Updated: Thurs, June 26, 2008 - 3:55pm (MST)

Do you have a photo that would interest the Tri-State area? It could be something that was in the news, a fund-raiser or a special community event. If so, CLICK HERE to send your photo today - please include the photographer's name and a brief description of the shot. It may be displayed in e-Press.

Gould Moves
Past Senate President;
Then Rebukes
Conservative Colleague
ARIZONA - Conservative Arizona senators used a rare procedural maneuver yesterday to force a vote on a proposal that would amend the state Constitution to ban gay marriage. However, the measure went down by a vote of 14-to-11. (A vote of 16 is required to pass) It could still be passed at a later date.
SCR1042 would ask voters in November to define marriage in the Constitution to state that “only a marriage between a man and a woman will be recognized” by Arizona." The House approved it on May 12, but Senate President Tim Bee had refused to schedule it for a vote while budget negotiations took place.
However, instead of waiting for SCR1042 to be scheduled for that vote, Lake Havasu City Senator Ron Gould, took an end run around Bee and made a floor motion to agree with the changes made to it in the House and to immediately vote on it. It went against Bee's wishes, and he objected to the manner with which the ballot proposal was brought to the floor.
Arizona Capitol News says “it was a rare maneuver.” One expert observer said to do so would be to virtually "roll over" the Senate president, who schedules all measures for a vote. Now, the vote’s failure with only a few days left before the fiscal year ends is a setback for those who want the legislation as a way to reinforce existing statute prohibiting same-sex marriage against what they see is an assault on traditional marriage from ”activist” judges.
Gould says he called for the vote to pressure a conservative colleague out on vacation to “get back” to the Capitol and cast her deciding vote. "She is the 16th vote," Gould said, obviously alluding to Senator Karen Johnson. He then added a stinging comment -- "She needs to come back to the legislature and vote. I doubt that Senator Johnson wants the swansong of her legislative career to be the fact that she has taken a walk on one-man, one-woman marriage." Johnson will be back on June 27th.

"NEWS ON DEMAND" CLICK HERE for Updated Reports

"THE SCOOP" On Demand Entertainment Reports CLICK HERE

BATS Running On The 4th
BULLHEAD CITY, AZ - Officials with Bullhead Area Transit System would like to remind residents that BATS buses will be operating on a holiday schedule next Friday, July 4.
The holiday hours are available for all to see on www.bullheadcity.com -- or, for more information, call 1-866-999-BATS or 928-704-BATS.
Once connected with an operator, ask about reduced fares for qualified customers.

This Bud’s Not For You ST. LOUIS, MO - Just hours ago, Anheuser-Busch, the St. Louis maker of Budweiser, replied with a firm “No” to Belgium brewer InBevNV’s $46.3-billion takeover offer right after the foreign brewer made its bid hostile. The A-B board unanimously agreed that the $65-a-share offer was ``financially inadequate.'' Now, it gets really bitter because the Belgium company will not waffle and says it plans to ask shareholders to fire Anheuser-Busch's directors. The Belgium company offered two weeks ago to take over A-B, and today's announcement was the board's first response to the unsolicited and unwanted proposal. ``We've entered into hostile territory,'' says Tom Pirko, President of California’s Bevmark LLC consulting. ``InBev is a very aggressive company. They don't take no for an answer.'' Ooo, scary. InBev, which makes Bass beer is on no fishing expedition. It plans to install its own directors. A purchase at just the current price would be the biggest of a consumer company since Procter and Gamble bought Gillette for $57 billion in 2005.