Events center defeat is top story of 2008

1. EVENT CENTER DEFEATED - Most Yuma city voters who went to the polls for the Nov. 4 general election clearly were opposed to plans for a multipurpose events center, handily defeating a proposition that would have authorized city officials to proceed with the project.

  The city had been in talks with Global Entertainment Corp. for more than two years about the possibility of the company building and managing a 6,000-seat events center north of Yuma Palms Regional Center that would have been owned by the city. The arena could have been used for sporting events, concerts and other major entertainment as well as community events, with a minor league hockey team as an anchor tenant.

  The measure was put to city voters through a referendum petition drive spearheaded by community activist Jack Kretzer. Opponents were concerned it would end up costing taxpayers, while proponents said the center would have contributed to growth and quality of life.

  Defeat of the arena was picked by a panel of Sun editors and writers as the most significant local news story of 2008. Rounding out the top 10 news stories in Yuma County over the past year were:

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2. BORDER PATROL AGENT AGUILAR DIES - On Jan. 19, senior Border Patrol agent Luis Aguilar was run over and killed by a suspected drug smuggler near Gray's Well Road in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, about eight miles west of the Andrade port of entry on the California-Mexico border.

  Aguilar was laying spike strips across the road in an attempt to stop two fleeing smuggling vehicles when one of them, a Hummer, struck and killed him. Both vehicles then fled into Mexico.

    He was honored in a public funeral service on Jan. 24. Thousands attended, filling the 2,200-seat Yuma Civic Center almost to capacity. Those who could not find a chair stood through the service as officials from Washington, D.C., and Aguilar's loved ones paid tribute to his memory.

  Mexican authorities announced on Jan. 24 they arrested Jesus Navarro Montes, 32, of Mexicali, Baja Calif., in the northern state of Sonora in connection with an unrelated smuggling, according to a joint statement distributed by Mexico's federal Attorney General's Office and Public Safety Department.

  However, Navarro Montes was cleared by a Mexican judge of an unrelated migrant smuggling charge and released from a Mexicali prison before he could be deported to face prosecution in Aguilar's death.

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CRIMS TURN 100 - It has been a century of criminal activity for Yuma High School, which marked its 100th anniversary this year.

  "How can it be less than exciting? " Principal Steve Pallack said. "Anytime anything turns 100, it's a big celebration."

  Pallack said many Criminal alumni did not have the easiest beginnings, but many advanced to successful careers. Their achievements proved that hard work can get Yuma High School students to their goals, he said.

   Northside pride was abundant on Homecoming Weekend of Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 as a parade of 52 entrants, including 35 historic vehicles and assorted floats, marched from Prison Hill to a rally at Snider Auditorium in honor of the school's birthday.

  It was a time to celebrate all the positive things students do for Yuma because the school has such a great group of young people, said Leah Ramstad, cheerleader coach.

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4. ECONOMY DIVES - The economic woes sweeping the nation and spreading to Yuma County were ranked No. 4 among the top 10 stories for the year.

  While the area appears to be weathering the economic crisis better than many other parts of the state and country, it is feeling the impact through slowing home sales, deepening unemployment and declining sales tax revenue that is creating budget shortfalls for city and county governments.

  In the most recent unemployment report issued by the Arizona Department of Commerce, Yuma County had a jobless rate of 19.8 percent in November, compared with 13.4 percent in November 2007. In the past 12 months, Yuma County lost 2,900 jobs, many of them a result of the slumping real estate market.

  Meanwhile, the city of Yuma is expecting a budget shortfall of $3.1 million for this fiscal year. Both the city and county are hopeful that they will benefit from President-elect Barack Obama's proposed economic stimulus package that would include billions of dollars for public works projects to put people back to work.

