[{{{type}}}] {{{reason}}}
{{/data.error.root_cause}}{{{_source.displayDate}}}
{{/_source.showDate}}{{{_source.description}}}
{{#_source.additionalInfo}}{{#_source.additionalFields}} {{#title}} {{{label}}}: {{{title}}} {{/title}} {{/_source.additionalFields}}
{{/_source.additionalInfo}}Abe Villarreal is the Dean of Student Success at Cochise College. He enjoys writing about people, pastimes, and the small things in life.
By Abe Villarreal
When Nana Rafaela was still living, she would be the one to say the prayer before Thanksgiving Dinner, and Christmas Eve dinner, and any other time there was enough family to gather around for a special occasion.
We always looked to her because she was the matriarch of the family. The oldest person in the room is expected to do the prayer and other ceremonial acts of togetherness. When it was time to eat, everyone would gather in a big circle, holding hands, head bowed, and she would begin.
By Abe Villarreal
As we approach 2025, it’s easy to think of time in quarters. We’ve been living this twenty-first-century life for almost a quarter century. Some of you may be living in your third or fourth quarter of life. 2025. Seems like a year that will be remembered for something, for some time to come.
It will soon be 25 years since I graduated from high school. We were called the class of the millennium and there were great fears that we would all disappear when the clock struck midnight on December 31, 1999.
It was an exhilarating time. If you were my age, you wanted to see what would happen on that first day of the new century. If you were my parents' age, you saved up canned food, water jugs, and dried beans to survive in this brave new and unknown world.
By Abe Villarreal
It's the final weekend before the presidential election and the last thing I want to do is write about politics. So, I won't.
You will find politics on almost every other page of wherever you read this. Him vs her. Right vs left. You vs me. The country is ready to move on.
I think there should be more writing, and reading, that doesn't focus on something vs something else. Writing about people who learn something they never knew of before because they had an encounter with a person they thought would be uncomfortable to encounter.
By Abe Villarreal
Writing comes with its own highs and lows. Sometimes words flow like a river. Other times, the blank screen is your worst enemy. Then, there are times, when you receive an email or a nice, handwritten letter in the mail. It's from someone you don't know but feels that he or she knows you.
I don't know most of my readers. You are out there somewhere. Reading over breakfast. Newspapers in hand. Coffee too. Reading on your phone. You are readers and that's enough for me to know that you all are good people. Good enough to read. We need more of you.
By Abe Villarreal
Where I live, most people eat Mexican food. There are other kinds of foods to choose from, but Mexican food is usually the first, second, and last option.
I used to quibble with my not-so-Mexican friends about the authenticity of the dishes in each of the towns I have lived. The taste of the beans. The fluffiness of the rice. The color of the red or green sauce. Whether an egg should be on an enchilada or not. I'm sure I sounded like a food snob. Then, one day, I realized that none of it mattered.
By Abe Villarreal
Today, somewhere in America, a mom is getting the family ready for church. Moms do that. They get everyone ready to do things. They are good at that. Whether we want to do them or not.
Today, somewhere in America, a family is traveling back home from a getaway weekend. We all need a getaway.
We don't get to them as much as we'd like. The kids are asleep in the back or watching a movie on their phones. They don't know what they are missing. Dad is driving because he always likes to be the driver.
By Abe Villarreal
One summer ago, I was in Maine. It was the first time I had been to that part of New England, and I went because I hadn't been there before. This past summer, I was in Spain. I went there for work, and I wished I had seen more and stayed longer.
I'm already thinking of next summer. That's when we think about vacations and going away. Really, we can go away at any time. Pick a date. Take time off. I think we shouldn't wait until summer to do the things we want to do all year long.
By Abe Villarreal
Every time we enter the month of August I start to think about fall, and about holidays, and about food. The sunshine of summer is always welcome when it first arrives. Now, I'm ready for it to take its own holiday. This summer has been hot.
Fall is always memorable in the Southwest. We don't get the changing of the leaves or dramatic fluctuations in weather. Our streets and front porches don't look like what you see in movies. That's okay. We live here for a reason. We live here because it is like something you don't see in the movies.
WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.
Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.
NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.
Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders.
New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.
Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.
It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!
Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com
Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat. The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!
Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.
Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.
Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.
Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.