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From the KATO Newsroom
William Perry - News Director

September 2006 Archive

A pilot flying a private airplane out of Austin, Texas, crashed about one mile east of the Safford Airport, Wednesday afternoon.

Graham County Sheriff's Dispatch received a call from the Safford Airport saying that a man had walked to the airport to report the crash.

An ambulance was called and a deputy arrived at the airport and spoke with Jerald Pate, who was flying the Beach Baron twin engine airplane.

Pate told the deputy that he was transporting 8 concrete vibrators in the plane, along with several tools for Phelps Dodge.

Pate stated that he left Austin, Texas at around 1:50pm, with the materials and flew toward Safford. He was flying at around 6,000 feet when he ran out of fuel. Both engines on the plane quit and Pate and his plane went down and crashed near the airport.

Pate was examined by ambulance personnel. His knees, forehead and hands were scraped but he was not seriously injured. Pate refused to be taken to the hospital.

Sargent Jerry Nelson - head of the Graham County Search and Rescue Team arrived at the scene. Nelson advised that the U.S. Air Force had picked up the emergency signal from the crashed plane.

The deputies were able to locate the downed plane and turn off the emergency signal.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were notified.

Pate was not seriously injured in the crash. He told deputies that he thought that the cause of the crash was because he didn't calculate the extra weight of the materials when he left Austin. He stated that his gas gauge was not working right.

       

A Safford man is in critical condition at University Medical Center in Tucson after being hit by a van on Highway 70 in Pima.

According to Pima Police Chief McCormies, Joseph Fass, 30, was talking to a female subject on the side of the road near Alder Lane, at around 7:00pm., Tuesday evening.

According to witnesses, Fass stood up and walked into the westbound lane of Highway 70.

Fass was then hit by a van traveling Westbound on Highway 70. An ambulance was called and they determined that Fass needed to be flown to Tucson for emergency medical treatment.

An air-vac helicopter was called and landed near the scene. Fass was flown to University Medical Center where he remains in critical condition.

The Fass accident is still under investigation.

Pima Police are the investigating agency but were assisted by DPS and Thatcher Police.

       

A new A-S-U survey shows voters supporting both measures to generally prohibit smoking in indoor workplaces statewide.

Both Proposition 201 and Proposition 206 restrict smoking in public places while exempting tobacco shops, outdoor patios and designated hotel or motel rooms.

Proposition 206 also would exempt bars and restaurants with separate ventilation systems. It would also overturn smoking bans in cities.

Those measures are among 19 appearing on the November 7th general election ballot.

The poll was released yesterday by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Channel 8.

It was conducted September 21st through the 24th through telephone interviews with 882 registered voters statewide. The poll has a margin of error of three percentage points.

       

A man suspected of robbing a young couple at gunpoint, Saturday, in the Hastings Bookstore parking lot in Sierra Vista was arrested, Tuesday, by Benson Police.

Ruben J. Urena, 20, was charged with two counts of armed robbery, as well as a count of driving with a suspended license for which he was originally detained while driving in Benson.

In a story reported Thursday, Urena allegedly pointed a black semi-automatic pistol at a couple in the Sierra Vista Bookstore parking lot and took a mans wallet and a womans' purse.

When Urena was stopped in Benson, he was carrying numerous forms of identification and credit cards belonging to the Sierra Vista robbery victims.

Officers also found a black :45 caliber handgun that matched the description of the weapon used in the hold-up.

A Sierra Vista detective said, "There is some evidence that Urena may be involved in some similar crimes in other jurisdictions."

       

A new study ranks Arizona among the worst states for helping low-income families who need child care.

The National Women's Law Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, issued a 22-page report Tuesday entitled, "State Child Care Assistance Policies 2006: Gaps Remain With New Challenges Ahead."

The report examined four key areas - reimbursement rates, income eligibility, waiting lists and parent co-payments.

To be eligible, an Arizona family of three could earn no more than $26,556 annually in 2006, an increase from $696 in 2005.

Arizona and four other states, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, and Oregon, base their assistance on child care costs from 2000 or earlier. That means state payments do not cover what 60-percent of licensed child care centers charge to take care of young children.

In November, Arizona voters will decide on Proposition 203, which would add 80-cents to the cost of tobacco products and could generate $150-million dollars a year, which would go toward child-care programs from birth to 5-years of age.

       

Safford Police were called to a 407 3rd Street in reference to a burglary. Officer spoke to Jerry Benson. He said that he went to the grocery store and was gone for about 30-minutes. When he came back, his computer was missing from his house.

The computer monitor and laptop were still there but the computer was gone.

Benson stated that he had locked the gate to his house, but his front door was not locked.

The computer was worth approximately $2,000.00. He had no insurance. The report was turned over to Safford Investigators.

       

A woman called 9-1-1, to report that she had seen a prowler in her home. Safford Officers arrived at 1023 West Main Street at around 2:22am, Thursday morning, and spoke with the woman.

She told officers that she awoke to the sound of her front door opening. She stated that she and her 5-year-old son were sleeping. She woke up and walked into her front room and saw a Hispanic male subject wearing a plaid shirt standing near the front door.

She said that as soon as the man saw her, he ran from the residence. The woman stated that she could not identify the prowler.

Safford officer patrolled the area but could not find anyone fitting that description.

       

An environmental group claims the Mexican garter snake is in danger of extinction.

They blame the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service after it declined to designate it as an endangered species.

A conservation biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity says that like the Pygmy owl, the Bush administration is perfectly willing to let the Mexican garter snake go extinct.

The snake is dependent on the dwindling rivers and streams of the southwestern U-S and northern Mexico.

But experts say the snake's numbers have steadily declined from the Colorado, Gila and much of the Santa Cruz and San Pedro rivers due to deteriorating habitats.

They also blame the spread of non-native species such as bullfrogs, sunfish and bass.

       

A Douglas man was arrested Saturday for assaulting and threatening a police officer.

Douglas police were called to the Oasis Bar in Douglas, at around 11:30pm, Saturday night. The owner of the bar had called to try and get Francisco Saiz, 51, to leave.

Saiz was apparently acting disorderly in the bar and Douglas Police were able to get him to walk outside.

Saiz said something threatening to one of the officers and then took a swing at him. The officer backed up and the punch grazed his cheek.

