Student book success at night school

EL
INDEPENDIENTE
1976 ~ 35 Years of Service ~ 2011
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November 11, 2011
Student book success at night school
By Blair Kurland
At 4 in the afternoon, when
most high school students are
unwinding from a day of classes,
PPEP TEC night high school students are just beginning them.
“I’ve always liked coming to
the night school,” said Robert
Garcia, 18, a senior at the
Celestino Fernandez Learning
Center. “I’ve always been able to
wake up during the day, clean up
my house, and come here to work
at night.”
The Celestino Fernandez
School is one of 10 PPEP (Portable
Practical Education Preparation
)Tec campuses in Southern
Arizona, but is the only one to
offer night high school for students. Like the other campuses,
though, it has open enrollment and
a self-paced style of learning so
students can continue their education at any time.
“We work with kids that sometimes didn't fit in with other institutions, or somehow got lost,” said
Dr. John David Arnold, the
founder of PPEP, Inc.
When Arnold founded PPEP,
Inc. in 1967, its purpose was to
offer basic educational skills to
migrant workers on farms in
Southern Arizona from the back of
a renovated green school bus aptly
named “La Tortuga.” In the past
40 years PPEP Inc., has opened up
“This is the only thing I could
do,” Murillo said. “It’s the only
thing that works for me.”
Monday through Thursday, students attend classes from 4 to 9:30
p.m. with the option of attending
school on Friday to either catch up
on their school work or accelerate
ahead.
“If they come every day, on
permanent charter institutions
where students can earn state recognized high school diplomas.
Night classes also appeal to a
variety of students who may have
work obligations or family obligations during the day, including taking care of their own children.
Senior Faustino Murillo, 18,
works at Casino Del Sol during the
day so that he can support his son,
and then attends high school classes at night.
SCHOOL / see page 4
Magistrate
has peace
at his desk
By Skip Messick
Photo
by
service. Ochoa said during arguments and consideration of
SB1070, and then the passing of
the law, some employers stopped
coming to the center for workers.
“We always get the brunt of a
lot of what’s going on economically and politically,” Ochoa said. “It
is always magnified here.”
Ronald A. Wilson, 43, was
nominated as Chief Magistrate
over the city of South Tucson on
March 3, 2002. From his Sixth
Street office, he recounts the exact
date because it was such a milestone for him.
“I was the first AfricanAmerican presiding judge in my
position in the state of Arizona,”
Wilson said. “It was a great honor
and a huge achievement, and it
speaks volumes about the city of
South Tucson and the people who
appointed me.”
Wilson earned his bachelor’s
degree from Syracuse University,
and his jurist doctorate from
Northeastern University School of
Law in New England. A rare autoimmune disorder, Sarcoidosis,
forced him to move to Arizona’s
dryer climate in 1999, where he
began working with the Tucson
Prosecutor’s Office.
“I miss the change of seasons,”
said Wilson, “but I couldn’t
JOBS / see page 4
JUDGE / see page 4
KAtIE CUNNINGhAM / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Raul Alcaraz Ochoa talks to a volunteer who directs employers into the Southside Worker Center. Some employers do not use the service because documentation is not required.
Programs target people seeking work
By Katie Cunningham
Unemployment rates in the
Latino community in Arizona are
at 11.1 percent, according to the
Pew Hispanic Center, but work
programs in South Tucson are
attempting to lower that number.
With Arizona’s unemployment
rate at 9.1 percent the job market is
scarce for many Arizonans.
However,
the
Southside
Presbyterian Church has a program, Southside Worker Center,
which formed in 2006 to help people living below the poverty level
find day work. SWC officials help
documented and undocumented
workers find day-labor jobs
throughout the South Tucson and
Tucson community. Raul Alcaraz
Ochoa has been working at the
center as a volunteer education
coordinator for the past year and a
half.
“The goal of the center is to
uplift the conditions of day labor
workers here in Tucson and the
community in general,” Ochoa
said.
Because the center does not ask
for documentation, some employers are more reluctant to use the
Neon puts shine throughout town
By Iqbal Al-Sanea
In theory, neon’s life expectancy is forever. In South Tucson, it’s
fading.
Neon lights and signs were
introduced to Tucson in the 1940s.
Streets were highly concentrated
with the bright signs, popular for
advertising motels and restaurants,
along the U.S. 80 and U.S, 89
routes. In the 1960s and 80s, people started looking at the earlier
design as out dated. Today, neon
signs have just become a frustrating responsibility for some businesses in South Tucson.
Terry Gee, owner of T&T
Market, S. Tucson 2048 6th Ave.,
has not repaired her neon lights for
a little over 10 years. The building
has been in South Tucson for 75
years, but she has no plans for
replacing her LED sign for old
style neon lights.
“It’s just more of a financial
thing. It would be great to have
neon, but financially, it’s just not
worth it for me,” Gee said. “It’s too
hard to do the electricity and maintaining it.”
The lights are a little brighter
on the East side.
For four years, Arizona Motel
owner, J. Amin, has become very
dependent on his blue, white, and
red sign.
“We have won two years
straight the best sign awards in
Arizona. This sign is very popular
in Europe; lots of people come
here to take pictures because it’s a
historical sign,” Amin said.
Most of his customers come
from Mexico, usually taking pictures of the sign at their arrival.
However, less than half the sign is
shining due to his hectic schedule.
Amin’s business has decreased 60
percent and repair costs range to
approximately $1,800 per year.
“This is my identity. If I need to
fix it, I have to fix it. This is my
home. I don’t think this is a business. For me, Arizona Motel is my
identity,” Amin said.
Neon expert Sam Richardson
says Amin’s problem could be
solved if he refurbishes it. It will
bring it to a higher standard.
“It shouldn’t cost him that
much. What he needs to do is
spend $,2000 just one time. It’s
just like your car. If you need to
replace one tire, and put a new one,
the car could develop some problems. You should replace them all;
same thing with that sign,”
NEON / see page 4
Photo
by
IQbAL AL-SANEA / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Neon lights radiate on 6th Avenue. The lights are a major draw to the area.
El INDEPENDIENTE
Page 2
November 11, 2011
Group wants to snub out youth smoking habit
“
By Leah Adler
Hispanic populations have limited exposure to anti-tobacco use
information and are the target of
intensive tobacco industry marketing efforts, according to the
Centers for Disease Control.
Student Wellness Advocacy
Teams, funded by the Pima County
Health Department, is a youth
coalition that is expanding its work
in South Tucson to counteract this
issue.
“It’s definitely a huge health
program we are trying to fight,”
said Youth Coalition Coordinator
Ben Naasz. “We outline programs
and challenges for SWAT teams at
various schools to bring awareness
to the cause.”
Currently SWAT has 25 coali-
to read the text and undertions,
including
stand it at the same level as
S.T.A.R.
Academic
an English speaker,” she
Center, Desert View
High School, Sierra “Tobacco companies need young new smokers to explained.
“A lot of kids don’t
Middle School, and
replace the ones that are dropping dead. It’s sad
realize cigarettes are bad
Craycroft Elementary
but it’s true.”
for them until after they
in South Tucson. “A
-Ben Naasz
start smoking,” Reina
large part of the
Tacho, 18, said. Tacho said
Sunnyside
School
Youth Coalition Coordinator
she knows a lot of people
District is involved. We
who smoke, even if they’re
have funding for 30
coalitions and are looking to work professor of marketing at the too young.
“My friends, my cousins, my
with more schools in the area,” University of Arizona. Advertising
Naasz said. “Tobacco companies also can affect youth who are com- brother…they all smoke,” she
spend millions on ads each year, ing from a place where English is explained. The youngest age she’s
and regardless of what they say not the main language in their heard of friends starting to smoke
was at age 12. “Their parents
home or community, she said.
they do target youth,” he added.
Ads for products like tobacco smoke or a friend’s mom and
There’s a reason companies target the young. “Companies appeal that require warning information they’ll take the cigarettes and go
to youth to try and lock in a prefer- may not translate to Hispanic hide and smoke them.”
In an Arizona high school risk
ence for their product at a young youth, Schau said. “If an ad is writage,” said Hope Schau, associate ten in English they may not be able survey for 2009, the number of
”
Hispanic students who had smoked
a cigarette before the age of 13 was
10 percent higher than that of
white students, according to the
CDC.
Hispanic students were also 6.9
percent higher than white students
on numbers for first time alcohol
consumption before age 13.
Students in SWAT are given
media assignments and challenged
to make public service announcements, Naasz said.
“The PSA allow them to show
the persuasiveness behind tobacco
ads and encourage anti tobacco
messages,” he added.
SWAT is currently partnered
with
Communities
Putting
Prevention to Work to try and get
more funding to expand their
youth coalition program.
Students anxiously wait for AIMS scores
By Jackie DiVita
The next month could be a
stressful time for South Tucson
students.
Those who took the AIMS test
in October must wait until
December for results that will
determine if they graduate or have
to wait until next spring to retake
the test.
The AIMS test was developed
by Arizona teachers and is required
by state and federal law. Students
are required to score at least a
“meets” on all areas of the AIMS
in order to graduate.
During the fall only juniors and
seniors who have not met the standards or are trying to exceed the
standards take the exam. In the
spring sophomores will take the
exam for the first time.
