In what is absolutely zero surprise to you, we all live in a desert. Water has always been and will always be an issue for Arizonans, one that we don’t shy away from talking about. But now Scottsdale is even more in the crosshairs of this significant subject. Ground Zero for this issue is currently in the Rio Verde Foothills, … Read More
Guest Opinion: Arizona Dysfunction
Dear Editor, It would be nice to think that our elected officials are the best of the best. Careful and measured individuals who will thoughtfully legislate to ensure the greatest possible outcomes for their constituents. Unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing from Arizona’s Republicans. This month, we’ve watched in awe as stories appeared detailing a considerable lack of … Read More
Paul Dembow Challenger Christine Labelle Demonstrating Leadership and Expertise with Timeshare Issue in PV
You know that us here at APG are no glowing fans of Paradise Valley Councilman Paul Dembow; ohh no, we have made our views known. That said, it is not always enough to simply want someone you find disagreeable gone from power…you need to have faith in the competence, intelligence and values of the person who is replacing them. Piggybacking … Read More
Scottsdale City Council Outlines Their Priorities – Are They In Touch With the Needs of Scottsdalians?
Last week, the Scottsdale City Council convened on a retreat in order to outline some of their priorities as they apply to the implementation of the Scottsdale General Plan 2035. It is a good window into the mind of the members of the Council, and we are here to dig deeper into them. First, we seem to get some insights … Read More
Another Old Town Shooting; Do We Have a Crime Issue?
There has been significant chatter recently about crime in and around Old Town recently, including a murder there just last month. Well here we are again, with another shooting there last week (and no arrests at the time of writing. We do not want to overreact with clickbait titles and fear tactics, but at the same time we often tend … Read More
Phoenix Metro is Ground Zero for Inflation Problem: Will It Impact Local Midterm Elections?
We have all experienced the relatively meteoric rise in inflation recently; between housing, gas, food and durable goods, it is nearly impossible to deny at this point. But our area can claim that we are number one in something other than sunshine now: the Phoenix Metro area is currently #1 nationally in inflation. It is fair to lay a lot … Read More
PV Responds to AG Statement on Short-Term Rentals: Will the Powers That Be Listen?
Frequent readers of APG will remember how often we have talked about the problem of short-term rentals (STRs), how prevalent they have been in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley (as well as the rest of the state), and the challenges municipalities have had in trying to reign them in due to state law. There has been forward motion recently in PV’s … Read More
Ortega, Whitehead, Janik, Durham, Littlefield: Please Meet Kathleen Black
As recently reported by the Wall Street Journal Scottsdale now has the distinction of being America’s top city for inflation. We can think of better accolades. Related to this topic is something Laurie Roberts from the Arizona Republic recently wrote about: rising housing costs. Here is something very powerful and disturbing she wrote: “You’ve heard the stories, or maybe you’re … Read More
Allister Adel is Out at MCAO, and the Race to Succeed Her is On. How is it Shaping Up?
After a very tumultuous past 6 months, including treatment for alcohol abuse, staff resignations, public calls to resign and numerous reports of significant issues within the department, now-former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel resigned from her office last week. The ink had barely dried from the resignation statement before the race to succeed her started to materialize however. Since Adel … Read More
Scottsdale PD is Solving Problems in School the Best Way We Know How: With Dogs
Law enforcement has a difficult job, and one that is even more difficult when it’s within the walls of a school. They have to walk a fine line between maintaining a degree of order and decency while also letting kids be kids and not prompting a response that could be quite damaging for the psyches of other children. Well the … Read More