The ghost of UA's Old Main lingers still

By Alexis Blue, University Communications | October 30, 2013

Construction workers renovating Old Main have come to know the story of Carlos, its lingering ghost.

Photo by Jacob Chinn

Photo by Jacob Chinn

Photo by Jacob Chinn

Photo by Jacob Chinn

Every old building has a good ghost story to go with it, and the University of Arizona's historic Old Main is no exception.

The UA's first building, Old Main has since 1891 served as the "front porch" of the UA, and it holds special significance for generations of Wildcat alumni and campus community members. Earlier this month, the University announced a $13.5 million Save Old Main fundraising campaign to restore the beloved building to its original grandeur, launching the website www.saveoldmain.org and the Twitter hashtag #saveoldmain.

But as the iconic Old Main undergoes the most comprehensive renovation in its history, some construction crew members are reporting ghostly goings-on.

"I can't say I've seen anything, but I've heard some weird stuff as far as creaking and cracking," said Fred Briscoe, senior project manager with Sundt Construction. "We joke quite a bit that we're making Carlos mad."

The Carlos he's referring to is Carlos Maldenado, who is said to have been murdered while supervising the construction of Old Main in 1888.

The legend of Carlos is detailed online at www.uofamystery.org, a website not affiliated with the University.

The story goes that Carlos often spent the night at Old Main while it was being built, chatting with members of local Indian tribes who stopped by to check out the project and keeping watch over the building, which some locals were not happy to see being constructed.

One morning, Carlos's construction crew members arrived to find their beloved boss sitting in a wooden chair with a large knife stuck in his throat. His murder was never solved, and it's said that his spirit still haunts the building, where a number of students, staff and faculty have reported seeing him over the years.

Word of Carlos traveled fast among workers who are currently renovating Old Main, a project scheduled for completion in the summer of 2014.

Sundt Construction foreman Tomás Avilez certainly believes the legend. In fact, he enthusiastically claims to have seen Carlos twice, in the form of a shadowy figure in the attic of Old Main.

"He doesn't stand still long enough to take a picture," Avilez said. "He kind of hides."

"I'm not afraid of him, because I'm not afraid of stuff like that, but if you sit in the attic long enough, he might appear," he said.

Carpenter Frank Contreras also has been spooked by the ghost story.

After hearing Avilez and other colleagues talking about Carlos, he went online to do some investigating of his own and found the tale.

Not long after, he arrived at Old Main early one morning, the first one on the site. When he entered an upstairs hallway, several faucets suddenly turned on at once, sending him in the opposite direction.

Contreras's strategy, should he ever come face to face with Carlos: "Start running!"

Senior project superintendent Dennis Manley has had some frayed nerves courtesy of Carlos, too.

"I was here a lot by myself the first couple of weeks, and I'm a scaredy cat. When I came into work in the morning it was dark and I got goose bumps," he said.

But Manley is no longer worried. "Now that he sees this place is getting a facelift, I think he's gone."

Old Main's haunted history has earned it a spot on the UA's new Ghosts of the UA tour, set to launch Nov. 8, during Homecoming weekend.

The hourlong walking tour, hosted by the Arizona Alumni Association's Student Alumni Ambassadors, also will also include ghostly tales about the UA's Maricopa Residence Hall, Centennial Hall and Bear Down Gym.

The free tour starts at 10 a.m. on the east side of Old Main and is open to the public. Those interested should RSVP at www.arizonaalumni.com/ghosttour.

In the meantime, renovations continue at Old Main through Halloween and beyond, with crewmembers hoping Carlos is a friendly ghost.

LETTER: Thanks to all for Chili Supper success

 LETTER 

Editor:

On behalf of PAWS (Payson Area Woofers Society) we would like to thank the Elks for the use of their facility for the Chili Supper.  We would like to thank the following businesses for their donations to our 17^th Annual Chili Supper held on October 22:

Mazatzal Casino Cedar Ridge Restaurant for the chili, macaroni and cheese by the PAWS organization volunteers,  cheese from El Rancho Restaurant,  salad from Tiny’s Family Restaurant, salad dressing from Fargo’s Steakhouse, rolls by Gerardo’s Firewood Café, and deserts by the Barkery Bakery volunteers.  Thanks to Your donations the chili supper was a success.

