TO CLIPS INDEX - Clips for March 11, 2008

Napolitano to join budget negotiations
The Tucson Citizen - March 11, 2008
PHOENIX - Two months of closed-door budget negotiations among legislators on the state's big revenue
shortfall are taking a new turn with Gov. Janet Napolitano joining the talks. Top Republican leaders of the
House and Senate on Monday formally requested the Democratic governor to participate in the bipartisan
talks that have involved only lawmakers so far. Napolitano promptly accepted the invitation and said she'd
host the meeting Tuesday morning, which one legislative aide said could be the first of many over the
coming days and weeks.

Nothing but the truth
The Arizona Republic - March 11, 2008 12:00 AM
Arizona coach Olson needs to come clean on leave of absence
It's time for Lute Olson to come clean. When he suddenly announced that he was taking a leave of absence -
with pay - from his coaching duties before Arizona's first exhibition basketball game, Olson released a state-
ment through his wife's public relations firm saying that he wanted to "reassure everyone that this isn't a health
scare, but rather a personal matter that needs my undivided attention." On Monday, Arizona released a state-
ment from Olson saying he will return as the team's coach for next season and to the end of his contract in
2011.

Napolitano, leaders to meet Tuesday over $1.2B budget shortfall
The Arizona Republic - March 11, 2008 12:00 AM
Gov. Janet Napolitano and legislative leaders of both parties will meet face-to-face this morning to discuss a
state budget shortfall that has grown to $1.2 billion in recent weeks. Arizona's financial woes have been the
subject of much talk but little action since the legislative session began two months ago. The situation has
become more urgent as the deficit for this year and next ($1.7 billion) steadily has increased.

MCC president begins new job on Mesa campus
The Arizona Republic - March 11, 2008 12:00 AM
Shouan Pan's belief in community colleges as a ladder that students can climb toward a better life comes
from his heart and his own life story, not from a re- port or policy statement. Mesa Community College's new
president came to the United States in 1985 from China, where he grew up on a farm after Mao Tse-tung's
regime banished his father. He had no opportunity to go to college until after Mao's death.

Olson blundered but deserves reprieve
The Arizona Republic - March 11, 2008 12:00 AM
Track record earns UA coach leniency
Since when has a brilliant body of work amounted to so little? Seriously? A man gives 24 quality years to a
university, turns its basketball program into a national power and generates million of dollars in revenue,
and he is being called on the hardwood by many fans for his sloppy handling of his leave of absence?
Puh-lease.

Mike McClellan's blog: AIMS and Politicians: Situation Normal, All . . .
The Arizona Republic - March 11, 2008
Mike McClellan is an East Valley resident who teaches high school English. Sorry about a second AIMS
rant in a row, but, well, read on . . . Every year, high school teachers and counselors tell their students that
they must pass AIMS in order to graduate. And every year, the state legislature changes the rules of the AIMS
game.

Governor to get bills on Arizona budget shortfall
The Arizona Republic - March 10, 2008 12:31 PM
Gov. Janet Napolitano is expected to get two bills Monday that were passed by the Legislature to deal with
the state's big revenue shortfall amid indications of at least one possible veto. One of the bills would freeze
money in the budget and special-purpose funds in amounts adding up to about half of the $1.2 billion short-
fall projected for the $10.6 billion budget.

Institutional networks lays groundwork for biotech boom
The Arizona Republic - March 10, 2008 10:26 AM
SCOTTSDALE - If Arizona's long-predicted biotech boom ever happens, one thing the Northeast Valley will
be able to say is: "We're ready." The biomedical industry here has more strategic alliances than the United
Nations Security Council. Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale Healthcare, University of Arizona, Arizona State University,
the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the International Genomics Consortium - all are
networked through a system of pacts and contracts. Some of the deals have born even more entities, such
as MAC5, a collaboration by Mayo and ASU's Biodesign Institute; and TD2, a Mayo-TGen deal.

ASU scientist to study germs in space
The Arizona Republic - March 10, 2008 2:58 PM
Never has an aggressive strain of salmonella made somebody feel so good. Arizona State University scientist
Cheryl Nickerson gained national attention for a study last fall that found that salmonella germs became more
deadly in space. Now, with today's scheduled launch of space shuttle Endeavor, the ASU-led team will study
space germs and potential ways to protect astronauts from illness.

