It is alleged that the lead singer received over $270,000 from selling marijuana and another $61,000 plus that the son brought in by selling drugs. Neither is in custody though they have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Tucson. The band which blends big-band, jazz and R&B sounds started in 1969 receiving many awards. On New Year’s Eve the band is still expected to play at the Tucson Expo Center.

UA scientist Roger Angel thinks the Southwest has enough sunshine to power the country and that we can totally stop our dependence on fossil fuels. Part of the puzzle is how to capture solar power for later use when needed. Some of the power created during daylight hours by solar arrays could be used to pump the water from supplies such as Lake Mead to man-made lakes. These lakes would be at a higher altitude where you would find hydroelectric turbines. Angel wants to launch sunshades to cut the sun’s rays on earth and hopes to design a way to fulfill all of our energy needs from the sun by using mirrors to increase the intensity of sunlight on a solar cell. It would then be stored in lakes making it more cost-effective. He also has plans underway for transmission through a network of giant DC transmission lines sending power from the Southwest to eastern regions. The next step would be to obtain the land necessary for the lakes and transmission lines needed.

The Pentagon notified National Guard Officials that they are forcing close to 700 soldiers in the state into other units and career fields since it is thought that there are too many on active-duty status. Both the Alpha Battery of the 1-180th Field Artillery Battalion and the Bravo Battery of the 2-180th Field Artillery Battalion in Tucson will be affected. The Alpha battery will be converted to an infantry unit, the Bravo battery will be disabled and the 860th Military Police Company from Casa Grande will be heading to Tucson.

In Tucson today, the new council members will present their proposals and visions for the city. One of the initiatives is to require that all new home construction be plumbed for gray water and solar hot water systems. Another suggestion is to expand the city’s KIDCO after-school program to educate the students in math, reading and science. More committees and studies will be needed on each of these proposals.

Arizona State Planners are drawing up a proposal for a freeway bypass that runs through a Redington Arizona ranch. The ranch has been in existence since 1884 and though the owners could possibly profit from the sale to the state for the freeway, they’re not really interested in seeing this happen to the ranch. This bypass is being planned in an effort to re-route truckers and motorists so that they will avoid Tucson and Phoenix unless these happen to be their destinations. State Officials assure concerned environmentalists that they plan to avoid protected areas and designated wildernesses. There is no funding yet, for the $6 to $8 billion estimated cost of this 25 mile bypass.

According to Arizona State Law, civil citations must be served in person. You could possibly go to court and win. This has all come about recently with the introduction of a photo radar van that is periodically moved to different locations to catch speeders and those running red lights. Tickets are then mailed out with 30 days to pay or contest them or go to traffic school. If there is no response, the city of Tucson has 60 days to serve the citation in person. By law, the initial tickets should be served in person by process servers, just like lawsuits. It is thought by some that Tucson is hoping that the lack of knowledge the general public has will mostly benefit the revenue of the city though not truly be that much of a advantage to the safety and welfare of the people.

Pima County Sheriff’s Deputies are now patrolling the shopping malls in the Tucson area in order to discourage crime. The deputies are there mostly on nights and weekends to help enforce mall security. They not only keep an eye out for shop lifters or other crimes within the malls but they are also available in the parking lots, keeping an eye out for broken car windows, thefts and anything else suspicious.

The UA is part of a company that has developed BrightSlides, new testing slides, which can detect cancer and other illnesses earlier so that they can be treated sooner. With this new device you will be able to detect the cancers before they even appear and are able to metastasize, helping save lives. This system could offer much more reliable results and the time needed to process can be cut down from two days to minutes.

Saguaro Ranch Developer and Pima County agreed to build a trail leading into the Tortolita Mountain Park but nothing has been done on it yet. Homeowners east of Saguaro Ranch question if it will ever be built. At this point Saguaro Ranch in the Marana area in Tucson was told by the council that it can finally begin the improvement to the area and start selling 34 lots on the 178 acres. The developer has been delayed due to waiting for approval of the location and plan of the trail that would end up eliminating vehicular access to a portion of the park.

Tucson Water is to stop extending it’s use outside Tucson City limits where it is not legally required to supply service. The thinking is that it would stop new home builders and businesses therefore bringing in less income from new developments. This decision was made when the City Council met on Tuesday after a discussion regarding the water needs over the next 50 years. More studies need to be made on growth and water needs in the Tucson area.