Teresa Toro, a counselor at
Pueblo Magnet High School says,
“A small percent of students don’t
pass the AIMS. About 15 students
didn’t get a diploma last spring and
came back this fall to retake the
test. Students have five opportunities to retake the test before graduation.”
A junior at Pueblo Magnet High
School, Caroline Cazares, had to
retake the AIMS.
“I had to retake all three portions of the test. This time around
it was much easier. I paid more
attention to my teachers when they
would review with us,” says
Photo by JACKIE dIVItA / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Pueblo Magnet High School counselor Teresa Toro is staying positive about the recent
AIMS testing. “I’m crossing my fingers that our students did well.”
Cazares.
The teachers play a crucial role
in helping and preparing their students for the test.
Toro says, “Classroom teachers help prep the students. The
math department chair and the
English chair send the teachers
practice questions with the
answers to help better prepare the
students.”
AIMS stands for Arizona’s
Instrument to Measure Standards.
AIMS measures student proficien-
cy in the areas of writing, reading,
mathematics and science.
AIMS is scored using the
FAME scale: falls far below the
standard, approaches the standard,
meets the standard, and exceeds
the standard.
Alex Cruz is a one of the lucky
seniors at Pueblo who doesn’t have
to retake the AIMS.
“I passed all three portions of
the test my sophomore year. I
retook them last year to exceed
them. I wanted to see if I could
exceed it,” says Cruz.
Students tend to struggle the
most with the mathematics part of
the test.
According to Toro, “Half the
seniors who are retaking the test
have to retake the math portion.”
A sophomore student is
required to take geometry, which is
a majority of the test. “Sixth percent of the mathematics part of the
test is geometry,” says Toro.
Eric McClure, a sophomore at
Pueblo, says, “I take the test in the
spring and I’m nervous most for
the math part.”
Pueblo High School is part of
the Tucson Unified School District
along with Tucson High School.
Test scores from both schools
show students struggle with mathematics.
According to 2010-2011 test
results, 1,114 students took the
math portion of the test at
Tucson High and 41.9 percent
passed.
At Pueblo, 710 students took
the math portion and only 28.2 percent passed.
Tucson High’s reading and
writing scores were significantly
higher than Pueblo High.
At Tucson High 907 students
were tested for reading and 71.6
percent passed. At Pueblo 589 students were tested for reading and
58.5 percent passed.
For writing at Pueblo 586 students were tested and 43.5 percent
passed and at Tucson High 896
students were tested and 61.6 percent passed.
Students first struggle the most
with mathematics, then writing
and reading. “About half of the
seniors had to retake the math section,” says Toro.
The writing part of the test consists of one extended writing
prompt along with multiple choice
questions. Other sections are multiple choice.
The science portion is not
included in the graduation requirement, but Toro thinks that in a couple years it will change.
Pueblo High School provides
after school tutoring for students
who need additional assistance
with preparing for the AIMS.
AIMS
support
materials
include AIMS student guides, sample tests, released items and writing scoring information is available at azed.gov.
Barber snips away but tradition slowly fades
By Ryan Sheehy
Photo by RyAN ShEEhy / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Chris Perez, left, trims up Roman Burruel
Jr.’s hair while he sits in his father’s lap.
Perez, 35, has had a shop in South Tucson
for ten years. He is part of a career path
that is expected to decline in growth over
the next ten years.
A child sits in the center of the
one-room building. He whiteknuckles the elevated chair as people lining the walls watch with a
curious look on their faces, as
though they are wondering, “how
is this going to end up looking?”
Other kids play in the corner
with action figures, anxiously
waiting their turn in the seat that
will change how they appear.
Buzzing fills the air as Chris
Perez’s hair clippers fly furiously
around the child’s head. The South
Tucson barber makes a cut here, a
trim there, some fading at the bottom and a defined hairline on the
forehead and Perez’s job is complete.
He pulls out a mirror and puts it
in front of his client’s face, whose
white-knuckles and nervousness
shed to a smile bigger than the
room. The room fills with a booming laughter from the families
waiting, as they bear witness to the
raw excitement of a child’s new
haircut.
The number in waiting grows as
the day goes on, much to the pleasure of Perez, who says there is a lot
of competition around, even on the
same block.
“When you see me with lots of
people in here, I’m at my happiest,” says Perez, owner and solebarber at Chris’s Barber Shop,
which is located on the southeast
corner of 6th Ave. and 31st Street.
Barbers are an old-school breed
that is slow-growing in modern
times. The projected increase in
people who are barbers from 20082018 is only 12 percent, compared
to a 20 percent increase in cosmetologists and hairstylists, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
Perez decided he wanted to be a
barber at age 15, when he visited
his first barber, Johnny Gibson. Up
until that point, he never received a
haircut he was happy with, and felt
distant from the people who were
lowering his ears.
“I have always been a people
person,” says the 35-year-old
Perez. “It’s not just about the haircuts, it’s about taking care of people.”
Perez plays to the old-school
nature of his profession, lining the
walls with faded newspaper clippings and “WANTED” posters
from Tombstone. He knows everyone who walks in on a first name
basis, and is a “cash-only” barber.
His favorite style of cutting is what
he calls finger cuts, which involves
more freehand skill, rather than
using clippers that are growing
more popular and common.
His style fits with the community of South Tucson, which has its
own old-school feel about it. The
people come to his barber shop
feeling at-home and to receive a
personal touch when getting their
hair cut.
“I try to maintain a positive
environment in my shop,” says
Perez. “It goes back to the times
where barbers were also psychiatrists. I like to help people with
their problems and have them leaving my shop with some new-found
hope.”
Roman Burruel brought his son
Roman Burruel Jr. to get trimmed
up before a Halloween party, noting the environment and his own
personal traditions as reasons he
comes to Chris’s Barber Shop.
“This is where I usually come,”
says Burruel. “I came before I had
my son, now it’s his turn.”
Perez doesn’t charge a hefty
price, ten dollars for a haircut, five
for a full-faced shave, for his personal-touch haircuts, nor does he
want to.
“To be a good barber, it can’t be
about the money,” says Perez.
“There isn’t a monetary value you
can put on pleasing people on a
daily basis.”
El INDEPENDIENTE
November 11, 2011
Page 3
Economic woes drive down shuttle
By Kevin Andrade
Ask Ramón Recién why business in his
shuttle company, with services mostly to
Nogales, Douglas and Phoenix, has gone
down, you might expect to hear it is due to
drug violence or increased vigilance by the
Border Patrol. The actual answer is a little
more obvious than that.
“It’s the economic crisis,” says Recién.
He opened Garcia’s Shuttle two years
ago to make a living and to serve the community. However times have changed and
his company might soon be forced to shut
down.
“In other times,” says Recién, “business
was very good but right now it’s very slow.”
“We can’t maintain ourselves like we
used to,” says Luís Alberto López
Hernandez, a driver for Sahuaro Shuttle.
Bringing people down to the border for
visits with family and friends has been the
mainstay of shuttle companies. The vast
majority of clients are of Mexican descent
and have some sort of family connection to
the region. To pick up a child or to spend a
weekend with the grandparents, the maintaining of ties to family and friends appears
to be the major motive for Mexican clientele. But even these have slowed down in
recent years.
Hernandez drives his shuttle from South
Tucson to Nogales and back twice daily
Photo
by
KEVIN ANdRAdE / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Luís A. Hernandez waits to take passengers from Nogales to Tucson. Fewer trips are happening these days.
since he started working as a driver two
months ago. Originally from Sonora, he is
no stranger to the border area. He used to
make the trip down to visit every three to
four months. But when the economic crisis
began in 2007, he started to feel the crunch
along with many other Americans. He now
only makes the trip to visit only once a year.
However, there is one group of boarder
travelers that has not died down.
Arís, a high school student who moved
from Santana, Sonora, to Tucson three years
ago, goes to Nogales while she is, “on the
way to Santana to visit family or when I
need to visit the dentist.”
With the economy the way it is, many
Americans are coming down to Nogales and
other border towns to take care of dental
work and to buy their medicines. According
to a 2010 University of Arizona study about
750,000 traveled abroad to receive medical
treatment due to lower prices.
“The prices here are better than in the
U.S. We all know that,” says Diana
Hernandez, a dental assistant at Dental
Smiles, right at the border in Nogales,
Sonora.
In possession of all the latest equipment
and highly trained dentists, they offer not
only better prices but service that is often
equal to the care that one might receive in
the U.S.
“Patients will come in,” continues Diana,
“with a list of things that someone said they
needed and it just is not true what is on there.
It might say they need 20 fillings when in
reality all they need is five.”
Pharmaceutical prices are also lower.
While walking in the city one hears many
callers including Abiel, who attracts
American customers to his pharmacy with
the enticement that the prices are “almost
free!”
Rising prices and the lack of insurance
coverage has led to 80 percent of the customers at border clinics and pharmacies
being American according to the 2010 U of
A study.
Weatherization projects chill
area winter heating expenses
By Amanda Merz
More than 500 families in
South Tucson should experience
lower utility costs this winter
thanks to the Tucson Urban
League.
By helping residents make their
homes more energy efficient the
League’s weatherization and home
repair programs thrives due to a
boost in funding over the last four
years.
Weatherization entails modifying the home’s energy consumption, whether it’s installing weather stripping or even replacing
entire heating and cooling systems.
The average American spends
more than $1,300 annually on utility bills, but weatherization
changes to a home can help to save
more than $300 per year.
