We have had the Tucson Citizen delivered since I got here in 1961. It has been my “wind down” source of pleasure after a day at work; my primary source of local print news those 48 years. Often I have seen stories not covered elsewhere.

The reporters are some of the best I’ve ever read. I am going to miss walking down the drive to get it every afternoon.

Earl Wettstein

I started getting the paper in 1989 and liked the afternoon. You read a lot of news today that you will see in the next day’s morning paper. I also like the comics in the Citizen which you do not see in the morning paper. The main reason I stayed with the afternoon paper is the comics.

My subscription runs through September. Will you be switching delivery to the morning paper or am I stuck without a paper? Az Daily Star needs to use the comics from the Citizen.

Joe Undzilo

The Tucson Citizen is an old friend that has come to our house for 50 years. It is with disappointment that I will say goodbye to an important part of my life.

The Citizen was full of things that I enjoyed. I am a Wildcat supporter, so I always checked the happenings. I am an educator, so I always follow what the schools are reporting. I never miss the comic page because the day isn’t complete without Peanuts and Dennis the Menace. Also, Cal Thomas is tops in my book, and I always read his editorials. Now, where will I be able to read his thoughts on a weekly basis?

There is so much that I will miss. And now I won’t have the help hints and suggestions for where to shop for meal preparations, since I always check the ads.

Thanks to all the many people who have made this paper possible for many years. May each of the employees continue their activities to provide papers under a new name somewhere. This is a sad goodbye for me and many others in the Tucson area.

Peggy Powell

I am so sad as I have been collecting the Citizen’s articles for all the special occasions in our lives, as I am sure many people around the city does. I know my mom saved her copy of the paper when Japan surrendered and I know the Historical Society has papers from the past as that is the perfect way to track our history. I have all the copies of the paper when my kids were born.

This is a sad time for the city to see this paper go away. It is over – what? – 100 years old?

I am so sad to see the Tucson Citizen close its doors – isn’t there something the community can do to make it not close?

Beki Quintero

Just wanted to tell you about my family’s experiences with the Citizen. Three years ago, I drove my miniature horses in the Rodeo Parade. The paper chose our picture to put on the front page of one of the interior sections. That was really fun for me.

The most exciting thing happened Sept. 11, 2004. That was my daughter’s wedding day. The paper chose to put her on the front page pictured in her wedding dress. They used her wedding as a symbol of life going on after the nation’s 9/11 tragic experience. That made the day extra special for her and all of our family.

I want to thank the Citizen for their service to our community.

Becky Blankenship

For 50 years, the Tucson Citizen has been my favorite after-dinner reading. I moved to Tucson in 1959 as a young bride and always treasured that after-dinner time of learning what was happening in my town, country and world. You covered everything from astronomy to the zoo. You entertained me and helped me decide where to shop. You published our family births, marriages, and obituaries. Thank you.

Ellen A. Frank

I have lived in Tucson since 1972. Even as a freshman at Sahuaro High School, my quiet joy each day was scooping up the afternoon newspaper in the driveway, filling a bowl with far more than a recommended serving of cheapo ice cream, and settling down on the couch for my comfort moment. Reading the Tucson Citizen has remained my moment all these years; somehow the rustling of the papers smooths away the frazzles of the day as no other. I cannot imagine filling the hollow space in my sense of well-being. Curling up with a faded morning paper as the afternoon sun tilts in through the western windows will seem, hmmm, tepid. Alas,

Christy Voelkel

I just can’t believe you will not be delivered to our house every day. You are a REAL local newspaper, the kind I cut up and send to my kids in North Carolina and Los Angeles almost every week. Gabrielle Fimbres has been a favorite of mine for years. She is intelligent and sensitive. We trust your food reviews and count on Steve Rivera and Anthony Gimino to be fair and fun. I even love Mark Kimble on the radio. Truth be told, except for Argus Hamilton, I will miss you all so much. Thank you for caring about our community for all these years. I can provide albondigas to any of you who would like to come by for interviewing coaching.

Gloria Alvillar

For the past 22 years, I have kept the history of the Tucson Children’s Museum by clipping news from our local papers and any other source that crossed my desk. By far, the scrapbooks show a far larger number of clippings from the Citizen. Even nicer, in my opinion, is frequently your paper would have interesting photographs of our events – undoubtedly these catch one’s eye faster than the print data. The Tucson Children’s Museum shall certainly miss your support for this unique museum.

Dr. Evelyn Carswell-Bing

Founder, Tucson Children’s Museum

When we first moved from California to Green Valley a little over five years ago, we researched which newspaper would be the best match for us – for news, editorials – and the comic section. The comic section was the big swing vote! So, even though we both enjoy reading the newspaper first thing in the morning, we easily adjusted to “saving” the afternoon Tucson Citizen until the next morning.

