...that the Washington Wizards changed their nickname from the Washington Bullets to avoid a negative stereotype years ago? Gilbert Arenas, who was recently suspended for bringing a gun into the dressing room, plays for those very same Bullets, er... Wizards.
...that killer whales might be called killer whales for a reason?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Clownish legislature defeats texting while driving
WARNING: The following news brief contains an opinion.
Proposed legislation to ban typing, reading and texting while driving, an issue covered earlier by the Gazette, died in the Arizona Senate Tuesday for the second year in a row despite support from cell phone companies and many organizations. The City of Phoenix has already banned texting while driving.
The Senate's failure to act comes at a time when a bill designed to stop the federal government from banning incandescent light bulbs continues its relentless progression through the state legislature, posing once again the eternal question: WHY DO WE TOLERATE THESE INSUFFERABLE CLOWNS?
Proposed legislation to ban typing, reading and texting while driving, an issue covered earlier by the Gazette, died in the Arizona Senate Tuesday for the second year in a row despite support from cell phone companies and many organizations. The City of Phoenix has already banned texting while driving.
The Senate's failure to act comes at a time when a bill designed to stop the federal government from banning incandescent light bulbs continues its relentless progression through the state legislature, posing once again the eternal question: WHY DO WE TOLERATE THESE INSUFFERABLE CLOWNS?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
QuickTrip stores voluntarily comply with Tucson's new commercial rainwater harvesting ordinance
By YVONNE GONZALEZ
Cronkite News Service
TUCSON - Rain falling on the roof of this new QuikTrip gas station trickles into pipes that water willow acacia trees and native shrubs.
The parking lot slopes, directing water into deep gravel that keeps it around for the desert landscaping rather than having it run down East Speedway Boulevard.
Designing 12 new Tucson stores to harvest rain makes good business sense when it comes to water bills, said Troy DeVos, director of real estate for Tulsa, Okla.-based QuikTrip Corp. And helping the environment is an added benefit, he said.
“It’s a great opportunity to make a difference and really help out,” DeVos said. “And we’ll be saving money in the long run.”
Starting in June, a city ordinance that’s the first of its kind in the nation will require all new commercial developments to obtain at least half of the water for landscaping from Tucson’s annual rainfall of 11 to 12 inches.
Vice Mayor Rodney Glassman, who pushed for the ordinance, said this type of water conservation should be the rule rather than the exception.
“Tucson is at the bottom of the Central Arizona Project, so we’re most impacted by future drought,” he said. “We’re planning for the future.”
The ordinance will require what’s commonly referred to as passive harvesting, which instead of storing rainwater in tanks channels it immediately to landscaping.
The cost to outfit a commercial development for passive harvesting varies by the size of the building and the type and complexity of landscaping, pipes and drains installed. Glassman said the cost is slight, in part because it can be incorporated into the design, and that complying with the ordinance can be as simple as sloping a parking lot.
“Any cost incurred is at the discretion of the developer,” he said.
Paul Green, executive director of the Tucson Audubon Society, a conservation group that advocates rainwater harvesting in homes and schools, said he would have preferred requiring businesses to get all of their landscaping water from rain. But he called the 50 percent mandate a start.
“If we catch at least some of the rainwater, we’ll be using less from the Colorado River,” Green said. “It’s an important first step.”
Even though the ordinance doesn’t take effect until June, QuikTrip volunteered to be the one of the first commercial projects to comply, DeVos said.
“We want to keep rainwater here, not let it run off and be wasted,” he said.
Christina Bickelmann, a Tucson-based conservation specialist with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said rainwater harvesting is an important practice that needs to be incorporated into landscaping.
“Everyone’s getting more conscious of water, and rainwater harvesting is an integral part of water conservation,” she said.
To draft the ordinance, Glassman organized a group of stakeholders including the Southern Arizona Builders Alliance to negotiate the details and language.
David Pittman, executive director of the builders group, said the ordinance originally would have required businesses to meet all of their landscaping needs with rainwater, which would involve installing expensive cisterns. During the negotiations, the mandate was reduced to half.
“If it had required cisterns we would have opposed it,” Pittman said. “I’m philosophically opposed to government imposing its will on others, but we do live in a desert and it’s important that we conserve.”
Robert Medler, manager of governmental affairs for the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, said the ordinance is misleading because it only looks at water from one perspective.
“The same year the ordinance was passed, Tucson sold part of its CAP allocation because not all of the water was being used,” he said. “It’s a mixed message.”