The program geared toward
low-income families offers a free
diagnostic assessment for a home
to determine what are the most
cost effective repairs to make.
“It really depends on what the
house tells us that it needs to make
the home more energy efficient. It
could be more insulation, it could
be more efficient appliances, it
could be duct sealing,” said
Terisha Ellis, Housing Department
Facilitator of the Tucson Urban
League. “It really is the diagnostic
testing that tells us what each specific house needs.”
A main goal of the program is
to assist low-income families reach
self-sufficiency. Individuals who
qualify for the program must own
and have lived in their home for
more than 12 months. Renters may
be approved in specific situations.
“If it’s not cost effective to
repair, then it’s possible that it
would be replaced,” explained
Debra Johnson, the program’s
Intake
Specialist,
at
the
Weatherization Day Open House
that took place on Oct. 28.
Felix and Margaret Stanley,
previous recipients of the program,
spoke about what the program was
able to do for their home in South
Tucson.
“My husband at the age of 95
was getting on top of the roof, fixing the coolers, we had air coming
in our front door,” said Margaret
Stanley.
“Our water heater was popping
making all kinds of noise, so we
couldn’t sleep, it would wake us up
Photo
by
AMANdA MERZ / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Felix and Margaret Stanley, homeowners who received weatherization modifications to
their home to make it more energy efficient, expressed their gratitude to the Tucson
Urban League at the Weatherization Day Open House.
at night.”
The program was able to
replace their furnace, give them a
new water heater, two new coolers
and help with other weatherization
changes to their home.
The benefits go beyond just
saving money, but are also a step
toward helping the environment.
According to the U.S Department
of Energy, for every weatherized
household carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by one ton.
The program is currently
accepting applications and more
information about qualification
can be found out through the
Tucson Urban League.
Local greyhound park struggles to stay in the race
By Mike Rabin
With the decline of greyhound
racing nationwide, the Tucson
Greyhound Park is fighting to survive.
The park was established in
1944 just around the same time
that South Tucson became a city.
Tom Taylor is the CEO and
general manager of the Tucson
Greyhound Park and has been
there for almost 15 years.
“We used to be the only place
you could gamble other than Las
Vegas,” Taylor said. “Now Arizona
has 27 Indian casinos and only
three live tracks.”
In the past 10 years, the 50
greyhound tracks in 15 states have
diminished to just 25 tracks in
seven states, according to the
Greyhound Racing Association of
America.
“There’s only two live racetracks for greyhounds west of the
Mississippi River: one in Houston,
Texas and the other here in
Tucson,” Taylor said.
Two people have owned the
Photo
by
MIKE RAbIN / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Vinnie, the favored to win dog for the day, waits at the weigh-in station with other greyhounds.
park since 1987 and continue to
keep it open despite losing money
on and off the past 10 years. Taylor
says they believe it will come
back.
While the park used to highly
benefit South Tucson, as business
has gone down, so have its contributions to the city.
“We’re still here paying taxes
and sales taxes to the city,” Taylor
said.
The park pays a percentage of
what’s bet to the city, it pays sales
taxes for food, beverages and programs and also property taxes of
$77,000, which Taylor says helps
the city and schools.
The park also provides work for
a hurting economy.
“We have 135 employees, 65
percent of which are high school
students,” Taylor said. “It takes so
many employees to run this business that there hasn’t been a
decrease, but employees have had
to take pay cuts.”
More races have been added to
the schedule in order to help the
park survive. There used to be 12
races a night for five nights a
week. There are now 15 races a
night, six days a week. Taylor
hopes that also will bring attendance up due to a steady drop over
the past few years.
“We averaged 300 people a
night three years ago and now we
are averaging about 50,” Taylor
said. “There’s less people working
and they just don’t have the money
to gamble.”
Several months ago, Rep. Vic
Williams, R-Tucson, introduced a
bill on behalf of Tucson
Greyhound Park in hopes of keeping dog racing alive in Arizona.
Right now, there is a requirement for the park to have live greyhound racing at least four days a
week for 50 weeks of the year.
This bill would eliminate that
requirement.
With
attendance
steadily
decreasing, the park is losing too
much money having to put on the
required number of live races,
Taylor said. By reducing live races
and letting the business revolve
around off-track betting, the park
won’t be losing nearly as much
money, he said.
“This was a unique opportunity
in politics and government where
you have two opposing sides come
together,” Williams said. “Seeing
people who oppose each other
working for a common purpose is
great to see.”
Even with the bill being considered, the Tucson Greyhound Park
is still in trouble. In some states –
Florida for example – casinos and
race tracks have merged to offer a
strong
financial
enterprise.
Arizona does not allow casinos at
racing venues.
“Our days are numbered, our
years are numbered,” Taylor said.
“We either have to get slot
machines here or we’re going to
have to close.”
El INDEPENDIENTE
Page 4
¿QUé
PASA?
Plants as Medicines:
Making Herbal Teas, Salves
and Liniments
Saturday
Nov. 12 , 1 p.m.
Tohono Chul Park
7366 N. Paseo del Norte
Learn how to make teas, skin
salve and liniments to support injured joints using
plants at this seminar taught
by Pam Hyde-nakia. Bring
your healings creations
home. $55 for members, $65
general public.
University Medical Center
29th El Tour de Tucson
Nov. 19 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Downtown Tucson
America’s largest perimeter
bicycling event will include a
3 day bike expo with Beer
Garden, mariachi and much
more. Proceeds go to Tu
Nidito Children & family
Services, American
Parkinson Disease
Association, Water for
People, Ben’s Bells, Diamond
Medical Center and others.
75$ to register for marathon,
$15 for fun ride plus $15 contribution. For more info call
(520)745-2033.
Salvador Duran
Thursdays, 7 p.m.
Hotel Congress
311 E. Congress St.
Prepare to be enchanted by
this northern Mexican flamenco guitarist Thursday
nights at Club Congress.
Admission is free.
Tea Tasting
Fridays, 3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Seven Cups
2516 E. 5th St. and
University Boulevard
Try the many varieties of tea
available out n the market
today for medicinal purposes,
to wake up or for the pure
enjoyment of it.
Amplification
In an El Independiente story from
September on the Adelante program at
Pima Community College, Pima officials did not release a complete list of
funding sources. While Helios
Foundation is the main funding
source, the program also receives
funds from the Kresge Foundation and
Open Societies Fund. The Ford
Foundation played no part in the program. Also, Pima officials say data
representing success of the program
were gathered by PCC and not
MDRC, a national non-profit analyzing Adelante’s effectiveness.
JOBS
Continued from page 1
Workers, such as Jorge Rosas, who
has been coming the center since it
opened, have been hit hard by the
lack of jobs. Rosas, who sends all
his money to his family in Mexico,
said there are not enough employers for all the workers and this
makes it hard for them, as well as
their families, to live. Rosas said
he lives at different missions and
keeps his living costs very low so
his family can have more.
“We’re here as immigrants, we
come in and out of these areas
looking for a better life,” Rosas
said. “I wish we could all find sta-
November 11, 2011
ble jobs and earn enough money to
send home.”
To the center, helping the community means educating the members through classes and work.
These classes include, rights when
being stopped by police, rights
when being detained, how to represent yourself in court and proper
wages when working. To become a
member of the Center, participants
must attend an orientation, a
“Know Your Rights” training class
and pay the $5 monthly fee. The
money from the fee goes to support the centers operating cost.
“SB1070 is forcing underground labor, where it’s more
exploitable, where there can be
more abuse to the workers,” Ochoa
said.
Another
program,
which
recently left South Tucson but is
still operating in Tucson, is an elderly work program. The Senior
Community Service Employment
Program helps documented people
55 and older in receiving the training necessary to obtain jobs. This
program offers training in fields
such as, computer skills, housekeeping, dietary aid and home
repair social service. Peter Kang,
SCSEP coordinator, said the program works with the Pima Council
on Aging.
“I think it’s a win-win for the
community and a win-win for the
participants to get the training that
they need.” Kang said.
The program had to leave its
location at the Sam Lena Public
JUDGE
Continued from page 1
pain. I didn’t believe that a change
of climate could make this much of
a difference.”
Wilson has served as a professor at the University of Arizona
and a chairman of the American
Bar Association Mental Health
Courts Committee.
He’s the
founder of the Alcumus Institute:
a national youth outreach, mentoring and crime-prevention program.
Wilson has also received both the
NAACP Rosa Parks Living
History Makers Award and the
Martin Luther King Jr. Drum
Award in 2006.
Despite Wilson’s resume, the
office in which he does most of his
work is an old storage closet at
South Tucson’s municipal courthouse. He doesn’t own his own
car, and borrows his stepfather’s
old Cadillac to get to work until he
can afford a minivan for his fami-
SCHOOL
Continued from page 1
to earn their six credits a year,”
said PPEP TEC High School
superintendent Randy Kempton.
“Also, on Friday, if they come in
for every 30 hours they can earn a
quarter credit according to state
law.”
PPEP Tec High Schools abide
by state standards and in the past
year they have had to rework their
own system in order to improve
AIMS (Arizona’s Institute for
Measuring Standards) scores.
“When No Child Left Behind
and AIMS testing began coming
down and accountability started
going up, we realized that our test
scores weren’t where they needed
to be, so we started making
changes,” Kempton said.
