Arizona’s NHL franchise avoided a public vote following the Glendale City Council’s split decision to award its new owners a $15 million payment. Such a referendum election would have likely torpedoed the transition to new ownership since it would have delayed ratification of the city agreement until after the season was to begin. The saga that has been hockey ownership … Read More

Did Republicans just ignore all of the headlines over the years about disgraced former Congressman Rick Renzi who was found to abuse his position while in office for real estate gains? We ask because of the Arizona Republic headline today raising similar questions about current Maricopa County Board Chairman Denny Barney (Maricopa County chairman in ethics flap). While many Republicans … Read More

As we are about to enter the 2014 campaign season television advertisements and flyers will flood mailboxes and airwaves. They will emphasize many words and messages. But nary a one will tout “wisdom.” They should. Allow us to explain using the example of Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Readers are surely familiar with former Maricopa County Andy Thomas’ travails. And … Read More

Every community has critics. And that’s a good thing, especially in an age of a declining fourth estate. Their eyes, ears and energy can be just what’s needed to shine a light into some darker places. But in Scottsdale activism has become its own art form, its own sport. While there are certainly problems in one of America’s best cities … Read More

On Monday night Florida State defeated Auburn for the national college football championship. They did so on the final drive of the game, arriving in the red zone with just seconds left.  Football winners and losers are often decided by those who score when they get within 20 yards of the end zone, and those who do not.  Florida State … Read More

As the hand wringing continues about Glendale’s investment in sports facilities there is an untold story of how the first domino in the form of a hockey arena might never have come to be.  It’s a fascinating tale and one that would have taken a slice of Valley history through a different sliding door. Following not one but two landslide … Read More

If the City of Scottsdale was a private company it would have, and should have, sued numerous companies and cities for violating its intellectual property. Because “Scottsdale” is a notable brand many others have appropriated it. Consider the concentration of automobile dealers along Scottsdale Road near the Loop 101.  Their edifices even tout “North Scottsdale.”  Yet, that side of the … Read More

Fallen American solider Lori Piestewa was, is, and will always be a hero.  Period. She deserves to have any mountain named after her in Arizona. But about a decade ago renaming Phoenix landmark Squaw Peak wasn’t just about honoring Ms. Piestewa.  It was about eliminating the name “squaw,” a derogatory term to most if not all Native Americans. It became … Read More

The late and legendary former Mayor of Scottsdale Herb Drinkwater decades ago dreamt what has indeed become true:  the WestWorld of Scottsdale area has become an epicenter for Valley activity. Drinkwater lured the Phoenix Open to former boondocker country from comfy country club confines, and then convinced Barrett-Jackson to go north too. Now, the country’s largest golf tournament, car auction … Read More

The business story of Chandler, Arizona over the past couple of decades is a compelling one.  Big jobs at big (and small) technology companies. There are many explanations for the city’s success.  But there is one not often discussed. It’s spelled A-P-S, as in Arizona Public Service. The company’s avaricious attitude toward rooftop solar over the past year has been … Read More