HeraldReviewMedia's video: The Daily Chirp: Crossings by undocumented persons from Mexico on the rise

According to the Sheriff’s office, crossings by undocumented persons from Mexico have been on the rise since last March. Before we begin, some local history. Tucked on the corner of San Pedro and Fifth streets, the Benson Historical Museum is filled with a treasure trove of exhibits that introduce visitors to the area’s rich history. They even have a 1.72 million-year-old prehistoric mammal exhibit which came from area excavations, just 12 miles from Benson. Today’s history is brought to you by Benson Hospital - they’re doing more than treating illnesses in Benson, they're building a healthier community. Benson Hospital is now collaborating with the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona to provide diaper assistance to families in need. For more information visit their website at bensonhospital.org. Now, our feature story.  law enforcement officials have said that the number of undocumented individuals crossing into Cochise and its neighboring counties has skyrocketed since March. In some months they’ve seen five times as many people coming in. The increase in illegal crossings is followed by a spike in human smuggling across the area. Sheriff’s deputies, local police and Border Patrol agents have been attempting to capture the coyotes — which are people who smuggle immigrants across the U.S.–Mexico border. On Friday morning a group of legislators from Arizona and other states gathered in front of the Sierra Vista Justice Court building for a briefing from Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre on how dire the situation has become. McIntyre highlighted two recent events in which coyotes carrying several undocumented people in their vehicles attempting to race onto I-10 ended up in fatal and near-fatal crashes. The fatal wreck occurred in the Bisbee traffic circle in early January after authorities tried to stop the driver who had eight undocumented people in his vehicle. The driver, William Brown of Mesa, was driving at speeds often exceeding 100 mph. Investigators said Brown had retrieved his human cargo in Douglas and was heading toward Bisbee. And on Tuesday night, a 16-year-old boy carrying several undocumented people in his truck tried to turn onto I-10 near Benson and crashed into another motorist. The other driver and his passenger were injured, as were the undocumented people riding with the teenager. McIntyre said that Brown is facing two counts of first degree murder; the 16-year-old will be tried as an adult. Michael Hyatt, is the agent in charge at the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station near Bisbee. He noted that human smuggling involves more than just people walking across the border into the United States. According to Hyatt inside that human smuggling is a lot of child exploitation and sex trafficking.  brought to you by ApexNetwork Physical Therapy in Benson and Sierra Vista. They’re doing more than just treating patients, they’re helping patients get back to living their daily lives. Using extensive knowledge, their therapists treat each patient one-on-one, focusing on individual care. To learn more, go to ApexNetworkPT.com. We recently spoke with Benson's athletic director, Chris Taylor, about the Wrestling season. Here are his thoughts on wrestling during the pandemic. Next, an announcement brought to you by our sponsors, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative. The Arizona Fraternal Order of Police wants Google to stop providing a platform for individuals who record law enforcement and then post videos on YouTube bad mouthing the cops. At least one local lawman agrees social media holds sway over some people against the police. In a press release sent earlier this week, the AZFOP asked the public to sign a petition that calls on video giant YouTube — owned by Google — to immediately de-platform the accounts of multiple so-called ‘police auditors.’ They claim that these video camera vigilantes regularly interfere by harassing, threatening, and abusing police officers to create a video spectacle. Finally - we’d like to remember the life of David Thompson, a builder and teacher. The issues he felt strongly about and worked for were: ending America's Forever Wars, Reducing Income Inequality, making America great by encouraging immigrants from all over the world to come here, empowering women in formerly all-male occupations, and serious gun control. Like Charles Lindbergh, he flunked out of college after 3 semesters. He went to work in New York City in the shadow of the Empire State Building while going to college at night. After two years he had enough credits to qualify for Marine flight training. He graduated near the top of his class and was sent to Vietnam. In back to back tours he flew over 500 missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. These were the best years of his life until he retired to Sierra Vista.