August. 2014 “Published Monthly for SEAGO Member Entities, our Strategic Partners & everyone interested in Southeastern Arizona” Vol. 4, No. 8
Leveraging resources By A’kos Kovach
Here in the midst of Monsoon season I am reminded of a wise Liberian proverb: “A wise man does not find the depth of a river with both feet at the same time”. This is contrary to what we learned in our youth about ‘jumping in with both feet’, but are they mutually exclusive? You will need to read the answer to this question elsewhere in the newsletter. Why? Because this article is about utilizing the resources available to you as a city, town, county or private organization. We need only to read the morning newspaper top find examples of cutbacks and reduced funding, so why not leverage what we have with our partners and grow bigger and faster instead? First, remember to send emails. Emails create a paper trail. Phone calls are great, except they can come at inopportune times and the idea or data you need is likely to be forgotten or misplaced. Second, use a subject line you can remember, like ‘Grant for Community Garden’, or ‘Technical Assistance Grant’. Make it memorable and easy to search and find in your email database. Third, we all need somebody to lean on. There is no shame in asking for help. Does your city or town council think of your community as a business? If they do not - they should. And just like any business with a future there must be a written plan, a set of measurable goals attached to a timeline and a corresponding budget. Sound familiar? Good. With the Arizona League of Cities and Towns Annual Conference coming up on the 19th the 22nd of this month, this is a good time to make your wish list of data you want to gather and questions you want to ask. Building an International Business Network (BIEN) will be discussed at length. If your community, county or organization has not invested the 10 minutes it takes to sign up do so today, don’t wait until the League Conference. Tourism is coming back strong, and now is the time to make sure you know where Arizona tourists are coming from, and how much is internal travel and recreation. There are excellent reports, Continued on Page Two
Megaregions - RPOs in Transpor-
tation Planning Across Boundaries By Randy Heiss | Executive Director, SEAGO
SEAGO’s contribution to the Megaregions White Paper is contained in this report: To further enhance the critical role of the U.S. in global trade, it is essential to create partnerships across boundaries that produce economic benefits that extend beyond any one metropolitan area. As a consequence, transportation planners and project managers are looking for opportunities to collaborate across jurisdictional and geographic boundaries to identify opportunities to fund transportation infrastructure investments through related plans and programs. Working on the scale of larger regions, or even megaregions, can increase the economic competitiveness of metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas along major corridors identified as important for current and future freight and passenger flows. This report will focus on megaregions planning and the role of rural areas in supporting transportation planning that benefits the larger region. Megaregions are defined as networks of metropolitan centers and their connecting land areas linked by economy, culture, history, growth patterns, and natural resources. Researchers have further identified a national set of major megaregions based on population, demographic, and economic data. While many corridors and regions may be important scales for transportation planning, this white paper focuses on the major megaregions as significant opportunities for increased economic and other benefits through transportation planning. As more regions plan their transportation for global competitiveness, planners will increasingly need to incorporate rural areas in their large-scale planning efforts. Rural areas are a critical part of the identities, economies, and infrastructure of megaregions. These areas may be both recipients of the benefits derived from this scale of planning as well as contributors to advancing the larger goals of the region. Rural planning organizations (RPOs), which serve as the designated transportation planners for many rural areas, are part of the transportation networks and economies of surrounding metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions. However, RPOs may not be active participants in megaregions initiatives due to organizational constraints. New transportation legislation defines and provides the option for States to designate regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOs), encompassing transportation roles filled by other types of rural organizations. Continue Reading a
Highway Trust Fund By Randy Heiss | Executive Director, SEAGO
annually and spends $54 billion. Historically, when the HTF has run low on cash, Congress has authorized a transfer of general fund dollars to continue transportation funding levels, but with the current partisan divisiveness in D.C. and the ongoing debate over the nation’s indebtedness, the issue has remained unresolved. A lack of Congressional action will require the U.S. Department of Transportation to implement cash management measures including a slow-down of project reimbursements to the states beginning August 1st. If spending were permanently adjusted to match existing revenue streams, Arizona would lose roughly $230 million of the $675 million it receives in federal aid for our state’s highways. While it’s clear that a long term fix to the HTF’s revenue sources is needed, Congress has not been able to agree on a solution and has continued to reach to the general fund over the last 6 years. They continued this unsustainable practice on July 16th when HR 5021 was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, which would provide an additional $11 billion to keep the HTF solvent until May 31, 2015. Early next week, the U.S. Senate will begin debate on HR 5021, but as we have come to expect, partisan brinksmanship has reared its ugly head
