History was made at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale last week when a record $3.6 million was bid for a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, VIN 001, during a multi-day charity event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Barrett-Jackson.
The high bid for the coveted first retail production of the 70th Anniversary Corvette model came from Michelle Mauzy, who donated an additional $100,000. All proceeds from the sale went directly to Operation Homefront.
Overall, more than $8.8 million was raised for charity from the sale of 10 vehicles during the event, pushing the company’s all-time charity total to over $144 million.
Several other highly-prized vehicles were auctioned off, include a custom 2022 Karma GS-6 “Mr. 305 Edition” owned by Grammy Award-winning artist Pitbull, who attended the event Saturday night as his vehicle was sold. The Karma sold for $500,000, with another $200,000 donated, all earmarked for Selfless Love Foundation and The SLAM Foundation.
“Raising over $8.8 million for charity this weekend was the perfect way to honor our 50th Anniversary,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “It was an absolute honor to share our auction block with some of the world’s most influential artists and business leaders, including Pitbull, Bret Michaels and Henry Ford III to raise both funds and awareness for many worthy causes.
Jackson added that giving back to the community is a priority for the company.
“I am confident my parents Nellie and Russ as well as Tom Barrett would be proud to see that we never lost sight of their philanthropic vision,” he said.
The second-highest bidding involved a 1968 Ford Mustang Custom Fastback which sold for $1 million to benefit the STARS Foundation. Meanwhile, a 2021 Ford Bronco “Bronco 66” First Edition model sold for $500,000 to benefit Pope Francis Center. ,
A 2022 Ford Shelby GT500KR First Production brought in $700,0000 with the proceeds to benefit the Carroll Shelby Foundation and JDRF, while a 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C CSX 6086 netted $280,000 for the Mayo Clinic
And a 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone Hybrid Crewmax Pickup VIN 001 brought in $700,000 to benefit Toyota U.S. Paralympic Fund, with another $550,000 raised for the same fund by the sale of a 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro Crewmax Pickup VIN 002.
Pitbull’s Karma wasn’t the only vehicle at the charity auction with connections to well-known celebrity philanthropists, including rocket Bret Michaels who supported the sale of a 1973 De Tomaso Pantera. One hundred percent of the $155,000 sale will benefit the Arizona-based Barrow Neurological Foundation and their upcoming charitable event, Neuro Night.
In addition, a 2009 Cadillac CTS 4-Door Sedan belonging to Hollywood actor and racer James Garner sold for $100,000, benefiting the James Garner Animal Rescue Fund.
Another $500,000 was donated courtesy of Greg and Jen Holmes of the Holmes Family Trust, who pledged the money as a match to the sale price of a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Custom Split-Window coupe. Those funds are going to Barrett-Jackson Charities to support the Driven Hearts campaign for the American Heart Association.
The outcome of the Barrett-Jackson’s 2022 charity auction touched company president Steve Davis.
“The amount of good to come from the nearly $9 million we raised from charity is simply immeasurable,” Davis said. “From supporting life-saving medical research and higher education opportunities for our youth, to supporting our military veterans and their families, we aren’t just raising money, we’re creating hope, improving lives and lifting spirits. I couldn’t be more honored to be connected to the heart and soul of this community.”
The clock is ticking for the 3 million phones, tablets, and cellular networks in the U.S. which rely on 3G service, and it is expected to lead to safety and security issues starting in February.
Most service providers initially announced plans in 2019 to decommission their 3G platforms which date back to 1998. The change will allow companies like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to concentrate on improved 5G service.
The 3G sunset deadline has been kicked down the road several times, but 2022 marks the end of that road, with AT&T being the first planning to sunset its 3G service sometime before Feb. 22. AT&T has been warning customers for months to switch over to a 4G or 5G plan, even going so far as to temporarily disable some customers’ accounts until the customer speaks with a service rep.
When a 3G network goes dark, it means the loss of calling features -including 911 service- from phones that have not updated to 4G or 5G plans before the shutdown. Particularly vulnerable will be children and domestic violence victims who are typically provided older, cheaper cell phones with 911-only capability.
But cell phone and tablet users are not the only ones who will be impacted by the loss of 3G service. Drivers will also be at risk.
Most major automakers have continued to rely on 3G software for GPS systems, emergency-call functions, and phone hookups through recent year models. Without a software update, or even possibly a hardware update, those functions will not work.
And it is not only manufacturers like General Motors that are scrambling. High-end automakers like Audi, Porsche, and Tesla have confirmed several popular features will be unavailable without 3G.
However, despite the AT&T shutdown set to begin in February, several Honda, Nissan, Porsche, and Volvo owners have not made been able to obtain the necessary update to their vehicles’ AT&T network software.
The discontinuation of 3G will also impact an estimated 1 million home and business security systems across the country installed since the mid-2010s. But ensuring the system continues to work won’t be as simple as changing a cell phone plan with a provider.
