Arizona RV park snowbirds staying longer

If you haven't yet arrived in Arizona for this year's snowbird season, it is likely you won't make it. However, if after watching the chaotic weather that is now plaguing the mid-west and Canada and you are thinking about extending your stay to avoid the winter furies, don't wait too long to extend your reservation.














The Arizona Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds says that Arizona’s recreational vehicle parks have seen greater numbers than last year, with parks up between ten and 30 percent.

And many of these snowbirds are now extending their stay into March and April.

If the winter weather remains bad--except in Arizona, of course--you may find that the RV Resorts will stay full, with RVers snatching up those campsites where the reservation doesn't extend beyond February. You might not want to stay indecisive for too long, or you may find yourself out in the cold.

Arizona lawmakers want to expand citizens' rights to carry guns

Arizona has always held tightly to its legacy as part of the Wild West and a protector of individual rights.

This year, the state's Republican governor and a conservative legislature have proposed more than a dozen bills to expand rights to carry and use guns and knives. According to the Arizona Republic, proposed laws would allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit, end requirements that guns manufactured and kept in Arizona be registered, and allow university professors to carry guns on school grounds.

Although the Arizona Republic notes that the number of bills on the subject is not unusual, weapons-rights supporters believe this year -- with a conservative governor, a Legislature sympathetic to their cause and more freedom to address issues other than the budget - may be their year to lift many limits. It also is an election year, and gun rights have always been a popular campaign platform among conservatives.

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100 attend Capitol rally for state parks

Waving signs admonishing lawmakers for sweeping state park funds into the general fund to meet budget shortages, more than 100 protesters turned out for the rally at the Capitol Mall on Monday. The parks budget dropped from $26 million in January 2009 to $7.5 million.

Speakers at the rally said further park closures would bring severe economic harm to rural areas that rely on tourism, and an estimated $260 million in revenues to state and local governments. Last month, after the budget cuts from the Legislature, the Arizona State Parks Board voted to close thrteen more parks by the end of June. Eight other parks either are closed already, were transferred to outside control, or are being kept open through an outside funding source.

Other speakers advocated the House Bill 2628 that would create a dedicated funding stream for state parks through vehicle license fees. In exchange for paying the fee, Arizona motorists would get free admission to any state park. The bill has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.