One would think of all the people who should understand the nexus between transportation infrastructure investments and our economy, it would be Congress. Apparently, not so. Congress has known since February the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) would reach insolvency sometime this summer, yet until recently, had done nothing to resolve the issue. The HTF is the account from which critical transportation infrastructure, such as our country’s highways, roads and bridges are funded. The primary source of revenue for the HTF is the federal gas tax, which is currently priced at 18.4 cents per gallon. The gas tax has not been increased since 1993 and in recent years, the amount of money generated has been insufficient to meet demands due to higher fuel efficiency vehicles, increasing popularity of electric automobiles, recent investments in public transit systems, and of course, the great recession which left scores of Americans unemployed. Five years after the so-called end of the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression, employment has still not returned to pre-recession levels and if you’re unemployed, you’re probably not doing a lot of driving. The HTF currently generates $35 billion
Leveraging resources statistics and maps at the Arizona Office of Tourism website: https://tourism.az.gov/ Take a few minutes and familiarize yourself with the enormous impact tourism has on Arizona’s economy. For example, did you know that in Santa Cruz County 1,960 jobs and over $271 million dollars came from the tourism industry? In Cochise County tourism created 3,660 jobs and brought in a whopping 348 million in revenues. Graham and Greenlee Counties fared well, too. Between the two counties 980 jobs plus 77 million in income all in calendar year 2013.
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– grants and access to money that can be the difference between closing doors and brooding up windows or rejuvenation and rehabilitation. Which do you want? Remember – SEAGO is a resource center. Not just for economic development but also for senior care issues through our Area Agency on Aging (AAA) program. And fresh ideas from our Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Housing programs. Be sure to ask about the award winning ideas and opportunities found in the TransportaContinue Reading a
But wait, there’s more. Expect even more support from our Mexican Consulate Office in Douglas and Nogales. If you do not ask for the support, you are missing out on cross border trade and tourism opportunities. We will end on a note for funding
in the form of four amendments. The bill is expected to pass, but previous proposals that would reduce the funding and duration of the bill, a proposal that would devolve responsibility for transportation investments to the states, and a change that would force action during the “lame duck” session of Congress after the election, indicate that passage of an amendment is possible. With only a few days remaining until insolvency, this would require quick agreement between the chambers and new votes in each. How often in recent memory have we seen Congress agree quickly on anything? The U.S. is currently 28th in the world in its spending on transportation infrastructure investments. This hands a clear advantage to 27 other nations competing against us in the global economy. If you support economic development through adequate investments into transportation infrastructure, please contact Senator John McCain 202-224-2235, http://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform; and Senator Jeff Flake 202-224-4521, http://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index. cfm/contact-jeff, and urge them to pass HR 5021 without amendment and to take the lead on a long-term solution to the HTF’s revenue woes.
Ribbon cutting, welcome event celebrates U.S.Mexico partnership By Julio Espinoza & A’kos Kovach
Style, decorum, manners and etiquette were the order of the evening — but most of all there was an all-encompassing sense of joy and celebration. As guests and visitors filed in through the front doors of the new location and freshly remodeled Mexican Consulate office Continue Reading a
The Turning Point Monthly August 2014, page 2
3 Simple Steps to Receive Powerful Testimonials Gila Watershed partnership introduces interim director
by Klaudia Kovacs | MySuccessConsultant.com
most powerful testimonials are the ones that reflect measurable results that you, your company, or your product have produced. Examples of this are frequently seen on television: A woman’s migraine was gone in 30 minutes, a man lost 10 pounds in a month, and so on.
Meaningful testimonials are vital to any business, career, or enterprise. They can, and should be used everywhere: On resumes, curriculum vitaes, websites, social media platforms, products, blogs and in press packets. The following steps will guide you to using customer testimonials effectively:
When asking for success stories, encourage your customers to use measurable and result-based language: Increased sales ($) Increased revenue (% or months) Increased clients (#) Lost weight (pounds or inches) Gained time (hours) Etc.
