Casa Grande Dispatch (Newspaper) - May 21, 2003, Casa Grande, Arizona George Young entering 8th hall of fame DISPATCH Twins big voices HI Amazin record for CAC coach Final Countys Daily Newspaper GRANDE spatch Wednesday CASA GRANDE ARIZONA 85222 MAY 21 2003 NO 119 VOL 92 500 Honor society Veronica Sauceda left places a candle repre senting Leadership into a display during a cer emony inducting new members of the National Junior Honor Society on Tuesday evening at Casa Grande Middle School auditorium Previ Staff photo by Steven King candles representing Scholarship and Citizenship were placed by Mikhail Sundust and Ashley Ruiz More than two dozen middle school students were inducted into the acade mic and service society employees happy with benefits compromise By SUSAN RANDALL Staff Writer Employees applauded the Casa Grande Union High School District Governing Board Tuesday after it approved the agreement that had been reached by the negotiations commit tee The applause was in contrast to employee reactions May 13 when the administration recommended that employees no longer be allowed to waive insurance that the district freeze membership in accounts a longtime alternative to insurance that contributions in TSAs be capped at and the board freeze district contributions to employee insurance at the 200304 rate of None of those recommendations were included in the IBN agreement which was reached by representatives of all the employee groups See related story for the details of the IBN agreement approved by the Superintendent Steve DiMuzio recommended the agreement with one addition that a committee begin meeting in August and recom mend ways to control the future cost of health insurance The committee is to make its recommendations bv Jan 31 2004 The board also approved recommendation that TSA accounts be frozen at for the 200304 budget and beyond All employees who are currently in the TSA pool will be grandfathered in No new members will be allowed to join I think that is a fair said board mem ber Donna Zimmerman Special education The board approved the appointment of school psy Beth McEvoy special education teachers Debra Fitzpatrick Glory Douglas Alice Parham Anna Hashberger and Myma Humpherys and speech therapist Jennifer Fisher on a split vote Zimmerman said she voted no because she fell the job description for a psychologist did not serve the districts needs Board member Barbara Elliott voted no saying the speech therapist was a new position not a replacement position DiMuzio said the district spends as much as an hour to contract with an outside speech therapist It is more cost effective to hire one full time he said and McEvoy is willing to work full time because she does The agreement By SUSAN RANDALL Staff Writer According to the agreement that was negotiated with employees and approved by the Governing Board Tuesday Each cell of the salary schedule will be increased by 2 percent for classified and certified employees IE Each cell of classified compensation will receive a percentage increase The total payout for the program for classified employ ees will be increased to a total of 8 The classified employee handbook will be updated and placed online 9 A subcommittee will be formed to examine the need for classified bilingual services The will report by September 2003 8 All eligible certified employees will receive a step increase and will be added to the base Funding will come from state Proposition 301 mon ey H Certified employees who have completed edu requirements will move to the next lane in the salary schedule The district cost is H Beginning July 1 certified employees will have three choices of a payment schedule 20 checks 21 checks or 26 checks during the year Direct deposit will not be available during the summer B A perfect attendance bonus program will be cre Agreement page 11 nt want to travel Board member Anthony Edwards asked how the dis planned to pay for the new psychologist and special education teachers DiMuzio said the district now pays more than a year to enroll students at Mary C OBrien School Some of those students will be returned to which should be able to save page 11 2 studies vindicate the Atkins diet but does the weight loss last Inside By JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press Writer A month after Dr Robert C Atkins death his diet has received its most powerful scientific support yet Two studies in one of medicines most distin journals show it really does help people lose weight faster with out raising their cholesterol The research in Thursdays New England Journal of Medicine found that people on the Atkins diet lose twice as much weight over six months as those on the standard lowfat diet recommended by most major health organizations However one of the studies found that the Atkins dieters regain much of the weight by the end of one year Atkins who died April 17 at age 72 after falling and hitting his head on an icy sidewalk lived to see sev eral shorter studies that found to researchers great surprise that his diet is effective and healthy in the short run Although those reports have been presented at medical conferences none until now has been