Archive for January 21st, 2009
Doug Martin from KVOI uses the airways, print with Good News Tucson and now in the blogosphere to get his message out. Doug’s recent post on TucsonTownHall.com pointed to the fact that we aren’t hearing a lot from our community leaders about the Accenture Match Play. The event is a huge win for our region and national exposure for our tourism industry comes at a critical time.
Read Doug’s full post HERE. Below is a great observation;
We should show our appreciation to Accenture as the sponsor and Cottonwood Properties the developer of Ritz-Carlton in Dove Mountain. It would also be wonderful if our city and county elected officials recognized and applauded these folks for benefiting our community, instead of waiting until Accenture looks for another place to play.
I posted a few weeks back about Tucson’s 1st Annual, First Night - New Year’s Eve Celebration HERE. You know what struck me the day after the event? Where were our city council members? I did see Nina and her staff down town with volunteers and t-shirts, but where were the rest of our elected officials. If anyone saw a council person other than Nina leave a comment.
You would think with all the heat around Rio Nuevo we’d see all the elected kissing babies and shaking hands. The fact that a high profile event held in the heart of our downtown redevelopment would merit the “full court press” of support. I guess they were too busy.
SACCA unveils 2009 legislative agenda
The Southern Arizona Chamber of Commerce Alliance (SACCA) unveiled its 2009 legislative agenda, introducing the issues it will look to address with the Arizona Legislature when the new session begins in January.
Some issues were addressed in the last legislative session, with bills getting through the state houses but vetoed by Gov. Janet Napolitano. The agenda is sweeping, from reform of the state’s ballot-initiative process to tort reform to immigration. Following are some highlights of the business-related issues of interest in southern Arizona:
Initiative Reform: Permit legislative changes to voter-approved initiatives with voter ratification. Support a review of initiatives prior to implementation to determine fiscal or other implications.
Tort Reform: Seek legislation to remove incentives to file frivolous lawsuits.
Taxation/Budget: Support permanent repeal of the state property tax. Seek elimination of business personal property tax or raising threshold to exempt more small businesses.
Education: Oppose efforts to lower or eliminate AIMS standards. Support strategic spending proposals for K-12 and higher education. Support efforts to make higher education more accessible.
Labor/Workforce Management: Support a thorough review of workers’ compensation laws, especially as they relate to impact on premiums. Oppose repeal of the state “Right to Work” law.
Immigration: Oppose unfunded mandates regarding local enforcement of federal laws. Support reimbursement of all local immigration-related expenses (law enforcement, education, health care).
Environment/Natural Resources: Support legislation that allows counties to pass ordinances against water waste.
Economic Development: Support the military in our region and oppose efforts to reduce operations. Support the timely completion of a statewide study of home affordability. Support statewide economic-development strategies to encourage business attraction and expansion.
Healthcare: Support reinstatement of coverage for groups of one. Support tort reform that would lower health insurance costs. Oppose legislation that would require employer-provided benefits.
Transportation: Support multi-modal transportation options through the state’s growth corridors, which may include high-speed rail from Phoenix to Tucson. Support Congressional delegation’s efforts to procure federal transportation money for the state.
The Southern Arizona Chamber of Commerce Alliance (SACCA) is a group of eight southern Arizona chambers of commerce, representing more than 4,500 member businesses and 200,000 employees, serving as an advocate for common business interests in the region. Member chambers are the Tucson Metropolitan, Tucson Hispanic, Tucson GLBT, Northern Pima County, Marana, Sierra Vista, Rio Rico and Nogales-Santa Cruz County.
The Rincon’s are good friends of mine and I’ve been involved with this case from the very beginning. I couldn’t image such a tragic event befalling any family but this family took on the tragedy with tremendous courage and community support. The Rincon’s had people scheduled for the audience at the trial, we all had shifts and times and alternates filled in as needed. The sentencing was moved to the Board of Supervisors chamber to accommodate the crowds. Judge Feilds and the Prosecuting attorney Mark Deibolt did an amazing job of presenting the case. My prayers are with the Rincon’s.
