By Gilbert Guru #NeverShutUp inspired a 10-year-old, Gavin Henss to start Giving Sole, a Phoenix-based non-profit that gives brand name, brand new shoes to kids in the foster care system. At a Suns vs. Cavs game, Gavin created a sign that said, “King James 23 You are More than an Athlete #NeverShutUp.” The poster got the attention of Lebron James, … Read More

There have been some recent stories in local media about the Goldwater Institute jumping into a Scottsdale issue about access to its public swimming pools. The organization is intervening on behalf of a for-profit Valley-based swim company called Neptune.  Neptune argues, as does Goldwater, that Scottsdale should basically commercialize its pools to favor it, over Scottsdale schools and local non-profits … Read More

By Alexander Lomax In my 16 years in Arizona, I have witnessed quite a few low moments from the AZ GOP. What is currently going on with our farce of an election audit may take the cake, however. Our elections are amongst the most sacred of rituals in our society, with a proper amount of checks and balances in place … Read More

“Our code of conduct now matches our openness and Western hospitality. We are raising awareness, guarding individualism, providing safe work and living spaces. With sincere effort, we improve Arizona one city at a time.” — Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega, speaking in support of the city’s new non-discrimination ordinance, passed unanimously on April 20, 2021

This week it took a newly constituted Scottsdale City Council to do what should have been done years previous:  pass a non-discrimination ordinance providing greater protections for the community’s LGBTQ community. Kudos to Mayor Ortega and a unanimous City Council for a job very well done.  We won’t say it was a politically easy vote.  Look what is going on … Read More

By Scottsdale Pinetop At one moment or another, we’ve all wished for our own fairy godparent to grant our deepest wishes. Made popular by Disney’s Cinderella, a fairy godmother is the physical embodiment of hope and is devoted to making dreams come true. And while they may not fit the traditional depiction of a “fairy godmother”, one non-profit organization known … Read More

A Message Sent On Behalf Of Scottsdale Police District 2 Command Staff  In an effort to continue collaboration on safety in our community, we wanted to alert Old Town businesses, including bar and hotel security and staff, to be vigilant in the coming days as the potential for civil unrest could again occur within our city. The difference between this … Read More

Is a city or town the better when their teachers, police officers, firefighters, healthcare workers and others can no longer afford to live in the place they serve?  This is a question facing many Arizona cities, but most especially Scottsdale, as rising rents and home values are creating unprecedented problems. Kudos to Arizona Republic real estate reporter Catherine Reagor for … Read More

By Alexander Lomax As a liberal with a science background, I have had myriad things to say about this pandemic. Initially, my beef was with the politicization of it, primarily from the right. The desire to nullify it, compare it to the flu, and to reject simple modes of reducing transmittance was at least somewhat a top-down driven movement, led … Read More