>> What to expect from Arizona wildfire season.

Welcome to Arizona horizon.

The stock market took a big hit today with the S&P 500 falling 3.6% and the DOW finishing down over 1,000 points or 3.1% and all follows yesterday massive increase on Wall Street which was at the best showing in two years and analysts say the volatile swings reflect uncertainty to slow inflation and how they will impact the overall economy and today's stock market dive coincided with yields on government bonds with U.S. treasury notes climbing above 3% and the highest since 2018.

Senator Mark Kelly was asked by CNN if he was satisfied with how the White House is handling inflation.

>> I'm not satisfied because the prices for people in Arizona are too high and we need to work on it and I have a bill that I would like to get passed that would suspend the gas tax of the remainder of this year and it doesn't bring it down substantially and folks in Arizona are hurting.

Prices are higher than folks have seen in their lifetime.

>> They commented today on inflation and prefer to emphasize positive signs in the economy.

>> You know there's a problem and my family talks about it and I see it at the gas prices and inflation matters and we have the highest of inflation in the country and will continue to grow.

We saw payment down in the deficit that we haven't seen in a long time and so we see good areas and we have to bring inflation down and no doubt.

>> One more economic note.

U.S. worker and business productivity dropped 7.5% in the first quarter of 2022, the biggest decline in 75 years and U.S. labor department releasing numbers today along with new data showing an 11.6% increase in labor costs which indicates according to analysts how competition for workers has increased wages and how supply is showing.

Congress and Paul Gossar spending more money on travel than any in years and non-partisan watchdog group that finds Gossar since 2016 spend $1.6 million.

Neighbors and Arizona districts the same size spend 40% as much in the same time frame and Gossar's says it's extensive government travel.

And Arizona saw an early start to the wildfire season this year with a tunnel fire Northeast of Flagstaff and the crook's fire south of Prescott in and around Bisbee challenging fires this spring and for an update on current conditions and a look at what to expect, we welcome the state fire management officer for Forestry and fire management and John, always a pleasure and thank you for joining us and before we get to the wildfire season, what can you update us on?

>> Looking at the tunnel fire just up in the Flagstaff area, that is basically in a type three organization, so it's basically in a contained status, so a little over nine thousand acres burned there.

On the crook's fire, we've downgraded that to type three and looking at a good percentage of containment.

>> In Bisbee, there were a number and they weren't that big and in-town, weren't they?

>> Right on the edge of town and basically fire in people's backyard and over 19 fires in a two-week period and some troubling statistics there as far as, you know, the possibility of just maybe some criminal activity, possibly, but, again, it's an area where it's major concern because of the way the community sits in a boxed canyon.

It could be a challenging fire Forest if something is started in the right place.

>> Are there restrictions in Arizona or are they coming?

>> They did enact stage restrictions and fires are contained to designated camp site areas and no wood fires, no charcoal due to the dryness of the vegetation out there now.

>> As I started to mention earlieron, it seems like wildfires are starting earlier, is that the case?

>> It is, and in the Arizona and in new Mexico itself, we've started early and we have over 300,000 acres burned in both states, which we call region three and that's unprecedented and looking at historical fire seasons of the 2000, 2011 and two weeks ahead of time and the dryness and volatility.

>> The winter rains and lack thereof, winter snow, snow pack, lack thereof, impact on what's going on now in.

>> In the monsoons last year created a heavy grass crop and grass crops grew in certain stages and the lack of winter rains and the snow pack, being able to condense that has lead to a lot of increase in the fire season.

>> The increase in the early fire season and does an early fire season mean a percussor to a bad fire season?

>> Just due to the fact we're way ahead of schedule on the stage of the vegetation and we're about two weeks ahead of time and so right now we're seeing fires burning in April and early may like late may and June.

>> And are there parts of the state that are more vulnerable and seems like every year lower elevations and that's what you have to watch out for and higher elevations?

>> This year, unfortunately, no.

The southern part of the state as a grass crop and fuel loading that most folks haven't seen and what we call or ten and hundred hour fuel bed right now is as dry as it's been for June and so every part of the state, every elevation is basically now in stages to where it will burn.

>> The wildfire season and do we have a wildfire season anymore?

It seems like they're going on all of the time?

>> Not what we consider a fire season from April to onset of monsoons.

