Briefly…: Hurricane remnants blow into Southern Arizona

The National Weather Service says remnants of Hurricane Henriette could drop from 1 to 2 inches of rain over Arizona’s southeastern corner.

In addition, meteorologist Craig Shoemaker says the biggest impact in Arizona is expected to be increased moisture pulled in from the storm system.

It could drop similar amounts of rain _ 1 or 2 inches _ across other, localized parts of southern Arizona.

Shoemaker says the hurricane would be reduced to a tropical storm once it crosses Baja California, re-emerges over the Sea of Cortez and then reaches shore south of Guaymas, Mexico by late today.

He says its remnants should move to a point south of Douglas and the southeastern corner of Arizona on Thursday.

Mexican trucks may roll

into United States Thursday

A federal appeals court in San Francisco agreed last week to permit Mexican trucks and buses to drive into the United States starting Thursday under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

NAFTA went into effect in 1994, and one provision was that U.S., Mexican and Canadian trucks and buses could freely drive on the others’ roads.

But a series of legal challenges has kept the U.S. border sealed to Mexican trucks, except for those driving into the commercial zone just north of the border.

The Bush administration has said it has approved 100 trucking and bus companies to be in the first wave of cross-border driving.

So far details as to when Mexican trucks might cross at Nogales and drive north on Interstate 19 haven’t been disclosed.

The latest challenge was mounted by the Teamsters Union and environmental organizations.

Southwest Gas asks ACC to raise rates by 7 percent

Southwest Gas Corp. is asking the Arizona Corporation Commission for permission to increase natural rates by an average of more than 7 percent.

Southwest officials said the increasing cost of doing business in the past three years justifies the rate increase. The utility serves nearly 1 million Arizonans and said the average household bill would go from $50.78 to $54.64 if its request is approved. Southwest wants the increase to take effect in 2008.

Includes information from The Associated Press and Green Vallley News reporter Jim Lamb.