Weekly Recap, Sept. 29-Oct. 3

Here are Cronkite News Service stories that moved from Sept. 29-Oct. 3. If you have questions or would like to receive the daily news digest by e-mail, please contact Steve Elliott at 602-496-0686 or steve.elliott@asu.edu. If you would like to monitor the status of packages and make requests via Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/cronkitenews.

ELECTION ADVISORY

Cronkite News Service is preparing profiles of each Democrat and Republican running for Arizona Corporation Commission, along with setups on Proposition 100 (block any plan to tax sale or transfer of property), Proposition 101 (dealing with health-care options) and Proposition 201 (require a 10-year warranty on new homes).  We plan to offer all of these stories by Tuesday, Oct. 7, in addition to the following features for your consideration as early voting begins:

Voters deciding the future of dozens of rural Arizona school districts (10-3)
Economy, immigration could boost Hispanic vote for president (9-25)
Supporters of Proposition 203 low lawmaker pay costs Arizona (9-24)

WEEKEND SPECIALS

Voters deciding the future of dozens of rural Arizona school districts

STANFIELD _ Olivia Rodriguez graduated from Stanfield Elementary School in this farming and ranching community. Her four sons graduated from the school. Now three of her grandchildren go there. It’s the only school in the Stanfield Elementary School District. Having its own school district works for Stanfield, said Rodriguez, president and longtime member of the school board. “Our kids are doing just fine,” Rodriguez said. But things could change in November, when voters decide whether to endorse a proposal to combine the Stanfield Elementary School District and a piece of the Casa Grande Union High School District. The 13-member School District Redistricting Commission, created by the Arizona State Legislature, presented Gov. Janet Napolitano with a plan that will have voters in 76 school districts around Arizona deciding whether to create unified districts. Forty-two of the districts where voters are deciding are outside of Maricopa County and in rural areas.

Slug BC-CNS-Rural Redistricting. By Greg Lindsay. With BC-CNS-Rural Redistricting-Box.

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Arizona State’s sustainability track reflects green trend in business schools

TEMPE _ Sydney Mullins planned to concentrate in management when she entered Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. But the essence of business is recognizing opportunities, and she sees one in sustainability. “I learned in orientation that businesses throughout the Valley are constantly looking for college graduates that can promote and design an eco-friendly establishment,” Mullins said. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Business offering specializations in traditional subjects such as finance, accounting and marketing, starting this school year students now can pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Business that offers a specialization in sustainability. Mullins, a freshman, is switching to the new degree. “I love the environment and I love business, and now I can learn about both,” she said.

Slug BC-CNS-Business-Sustainability. By Andrew Shainker. With BC-CNS-Sustainability-Box.

NOTE: This story is suitable for business pages.

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WEEKDAY SPECIALS: For use throughout the week

Downtown icon Westward Ho a faded memory of a different Phoenix

PHOENIX (Monday, Sept. 29) _ Reynaldo Torres remembers when the pool now shimmering outside his one-bedroom apartment once was a place where Marilyn Monroe swam, Elizabeth Taylor sunbathed and Paul Newman heaved a television from several floors above in a famous movie scene. Torres once as a janitor at the Westward Ho when it was a luxury hotel in downtown Phoenix. He saw former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater on hand to conduct business and Roy Rogers on a break from movies. “The hotel was always really busy with people coming in and out, you never knew who was staying here, that was the exciting part,” Torres said. Today the Westward Ho, which closed in 1979, serves as low-income housing. But it remains an iconic part of the Phoenix skyline and a faded memory of a different Phoenix

Slug BC-CNS-Westward Ho. By Maria Konopken. With BC-CNS-Westward Ho-Box.

Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 (thumbnails, captions below)

Multimedia: An audio slideshow in Flash is available by following the link. We can e-mail the FLV file, but clients are welcome to link to our site.

THE WEEK’S NEWS

ADEQ director: Greenhouse gas plan less costly than opponents suggest

PHOENIX (Tuesday, Sept. 30) _ Arizona’s participation in a regional pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be much less costly to consumers than opponents contend, and any cost should be considered against that of not responding aggressively to climate change, the head of the state Department of Environmental Quality said Tuesday. “People talk about sacrifices, they talk about impact, they talk about people paying more,” Owens said in an interview with Cronkite News Service. “You haven’t seen significant costs until you see what might happen 40 or 50 years from now if we don’t do something now to control greenhouse gas emissions.”

