When Joseph Gutierrez’ 5-year-old son slipped of an inflatable dolphin in to the depths of a swirling river, Gutierrez did what most parents would do.

He jumped in to save the boy, reports The Associated Press.

He also drowned.

The child was saved by two bystanders.

The boy may also grow up riddled with guilt, but certainly knowing what true love is.

Chandler dad drowns trying to save 5-year-old son, The Associated Press

PHOENIX — A Chandler father trying to save his 5-year-old son’s life drowned in a river northeast of Phoenix, police said.

Gutierrez jumped into the 17-foot-deep water (of the Salt River) to rescue the boy, as did two bystanders who had been watching people float on inflatable tubes down the river.

The bystanders saved the boy, but Gutierrez drowned. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/294413.php

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Would you risk your life to save your child?

Would you risk your life to save your parents?

Would you want your parents or children to risk their lives to save you?

More gore on the South Side, with a woman and her 13-year-old daughter stabbed and slashed in the arms and neck at the trailer park where they lived.

They survived, but the person arrested for the attack, 30-year-old Yesenia Sosa, is charged with attempted murder, among other things.

Arrest made in stabbings of woman, daughter at South Side home, Arizona Daily Star

The stabbings occurred about 12:30 p.m. in the 3500 block of East Alvord Road, near South Palo Verde Road.

The woman who was stabbed may have known the suspect, said Deputy Dawn Barkman, a spokeswoman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

They were “somewhat acquainted,” Barkman said. But the victim “did not know her that well.” Read story: www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/294409.php

Nice acquaintance.

Some still say the South Side is no more dangerous than other areas around town.

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What do you think?

Would Ralph Kramden look slimmer on DTV?

The plug is being pulled on old-fashioned TV, with the switch to digital slated for June 12.

All major U.S. television stations will stop sending analog signals, meaning TVs must have digital tuners or be connected to converters or a pay service, such as cable or satellite, to get over-the-air signals.

While digital TV promises sharper pictures and enhanced viewing, it may not fully live up to all of its promises, as one East Side resident outlines in the following letter:

DTV falls flat

So far my experience has been OK but I believe that the entire DTV experience has, thus far, not meet up to the expectations we have been sold.

Many people on the Northwest side can’t get a picture because of the mountains, this is a line of sight issue and apparently some of the stations are working on getting additional transmitters to help this out.

You would think that this issue would have been resolved long before the June 12 deadline. They must have known there was going to be problems for those viewers.

Also, the hype with the multi cast channels. Thus far Tucson only has a small handful of those additional channels, mostly PBS (which is great) but with stations having the potential to have up to six multi cast channels you would think we would have more.

I wonder why channel 4 doesn’t broadcast the “Southern Arizona News Network” on DTV. You must have cable to get it.

I suppose that some multi cast channels might come on board in the future, but the network affiliates here don’t even talk about what they have planned.

Even in a decent reception area I am constantly having to adjust my antenna to pick up the stations. When they come in, they do come in brilliantly, but it sure can be a chore to tune them in, another thing I don’t think we were really warned about by the broadcasters or government.

I always heard a simple rabbit ears will do it, but that’s not the case.

More on the switch to DTV: http://www.dtv.gov/

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What has been your experience so far with DTV?

Did you forget the switch was coming? Do you care?

Smile for the speed cameras

Ten speed cameras installed in Pima County have been patiently waiting to catch you in the act.

Their time has come.

The testing phase is finally finished and speeding violations will be issued starting Monday, according to a report at KVOA.com.

Don’t forget to smile for the camera if you happen to be speeding in one of the camera locations:

• La Cholla Boulevard at Sunset Road

• Mission Road at Nebraska Street

• Ina Road at Camino de las Candelas

• Swan Road at Calle Barril

• Alvernon Way near Station Master Drive

• Valencia Road near Camino de la Tierra

• Valencia Road near Wilmot Road

• River Road near Country Club Road

• Ruthrauff Road near Rillito Street

• Nogales Highway near Hermans Road

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Will speed cameras stop you from speeding?

