Carolyn's Community

Everyone knows who Mr. Rogers is, that TV personality with the red sweater on PBS. Now the Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood Sweater Drive is helping families share “new, or clean & gently-worn” sweaters with others. All sizes welcome, to be donated to the clothing banks at local Tucson schools.

“The Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive promotes Fred Rogers’ giving spirit by helping children and their families share clothing with those who need it.”

Drop these sweaters off at any of the nine Shaffer Dry Cleaning & Laundry outlets listed online and in the phone book, starting tomorrow November 1st through 7th.

Or you can bring them to the Arizona Public Media tent at U of A Homecoming on the U of A mall on Saturday November 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Any sweater donation will also earn you a FREE Kids’ 3 oz vanilla ice cream cone coupon from McDonalds!

This is just in time for winter, so do consider cleaning out your sweater drawer. A few years ago I gave away most of my grown son’s childhood jackets on such a clothing drive.

Mister Rogers in his red sweater

For more info, see www.azpm.org.

We all support public safety. But are you still debating over whether to support the so-called “public safety first initiative” or not?

If you missed the League of Women Voters’ forum on October 19 about the ballot propositions, here’s another chance to learn more about Proposition 200, the “Public Safety First Initiative”.

Go to Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave. in the Tucson Convention Center downtown on Monday October 26, from 6 to 7 p.m. for an Arizona Public Media sponsored town hall.

Bill Buckmaster, host of “Arizona Illustrated” on KUAT Channel 6, Ann Brown, editorial page editor for the Arizona Daily Star, and Jim Nintzel, political reporter/commentator of the Tucson Weekly will be posing questions to the pro and con reps of Prop. 200.

Or, if you just want to educate yourself about the initiative online, here’s the links: Vote Yes, or Vote No. I’ve been watching those websites, and the list against 200 is growing. You can also watch a live stream of the town hall that evening at www.azpm.org.

Moreover, in the “Sample Ballot/Publicity Pamphlet and Instructions to Voters” sent for the City of Tucson Elections is the full text of Proposition 200, and arguments for and against on pages 13 to 21. It’s very illustrative to see who’s supporting this proposition and who’s not.

This Proposition has taken clear partisan lines with those running for City Council seats in Ward 3, 5, and 6: the Republicans say vote yes, and the Democrats and Green candidate say vote no.

The decision is yours — vote on or before November 3rd.

There haven’t been a lot of forums/debates for City of Tucson voters to find out who is running for Council Wards 3, 5, and 6.

So the next best bet is to turn on the TV to KUAT Channel 6, Az Illustrated, 6:30 p.m.on the following evenings:

Sept. 30: Ward 3
Councilmember (1 term) Karin Uhlich vs. challengers Ben Buehler-Garcia and Mary DeCamp

October 5: Ward 5
Richard Fimbres and Shaun McClusky, both vying for the seat to be vacated by 5 term Councilmember Steve Leal

October 9: Ward 6
Councilmember (1 term) Nina Trasoff vs. challenger Steve Kozachik

Tune in and find out whom to vote for at the General Election on Nov. 3. I’m no longer sure if it’s politically correct to list their political parties, so I’m leaving that out for now. If you miss these shows, log onto Arizona Public Media’s website and use the “On Demand” link to locate the show you are interested in.

On August 29, from 2 to 6 p.m. be at Centennial Hall at the U of A campus for a National Parks Expo for families. It’s free and open to all, with free parking since it’s on a Saturday.

It’s part of the 50th Anniversary celebration for Arizona Public Media (KUAT Channel 6) and will feature a preview screening of the PBS/Ken Burns film “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” at 4 p.m. This production was filmed “over the course of more than six years at some of nature’s most spectacular locales… from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska.” Other hosts include Morris K. Udall Foundation, Friends of Saguaro National Park, and the Western National Parks Association.

List of family events: live animals, critter crime scene, adobe brick building, gourd painting, tortoise tracking, petroglyph making, passport to the parks, twig carving, weaving—fun activities for kids of all ages.

There will also be a panel discussion at 5 p.m. with former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, his nephew US Senator Mark Udall from Colorado, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona (representing District 7 here in Tucson) and reps. from the NPS.

Contact person is Maureen Oltrogge, phone 928-638-7779, or online at www.azpublicmedia.org.

National Park sites from around the state will be represented at
interactive booths, including

Visitors at Grand Canyon National Park in 1995.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument,

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument,

Chiricahua National Monument,

Coronado National Memorial,

Fort Bowie National Historic Site,

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area,

Grand Canyon National Park,

Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site,

Petrified Forest National Park,

Pipe Spring National Monument,

Saguaro National Park,

Tonto National Monument,

and Tumacacori National Historical Park.

Living in a Western state (Arizona) with several National parks and monuments,
we should be proud to participate in such a community event with the Udall
family and Arizona Illustrated.