The chamber, which wasn’t included in the negotiations, is also against the ordinance because it doesn’t give commercial businesses any incentive or tax break to comply.
“There was no carrot, only the stick,” he said.
Glassman called the cost to businesses negligible and the benefits to the community great.
“It encourages the use of native vegetation and is environmentally conscious,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Key facts about Tucson ordinance on rainwater harvesting:
+ Takes Effect: June 1.
+ Applies To: New commercial developments.
+ Required: Developments must obtain at least half of the water used for their landscaping from rain.
+ Application: All commercial building plans must include a landscape water budget and plan for complying with the ordinance.
+ Enforcement: Tucson Water, the local utility, can force businesses that don’t comply to hire a third party to audit their landscape irrigation.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Man rescued from vehicle in swollen Tonto Creek
Photo courtesy Gila County Sheriff's Office
James Cain had to be rescued last week after he attempted to cross Tonto Creek in Tonto Basin and became stuck when the Range Rover he was driving could not stand the pressure of the water was running down the creek.
Gila County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene after a 911 call reporting there was a subject who was stranded in the river at the store crossing. It was determined that it would require the use of a surplus military 2½ ton truck to reach the subject and retrieve him from the vehicle.
The Range Rover was washed down the creek approximately 100 to 150 feet before it stopped. Cain was in the vehicle and did not sustain any injuries from the incident. Cain was rescued from the vehicle and transported to the west side of the creek where Tonto Basin fire checked him out. Cain was cited for the incident because he passed a road closed sign which was in place due to high water flow down Tonto Creek.
Sheriff’s Deputies Rory Vaughn, Bobby Chagolla and Sgt. George Scott along with FS LEO Dan Adams rode in the back of the military truck where Cain was safely picked up from his vehicle and transported to dry ground. Once Cain was safe, Lonnie Cline and Dan Adams assisted 4 Peaks Towing with retrieval of the vehicle from the creek.
Sheriff John Armer thanked Gila County Public Works employee Lonnie Cline, Tonto Basin Fire, United States Forest Service Law Enforcement Office Dan Adams and 4 Peaks towing for their assistance in rescuing Cain from the creek. The Sheriff’s Office also reminds everyone not to proceed past barricades and road closed signs as they are in place to protect the citizens from a dangerous situation.
Energy efficiency can save you over $400/year
Phoenix, Arizona March 2, 2010 - A new report released today finds that Arizona families will continue to spend an extra $422 per year on their energy bills if strong energy efficiency policies are not incorporated into the climate and energy legislation before Congress.
The report, released by Arizona Consumers Council and the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), shows that robust state and federal energy efficiency policies could dramatically reduce energy consumption and save Arizona households $422 on their energy bills every year. These policies would drive down energy costs for families in every state while jump-starting a clean energy economy across the country to put Americans back to work.
The report demonstrates the immense benefits to Arizona families of including strong energy efficiency policies as part of the climate and energy package and job-creation measures currently being debated by the U.S. Senate. The report, "Building on the Success of Energy Efficiency Programs to Ensure an Affordable Energy Future," is the first to look strictly at the effects of energy efficiency on home energy use and home utility bills since climate legislation began moving in Congress earlier this year.
Based on an analysis of state efficiency programs and recent national studies, the report concludes that energy efficiency programs can dramatically cut energy waste and that strong federal energy efficiency policies could reduce overall energy use by 20 to 30 percent.
"Our research shows we've only begun to tap the energy efficiency potential that can create jobs, conserve energy, and save families hundreds of dollars each year," said report author Dr. Mark Cooper, Research Director for the Consumer Federation of America. "Given its stellar record of success, it's time for senators to view energy efficiency as a cornerstone of the nation's climate and energy policy."
The report outlines specific policies that would maximize the cost-saving potential of efficiency and create new jobs. These policies include a federal energy efficiency resource standard (EERS) that would require utility companies to encourage efficiency programs for customers, strengthened building codes and appliance efficiency improvements, and proper funding for "retrofitting" or improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings. Other efficiency proposals - including "BuildingSTAR," a program that would provide tax credits for retrofitting commercial and apartment buildings - would help businesses cut costs and allow clean energy businesses to expand, putting more Americans into long-term quality jobs.
"Consumers are letting hundreds of dollars a year slip through their fingers - money they can hardly afford to waste," said Phyllis Rowe of the Arizona Consumers Council. "We hope Senators McCain and Kyl recognize this clear evidence that common-sense energy efficiency policies can give their state's families relief from needlessly high gas and electric bills."
