News for today's 2018

Even Scottsdale bans potable water on golf courses

12:32 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cronkitenews.asu.edu/assets/images/13/11/5-golf-green-full.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" height="213" src="http://cronkitenews.asu.edu/assets/images/13/11/5-golf-green-inside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 class="entry-title"></h2><h2 class="entry-title"></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cronkitenews.asu.edu/assets/images/13/11/5-golf-sign-inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="213" src="http://cronkitenews.asu.edu/assets/images/13/11/5-golf-sign-inside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> TOP: This golf course at DC Ranch is among those in north Scottsdale made green by reclaimed water produced by a treatment plant and distribution system funded by golf clubs. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Amy Gleich) BOTTOM: A sign at Grayhawk Golf Club in north Scottsdale notes that water fills its lake and irrigates its courses is reclaimed. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Amy Gleich) <h2 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;">   Payson-Chaparral Pines deal   </h2><h2 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;">  looks dumber and dumber   </h2><div class="entry-content">(Gazette Blog Editor's Note: Payson has agreed to sell potable water from Blue Ridge Reservoir to Chaparral Pines to water its private golf course - guaranteed for 49 years.) By AMY GLEICH Cronkite News Service SCOTTSDALE – Every morning and every evening, the sound of sprinklers fills the air at Grayhawk Golf Club. It takes 2 million gallons of water daily during the summer to keep Grayhawk’s Talon and Raptor courses green. And all 2 million gallons of it comes from Scottsdale’s toilets and drains, reclaimed by a city wastewater treatment plant and delivery system that Grayhawk and 12 other golf clubs funded to ensure their survival. The partnership dates to Scottsdale’s decision in the late 1980s to ban the use of potable water on golf courses and parks. “It would have been incredibly costly to try to do this alone,” said Gregg Tryhus, president and owner of Grayhawk Development. “If we hadn’t been able to share the costs we wouldn’t have been able to do it.” There wasn’t much of an option, though. “If you wanted a golf course, you had to pay the fee to build the plant,” Tryhus said. In the 1980s, pumping groundwater out of neighboring Carefree’s water basin was quickly becoming a problem for Scottsdale. Carefree threatened a lawsuit against the city as well as one of its largest golf clubs. In 1989, Scottsdale mandated that all of its courses use reclaimed water. The city issued a $5 million bond, and the 13 golf clubs came up with the other $14 million needed for the treatment plant and distribution system. With golf courses a big part of Scottsdale’s appeal to visitors and residents alike, it was important for the city and clubs to find a solution, said Tim Bray, president of Southwest Community Resources, the consulting firm that coordinated the partnership. “Golf courses have a huge impact,” he said. By 1996 all of the clubs and their 23 courses were on the system, and the clubs had paid back the $5 million from the city’s bond issue. “The city being willing to work with us speaks volumes to how important golf is in the Valley,” said Jeff Plotts, director of golf course operations at TPC Scottsdale. One of the most challenging aspects of the project was a 13.5-mile pipeline to carry the treated water from Scottsdale’s water campus to the water features on the courses. Having the clubs along a south-north corridor around Pima Road helped. Water scarcity forced Scottsdale to look at wastewater in a new light, said Annie DeChance, public outreach manager for the city’s Water Resources Department. “It made us very innovative, and we were the first city in the Valley to come up with this concept,” DeChance said. “Wastewater is a continuous, reliable source.” But Plotts said it’s not just about the mandate for many superintendents. “We want to do the right thing environmentally. It doesn’t make sense to use potable water on a golf course,” he said. The courses’ demand for water decreases significantly during the winter, a time when seasonal visitors increase the amount of wastewater. Scottsdale uses the plant’s excess capacity during those months for groundwater recharge. “When you wash your hands in the sink or flush the toilet or take a shower, that water has to go somewhere and we have to do something with it,” DeChance said. “This is the way for us to make the most of it.” Patrick Watson, conservation services administrator at the Southern Nevada Water Authority and former superintendent of Terravita Golf Club in north Scottsdale, sees the switch to reclaimed water becoming more common throughout the Southwest. “The way golf courses are using water is evolving, and Arizona and other Southwest locations are the breeding ground for these changes,” Watson said. Unlike parks and other large turf areas using reclaimed water, golf courses offer more of a return on the investment because golfers pay greens fees, according to David White, co-director of the Decision Center for a Desert City at Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability. “Golf courses are a great place to use reclaimed water,” White said. “It’s the best bang for the buck for each gallon of water.” Scottsdale isn’t the only Arizona city using reclaimed water on golf courses. According to Fernando Molina, Tucson Water’s public information officer, that city has been using reclaimed water for 30 years. “All but one course in Tucson uses reclaimed water, but there’s no collective investment,” Molina said. “They individually pay the city for extensions to their courses.” Scottsdale’s partnership required a major upgrade as years passed. It turned out that the prevalence of salt-based water-softening systems was leading to salt levels high enough to kill grass, a problem that became apparent in the mid-2000s. “All the superintendents came to me and said, within four or five years we’re going to lose all of these courses,” Bray said. The solution: a $22 million expansion, funded by the golf clubs, that added a reverse-osmosis and micro-filtration system to Scottsdale’s water campus. “You have to ask what your options are. Investing together in the advanced water treatment facility was the only option,” said Paul Skelton, director of golf at DC Ranch. Losing golf courses wasn’t an option for Scottsdale. Winter visitors aren’t the only ones spending their money on golf – many residents also pay top dollar to play some of the best courses in the Southwest. “We knew that we were going to have to do something in order to keep the quality of life that Scottsdale residents are accustomed to,” DeChance said. Bill Kostes, superintendent at DC Ranch, said that the partnership has resulted not only in better conditions at his golf course but better conditions for Scottsdale golf overall. “Big picture of the whole system is that it’s been 20 years with only minor flaws; it’s been awesome,” he added. “P.S., it’s good for everybody.” <div style="text-align: center;">  Treating the water:   </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Traditional treatment</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">• Basic filtration • Remove solids • Biological treatment • Filtration • Chlorination</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Additional treatment</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">• Microfiltration • Reverse osmosis • Final chlorination</div> </div>

