FLORENCE – The Pinal County Public Health Services District will begin providing flu shots to the public on Friday, October 1, 2010 by appointment only.  For your convenience, and to ensure short wait times, we will begin scheduling appointments starting Tuesday, September 7, 2010 and continuing through the end of October.  In order to schedule appointments for adults, please call toll free 1-888-431-1311, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Flu shots through the Pinal County Public Health Services District are just $15, a bargain compared to the cost of cold and flu medicines or trips to the doctor’s office and missed work.  If you are unable to schedule an appointment, the opportunity to receive a flu shot as a “walk-in” will be available on the following days after October 23, 2010:

Kearny – Wednesdays 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Oracle – 2nd Friday of the month 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Eloy – Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Mammoth – Wednesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays 8:00 am-6:00 pm
Superior – 3rd Thursday of the month 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Apache Junction – Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays 8:00 am-6:00 pm
Coolidge – Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Casa Grande – Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, & Saturdays 8:00 am- 6:00 pm
Stanfield – The 2nd Wednesday of the month 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Maricopa – Wednesdays 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Please be advised, all Pinal County Public Health Services District clinics will be closed Monday, October 11, Tuesday, November 2, Thursday, November 11, and Thursday, November 25.

The Pinal County Public Health Services District has not received any flu vaccines for children yet.  Once the youth dosages are received, children can receive a flu shot without an appointment at their local Pinal County Public Health clinic.  Updated information will be posted on the Pinal County Information Hotline toll free at 1-866-763-7252 as it becomes available.

In order to reduce that chance of catching the flu this season, the Public Health Department recommends frequent hand washing using soap and warm water for 30 seconds.  If you do become ill, it is important to stay home to help prevent spreading the illness to others.  For more information on influenza and vaccinations, please call the Health District hotline at 1-866-763-7252.

The number to call for appointments is 1-888-431-1311.

Pinal County’s website features a host of information pertaining to county services, emergency management, tourism, public health and much more.  Explorewww.pinalcountyaz.gov and discover Pinal County’s wide open opportunity.

The full article has recently been published in the Casa Grande Valley Newspapers’ TriValley Dispatch. A link to the article is: Coolidge: Eye on the future with a business-friendly attitude

Additionally, an abbreviated version of the article was printed in the Arizona Republic’s Southeast Valley community newspapers and posted on their website: azcentral.com

Please take a moment to read a great article from an out-of-area perspective on the City of Coolidge. You may even discover something new that you may not have known about our neighboring community.

Have a wonderful day!

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your
home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for
your car.

The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either
you turn it off or the car battery dies.

This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator.

Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away,
think of this:  It’s a security alarm system that you probably already have
and requires no installation. Test it.

It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking
until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key
fob chain.

It works if you park in your driveway or garage.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house,
odds are the burglar/rapist won’t stick around.

After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see
who is out there and sure enough the criminal won’t want that.

And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot.

The alarm can work the same way there.

This is   something that should really be shared with everyone.

Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

Please call Sgt. Judd if you have any questions at 520-251-6373.

If You Receive a Counterfeit:

• Do not return it to the passer.
• Delay the passer if possible.
• Observe the passer’s description, as well as that of any companions, and the license plate numbers of any vehicles used.
• Contact your local police department or United States Secret Service field office. These numbers can be found on the inside front page of your local telephone directory.
• Write your initials and the date in the white border areas of the suspect note.
• Limit the handling of the note. Carefully place it in a protective covering, such as an envelope.
• Surrender the note or coin only to a properly identified police officer or a U.S. Secret Service special agent.

What is ATM Card Skimming and PIN Capturing?

• ATM Card Skimming is a method used by criminals to capture data from the magnetic stripe on the back of an ATM card.
• The devices used are smaller than a deck of cards and are often fastened in close proximity to or over the top of an ATM’s factory-installed card reader.
• Pin Capturing refers to a method of strategically attaching cameras and various other imaging devices to ATMs; in order to fraudulently capture the ATM user’s PIN.

Where to spot a card skimming or pin capturing device on an ATM?

Light diffuser area, Speaker area, ATM side fascia, Card reader entry slot, ATM keyboard area.

