Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

TUCSON - More convicted drunk drivers could soon have to pay for their own jail stays if Pima County officials get their way. Officials at the Pima County Adult Detention Center recently met with judges and top prosecutors to remind them that drunk drivers can be ordered to reimburse counties for the cost of locking them up.

Barbara Hickman, assistant superintendent of the Flagstaff Unified School District, said the calls started not long after President Barack Obama announced a televised back-to-school address for Sept. 8. She'd received between 10 and 20 calls from parents by the afternoon of Sept. 3, one day after the announcement. Some raised mild concerns and others were much more leery.

Most states are swimming in red ink, but Arizona is on the verge of drowning in it. Federal stimulus dollars intended to prop up government revenues and help states weather the economic storm have been spent, and the Grand Canyon State is facing deficits that could reach $3 billion in each of the next three years.

This William Grier House, built in 1901, could be among the last of its kind in Phoenix - a "unique example of colonial-revival style," according the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office. It could be the last of its kind in another way as well. It was placed on the city's register of historic properties in November 2007. No homes have been listed since.

Across the nation, there are cautious signs that the construction and real estate markets might be improving. Construction spending rose this summer and residential building increased, providing some sense that the building market could be rebounding.

Judy Lowe talked her way into her first job in real estate in 1979. The homemaker convinced the owner of a Tucson real estate company she could help him develop his business and took a job at the front desk. It wasn't long before she was in charge of business operations.

The state's cash reserves are dwindling fast, but Arizona should be able to keep paying its bills through the end of September. If no budget is in place by the start of October, however, the state will likely have to borrow from the private sector for the first time in memory, if not the state's history.

With the clock ticking, lawmakers and the governor held a series of closed-door meetings leading up to the Sept. 5 deadline for action on a slate of budget bills. But the negotiations did not produce the outcome Gov. Jan Brewer had desired - a bipartisan coalition of support for a special election to temporarily raise the sales tax to help balance the budget.

Will Humble was named in January as the interim director at the Arizona Department of Health Services, replacing January Contreras. Nearly eight months later, Brewer has nearly finished filling the department head positions that traditionally change when a new governor takes residence on the Ninth Floor.

As state employees across the country are being hammered by layoffs, pay cuts and forced unpaid days off, some state employees' credit unions are stepping in to help workers get through these tough times. Services include a variety of loan programs and even one Web site for recession and job-related tips.