We have since grown to appreciate the articles by Anne T. Denogean (straight talk), Anthony Gimino (thoughtful and educational sports insight), and Ryn Gargulinski (about-town humor) as well as the efforts by all the staff to improve the newspaper and keep it going. We will miss you!

Bob and Lois Hallinan

I learned to read by my father reading the Citizen to me, showing me the pictures and reading the captions underneath.

I got my comics habit, which lasts to this day, by reading the Saturday funnies.

While there is something good to be said about reading various newspapers online, that will never replace the actual, physical version of those papers.

First thing I do when visiting another city is to pick up a copy of their newspaper.

There is no better source to aid in finding out what’s going on in that city than their newspaper.

The Citizen is responsible for all that.

Robert Diedrich

I was a paperboy for the Tucson Daily Citizen, and I am showing my age by proudly admitting it, in the early ’70s.

It was my first job and I still have fond memories of gathering at the “drop” site at a friend’s house in midtown Tucson. There we met, folded and bagged the papers, and were off. I, on a red Schwinn, complete with baskets, purchased from Kittle’s Bike Shop. Rain or shine, or dogs, the Citizen had to be delivered . . . and it was. We were also responsible for the Sunday Arizona Star and I must thank my mom for her invaluable help and car on some of those cold, dark mornings.

The job afforded my friends and I extra pocket money for the essentials of the day. Cinnamon toothpicks, “clackers,” 8 tracks, saladitos, and mix and match sodas from Pleasure Time.

It will truly be a sad day for Tucson should the Citizen go the way of Marshall KGUN, Jácome’s and Bob’s Big Boy on Speedway. Besides, the Citizen was always a better read than The Star.

Sincerely,

Michael G. Ciaccio

I can’t tell you how disappointed my family is that the Tucson Citizen will be closing down after having been in business for so many years. We much prefer the Tucson Citizen to the AZ Daily Star for local news and information on upcoming events in town. The articles have been wonderful and interesting and the photography is so stunning on some articles that I’ve saved many of them in a scrapbook to show out-of-town visitors so they can get a feel for Tucson.

I hope that if the Tucson Citizen really is going to be closed down that the AZ Daily Star will incorporate sections of the Citizen into their (very skinny these days) newspaper and give some of the employees of the Tucson Citizen jobs!

This just seems to me like another example of Tucson not appreciating what is has got going for it and so far as articles I’ve recently read about Web readers putting other newspapers out of business, all I can say is there is nothing like sitting down at the kitchen table in the morning with your coffee (or tea) and reading a real newspaper.

A very disappointed Tucson Citizen reader,

Jan McKeighen

Years ago the Tucson Daily Citizen featured a weekly children’s crossword puzzle called “Citizen Charlie.” Upon completion of the puzzle, one would then mail it as an entry for a weekly drawing.

As many times as I tried, my winning a drawing just didn’t occur. Regardless, the process of doing the crossword with the anticipation of winning a prize gave me enjoyment.

Thank you Citizen Charlie!

Tim O’Connor

Per your request for memories of the Citizen, I can tell you many. In the late ’40s and into the mid-1950s, I sold the paper at the corner of Speedway and Park. The paper was 10 cents a copy then and I spent many afternoons yelling: “Get your Tucson Daily Citizen right here. Just 10 cents a copy. Get the paper right here.”

My very best memory of the Citizen happened in the mid-1950s. I was fortunate enough to attend the Triangle Ranch Camp through the YMCA and was there for many years, first, as a camper, then as kitchen help to our great chef Tommy Hudson. Then after a 2-year run in the kitchen, I was promoted to a tent counselor by Mr. Chick Hawkins. Chick Hawkins was the “y” and chief of Triangle Y Ranch Camp.

During one of the many summers spent at the camp outside of Oracle, a reporter and a photographer from the Citizen came to camp to do a story and take pictures of it. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the boys to show an archery layout. I was pretty good at archery at the time and the Citizen made me the happiest alive. My picture was on the front page of the paper. With my bow and arrow at the ready to shoot at the target. WOW! The front page demonstrating archery. I am now 65 years old and have forgotten a lot over the years, but I will never forget that evening paper and I was on the front page.

Many thanks for giving me those memories and I am so very sorry to see the demise of the Tucson Daily Citizen.

Thank You,

Curt Melton

The impending demise of the Tucson Citizen tolls a note of sadness for many of us who have benefited from its place in our community. This longstanding, historic periodical offered a forum for the presentation of news and other items of a local bent. More than any other publication in this town, the Citizen encouraged its readers to contribute from their hearts and their pens.

It was quite by accident (thanks to a rather inept carrier of the morning paper) that we even developed a relationship with the Citizen – one that sustained us for over 30 years. Just 10 years ago (Thanksgiving 1998), I submitted my first contribution in the form of a guest opinion eulogizing our friend George Moffat, a Tucson businessman and singer who had recently passed away.