Domestic violence can rear its ugly head just about anywhere, including at a high school graduation party.

Such was the case at a home in Mesa when a 37-year-old guy allegedly got into a fight with his ex-wife at a party.

Instead of leaving, which is what many normal people do when they get mad, he went out to his vehicle and got a gun, according to an Associated Press report.

2 dead, 6 hurt in Mesa graduation party shooting

Mesa police say two people are dead and six others wounded after a shooting at a high school graduation party at a home.

Mesa Police Sgt. Ed Wessing said Sunday that a police officer and two boys ages 8 and 10 were among those injured.

The suspect, a 37-year-old man, is in custody after a four-hour standoff at a home east of Phoenix. Read story: www.kvoa.com/global/story.asp?s=10416443

Surely the graduate will remember the party forever, and not in a good way.

Meet your neighbors

Meet Tucson geek Josiah Segui

Geek Pride Day kicks off the week, so we found a self-proclaimed Tucson geek to provide some insight into why being a geek is cool.

Josiah Segui, 27, has already seen the new Star Trek movie twice, rates his all-time top flick as the animated Ghost in the Shell and enjoys anything that stimulates his brain.

Segui said his geekdom started when he was 12. That’s when he and his brother got their first home computer – which they promptly took apart.

“We were surprised everything still worked,” he said when they put the machine back together.

Since then Segui has earned two advanced computer certifications and nabbed a job at midtown’s Computer Guy Consulting. I met him when my computer went bust last week.

But you don’t have to sabotage your computer to meet a geek. At least one reader expressed interest in dating a geek, and Segui said it’s not difficult to find one.

“Ever heard of the SCA?” he asked. The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., is “an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating pre-17th-century European history.”

They’re the folks who dress in armor and costumes at the Renaissance faires. Deck yourself out as a medieval maiden and you could win a geek’s heart.

Segui said another great way to woo a geek is to engage them in an intellectual challenge. “Playing chess with a girl always works for me,” he said.

He’s single, by the way.

Segui (and a few others) also cleared up a few geek myths I previously got wrong, like saying they like soundtracks to Broadway musicals.

Segui and his geek friends dig alternative rock and bands like Linkin Park, Nightwish, They Might Be Giants and Fat Boy Slim.

He also backed up what a commenter said about geeks reading anything as long as it’s in comic book form.

“That’s 100 percent true,” Segui said. Other reading he’s enjoyed include anything written about the technology found in Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons manuals.

E-mail Josiah Segui at crimson_wolf82@hotmail.com

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Meet Your Neighbors is a new feature we’re testing at TucsonCitizen.com.

Do you love it? Do you hate it? Do you know a Tucsonan we should meet?

Comment below or e-mail rynski@tucsoncitizen.com (rynski@tucsoncitizen.com).

Tucson geek Josiah Segui in action

Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are finding horses can be a man’s best friend.

A group of horses called The Warriors in Transition Unit are helping soldiers with their return to their home turf.

Horse therapy helping Ft. Huachuca soldiers cope with war stress

For soldiers coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq, the transition back into society can be a tough one.

As strange it may sound, horses are helping them overcome survivor’s guilt, battlefield nightmares and the transition back into society.

“We were seeing that horses had an incredible ability to teach able bodied people some advance human development skills, like leadership, parenting skills, relationship skills,” says Linda Kohanov, director of the Epona International Study Center. Read story: www.kvoa.com/global/story.asp?s=10417766

Anyone who says animals are only good for messing on the throw rug or chewing through the sofa has definitely got it wrong.

My two dogs have certainly kept me going through some tough times, although neither has volunteered to teach me any leadership or parenting skills.

It’s hard to stay down when you’re met with a furry face full of unconditional love.

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Has your pet helped your through a tough time? How so?

Even if your Memorial Day is packed with a leisurely hike, a barbecue or other lazy day activities, it’s only right to take a moment to remember those who died so we could be free.

Our archives are full of touching tributes to a number of Tucsonans who were killed in uniform. Two of the most recent appear below.

Anyone brave and dedicated enough to give his or her life for our country deserves to be remembered – on Memorial Day and every day.

Roadside bomb kills Tucson High grad, by Sheryl Kornman

Tucson High School graduate Timothy Bowles, 24, was killed in Afghanistan on Sunday (March 15) after he volunteered to take the spot of a “comrade who was ill,” said his father, retired Air Force Master Sgt. Louis Bowles.

Bowles, an Air Force staff sergeant, was sent to Afghanistan in November, his father said.

It was his first tour in a war zone. He was a fire engine mechanic, the senior Bowles said.

“He volunteered to go on that mission that day to take the place of a comrade who was sick. I just learned that today (Monday),” he said.

Bowles and four other airmen were killed by a roadside bomb in Eastern Afghanistan, according to an Air Force release and an article Monday in The New York Times. The names and hometowns of the other victims were not immediately available.

Bowles was assigned to the 755th Air Expeditionary Group’s Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team in Jalalabad, his father said. His home base was Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska.

Louis Bowles said his son was sent to Afghanistan at the same time his sister’s husband was sent to Iraq.

The senior Bowles said his son worked at the Tucson Medical Center cafeteria while taking classes at Pima Community College for a year after his 2002 graduation from Tucson High.

“He never said what he was studying.”

When Timothy enlisted in the Air Force, Bowles said he was “stunned” but “I was all for it.”

He said Louis confided in his mother, Lisa, that he was unhappy at times growing up, as his father left for one deployment after another.

He didn’t understand his father’s military career was what took him away from home.

“He didn’t comprehend why I had to leave. He thought, ‘Dad was mad at us,’ ” he said.

The elder Bowles served in the first Gulf War in 1990 and 1991, he said.

In addition to his parents, who now live in Glorietta, N.M., he is survived by his older sister, Heather Ketchmark, who lives at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia.

Timothy Bowles would have completed six years in the Air Force on May 13, his father said.

Originally published in the Tucson Citizen March 17, 2009

Tucson GI killed in Afghanistan, by David L. Teibel

Master Sgt. David L. Hurt was raised in Tucson and killed Friday (Feb. 20) in Afghanistan.

Joshua Martin said he expects some 400 to 500 people to attend.

“He’s a local hero,” said Joshua Martin, a friend of Hurt and an Army veteran.

“It’s a sad thing, not just that he was a friend, but he was one of our servicemen, one of our heroes . . . it’s a tragedy,” Alexander McKenna said.

McKenna also was a boyhood friend of Hurt’s and is an ex-Marine.

“It saddens me. It deeply saddens me,” McKenna said.

But, Hurt, an Army veteran of 17 years’ service, knew, “you may die for what you believe in.”

Hurt was a Santa Rita High school graduate, who “loved being a soldier” and “was proud of his country,” said his mother, Bonnie Hurt.

The Department of Defense said Sunday that Hurt, 36, and a soldier from Illinois died from wounds caused by an improvised explosive device.

They were in a military vehicle Friday near Khordi in Oruzgan province when they were attacked.

Small-arms fire followed during the attack by enemy forces.

Bonnie Hurt said she talked to her son Wednesday, two days before his death.

A medic in her son’s unit had been killed the week before and Hurt and other soldiers in the unit were having a difficult time dealing with his death, Bonnie Hurt said.

“He was telling me they were taking the death of the medic hard and he was trying to keep his men occupied,” she said.

Her son always signed off telling his mother he loved her, and Wednesday was no exception.

“He said, ‘I’ve got to go, I love you,’ ” she recalled.

Hurt and the other soldier killed with him, Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa, 26, were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Bessa died at the scene while Hurt died from his wounds after being evacuated to Kandahar Airfield for treatment, according to the Army.