GateWay CC hopes to build wet lab
The Arizona Republic - March 10, 2008 05:31 PM
GateWay Community College hopes to use nearly $800,000 of bond money to build a bioscience incubator
research laboratory. The "wet lab" would be a minimum of 5,000 square feet and at the campus location on
40th and Washington Streets. On Wednesday, the city's Parks, Education, Bioscience and Sustainability sub-
committee is expected to recommend that the Phoenix City Council enter into an intergovernmental agreement
with the college.

Sendek bypassed in voting for Pac-10 Coach of year
East Valley Tribune - March 10, 2008 - 1:16PM
In a vote that surprised many on the Arizona State campus, Stanford’s Trent Johnson was named the Pac-10
coach of the year in voting by the league’s coaches on Monday. ASU’s Harden named to All-Pac-10 first team
Johnson led Stanford, a perennial Pac-10 power, to a second-place finish in the Pac-10 with a conference
record of 13-5 and an overall mark of 24-6. It is Stanford’s best league mark since posting a 17-1 record to
capture the league title in 2003-04, the year before Johnson arrived at the school.

UA: Lute back next year (with poll)
Arizona Daily Star - March 11, 2008
Olson acknowledges his health played part in season-long leave
Lute Olson says he will coach the Arizona basketball team next season now that a newly disclosed "medical
condition" that led to his season-long leave of absence is behind him. Upon leaving the team on Nov. 4, Olson
said he was not leaving because of a "health scare" but for a personal matter. He was not available to elaborate
Monday, only issuing comments through a University of Arizona news release.

Opinion by Greg Hansen : Lute's return welcome but unnecessary
Arizona Daily Star - March 11, 2008
The loyal soldiers in Lute Olson's Southern Arizona army believe he can restore order at McKale Center and
coach the Wildcats to another Final Four. They believe Olson will return the Arizona Wildcats to their up-tempo
style, resume beating Oregon and USC, and brush off Arizona State as a mere annoyance. In the Book of Lute,
there are three enduring articles of faith: 1. Second place is for UCLA; 2. the tears of Senior Day are those of joy,
not sorrow; 3. the silver-haired man wearing the blue blazer is both ageless and indestructible. Amen.

Olson divorce case hits snag; Christine blames Lute
Arizona Daily Star - March 8, 2008
Lute and Christine Olson were on the verge of an "imminent settlement" in their divorce case until early this week.
But the settlement hit a snag over the timing or need for them to give depositions — a snag Christine Olson blamed
on the UA men's basketball coach's efforts to gain some financial advantage, according to a motion filed in Pima
County Superior Court late Thursday. Kathleen McCarthy, Christine Olson's attorney, suggests in her motion a
sticking point in the case is the Olsons' prenuptial agreement.

Our Opinion: The Olson saga: Questions remain
Tucson Citizen - March 11, 2008
Lute Olson will return to coach the University of Arizona men's basketball team next season. Good. Is that the end
of the story? Not quite. How UA officials have handled his four-month leave of absence still requires explanation.
Did Olson receive preferential treatment? Did UA play by the rules regarding workplace absences?

Our Opinion: State's freeze on spending isn't a real fix for budget
Tucson Citizen - March 11, 2008
Two budget freeze bills are nothing more than political missiles thinly disguised as solutions to the state's
burgeoning financial crisis. They are bills that Gov. Janet Napolitano is almost certain to veto - and rightly so.
The Legislature on Monday sent Napolitano the bills, which purport to address a budget shortage of at least
$1.2 billion for the current fiscal year. One would freeze hiring and promotions; the other would freeze money.

Months of silence
Tucson Citizen - March 11, 2008
Lute Olson has rarely spoken publicly since announcing his leave of absence Nov. 4. He has been quoted five
times in the Star over the last 128 days — three of the statements were in news releases, and two came
in-person. Here is a look at every statement the coach has made in the last 128 days:

Gimino: Putting the Olson drama to rest
Tucson Citizen - March 11, 2008
Focus should be on what's best for team
Arizona basketball, The Program That Lute Built, has its architect back. Monday was all about Lute Olson. He
announced, via press release and canned quotes, that he is returning as head coach at the end of the season.
He has been on a leave of absence since Nov. 4, and that, too, has been all about Olson. He revealed, after
previous denials, that he had been suffering from a non-life-threatening medical condition that necessitated
his leave. As to what that condition is, he didn't say, nor did he choose to hold a news conference or answer
questions by phone.

