Scottsdale Police Using Drones: Effective Crime-Fighting or Intrusion on Privacy?

Arizona has always had a bit of a social libertarian streak; one focused on self-reliance, of personal freedoms, and a disdain for “big government”. Sometimes that desire for personal freedom and a lack of government intrusion can clash with another aspect of much of the state, and specifically Scottsdale: a respect for the work of law enforcement. So what happens … Read More

Looking Forward to November: The Scottsdale City Council Race

The recent primary in Scottsdale offered some clarity on how the next iteration of the City Council will look, as well as one surprise: instead of fundraising favorite Tammy Caputi avoiding a run-off and winning outright, it was Jan Dubauskas who finished in first with enough of a margin to avoid a run-off, and as such will be the first … Read More

Guest Editorial: Listen to Our Firefighters, Not the Loud Activists

By Ronald Sampson Most cities of a certain size have some kind of a loud activist minority (minority referring to their size, not any immutable traits). You know the types; they don’t have too much to hang their hat on when it comes to their personal or professional lives, so they throw everything into some political causes, consistently raise the … Read More

Guest Editorial – It’s Not Just You: There’s Been a Lot of Construction

by John Coppotelli IV You haven’t just been imagining it: there has been a lot of construction recently. Some of the busiest streets and neighborhoods in the valley have been under construction for months. While these projects are intended to be beneficial, they have made it more difficult for people to reach their destinations. For instance, 68th Street between Indian … Read More

Huge Human Trafficking Sting in Scottsdale (and It’s Not the first): Is This a Serious Issue?

Scottsdale is a center of tourism and recreation, with myriad options to enjoy yourself ranging from the completely benign, such as golf and sunbathing, to the more debaucherous, including being a destination for bachelorette parties and our myriad nightclubs. However a recent development helped uncover a much seedier side to its reputation for recreation. A recent police sting related to … Read More

Arizona Has a Stupid Motorist Law…Does It Need a Stupid Hiker Law?

Most of our readers likely know of Arizona’s first-in-the-nation “Stupid Motorist Law”, where if you disregard signs stating that a road is closed due to flooding and you get caught in the waters and need help from emergency services, you will pay for that help.But perhaps the time has come to make the same thing for stupid hikers. Why do … Read More

Government Matchmakers: What if Scottsdale Followed Japan’s Lead?

For all the single people out there, would you like your government to help you find a mate? We’re going to garner a guess that nearly 100% of the responses would range from “No!” to “Hell no!”. But that is precisely what parts of Japan are doing to help stem their population decline due to low birth rates. Scottsdale has … Read More

Guest Editorial: Susan Wood’s Sore Losing

By Alexander Lomax The City of Scottsdale won a significant legal victory on July 19. The City seeks to place an initiative on the November ballot, which if approved, creates a sales tax to fund maintenance, personnel and capital improvements to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the city’s 44 parks and WestWorld. The Goldwater Institute sued the City on behalf of … Read More