The nation’s rough roads are leading to higher driving costs for American motorists – $400 on average, and $750 for drivers in urban areas, according to a new report released Friday morning.

A third of major U.S. interstates and major highways are in poor or mediocre condition, but it’s a particular problem in urban areas with populations of 250,000 or more, said the report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the road advocacy group TRIP.

“The American people are paying for rough roads multiple times,” said Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle. “Rough roads lead to diminished safety, higher vehicle operating costs, and more expensive road repairs.”

Among the report’s other findings:

In many urban areas nationwide, 30 percent to 60 percent of roads are in poor shape.

Nationwide, 72 percent of federal interstate highways are in good shape, but that could decline quickly because the roads are aging and carrying more traffic.

Frank Moretti, director of policy and research for TRIP, said President Obama’s federal stimulus program to spend billions to upgrade the nation’s highways is a “helpful down payment” but additional investment will be necessary to ensure better roads that are capable of handling higher traffic volumes.

The Greater Tucson chapter of the League of Women Voters will discuss a national study on ending the Electoral College to elect the president at its general meeting Saturday.

A 1970 league study of the presidential electoral process supported direct election of the president by popular vote. At a 2008 convention, delegates voted to adopt a new study to be completed this spring.

The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Joel Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. It is open to the public at no charge. Refreshments will be served at 9:30 a.m.

They head to D.C. for part of history

“Thrilled,” “proud,” “momentous,” and “I’ll remember it forever” are some of the words Tucsonans are using as they prepare to trek to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.

There’s a buzz of anticipation in the air as they pack their bags and head off to be among the millions at the nation’s capital Tuesday to commemorate and honor America’s first African-American president.

From seniors to teens, to those with political ties and those with none, each has his or her own reason for attending.

Some are even braving the crowds without a ticket, hoping to get a glimpse of the new president.

Political ties

“This is going to be a momentous occasion and we are just thrilled to be going,” said Mary Judge Ryan, a Tucson attorney who will attend with her husband, Tom.

Ryan lost a 2002 Democratic primary election to George Cunningham. Cunningham ran against and lost to the then-incumbent Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe in the 8th Congressional District.

The couple obtained their tickets from the office of Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who represents part of Tucson..

“We’ll be standing in the area in front of the Reflecting Pool” near the ceremony site at the U.S. Capitol, she said.

Tucson City Councilwoman Regina Romero said she’s lucky to have tickets for the event, and friends to stay with during her trip.

She doesn’t have tickets for any official balls, but “as long as I’m there for the inauguration I’ll be happy. It doesn’t matter,” Romero said.

It’s being a part of history that matters for her.

“It’s going to be really exciting to feel the pulse of the people on the streets and restaurants. I’m sure it will be something I’ll remember forever,” said Romero, the first Latina elected to the City Council..

Richard Elías, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, is attending with a standing-room-only ticket, also from Grijalva’s office.

“It’s another step in the war for civil rights,” said Elías, who has long been involved with local social and economic justice issues.

He said Obama’s election was a signal that American voters heard the president-elect’s mantra of change.

“I think we recognized that we needed to really change the government,” Elías said.

Young voices

Four South Side middle school students will be part of the inauguration ceremony through a student council trip.

Among them is 12-year-old Marissa Molina.

Marissa, a seventh-grader at Apollo Middle School, 265 W. Nebraska St., raised more than $1,000 for her trip through car washes, selling scented pencils and collecting donations from local businesses.

“We’re not rich, so we had to work pretty hard to get that money,” said Monica Molina, Marissa’s mother.

Marissa participated in the Kids Voting program and proudly wore her “I Voted” sticker on her sweatshirt after she voted.

“I’ve been really excited about Obama, and even more excited to go see him now,” she said. “I feel very proud to be part of history.”

Also well represented will be the eighth grade class at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, 9500 N. Oracle Road.

Eighty students and 20 teachers and parents are making the trip – which also will include visits to Gettysburg National Military Park and to a Broadway show in New York City.

Pusch Ridge Middle School Head David Towne has led annual trips with students, staffers and parents in the past, including to inaugurations.

“This is a huge historical event,” Towne said. “They’re going to tell their grandkids about this.”

Students did chores such as baby-sitting, yard work, and washing cars to raise the approximately $2,000 needed for each student to go on the trip.

“I’ve done lots of yard work,” Kade Bowers, 13, said.

This trip also transcends generations.

“I talked to my grandfather about this,” Haley Benson, also 13, said. “He was so happy for me.”

Jared Hout, 13, worked summer jobs to raise his share of the cost.

“I’m interested in seeing how we can have a peaceful transfer of power,” he said, adding that many of the world’s nations do not.

Although the Pusch Ridge contingent does not have tickets to the inauguration, members hope to get a glimpse of it.

“We’ll see. God knows it is going to be OK,” Towne said.

Supporters enthused

“It’s been very exciting to me that I could believe in a candidate,” Torey Ligon, community outreach coordinator for the Food Conspiracy Cooperative, 412 N. Fourth Ave., said.

“I feel like all of our collective futures are based on his success,” said Ligon, who did some campaign work for the president-elect.

Her younger brother, Greg Ligon, worked for the Obama campaign for more than a year and received two tickets in the seated area at the inauguration, she said.

