Good morning, it’s Monday May 3rd and this is The Herald Review’s Daily Chirp podcast. We’re bringing you a closer look at one of our top stories, along with other important things going on in our community. 

 

Today - The Arizona National Guard has arrived to bring some much-needed assistance to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Before we begin, some local history.

 

For years now, a group of locals has been working to preserve the storefronts on Erie Street in Lowell in memory of a slice of time in 1950s America when window shopping was a favorite Saturday outing.

 

It has become a favorite tourist destination and many have their photos taken by the antique cars and storefronts along the street.

 

Album covers have been shot there and the street was even featured in Arizona Highways magazine.

 

Erie Street is most of what is left of Lowell, which was originally a mining town incorporated into Bisbee in the early 1900s. Much of the town’s residential area was demolished to widen an open pit copper mine. Losing most of its residents caused the commercial district to struggle, and many businesses failed. But today, volunteers are working to restore the street.. 

 

So although you can no longer see a show at Lowell’s movie theater or pay $0.22 for gasoline, the Lowell Americana Project has made it possible to experience the street as a living snapshot of another time. 

 

Today’s history is brought to you by Benson Hospital - they’re doing more than treating illnesses in Benson, they're building a healthier community. Benson Hospital is now collaborating with the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona to provide diaper assistance to families in need. For more information visit their website at bensonhospital.org.

 

Also, The Daily Chirp podcast is giving away 5 Amazon Echo Dots - one every month now through July. You can enter for your chance to win twice a day! Today's code is MAY and find the other codeword in our “Daily Chirp Podcast Alert” e-newsletter. To enter the sweepstakes go to myheraldreview.com, again today's codeword is: MAY

Now, our feature story. 

 

The Arizona National Guard has arrived to bring some much-needed assistance to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

 

At least 32 members of the Guard were sent to help out. The majority have been assigned to the Sheriff’s Southeast Arizona Border Region Enforcement team.

 

On Friday, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said that 22 Guard members will be monitoring the Buckeye cameras that the Sheriff’s Office has along the border with Mexico. That’s a key function aimed at helping authorities hold back the number of illegal crossings into the area by undocumented migrants.

 

This all comes after Doug Ducey’s announcement in mid April where he said that Arizona would take matters into its own hands. Ducey’s statement was prompted by a particular day when Arizona Department of Public Safety spotted 20 undocumented migrants in Chandler. During the incident officials were rebuffed by both the Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they asked for help. Those migrants were then released back in Chandler.

 

At the time Ducey said that the Biden Harris administration needs to get its head out of the sand when it comes to the crisis at our border. He went on to say that this lack of action defies all logic, and flies in the face of the law.

 

Then on Thursday morning, the 32 National Guard troops sent to Cochise County were given their assignments.

 

Dannels, who was accompanied Friday by Megan Fitzgerald, Ducey’s policy advisor for public safety and military affairs, said his greatest need is making sure the cameras are being watched.

 

Fitzgerald, who acts as Ducey’s liaison with law enforcement and the military, spent Friday speaking to Dannels and other officials about what they need most from the governor’s office.

 

Her initial take was that things are definitely escalating with the number of crossings and the demographics of the individuals who are crossing.

 

In March, the cameras recorded images of roughly 3,500 undocumented migrants attempting to cross the border into Cochise County.

 

And aside from the 22 National Guard assigned to watch the Buckeye cameras, the other 10 will be helping out at the jail with clerical work and other support functions.

 

The mission has been dubbed SALES — State Activated Law Enforcement Support.

 

So how did it all come together?

 

Ducey had originally asked the federal government for support in deploying the National Guard — known as Title 32 — but that did not materialize. So, instead, the governor decided to declare an emergency along Arizona’s four-border counties and deployed the National Guard under State Active Duty.

 

Meanwhile, Sheriff Dannels, has been communicating regularly with Mayorkas, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. 

 

He asked Mayorkas to relay a message to both the president and the vice-president.

 

The message was an ask - To change the messaging. Dannels stressed that the messaging needs to emphasize that there are actions and consequences.

 

Dannels said he believes Mayorkas is doing everything he can to bring about a resolution… He says it’s the only hope we have.

 

To learn more about this story and to stay up to date on developments visit us at myheraldreview.com

 

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Thanks for listening, before we continue, a quick message from our sponsors, Prestige Family Living. 

 

Next - we’d like to highlight Tasty Wok & Asian Market, the first entrepreneurial venture of Jung Matranga.

