Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market today announced a partnership with REC Solar, a leading solar electric system provider in the United States, to install roof-mounted solar systems on nine stores. The systems will generate more than 410 kW of solar energy. In total, the systems will produce an estimated 620,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, the equivalent of reducing 22 million pounds of CO2 emissions – or removing 28 million car-driven miles – over the next 25 years. Fresh & Easy stores already use 30% less energy than a typical supermarket.

“Fresh & Easy’s decision to become more energy independent is an example of why the Arizona Commerce Authority is focused, in part, on facilitating investment in the renewable energy sector and on job creation and training. Arizona has the potential to become the solar capital of the world and lead the nation as solar demand continues to grow globally and intensify nationally,” said Don Cardon, President and CEO, Arizona Commerce Authority.

Fresh & Easy has invested in one of California’s largest solar roof-mounted installations on its distribution center in Riverside, California. The installation, which is more than 500,000 sq. ft., currently produces about 1/5 of the energy for the entire facility. Fresh & Easy’s website features a live reporting feed from the solar installation at the distribution center, reporting in real time the performance of the panels.

“With the success of our solar panel installation on our distribution center, we’re confident these systems on our stores will help cut down on energy costs even further,” said Tim Mason, Fresh & Easy CEO. “Through innovations like these, Fresh & Easy has been able to cut back on the amount of energy and water we use, efficiencies that are better for the environment and help us keep our prices low for our customers.”

Installation of the REC Solar systems will begin in March 2011 at the following stores:

Popularity: 46% [?]

Robbers kidnapped two jewelers Wednesday after pulling them over with a car equipped with police emergency lights in Tempe. The two victims were heading back home to Sun Lakes after attending a jewelry expo.

The man and his sister were bound with tape, handcuffed, then dropped off at a mall in Tempe. Police located their van in Avondale thanks to the LoJack system the man had installed.

Police went to the home they tracked and found eight people, along with things the two thieves stole in the kidnapping and the van. Five of the eight men were thrown into a Maricopa County jail and charged with kidnapping, strong armed robbery, aggravated assault, vehicle theft, trafficking in stolen property and impersonating a police officer.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Beginning on November 30, close to 30 wounded warriors from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will take part in a rehabilitative bicycling ride in Nevada and Arizona on the latest stop of Wounded Warrior Project’s (WWP) national Soldier Ride.

Warriors will be fitted for upright, recumbent, or hand crank cycles to suit their injuries before setting out on the five day ride that will take them from the Vegas strip, to Lake Havasu, Arizona and finally onto Phoenix where they will be welcomed at the headquarters of national Soldier Ride sponsor U-Haul. The riders will be joined on the Phoenix leg of their ride by seventeen U-Haul team members.

“The men and women represented by the Wounded Warrior Project are true American heroes,” said Steve Nardizzi, Wounded Warrior Project Executive Director. “We are excited for them to enjoy the tremendous community support in Nevada and Arizona and be honored in the way they deserve.”

Soldier Ride is a WWP program that provides adaptive cycling opportunities across the country for wounded warriors. Soldier Ride is designed to restore the physical and emotional well-being of our newest generation of wounded warriors. All participants with a disability or missing a limb or limbs are provided the adaptive equipment customized to their individual needs.

About Wounded Warrior Project

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors. Its purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured men and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. To get involved and learn more, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Popularity: 50% [?]

A gang member was arrested by Mesa Police Friday for kidnapping a 14 year old girl – but not before bullets started flying.

The suspect, 18 year old Antonio Yanez, shut himself inside his apartment as officers came to arrest him. He spit at five officers and threw a beer bottle at them from the window in an act of defiance. The audacious man clasped a knife and dared the officers to come at him, threatening their lives.

As a SWAT team forced their way in, an officer had to fire many shots inside the apartments, destroying household items and sending glass flying through the air. They finally apprehended him and found the victim lying on the floor. He was arrested for suspicion of kidnapping and a litany of assault-related crimes and taken to a local hospital, where he tried to bite a nurse and had to be restrained. He is now sobering up in a Maricopa County Jail.

The girl was reported to be in good health, and no one was injured by the hail of bullets.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Police in Tempe arrested two men that are tied into the murder of 21 year old ASU student Zachary Marco over the course of the past two teeks. Today, police announced that a third man has been arrested.

At around 9:30 p.m. on October 17 while he was walking home, Marco was approached by a number of men who attempted to steal his valuables. While defending himself, he was shot and killed at the scene. The men got away with a laptop and a cell phone.

Two weeks ago, Louis Harper, 20, was arrested on unrelated charges but was later tied to the murder. Marion Patterson, 17, was nabbed Monday night in Tempe after taking police on a short-lived foot chase. Harper has been labeled as the shooter by police, while Patterson was an accomplice looking for someone to rob. The third name has not been released as of yet.

The men were linked to the crime by text messages they sent from the victim’s phone bragging about their robbery. Fingerprints of the two criminals were matched with Marco’s computer bag, which was found in an undisclosed location. Both men are habitual criminals and not very shockingly have a history of being in gangs.