PPEP Tec High Schools had
been primarily self-paced with
limited instruction, but with diplomas riding on AIMS success,
adjustments were required.
“Last year we went to direct
instruction for all of our math and
English, and we had some pretty
good results,” Kempton said.
From 2009 to 2010 there has
been up to a 10 percent improvement across the 10 PPEP TEC
South Tucson’s
Bilingual Newspaper
El Independiente encourages letters from all its
readers, but reserves the right to edit correspondence for grammar, style, clarity and length.
www.elindenews.com
UA School of Journalism
Phone: 626-6575
[email protected]
Adviser: Prof. Terry Wimmer
Photo by SKIP MESSICK / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Judge Ronald Wilson, 42, updates his youth-mentoring website in his Sixth Avenue office.
ly. Wilson doesn’t seem to mind.
“One of the reasons I love being
a judge in South Tucson is that I’m
able to improve the quality of life
for people here,” he said. “I’m
very fortunate and blessed to be
able to help people out.”
For Wilson, however, the gavel
Campuses in Southern Arizona.
Direct instruction hasn’t taken
away the individual attention from
students. The student-teacher ratio
stays around 15:1 and teachers are
willing to modify lesson plans to
accommodate all students.
“When I came here, it was
more hands on,” Garcia said. He
added that teachers are constantly
checking in with their students
about the pacing of the class.
Invested teachers and a flexible
curriculum encourage students to
take their education seriously and
to put forth their best.
“When a student decides to
come to school in the evening,
they are making a conscious effort
to invest time in their education,”
said Garrett Lebby, an algebra
teacher at Celestino Fernandez
Learning Center. “They put in
more effort.”
Junior Melina Olvera, 16,
enjoys the quiet and mature atmosphere at the Celestino Fernandez
Learning Center, which motivates
her to succeed.
“I think at other high schools
they just go for the social life, but
over here kids want to graduate.”
Academics are the highest priority, but PPEP Tec schools also
recognized that there is more to the
high school experience than passing standardized tests and earning
a slip of paper.
is heavier some days than others.
His toughest cases involve the
mentally ill. Wilson was raised in
foster homes with siblings who
suffered from mental illness, themselves. According to Wilson, he
was raised with more than 400 foster brothers and sisters throughout
NEON
Continued from page 1
unemployed. His idea of neon is
not just a flashing light, but also a
form of scientific art.
“It’s wonderful, exciting, catalyzing to the eye, economically
and environmentally wonderful. It
takes a gas, which is put into a vacuum, that lets the gas creates a current, which creates light, amazing
item,” Richardson said.
The only reason neon costs
have slightly increased is because
of modern equipment, Richardson
says. Glass has virtually become
lead free, allowing tubes to stay
stain-free.
Old signs possess black marks
and that is caused by mercury
building up from the lead. Electric
transformers are now self-adjusting, avoiding damaging sparks and
fires.
“What it takes is a little of science, a little common sense, and a
considerable about of craftsmanship,” Richardson said.
For two years, Tucson’s
Historic Preservation Foundation
successfully worked with the city
of Tucson to pass the Historic
Landmark Sign of Ordinance to
the Tucson Sign Code. As a result,
EL
INDEPENDIENTE
Editor:
Ryan Sheehy
Spanish Editors:
Kevin G. Andrade
Ana Cecilia Morales
Photo Editor:
Katie
Cunningham
Library, 1607 S. 6th Ave., because
of low funding from PCOA. The
funding for the program was cut
40 percent from last year, which
meant that the program itself had
to experience cuts as well.
According to a 2011 workshop,
Assessing the Impact of Severe
Economic Recession on the
Elderly, the elderly noticed their
retirement plans in jeopardy and
this motivated senior citizens to
return to work. Their return to
work has kept the unemployment
rate for elderly at a lower rate.
“We’re hoping that the
Department of Labor doesn’t cut
our funding again for this coming
fiscal year,” Kang said.
his childhood, about 90 percent of
which had some form of learning
disorder or mental illness.
“These cases usually involve
small, petty, quality of life crimes.
People aren’t getting the help they
need, and they self-medicate,
drink, take drugs, and get arrested
before they come to see me. It’s
really hard for me to see them in
front of me.”
Wilson works closely with
South Tucson’s community to prevent crime and help people before
they come to his court. Wilson
enjoys being able to connect people to social services and programs
that can help them; and such agencies can refer people to Wilson.
“If someone has an outstanding
warrant, it won’t be dismissed—
the law is the law. But I try to help
them if I can,” Wilson said. “I
would like for people to think I’m
a fair, merciful, compassionate
judge. If you treat people with dignity, respect and fairness, they’ll
usually reciprocate.”
the foundation’s president Demion
Clinco said four signs from the
1990s through 2000 will be
restored. Hotel Congress was the
first sign to receive the sign designation.
“Their an incredibly powerful
preservation tool. They have
intrinsic power. You turn the lights
on; people come. People photograph these signs and people really
connect because they are uniquely
American,” Clinco said. “They
shape our streets and create an
incredible sense of place.”
Scott Reeves, a service technician with Cook and Company Sign
Makers, creators of the Miracle
Mile and Pima College signs, has
been working with neon for 30
years.
“There will always be a place
for neon because there is nothing
else that can replace it for art or
brilliance. It’s going to be here for
a long time,” Reeves said.
He believes LED signs are
pricier than neon’s initial cost.
Reeves has installed signs that
have lasted for 20 years and
required minimal service repairs,
depending on who has worked on
them.
“Neon does the same thing as a
fire would: mesmerize you. If you
look at it, its kind of amazing to
see a gas will carry a current that
will light it up,” Richardson said.
Staff:
Translators:
Leah Adler
Iqbal Al-Sanea
Jackie DiVita
Jeff Kessler
Blair Kurland
Amanda Merz
Skip Messick
Mike Rabin
Sara Alcazar
Caitlin Maureen Kelley
Jennifer Knight
Karina Reyna
Dora-Bezies López
Page 4
¿QUé
PASA?
Plantas como medicinas:
Haciend tés herbales,
ungüamentos y linimientos
Sábado, 12 de noviembre a
la 1 p.m.
Tohono Chul Park
7366 North Paseo del
Norte
Aprende de como se hace tés,
ungüamentos por le piel y
linimentos para apoyar a las
articulaciones utilizando las
plantas en este seminario
enseñado por Pam Hydenakia. Lleva a su casa lo que
se crea. $55 por miembros,
$65 por el public general.
University Medical Center
29ta El Tour de Tucson
Sábado, 19 de noviembre
7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Downtown Tucson
Trabajos
Continúada de la página 1
empleadores pararon de venir al
centro para contratar trabajadores.
“Siempre sentimos el impacto de
lo que está sucediendo económica
y
políticamente”,
agregó.
“Siempre se magnifica aquí”.
Los trabajadores como Jorge
Rosas han sufrido la falta de trabajo. Jorge, quien envía todo su
dinero a su familia en México dijo
que no hay suficientes personas
que contraten a todos los trabajadores y esto es difícil para ellos y
para sus familias. Jorge dijo que él
vive en varias misiones y mantiene
bajo su costo de vida para que su
Continúada de la página 1
El evento más grande de la
bicicleta perimeter incluirá
un expo de bicicleta de tres
días con Beer Garden, mariachi y mucho más. Las
ganancias seran donadas a
Tu Nidito Children & Family
Services, American
Parkinson Disease
Association, Water for
People, Ben’s Bells, el
Diamond Medical Center y
otros. Le cuesta $75 para registrarse en el maratón, $15
por fun rides más una contribución de $15. Para información llama al (520)7452033.
Salvador Duran
Todos los jueves, 7 p.m.
Hotel Congress
311 East Congress Street
Prepárese para ser encantado con éste guitarista mexicano del flamenco cada
jueves al Club Congress.
Entrada gratis.
Prueba de Té
Todos los viernes, 3 p.m. –
3:30 p.m.
Seven Cups
2516 East 5th Street y
University Boulevard
Prueba los varios tés
disponibles en el mercado
como propuestas medicinales o simplemente para
disfrutarlos. Completamente
gratis.
Amplificación
El INDEPENDIENTE
familia tenga más.
“Estamos aquí como inmigrantes, entramos y salimos en
estas áreas buscando una mejor
vida”, dijo Jorge. “Deseo que
todos podamos encontrar trabajo
estable para ganar suficiente
dinero para mandar a casa”.
Para el centro, ayudar a la
comunidad significa educar a sus
miembros a través de clases y trabajo. Estas clases incluyen, conocer sus derechos la policía los para,
al ser detenidos, cómo representarse a sí mismos en el tribunal y
salarios de trabajo adecuados. Para
ser miembros del centro los participantes deben ir a una orientación,
una clase de capacitación para
“conocer sus derechos” y pagar $5
dólares de tarifa mensual.
“La SB1070 está obligando al
trabajo clandestino, en donde
existe más explotación, más abuso
a los trabajadores”, dijo Raúl.
Otro programa, que recientemente dejó a South Tucson pero
que sigue funcionando en Tucson,
es un programa para trabajo a los
adultos de la tercera edad. El
Senior
Community
Service
Employment Program (SCSEP)
ayuda a personas documentadas de
55 años en adelante a recibir la
capacitación necesaria para obtener un trabajo. Este programa ofrece
capacitación en el área de computación, limpieza de hogares,
ayuda alimentaria y servicio social
para reparaciones en el hogar.