1. A testimonial can be as short as one sentence, and there is definitely no need for it to be longer than 2-3 sentences. Length is not nearly as important as content. The
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A passive approach to rainwater harvesting By Amanda Baillie | gallivantinggirl.com
By Jon Johnson jonj@eacourier.com
The Gila Wa t e r s h e d Partnership is in a period of transition but is still operating on several projects. Michael Smith introduced himself to the Pima Town Council at its July 1 meeting as the interim executive director. Smith is taking over for Jan Holder, who is stepping down from the executive director position. Smith was joined by office administrator Deanna Stone, who gave a quick overview of current projects to the council. The basic goals of the partnership haven’t changed, Stone said, and its biggest priority remains the quality and the quantity of the water. A lot of the partnership’s project revolves around sediment control, but two of its projects nearly ready to be put in involve two restrooms in Clifton and along the San Francisco River to help reduce human waste into the rivers and lower E. coli levels downstream.
At first glance Beverly and Ron Wilson’s front yard looks like a typical desert landscape. But upon closer inspection, you’ll see the swaths of rock, gravel, dirt mounds and boulders have been carefully and precisely placed to serve an important purpose. With the monsoon season now here, the Wilsons are well positioned to capture rainwater and retain it on their property to irrigate their trees and plants, without the aid of any water barrels. Instead, the couple prefers to practice passive rainwater harvesting, which they say anyone can easily
and cheaply do. “There are so many things you can do that will make a difference to both rainwater and groundwater,” Beverly said.
The partnership also continues to operate the Water Counts program, which will help identify problem areas in residences and businesses where water loss can be fixed. The group is also working to receive a grant to assist low-income housing residents to pay for the fixes with a local contractor, according to Stone. Another aspect of the partnership’s projects includes a collaboration with the Walton Family Foundation on restoration
The process of developing a passive rainContinue Reading a water system at their one-acre property on South Bannock Avenue, Sierra Vista, has been ongoing for the Wilsons, and they encourage first timers to tackle their own projects one step at a time. Continue reading →
The Turning Point Monthly August 2014, page 3
Regional Calendar of Events Aug 2-3 - Salute to Buffalo Soldiers Days, Tombstone. Opening ceremony begins at 10:00 am. Parade at 11:00 am. Live entertainment to follow. For info: (520) 457-3511 Aug. 2 - Lawrence Dunham Vineyards 5th Annual Grape to Glass Symposium. Wine tasting, lunch, vineyard/winery tours, fine art show by TRUST Art & Design, live music by jazz vocalist Joe Bourne. CLICK HERE to register . Facebook Event Details: Aug. 5 - Greenlee County Birding Workshop, 6:00 am at GiMees for the bird walk and 8:00 am for the meeting. Aug. 7-8 - Rural Policy Forum: Empowering Rural Arizona. Bullion Plaza Cultural Center, Miami, ARizona. CLICK HERE for details. Aug. 8-10 - Tombstone Vigilante Days, 10:00 am. Tombstone 10K run, street entertainment, chili cook-off, 1880s fashion show, hangings, concert, and saloon girls. For Info: (520) 457-3451. Aug. 8-10 - Bisbee Pirates of the High Desert Weekend throughout Old Bisbee. A weekend full of pirate oriented festivities... don’t forget your costume! Aug. 20 - Healthy Arizona Worksites Program Training 101: A Cochise College SBDC Event, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Free. ROOM 702 Cochise College Sierra Vista campus. For information, please call Carol Mangen at 602-306-4000 or email her at cmangen@healthyazworksites.org.
Aug. 21 - International Trade Relations Luncheon, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, Sheraton Hotel, 5151 E. Grand Road, Tucson, Sponsored by Tucson Hispanic Chamber. Register here! Aug. 21 - Accounting 101: A Cochise College SBDC Event, 9:00 am to 10:30 am. Bisbee Community Springboard, 2 Copper Queen Plaza, Upstairs Classroom. Cost is $20. CLICK HERE to register now! Aug. 22 - REMI Economic and Policy Workshop: Improving Policy and Planning for the Future Hampton Inn Phoenix Midtown, 160 West Catalina Dr., Phoenix, AZ Aug. 23 - Discipline with the Brain in Mind, focusing on birth to age 5. 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Baptist Church in Bisbee, 1173 Highway 92. Preregistration required: dheaton@arizonaschildren.org or call Debbie at (928) 428-0711 ext. 4.
