Desert Messenger

July 7, 2010

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P��� 6  NEWS FROM PAGE 1 The court further ruled Yakima was right to sue for lost future revenue, stating the county’s actions led Yakima to lose business from several sources, including Orange and Los Angeles counties in California. The Yakima Company had operated a sewage sludge drying facility next to the county landfill from October 2002 to early 2006. The company was under a contract with the county. The dried sludge, which was supposed to meet micro-organism reduction standards for “Class A bio-soilds,” was removed and applied as fertilizer. In a letter dated June 24, 2010, Rich- ard Oldham of La Paz Disposal, LLC, located in Quartzsite, wrote a letter ex-supervisor Ed Fisher, and sent cop- ies to Ms. Mary Scott, Ms. Holly Irwin, Ms. Sandy Pierce, Mr. John Drum, Mr. Cliff Edey “to correct and to clarify some of the points.” Oldham expressed he wished to “present a possible solution to the La Paz County judgment as currently ow- ing to Yakima.” Oldham addressed, “the fact re- mains that the jury awarded $ 9.2 million against the County of La Paz: ���.D�����M��������.��� a debt which is currently growing at an alarming rate...that I am doing my best as a 65 year resident and taxpayer of this county to negotiate a settlement between the county and Jim Willett [Yakima President].” “My proposal is, I am sure, not the only conceivable one. If considered, though, we can put up the $ 6.5 mil- lion and obtain a release from Jim Willett as we take over the landfill in a negotiated settlement.” In public meetings with La Paz County Administrator, Dan Field, during April 2010, Willett said he understood the county’s financial position. He said he would settle for the county conveying to him one of its enterprises, such as the landfill, the county park, or the golf course. But those plans were on hold until the appeals process is complete. According to www.quartzsitenews. com, Oldham “hopes to present to county officials in the form of a work session in coming weeks.” Desert Messenger online at www.quartzsiteblog.com FOR MORE DETAILS Updated news from the Quartzsite Radio KBUX 94.3 FM http://kbuxradio.com • Quartzsite’s Favorite “CLASSIC HITS” • Local Information • Weather • 24 Hours Day / 7 Days Week! 928-927-5111 First locally-owned and operated music station in Quartzsite, Arizona. Proudly serving the communities of Quartzsite, Bouse, Brenda, Rainbow Acres, La Paz Valley and beyond, since 1988. Ehrenberg school achieves AYP Arizona Department of Education’s an- nounced as part of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Program, Ehrenberg Elementary School achieved “Annual Yearly Prog- ress” (AYP) for the second year in a row. Quartzsite Elementary School has moved from Arizona Learns State’s Improvement Underperforming School to “A Performing School”. According to Quartzsite School District #4 Superintendent, Jacque Price, “The teachers worked really hard and we are right on target!” Price said, “This past year, 100% of the teachers were “highly qualified” which is JULY 7, 2010 Quartzsite School District updates a great achievement for a small district to achieve. Teachers worked with the school and the state on an improvement plan, al- lowing teachers to have more control over making choices in their classrooms, so the students are more successful.” Price, in a letter to Monica Timberlake, President of the Quartzsite Parent Booster Club, is also formally “requesting that the Parent Booster Club become an official P.T.A. member group. In the letter, mis- dated July 29, 2010, Price requests confir- mation by August 23, 2009. The Booster Club will have to be calling a special meet- ing to discuss this issue. AWC receives $2 million grant Support for Families of Migrant Farm Workers YUMA, AZ — Arizona Western College (AWC) is one of 10 schools nationwide that has been awarded a grant from the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) for over $2 Million dollars. The award is for the first of five years, for $417,193. Provided that the project progresses as planned, AWC would be eligible for a total of $2,117,002 over five years, to support students from families employed in migratory farm work to succeed in their first year of college and beyond. About the AWC CAMP program: The AWC CAMP program will deliver culturally appropriate and relevant academic, personal, career and finan- cial support services within a Living/ Learning Community framework to 40 migrant/seasonal farmworker stu- dents annually. A total of 200 students will be served during the five-year project period. The project has been designed to provide supportive servic- es based on the needs of migrant/sea- sonal farmworker students such as: ad- vising, educational planning, tutoring, career interest inventories, financial aid assistance and student stipends. A highly educated, experienced staff that is reflective of the target popula- Second-hand smoke kills 53,000 people a year. It’s no longer a business issue; it’s a public emergency. LIVE SMOKE-FREE Report Smoke-Free Arizona violations anonymously at www.smokefreearizona.org or call 928-669-5912. tion will implement the CAMP project to ensure students obtain the informa- tion, support and skills necessary to successfully complete their first year of college and continue their postsecond- ary education through graduation. About AWC and the market Arizona Western College is an His- panic-serving, public two-year institu- tion that serves the higher education in an area where access to higher edu- cation is severely restricted due to geo- graphic, socioeconomic, and academic barriers. Arizona Western College is the sole publicly-supported two-year institution serving the 225,323 people living in Yuma and La Paz counties. Annually, AWC enrolls approximately 12,000 students, who represent about 5,000 full-time student equivalents. Yuma and La Paz are two of the most disadvantaged counties in the State. The percentage of individuals living below poverty level in Yuma and La Paz Counties are 154% and 169% of the percentage living below poverty in the United States, while the unemploy- ment rate in Yuma County is 255% of the unemployment rate in the U.S. In order to be part of the CAMP program, participants must be U.S. citizens or legal residents who are mi- gratory or seasonal farm workers, or children of such workers, enrolling in their first year of college. Last year, Yuma and La Paz County high schools served 2,092 migrant students (84% of all high school migrant students in Arizona). “AWC’s CAMP program is the only one in Arizona, and one of ten grants awarded for this purpose nationally,” commented Dr. Mary Schaal, AWC’s Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Research & Grants. “It is a great honor to be selected for this very competitive grant award.” For more information visit Arizona Western College online at: www.azwestern.edu

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