KPHO.com Blogs

Border Photos [5 Investigates team]

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:29:01 +0000

Morning … This is Tammy.

We’ve been out here since 10pm last night. Here are a few photos I took… Smugglers dug a tunnel underground from Mexico into Nogales, Arizona. The tunnel ended at the house here with the crime tape. You can see where the tunnel actually came up through the floorboards on the porch. Notice the kids’ bikes and toys. Amazing that smugglers will move their drugs anywhere – even a house where kids live!

Increase in drug trafficking [5 Investigates team]

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:45:05 +0000

After spending the morning with agents from US Customs and Border Protection, one fact is becoming clear: more drugs are coming across the border through Arizona’s ports of entry.

As we reported, the amount of meth, cocaine and bulk cash that agents have seized has doubled in the past year. One theory behind this trend is that the Sinaloa drug cartel, which controls the smuggling corridor that includes Arizona’s border, has become more powerful and is shipping more illegal drugs through the border here.

We’ll get more into the background of the Sinaloa cartel later today…

Off and running! [5 Investigates team]

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:33:28 +0000

Tammy and I drove down from Phoenix today to begin our 24 hours of coverage of border issues, specifically the effects of drug and human smuggling on the border area. When we arrived in Nogales, we found out the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement had discovered a new drug tunnel that led from Mexico, right under the new billion dollar border fence, into the front porch of a home located less than 20 feet from the fence.

That’s an example of the ingenuity these drug smuggling organizations are using. Listening to border agents, we find that every time they make an advancement in drug interdiction, the drug gangs figure out a way to get around it.

We snapped some pictures of the scene. I’ll include one here, but Tammy did a much better job of documenting what it looks like and she’ll post some pictures in the morning.

These floor boards conceal a drug tunnel that leads 70 feet into Mexico.

We hope you log in and read our blog over the next 24 hours. We’ll have some insight and observations here that don’t make it into our regular television coverage. For now, I’m going to try to get a couple of hours of shut-eye. The 3am wakeup call for CBS 5 Morning News is going to come mighty early!

Spring – Roller Coaster Time [Steve Garry]

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 05:24:19 +0000

With the vernal equinox on March 20th we enter the season of Spring. Sort of a moot point considering the warm weather we had in the middle of March with daytime highs in the 90’s. Spring is fun if you like the roller coaster weather…this is to say we will see some fairly dramatic up and down temperature swings and storms during the spring time. One of the best parts about spring time for me is when we get all those desert flowers blooming. Hope you enjoy it!

TEMPE TODDLER KNOWS HER PRESIDENTS! [Nicole Crites]

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:54:48 +0000

You’ve got to see this Youtube Clip!

www.youtube.com/watch

One of our morning show producers Rob has a little girl who knows her stuff. I could not believe she could fully recite our U.S. Presidents from memory in order from Washington and Adams to Bush and Obama.

I don’t know that I ever even had to do that in high school!

My daughter Callie is two and a half and I think she’s one smart cookie. She has a great memory and vocabulary but I haven’t even begun to get into the chronology of the American presidents. Does that make me a bad mommy?

She knows George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They’re on the quarters and pennies that most often fill her piggy bank. I know children are like sponges, but I didn’t think they were THIS able to absorb that much detail. Certainly not beyond my memory capacity.

I’m blown- away amazed and had to watch it several times.

So I had to ask how in the devil can you teach a two year old this, how young is too young and what kind of cues should you take from your child to know if they’re ready, or overwhelmed?

Rob’s wife, Kim, helps tutor kids with LearningRX and clearly knows her stuff too. Like mother, like daughter.

We are having Matt Owen from LearningRx in Chandler on the morning show to answer all those questions & show some examples of how such a feat is pulled- off, even with toddlers. It’s part of their ‘brain training’ mission, associating memory triggers with visual cues. It’s said to make a world of difference with kids who’ve had learning difficulties with traditional school methods. It can clearly work with our litlest learners too. Fascinating!

Here’s a link to their website in case you’d like to read-up on this: www.learningrx.com/chandler/default.htm

Very curious from other parents out there- what do you think about this? Too young? Tempted to try it on your toddler? Or just feeling dumber as an adult for not being able to get halfway through what this precocious toddler said “I’m getting bored” only to finish in about two minutes?