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5. MASSIVE DECLINE IN BORDER ARRESTS - Border authorities credited a three-prong approach for a massive decline in illegal immigration seen in the Yuma area
  Increased personnel, technology and border infrastructure all came together to bring a 74 percent drop in arrests along the border, according to the Border Patrol Yuma Sector. Arrests totaled 8,363 in fiscal year 2008, compared with 39,992 arrests the year prior.
  This decrease in illegal immigration was also reported in 2008 along the nearby Barry M. Goldwater Range.
  Increased personnel ranged from Operation Jump Start, which brought National Guard members to work on border security construction projects, to an increase in Border Patrol agents that beefed up the roster of agents in the sector to about 930 Border Patrol.
  In terms of border infrastructure, authorities praised the border fence, which remains under construction, for contributing to the decrease in illegal immigration.

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6. VALENTINE'S SHOOTING - On Valentine's night, Yuma police responded to the Yuma Palms Regional Center in reference to a shooting that left one person dead.

  According to the initial Yuma Police Department investigation, a fight among several apparent gang members broke out on Feb. 14 shortly before 8:30 p.m. in front of Harkins Theatres.

  The disturbance then moved to the area behind Pac Sun, where 18-year-old David Duran was shot. Duran made his way to the front of the business before succumbing to his wound. He was transported to YRMC, where he was pronounced dead of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

  Arrested that night in connection with the shooting was 16-year-old Jose Moreno. He was later charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault and participating in a criminal syndicate in connection with Duran's death.

  Moreno's case is still in Yuma County Superior Court, but the killing prompted a police crackdown on gang activity in Yuma in 2008 with numerous arrests of people suspected of being gang members.

7. VOTING DELAYS - Many Yuma County voters who went to the polls for the Nov. 4 general election experienced long lines with waits of two hours or  more to cast their ballots.

  Election officials attributed the delays to a new state law that requires voters to present identification at the polls, a long ballot with several propositions and a large turnout of voters.

  Election results also were delayed as county officials worked their way over several days through thousands of late "early" ballots and provisional ballots.

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8. PLEA AGREEMENT IN CORRALES DEATH - Ruben Solorio Valenzuela, 25, was sentenced in August to eight years and nine months in prison for manslaughter in the killing of a gay man, Amancio Corrales, whose body was discovered floating near Paradise Cove just west of Joe Henry Park on May 6, 2005.

  The sentence was the maximum allowed under the terms of a plea agreement he reached with prosecutors, but the victim's mother, Maribel Corrales, said the "wound" stemming from her son's killing will never heal.

  "He didn't kill a person but a whole family," Maribel Corrales said.

  Prosecutor Levi Gunderson said Solorio Valenzuela did not plan the murder but acted in the heat of passion resulting from humiliation when he discovered Corrales, dressed as a woman, was actually a man.

  Corrales, 23, was a cosmetologist who performed as a female impersonator known as Dalila. On the night Solorio Valenzuela met him, he made several attempts to fondle Corrales, Gunderson said, and when he discovered his mistake he stabbed him several times. Corrales died from what authorities called "violent trauma."

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9. AUGUST STORM BATTERS AREA - Residents got a jolt in August when severe thunderstorms struck the area, but the community weathered it well.

  A quarter-inch of rain and wind gusts up to 57 mph were recorded at Yuma International Airport in one of the storms that hit the county at 12:45 a.m. Aug. 30.

  The early morning storm was part of a severe weather pattern that developed over the Phoenix area, brought almost an inch of rain and wind gusts up to 75 mph. In all about 1,000 people were affected by power outages as a result of the storm.

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10. LIL WAYNE ARRESTED - Rap star Lil Wayne was arrested in Yuma County in January after his tour bus was stopped at the Border Patrol checkpoint near Dateland, 78 miles east of Yuma.

  Lil Wayne, 25, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., appeared in Wellton Justice Court two days later and was charged with possession of narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia.

  A Border Patrol canine reportedly alerted agents to the presence of illegal drugs on the Carter's bus. A search by patrol agents of his bus turned up nearly four ounces of marijuana, just over an ounce of cocaine, 41 grams of Ecstacy and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia, according to court records.

  His case is still currently in Yuma County Superior Court.

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Sun staff writers Joyce Lobeck, Darin Fenger, James Gilbert and William Roller contributed to this report.