TOP: This golf course at DC Ranch is among those in north Scottsdale made green by reclaimed water produced by a treatment plant and distri...

Holiday treasures on sale at Library Bookstore

9:55 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div style="text-align: justify;">During November the Library Friends of Payson Bookstore will feature an extensive collection of Christmas fiction, music, cook books, craft books, etc. at two for the price of one.  As always, the second item must be of equal or lesser value than the first item.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is a wonderful opportunity to get a head start on selecting unique and inexpensive gifts for friends, neighbors, care givers, co-workers, secret pals, or anyone else on your Christmas list.  Bookstore gift certificates are only $3 and make the perfect gifts for those hard to shop for people.  They are great stocking stuffers as well.  Stop by and discover the Bookstore’s delightful holiday treasures.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;">The Bookstore will be offering all paperback books at the amazing value of 6 for $1  throughout November.  This is an extraordinary opportunity to stock up on books by your favorite author in preparation for those cold, winter days to come.  Be sure to come in soon for the best selection.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <div>Bookstore stock is constantly changing.  Therefore, the wise patron stops by often.  Bookstore volunteers are always happy to see you.  All Bookstore proceeds directly support the library.</div><div> </div><div>The LFOP Bookstore is located to the right of the circulation desk just inside the Payson Public Library, 328 N. McLane Road.  For more information visit the Library Friends of Payson website at <a href="http://www.libraryfriendsofpayson.org/" target="_blank">www.libraryfriendsofpayson.org</a>   </div>

CULTURE-ARTS EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT GREAT DEALS HERITAGE Holiday treasures on sale at Library Bookstore

During November the Library Friends of Payson Bookstore will feature an extensive collection of Christmas fiction, music, cook books, craft ...

GCC-Payson offers personal trainer course

2:50 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79-IhH07iibbQ_BTkL4uKxtpO50TtyoiCrBlcg4kiQjhzbT6A8ntB264t4fR9MNUc7xQ76F9YnaMT5rl1JWOYVzzFUjdMfA3EMBbyPDrCIEplo417VPNRet4XYkUQp8aaXJtUTp9yRSQk/s1600/gcccolorlogo.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79-IhH07iibbQ_BTkL4uKxtpO50TtyoiCrBlcg4kiQjhzbT6A8ntB264t4fR9MNUc7xQ76F9YnaMT5rl1JWOYVzzFUjdMfA3EMBbyPDrCIEplo417VPNRet4XYkUQp8aaXJtUTp9yRSQk/s1600/gcccolorlogo.bmp" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> Personal Training Course (HPE 107)</div> <div class="MsoNormal">This course is designed to develop an understanding of the principles of strength and fitness training, including fitness evaluation, exercise prescription, special populations, nutrition and the scientific foundations of continued learning required in an ever-changing field. It will also provide hands-on application of these principles. Students who complete the course will have the option to sit for the NCSF Personal Trainer Certification Test, which leads to a personal trainer certificate.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">           </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">Requires concurrent enrollment in HPE 104 or HPE 105 or HPE 204 or HPE 205.  </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">Wednesdays 6-9:30 p.m., January 8 – May 9, 2014</div>