The following businesses also donated to the chili supper with gift certificates, gift baskets, and/or items:

Ace Hardware, Bill Armstrong Jewelry & Pawn, Auto Zone, Back to Basics, Big O Tires, Crosswinds Café, Dairy Queen, Denny’s Restaurant, Furry Friends Kennel, Inc., Head to Toe Essentials, The Herb Stop, Hike Bike & Run, Humane Society of Central Arizona, Knotty Pine Cafe, Loot Resale, Miller Auto Works, O’Reilly Auto Parts,  Paper Metal Scrappers, Payson Hair Company, Payson Jewelers, Payson Packaging, Payson Pet Care, Peggy’s Payson Place, Pets Mart, Pizza Factory, Plant Fair Nursery, Quilting Sisters, Radio Shack, Sawmill Theatres, Star Valley Veterinary Clinic, PC.,  and  Vita Mart . The following businesses helped with our advertisement, PostNet, Payson Roundup/Rim Review, Rim Country Gazette, KMOG Radio, and KRIM Radio, and last but not least, a big thank you to the band, “Trouble in Paradise” for the wonderful music enjoyed by all.

Please support the businesses, they are very generous  and deserve our business.

Thank you to all our volunteers, the chili supper would not have been a success without your help and commitment.  Thank you to all our friends and neighbors who attended the chili supper you are greatly appreciated.

Proceeds from the chili supper will be used for future low cost/no cost spay and neuter clinics and help to maintain the off-leash dog park at Rumsey Park.

For more information about PAWS or become a member/volunteer, contact PAWS at pawsnpayson@gmail.com.

                                                                                                                        PAWS

Dear Republicans: Explain this, please

OK, my Republican friends, explain this one away if you can.

In an article about House-Senate budget negotiations in today's (Oct. 31) Arizona Republic, Associated Press correspondent Andrew Taylor notes:

"Democrats are eager to ease cuts to domestic programs like Head Start preschools, education grants to local schools, and infrastructure projects.

"Republicans are especially worried about cuts to the Pentagon."

Dear Republican friends:

If you agree with the above, then you no longer need to ask me the difference between a Democrat and a Republican.  It's right there in black and white.  

If you disagree, if this is not what you value, then what the hell are you doing voting Republican?

Jim Keyworth
Gazette Blog Editor

To read the entire article, click on azcentral.com

To have the Republic delivered to your doorstep 7 days a week, call 1-800-332-6733.  Because the news doesn't just happen twice a week.

GOP reveals its own health care plan - EmergencyRoom.gov

October 31, 2013

Posted by Andy Borowitz

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Saying that “the American people are fed up with a disastrous Web site that doesn’t work and never will,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) and a phalanx of congressional Republicans today unveiled their own health-care Web site, EmergencyRoom.gov.

“At EmergencyRoom.gov, every American can access the one tried-and-true health-care system that has worked in this country for decades,” he said.

While Healthcare.gov has frustrated many users with its difficult-to-navigate design, Rep. Cantor said that at EmergencyRoom.gov, “Health care is just three easy steps away. One: enter your zip code. Two: see the list of emergency rooms. Three: get to the nearest one before you die.”

The Virginia Republican wasted no time touting the cost savings of EmergencyRoom.gov, comparing it favorably with the notoriously expensive Obamacare site: “Unlike Healthcare.gov, which private contractors built at a cost running into the hundreds of millions, EmergencyRoom.gov was built for nine hundred dollars by my intern Josh.”

And in contrast with Healthcare.gov’s maze of forms, links, and phone numbers, he said, “EmergencyRoom.gov has just one phone number: 9-1-1.”

In what may be the strongest selling point for the new site, Rep. Cantor said that the wait time on EmergencyRoom.gov is “virtually nonexistent,” not counting the twelve to thirty-six hours spent in the actual emergency room.


Photograph by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty.

Tea Party has irreparably harmed our country

Sen. Bernie Sanders. (photo: Reuters)

By Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator for Vermont

17 October 13

readersupportednews.org

Senator Sanders made these remarks prior to the deal that reopened the government. Since we may go down this same path in January, his words are anything but dated. SMG/RSN"

s Vermont's senator, I intend to do everything I can to reopen the government as soon as possible and keep our country from defaulting, which could drive the global economy into economic turmoil,' Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday. 'My fear, however, is that no matter what happens in Congress in the next day or two, serious and long-lasting damage already has been done to our country by the right-wing extremists of the Tea Party.'

