Typically in politics, enemy combatants are sly. Shots are very calculated and carefully done; after all, if your enemy assumes power, you don’t want to be the obvious target to which they can affix their ire and attempts at retribution. But sometimes, people of importance simply don’t care to fly under the radar. They dislike the candidate so much that … Read More
Burglaries A Problem In Scottsdale: Does Organized Crime and/or Immigration Play a Role?
By Cambria Schwartz Within the past year Scottsdale, and other cities across the Valley, have been plagued by a slew of burglaries. Who’s the culprit? You may think that it’s local troubled teens or some of the many homeless people trying to steal goods to make ends meet. In actuality, these thieves are part of a South American organized crime … Read More
Remembering a Local GOP Icon
Scottsdale resident Barbara Espinosa recently passed away at the age of 86. That name may not mean anything to some readers, but her impact was a significant one. She left an imprint that you absolutely have seen, even if the name doesn’t ring any bells. Espinosa was an icon in local GOP politics: a disruptor, a thought leader, and an … Read More
Maricopa County Has a New Sheriff with a New Party, but Not Without Controversy
Maricopa County, you have a new head Sheriff. And as far as successions go, this one is a bit more controversial than most. In a surprise move, Democrat Paul Penzone announced that he was stepping down to take a community relations job with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Cleaning up after the myriad federal restrictions in the wake of former Sheriff … Read More
BOMBSHELL REPORT: What is the REAL Axon?
You are probably aware of the complete mess that Axon put itself in recently with its outrageous plan to dramatically alter zoning laws in order to put up some 2,000 apartments in an area that doesn’t want them and can’t support them (get up to date here). While on its face this attempt is bad enough, a recent bombshell report … Read More
Does Scottsdale Have a Problem with Human Trafficking?
While we love our city and it has an incredible amount of things going for it, I don’t think we would necessarily call it perfect. No place is perfect, after all…close but not quite there. And we are not completely exempt from crime, but typically we associate Scottsdale crime with drunken Old Town hijinks. A new development shows that that’s … Read More
Guest Editorial: Mayoral Announcement
By Mary Hamway Twenty years ago I began my journey in public service by running for Town Council. Today, I announce my candidacy for Paradise Valley Mayor. In 2011, as part of Paradise Valley’s 50th birthday celebration, I was honored to co-chair a visioning exercise where we learned about our past so that we could help guide our future. We … Read More
The WM Phoenix Open Needs Both Fixing and Defending
You almost certainly have heard the news; heck, it made international headlines…our shining crown jewel of a golf tournament, the PGA “party of the year”, got out of hand this year. A woman fell out of the bleachers, numerous fights broke out in the stands, people rushing in without tickets; in short, it was messy. The Party of the Year … Read More
Does Arizona Have a Satan Problem? One Legislator Thinks So
We don’t often talk about religion on this blog, because our political views are often divisive enough so why toss gasoline on that fire? But every once in a while, a religious topic comes up that is so absurdly amusing that we must talk about it. Apparently, according to the “Freedom Caucus” at the state legislature, Satan is a clear … Read More
The Other Ortega is Off the Hook: Should He Be?
Many local folks are aware that there are two prominent Ortegas in the city of Scottsdale: not just the mayor (and former architect) Dave Ortega, but also art gallery owner Gilbert Ortega Jr.. It is hard to miss if you’ve spent any time in the shops in Old Town, as the name of the latter (technically, his late father Gilbert … Read More