Free Republic

Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, returned from a recent visit to Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, alarmed that the Department of Veterans Affairs might have made a bad decision last June. That’s when to replace its legacy electronic health record system, VistA, with the same commercial off-the-shelf system the military is adopting, starting with Pacific Northwest bases. “I came back blowing the bugle,” said Roe, a physician, who saw staff at Fairchild’s hospital frustrated at the MHS Genesis system in ways that recalled for Roe his experience years earlier shifting paper to electronic medical...

Spring just arrived, some of the Mexican poppies are starting to bloom and the alyssum that had self-seeded itself under the chairs in my outdoor seating area has been blooming for some time and so have the violets. Now I see the yellow blossoms of the Angelita daisies, so pretty. Many years ago at one of our High on the Desert Gardening and Landscaping Conferences, happening this month, I bought one of these little beauties and planted it in the front of my house. My front yard is kept very natural and wild, mostly planted with native plants or desert...

PHOENIX — A measure to help teachers pay for classroom supplies cleared a critical hurdle Thursday as state lawmakers resurrected it from political death. But its future still remains uncertain. On a 34-20 margin, the House approved HB 2377, which allocates $8.7 million this coming school year that teachers can use for everything from pencils and paper to sheet music. That translates out to about $150 per teacher. The same measure also provides a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for teachers against what they owe in state income taxes for their out-of-pocket expenses, up to another $150 a year. What makes Thursday's...

Facebook Twitter Email Print Save PHOENIX — A select group of census tracts around Arizona is going to get what could be a crucial economic boost later this month. A provision buried deep in the new federal tax law allows the governors of all the states to designate some areas as eligible to become “Opportunity Zones.” What's significant is those that end up on the list are likely to become magnets for new investment. That's because investments made there qualify people for tax breaks on the money they now have that may just be sitting idle. Daniel Scarpinato, press aide...

PHOENIX — A 27-foot-tall dinosaur that lived about 100 million years ago could soon have something in common with the cactus wren, the palo verde and even the Colt single action revolver: becoming part of "official'' Arizona. Members of the House Government Committee on Thursday gave their unanimous endorsement to the pleas of 11-year-old Jax Weldon to designate the Sonorasaurus as the "official state dinosaur.'' That sends SB 1517, which already has been approved by the Senate, to the full House. Weldon, a self-proclaimed amateur paleontologist, told lawmakers he was inspired after California lawmakers voted last year to select the...

New Study Discovers Near-Infrared Light Therapy (NILT) Effectively Treats Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Patients https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-study-discovers-near-infrared-light-therapy-nilt-effectively-treats-traumatic-brain-injury-tbi-patients-300131804.html Do any of our BROTHER Vets who have TBI KNOW about this? WELL, The VA claims they do and are using it to treat some of our BROTHERs. Well, I'm a VET with TBI and the VA has never told me or treatwd me!

I’ve been known to say that I am feeling noodle-y. After passing a “noodle house” recently, I had to slam on the brakes and just have some. Although just about every culture has a noodle, I’m usually hankering for some kind of Asian variety when this feeling arises, because the balance of flavors in Asian cooking is deeply satisfying. Also, the therapeutic effect of garlic and ginger, ever-present in these dishes, makes for good caretaking. There are oodles of noodles to be had. They can be made from wheat, rice, buckwheat — which is not a type of wheat, actually...

FORT HUACHUCA — On a chilly Thursday afternoon recently, officers with the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion began taking their spots on an open field of astroturf in the middle of Fort Huachuca. Donning all-black warm-ups and beanies to match, the soldiers tossed their water bottles and bags to the side and lined up. It was time for an Army workout. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the battalion goes through an hour-long set of strength-and-conditioning exercises known as physical readiness training, or PRT. Soldiers do a cardio workout Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays that ranges from sprints to long, 6-mile runs. Whenever they...

FORT HUACHUCA — Fort Huachuca, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service and other local cooperative fire agencies, will conduct a prescribed burn on Wednesday, March 7, along Whitside and Irwin to support military training, reduce the risk of wildfires and maintain the ecological integrity of the fire-adapted ecosystems dependent on recurring fire that benefits forest health. Ignitions should start between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., and will probably last an hour and a half to two hours. Prescribed fire activities are expected to continue throughout the year when weather permits. The natural fire regime — or the rate fire...

PHOENIX — Saying it just translates a Latin word already in the state motto, a House panel voted Monday to let schools literally put the word "God'' into classrooms — as long as it's connected to the word "enriches.'' Existing Arizona law says teachers and administrators may read or post a variety of things in any classroom. They range from the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem to published decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and the writings and speeches of the Founding Fathers' and presidents. It also includes the national motto, which is "In God We Trust.'' SB...

