New post on: Yuma Sun
In what could be the first of many, a planned solar plant is one step closer to coming to Dateland, and Yuma County officials say they’re excited.
Wednesday, the Yuma County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a special use permit for the Agua Caliente Solar Project, a planned solar plant 70 miles east of Yuma. The vote was made in the planning and zoning portion of the meeting, which was in the afternoon.
New post on: YUMA SUN
Yuma is the first Marine Corps installation to put its stimulus funding to work by awarding contracts for all of its projects in just a month.
Originally, Yuma was forecasted to receive $6.4 million of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 funding for various solar and geothermal energy projects as well as infrastructure repairs. However, the station was able to secure all its contracts for almost $2 million less than originally projected, bringing the total to $4.6 million.
Despite soaring temperatures, Arizona Public Service said Yuma can expect reliable coverage now and in the future.
“Assuming Mother Nature cooperates, we’re assuming our customers will have a reliable source of electricity,” said Damon Gross, APS spokesman.
The Cocopah Indian Tribe has received a grant for its Head Start Program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sherry Cordova, chairwoman of the Cocopah tribal council, said the $11,733 grant will enhance the tribe’s existing Head Start program. The additional money will allow the tribe to offer more services that would not otherwise be available, she added.
Arizona Western College and Northern Arizona University-Yuma will host an open house for anybody interested in higher education, says a school official.
The open house takes place on July 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Entrepreneurial Center, 1351 S. Redondo Center Drive. No pre-registration is required and drop-ins are welcome.
A nonprofit organization that has had to cut back in these economic times received help improving client services, thanks to the federal stimulus.
Greater Foothills Helping Hands, which provides volunteers to perform domestic chores for the elderly and disabled, received a hand up this summer when Arizona Western College in conjunction with Yuma Private Industry Council provided employment for 80 Yuma high school students, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Some Arizona Western College students are getting a head start on social service careers after receiving family development credentials from Cornell University.
Christina Hawkey, professor of family studies, who has run and taught the Family Development Credential Program since 2002, said the 17 graduates get a certificate from AWC after one year and also a credential from Cornell that is good for credit for an AWC associate’s degree or for transfer to one of Arizona’s three state universities.
Three Yuma County sites will share in federal stimulus funds to clean up the mess left by underground storage tanks that leaked gasoline and other petroleum products into the ground.
Of the $2.3 million received by Arizona, $450,000 is being allocated for projects in Yuma County.
The three sites in Yuma County, according to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, are:
With the hunger rate at an increased summer level, Arizona Jobs Program is hosting a food drive to benefit the Yuma Community Food Bank.
Until July 18, residents can drop off nonperishable food donations at Arizona’s Jobs Yuma office, 1310 S. 3rd Ave., or at its Somerton office, 342 W. Main St. The offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lawmakers representing Yuma County and local school officials had a positive reaction to the restoration of school funding in the state budget this week, but uncertainly remains about the overall impact on local education programs.
Arizona state aid to public education was restored Wednesday when Gov. Jan Brewer signed four bills allocating additional resources to primary and secondary schools as well as universities, the Department of Economic Security and the Department of Health Services.
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