Hurt, a native of Oak Park, Ill., moved to Tucson with his family at age 3, his 65-year-old mother said.

He enlisted in Tucson in November 1992, according to the Army.

Before that, his mother said, he had graduated from Santa Rita High, where he played football.

“He went in (to the Army) on Veterans Day,” she said.

She said he was proud to be in the elite Special Forces.

Hurt loved Tucson and “talked about it all the time,” his mother said.

After basic and advanced training, he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., and later to the 20th Engineer Brigade.

He earned his Green Beret in May 2000 and was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).

Hurt lived in Grays Creek, N.C., before he left for Afghanistan in January on his fifth deployment.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Commendation Medal, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, the Valorous Unit Award and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, according to his Army biography.

He is survived by his wife, Kelly, daughter, Avery, and son, Wyatt, all of Grays Creek, N.C.; his mother, Bonnie Hurt and sister Deborah Hurt, both of Hope Mills, N.C.; and his father, Joe Hurt of Memphis, Tenn.

Originally published in the Tucson Citizen Feb. 24, 2009

Our Fallen

To read about other Tucson-area military personnel killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, go to tucsoncitizen.com/fallen

To read other stories about local casualties or about the impact of the war here, go to tucsoncitizen.com/warathome

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Do you know someone who should be remembered on Memorial Day for their service to our country?

Investigators take a look at the burned squad car after a February 2008 vehicle crash at West Ajo Way and South La Cholla Boulevard.

Some Tucson drivers could use a little training. Or a lot of training.

Many don’t even seem to know what a blinker is, much less how to use it.

That’s not the only knowledge they are lacking.

Road runner: One-fifth of Arizonans on road would flunk written driving exam, Arizona Daily Star

More than one-fifth of the Arizonans who have driver’s licenses could not pass the written driving exam today, according to a national survey.

Nationally, 20 percent of Americans with licenses can’t pass the test, and in Arizona the number climbs a bit to 22.8 percent, based on numbers from the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/metro/294281

While Arizona flunkee statistics may seem pretty high, we are only a shade higher than the national average.

And there are places that have even crazier motorists.

Tucson drivers are not as reckless as those I’ve seen – or nearly been hit by – in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sure enough, the report mentions that New Yorkers ranked the lowest scores on the road, averaging 70.5 on their driving tests.

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What’s the most insane driving habits you’ve seen in Tucson?

What’s the worst driving you’ve seen anywhere?

Would you pass the written driving exam if you took it today?

Prisoners beware: your cell phone privileges have just been terminated.

A newly trained prison K-9 is on the prowl, one that can sniff out your cell phone.

Arizona prison K-9s have new calling: detecting cell phones, Arizona Daily Star

For decades, authorities have used K-9 dogs to sniff out drugs, explosives and other contraband.

The Arizona Department of Corrections has found a new item for dogs to detect: cell phones. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/294313.php

Cool.

Now we just need prison dogs that also sniff out shanks, razor blades hidden in cakes and fake heads made out of soap that let inmates pretend they are in their bunks when they aren’t.

Too bad we can’t bring these sharp-sniffing dogs outside of prisons to help find our own cell phones.

Countless times I’ve misplaced mine, often when it’s shut off and I can’t even call it to find out where it ended up.

One former staffer paid $300 for her lost company cell phone only to later find it later nestled somewhere weird.

The cell-phone-finding dogs would also be a plus if they could sniff out keys and forgotten money.

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What would you like a K-9 to find?

What’s the most expensive item you’ve ever lost?

Tucson police Officer Erik David Hite, 43. <a href="http://10.4.149.24/archives/photos/search/?search%5Bform%5D%5Bfulltext%5D=Tucson+Police+Dept.+within+BYLINE"/>

Slain Tucson police Officer Erik Hite deserves to be remembered, and folks at the Saguaro Canyon Evangelical Free Church are doing their part.

