SanTanValley.com

Andrew Clegg’s commute from his Arizona City home to his former job in Maricopa County took 45 to 90 minutes on a good day — hours if there was a wreck on Interstate 10.

The Census Bureau this week confirmed what Mr. Clegg knew: It wasn’t the distance that made the trip so long, it was the tens of thousands of others heading in the same direc­tion at the same time.

A bureau report on commuting patterns last week said that more than half of Pinal County residents leave the county for work, with most of them heading to Maricopa County. The re­port estimates that about 57,000 workers make the trek every day.

The first San Tan Valley Prescription Drug Drop Off Box was installed at the Copper Basin Fire Station, located at 28353 N. Main St. San Tan Valley, AZ. 85143 and the grand opening took place March 12, 2013.

If prescription medicines are taken for non-medical reasons or at doses not prescribed by a doctor, they can lead to addiction, seizures, heart attacks, or even death.

Local area residents now have a secure location to take any unused RX prescription medication where it can be dropped off and safely disposed of.

Michelle Sobkoviak, principal at Circle Cross Ranch K-8 in the Florence Unified School District, will be moving out of state at the end of the school year, following her husband, who has accepted a new position in Illinois. Today, at the request of Dr. Amy Fuller, Rebecca Hendry, principal at Magma Ranch K-8, has accepted a lateral transfer to be the principal at Circle Cross Ranch K-8 for the upcoming 2013-14 school year.

On Saturday, March 16 from 11 am – 6 pm at the Anthem at Merrill Ranch Community Park in Florence, the Anthem at Merrill Ranch Community will host its fifth annual Spring Festival event, open to the public in the southeast valley.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the addition of a skateboard exhibition by AZ Grind, the premier indoor skate park of Arizona! The new AZ Grind, indoor skate park is located at 8743 E. Pecos Rd. Mesa, AZ 85212. Their facility is an indoor, air-conditioned skating facility that features a 12 foot vertical ramp, bowl, mini ramp, and street course.

The Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs (AZCOPS) and the Pinal County Deputies Association unite with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in sponsoring the Heroes Run for Dakota.

AZCOPS and the Pinal County Deputies Association both donated funds to sponsor the 5K race in San Tan Valley to help raise money for 8-year-old Dakota Clark with mounting medical expenses in her battle against cancer.

Pinal County Public Works says work is continuing on schedule with Phase I improvements to Hunt Highway.

Phase I is a 1.79 mile section of the road from Empire Boulevard to Thompson Road.

The improvements include a five-lane roadway, drainage culverts, completion of an intersection and installation of a traffic signal at Thompson Road.

Many San Tan Valley families have children who are involved in sports.  Some like football, baseball or basketball.  Some like soccer, swimming or golf.  Brandon Atkins however has found that he excels in tennis and his family couldn't be more proud.

The Atkins are Johnson Ranch residents and their son, Brandon Atkins attends Basha High School in Chandler.  As a 13 year old freshman, he plays the #2 Varsity position for the tennis team.  Many children start playing sports when they are elementary school age and have played for many years before getting into high school.

According to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, a man under the influence of drugs and alcohol, flipped his truck Friday in San Tan Valley, near Skyline and Tombstone roads,

Glenn Allen Oglesby, 55, of Chandler was traveling west on Skyline Road when he cut off several oncoming cars, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

Campfires, bonfires and fire pits are a central part of fellowship at campsites.  Unfortunately due to the extreme fire risk from repeated years of drought, they are currently banned in unincorporated areas of Pinal County.

“In the past, several Arizona counties have experienced significant forest fires that have stretched not only Arizona’s local emergency responders to the limit but also required significant state and federal resources to respond to the emergency,” said Pinal County Emergency Manager Lou Miranda.

On Wednesday, March 6th, 2013 at 6 a.m. the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Florence Unified School District regarding a “hit list” which was discovered on the internet and reported to them by a parent of one of the students on the list.

The list was created by two female students; an 8th grade student at Walker Butte K-8 and a 10th grade student at Poston Butte High School, and placed on the social media site Instagram. Also on the media site was an icon of a pistol next to the word “hit list.”