Slug BC-CNS-Owens Interview. By Megan Thomas. With BC-CNS-Climate Initiative-Box.

Multimedia: Flash video is available by following the link. We can e-mail the FLV file, but clients are welcome to link to our presentation.

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Poll: Voters appear to favor marriage initiative this time around

PHOENIX (Tuesday, Sept. 30) _ Two years after rejecting a similar measure, Arizona voters appear to favor a ballot proposition that would define marriage as a union of one man and one woman, according to a Cronkite/Eight Poll released Tuesday.

Slug BC-CNS-Cronkite/Eight Poll. By Andrew Shainker. With BC-CNS-Poll-Box.

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PHOTOS:

Click thumbnails to see full-resolution images and download; caption information is in the file under File>File Info.

BUSINESS-SUSTAINABILITY

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-BUSINESS-SUSTAINABILITY: Sydney Mullins, a freshman in Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, says she is changing her major to pursue a new Bachelor of Arts in Business that allows her to specialize in sustainability. The new interdisciplinary degree is part of a green trend among Arizona’s business schools. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Andrew Shainker)

RURAL REDISTRICTING

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-RURAL REDISTRICTING: Olivia Rodriguez, longtime school board member in the Stanfield Elementary School District in Pinal County, is joined by her grandchildren outside Stanfield Elementary School, the district’s only school. From left to right: Austin Rodriguez, 8; Olivia Rodriguez holding Samantha Rodriguez, 3; and Michael Rodriguez, 13. Olivia Rodriguez says a plan to unite her district with a portion of the Casa Grande Union High School District isn’t in the best interest of students because the district as structured knows how to meet the community’s needs. Of the 76 districts around Arizona deciding whether to combine into unified districts,  42 are in rural areas outside Maricopa County. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Greg Lindsay)

OWENS INTERVIEW

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-OWENS INTERVIEW: Steve Owens, director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, answers a question Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008, during an interview with Cronkite News Service. Owens said the cost of participating in a regional pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be much less than opponents suggest and would be tiny compared to the cost of not acting to combat climate change. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Greg Lindsay)

WESTWARD HO

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-WESTWARD HO: The Westward Ho in downtown Phoenix once was among the most elegant hotels in the West, drawing movie stars and national politicians. Closed in 1979, it now serves as low-income housing. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Maria Konopken)

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-WESTWARD HO: The Westward Ho in downtown Phoenix once was among the most elegant hotels in the West, drawing movie stars and national politicians. Closed in 1979, it now serves as low-income housing. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Maria Konopken)

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-WESTWARD HO: Reynaldo Torres, who worked at the Westward Ho a janitor when the building was a luxury hotel, is shown in his apartment in the former hotel in downtown Phoenix. The Westward Ho, which closed in 1979, now serves as low-income housing. Torres remembers when the hotel attracted movie stars, political figures and other notables. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Maria Konopken)

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-WESTWARD HO (CORRECTED — MARGARET TRUMAN RATHER THAN LADY BIRD JOHNSON): Erling Eaton, a Westward Ho resident who serves as a historian and tour guide, shows a picture of Margaret Truman, daughter of the President Harry S. Truman, among the artifacts from the hotel’s history. Closed in 1979, the hotel now serves as low-income housing (Cronkite News Service Photo/Maria Konopken)

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-WESTWARD HO: The pool in the Westward Ho’s courtyard once drew movie stars, national politicans and other notables. Closed in 1979, the former hotel in downtown Phoenix now serves as low-income housing. (Cronkite News Service/Maria Konopken)

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-WESTWARD HO: The ceiling in the Westward Ho’s lobby give a glimpse of the former hotel’s splendor, which drew stars, national politicians and other notables. The hotel, which closed in 1979, now serves as low-income housing. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Maria Konopken)

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CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-WESTWARD HO: A pillar in the Westward Ho has the original tilework that helped make the former hotel one of the most luxurious in the West. The Westward Ho, which closed as a hotel in 1979, now serves as housing for low-income residents. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Maria Konopken)