Neighbors roundup

'No-rules' beadwork a hit at library

It was "no-rules" beadwork at its best as 25 women took advantage of the expertise of instructor Shirley Loose from Canyon Ranch during a free demonstration at the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library, 8959 E. Tanque Verde Road.

The class, held June 26 and sponsored by the Friends of the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library, featured free materials for bracelet making, and Loose donated her time for the event.

Loose, who calls her program "Don't Worry, Bead Happy," combines her demonstration with humor, telling her students to pick out any size, shape or color of bead, but most important, "Don't worry about the design."

A lot of giggling went on as the women carefully chose a variety of beads and Loose helped them pick out just the right clasp for their creations.

"It was a lot of fun," said participant Leah Mercer. "Everything was here already for me."

East Side

County panel to look at Vail post office

County officials have rescheduled next week's meeting of the Conservation Acquisition Commission, which was scheduled to consider a request for money to help preserve the historic adobe post office in the heart of Vail.

The July 12 meeting has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. Aug. 23 and will be held at the Manning House, 450 W. Paseo Redondo, said Nicole Fyffe, executive assistant to the county administrator.

The Vail post office project is one of dozens that could receive funding from the sale of bonds that county voters will consider in a bond election, possibly as soon as next May.

Supporters hope to get money from bond proceeds to buy land around the old structure next to the Vail Feed Store at 11366 S. Colossal Cave Road.

For more information about the Aug. 23 meeting, call Deseret Romero, at 740-8661.

northwest

School-bus drivers training in Marana

As part of their training, new bus drivers in the Marana Unified School District are given 20 seconds to walk from a seated and buckled position to the emergency exit at the back of a bus and slide out.

The foot exercise is part of an Arizona Department of Public Safety Physical Performance Test new school-bus drivers must pass in order to drive a school bus in the state.

In addition to demonstrating the required physical standards, Marana's seven new drivers will spend a minimum of 40 hours in the classroom and 20 hours behind the wheel of a district bus.

"It's a challenge," new bus driver Natasha Nichelson said about the training. "I'm surprised I know so much in such a short time."

New drivers spend about three weeks fulfilling training requirements. At the end of the process, they take a test to earn their commercial driver's license, or CDL.

A CDL with passenger and school bus endorsements is required of all bus drivers.

Last week, the 34-year-old Nichelson was preparing for the CDL skills test — which involves parallel parking, backing up into a parking spot and other maneuvers.

"It's all about your mirrors," trainer Manon Keepers said as she watched Nichelson parallel park a 40-foot-long bus in an empty district parking lot. "That's their lifeline."

Wooden bats begin to make a comeback

Since their introduction in the 1970s, aluminum bats have been the industry standard when it comes to amateur baseball.

Whether it was Little League, American Legion, high school teams or even those in the college ranks, nearly every contact between ball and bat was met with the hollow "ping" sound that comes from using metal bats.

At least two local youth leagues are trying to reverse that trend, however, replacing those pings with the more solid "thwack" of wood.

Local American Legion teams — many of which are on the Northwest and the East sides — are in their second season of using wood bats for regular-season games, while it's the first year for wood bats in the Senior Baseball division of District 5 Little League, which serves the Northwest Side and the Foothills.

Both leagues only use wood during the regular season, going back to metal for postseason competition against teams that use metal bats exclusively.

The reasons for the switch are many, but nearly everyone involved in these leagues points toward the same basic principle: Using a wooden bat is more like the real thing.

"This brings it back to what the game should be," said Bob Longoni, assistant administrator for Southern Arizona's branch of American Legion Baseball.

Sahuarita

High school gets athletic director

The final step in Sahuarita High School's ascension to the Class 4A level happened last week when the district school board approved the hiring of Chris Fanning as the school's athletic director.

"He was absolutely the best person for the job," said Larry Cleveland, who retired as athletic director in late May after 11 years. "I felt like I'd been grooming him for it, and I'd have been very upset had he not gotten the job."

It's the latest role at the school for Fanning, 39, a Sahuarita native who graduated from the school in 1986 and had taught in the high school math department since 1992.

Fanning also has been the Mustangs' softball coach since the program's inception in 1993 and served as head girls basketball coach from 2002 to 2006.

"He's a veteran in our district, and he's tied to the community very well," Sahuarita Superintendent Jay St. John said.

Fanning served as an unofficial assistant athletic director during the 2006-07 school year, handling all duties related to Sahuarita's pending move from 3A to 4A-II while Cleveland dealt with the 3A responsibilities.