Featured Stories
Al Melvin Throws Down in Pima County
May 5, 2008
"It’s like Hitler just invaded France," said a source in the moderate wing of the Pima County Republican Party of Joe Higgin’s likely primary challenge of Ann Day for Supervisor in District 1. That’s not just Godwin’s law in effect; my source only meant that a war that everyone knew was coming, and that many
Arizona Charter Schools: The Good, The Bad, and The Costly, Part 3: Cyber Schools Fight to Protect Funding
May 5, 2008
by David Safier (For background on this post, link to Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.) Last Tuesday, 800 Charter Cyber School advocates gathered in Phoenix to demand, “Don’t cut our funding!” There has been a move afoot, they were told, to cut some 20% from funding for Cyber Schools. The event was
Increasing Hispanic Students’ Interest in Tech Careers
May 5, 2008
by David Safier An interesting article in CNN/Money: IBM Launches Effort to Address Shortage of Hispanic Students in Technology Careers. This program, if it’s more than just talk, can have an important impact on Arizona and other areas with large Hispanic populations. A few excerpts: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today convened an inaugural summit titled “America’s
Mule Train Mail: Mickey Duniho Writes an Open Letter to C. Huckelberry on Elections Security
May 5, 2008
Mr. Huckelberry: I got wind of your latest memo on election security [pdf download] by reading about it in a Tucson Citizen article. Given that you mentioned my name in the memo, I would have expected to receive a courtesy copy of the memo. Maybe my copy went astray. On page 14 of your memo
Towards a Sane Energy Policy
May 4, 2008
Posted by: AzBlueMeanie I am pleased that GOP Spartan agrees that the "McClinton Gas Tax Holiday Gimmick" is a bad idea and recognizes that the Bush administration’s weak dollar policy and reckless fiscal mismanagement of our economy, including the doubling of our national debt over 7 years, is largely responsible for our present economic condition.
News Flash: McCain Plans to Abandon Israel!
May 3, 2008
by David Safier Sorry for poaching on your territory, AZ Blue Meanie, but the English teacher in me couldn’t let McCain’s latest retracted gaff slip by without my notice. McCain said basically (I’ll include the exact quote later) that if we can end our need for mideast oil, we’ll never have to send a soldier
Mule Train Mail: Dr. Steve Gall on the Mandatory Recess Bill
May 3, 2008
Unfortunately, the State House did not vote on the 30 minute recess in elementary school bill, HB 2037. It has now gone to a Conference Committee of Senate and House members for clarification on charter schools. According to Rep. Mark Anderson, Republican of Mesa, the bill should come up for a vote again next week
Arizona Charter Schools: The Good, The Bad, and The Costly, Part 2: Meet Arizona Virtual Academy
May 2, 2008
by David Safier A building on Palo Verde just north of I-10 is the home of Arizona Virtual Academy. It’s a Charter Cyber School that gives online education to Arizona students all over the state. Because it’s a charter school (if you’re confused about charter schools, here is a primer), the students pay nothing. The
