The high tech Border Fence near Tucson is still not useable due to technical issues. It appears that the towers that are placed a few miles apart that should discover illegal border crossers which include sophisticated cameras, radar and sensors are having problems with the software. More tests are to be performed this fall and if this system works in Arizona, which is the most active area for illegal trespassers, it might be used along the rest of the southern as well as northern borders of this country.

The Border Patrol wants to build a permanent checkpoint on I-19 south of Tucson and the Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted it down yesterday even though their vote may not have any affect. The fear is that the checkpoint, which would be located south of Green Valley, would not stop illegal immigration and would create more crime and safety issues for the local residents of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, Tubac, as well as Tucson. These areas would need even more protection for themselves and their properties as illegal entrants converge on their communities burdening the taxpayers with the expense of additional protection services. The thinking is to stop the illegal crossers at the border instead of allowing them into this country at all.

It appears that the original Bookmans in Tucson will stay at its current location at Campbell and Grant. They were facing eviction since the area was going to be redeveloped, but a new lease was signed that now allows them to stay until 2013. Bookmans has been at that location for over 20 years – with additional locations in Tucson as well as Phoenix, Mesa and even Flagstaff.

Interstate-10 is one of 6 highways that will receive much heavier truck traffic. The U.S Department of Transportation is routing truck traffic with much of it coming into this country from Mexico to particular highways in order to deal more effectively with congestion. The thinking is that these highways will, at some point in the future, receive monies to handle the extra traffic that semis bring such as widening roads, adding truck lanes, bypasses and more improvements. It appears that trade and tourism are already suffering the negative affects in the Tucson area from the additional traffic congestion these heavy freight carrying trucks bring.

Unfortunately if you are rushed to the Emergency Room for specialty emergency care, you may not get it in Tucson. Many times patients have to be sent elsewhere for specialists. It appears that in our healthcare system we just have way too many patients for the few doctors and nurses to handle. Many of them are leaving Tucson. The few remaining will not come when they are called to respond to an emergency because they are overloaded and it’s difficult to have time off. Hospitals may now have to pay specialists to be on call which they did not have to do in the past. It was just part of the obligation for doctors who practice at hospitals. The fear is that Tucson hospitals might be faced with bankruptcies when they have to pay for this service.

There was an enormous Teacher Sickout in Tucson on Friday. Almost half of the TUSD Teachers are protesting their continuing contract negotiations with hopes to achieve the final approved agreement sometime next week. Some of the schools involved were Catalina, Palo Verde, Pueblo and Rincon University as well as Tucson High. The teachers failed to show for work and many classes had to be let out early because the school district did not have enough substitute teachers available.

Tucson Teacher Sickout protesting pay is scheduled for today with close to one third of the teachers at TUSD participating due to continuing contract negotiations. Schools will remain open though it appears that they will be without nearly 1100 teachers. Some classes may have to be combined since there may not be enough substitute teachers available. The district is trying to resolve the issue of pay raises as soon as possible so that classes will be back to normal.

Amphitheater Public Schools, Marana Unified School District and Tucson Unified School District are three of 17 school districts throughout the State to receive help in cleaning up contamination. Also affected are Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind and Catalina Foothills School District in Tucson. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will offer assistance in stopping leaks from underground storage tanks. Money in the State Assurance Fund will be used for the clean-up effort so that the soil and groundwater will be clean.

The Avra Valley Sewage Plant is ready to expand. The county Board of Supervisors approved the $46,000,000 project due to the rapid growth in the area. Even though growth has slowed, the thinking is to continue with the contract since the original plant must be closed down for major repairs.

Pima County is being sued by a New York Insurance company for over $4 million stating that the expansion of the Ina Road Plant was not satisfactorily supervised. The expansion project added over 12 million gallons daily to the wastewater plant but it has suffered many problems during the development. The insurance company doesn’t think it would have had to undergo the large amounts of money to correct the problems at the Tucson Wastewater Plant if Pima County had managed the project properly.