Subsequent articles I was motivated to write included pieces on the National WWII Memorial and the Greatest Generation, eulogies commemorating the lives and contributions of Rudy Thompson, O.M. Hartsell, Rex Redhouse and Maggie Dixon as well as articles praising the giving spirit of high school students who collected items for our troops in Iraq. From a selfish standpoint, favorite musings included Flag Day tributes to my dad and an article I wrote reminiscing about my 35 years as a student and teacher at Sahuaro High School.

The Citizen published numerous letters to the editor that allowed me to express my opinion on matters of personal interest and concern. Most especially, we will cherish the Tucson Citizen articles that chronicled our two boys’ athletic and academic endeavors, their graduation and wedding announcements, and other features that revealed programs in which my wife, Joan, and I have been involved.

Thankfully, the Citizen provided an outlet for me, and others, to engage in a hobby away from our normal professions. To all those who have filled the pages of our evening newspaper with provocative, heartwarming and challenging verbiage I offer a sincere word of thanks and best wishes for the future.

Dr. David Ashcraft

For many years, there was no other paper in town, so far as I was concerned, and Don Schellie’s column was one of my favorites. So, when a copy came that said it would reveal “The Thing,” which was then featured at a roadside attraction near Willcox, I could hardly wait, the next night, for that paper to come. I had always been curious about The Thing but my (then) husband would never stop, even though we had gone past it a number of times. Of course, many people gave me descriptions of what it was. One guy even said it was Hitler’s old Volkswagen.

So, I was eagerly waiting for that copy of the Citizen to arrive. But instead of a picture of The Thing, there was nothing but a full page of black ink! Boy! Was I disappointed! So disappointed that I wrote a letter to Don Schellie telling him about my page of black ink. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when, one evening, I read a front-page teaser that said “Sorry Dodie”! The front of Section B included my letter plus a picture of the real Thing. I have still never seen The Thing in person, even though my husband, Curt, and I later lived in Willcox for a number of years. We went past that attraction hundreds of times – usually at night after it had closed. But, at least, I knew what it was.

I truly mourned Don’s passing, and really missed one of my favorite Citizen features.

It was great to have my 15 minutes of fame.

Dolores D. (Dodie Leifheit) Melton

It was February of 1947 when my parents, with me and my toddler brother, moved from Albuquerque to Tucson.

We moved into a brand-new home on East Lee Street, three blocks east of Country Club.

El Rancho Shopping Center didn’t exist yet; neither did Catalina High School.

“Karl” delivered the Citizen on horseback! The size of the Citizen allowed you to “fold and tuck” it into a square of about 8 inches to 10 inches – and that baby could fly! Failure to “porch” your deliveries was inexcusable!

Good memories? Oh yeah. Am I going to miss “my” Citizen? You better believe it!

Chuck Putney

The Tucson Citizen has been a guest in our home since we landed in Tucson. I remember the early Citizen, the one before the Gannett purchase. The date of that purchase, I do not recall; however, I didn’t notice the violent lurch to the “left” until the summer of 2004. However, this is a time for fond remembrances.

As we recount these miles gone by, it was very much appreciated the coverage our high schools received. Spotlight game of the week (football) profiled on Thursday, great coverage on Friday and then the write-up on Saturday. We so looked forward to that and read the coverage, even when we (CDO) lost. I still have some of the articles.

Why? you wonder!! Don’t we all clip and save when our children are mentioned and lauded? Oh yea!!!

Corky was a must read. Always positive and wrote in a way that we felt we knew him. One of his most memorable columns was about his daughter who had been diagnosed with cancer. Such a beautiful and heartfelt column. Thank you, Corky. We miss you.

Jeff Smith. Some of his columns were laugh-out-loud funny, especially those written during his first stint at the Citizen. The columns he wrote while recuperating from his horrible accident were not humorous, but were informative. Jeff, here’s hoping this finds you well and practicing your trade with gusto.

Such gifts Corky and Jeff are blessed with. Both of you have been sorely missed.

Mark Kimble, another gifted writer. The columns I choose to remember are the ones he wrote about his family and growing up in Tucson. However, the one he wrote about the loss of his brother was chilling and heartwrenching. Tragic.

I hope many of you were treated to the remembrances of Mr. Roy Drachman. The Citizen did itself proud when those columns were run. I eagerly awaited each installment. Mr. Drachman brought the Old Pueblo alive as only one who could have lived those days so very long ago when Tucson and Mr. Drachman, et al., were young.

Don Schellie (RIP). Such a talent and gone much too soon. His columns were terrific, as were he and his family.

I’ve bloviated enough, but you invited us to write; therefore, I have.

In summary, before the summer of 2004, the Citizen was a welcome guest in our home. Since that summer, so much of the time it felt like an intruder.

Thank you and all kinds of good luck to each and every one of you.

Helen Nicola

Never in my 66 years of life have I formed a true relationship with my newspaper, like I have the Tucson Citizen.