They will soon be opening the Erik Hite Family Park, complete with a playground where the late officer’s young daughter can play.

Church’s playground dedicated to slain police officer, Arizona Daily Star

On May 31, a dedication ceremony will be held — two days before the first anniversary of Hite’s death….Hite was killed last June by a gunman who led police on a crosstown chase. Read story: www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/294311.php

Hite is survived by his wife, Nohemy Hite, and 1-year-old daughter Samantha.

The church is located at 10111 E. Old Spanish Trail and the report says memorial bricks are still available for purchase in Hite’s honor. Call 885-7088.

Any tribute to Hite is a beautiful tribute.

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What other ways can we pay tribute to fallen Officer Hite and others who deserve to be remembered?

Some areas of Pima County may be going down the toilet, but you can be sure our toilets’ wastewater will be flushed away with ease.

Pima County to receive $10M in stimulus funds for sewer system, Arizona Daily Star

Pima County will receive $10 million from the federal stimulus package to put toward improvements to the regional sewer system.

Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department will receive the money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to put toward a regional interconnect that will carry wastewater between the Roger Road treatment plant and the Ina Road treatment plant.

Read story: www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/294312.php

This is a very good thing.

More federal funds for more projects would be even better.

No complaints, however.

Any money Pima can get from the government is a blessing.

Toilets are a pretty necessary commodity and our sewers should be something that stays in tip-top shape.

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What other areas of Pima County would you like to see improved and why?

Dulce Gonzalez, 5, cools off in a running creek at Madera Canyon.

Day trips are a great way to get away without the cost of, say, flying to Paris.

Southern Arizona is rife with riveting adventures and a three-day weekend is the perfect time to take one.

I thank the reader who suggested a day trip feature and hope others contribute their own ideas.

Since the paper had an awesome staff of feature writers, I scoured the archives and found an ideal trip for late May.

DAY TRIP: MADERA CANYON

With the weather heating up, it’s a perfect time for the short trip to Madera Canyon. Nestled in the Santa Rita mountain range, you’ll be protected by foliage as you hike or picnic. (You’ll still want to start relatively early to beat the heat. Temperature tends to be about 10 degrees cooler than in Tucson.)

One of the big draws for the thousands of folks who visit the canyon annually is birding. Among the canyon’s residents are the trogons, Townsend’s warblers, yellow-eyed juncos and gray flycatchers, though there are many, many more – some 200 species have been seen. For a nice, up-to-date list of recent bird spottings, visit friendsofmaderacanyon.org.

Hikers can enjoy a variety of trails, and Madera is also a popular spot for photographers.

Where to eat

Get shade from sycamores at the Madera picnic area, and from oaks across the road at Madera Trailhead Picnic Area; $5 vehicle parking.

Or, for something less rustic, try the Grill on the Green at Canoa Ranch. It’s a Bob McMahon restaurant and features fare similar to Old Pueblo Grille; (520) 393-1933. (Yes, I checked Friday. The place is still open and will be this weekend.)

The drive

About 42 miles south of Tucson. Take Interstate 19 about 25 miles south of Tucson to Exit 63. Turn left onto Continental Road and drive one mile. Turn right on White House Canyon Road and go 14 miles to the top of the canyon.

To learn more

Nogales Ranger District (Santa Rita Mountains, Madera Canyon): (520) 281-2296

fs.fed.us/r3/ coronado

Memorial Day weekend update from the Coronado National Forest

Santa Rita Mountains (Nogales Ranger District)

Open: Madera Canyon campground and picnic areas, Upper White Rock campground, Whipple picnic site, and Calabassas picnic area.

Note: All Pena Blanca Lake recreation areas remain closed due to mercury clean-up efforts.

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Madera Canyon sounds grand, but remember it will probably be packed due to the holiday.

Also remember to steer clear of the Pena Blanca Lake area unless you’re a fan of mercury.