Saiz was then restrained and handcuffed by the officers. He was taken to the Douglas police station where he was booked for the assault.

Saiz was later transported to the Cochise County Jail in Bisbee.

       

A young Sierra Vista couple were robbed by a man at gunpoint in front of the Hastings Bookstore in Sierra Vista, early Saturday evening.

According to Sierra Vista Police, an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old woman were allegedly approached as they sat in their vehicle in the Hastings parking lot on Fry Blvd, as they unwrapped a new purchase.

A Sierra Vista detective was quoted as saying, "This guy walks up and points a gun at the guy and demands the man's wallet and the woman's purse, which they gave to him."

The suspect then ran off.

The suspect allegedly pointed a black semi-automatic pistol at the couple. There were no witnesses to the robbery and neither victim was injured.

The suspect allegedly pointed a black semi-automatic pistol at the couple. There were no witnesses to the robbery and neither victim was injured.

       

Arizona voters have begun to make up their minds about who they want in the U-S Senate.

And it doesn't look good for Democratic challenger Jim Pederson.

A poll released by Channel 8 and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at A-S-U shows Republican incumbent Jon Kyl has held his lead over Pederson. At the same time the pool of undecided voters has shrunk.

Kyl received 49-percent of 882 likely voters surveyed between September 21st to the 24th.

Pederson received 38-percent and former Graham County Sheriff and Libertarian Richard Mack got two-percent.

The poll has a three-percent margin of error.

Pederson tells The Associated Press his campaign's internal polls show Kyl has a much narrower lead.

       

A doctors group expects a serious shortfall of family physicians in at least five states by 2020.

Population growth and rising numbers of elderly people in Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Texas and Idaho will make the need in those states most critical.

Doctor Perry Pugno of the American Academy of Family Physicians says that "As Americans age, they need more health-care interventions."

Pugno says primary care is the "most cost-effective way to help them maintain their health."

The number of U-S medical graduates going into family medicine has been falling by more than 50- percent from 1997 to 2005. Many young doctors prefer specialties that pay better and offer more control over work hours.

       

It sounds like good news for local farmers.

Arizona farmers and ranchers can get help to pay for installing or implementing Conservation management practices on their land.

USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service is taking applications until November 1st, for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The program provides money and technical assistance to help agricultural producers reduce soil erosion, improve water use, protect grazing land, and protect natural resources. The Natural Resource Conservation Service employee's will conduct a resource assessment of each applicant's land use to determine resource problems. Conservation practices that treat multiple resource concerns and provide the most environmental benefits will place applicants in a higher priority.

Up to 50-percent cost share is available, with a payment limitation of $450,000 per individual or entity for fiscal year 2007 contracts.

Contact the USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service for more information.

       

A Safford Police Officer was dispatched to 1032 5th Avenue, at around 1:30pm, Monday afternoon, in reference to possible marijuana plants growing on the grounds of an apartment complex in Safford.

The Safford Officer was met by a resident of the apartment complex and she led him to an area between apartment #2 and #3, where the alleged illegal marijuana was growing.

The officer looked at the plants and realized that what the tenant had found was not marijuana but ferns.

A sample of the plants was taken for testing and the ferns tested negative for marijuana. No further action was taken.

       

One of the newest weapons in the fight against diabetes owes its ability to lower blood glucose to a reptile that has made its home in the Sonoran Desert and in the Gila Valley, for millions of years.

Byetta, a non-insulin injection for type 2-diabetes, is based on a protein found in the venom-spiked saliva of the Gila monster.

Two studies released this month found that exenatide, the drug’s active ingredient, improves blood-glucose levels as effectively as insulin injections.

The associated weight loss many Byetta users experience is as exciting as their improved glucose control, especially given obesity’s link to type 2 diabetes.

In the one-year study, people using exenatide lost an average of 5.5 pounds pounds, while those treated with a commonly prescribed insulin gained an average of 6.4-pounds.

The results of the one-year and 32-week study were presented at the annual meeting of the European Association of the Study of Diabetes in Copenhagen, Denmark.

       

W The average person might not know this but stealing a shopping cart from an shopping area that provides shopping carts is considered a felony in the eyes of the law.

At around 3:00pm, Sunday, Safford Police Officers were sent to the area of 8th Street near Walmart and were told that two females were seen pushing shopping carts East on 8th Street, off of the Walmart property.

While searching for the shopping carts, a citizen told one of the officers that they had seen two females were now near the 100 block of 8th Street, still pushing the shopping carts.

Officers went to the area and located 4 carts along 7th Street but they were never able to locate the two females who allegedly stole the carts.

Walmart employees were called and they took the carts back to Walmart. Stealing shopping carts is considered a felony because the cost of the carts is over $501.00 each.

       

If you have money in the Arizona State Credit Union in Safford, this story might be of interest to you.

The Arizona State Credit Union has learned that some members and non-members of the Credit Union have received an e-mail directing them, through a link contained in an e-mail, to a scam website designed to look like it is part of the Credit Union. They are asked to log-in, using their password and later are asked for more information concerning their credit and debit card information.

Arizona State Credit Union says that they will never ask customers through your e-mail or by telephone to verify account information, and will never use e-mail to threaten account closure.

If you have responded to this e-mail and provided personal information, you should notify the Arizona State Credit Union immediately by calling 1-800-671-1098. If you have not responded, your personal information remains secure.

The Credit Union says that this type of fraud is called a “Phishing Scam�, and customers should be suspicious of any requests for personal information about your Credit Union accounts and you should contact the Credit Union as soon as possible. The number if you have responded to these requests by phone or on line is: 1-800-671-1098.

       

A Hereford man was killed and a woman was injured, in a motorcycle accident in Sierra Vista, Sunday afternoon.

John Patrick Welsh, 51, was westbound on Highway 90, just before 1:00pm, when he attemped to brake for traffic that was stopped ahead of him.

Acccording to a DPS spokesman, while Welsh was attempting to stop, he lost control of his 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle and he and his passenger, 50-year-old Carol A. Welsh were thrown from the bike.

Neither Welsh or his passenger was wearing a helmet.

John Welsh was taken to Sierra Vista Health Center where he was pronounced dead. Carol Welsh was taken to University Medical Center in Tucson for treatment of multiple injuries.

       

Safford Police received a call to go to the residence of a man who had witnessed a man fall from the top of a moving Chevy Blazer, Monday night.