Sound- off! Post your commetns here or email: morningnews@kpho.com and we’ll share your comments on the air!

2011-Nice Weather? What was the average temperature for 2010? [Steve Garry]

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:34:09 +0000

As is typical at this time of the year…the winter brings very nice weather to us here in Phoenix. As we go through winter, temperatures in the daytime are fairly comfortable with daytime highs in the 60’s and 70’s…practically perfect for those outdoor afternoon activities. Hope you enjoy it and get the time to be outside.

Also a little fact from 2010…we had a yearly average temperature of 75.2 degrees (this is derived from using both the daily highs and lows). Although it sounds quite nice, it was warmer than the average of 74 degrees. The average daytime high was also above average at 86.5 degrees.

2010 Phoenix Temperature Facts

Average
Temperature

75.2 °F
14th Warmest

74.0 °F

Average High
Temperature

86.5 °F
23rd Warmest

86.3 °F

With a La Nina pattern in place for the start of 2011, it will be interesting to see what the weather brings for the year. Right now projections are that the southwest will be drier and warmer than average. See the CPC for the latest forecast as it gets updated every month around the middle of the month.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=2

If the pattern continues, I think we will see the yearly average temperatures in Phoenix go up in 2011. Not good news for you cool weather lovers…but if you really like cooler and wetter weather then you should be in Portland, OR. especially during a La Nina pattern.

Take care,

Steve Garry

Record Highs in December? [Steve Garry]

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:51:41 +0000

Yes, it looks like we will have substantially warmer than average temperatures here in December. It may not sound bad to have highs in the upper 70’s and low 80’s but that is more than 10 degrees above average for this time of year. Not a lot to complain about when you look at the eastern half of the country (especially the northeast) which has had quite a spell of sub-freezing temperatures. Oh it is so nice to live in the Southwest when winter comes. Enjoy! – Steve Garry

More Cold Fall Weather Coming [Steve Garry]

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 04:44:50 +0000

Another cold front makes its way into the valley this Sunday. Get ready for more mountain snow, rain and cold valley temperatures as we end the holiday weekend.

By the way, this type of headline has got to make others around the country think that we are really wimps when it comes to cold weather. Oh…we may get into the 30’s tonight and possibly freeze. What a blessing it is not to be in much of the rest of the country with really cold highs…they make are lows look like good highs to them. Well that’s why we go through all the 100+ highs in the Summer!

Enjoy the fall weather!

Steve Garry

Best Time of the Year! [Steve Garry]

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:44:30 +0000

Hi All! Steve Garry here with great news in the weather forecast. This is the time to pinpoint the valley for near perfect weather. Highs in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s & 40’s and mostly clear skies. Get the place ready for the out-of-town relatives because you know they want to visit when the weather is so nice here in the desert. I am looking forward to all the holiday and Christmas displays and thanks again for tuning in to the weekend weather forecasts.

Keep smiling and I hope you enjoy the weather!

Steve G.

65 Valley Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free! [Nicole Crites]

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:10:35 +0000

How cool is this!?

LOVE This month’s edition of Raising Arizona Kids.

65 Valley Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free!

This alone, is reason to subscribe: www.raisingarizonakids.com/index.php

Basically- you can feed your family with the kids eating free every day of the week if you plan things right. And with this month’s magazine spelling it all out for you- it shouldn’t be that tough to pull-off!

The typical breakdown is kids 12 & younger eat free with a paying adult. There are certain restrictions, like some places only apply to kids 3 & younger, others, a specific location only, or dine-in only. But It’s all broken down and extremely easy to navigate.

I say, let the chow-down begin!

Snap pics & email them my way ncrites@kpho.com or share other freebies valley moms and families can take- part in & I’ll be sure to spread the word!

This is just one of the topics of my weekly MOMster Monday segments on CBS 5 Morning News.

Sign up for our new social networking site for valley moms. We want to know what you’re concerned or curious about, talking about and what other moms in the valley need to know! Would love to hear from you!

http://www.momster.com/group/ValleyMoms