“The cellular communicator on your security system will need to be replaced to operate on the new networks,” according to Vector Security. “Your home security provider should be willing and able to answer all of your questions about the impact on your system, and should have a plan in place to prevent disruption.”
While AT&T is initiating its 3G sunset in February, T-Mobile won’t be far behind. In March, the company will begin a four-month sunset schedule, starting with a large number of 3G customers from its merger with Sprint. By July all of T-Mobile’s own longtime 3G customers will be shutdown unless switched to new service plans.
Verizon, which is believed to have more than 1 million customers on 3G service, has announced it will extend its shutoff plans until late 2022.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent patrolling in Cochise County suffered several cuts after being assaulted trying to take an undocumented immigrant into custody Wednesday morning, leading to at least one shot being fired from a USBP-issued gun, Arizona Daily Independent has learned.
It remains unclear whether the gun was fired by the injured agent, another agent, or the “combative subject” as John B. Mennell, a CBP spokesman called the person the agent was trying to apprehend.
“Neither the subject nor the agent was seriously injured during the assault,” Mennell wrote in a statement Thursday. “The case remains under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation who will provide additional details as appropriate.”
Very little is known about the assault which sent nearly two dozen law enforcement and public safety vehicles to the Coronado National Monument south of State Route 92 around 5 a.m. when USBP agents encountered a small group of people suspected of illegally entering the United States.
The agent’s injuries reportedly involved cuts or stabs on the hands and face, and were not life-threatening, according to Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office. The agent was taken from the scene for emergency medical care; no statement has been issued by CBP, USBP, or the FBI as to the agent’s condition.
About 24 hours after the attack, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels took to the airways to bitterly criticize the Biden Administration and the leadership of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the unsafe conditions for residents of his county and the heightened dangers to law enforcement personnel.
Dannels told KFYI radio host James T. Harris that the attack on the USBP agent was just the latest incident of escalating violence. There was recently an assault on another USBP agent, as well as a local officer, and one of Dannels’ own deputies, he told Harris.
“It’s not getting better. In fact, just the opposite and we’ve been talking on this, preaching on this, for the last year,” Dannels said. “I’ll just say this – the failed leadership by this president and this administration to recognize, secure our border, secure our communities, and secure our country is devasting to us right now.”
The agent was attacked near Montezuma Canyon, which lies a few miles west of the USBP Brian A. Terry Station in Naco. Agents assigned to that station are among the 3,800 employees of the USBP’s Tucson Sector.
It would not be until 5 p.m. that FBI spokeswoman Brooke Brennan issued a short statement confirming the agency was conducting the investigation. At 6:30 p.m., Brennan issued a one-sentence supplement advising local residents there was no threat to the public.
However, several first responders familiar with the incident have told Arizona Daily Independent the “all-clear” notice could have been provided hours earlier. This would have relieved the worries of several local residents and tourists in the area.
Even USBP Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin ignored the assault on his agent. Modlin was active on social media throughout Wednesday but never bothered to address the morning incident. But he did have time to share a video of a May 2021 rescue of a migrant in California.
CBP recently acknowledged more than 1.7 million people were “encountered” or arrested at the U.S. southwest border in 2021. That figure does not include whistleblowers’ accounts among USBP agents as well as public comments from officials like Dannels of several thousands of migrants who escape arrest.
While USBP agents were dealing with the attack in southern Cochise County, agents with the USBP Yuma Sector were meeting with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
In his radio comments Thursday, Dannels told Harris that the Western States Sheriffs’ Association has taken a position of “no confidence” in Mayorkas.
The association, which represents the 17 contiguous states west of the Mississippi River, issued a declaration in November calling on President Joe Biden to replace Mayorkas with someone “who will work with our federal enforcement partners and the administration to restore security and safety on our nation’s southern border.”
Gilbert-based Horne Auto Group has added another automotive dealership to its list of holdings.
Last month, the family-owned and operated company completed its purchase of Sonora Nissan in Yuma. The dealership, which has been rebranded as Horne Nissan Yuma, is the company’s second Nissan dealership.
The acquisition brings roughly 34 more employees under the Horne Auto Group umbrella, for an all-location employee total of 474.
Horne Auto Group’s other dealerships are Champion Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Nogales, Horne Auto Center Featuring Chevrolet in Show Low, Horne Cadillac in Show Low, Horne Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Globe, Horne Ford of Nogales, Horne Freedom Ford in Thatcher, Horne Genesis of Apache Junction and Mesa, Horne Kia in Gilbert, Horne Lincoln of Nogales, Horne Mazda in Tempe, Horne Subaru in Show Low, Robert Horne Ford in Apache Junction, Horne Hyundai in Apache Junction, and Horne Nissan in Globe.
