March 9, 2018

Teacher Pay; Addressing Cybersecurity; Water Cuts to Impact Farmers First

Also, resources in Southern Arizona to address adult literacy.

This week, lawmakers in West Virginia approved a 5 percent raise for teachers, bringing an end to a strike that lasted nine days. Now there are talks of other states orchestrating their own movements. Lorraine Rivera asked Jason Freed, president of the Tucson Education Association, how the protest in West Virginia has motivated teachers in Southern Arizona.

"There's enough frustration that, definitely, discussions are taking place," Freed told Rivera. He explained how his organization plans to raise the issue of teacher pay with the governor's office and state lawmakers in the coming weeks.


At the start of the year, Gov. Doug Ducey addressed the issue of water shortages with Arizona 360. Recently, his office released more information about the policies he wants lawmakers to consider, which mentions a nearly 50 percent chance of a shortage declaration occurring in 2020 as a result of declining water levels in Lake Mead.

Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, explained why she wouldn't describe the situation in Lake Mead as a "crisis." She also discussed what groups across the state are currently doing to maintain current water levels in the lake.


Should a water shortage take effect, farmers in Central Arizona would see cuts first. Some are taking precautions now to reduce their use. Vanessa Barchfield reports on the challenges they face, and how water efficiency can come at a great cost.

Featured in this story: Brian Betcher, General Manager, Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation & Drainage District Dan Thelander, Partner, Tempe Farming Company Arnott Duncan, CEO, Duncan Family Farms


Addressing cybersecurity threats became a statewide effort with the creation of the Arizona Cyber Security Team. Its nearly two dozen members come from all levels of government, colleges and the private sector. Their objectives include making recommendations on how to approach cybersecurity issues and improving how organizations across the state collaborate to address any threats.

Arizona 360 turned to Lee Le Clair, director of cyber operations for the web development firm Ephibian, for a better understanding of the vulnerabilities that exist today. He also discussed how the upcoming midterm elections could be a target for hackers.


This weekend, the Tucson Festival of Books will bring together authors and readers from across the country. The goal is to celebrate reading and promote literacy. In Southern Arizona, that's a year-round task for Literacy Connects, which helped more than 50,000 people last year. Cydne Bolton is the nonprofit's Learning Center coordinator and shared the organization's vision with Lorraine Rivera.

Arizona 360
Arizona 360 airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on PBS 6 and Saturdays at 8 p.m. on PBS 6 PLUS. See more from Arizona 360.
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona