Visitors traveling along I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson can’t miss the prominent 1,500-foot peak at Picacho Peak State Park. The park and surrounding area are known for its unique geological significance, outstanding and varied desert growth, and historical importance. The unique shape has been used as a landmark by travelers since prehistoric times.

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Biosphere 2

You, an LD 11 voter and reader of the Explorer newspaper, deserve to know the truth about Arizona K-12 public education funding, energy, nuclear recycling and all subjects being debated during this election cycle. I am writing about these three specific subjects because they have appeared in recent political ads and letters to the editor. I want you to know the truth about them.

If the bright pink building standing out against the Picacho Peak hillside isn’t enough to arouse the curiosity of travelers along Interstate 10, a closer look through this storefront’s windows could do the job.

The Arizona State Land Department is reviewing two reports of consultants charged with preparing an engineering assessment and an economic assessment of the possible sale of 900 acres of state trust land near Picacho Peak to Union Pacific Railroad for a proposed switching yard.

Work on Union Pacific Railroad’s double track effort through Arizona from El Paso to Los Angeles is continuing, with most of the track being laid in Pinal County. However, the railroad’s plans for a larger switch yard near Picacho Peak are now on hold.

The charm of a desert in bloom

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What if Arizona K-12 and universities had a dedicated revenue stream of $100 million or more every year? What if this revenue stream was counter-cyclical to the routine boom-bust cycles of our economy? What if this revenue stream was not connected to property taxes?

Westbound Interstate 10 at milepost 210, near Picacho Peak, reopened for traffic shortly after 1:40 p.m. today after being closed for nearly seven hours due to an early-morning collision that claimed four lives.

Westbound Interstate 10 remains closed near Picacho Peak after an early-morning collision that claimed four lives.

District 26 lawmakers Sen. Al Melvin and Rep. Vic Williams support the Arizona Legislature’s non-vote that ended unemployment benefits for more than 15,000 people last week.

Arizona’s state parks offer an economical option for summer vacations, providing more than 1,000 campsites for campers. Parks such as Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area in Show Low are booking quickly and Roper Lake in Safford is popular since it is next to Mount Graham. Lyman Lake near Springerville will be open June 17-Oct. 17 and the park has cabins, yurts, a swimming beach and hot showers. If you choose the yurts and cabins your family can stay for $35-$50 a night. The campsites in the parks also offer many amenities, including hot showers.

Close to 50 miles north of Tucson, I-10 traffic rumbles past Picacho Peak, an isolated mountain jutting into the sky west of exit 219. Can drivers and their passengers not wonder what’s involved in reaching the summit? Shouldering a pack at the trailhead for the peak’s Hunter Trail recently, I would soon answer the question.

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