Marco had a promising future ahead of him as a political science major. He was planning on going into the family business of law and was among 50 applicants to be an intern with the U.S. Senate.

Both Harper and Patterson face charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery.

The victim’s father, Daniel, stirred up minor controversy when he offered those responsible for his son’s murder the best legal defense team possible – if they came forward themselves. He has since retracted the offer.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Proposition 203, a measure that would allow patients to buy marijuana legally, is close to being put into law. As of Friday, the measure was said to be leading the “no” votes by 4,421 out of over 1.6 million total ballots cast, with only 10,000 left to be counted.

The controversial proposition was spearheaded by backers with nearly $740,000 in support by mid-October, according to Carolyn Short, the leader of Keep AZ Drug Free. She added that opponents had less than $20,000 to work with.

This is the third time that AZ voters have passed a law that allows doctors to give them permission to get weed – this time, it was retooled to avoid any discrepancies. In 1996, a measure that was passed was negated because the US Drug Enforcement Agency threatened to revoke the prescription privileges of any doctor that gave someone the OK for marijuana. This time  around, the ballot states that a  “recommendation” is needed from a doctor.

Opposition to the bill includes Governor Brewer, as well as law enforcement. The main concern for opposition is the language of the measure, which has been criticized in states like California. There, the law states that in addition to cancer, AIDS and migraines, pot can be given to anyone suffering from a malady that it could soothe. Proponents say that the bill has been written to avoid the mistakes that opponents say they’re making.

When the measure passes, health officials will have 120 days to set up their procedures for dispensing the green stuff. Estimates show that the system could be effectively set up in February.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Saturday, November 13, 2010 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tumbleweed Ranch at Tumbleweed Park
FREE ADMISSION

A slice of the Old West lifestyle on display at the Tumbleweed Ranch! The Chandler Museum is hosting this inaugural family-friendly event. Bring the whole family to Chandler Museum’s first Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-Off! The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the Old West will be on display. Competitors prepare five courses – meat, beans, bread, potatoes, and dessert in the style of 1880s cattle drives. In this unique culinary competition, you will be able to taste samples for $2 or a meal for $10. Limited tickets are available for meals. Meals are served at noon.

Featuring Marshal Pioneer Pepper and the Sunset Pioneers
“The Greatest, Funniest, Bestest Cowboy Stage Show Around”

Catch a hay ride, horse ride or visit the petting zoo from Superstition Farms.  Demonstrations and activities include candle dipping and weaving.  Other food vendors include CampfireKettle Corn, Udder Delights and Chandler BBQ Co.

Vendors:
The Chandler Museum is no longer taking applications from vendors.  Please check back with us later this year for information on the 2011 Chuck Wagon Cook-Off.

Sponsorship:
The Chandler Museum is no longer seeking sponsors for the 2010 Chuck Wagon Cook-Off. If you are interested in sponsoring the 2011 Chuck Wagon Cook-Off, please call 480-782-2717.

Popularity: 16% [?]

The eighth suspect  in the July shooting death of Chandler undercover detective Carlos Ledesma has been arrested by U.S. Marshals in Chicago. Ledesma was gunned down in Phoenix during a botched undercover drug deal on July 28. Two other officers were shot, and two suspects were killed in the firefight that was started over the drug dealers trying to screw them out of $250,000 worth of weed.

Marshals apprehended 39 year old Anthony Wright in the parking lot of a Chicago Walgreens without struggle after tailing him from a home. He had been previously tied to three locations, including as far away as the Virgin Islands. He faces charges related to the murder, as well as the foiled drug deal.

Two of the suspects, Darnell Jackson and Eldridge Gittens, were recommended as suitable for the death penalty last month in Maricopa County court. The Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley has requested a 60 day continuance of the court hearings to complete lab work that could further incriminate other suspects. The Capital Review Commitee will also decide whether they should pursue the death penalty against Jerry Cockhearn, a third suspect charged in the case.

Popularity: 28% [?]

Unless you want extreme diarrhea and vomiting, the Arizona Department of Health Services is asking you to be wary of cheese sold at Costco stores.

Over two dozen cases of E. coli bacteria most likely found in cheeses sold and sampled at Costco have been found across five states. Eleven of those are tied to the state of Arizona alone, and the public health laboratory is testing a multitude of samples of cheese.

Initial reports say the infected cheese could be Dutch gouda, which was served and sold at Cheese Road Shows at Costco last month.

If you think you may have consumed some of the tainted cheese, you would definitely know it. Symptoms are bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps, at times just run of the mill bloodless diarrhea, and the affliction subsides within 5-10 days.

Return all tainted cheese to Costco – as if they want it.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Police in Chandler have revealed that a man who was arrested last Wednesday on suspicion of sexual exploitation with a minor might have also raped other children. In addition, they have the evidence to prove that he sold child porn that he videotaped himself around Chandler.

David Morris, 45, is currently in jail facing a plethora of counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

Those with information regarding the case are urged to call Chandler police at (480)782-4130. You can also leave an anonymous tip at www.ChandlerPD.com.

Popularity: 12% [?]