About Arizona Consumers Council
The Arizona Consumers Council has been protecting, education and advocating on behalf of Arizona consumers for over forty years. Find more information on this issue and others at our website.
About Consumer Federation of America
The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), an advocacy, research, education and service organization made up of 300 nonprofits from across the United States. CFA has provided consumers a well-reasoned and articulate voice in decisions that affect their lives since 1968. CFA's professional staff gathers facts, analyzes issues, and disseminates information to the public, policymakers, and rest of the consumer movement.
Small business owners oppose sales tax increase
PHOENIX, Ariz., Feb. 25, 2010 – Results from a special poll of Arizona small business owners released today by their leading representative association show 71 percent of them voting ‘No’ on Proposition 100, the May 18 ballot referendum seeking a three-year, 1¢ increase in the state sales tax.
“The response to this special survey of our members on Proposition 100 came back fast and emphatic,” said Farrell Quinlan, Arizona state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, Arizona’s and America’s leading small business association.
“In conversations I’ve had with many of our members, there seems to be an over-arching attitude that they spend their daily lives balancing revenues with expenditures so they expect state government to do the same,” said Quinlan. “Arizona is not an under-taxed state. We have the fifth-highest sales-tax burden in the nation. The average Arizonan annually pays $1,440.83 in sales taxes, which is 43 percent above the national average. Add to this income taxes and the new state property tax we all pay and Arizonans are indignant that the state must make do with what it has.”
NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.
“The response to this special survey of our members on Proposition 100 came back fast and emphatic,” said Farrell Quinlan, Arizona state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, Arizona’s and America’s leading small business association.
“In conversations I’ve had with many of our members, there seems to be an over-arching attitude that they spend their daily lives balancing revenues with expenditures so they expect state government to do the same,” said Quinlan. “Arizona is not an under-taxed state. We have the fifth-highest sales-tax burden in the nation. The average Arizonan annually pays $1,440.83 in sales taxes, which is 43 percent above the national average. Add to this income taxes and the new state property tax we all pay and Arizonans are indignant that the state must make do with what it has.”
NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.
RANT & RAVE: Posted March 1, 2010
Editor’s note: Each week we print a selection of anonymous rants and raves submitted by our readers. Keep them under 150 words, free of profanity and personal attacks, and have at it. You need not sign your submission, which you may e-mail to peoplesgazette@gmail.com or mail to Gazette Editor, 7736 N. Toya Vista Road, Payson, AZ 85541. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Gazette staff.
And don’t forget to visit BY THE PEOPLE. Just click on the right. You can leave your comments on any subject there as well.
Last but not least, it was bound to happen and it finally has – pictorial rants. These two are photos of some critters whom the photographer has affectionately named as follows:
In his recent letter about the Payson town council needing better balance, Al Poskanzer was right on! Mike Vogel needs to be turned out of office He got himself elected not to serve the people, but to serve his buddies. One needs to look no further than his recent actions on his commission appointments to see that. He has consistently acted in favor of the special interests even if it was not in the town's best interests. Please do not vote for Mike Vogel!
Let's get rid of the rascals on the town council! We don't need any more lying, conniving people on the town council who think they are there to help their special interest buddies! If Mike Vogel gets less than 50 percent of the vote, then we won't need to go through a general election in May.
In a recent Roundup on the front page there was an article claiming that Kenny Evans and Mike Vogel will both step down if home rule is rejected. Now the question is: Is that a promise or a threat?
Here's the deal on Home Rule. It will win. But every no vote sends a message to the politicians who think they can do whatever they please. Just listen to them. Their greatest fear is that Home Rule will fail. It's a foregone conclusion that it won't, but your no vote will be one more indicator that we the people are getting mad as hell. Come on you tea baggers. Here's something you can do locally to send a message. Let's see just how many no votes we can get.
Vogel has got to go!
Out of all the council candidates, Mike Vogel is the only one who:
1. Sits on the council only to help his friends
2. Has deliberately stacked the P&Z commission with realtors and developers
3. Has a general disdain for his constituents
4. Displays arrogance and has no humility
5. Is absent way too often, sometimes to just go hunting
6. Has been less than honest too many times
Anybody but Mike Vogel, PLEASE!
Seems like all we hear is the same old song and dance from (Star Valley council candidate Chris) Benjamin and (mayoral candidate Randy) White, "Let's sue Payson over the Tower Well; they have stolen our water". As far as I know, no one in Star Valley has run dry yet. How stupid do they think we are?
