Money is the fuel that powers politics: fuel alone won’t drive anything, but the best car around won’t drive an inch without it. And it’s the same with political parties as it is with campaigns. Money helps parties hire staffers, pay for resources, and ramp up in preparation for warfare every two years. And here in Arizona, we found out … Read More
A Gigantic Post-Scandal Shake-Up at the Maricopa County Democratic Party: Executive Director and Chair are Out, New Regime Is In. What Does It Mean?
What a few weeks it has been since we lifted the curtain on major financial improprieties at the Maricopa County Democratic Party (read our analyses here). Within the first five days 7,600 of you read our most recent story which ended in our call for both its Executive Director Ne’Lexia Galloway and its Chair Nancy Schriber to resign. That article … Read More
Another Piece of History Dies at the Altar of “Progress”
The word “progress” denotes moving forward by its very nature. While it takes on different meanings for different things, at its core it generally means leaving something behind in the past for something in the future that is ostensibly better. But sometimes the word is used too loosely; not everything old needs to be updated, and not everything new adds … Read More
Arizona’s Own Rock God Spreading the Gospel of Grapes, Both Locally and Statewide
To anyone between the ages of 35 and 50 who knows anything about rock music, we don’t need to tell you about Tool. An iconic band which has transcended genres, has earned incredible commercial success while never needing to rely on stunts and attention-grabs, and in the process has obtained a nearly cult-like following. But most Arizona Tool fans can … Read More
More Drama at the Maricopa County Democratic Party: Apparent Fraud and an Alleged Cover-Up
Things have been quite messy for the Maricopa County Democratic Party over the last year or so; one might call it the Bruce Franks Jr. Effect. We recommend getting up to date in our write-ups here and here. But recently after some more internal consternation and party disagreements we found out just how bad things were (and presumably still are) … Read More
Real Progress: the Rio Verde Foothills Step Closer to Normalcy
It has been quite the roller coaster for the residents of the Rio Verde Foothills and their attempt to secure a long term source for water; you can get fully up to date here. Through nearly a full year of ups and downs, of political grandstanding and anger from the citizenry, the people in this region have taken a significant … Read More
Arizonan Excellence: A Local Bar is Named America’s Greatest Place for Cocktails
We know that Arizona is a great place to live (certainly at least when the temperature dips back below 110 degrees at least); this is why we call it home. Yet every once in a while it still manages to surprise us…for instance, we never would have considered our area a cocktail destination. Yet one local establishment is showing us … Read More
The End of an Era: Seeing Red AZ is Taking a Step Back
Arizona has long been an interesting place to write about politics; we should know, most of our best read pieces have been chronicling the ups, downs and sometimes utter insanity of the politics of this state. Considering how important our state has been on the national political scene, we have had relatively few high quality bloggers who cover that beat. … Read More
Old Town for Seniors: Can a Retirement Community in Scottsdale’s Party Zone Work?
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