Thursday News Stories

Here are the news stories that we are following today.  Please, if we have missed one, let us know!  Commentary will arrive later today.

Arizona Daily Star

§  County officials foresee tax increase

§  AZ sales tax collections declined again in March

§  Montana set to challenge gun control

§  Charter change would tie officials’ hands

§  Catalina Foothills crisis is rooted at Legislature

 

Arizona Daily Sun

§  City layoffs down to a dozen
In the end, it will be an even dozen. That’s how many Flagstaff city employees are likely to be laid off starting July 1, City Manager Kevin Burke said Wednesday. 

§  FUSD readies budget override
Flagstaff Unified School District officials are taking the first steps toward putting a budget override on this fall’s ballot.

 

§  Maricopa Co. checking its take-home fleet
PHOENIX (AP) — In these tough economic times, Maricopa County is assessing the need for taking a county-owned car home.

 

Arizona Republic

§  State treasurer sheds light on Ariz.’s loans

Arizona’s first foray in borrowing in its modern history cost just over $38,500 in interest, state Treasurer Dean Martin reports. He warned that more borrowing is on the horizon as the state grapples with budget shortfalls.

§  Bennett unsold on Gov. Brewer’s tax plan

Secretary of State Ken Bennett, whom Brewer appointed to his current job, parted company with his patron on the tax-increase issue, saying he could not swallow a central piece of the governor’s plan to address a $3 billion budget shortfall for 2010.

§  One U.S. agency didn’t get memo about openness

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has ignored repeated requests from The Arizona Republic for information about sexual assaults. The BIA needs to release its investigative records and save time, taxpayer dollars and embarrassment.

§  Group challenges state to ‘expect more’

To combat the quite-real perception that too many Arizonans are indifferent to quality education, a business-education-philanthropic coalition has launched ”Expect More Arizona,” a campaign to entice the state’s students and parents to raise their performance expectations.

 

The Daily Courier

§  Cities worry about state plans for local impact fees 

§  State water agency faces 56-percent cut

 

East Valley Tribune

§  Ariz. Democrats assail Republicans over flu

House Democrats are trying to make political hay out of the swine flu outbreak, saying Republican budget cuts have left Arizonans more at risk.

 

Phoenix Business Journal

§  ADOT gets first stimulus money

The Arizona Department of Transportation is one of the first state agencies to start awarding contracts with stimulus money. The Phoenix Business Journal will have extended coverage of the stimulus efforts and the economy starting in this week’s edition.

 

Sierra Vista Herald

§  Fort gets more stimulus money

FORT HUACHUCA — More than $4.5 million of federal economic recovery funds have been approved for eight construction projects aimed at making the fort more energy efficient, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ office said Wednesday.

Basha’s Fights Back

 

 

 

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Bashas’ Supermarket Chain sent out a mailer this week to correct the inaccuracies being spread by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union who have sent out mailers of there own throughout the metro Phoenix area.  The UFCW mailing claimed health and safety violations in the Bashas’ supermarkets as well as citing issues on how they treat their workers.  UFCW spokesman Corey Owens said:

“The union is not interested in any way in destroying Bashas’.  We just think they have a responsibility to their workers.”

Hmm, that is a funny remark, considering the hit pieces that they put out to ruin Bashas’ reputation. [NOTE: we are working on posting copies of the mailings.  As soon as we have them, we will put them up.]  In fact, Mr. Owens lets the inside secret leak out a bit:

“The reality is they’re one of the biggest corporations in Arizona, and they act like it.”

The biggest issue that the UFCW has with Bashas’ is that it is a company that provides goods and services in exchange for payment from their customers.  In other words, Bashas’ is interested in making money and the UFCW believes that everyone should be making the same amount of money regardless of their position as warehouse worker or CEO of the corporation.  They want an equal distribution of wealth amongst all of the workers.

Spokeswoman for Bashas’ Supermarkets Kristy Nied when asked about the Bashas’ mailing said:

“I think it pretty much has everything that we wanted to get out there in terms of the truth and the facts.”

We will keep an eye on this story and report back on any developments.