PHXations—Thursday, July 29, 2010
A cop was shot and killed in Chandler last night. The EVT says it was an undercover drug operation gone all Bruce Willis:
A gunbattle erupted during an undercover drug operation at a south Phoenix home Wednesday night, killing one Chandler police officer and wounding two others.
A Phoenix police spokesman says two suspects died at the scene, two others are hospitalized with non life-threatening injuries and two more are detained and being questioned.
The story didn’t name the officer who died. He is the third Valley cop killed in the line of duty this year.
7:18 AM
Aftermath of the SB 1070 ruling
The last goes into effect today—or at least what’s left of it.
From the Republic this a.m.:
Leading up to 12:01 this morning, when the law took effect:
• Police struggled to figure out how they should enforce portions of Senate Bill 1070 that were not blocked by Bolton’s ruling in favor of the U.S. Department of Justice.
• Gov. Jan Brewer and her attorneys debated whether to fight the preliminary injunction before deciding to appeal amid speculation that the case may wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Demonstrators for and against the statute discussed whether to proceed with statewide protests, including plans for civil disobedience.
• Illegal immigrants, many of them hunkered down or contemplating an exodus from the state, remained in limbo.
• And everyone awaited further rulings from Bolton, who has yet to deal with motions in six additional lawsuits filed against SB 1070 by the ACLU, other activist groups and police officers.
There’s a recipe for chaos!
The federal judge who ruled on Arizona’s tragic, noxious new immigration law on Wednesday did not stop all of it from taking effect Thursday, but she preliminarily halted the worst of it. And although appeals are certain, Judge Susan Bolton offered clear and well-reasoned arguments affirming the federal government’s final authority over immigration enforcement. We hope this is the beginning of the end of the misbegotten Arizona rules and what they represent.
8:16 AM
ESPN rates the food at Arizona's sports stadiums. Result: Not very appetizing
The sports network has a major story and a full interactive map of the country’s sports stadiums and their food inspections reports.
The Arizona entries are Chase Field, US Airways Center, the Jobing.com Arena, and the University of Phoenix Stadium.
All have the distinction of having had between a quarter and a half of the different food concessions at each venue “cited for at least one ‘critical’ or ‘major’ health violation.”
[ESPN] submitted its findings to Dr. Robert Buchanan, director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Food Safety and Security Systems. His background includes 10 years overseeing food safety research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which sets the guidelines by which most U.S. health departments conduct inspections.
[He said:] “Certainly, if you have a high rate of facilities within a stadium coming up with critical deficiencies, that to me strikes of systemic errors in either management of the stadium or in the infrastructure of the stadium, and both of them need to be corrected.”
For the record, what do “systemic errors” cause?
One of the most worrisome violations to health inspectors is food not being cooked, reheated or held at safe temperatures, because that’s when dangerous bacteria – such as E. coli, salmonella, and staphylococcus aureus – can grow and, if consumed, can trigger nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
The full story here
11:50 AM
Join the Critical Mass
Phoenix has become notorious for its horrible drivers and their complete disregard for pedestrians and bicyclists. Critical Mass is a bicycling event Held on the last Friday of every month aimed at changing this reality.
The ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco with the idea of drawing attention to how unfriendly the city was to cyclists. It has since spread to over 300 cities including car-centric Phoenix. By participating in the Critical Mass bike ride, you can help develop awareness for both pedestrians and bicyclists while having fun!
The Phoenix group departs promptly at 7pm from at the 3rd Street entrance to Steele Indian School Park, off Indian School Board. This month’s event will take the group west to Central Ave, north to Camelback. east to 24th St and south to Osborn. The group will then take Osborn west until 4th avenue, ending up at the Clarendon for some swimming fun. The ride should last about an hour and a half.
To comply with the law, riders are asked to bring a set of bike lights. If you don’t have any, lights can usually be found at the 99 Cent Only Stores. They’re cheaply made, but are inexpensive and do the job. Also, ass the ride will cover several miles, it’s a good idea to bring a water bottle or two.
For more information, and to be kept up to speed on last minute details and future rides, you can become a fan of Critical Mass on Facebook.
Details:
Time: Tomorrow, 7:00pm – 8:30pm (show up early!) Location:3rd St. and Indian School
2:37 PM
Luke AFB targeted as preferred training base for F-35
The Phoenix Business Journal is reporting that U.S. Air Force has selected Luke Air Force Base as the preferred secondary training location for the new F-35 fighter jets.
The move, if ultimately approved by the Air Force, could land three squadrons of F-35s at Luke for about 75 training planes. The base currently has about 165 aircraft in several fighter wings, including Air Force Reserve units.
[…]
The move could mean more jobs for the state’s aerospace and defense sector, already an industry with thousands of employees. David Drennon, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Commerce, said the announcement could spur employment and contracts to support the F-35.
It’s not a done deal yet, however:
The move still has its hurdles. El Mirage, which has much of its city located beneath Luke’s flight path, has questioned the move believing the new fighter will generate more noise than the F-16.
Noise problems already have cropped up at the first training base selected, Eglin Air Force Base near Destin, Fla. The Air Force announced Wednesday it would limit the number of F-35s at the base to 59, a drop of 48 planes originally planned for the base.
While El Mirage and other West Valley cities squabbled about the noise factor, the environmental impact study will be the time to determine what the plane’s effect will be on the surrounding communities, Scruggs said.
“Our position has always been that the environmental impact statement period is when El Mirage’s concerns should be brought forward,” she said.
Read the whole story here.
4:05 PM