Aug. 27 - Greenlee County Chamber Mixer @ the Marketplace on Chase Creek, 7:00 pm. Aug. 30 - Willcox Flyer Bike Ride, 7:00 am at Begins & ends at Historic Railroad Park in downtown Willcox. 66 mile, 33 mile, and 8 mile rides benefiting “Small Town - Big Dreams” CLICK HERE to register.
Aug. 30 - Sept 1 - Rendezvous of Gunfighters. Gunfight reenactment groups from around the U.S. come to Tombstone to compete. A costume parade will be held on Sunday on historic Allen Street. For info: (520) 457-3548. Sept. 4 - Oct. 9 - Nogales Border Patrol Citizen’s Academy class. We are accepting applicants. If you are interested in participating in this opportunity and gain from this positive experience please contact BPA Raymond Bean raymond.bean@dhs.gov or call 520-761-2677. Sept. 9 - ADOT Presentation, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. La Casita Restaurant & Cantina, Fry Blvd, Sierra Vista. Chamber members $20.00 Non-members: $25.00. Register here! or call the Chamber at 458-6940. Oct. 4 - Sierra Vista Walk to End Alzheimer’s at The Mall at Sierra Vista. For
info: 520-322-6601 or email at kraach@alz. org. Continue Reading a Oct. 11 - Health Fair, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Naco, Sonora Municipal Plaza (See details, Page 5)
GREENLEE COUNTY EVENTS SEPT 2014 9/19 Jr. Rodeo @ Duncan Fairgrounds, Finals 9/20 and 9/21 Greenlee Co. Mud Drag Series and Powder Puff & Grudge Match 9/18-9/21/14 Greenlee County Fair NOV 2014 11/1 & 2, Noon to 6 p.m.Juried Art Show and Wine Festival @ Galleria Coronado, 253 Chase Creek Street, Chase Creek, Clifton
This annual forum provides an opportunity for skill-building, networking, building relationships and educating each other about the needs and services in rural Ari-
zona. Activities include capacity-building sessions, receptions, workshops, and keynote presentations, culminating with grant maker roundtables. - MORE
The Turning Point Monthly, August 2014, page 4
APRIL 2015 4/11 & 4/12 Spring Rampage 4/25 & 4/26 Greenlee Music Festival www.greenleemusicfestival.com
News From Ambos Nogales By Michael Dear
The Naco, Sonora Government Administration, and The Naco Wellness Initiative are jointly sponsoring a binational health fair on October 11, 2014. The vent will be held in the Naco, Sonora Municipal Plaza from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
organizations on both sides of the border have expressed interest in participating, along with the possibility of finding new ways to collaborate. The goal is to work together toward individual and community wellness in the broadest sense.
We see this as a means of drawing attention to the consequences, management and prevention of health problems that we all have in common in our borderland region.
This is also an opportunity to demonstrate binational good will at a time when there is so much media attention given to all of the negative stories from the border.
There will be presentations that are informational and interactive, and that encourage participation of all ages. Healthcare
For information about event details, please email nacowellness@gmail.com or phone (520) 508-7561.
In the Mexican border town of Nogales, I sat finishing my lunch when Alma, a Sonoran friend who had been watching the diners, spoke quietly: “That’s something you would never have seen a year ago -Mexican men eating salads.” It was, she explained, because of the rising awareness of diet-related health problems in Mexico, especially those linked with the epidemic of obesity. She added that it wasn’t so long ago when ordinary people could not afford to eat salads or a variety of fresh produce so vital to a healthy diet.
Accepting Applications - Leadership Sierra Vista This is a prestigious program that aims to improve our community by providing a nine month education on area challenges and opportunities to a class of 20 up-and-coming leaders. More than 250 people have graduated
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix, AZ View the full conference program, registration and hotel information here.
