Email alert from Literacy Volunteers of Tucson:

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State-funded adult education programs serve thousands of students each year who are trying to improve their skills, learn English, and earn GED diplomas. Eliminating adult education would terminate all adult education classes and GED testing in Arizona.

Facts to Know and Share:

* 795,970 adults in AZ are without a high school credential, which makes it nearly impossible to get a job or go on to further training.
* 18% of all high school diplomas issued in AZ in 2008 were GED diplomas–nearly 1/5 of Arizona’s high school graduates!
* GED instruction and testing costs an average of only $186 per student
* GED graduates earn $5,000 more per year on average, resulting in approximately $70 million additional tax dollars
* The economic impact of NOT educating the 800,000 Arizonans who do not have a high school diploma is enormous! 80% of adult education students are under 45–the backbone of Arizona’s workforce!!!
* AZ has one of the highest drop out rates in the nation. With the elimination of GED testing, AZ would likely be the only state in the country without this service.

Please Help!

* SPREAD THE WORD!! TODAY! Tell everyone you know about what’s happening.
* Call the following legislators and express your support of full funding for adult education!
— STATE HOUSE
+ Vic Williams (District 26, R) vwilliams@azleg.gov, 602-926-5839, Appropriations Committee
+ John Kavanagh (District 8, R) jkavanagh@azleg.gov, 602-926-5170, Appropriations Chairman
+ David Gowan (District 30, R) dgowan@azleg.gov, 602-926-3312
+ Frank Antenori (District 30, R) fantenori@azleg.gov, 602-926-5683
— STATE SENATE
+ Al Melvin (District 26, R) amelvin@azleg.gov, 602-926-4326, Appropriations Vice-Chair
+ Jonathon Paton (District 30, R) jpaton@azleg.gov, 602-926-3235

* Call your friends in Phoenix and Tucson. Ask them to contact their legislators about this.
* Call or write to Governor Brewer 1(800) 253-0883, or click here to contact her via her website

Can we afford NOT to invest in our state and our workforce? This is crucial for Arizona. It affects everyone.”

Note: I just called the Governor’s office toll free and you can do it anonymously as well. Those of us who are literate usually take for granted how easy and enjoyable it is to read. Literacy is fundamental to getting a good job and advancing economically in America.

I recently picked up a copy of Tucson author Nicholas Hazel’s 2009 mystery,”Murder in Mountain Lion Canyon”, while at an art gallery reception at Gallery Row Art Walk (every Thursday at the NE Corner of E. Skyline Drive and N.Campbell).

It’s a fast paced, easy to ready “whodunit” mystery set in a fictitious, up-scale development in the Santa Catalina Mountains of Tucson, with the main characters trying to figure out who committed “murder most foul” in their midst.

book cover

“The quiet routines of two couples are interrupted when someone in their circle of acquaintances is cruelly murdered; and then another murder follows as skeletons in many varieties—and even the Aztec Lord of the Underworld, Mictlantecuhtli—revel during the night of the Day of the Dead. What forces of evil have been unleashed in the community that is encroaching on the rugged Mountain Lion Canyon? Above the canyon hovers the scraggly large rock that was named La Roca, the new development in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. A mountain lion stalks the canyon and so do, it seems, human predators.” (from the back jacket)

What’s fun about this book is the Southwest desert setting, with University of Arizona college professors, Tucson developers, artists, and lawyers all involved in the mystery story line. There’s even mention of “Arizona’s white-haired senior senator” in attendance at the opening cocktail party at the developer’s mansion (page 28). The Pima County Sheriff and his deputies also play an active role in the murder investigations.

Author Nicholas Hazel (pseudonym) is a Tucson retired college professor and administrator, so he does know the background of some of the protagonist professors portrayed in this novel. And he does know the Catalina Foothills which he writes about.

You can buy this book online at www.Xlibris.com (the publisher), or find it at Antigone Books on 4th Avenue, or Clues Unlimited, a mystery bookstore at SE corner of E. Ft. Lowell and N. Country Club.

Since I enjoy mysteries (mostly Agatha Christie’s) I won’t disclose the ending, or most of the mystery’s complex plot involving the 20 characters. Read the mystery for yourself to find out.

Tucsonans will enjoy this book, and identify a lot of familiar locales.

Republican candidates running to face 2 term incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Congressional District 8 (CD8) will meet for a debate on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

Republicans Andy Goss, Jesse Kelly, Brian Miller are expected at the debate, sponsored by the Senior Government classes at Vail High School. This debate is to be moderated by 104.1 FM radio talk show host Jon Justice and University of Arizona political science associate professor Todd Lutes. LD 30 Republican State Senator Jonathan Paton just announced on Jan. 17 that he too is seeking this CD 8 seat. He will also be at this debate.

Andy Goss has mostly recently been a team leader on a Human Intelligence Support Team augmenting the US Army, Jesse Kelly is a Marine Corps combat veteran and works in his family construction business, and Brian Miller is a USAF reserve pilot and combat veteran. Paton was a military intelligence officer for the US Army Reserve. Thus, all four candidates have military backgrounds, unlike the Congresswoman they are challenging.

The debate will be at the Vail Theatre of the Arts, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, at 6 p.m.

For more information on Republican primary events, log onto Pima County Republican Party website — http://www.pimagop.org/.

Remember that the Arizona Primary election has been moved up to Tuesday, August 24. The winner of this Republican race will face Giffords in November 2nd’s General election.

Giffords’ previous Republican challengers were former LD 30 State Rep. Randy Graf, and LD 30 State Senate President Tim Bee.

If you miss this event on Jan. 26, there’s another debate (with all 4 candidates as well) on Feb. 11, 6 p.m. at Ironwood Ridge High School in Oro Valley. Event flyer here.

See you on the campaign trail.