EDUCATION GILA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SPORTS GCC-Payson offers personal trainer course

Personal Training Course (HPE 107) This course is designed to develop an understanding of the principles of strength and fitness training,...

Tell AAMCO to stop backing Limbaugh

2:51 PM Tukiyooo 0

EDUCATION NATIONAL NEWS PERSPECTIVE TRUTH Tell AAMCO to stop backing Limbaugh

AAMCO is advertising on The Rush Limbaugh Show. If you haven't already, please sign this. If you already have, please tweet, facebook...

The ghost of UA's Old Main lingers still

12:31 PM Tukiyooo 0

<h1></h1> By Alexis Blue, University Communications | October 30, 2013 <div style="font-style: italic;"> </div><div style="font-style: italic;">Construction workers renovating Old Main have come to know the story of Carlos, its lingering ghost.</div><div style="font-style: italic;"> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"><div class="field-content"><div class="story-image" style="width: 620px;"><a class="colorbox init-colorbox-processed cboxElement" href="http://uanews.org/sites/default/files/story-images/oldmain-moon-8450-2.jpg" rel="gallery-node-53530" title=""><img alt="Photo by Jacob Chinn" height="193" src="http://uanews.org/sites/default/files/styles/story-page-headline-800-300/public/story-images/oldmain-moon-8450-2.jpg?itok=9TMdHL2J" title="" width="400" /></a> <div class="caption">Photo by Jacob Chinn</div></div></div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first"><div class="field-content"><div class="story-image" style="width: 275px;"><a class="colorbox init-colorbox-processed cboxElement" href="http://uanews.org/sites/default/files/story-images/Old-Main-7837.jpg" rel="gallery-node-53530" title="Photo by Jacob Chinn"><img alt="Photo by Jacob Chinn" height="183" src="http://uanews.org/sites/default/files/styles/story_body_aspect_ratio_switcher/public/story-images/Old-Main-7837.jpg?itok=AJ7KdYO9" title="" width="275" /></a> <div class="caption">Photo by Jacob Chinn</div></div></div></div> <div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even"><div class="field-content"><div class="story-image" style="width: 183px;"><a class="colorbox init-colorbox-processed cboxElement" href="http://uanews.org/sites/default/files/story-images/Old-Main-7833.jpg" rel="gallery-node-53530" title="Photo by Jacob Chinn"><img alt="Photo by Jacob Chinn" height="320" src="http://uanews.org/sites/default/files/styles/story_body_aspect_ratio_switcher/public/story-images/Old-Main-7833.jpg?itok=fF3eNhW7" title="" width="212" /></a> <div class="caption">Photo by Jacob Chinn</div></div></div></div> <div class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd views-row-last"> <div class="field-content"><div class="story-image" style="width: 275px;"> <a class="colorbox init-colorbox-processed cboxElement" href="http://uanews.org/sites/default/files/story-images/Old-Main-7814.jpg" rel="gallery-node-53530" title="Photo by Jacob Chinn"><img alt="Photo by Jacob Chinn" height="183" src="http://uanews.org/sites/default/files/styles/story_body_aspect_ratio_switcher/public/story-images/Old-Main-7814.jpg?itok=LhGLWvPh" title="" width="275" /></a> <div class="caption">Photo by Jacob Chinn</div><div class="caption"></div></div></div></div> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Every old building has a good ghost story to go with it, and the University of Arizona's historic Old Main is no exception. The UA's first building, Old Main has since 1891 served as the "front porch" of the UA, and it holds special significance for generations of Wildcat alumni and campus community members. Earlier this month, the University announced a $13.5 million Save Old Main fundraising campaign to restore the beloved building to its original grandeur, launching the website <a