County officials tie highway projects to economic development prospects

A trifecta of ill-timed displays of Mother Nature’s fury during the first seven months of 2010 battered Coconino County, leaving one Flagstaff neighborhood designated a disaster area by the state and federal government.

Nick Ray’s transition from openly gay to professional advocate for the rights of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgendered people happened during a speech organized by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 1998.

The three most prevalent words in politics these days are jobs, jobs, jobs.

On one hand, incumbents are doing and saying what they think they should in order to hang onto their jobs, and challengers are scurrying about trying to figure out ways to snatch those jobs for their very own.

But the jobs that really matter are the ones that constituents still have, are in danger of losing, have lost or are applying for.

Jacqueline Duhame, 45, noticed a large lump in her breast in April 2009. Doctors diagnosed it as an aggressive form of cancer that needed to be removed immediately before it spread to her lymph nodes.

The time, effort and money required to upkeep a home that normally would have been put in by the homeowner shifts to the bank when occupants desert their house. Lenders have to pay to clean up their sometimes-trashed properties to get them ready to sell. These properties, which will sell at a drastically lower price than when they were new, are putting a great strain on those institutions’ profitability, which affects their ability to make new loans.

As the state prepares to turn 100 years old in 2012, reflection is inevitable.

Looking back on old photographs, such as a sturdy miner posing in front of a giant hole in the earth, recalls the glory of days when Arizona and its residents were sustained on what the state’s rugged, diverse terrain could provide.

Arizona’s famous five Cs have been used as a quick way to describe the economic engines that drive the state. Representations of copper, cattle, climate, cotton and citrus are all emblazoned on the Great Seal of the state of Arizona, although these industries are not the forces they once were.

Each fund-raising cycle begins in January, with several hundred state employees from various agencies volunteering to campaign in their respective workplaces. It’s a six-week pledge drive, plus special events that raise additional money and keep employees engaged throughout the year.

From something as grand as helping build a house or as simple as dropping off supplies at a fire station, Arizona lawmakers give back to their communities.

Five years ago, ICAN, a charitable nonprofit in central Chandler, was experiencing tremendous growth, offering after school, parenting and family programs to lower income residents. But the expanding organization had a problem.