Law & Order Briefs

State DUI crackdown leads to 312 arrests

Sewer smells stick around in Sabino Springs

So this is what happens when the housing crisis mixes with snowbirds.

Zimmerman fiancee opposes big ammo clips

Jan. 8 shooting victim Gabe Zimmerman's fiancee is joining a national campaign to ban high-capacity magazines like the one used to kill Zimmerman and five others.

Road runner: I-19 skid marks caused by ... pick a reason

Last week a reader wondered about all the marks from tires skidding along the sides of highways, particularly along Interstate 19.

Political notebook: Those 'turn off phone' signs not just for the masses

In the past, we've spied Pima County Supervisor Ramón Valadez text-messaging with Oro Valley Mayor Satish Hiremath when they attend regional planning meetings.

West University Assn. OKs deal on student housing at YMCA site

The West University Neighborhood Association and a student-housing developer have agreed to terms that pave the way for a 756-room dorm-style complex at the old YMCA site near Fourth Avenue.

RTA to sell $152M in bonds for road work

The Regional Transportation Authority voted Thursday to sell $152 million in bonds to pay for road construction through 2012.

Pima to provide Houghton Road funds

Pima County has formally agreed to contribute $7.5 million in road bond funding for the next stretch of construction to widen South Houghton Road.

Tucson political stalwart Joe Sweeney dies

Joe Sweeney, best known for repeatedly running for offices he did not win and railing against illegal immigration at public forums, died Saturday in Tucson.

Joe Sweeney, Tucson's perennial political candidate, dies at 66

Anti-illegal immigration stalwart Joe Sweeney, best known for repeatedly running for offices he did not win and railing against illegal immigration at public forums, died in Tucson Saturday.

AZ budget plan may shift $15M in costs to Pima

Pima County is grappling with how to cover another $15 million hit that could be coming its way from the state budget.

Road runner: Skid marks on highways cause some to wonder

Readers, I'm turning to you for help because I am stumped, again.

Political notebook: Flores running for Ward 1 seat

City Council hopeful Joe Flores made his announcement for the Ward 1 Democratic primary last week.

Roadwork means bye-bye to left turns on Grant

A $10 million construction project set to begin this fall could mark the beginning of the end of left turns at major intersections for a big chunk of Grant Road.

First phase is completed for county sewer upgrade

Pima County has finished the first phase of a massive sewer project that will employ more than 600 construction workers before it's finished in 2015.

Road runner: Some questions about recently OK'd rail plan

When the State Transportation Board approved a statewide rail plan this month, it cleared a big hurdle in the quest to get passenger rail service between Tucson and Phoenix.

Political notebook: In instant, Flake goes Mr. Tough on border

Is U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake trying to do his best impression of U.S. Sen. John McCain?

Anti-graffiti paint brings job prospects

A new kind of Sherwin-Williams paint could make graffiti removal a lot easier, and it's also helping teach people here new work skills.

Pima may limit park's bow-hunting zone

Pima County is proposing hunting restrictions in Tucson Mountain Park after homeowners complained that people were trespassing to get into the park, where archery hunting is allowed.

Road runner: Gas prices may drive us to bus, smaller cars, but often that's short-lived

Gas prices are going up just as the Tucson City Council considers whether to raise bus fares.

Political notebook: Too tuckered to tango: Just 3 legislators show up for Capitol exercise challenge

State lawmakers didn't exactly show up in hordes for an exercise challenge on the Capitol Mall last week, with just three Democrats going through their paces.

New homes to require Orange Grove widening

The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved higher-density zoning for a housing project along West Orange Grove that will also trigger a long-planned widening of the road.

RTA: Big ads on buses may set wrong tone

There's a rolling debate about revenue versus image, and it's playing out on the sides of our buses. The Regional Transportation Authority spent $2.9 million two years ago to repaint the city's Sun Tran bus fleet from white, red and yellow, to a white, gray and blue motif. The paint job was,…

Road runner: Arizona's abundance of license-plate styles poised for hyperdrive

Arizona has almost as many license-plate-design options as there are states in the union. But even with almost 50 styles, reader David Paulin spotted a New Mexico driver sporting one he thought we might want to consider.

Pima looks at cuts in an array of builder fees

Less than a year after the Pima County Board of Supervisors approved fee increases for certain types of development plans, there's a move afoot to reduce them.

Political notebook: No Labels group praises Farley effort; plus, how do Dems get any item OK'd?