'Physics Factory' starts Biosphere events
Tucson Citizen - March 11, 2008
The 3.14-acre Biosphere 2 enclosure near Oracle, now under the stewardship of the University of Arizona, will
host a series of educational events over the coming weeks. The facility was privately built in the late 1980s and
purported to be a self-sustaining environment for research on Earth's ecosystems. Eight "Biospherians" were
sealed in the structure for two years.

Olson contradicts himself with admission
Tucson Citizen - March 11, 2008
Hall of Fame coach had denied medical problem on Nov. 4
Lute Olson's admission he had a medical condition that caused his leave of absence conflicts with his original
statement given four months ago. Olson announced Nov. 4 in a press release from his now-estranged wife's
public relations firm that he was taking a leave of absence for a personal matter that was not a "health scare."

PCC board to act on proposed tuition hike
Tucson Citizen - March 11, 2008
The Pima Community College board will decide on a tuition increase Wednesday at its monthly meeting.
Chancellor Roy Flores is recommending that the board increase both in-state and out-of-state tuition but he
is not recommending a specific increase, PCC spokesman David Irwin said. Last year, the board passed an
increase to in-state tuition of $1 per credit hour and created a $2 per credit hour technology fee upon
recommendation of district staff.

Candidates for dean of UA college of public health visiting campus
Tucson Citizen - March 10, 2008
Candidates for dean of the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health are
speaking on campus so students, faculty and the community can meet them. The candidates' talks, one of
which is Monday, are at 5 p.m. in the college's Roy P. Drachman Hall, Room B109 on the first floor. A reception
follows the lecture in Conference Room A324 and A326 on the third.

Olson to return as UA's coach
Tucson Citizen - March 10, 2008 12:23 PM
Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson said he is returning next season to coach Arizona and will attempt to finish out
his contract, which concludes in 2011. He'll be 76 by then. “I am very eager to be back doing what I love, which
is coaching this team,'' Olson said today in a prepared statement. “I appreciate everyone's support during this
period and want to thank Kevin O'Neill for the great job he's done in my absence."

Olson to return
UA Daily Wildcat Online - March 11, 2008
Men's basketball coach has been on leave since Nov. 4; O'Neill unsure of future with team
Kevin O'Neill has spent the season as the caretaker of the UA men's basketball program. Now the owner is
coming home. The UA announced yesterday that head coach Lute Olson would return to his post in April, after
taking a season-long leave of absence.

Bruce relishes in first two-term UA presidency
UA Wildcat Online - March 11, 2008
At the end of this year's ASUA election cycle, Tommy Bruce will become the first president of the organization to
serve more than one term. Running unopposed has guaranteed Bruce the spot for a second year and he plans
on using it to his full advantage.

Governor to join budget talks
Arizona Capitol Times - March 10, 2008
Legislative leaders and Gov. Janet Napolitano will meet tomorrow to discuss the budget, though no one seems
to know quite what that means. Republicans said the meeting is the first of what is expected to be many direct
negotiations with the governor to devise a plan to close a $1.2 billion budget gap in the current fiscal year and a
$1.9 billion deficit in the upcoming year. Until now, legislative Republicans and Democrats had been meeting
regularly, with Democrats getting Napolitano's approval before agreeing to any proposed spending change.

Man Wearing Body Armor Busted Near U of A Campus; Charged with Several Crimes
KOLD News 13 - March 11, 2008
A local man is facing some serious charges after being arrested near the University of Arizona campus. 20 year
old Edgar Alva was busted by UAPD a couple of weeks ago following a routine traffic stop. At the time he was
wearing a bullet proof vest and had a number of items in his car that landed him in the Pima County Jail. It was
a broken license plate light that got Alva pulled over on February 27th at the intersection of University and Euclid.
According to a police report, an officer saw what he thought was a sword on the floor in the backseat. Another
officer saw an empty gun holster on the front passenger floorboard. That's when Alva was handcuffed and his
car searched.

Arizona BioIndustry Association Restructures to Better Serve Statewide Industry
Business Wire - March 10, 2008
PHOENIX-The Arizona BioIndustry Association (AZBio) has restructured its operations, in order to better support
the growth and success of its member companies and to unify, empower and advance the bioscience industry
throughout Arizona. AZBio has integrated with the BioIndustry Organization of Southern Arizona (BIO-SA), and a
new Board of Directors has been selected to lead the association.