By Recker McDowell — Diane Vaszily has been volunteering at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale for the past 9 years. Southwest Wildlife is home to orphaned, injured and rescued wild animals including wolves, bears, coyotes, foxes, deer, bobcats, skunks, and mountain lions. SWCC celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. Vaszily is a retired environmental educator so the wild animal … Read More

By Scottsdale Pinetop — In 1965, U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater led a citizen initiative to save Camelback Mountain. Over 55 years later, the fight continues in Paradise Valley. And one Paradise Valley family has found a new, creative way to help preserve the beloved mountains. The Story of Camelback Mountain is a new children’s book that tells the untold story … Read More

Listening to many of the candidates for Scottsdale Mayor and City Council prior to the August 4th primary election it’s as if no pandemic or economic pandemonium has occurred. Oblivious to the economic trauma that has severely wounded our galleries, special events, restaurants, and small business candidates continue to rail against height and density. It’s like complaining about a cold … Read More

By Recker McDowell — Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel has announced her office was easing its opposition to adoptions by same-sex couples. Adel’s predecessor, Bill Montgomery, was not keen on adoptions by same-sex couples. That led to the County Attorney’s Office outsourcing legal work for adoptions mandated by state law. Arizona statute requires County Attorneys to provide some free legal … Read More

By Recker McDowell — There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding when and how schools and colleges will reopen for the new school year. There is also a lot of uncertainty for many students on when and how they will continue their educations including going to college. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on jobs, livelihoods, and of course … Read More

By Recker McDowell — Arizona now has more than 150,000 COVID-19 cases and is closing in on 3,000 deaths from the virus. Those are important for the media and social media influencers to report as we traverse the pandemic and its impacts on health and the economy. The challenge is getting the national and local media to report on COVID-19 … Read More

By Recker McDowell — It can be easy to point out when the government (at all levels) overreaches its bounds or is not working for the ‘little guy’. We all know the ‘You Can’t Fight City Hall’ refrain. This is not the case at all with the city of Phoenix and the Good Samaritan work being down by the Planning … Read More

By Recker McDowell — School districts and universities across Arizona and the country are all wrestling with when and how to reopen for classes. Those decisions are not easy with COVID-19 and Arizona posting the second highest number of cases per capita in the U.S. Teachers and staff are worried about returning to classrooms. Some parents and students are also … Read More

By Recker McDowell — The Chandler Chamber of Commerce hosted its second virtual job fair last week helping to link prospective job applicants with employers including Microchip Technology, Toyota Financial Services and Walgreens in the age of COVID-19. Other business groups, including the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Valley Partnership, have also held virtual events helping connect and inform members. … Read More

By Recker McDowell — It was great to see Scottsdale City Councilwoman and Mayoral Candidate Suzanne Klapp and Scottsdale Police Chief Alan Rodbell at a forum this week hosted by the HeroZona Foundation focused on greater racial and social understanding. We have also noticed Klapp and Rodbell getting some grief on social media for a photo opp at the event … Read More