The sister and brother are attending a ball open only to core campaign workers Wednesday.

Carmen Prezelski was a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

While there, she was selected to sit onstage when Obama, a then-relatively unknown Illinois politician, made the keynote speech that brought him to national attention.

“I called my sister and said, ‘I just met a man who will be president of the United States some day,’ ” she recalled.

Rosie Joe-Heirshberg and her husband, Dan, are going to the inauguration without tickets.

“We will be among those millions on the mall,” she said with a laugh.

Being there is what matters to the couple.

“It’s history. We’ll play it by ear,” Dan Heirshberg said.

Gloria Corral, 63, will travel to Washington on her own and without tickets to any event, but with outfits that could make people think she was going to a ball.

Corral said she’s going with the intent of “just being there to feel and see history in the making.”

Corral, a native Tucsonan who works as a food service director for the Fred Acosta Job Center, went to Washington in 1993 for President Clinton’s inauguration, but feels “a tiny bit more excited” for Obama’s inauguration.

“I’ve got my nice coat, my nice dress, and, of course, very pretty gloves and scarves, all ready for me to wear on Inauguration Day, even if I’m just standing on the sidewalk watching (Obama) drive by,” she said.

“This is just something I have to do,” she said of taking off on her own.

“How could I not when this is such a historic moment?”

Saving history

Tuesday’s inauguration of the United States’ 44th president will be history in the making and we want you to catch – and keep – it all.

Pre-order a set of three specially packaged Tucson Citizen issues that commemorate the inauguration of Barack Obama. You’ll get the coverage from the day before the inauguration, a special late edition of the Citizen the day of the inauguration and an eight-page commemorative section printed on the day after.

Order at www.tucson.com/store/60 or call 573-4278. Cost: $3 plus tax.

The Citizen also will be the first to bring you coverage of the inauguration online – with live streaming video from the nation’s capital – and in print. Special late editions of Obama’s swearing-in will be on sale at about 100 outlets in the city.

———

CITIZEN BLOGGERS

Tucsonans attending Tuesday’s inauguration will update readers by live-blogging the event. Get the local take on the historic swearing-in of Barack Obama at TucsonCitizen.com/blog. Check TucsonCitizen.com/inauguration for the latest on President-elect Obama

———

LOCAL EVENTS

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Obama Inauguration

– FERNANDA ECHÁVARRI/Tucson Citizen

Monday

• 8-10 a.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March. Starts at the University of Arizona mall, near Old Main, 1303 E. University Blvd. Hundreds will march from there to Reid Park’s DeMeester Outdoor Performing Center, 1100 S. Randolph Way.

• 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Festival Celebration. Food, speeches, music and dance at Reid Park’s DeMeester Performing Center, 1100 S. Randolph Way.

• 10 a.m. Martin Luther King Day Community Food Bank Drive at Reid Park, 1100 S. Randolph Way.

• 1-4 p.m. Festival of Friendship at the Tucson Children’s Museum, 200 S. Sixth Ave. African-American themed hands-on activities for children such as unity chains and posters, and interactive dance performances. $5 for children $7 for adults. For more information call 792-9985.

• 5:30 p.m. The Martin Luther King Day Film Projét. Local filmmakers ages 13-18 made five-minute short films about King’s Triple Evils: poverty, racism and war. The winning films will show at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Admission is free.

• 6 p.m. to midnight Barack Obama’s Inauguration Ball at the Viscount Suites Hotel, 4855 E. Broadway. Free with two cans of food for the Community Food Bank or $15. There will be a music and food. For more information, contact Sarah Robinson from the Tucson Community for Change, 358-8565.

Tuesday

• 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Black Chamber of Commerce Soul Food Breakfast and Brunch at the Northwest Neighborhood Center, 2160 N. Sixth Ave. Chamber members and members of Tucson’s black community are expected to attend. There will be a big screen television broadcasting the inauguration and “lots of food.” Tickets are $20. Call in advance 623-0099.

• 9 a.m.-1p.m. Change is Here Open House at the Pima County Democratic Headquarters, 4639 E. First St. Free event with live viewing of the inauguration, “Bring a dish and enjoy the history.” Call 326-3716 for more information.

• 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. University of Arizona’s African American Student Affairs Inauguration Celebration at The Cellar in the lower level of the University of Arizona’s Student Union, 1303 E. University Blvd. Refreshments will be served. Call AASA for more information 621-3419.

• 9-9:45 a.m. Inauguration Brunch at the Viscount Suites Hotel, 4855 E. Broadway. More than a dozen televisions will be broadcasting the inauguration. Tickets are $25. After the inauguration, organizers will go to Reid Park, 1100 S. Randolph Way, to grill hot dogs and hamburgers for the homeless. Call Sarah Robinson from the Tucson Community for Change, 358-8565.

• 10 a.m. Live broadcast of the presidential inauguration in high definition. Arizona Public Media and UApresents will host the free broadcast at the University of Arizona’s Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd.

• 4 p.m. End of an Error Bash. Poetry reading event at Revolutionary Grounds Books and Coffee, 606 N. Fourth Ave. Free admission. Anyone can bring poems to read. The inaugural speech will be broadcast.