For more information, email coordinator@sierravistachamber.org or call Kaylene Nicholas (520) 458-6940
I was visiting the twin towns of Nogales (Arizona) and Nogales (Sonora) in the company of my hosts Bob Phillips, of the Border Community Alliance (BCA), and Alma Cota de Yanez, of the Fundación del Empresariado Sonorense A.C. (Foundation of Sonoran Businesses, or FESAC).
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact League staff at league@ azleague.org or 602-258-5786.
The two organizations work together creatively to promote cross-border connections. I’ve been to the towns on previous occasions, both before and after the massive boundary fortifications were constructed by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Today Mexican Nogales, known formally as Heroica Nogales, is booming and I wanted to catch up on what had been happening. By the end of my visit, I was convinced that the US is falling perilously behind Mexico in terms of borderland economic investment, growth and development.
since the program began in 1998. This is a well regarded and high profile program.
A good day on Lower Eagle Creek By Deborah Mendelsohn
On Wednesday July 23, we deployed about 40 volunteers and gave Lower Eagle a good scouring. Thank you Freeport McMoRan volunteers, thank you Friends of the Frisco regulars who always show up, thank you Crystal and Cash Noland for initiating and
supporting this clean-up. If you haven’t “liked” Friends of the Frisco on Facebook. please do. We post a lot of useful info there. https://w w w.facebook.com/pages/ Friends-of-the-Frisco/154517074566871
The Turning Point Monthly, August 2014, page 5
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
U.S. House and Senate Divided on Highway Trust Fund Fix
CREST Act By Shay Saucedo |Office of Senator McCain
We wanted to flag for you some misinformation that is circulating around the Internet about the bill Senators McCain and Flake introduced a few weeks ago to speed up the deportation of the thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America trying to cross our border illegally in recent months. The bill, called the Children Returning on an Expedited and Safe Timeline Act (CREST Act), includes provisions to amend a 2008 law to speed the repatriation of these children from Central America back to their home countries far more quickly, reduce the long backlog in our immigration courts, increase criminal penalties on human smugglers, and condition foreign aid to Honduras, Guatemala,
and El Salvador on their efforts to secure their borders and halt this crisis.
By Kevin Adam | Rural Transportation Advocacy Council
Senator McCain strongly believes that this crisis won’t end until the parents who’ve paid thousands of dollars to smuggle their children north see planeloads of them landing back home – their money wasted. The CREST Act would accomplish exactly that.
Last night, the Senate passed a temporary fix for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). However, it’s significantly different from the what the House passed last week. This is problematic as Congress is scheduled to start a month-long recess this weekend and the U.S. Dep’t of Transportation will start rationing funding to the states on Friday due to the shrinking HTF levels. Unless the recess is delayed, the House and Senate have only a few days to resolve their differences and agree on the specifics for a fix prior to the rationing.
ve been a few Internet postings in recent days wrongly asserting that the CREST Act would somehow outlaw the protests by citizens against the transfer of these illegal immigrants to their communities – in Murrieta, CA, and other places. This is totally false – the bill would obviously do nothing Continue Reading a
New Numbers looking Good for Arizona By Bill Bolin |Vice President of Operations (STS)
“Arizona startups are helped by more than 50 accelerators and incubators that provide technical expertise, mentorship and funding. • • • •
$ 595M of venture capital was invested into 71 AZ companies from 2011 - 2013. More than 110,000 direct jobs at more than 7,600 establishments in 2012. Average wage for high-tech position in AZ was $ 89,344 in 2012. There are more than 75,000 direct
•
jobs in AZ as of 2012 in the IT and Software industry. Average wage for IT positions in AZ was $ 76,650 in 2013”.