Only living here in Tucson for four years, however, I am still so saddened to hear that it will be discontinued very soon.

This paper appears to be much more conservative than your morning paper, and I will have to find something good about your alternative.

But I will never find a cartoon more enjoyed than BUCKLES. I always felt so happy to see this cartoon as he is exactly (with expressions and all!) my own dog. I would even cut the cartoon out for other dog lovers, as these series exemplify our family dogs being a real part of our families.

So very sad to see you go

Lyn & John Kilian

I moved to Tucson in 1975. I liked getting the afternoon paper so I read the Citizen. Losing the Citizen is like so many things that have made Tucson home for me.

One of them is kind of a combination of Tucson Citizen and the Tucson Toros. This has special meaning and memories for me as back in April of 1978 I took my 4-year-old daughter, Christina, to a Toros game. When I got to Hi Corbett field, a guy took Christina’s picture. The guy asked my name and I thought no more about it. The next day my mother-in-law called to tell us that Christina’s picture was on the front page of the Citizen. It sure made our day.

Thank you guys for being here all those years.

Allen P. Stark

Kathy Laird shows the page she laid out for The Young Citizen.

I recall a very special good Citizen experience: The Young Citizen.

Local high school journalism enthusiasts were afforded the opportunity of a lifetime to work with grown-up, real reporters and photographers in a Citizen program called the Young Citizen. This program, under the direction of the late Citizen columnist Don Schellie involved an editor and a reporter from each area high school.

There were 12 participating high schools at the time.

Every Saturday morning we checked in at the old Star-Citizen building on North Stone Avenue.

We then gathered in a corner of the newsroom trying to maintain our high school cool, as we were in the midst of real newspaper reporters.

Weekly, we typed our highly relevant and newsworthy articles on IBM Selectric typewriters.

Each Saturday one lucky editor had the honor of laying out the entire page with all completed articles.

I still have the page I laid out from 1970 and all my printed articles.

As a group, we brainstormed on headlines and counted the point value of each letter to be sure they would fit (English, creative writing, layout and design, and math).

If we felt our articles warranted a photograph, we scheduled a staff photographer to shoot photos of what they probably considered some of the most benign, silly subjects.

They never complained (to us) and it was always thrilling to see not only our article but accompanying photos which, of course, lend credence to the value of our writing efforts.

Every Wednesday afternoon, we anxiously awaited the arrival of the Citizen to see our names and precious articles in print.

What a thrill this program was to me and other budding journalists.

As an assistant and editor representing Sunnyside High School from 1968 to 1970, I can’t tell you how terrific the gracious, gentle Schellie made us all feel as valued members of the newspaper staff. What an honor it was to work with him.

The Citizen treated us at the start of each school year with a breakfast and celebrated the end of the year with a nice dinner (one of which was at the historic Pioneer Hotel).

We all received our names in typeset and graduating seniors received silver and turquoise key chains personalized with their initials.

As if all that wasn’t enough, at the end of each month we received a paycheck representing $5 for every Saturday we worked.

Twenty bucks a month for writing four stories was pretty respectable compensation in 1968-70 (remember we baby-sat for 50 cents an hour and gas was around 25 cents a gallon).

As a three-year varsity pompom leader who cheered our Blue Devils on to victory (or not) every Friday night and who had to get up early every Saturday morning to head downtown to the Citizen newsroom (thanks, Dad), it was often a struggle.

But once you signed in with security, entered the smoked-filled newsroom, heard the sound of typewriter keys banging out the daily news, you couldn’t stem the excitement of starting your own story.

So, hats off to the Citizen for the innovative Young Citizen program to involve local journalism students in getting our stories out there, for the gracious and respectful manner in which they treated us, for the priceless opportunity they offered us. You have our love and respect – and they can’t take that away.

Kathy York Laird

Newspaper carriers gather at the Tucson Citizen sometime between 1914 and 1940, when it was downtown at Stone Avenue and Jackson Street. "The building and its equipment are designed to save time and labor," a Citizen story said.

The year must have been about 1938 when one of my older brothers decided I was too attached to my mother’s apron strings. He told mom and me I was to start working at the Citizen newspaper as a newsboy selling the paper.

My brother had been a newsboy but was now working inside. Giving out the papers and checking in the vendors was one of his duties. He had been recruited by two friends and neighbors, Frank and Ed Casanova. Frank later became circulation manager for the Citizen.

When the Casanovas took my brother to the Citizen, they signed him up as Mandrake, a nickname they gave him because of a “Beanie cap” he used. I was signed up under the same name. People thought it was a family name.

There was a code among newsboys at that time that was honored by the vendors. Some of the boys had “corners” or areas where only they could sell the paper. I was assigned to the Pioneer Hotel, the best “corner” of all. I am sure my brother and the Casanovas had something to do with that.

