Thursday, March 7, 2019
When Oro Valley Police Department Officers arrived at the Draegeth home on East Brearley Drive the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 12, Laurie was found face up in her bed with a gunshot wound to her left eye. An officer also observed two bullet holes in a nearby wall.
Laurie, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the medical examiner's report, Laurie was killed by a "perforating gunshot wound to the head." The death was ruled a homicide by Eric D. Peters, MD from the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.
According to the interim complaint filed with the Pima County Justice Court, Trevor, 37, told officers he and his wife had been arguing about finances the night before. He said he was later awoken by his wife, who allegedly wanted to continue the discussion.
Trevor told the officer he left the bedroom and entered the kitchen, though the argument allegedly continued, drawing him back into the bedroom. The man then told officers his wife “brandished a handgun and shot at him twice.”
The husband told officers his wife then shot herself while he embraced her “in a side hug.”
After the woman died, Trevor told officers he laid with her for roughly ten minutes, and tried to make her look “pretty.”
Trevor then told officers he removed the blanket from their bed and his shirt and attempted to wash them in the bathtub. He also cleaned the handgun with a bar of soap and the blanket.
After cleaning the weapon, the man told officer he placed it by the front door, and called the police. The entire ordeal took about an hour.
Over the course of the investigation, an officer noted that Laurie planned to leave her husband, and was “kicked out” of the house days before the incident. Investigators did not discover any signs of a suicide, and noted in the statement of probable cause that Laurie was “excited” about a trip with her daughters.
The two children have been in the custody of Trevor’s parents, and an officer indicated in court records that investigators fear the man may be a flight risk and could take his children with him.
An officer was later told during an interview by Trevor that “he had [$1 million] and owns a successful law firm.”
Trevor was later arrested for first-degree-murder by the Oro Valley Police Department and booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center with a $10 million cash only bond.
Trevor’s next court date is set for Monday, March 19.
According to Oro Valley Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Carmen Trevizo, the last homicide took place in Oro Valley in 2013.
Tags: Oro Valley , murder , Laurie Draegeth , Trevor Draegeth , homicide , $10 million , bond , OVPD , Image
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Thank you Chairman Tillis.
I too want to thank Senator Gillibrand for her advocacy for women in uniform and her passion for stopping the crime of sexual assault in our military.
This is also a passion of mine for many reasons, and I think I bring a unique and important perspective. My drive to fight against sexual assault in the ranks is not from the outside looking in. It is deeply personal.
First, for two years, I was honored to be a fighter squadron commander in the United States Air Force. Command is the most impactful duty one can have directly on the lives of servicemen and women—and their families. I was greatly privileged to prepare and then lead my amazing Airmen in combat, which is the apex responsibility of any warrior leader.
Military commanders are placed in a position of authority and responsibility like none other in civilian life. They are not like CEOs, managers, or any other supervisor.
Commanders have a moral responsibility to ensure readiness of their units, which, yes, includes warfighting skills, but demands the commander cultivates and protects and enriches a culture of teamwork, respect, and honor.
Conduct—any conduct—that degrades this readiness doesn’t just harm individuals in the ranks, it harms the mission and places at risk the security of our country. Commanders also have a covenant with the men and women under their command—the one percent who volunteer to serve in uniform. They are asked to follow lawful orders that could risk their lives for the mission. In return, it is the commander’s responsibility to surround their people with a climate of integrity, discipline, and excellence.
During my 26-years in uniform, I witnessed so many weaknesses in the processes involving sexual assault prevention, investigation, and adjudication. It motivated me to make recommendations to Air Force leaders, shaped my approach as a commander, and informed my advocacy for change while I remained in the military and since I have been in Congress.
We have come a long way to stop military sexual assault but we still have a long way to go. When I first entered the Air Force Academy in the 9th class with women, sexual harassment and assault were prevalent but victims mostly suffered in silence. It took many years and too many lives ruined, but thanks to the bravery of some survivors like those on our first panel today, significant change has happened.
I am so inspired by the many survivors who found the strength to share their stories, report their assaults, and demand accountability, justice, and change. It is because of you that a light has been shined on this silent epidemic and so many improvements have been made—including more than 100 legislative actions over the last decade—on all aspects of military sexual assault.
So, like you, I also am a military sexual assault survivor, but unlike so many brave survivors, I didn’t report being sexually assaulted. Like so many women and men, I didn’t trust the system at the time. I blamed myself. I was ashamed and confused. I thought I was strong but felt powerless. The perpetrators abused their position of power in profound ways. In one case I was preyed upon and raped by a superior officer.
