CITIZENS SELLING ELECTRIC & GAS
 Lake Havasu City, AZ - Officials with UniSource Energy met with media in Lake Havasu City, making their case on the positive aspects of the company's proposed buy-out of Citizens electric and gas divisions. "You have three legs of the stool; you have generation up here which is covered, you have transmission which is covered, and then you have the distribution services which allows us a reasonable return on our investment. All those three in place then we have the formula for continued service that's, to the customer to an advantage, and to us is economically viable," said Steve Lynn, vice president of UniSource communications. UniSource is seeking Arizona Corporation Commission approval of both a $230 million buyout of Citizens. Now here's the big kicker: If the sale is approved, they are asking for a 22 percent hike in electric rates. You can probably guess what Mohave Electric will do to follow suit if this happens. It just might be worth while if someone from Golden Shores got in on these negotiations.

G.S. FIRE DEPARTMENT GETS NEW LOOK
 G.S. - The Golden Shores Fire Department has a new member. His name is Shawn Lawless. He is 24 years old (and single, ladies). He is from San Diego. He was with the San Diego volunteer fire department for 4 years. He has been an EMT for 5 years. He has been a medic for 4 months. He says this is his first full time paid position as a fire fighter. He likes Golden Shores and plans to stay.
Fire department personel say the new building is about 95% complete. Some plaster, some drywall, and some paint are all that's needed to finish the new building.

CHAMBER DINNER PRIZE WINNERS  
G.S. - The Topock/Golden Shores Chamber of Commerce announced that at the annual prize dinner last Saturday night, the numbers were all drawn and the final two big ticket holders were Ron Wilson of IRP Golden Shores Realty and Bill Summitts of Summitts River Realty. They decided to split the big prize of $6,666. No pictures were available at time of publication.

YOUR WEEKLY SPECIALS HERE!-

BRIGHT LIGHTS MUST GO
Phoenix, AZ - An interesting thing happens at Kitt's Peak National Observatory near Tucson when you look north across the mountain. "Our telescope dome is silhouetted by the bright lights from the towns," said Richard Green, the observatory's director. "The glow in the sky in unmistakable."
As growth continues to run across both Arizona's desert and forests, a coalition from stargazers to neighborhood groups is concerned about the far-reaching effects of lights. A proposed law could provide a remedy. Senate Bill 1218 will require that all outside lights be amber in color and will have to be fully shielded so the light goes down, not up and out.
An increasing amount of light isn't just an eyesore to some. It could affect those who depend on dark skies. The impact extends beyond astronomy. "One of the things we treasure being in Arizona is the nighttime skies," said Mark Mayer of the Neighborhood Coalition of Greater Tucson.
The proposed law will help "to protect our skies against light pollution," said Senator Gabrielle Giffords, D-Tucson, who introduced the bill.
So you might think about this the next time you think about outdoor lighting. Don't waste your money on offensive BIG BRIGHT LIGHTS!

GRANDPARENTS RAISING CHILDREN
Bullhead City, AZ - Two local Golden Shores facilitators are active in the support group for grandparents raising children and other kinship caregivers. There will be a meeting this Saturday in Bullhead City at 10:30 a.m. at the Mohave Mental Health building at 1045 Marina Blvd. They will have a guest speaker, Mr. Ekstrom, Mohave County Attorney, on grandparents adoption. For more information call Carol Savlod at 768-1326 or Carol Wolf at 768-8860.

EASTER SPECIAL
Do You Really Believe in Easter? - Many people believe in God. Adults eventually get to the place where they believe in God or at least a higher power. About 90 percent of North Americans say they believe there is a God. Religion is more in the news today than it has ever been in my lifetime. The annual religious holidays of various faiths-like Passover, Ramadan, Easter-are presented in (mostly) good taste and with respect, so at least information is getting out there. But this kind of religion is cold and sterile. It lacks feeling. It lacks the emotion of a family gathering and hearing the familiar words of blessing chanted by the father as candles are lit. It lacks the mingling of joy and empathy as a new Christian convert emerges from the waters of baptism in a serene mountain lake.
To be a believer is to take one's faith so seriously that you believe it represents the way to find God and true happiness. But many people, even those who consider themselves Christian, have trouble believing everything about Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. And this of course is what the Easter celebration is all about.
At Easter, we remember a God who is available in a relationship with us. At the heart of Christianity is a claim that God loved us so much that He came to earth as Jesus, went through temptations just like us, and ultimately died a terrible death as a sacrifice for the wrongs we have done against God. To believe in God and not believe in the resurrection of Jesus renders that faith pretty dead and useless and just another religion with a dead leader. But if you believe the indicators that miraculously, Jesus does still live, then there is cause to have serene happiness and peace, even in the midst of suffering, because no matter what happens, you too will have eternal life beyond this body on earth.
So, you can have the best celebration possible this Easter no matter what your current frame of mind: Jesus lives, and we will too. This is what Easter is all about.