READY TO TAKE ON OTHER ISSUES
posted by Michael Chihak
Arizona Week is poised to take on a wide range of topics in the coming weeks and months, now with the official business of the state Legislature having been concluded.
A brief rundown on some topics under consideration. We are open to viewers' ideas and guidance on these and other topics as we move forward planning our programming.
-- College graduation is upon us. What are job prospects for Arizona grads this year? Can the state retain its best and brightest with meaningful and well-paying jobs?
-- Wildfire season has begun with a big fire on the Arizona-Mexican border near Nogales. Forecasts are for a worse-than-normal fire season in the southern half of Arizona and other parts of the West.
-- Arizona foreclosures and malaise in the housing industry continuje. What's the trend line, and can we expect to see improvement -- in fewer foreclosures, construction uptick and reduction of inventory -- any time soon? What's the impact on the commercial real estate market.
-- Water supply in the desert remains an issue. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which supply Phoenix and Tucson with water via the Central Arizona Project, are being slowly refilled after a special allocation approved by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation because of a big spring snow melt. It delays for five years the need for stricter rationing.
-- Two dozen young, ambitious Arizonans are nearing completion of work in the first Arizona Civic Leadership Academy. We will look at this effort to educate and encourage future state leaders with "the commitment, knowledge and skills to carry out creative, long-term solutions to pressing problems."
-- The Arizona Commerce Authority is diving into its work to reinvent the state's economy by attracting businesses that offer high-paying jobs that contribute to economic growth and stability. How is business recruitment going? What are the opportunities and obstacles?
-- We're approaching budget season for Arizona's counties and municipal governments. What's the big picture and how will they balance their budgets going into fiscal 2011-12?