• 4 p.m. Drinking Liberally Inaugural Bash at The Shanty, 401 E. Ninth St. There will be a brief political discussion from MoveOn.org and Drinking Liberally followed by a celebration of Obama’s inauguration. Call 623-2664 for more information.

• 6-10 p.m. Change is Here Inauguration Celebration hosted by the Pima County Democratic Party at the Double Tree Hotel, 445 S. Alvernon Way. Tickets are $50, live music from The Wayback Machine, which also played on Election Night. For more information, call 326-3716 before Monday.

• 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Tucson’s Real Inauguration Bash. Club Congress to celebrate not only Obama’s “landmark victory but also, getting rid of Bush!” There will be a flat screen television re-playing the inauguration ceremony throughout the night. Free event, all ages until 10 p.m., then 21 and over.

———

Order commemorative inauguration packages

The inauguration of the United States’ 44th president will be history in the making and we want you to catch – and keep – it all.

Pre-order a set of three specially packaged Tucson Citizen issues that commemorate the historic inauguration of Barack Obama. You’ll get the coverage from the day before the inauguration, a special late edition of the Citizen the day of and an eight-page commemorative section printed on the day after.

Go online to order at www.tucson.com/store/60. Cost: $3 plus tax.

Also, the Tucson Citizen will be the first to bring you coverage of the inauguration online, with live streaming from the nation’s capital – and in print. Special late editions of Obama’s swearing in will be on sale at about 100 outlets in the city.

———

LATE EDITIONS

Where to purchase a Citizen late edition with special inauguration coverage Jan. 20:

Circle K 4965 W Ajo Way

Quik Mart 745 S Tucson Blvd

Quik Mart 13122 Colossal Cave Rd

Frys 902 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 2 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 1735 W Speedway Blvd

Albertsons 1350 N Silverbell Rd

Circle K 1720 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 2590 S Mission Rd

Circle K 5680 S Mission Rd

Circle K 3280 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 5690 S 12th Ave

Frys 2001 E Irvington Rd

Circle K 2450 E Grant Rd

Safeway 2940 W Valencia Rd

Safeway 1551 W Saint Marys Rd

Walgreens 1549 W Saint Marys Rd

Circle K 1610 E 6th St

Circle K 1555 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 3055 E Fort Lowell Rd

Frys 4036 N 1st Ave

Circle K 3065 S Kinney Rd

Circle K 4160 N 1st Ave

Circle K 3031 E 22nd St

Circle K 7022 E Speedway Blvd

Circle K 2840 W Los Reales Rd

Circle K 401 S Alvernon Way

Circle K 5102 E Speedway Blvd

Road Runner Market 20151 S Houghton Rd

Fry’s 3770 W Ina Rd

Circle K 3393 W Orange Grove Rd

Circle K 2405 N Silverbell Rd

Fry’s 3640 S 16th Ave

Safeway 2140 W Grant Rd

Walgreens 525 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 7475 E 22nd St

Frys 7050 E 22nd St

Grand Market 6250 S 6th Ave

Walmart 7635 N La Cholla Blvd

Albertson’s 2854 N. Campbell Ave

Circle K 4395 N Romero Rd

Circle K 7002 S Nogales Hwy

Circle K 3155 E Speedway Blvd

Fry’s 3920 E Grant Rd

Circle K 4875 S Park Ave

Quik Mart 5642 S Alvernon Way

7-Eleven 1595 W Saint Marys Rd

Circle K 2004 S 6th Ave

Circle K 3795 S Palo Verde Rd

Market Basket 5242 S 12th Ave

Walmart Neighborhood Mkt 2823 W Valencia

7-Eleven 4295 E 29th St

Albertsons 5085 N La Canada Dr

AM/PM 501 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 8590 E 22nd St

Frys 8080 S Houghton

Quik Mart 1140 S 4th Ave

Circle K 3102 E Benson Hwy

Circle K 9810 S Nogales Hwy

Circle K 5801 N Oracle Rd

Circle K 3970 N Flowing Wells Rd

Frys 2480 N Swan Rd

Fry’s 7050 E Golf Links Rd

Quik Mart 3095 E Irvington Rd

Rincon Food Market 2513 E 6th St

Albertson’s 6363 E 22nd St

Circle K 333 W Grant Rd

Circle K 5680 S Campbell Ave

Diamond Shamrock 2160 W Drexel

Frys 7870 N Silverbell Rd

Walgreens 2929 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 6525 S Country Club Rd

Circle K 550 W Ajo Way

Circle K 2750 N Tucson Blvd

Quik Mart 7667 E Escalante Rd

Walgreens 3180 N Campbell Ave

Circle K 4702 E Speedway Blvd

Walgreens 5525 E River Rd

7-Eleven 3780 S Park Ave

Circle K 4802 N Sabino Canyon Rd

Safeway 1767 E Prince Rd

Walgreens 1900 S 6th Ave

Circle K 5301 E Pima St

Circle K 3712 W Cortaro Farms Rd

AM/PM Market 2891 W Valencia Rd

Bashas 3275 N Swan Rd

Circle K 7900 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 8630 E Golf Links Rd

Quik Mart 1890 S Mission Rd

Walgreens 1550 W Valencia Rd

Walgreens 2180 W Grant Rd

Circle K 4605 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 8702 E Speedway Blvd

Diamond Shamrock 1909 S Craycroft Rd

Food City 428 W Valencia Rd

Quik Mart 4611 N Flowing Wells Rd

7-Eleven 4680 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 1675 N Wilmot Rd

Diamond Shamrock 2616 S Mission Rd

Quik Mart 3499 S Wilmot Rd

Safeway 4752 E Sunrise Dr

Tina’s Country Market 5975 W Westrn Way Cir 113

Walgreens 4700 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 1909 E 36th St

By Garry Duffy, Fernanda Echavarri

The inauguration of the United States’ 44th president will be history in the making and we want you to catch – and keep – it all.

