Free Republic

RODEO FIREGreen group lawsuit blocked forest thinning BY MARK FLATTEN AND DAN NOWICKI TRIBUNE Plans to cut fire danger by thinning trees in an Arizona forest now being destroyed by the nation's largest active wildfire were blocked for three years by a Tucson environmental group, a Tribune investigation has found. The U.S. Forest Service approved a plan to thin trees and remove volatile debris in parts of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest on the Mogollon Rim in September 1999, according to court records. The plan was halted after the Center for Biological Diversity appealed the decision, then sued in May...

Suspect in 'Rodeo' fire held"We're insured. We'll rebuild," says Bobby Deneke, in the ruins of his Clay Springs home. "But insurance, what can that give us?" By Mark Shaffer, Anne Ryman and Chris Fiscus The Arizona Republic June 30, 2002 A Bureau of Indian Affairs firefighter has been arrested in connection with starting the "Rodeo" fire, according to federal sources. A spokesman for the multi-agency task force investigating the fire also confirmed an arrest was made at 8:15 p.m. Saturday. The suspect is in custody, he said, and will have an initial court appearance at 9:30 this morning before a...