Safford officers arrived at the home of John Kasinecz in Safford. Kasinecz stated that he had been at Circle K on Relation and Highway 191, and saw a white Nissan type vehicle and a white Chevy Blazer near the air pumps.

For some reason, the white Blazer took of on Relation and a man began running after it. The running man lost a shoe - caught up with the Blazer and jumped on top of the vehicle – just like in the movies.

The Blazer started weaving down Relation Street, with the man on top of the vehicle, while he had is left arm inside the driver's side window.

The man fell off the Blazer near Central Avenue and it continued to travel down Relation.

Safford Police then received a call from the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center Emergency Room, saying that they were treating a man who had multiple stab wounds on his arm along with scrapes and bruses.

The victim was identified as Ysidro Castro, 24 and he was wearing only one shoe. Apparently, Ysidro's brother, Michael Castro was with him at the time the incident at Circle K started. The unidentified man in the white Blazer said something to upset Ysidro. According to Michael Castro, the two were going to fight - Michael broke it up - and the unidentified man said something to Ysidro as he pulled away.

That's when Ysidro chased the Blazer and jumped on to roof and was stabbed five times with an unknown weapon.

Safford detectives are still investigating the incident.

       

A pilot and a Border Patrol agent suffered minor injuries when the Army National Guard helicopter they were aboard hit power lines and was forced to make an emergency landing east of Douglas, Thursday.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Department says the helicopter was on fire when deputies arrived on the scene about a quarter-mile from State Route 80 just before 3 p.m.

A sheriff's spokeswoman says the Border Patrol agent and the National Guard pilot suffered "minor injuries" including cuts and abrasions.

A spokesman for the Arizona National Guard says the agent and pilot were taken to an area hospital for precautionary measures and observation.

The helicopter was operating as part of Operation Jump Start which provides observational aviation support to the Border Patrol in southern Arizona.

       

On Thursday, House Republicans took a new crack at old immigration issues.

The issues range from imprisoning tunnelers and empowering local police to arrest illegal immigrants.

With no prospects this year for passing broader immigration changes favored by the Senate, House G-O-P leaders say taking action to seal the border is a matter of urgency.

One of the House bills would impose prison terms of up to 20 years for those who construct or finance an unauthorized tunnel under a U-S border.

The second would allow the Department of Homeland Security to hold illegal immigrants detained for crimes or as threats to national security beyond the current limit of six months.

And the third bill would reaffirm the authority of state and local law enforcement to arrest, detain and transfer illegal immigrants to federal custody.

       

Feeding Javelina, bears and other wildlife has become against the law in Arizona.

A new law prohibiting the intentional feeding of wildlife went into effect Thursday.

If you're caught, expect a 300 dollar fine.

State Senator Tony Hellon of Tucson says it's intended to prevent attacks by wild animals on people and their pets.

In 2004, wildlife feeding resulted in several encounters between humans and mountain lions in Sabino Canyon and near an elementary school in the Tucson area.

In Maricopa County, eight children have been attacked by coyotes.

Recently, a javelina bit humans who were hand-feeding the animals in the Phoenix area.

       

The Mayo Clinic in Phoenix is the only Arizona facility participating in a study of a drug made of snake venom.

The clinic is testing Viprinex to treat strokes that are caused by a blood clot in the brain.

The drug is made from the venom of a Malayan pit viper. So far, it has proven to be effective in preventing and breaking up clots.

Fifty hospitals nationwide participating in the study aim to enroll 500 patients, and eventually apply for Food and Drug Administration approval.

The Mayo Clinic has enrolled four stroke patients in the study so far.

One of them is 69-year-old Barbara Corkins of Scottsdale.

She began feeling faint and slurring her speech one quiet Sunday afternoon and became paralyzed on her right side.

After she was admitted to the clinic, she was given the drug.

Now, she has only a slight limp.

       

Many of the laws the state Legislature passed during the recent legislative session went effect Thursday.

Twenty of the laws involve guns, including one that eliminates a two-hour class required for renewing a concealed-weapon permit.

Also, walking into a hunter's gunfire will be fault of the guy who gets shot, not the shooter. House Bill 2130 says someone who puts him or herself in the line of fire can be charged with a misdemeanor.

The law also forbids making a loud noise near a hunter about to shoot.

Another law puts the burden of proof on the prosecution if someone claims self-defense for shooting a home intruder.

Other laws that went into effect include exempting breast-feeding from indecent-exposure laws, outlawing the feeding of wildlife in Maricopa and Pima counties except for tree squirrels and birds, and making bestiality a crime in Arizona.

       

Law enforcement in Graham County continues to battle with the increasing amount of burglaries and thefts in the community.

Safford Police were called to Swire Coca-Cola, on Monday, to a report of a stolen computer monitor from the office. There were no signs of forceable entry.

Officers were called to Safford Building Supply and spoke to the owner about a man who had been caught on tape, walking into the rental section of the store and walking out with a Senco air compressor and compressor hose, valued at around $130.00.

Again Safford Officers were called to Wal-mart, Monday, to a report by the manager that his staff had caught a juvenile trying to steal a bottle of Barcardi "Razz", that retailed at around $14.00. Wal-mart wanted to pursuit charges and the juvenile was taken to Graham County Juvenile Detention, because he was already on probation. The juvenile was also caught on video tape committing the theft.

And also on Monday afternoon, a woman had her purse stolen while she was in Family Dollar in Safford. Her cell phone was in her purse. Officers attempted to call the phone number with negative results.

       

Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer, and her staff will be conducting Town Meetings through-out the State to educate voters about the General Election Ballot propositions.

Brewer and her staff will be in Bylas at Stanley Hall on Monday, October 2, at 1:00pm and also in Safford on Monday, October 2nd, in the General Services Building, at 6:30pm.

Brewer will spend the night in Safford on Monday and will be educating more voters about General Election Ballot propositions in Morenci, on Tuesday October 3rd, at the Morenci Club at 10:00am, and in Clifton, at the Greenlee County Courthouse, at 6:00pm.

The public is invited to these free, informative Town Hall Meetings.

       

The price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at the pump continues to go down. The average price for a gallon of gas in the Phoenix area is around $2.43.

Linda Gorman, a spokesperson for AAA of Arizona, says the statewide average for a gallon of gas is $2.53-per gallon.