Jebediah was adopted locally after he was found wandering around the North Sixth Avenue Dog Park.

Tucsonans who want to adopt a pet don’t have to go very far.

We have midtown’s Humane Society of Southern Arizona, the Northwest Side’s Pima Animal Care Center and a handful of other fully stocked shelters in other areas about town.

We could probably even find a couple of stray dogs or cats just walking around the block a couple times anywhere we live.

But some folks will still travel far and wide to pick up that perfect pet.

One local dude is flitting off to Florida this weekend to purchase the littermate of a pup he already retrieved from Tennessee. (The breeder lives in Tennessee but will be at her time share in Florida.)

His jet-setting is necessary to nab a particular breed of dog.

Then there’s an English couple who were not picky about the breed of cat they needed, just the particular cat.

They glimpsed a photo of a feline on the adoption site Petfinder.com and decided they must have that cat. It looked just like their former cat.

So they flew 4,000 miles from London to Michigan to go get their new pet, named Sparky.

How Far is Too Far? Couple Travels 4,000 Miles to Adopt Cat

“I thought [the shelter] would say ‘you guys are completely mad,” admits Rose Rasmussen, who along with her husband Chris traveled…to pick up Sparky. Preparing the cat for his relocation overseas was no easy feat and required a six-month quarantine, along with microchipping, vaccinations, a blood test, and a health certificate.

But the shelter didn’t think the Rasmussens were crazy. Read story: www.pawnation.com/2009/05/18/how-far-is-too-far-couple-travels-4-000-miles-to-adopt-cat/

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Would you trek thousands of miles to adopt a pet you have not yet met?

Where did you get your pet: shelter, breeder, pet store, other?

What determined your choice?

On Nov. 4 voters in Legislative District 10 on Phoenix’s Northwest Side elected Doug Quelland to the Arizona House of Representatives.

On May 15, an unelected state commission overruled them and ordered Quelland out of the House for violating rules governing publicly financed campaigns.

Quelland is appealing and can remain in the House until that’s resolved but judging from the evidence gathered by the commission, it’s likely he’ll be forced out.

It’s the second time in two years the state’s Clean Elections Commission has overturned voters’ wishes because a candidate agreed to take public money for his campaign then broke the incredibly complex rules governing that money’s use.

Clean Elections and its cousin, term limits, were supposed to put the citizen back in citizen government. Neither has happened.

The Democrats elected to the Legislature are more liberal and the Republicans more conservative than ever before. The gulf that lies between them has prevented compromise and progress on a whole host of issues.

Candidates who had to put their hand out to numerous constituencies to raise money pre-Clean Elections need now only put their hands out to their parties’ true believers. Because of another good idea gone bad – the state’s redistricting commission, which botched the gerrymandering of state legislative districts – there are few competitive districts in the state. Most candidates need only win their party’s primary to get elected and primary voters tend to be the most strident of party faithful.

Meanwhile, party operatives have figured out how to game the system, turning Clean Elections into more of an oxymoron than a supposed field leveler.

While public financing was supposed to take the corruption out of politics by making candidates beholden more to voters than donors, term limits was supposed to refresh the state house every few years with new candidates bringing fresh ideas to state government.

Instead, candidates have likewise made term limits an oxymoron. Candidates termed out of the House after eight years simply run for the Senate, or vice versa, and almost always get elected.

Quelland’s seatmate from District 10, Jim Weiers, has been in the Legislature for 15 years. He did his eight in the House, including a term as Speaker, got termed out, got elected to the Senate for one term, then jumped back to the House where he was Speaker for two terms. He’s in the middle of his eighth two-year term in the Legislature.

It was this kind of career politician that term limits was supposed to limit.

The great irony is that term limits was unnecessary, there already were term limits every two years.

Voters should be able to give money to whomever they want and elect whomever they want however many times they want.

It’s time for voters to jettison both these laws and re-take responsibility for whom they elect.