A corner across the street from the Pioneer Hotel, where Steinfeld’s and later Jacome’s department stores were located, belonged to the Carr brothers. They were the only African-American newsboys at the time. Their given names were Robert E. Lee and Daniel Boone.

While selling the Citizen at the Pioneer Hotel, I often saw entertainment stars.

One day the Pioneer Hotel bellhop captain asked me and my friend, George Arce, to pose with a tall gentleman for a still camera picture. He later gave us a picture copy each. It turned out the tall gent was Marion Morrison, better known as John Wayne.

I remember that when I started as a newsboy, the Citizen was located at a building that later became the Chamber of Commerce, in the area close to St. Augustine Cathedral. The newspaper at that time cost 3 cents, but soon went to 5 cents. Newsboys were better off when the paper cost 3 cents because you checked in 2 cents and kept 1 cent. Many people gave you a nickel and said “keep it,” so you made 3 cents. When the paper went up to 5 cents, you had to check in 3 cents and kept 2.

Close by the Citizen building and across the street from the cathedral was Brichta’s Service Station, which was a newsboy and carrier hangout. Some of us left our bicycles there while we sold the paper.

Many newsboys became carriers and office help, as with my brother and the Casanovas. Edgar Suarez sold papers during my time and kept working for the Citizen until his retirement. He must have worked there over 50 years. Some other relatives were printers at the Citizen: Cousin Albert Elias, cousin Arturo Moreno and his father before him, Francisco Moreno, who founded “El Tucsonense,” a Spanish-language Tucson newspaper. Most of Arturo’s 10 children worked for the Citizen in some capacity. The Tully family was employed for many years and there were others.

After 70 years of reading this newspaper, I will miss it very much. The sports pages through the years, especially when Corky Simpson wrote, were top-notch. The comics were for the most part superior. I still remember Blondie, Joe Palooka, Lil Abner, Dick Tracy and many more.

Some people say the paper became too liberal, others say it was too conservative. Older readers like myself just took it all in and formed our own opinions. I would say a contributing factor to the demise of newspapers is all the new electronic media. People now find it easier than reading a newspaper. I regret the loss of jobs for the staff and wish them well in relocating.

Adios. Au revoir. Auf wiedersehen. And goodbye.

Thomas F. Elias

Kececioglu

Someday, genomic sequence testing will help doctors identify whether newborns will develop health problems later in life.

That may seem like science fiction now, but improved technologies and techniques are making genetic sequencing quicker and far less expensive.

Mapping the human genome the first time cost about $3 billion, said John Kececioglu, University of Arizona associate professor of computer science and BIO5 Institute member. Some operations have brought the price down to $5,000.

Kececioglu is conference chair for RECOMB2009, an international conference on computational molecular biology research that will run Sunday through Thursday in Tucson.

Genomic sequencing determines the order of key components in genetic material. Abnormalities such as mutations can mean certain diseases are likely to develop.

All biological processes are governed by the 3 billion lettered segments and their order in human DNA, he said.

“There is a goal to have a $1,000 genome test that a person can actually purchase,” Kececioglu said. “Companies are making use of this data to uncover what disease susceptibilities an individual has.”

Genomics and the environment, including such behaviors as smoking and drinking, contribute to disease, and researchers are trying to offer insights on DNA’s role in the equation, he said.

In addition to identifying the diseases a person is likely to get, markers in a sequenced genome can offer information on which drugs and therapies will best help a person prevail against a specific type of cancer or other disease, he said.

“It’s key to prevention,” Kececioglu said. “It could make health care much more efficient and effective.”

“It’s certainly becoming affordable,” he said. “You do it once in a lifetime. Your genome does not change.”

Continued decreases in price could make use of the tests more commonplace.

If the cost drops to $1,000, it could make economic sense to sequence DNA on all 4 million children born in the United States each year, said Rade Drmanac, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Complete Genomics Inc.

Drmanac will participate in a RECOMB2009 industry panel discussion on personalized genomics.

His Mountain View, Calif., company offers sequencing to research organizations and drug discovery firms for $5,000.

Sequencing efficiencies are expected to increase in the next two to three years, he said, and costs will continue to go down, opening the door for widespread use of the technology.

“The bottom line is we know that having complete and accurate genome sequencing is an absolutely necessary basis for the advance of low-cost health care,” Drmanac said. “We need to do complete genome sequencing to find the genomic basis for disease.”

Pre-diagnosis leading to targeted checkups and early detection can save lives.

Although information from sequencing can benefit health, some fear it could also be used by insurance companies to deny coverage, Kececioglu said.

“The privacy issues are very important. That information is not shared with anyone besides the patient,” he said.

RECOMB2009 will attract 275 top researchers in the computational, mathematical and biological sciences coming from 18 nations, Kececioglu said. It is not open to the public, however.

The BIO5-hosted event, he said, will offer the latest information on how computers help make sense of the huge amount of bioresearch data being produced.