DUI driver gets 14 years for killing young cyclist
When Jose Rincon Sr. first met prosecutor Mark Diebolt, he told him how much time he wanted Glenda Rumsey to serve in prison for killing his only son.
“Jose was 14 years, one month and one day old when he died. I told him that if she does one day less that that, it wouldn’t be fair,” Rincon said.
On Tuesday, Pima County Superior Court Judge Richard Fields sentenced Rumsey to 14 years in prison and gave her credit for 56 days she’s already served in jail. She can be released after serving 85 percent.
Fields said that while he could have sentenced Rumsey to consecutive sentences for killing Jose Rincon Jr. and hurting his friend, Oscar Perez, he didn’t want to “bolster” the appeal that will be filed by Rumsey’s attorneys.
So, Fields sentenced Rumsey to 14 years for manslaughter and 13 years for aggravated assault and ran them concurrently. He also ran three, six-month driving-under-the-influence sentences concurrently.
Rincon called the sentence “bittersweet.”
“It’s time to move on. We’re not going to be bitter, and we’re not going to be disappointed. It’s time to go on and do something constructive to honor my son,” Rincon said.
According to authorities, Jose Rincon Jr. and Perez were riding their bicycles east on Broadway near Vozack Lane on the East Side around 7:20 p.m. Jan. 12, 2008, when Rumsey struck both teens with her car.
The evidence showed Rumsey had a blood-alcohol level of 0.249 two hours after the crash. The legal limit in Arizona is 0.08.
Rumsey’s sentencing hearing was moved from Pima County Superior Court to the Board of Supervisors meeting room to accommodate the 300-plus people who showed up to support the Rincon and Perez families.
Before sentencing Rumsey, Fields watched a multimedia presentation showing the boy’s life and listened to his parents, his grandfather, Rodolfo Bejarano, and his sisters, Julissa, 8, and Gabriela, 16. He also heard from Perez and Rumsey.
An emotional Rumsey said she will regret the day of the crash the rest of her life and realizes Jose Rincon Jr. died because she made poor decisions.
“I had no right driving that night. Jose Rincon was in the right, and I was in the wrong,” Rumsey said.
Had someone killed her 10- and 12-year-old children, she would feel the same anger as the Rincons, Rumsey said.
The Rincon family spoke of Jose Rincon Jr.’s intelligence, talent, kindness, athleticism, his stubbornness and his penchant for wearing socks three or four days in a row.
When told he was spoiled for complaining about not getting a Wii his last Christmas, he grinned and said, “You know what Mom? You’re spoiled. Do you know how many moms would love to have a kid like me?”
The thing was, Jose Rincon Sr. said, it was true.
Jose Rincon Sr. also spoke of getting the phone call about the crash, rushing to University Medical Center, watching his wife buckle upon learning their son was dead and of his family’s struggle to forgive Rumsey.
Rumsey was taken into custody twice after her arrest because she continued to drink and she has shown no remorse, Jose Rincon Sr. said.
Julissa Rincon told Fields the thing she misses the most is sleeping with her big brother.
“He was a good cuddler, like me,” Julissa Rincon said. “I wish you could’ve met him. You would’ve liked him. Everyone did.”
Gabriela Rincon said she and her brother were two halves of a whole. They played in a mariachi band together, shared friends, went to school together and stayed up until 3 a.m. talking and watching movies.
The teenager told Fields no matter what sentence he imposed, it would be nothing like the sentence Rumsey imposed upon her family.
Adriana Rincon described life without her son as a life without flavor. Many days she has to force herself out of bed for her daughters.
Although Rumsey will be in prison, she will be able to hear about her children’s lives, Adriana Rincon said.”On this Earth, I’ll never have that privilege again,” she said.
Jose Rincon Sr. remembered one of his last conversations with his son. It was a text message from Jose Jr. asking if he’d bought the Jonas Brothers concert tickets yet.
He had. He delivered them to Jose’s friends at his funeral.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 537-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com.