Oil industry analysts say more price reductions are coming. Oil prices hit a record high at $78.40-per barrel on July 14th.

Lowest gas prices in Safford and Thatcher this week have hit $2.39-per gallon. Goman said the decreasing price could be another 30 to 40-cents per gallon for Arizona

       

What a DPS spokesman is calling a “catastrophic collision”, between two vehicles in the Black Hills along Highway 191, Monday afternoon, resulted in the death of two men and two vehicles catching fire.

DPS spokesman Jim Oien reported that at around 4:00pm, Monday, 20-year-old Patrick W. Harverty of Benson was traveling Northbound on Highway 191, when he passed a vehicle on the two lane highway in the Black Hills.

After he passed the vehicle, Harverty over corrected and lost control of his 1999 Chevy sedan and slid into the Southbound lane of 191, where he struck a 2001 Buick sedan driven by Eric M. Campos, 19, of Safford.

When both vehicles collided at a high rate of speed, the Chevy broke apart, Harverty was ejected from his Chevy, and both vehicles caught on fire.

Campos sustained 3rd degree burns over most of his body.

Harverty was killed at the scene and Campos was flown to the Maricopa County Hospital Burn Unit where he died at 11:30am, Tuesday.

DPS investigators believe excessive speed was the cause of the collision.

Highway 191 was closed for 3-1/2 hours during the investigation and the clean up process.

       

Arizona State legislators had landlords in mind when they passed several new laws that take effect on Thursday. Landlords may find their lives more complicated.

A new law lets cities inspect residential rental units to determine if they are in compliance with applicable codes.

Specifically, cities that adopt the ordinances can perform interior inspections if the exterior shows that there are conditions that “materially affect” the health and safety of the occupants. Inspectors also are allowed if there is significant crime associated with the property, a documented history of building code violations, or a complaint from any legal resident.

The law also allows a city to require apartment owners to hire a professional management firm if the property has been designated a slum or shows conditions that materially affect health and safety of tenants.

       

Douglas police arrested and Arizona Department of Corrections Officer in connection with sale and possession of narcotics.

Renee Dias, 29, of Douglas was arrested, Friday afternoon at the Douglas Prison complex, while he was working.

A search warrant was served at DiasÂ’ home in Douglas and police seized 227.5-grams of cocaine, that had a street value over $5,000. A digital weight scale was also confiscated from the home.

Dias was charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics for sale, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Dias was transported to the Cochise County Jail in Bisbee.

       

A Graham County SheriffÂ’s Deputy was called to Black Rock Road in Ft. Thomas, where a woman was killed in a vehicle rollover accident.

According to the accident report, Sara Lynn Serna, 24, of Ft. Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene, on Friday, September 15th, at around 6:00pm.

She was driving a 1996 Chevy Blazer when according to the report, she was driving too fast to maintain traction on Black Rock Road, when she over corrected her steering and rolled the blazer three times before coming to rest on all four wheels.

On the second roll, Serna was ejected from the Blazer.

She was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was taken to Morris Safford Funeral Home in Safford.

       

Two Tucson men, stopped by a Thatcher Police Officer for speeding, early Thursday morning, in Daily Estates, were arrested for possession of prescription drugs and marijuana.

Mathew Thomas Veverka, 21, and Christopher Jonathan Nusz, 20, of Tucson, were allegedly speeding and were stopped by Thatcher Police.

A search of the vehicle turned up a quantity of prescription Zanex and Oxyiconton, a synthesized heroin and a quantity of marijuana.

Also found in the search was over $1500.00 in cash, two :45 caliber pistols and a ledger of customers names and drugs that the pair had delivered in the Gila Valley.

According to the ledger, Ververka and Nusz were delivering thousands of pills to different customers in Southeastern Arizona.

Thatcher Police will seek to confiscate the vehicle, the two weapons, and the money.

Ververka and Nusz were both arrested and taken to the Graham County Jail. Thatcher Police will continue to investigate the information found in the confiscated ledger

       

Governor Napolitano has amended a state emergency declaration she issued due to flooding in late July and early August.

Arizona received a presidential disaster declaration a week ago for Pima and Pinal counties, plus parts of the Gila River Indian Community and the Tohono O'odham (toh-HO'-noh OH'-tuhm) Nation.

Thursday, Napolitano amended her emergency declaration to also include Gila, Graham, Greenlee and Navajo counties. Plus, she's asking FEMA, at the request of tribal leaders, to include portions of the Hopi, Navajo and San Carlos Apache reservations.

The money sought is to help pay for damages caused by flooding to roads and other government property. The Governor's Office estimates those damages total more than eleven and a-half (m) million dollars.

       

A flood warning issued by the National Weather Service in Phoenix, warning residents of Duncan that the Gila River was expected to crest, Thursday, was a false alarm.

The town manager in Duncan said that the river did not reach flood stage and jump the banks and the Duncan was never threatened.

The National Weather Service had issued a flood warning for Duncan,Thursday morning, but town manager Alan Baker says that warning was issued based on a damaged levee that was repaired in the last week and the Weather Service was never informed about the repair. Baker says the river was running strong, but that's well below the 20 to 23 foot flood stage.

Monsoon rains in New Mexico were feeding runoff into the river. A Duncan resident said that the washes around Duncan were "running pretty good" but the Gila River was not flooding.

       

Stepped up police enforcement, warnings on highway signs and even public awareness campaigns are still not enough to keep drunk drivers off the road.

Federal numbers show alcohol-related traffic deaths rose significantly last year in Arizona, with D-U-I fatalities increasing 13-percent in 2005 compared with 2004.

Drunken driving is blamed in more than one-third of all traffic deaths statewide, with 46 more people killed in alcohol-related crashes during 2005 than in 2004.

Arizona is number six among the states with the largest increases in alcohol-related fatalities.

The deputy director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety calls the D-U-I numbers "disappointing"

       

Health officials are emphasizing that consumers nationwide should not eat fresh bagged spinach because it may be tainted with E. coli. Washing the spinach won't solve the problem.

The director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Nutrition says washing won't get rid of E. coli because the bacteria is too tightly attached. Fifty cases of E. coli have been reported in eight states. There has been one death in Wisconsin.

No illness reported yet in Arizona, but cases have happened in Utah and New Mexico.

