2025 at 8:19 AM MSTEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInTUCSON (13 News) - The Sierra Vista Police Department announced the arrest of a woman following a trailer fire that has now turned deadly The SVPD says officers and fire crews responded to the fire April 15 in the 200 block of Jennifer Lane SVPD says the trailer was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived and bystanders had pulled someone from inside That individual was taken to the hospital with critical injuries and has since passed away The SVPD says a female suspect was initially identified and questioned but not arrested Police say that same suspect was later seen breaking a vehicle windshield on the property and was arrested and charged with criminal damage Probable cause was established to arrest and charge the female suspect with arson of an occupied structure This case will be presented to the grand jury for additional charges against the female suspect Be sure to subscribe to the 13 News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold The Cochise County Attorney will determine whether a Sierra Vista woman will be charged with homicide after setting her trailer on fire with someone in it Sierra Vista Police say the person pulled out of the fire by neighbors has died Sierra Vista Police say they were called to the home in the 200 Block of Jennifer Lane at 4:45 a.m Investigators identified and questioned a woman right away They say she later broke a windshield on the property and was then arrested for criminal damage Sierra Vista and Special Operations Bureau detectives continued the investigation and determined there was probably cause to arrest her on arson of an occupied structure Anyone with information on this case is asked to please contact Detective Samuel Brady by calling 1-520-452-7200 Report a typo Leslie Sagara-KellerCommunications Coordinator Ruidoso Municipal School Districtkellerl@ruidososchools.org students across our Sierra Vista Primary campus will have the opportunity to earn special tokens by demonstrating excellence in the classroom These tokens are awarded for a variety of positive behaviors students can use their tokens in our brand-new Book Vending Machine which is stocked with a wide selection of exciting and engaging books appropriate for all reading levels We are thrilled to offer this unique and interactive way to encourage a love of reading among our Wee Warriors By tying literacy rewards to positive behavior we aim to foster a stronger reading culture within our school community Our Book Vending Machine not only gives students a tangible reward for their hard work but also empowers them to build their own personal libraries reinforcing the idea that reading is both valuable and fun We can’t wait to see our students’ excitement grow as they discover new stories and adventures through this initiative Help host the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly\u2014Sign up to volunteer today Kurt Fangmeier and the people of Sierra Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Vista Blog Find a Church Navajo Lutheran Mission Women of the GCS Greater ELCA Women of the ELCA Lutheran Men in Mission Global Engagement ContactEmail: office@gcsynod.orgPhone: 602-957-3223 Grand Canyon Synod Office1819 East Morten Avenue Sexual Misconduct Policy Isaiah Misailegalu is a standout leader who exemplifies our core values of fortitude Isaiah brings passion and commitment to every endeavor His fortitude shines through in his relentless work ethic always pushing himself and his peers to be their best creating an environment of encouragement and teamwork His integrity is unwavering—he leads by example making the right choices even when no one is watching fostering unity and inclusivity within the community Isaiah’s kindness and sincerity make him a role model His leadership and character inspire those around him proving that success is not just about talent but also about heart and dedication Isaiah Misailegalu is a true embodiment of what it means to lead with strength Congratulations to Star Graduate Isaiah Misailegalu of Sierra Vista High School Visit stargrads.ccsd.net to see more of CCSD’s 2025 Star Graduates Jadyn Guerino is an exceptional candidate for the Star Graduate recognition due to her remarkable… (KGUN) — The City of Sierra Vista is hosting its annual Easter 'Eggstravaganza' on Saturday The event will take place at Veterans Memorial Park The free event allows kids to participate in egg hunts The Easter Bunny will also be participating in the fun and will be there to take photos with kids and families council member William Benning announced he was stepping down from his seat causing the City of Sierra Vista and its city council to look for his replacement He's leaving his position because he's moving to be closer to family I didn't spend as much time with my daughter and my kids as I'd like so this gives me a chance to be there with my grandbaby and watch her grow up,” Benning said Thursday evening's council meeting is his last one So the biggest thing I'm gonna miss is the community and the people within the community.” The city and council have to find his replacement through the appointment process So it's not unusual,” said Communications Manager for the City of Sierra Vista Applications will be available starting Friday and can be found on the City's website and at City Hall The last day to submit applications is May 1 "We want people to let us know why they deserve to be on council you know what kind of actual qualifications they have— and also why are they passionate about this,” Curtis said He says there's a short turnaround because “we're in the middle of a budget process and so while it seems like a short amount of time to turn in your application it's also important that we get the seat filled as soon as we can.” Current council members will decide who they'd like to interview the council is hoping that they'll be able to appoint someone during one of their main meetings and there's a lot of people ready to step up and do the right thing for the city,” Benning said ——-Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sierra Vista Unified School District inappropriately paid administrators $34,500 in bonuses and performance pay, according to an audit conducted by the Arizona Auditor General That number includes $30,000 in additional compensation for the district's Chief Financial Officer for work that was "not approved in advance and/or was already compensated as part of regular job duties." but submitted a statement from Superintendent Eric Holmes "The district regrets identified errors made regarding the CFO’s extra duty compensation and consulting contract," the statement read "There was no