href="http://www.saveoldmain.org/" target="_blank">www.saveoldmain.org</a> and the Twitter hashtag #saveoldmain. But as the iconic Old Main undergoes the most comprehensive renovation in its history, some construction crew members are reporting ghostly goings-on. "I can't say I've seen anything, but I've heard some weird stuff as far as creaking and cracking," said Fred Briscoe, senior project manager with Sundt Construction. "We joke quite a bit that we're making Carlos mad." The Carlos he's referring to is Carlos Maldenado, who is said to have been murdered while supervising the construction of Old Main in 1888. The legend of Carlos is detailed online at <a href="http://www.uofamystery.org/" target="_blank">www.uofamystery.org</a>, a website not affiliated with the University. The story goes that Carlos often spent the night at Old Main while it was being built, chatting with members of local Indian tribes who stopped by to check out the project and keeping watch over the building, which some locals were not happy to see being constructed. One morning, Carlos's construction crew members arrived to find their beloved boss sitting in a wooden chair with a large knife stuck in his throat. His murder was never solved, and it's said that his spirit still haunts the building, where a number of students, staff and faculty have reported seeing him over the years. Word of Carlos traveled fast among workers who are currently renovating Old Main, a project scheduled for completion in the summer of 2014. Sundt Construction foreman Tomás Avilez certainly believes the legend. In fact, he enthusiastically claims to have seen Carlos twice, in the form of a shadowy figure in the attic of Old Main. "He doesn't stand still long enough to take a picture," Avilez said. "He kind of hides." "I'm not afraid of him, because I'm not afraid of stuff like that, but if you sit in the attic long enough, he might appear," he said. Carpenter Frank Contreras also has been spooked by the ghost story. After hearing Avilez and other colleagues talking about Carlos, he went online to do some investigating of his own and found the tale. Not long after, he arrived at Old Main early one morning, the first one on the site. When he entered an upstairs hallway, several faucets suddenly turned on at once, sending him in the opposite direction. Contreras's strategy, should he ever come face to face with Carlos: "Start running!" Senior project superintendent Dennis Manley has had some frayed nerves courtesy of Carlos, too. "I was here a lot by myself the first couple of weeks, and I'm a scaredy cat. When I came into work in the morning it was dark and I got goose bumps," he said. But Manley is no longer worried. "Now that he sees this place is getting a facelift, I think he's gone." Old Main's haunted history has earned it a spot on the UA's new Ghosts of the UA tour, set to launch Nov. 8, during Homecoming weekend. The hourlong walking tour, hosted by the <a href="http://alumni.arizona.edu/" target="_blank">Arizona Alumni Association</a>'s <a href="http://alumni.arizona.edu/saa" target="_blank">Student Alumni Ambassadors</a>, also will also include ghostly tales about the UA's Maricopa Residence Hall, Centennial Hall and Bear Down Gym. The free tour starts at 10 a.m. on the east side of Old Main and is open to the public. Those interested should RSVP at <a href="http://www.arizonaalumni.com/ghosttour" target="_blank">www.arizonaalumni.com/ghosttour</a>. In the meantime, renovations continue at Old Main through Halloween and beyond, with crewmembers hoping Carlos is a friendly ghost.</div></div></div>

EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT HERITAGE WEIRD NEWS The ghost of UA's Old Main lingers still

By Alexis Blue, University Communications | October 30, 2013 Construction workers renovating Old Main have come t...

