Despite disabilities, Clarence Wayne Dixon will be executed on May 11, 2022
Clarence Wayne Dixon and an execution chamber at Florence state prison.Arizona Department of Corrections, AZ Central, Reuters, and The Guardian. (Pinal County, AZ) — Clarence Wayne Dixon —the Navajo man convicted of the 1978 rape and murder of Arizona State University student Deanna Bowdoin — was declared mentally compentent for execution on May 11, 2022, despite mental health issues.
Read full storyClarence Wayne Dixon: A timeline of his life, alleged crimes, and mental health history, as told by the State
Clarence Wayne Dixon and a court document from May 3, 2022.Courtesy of Arizona Department of Corrections and AZ Central. (Pinal County, AZ) — Arizona has been hearing the name Clarence Wayne Dixon since the mid-eighties, but his alleged crimes predated his appearance on our radars. Here’s a timeline of Clarence Dixon’s life, crimes, and mental health history; recorded and documented by the State, constructed from the Combined Index and Exhibits to Motion to Determine Mental Competency to be Executed:
Read full storyOne of the new candidates on the Florence Town Council ballot: Cassandra Scherm
It’s no secret that Florence might be gearing up for one of the most interesting Town Council election seasons it's seen in a long time. New candidate on the ballot Cassandra Scherm uses the breadth of her personal and professional skills and titles to try her hand at local government.
Read full storyMeet Nicole Buccellato — one of five candidates running for a Town Council seat
(Pinal County, AZ) — Senior Diversion Officer, mom, wife and Pinal County lifer Nicole Buccellato is throwing her hat into the Town Council’s ring. There are five people running for Florence’s three city council seats complete with a breadth of powers and responsibilities ranging from public safety and budgeting. Buccellato joins two other candidates — Cassandra Scherm and Jose “Mo” Maldonado — as first time political candidates. NewsBreak sat down(virtually) with Buccellato to discuss her life in Florence, her journey to the ballot and her plans if elected.
Read full storyGroundwater: A crisis or not a crisis? That is the question
(Pinal County, AZ) It turns out Pinal’s potential groundwater crisis was debunked by Pinal Groundwater Task Force members, water resources managers of Arizona Water Company, Terry Sue Rossi; senior Vice President of Global Water Resources, Jake Lenderking; senior adviser to Arizona Water, Bill Garfield and Pinal County Supervisor, Steve Miller.
Read full storyPrison paralytic: Don’t call it a comeback, Zyklon B has been here for 80 years
(Pinal County, AZ) — Deana Bowdoin was a 21-year-old student at Arizona State University in 1978 when her life was ground to a halt; now the man convicted of her brutal demise is facing his own. Clarence Wayne Dixon will be the first inmate executed on death row since Joseph Rudolph Wood’s III execution in 2014 and Walter LaGrand’s execution in 1999.
Read full storyNew Florence charter school American Leadership Academy blends learning with value-based lessons
(Pinal County, AZ) — American Leadership Academy, Anthem South (7-12) is the newest, tuition-free addition to Charter One’s American Leadership Academy. Besides ALA, Anthem South (7-12), which is still under construction, there are only three other facilities schooling students grades seventh through twelfth: ALA, Gilbert North (7-12); ALA, Queen Creek (7-12) and ALA, Ironwood (7-12).
Read full storyA hungry burglar leaves contact info for job opportunity
(Pinal County, AZ) — A stereotypical description of a criminal — a burglar specifically, would probably involve dark clothing, a ski mask and criminal interest in someone else’s bejeweled family heirlooms.
Read full storyAs Florence prison prepares for closing, comment section debate over prisoners’ rights mimics Supreme Court debate
Correctional Officer Tracy Sisson works Condemned Row’s command post at the Special Management Unit (SMU) in Florence.MIKE FIALA/AFP via Getty Images. In January, the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry announced its newly awarded contract to long-time detention management partner, CoreCivic, growing the La Palma Correctional Center’s inmate population by almost 3,000 and closing Florence prison.
Read full storyPrison breaks and prison closing
(Pinal County, AZ) — The Florence State Prison, erected by inmates in 1908, is slowly being shut down. The facility’s fate was sealed when Gov. Doug Ducey announced the prison’s closing in his 2020 State of the Address. Doucey claimed the decision would save taxpayer dollars while several news outlets estimated between $274 and $500 million dollars needed to keep Florence prison running for the next three years. Over the past two years, incidents involving Florence State Prison and The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry have shed light on more than just financial issues.
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