Time to reform unwieldly process prone to fraud

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[Source: The Arizona Republic Editorial] – – Arizona’s initiative process is cumbersome, error prone and vulnerable to fraud. It needs an urgent overhaul. Secretary of State Jan Brewer, now on the verge of becoming governor, said so in the fall as she was dealing with an avalanche of petitions and record levels of questionable signatures. The state Supreme Court, which had to rule on several measures, called on the Legislature to thoroughly re-examine the process.

And Gov. Janet Napolitano used part of her farewell State of the State address to lay out proposed changes in initiatives and referendums. [Note: to read the full article click here.]

Restoration of historic Arizona mission south of Tucson advancing

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[Source: The Associated Press] – – The White Dove of the Desert is living up to its nickname again, its west tower refurbished, resplendent in a dazzling white finish once more.  The tower at Mission San Xavier del Bac emerged just before Christmas from the scaffolding that restoration workers had being using _ like a butterfly shedding its cocoon, said architect Bob Vint, who spearheaded the five-year, $2.5 million project.  Now, it’s on to restoring the east tower of the 226-year-old Roman Catholic church, which is still an active parish for southern Arizona’s Tohono O’odham Indians. Its towers are visible for miles, and their restoration is intended to ensure that the structure remains intact.

“The interior of the mission is what it’s all about,” said Vint. “All of this exterior work is being done to protect the interior.”  The mission, sometimes called “the Sistine Chapel of the United States” and the “White Dove of the Desert,” is considered the finest example of Spanish colonial architecture in the country. The walls of its Byzantine-influenced interior are ablaze with frescoes, a religious gallery of work painted directly on its walls by missionaries two centuries ago. [Note: to read the full article click here.]

Napolitano pleads with lawmakers to spare services

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[Source: Matthew Benson, The Arizona Republic] – – Gov. Janet Napolitano pleaded with lawmakers to spare critical state services in closing a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall, urging them to make “short-term decisions that do not dim the bright future of this remarkable state.”  The call came Monday afternoon as part of the State of the State address, her seventh and almost certainly final as governor. The speech served as a kickoff for the regular session of the 49th Legislature. It also marked an end of sorts for Napolitano.  The Democrat leaves Tuesday for Washington, D.C., and is expected to resign the governorship following her confirmation as secretary of Homeland Security next week.

As expected, her annual address to a packed chamber in the House of Representatives was abbreviated – about half as long as typical. But it still included several key proposals that she asked lawmakers to pursue in her absence.  Namely, Napolitano called for:
•  Legislation extending in-state tuition rates to every veteran in Arizona.
•  Legislation that further cracks down on human smugglers.
•  Lawmakers to build on last year’s failed TIME transportation initiative, allowing “the people of Arizona to have their say on this critical issue by 2010.”

That initiative would have increased the state sales tax by 1 cent for each dollar purchase, generating more than $42 billion over 30 years for a range of transportation and transit projects across Arizona. But the citizens’ campaign, along with that of a second Napolitano-backed initiative reforming the state trust-land system, failed to qualify for the ballot when its collection of petition signatures was deemed insufficient.  Napolitano urged lawmakers to “increase access to the ballot” by reducing the number of signatures required of initiatives. Meanwhile, she suggested a crackdown on signature fraud by increasing the number of signatures that must be examined by county and state elections officials. She said paid petition circulators should be registered and the practice of those circulators being paid per signature should be banned. [Note: to read the full article click here.]

Mariposa Trail is worth drive to Oracle, AZ

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[Source: Doug Kreutz, Arizona Daily Star] — Golden winter grasses carpet gently rolling hills and hidden hollows along the Mariposa Trail at Oracle State Park.  A trek on the trail is kind of like slipping into the park through the back door.  Beginning at its own trailhead northwest of the park’s main trail system and the historic Kannally Ranch House, the 1.2-mile route offers a “walk-in” alternative to driving into the park.

The Mariposa Trail dips into a hollow near the starting point and then climbs gradually to a grassy hilltop affording good views of the Catalina Mountains to the south and the rugged Galiuro range to the east.  It works its way down another hillside and then meanders southeastward to connect with a network of trails and the park’s main entrance road.  Hikers coming in on the Mariposa might choose to visit the ranch house or link with other trails for a longer hike.  By connecting with the Granite Overlook Trail Loop, the Windy Ridge Trail Loop or the Nature Trail Loop, it’s possible to fashion a round-trip trek of several miles.  [Note: to read the full article, click here.]