Gila County Sheriff John R. Armer has announced that Sgt. Robert Schuler has been selected as Detention Supervisor of the Quarter & Joe Laguna as the recipient of Detention Officer of the Quarter for their outstanding job performance and work ethic in the Gila County Detention Centers.

"Music In The Park" spring music concert series returns to Oracle State Park with three concerts scheduled one Sunday a month April through June. The concerts are a special event fundraiser presented by the Friends of Oracle State Park.

The three concerts will be held outdoors at the Kannally Ranch House. No reservation is needed. Tickets will be available in advance or the day of the event for $10 each. The cost includes the entrance fee to Oracle State Park. Annual park passes do not apply for this special event; kids age 13 and younger are free.

On Sunday, April 26th, Kip Calahan will perform from 2 pm to 4 pm. Calahan is a country and western Singer/Songwriter. Her style can be compared to Patsy Kline, and she has recorded many songs about cowboys, cowgirls, the west and ranch life. She has been a featured performer at top western music festivals, and won such honors as Song of the Year, Best Western Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year with various music artist associations.

On Sunday, May 10th, local favorite, "Diamond Jim" Hewitt and Friends will perform a full moon concert from 7 pm to 9pm. His ensemble includes a mix of jazz, celtic hoedown and bluegrass, featuring Hewitt on the fiddle.

The last concert of the series will be held on Sunday, June 7th, with another evening performance from 7 pm to 9 pm on the upper patio (The performer will be announced at a later time).

For tickets or more information call Oracle State Park at (520) 896-2425. Oracle State Park, Center for Environmental Education, is a 4,000 acre wildlife refuge located in the northern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains in the town of Oracle north of Tucson. The Mediterranean Revival-Style historic Kannally Ranch House and patios offer sweeping views of the Galiuro Mountains and surrounding area.

SR 84 (W Gila Bend Hwy) at Mile Post 177 just East of Thornton. APS is scheduled to perform overhead line crossing on April 16th, between 9 am & 10 am. The road will be closed for approx. 15 minutes in both directions sometime between 9 am and 10 am.

The Underage Drinking Town Hall is where you'll hear about changes the Coalition for Successful Youth Development is making in the community around youth access to alcohol. Keynote Speakers include; Race Driver Dave Larson and his race car along with Alcohol Awareness Speaker Michael Rowan will speak at 6:05 pm regarding the issues affecting our youth.

The Town Hall gets underway at 5:30 pm at the Miami High School's Auditorium and parking lot in Miami. Refreshments, door prizes and public awareness booths will be part of the event. Winners must be present to win the prizes being raffled off.

For more information on underage drinking go to drawyourline.com or stopalcoholabuse.gov.

The Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS) is assisting patients who live in the Globe-Miami and Superior areas with a new transportation van that will make trips twice a week to the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix.

VA Patient Transportation vans, which can carry up to eight patients, will assist veterans in getting to and from appointments at the Phoenix VA clinics on Mondays and Wednesdays. The van schedule is as follows:

a. A van to the Phoenix VA Health Care System will depart from the Globe-Miami VA Health Care Clinic, 5860 S. Hospital Drive, Suite 111, in Globe at 7:30 am on Mondays & Wednesdays.

b. The van will stop in Superior at the Circle K at 831 S. Western Avenue at 8 am.

c. The van will then head to the Phoenix VA Health Care System with an anticipated arrival of approx. 9 am.

d. The van will depart the Phoenix VA Health Care System as soon as all patient appointments are completed or no later than 1:30 pm.

The VA recommends that all veterans attempt to schedule their clinical appointments between the hours of 9:30 am and 12:30 pm. For appointments before 9 am or appointments after 12:30 pm, veterans should schedule their inbound or return trips with an alternative form of transportation.

Veterans may schedule transportation by calling (602) 277-5551, ext. 7451, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Calls will be returned within 48 hours.

Veterans using this service are encouraged to schedule their transport a minimum of seven days in advance, but no sooner than four weeks before their appointments.

The route is in addition to service for patients in the Show Low and Payson areas, which runs Mondays through Thursdays. Patient transportation services to the Phoenix VA also are available from communities along the Colorado River and from VA clinics in the Northwest and Southeast Valley areas.

The PVAHCS transports 300 to 400 patients from these areas to the downtown Phoenix medical center each month.

If you are interested in learning about becoming a volunteer driver for the VA Patient Transportation Service, call the Voluntary Services Department at 602-222-6419.