Last fall I warned the IOW community that they would be greeted with photo radar when they made the annual trip to Phoenix for Western Worlds. During the past six months our news has been filled with controversy over these cameras. Valley citizens have placed post it notes in front of the lenses of the camera and one gentleman took a picaxe to a camera to prevent them from catching speeders. Two events this past weekend again made the news:

1st) Carl Edwards learned the hard way it's easier to race in Arizona than it is to drive in Arizona. He was on the way to the track last Thursday when he was nabbed by photo radar. Carl can be expecting a ticket in the mail.

2nd) On Sunday night the voilence surrounding these cameras reached a new level with the senseless murder of a worker manning a mobile photo radar van. The innocent man killed on Sunday night was 51 years old, he had taken this job four months ago for an added source of income during these tough economic times. The suspect a 68 year old valley resident first pulled up behind the van then drove along side of it and fired five shoots into it. Luckily the police apprehended this man on Monday, of course he now claims he didn't want anyone to get hurt. This was a senseless cold blooded murder.

Whether the photo radar cameras will still be in place this fall when USAC runs at PIR is anyones guess at this time. There was all ready a bill before the state legislator to have the cameras removed before Sunday's senseless murder. Many people feel these cameras were implemented in the first place as a way for the state to make money and not as a safety messure to save lives on our valley highways, which has lead to many of the vigilante actions taken by valley residents.

Once again we are reminded how precocious life is.

Patti