Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 18

TODAY'S TALKER 3 arrested inmeth bust on Navajo land An 81-year-old Navajo medicine woman, or "hand trembler," was arrested by tribal police Tuesday along with her daughter and granddaughter on suspicion of dealing methamphetamine from their home in an isolated reservation area northeast of Winslow. Neffie Nezzie of Dilkon was taken into custody on a federal warrant with Marjorie Conley, 63, and Frederica "Bubba" Conley, 39, according to a tribal news release. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. said he was stunned. "As Navajos, we look up to our elders for all of their teachings.

Who knows how many families these people may have harmed," he said. Tribal spokesman George Hardeen said hand tremblers in the Navajo religion are diviners who help people resolve medical or personal problems by advising them on the correct spiritual ceremonies to perform. Tribal police said the home in Dilkon has been under investigation based on complaints Meth was discovered when a search warrant was served early this month. Nezzie acknowledged at the time that she'd been dealing "crystal" for about a year, according to the release. The women appeared Tuesday at initial hearings in the U.S.

District Court, Flagstaff, and were ordered jailed until a hearing Friday. Dennis Wagner NEWS UPDATE Ernest Karnes of Globe returned to the Valley with his two children on Wednesday after the children's mother was arrested in North Carolina on kidnapping charges earlier this week. Authorities said Shellie White, 30, took the children from Arizona three years ago and posed as the children's father. Karnes told Channels (KPNX) that he and his wife would make sure Dusty and Erica, ages 6 and 8, receive counseling. He also said the children were getting an education in North Carolina but were moved from school to school.

estate Kristin Wilkison, Valley State editor, 602.444.NEWS or kristin.wilkisonari20narepublic.com THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2006 SECTION THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC news.azcentral.com uitiom tax credit is law Corporate Measure enacted without signature of governor; will aid up to 5,000 kids Same-sex marriage The leader of a group working to ban same-sex marriage in Arizona says the group is struggling to gather the signatures necessary to put its initiative on the fall ballot. The Center for Arizona Policy would not say how many signatures it has collected, making it difficult to gauge the level of support for the Protect Marriage Arizona initiative. Story, B2 Senate Bill 1499 directs the money to children in low-income families. The purpose of the private-school tax credits is to give poorer children the option to attend private schools and to save the state money as more kids leave public school to attend private ones. In a one-page letter, Napoli-tano offered an olive branch to House Speaker Jim Weiers and Senate President Ken Bennett because budget negotiations are about to commence.

"With the tuition tax credit behind us, I call upon you to turn immediately to the remaining work at hand and develop a bipartisan budget that See CORPORATE Page B2 mated 3,000 to 5,000 children will be able to get scholarships to private or parochial schools over the next year. The creation of corporate tax credits for businesses that donate to private-school scholarship funds will be capped at $5 million annually for the next five years. It's estimated that each student will receive at least a $1,000 scholarship. politano on Wednesday closed the chapter on a nasty political fight by letting a new corporate scholarship tax credit become law without her signature. The bottom line: An esti By Chip Scutari The Arizona Republic After two controversial vetoes and nearly a year of sniping with the Republican-led Legislature, Gov.

Janet Na- Revised land deal may craft park for climbers Hayden teacher gets his chance for prize I V. A '3. 1 PHOTOS BY MICHAEL GINGTHE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Architect and contractor Abdul Slatewala is finishing up work on the Nishkam Seva Sikh, a Sikh temple in northwest Phoenix. It will serve By Karina Bland The Arizona Republic Fredi Lajvardi's students at Carl Hayden High in Phoenix have gotten plenty of attention for their stellar performances in national robotics competitions. It's their teacher's turn.

Lajvardi is one of 10 finalists nationwide for the $100,000 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award. It is the largest unrestricted teacher award in the nation, meaning he could spend the money as he likes. The program targets teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade. Lajvardi teaches marine science in a paperless classroom, where his students do most all their work on computers and research on the Internet. They travel to California to study the sea and are certified in scuba.

On Wednesday, he was at the state Capitol, where he had taken students to testify on a bill that would give money to academic programs like theirs. He was excited about being a finalist but said a lot of his work is outside the class. In 2004, four of his stu- See LAJVARDI Page B2 Sikh families in the northwest Valley once it is completed later this spring. Two other gurdwaras are located in central Phoenix. Sikhs get ready to open temple (fcC million 'aillYlUnV "'n The gurdwara, 11111I1U11 UlUVVdlcl I 1 temple, with its stucco facade, concre: The gurdwara, temple, with its stucco facade, concrete By Max Jarman The Arizona Republic A government land swap that paves the way for an underground copper mining operation near Superior is back on track and could lead to the creation of a state park for rock climbers, the only such facility in the country.

The park and an additional 800 acres of environmentally sensitive land are part of a' sweetened deal aimed at rejuvenating the swap that is languishing in Congress. The modified Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act would now transfer about 3,025 acres of U.S. Forest Service land east of Superior to Resolution Copper Co. in exchange for about 5,500 acres of private land, located in eight parcels. Resolution Copper needs the land to develop a copper mine that would create 400 permanent jobs.

