To Speak or not to Speak
In January of this year, I felt more than compelled to go to the Mohave County Board of Supervisors meeting as they were tasked with reappointing several judges at the request of Mohave County Presiding Judge Steve Moss. One of the judges, I have witnessed making extremely poor and what I consider dangerous decisions in regard to children who are wards of the state of Arizona.
That judge, Aaron Demke, a family court judge who rules on cases with children and bad parents. I went to the meeting, and I spoke, and I tried as hard as I could to make my point without crossing lines as I hold a position that prohibits my speaking on behalf of the state agency to whom I report.
After I spoke, Judge Moss got back up and essentially called me a liar and stated I was totally wrong about this ‘perfect’ judge. Well, I did get to speak once again and expressed my opinion even stronger making every attempt to get my point across. Well, all of the judges were reappointed, as I figured they would be, and everyone should have left happy, right? Not a chance.
The County Attorney and the County Court Administrator both called the Arizona Supreme Court to file complaints against me for having the audacity to speak bad against a judge.
This is government abuse of power at its worst. Bottom line, what was done by these two county employees is illegal, this is retaliation for speaking in public at a public meeting. I am still working on my next steps, but a lawsuit against the County is absolutely not out of the question. If I let this go and do nothing, I am as bad as that bad judge, I complained about.
We have got to take our government back from incompetent bureaucrats, if we allow people like the county attorney and the county court administrator to try to intimidate people for speaking out in
public, then we have lost our freedom of speech. This is exactly what these two men tried to do, silence me and keep me from daring to ever do such a thing again.
It will not work; I will not be silenced!
- Roy Hagemyer
Volunteerism - A Precious Resource We Cannot Afford To Lose
Many seniors have had fulfilling lives - got married, raised a family, and at the same time, were able to have successful careers prior to retiring.
Most seniors have “entered” the golden years and may feel they are now missing out on something. Many of them have resigned to the fact of just sitting around the home and are watching life go by. There is that empty void in their lives and hearts they can’t figure out how to fill it.
The time has come for those inactive seniors to get up off the sofas and out of their recliner chairs, and get involved; there is life after raising a family and after retiring. It is called giving back to the community by volunteering their time to those in need.
Numerous businesses, churches, charities, non-profit organizations, and even government agencies would love to have senior citizens help them by volunteering. When volunteering, it does not necessarily have to be an eight-hour day, five-day a week job. It can be as little as a couple hours at a time or as many hours as the volunteers want to invest in the community. It is up to the volunteers as to how many hours they want to donate.
It would be a daunting task to mention every charity, non-profit organization and place that needs volunteers. Here are a few diversified organizations (not necessarily more important than any other) that are well worth mentioning and they are need for this most precious resource – volunteering your time. They are:
Kingman Regional Medical Center Volunteer Services is looking for caring, compassionate people with time on their hands and a desire to make a difference. The volunteers at the KRMC range in age from 14 through the young 80s. Some of the many volunteers positions available at KRMC include: nursing unit team volunteers to provide comfort and support for their patients; courtesy cart drivers, providing courtesy shuttle service on the KRMC campus; gift shop retail clerks; information desks; escorting and transporting patients; and volunteers in most other areas of KRMC. For information about volunteering at KRMC, call (928) 692-4673
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is looking for citizens who are interested in becoming a member of the Posse. The Posse is a team of trained citizens who volunteer their time to assist the Sheriff’s Office with non-enforcement duties and services. The volunteer work performed by Posse members allow deputies the time to focus on crime prevention and enforcement of state and county laws. Posse members do not take law enforcement action, carry weapons or make arrests. As a member of the MCSO’s Posse, volunteers will take pride in knowing that they are making a difference in their community by assisting in reducing crime and helping to create a positive relationship with members of the community and the Sheriff’s Office. Posse members receive training in crime prevention, introduction to law, driver awareness, patrol procedures, traffic control and radio communications. Interested citizens must meet the following qualifications; 18 years of age or older, have a positive attitude toward law enforcement, possess good moral character, have a good driving record, must have no felony convictions, must be a current U.S. citizen, have a valid Arizona driver’s license, pass a background check and pass an oral board. For further information about the MCSO Posse or volunteering, stop by the Sheriff’s Office in Kingman at 600 W. Beale Street and pick up an application and/or call (928) 753-0756.