Star Valley has a chance to get it right. Take it from one who regularly attends council meetings, it’s time for some new blood to protect our old water. If you don’t believe me, come to a meeting and see these clowns at work – if you can call it that. I call it ego gratification. If you think politics are any different in Star Valley, just come have a look-see.
I talked to an executive friend from ASU the other day who told me: no way is ASU going to put all its eggs in Kenny Evans’ basket – or any single politician’s for that matter. It would be illegal to do so. Kenny and Pete Aleshire are just blowing smoke, and I say shame on them. If ASU does come here – and I, personally hope they do – it will be for the right reasons, and one of them is not because Kenny Evans is mayor.
We need the new superheros: Bimbo Mom and Red Neck Dad. Plumber (Joe, The)/ Palin, 2012: Celebrate the not-even-mediocre!
A big rave for the Canadians and the wonderful job they did on the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. What a class act that country is, and how lucky we are to have them as neighbors.
Thanks to the Gazette people who are trying to make a go of it with the Mogollon Connection. Lord, we need another paper in this town.
(Editor's note: You can pick up your free copy of the Mogollon Connection at various locations around town, including Safeway and Bashas'. The paper is free through March.)
And don’t forget to visit BY THE PEOPLE. Just click on the right. You can leave your comments on any subject there as well.
Last but not least, it was bound to happen and it finally has – pictorial rants. These two are photos of some critters whom the photographer has affectionately named as follows:
Mayor Kenny and Sidekick Pete
Councilor Mike
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In his recent letter about the Payson town council needing better balance, Al Poskanzer was right on! Mike Vogel needs to be turned out of office He got himself elected not to serve the people, but to serve his buddies. One needs to look no further than his recent actions on his commission appointments to see that. He has consistently acted in favor of the special interests even if it was not in the town's best interests. Please do not vote for Mike Vogel!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's get rid of the rascals on the town council! We don't need any more lying, conniving people on the town council who think they are there to help their special interest buddies! If Mike Vogel gets less than 50 percent of the vote, then we won't need to go through a general election in May.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a recent Roundup on the front page there was an article claiming that Kenny Evans and Mike Vogel will both step down if home rule is rejected. Now the question is: Is that a promise or a threat?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's the deal on Home Rule. It will win. But every no vote sends a message to the politicians who think they can do whatever they please. Just listen to them. Their greatest fear is that Home Rule will fail. It's a foregone conclusion that it won't, but your no vote will be one more indicator that we the people are getting mad as hell. Come on you tea baggers. Here's something you can do locally to send a message. Let's see just how many no votes we can get.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vogel has got to go!
Out of all the council candidates, Mike Vogel is the only one who:
1. Sits on the council only to help his friends
2. Has deliberately stacked the P&Z commission with realtors and developers
3. Has a general disdain for his constituents
4. Displays arrogance and has no humility
5. Is absent way too often, sometimes to just go hunting
6. Has been less than honest too many times
Anybody but Mike Vogel, PLEASE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seems like all we hear is the same old song and dance from (Star Valley council candidate Chris) Benjamin and (mayoral candidate Randy) White, "Let's sue Payson over the Tower Well; they have stolen our water". As far as I know, no one in Star Valley has run dry yet. How stupid do they think we are?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Star Valley has a chance to get it right. Take it from one who regularly attends council meetings, it’s time for some new blood to protect our old water. If you don’t believe me, come to a meeting and see these clowns at work – if you can call it that. I call it ego gratification. If you think politics are any different in Star Valley, just come have a look-see.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I talked to an executive friend from ASU the other day who told me: no way is ASU going to put all its eggs in Kenny Evans’ basket – or any single politician’s for that matter. It would be illegal to do so. Kenny and Pete Aleshire are just blowing smoke, and I say shame on them. If ASU does come here – and I, personally hope they do – it will be for the right reasons, and one of them is not because Kenny Evans is mayor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There have been some notorious sidekicks through history, the Lone Ranger had Tonto, the Cisco Kid had Pancho, George Burns had Gracie Allen. Now it's time to put the newest duo up in lights. Let's hear it for Kenny Who and his sidekick Reporter Pete -- "Just vote the way you're told and no one will get hurt."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We need the new superheros: Bimbo Mom and Red Neck Dad. Plumber (Joe, The)/ Palin, 2012: Celebrate the not-even-mediocre!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A big rave for the Canadians and the wonderful job they did on the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. What a class act that country is, and how lucky we are to have them as neighbors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Editor's note: You can pick up your free copy of the Mogollon Connection at various locations around town, including Safeway and Bashas'. The paper is free through March.)
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