When You Don’t Have the People on Your Side, You Need to Pay Up

It’s not a secret that Axon has been pulling every single lever possible in order to force its massive, unwanted apartment megacomplex onto the people of Scottsdale. However, a recent development shows just how much it has been willing to pay up in order to do so; how only one aspect of this push has cost the company half a … Read More

Guest Editorial: Tears for Tolerance

By Betty Janik On February 11, 2025, Scottsdale City Council was asked to vote on Ordinance 4662 which ensured COS employees are hired and promoted based on merit and to discontinue DEI programs. Once again, certain members of Council fabricated a problem that does not exist in the halls of Council and concocted a solution that was totally unwarranted, but … Read More

Arizona DOGE? Not So Fast, as Kolodin’s Concept Goes Down in Flames

If you have not lived under a rock over the last two months, you are almost certainly aware of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk’s attempts to cut government spending at the federal level. And regular readers may have read our piece on Arizona’s version of DOGE, spearheaded by Scottsdale-based Representative Alex Kolodin. But only a couple weeks later, … Read More

BYOB on the Golf Course? Bills Advances Through the House, As It Should

As you almost certainly know, golf is extremely popular in our neck of the woods. And one of the most cherished traditions in golf is cracking open a few cold ones and guzzling them down throughout the course of your scenic walk full of frustration, each sip no doubt helping fix your persistent slice (or having it bother you incrementally … Read More

Arizona Residents Deploy Highly Unusual Tactic To Oppose Massive New Rail Project In Maricopa County

New Reality Show Documentary Reflects Harsh Reality For Wittmann Residents As Warren Buffet Owned Railway Project Threatens Community And Cowboy Culture (WITTMANN, Ariz.) It’s like an episode of Yellowstone but real. Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway, owners of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), want to build a giant railroad hub which would surround the rural community of Wittmann, … Read More

Scottsdale’s Bully Taking Its Bullying National

Any occasional readers of this blog knows our feelings about Axon; that it will bully its way into getting what it wants, with the most recent and egregious case being its massive apartment megacomplex plans in the heart of Scottsdale. And while we’d prefer not to have to continue writing about it, the company just keeps on pushing more and … Read More

Axon CEO Rick Smith Keeps Tazing Himself In The Foot While Blaming Others

By Former Scottsdale City Councilmember Bob Littlefield The mess Axon CEO Rick Smith finds himself in is entirely of his own making. Opining in a recently published editorial that his company could be “pushed out,” Mr. Smith blends denialism while playing the blame game. Smith says building Axon has been his life’s work. That’s fine. As a former Scottsdale Councilmember, … Read More

In Defense of Mayor Borowsky: Much Ado About Nothing

By Ronald Sampson This year’s iteration of the Scottsdale City Council has been a surprisingly contentious one, sometimes seemingly needlessly so, but new Mayor Lisa Borowsky has generally stayed above the fray. She has taken diplomatic approaches to a few sticky situations and has generally led with grace and decorum. However, she has recently found herself in the crosshairs of … Read More

Whoa is King Rick the Bully: Axon Willing to Throw Arizona Under the Bus to Get Its Way

Axon’s egregious attempt to short-change Arizona’s schools and bully the electorate in order to construct its unwanted apartment megacomplex for its own benefit has been well-documented (read our coverage here), and yet somehow it manages to get worse and worse. It recently announced its quarterly financials and stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the stock soared 15% to all-time … Read More