The warning has been issued nationwide because it's not known exactly where the spinach came from or how widely it has been distributed, although most of the spinach crop this time of year comes from California.

The F-D-A's Robert Brackett notes that the spinach was distributed all over the country and that people are getting very sick, so an abundance of caution is necessary.

       

A few generations after Latin American and Mexican families move to the U-S, fluency in Spanish dies out and English becomes their dominant language.

That's according to a new paper published by sociology professors from Princeton University and the University of California-Irvine.

It counters popular arguments that the size of Latino immigration to the U-S could create a bilingual society and a fundamental change in American culture.

The study found Spanish giving way to English among Southern California's and Arizona's heavily Hispanic population.

It suggests that Mexican immigrants arriving in Southern California today can expect only five out of every 100 of their great-grandchildren to speak fluent Spanish.

       

The son of District 5 Arizona State Representative Bill Konopnicki had his truck stolen in Tucson, Monday.

According to a Safford Police report, David Konopnicki, who is in charge of the Safford McDonalds Restaurant had gone to Tucson with another employee to catch a flight to Las Vegas for a conference.

The two were staying at the Marriot Courtyard Inn in Tucson. Konopnicki had left his 2005 GMC Sierra pick up in the parking lot and the two took the shuttle to catch a flight to Las Vegas.

A few hours later, Konopnicki received a call from DPS officer Lomeli in Nogales, wanting to know if Konopnicki had reported his truck stolen.

David was in Las Vegas when he received the call and new nothing about it. Apparently, a Mexican Federal Officer had gotten suspicious of the driver of the truck at the Mexican Port of Entry. The Mexican officer stopped the truck and called DPS to see if it had been stolen.

DPS officer Lomeli called Konopnicki and confirmed that the truck was in Nogales.

Konopnicki called the Marriot Courtyard Inn and had them report to Tucson Police that his truck had been stolen from their parking lot.

Konopnicki then had to contact a liason officer who deals with American vehicles that have been stolen and taken into Mexico to get his truck back.

The truck thief was taken into custody.

       

..........ON THE MEDICAL FRONT..........

Those who battle diabetes – a disease known to trigger heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and nerve damage, now have another problem to worry about: colon cancer.

A series of recent studies is confirming an alarming link between the most common form of diabetes, known as type 2, and a significantly greater chance of developing cancer of the large bowel.

Type 2 diabetes is known as a “lifestyle” disease, triggered by obesity, poor diet, and lack of exercise. Under such conditions, the body begins to produce insufficient insulin, the hormone that converts blood sugar into energy.;

A recent study, compared colon cancer rates among nearly 2,000 type 2 diabetics to the general population, and found a significantly increased cancer risk in the diabetic group, most notably among men, and especially if they smoke.

Nationwide, most diabetes experts estimate that more than 18-million Americans have diabetes, but 6-million donÂ’t know it. More than 145,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year, and more than 56,000 will die from it, according to the American Cancer Society.

Doctors recommend a healthy diet, a healthy lifestyle, and regular medical visits to try and ward off the signs of diabetes and colon cancer.

       

The voter turnout in Graham County for TuesdayÂ’s Primary Election wasnÂ’t Graham CountyÂ’s best effort and the results werenÂ’t that surprising.

According to election results provided by Graham County election coordinator Judy Dickinson, Graham County has 17, 526 registered voters and a little more than 18-percent took the time to vote.

Republican U.S. Senator John Kyl, running unopposed for re-election received 1,435 votes compared to Democratic challenger Jim PedersonÂ’s 1,217, in Graham County.

Attorney Ellen Simon, a Democrat from Sedona, won her bid to challenge Republican incumbent Rick Renzi for U.S. Representative in Congress for Arizona District #1. Renzi, running unopposed received 1,452 votes to SimonÂ’s 641 votes. Simon was in a 5-way race on the Democratic side.

Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano, who is also running unopposed in her Party, received 1,381 votes in Graham County. On the Republican side, Len Munsil won his parties nomination, in a four-way race, with 893 votes from Graham Counties 18-precincts.

The race for State Senator in District 5 will find Republican incumbent Jake Flake, who received 1,430 votes in Graham County, going up against Democrat Phil Cobb who received 1,195 votes.

Safford resident and incumbent Republican State Representative for District 5, Bill Konopnicki ran unopposed for this term and will retain his position. Konopnicki received 1,399 votes.

County School Superintendent, Donna McGaughey, County Clerk of the Superior Court, Darlee Maylan-John, and Superior Court Judge Douglas Holt all ran unopposed and will retain their elected positions.

The General Election will be held on November 7th.

       

A traffic stop by the Graham County Narcotics Task Force along with DPS officers at Powerline and Stockton Roads, led to the arrest of two Graham County women for possession of methamphetamines.

Task Force investigators stopped Jamie Verhoest, 47, and found that she was in possession of 28-grams of meth on her person.

Verhoest was arrested for D.U.I Drugs, Possession of Dangerous Drugs for Sale, Possession of Dangerous Drugs and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Upon further investigation, the Task Force learned that Melinda Curtis Hale, 43, was involved with Verhoest in dealing crystal meth. A search warrant was obtained and executed at HaleÂ’s workplace at 1680 W, Thatcher Blvd. and the Task Force recovered another 13-grams of meth.

Both Hale and Verhoest were arrested and booked into the Graham County Jail where they remain under a $15,000 bond each.

The 41-grams of meth seized had a street value of $4,100.

       

A federal agency has cleared Congressman Rick Renzi of allegations that he financed part of his 2002 campaign with prohibited corporate funds.

Renzi says "liberal operatives" have attempted to smear his name on the Internet with desperate and erroneous allegations.

A national political watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, has listed Renzi as one of the 13 "most corrupt" members of Congress, based on allegations that two corporations funneled 369-thousand dollars into Renzi's first campaign.

Renzi maintained his corporations paid him and the money was his to do with as he pleased.

       

One of Arizona's foremost astronomers has stepped down as director of the Vatican Observatory.

The Reverend George Coyne of Tucson says the decision to leave his post was his alone after 28 years on the job.

The 73-year-old Coyne has been replaced by the Reverend Jose Funes.

The observatory has had a major presence in Arizona astronomy circles since Coyne played a key role in moving its research operations to the University of Arizona in 1981.

