Old Town Scottsdale…it’s revered nationally (perhaps sometimes even internationally) as the premier tourist area in Maricopa County. A litany of shops to spend money in during the day, and a bustling nightlife scene full of clubs and bars and tipsy patrons at night. One thing that it would absolutely never be confused for is the Sun City of the East … Read More
Scottsdale’s Fight Against the Heat: Why It’s Falling Behind
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you…it’s been a hot summer so far. Obnoxiously hot. And while there’s not a ton that our city can do to alleviate that, it is not entirely powerless. That said, it’s fallen behind some of its neighbors in its efforts to mitigate the urban heat effect. So why is that? First of all, … Read More
Compassion or an Invitation to Danger? Scottsdale Opens Its Doors to the Homeless
You could say many things about Scottsdale; you could say that it’s a great tourist destination, you could say that the weather is great, you could even say it’s snobby (although we tend to disagree). But one word that you rarely hear associated with Scottsdale is compassionate. Does that mean that Scottsdale is uncompassionate? Probably not, but simply more a … Read More
The Consequences of Drought are Here: No More Front Lawns for New Scottsdale Homes
Water (or a potential lack thereof) is the one topic that all Arizonans can agree is of utmost importance both in the near and long-term futures. It is a subject that we have written about extensively and which you can read about here. The drought supercycle that we have endured has largely occurred without much in the way of true … Read More
An Ambitious Development Project Planned for Scottsdale: Will It Make It Through the City Council Gauntlet?
The Scottsdale city council took a strong turn away from growth and development-focused dais under Mayor Lane to a rather development-hesitant one under Mayor Ortega starting in 2020. Many projects have failed to secure the needed votes to come to fruition, frustrating numerous developers and other professionals involved. So a new proposed project raised both eyebrows for its ambition and … Read More
SUSD Drama Continues: When Adults Start Resembling the Students They Govern
The Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board has been quite the magnet for plenty of…interesting activity over the last couple years. From protests to calls for a new superintendent from partisan challenges, there has been no shortage of drama. And that drama recently took a new turn that is something closer to a scene from a high school movie than … Read More
A Marathon at the Legislature: This Arizona Legislative Session is Now the Longest Session in History
For those who have spent time at the Arizona legislature, you’re probably aware that “sine die”, the official close of the legislative session, is a day that is highly looked forward to by most legislators and staffers. It’s the day that they can go back home, return back to their side jobs, or just generally not have to deal with … Read More
Tidal Wave
Wow. Just wow. Over the past several political cycles the Scottsdale City Council has taken a decided turn towards “slower growthers.” Indeed, the body now has a clear 6-1 majority that leans in this direction. There are a variety of reasons but perhaps the biggest is the realization of the electorate that Scottsdale is indeed a pretty special place and just doesn’t … Read More
The Scottsdale Diamond Fire: Lessons in Bravery, Vulnerability and Recklessness
The recent Diamond Fire in North Scottsdale struck serious concerns, if not outright fear, into many area residents. It is entirely contained at the time of writing, but many residents still can’t claim to be completely out of the metaphorical woods yet when it comes to emotional damage. Widespread fires are not an issue that plague the Valley very often, … Read More
No Spiking the Football Just Yet: Rio Verde Foothills Demonstrates How Legislation Isn’t the End-All Be-All
The Rio Verde Foothills got some good news recently in their fight for secured water; Senate Bill 1432 was signed by Governor Katie Hobbs last week, thus ending a tumultuous time for the embattled community. But there was a reason why we had some degree of hesitation when it came to declaring victory, and this article exemplifies that concern very … Read More