intent by anyone concerned to violate law or the USFR in the handling of those matters.” Among some of the other audit findings: The district "improperly processed some retirement withholdings It also did not adequately safeguard cash and fuel supplies; comply with conflict-of interest laws; limit access to IT systems; and ensure all transportation requirements were met to help ensure student safety." One of those transportation requirements was making sure SVUSD bus drivers had the proper certifications on file and were properly tested "We were cited for not ensuring that all bus drivers met certification standards and that fuel supplies were properly secured We are now strengthening our oversight of the transportation contractor and reviewing all reports to ensure accuracy and compliance." "The Arizona Auditor General’s mission is to provide independent and impartial information and stakeholder education to improve Arizona government for its citizens." "assessed the District’s spending on noninstructional areas and made recommendations to the District to maximize resources available for instruction or other District priorities." Officials with the district say they’ve already implemented some of the state’s suggestions to prevent the problems found in the audit from happening again The Auditor General's letter said they will follow up with the district in six months SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Staff at the Nancy J Brua Animal Care Center, 6799 E. Highway 90 in Sierra Vista, are feeling a bit of relief, now that their expansion projectis complete The project added 18 dog kennels to the property "It's just a new chapter for the future of the shelter," said Animal Control Supervisor Arleen Garcia “I've had a wish list of things that I would like to see for the shelter and this is one of those things that I can check off that list The $2 million expansion took almost a year to finish because of obstacles during the construction process The expansion added 14 adoption kennels and four kennels for quarantine areas they can have 87 dogs in the shelter at one time President of the Friends of the Sierra Vista Animal Shelter says the space allows the shelter to save money and keep the animals in one place instead of relying on fosters when they're full "Usually we would have to then take those excess pets and store them somewhere in the community and that would mean taking them and boarding them somewhere and so now we have some ability to be able to do that here,” he said A covering was also placed over the outdoor kennels To celebrate the completion of this project the shelter is having an open house on Saturday and all of the adoption fees are being paid by Concord General Contracting— the company that completed the project “We knew that whenever we were going to be working out here we wanted to make sure that we could help out Sierra Vista as much as possible finding homes for these animals we can fill it within the the dog or cat that needs help,” said CEO for Concord General Contracting very excited to finally be able to show the community everything that's been going on here the past several months,” Garcia said City of Sierra Vista City Manager Chuck Potucek announced that they plan to add the costs for the second phase of the project into next year’s budget That phase includes adding a new puppy room to the courtyard then maybe we can seclude just those Parvo pups to this room and be able to take care of them and not spread it around to anybody else in the general population,” Garcia said The City is in its budgeting process currently (KGUN) — Catholic Community Services has received permits from the City of Sierra Vista to build transitional housing for domestic violence victims who have to transfer out of a shelter The plan is to add four tiny houses onto property that they already own program coordinator for Catholic Community Services Domestic Violence Program says victims can spend a maximum of 120 days in a shelter before they have to leave She adds transitional housing is needed in communities “Sometimes it's hard to look forward when you have that cloud kind of hanging over you of "This kind of gives a glimmer of hope for some of the families we have.” The location of the tiny homes will not be shared to maintain the safety of the people living there "The most important thing is that these individuals feel safe where they're at,” said Terrance Watkins Executive Director of Housing and Medical Respite Services for Catholic Community Services housing is like the very basic foundation of a person's ability to be stable in life.” The plan is to have three two-bedroom homes and a single one-bedroom home The City of Sierra Vista City Council approved the permits at a council meeting earlier this month Watkins said they are waiting for the permits from the Arizona Department of Housing before they get to work "We want to make sure it is the best possible position we can put the participants that are coming through," Watkins said The houses are being used for domestic violence victims who have to transfer out of a shelter Tenants will pay a reduced rent because the nonprofit has money from the Bezos Family Foundation to subsidize the difference “Our primary focus is to make secure their safety get them set up with whatever they need to be set up and then focus on looking forward instead of looking back," Schnaithman said “We do try to guide them to what the things we know will help them be successful women and children a year at their two domestic shelters in Cochise County Catholic Community Services expects the construction and installation of the tiny homes to be completed by July 1 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInTUCSON (13 News) - The Sierra Vista Police Department released new information about the threat that forced a brief lockdown at American Leadership Academy (ALA) this morning The SVPD says they were notified of an alleged threat that a student intended to open fire at the American Leadership Academy located at 3039 Leadership Way the school went on lockdown and contacted SVPD Officers assisted ALA staff with checking every room of the school to make sure no one was hiding and checking every backpack at the school No one was found hiding and no weapons were discovered Police say it was determined the incident stemmed from an isolated situation on Wednesday where a student allegedly threatened another student ALA staff and the SVPD investigated that incident yesterday and the report of the threat was not substantiated or deemed a credible threat Today’s incident has been directly correlated to rumors resulting from yesterday’s investigation into the alleged threat “The events of this