Leslie Boyer, director of the Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response Institute, holds a tube containing a dead bark scorpion at her office at Drachman Hall, 1295 N. Martin Ave.

Dawn Bray worried she might lose a second child to a scorpion’s sting.

A bark scorpion stung her 6-year-old son Morgan last May. As the family rushed him to the hospital in Globe, a wave of fear came over Bray. Six years earlier, in May 2002, she lost her 2-year-old son Dally to a bark scorpion’s sting.

“When Morgan got bit, I was thinking that it was happening again,” Bray recalled this week. “With another son, we would have the same outcome.”

From Globe, doctors flew Morgan to Tucson for treatment. He received a dose of Anascorp, a scorpion antivenin used widely Mexico but not approved for general use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Morgan made a speedy recovery. Just hours after his treatment, the Brays ate dinner together at a McDonald’s before making the two-hour drive back to their home about 25 miles south of Globe.

Morgan’s survival means that his brother “did not die in vain,” Bray said.

After Dally’s death, the Brays met with Leslie Boyer, director of the University of Arizona’s Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response Institute. Dally received an antivenin but died anyway, his mother said. The family wanted answers.

Of the 60 scorpion species and subspecies in the U.S., only the Arizona bark scorpion is dangerous to humans; consequently, scorpion sting deaths are exceedingly rare in the United States, with fewer than a half-dozen in the past decade. But in equatorial countries more people die of scorpion stings than venomous snake bites. More than 1,000 people a year die from scorpion stings in Mexico, according to an article in eMedicine, an online medical journal.

Two years after Dally’s death, Boyer and a team of UA researchers began studying Anascorp, a drug Mexican doctors used regularly to treat those severely affected by scorpion stings. The UA researchers published their findings in the May 14 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study focused on 15 children hospitalized for severe reactions to scorpion stings in 2004 and 2005. Eight received Anascorp, which the FDA considers an “investigational drug.” Seven received a placebo.

Symptoms of nerve poisoning disappeared in less than four hours in the children treated with the antivenin. In the placebo group, symptoms lasted for several hours. Children not treated with Anascorp required sedation and longer hospital stays, the study found.

Bark scorpion venom “goes to every nerve of the body and tells them, ‘Fire!’ ” Boyer said.

In the worst cases, the bark scorpion’s venom can cause respiratory failure.

Scorpions sting about 8,000 people in Arizona every year. In Mexico, where Anascorp is widely available, scorpions sting 250,000 people a year.

In about 200 cases a year in the U.S., usually involving children, nerve poisoning becomes severe enough to require hospitalization.

Children in Tucson can go to a hospital emergency room for treatment, Boyer said. “But what about the baby in Morenci, the toddler in Globe?”

The UA study has expanded to include 24 Arizona hospitals. About 600 patients have received Anascorp since 2004, Boyer said.

Even in rural areas, severely affected children can receive the treatment within an hour of getting stung, the doctor said.

Whether the study’s findings will lead to FDA approval remains unclear. “We’re the only state in the country where this is important,” Boyer said.

For the Brays, it was a matter of life and death.

“Dr. Boyer was our angel,” Bray said. “If she trusted it, we trusted it.”

Dr. Leslie Boyer holds a tube containing a dead bark scorpion.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Legislature has approved a plan to close the current state budget’s growing shortfall by delaying some spending and using federal stimulus money. It also moves to trim the next budget’s shortfall by grabbing some school district money.

House and Senate votes Wednesday nearly tracked partisan lines as the chambers approved the Republican plan negotiated with Gov. Jan Brewer to close the current budget’s projected $650 million shortfall.

Brewer, a Republican, is expected to sign the two-bill package into law.

“If these bills are passed, they will receive the governor’s support,” Eileen Klein, Brewer’s budget director, told a legislative committee before the House and Senate votes.

The Legislature approved a midyear budget-balancing plan in January to close a $1.6 billion shortfall, but deteriorating revenue collections have produced the expectation of the new shortfall at the June 30 end of the fiscal year.

Republican leaders unveiled the plan Tuesday and pressed for approval Wednesday, citing the state’s lack of cash to pay a $330 million payment to K-12 schools Friday.

The plan would use $250 million of federal stimulus money to replace state dollars for K-12 schools. It would postpone $100 million of university funding and $300 million in K-12 school funding into the next fiscal year.

State repayment of the postponed K-12 funding – nearly all of the payment scheduled for Friday – would then be reduced several months from now by amounts lawmakers say districts have saved above state limits.

Republican supporters said that taking the school districts’ money targets dollars that the districts’ legally can’t have or use and that sweeping it up will help avoid cuts in state aid for schools.

“If there was ever a time to reach into excess funds, this is the time to do so,” said Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa. “They’re going to be used to offset reductions for the classroom.”

Most Democrats protested the grab, saying it could force school districts to raise local property taxes to recoup money grabbed by the state.