He persuaded the Vatican that the night skies around Rome were getting too bright.

Among Coyne's major accomplishments was leading the Vatican's participation in the construction of telescopes atop Mount Graham.

       

Another bank merger is in the works.

Stockmen's Bank is going to merge with National Bank of Arizona

- subject to approval by shareholders and bank ruglators. National Bank - a subsidiary of Utah-based Zions Bancorporation - is based in Phoenix. Stockmen's is headquartered in Kingman.

Stockmen's is the biggest Arizona-based bank operating mainly in rural areas of the state, including Safford. It has 43 branches, including eleven in California, and 375 employees. National Bank has 53 branches and 980 employees.

       

The nations largest cigarette maker is disputing a study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that found nicotine in cigarettes had risen about 10-percent in the past 6-years.

Philip Morris USA, which manufactures Marlboro cigarettes, said its review of nine years of data that it provided to the state found fluctuations in nicotine levels, but no steady increase.

The Massachusetts Department of Health released a study last month that examined nicotine levels in more than 100 brands of cigarettes over a 6-year period. The study showed a steady climb in the amount of nicotine delivered to the lungs of smokers regardless of brand, with overall nicotine yields increasing by about 10-percent.

Philip Morris said when it looked at all the data they sent to Massachusetts, there were only year-to-year variations that “occur as part of the normal processes of growing tobacco and manufacturing cigarettes.”

Donna Rheaume, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health, defended the report, which concluded that the higher nicotine levels made it easier to get hooked on cigarettes and harder to quit.

       

The two suspects who led Safford and Thatcher Police, along with Graham County SheriffÂ’s Deputies and DPS officers on a high speed chase through Safford and Thatcher and ended up surrendering in a Thatcher cotton field, had been on the run from authorities, throughout the Midwest, for a couple of weeks.

When their crime spree began in Denton, Texas, 18-year-old Loren Gonczi, and 27-year-old Christopher Lee Harris had a third person traveling with them. His name was Wesley Wayne Scott, 19.

The three suspects started in Denton, breaking into homes, stealing guns, money, and several vehicles.

Gonczi, Harris, and Scott had been blazing a path of crime through Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota.

The three stole a truck in Hastings, Nebraska, and abandonded it in Wisconsin. Wesley Wayne Scott was finally caught in Marysville, Missouri, last Wednesday, September 6th, while Gonczi and Harris stole another vehicle and escaped capture.

The couple were Westbound on Highway 70 when they were stopped by a Safford Officer early Saturday morning.

When the officer asked for a drivers license and registration, Harris, the driver, took off toward Thatcher and the chase was on.

Harris and Gonczi wrecked their stolen truck in a cotton field in Thatcher and And fired pistol shots at officers. After an hour of negotiations, Harris surrendered to Police.

The two are currently in the Graham County Jail and no officers were injured.

       

Arizona Secretary of State, Jan Brewer has announced that live phone lines will be available to answer voters questions about the September 12th Primary election, including how many forms of I.D. to bring to the polls.

“We want to make sure that all voters bring the proper indentification with them to the polls on Tuesday,” said Brewer. “This phone bank will serve as a valuable resource to the voters.”

In 2004, Arizona voters passed Proposition 200, making it necessary for voters to show proof of identification, one with a photo or two non-photo I.D.Â’s.

The I.D.Â’s that voters will need to bring to the polls that will be accepted as one form are: a valid Arizona Drivers License with the voters correct address, an Arizona non-operating I.D. with the voters correct address, a tribal enrollment card or other forms of tribal identification, or a valid United States federal, state, or local government-issued I.D.

Non-photo I.D.Â’s that will be accepted to voter are: your utility bill, cell phone, cable T.V. bill, Property tax statement, vehicle insurance card, vehicle registration, all with the voters current address on them.

The toll free phone number to call for more information about todayÂ’s Primary Election is: 1-877-THEVOTE, thatÂ’s 1-877-THEVOTE

       

A chase of two suspects who were wanted in a string of burglaries, car jackings, and weapons offenses, starting in Denton, Texas, and continuing as far north as Wisconsin, were caught by Safford and Thatcher Police and Graham County SheriffÂ’s Deputies, early Saturday morning, in a Thatcher cotton field.

Christopher Lee Harris, 27, and Loren Gonczi, 18, were stopped by a Safford Police Officer on Highway 70 in front of Pollacks Car Wash after midnight, Saturday morning.

The officer asked for HarrisÂ’ driver license, registration, and proof of insurance on the vehicle and Harris took off westbound toward Thatcher.

Safford officers began chasing the vehicle and radioed ahead to Thatcher PD. A Thatcher officer set up “Spike Stop Strips” on Highway 70 in Thatcher and when the fleeing vehicle arrived, the driver swerved to avoid the Stop Sticks but the left front tire was flattened.

The vehicle with the two suspects continued westbound on Highway 70 in Thatcher and turned north on College Avenue before ValÂ’s Appliance. The speeding vehicle continued to weave through Thatcher streets until it ran off into a concrete irrigation ditch on North Stadium Avenue.

The two suspects then exited the vehicle with Thatcher and Safford officers in pursuit. Christopher Lee Harris fired two shots from a pistol at the officers and took of into the cotton field. One of the Safford officers returned fire.

During the foot chase, Harris fired one more shot and ended up surrounded by Police officer and Deputies in an irrigation ditch.

According to Safford Police Chief John Griffin, the female suspect, Loren Gonczi, was captured and taken into custody before they surrounded Harris.

Surrounded and out of options, Christopher Lee Harris held a pistol to his head and declared to officer that he was going to kill himself.

An unidentified Safford officer took over the negotiation duties with Harris and after about an hour was able to talk Harris out of killing himself and trading the pistol for a cigarette.

Harris and Gonczi were arrested and booked into the Graham County Jail on attemped murder charges on local officers and fleeing the scene in Safford from a traffic stop.

       

Arizona is failing when it comes to the affordability of higher education.

The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave the state an "F" because it does not provide need-based financial aid, making it impossible for many Arizonans to pursue a higher education.

Forty-two other states flunked affordability for higher education.

Arizona officials disagree with the San Jose-based higher education center.

The Arizona Board of Regents says in-state tuition in the state is in the lowest third of the country's universities.

       

Two more marauding black bears have been killed in canyons near Sierra Vista.