Sanders statement came as the government shutdown entered its third week on Tuesday and as a Thursday default deadline loomed unless Congress extends the Treasury Department's authority to pay bills.

'What we have already witnessed is the hijacking of the democratic process by a few dozen extremists in the House who are actively trying to annul the results of the last election. This sets a terrible precedent for the legislative process and will likely be repeated year after year,' he said.

'What we have already witnessed is the anxiety befalling over 1 million federal employees who are not receiving the paychecks they deserve. Having gone three years without a pay raise, they are now wondering how they will pay their mortgages, their student loans and take care of other basic needs. How many experienced and high-quality federal employees will we be losing as a result of this shutdown? What is the long-term damage to the functioning of the federal government?

'What we have already witnessed is the fear of many of our most vulnerable citizens ' the elderly, the sick, veterans, the disabled, Head Start families ' that the payments and programs they depend upon may not be there when they need them. Their confidence in their own government to keep the promises and commitments made to them will be forever diminished.

'What we have already witnessed is a blow to our position in the international community. In our foreign relations, we should not be surprised that the United States government is now the laughing stock of the world. Can we really be the 'strongest country on earth' when we shut down the government and do not pay our bills? The Chinese, our biggest creditor, are now openly talking about the need to 'de-Americanize' international affairs because of the constant brinksmanship by U.S. politicians over the possibility of a debt default.

'The American people are better than this. They deserve a better government,' he said.

Ready to work until you're 80?

In our ever more unequal times, stats that once would have shocked us today often rate no more than a dismissive ho-hum. But pollsters with Wells Fargo last week shared a stat that might bring even the most jaded among us up short.

These pollsters asked a sampling of middle-income Americans how long they expect to have to work before they could afford to retire. Over a third — 34 percent — replied they expect to have to work until they hit age 80!

Last month, interestingly, another poll — from the Washington Post and the Miller Center — asked Americans why the United States now has so few decent jobs. Over three-quarters of those surveyed, a substantial 76 percent, placed blame on the “gap in pay between business executives and ordinary workers.”

CA, OR, WA, Brit. Col. join to fight climate change

 

By Ryan Koronowski

Climate Progress / News Investigation

nationofchange.org

 

Published: Wednesday 30 October 2013

 

53 million people living in what would be the world’s fifth-largest economy will now be participating in a “far-reaching strategic alignment to combat climate change and promote clean energy.”

On Monday afternoon in San Francisco, the leaders of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia signaled they would not wait for the United States Congress or the Canadian Parliament to act to seriously address climate change. California Governor Jerry Brown, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and (via teleconference) British Columbia’s Premier Christy Clark signed the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy.

The agreement is not legally binding and appropriates no money. The plan says it “is intended to spur finding new, smart ways for our governments, agencies and staff to work together,” by doing things like adding value and efficiency to climate initiatives through collaboration, while reducing “overlap and duplication of effort.” So what does it do?

The Action Plan that California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia’s leaders all signed agreed to:

1. Account for the cost of carbon, by linking existing carbon pricing programs and working to develop them in Oregon and Washington. Oregon agreed to “build on existing programs to set a price on carbon emissions,” while Washington would “set binding limits on carbon emissions and deploy market mechanisms to meet those limits.” That sounds like a carbon price and a cap-and-trade system, respectively. California has a cap-and-trade system which has sold out of all its allowances in each of the four auctions it’s held. British Columbia has had a carbon tax for five years, currently at $30/ton (Canadian). If Oregon and Washington’s plans pass and the programs successfully link, a larger market for the region’s carbon allowances would be a boon for business and economic efficiency. All four leaders said they would try to “harmonize” their greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2050 by developing mid-term targets. Washington already has a 2035 target, and the rest of the states will examine if this works for them. All states will establish the more long-term 2050 targets.

2. Implement low-carbon fuel standards in each jurisdiction, meaning again that California and British Columbia will maintain their standard and Washington and Oregon will move to implement them. Each jurisdiction hopes to merge the standards into an integrated West Coast market “that keeps energy dollars in the region, creates economic development opportunities for regional fuel production, and ensures predictability and consistency in the market.” The Action Plan agrees to work toward having 10 percent of all new vehicle purchases in public and private fleets be zero-emissions models by 2016. It also signaled support for high-speed rail infrastructure and innovation, as well as accelerating investment in other alternative fuels across the transportation section.

