From the Editor: Looking for something to do?

I’ve read countless “reader surveys” over the years and it almost never fails that the top two subjects you want covered in your newspaper are public safety and “things to do.”

To that end, check out Pages C8-9 in today’s paper for dozens of ideas on how to spend your time in Green Valley and the surrounding areas as the weather cools off.

Every Wednesday, we’ll deliver short, to-the-point stories on places to go and things to see, along with highlighting five events that appeal to various ages, geographic areas and tastes — everything from theater to political rallies to concerts and more. You’ll also find our usual listing of what’s happening in our community, which will now include more GVR events.

Though it’s “not my department,” the ads on those pages, likewise, offer suggestions for some of the area’s best places to eat, and include some great deals along with entertainment ideas.

We’ve recently stepped up efforts to offer a comprehensive listing of events, and you can help us out.

Send your events to us (prueter@gvnews.com via e-mail) and we’ll get them in the paper. But don’t forget about online readers (there are thousands): You can upload your event to our online calendar at www.gvnews.com. Look for the calendar on the left side. They’ll be reviewed then posted.

This is a work in progress and we look forward to hearing your thoughts on how to improve it.

Drop me a line at dshearer@gvnews.com.

Back against the wall

State lawmakers put the Sahuarita school board in a bad situation this summer.

When the state failed to pass a budget on time, the board voted to put a $27 million bond issue on the November ballot.

It didn’t want to ask for that much, but there was no state budget and no indication the School Facilities Board would come through on $13.8 million promised for a new high school. (And they need it.)

So, with the deadline looming to qualify to hold a November election, the board went for the whole enchilada — the money they’d been promised by the state plus millions more needed for upgrades in one of the few growing school district’s in Arizona. And they wanted a budget override.

Weeks later, it appeared the state would, indeed, come through with the SFB money. But by that time the board was stuck with asking for more than it actually needed. So what would voters think about all those extra millions?

What voters actually were asked to OK was giving the district bonding capacity — it wouldn’t necessarily sell $27 million in bonds immediately. Now that they’ll likely get their money from the state, they also have capacity to sell bonds for future schools because the it passed Tuesday.

Superintendent Jay St. John has made it clear that he’s no fan of the state and the way it doles out money, and he and board members had to have been spending Tuesday night biting their nails thanks to our Legislature.

— Dan Shearer