El Independiente

              Suspect arrested in
Gastelum death
South Tucson police arrested
a third suspect in the July shoot-
¡ng death of i 1-year-old Oscar
GastelumJr.
janile Ricardo Guayante, 17,
of the 1900 block of West 36th
Street, was arrested while in jail
on unrelated assault and weapons
charges.
Police earlier arrested two
adults on first degree murder
charges in Oscar's death. Oscar
died onjuly 25, his 11th birthday.
The bullet that killed him was
apparently intended for someone
else.
Drive to collect
100,000 diapers
The third annual December
Diaper Drive will be kicked-off
celebration Monday, Dec. 6 from
5-9 p.m. at ReSolve-Inc., 4433 E.
Broadway Blvd.
Diaper Drive organizers hope
to collect 100,000 diapers, which
theywifi donate to the Pio Declino
Center, the Thcson Indian Center
and Casa de los Ninos.
Everyone is welcome to attend
the kick-off celebration and are
encouraged tobring diapers. For
more information, call 321-4433.
Center offers
free flu shots
The John Valenzuela Youth
Center will offer free flu shots for
eligible residents.
Eligibility will be determined
by income.
They'll be administered on
Dec. 6 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the
center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave.
For more information, call
792-9251.
Council offers artist
fellowships
The ThcsonlPima Arts Council
is offering fellowships for visual,
literary and performing artists.
Applications are available at
the council office, 240 N. Stone
Ave. The dead'ine for application
isDec.9.
ELECTION:
City voters hit
polling places in
... force. They held a
rally and elected a
host ofLatino
Democrats. --
'Page 5.
BY MARC GURSTEL
. Staff Writer
A large number of homes in
South Thcson have serious prob-lems
with substandard electric
viring or structural damage. But
very little can be done because few
people report the problems.
"I don't receive a lot of com-plaints,
but I know they are out
there," said South Thcson building
inspector Tom Stevick
Stevick said the problem can be
divided into two types: renters who
live in sub-stindard buildings and
homeowners who have been unable
to properly maintain their homes.
Many of these problems could
be solved if renters "knew their
rights," Stevick said.
Manytenants are afraid to report
problems because they fear land-lord
retribution. Often, Stevick said,
they fear that their landlords will
evict their fanii1y or raise the rent if
they complain to authorities.
But Stevick said many of these
fears could be subsided if renters
took the time to see that retaliation
is ifiegal.
"If they were aware of their
rights, (both) tenants and land-lords,
that would be a lot of help,"
Stevick said. "Many renters don't
know their rights when they sign a
lease. They all have rights. The land-
South Tucson
Housing problems
go unreported
nexation to a
BY KIMBERLY NIELSEN
Staff Writer
lords are responsible, but they must
maintain things also themselves."
The Arizona Tenant-Landlord
Act was written to delineate what
responsibilities are designation to
both renters and landlords under
state law Copies ofthis act, in both
English and Spanish, are available
at city hail.
Approximately 55 percent of
homes in South Thcson are being
used for rentals, Stevick said. But he
said many ofthe landlords who rent
South Thcson homes do not live in
thç city, which makes it dcult to
track down and punish them for
violations.
Stevick encourages renters to
document ail conversations with
their landlords, especially when
requesting repairs. This, Stevick
said, help prevent further problems
and benefit if further legalaction is
needed. 4
He also encourages homeown-ers
who have been unable to ¡nain-tain
their residences to take advan-tage
of two South Tucson programs.
"The houses down here are
really old," he said. "Some just
keep getting handed down through
their families."
And, he said, many homeown-ers
lack the skills needed to prop-erly
maintain the tenements.
Through a $35,000 county
See HOMES, page 5
This square-mile city has hopes of soon becoming "a square-mile-plus."
South Thcson hopes to annex two small sections of Thcson between the
current city limits and Interstate 10.
"I was thinking about it one day and it just made
sense to me," City Manager Rene R. Gastelum said.
The annexation would extend the city north of I-iO
into areas between West 29th and West 26th streets mak-ing
the city "a square-mile-plus," he said.
llicson City Councilman Steve Leal, whose ward bot-ders
South Thcson's north, south and east sides, said
South Thcson's border is confusing as it is drawn now.
"The people in that area aren't always sure whose
police to call.... It's an odd section ofland, so this would
simplify (the city's border)," Leal said.
The square-mile communitywouldn't see an increase
to its 5,500 population count. The 28-acre area includes
a restaurant, service station and three motels, but no res-idential
housing.
English/Spanish Newspaper
See ANNEX, page 2
GON INKø
BÚSNESS:
Programs target city
residents, giving them
an opportunity to
start their own busi-nesses.
' Page 1 1
Day oftbe Dead
PHOTO BYMARC HARREL'iON
Virginia Aguero, a Phoenix artist and former South Tucson res-ident,
built this alter to happily remember her relatives. The
shrine is part of a centuries-oW fradition to celebrate EI Dia de
I.os Muertos in remembrance of dead loved ones.
SEE STORY ON PAGE 6.
ORKIMB
dador
Estaciudaddeur
t ::
28 acres, 'simp ' city oun
Se uuiere ensanchar Sur
PHOTO BYMELISSA WIAVIS(JI ter
The gas station at South Sixth Avenue
and Interstate O would be annexed. «
T INS:
The South Sù
Academy gives two
Pueblo HIÇIJ School
sophomores a
chanceto make the
cut. 'Page 8