Pre-order a set of three specially packaged Tucson Citizen issues that commemorate the historic inauguration of Barack Obama. You’ll get the coverage from the day before the inauguration, a special late edition of the Citizen the day of and an eight-page commemorative section printed on the day after.

Go online to order at www.tucson.com/store/60. Cost: $3 plus tax.

Also, the Tucson Citizen will be the first to bring you coverage of the inauguration online, with live streaming from the nation’s capital – and in print. Special late editions of Obama’s swearing in will be on sale at about 100 outlets in the city.

Check TucsonCitizen.com/inauguration for the latest on President-elect Obama

———

LATE EDITIONS

Where to purchase a Citizen late edition with special inauguration coverage Jan. 20:

Circle K 4965 W Ajo Way

Quik Mart 745 S Tucson Blvd

Quik Mart 13122 Colossal Cave Rd

Frys 902 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 2 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 1735 W Speedway Blvd

Albertsons 1350 N Silverbell Rd

Circle K 1720 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 2590 S Mission Rd

Circle K 5680 S Mission Rd

Circle K 3280 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 5690 S 12th Ave

Frys 2001 E Irvington Rd

Circle K 2450 E Grant Rd

Safeway 2940 W Valencia Rd

Safeway 1551 W Saint Marys Rd

Walgreens 1549 W Saint Marys Rd

Circle K 1610 E 6th St

Circle K 1555 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 3055 E Fort Lowell Rd

Frys 4036 N 1st Ave

Circle K 3065 S Kinney Rd

Circle K 4160 N 1st Ave

Circle K 3031 E 22nd St

Circle K 7022 E Speedway Blvd

Circle K 2840 W Los Reales Rd

Circle K 401 S Alvernon Way

Circle K 5102 E Speedway Blvd

Road Runner Market 20151 S Houghton Rd

Fry’s 3770 W Ina Rd

Circle K 3393 W Orange Grove Rd

Circle K 2405 N Silverbell Rd

Fry’s 3640 S 16th Ave

Safeway 2140 W Grant Rd

Walgreens 525 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 7475 E 22nd St

Frys 7050 E 22nd St

Grand Market 6250 S 6th Ave

Walmart 7635 N La Cholla Blvd

Albertson’s 2854 N. Campbell Ave

Circle K 4395 N Romero Rd

Circle K 7002 S Nogales Hwy

Circle K 3155 E Speedway Blvd

Fry’s 3920 E Grant Rd

Circle K 4875 S Park Ave

Quik Mart 5642 S Alvernon Way

7-Eleven 1595 W Saint Marys Rd

Circle K 2004 S 6th Ave

Circle K 3795 S Palo Verde Rd

Market Basket 5242 S 12th Ave

Walmart Neighborhood Mkt 2823 W Valencia

7-Eleven 4295 E 29th St

Albertsons 5085 N La Canada Dr

AM/PM 501 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 8590 E 22nd St

Frys 8080 S Houghton

Quik Mart 1140 S 4th Ave

Circle K 3102 E Benson Hwy

Circle K 9810 S Nogales Hwy

Circle K 5801 N Oracle Rd

Circle K 3970 N Flowing Wells Rd

Frys 2480 N Swan Rd

Fry’s 7050 E Golf Links Rd

Quik Mart 3095 E Irvington Rd

Rincon Food Market 2513 E 6th St

Albertson’s 6363 E 22nd St

Circle K 333 W Grant Rd

Circle K 5680 S Campbell Ave

Diamond Shamrock 2160 W Drexel

Frys 7870 N Silverbell Rd

Walgreens 2929 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 6525 S Country Club Rd

Circle K 550 W Ajo Way

Circle K 2750 N Tucson Blvd

Quik Mart 7667 E Escalante Rd

Walgreens 3180 N Campbell Ave

Circle K 4702 E Speedway Blvd

Walgreens 5525 E River Rd

7-Eleven 3780 S Park Ave

Circle K 4802 N Sabino Canyon Rd

Safeway 1767 E Prince Rd

Walgreens 1900 S 6th Ave

Circle K 5301 E Pima St

Circle K 3712 W Cortaro Farms Rd

AM/PM Market 2891 W Valencia Rd

Bashas 3275 N Swan Rd

Circle K 7900 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 8630 E Golf Links Rd

Quik Mart 1890 S Mission Rd

Walgreens 1550 W Valencia Rd

Walgreens 2180 W Grant Rd

Circle K 4605 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 8702 E Speedway Blvd

Diamond Shamrock 1909 S Craycroft Rd

Food City 428 W Valencia Rd

Quik Mart 4611 N Flowing Wells Rd

7-Eleven 4680 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 1675 N Wilmot Rd

Diamond Shamrock 2616 S Mission Rd

Quik Mart 3499 S Wilmot Rd

Safeway 4752 E Sunrise Dr

Tina’s Country Market 5975 W Westrn Way Cir 113

Walgreens 4700 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 1909 E 36th St

Special late editions of Obama’s swearing in will be on sale Tuesday afternoon

The Tucson Citizen will be the first to bring you coverage of the inauguration online, with live streaming from the nation’s capital – and in print. Special late editions of Obama’s swearing in will be on sale at about 100 outlets in the city.