 

brought to you by ApexNetwork Physical Therapy in Benson and Sierra Vista. They’re doing more than just treating patients, they’re helping patients get back to living their daily lives. Using extensive knowledge, their therapists treat each patient one-on-one, focusing on individual care. To learn more, go to ApexNetworkPT.com.

 

While Tasty Wok & Asian Market is her first entrepreneurial venture, Jung Matranga is no newcomer to Sierra Vista’s Asian food scene.

 

The new restaurateur spent six years working long hours at Hana Tokyo before becoming business partners with her former boss to create Sierra Vista’s newest Asian offering.

 

Located in the location previously occupied by Peacock Restaurant, Tasty Wok & Asian Market offers a variety of Chinese, Korean and Japanese delicacies as well as Asian groceries.

 

The restaurant’s specialty is hot pot, a hearty Chinese dish where fresh meats and vegetables are cooked at the table in a rich broth of one’s choice. Pork slices, mussels, vermicelli, napa cabbage, exotic mushrooms and even ramen noodles make an appearance on the varied menu.

 

For those who can withstand the heat, Matranga points out the Spicy Seafood Ramen hot pot as one to try.

 

The decision to not only run a restaurant, but an accompanying market, was inspired by her own experiences trying to procure Asian ingredients locally.

 

She hopes that the groceries at Asian Market, which are supplied by several distributors out of Los Angeles, can assist others in Sierra Vista looking for authentic ingredients.

 

Matranga also noted that while most of the groceries she carries cater to Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean palates, she hopes to soon offer ingredients for the Filipino and Hawaiian communities in Sierra Vista too.

 

And as a new business owner, she has a desire to get customers the products they need, even if they are not currently offered at Tasty Wok & Asian Market.

 

But like many other restaurants in the community, hiring has been another challenge.

 

Beyond showing up every day for full 10-hour shifts herself, Matranga has had to put her son to work, and sometimes her other family family members come in to help.

 

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Next, we’re excited to highlight local athlete William Stemler  -- brought to you by our sponsors, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative.

 

Ask his coaches, or his teammates… William Stemler is fun to be around.

 

But ask his opponents in javelin and shot put. Uh, not so much. Deadly serious, with a total focus on one goal: Being the best he can be.

 

Stemler has come a long way in a short time. He received his introduction to the throwing events at Buena High school as a freshman, sat out the COVID-19 season cancellation as a sophomore and really didn’t start to train and learn until this season as a junior.

 

A lot of that productivity coincided with the arrival of Kassie Smith on the Buena campus.

 

Head coach Roger Bristow credits Smith for her work with Stemler and other Colts throwers.

 

For Stemler, the 6-foot-2, 245-pounder just needed some direction, and Smith easily provided that.

 

Smith was a standout performer at Brigham Young University. She started throwing when she was 12 years old. She was an assistant coach at Utah Valley University in the throws for a season before moving to Sierra Vista and joining the Buena track and field coaching staff.

 

Stemler and Smith became a perfect match.

 

Now, Stemler is Number 2 among Arizona Interscholastic Association Division II shot putters.

 

However, it’s the javelin he loves. 

 

The main things Smith and Stemler work on for the javelin are good extension, establishing a good plant leg and “letting it go.”

 

Smith says he’s always striving to be the best that he can be as an athlete. He’s also super contagious to be around, and  easy to coach.

 

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Finally - we’d like to remember the life of 

 

Anthony Lee Stewart, of Miami, Arizona and previously Sierra Vista. Anthony passed away on April 23rd in Phoenix.

 

He loved sports, playing football and basketball for Miami and Globe schools, and also playing video games with his cousins and friends. He was a kind and loving person always helping others and taking care of his animals.

 

Anthony graduated from CAS High School in Sierra Vista on October 31, 2016.

 

He is now survived by his mother, Valerie, his father, Robert, his step-father, Kenneth, his brothers: Robert and Joseff, and his sister, Valrie. He’ll also be survived by his Grandparents, Robert and Dorothy of Sierra Vista, his great grandmother and his many cousins, aunts, uncles and friends.

 

Anthony will be greatly missed. Thank you for taking a moment with us today to remember and celebrate his life.

 

Thanks for tuning in to the Herald Review podcast today, join us again on Tuesday! And remember, the Herald Review is here for you with local news you can trust. For more information on any of the stories you heard about today, visit us at myheraldreview.com. Right now you can become a member starting at just $1.99 per week.

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