That brings to four the number killed in the area in the past two weeks.

A nuisance bear thought to have been shot and wounded by a homeowner in Ramsey Canyon on August 29th returned to the same residence Thursday. Officials say it damaged the roof of a small S-U-V, as well as the roof of the home, before it was shot and killed by the homeowner.

An examination of the animal after it was killed showed no previous gunshot wounds.

Wednesday morning, officials say a Forest Service employee shot and killed a bear that had ransacked his mobile home in Carr Canyon.

Two other bears were killed by state Fish and Game officers August 29th in Ramsey Canyon. One was a female bear who was shot. The other was her cub, who died after officers fired rubber bullets in an attempt to scare the bears off.

Arizona Game and Fish says a reduced food supply is forcing the animals to look for other sources of food.

       

Lawmakers who thought they had already ended the slaughter of horses for meat in the United States have voted again to do so. Last year, Congress stopped paying the salaries and expenses of federal inspectors at horse-slaughter facilities. But the Bush administration simply started charging the plants for the inspections, and the slaughter continued.

Thursday, the House voted by a nearly two-to-one margin to outlaw the slaughter of horses for human consumption. One foe of the slaughter says horses are "as close to human" as any animal can get. Another described the slaughter as "inhumane" and "brutal."

But the administration says if it's banned, the slaughters will simply take place at more brutal facilities outside the U-S.

Defenders say the slaughter offers a cheap and humane way to end a horse's life when the animal is no longer useful.

The future of the bill is uncertain, since the Senate hasn't acted on a similar one. Congress is planning to wrap up work by the end of the month.

       

The bodies of two motorists were found 100-feet down in a ravine, below Highway 78, better known locally as Mule Creek, Wednesday afternoon, by motorists who were having car trouble.

The accident had occurred approximately 20-miles East of Clifton, near the New Mexico border.

The motorists had pulled to the side of the highway and had called for help. While they were waiting, they noticed an upside down Ford pickup truck down in a ravine off of the Mule Creek road.

The couple called 9-1-1 and when DPS and Greenlee County Deputies arrived, they had to repel down to the crash site.

The officers found the bodies of two victims who had been ejected from the truck in the underbrush, near the crash site. Investigators estimate that the victims had been dead for approximately one week.

The Ford Pickup was not visible from Highway 78.

Investigators determined that the Ford Pickup was westbound on Mule Creek Road when the driver failed to negotiate a curve, hit the guard rail and rolled down into the ravine. While the vehicle rolled, the occupants were ejected and died of their injuries.

The victims were from New Mexico and names were not released.

       

Arizona's public school districts and charter schools can amend their teacher contracts to provide increases in pay and benefits as funded by the state budget approved by state lawmakers.

That's according to a formal legal opinion issued Wednesday by state Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Goddard was asked whether compensation increases after contracts had been issued would violate the Arizona Constitution's prohibition on gifts of public funds.

Goddard's opinion says that salary increases stemming from the Legislature's appropriation of additional funding for public schools are permissible because they serve a public purpose. Some school districts had approved teacher contacts before the Legislature settled on the final budget numbers in late June.

       

An Arizona Department of Transportation employee called Graham County dispatch, Saturday morning, to report that an ADOT pick up had been stolen sometime Friday night from the ADOT maintenance yard in Safford.

The employee also reported that approximately 400-pounds of copper wire worth around $1600.00 had also been stolen from the City of Safford Mesa Yard. The thief apparently cut a hole in a City of Safford fence that borders the ADOT yard and took the copper wire.

On the same day, Saturday, September 2nd, a DPS officer located the missing ADOT pick up and the copper wire near Globe and arrested Kim Jorgensen, 46, address unknown, and took him to the Gila County Jail.

Safford Detectives were sent to Globe to interview Jorgensen and the truck and the copper wire were returned to Safford.

       

It wasn't rain, or fog and definitely not snow that came in from the west and covered parts of Green Valley.

It's dust from Phelps Dodge mine tailings west of Green Valley. The worst episode occurred Sunday when a cloud of mine tailing dust drifted over Green Valley.

The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality dispatched inspectors to the area, but determined the state has jurisdiction.

The Department of Environmental Quality says investigators have visited the area twice and are looking at whether Phelps Dodge is in compliance with its air-quality permit.

The state says that at the very least, the company will have to fix whatever is allowing the dust to blow off the piles of mine tailings.

Depending on the results of an investigation, Phelps Dodge could face fines.

       

The body of an illegal immigrant from Mexico was found on the side of Interstate 10, after he had apparently jumped from a moving bus.

A DPS spokesperson reported that one of the passengers on an Eastbound Mexican Tour bus, climbed out of the bathroom window and jumped from the moving bus at around 3:45am, Wednesday morning.

The body of the unidentified man was found by Border Patrol agents about two miles east of the I-10 – 191 exit to Safford.

DPS is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.

       

The Arizona Court of Appeals says a new state law on self-defense can be applied retroactively to pending cases.

The panel - overturning a Pima County judge - said a murder defendant awaiting trial in a 2004 homicide can cite the new law in his trial.

The new law is more favorable to defendants that the self-defense law it replaced.

The issue of whether the new law can be applied retroactively also is being raised in an appeal in a Flagstaff case.

It involves retired Phoenix-area high school teacher Harold Fish, who was sentenced last month to ten years in prison after being convicted of murdering a man during a confrontation while hiking. The 59-year-old Fish maintains he shot in self-defense.

       

Arizona "Baby Boomers" need to start changing their ways.

Increased usage of both prescription drugs and illegal drugs are killing aging baby boomers in Arizona at unprecedented rates.

The Arizona Department of Health Services says that over the past decade, the per capita rate for fatal, accidental poisoning by drugs and alcohol among Arizonans ages 45 to 64 has multiplied.

There were 39 such deaths in 1995 and 250 last year.

       

A Graham County SheriffÂ’s Deputy received a call from the conductor of the Arizona Eastern Railroad, regarding two people trying to jump onto the train.

The conductor, who called dispatch at around 5:00pm, Friday afternoon, said that he saw two Hispanic males trying to get on the back of the Arizona Eastern freight train near the Solomon train station. He was able to get them off without injury.

The conductor didnÂ’t want to pursue charges, he just wanted the deputy to talk to them about the danger and illegality of jumping onto a moving train.