Check TucsonCitizen.com/inauguration for the latest on President-elect Obama

———

LATE EDITIONS

Where to purchase a Citizen late edition with special inauguration coverage Jan. 20:

Circle K 4965 W Ajo Way

Quik Mart 745 S Tucson Blvd

Quik Mart 13122 Colossal Cave Rd

Frys 902 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 2 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 1735 W Speedway Blvd

Albertsons 1350 N Silverbell Rd

Circle K 1720 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 2590 S Mission Rd

Circle K 5680 S Mission Rd

Circle K 3280 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 5690 S 12th Ave

Frys 2001 E Irvington Rd

Circle K 2450 E Grant Rd

Safeway 2940 W Valencia Rd

Safeway 1551 W Saint Marys Rd

Walgreens 1549 W Saint Marys Rd

Circle K 1610 E 6th St

Circle K 1555 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 3055 E Fort Lowell Rd

Frys 4036 N 1st Ave

Circle K 3065 S Kinney Rd

Circle K 4160 N 1st Ave

Circle K 3031 E 22nd St

Circle K 7022 E Speedway Blvd

Circle K 2840 W Los Reales Rd

Circle K 401 S Alvernon Way

Circle K 5102 E Speedway Blvd

Road Runner Market 20151 S Houghton Rd

Fry’s 3770 W Ina Rd

Circle K 3393 W Orange Grove Rd

Circle K 2405 N Silverbell Rd

Fry’s 3640 S 16th Ave

Safeway 2140 W Grant Rd

Walgreens 525 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 7475 E 22nd St

Frys 7050 E 22nd St

Grand Market 6250 S 6th Ave

Walmart 7635 N La Cholla Blvd

Albertson’s 2854 N. Campbell Ave

Circle K 4395 N Romero Rd

Circle K 7002 S Nogales Hwy

Circle K 3155 E Speedway Blvd

Fry’s 3920 E Grant Rd

Circle K 4875 S Park Ave

Quik Mart 5642 S Alvernon Way

7-Eleven 1595 W Saint Marys Rd

Circle K 2004 S 6th Ave

Circle K 3795 S Palo Verde Rd

Market Basket 5242 S 12th Ave

Walmart Neighborhood Mkt 2823 W Valencia

7-Eleven 4295 E 29th St

Albertsons 5085 N La Canada Dr

AM/PM 501 W Irvington Rd

Circle K 8590 E 22nd St

Frys 8080 S Houghton

Quik Mart 1140 S 4th Ave

Circle K 3102 E Benson Hwy

Circle K 9810 S Nogales Hwy

Circle K 5801 N Oracle Rd

Circle K 3970 N Flowing Wells Rd

Frys 2480 N Swan Rd

Fry’s 7050 E Golf Links Rd

Quik Mart 3095 E Irvington Rd

Rincon Food Market 2513 E 6th St

Albertson’s 6363 E 22nd St

Circle K 333 W Grant Rd

Circle K 5680 S Campbell Ave

Diamond Shamrock 2160 W Drexel

Frys 7870 N Silverbell Rd

Walgreens 2929 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 6525 S Country Club Rd

Circle K 550 W Ajo Way

Circle K 2750 N Tucson Blvd

Quik Mart 7667 E Escalante Rd

Walgreens 3180 N Campbell Ave

Circle K 4702 E Speedway Blvd

Walgreens 5525 E River Rd

7-Eleven 3780 S Park Ave

Circle K 4802 N Sabino Canyon Rd

Safeway 1767 E Prince Rd

Walgreens 1900 S 6th Ave

Circle K 5301 E Pima St

Circle K 3712 W Cortaro Farms Rd

AM/PM Market 2891 W Valencia Rd

Bashas 3275 N Swan Rd

Circle K 7900 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 8630 E Golf Links Rd

Quik Mart 1890 S Mission Rd

Walgreens 1550 W Valencia Rd

Walgreens 2180 W Grant Rd

Circle K 4605 W Valencia Rd

Circle K 8702 E Speedway Blvd

Diamond Shamrock 1909 S Craycroft Rd

Food City 428 W Valencia Rd

Quik Mart 4611 N Flowing Wells Rd

7-Eleven 4680 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 1675 N Wilmot Rd

Diamond Shamrock 2616 S Mission Rd

Quik Mart 3499 S Wilmot Rd

Safeway 4752 E Sunrise Dr

Tina’s Country Market 5975 W Westrn Way Cir 113

Walgreens 4700 E Broadway Blvd

Circle K 1909 E 36th St

———

Tell us your plans

Have you snagged a ticket to President-elect Barack Obama’s historic inauguration? Are you going to D.C. for the event – with or without a ticket?