Pot plants popping up in protest

2:01 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="main_image"><img alt="Article image" class="imagecache imagecache-article_main_image" height="240" src="http://www.nationofchange.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_main_image/GermansPlantingCannabisAroundCities102813.jpg" title="article image" width="400" /> </div><div class="main_image"><h1 class="times-thin" id="art_headline" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 48px;"></h1><div class="author times">By Christina Sarich</div> <div class="source times"><a href="http://naturalsociety.com/cannabis-plants-germany-protest/" style="color: #4f4f50;">Natural Society</a> / News Report</div> <div class="published"> Published: Monday 28 October 2013</div><div class="published"><a href="http://nationofchange.org/">nationofchange.org</a></div><div class="published">  </div></div><div id="bodycount" style="clear: both;">In the small, university town of <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2372554/Cannabis-plants-spring-German-town-campaigners-plant-thousands-seeds-protest-demonisation-drug.html">Gottingen, Germany</a>, a handful of autonomously acting ‘Flower Children’ have decided to rogue-plant cannabis seed in the hundreds of thousands as an act of defiance against the ‘demonization’ of a plant that has been proven to treat multiple ailments. To put it in simper terms, citizens are planting cannabis plants randomly throughout the town to really show officials what the people want. The pro-marijuana supporters point to Germany’s restrictive laws, and many comment on the plants abilities to do more than just get people high. Police continue to pull the plants up, no matter where they sprout, and often mistake non-cannabis plants as the work of the activists. They have been told to be vigilant about removing anything that looks like cannabis. This form of guerilla gardening is nothing new. Another activist gardener, <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la.html">Ron Finley</a>, decided to start planting fruit, vegetables, and herbs in abandoned public spaces like lots, traffic medians, and along curbsides in LA as a means to improve his own neighborhood and provide food and community to his fellow people.</div><div id="bodycount" style="clear: both;"> Though the pot-planters are meeting resistance with the local police in Germany, they are successfully demonstrating a form of protest through the appearance of multitudes of cannabis plants that are popping up all over the town. This causes discussion among the residents and causes the people of Gottingen to ask ‘why not pot?” <a href="http://naturalsociety.com/marijuana-and-cancer-relationship-destroy-cancer-cells/">Why is marijuana illegal</a>? There are thousands of peer-reviewed medical journals that point to the efficacy of cannabis as a healing plant, so the activists’ questioning of the current demonization of the plant are not unfounded. The healing plant has been shown to help those with osteoporosis, <a href="http://www.europeanneuropsychopharmacology.com/article/PIIS0924977X13001958/abstract">depression</a>, nausea, headaches, insomnia, and has been shown to <a href="http://naturalsociety.com/non-stop-seizures-halted-medicinal-marijuana/">treat untreatable seizures</a>. The <a href="http://naturalsociety.com/cannabis-marijuana/">marijuana and cancer</a> connection is especially strong, with countless studies showing how the plant can beat cancer. The cannabis plants that appeared at the police station in the German town were removed immediately, but they are still popping up all over parks, and gardens elsewhere in the city.</div>

EDUCATION GOOD NEWS HEALTH Pot plants popping up in protest

By Christina Sarich Natural Society / News Report Published: Monday 28 October 2013 nationofchange.org In the small, universit...

