The incident started shortly after 5 am this morning in Phoenix when the suspect pulled out a knife on the tow truck driver that had just loaded the suspects repossessed vehicle onto the truck. Phoenix police tried stopping the stolen vehicle, but ended their pursuit at 40th Street and I-10 and allowed DPS to take over, all while a Phoenix PD helicopter kept an eye on the suspect. The driver, 30-year-old Darin Matracia of Mesa, ended up taking the police on 70-mile chase that ended in Globe, even after stop sticks were deployed in Apache Junction.

Officers were finally able to box the vehicle in on Highway 60 after the tires finally blew. The cops pulled Matracia from the truck and he was transported to the hospital due to a self-inflicted knife wound to his neck.

Matracia was booked into the Gila County Jail on charges of Unlawful Flight and Endangerment, at this time it is not known as to what the other charges he faces will be stemming from the point forward from the carjacking.

The ordeal finally ended with his arrest at around 7:15 am.

The Casa Grande Police Department has introduced a new Crime Map that's intended to share information on residential burglaries, business burglaries, auto burglaries and auto thefts.

To view the different crime categories, click on the check box to show the specific category, and then uncheck to clear the map. There is also an address feature where you can input an address and the map will show you where the location is, you can then see what crimes occurred in your area of interest. The locations of the markers are designed to give a general idea of where crimes occurred and do not signify an exact location. If a marker appears to be on a residence, it just means a crime occurred in that area.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality announced today that ADEQ, in association with the Arizona Gameand Fish Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services, has issued a fish consumption advisory recommending that people limitconsumption of certain fish caught from Lake Pleasant and Roosevelt Lake.

The inclusion of Lake Pleasant, north of Phoenix in Maricopa County, and Roosevelt Lake, northwest of Globe in Gila County, brings the total number of lakes in Arizona affected by fish consumption advisories for mercury to 13.

Tissue samples taken by ADEQ of fish caught from the two lakes and analyzed recently by ADEQ contain elevated levels of mercury. The fish covered by the consumption advisory are largemouth bass taken in Lake Pleasant and largemouth bass and channel catfish in Roosevelt Lake. The advisory does not limit use of the lakes for fishing, bird watching, swimming or other recreational uses. ADEQ has taken a conservative approach in assessing the risks associated with eating fish from the lakes. In addition, there is no limit on eating sunfish such as black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish and red-ear from either lake. Fish are an excellent source of protein and can be an important part of a healthy, diverse diet. Because mercury has been detected in some fish from these two lakes, it is prudent to advise the public and offer this consumption advisory.

"Consuming fish contaminated with mercury is the most common method of human exposure to mercury," said ADEQ Acting Director Patrick J. Cunningham. "While we continue to work to reduce mercury pollution in Arizona's water bodies, these fish consumption advisories are an important part of our effort to protect public health."

The advisory contains the following consumption recommendations:

Lake Pleasant-largemouth bass:
* Children under the age of six: No consumption.
* Women of child bearing age and children between 6-16 years old: One 8 oz. fish meal per month.
* All other adult women: One 8 oz. fish meal per month unless a doctor supports a higher consumption rate.
* Adult men: Two 8 oz. fish meals per month.

Roosevelt Lake-largemouth bass and channel catfish:
* Children under the age of six: No consumption.
* Women of child bearing age and children between 6-16 years old: One 8 oz. fish meal per month.
* All other adult women: One 8 oz. fish meal per month unless a doctor supports a higher consumption rate.
* Adult men: Two 8 oz. fish meals per month.

Mercury in the environment can come from various sources and can cause numerous health problems when ingested, most notably its toxicity to the central nervous system. Infants and pregnant or nursing mothers are considered most at risk to possible health effects. Mercury is quickly absorbed by bacteria in sediments and passed along via the food chain to living organisms. Fish can accumulate elevated levels of mercury when larger fish consume smaller fish and insects which have become contaminated, a process called bioaccumulation.

In addition to Lake Pleasant and Roosevelt Lake, fish consumption advisories remain in place for the following water bodies in Arizona: Arivaca Lake, Alamo Lake, Parker Canyon Lake, Upper Lake Mary, Lower Lake Mary, Lyman Lake, Pena Blanca Lake, Coors Lake, Soldier Lake, Soldier Annex Lake, and Long Lake.

ADEQ officials are continuing to test Lake Pleasant and Roosevelt Lake to identify the source of contamination. The advisories will remain in effect until further notice.

The Mesa Fire Department Connector Program is now accepting applications. Connectors are Mesa Fire Department volunteers who perform a variety of non-emergency duties including but not limited to: fire crew support, crisis support, motorist assists, social service referrals, and transports. Applications are being taken through May 15th, 2009. No experience is necessary and all training and equipment is provided. Interested candidates can visit their website and download an applicant packet from the Connector Program page. If you don’t have internet access, please call (480) 644-5042 to request an applicant packet.

On Saturday, April 25th, the Gila Community Food Bank 1st Charity Golf Tournament will be held at the Cobre Valley Country Club on the Apache Trail in Globe.

The Breakfast - Registration is at 7 am. The Shotgun Start is scheduled for 8:30 am. At 1:30 pm, lunch (included with the registration fee) will be served and the awards will be handed out. The cost is $55 per person. The payment method is either cash or check (lunch is included in the registration fee). Prizes will be awarded to the first three teams in the Male & Female Divisions. There will also be prizes for Longest Putt, Longest Drive, & Closest to the Pin. In addition, they have over 20 raffle items.

For more information about the tournament and to register, call the Cobre Valley Country Club at (928) 473-2542.

It's time once again to nominate the Globe-Miami Small Business of the Year for 2009. As noted on the application, nominees must; be a chamber member, have under 50 employees, be located in Globe-Miami trade area, business leader-(shown business leadership skills in adverse or unique situations), community involvement-(leadership, donations, participation), chamber and economic development involvement, financial stability-(in business at least 3 years), positive sales trend, & have future plans.

The winner will be announced at the annual meeting held in June. Nominations must be turned in by 5 pm on Friday, May 8th.