By Peter Corbett / AZCentral.com
August 8, 2009

Arizona’s desert dwellers with summer cabins are the lucky ones.

They can escape when dawn breaks with temperatures uncomfortably close to triple digits.

Cabin owners flee to their high-country retreats near Flagstaff, Prescott, Payson and the White Mountains for a weekend or a week.

They drive a few hours to where daytime highs are more than 20 degrees lower than in the Valley and overnight temperatures dip below 50.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” said Tom Taggart of Gilbert and Flagstaff. “Down here we have our pool and palm trees, and up there we have our cabin in the woods.”

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By Joanna Dodder Nellans / The Daily Courier
July 25, 2009

A 200-acre ranch in the heart of the Agua Fria National Monument was two days away from the auction block this month when the Trust for Public Land completed a deal to step in and save it from potential development.

“It could have been disastrous,” said Christopher Byrne, Arizona project manager for the Trust for Public Land (TPL).

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has wanted to acquire the historic Horseshoe Ranch ever since President Bill Clinton created the monument nearly a decade ago.

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Phoenix Business Journal
July 7, 2009

Salt River Project customers now can receive up to $6,000 from the utility for improvements to their home’s energy efficiency.

The utility announced on Tuesday that it is increasing its cap from $4,000. With federal stimulus money factored in, a homeowner in SRP’s service area could get up to $12,500 for energy efficiency renovations.

“Increasing the funding level for individual homes will result in more comprehensive energy-efficient improvements,” said Debbie Kimberly, SRP’s manager of energy efficiency and policy analysis. “The customers who participate in this program will have lower electricity bills and experience improved comfort levels throughout their house.”

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By Jon Hutchinson / CVBugle.com
July 7, 2009

COTTONWOOD — A new 6,500-square-foot Community Health Services clinic is coming to Cottonwood, thanks, in part, to a federal stimulus grant. In fact, the Yavapai County Health Department and the Prescott Free Clinic, which are partners in the Yavapai Community Health Service operations, have been trying to work out plans to build a new clinic in Cottonwood.

Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick said, “Rural Arizonans are being underserved by our current health care system and this sort of investment helps us reduce our costs and improve our quality of care.”

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The Daily Courier
July 2, 2009

The Prescott Film Festival & Series presents its next screening with the ever-pressing question “Paper or Plastic?”

The award-winning film, showing at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, at Frontier Village Cinemas, follows competitors from throughout the United States as they put in hours of training, go from local to regional contests, and finally the national competition in Las Vegas where they compete for the title of “Best Grocery Store Bagger.”

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Phoenix Business Journal - by Mike SunnucksArizona’s home building industry is backing a bill to place a moratorium on new building code rules and development impact fees and would require voters to approve any increases to construction sales taxes.

Senate Bill 1035 has the support of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, which contends new rules, fees and taxes on the struggling real estate and construction industry would further weaken Arizona’s fragile economy.

Arizona cities and towns oppose the plan that would restrict their ability to impose charges on new developments and subdivisions and change building codes for safety and other reasons. The moratoriums would start June 1 of this year and run through May 2012, if the bill is approved.

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More homeowners than ever before are falling behind on their mortgage payments and sliding into foreclosure, according to figures released on Thursday, a sign that the country’s housing crisis is spreading through the ranks of previously stable borrowers.

About 5.4 million of the country’s 45 million home loans were delinquent or in some stage of the foreclosure process in the first three months of the year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. About 12.07 percent of all mortgages were delinquent or in foreclosure, up from 11.93 percent at the end of 2008.

Temporary halts on foreclosures imposed by lenders and mortgage underwriters have mostly ended, and banks are moving quickly against delinquent homeowners.

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Roughrider Soccer Camp

Roughrider Soccer Camp is from 8:30 to 11 a.m. June 8 - 11 at Ken Lindley Field. Yavapai College soccer players conduct the camp for boys and girls ages 5 to 12. Cost is $75 per child and includes instruction, soccer ball, camp shirt and Roughrider souvenirs. Register by calling 777-1122 or sign up at the activity center, 824 E. Gurley St.

Prescott Senior Olympics

Prescott Parks and Recreation will hold Senior Olympics events for men and women 50 and older. Events are scheduled from July 10 through July 26. Cost is $20 for registration and $5 for each individual event. To request a booklet, call 777-1122 or visit www.cityofprescott.net/services/parks/Olympics.

Trekabout Hiking Club

Trekabout Hiking Club meets from 8 to 9 a.m. every Tuesday and from 8 to 10 a.m. every Thursday for guided hikes. Locations vary and trails are rated from 1 to 4 for difficulty. Cost is $12 for annual membership. Visit the recreation office at 824 E. Gurley for a monthly schedule, or call 777-1122.

Yoga with Becky Lind

The City of Prescott is sponsoring yoga classes by certified instructor Becky Lind. All levels are invited to participate in this activity that is practiced to develop strength and flexibility and to reduce stress. Classes are scheduled from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Grace Sparkes Community Center, 824 E. Gurley. Cost is $30 or $35, depending on sessions. Call 777-1122 for more information.

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The rate of property price falls in some states in the US is accelerating, according to the latest national data to be published.

And it is not the states that were worst hit in 2008 that are suffering now. Indeed Nevada and California are experiencing a slowdown in devaluation although they are still the top ranked states in terms of annual price falls.

Property prices continue to fall across much of the nation with Nevada seeing an annual price drop of 25.9% and California down by 24.9%. In third place is Rhode Island with a 21.2% depreciation rate, the figures from First American CoreLogic show.

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Is there a better way to promote automotive and motorcycle classes than a hot rod car show?

Probably not.

The Yavapai College Career and Technical Education Center (C-TEC) is presenting Hot Rod Fever to benefit auto department scholarships.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, more than 200 vehicles will be on display at C-TEC, located at 220 Ruger Road in Prescott. There is limited parking at C-TEC, so organizers are asking the public to park at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church or at Rugers. Volunteers will shuttle people to C-TEC. VIP parking is available at C-TEC for those willing to pay $5.

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