Pima County, Ariz. ( Aug. 5, 2011) – Starting Monday, Aug 8 through Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011, the contractor for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will perform pavement repair work on Catalina Highway at milepost 9.8 on Mt. Lemmon.

Crews will mill a section of pavement on the bridge at milepost 9.8 and will re-pave that portion of road on Tuesday, weather permitting.  Traffic will be moved through the area by flagmen.  Motorists should expect slow travel and delays.  All businesses will remain accessible during the repair work.

Please approach the area with caution and obey all traffic control devices. In the event of mechanical failure or inclement weather, the schedule is subject to change.

Pima County, Ariz. (July 25, 2011) – The co-founder of a New York-based chain of cycling workout studios named Tucson as one of her favorite cities for cycling, according to a recent article in USA Today.

Tucson was named along with San Francisco, Chicago, Portland, Boulder and several other cities as one of 10 bike-friendly cities that offer cyclists a chance to sight see and enjoy the landscape.

Pima County publishes a bicycle map that shows all the bike routes in Pima County. Matthew Zoll is the county’s bicycle and pedestrian program manager.  He supervises the production of the map, which is updated each year and distributed free.

The USA Today story touts a 15-mile route along the Rillito River that it says offers “sweeping views of the Santa Catalina Mountains.”

The article, in the Travel Section of the national newspaper, says:

“Miles of bike lanes crisscross the old Spanish city. Routes can take you through mountain foothills and cactus-studded Saguaro National Park.”

Here’s the link to the USA Today story:

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/10great/story/2011/07/10-great-places-for-city-cycling/49584724/1?csp=tf

Zoll can be reached at: matt.zoll@dot.pima.gov.

Lisa Napoli, author of the acclaimed memoir Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth, will discuss her experiences and the lessons she learned working with the people in that Himalayan country during two library presentations.

Both presentations take place on Thursday, July 28:

• Dusenberry-River Branch Library, 5605 E. River Road, #105, from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Himmel Park Branch Library, 1035 N. Treat Ave., from 6 to 7 p.m.

Napoli, who had been an Internet correspondent for MSNBC, a columnist for MSNBC.com and the first columnist for the now-closed New York Times’ Cybertimes, turned from the media world to volunteer work on a youth radio station in Bhutan.

She worked among the impoverished population of just 650,000, and while learning the people’s culture, learned to be more grateful and more focused on helping others.

Napoli’s career also included public relations for Summit House, an alternative to prison for women and their kids in Greensboro, N.C. and working for CNN.

Copies of Radio Shangri-La will be available for sale and signing at both branch libraries.