3. Embrace clean energy in a number of different ways. The four jurisdictions said they would promote ease of access to energy-efficient buildings, ensure climate-smart infrastructure investment, streamline approval for renewable energy projects, and work to expand the regional electric grids. Each state will also support EPA regulation of greenhouse gases from power plants, emphasizing the value of allowing state flexibility.

If they can do this, it will be an important part of getting the U.S., Canada, and the globe the right policy environment to create jobs and cut carbon pollution.

The three states and British Columbia make up a combined GDP of $2.8 trillion, which would make it the world’s 5th-largest economy. “The scientific community no longer disputes that climate change is happening and human-caused,” said Oregon Governor Kitzhaber. “But regardless of where you stand on this question, there’s another good reason to act: transitioning to a clean economy creates jobs.”

At the event, leaders from businesses like construction company Skanska USA, Cisco Systems, and Taylor Shellfish Farms spoke about how business was doing well as their state governments moved to tackle climate change.

The signatories agreed to “where appropriate and feasible, link programs to create consistency and predictability” to account for and reduce carbon pollution across the four jurisdictions. With an eye toward a global agreement in 2015, these heads of state saw commitments to reduce their own carbon emissions as a signal to national and sub-national governments that such an agreement was essential.

The Pacific Coast Collaborative was established in 2008 among the four signatory governments plus Alaska (which did not sign the Action Plan) to help them collaborate on challenges facing the North American West Coast — among them, emergency management, clean energy, and economic growth.

Ocean acidification, for example, affects everyone. But it particularly threatens the economies of coastal states. The Action Plan calls for the American and Canadian governments to work to research and monitor ocean acidification to “understand its causes and impacts.”

The Western Climate Initiative was a regional cap-and-trade agreement in 2007 between California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and four Canadian provinces. It had been scheduled to go into effect in 2012, but with the midterm elections in the few years preceding the deadline that resulted in the losses of climate hawks, California’s AB 32 and British Columbia’s carbon tax were essentially the only two programs left standing when the dust cleared.

This new agreement could mean that efforts like this to lower carbon emissions are alive and well, depending on how each government implements the plan.

Young winery now on Amazon

Owners Jim and Marie Petroff are pleased to announce that Pleasant Valley Winery is one of the first wineries invited to offer our products on the  launch of their new premier site, AmazonWine.com. 

Please visit our shop on AmazonWine.com:   Amazon.com/shops/PleasantValleyWinery

U.S. marijuana usage timeline says it all

To see an enlarged version, click on http://bit.ly/1djrBVh

Falling Leaves Fashioneesta fundraiser is Nov. 9

Falling Leaves Fashioneesta

            The Rim Country Optimist Club is extending an invitation to attend the  Falling Leaves Fashioneesta. This is a cooperative effort between the Optimist Club, Payson Assisting Displaced Students (P.A.D.S.), local Girl Scout Troop and the individual and business sponsors who are  supporting  the event.  Most of the proceeds will be given to PADS, which helps to provide food, clothing, shoes, transportation to tutorial classes, to the doctor and paying for their medical needs, etc. A smaller portion will be used to buy items of clothing to include in Christmas boxes for youth in need.

            The only way to describe the Falling Leaves Fashioneesta extravaganza is “elegant!” From beginning to end your senses will be delighted. A tasteful luncheon will please your pallet and it will be served by local Girl Scouts. The table decorations will be unique and lovely with some becoming door prizes.

            Both the Boutique and Bob’s Western Wear will be displaying the latest fashions. The models will range in age from high school through senior citizen. The male models, which are the newest addition to this event, will add to the charm and fun of the day.

            Music will be provided by Fred Carpenter. There will be a multitude of exciting individual raffled items and silent auction baskets for one and all to try and obtain.

            The Fashioneesta will take place Saturday, November 9, 2013 at Payson Senior Center (512 W Main Street). Doors open at 11:00 am.  To gain more information, to become a sponsor or to make a donation, to purchase tickets for the Fashioneesta, or to buy raffle tickets please contact: Joan Young (928-472-2264), Flo Moeur (480-201-2990) or Joanne Conlin at Payson Senior Center (928-474-4876). Note that advanced reservations will be taken for tables of 8 people. Purchase your tickets early. Last year the Fashioneesta sold out before the event took place