published in Atkins page 11 County and Dear National Valley per copy initiative loses in Florence Voters reject use of landfill By MARK COWLING Staff Writer FLORENCE Despite the usual light turnout Florence voters spoke loud and clear Tuesday on the future of Ironwood Landfill they dont want there to be one Proposition 201 also called the Taxpayer and Voter Protection Ini by its supporters drew just 229 votes of support The no votes numbered 679 or almost 75 percent of the total Just percent of Florences registered voters cast ballots The yes side also fared poorly in early balloting with just 124 votes compared to 284 no votes The initiative had it passed would have required the town to always choose the lowest bid for trash disposal for a contract of no longer than five years If the Town Council wanted a trash contract that didnt meet either of these tests it would have to be approved by the voters Supporters hailed the initiative as saving taxpayer money and a way to give citizens a voice in expensive longterm contracts Critics called it a doorway to landfill expansion and a way to obligate citizens for the job the Town Council was elected to do Theyve said a still pleasant and upbeat Greg Johnson Ironwood Landfill manager after the tally was announced late Tuesday Johnson who was also chairman of the yes committee added that he was proud of the way his employ ees and other supporters in town ran the campaign We tried hard to get folks more voting rights over an issue that directly impacts their pocketbook Some 800 folks felt this was impor tant enough to sign the petition to get the initiative on the Johnson said If the initiative had passed Waste Management would likely have asked the town to try and rescind the contract it made with Johnson Utili ties no relation to Greg Johnson earlier this year Johnson Utilities was the successful bidder on a trans fer station to serve Florence and Coolidge late last year and has tak en local trash since Jan 1 Florence and Coolidge sought proposals for a transfer station after WM said Iron wood Landfill would become full around August 2003 WM has since acknowledged the landfill could be operating far longer depending on the volume of trash After the deadline for transfer sta tion bids WM submitted its plan to expand the landfill into the gravel pit in front of the present landfill for five more years of life This sion would have allowed the landfill Florence page 11 override defeated Picacho voters approve measure Staff Reports One school budget override request passed Tuesday one didnt Voters turned down the Casa Grande Union High School Dis request for continuing a budget override during Tues days election The vote was 286 to 255 Only percent of the regis tered voters in the school district went to the polls said Business Manager Shannon Hilyer Thats even low for a low she said We have to do a better job getting the mes sage out about the impact this has on our district and our stu The District will have two more opportunities to seek voter approval before the existing budget override begins to phase out Although the campaigns gen have been low key school officials in the past have said loss of the override could cause severe cutbacks in programs and staffing for the District The had been renewed several times since it began in the 1980s Voters in the Picacho Elemen tary School District passed the override 22 to 12 with per cent voter turn out Were very pleased with the said Superintendent Allen Rogers Weve got a great school and it shows great support from our Just a trickle Taylor Bailey 2 has a drink of water while playing at the new aquatic playground near the Playground of Dreams in Columbia Park in Kennewick Tuesday Warm weath The Associated Press er is forecast throughout the rest of the week including possible highs of 85 to 90 degrees on Friday according to the National Weather Service Casa Grande airport board recommends terminal use by air ambulance company By HAROLD KITCHING Staff Writer A lease with an air ambulance company for the old terminal building at Casa Grande Municipal Air port was backed Tuesday night by the Airport Advisory Board In sending the favorable recommendation to the City Council for final approval the board asked for several conditions in the lease with Native Air Ambulance Inc of Mesa They are that the lease be for five years with option for a fiveyear renewal a beginning cost of a month but subject to the same studies the airport does every two years for other building rentals and leases the building is taken as is and all repairs or maintenance on the building be done at Native Airs expense Airport Manager Blaha said in a report to the board that Native Air will base a helicopter flight crew emergency medical crew and a mechanic at the building with the emergency medical crew living there while on duty Native Air has indicated that they would want to install a kitchen area for their staffs Blaha said Any modifications to the building would require pri or approval by the airport and would also require that the lessee acquire the proper permits from the Building Blaha said Native Air also wanted to modify the build Airport page 11