Peter Kang, coordinador del
SCSEP, dijo que el programa tra-
Juez
Continúada de la página 1
haría tanta diferencia”, aseguró.
Ronald ha sido profesor en la
Universidad de Arizona y presidente del Comité de los tribunales
de salud mental de la Asociación
del colegio nacional de abogados
de E.E. U.U. (American Bar
Association). Fundó el Instituto
Alcumus, un programa de asistencia nacional para la juventud, que
guía y previene la delincuencia.
Ronald recibió dos galardones en
el año 2006, NAACP Rosa Parks
Living History Makers y el Martin
Luther King Jr. Drum.
A pesar de su currículum, la
oficina en la cual trabaja es un
viejo closet de almacenamiento en
la sede del juzgado municipal en
South Tucson. No tiene su propio
carro y le pide prestado a su
padrastro su viejo Cadillac para ir
al trabajo, hasta que le alcance para
comprar una minivan para su
familia. A Ronald esto lo tiene sin
cuidado.
"Esto es lo único que puedo
hacer", comentó Faustino. "Es lo
único que me funciona".
De lunes a jueves, los estudiantes asisten a clases de 4 a 9:30
pm con la opción de asistir a clases
el viernes para ponerse al día con
el trabajo escolar o adelantar sus
tareas.
"Si vienen todos los días, a
tiempo, los cuatro días, recibirán
sus seis créditos por año", explicó
el superintendente de la preparatoria PPEP TEC Randy Kempton.
"Además, si vienen el viernes,
por cada 30 horas pueden recibir
un cuarto de crédito según la ley
estatal."
Las preparatorias PPEP TEC
cumplen con las normas estatales y
en el último año han tenido que
hacer una revisión de su propio
sistema con el fin de mejorar los
puntajes del examen AIMS
(Instituto de Arizona para Medir
los Estándares, según sus siglas en
inglés).
"Cuando la ley No Child Left
Behind y el examen de AIMS
surgieron, aumentando la responsabilidad, nos dimos cuenta que los
resultados de nuestras pruebas no
estaban donde tenían que estar,
entonces comenzamos a hacer
cambios”, comentó Randy.
Las preparatorias PPEP TEC se
concentraban principalmente en
que el estudiante aprendiera a su
propio ritmo con instrucción limitada, pero ya que recibir un diploma depende de las calificaciones
del examen AIMS, se tuvieron que
hacer unos ajustes.
"El año pasado nos dirigimos a
la instrucción directa de las clases
En una história del septiembre 2011
sobre el Programa Adelante al Pima
Community College, los oficiales de
Pima no nos dieron una lista completa de sus patrocinadores. El
Helios Foundation es el patrocinador principal pero adelante también recibe fondos desde el Kresge
Foundation y Open Societies
Foundation. El Ford Foundation no
participó en la fiscalización.
También quieren clarificar que los
datos presentados son de PCC y no
MDRC, una organización nacional
sin fines de lucro que está analizando la eficacia del programa.
Escuela
Photo
PoR
SKIP MESSICK / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Juez Ronald Wilson, 42 años, trabaja en su oficina en la Sexta Avenida.
con enfermos mentales. Ronald se
crió en hogares adoptivos, con hermanos que sufrían de enfermedades mentales. Según Ronald
él fue criado con más de 400 hermanos y hermanas a lo largo de su
niñez, de los cuales alrededor del
90 por ciento tenían problemas de
aprendizaje y enfermedades mentales.
“Estos casos usualmente tienen
Ronald afirmó: “Una de las
razones por las que me encanta ser
juez en South Tucson es que puedo
mejorar la calidad de vida de las
personas. Soy muy afortunado y es
una bendición poder ayudar a la
gente”.
Sin embargo, a Ronald el mazo
se le hace más pesado unos días
que otros. Los casos más duros
para él son los que tienen que ver
Neón
de matemáticas e inglés, y tuvimos
buenos resultados", dijo Randy.
Desde el 2009 hasta el 2010 ha
habído una mejoría del 10 por
ciento a través de los 10 campus de
PPEP TEC en el sur de Arizona.
La instrucción directa no ha
disminuido la atención individual
para los estudiantes. Hay 15 alumnos por cada maestro y los maestros están dispuestos a modificar
planes de estudio según la conveniencia de los estudiantes.
"Cuando vine aquí, era más
práctica", comentó Garcia. Agregó
que los maestros están constantemente preguntando a sus alumnos
sobre el ritmo en que se da la clase.
Los profesores dedicados y un
plan de estudios flexible animan a
los estudiantes a tomar su educación en serio y a que hagan su
mejor esfuerzo.
"Cuando un estudiante decide ir
a la escuela por la tarde, hace un
esfuerzo consciente de invertirle
tiempo a su educación", comentó
Garrett Lebby, un profesor de
álgebra en el Celestino Fernandez
Learning Center. "Ellos le echan
más ganas."
La estudiante de tercer año,
Melina Olvera, de 16 años, disfruta del ambiente tranquilo y maduro
en el Celestino Fernandez
Learning Center, lo que la motiva
a ser exitosa.
"Creo que en otras escuelas
preparatorias los estudiantes van
solamente para tener una vida
social, pero aquí los estudiantes se
quieren graduar".
La parte académica es nuestra
máxima prioridad, pero las escuelas PPEP TEC también reconocen
que la experiencia de la preparatoria es más que pasar los exámenes
estandarizados y recibir el cartón.
Continúada de la página 1
que necesita hacer es invertir
$2,000 dólares solamente una vez.
Es como un carro. Si se necesita
remplazar una llanta, y le pones
una nueva, el carro puede desarrollar problemas. Mejor es remplazar
todas las llantas; ocurre lo mismo
con ese letrero”, explicó Sam.
Sam ha trabajado con luces de
neón por 40 años pero actualmente
está desempleado. La idea que
tiene del neón no es solamente una
luz brillante, sino también es como
un tipo de arte científico.
“Es maravilloso, emocionante,
estimulante a la vista, económicamente y ecológicamente maravilloso. Usa gas, el cual se introduce
a una aspiradora que permite que
el gas cree una corriente, lo cual
crea luz, un artículo maravilloso”,
detalló Sam.
Según Sam, la única razón por
la que los costos del neón han
incrementado ligeramente es
debido al equipo moderno. El
vidrio se ha vuelto prácticamente
libre de plomo, permitiendo que
los tubos permanezcan libre de
manchas.
Los letreros viejos tienen marcas negras causadas por la acumulación de mercurio debido al
plomo. Los transformadores de
electricidad ahora son autoajustables, lo cual evita chispas e incendios.
“Se requiere un poco de
conocimientos científicos, un poco
de sentido común y una cantidad
considerable de conocimientos
acerca del neón”, dijo Sam.
Por dos años, la Fundación de
Conservación Histórica de Tucson
Traducido por Dora Bezies-López
11 de noviembre del 2011
baja con el Pima Council on Aging
(Consejo sobre el envejecimiento).
“Creo que todos ganan en la
comunidad y para los participantes
que necesitan ser capacitados”,
dijo Peter.
El programa tuvo que cambiarse de su ubicación en Sam
Lena Public Library, 1607 S. 6th
Ave., debido a los bajos fondos
recibidos de PCOA. Un 40 por
ciento de los fondos para el programa fueron recortados desde el
año pasado.
Traducido por Ana Cecilia
Morales
que ver con delitos pequeños e
insignificantes para mejorar su calidad de vida. La gente no está recibiendo la ayuda necesaria, y se
automedican, beben, ingieren drogas y son detenidos antes de venir
a verme. Es muy difícil, verlos
frente a mí”.
Ronald trabaja estrechamente
con la comunidad en South Tucson
para la prevención de delitos y
para ayudar a la gente antes que lo
visiten en el tribunal. Es un placer
para Ronald, poder conectar a la
gente con los servicios de la comunidad y los programas que pueden
ayudarlos; dichas agencias pueden
referir personas a Ronald.
“Si alguien tiene una orden de
detención pendiente, no se ignorará- la ley es la ley. Pero si puedo,
intento ayudarlos,” dijo Ronald.
“Me gustaría que la gente piense
en mi como un juez justo, piadoso,
y compasivo. Si a la gente se le
trata con dignidad, respeto e
imparcialidad, ellos hacen lo
mismo”.
Traducido por Rosalye Guillén
colaboró con la ciudad de Tucson y
lograron agregar el decreto de
letrero de punto histórico
(Historic Landmark Sign of
Ordinance) al Código de Letreros
de Tucson. Como consecuencia, el
presidente de la fundación,
Demion Clinco, dijo que cuatro de
los letreros de los años noventa al
2000 serán restaurados, los cuales
se quitaron debido al cambio de
gusto y el estricto código de
letreros. Hotel Congress fue el
primer letrero en recibir el nombramiento del letrero.
“Son una herramienta increíblemente poderosa para la conservación. Tienen un poder intrínseco.
Se prenden las luces y la gente
viene. Las personas fotografían
estos letreros y las personas realmente tienen una conexión con
ellos porque son distintivamente
americanos”, enfatizó Clinco. “Le
dan forma a nuestras calles y crean
un entorno único”.
Scott Reeve, un técnico de
Cook and Company Sign Makers,
creadores de los letreros de
Miracle Mile y Pima Community
College, ha trabajado con las luces
de neón por 30 años.
