vote for what opponents describe as a “witch hunt.”
Sinema had previously urged her colleagues to support the proposal. She and Sen. Joe Manchin issued a joint statement in support of the commission:
“The events of January 6th were horrific,” the statement read. “We could never have imagined an attack on Congress and our Capitol at the hands of our own citizens. In the hours and days following the attack, Republican and Democratic members of Congress condemned the violence and vowed to hold those responsible accountable so our Democracy will never experience an attack like this again.”
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri
Republican Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana
Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota
Republican Sen. James Risch of Idaho
Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama
Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
Sinema offered no insight into her decision to skip the vote. The commission was sold as “bipartisan,” but few believed it would be little more than a third impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump.
Arizona’s junior senator, Mark Kelly, voted in favor of the commission.