Source: AZ Republic, July 31, 2014, Tech America Foundation, 2013 Cyberstates Report, Bureau of Labor Statistics, MoneyTree Report. Rural Arizona can take advantage of high-tech IT Jobs. Office: 480-563-8553, Cell: 480-639-7138
Safe House, Greenlee library receive Blue Cross grants Contributed article | EA Courier
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona continued its 75th anniversary statewide outreach campaign, “Arizonans First. Always” in Graham and Greenlee counties with essential program funding to Mount Graham Safe House and Greenlee County Library System. Mount Graham Safe House is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing 24-hour emergency and ongoing services for domestic violence and sexual assault
victims. Since 2008, the emergency crisis shelter has lacked necessary funding, causing it to be understaffed and unable to help as many victims as in previous years. The BCBSAZ funding will allow the shelter to provide crucial services, aiding victims with a quicker recovery and offering a safe haven to even more people in need. “We are dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence in the communities that Continue Reading a
The Turning Point Monthly,August 2014, page 6
The House passed $11 billion in additional funding for the HTF and an authorization extension from September 30th to May 31st. The Senate-passed bill adjusts the funding sources, reduces funding to $8 billion and shortens the authorization extension to December 19th. The rationale for reducing the funding and shortening the extension is to force Congress to act during a “lame duck” session between the November election and the start of the next Congress in January when conventional wisdom suggests that Congress will be more likely to pass a bolder transportation measure and stop the current cycle of short-term funding fixes. The Arizona Dept. of Transportation has indicated that they have sufficient cash reserves to hold construction project schedules harmless through the end of September in the event that the federal funding is rationed so it does appear that the state can ride out a relatively short-term period of federal rationing. A longer-term delay would have significant impacts as current revenue streams are only covering about 70% of HTF expenditures. A permanent reduction consistent with current revenue levels would reduce federal highway funding for Arizona by roughly $230 million annually and transit funding by roughly $35 million. I will keep you posted on any new developments.
The Douglas Historical Society
By Cindy Hayostek
The Douglas Historical Society is a 501 (c) (3) organized in 1990 to conserve the Douglas-Williams House and manage it as a museum. The Douglas-Williams House, located on the northeast corner of 10th Street and D Avenue in Douglas, Ariz., was built in 1909. It contains period rooms honoring the Douglas and Williams families, spaces with regularly-changed displays, research library and specialty rooms. These include Continue Reading a
New IRS form makes it easier to apply for tax exempt status The Internal Revenue Service today introduced a new, shorter application form to help small charities apply for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status more easily. “This is a common-sense approach that will help reduce lengthy processing delays for small tax-exempt groups and ultimately larger organizations as well,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “The change cuts paperwork for these charitable groups and speeds application processing so they can focus on their important work.”
The new Form 1023-EZ, available today on IRS.gov, is three pages long, compared with the standard 26-page Form 1023. Most small organizations, including as many as 70 percent of all applicants, qualify to use the new streamlined form. Most organizations with gross receipts of $50,000 or less and assets of $250,000 or less are eligible. The change will allow the IRS to speed the approval process for smaller groups and Continue Reading a
Economic forecast summary: July 2014 From The Economist Intelligence Unit
Political crises have come thick and fast this year, eroding economic and business confidence just as signs of sustainable growth have been appearing worldwide.
The latest shock has come from Iraq where militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) have seized key cities in the north and centre, potentially threatening oil production from OPEC’s second-largest producer and increasing oil prices by more than US$4/barrel in a matter of days in mid-June. This crisis may place the fragile Read more a
SEAGO Coordinated Mobility Program Awarded Grants By Chris Vertrees, Transportation program manager, SEAGO
The Arizona Department Of Transportation released the Fiscal Year 2014 Coordinated Mobility Awards. The SEAGO Region did extremely well. SEAGO was awarded $193,150 to operate our Regional Mobility Management program and a Pilot Training Program. Our region succeeded in having 7 out of 8 capital requests funded for a total of $191,000. In addition, 7 of 11 operating requests were funded for a total of $256,000.