Chavez protest site may become national park

3:05 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cronkitenews.asu.edu/assets/images/11/09/19-chavez-center-inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="214" src="http://cronkitenews.asu.edu/assets/images/11/09/19-chavez-center-inside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cronkitenews.asu.edu/assets/images/11/09/19-chavez-mural-inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="180" src="http://cronkitenews.asu.edu/assets/images/11/09/19-chavez-mural-inside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 class="entry-title"></h2> <div class="entry-content"> TOP: Latino leaders have worked to preserve the Santa Rita Center, which under a National Park Service plan submitted to Congress would become a national historic park. Chavez is said to have first uttered the phrase “si se puede” at the site. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Anna Consie) BOTTOM: A mural honoring farm labor leader Cesar Chavez adorns a wall at the Santa Rita Center near downtown Phoenix. In the 1970s, Chavez used the center to stage a hunger strike against an Arizona law that curtailed the rights of farm workers. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Anna Consie) By CHRIS COLE Cronkite News Service PHOENIX – A National Park Service recommendation could bring federal designation to the building near downtown where farm labor leader César Chávez is said to have first uttered “Sí se puede.” The Santa Rita Center is among five sites connected with Chávez’s life that the agency wants to turn into a national historic park. The recommendation went Thursday to Congress, which passed legislation in 2008 to review more than 100 sites connected to Chávez and his movement. “We’re excited because the center really deserves to be in there,” said David Adame, chief operating officer of Chicanos por la Causa, which purchased the center in 2004. “It’s a national treasure that we want to make sure that we can partner with other folks to highlight.” In 1972, Chávez chose the Santa Rita Center as headquarters for a 24-day fast, which he staged in protest of an Arizona law limiting the rights of farm workers. The fast’s ultimate goal was recalling then-Gov. Jack Williams. It was during that fast that Chávez is said to have uttered “Sí se puede,” which became the motto for the United Farm Workers. Chávez chose the center because it was located in his native state – he was born in Yuma – and in the middle of an area where many farmers lived at the time, said Marc Grossman, spokesman for the César Chávez Foundation and Chávez’s longtime personal aide. Chávez spent almost all 24 days at the center before being hospitalized near the end, he said. “César’s fast was the catalyst for heightened political awareness throughout Arizona,” Grossman said. “This was a movement that directly impacted the lives of millions of people.” Spreading the national historic park across five locations – the others are in California – is fitting because “the lens and scope of César’s labors are very broad,” Grossman said. “Out of 100-odd options, they had to select five of them,” he added. Five other sites in Arizona where Chávez lived and worked could be designated as National Historic Landmarks or included in the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Park Service. In Yuma, those sites include the remains of the homestead where Chávez grew up, the general store his father ran and the Laguna School building where he attended school throughout childhood. The other two locations are the United Farm Workers field office and the home where Chávez died in his sleep in 1993, both in San Luis. In 2007, the Santa Rita Center was listed on the Phoenix Historic Property Register. The idea of a national historic park in Chávez’s honor was based on the farm movement he founded that improved the lives of millions of Latino farm workers, said Mike Litterst, a spokesman with the National Park Service. The creation of a national historic park would enable protection for the largest number of significant locations, he said. The César E. Chávez National Monument, a Keene, Calif., site where Chávez lived and led the farm workers movement, would serve as the park’s cornerstone, the Park Service said. If Congress approves the national designation, the Santa Rita Center would be managed between the Park Service and Chicanos por la Causa, the agency said.   Adame, with Chicanos por la Causa, said his organization would appreciate the financial and communal benefits the recognition would bring. The group opens the center every once in a while for special community events and programs, he said. “It definitely needs significant work,” Adame said. “It’s hard to financially maintain. Our strategy would be to incorporate it into a mixed-use development.” Litterst, with the Park Service, said designating the center as a national park would draw more tourists. “It brings some prestige to that area with the recognition of national significance,” he said. Alfredo Gutierrez, former minority and majority leader in the Arizona State Senate, said that the center’s current recognition disappeared along with the vibrant Latino community that surrounded it. He said he believes that could change with the potential designation. “The sad part is that no one who visits there now would be able to understand the importance of (Chávez) being there,” Gutierrez said. “As far as people coming there to understand César’s story, I think (the recognition) is going to do that.” Grossman, who knew Chávez during the last 24 years of his life, said Chávez wouldn’t have allowed this type of recognition if he was still alive. “It’s happening because he’s not around to upset,” Grossman said. “I think it’s a reflection that his legacy and values are as relevant today as they were in 1972 during the fast at the Santa Rita Center.” <h4 style="text-align: center;">Proposed park sites:</h4>• The César E. Chávez National Monument, Keene, Calif. • The Santa Rita Center, Phoenix • The Forty Acres National Historic Landmark, Delano, Calif. • Filipino Community Hall, Delano, Calif. • Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz, Keene, Calif. • McDonnell Hall, San Jose, Calif. <h4 style="text-align: center;">Other Arizona sites:</h4>• Chávez family homestead, Yuma • Laguna School building, Yuma • General store ran by Chávez’s father, Yuma • United Farm Workers field office, San Luis • Home where Chávez died in his sleep, San Luis </div>

EDUCATION NATIONAL NEWS PARKS/REC STATE NEWS Chavez protest site may become national park

TOP: Latino leaders have worked to preserve the Santa Rita Center, which under a National Park Service plan submitted to Congress woul...

A message for every teacher

4:33 AM Tukiyooo 0

Don't measure your worth by how often you're thanked. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But just so you know - THANK YOU.</div> Your job is important. You are important. Your sacrifice is worth it. THANK YOU. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bgCH2qq6RDk/Uj-dCc0q6CI/AAAAAAAAIu4/4MJIYvdtd0E/s460/live_love_teach.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="460" id="blogsy-1380415904245.2192" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bgCH2qq6RDk/Uj-dCc0q6CI/AAAAAAAAIu4/4MJIYvdtd0E/s460/live_love_teach.jpg" width="460"></a></div> You are noble. Never let the lack of thanks cause you to forget your nobility. Live it. Be it. Be the kind of teacher this world desperately needs. And for every one of you who are THAT kind of teacher - the world owes you gratitude for which it will never give. But let us teachers give it to one another, for truly, we are among the few who really know what it means to give up your life in pursuit of helping a child find theirs.  <div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

EDUCATION Teaching A message for every teacher

Don't measure your worth by how often you're thanked. But just so you know - THANK YOU. Your job is important. You are important....