We can have fires all year long now.

>> And how best for the public to prepare?

For those in all around the state thinking, OK, what do I do to protect home, property and life?

>> Vegetation clearing and when the fires show up, they have somewhere to go in and anchor in and we have -- on the Forestry side, the mitigation programs to where we're doing fuel work in the communities at risk and fire wise, education on communities, as well, and the biggest thing, but, just securing your chains and we've had fires down south that somebody dragging a chain over long distance and that's just a simple thing to secure the chains.

>> Years ago, it was a curiosity, who knew that would be a problem.

And it's a problem, isn't it?

>> It's a big problem, especially now with the grasses up against the highway and that's your ignition source and that will carry on.

>> Things when you're camping, and watch where you park, it would seem like dry grass and that's asking for trouble.

>> Catalytic converters are hot and long-term, that grass will ignite.

>> And how much concern do you have and do fire fighters have on personnel?

I mean, we're hearing about drought conditions, megadrought conditions and normal than higher conditions throughout the west, from Pacific Northwest to hear?

We have enough folks there?

>> Actually, we're returning into a shortage.

Local government, short staffed, state-wide short staffed and federal.

We don't have the applicant pool that we used to have and now competing for the one individual that wants to do this type of work and it's becoming a problem.

We have shortaging for engines and crews all across The board.

>> Last question and I know you're a busy man.

It sounds like the entire western United States.

We were talking earlier, the rocky mountains, a special eye all the way to the Canadian border and beyond.

>> Extreme drought right now and Colorado is experiencing fires well ahead of what they would consider fire season.

So the way to the specific Northwest, northern California into play here in the next few weeks and just ongoing drought and just the vegetation conditions that we are.

>> The department of Forestry and fire management, thank you for the information.

>> Thank you.

>> And up next on Arizona horizon, connecting incarcerating college students with peers as a way to address societal issues.

>> The inside prison exchange program so get campus-based students to meet with incarcerated students to involve crime and justice and hear to tell us more is the director of the ASU for solutions and an ASU student who took part and gentlemen, thank you both.

The prison exchange program, give us a definition.

>> An international program that began in 1997, started by Laurie Popa by temple university and we brought it in 2016.

At the core, ten university ASU studentses learning along ten incarcerated opportunities.

It's in a prison setting and 20 students.

We break down the walls of the classroom, break down the walls of the prison and impactful learning.

>> Bruce.

>> I was on the inside and went through an audition process because there were so many people interested.

>> I was going to ask, how do you figure out who is involved?

>> We had two interviews and saw who made the cut and ten from the inside and there were ten students from the outside.

>> What interested you in this and why did you go for it?

>> I was constantly self-studying to be the best version of myself.

I was studying psychologist and philosophy, teaching myself to paint and draw and ASU comes to town and there's an opportunity.

>> That is the goal here, for those students, all students to see each other as equals.

>> That's right, and so we see this as benefiting both sets of students and outside ASU students and these will be the law enforcement of tomorrow and they'll be in law school and they see people and really at their best as opposed to their worst and on the inside, guys reentering society and challenged at a university level to see if they can make it and all of them do.

>> Before you started, when you enrolled, what were your expectations?

>> I wasn't sure and I knew it would be a difficult class and didn't understand how difficult.

I was writing and rewriting ten-page papers and working on criminal justice with criminal justice majors and definitely in, like, at the top level that I would live up to.

>> So the expectations were this, but when you got in, did those expectations then change as you went along and I would imagine you would build confidence and sounds like a lot of work and getting through it.

>> About nine, ten weeks in, I realized you would go to college when I got out.

>> How did you feel?

>> I had apprehension when you got out.

>> Incarcerated students, for those on campus, how did they react and what did you see or hear from them?

>> A moment, first class, once we get in, we've had experiences, it's spring break and I want class and go in there and that's unheard of and incredibly impactful.

>> Is it basically a room, just a classroom and does anything change and anything that's different?

If I walked in and didn't realize where I was, would you think I was on campus somewhere in.

>> Pure learning at its best and no technology, which is a good thing.

No distractions and can't fall back on power point and like that and people learning from one another.

Typically, we're in a visitation room and up and moving around.

>> When you took the class and you met your fellow students and your peers here from on campus, what were your thoughts and how did you get along and what did you talk about?

