It's been more than 24 hours since three grown women and a 6-year-old child were rescued from a home in Cleveland where they were being held hostage.

A tentative increase in the Oro Valley Police Department’s budget this year was a cause for concern for some members of council during a study session last Wednesday at Town Hall.

Fifth graders from Oro Valley and surrounding areas no doubt had a lot to talk about on their bus ride back to class from the town’s fifth-annual Drug Awareness Day, held at Riverfront Park on Friday.

In the history of the University of Arizona Wildcat School of Art, only one other student has achieved what Brody Loeffler has: successfully completed 12 years in the arts education program.

If it looks fishy, it probably is. 

In a 5-2 vote, Oro Valley Town Council enacted an ordinance on Wednesday that will allow the sale and consumption of alcohol at Steam Pump Ranch for special events.

Governor Jan Brewer today established via Executive Order the Governor’s Task Force on Human Trafficking. Among their charges, members will be tasked with identifying opportunities to strengthen Arizona’s current human trafficking statutes, with the ultimate goal of reducing human trafficking and assisting victims of this heinous crime.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is currently hosting a class of recruits who are looking to become police officers. The public recently got an up-close look at the driving and shooting portion of the class.

In a new program introduced by Marana Police Chief Terry Rozema, officers are being recognized for acts of valor and dedication in the line of duty. The first of the award recipients have already been selected. 

Best teacher

Crime rates continue to decline in the Town of Marana, and the Marana Police Department is aiming to keep things that way with the implementation of some new strategic programs and continued public education in 2013. 

Following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in which 20 children and six staff members were killed by a lone gunman, state and federal lawmakers began discussions on how to better protect America’s students.

Unless an appeal is filed, the Town of Marana will become the latest Community Health Analysis Area in the Tucson region to house a medical marijuana dispensary.

It was a packed room at the Sun City Social Hall on Tuesday when Oro Valley Police Chief Daniel Sharp discussed community policing – a sign the residents of Oro Valley are not only interested in the topic, but already implementing it.

Officer Pam Brume is the Marana Police Department’s honoree for the Sons of the American Revolution Outstanding Law Enforcement Officers of Southern Arizona for 2012.

On Tuesday, January 22, from 1 to 3 p.m., the Sun City Posse will host a Crime Prevention and Safety Awareness Seminar at the Sun City Social Hall, 1495 E. Rancho Vistoso Blvd.

Governor Jan Brewer today announced the appointment of Edward “Pat” Madden to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. Mr. Madden has been appointed for a five-year term, effective January 21, 2013.

Simplistically cartoonish and even pulpier than “Pulp Fiction,” “Gangster Squad” won’t be remembered as one of the crime genre’s great cinematic outings. In all fairness though, the film isn’t trying to be the next “L.A. Confidential.”

On Friday, Jan. 4, at 5:31 p.m., deputies from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence in the 21800 block of North Shooting Star Road, SaddleBrooke, in reference to a harassment call made by one neighbor against another neighbor.