Tags: news , politics , Senator , Martha McSally , sexual assault , military , commander , victim , advocacy , Image
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
As I write this, teachers in Oakland, California, are out on strike for the fourth day. Some charter school teachers are organizing a sick-out to join the district teachers.
In Los Angeles, teachers went on strike in January, ending with a contract agreement with the district. A small group of charter school teachers joined them on the picket lines.
Charter teachers joining a school district strike should put a scare into the privatization/"education reform" crowd. Here's something even scarier. Last December, unionized teachers from a Chicago charter network held the nation's first charter school strike. The teachers succeeded in getting a pay raise, lowering class sizes and granting undocumented students sanctuary.
Then this month, 200 teachers at another Chicago charter school chain were out on strike for two weeks.
Led by the Chicago Teachers Union, striking charter educators staged a camera-ready civil disobedience campaign that filled downtown sidewalks with loud protests, blocked access to a Loop office tower used by CICS board President Laura Thonn and crowded outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office for a Valentine’s Day card writing campaign.The new contract will include "pay raises, class-size limits, one week of paid parental leave and shorter work schedules."
The strikes are the visible tip of the charter school unionization iceberg. Many other charters have unionized teachers who regularly engage in collective bargaining with their charter organizations.
It's a privatizer's nightmare.
Tags: Charter schools , Unions , Strikes , Chicago Teachers Union , Arizona schools , education , students , teachers , Image
When Gov. Doug Ducey released his multimillion dollar budget proposal last week, he included $56 million in subsidies for day care, saying it would make such care more affordable for low-income families and expand its reach to about 29,000 children.
“We’re going to move from the back of the pack to right in the middle, and then we’re also going to let about 5,000 other children have these subsidies that don’t have them today,” said Christina Corieri, the governor’s senior policy adviser.
The state pays subsidies to day care centers to cover part of a child’s tuition, allowing qualifying families to choose a government-funded center. But the subsidies have stagnated even as day care costs have risen. The budget injection is meant to narrow the gap.
Families sometimes are forced to walk away from a day care center when the subsidy program doesn’t provide enough financial help, a day care administrator said.
“It’s hard. As soon as they walk in, we know we are going to have to have the talk,” said Kelly McCready, administrator of Kreative Kampus in central Phoenix.
Without the option of licensed day care providers, she said, some parents rely on friends, family members or acquaintances – who aren’t trained – to watch their children, or the parents are forced to reduce working hours to care for their child.
“We’re taking away the opportunity for them to choose – to choose what’s best for their family,” McCready said.
The state last adjusted funding in 2000, giving care centers an average of $350 per child. But as employee salaries and other costs of running a day care facility escalated, so did families’ share of the bill.
In 2014, Arizona families paid an average day care cost of $9,437 a year, according to an Economic Policy Institute report that says high-quality child care is financially out of reach for most families.
McCready said day care owners and managers sometimes will try to make ends meet without asking families to pay the overage, but that goodwill strains those businesses’ resources.
“Working and living in the early-childhood industry, there’s so much passion and willingness to give that extra 10 percent to make up for not quite enough,” McCready said.
Ducey’s plan for the $56 million is to put half of the money toward lowering fees families have to pay by an average of $100 and the other half toward adding 5,100 children to the program. That would bring the number of eligible children to 29,000, according to Corieri, Ducey’s adviser.
“We are not supplementing parents in any way,” McCready said. We are just supporting them, so having relationships with the families, with the children, we can then support here through the day what those families need.”
For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.
Tags: childcare , day care , funding , subsidies , low income families , students , children , Gov. Doug Ducey , legislation , Image
Monday, February 25, 2019
On Saturday U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who is also Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, unveiled a proposal that would stop all future mining projects near the Grand Canyon.
Building off former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's 20-year moratorium on new mining claims over about 1 million acres of public land that sit north and south of the Grand Canyon, Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat, wants to make the mining ban permanent through legislation.
The bill, called the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, has been introduced by Grijalva in the past, but could see success this year in the House with a new Democratic majority. As chair, Grijalva will have primary jurisdiction over his own bill during the legislative process.
If passed, the bill would remove the acres in question from the jurisdiction of the Mining Law of 1872 and the Mineral Leasing Act, which means that no new claims could be made for "locatable" minerals (gold, silver, copper, uranium and other precious metals) and no new leases could be made for "leasable" minerals (oil, gas, coal and phosphate), according to a press release from Grijalva's office. Existing claims within the area would remain, but owners would have to demonstrate that their claim is still profitable and they intend to conduct mining operations.
