Don’t worry, be happy … in Tucson?

Cityscape of Tucson downtown against mountain range, Arizona.

By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

Is winter giving you a bad case of the blues? If so, perhaps you should go to your happy place, which might just be Tucson, Ariz.

In a new study, “The Old Pueblo” topped a list of the 10 happiest winter travel destinations in the U.S. It was joined, in descending order, by:
•St. Petersburg, Fla.
•Charleston, S.C.
•Napa-Sonoma, Calif.
•Seatt...

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PHOENIX – Saying the Pima County administrator needs to be restrained, a House panel voted Thursday to create a special committee to oversee county bond elections.
The party-line vote in the Republican-controlled Committee on Technology and Infrastructure came after a plea from Marana Town Attorney Frank Cassidy, who said the county has created a “culture of intimidation.”
He said part of that is because County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry proposes bond elections with more t...

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http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16662854/2012/02/02/nbc2-investigates-voter-fraud

County supervisors of elections tell me they have no way to verify citizenship. Under the 1992 Motor Voter Law, they’re not required to ask for proof.

“We have no policing authority. We don’t have any way of bouncing that information off any other database that would give us that information,”

Anyone know a place like this?

Guest Opinion: Is Jeff Rogers Abusing His Office?

Posted by Rob Ferrier on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 4:00 PM

While the Pima County Democratic Party might not have a face, it certainly has a voice. I am writing of course of Jeff Rogers, the twice-elected Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party.

The duties of Chair are as follows:

The County Chair shall preside at all meetings; make appointments to committees; make temporary appointments to offices which have been vacated… and generally do all and ...

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Guest Opinion: Is Jeff Rogers Abusing His Office?

Posted by Rob Ferrier on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 4:00 PM

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Ethnic studies case: District’s funds ordered cut

45 comments by Emily Gersema – Jan. 6, 2012 11:21 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

The Arizona Department of Education imposed severe financial penalties on Tucson Unified School District on Friday for violating a new state law by refusing to revamp or end its controversial Mexican-American studies curriculum.

In a move aimed at forcing one of the state’s largest school districts to comply with the law banning racially divisive e...

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10. Tucson, Ariz.

The Daily Beast

Have We Got a Convention Center to Sell You!

From Boston to Austin, politicians spend money on fancy white elephants..

By STEVEN MALANGA – WSJ

For two decades, America’s convention center business has been declining, resulting in a nationwide surplus of empty meeting facilities, struggling convention halls and vacant hotel rooms. How have governments responded to this glut? By building more convention centers, of course, financed by debt backed by new taxes and fees on already strugg...

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Glendale city manager to end tenure defined by sports

Glendale exec pushed entertainment-hub plan

by Cecilia Chan – Dec. 28, 2011 09:33 PM
The Arizona Republic
Glendale City Manager Ed Beasley’s rise came hand-in-hand with the city’s transformation from a bedroom community to a professional sports hub that will host its second Super Bowl.

Glendale rode high on its newly honed image until the recession called into question whether the city bankrolled an overly ambitious plan.

As...

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Online-commerce firm expanding, plans to hire 125
Russ Wiles – Dec. 27, 2011 03:13 PM
The Arizona Republic

A northern California company that provides highly targeted online marketing and supports reward/loyalty programs for large financial firms plans a major burst of hiring in its Scottsdale office.

Rearden Commerce, a privately held firm based in Foster City, Calif., intends to hire roughly 250 people in 2012, with half of those positions in Scottsdale, said Mathew Caldwell, the company...

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Az Republic: The judge, who found grounds to withhold 10 percent of the district’s monthly state aid until it comes into compliance, said the law permits the objective instruction about the oppression of people that may result in racial resentment or ethnic solidarity.

“However, teaching oppression objectively is quite different than actively presenting material in a biased, political and emotionally charged manner, which is what occurred in (Mexican-American Studies) classes,”...

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