“Siempre habrá un lugar para el
neón porque no hay nada que
pueda remplazarlo por su arte y
resplandor. Se va a utilizar por
mucho tiempo”, aseguró Scott.
Él cree que los letreros de led
son más caros que el precio inicial
de las luces de neón. Scott ha instalado letreros que han durado por
20 años y que requirieron pocos
servicios de reparación, dependiendo de quien ha trabajado en
ellos.
“El neón hace lo mismo que lo
que haría el fuego: cautivar. Si uno
se fija, es asombroso ver como el
gas lleva la corriente que lo iluminará”, explicó Sam.
Traducido por Sara Alcazar Silva
November 11, 2011
El INDEPENDIENTE
Page 3
Economic woes drive down shuttle
By Kevin Andrade
Ask Ramón Recién why business in his
shuttle company, with services mostly to
Nogales, Douglas and Phoenix, has gone
down, you might expect to hear it is due to
drug violence or increased vigilance by the
Border Patrol. The actual answer is a little
more obvious than that.
“It’s the economic crisis,” says Recién.
He opened Garcia’s Shuttle two years
ago to make a living and to serve the community. However times have changed and
his company might soon be forced to shut
down.
“In other times,” says Recién, “business
was very good but right now it’s very slow.”
“We can’t maintain ourselves like we
used to,” says Luís Alberto López
Hernandez, a driver for Sahuaro Shuttle.
Bringing people down to the border for
visits with family and friends has been the
mainstay of shuttle companies. The vast
majority of clients are of Mexican descent
and have some sort of family connection to
the region. To pick up a child or to spend a
weekend with the grandparents, the maintaining of ties to family and friends appears
to be the major motive for Mexican clientele. But even these have slowed down in
recent years.
Hernandez drives his shuttle from South
Tucson to Nogales and back twice daily
since he started working as a driver two
Photo
by
KEVIN ANdRAdE / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Luís A. Hernandez waits to take passengers from Nogales to Tucson. Fewer trips are happening these days.
months ago. Originally from Sonora, he is
no stranger to the border area. He used to
make the trip down to visit every three to
four months. But when the economic crisis
began in 2007, he started to feel the crunch
along with many other Americans. He now
only makes the trip to visit only once a year.
However, there is one group of boarder
travelers that has not died down.
Arís, a high school student who moved
from Santana, Sonora, to Tucson three years
ago, goes to Nogales while she is, “on the
way to Santana to visit family or when I
need to visit the dentist.”
With the economy the way it is, many
Americans are coming down to Nogales and
other border towns to take care of dental
work and to buy their medicines. According
to a 2010 University of Arizona study about
750,000 traveled abroad to receive medical
treatment due to lower prices.
“The prices here are better than in the
U.S. We all know that,” says Diana
Hernandez, a dental assistant at Dental
Smiles, right at the border in Nogales,
Sonora.
In possession of all the latest equipment
and highly trained dentists, they offer not
only better prices but service that is often
equal to the care that one might receive in
the U.S.
“Patients will come in,” continues Diana,
“with a list of things that someone said they
needed and it just is not true what is on there.
It might say they need 20 fillings when in
reality all they need is five.”
Pharmaceutical prices are also lower.
While walking in the city one hears many
callers including Abiel, who attracts
American customers to his pharmacy with
the enticement that the prices are “almost
free!”
Rising prices and the lack of insurance
coverage has led to 80 percent of the customers at border clinics and pharmacies
being American according to the 2010 U of
A study.
Weatherization projects chill
area winter heating expenses
By Amanda Merz
More than 500 families in
South Tucson should experience
lower utility costs this winter
thanks to the Tucson Urban
League.
By helping residents make their
homes more energy efficient the
League’s weatherization and home
repair programs thrives due to a
boost in funding over the last four
years.
Weatherization entails modifying the home’s energy consumption, whether it’s installing weather stripping or even replacing
entire heating and cooling systems.
The average American spends
more than $1,300 annually on utility bills, but weatherization
changes to a home can help to save
more than $300 per year.
The program geared toward
low-income families offers a free
diagnostic assessment for a home
to determine what are the most
cost effective repairs to make.
“It really depends on what the
house tells us that it needs to make
the home more energy efficient. It
could be more insulation, it could
be more efficient appliances, it
could be duct sealing,” said
Terisha Ellis, Housing Department
Facilitator of the Tucson Urban
League. “It really is the diagnostic
testing that tells us what each specific house needs.”
A main goal of the program is
to assist low-income families reach
self-sufficiency. Individuals who
qualify for the program must own
and have lived in their home for
more than 12 months. Renters may
be approved in specific situations.
“If it’s not cost effective to
repair, then it’s possible that it
would be replaced,” explained
Debra Johnson, the program’s
Intake
Specialist,
at
the
Weatherization Day Open House
that took place on Oct. 28.
Felix and Margaret Stanley,
previous recipients of the program,
spoke about what the program was
able to do for their home in South
Tucson.
“My husband at the age of 95
was getting on top of the roof, fixing the coolers, we had air coming
in our front door,” said Margaret
Stanley.
“Our water heater was popping
making all kinds of noise, so we
couldn’t sleep, it would wake us up
Photo
by
AMANdA MERZ / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Felix and Margaret Stanley, homeowners who received weatherization modifications to
their home to make it more energy efficient, expressed their gratitude to the Tucson
Urban League at the Weatherization Day Open House.
at night.”
The program was able to
replace their furnace, give them a
new water heater, two new coolers
and help with other weatherization
changes to their home.
The benefits go beyond just
saving money, but are also a step
toward helping the environment.
According to the U.S Department
of Energy, for every weatherized
household carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by one ton.
The program is currently
accepting applications and more
information about qualification
can be found out through the
Tucson Urban League.
Local greyhound park struggles to stay in the race
By Mike Rabin
With the decline of greyhound
racing nationwide, the Tucson
Greyhound Park is fighting to survive.
The park was established in
1944 just around the same time
that South Tucson became a city.
Tom Taylor is the CEO and
general manager of the Tucson
Greyhound Park and has been
there for almost 15 years.
“We used to be the only place
you could gamble other than Las
Vegas,” Taylor said. “Now Arizona
has 27 Indian casinos and only
three live tracks.”
In the past 10 years, the 50
greyhound tracks in 15 states have
diminished to just 25 tracks in
seven states, according to the
Greyhound Racing Association of
America.
“There’s only two live racetracks for greyhounds west of the
Mississippi River: one in Houston,
Texas and the other here in
Tucson,” Taylor said.
Two people have owned the
Photo
by
MIKE RAbIN / EL INdEPENdIENtE
Vinnie, the favored to win dog for the day, waits at the weigh-in station with other greyhounds.
park since 1987 and continue to
keep it open despite losing money
on and off the past 10 years. Taylor
says they believe it will come
back.
While the park used to highly
benefit South Tucson, as business
has gone down, so have its contributions to the city.
“We’re still here paying taxes
and sales taxes to the city,” Taylor
said.
The park pays a percentage of
what’s bet to the city, it pays sales
taxes for food, beverages and programs and also property taxes of
$77,000, which Taylor says helps
the city and schools.
The park also provides work for
a hurting economy.
“We have 135 employees, 65
percent of which are high school
students,” Taylor said. “It takes so
many employees to run this business that there hasn’t been a
decrease, but employees have had
to take pay cuts.”
More races have been added to
the schedule in order to help the
park survive. There used to be 12
races a night for five nights a
week. There are now 15 races a
night, six days a week. Taylor
hopes that also will bring attendance up due to a steady drop over
the past few years.
“We averaged 300 people a
night three years ago and now we
are averaging about 50,” Taylor
said. “There’s less people working
and they just don’t have the money
to gamble.”
Several months ago, Rep. Vic
Williams, R-Tucson, introduced a
bill on behalf of Tucson
Greyhound Park in hopes of keeping dog racing alive in Arizona.
Right now, there is a requirement for the park to have live greyhound racing at least four days a
week for 50 weeks of the year.
This bill would eliminate that
requirement.
With
attendance
steadily
decreasing, the park is losing too
much money having to put on the
required number of live races,
Taylor said. By reducing live races
and letting the business revolve
around off-track betting, the park
won’t be losing nearly as much
money, he said.
“This was a unique opportunity
in politics and government where
you have two opposing sides come
together,” Williams said. “Seeing
people who oppose each other
working for a common purpose is
great to see.”
Even with the bill being considered, the Tucson Greyhound Park
is still in trouble. In some states –
Florida for example – casinos and
race tracks have merged to offer a
strong
financial
enterprise.
Arizona does not allow casinos at
racing venues.
“Our days are numbered, our
years are numbered,” Taylor said.
“We either have to get slot
machines here or we’re going to
have to close.”
Page 2
El INDEPENDIENTE
November 11, 2011
Grupo lucha para prevenir que los jóvenes fumen
Escrito por Leah Adler
Según los Centers for Disease
Control, el CDC, la población hispana tiene una exposición limitada
a la información contra el consumo
de tabaco y son el blanco de un
intenso mercadeo por parte de las
industrias tabacaleras.
Student Wellness Advocacy
Teams, financiado por el departamento de salud del condado de
Pima, es una coalición juvenil que
se está expandiendo para contrarrestar este problema en South
Tucson.
