SanTanValley.com

How cool would it be to think of something small you needed, and then “print” the item three-dimensionally and hold it in your hand?  That is what students at three high schools will be doing, thanks to the San Tan Valley Think Tank and Pinal County Attorney’s Office.

Combs High School, San Tan Foothills High School, and Poston Butte High Schools received 3-D MakerBot printers which will help students learn to design, engineer, and then actually make small items, turning CAD files into physical objects “printed” in plastic or metal. Newer MakerBot models include ceramic, wood pulp, and even sugar as printing materials.

Fellow Pinal County residents,

As my term as Pinal County Attorney comes to an end, I want to inform you of the accomplishments of the Pinal County Attorney’s Office (PCAO) during the last five years.

This short letter will serve as a brief and only partial record of the hard work and dedication of 150 committed public servants at the PCAO.

Dear Mr. Walsh,

I write to you today not as a Pinal County law enforcement officer and not as a political attack, but as a victim of a serious crime in Pinal County.  I wish to address this criminal case (PCSO DR# 110409017) that has gone unprosecuted in Pinal County for political purposes. Sheriff Paul Babeu has overlooked it and has defended the incompetence and outright cronyism of his employees. This effort has been encouraged by the agents of the county who investigate claims and who appear to not work for the county, but have aligned themselves with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy undermining the competence and authority of the Pinal County Attorney’s Office.

Rampant sale of ‘bath salts,’ ‘spice’ will be prosecuted as ‘public nuisance’

Dangerous synthetic drugs going under innocuous names such as “bath salts,” “potpurri,” and “spice” are being legally manufactured and sold all over the U.S. including Apache Junction, and are causing increasingly serious problems for users and society.

But, as for Pinal County and its cities, including Apache Junction, the 30 to 35 establishments that are known to be sellers have been targeted to be stopped with a new, innovative approach.

The seat for Pinal County attorney is being contested between incum­bent Democrat James Walsh and challenger Republican Lando Voyles. The county attorney’s office is tasked with prosecuting cases brought to it by the sheriff ’s office.

The office has about 150 people work­ing for it including more than 40 attorneys. Its annual budget is about $14 million.

Mr. Walsh has a Bachelor of Arts de­gree from St. Louis University and a Ju­ris Doctorate from University of Chicago Law School.

I have received robo-calls from the Babeu campaign attacking Jim Walsh, our Pinal County attorney. Not only are these calls possibly a violation of campaign laws but the very nature of the unfounded accu­sations and lies shows the gutter level of pol­itics Mr. Babeu practices.

I never thought that I would write a letter to the editor. But, here it is. I have been following some of the local elections here in Pinal County and I couldn’t stand by idly as I watched one of the most important races, the county attorney race.

Pinal County Attorney James P. Walsh donated $5,000 from RICO funds to the San Tan Valley Substance Abuse Coalition to assist with implementing a prevention program in all three area school districts.

The San Tan Valley Substance Abuse Coalition solicited funds to bring the Scottsdale based notMYkid Foundation’s programs to the area in an effort to tackle substance and alcohol abuse, depression, self injury, internet safety, safe dating, bullying and eating disorders.

The prevention sessions are lead by young adults, who overcame addiction and relate to the problems children face today.

The increased safety and security for Pinal County residents is a result of the hard work of the prosecutors in the Pinal County Attorney's Office. We are proud of our partnership with the equally hard working law enforcement agencies in Pinal County.

A Pinal County Jury on Friday found Elisha Robert Edwards, guilty of one count of possession of methamphetamine a dangerous drug for sale, possession of drug paraphernalia, two charges of misconduct involving weapons.