“This a backdoor tax increase,” said Sen. Rebecca Rios, D-Apache Junction.

Amounts to be taken from districts have yet to be determined but estimates range up to $300 million.

Even with enactment of the new plan, lawmakers still face the challenge of closing a $3 billion shortfall to produce a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

By approving so-called “rollovers” of funding obligations into the next fiscal year, Republican lawmakers are following a course of using virtually any and all budget maneuvers before resorting to a temporary tax increase proposed by Brewer.

“What we’re doing here today is fighting off that potential tax increase,” said Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Chandler.

Brewer has exclusive authority to decide spending of most of the state’s stimulus money, and the $250 million allotment for the current fiscal year represents a compromise with legislators who wanted her to use more.

Some legislators said they wished Brewer used stimulus cash to close the current year’s entire shortfall, but Brewer originally wanted to use only $200 million so more could be saved for the next two fiscal years.

“She did compromise,” said Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman.

PHOENIX – A top aide to Gov. Jan Brewer testified before a legislative committee and shared thoughts on the state’s budget crisis on Wednesday, a development that some lawmakers called overdue.

Budget Director Eileen Klein told the House Appropriations Committee that the governor supported legislation to close a shortfall in the current state budget.

Several lawmakers’ comments and questions to Klein focused on their perceptions that Brewer hasn’t given the Legislature a detailed read on how and when she plans to spend federal stimulus money.

Klein said Brewer intends to spread the money over several years and hasn’t made that a secret.

Lawmakers responded by saying they want specifics, and the more the better.

PHOENIX – Arizona Treasurer Dean Martin says the state is back in the red and again is being forced to rely on short-term borrowing to pay its bills.

Martin told legislators that the state’s worsening cash-flow situation put its operating accounts $34.7 million in the red as of Wednesday.

He said the state would need to borrow to make a $330 million payment due to K-12 schools on Friday. Legislators are considering a proposal to postpone that payment into the next fiscal year.

Arizona was in the black for several weeks after the state resorted to short-term borrowing in late April for the first time since the Great Depression.

State officials said April tax collections were lower than expected, worsening a fiscal picture that was already grim.

Ever wonder what’s up when your dog incessantly chases his tail or your cat bats at your head?

You can find out Saturday if you attend Communicating with Your Pet, a free service from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at HOPE Animal Shelter, 2011 E. 12th St.

Reiki Master and pet socializer Judy Ferrigno will be on hand to spend time with folks who bring in their dog or cat for a 10- to 15-minute consultation.

For more information, call 792-9200 or visit Tucson’s only no-kill dog and cat shelter’s site at www.hopeanimalshelter.net.

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK – The main roadway leading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is set to reopen on Friday morning for the summer season.

Grand Canyon National Park officials say all North Rim facilities, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim, will also reopen on Friday.

Arizona State Route 67 leading to the North Rim was closed on Dec. 1 for the winter season. Most facilities closed on Oct. 15 and are set to close on Oct. 16 this year.

Rim operations also include camping, camper services, food services, groceries and a service station. Park rangers present daily programs.

The more popular South Rim of the canyon stays open year-round.

Forty-two months is the milestone date for the Plaza Centro project at the east end of downtown, as described in the city development agreement with developer Jim Campbell.

In those 3 1/2 years, the city pledges to design and build a roughly 375-space parking garage, while Campbell gets his 2.47-acre residential-and-commercial project ready to start construction as soon as the garage is finished.

Campbell, president of OasisTucson, a local development company, proposes to build 100 to 150 residential units targeted toward university students and 40,000 square feet of commercial space on two plots of land bisected by Congress Street. One lot is the former Greyhound lot just east of the Rialto Theatre and the other is across Congress just south of the Fourth Avenue underpass.

The City Council scrutinized the project in a Tuesday study session, with formal approval of the development agreement expected May 19.

Either the city or Campbell can terminate the contract if the 42-month tasks are not completed. However, the agreement spells out that Campbell “will not be deemed to be in breach . . . if developer is unable to secure financing . . . on commercially reasonable terms” as long as he resolves financing within two years of the garage’s completion.

Campbell would pay the appraised value for the land, which an appraiser will determine in the next 90 days. There is no preliminary inkling what the land is worth, said Lou Ginsberg, the city’s real estate program director.

The three-level garage would cost an estimated $3.5 million to $5 million and would potentially be funded with a revenue bond, City Attorney Mike Rankin and ParkWise coordinator Chris Leighton said.

Council members Regina Romero and Karin Uhlich were concerned about spending money on a public garage as the city is wrestling with a huge budget deficit.

“I think it’s proper to have a Plan B for that garage,” Romero said.

City Manager Mike Letcher, Leighton and the City Attorney’s Office will meet in the coming week to determine the financial feasibility of the garage.

“If it doesn’t pencil out, we don’t build a garage,” Assistant City Attorney Chris Avery said.