“Definitivamente
estamos
luchando contra un gran problema
de salud. Nosotros esbozamos una
idea general de los programas y
sus retos para los equipos SWAT
en varias escuelas para concienti-
“
que no es transzar acerca de la causa”, indicó Ben
mitida a los
Naasz.
Las compañías de tabaco necesitan que los
En la actualidad, SWAT tiene
jóvenes
his25 coaliciones en el sur de Tucson,
panos. Si el
nuevos fumadores jóvenes reemplacen a los que
incluyendo a S.T.A.R. Academic
anuncio
está
Center, Desert View High School,
escrito en inglés
están por caer muertos. Es triste pero cierto”.
Sierra Middle School, y Craycroft
puede ser que
-Ben Naasz, Coordinador por la Coalición de jóvenes
Elementary. “Una gran parte del
no lo comprendistrito de Sunnyside School está
dan al mismo
involucrado. Tenemos fondos para
nivel que lo
30 coaliciones y estamos intentancomprendería
do trabajar con más escuelas en el preferencia por sus productos”, una persona que hable inglés”.
área”, apuntó Ben. Él agregó que comentó Hope Schau, profesora
“Muchos jóvenes no se dan
“cada año las compañías taba- adjunta de mercadeo en la cuenta que los cigarros son malos
caleras gastan millones en anun- Universidad de Arizona. La publi- para su salud hasta que comienzan
cios publicitarios y digan lo que cidad también puede afectar a los a fumar”, expresó Reina Tacho de
digan están dirigidos a los jóvenes que vienen de países 18 años de edad. También agregó
donde el inglés no es el idioma que ella conoce a mucha gente que
jóvenes”.
Existe una razón por la que las principal, explicó Hope.
fuma, aunque sean bastante
Hope agregó que “los anuncios jóvenes. “Mis amigos, mis primos
compañías hacen esto “Las compañías intentan atraer a los jóvenes para los productos como el tabaco y mi hermano, todos ellos fuman.
para establecer a temprana edad la tienen información de advertencia La edad más temprana a la que ha
”
escuchado que sus amigos han
empezado a fumar es de 12 años.
Si sus papás o se fuma la mamá de
un amigo, ellos agarran los cigarros y se esconden para fumarlos”.
Según el CDC, en una encuesta
del año 2009 sobre riesgo de una
preparatoria de Arizona, el número
de estudiantes hispanos que habían
fumado antes de los 13 años fue 10
por ciento más alto que el de los
estudiantes de raza blanca. Los
estudiantes hispanos estaban sólo
6.9 por ciento más arriba en el consumo de alcohol antes de los 13
años.
A los estudiantes de SWAT se
les dan tareas acerca de los medios
y se les reta a hacer anuncios de
servicio público, comenta Ben.
Traducido por Ana Cecilia Morales
Los estudiantes esperan los resultados de AIMS
Escrito por Jackie DiVita
El mes que viene podría ser un
período estresante para los estudiantes de South Tucson.
Aquellos que tomaron el examen AIMS en octubre deben esperar
hasta diciembre para ver los resultados que determinarán si se graduarán o tendrán que esperar hasta
la siguiente primavera para tomar
el examen otra vez.
El examen AIMS fue desarrollado por maestros de Arizona y la
ley estatal y federal lo requiere. A
los estudiantes se les exige al
menos “cumplir” con los puntajes
satisfactorios en todas las áreas del
AIMS para graduarse.
Durante el otoño toman el examen solamente los estudiantes de
tercer y último año que no han
cumplido con los estándares o que
intentan superarlos. En la primavera los estudiantes de segundo año
tomarán el examen por primera
vez.
Teresa Toro, consejera de
Pueblo Magnet High School afirma que “un pequeño porcentaje de
estudiantes no pasa el AIMS.
Aproximadamente 15 estudiantes
no recibieron diploma la primavera
pasada y regresaron este otoño
para tomar el examen otra vez. Los
estudiantes tienen cinco oportunidades de repetir el examen antes
de graduarse”.
Caroline Cazares, estudiante de
tercer año en Pueblo Magnet High
Foto
PoR
JACKIE dIVItA
La consejera Teresa Toro de Pueblo Magnet High School, espera positivamente los
resultados de la prueba AIMS.
School tuvo que tomar el AIMS
otra vez. “Tuve que tomar otra vez
las tres secciones del examen. Esta
vez fue mucho más fácil. Les puse
más atención a mis maestros cuando repasaban con nosotros”,
comentó.
Los maestros tienen un papel
crucial en ayudar y preparar a los
estudiantes para el examen.
Teresa explica, “Los maestros
ayudan a preparar a los estudi-
antes. Los jefes de los departamentos de matemáticas e inglés les
mandan a los maestros preguntas y
problemas de práctica con respuestas para ayudar a preparar mejor a
los estudiantes.”
AIMS significa instrumento de
Arizona para medir estándares
(según sus siglas en inglés). El
AIMS mide las aptitudes de los
estudiantes en las áreas de escritura, lectura, matemáticas y ciencias.
El AIMS se califica usando la
escala FAME debajo del estándar,
se aproxima al estándar, satisface
el estándar y sobrepasa el estándar.
Alex Cruz es uno de los estudiantes de tercer año de Pueblo High
School que tiene la suerte de no
tener que tomar el AIMS otra vez.
“Pasé las tres secciones del examen mi segundo año. Las tome otra
vez el año pasado para subir mi
puntaje. Quería ver si podía lograr
sobrepasar el estándar”, comentó.
Los estudiantes suelen tener
más problemas con la sección de
matemáticas.
Según Teresa, “La mitad de los
estudiantes de último año que
repiten el examen tienen que repetir la sección de matemáticas”.
A los estudiantes de segundo
año se les exige tomar geometría,
lo cual representa la mayoría del
examen. Según Teresa, “el sesenta
por cient de la sección de
matemáticas es geometría”.
Pueblo High School y Tucson
High School forman parte del
Tucson Unified School District. Al
comparar los puntajes de las dos
escuelas, parece que los estudiantes tuvieron mayor dificultad
con las matemáticas.
Según los resultados del examen de 2010-2011, 1, 114 estudiantes tomaron la sección de
matemáticas del examen en
Tucson High School y 41.9 aprobaron. En Pueblo High School,
710 estudiantes tomaron la sección
de matemáticas y solamente 28.2
aprobaron.
Los puntajes de lectura y escritura de Tucson High School fueron
considerablemente más altos que
los de Pueblo High School.
En Tucson High School 907
estudiantes fueron evaluados en
lectura y 71. 6 por ciento aprobaron. En Pueblo High 589 estudiantes fueron evaluados en lectura y
58.5 por ciento aprobaron.
En escritura, 586 estudiantes de
Pueblo High School fueron evaluados y 43.5 por ciento aprobaron, en
Tucson High de los 896 estudiantes evaluados 61.6 por ciento
aprobaron.
Los estudiantes tienen mayor
dificultad con matemáticas, luego
escritura y lectura. Teresa enfatiza
que “aproximadamente la mitad de
los estudiantes de último año
tuvieron que repetir la sección de
matemáticas”.
Traducido por Sara Alcazar Silva
Un barbero que continúa la tradición
Photo PoR RyAN ShEEhy / EL INdEPENdIENtE
ChRIS PEREZ, A LA IZQUIERdA, CoRtE EL PELo dE
RoMAN bURRUEL JR. MIENtRAS SE SIENtA EN EL
REGAZo dE SU PAPA.
SU tIENdA EN
ChRIS, 35 AñoS, hA tENIdo
SoUth tUCSoN PoR 10 AñoS. ÉL
CoMPANtE dE UNA CARNERA QUE ESPERA CRECERMENoS EN LA PRoxIMA dE CAdA.
Escrito por Ryan Sheehy
Sentado en el centro del local,
un niño aprieta la silla con miedo y
ansiedad mientras las personas que
hacen fila están con caras de
curiosidad, como si estuvieran
pensando, “¿Cómo se verá?”
Otros niños juegan en el rincón
con figuras de acción, esperando
con ansiedad su turno en el asiento
que cambiará su forma de verse.
El aire está lleno de adrenalina
mientras la maquinilla de cabello
de Chris Perez se mueve furiosamente alrededor de la cabeza del
niño. El barbero de South Tucson
corta aquí, hace un recorte allá,
una degradación en la parte de
abajo y un camino definido en la
frente y el trabajo de Chris está terminado.
Saca un espejo y lo pone en
frente a su cliente, cuya ansiedad y
nerviosismo se transforman en una
sonrisa más grande que el cuarto.
Se llena el cuarto con una risa resonante de las familias que están
esperando, mientras son testigos
de la emoción verdadera del nuevo
corte de cabello del niño.
El número de personas que
están esperando aumenta mientras
el día continúa, lo que complace a
Chris, quien dice que hay mucha
competencia, incluso en la misma
cuadra. “Cuándo estoy aquí con
muchas personas, estoy de lo más
feliz,” dice Chris, el dueño y el
único barbero en Chris’s Barber
Shop, ubicada en la esquina sudeste de 6th Avenue y 31st Street.
Los barberos son un tipo de
peluqueros de tiempos anteriores
que no abundan en estos tiempos
modernos. El aumento proyectado
de 2008-2018 es sólo 12 por ciento, comparado con un aumento de
20 por ciento en cosmetólogas y
estilistas de pelo, según la oficina
de estadísticas laborales.
