Desert Messenger

WHAT'S INSIDE 2 Salome High School Grads 3 Parker Tube Float 3 Happy Valley Pharmacy 4 Quartzsite Tidbits 5 Covid-19 ends 6 Editorial 7 Letter to the Editor 7 Blood Drive 8 The Salvation Army Update 8 Food Bank Updates 9 QES Students of the Month 9 SHOW DATES 2023-24 10 Gardening with Dennis 10 Town Texting 11 Splash Pad 12 New Water Store 13 Congrats LPCSO Gray 14 Rose Acres Breaks Ground 15 BLM Closures 16 Scorpion Weed 16 Los Algodones update 17 4 Ways to get involved 18 AA Meetings 18-19 In Memoriam 19 Anniversary 20 Puzzle Page 21 WACOG 21 GFWC VisiWen 22 Classifi eds 22 Paul Winer's Cartoon 23 PHOTOS DesertMessenger.com "Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper" 928-916-4235 May 17, 2023 VOL. 19 # 358 Alwa y s FREE! SEE RUDD PAGE 16 N�� �� ��� 1 9 t h YEAR! ����� | S������ ���� ������-���� 71 miles of I-10 dedicated to Sgt. Michael Rudd Memory May 17, 2023 May 17, 2023 By Shanana Rain Golden-Bear Every May 15th Peace Offi cers Memorial Day pays tribute to local, state, and federal law en- forcement offi cers who have made the ultimate sacrifi ce or been injured in the line of duty. The observance takes place dur- ing Police Week. On this signifi cant day, Tuesday, May 15, 2023, a very large group of friends and family of fallen La Paz County Sheriff Sgt. Michael Rudd gathered in Ehrenberg at the end of a dusty road next to the interstate for a special cere- mony dedicating a section of I-10 to his memory. Joining the Rudd's family and friends were Parker Regional Chamber of Commerce & Tour- ism Director Melissa Newton, La Paz County Sheriff William Ponce, La Paz County Supervi- sors Duce Minor, Holly Irwin and David Plunkett. Others in at- tendance were Quartzsite Mayor Norm Simpson, Quartzsite Coun- cil Member Starr BearCat, Parker Police Chief Michael Bailey, Tonto Apache Police Department Chief Hilario Tanakeyowma and a myr- iad law enforcement offi cers from around the region and others. Supervisor Minor shared, "On the night of October 10, 2021, La Paz County Sheriff Sgt. Michael Rudd led a pursuit on Interstate 10. Af- ter successfully apprehending the suspect in the early hours of Oc- tober 11th, Sgt. Rudd was struck by a semi-truck. We are here to recognize the sacrifi ce of La Paz County Sheriff Sgt. Michael Rudd by dedicating a stretch of Inter- state 10 in his memory."

• Cover