If you’re staying closer to home, what, if anything, will you be doing on Jan. 20 or the days leading up to it to celebrate or survive the inauguration or the change in administrations from Republican to Democrat?

The Tucson Citizen wants to hear from you.

Call City Editor Diane Luber at 573-4596, e-mail news@tucsoncitizen.com (news@tucsoncitizen.com), or tell us about your plans in the comments.

Another 100 protest Israeli military attacks in Gaza Strip

The conflict in the Gaza Strip continues to reach Tucson.

About 500 people gathered at 7 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E. Fifth St., to show support of Israel’s actions.

At the same time, about 100 people showed up to protest the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

Dina Afek, an Israeli citizen, said the organized Jewish community is having an event here in support of Israel and “we are here to show that the (whole) Jewish community is not in support of Israeli government policy,” Afek said. “I feel instead of dropping bombs, the Israeli government should stop the siege. This violence is creating a whole new generation of people who will grow up hating Israel.”

But supporters say Israeli has a right to protect itself.

“So many criticize Israel and ask Israel to get out of Gaza. It’s important to tell Israelis we are with you at this time. People in Israel are struggling, especially in the south even though they left Gaza, rocket attacks continue,” said Moshe Babelpour, director of the Israel Center. “We are continuing to get all of the missiles. Our operations in Gaza is not against the civilian people, it’s against Hamas, a terrorist organization. Israel has a right to protect itself and its children.”

The “Standing with Israel” event was sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona in conjunction with local synagogues.

Tucson police said there were no incidents during the rally.

The event comes after a Friday rally at DeAnza Park where about 150 Muslims of the American-Islamic Relations gathered to protest the violence against Gazan civilians.

On Sunday, thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships surrounded Gaza’s largest city and fought militants at close range, the first full day of an overwhelming ground offensive in the coastal territory.

According to The Associated Press, since the ground assault began, 80 Palestinian civilians have been killed, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a Health Ministry official.

The new deaths brought the death toll in the Gaza Strip to 537 since Dec. 27. The tally is based on figures from the U.N. and Palestinian health officials as well as a count by The Associated Press.

Five Israelis have been killed since the offensive began. One soldier has been killed in the ground operation and about 40 were wounded,

Israel said it has inflicted a heavy blow against Hamas as it expands a weeklong offensive meant to stop rocket fire on southern Israel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.S. Sen. John McCain says the best cure for losing a campaign is to “get busy and get back to work,” and that’s what he plans to do in January when Congress reconvenes.

In a visit Tuesday with the Tucson Citizen Editorial Board, McCain touched on the war in Afghanistan, former vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin, immigration and President-elect Barack Obama.

But the former presidential candidate kept returning to dollars and cents, saying the U.S. is facing “the toughest and gravest economic challenge of our lifetime.”

McCain said he looks forward to working on an economic stimulus package, and the solution to the crisis lies largely with finding a way to solve the mortgage crisis.

“It was the housing crisis that triggered this tsunami, and it should be housing that brings us out,” he said.

Immigration reform remains a priority for McCain, but it will play second fiddle to working on the economy.

“There’s agreement (with Obama) that the issue has to be addressed, and I can’t put words in the mouth of the president-elect, but I think it’s very obvious that the economy is the number one . . . priority right now,” McCain said.

Temporary workers have to be part of any immigration reform that eventually comes before Congress, McCain said.

“I’ll tell you again, and I’m not ashamed or embarrassed: These are God’s children and there has to be a humane solution.”

McCain, who wears the bracelet of a soldier killed in the war, called Afghanistan the “central front” in the war on terror, describing the situation on the ground as “very serious.”

The senator recently returned from a visit to the Middle East and India and said he believes that the talk of “anti-Americanism has been exaggerated.”

“I think our image in the world can be improved, and I think we have a lot of work to do,” he said. “But America is still the most influential country in the world and a force for good.”

Obama “starts with a tremendous reservoir of good will,” McCain said.

“People are enthusiastic and excited by his presence. It is a great opportunity to mend fences.”

McCain, who wore a blue suit with a lavender and blue tie, said it is too early to endorse his former running mate Palin in a run for national office.

“I think she’s going to be an enormous beneficial influence in our party,” McCain said. “But suppose Jon Kyl announced he was running for president? It’s just way too early.”

As for himself, McCain said he’s done with runs for the presidency, but has “every intention of running” for the Senate in 2010.

Requests for tickets to Barack Obama’s inauguration have vastly outstripped the state’s House and Senate delegations’ capacity to deliver the sought-after passes to witness history.

The only way to get a ticket to the West Front of the Capitol is through a member of Congress but both of Arizona’s U.S. senators have stopped taking requests.

Sen. Jon Kyl will take requests for a waiting list but his office is taking a first come, first served approach, as is Sen. John McCain.

Senators expect to get about 350 tickets and representatives are limited to 198 apiece.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ office has received more than 500 requests and her staff is planning a lottery to decide who scores ticket.

“How that lottery will work has not been determined,” said Giffords spokesman C.J. Karamargin.

Giffords has set a Sunday deadline for requests, which her office is asking be e-mailed to: az08schedule@mail.house.gov.

Requests should include name of requester; e-mail address; mailing address; contact phone in Arizona; contact phone while in Washington, D.C.; and number of tickets requested.