The importance of the modern library

3:25 AM Tukiyooo 0

Friday we took a tour of the Georgia Tech campus as my daughter went for a college day. While my son is already a freshman there, this is my daughter's time and her decision. As we went through the library I was struck by the difference from twenty years a go. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-IqKFYA_rubSMgnM5K6cEqLdBV1n3ho5RDXUesr3-EYc02I0fi1vYoYxjUBSPFq1M_zLlspXQTsweyTN69DdCA43fACTKYQJkOrPiW_xCiOUA4cW581oUiNuQhk3sHWgSU6DvTFpBVy6/s1024/Photo%252520Sep%25252020%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A11%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img alt="" class="alignnone" height="373" id="blogsy-1379931952691.9014" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-IqKFYA_rubSMgnM5K6cEqLdBV1n3ho5RDXUesr3-EYc02I0fi1vYoYxjUBSPFq1M_zLlspXQTsweyTN69DdCA43fACTKYQJkOrPiW_xCiOUA4cW581oUiNuQhk3sHWgSU6DvTFpBVy6/s500/Photo%252520Sep%25252020%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A11%252520PM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> This area of the library used to be tables where we had group study sessions. A study group of 4 of us met three days a week at 7pm here as we worked through freshman calculus together. Now it is all computers. Many of them - as you can see, have double monitors. There's a place on the back wall that shows where open computers are, but there are likely a hundred or so in this brightly lit atrium area. Interestingly, every incoming student is required to have a computer, but this is a place to go to work for serious business. <h1>We still need desktop computers</h1> There is still a place in our academic world for desktop computers- even when we have laptops. A place to sit still with our work. While Iike to draft with my laptop sitting in my chair in the den (I feel more creative there) when I get down to work, it is in the office on my trusty Lenovo m90z touchscreen with the huge screen and ergonomically correct desk chair. <h1>A space to work, a place to work</h1> An ergonomically big "place to work" is still needed. I did like how the computers were not slammed right up against each other but included a place to spread out papers, books, etc. Of course many of these students were dealing with CAD drawings and writing programs, but I have programmers in my classroom too. My student with the Raspberry Pi computer hooks it up to the big monitor in my room and uses the wireless dongle to use the big keyboard, etc. as he programs this tiny $35 motherboard. Just the workspace gives him room to think. A large screenspace is important when researching, working, and creating. Just because everyone has laptops doesn't mean you don't need pumped up workstations - especially if we're doing the kind of STEAM work we need to be with students. <h1>We still need a quiet cubicle</h1> But where I got really jealous was when they mentioned the third through fifth floors -- full of quiet cubicles, this is where you go to be alone and get work done. You can't see a reflection upon choppy water. It is often when things get very still and quiet, that we can start reflecting upon things around us and dive deep into thought. The tyranny of noise surrounds us. If we're at school - the voices and distractions and general hubbub make it a challenge to focus. If we're at home - the phone ringing and countless things to handle. I remembered the days - becoming more distant now - when I'd find a quiet cubicle on the fifth floor of the Georgia Tech library where I could be left alone for hours to "get work done." And man, could I get some work done. Time flowed like water through a fountain as I let it flow until the job was done. I started rethinking my own office envious of the serenity of those cubicles. <h1>Libraries are vital</h1> Libraries are important places. We have more diverse needs than ever upon these common spaces: computers, quiet places, teaching commons areas, workrooms for groups, cocoons for reading, places to check out digital creation equipment, maker spaces, places for conversations with a book club and more I'm probably forgetting now. We need more libraries with TV studios/ green screens and quiet rooms to record audio. We need more space, not less. Our libaries are important. Every time I hear of another one being cut, I ponder the short sightedness of people that don't understand the increasing importance of good teaching librarians, digital resources, and learning commons. When a person closes a library, it is most often due to lack of vision not lack of need that it happens. Many just don't get what libraries should be besides a place to hold books. Walter Cronkite said it best: <blockquote>"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation."</blockquote>  <div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

EDUCATION libraries The importance of the modern library

Friday we took a tour of the Georgia Tech campus as my daughter went for a college day. While my son is already a freshman there, this is m...