He told the deputy approximately where the two men were and the deputy found them about a quarter-mile down the tracks.

The deputy discovered that the two were illegal immigrants from Mexico and took them into custody. He drove the pair to the Graham County Jail and held them until Border Patrol arrived.

       

A mining marriage that was not to be.

Copper producer Phelps Dodge says it has agreed with takeover target Inco to cancel their planned combination, amid indications that Inco shareholders would reject the deal.

Phoenix-based Phelps Dodge, Falconbridge and Inco had agreed to a three-way combination earlier this year. However, Anglo-Swiss mining concern Xstrata won control of Falconbridge late last month while a Brazilian firm offered to buy Inco for 17 (b) billion dollars, all in cash.

Phelps Dodge's cash-and-stock offer is currently valued at 17-point-four (b) billion dollars, but investors tend to favor cash offers because of the possible fluctuation in stock prices.

       

Money is pouring into ballot proposition campaigns.

Proposition 206 proposes a statewide workplace smoking ban with the exception of bars.

It's raised two-point-nine (m) million dollars through August 23rd.

All but 24-thousand dollars came from tobacco company R.J. Reynolds.

Backers of Proposition 201, also known as the Smoke-Free Arizona Act, have raised nearly 853-thousand dollars.

Major contributors include health-based groups like the American Cancer Society, the Washington D-C-based Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund and the American Lung Association of Arizona.

The smoking measures, along with 17 others, will be decided by voters in the November general election.

       

Officials from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the Graham County Health Department, the Indian Health Services, and the San Carlos Environmental Protection Agency, are warning residents of Southeastern Arizona to avoid swimming in the Gila River this Labor Day weekend.

The agencies have obtained water samples from the Gila River below the Solomon Bridge to the Gila River crossing at Highway 70, below Bylas, that show elevated levels of E.Coli and Vibrio bacteria in the water.

Other portions of the Gila River may not be effected, but have not yet been tested to determine if those levels are also elevated.

Swimming in water with high levels of E.Coli and Vibrio bacteria could result in diarrhea and wound infections and serious illness in children and adults.

ADEQ Director Steve Owens said, “Further sampling and testing will be conducted on the Gila River to determine whether advisories will be lifted or modified to reflect current conditions.”

       

The percentage of Arizonans living in poverty, measured in two-year averages, has increased from nearly 14-percent in 2003 and 2004 to nearly 15-percent percent for 2004 and 2005. That's according to federal statistics.

A U-S Census Bureau report on poverty released Tuesday shows that 37 (m) million Americans lived in poverty last year, the same number as the previous year.

To effectively fight poverty, Congressman Raul Grijalva says there needs to be a fundamental shifting of government priorities toward funding programs that help keep people out of poverty.

Grijalva says federal spending on defense and homeland security must be balanced with more investment in communities.

       

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office says it's cracked a credit card scam.

Deputies served a search warrant at a residence off Highway 90 in an ongoing fraud investigation.

There were no arrests.

However, deputies recovered several thousand dollars worth of property connected to a credit card fraud case.

The investigation continues and Cochise County prosecutors say there are possible charges pending against suspects in the case.

       

It could be a big step forward in the search for gene therapy to fight cancer.

Researchers say they were able to take regular blood cells, genetically alter them, and turn them into tumor attackers.

The National Cancer Institute did the experiment, which it says got rid of all signs of cancer in two men suffering advanced melanoma. Two years later, the patients have no sign of the disease. The Institute calls it the first real success in cancer gene therapy.

But they also caution that the altered cells failed to help 15 other melanoma victims. so they're now working to make the shots even stronger.

Researchers hope to soon start testing the gene therapy on small numbers of patients dying from other forms of the disease, including breast and colon cancers.

       

A group of citizens from Willcox have begun a petition to recall Cochise County Attorney, Ed Rheinheimer.

The Cochise County Residents for Justice claim that Cochise County Attorney Rheinheimer has “betrayed the public trust”, in how he handled a criminal case involving a 14-year-old shooting victim, Kayla Shores, of Willcox.

According to a SheriffÂ’s report, on the evening of February 18th, Shores and some friends knocked on the window of the residence of Cody Evans and then ran, as a prank.

Evans, who heard the knocking and thought it was a man who he had been feuding with and had threatened him, fired two shots from a .45-caliber pistol, hitting Shores.

Shores was treated at Northern Cochise Community Hospital and then flown to Tucson. She survived the shooting but had to endure painful surgeries to her lower back and internal organs.

A Grand Jury voted 13-0 against an indictment of Evans, based in part on a state law that justifies deadly force if a person reasonably believes he could become a victim of a crime.

The group states that RheinheimerÂ’s office failed to adequately prepare the grand jury presentation and decided to present the case against Evans without calling eyewitnessess to the incident.

The Cochise County Residents for Justice must now collect 10,266 signatures in 120-days for any recall election to go forward.

       

A new poll shows Governor Napolitano still holding a two-to-one advantage over her leading Republican challengers in mock general-election matchups.

A telephone poll of 846 registered voters found 62 percent favored the Democratic incumbent while 27 percent backed Don Goldwater. Two other G-O-P hopefuls -- Len Munsil and Mike Harris -- each got backing by 23 percent of those polled while another party hopeful -- Gary Tupper -- was backed by 20 percent.

Napolitano is unopposed in the September 12th Democratic primary.

Pollster Bruce Merrill says the results clearly indicate that Napolitano will enter the general-election campaign with "a strong initial lead" over the Republican nominee.

However, Merrill says the race "may become closer" as party ties are expected to have a bigger sway over many of those G-O-P voters.

The poll -- conducted by Channel 8 and A-S-U has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

       

A newspaper study shows that Arizona drivers are spending about 115 (m) million dollars more a year on gasoline and diesel than they would if fuel temperatures were regulated to the federal standard.

The standard says fuel should be dispensed into vehicles' tanks at 60 degrees.

But the standard isn't enforced federally or in any state, including Arizona.

An investigation by the Kansas City Star revealed that drivers nationwide are spending about two-point-three (b) billion dollars more for fuel this year.

However, if the fuel was adjusted for energy efficiency and expansion based on temperature, we'd pay less.

Temperature affects fuel because the hotter it is, the less energy-efficient it is, so consumers can't drive as far and must buy more fuel.