Chris decidió que quería ser
barbero cuando tenía 15 años,
cuando visitó a Johnny Gibson, su
primer barbero. Hasta ese momen-
to, nunca había tenido un corte de
cabello que le gustara, y se sentía
distante de las personas que le
estaban cortando el cabello.
“Siempre he sido una persona
sociable. No sólo es de cortar el
cabello, sino de atender a la
gente,” afirma Chris Perez de 35
años de edad.
Chris juega con la naturaleza
tradicional de su profesión, pega
recortes en las paredes periódicos
descoloridos y carteles de
Tombstone que dicen “WANTED”. Él conoce por nombre a todo
el que entra, y sólo acepta dinero
en efectivo. Su estilo favorito de
cortar es lo que él llama cortes al
dedo, lo cual implica más habilidades a pulso, en vez de usar las
maquinillas que ahora son mucho
más populares y comunes.
Su estilo va con la comunidad
de South Tucson, la cual tiene un
toque de tradicional. Cuando la
gente viene a cortarse el cabello
también vienen a su barbería para
sentirse como en casa y para
recibir el toque personal de Chris.
“Intento mantener un ambiente
positivo en mi barbería. Vuelve al
tiempo cuando los barberos también eran psiquiatras. Me gusta
ayudar a las personas con sus problemas, y quiero que se vayan de mi
tienda con una esperanza recién
encontrada,” contó Chris. Roman
Burruel llevó su hijo Roman
Burruel Jr. a la barbería de Chris
para un recorte antes de una fiesta
de Halloween, haciendo mención
del ambiente y sus propias tradiciones personales como razones
para venir a Chris’s Barber Shop.
“Suelo venir aquí. Vine antes de
tener mi hijo, y ahora es su turno,”
dice Roman.
Chris no cobra caro, diez
dólares por un corte de cabello,
cinco por una afeitada completa
completa, por sus cortes de cabello
con su estilo personal, ni quiere
hacerlo.
Traducido por Caitlin Kelley
EL
1976 ~ 35 Años de servicio ~ 2011
INDEPENDIENTE
Gratis
www.elindenews.com
11 de noviembre de 2011
Los estudiantes logran el éxito por la noche
Por Blair Kurland
A las 4 de la tarde, cuando la
mayoría de los estudiantes de la
preparatoria se están relajando
después de un día de clases, los
estudiantes de escuela nocturna en
PPEP TEC están apenas comenzando.
"Siempre me ha gustado venir a
la escuela nocturna", comentó
Robert Garcia, de 18 años, un estudiante de último año en el
Celestino Fernández Learning
Center. "Siempre he podido despertarme durante el día, limpiar mi
casa, y venir a trabajar aquí por la
noche".
Celestino Fernández School es
uno de los 10 campus de PPEP
TEC (Preparación de educación
práctica y portátil según sus siglas
en inglés) en el sur de Arizona,
pero es la única que ofrece clases
vespertinas a los estudiantes. Sin
embargo, al igual que los otros
planteles tienen inscripción abierta
y un estilo de aprendizaje donde el
estudiante aprende a su propio
ritmo para que pueda continuar su
educación en cualquier momento.
"Trabajamos con los jóvenes
que a veces no se pueden integrar
en otras instituciones, o que se
perdieron de alguna manera",
comentó el Dr. John David Arnold,
fundador de PPEP, Inc.
Cuando Arnold fundó PPEP,
Inc. en 1967, su propósito era ofre-
cerle capacidades educativas básicas a los obreros migrantes y
campesinos de las granjas del sur
de Arizona desde la parte trasera
de un autobús verde renovado llamado acertadamente "La Tortuga".
En los últimos 40 años PPEP Inc.,
ha abierto instituciones particulares subvencionadas permanentes
en las que los estudiantes reciben
diplomas de la preparatoria
reconocidos por el estado.
Las clases vespertinas también
atraen a una gran variedad de estudiantes que tienen obligaciones de
trabajo u obligaciones familiares
durante el día, incluyendo cuidar
de sus hijos.
El estudiante de último año,
Faustino Murillo, de 18 años, trabaja en el Casino Del Sol durante
el día para mantener a su hijo, y
luego asiste a clases de preparatoria en la noche.
Escuela / see página 4
Un juez que
conduce hacía
la justicia
Juez / página 4
Trabajos / página 4
Por Skip Messick
Ronald A. Wilson, de 43 años,
fue nombrado como magistrado
principal encargado de South
Tucson el 3 de marzo de 2002.
Desde su oficina en la sexta calle,
recuerda la fecha exacta porque
ésta marcó un gran hito en su vida.
“Fui el primer juez afroamericano en mi puesto en presidir al tribunal en el estado de Arizona. Fue
un gran honor haber podido alcanzar ese logro tan grade y eso dice
mucho sobre la ciudad de South
Tucson y la gente que me nombró”.
Ronald obtuvo su licenciatura
en la Syracuse University, y su
Juris Doctorate (título de abogado)
en la facultad de derecho de la
Northeastern University. En 1999,
la sarcoidosis, un desorden autoinmune no común, lo obligó a
mudarse al clima seco de Arizona
donde comenzó a trabajar en la
oficina del Fiscal en Tucson.
“Extraño el cambio de las estaciones pero no podía respirar o
caminar y padecía de mucho dolor.
No creía que el cambio de clima
documentación, algunas empresas
están renuentes a utilizar el servicio. Raúl dice que en medio de los
argumentos y la consideración de
la ley SB1070, y luego la
aprobación de esa ley, algunos
empleadores pararon de venir al
centro para contratar trabajadores.
“Siempre sentimos el impacto
Foto
PoR
KAtIE CUNNINGhAM
Raúl Alcaraz Ochoa habla con un voluntario quien dirige empleadores para entrar al Southside Worker Center.
Programas ayudan a los desempleados
By Katie Cunningham
Las tasas de desempleo en las
comunidades latinas en Arizona
son del 11.1 por ciento, según el
Pew Hispanic Center. Sin embargo
los programas en South Tucson
intentan disminuir esos números.
Con la tasa de desempleo de
Arizona al 9.1 por ciento el mercado laboral es escaso para muchos
arizonences. Sin embargo, la
Southside Presbyterian Church
(SWC) tiene un programa,
Southside Worker Center, el cual
se formó en 2006 para ayudar a las
personas que vivían bajo el nivel
de la pobreza a encontrar trabajo.
Los oficiales de SWC ayudan a los
trabajadores documentados e
indocumentados a encontrar trabajos por día en South Tucson y a
través de la comunidad tucsonense. Raúl Alcaráz Ochóa ha trabajado en el centro como coordinador de educación voluntaria en
el último año y medio.
“El objetivo del centro es fortalecer las condiciones de los trabajadores jornaleros aquí en Tucson
y la comunidad en general”, dijo
Raúl.
Debido a que el centro no pide
Los letreros de neón siguen brillando
By Iqbal Al-Sanea
En teoría, la expectativa de vida
del neón es para siempre. En el
South Tucson, se está desvaneciendo.
Las luces y letreros de neón
fueron introducidos en Tucson
durante los años cuarenta. Las
calles estaban repletas de letreros
luminosos que eran populares para
la publicidad de moteles y restaurantes, junto con las carreteras
U.S. 80 y U.S. 89. En los años
sesenta y ochenta, las personas
comenzaron a considerar anticuado el diseño previo. Hoy en día, en
South Tucson los letreros con luces
de neón solamente se han convertido en una responsabilidad frustrante para algunos negocios.
Terry Gee, dueña de T&T
Market, S. Tucson 2048 en la sexta
avenida, no ha reparado sus luces
de neón por un poco más de 10
años. El edificio ha estado en
South Tucson por 75 años pero ella
no tiene planes de remplazar su
letrero de LED, por luces de neón
a la antigua.
“Es más bien una cuestión
económica. Sería fantástico tener
luces de neón pero para mí no vale
la pena económicamente”, explicó
Terry. “Es demasiado difícil tener
la electricidad y mantenerla.”
Las luces son un poco más brillantes en el lado este de la ciudad.
Por cuatro años, el propietario
del Arizona Motel, J. Amin, se ha
vuelto muy dependiente de su
letrero azul, blanco y rojo.
“Hemos ganado el premio del
mejor letrero de Arizona dos años
seguidos. Este letrero es muy popular en Europa; mucha gente viene
a tomar fotos porque es un letrero
histórico”, afirmó.
La mayoría de sus clientes son
de México y usualmente toman
fotos del letrero al llegar. Sin
embargo, menos de la mitad del
letrero está iluminado debido a su
intenso horario. El negocio de
Amin ha disminuido un 60 por
ciento y los costos de reparación
son aproximadamente $1,800
dólares al año.
“Ésta es mi identidad. Si necesito arreglarlo, tengo que arreglarlo. Éste es mi hogar. Para mí esto
no es sólo un negocio. Para mí el
Arizona Motel es mi identidad”,
declaró J. Amin.
Sam Richardson, experto en
luces de neón, dice que el problema de J. Amin se puede solucionar
si lo restaura. Lo llevará a un
estándar más alto.
“No creo que le cueste tanto. Lo
Neón / página 4
Foto
PoR IQbAL
AL-SANEA
Las luces del Arizona Motel brillan en la 6ta. Avenida.