South Tucson's El Independiente, 1981-10-16

              South Tucson's
Vol. VI No. I Published by the JournaLism l)epartmentof The University of Ar,zona October 1G, 1981
linda Ii. Trimble, a live-in worker at the
Itreoster ('risis Shelter and her daughter
City still waits for cable
after Tucson choses Cox
by BONNIE HENRY
While Tucsonans will enjoy uncut films
and satellite programming from around
the world through a multi-channel cable
system in the near future, South Tucson
residents may have to settle for old reruns
and chopped up moviesat least for a
little while.
Deopite Cox Cable Communications'
successful hid to become Tucson's cable
television company, South Tucson officials
still are weighing the merits of other cable
companies.
City Clerk William L. Ponder said he has
no idea when South Tucson will make a
decision.
"We haven't the staff, time or money to
hire a consultant. We have to be more
cautious," he said.
All 10 companies originally vying for the
Tucson market are still in the running,
Ponder said, with no one company ahead
of the others.
Enough requests have been made by
city residents to warrant cable in-stallation,
Ponder said. He said city of-ficials
are particulary interested in
broadcasting local programs, and that
many of these would he bilingual.
Jack B. Matthews, director of fran-chising
for Cox, seemed surprised that
South Tucson is still considering other
cable companies.
"Naturally, they're free to do whatever
they like, but I don't see how any other
company can afford to come in and jusj.
service South Tucson," Matthews said.
He said Cox would be contacting local
officials soon, and added that his company
would make no additional offers to the
city.
The same stipulations that cover Tucson
installations, such as rates and
programming, would also apply to South
EI Independiente
\delaid. See story pages.
(Photo by Roberta Tubisi
Tucson, Matthews said.
According to its official proposal, Cox
would install cable programming to all of
South Tucson within 18 months after ap-proval.
The proposal also said Cox would
connect South Tucson City Hall, Mission
View Elementary School and other public
institutions through the Institute Cable
Network.
Cox has offered several channels that
may he of particular interest to local
viewers. Among them are: Nuevos
Horizontes, a $125,000 bilingual channel
offering the works of selected writers and
teachers, a 24-hour Spanish-language
news channel, an employment-assistance
channel for jobs available through the
Department of Economic Security and the
Tucson Job Corps, a Tucson-oriented
black and Native American channel
focusing on blacks and local tndian
groups, and a channel listing eligibility
requirements for federal benefits such as
Social Security and Medicare.
Cox plans three stations for the Tucson
market, including one on Irvington Road
between Park Avenue and the Nogales
Highway. 1 ½ miles south of South Tuc-son's
city limits.
The Tucson City Council awarded the
cable franchise to Cox by a 4-3 vote Oct. 5
after more than two years of planning and
deliberation.
Cox was rated third, behind the Warner-
Amex and Times-Mirror cable companies
by cable consultant Harold E. Horn.
Cox has promised service to Tucson city
residents within three years. The company
offers 65 channels for $6.95 and 108
channels for $9.95. Movie channels such as
Home Box Office and Showtime will cost
an additional $9.95 each.
Cox is the nation's fourth-largest cable
operation, serving more than a million
subscribers,
by El,li,,\BETII FOSTER
A series of medical problems prompted
South Tucson City Manager Richard E.
Kaffenherger to take an extended leave of
absence from City Hall and his duties as
city manager.
The leave of absence was triggered by
what 35-year-old Kaffenherger referred to.
as "minor heart defects of a congenital
nature."
Kaffenherger said his leave, which
began Oct. 11, will last from two to six
months.
He said his doctor requested he take a
leave of absence in order to partake in a
fitness program considered necessary to
improve his physical condition and allow
him to "better accommodate his position"
as city manager.
Kaffenherger, who has been city
manager since 1979, said the city of South
Tucson "is in no way financing any
medical treatment."
He added that he will receive no pay
during his leave of absence.
"t will receive no state compensation, no
workman's compensation and no
disability (benefits)," he said.
l(affenherger said the departmental
heads who work with him for the city of
South Tucson will continue to perform
their regular duties as well as take on a
few additional responsibilities during his
absence.
Meanwhile, Deputy City Manager
Enrique G. Serna will serve as acting city
manager until Kaffenherger's return.
Serna said he will take on most of
Kai fenherger's responsibilities, including
policy decisions, city aperations and ad-ministrative
duties.
Food stamps harder to get
The number of recipients in Pima County
may be reduced from between 2,000 and 4,000
by JUDY DUNWELL
New food stamp restrictions which
went into effect Oct. 1 will eliminate
recipients on the basis of their gross
income without deductions, a move that
probably will decrease the number of
people in Pima County receiving
benefits by between 2,000 and 4,000.
Before Oct. 1, t4,566 households in
Pima County were receiving food
stamps for 39,028 people at an annual
expanse of $1.9 million. No figures are
available for South Tucson alone.
Panfilo H. Contreras, district
program manager, said the impact of
the changes issued this month would be
unknown until the middle of the month.
Households with elderly or disabled
food-stamp users will he unaffected,
Contreras said, hut other recipients
must initially meet gross income
requirements.
Previously, costs for child care,
housing and medical expenses oyere
deducted to provides net income which
was then used to determine whether the
person would receive benefits.
Another change allows only 10 per-cent
of .the earned income to he
deducted before determining the
Ka f! e n berg e r
He said Kaffenherger notified him of his
leave of absence on Sept. 20 but the notice
came as no surprise.
"I've known about it for quite
sometime," he said.
Serna said Kaffenherger will continue to
serve as a consultant for the Mercado
Project, an economic development.
program that will he organized on the
Pima County Hospital property.
He said Kaffenherger had made most of
the initial contacts in the project, which is
being arganized to boost the economy of
South Tucson, and that Kaffenherger will
he consulted in the event that problems
should arise.
amount of benefits. Previously, 20
percent n'as deducted.
Other sources of income such as
interest or grants and scholarships are
added: deductions are figured to
provides net income and the amount of
food stamps determined.
''Conceiveably, a person could
qualify with their gross income and still
he at the zero benefit level," Contreras
said.
New gross monthly income levels
- are:
Households of t - $467
$617
$766
$916
5$1,065
6$1,2t5
7$1,364
8$1,514
9$1,664
10$1,814
lt and up $150 more per peruon.
According to Mary C. Jarratt, an
assistant secretary for Food and
Consumer Services in the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the
changes are expected to save $1.7
billion in federal costs for the program
in fiscal year 1982, which began Oct. 1.
Kaffenberger forced
to take medical leave
'IwilI receive no state compensation, no
workman's compensation and no disability.