Tag: Pima Community College

E-scooters hit Tucson streets
News

E-scooters hit Tucson streets

Story and photos by JOE GIDDENS The City of Tucson Department of Transportation launched a six-month E-Scooter Pilot Program on Sept. 12. Two companies, Bird and Razor, each have deployed 500 scooters with an additional 250 in designated “opportunity zones,” or areas of the city that lack motor vehicles and where residents have a low income. The program aims to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and provide revenue to the city government.  The City of Tucson’s income from the project is a 20-cent-per-ride fee and a $4,000 application fee from Bird and Razor. The company’s annual fee is $15,000, which will be divided into the initial six-month pilot program. The remainder will be applied if the pilot is extended, according to city documents.  “I just rode both now for the fir...
Kliff Kingsbury Has Sean Mcvay’s Chin, But Does He Have His Stones?
Athletic Voice

Kliff Kingsbury Has Sean Mcvay’s Chin, But Does He Have His Stones?

By Kyle Kersey Overtime. 1:10 on the clock. Fourth and seven on your opponent’s 47 yard line. You’re currently rostering the supposed “next big thing” as your quarterback (irony intentional), and he’s led you back from down 18 in the fourth quarter. The question at hand: do you go for it? It’s been a running joke in NFL circles all offseason: the Arizona Cardinals, tired of losing to the Los Angeles Rams, are now trying to copy them with their latest head coaching hire, Kliff Kingsbury. He sports the handsome good looks and youthful charm of the Rams’ very own Sean McVay, as well as exciting offensive ideas in a league that’s been trending towards the offensive side of the ball for the last 30 years or so.  But McVay had NFL coaching experience when he was hired by the Rams at the ripe o...
Chancellor spends $20.5K+ on Spring travel
News

Chancellor spends $20.5K+ on Spring travel

By AMARIS ENCINAS and JOE GIDDENS  During the April 3 governors board meeting, Chancellor Lee Lambert made an announcement about his travels for Pima Community College. “And then I know there was concerns about my travel,” he said. “So as a result, we’re going to enhance the current board’s travel policy. So we will be bringing an amendment to the board travel policy, just to provide a little more oversight and transparency.” The amendment hasn’t been introduced yet, but it will modify Board Policy 4.06 and it includes: The chancellor will inform the board chair of the purpose or overall end goal for travel; following the trip, the chancellor will inform the governing board of the insight acquired from the trip itself; and lastly, the chancellor will at least provide an annual written...
Some administrators get salary hikes
News

Some administrators get salary hikes

By JOE GIDDENS Since summer 2015, the average Pima Community College administrator salary has increased 3.5%, while the average faculty salary has dropped 0.5%, according to a report released by the Pima Community College Education Association, the group that represents the college’s full-time faculty.   Budget woes have been brought on by declining enrollment, yet expenditure limits haven’t been felt equally across college’s employees, according to PCCEA. This is partly because the college is in the middle of a multiyear plan to cut $15 million from its budget.   However, the college did increase staff salaries by 2.5% in fiscal year 2017 as a temporary salary increase.  The severe budget cuts apparently haven’t affected some administrators’ salaries, though, with a third of adminis...
Sports

Aztecs striving to find victory on the field

By Kyle McDaniel   March 30th (A) Game 1: PCC 13, Chandler-Gilbert CC 4   The Aztecs earned their first ACCAC season sweep, after they swept the Coyotes from Chandler-Gilbert.   Heading into the seventh inning Pima was winning 8-4, when they tacked on five more runs to put the game out of reach. A bulk of the offense came from the 1-4 hitters as they scored 10 of the runs on 11 for 18 hitting.   Sophomore Devynn Marshall went 5 for 5 at the plate with three RBI singles.   Freshman Bianca Castillo got the win after throwing a complete game. She allowed three earned runs on 10 hits while striking out five.   Game 2: PCC 14, Chandler-Gilbert CC 0 F/6   Pima got their seventh mercy rule victory of the season after pummeling the Coyotes 14-0, wit...
Sports

Winning streak snapped in Phoenix

By Kyle McDaniel   March 12th, Game 1 and 2 at South Mountain Community College were cancelled.   March 9th (A) Game 1: PCC 0, Phoenix College 7   On a four game winning streak the Aztecs headed out on the road to take on the number three team in the nation.   However Phoenix College proved why they’re ranked as high as they are, after the Aztecs had only two hits in the first game.   Freshman Bianca Castillo suffered her fifth loss of the season, after allowing seven earned runs on eight hits in six innings of work.   Game 2: PCC 3, Phoenix College 7   In the second inning Pima took the lead after sophomore Janice Garcia and freshman Giselle Munoz scored on wild pitches. The game would remain close throughout, with Pima holding their own...
News

Bonds away, PCC pays for expansion

By KYLE KERSEY Coming on the heels of exceptional credit ratings from Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service, two of the big three credit rating agencies in the country, Pima Community College issued revenue bonds for the funding of the Centers of Excellence Projects on Jan. 16. Fitch awarded Pima the default rating of AA and the revenue bonds at AA - both with a stable outlook - Moody awarded Pima an equivalent rating. According to Moody’s, “The Aa3 reflects Pima County Community College District's (PCC or the district) excellent strategic positioning given its prominent role as a low-cost provider of higher education and vocational training in the increasingly economically vibrant Tucson, Arizona, metropolitan area.” The revenue bonds are to generate no more than $65 million, wit...
Ducey submits a water and flight plan
News

Ducey submits a water and flight plan

Potential return of state funds to Pima Community College Story and photos by JOE GIDDENS   Doug Ducey won his second term for governor in November over Democrat challenger David Garcia by nearly 15 points.  Ducey was inaugurated for his second term on Jan. 7 and presented with the State of the State Address from Phoen on Jan. 14. He took his message the next day to the Tucson Convention Center for the State of the State luncheon presented by the Tucson Metro Chamber.   “I told him, it was a good speech, a bipartisan speech, and I hope that he can accomplish, at least part of what he wants to; his action with regard to gun safety in schools is commendable,” Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said.  Drought Ducey opened his State of the State by making water and the drought his fi...
The lost art of sports card collecting
Sports

The lost art of sports card collecting

By KYLE McDANIEL   The world of sports card collecting is an ever-shrinking market, as more and more children have less interest in them.   Matt Mortenson from Mountain View Sports, a sports collectible shop at Speedway Boulevard and Wilmot Road spoke about his thoughts on card collecting today.   “The biggest factor I think is kids have phones, iPads and so many other avenues besides cards, so it’s not as cool as it was when I was a kid,” he said.   With the increased awareness about how some sports will leave you with health issues later on in life, parents are enrolling their children in other activities.   Over the last seven years, children ages 6 to 12 that participated in team sports was about 56 percent, according to the Aspen Institute, an edu...
Sports

Back-to-Back canceled games wake up bats

By Kyle McDaniel   The scheduled game at Paradise Valley Community College on Feb. 21 was cancelled and will be made up on Feb. 28 in Phoenix, the first pitch is 1 p.m.   The scheduled game vs GateWay CC on Feb. 23 was also cancelled and the date of the make up game will be announced later.   Feb. 26 (H): Game 1: PCC 14, Scottsdale CC 1 F/5   It looks like the back to back cancellations woke the Aztecs bats up, as they scored a combined 14 runs in the first three innings.   Multiple players played a key role in the demolition of the Artichokes, but the main architects were sophomore Maria Vanezza Caldera and freshman Hope Adams. Caldera finished 2 for 4 with two RBI’s, while Adams went 1 for 3, but her one hit was massive, because it was a three run ho...