The SEAGO Region, as a whole, saw an increase of $190,550 in total awards when compared to Fiscal Year 2013. All Coordinated Mobility Awards can be viewed at: http://www.azdot.gov/planning/TransitProgramsandGrants/program-handbookapplications-and-awards. For those wishing to find out more information about our Regional Mobility Management Program, please go to http://seago. Read More a
The Turning Point Monthly, August 2014, page 7
You’re invited to participate in
Graham County Career Fair Special thanks to: Event Sponsor-Eastern Arizona College Co-Sponsor-DES Employment Services Co-Sponsor-DES Veterans Program Co-sponsor-McMurray Communication
FRIDAY, August 15, 2014 9am-12pm Gherald L Hoopes Jr Activity Center Located at Hwy 70 & College Ave,Thatcher There is NO cost to register. Employers-recruit job seekers for your business and/or educate them about career opportunities.This career fair is for community job seekers and college students. RSVP Required Please contact Kimberly Termain ktermain@cpic-cas.org or 928-432-6932 The exceptional in our backyard By A’kos Kovach
Living in Bisbee is similar to living in a theme park. But here the theme can change almost any day depending on which neighborhood you visit. Some days it is all about nature, spotting new birds, finding a colorful lizard or watching an afternoon Monsoon create a waterfall. Then there are those days that just surprise you. You meet at the SEAGO office, pile nine people of varied professions and backgrounds into two cars provided by the Mexican Consul’s office from Douglas and head south. Julio Espinoza and Sergio Figueroa (our gracious organizers, hosts and drivers) explained that Naco (Sonora) sits at the gateway to the Rio de Sonora trail. Our primary destination is Cananea which Continue Reading a
REMI Economic and Policy Workshop Improving Policy and Planning for the Future REMI (Regional Economic Models, Inc.) cordially invites you to join us for a seminar in Phoenix, Arizona on August 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This event is free of charge. The seminar topics will include: • REMI Analysis: Political and Economic Dimensions • Renaissance in U.S. Manufacturing
• • •
Tax Reform, Business Incentive and the Arizona Economy Federal Highway Trust Fund Bust: State and Local Financing Alternatives The Graying of America
REGISTER NOW!
4 ways young adults can get covered this summer Young adults have several options for getting covered through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
2. Apply for Medicaid and CHIP any time 3. Get covered on a parent’s plan 4. Consider catastrophic health coverage
1. Apply during a Special Enrollment Period
Continue reading 4 ways young adults can get covered this summer...
FAA Grants to improve air quality U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced a $331,653 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant to Portland International Airport to reduce emissions and improve air quality by using alternative fuel vehicles at the airport through the FAA’s Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) program. The grant will provide funds to purchase six compressed natural gas buses that transport airport passengers and employees from the terminal to parking and rental car facilities. This project is part of the airport’s program to minimize vehicle emissions within the airport footprint. “Today’s announcement supports President Obama’s efforts to reduce carbon pollution and increase the deployment of cleaner, alternative fuel technologies.” said Continue Reading a
National Park tourism to Cochise County The Clifton Community garden creates ~$8 million in economic benefit By Steve Ahmann
Juliena Campbell | National Park Service
A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 141,665 visitors to the three parks in Cochise County spent $7,907,200 in communities near the parks in 2013. That spending supported 104 jobs in the local area. The NPS sites in Cochise County are managed as the “Southeast Arizona Group” and include Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memo-
rial and Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Visitors to these three sites spend time and money and help create jobs in the surrounding cities and towns including Sierra Vista, Douglas, Safford, Bisbee and Willcox, as well as in the communities of Hereford, Palominas, Pearce, Sunsites, Elfrida and Bowie.... Continue Reading a
Shortage of drivers may spark higher peak-season truck rates Courtesy JOC.com
Over-the-road shippers worried about peak-season capacity this fall need to focus on the front of the truck, not the back. There will be trailers available ready to receive freight, and enough trucks to pull them. What may be missing is the key ingredient in truck capacity: the driver. The escalating driver shortage has become the leading check on over-the-road truck capacity, and if freight demand continues to stay above 2013 levels, the short-
age is likely to lead to sharp increases in transportation pricing, as carriers pull out all stops to recruit and keep drivers. Swift Transportation, the nation’s largest truckload carrier, already has signaled it will look to shippers to help finance a significant boost in driver pay, raising rates by higher percentage levels than Swift was able to gain from customers in the first half of the year.
Greenlee Gardens, Clifton Site (Clifton’s Community Garden) received approval on July 21, 2014 as a certified community garden by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Certification insures that when garden produce is properly harvested and processed, it is safe for use in the school cafeteria or other public institution. The Arizona Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health Services school garden sanitarian inspected the school garden beginning the 2013-14 school year. At that time the soil tests revealed no potential harmful substances, and the garden received provisional certification pending removal of the railroad ties we had used to separate plots. Safford Builders Ace Hardware exchanged our railroad ties for 2” x 6” lumber and the garden was certified in September of 1013. When Clifton Schools were closed earlier this year, garden members were con-
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The Turning Point Monthly, August 2014, page 8
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