Month: July 2016

A Mesa woman was forced to quit her job after working for a month in an environment with no air conditioning. Cindy Desilets worked at iPacesetters, a call center that employed about 200 people. Though management insisted that they were working to fix a broken air conditioner in the facility, Desilets said no improvements were ever made to the unbearable working conditions that landed her in urgent care. “I was weak, I was nauseous, had a hard time breathing. On Thursday it was just plain hot in there, I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said. Her doctor wrote her a note excusing her from work, explaining that the extreme heat was detrimental to her health. Eager to return to work, Desilets called the office every day to find out if conditions had changed. One day, HVAC crews show...

The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) reviewed its policy, budget, and goals for all three public universities at a meeting in Flagstaff at Northern Arizona University's campus. According to The State Press, Eileen Klein, the ABOR president, discussed several areas where the board has improved and highlighted elements where progress and advancements are needed. "While we are able to deliver college grads... we all know that there's going to be an intense demand for those workers in the future," Klein said. "It is of the utmost importance for the three major public universities to prepare students for life after college." She noted that maintaining a low debt level for all students is key to ensuring they have a successful career post-graduation. Of all young Americans ages 18 to 24,...

The Arizona Republic reports that the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP) at a Florence state prison is bringing about positive changes for participating inmates who work with horses rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management on Arizona’s public rangelands. Approximately 50 inmates who have completed the program have been released since 2012, and according to program officials, the recidivism rate among them is zero. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the recidivism rate is exponentially higher nationwide, with about two-thirds of released prisoners arrested and behind bars again within three years. Several of the released Arizona inmates who once participated in the program have found work on the outside with horses, proving that skills gained in the program have practi...

The latest annual ranking of the best and worst cities for retirement, compiled by consumer financial services company Bankrate.com, puts Scottsdale, Arizona at the #5 best spot on the entire list. The report analyzed cities across the country and ranked them in nine different categories, including cost of living, climate, healthcare cost and quality, taxes, crime, well-being, walkability, and cultural vitality. "We found that smaller cities and suburbs fared the best," Bankrate analyst Jill Cornfield wrote in a press release. "Most seniors prefer to live in these types of communities because they offer access to big-city amenities without as much hustle, bustle and crime." Beating out Scottsdale were cities like Sarasota, FL, in the #4 spot, West Des Moines, IA, Franklin, TN, and...