Artist Wayne Rainey’s Shade magazine is a good sign for the Maricopa region. The bi-monthly publication covers contemporary art and culture, supports downtown redevelopment efforts, and works with many institutions to encourage the arts. However, as promising as Shade and other inventive ventures are, the fact remains that the Maricopa metropolitan region is just waking up to the need to recognize and support arts and culture as a critical contributor to a knowledge economy.

At one time, arts and culture have intrinsic value, economic value, and value as tools to further an all-important “sense of place” as well as to aid in such areas as workforce development, education, and community revitalization. As a result, arts and culture both enrich residents’ lives and give places meaning, identity, and economic opportunity.

This report provides statistics and information that give a sense of local arts and culture resources and challenges in the areas of 1) performing, literary, and visual arts; 2) history and preservation; 3) science and nature; 4) landmarks and events.

Afterschool youth-development programs (AYDs) have grown significantly during the past 15 years in Arizona and nationally. Many providers have moved beyond simply providing a safe haven to actively promoting young people’s development. However, there is still tremendous opportunity for growth. There is also a continuing need to enhance coordination and collaboration among programs in order to extend their resources and heighten their impact.

Morrison Institute worked with AzCASE and VSUW to construct a 55-question survey using Qualtrics on-line software. While the term “afterschool” was used, the survey was designed to measure all types of out-of-school programs, regardless of whether they operate before or after school, on weekends, or during school and summer breaks. Approximately 1,800 questionnaires were distributed to individual program sites in Maricopa and Pima counties via a list provided by AzCASE. Though the survey did not utilize a random sample, its 38 percent response rate (681 returns) suggests that its findings can help educators, youth-development professionals, policymakers and the business community understand the scope, characteristics and needs of afterschool services in Arizona’s two largest population centers.

Maricopa County has experienced remarkable population growth for decades, and will continue to do so. But while expanding metro areas tend to pay close attention to physical infrastructure—diligently budgeting for roads, sewers, schools and the like—there is often a relative lack of attention to meeting the future demands for human services. Relying on the expertise from throughout the College of Public Programs, this report analyzes 12 critically important topics, including children and families, poverty, substance abuse, and Latinos.

In step with other organizations, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (the Valley’s regional public-private economic development organization) published a comprehensive 10-year economic development strategy that codified its change in direction to quality economic development in aerospace, bio-industry, advanced business and financial services, technology, and software. In early 2004, the Governor’s Council on Innovation and Technology issued Building Arizona’s Knowledge-Based Economy with scores of recommendations on venture capital, higher education, collaboration, workforce development, and other topics. Separately, each of these items would have been notable. Taken together, they demonstrate a strong commitment to the growth of a knowledge economy and to the multifaceted approaches needed to develop it.

These regulations constitute the legal basis for control of air pollution sources in Maricopa County, Arizona. They are adopted to implement the policy set forth in Title 49 of the Arizona Revised Statutes and to fulfill the State's responsibilities under the Federal Clean Air Act and its amendments to provide a legally enforceable State Implementation Plan for the attainment and maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This printing of the regulations incorporates changes adopted by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors through September 2013.

These regulations constitute the legal basis for control of air pollution sources in Maricopa County, Arizona. They are adopted to implement the policy set forth in Title 49 of the Arizona Revised Statutes and to fulfill the State's responsibilities under the Federal Clean Air Act and its amendments to provide a legally enforceable State Implementation Plan for the attainment and maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This printing of the regulations incorporates changes adopted by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors through January 2011.

The year 2002 marked the largest outbreak to date in the world as the virus rapidly spread across the U.S. Maricopa County has been spared the burden of widespread WNV-illness thus far, however the area is home to a viable mosquito population, many species of migratory birds and a large human populace with a propensity for outdoor activities making arrival of the virus inevitable and advanced preparations invaluable.

The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Maricopa Association of Governments are cooperating in the designation of a specific route for the CANAMEX Corridor in the Maricopa Region. Kimley-Horn and Associates, under contract to ADOT, provided technical assistance to ADOT and MAG in support of the high-level evaluation of route alternatives. The purpose of this study is to provide technical assistance, not to evaluate or select a preferred route alternative.