The company also owns Horne Collision Center of Show Low, Horne Motors in Mesa, and Horne Motors in Show Low.
The Horne family has been in Arizona for over 140 years, when Henry James Horne settled in Mesa in 1880. His grandson, Gail B. Horne, co-founded the Henry and Horne CPA Firm in 1957, which was later joined by Gail’s son Robert C. Horne.
In 1991, Robert C. Horne purchased a small Chevrolet dealership in Show Low. From that small start, he and sons Aaron, Adam, Andrew, Michael and son-in-law Martin P. Jones have grown the company into what is now Horne Auto Group.
Earlier this month Arizona Auditor General Lindsey Perry published a financial risk analysis of the state’s 207 public school districts, which showed dozens of districts rank at high-risk in one or more of 10 areas of review.
But only six districts finished the review with a designation of “highest risk,” according to Perry’s office. Those districts are Double Adobe Elementary, Elfrida Elementary School District, Flagstaff Unified, Isaac Elementary, Safford Unified, and Wenden Elementary.
Elfrida Elementary is a one-school district in Cochise County which ranked high-risk in 8 of the 10 categories. The district, which had 101 students in Fiscal Year 2020 but only 84 in FY2021, was also on the highest-risk list last year, according to the inspector general.
In response, district officials noted several aspects of the financial risk areas have improved in recent months, albeit not enough to get removed from high-risk status.
“There was a limited possibility that the school was going to be able to get out of all the high risk areas during the year,” the district’s response stated. “However, the COVID relief monies have made quite an impact in the school both budgetary wise and infrastructure wise.”
District officials have used their COVID relief monies in a variety of ways, including spending more than $290,000 for salaries, technology purchases to improve 1:1 computer ratios, and repairs to HVAC systems. Monies were also spent for public health items such as plexiglass, masks, and cleaning supplies. Additional expenditures included an outside cleaning company and a staff aide to help with health scanning of students riding the bus.
Another improvement, according to public records, was addressing the district’s loss of its credit line. As a result, Elfrida Elementary District is now on registered warrant status. In February 2021, the amount was $164,031, but by early November 2021 there were no registered warrants.
“We are striving to not have a registered warrant status at the end of FY2022 by ensuring that the district calls down grant monies monthly and that we do not spend more money than our revenues allow,” the district told the auditor general.
District officials also entered into a food service agreement with the local high school, and a superintendent sharing agreement with another elementary school district. A full-time teacher position with benefits was not filled; instead, a long-term substitute without benefits has been utilized at a savings of nearly $20,000.
The audit report further noted Elfrida Elementary District’s primary property tax rate has been frozen since FY 2014, although district officials had not adjusted its budget to stay within the revenue it would generate based on its frozen tax rate. And the report pointed out that COVID-19 funding is short termed.
“As these are one-time monies, to avoid future financial risk and to ensure it will be able to spend within its available cash resources and budget capacity when these relief monies are no longer available to spend after September 30, 2024, the District should plan how it will adjust its spending in areas where its remaining monies are used,” the report noted.
While Elfrida Elementary ranked at high-risk in 8 categories, Antelope Union High School District in Yuma County hit that designation in only 4 of the 10 categories. Which is one reason the district fell off the highest-risk list from last year, according to the auditor general.
But Perry’s office warns Antelope Union’s data indicates “it could move back in to the highest-risk group in the future” if it does not continue to make progress.
Among the improvements made by Antelope Union officials was a tax levy and a General Fund spending reduction. The district was also aided by COVID-19 federal relief monies, more than $160,000 of which went toward operational experiences through June 30, 2021.
District officials have told auditors they plan to use its remaining relief money for non-operational purposes. In the meantime, the auditor general is recommending Antelope Union begin formulating a spending plan sooner than later, as COVID-19 funds dry up in 2024.
However, another problem is facing Antelope Union High School District’s finances.
Last June, Perry’s office notified the State Board of Education about accounting and bookkeeping problems with Antelope Union. As a result, the Board deemed Antelope Union in noncompliance with the Uniform System of Financial Records for Arizona School Districts (USFR) due to deficiencies dating back to June 2018.
This means the district is not receiving certain state monies. Which once lost, stay lost.
“The District will remain in noncompliance until cleared by the State Board of Education,” Cristan Cable, Director of the Auditor General’s accountability services division, told AZ Free News.
Cable explained that Antelope Union cannot be cleared by the Board until auditors determine the cited deficiencies have been resolved. Those deficiencies were first brought to the attention of the Antelope Union governing board back in 2019. At the time, a corrective action place was provided to district officials but there is much work remaining.
“The State Board of Education will reconsider the District’s noncompliance when we are able to report to the Board that the District has addressed its deficiencies either based on our subsequent review at the request of the State Board of Education or based on our review of the District’s fiscal year 2022 or a later financial and compliance audit performed by the District’s independent auditors,” Cable said.