The winners must pick up their tickets in Washington.

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva’s office will take requests over the phone at 622-6788.

No deadline had been established as of Wednesday.

“It’s obvious that people in Arizona are excited about this upcoming historic event,” Karamargin said.

Those without tickets but who plan to be in Washington anyway can watch on outdoor television monitors being set up on the National Mall.

Huckelberry says process to ensure security takes time

Pima County residents will have to wait a day, at least, to find out who won state, local and congressional races because increased security will delay vote counting, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said Monday.

The county Democratic and Libertarian parties pressed the county Elections Department to stop transmitting elections results from polling places to a central tabulating computer. Instead, the computers from the polling places will be driven to the tabulation center on South Mission Road, where they will be connected to the main computer and the vote results uploaded. The paper ballots will also be collected, stored and locked in a large bag, brought to a regional collection facility, inventoried and then shipped to the tabulation center. There are 372 polling places in the county.

“The process we are using to ensure security is time consuming,” Huckelberry said. In the Sept. 2 primary, the county wasn’t finished uploading results until 5 a.m. Sept. 3. Pima County was the last county in the state to have 100 percent of precincts counted, hours after Maricopa County had reached 100 percent although that Phoenix area county has tens of thousands more ballots cast.

For the Nov. 4 general election, poll workers will take the tabulation equipment to one of 13 receiving stations ahead of the rest of the equipment and ballots.

That could save an hour but transmitting the data would be much faster, Huckelberry said.

After election day, there will be as many as 30,000 early and provisional ballots that must be verified and counted, which will leave close races in doubt for days, County Elections Director Brad Nelson said.

However, transmitting the results is not secure and counting votes at the elections division should not take that long, said Jeff Rogers, county Democratic Party vice chairman.

“We haven’t been using modems for that long,” Rogers said. “The results were being relayed (until the mid-1990s) in a different fashion but we had them in time for the evening news.”

By taking hours to count the ballots, the county has pushed the blame to the Democrats and Libertarians, Rogers said.

“They have created a lot of bottlenecks and they are dragging their feet,” Rogers said.

Rogers and the Democrats also are critical of how workers from 4 in 10 polling places during the primary election did not secure the ballots properly as required by county procedure.

“The performance of the Elections Division has been abysmal,” he said.

Huckelberry agreed that some errors in elections are inexcusable, but said such mistakes happen in every election. The difference this time is that the county is recording the mistakes and trying to fix them, Huckelberry said.

“Is it all going to be perfect? No,” Huckelberry said. “But it can be better than it is.”

Secretary of State Jan Brewer will discuss 8 propositions

Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer will come to Tucson Tuesday to discuss the eight ballot measures to be put to state voters in the November election.

At 1 p.m., she will be at the Pascua Yaqui Tribal Council Chambers, 7474 Camino de Oeste.

At 6 p.m., she will be at El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, 101 W. Irvington Road.

Supporters and opponents of the ballot measures have been invited to take part in the discussion.

For more information, call the Secretary of State’s Office, 602-542-4285, or go to www.azsos.gov.

WASHINGTON – Just when you thought the 2008 presidential campaign couldn’t get more dramatic, it took another shocking turn Wednesday, with John McCain suspending his advertising and rallies and calling for the postponement of Friday night’s first presidential debate.

McCain said he was returning from the campaign trail to the Senate, where he has been largely absent since April, to help forge a solution to the credit and mortgage crises that have rocked the nation’s financial markets over the past 10 days.

McCain, the Republican nominee, and his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, issued a statement of shared principles they think should be included in any financial rescue plan. But they disagreed on the need to call off the campaign until any such plan is signed into law.

“I am calling on the president to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself,” McCain said, reading a brief statement from New York City. “It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.”

Was it politics or statesmanship? Leadership or calculation? The answer is in the eyes of the beholder. But if nothing else, McCain rattled the campaign’s course as it was about to enter a crucial phase of four debates over 19 days.

Obama rejected the postponement and continued to prepare for the debate.

“It is my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess,” Obama said in Florida. “I think that it is going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once.”

One thing is certain: The economic crisis and the presidential campaign merge at a time of historic doubt about the nation’s political institutions. President Bush, who addressed the nation on the financial crisis Wednesday evening, has had job-approval numbers in the mid-20 percent to low-30 percent range for months. Public approval of Congress has dipped even lower than that.

Bush, who depicted his rescue plan as a necessary step in the prime-time address, said he invited McCain, Obama and congressional leaders to the White House Thursday to discuss how to move the legislation in Congress along. Obama’s campaign spokesman Bill Burton said Obama would attend, but still believed the debate should go on, as scheduled.

For many Americans, the doom-and-gloom prophesies about the meltdowns on Wall Street and Main Street are coming from flawed messengers, whose rhetoric might be seen as fear-mongering rather than problem-solving.

Both McCain and Obama said that Obama had called McCain around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to discuss issuing a joint statement calling for a resolution of the problem. McCain was busy and they did not actually discuss it until about 2:30. They generally agree on bipartisan oversight of the estimated $700 billion bailout, elimination of “golden parachutes” for executives of collapsed companies, and provisions to pay back the treasury with recovered assets.