morning were very stressful for all involved,” SVPD Cpl We appreciate ALA staff and supporting law enforcement agencies who worked diligently to ensure the safety of students and want to thank worried parents who followed law enforcement instructions under difficult circumstances.” Be sure to subscribe to the 13 News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold (KGUN) — A 30-day extension on tariffs to Mexico was supposed to be good news owner of El Mercado Manny's Farmer's Market says the delay is still impacting her business and her suppliers in Mexico Buckhanan says 60% of the products at the store come from Mexico the other 40% are from businesses in Cochise County “We couldn't buy more produce this week," she said "We're going to wait for the next week to see how the prices are going to be.” The threat of tariffs has exporters worried "I think all the producers and growers got into a panic attack over there They don't know what to expect,” Buckhanan said One of the companies she buys from is Flor de Capomo and they say they've already had to cut contracts with some people because of the rising prices "We are all going to be affected because we all need each other,” Buckhanan said It’s not just the increase in costs that's affecting the business "Our consumers buy less in our store as well Our average sales are being reduced by 50%,” Buckhanan said "I think a lot of people (are) really scared of what's happening in the economy and they are saving their money to spend somewhere else.” That is leaving Buckhanan to make cuts to her staff and orders "Everybody's being conscious of what they spend," Buckhanan said " The same way Manny's sales are being affected is the same way Mexico is being affected because the consumer has the last decision in the purchase.” Buckhanan said she is going to she how she is doing when summer begins and make a decision then “You may have to close a business that is not profitable," she said in an effort to support more local businesses and increase the number of local products Robin Silver, (602) 799-3275, [email protected] Lawsuit Forces Arizona Governor to Reevaluate Water Supply Adequacy for Largest Sierra Vista Housing Development The homes would rely on groundwater that is no longer available after a recent Water Adjudication Court ruling The groundwater feeds the nearby San Pedro River the Southwest’s last free-flowing river — a vital lifeline for plants and animals across southeastern Arizona “This lawsuit forced the governor to finally face the simple reality that there’s just not enough water for existing homes in Sierra Vista let alone more development,” said Robin Silver “We’ve known for decades that home construction in the area was based on the fantasy of a limitless water supply The inevitable revocation of Pueblo del Sol’s water-supply designation will come far too late but will give the San Pedro River a fighting chance at survival.” In 2013 the Arizona Department of Water Resources granted Castle & Cooke’s Pueblo Del Sol water company a 100-year designation of adequate water supply for its development without any consideration of then unquantified but congressionally assigned federal reserved water rights for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area On Aug. 9, 2018, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled this action was legal saying: “ADWR is not required to consider unquantified federal reserved water rights under its physical availability or legal availability analysis.” The court’s ruling acknowledged that when federal reserved water rights were quantified water department officials must respect them Dissenting justices noted that “[t]his interpretation defeats the adequate water supply provision’s manifest purpose to proactively protect consumers in Arizona before they purchase property.” That decades-long legal battle ended on Aug. 25, 2023, when Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Mark H. Brain issued a ruling quantifying water rights for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area The ruling mandated that groundwater levels be maintained at nine monitoring wells within the conservation area. Four of those wells have already dropped below their required elevation Water levels in a fifth well are on a downward trend and edging closer to a violation A 2014 U.S. Geological Service study showed that by 2114 between 10% and 60% of the water withdrawn by Pueblo del Sol’s wells will be water denied to the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area Current declining water levels show that the area’s historic cumulative groundwater pumping of approximately 2 million acre-feet since 1940 is overtaking efforts to mitigate the local groundwater extraction The Center has filed complaints calling on the governor to review and revoke 100-year designations of adequate water for 35 additional subdivisions in the Sierra Vista area Those complaints have gone unanswered and await pending litigation Gov. Hobbs visited the San Pedro this week to tout a grant for an ineffective and inconsequential stormwater recharge project instead of taking on the region’s developers and limiting growth the only substantive action that will save the San Pedro River Hobbs’s PR stunt at the San Pedro this week was a poor attempt to show she actually cares about the river or is concerned about Arizona’s environmental legacy,” said Silver “It shouldn’t take a lawsuit for her to review the water supply for these Sierra Vista mega-developments that are drying up our state’s riparian crown jewel We’ll keep fighting for the river until the Hobbs administration finally comes to term with the fact that the days of development on the Upper San Pedro have come to an end.” The Center for Biological Diversity is a national nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places More Press Releases American Idol premiered this week and one of our own wowed judges and a new addition to the judges' panel If you haven't heard the name yet-- get ready to where he plays sports and is involved in the Polynesian Club his mom and dad spoke about how much the 17-year-old loves to sing Misailegalu shared in a previous interview that his mother encouraged him to audition for American Idol during the last season he felt too focused on his school life and didn’t think participating in the show was part of his plans Isaiah took a chance and auditioned with his uncle Luigi playing guitar while singing Donny Hathaway's "Song For You." His audition gave him a ticket to Hollywood and he now moves on to the next round Senator Jacky Rosen commented on her 'X' account congratulating Isaiah on his audition and moving to the next round How far will Isaiah make it on American Idol