This move is endorsed by several Indigenous communities in Arizona, including Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai and Hualapai members, who have spoken out about the harmful effects mining has on the environment and their quality of life. In the past, uranium mines have sickened and killed tribal members who live near the Grand Canyon.
Just last week, the Arizona Republic reported that uranium ore, improperly stored in three paint buckets on the floor of a Grand Canyon museum building, put thousands of park visitors, including young children, at risk of radiation exposure.
Grijalva is expected to formally introduce the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act in the House tomorrow, which is the 100-year anniversary of the Grand Canyon National Park's establishment.
Tags: Grijalva , Chair , Natural Resources Committee , Grand Canyon , Mining , Ban , Moratorium , Radiation , Uranium , Mines , Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act , Image
The latest chapter in what's been a long and turbulent 12 months for Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller took another turn on Monday.
Miller will reportedly be subpoenaed to testify in a federal trial, according to Yahoo! Sports. Miller will be joined by current LSU coach Will Wade at the trial, which will be held on April 22.
The development comes less than a month after longtime Miller assistant coach Mark Phelps was suspended by the University because of an undisclosed academic manner. Former assistant Emanuel 'Book' Richardson has pled guilty to federal bribery charges as well.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Joe Pasternack, who served as an assistant coach under Sean Miller before taking the head coaching role at California-Santa Barbara, is also alleged to have been a middleman between former sports agent Christian Dawkins, who is facing federal charges, and Miller.
Read the full Yahoo! Sports report here, and stay tuned for future developments in the case at TucsonWeekly.com.
Tags: sports , UA basketball , Sean Miller , Wildcats , trial , subpoena , coach , UA , Will Wade , Mark Phelps , Emanuel Book Richardson , Joe Pasternack , Image
While there are no more blue light specials happening, a good majority of the inventory is already sold, and it's basically abandoned already, this is your last chance to take a stroll through the aisles and hang out at the (now closed) Little Caesar's within.
And if you're feeling extra nostalgic, you can even purchase the store's sales racks, display cases and furniture. Truly everything must go!
Tags: Kmart , last store , last week , closing , shutting down , final sale , everything must go , Image
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Here's your chance to listen to the most recent episode of Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel, featuring an interview with Yellow Sheet Report editor Hank Stephenson. We talk about Mark Kelly's entry into the U.S. Senate race as well as some of the latest bills floating around the Arizona Legislature.
Zona Politics airs at 5 p.m. Sunday afternoons on KXCI Community Radio, 91.3 FM.
Tags: news , politics , radio , podcast , Zona Politics , Jim Nintzel , Hank Stephenson , Yellow Sheet Report , Audio , Image
Friday, February 15, 2019
Arizona lawmakers’ reaction to President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national border security emergency on Friday split along party lines, with Democrats blasting the move as “fear-mongering” that sets “a dangerous precedent.”
Republicans praised the president for taking action they said is needed to “protect American lives.”
Trump’s declaration came just hours after Congress passed a budget bill that included $1.375 billion to fund construction of more border wall, well below the $5.7 he had been demanding. In response, he declared a state of emergency, which allows the president to shift funds between accounts.
White House officials said Friday the emergency would allow the addition of about $6.6 billion to the money Congress allocated, bringing border wall construction funding to about $8 billion this year.
In a Rose Garden announcement Friday, Trump said the declaration is needed because “we don’t control our own border.”
“I’m going to be signing a national emergency,” Trump said. “We’re talking about an invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, with all types of criminals and gangs.”
The declaration is almost certain to be challenged in court – a fact Trump referenced in his speech – but he said he has the authority and is confident he will ultimately win. He said presidents over the last four decades have declared 58 national emergencies and some governors have declared border emergencies, including former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.
Tags: news , politics , border wall , emergency , Trump , declaration , national emergency , reaction , Arizona , border , immigration , Mexico , Image
Hubert was was not injured during the encounter, and has been employed with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department since October 2007. The incident is currently being investigated by Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s Criminal Investigations Division.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is unable to release any further information at this time and the department is in the process of notifying the inmate’s next of kin.
According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, "Detention Complex have limited Force Options available to them. Such Options are limited to Officer Presence, Verbal Communications, Soft Empty Hand Control techniques, Pain Compliance techniques, Oleoresin Capsicum spray, and Hard Empty Hand Control techniques. At this time the investigation is still ongoing."
Tags: Pima County Jail , David Ray Maxwell , inmate death , crime and public safety , news , Image