But the two candidates diverged from there, with McCain saying he believed Congress was at an impasse and that more dramatic measures than a joint statement were necessary from the two presidential candidates.

“I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time,” McCain said.

But Obama warned that he and McCain could unnecessarily interject presidential politics at the wrong moment. Other Democrats seconded that concern, with Senate Banking Committee member Chuck Schumer of New York calling McCain’s move “weird” and accusing him of playing politics after being absent for months in the Senate.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of McCain’s closest friends, said McCain was again putting country over self-interest.

“The next seven days could determine the financial well-being of this country,” Graham told CNN. “We can postpone the debate for a week.”

As of Wednesday evening, the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates was going ahead with planning for the 90-minute debate, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday (Tucson time) at the University of Mississippi.

Contact GNS Political Writer Chuck Raasch at craasch@gns.gannett.com.

Freshman Democrat Giffords faces challenge from state Senate President Tim Bee

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and state Senate President Tim Bee will square off Saturday in their first televised debate in their campaign to represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, encompassing southeastern Arizona.

The hourlong debate between Giffords, a freshman Democrat, and Bee, her Republican challenger, will start at 7 p.m. at the University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Ballroom.

The debate will be aired on the UA Channel and on KUAZ 89.1 FM and 1550 AM radio. Cox 7 and KUAT Channel 6 will rebroadcast the debate at later dates.

Cox Communications, Arizona Public Media, the League of Women Voters and the Associated Students of the University of Arizona are sponsoring the debate.

Tucson Citizen Political Writer Blake Morlock, Arizona Daily Star Editorial Page Editor Ann Brown, KUAT’s Christopher Conover and UA journalism and political science senior Daniel Sullivan will be the moderators.

John Brakey charged with trespass at county elections headquarters

One of the most vocal critics of the Pima County Elections Division was arrested Friday during the audit of ballots following Tuesday’s primary elections.

John R. Brakey, a citizen activist who has been a thorn in the side of county officials over questions about the security of the county’s elections and ballot tabulating processes, was cited for criminal trespass and then released after refusing to leave the county’s 3434 E. 22nd St. elections headquarters.

He was questioning why some ballot bags were improperly sealed before being transferred from polling places to the headquarters, he said.

“They ticketed me and then released me,” Brakey said Sunday about the incident.

Pima County elections officials said Brakey was “disrupting the process” and ordered to leave the building but refused.

Brakey said he was credentialed as an official elections observer for both the Pima County Democratic Party and Pima County Libertarian Party and had a right to ask such questions.

He was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass after a Pima County Sheriff’s deputy was called to escort him from the building by county elections officials, Brakey said.

“They (election workers) were doing nothing – sitting in a room and chitchatting,” Brakey said.

The offense carries a fine of up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail.

Brakey was one of the computer experts who testified for the Pima County Democratic Party in its successful suit to force Pima County to release electronic vote databases from all elections back to the late 1990s.

Pima County elections officials say they have wrapped up vote counting in the District 26 Arizona House of Representatives Republican primary.

Unofficial returns show Republican Vic Williams with 9670 votes, or 36.16 percent. The second place finisher according to the Pima County elections department is Trent Humphries with 8517 votes, or 31.85 percent.

The third place finisher was Republican Marilyn Zerull with 8475 votes, or 31.69.

The top two Republican finishers advance to the general election in Nov. where they’ll face Democrats Donald Jorgensen and Nancy Young Wright.

3,000 provisional ballots to be counted Saturday

A new round of county voter returns – almost 72 hours after polls closed Tuesday – likely settled one state House of Representatives primary but a second got a lot murkier.

Former U.S. Army Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Frank Antenori advanced to the general election Friday as he opened up his lead over Republican opponents and secured the second-place finish needed to move past the primary election.

He nearly doubled his lead over Doug Sposito to 458 votes, as more than 5,000 early ballots were counted county-wide. Antenori will join first-place finisher David Gowan on the Republican slate against Democrat Andrea Dalessandro in Legislative District 30 which takes in much of the East Side and stretches south to Green Valley.

Republicans hold a strong edge in voter registration in District 30, giving Antenori and Gowan an advantage in November.

Meanwhile, in the race for District 26 House of Representatives, Republican Marilyn Zerull looks to have conceded too early. She was in third place behind Trent Humphries, trailing by 120 votes, and sent out an e-mail Thursday to supporters conceding the “vote count did not go my way.”

Well, the new numbers show her with a 10-vote lead over Humphries. She has 8,976 votes. Humphries has 8,966. That total is within the margin the state sets for mandatory recounts.

There are still roughly 3,000 provisional ballots still to be counted, which county election officials said they will count Saturday. Under Arizona’s voter ID law, voters who went to the polls without proper identification, or who had other problems with their ability to vote, were giving provisional ballots and had until 5 p.m. Friday to present proper identification to the county in order to have their ballot counted.

Zerull or Humphries, will join first-place finisher Vic Williams on the Republican ballot. They will face Democrats Don Jorgensen and Nancy Young Wright. District 26 takes in most of the Northwest Side including Oro Valley and the Catalina Foothills..

Republicans hold a smaller advantage in this district and Democrats won a House seat and the Senate seat in 2006.

Young Wright is the incumbent but was appointed after Lena Saradnik quit the Legislature this year after suffering a stroke.