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WED. AUGUST 3, 2011 Vol. 7 Issue #134 N�� O�����! www.DesertMessenger.com Quartzsite makes national news! Quartzsite, AZ- After Jennifer Jones’ video of her June 28th arrest went “viral” on the Inter- net, news media and Internet Blogs became enthralled with the story. 10 Quartzsite Police employees (9 offi cers and 1 clerk) visit net- works around the state with their complaints against Police Chief Jeff Gilbert. Independant private fi rm and DPS investigations began. Here is a short recap of the events of the past month leading up to where we are today. July 7th- Council meeting held at 10am. Council gives Town Manager as the appoint- ing authority of the Town Manager. Council hires Martin Brannan as Town Attorney. July 10th – Police dispatched to pick up all council members to attend an emergency meeting with no notice. Mayor Ed Foster declines the ride and refused to participate, watching from behind closed glass doors. No public allowed. Town Council met to declare there was an “existence of an emergency” due to email threats to council and employees. There were also many blog posts advocat- ing violence and use of force against council members and Police Chief Jeff Gilbert. Coun- cil members voted to suspend several proce- dures until the 2nd Tues. in or until 2/3 of the council determines emergent circumstances no longer exists which create an imminent risk to public safety and the safety of elective and appointive town offi cers, whichever oc- curs fi rst. The time was changed to 9am, still to be held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each For Current Events and News visit www.QuartzsiteBlog.com www.DesertMessenger.com month. The “Call to the Public” was also sus- pended as well as public comments. The council voted to direct Town Manager and Chief of Police to implement procedures to ensure the safety of public attendees at future Council meetings. Within hours, a huge storm hit the town, caus- ing downed power poles. Town was without power for almost two days. Headlines made their way around the world, “Quartzsite under Mar- tial Law!” and “State of Emergency declared in Quartzsite!” “Mayor Foster has been ousted and Quartzsite Police Chief Jeff Gilbert has taken control of the town!” All of which were untrue. AP, Fox Freedom Watch, Keith Olbermann, Mi- ami Herald, New York Times, Washington Post, virtually every media outlet in Phoenix, Yuma, and Tucson, Internet and radio talk shows, car- ried the stories of alleged corruption at Town Hall, told by Jennifer Jones, Mayor Ed Foster, and the “Quartzsite 10”. Tuesday, July 12, 10am Council meeting was held with crowds overfl owing outside, with huge media and police presence. Mayor Ed Fos- ter announced meeting was cancelled, and if the council continued it would be an illegal meeting and walked out. Council approved the tentative budget for 2011-2012, giving the ability to share with the public the proposed budget. Stew- art Rhoads, founder of The Oathkeepers, an- nounced he is “the offi cial legal counsel for both Jennifer Jones and for Ed Foster, the Mayor of Quartzsite, Arizona.” Friday, July 15- Due to overwhelmingly huge amount of traffi c on the town’s website, the site is down for days on end. Press release issued by Town Manager, Alex Taft, states the bandwidth was exceeded for the month of July and are switch- ing to a new provider with more bandwidth. SEE JULY ON PAGE 17 MAIN ST. EATERY NOW OPEN FOR DINNER Thurs. Fri. & Sat. 4-7pm FISH FRIDAYS! PRIME RIB SATURDAYS! Community Outreach Social Wed. 6-8pm * $275 min. OPEN YEAR-ROUND! ~ 205 E. Main St. Quartzsite ~ 928-308-0011 August 30th, 2011 QUARTZSITE, AZ- There’s a new feature for the upcom- ing season of the Desert Mes- senger, called, “The Best of Quartzsite!” “It’s about time we recognize what is Right in Quartzsite, and celebrate the hard work- ing individuals and business- es in our community,” said Publisher Shanana “Rain” Golden-Bear. The Reader’s Survey will contain a myriad of possible categories; everything from their favorite place to en- joy Biscuits and Gravy to the Best Retailer to purchase an RV. Other categories might include: Favorite Hairstylist, Best Karaoke, Favorite ATV Trail, Best Restaurant Server, Favorite Swap Meet, Best Fish Fry, Favorite Jeweler, etc. “This is something I’ve had on the back burner since 2008, and feel it is time to take ad- vantage of all the publicity Quartzsite recently has been receiving,” said Golden-Bear. “I’ve witnessed other com- munities have a lot of fun with the voting, and hope Quartz- site residents and visitors will “Quartzsite’s FREE Community Paper” embrace the concept.” Desert Messenger’s 8th season begins Septem- ber 7th. The 2011-2012 Advertising Rate Card and Deadline Schedule will be available online no later than August 7th at http://www.Desert- Messenger.com. Readers with category sug- gestions unique to Quartzsite, should submit them via email to desertmessenger7@yahoo. com. by August 31st. The more participation, the more fun for all! There is no need to regiser. Surveys are the write-in style, and categories are endless. More details will be published in the Septem- ber 7th issue of the Desert Messenger. Quartzsite Youth VOTE TODAY & everyday! http://www.refresheverything. com/dreams-of-art (see story on page ) What’s Inside 2 Editorial 4 Letters to Editor 6 Voices from the Past 10 Around Town 14 Thoughtbuster.com 15 Perspectives 16 Church Directory 18 Feral Cats 20 Puzzles 23 Classifi eds Watch council meeting videos at www.YouTube.com/ user/qwatchingeyes Jose Lizarraga for MAYOR Paid for by Michelle Lukasson, PO Box 4182, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 for The BEST choice for Quartzsite FREE! Open 6AM- 2PM FREE with any meal* COFFEE