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City News
New and Coming Soon to The Shops at Norterra
THE SHOPS AT NORTERRA WELCOMED A DIVERSE RANGE OF NEW RESTAURANTS, SPECIALTY SHOPS AND ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS WITHIN RECENT MONTHS.
Professional florist shop, Poppies Flower Shop, joined the complex and offers exquisite floral arrangements for weddings and special events. Gaming Goat, the largest board game-specific retail chain in the United States, and Luv 2 Play, an indoor playground and arcade for kids, also opened their doors, creating the ultimate entertainment destination for North Phoenix residents. With even more plans in the works, the complex shows no signs of slowing down. Read on to find out what you can expect in 2021.
KUMON
An after-school math and reading center for preschool through 12th grade students, Kumon is slated to open in February. Because of COVID-19, they also offer virtual classes. “Kumon goes beyond tutoring. Instead, children actively develop critical thinking skills while progressing independently through a carefully crafted Kumon curriculum,” according to the company. “The Kumon math and reading programs cover everything from counting to calculus, and phonemics to Shakespeare. The worksheets enable children to learn new concepts on their own. Kumon programs allow students to progress one small step at a time through daily practice.” With a cult-like following, Five Guys serves up a simple but delicious menu of burgers, fries, and drinks. “Now, 30 years after Five Guys first opened, there are almost 1,500 locations worldwide and another 1,500 units in development,” according to the company. The franchise is known for only using fresh ground beef and peanut oil. Also, fun fact: there are no freezers at Five Guys locations, just coolers, so everything is freshly made when you order it.
TIKKA SHACK
The home of “seriously good Indian food,” Tikka Shack is “a scratch made Indian kitchen serving food in a fun, fast, casual manner,” according to the company. “Making Indian food approachable and delicious for everyone!” “Both the dining environment and the menu have been carefully curated to captivate guests with the aromatic flavors of India through the artful creation of blended spices,” says company reps. Their lineup of menu offerings provides a variety of traditional Indian dishes, as well as simplified pairings, offering options for both the newbie foodie and the curry connoisseur. Tikka Shack is a Masala Wok concept with both in-
FIVE GUYS
store and order online dining options.
EGGSTASY
An Arizona favorite, this restaurant’s goal is to provide each and every one of their guests a surreal dining experience. “We do not take any shortcuts in product preparation. Providing you outstanding service, quality food and great value is our objective. We offer the freshest ingredients in the market, often purchasing same-day,” according to the company. “We aim to source clean, seasonal and fair trade ingredients of the highest quality working with artisan producers who care about their craft as much as we do.” Some popular items are their soups, fresh toast and waffles, and freshsqueezed orange juice made daily.
With its wide range of offerings, combined with its premiere location, The Shops at Norterra has become one of the area’s most popular lifestyle destinations. To learn more about The Shops at Norterra, visit theshopsatnorterra.com. Community members can be among the first to receive updates and information about new store openings, special events and promotions with the Norterra Newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter at theshopsatnorterra.com/newsletter.
City News
Beyond the Season of Giving
By Councilwoman Thelda Williams, District 1
In January 2020, the annual PointIn-Time Count (PIT) was performed across Maricopa County. The annual street and shelter count is an effort to learn more about the individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the county. This year, 7,419 people experiencing homelessness were counted. Of those, 51 percent were unsheltered. The unsheltered count has been steadily increasing over the years. From 2019 to 2020, the unsheltered count increased 18 percent—a higher rate than the sheltered and overall PIT counts. Each holiday season we experience a rush of faith-based groups, nonprofits and individuals who want to help those who are experiencing homelessness. Food, clothing, and other supplies are often handed out on the streets. While this generosity is incredible, there are unintended consequences, including wasted food, unsafe and unsanitary conditions in neighborhoods, and fewer individuals turning to established nonprofits for services that could help them end their homelessness. One time donations delivered to those experiencing homelessness can delay or divert
PHOENIX RESIDENTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GENEROUS IN TIMES OF NEED.
people from seeking services. What is the alternative? Healthy giving, all year long. This is giving that takes the long-term needs of the individual and the community into consideration. The Healthy Giving campaign encourages you to direct your time and resources to community service organizations that prioritize building personal relationships with those they serve; relationships that can improve quality of life and can lead to housing, employment, and greater independence. This can mean volunteering or donating to groups that ensure your gifts are received by those in need and will have a lasting impact.
The Healthy Giving Council is whom we turn to when recommending the best place to direct resources. The council was formed by a coalition of concerned citizens, faith leaders, social service providers, neighborhood stakeholders, businesses, local government and individuals with lived experience of homelessness to promote healthy and sustainable giving.
This holiday season, and throughout the year, please consider healthy giving through the Healthy Giving Council. For more information, visit givesmartaz.org. If you have any questions, call my office at 602-262-7444.
