It costs an average of $23,000 a year to keep an Arizona inmate in prison. That amount almost triples if the prisoner is elderly and in need of special care. In Mississippi they spend around $15,000 a year for one prisoner, in California it is closer to $50,000.

The reason almost 80% of prisoners return to prison within three years of being released is because it is impossible for them to find a job, or rise above their economic status, which is why most of them got involved in crime in the first place. They may not have GED’s, they still have whatever issues they originally had and now they have learned better ways to ‘be a criminal’ while sitting in jail. We’re not making better citizens, we’re making better criminals.

It costs an average of $900 to $2,100 to rehabilitate, tutor, educate and help a person who has committed a crime. That’s $900 to $2,100 to stop the direction their life is going, stop the destructive behavior, make it a safer place for the rest of us and help them become a member of society again.

What we spend in one month, locking people into cages, we could spend giving them the mental help, education and confidence they need to turn their life around.

Private, for-profit prisons are not about trying to make better citizens of their inmates, nor do they offer much in the way of therapies or rehabilitation. Their main goal is to keep their cells full, because the more inmates they have, the more money they make.

What better way to make money then to keep locking up the same people over and over again? If you were a store owner, and you were almost guaranteed an 80% return on your customers, you’d be smiling ear to ear.

And with an 80% return, any good business person would be opening more stores in as many towns as possible, especially towns that are looking for the next economic boost…towns like Globe.

The Dog Park in Globe has Dog Owners singin’ it’s praises.  With leash laws and limited options for letting dogs be dogs, the park provides a good solution for responsible dog owners who want to want to have happy, healthy pets.

By: Darin Lowery

We were lucky- very lucky – to get an appointment with local veterinarian Doc Eubank in the first week I moved to Globe. His office is extremely busy, and they weren’t taking any new patients. My Border Collie’s paw was bleeding big-time; my Yelow Lab’s throat had a three inch gash. Although the backyard chain link fence was probably to blame, I didn’t rule out extraterrestials.

In a panic- I don’t like blood (hell, I don’t like ketchup)- I called the vet’s office, and when they said, so sorry, we’re not accepting new patients, I did what any red-blooded American man would do. I cried.

“Pleasepleaseplease give me an appointment. You can have my car- you can have my house, just please take a look at my dogs!” Impressed with my masculine and dispassionate request, they agreed to see us. Velma and Sandee were treated and released in half an hour, and all injuries healed quickly.

In for vaccinations three years later, Doc pulled me side and said, your Border Collie is as big as a locomotive- you’ve got to take that weight off. I was appalled, seemingly seeing her for the first time. But how, I asked, could this’ve happened?

“Do you live alone?” he asked. I nodded. “Are you the only one who feeds her?” Yes, I whispered. And then it hit me.

I hiccupped, “Are you saying I did this?” You mean, the extra fifteen pounds is my doing?” He looked at me like I was from a different dimension.

Velma, the Border Collie, is a happy dog, and she is happiest while sitting. She belies the truism of the breed, which is LET ME CHASE THAT 747. Sandee, on the other hand, is happy just being blonde.

In the beginning, our exercise regimen consisted of me dragging the one and pushing the other up the street. All roads in Globe go up- even the downhill ones. And then we found the Dog Park.

I opened the gate there and heard angels singing. Rainbows unfurled across the sky, and Velma actually ran after a Min-Pin on the third visit. This was such an event that twelve people pointed at her, each chanting, “Look at her move!” Saying I was proud would be an understatement. After the paramedics made me promise to start breathing, I gave Velma a huge hug. And a little diet biscuit, to ward off hunger pangs.

Since that day, we pile into the Ford and go to the Park whenever we can. My dogs have new pals, and so do I. While the canines cavort, we humans chat about “weight-y” issues like politics, relationships, and how to get get dog vomit out of a wool rug.

‘Sarge’ was the first object of Velma’s affection – he shows up with Richard and Debbie, in a blue sweater since the weather cooled. ‘Rex’ is a sleek Weimaraner who drags in Katherine and Barbara. ‘Pullo’ with Eric and Cheryl, ‘Drifter’ with Lisa and Eileen, ‘Rascal’ with Peter and Ginger- the list goes on. Different groups meet at different times, and the goal is always exercise and laughter.

The Dog Park is located to the east of the Noftsger Hill B&B, on an old baseball diamond. It is completely fenced in, and waste bags are provided for dog droppings. There’s even a water faucet so nobody gets overheated. Folks take their dogs there at any time, though the Park isn’t lit at night. There’s plenty of parking.

Velma has lost twelve pounds since our first visit. She looks great and, I believe, feels better. She certainly moves more quickly- not as gracefully as some, but certainly with more confidence. That girl’s got herself a waistline now.

We’d like to know if you have used the Dog Park in Globe and what you think about it. Please leave a comment and take the poll.

This last weekend was the Grand Opening of Season 2 for the Copper Spike Excursion Railroad and Main Street Director, Kip Culver invited the Mohave Muleskinners to kick off the season in style. The Muleskinners, who were here last year for Home Tour, are a big hit in Globe. Their members dress in period clothing from the 1800′s and carry  authentic reproduction firearms. They use real gun power and crowds love talking to members, getting photo ops with the various characters and watching the Old West skits.

The one shown below involved the kidnapping of Mayor Fernando Shipley. The local contingent of the Copper Bells arrived on the scene shouting “Save our Mayor” and offered to exchange a muleskinner – toting an iron ball for the safety of the Mayor. The exchange was made, but just when the “bad” guys thought they were getting away – the women Muleskinners arrived with loaded shotguns (with gun powder of course!) and stopped them in their tracks.