Phoenix, AZ – Arizona's first modern rail transit system opens to the public in Phoenix Saturday. The state has been slow to embrace rail transit, with critics saying light rail is too slow, too expensive and won't carry enough riders. Advocates are hoping the new 20-mile Metro Light Rail leads to greater acceptance for public transit.

Metro Light Rail CEO Rick Simonetta says similar systems already are working well in major cities across the west.

"Dallas, Houston, Salt Lake City, Denver, Portland and now Seattle. These are all cities that were built around highways and freeways, and all of a sudden, now they're being retrofitted with light rail and it's hugely successful."

Expansion of the system might come sooner than anyone expected, says Simonetta. The prospect of nearly a trillion dollars in public works spending by the incoming Obama administration has officials proposing a long list of transportation improvements, including highways, airports and at least seven rail projects, one of which is more light rail.

"The first extension, which is a 3.2-mile project in the City of Phoenix, could be under construction within 90 days."

Other proposed routes for the eventual 60-mile Phoenix system are too early in the planning stages to meet the "ready-to-go" requirement of Obama's stimulus program. But, Simonetta says, light rail expansion and other transportation projects will certainly fulfill Obama's goal of putting people to work.

"We had 2,000 jobs created during the three years or so of construction for our first leg. And, of course, it takes people to operate the trains and maintain the trains and clean the stations. So, we definitely will employ people if any of these projects can go forward."

Nationally, light rail the fastest-growing form of public transit. Rides on the new system will be free through New Year’s Eve.

You can find more information at www.metrolightrail.org.



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Federal and agency officials convened with stakeholders in Southeastern Utah to discuss how federal funds can help grow and strengthen local economies.

Lenise Peterman, mayor of Helper in Carbon County, said money from major legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act often bypasses communities like hers, which are often the most in need.

Peterman was part of the "Coal Country at a Crossroads Listening Session," examining the challenges of smaller, rural communities in addressing needs for clean energy, workforce and economic development, and infrastructure.

"I felt very optimistic, because I felt like I was no longer just this region, somewhere tucked away in the intermountain area, but somebody that they had to look at and see, and hear them say, 'I need to get this funding. How do I do this?'" Peterman recounted.

Like many rural towns, Helper has seen a declining coal industry. In 2022, five operators in Utah produced coal worth $504 million, down 15% from the previous year. Peterman pointed out power plants and coal mines have traditionally been the sources of well-paid jobs, but communities like hers are figuring out how to adapt with the times and ensure people can continue to call rural Utah home.

Peterman said she considers the listening session a success, as it brought together federal officials and local leaders to focus on possible solutions. She noted one message was the government may need to do more to ensure communities like Helper, as she put it, "don't fall through the cracks."

"How do we equate a rural community with these more urban areas that have headcount, and have people on staff who can look into these federal funding opportunities and collect them?" Peterman suggested.

She added she works with a team of 15 other individuals but is the sole grant writer for her town. Legislation in Congress, called the "Rebuild Rural America Act," would have allocated money to help smaller communities compete for federal dollars but got stuck in a Senate committee last year.


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With temporary channels open to shallow draft vessels only a week after the collapse of the Key Bridge, officials see a much slower path to accommodating larger ships.

While dismantling the collapsed bridge may seem straightforward from vantage points on land, below the surface of the Patapsco River visibility is poor and the wreckage sits in 5 feet of mud. Crews are using 3D side scan sonar to conduct engineering analysis and plan next steps but progress is slow.

Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District Army Corps of Engineers Commander Colonel, says moving this kind of debris requires constant engineering reassessment.

"When we lift a piece of wreckage, we have to go back in and ensure that the stability of the wreckage is the same, that the wreckage didn't shift or didn't act in a different way. Because as we're going further and further down, we don't want to create a more precarious situation," Pinchasin explained.

She added cranes operate so close to the wreckage that any unanticipated movement could place salvage teams at risk.

Thunderstorms and high winds this week slowed the process of surveying the wreckage. In addition to the many engineering challenges, Pinchasin said salvage efforts include searching for still missing disaster victims.

"The survey and the scanning that has to take place after every lift, we're not just doing it for engineering, we're also making sure that if there's any chance that we see an area that needs to be investigated further, for possible recovery of human remains, we are able to pause after every lift, to hopefully try to bring some closure to those families," she continued.

Pinchasin said a salvage effort of this scale has never been undertaken in the Baltimore District, but the Corps of Engineers brought help.

"We are not here alone," she stressed. "We have brought in the salvage experts from the United States Navy - the supervisor of salvage - and they have been able to bring in the salvage community, and that is a very strong brotherhood with expertise from decades of experience."


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Traffic deaths are trending higher in Minnesota this year after a decline the previous year.

Groups pushing for safer roads are convinced a small policy adjustment for older drivers could make a big difference. Current Minnesota law requires licensed drivers age 55 and older to take an eight-hour safety course to qualify for a 10% discount on their car insurance.

Cathy McLeer, state director of AARP Minnesota, which helps carry out the training, noted course participation has been waning. She is joining the call for state lawmakers to consider a bill to reduce the mandatory threshold to four hours.

"An independent study found that drivers were just as likely to improve their driving behaviors with a four-hour course as eight-hour courses," McLeer reported.

McLeer pointed out through a shorter schedule, it is important to convince more people to stay up to date with traffic laws and learn about new technology in cars. Nearly 20 other states allow a course length of four hours, and nine of them mandate insurance discounts for the training.

The Minnesota bill is bipartisan but faces a cutoff later this week to advance in the current session. It is uncertain if it will get enough hearings.

Cheryl Salo, driver safety program coordinator for AARP Minnesota, said older drivers tend to be more cautious but noted they are sharing the roads with plenty of bigger trucks and SUVs these days.

"Those drivers sometimes don't realize how limited their ability to see around them is," Salo emphasized. "We as drivers need to take the responsibility to give those large vehicle drivers that extra space that they need."

Large vehicles are among the topics covered in the training courses, along with information about the emergence of roundabouts in intersections across the state. Like other states, Minnesota saw a pandemic-era spike in traffic fatalities, before numbers stabilized. However, the percentage of crash fatalities rose for the 55+ age group, while overall totals declined.