Leighton said in an interview that a 2004 parking study revealed that downtown has a shortage of about 1,000 spaces east of Stone Avenue and north of Broadway.

Campbell expects to invest $25 million to build three four-story housing structures – two on the Greyhound plot and one atop the garage – with a variety of commercial space on street level that could include a gym, retail, services and an Underpass Cafe. There would be walkways along all three sides, Campbell said.

The Plaza Centro project has been in the works for nearly four years, but has been on hold while the neighboring Fourth Avenue underpass was under construction.

In the meantime, Campbell was part of the brief life of the Downtown Tucson Development Co., which brought together financier Scott Stiteler, Williams & Dame Development and Campbell to master plan east downtown development from Sixth Street to Armory Park.

The partnership collapsed within two months earlier this year, Williams & Dame left town, and Stiteler and Campbell are independently negotiating development agreements. Stiteler’s involves Depot Plaza and its One North Fifth Apartments, the Rialto Block and the Ronstadt Transit Center.

“We could not come to terms on how we could work together,” Campbell said.

Three-digit temperatures have hit Tucson, making it an ideal time for the Salvation Army’s Operation Chill Out to begin.

The summer donation campaign for homeless people starts Wednesday.

“With the heat rising, more displaced and at-risk Tucsonans are going to find themselves needing important resources such as water and basic day-to-day items,” said Salvation Army spokeswoman Tamara McElwee.

To enhance this year’s efforts, the Salvation Army has teamed up with Walgreens and Naughton’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling.

Walgreens locations throughout the city are hosting summer specials where customers can purchase select, tagged items found near the register that are donated to the Salvation Army.

Walgreens’ Sierra Vista store, which piloted the program, has seen about $100 worth of the tagged bottled water, soup, seasonal items and other goods donated each week.

People can also donate bottled water, hats, sunglasses, sunblock and lip balm by dropping them off at The Hospitality House, 1021 N. 11th Ave., or one of five Naughton’s locations:

• 1140 W. Prince Road

• 3940 W. Costco Drive

• 4226 S. Sixth Ave.

• 6062 E. Speedway Blvd.

• 8190 E. 22nd St.

School may be out soon, but free meals will still be in for Sunnyside Unified School District.

Starting June 1 and running through July 24, free breakfast and lunch will be served to kids 18 and younger who live within the district’s boundaries, according to a district news release.

Breakfast will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and lunch served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the the following locations:

• Billy Lane Lauffer Middle School, 5385 E. Littletown Road

• Challenger Middle School, 100 E. Elvira Road

• Craycroft Elementary School, 5455 E. Littletown Road

• Gallego Basic Elementary School, 6200 S. Hemisphere Place

• Liberty Elementary School, 5495 S. Liberty Ave.

• Santa Clara Elementary School, 6910 S. Santa Clara Ave.

• Sierra Middle School, 5801 S. Del Moral Blvd.

• Sunnyside High School, 1725 E. Bilby Road

• San Xavier Indian Community Education Center, 1960 Wa:k Lane

Eastbound Interstate 8 just west of Interstate 10 will be closed briefly Wednesday night to install an overhead message board.

The state Department of Transportation will restrict eastbound I-8 to one lane starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday and about 1 a.m. Thursday will close all eastbound lanes for about a half hour, an ADOT news release said.

All lane restrictions will be lifted at 5 a.m., the release said.

Gibson

University of Arizona engineering junior Malcolm Gibson is focusing on developing tiny robots to precisely deliver medicine and other treatments in the human body.

NASA announced Tuesday that Gibson was awarded a two-year aeronautics scholarship valued at $40,000.

Gibson has been working for two years on MEMS, or microelectromechanical systems, that can be steered through the bloodstream to a specific organ to deliver treatments exactly where needed.

While such microbots may appear to have little to do with flying, biomedical engineering plays a big role in aeronautics, said Tony Springer, lead for communications and education at NASA Aeronautics Research.

About 500 “cream of the crop” students applied for the 20 undergraduate and five graduate scholarships offered, Springer said.

The scholarship program’s goal is to attract top engineering talent to NASA in particular and the aerospace industry in general, he said.

Jeff Goldberg, dean of the UA College of Engineering, said, “We like to think our students are really strong and this shows they are strong on a national level.”

Gibson, 21, who is pursuing double majors in aerospace and mechanical engineering, said his research work and educational background helped him earn the scholarship.

“Even though the global aspect of the project is not related to aerospace, I’ve been focusing more on the mechanical aspects,” he said. “They are looking for motivated students who are involved in research, even if not directly related to aeronautics.”

The scholarship, which begins in September, offers $15,000 per year to cover tuitions costs for two years and $10,000 for use during a 10-week summer 2010 internship at a NASA research center.

Gibson, who plans to continue his MEMS research through graduation from UA, will leave in mid-August for five months of research and study at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in Zurich, Switzerland.