FORT HUACHUCA — “Atta boy!” Must’ve been music to the ears of Jake Burwash, Cochise College rodeo team captain, after he was the first saddle bronc rider to complete a ride over the event’s two days. That whoop, from the announcer, was only the beginning. The feat earned Burwash’s ride 72 points and the first place prize in the saddle bronc competition Sunday afternoon. Levi Whitley of New Mexico State University (NMSU) finished in second place with 67 points. On March 3 and 4 Wren Arena on Fort Huachuca was host to the 11th annual Cochise College Rodeo. With the...

Stargazers, get your binoculars ready: a string of bright planets, called a "Planet Parade," will grace the night's sky this week, and the show is expected to last several days. It's just the start of what will be a breathtaking month. A "worm moon" rose on March 1, and another full moon, known as a "blue moon," will pop up on March 31. But this may be the most stunning show yet. A rare parade of planets, including Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Mercury and Venus along with the bright star Antares, will light the sky starting March 7, though they won't...

FORT HUACHUCA — Parents skittish about letting their little buckaroos in an arena had nothing to worry about Sunday, when kiddos were able to experience being in a rodeo, but without animals The event, called the Exceptional Rodeo, was part of the annual Cochise College Rodeo held March 3 and 4 Fort Huachuca. Cochise College, the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Programs and the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) allowed kids to experience events they would see later in the day. “Not only is it something fun for the kids to do but it may pique their interest...

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is concerned enough about strengthening the lethality of U.S. forces that he broke with tradition last month to impose a first-ever “universal retention policy” across the four service branches. For decades the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force have been responsible for retention rules that dictate whether individuals get to stay in, and for how long, based on needs of service branches including the Marine Corps. The Office of the Secretary of Defense oversees recruiting to ensure the quality of volunteers. And Congress imposes various officer management and promotion rules. But force retention remained...

FORT HUACHUCA — Ping. Ping. Ping. A blustery wind blows snow from the Huachuca Mountains into the faces of captains Bill Goldsworth and Rob Shalvoy on Range 6 at Fort Huachuca as they aim their pistols at metal targets. “If we’re shooting well in this (snow and windy) weather, we’ll do even better in the nice weather,” Goldsworth said. Shalvoy and Goldsworth, both part of the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion, are hoping to represent Fort Huachuca at the Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia. In its 35th year, the annual U.S. Army event, organized by the Ranger Training Brigade,...

ELOY — Arizona officials are installing a system along Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson to warn drivers about dangerous dust storms. The system of radar, cameras and electronic message boards is being installed along a 10-mile stretch of I-10 where it meets State Route 87, southeast of Eloy. The system is part of construction to improve the SR87 interchange and widen a portion of I-10. Tom Herrmann, a spokesman with the Arizona Department of Transportation, said the busy stretch of interstate has had numerous fatal accidents because of dust storms. “It’s a very important section for the two largest...

COCHISE COUNTY — The Arizona Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will hold a public meeting on voting rights and access Friday. Among those providing input will be Lisa Marra, director of the Cochise County Elections Department. Marra will be part of a panel of government and election officials speaking at the event at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Fifth Floor Conference Center. It’s located at 111 E. Taylor St., in Phoenix. The committee will hear input from academics, policymakers, civil-society organizations, community groups and other interested individuals regarding potential barriers to voting. Such barriers...

PHOENIX — A stalemate between Republicans and Democrats means that Arizona corporations will be able to continue to divert an ever-increasing share of their state income tax to help students attend private and parochial schools. On a party-line vote, the Senate gave preliminary approval Wednesday to changes in laws that give corporations a dollar-for-dollar credit against their state taxes for money they give to "scholarship tuition organizations.'' These organizations, in turn, provide money parents can use to pay tuition and fees to their kids’ private schools. What SB 1467 was missing was the promise by Senate President Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler,...

PHOENIX — A large infusion of new cash has finally resulted in the first increase in years in the percentage of dollars that schools are putting into the classroom. New figures Thursday from the Auditor General's Office show 53.8 cents of every dollar spent this past school year on instruction statewide. That largely includes salaries and benefits for teachers and aides, as well as instructional supplies like pencils and paper, instructional software, athletics, band and choir. That compares with 53.5 cents for the prior year. More to the point, it's the first increase in 13 years. But Auditor General Debra...

PHOENIX -- The state House voted Wednesday to forego ever collecting sales taxes on digital products and services even as more and more Arizonans buy them online and untaxed. HB 2479 would spell out that the state cannot impose its 5.6 percent sales tax on everything from digital books and videos to cloud-based software, online storage and web-hosting services. The 39-19 vote sends the measure to the Senate. Left unanswered is whether Arizona is taxing any of that now and how much revenue the state stands to lose if the measure becomes law. Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, the sponsor of...