Cornerstone Mission Project is continually in the need for volunteers to help complete their mission. The volunteers needed include: front desk persons; errand runners; a person to help run the clothing closet; drivers for Diana's Faith House; Narcotics Anonymous Facilitator; and Christian 12 Step Facilitator at Men's Shelter. “Our facility has the capability of housing up to 30 men, and 11 women and children,” said the executive director. “We prepare and serve between 70 and 100 meals each day for walk-ins in need of a hot meal. We are really in desperate need for people to work in the soup kitchen. We only had eight days of volunteer cooks available last month and the staff members had to jump into the role of cooks to fill the void of not enough volunteer cooks. For further information about Cornerstone Mission Project or to volunteer, call (928) 757-1535.
Just about every senior citizen’s center and organization are always seeking of volunteers to help out. They include, but are not limited to:
- Katherine Heidenreich Adult Center in Kingman – (928) 757-2778
- Bullhead City Senior Center in Bullhead City – (928) 763-0193
- Lake Havasu Senior Center in Lake Havasu City – (928) 453-0715
- Golden Shores Senior Center in Golden Shores – (928) 768-2421
If seniors would like to help at one of the county’s libraries, they should contact the library in their respective area. The Mohave County Library District has 10 locations and include:
- Kingman – (928) 692-2665
- Bullhead City – (928)758-0714
- Lake Havasu City – (928)453-0718
- Chloride – (928) 565-2200
- Dolan Springs – (928) 767-4292
- Golden Shores/Topoc – (928) 768-2235
- Golden Valley – (928) 565-2989
- Meadview – (928) 564-2535
- South Mohave Valley – (928) 768-1151
- Valle Vista – (928) 692-7662
There are numerous other fraternal, civic and government agencies, nonprofit organizations, in addition to churches that are more than willing to accept help from volunteers. It doesn’t take much effort to find a place that needs help; pick up a phone book and be part of the volunteer force that makes a difference.
If seniors have some spare time on their hands and want to put it to good use, why not volunteer at one of the many churches, non-profit organizations, and community-based businesses that are in need of volunteers. They do not necessarily have to donate their time at one of the aforementioned organizations in need of volunteers. It is the personal choice of the senior.
Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.
- Butch Meriwether
WARMC Rave Review
The year is 2025, and the start to a real health revolution in America and around the world. Thanks to the people heading the charges, such as RFK Jr, comes the words responsibility and quality of care. Be it for one person or an entire nation, we all must play our role as an example. The food we eat right down to the water we drink all come with those two thoughts.
Recently, I had a very intense experience with my personal health. This was a 10 day ordeal with 7 in ICU. The reason? Severe organ stress leading to a Diabetic and Bacterial Infection resistant to antibiotics. I had started to notice some changes over the past years, but we are all getting older, right? Power through it!
Those physical issues started to become more than real, after losing my ability to walk. This happened within a few months time. And this is where I get to write this letter to you about my medical emergency (ER) trip and the people/facility behind my recovery.
Western Arizona Regional Medical Center, in my opinion, is top level. Upon arrival to the ER, The check in was quick and the testing started to stabilize to find the reason for my visit. I would like say here in my story, that I did not get all the names of who worked on me, but you are all very much appreciated. I met the first of the specialists, Frank, who described what he found so far and your blood sugars are dangerously high. They ran a full CT scan and took a lot more blood. After about four hours, I was transferred to ICU. For the next seven days, it was all about getting my blood sugar in line as well as getting the infection that was also detected taken out. In those seven days, once again, my quality of care was very professional and a relief to me.
Why you ask? This was my first extended stay in a facility like this. Never been the patient. Nurse Christina, along with all the staff, head nurse Joe, Dr. Frank, and traveling Dr. Flores were fantastic at being right there for me. Special thanks to traveling nurse Kate. Your tremendous patience and trade skills really shined.
We must not forget the nutritional side to the quality of care, as we know how important that is for our bodies recovery. RD Melinda was a great help in understanding the food and how that would relate to my present condition. And what is food without a chef. Chef Eric does a magnificent job to support the patients needs.
In closing, it is rare to have such a quality experience with such wonderful professionals in our world today. Than you to my son and family and friends who were with me all the way.
- Brett Forrester