Sometimes the most beautiful acts of humanity emerge from our darkest moments. In Scottsdale, the Skalina family is discovering this truth as they navigate the unimaginable loss of their 12-year-old son, Dylan. Halloween night 2024 began like any other for Dylan, a spirited young boy who refused to let Type 1 diabetes keep him from trick-or-treating with friends. Despite not … Read More
What Last Tuesday’s Elections Tell Us About Next Year’s Elections in Arizona
By Ronald Sampson Last Tuesday wasn’t just a good night for Democrats; it was a blueprint for what could be coming to Arizona in 2026. Across the country, Democrats secured decisive victories in Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, with Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill winning by comfortable margins while campaigning heavily on economic issues and cost of living. In … Read More
Relief from Flooding? What New Paradise Valley Plans Mean for You
Paradise Valley is moving closer to addressing its flooding vulnerabilities with a comprehensive stormwater infrastructure master plan. After recent storms highlighted the town’s susceptibility to flooding, officials have developed a strategic roadmap to prioritize improvements and protect properties across the community. The Scope of the Problem Working with the Kimley-Horn engineering firm, the town identified 19 particularly flood-prone areas, categorized … Read More
Leadership Lessons: When Maricopa County Stood Up to Corporate Power and What Scottsdale Can Learn From It
This week, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors delivered a masterclass in political courage. Led by Supervisor Debbie Lesko, the board voted 5-0 to reject Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad’s request to develop a massive 4,000-acre freight rail facility near the rural community of Wittmann. The decision wasn’t about opposing economic development; it was about standing up to a corporate … Read More
Scottsdale joins statewide coalition to safeguard Arizona’s water future
Under the leadership of Mayor Lisa Borowsky, the city of Scottsdale has joined the Coalition for Protecting Arizona’s Lifeline, a nonpartisan alliance of municipal leaders committed to advocating for Arizona’s continued access to Colorado River water and the Central Arizona Project, the state’s largest water delivery system. The Coalition, which includes mayors from across Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties, was … Read More
When Results Speak Louder Than Politics: SUSD’s Academic Success Story
By Alexander Lomax Scottsdale Unified School District has found itself under intense scrutiny lately, particularly from Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. But when the latest state test scores arrived, the numbers told a story that’s hard to dispute: SUSD students are thriving academically. With 62% of students passing English Language Arts assessments and 58% passing math across grades … Read More
Arizona’s Silicon Renaissance: Why Nvidia’s Manufacturing Announcement Changes Everything
Arizona being a hotbed for the tech industry has been a common theme; shoot, we just wrote about it last week. But a recent development shows that we may have been understating how critical our state is becoming with an entire global industry. When Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang took the stage at the company’s first-ever Washington D.C. conference this week, … Read More
Tom Horne vs. SUSD: When Education Policy Meets Political Theater
By Ronald Sampson Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has once again trained his sights on Scottsdale Unified School District, this time criticizing a community flyer for a “Girls in Gear” cycling event that invited girls, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth to participate. His diagnosis? SUSD is promoting “woke ideology” that’s driving families away and causing declining enrollment. Let’s be … Read More
Scottsdale Drivers Have It Good (Despite What Your Neighbor Says About the Roads)
Let’s be honest: in Scottsdale, complaining about the roads is practically a civic pastime. Right up there with debating roundabouts and grumbling about cyclists. But here’s a plot twist: Scottsdale just ranked as the fourth-best city in the country to drive in, according to financial website WalletHub. Yes, you read that correctly. Fourth. In the entire nation. Before you dismiss … Read More
Guest Editorial: Scottsdale Voters Win, Again
By Scottsdale City Council Solange Whitehead Last November’s resounding Prop 490 victory was challenged – yet again – by the Goldwater Institute. On Tuesday morning we prevailed in court. To be clear, voters in every Scottsdale precinct approved both Propositions 490 and 491 this past November. Despite frivolous legal challenges and an egregious misinformation campaign to defeat Prop 490, Scottsdale voters stuck … Read More