Latest news with #PinalCounty
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Callous owner WAVES at confused elderly dog while dumping him in crate outside Arizona animal shelter
A callous Arizona man waved at a his elderly dog as he abandoned him in a crate outside an animal shelter in the sweltering heat. The reckless owner dumped the defenseless animal the gate of Pinal County Animal Care and Control in Casa Grande. The elderly dog sat inside the crate for two hours in 85-degree heat with no water, the shelter said. Heartbreaking video shows the moment the pooch, named 'Little Dude' by the shelter, was ditched outside the gate. The man then waved to the camera before taking off in his car. He was seen wearing a white shirt, shorts, and sunglasses. 'He didn't call. He didn't make a surrender appointment. He didn't even walk inside and speak to a staff member,' the shelter wrote in a fuming Facebook post. 'Instead, he chose the one option that endangers an animal.' The animal was eventually found and brought inside the air-conditioned facility before overheating. 'If you are ever in a situation where you can't keep your pet please do the right thing and call or email us,' the shelter said. 'Don't. Be. This. Guy.' Little Dude is staying with a foster family, who specialize in caring for elderly dogs, AZ Family reported. Little Dude is partially blind and hard of hearing, but overall in good health. 'It just frustrates us because if you just ask us to help you, we will,' shelter director, Audra Michael, told the outlet. Pinal County's shelter is currently full and has a waitlist to surrender animals there. Appointments are required and a fee between $25 and $100 will be issued at drop off. 'We highly encourage owners to rehome their pets on their own and choose new owners for their pets,' its website read. 'It just frustrates us because if you just ask us to help you, we will,' shelter director, Audra Michael (pictured), said. Pinal County's shelter is currently full and has a waitlist to surrender animals If a person is returning the animal back to the shelter after adopting it, it will cost $100. For animals not from the shelter, there is a $25 fee. The shelter also only accepts animals from Pinal County.
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Tan Valley incorporation committee claims victory in campaign to become a town
Arizona's largest unincorporated community appears to be on its way to becoming Arizona's next town. The San Tan Valley incorporation committee claimed victory and lauded voters' 'landmark decision' in the Aug. 5 election. It stated its lead was 'mathematically insurmountable' in an Aug. 6 news release. 'We have planted the flag as Arizona's 92nd municipality — making our community the largest incorporation in state history. It's a powerful example of what happens when neighbors come together with a shared vision and unwavering belief in our future,' said Tyler Hudgins, the committee's chairman, in the news release. The community located in Pinal County, south of Queen Creek, has grown to more than 100,000 residents. It would become the largest municipality in the county. It also would be among the 15 most populated towns and cities in the state. Over the past 15 years, several incorporation efforts had been launched, but none had ever been placed on a ballot and sent to the voters. By the afternoon of Aug. 6, the proposition was passing, with 66% of residents voting in favor of becoming a town. About 1,820 provisional and late early ballot drop-offs remained to be tabulated, according to a Pinal County spokesperson. The next update will be Aug. 7. Arizona allows voters to drop off early ballots at the polls on Election Day, and those ballots must be processed and verified before they can be tallied. Election results in Arizona are unofficial until local officials have tabulated and canvassed the results. It's unknown how many ballots remain to be counted. The Pinal County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to canvass the election results on Aug. 18. "We've heard loud and clear from the public that they want to be able to govern themselves," he said. Board member Mike Goodman, who represents the San Tan Valley area, was thrilled with the unofficial results. He said the residents will be able to take responsibility for their own growth, and he will do everything in his power to support them. San Tan Valley will also be another partner in regional planning, he said. "It's going to provide them lobbying power when they go to the state of Arizona to get their portion of the tax dollars," he said. After the election is canvassed, the Board of Supervisors will meet to discuss the next steps in transitioning the unincorporated community into a town with its own council. San Tan Valley will take local control in July 2026, at the beginning of the next fiscal year. Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X @maritzacdom. Like this story? Get more East Valley news straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free weekly East Valley Newsletter, which comes out on Wednesdays. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: San Tan Valley committee claims victory in bid to become a town Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Results: Voters weigh in on San Tan Valley becoming a town
The Brief Voters in San Tan Valley are deciding on Proposition 495, which would incorporate the community into a town and make it the largest in Pinal County. Supporters of incorporation, like the nonprofit STV Inc., say it would bring in state shared revenue and improve quality of life, while opponents argue it would lead to increased taxes and other fees. SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. - Residents of San Tan Valley are deciding whether to incorporate as a town, which would make it the largest town in Pinal County. Now that the polls closed on Tuesday night, more than 7,120 voters voted "yes" to incorporate, and more than 3,300 voted "no." So far, there are just over 10,500 total voters. Not all votes have been counted. What we know STV Inc., a nonprofit, submitted nearly 11,000 signatures to get Proposition 495 on the ballot. The election was held on Aug. 5, and polls closed at 7 p.m. "Our goal has been to give residents that democratic choice to be able to vote yes or no on incorporation," said Tyler Hudgins, chairman of STV Inc., during an Aug. 5 election watch party hosted at the Rural Metro Fire Station. He says becoming a town would improve the quality of life for the estimated 100,000 residents. According to Hudgins, incorporation itself would not increase taxes, but a future town council could pass a sales tax. "The Arizona state shared revenue they talked about earlier will start to come here. It's about $50 million that we'll get to use for the first year or two," Hudgins said. "Property taxes cannot increase unless a future council decided to send that to the ballot. And the voters have to decide to tax themselves." Mike Schumal, a San Tan Valley resident since 2005, wrote a letter to the editor strongly against the proposition. He says he chose to live in the community because of its affordability. "Currently, the only things that we're really having to pay for are Pinal County taxes and Rural Metro for fire service," Schumal said. He argued that incorporation would lead to added costs, including a potential sales tax and other fees that would be passed on to consumers. STV Inc. says it will support the voters' decision and just wanted to ensure both sides of the issue were heard. What's next The ballot curing deadline for this election is Aug. 8. What you can do Click here to see the latest election results. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Tan Valley voters overwhelmingly support incorporation in early results
Early election results in the San Tan Valley incorporation campaign showed voters overwhelmingly supporting the effort to become a town. The early results consisted of all early ballots that had been accepted and were processed as of Aug. 4, according to Pinal County. That comprised 10,505 early ballots of the 37,036 that were mailed. There were 1,838 check-ins at the polls today, according to James Daniels, a Pinal County spokesperson. There were 55,081 registered voters who were eligible to vote in the Aug. 5 election. The county Election Department was expected to tabulate all Election Day ballots overnight, Daniels told The Arizona Republic. On Aug. 6, the department will continue to process the early ballots dropped off at polls or drop boxes, he said. Arizona allows voters to drop off early ballots at the polls on Election Day, and those ballots must still be processed and verified before they can be tallied. Election results in Arizona are unofficial until local officials have tabulated and canvassed the results. It's unknown how many ballots remain to be counted. News alerts in your inbox: Don't miss the important news of the day. Sign up for azcentral newsletter alerts to be in the know. The canvass for the election is scheduled to take place on Aug. 18, at the Board of Supervisors' Hearing Room in Florence. Several incorporation efforts for San Tan Valley had been proposed in the past decade, but none had been placed on a ballot. Prior efforts were halted because of opposition from neighboring cities, local homeowners associations and some residents. Tyler Hudgins, chairman of the local incorporation committee, told The Arizona Republic the group set out to give residents the choice. 'For us, win or lose ... the goal that we set out to achieve will be accomplished and the residents will be able to decide their future,' he said in a pre-election interview with The Republic. Hudgins said he feels optimistic about the chances for incorporation. San Tan Village: What's under construction near along Ray Road in Gilbert? If successful, it would be the largest incorporation in Arizona's history, according to a news release from Pinal County. The San Tan Valley incorporation committee hosted a watch party at the Rural Metro Fire Station in Copper Basin. In its announcement, the committee called the election a 'defining moment' for the community. 'We want to be a place that we call home. We want to be a community where we come together, and we think incorporation is the vehicle to be able to do that,' Hudgins said. Why does San Tan Valley want to become a town? San Tan Valley's incorporation area encompasses approximately 34.6 square miles. The area has nearly 100,000 residents. In 2018, the county projected the area's population — including areas not within the proposed town boundaries — could reach about 310,000, fully built out. The committee filed more than 10,500 signatures and the county found 7,531 of those signatures were valid on May 1. Residents vying to become a town have told The Republic they were tired of playing catch-up on building roads and infrastructure. In March, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved a plan that would create a commercial core in the area. It could have a broad economic impact. The committee has estimated it would receive $51 million in state shared revenue annually. Hudgins said San Tan Valley 'has been overlooked for far too long.' The incorporation effort has also received support from Pinal County Supervisor Mike Goodman, who represents the area, the Queen Creek Town Council and other East Valley cities. The Rural Metro Fire Department also announced on July 29 that it was committed to serving the area and was prepared to consider negotiations with any future San Tan Valley Council. Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X @maritzacdom. Like this story? Get more East Valley news straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free weekly East Valley Newsletter, which comes out on Wednesdays. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: San Tan Valley voters favor incorporation in early results Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Tan Valley: Voters to decide if unincorporated community will become a town
The Brief San Tan Valley residents will vote on Proposition 495 on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. If passed, the proposition would make unincorporated San Tan Valley a town. Polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening. SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. - Tuesday, August 5, is election day in San Tan Valley where voters will decide whether the unincorporated community will be recognized as a town. What we know Proposition 495 would officially incorporate San Tan Valley if it's passed by voters. Currently, San Tan Valley has over 100,000 residents, but the community has no local government, including police, a mayor or city council. What they're saying Supporters of Prop. 495 say that by becoming a town, San Tan Valley would have more control over what happens in the community, allowing the community to create some of its own services, including police and fire. San Tan Valley currently relies on the Pinal County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement and Rural Metro for fire services. The other side Critics of Prop. 495 say they are worried that becoming a town would create the need to increase taxes. Big picture view If Prop. 495 passes, San Tan Valley would officially be recognized as a town next summer. What's next Polls are open until 7 p.m. Any early ballots that have not already been returned need to be dropped off in-person by the 7 p.m. deadline. Map of San Tan Valley Solve the daily Crossword