Andrew Wilder, a spokesman for the bill's co-sponsor, Sen. Jon Kyi, said the additional provisions should satisfy concerns of environmentalists and rock climbers who have been holding up a vote on the measure. The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. If approved, the swap See LAND Page B2 azjcerrtral cm To chat about the land swap, find this story at news.azcentral.com and go to the end of the story.

or columns and nine gold-leafed domes visible to thousands of commuters along the will serve families of northwest Valley freeway each day, is not only a symbol of religious identity and freedom. It also marks an important milestone in the Sikh community's efforts to weave itself in the fabric of mainstream culture. "Once you have been lucky to live in a country like America, you realize it is time to give back," said Jaswant Singh Sachdev, a Phoenix neurologist and Sikh community activist who helped guide construction. "We want to have a beautiful place that everyone can feel proud of. We are here to serve and be part of the rest of the community." Sikhs trace their religion back to the Punjab region, which straddles the border of northern India and Pakistan.

It was there that Guru Nanak founded Sikhism See TEMPLE Page B3 By Scott Wong The Arizona Republic The Nishkam Seva Sikh temple in northwest Phoenix possesses a resilient spirit, much like the devotees who soon will fill its prayer hall. Blackened earth shows where a recent brush fire scorched a hillside just a few feet from the temple. Thieves struck the construction site six or seven times last year, making off with tools, copper wiring and even a generator. And a dispute between Phoenix and Glendale over how to provide the temple with utilities has left the completed structure sitting empty for months. The gold domes of the new gurdwara are visible from Loop 101.

It's set against the basaltic lava on the scenic Hedgepeth Hills. But later this spring, hundreds of Sikhs will file into the gurdwara at the base of the Hedgepeth Hills north of Loop 101. They will remove their shoes and wash their feet in fountains. They will fill the sanctuary with the sound of religious hymns. And they will sit cross-legged in rows in the dining hall, sharing in a traditional meal of cooked vegetables, lentils and bread.

aentral om More about happenings in Valley schools in "Around the Valley" at education.azcentral.com. Vandals topple 4 radio towers; Spanish station is bumped off the air The towers, which went up in the late 1990s, became the focus of a contentious lawsuit involving Black Canyon City residents opposed to the cluster. The opponents won a key ruling in 2000 when the Arizona Court of Appeals validated a referendum seeking to put the issue before Yavapai County voters. Opponents lost their bid to have the towers torn down when voters approved the cluster in November 2002. said the vandalism occurred late Tuesday at the Krazy Horse Ranch Polo Club, which is west of Interstate 17 and about 30 miles north of Phoenix.

Investigators have determined that somebody used a blowtorch to cut the steel support rods to four of the towers, causing them to crash to the ground, she said. The ranch manager heard the towers crash, but there were no injuries to people or horses, Quayle added. the damage may be linked to recent immigration unrest throughout the nation. He said the FBI will be asked to investigate. The station is owned by Entravision Communications a Santa Monica, firm that operates a string of Spanish stations throughout California and the Southwest, including KLNZ-FM (103.5) in the Valley, also known as Radio Tri-Color.

Quayle, the sheriff's spokeswoman, (710), a Spanish station in Phoenix. It broadcasts ESPN Deportes, a sports-talk format that launched last month. Tom Duran, the station manager, said there was no immediate indication when the station would be back on the air. It could take "several weeks," Duran said. "It's disheartening to know that somebody would do damage like this to a federally licensed facility," he said.

He said he was unable to say whether By Brent Whiting The Arizona Republic Vandals took a torch and toppled four 197-foot radio towers that are part of a seven-tower cluster in Black Canyon City, authorities said Wednesday. The damage has been preliminarily estimated at "millions of dollars," said Susan Quayle, a spokeswoman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. Knocked off the air was KMIA-AM Montini Last week, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office was slapped with another multimillion-dollar judgment by a jury in the wrongful death suit filed by the V7 INDEX Lottery B2 State Capitol B2 Education B3 PhoenixScottsdale B4 E.ValleyW.Valley B5 Opinions Obituaries Valley, state news BIO Weather BIO INSIDE TODAY School to stay open The state will allow a troubled rural charter school to stay open for the rest of the school year so students can take their AIMS tests. The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools voted Wednesday to allow Paulden Elementary, north of Prescott, to remain open until the last day of school on June 8. School officials also are required to notify parents in writing that the school will be closing.

BIO Not so lucky Three people who authorities believe stole about 7,000 Arizona Lottery tickets from a Sun City gas station were arrested when they tried to cash in. Maricopa County sheriff's deputies on Wednesday questioned two men and one woman who tried to redeem winning Scratchers tickets at a West Valley Circle K. Deputies said the tickets and various items were stolen that morning from a display case at a gas station at 99th Avenue and Greenway Road. ONLINE POLL azjoentrakom Today's question: How important is fuel economy to you when you're buying a new car? The most important thing. I take it into consideration, but it's not the most important thing.

It's near the bottom on my priority list. Vote by 4 p.m. at news.azcentral.com. Look for results here Friday. Wednesday's poll results Question: Should school districts close high school campuses to juniors and seniors during lunchtime? Yes, it's too dangerous for students to leave, 80.

No, those students are old enough tc make their own decisions, 20. caj i iny wi a Mian Ruelas on the Web Log on to ruelasblog. azcentral.com after 9 a.m. to read his blog report. wno aiea in the county jail.

This week, the sheriff's popularity poll numbers went up. BIO azjcerrtral cor For the latest news, go to news.azcentral.com..