The Arizona Supreme Court issued its ruling allowing the “Smart and Safe Arizona” initiative—Proposition 207—to remain on the ballot despite concerns over deficiencies in its 100-word statement. Big Marijuana sought to deceive Arizona voters with the summary and got away with it. Keep in min…
I am 73 years old. Never in my later years did I think I would open Arizona’s first medical marijuana dispensary, but I did, in 2012. The public interest was high. Our location was in Downtown Glendale. But what started as fanfare is now routine. That’s a good thing, though. You don’t hear a…
As Arizona leaves the summer heat behind, we are headed into the heat of the 2020 election.
For shame! Glendale City Council eradicates the judicial selection advisory board.
Despite the countless political ads you see on TV and social media, the most-important offices on your ballot might not be the ones at the top of the ticket.
For over 131 years, the Peoria Unified School District has been teaching the students of the Northwest Valley. Founded in 1889, the original school’s class size varied between five and 15 students full time in the first few years. Today, the district serves more than 36,000 students from G…
Some people love theme parks. They don’t mind lines. They crave the rides and the adrenaline. As an Arizonan since 1995, I’m not much for theme parks.
Nearly half a million Arizonans are living with Alzheimer’s or caring for a loved one with the disease. Prior to COVID-19, our state was grappling with how to prepare for an astounding 33% increase over the next five years in the population impacted by all dementias.
When I was a kid, we subscribed to TV Guide. The best issue always came at the end of summer, because it previewed the upcoming fall television season.
Each year, more than 250,000 women in the United States learn that they have breast cancer, and more than 20,000 find out they have ovarian cancer.
One hundred years ago, a young state representative named Harry Burn, at age 24, sat uncomfortably at his desk in the Tennessee Legislature. The entire country was watching, as Tennessee was the last of the 36 states needed to ratify the United States Constitution granting women the right to…
There is a reason that the Arizona Police Association, the National Association of Police Organizations, the International Union of Police Associations and law enforcement from all over the nation have endorsed President Trump.
If you’ve yet to travel by airplane in the age of COVID-19, you’ve missed out on some terrific people watching.
I’ve never been much for apologies. Let me give you an example.
The relentless pace of the coronavirus pandemic has challenged hospital and health care workers across the Valley and the country. Long days are spent caring for COVID and non-COVID patients. The stress of managing personal lives while balancing family needs and commitments adds yet another …
Long ago, city planners mapped out the city of Glendale, meticulously assigning street names in subdivisions and commercial parks to create an easy way to navigate around town.
The June 3 premiere of “Hamilton” on streaming service Disney Plus marked the end of a five-year wait for audiences who hadn’t seen the hit musical on stage.
As our days fill with talk of race, you wonder about the honesty of it all.
At age 7, I went through a period of childhood that involved masks.
There was a beauty to the games, something artistic that maybe I cannot convey in words: The thud of the ball against the gym floor; the riotous squeaks and squeals of hightops on lacquered hardwood; the dim light, the frayed nets hanging from the rims.
Let me begin with full disclosure: In my day job, I work as a public relations consultant. Among my clients are various public safety organizations.
As mayor, I have spent the last eight years working with our police department to keep our citizens safe. While videos like those of George Floyd are shocking to see and cases like his have appropriately led to murder charges, the public needs to remember that no one hates a bad cop more tha…
In a year with many distractions and stressful events, we must not forget that World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15.
Arizona is reopening, but coronavirus is still top of mind for many residents as new cases of COVID-19 are confirmed every day. The fact that we will be living with this virus for a while means every Arizonan should understand the role of health insurance in regards to what treatments and te…
They came to the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds by the thousands, just four days after a terrorist’s bomb ripped through a federal building in Downtown Oklahoma City.
Imagine that your family bought the perfect home nestled in a pastoral community of large lots near the White Tank Mountains, where the local school is a caring haven for young minds and friendly neighbors meet for coffee at the country market just down the road near the small-town post office.
If you have Medicare and want to be tested for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Trump administration has good news.
Every crisis has new heroes. During the 9/11 attacks, they were the first responders running into burning and crumbling buildings as others ran out. Now, during the coronavirus pandemic, the most visible heroes are the health care professionals who are saving others and risking their own liv…
I spent a chunk of Wednesday at the dermatologist’s office, sitting in the waiting room.
I got sued once, last decade. The plaintiff was a disgraced state legislator who resigned after multiple witnesses called 911 to report him beating up his then-girlfriend in public. She was a friend; I volunteered to help her deal with the media.
Think you know the West Valley? Well, think again.
As mayor, as a legislator and as a citizen and small-business owner, I’ve always treated firefighters, police, EMTs and our military as heroes and that’s never going to change. Whether it’s raising charity funds for and with them, small personal touches like delivering pies and cakes on Chri…
As of this writing, COVID-19, a highly infectious and pernicious respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), is the leading cause of death in the U.S.It is disconcerting and perplexing to millions of Americans that the deadly SARS-CoV-2 pathogen once unfamiliar to human…
It’s unfortunate that Mayor Jerry Weiers continues to misrepresent himself as a supporter of the city’s firefighters and police officers. The truth is, the mayor has failed Glendale residents and first responders. And his constant distortion of the facts requires that the Professional Fire F…
It’s dangerous to contemplate history when a historical moment remains ongoing, but when your days stretch to infinity under quarantine, what else do you have to do?
For many Arizonans, April has been a lost month. Little to no work has been available, our normal forms of recreation became a thing of the past, economic worries came to the forefront.
The conversation with a progressive politico friend of mine took place in a Walgreens parking lot on April 15—two men standing six feet apart, swapping tales of quarantine woe.
The mission of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Motor Vehicle Division is to get Arizona out of line and safely on the road, and over the past several years we’ve made great strides doing that.
Gov. Doug Ducey ordered that constables not enforce writs of restitution (residential eviction orders) if the tenant is quarantined or if the tenant suffered a substantial loss of income due to COVID-19.
I recently came across a timely quote from Mindy Grossman, CEO of WW (former Weight Watchers) who shared, “Never waste a good crisis. Learn from it.” Certainly, in these ever-changing times, we are learning volumes from our new normal.
Written in stone across the front of the Maricopa County Superior Courthouse is the statement, “The first duty of society is justice.” And while thousands of people pass under these words every day, few stop to think about how important these words are to our democracy.
Newspaper writers have long made a living penning “thank you” notes to the brave.
My mom spent her life as a dedicated realist. When things were going horribly, she told us, “This too shall pass.”
Every few weeks, I board the airplane in Phoenix and fly east to Florida. There is no joy in the journey, a trip to vacation land that feels like anything but vacation.