The K-12 Student Center, College Center and Adult Career Center from Tutor.com includes live, one-to-one tutoring, a real-time writing center and 24/7 access to worksheets, videos and tutorials in just about any subject.   Any patron with a Pinal County library card can access the new online services from the library or right from home.

The live, online tutoring and resume writing service is available every day from 1:00 pm until 10:00 pm.  The service is completely free for Pinal County library patrons.  To access the service please visit the library’s website at http://catalog.pinalcountyaz.gov.

“I’m pleased that we are able to offer a valuable service that helps both students and job seekers,” said Library District Director Denise Keller.  “The best part is that it is free to use for our library members.”

Students of all ages and job seekers can find the help they need by simply visiting the library’s website and looking for the Tutor.com graphic.   Tutor.com has a network of over 2,000 certified tutors as well as career specialists who are ready to help with just about any question you may have.  Here’s the type of help you can get in each center.

• K-12 Student Center:  Students can get help with homework, test preparation, skills and concepts they are learning in class and standardized test preparation and college entrance exams.  Subjects include math, science, social studies and English.

• College Center: Besides subject-specific help, students can prepare for the GED and get resume help or prepare for graduate school entrance exams.

• Adult Career Center: Adults going back to school can get subject-specific help, prepare for the GED, get resume help or prepare for the citizenship exam.

Each center also includes real-time writing assistance from English tutors or career specialists for adults working on resumes.   Students and job seekers get immediate feedback, writing tips and strategies as well as proofreading.  Need help at midnight?  No problem.  Each center includes 24/7 access to thousands of resources including study guides, worksheets, videos and more in  math, science, social studies, English, resume writing,  GED prep, Citizenship exam prep and more.

Technical information:

Household data:       (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov *  www.bls.gov/cps

Establishment data:   (202) 691-6555  *  cesinfo@bls.gov *  www.bls.gov/ces

Media contact:         (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION — JULY 2010

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 131,000 in July, and the unem- ployment rate was unchanged at 9.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis- tics reported today. Federal government employment fell, as 143,000 temporary workers hired for the decennial census completed their work. Private-sector payroll employment edged up by 71,000.

Household Survey Data

Both the number of unemployed persons, at 14.6 million, and the unemployment rate, at 9.5 percent, were unchanged in July. (See table A-1.)

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.7 per- cent), adult women (7.9 percent), teenagers (26.1 percent), whites (8.6 per- cent), blacks (15.6 percent), and Hispanics (12.1 percent) showed little or no change in July. The jobless rate for Asians was 8.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

In July, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and

over) was little changed at 6.6 million. These individuals made up 44.9 per- cent of unemployed persons. (See table A-12.)

The civilian labor force participation rate (64.6 percent) and the employment- population ratio (58.4  percent) were essentially unchanged in July; however, these measures have declined by 0.6 percentage point and 0.4 point, respec- tively, since April. (See table A-1.)

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes re- ferred to as involuntary part-time workers) was essentially unchanged over the month at 8.5 million but has declined by 623,000 since April. These in- dividuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)

About 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in July, an increase of 340,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally ad-justed.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were avail- able for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the

4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-16.)

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in July, up by 389,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally ad-

justed.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.4 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsi- bilities. (See table A-16.)

Establishment Survey Data

Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 131,000 in July, reflecting the departure of 143,000 temporary Census 2010 workers from federal government pay- rolls. Total private employment edged up over the month (+71,000). Thus far this year, private sector employment has increased by 630,000, with about two-thirds of the gain occurring in March and April. (See table B-1.)

Manufacturing employment increased by 36,000 over the month. Motor vehicles and parts had fewer seasonal layoffs than normal for July, contributing to a season- ally adjusted employment increase of 21,000. The industry had added 32,000 jobs in the first 6 months of the year. In July, employment in fabricated metals rose by 9,000. Manufacturing employment has expanded by 183,000 since December 2009.

Health care added 27,000 jobs in July. Over the past 12 months, health care em- ployment has risen by 231,000.

In July, employment in transportation and warehousing edged up by 12,000. Since a recent low in February, transportation and warehousing has added 56,000 jobs.

Mining employment rose by 7,000 in July, with the gain concentrated in support activities for mining. Mining has added 63,000 jobs since October 2009.

Employment in professional and business services was little changed (-13,000) in July. The number of jobs in temporary help services showed little movement (-6,000) over the month.

Employment in financial activities continued to trend down in July, with a decline of 17,000. So far this year, monthly job losses in the industry have averaged 12,000, compared with an average monthly job loss of 29,000 for all of 2009.

Construction employment changed little (-11,000) in July; 10,000 construction workers were off payrolls due to strike activity.

Employment in other private-sector industries, including wholesale trade, re- tail trade, information, and leisure and hospitality showed little change in July.

Government employment fell by 202,000 in July, largely reflecting the loss of 143,000 temporary workers hired for Census 2010. Employment in both state and local governments edged down over the month.

In July, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 34.2 hours. The manufacturing workweek for all em- ployees increased by 0.1 hour to 40.1 hours, following a decrease of 0.5 hour in June. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 33.5 hours in July. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)

Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 4 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $22.59 in July. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 1.8 percent. In July, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 2 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $19.04. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for May was revised from +433,000 to +432,000, and the change for June was revised from -125,000 to -221,000

Charles Mingus - A native son of Nogales, Arizona

Charles Mingus was born in Nogales, Arizona. He was raised largely in the

Again this year, the garden tour will be held in conjunction with the Plein Air Competition and musicians will be featured in some of the gardens.

Admission is $10.  More information may be obtained at www.discoverbisbee.com or at 520-432-3554 or 866-244-7233.

The Bisbee Plein Air Painting Competition is open to any artist who paints using the plein air technique in oil, watercolor, acrylic, or pastel.  The competition is sponsored by the Bisbee Arts Commission, and will occur in conjunction with the Bisbee Bloomers Garden Tour, which takes place on Saturday, September 11.  During the judging on Saturday afternoon, paintings will be displayed for silent bidding and Shade, featuring Duane Reilley, will be playing jazz standards.  Young artists from 8 to 18 are invited to participate in a painting competition held on Saturday only beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Grassy Park.

To register, complete the attached form and mail to:  Kathy Sowden, PO Box 1195, Bisbee, AZ 85603.  Enter by August 21 to receive the reduced adult registration fee.  Emailduran_926@msn.com with any questions, visit us on the web or call Kathy at 520-432-2900.

About the Bisbee Arts Commission – the purpose of the Bisbee Arts Commission is to advise the city on art and cultural activities in Bisbee; promote arts and the city of Bisbee as an arts community; and support artists through financial, organizational, and programmatic resources.

For the proverbial traveler, Bisbee has been preserved architecturally.  Absent are the mules

and dust and later trolleys that passed the banks, shops & saloons.  Today, miners’ boarding houses are now whimsical bed & breakfasts; shops are home to local artisans and saloons, now fashionable dining establishments, along with quaint shops, custom hat works and antique galleries.  Victorian and European homes perch miraculously on the hillsides.  Coffee houses and brew pubs dot the streets.  The Copper Queen Hotel stands majestically as it did in 1902.  Corporate headquarters for the mining company now houses the BisbeeMining & Historical Museum, our Smithsonian-affiliate.  The Phelps Dodge Mercantile, also referred to as the “company store” is as cosmopolitan as ever showcasing jewelry and copper shops, metropolitan restaurants and the ever popular coffee house.   The infamous Brewery Gulch, home to a sophisticated stock exchange remains intact. Gone are the many brothels, saloons and gambling establishments replaced by quirky art galleries, fanciful restaurants and pubs.  You will see remnants of paths, sidewalks and stairs that led to more than 50 brothels along the gulch.  A lone store still provides groceries for residents.  CityPark, once the local cemetery is now home to many events and where children frolic. Nestled in the mile-high Mule Mountains, Bisbee is located 90 miles southeast of Tucson and offers old-world charm, antique shops, fine restaurants, sidewalk cafes and unique lodging.  While here, ride the train underground at the Queen Mine Tour, take a Lavender Jeep Tour, a tour with a ghost host or a local historian.  Go to www.discoverbisbee.com for official visitor information.