No Labels, a group dedicated to trying to tamp down partisan rifts in politics, kicked into higher gear this week with a big thank you to Tucson Democratic Rep. Steve Farley for engaging with a member of the Republican caucus recently.

Pima hires Sundt for work in advance of court project

The Pima County Board of Supervisors hired a firm Tuesday to begin the preliminary work needed so construction can start as soon as next year on a new court complex downtown.

Supes to weigh start on court complex

Pima County hopes to begin construction in mid-2012 on a new court complex, but it doesn't yet have the money for it.

Road runner: Arizona gets less than 90 percent of road taxes back

Arizona is a "donor state" when it comes to the amount of federal transportation funding that makes its way back here after we pay taxes, a U.S. congressman points out.

Political notebook: Pat Darcy may make a pitch for Mayor Walkup's post

The mayoral race could be about to get more interesting.

Some S. Tucsonans given opportunity to vote again

The Pima County Recorder's Office is giving voters in South Tucson the chance to vote a second time if they believe someone assisting them incorrectly marked their ballot for Tuesday's city election.

Sweetwater Preserve will expand

The Pima County Board of Supervisors will buy 187 acres on the west side as open space to connect its 700-acre Sweetwater Preserve park to Sweetwater Wash.

RTA to raise $100M via bond sale

The Regional Transportation Authority will issue an estimated $100 million in bonds to do the road work it promised to voters through the middle of 2012. But after that, the RTA staff is recommending all its projects through 2015 be delayed or split into smaller pieces.

Road runner: Cause for celebration as redo of busy intersection is finished

Stop the presses. They've finally stopped stopping traffic at East Fort Lowell Road and North Campbell Avenue.

Political notebook: Not quite GQ, but Grijalva changes the look

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva's look these days has been sweater-esque - a marked difference from his more typical button-down-and-bolo-tie combination.

Could Baja Arizona be 51st state in US?

A political committee made up of attorneys, including the former chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party, has been formed to try to get Southern Arizona to secede from the rest of the state.

Road runner: UA-area bike lanes - but not the adjoining streets - to be repaved

Upcoming changes to make a bicycle boulevard along Fourth and Fontana avenues friendlier include something that could surprise drivers.

For Rep. Antenori, more laws means less government

State Republican Sen. Frank Antenori says he's all for limited government, but all the same, he definitely likes his bills - the kind you introduce, not necessarily the kind you pay.

Political briefs

Giffords' office hires ex-manager as fill-in

County OKs bond money for Houghton

Pima County officials have reversed positions and agreed to use its transportation bonds to pay for $7.5 million in work on Houghton Road.

County eyes vehicle-parking change

Pima County plans to change its zoning code to allow emergency commercial vehicles to be parked in neighborhoods.

Panels OK bids to rename park, trail

Two county park facilities will be renamed for victims of the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson.

Road runner: Bill would require drivers in left lane to let others pass

The issue of slow drivers in the left lane - on the highway or on city streets - always riles readers and gives the Road Runner's e-mail inbox a workout.

Political notebook: With Kyl leaving, we at least know some who won't be seeking his seat

Welcome to the 2012 Senate race. Sen. Jon Kyl's announcement last week he won't seek a fourth term means the race suddenly kicked off an open-seat free-for-all. While there's plenty of time for official paperwork, the prospective matchups are starting to look like a Celebrity Fight Club play…

County hires man who left '08 engineering jobs unfinished

A little more than two years after Frank Castro's engineering firm abruptly shut down, costing Tucson and Pima County almost $1.7 million to finish his unfinished jobs, the county put him on the payroll.

Bill seeks to give sewage plant to Marana

State legislators are considering a law to force Pima County to hand a $23 million sewage treatment plant over to Marana. Marana asked the lawmakers to intervene after losing a three-year court fight to seize the facility.

Both sides lining up to vie for Kyl's seat

By the time 2012 rolls around, Arizona will have gone without a wide-open U.S. Senate seat for 18 years.

2 jail officers disciplined in beating

Two jail corrections officers were sent to remedial training, and one of them was demoted, after an inmate said they used excessive force against him last year.

Huckelberry withholding $80 million for city roads

Pima County could delay up to $240 million in voter-approved road construction because County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry is withholding $80 million for projects inside Tucson.

Road runner: Red-light-camera backers get evidence on their side

A new study made waves in the transportation community last week with data showing red-light cameras reduced fatal red-light crashes by 24 percent in 14 of the biggest cities with cameras.