>> I got along great and so exciting to people people who would become law enforcement or judges or seeking a law degree about big issues.

>> For folks incarcerated, where there viewpoints from all sides?

Not arguments, but you have to fight for your position, were you doing there.

>> We were seeing a big picture.

You can say, we understand how the system is the way it is and how we can adjust it from there.

>> See the other side of it and that's key here, isn't it?

>> One of my favorite moments, inside students who have had a negative view towards law enforcement and police their entire life and differently when they learn one of their fellow outside students is going into law enforcement and they then see that person and think about her instead of just all of the negative experiences they've had.

>> Does that ring true?

>> We would see law enforcement come in and say, wow, these people on the inside have a tragic story and they are human and they need to be -- you know, there's something wrong with the system.

>> Did you help make adjustments and do you think you're on the path?

>> I'm attending at ASU full time, sculpture major with a minor in architectural studies.

No looking back now.

>> Good for you.

I wouldn't say every story is like that, but similar.

>> I taught Bruce on the inside and collaborating on the outside.

>> Congratulations and nationwide programs and thank you, gentlemen.

>> A new book looks at a community radio station and we're joined by Monica.

Community building by way of radio and give me an idea of what we're talking about here.

>> So as we are on a public broadcasting station, we know that it's a vital component and the way we learn through the news and segments like this one and it became a powerful way for a Spanish-speaking farmworker throughout the country to build community with each other as both listeners and producers of radio.

>> This was in Yakamo, Washington?

>> Yes, just one example of many, many that were lead by Mexican American farmworkers and activists.

>> A lot of folks migrated up there.

>> Exactly.

>> How did KDNA get started?

>> Started with farmworker activists in the region to connect with farmworkers who were coming in from places like Arizona and they were picking crops, fruits and needed to connect with each other and learn about the community within the region and there wasn't any other Spanish speaking communities and so, this group, one of them being the one woman cofounder who was born in Arizona, she was the same group, who learned everything about starting a radio station all the way through building the radio tower and all to communicate with 30,000 Spanish speaking farmworkers in the region.

>> That's quite the effort.

>> Challenges early on.

>> One of the simplest was the rock, digging through the rock where they had to build the radio tower and everything from meeting to create programming to actually creating a system where they created Spanish language news and it was created by the broadcasters.

>> Were those on and off the air and did they have much, if any, broadcasting experience?

>> For the most part, everybody was new to broadcasting and that is another part of the community aspect that they taught each other and encouraged one another and this is one of the central focuses that the women learned production and to be on-air and behind the microphone as news directors and positions of power as station managers and that it was not a competitive field of broadcasting but rather than one that uplifted one another.

>> The broadcasting day, what kind of programs were broadcast?

What do they have up there?

>> Everything from music, early in the morning from farmworkers up at 4:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m. to children's programming and had a show for Kindergarten and a women's program and they had an oral history program where members of the community interviewed families and we were able to learn about people that were involved in, like, the Mexican revolution and important history.

>> That must have been so comforting for people on the move all of the time and don't really know too much about where they are and they have their culture and friends and their family and a radio station.

>> Exactly.

You sum it up perfectly and a way for them to hear voices and to be comforted in a language familiar and then, also, to integrate within the community and the radio station was and continues to be in Granger, Washington, and a hub, to get more information and it really is, I think, one of the central hubs of the valley.

>> In your book, you interviewed one of the first women in Arizona, is that true if.

>> I did not, but in my research, I uncovered that the first woman was here in phoenix and was the first woman to graduate from Notre Dame law and Latina from Jimmy Carter's candidacy and my work, I think, shows us deeply embedded, Mexican American women in the fields and yet very much understudied.

>> Last question and we have a minute.

The chicano movement and women's activist, the theme of this book, quickly, it seems like it's a bigger impact than a radio station should have.

>> I think that's power of broadcasting and media, that it influences a number of different social movements and communities and really brings a lot of issues to the forefront, which is why I love broadcasting and learning about the history, to see how we end up with shows like this, that are able to connect community and air different content on mainstream media.

>> Monica, congratulations and thank you for joining us, feministissic frequencies.

>> Thank you so much.

>> Thank you for joining you.

I'm Ted Simons and you have a great evening.