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City News
Celebrate the Holidays at Elevate Coffee Co.
DUE TO COVID-19, THIS YEAR MAY BE THE TIME WHEN WE NEED HOLIDAY CHEER THE MOST.
That’s why the folks Elevate Coffee invite the community out for free photos with Santa on Dec. 5, 12 and 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To participate in the free photos, locals need to go online at elevatecoffee.com and register for a time. Masks are required during checkin and this event will adhere to CDC guidelines.
In addition to photos with Santa, throughout the month, Elevate will also host live music in an outdoors and socially distanced venue.
“Since 2010, Elevate has featured live music from local, regional, and nationally acclaimed musicians,” according to Elevate. “From smooth jazz to coffee house acoustic, there is a genre to please every musical taste. Join us on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. to enjoy live music nights at Elevate Coffee.”
Elevate reps note that they’re not just about serving up coffee, but are all about community and giving back, too.
“We don’t just serve coffee. We serve people. Our baristas create a warm, inviting space for you to come as you are, stay for a while, and leave as a friend. We love our customers and are always looking for creative ways to serve our community. From live music to holiday events, there is something for everyone at Elevate.”
To learn more, visit elevatecoffee. com/pages/events.
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City News
New Resources Available to Support Small Businesses, Business Recruitment and the Hospitality Industry
ARIZONA’S SMALL BUSINESSES AND HOSPITALITY SECTOR HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY HARD HIT BY THE PANDEMIC, WITH THOUSANDS OF
JOBS LOST SINCE MARCH. To provide a boost to these critical sectors and the Arizonans they employ, Governor Doug Ducey recently announced $7 million to support economic recovery efforts.
Over the course of the pandemic, the Arizona Department of Health Services has worked closely with the hospitality and tourism industry to provide public health guidance intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 and enable operations to continue safely. The Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) has worked closely with state and national partners to provide up-to-date health and safety information to travelers and the tourism industry.
“In Arizona, we’ve shown that mitigation measures work and can help our business operate safely — with public health the top priority,” says Governor Ducey. “Thousands of Arizonans employed by the hospitality industry have been impacted and displaced by this pandemic, and we continue to fight for them. Likewise, we know many small businesses are facing incredible challenges. As we make sure Arizonans have access to the social safety net, we also want to give them the opportunity to work. This funding will protect livelihoods, highlight the robust mitigation measures Arizona has put in place, and keep our economy moving forward.”
THE FUNDING INCLUDES:
• $3 million for the AOT to put toward a strategic recovery plan, promoting safe meeting and business travel, and working with hotels, restaurants, attractions and destination marketing organizations to help connect visitors to our rural, urban, and tribal communities; • $1 million for the AOT to strengthen domestic marketing campaigns, targeting residents of nearby states including, but not limited to: Illinois, Minnesota,
Texas, Nevada, Colorado, California, and New Mexico, who can drive to
Arizona to safely visit; • $1 million for the Arizona Commerce
Authority (ACA) to connect with businesses that can benefit from safely expanding or relocating in Arizona; • $1 million for the ACA to provide capital funding for Arizona small businesses and entrepreneurs, further encouraging economic development amid the pandemic; and • $1 million for local chambers of commerce to implement programs that accelerate local economic recovery related to COVID-19.
This funding comes from federal CARES Act dollars and is being allocated by the state. The funding for local chambers of commerce comes from the Crisis Contingency and Safety Net Fund, established in March through a bipartisan state budget agreement that added $50 million for Arizona’s COVID-19 response.
View the steps AOT has taken to address COVID-19’s impact to tourism in Arizona here: tourism.az.gov/covid19-updates. View ACA’s resources for businesses affected by COVID-19 here: azcommerce.com/covid-19.
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City News
Musical Theatre of Anthem to Hold Casting Calls for Upcoming Shows; Community Welcome
MUSICAL THEATRE OF ANTHEM (MTA) WILL BE HOSTING AUDITIONS FOR ALADDIN KIDS, 13 THE MUSICAL, AND GODSPELL ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2021 AT MTA’S THEATRE PERFORMANCE SPACE, LOCATED AT
42201 N. 41ST DRIVE, SUITE B100, IN ANTHEM. Due to COVID-19 safety regulations, pre-registration is required.
ALADDIN KIDS AUDITIONS
• 10:30 a.m. General Auditions • 9 a.m. for workshop participants A-L • 9:45 a.m. for workshop participants M-Z • Dance call: January 10 at 9 a.m., callbacks at 10 a.m. Cost: $325 for ages 6-12; 10% sibling discount; scholarships available. Audition prep workshops: $35, Thursday, January 7 and Friday, January 8, from 4:30 – 6 p.m.
13 THE MUSICAL AUDITIONS
• 2:30 p.m. General Auditions • 1 p.m. for workshop participants (A-L) • 1:45 p.m. for workshop participants (M-Z) • Dance call: January 10 at 2:30 p.m., callbacks at 3 p.m. Cost: $325 for ages 12-15; 10% sibling discount; scholarships available. Audition prep workshop: $35, Thursday, January 7, from 6:30 – 8 p.m.
GODSPELL AUDITIONS
• 4:30 p.m. General Auditions • 4 p.m. auditions for workshop participants • Dance call: January 10 at 6 p.m., callbacks at 6:30 p.m. Cost: Ages 15-adult, all youth ages 15-19 are cast. $325 for ages 1519; 10% sibling discount; scholarships available. Audition prep workshop: $35, Thursday, January 8, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Details: Bring a musical theatre song (or any song they are comfortable with), 16-32 bars or one minute in length. Bring an accompaniment to sing with. You may also sing acapella. Have your registration materials completed prior to coming to the audition.
To learn more, visit MTA’s website at musicaltheatreofanthem.org.
ABOUT THE SHOWS
• Aladdin Kids: Based on the iconic animated film, with an Academy Award-winning score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and
Tim Rice, Disney’s Aladdin Kids is sure to send audiences soaring on a flying carpet ride filled with romance and adventure. • 13 The Musical: Geek. Poser. Jock. Beauty Queen. Wannabe.
These are the labels that can last a lifetime. With an unforgettable rock score from Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert
Brown, (Parade, The Last Five Years, Bridges of Madison County), 13 is a musical about fitting in – and standing out! • Godspell: Godspell was the first major musical theatre offering from three-time Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen
Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Children of Eden), and it took the world by storm. In this play, a small group of people helps Jesus
Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and hefty doses of comic timing.
Musical Theatre of Anthem is an award-winning, nonprofit theater company. The mission of MTA is to develop youth and adults within the field of performing arts while enhancing their intrinsic creativity and brokering their vast talents.
Solar Must Be Installed by Dec 31st or Miss Out on 26% Tax Credit
Arizona Home Owners have until December 31, 2020 to have a solar system installed and be “Operational” to qualify for the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC). If the system is installed after that date the tax credit will drop to 22% in 2021 and 0% in 2022.
Is there still time for a solar project to be initiated and completed before the end of the year? According to Val Berechet, President of SunSolar Solutions, a local solar company with over 6500 customers in Arizona, it only takes one or two days to complete a solar installation. The issue is, it can take anywhere from 60 to 90 days from the point of getting a proposal to having the permit from the city and approvals from APS. So it is getting close to the point where that will become impossible to accomplish. To remove the uncertainty for their customers SunSolar Solutions will guarantee customers an installation in 2020 if they call for a proposal through October 2020.
In addition to the Federal ITC, the State of Arizona will issue a $1000 tax credit that can be applied to 2020 state taxes.
According to Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA): If a homeowner buys the solar energy system outright (either paying cash or fi nancing with a loan), they cannot use any commence construction safe harbor provisions. To receive the full 26% residential solar tax credit, the system must be “placed in service” before the end of the day December 31, 2020. It is not enough to have signed a contract, or to have made a down payment or even to have begun construction. There is no bright-line test from the IRS on what constitutes “placed in service,” but the IRS has equated this with “completed installation” in a Private Letter Ruling. The residential credit is claimed on the tax return for the year in which the qualifying expenditures are incurred, and the tax rules say the costs are incurred when the system installation has been completed. The 25D tax credit will step down to 26% in 2020, 22% in 2021, and 0% starting in 2022.
If a homeowner buys a newly built home with solar and owns the system outright, the year that they move into the house sets their credit eligibility. Expenditures are generally treated as incurred when the original installation of the solar energy system is completed on an existing home. However, if a new solar energy system is purchased in connection with the new construction of a home, the costs are treated as incurred when the taxpayer begins living in the home.
QUICK FACTS
The ITC is a 26 percent tax credit for solar systems on residential (under Section 25D) and commercial (under Section 48) properties. The Section 48 commercial credit can be applied to both customer-sited commercial solar systems and large-scale utility solar farms.
The residential and commercial solar ITC has helped the U.S. solar industry grow by more than 10,000% percent since it was implemented in 2006, with an average annual growth of 50% over the last decade alone.
Congress passed a multi-year extension of the ITC in 2015.
A tax credit is a dollar-fordollar reduction in the income taxes that a person or company would otherwise pay the federal government. The ITC is based on the amount of investment in solar property. Both the residential and commercial ITC are equal to 26 percent of the basis that is invested in eligible solar property.
If you would like to receive a free proposal customized to your home’s roof and APS usage call Michael O’Donnell, VP of Sales at SunSolar Solutions at 602818-1355. Act now to ensure the installation in 2020 and receive the full 26% Federal ITC and the $1000 Arizona Tax Credit on this years taxes.
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