Mountain View

Catherine Uretsky, Publisher and Editor 623.398.5541 info@EstrellaPublishing.com

Al Uretsky, Publisher and Sales Executive 623.398.5541 info@EstrellaPublishing.com

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From Me To You...

May is a month full of events; graduations, Mother’s Day and the beginning of summer. The official beginning of summer is Memorial Day and when I first came to America I only knew it as a day of gatherings and picnics, family and egg salad. I soon found that it was so much more. A day to honor those who lost their lives while defending this country. So many have perished in defense of the rights that are set out in the constitution and we should honor their memory, it is the right thing to do.

Another thing May brings is change. We have been empty nesters for the first time this year and the peaceful days of living with nobody’s responsibilities but mine and my husband’s are about to come to a close, at least for a couple of months. The return of my college students, fresh off their first year of living ‘independently’ is upon us. I know the transition back to living at home will not be easy for any of us - I have been down this road before. The conflict between the life where they have been in charge of setting their own rules and boundaries and having to bend to our house rules is always challenging. Gone are my quiet nights watching TV and sipping a glass of wine, bring on the raucous sounds of laughter and demands for food. The revolving door as childhood friends come calling, the noise levels ratcheting higher as they greet each other and compare college tales - I can’t

wait. Even though the peace and quiet will be on temporary hold, and my nights will be longer and louder than I am used to, I am thrilled to see them and know that they are home.

I know this time with them will fly by, the minor irritations will be forgotten as soon as I wave them off to start their next year of adventures. And I am so thankful that they can do all that because of the many who sacrificed for them. Those brave men and women who gave their lives so that all our kids can safely go to college and live their lives in a country that they love. Thank you all.

Catherine Uretsky Editor, Mountain View Magazine info@estrellapublishing.com 623.398.5541

Cutest Kid Competition

Do you have the cutest kid or grandkid in Vistancia? Would you love to see them on the front cover of Mountain View magazine to show all your friends and relatives? Well now is your chance!

Send in a high resolution photo of your child (or children) to info@estrellapublishing.com and the winner will be featured on a future cover of Mountain View. The winner will get extra copies to share with family and friends, PLUS a $100 gift card to Carousel Arcade Bar located in Westgate Entertainment District, where you can treat yourself to an adult night out.

Now for the rules:

• One entry per family

• Winner will be chosen by a member of our editiorial staff

• Entry grants Estrella Publishing legal printing rights

• Entries will be accepted up to May 15th 2023.

Military Spouses

JOIN US on May 12th, in celebrating and recognizing U.S. Military Spouses here in the U.S. and all over the world.

Luke Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) (LukeMOAA.org) joins others in recognizing and celebrating the loyalty, strength, and dedication of the military spouse. Luke Chapter does this every day but place special focus on this day of recognition, May 12. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan named the Friday before Mother’s Day as Military Spouse recognition and celebration day. This year that day is May 12, 2023. A day that recognizes the significant contributions, support, and sacrifices of the spouses of the U.S. Armed Forces. We are strong focused spouses who do the impossible every single day.

We married our military loves who were duty bound and determined to get the job done. We are more than a label (military spouse). While we know separation or loss happens. But no one can ever prepare you for the hole your spouse leaves in your heart when they are gone.

Being strong people, we learned how to, no matter what the problems were at home, keep a cheerful attitude when we facetime our deployed spouses. We are plumbers, carpenters, child psychologists, learned patience and adaptability, and learned to always put our spouses ‘job’ first. We change locations as needed, creating exciting descriptions of the new environments for our children. Our kids learn how to make new friends. We learn to be socially active with our newfound friends at each base, creating memories and friendships that last forever. We have learned how to live life within and outside of our husband’s duties.

We are supportive, loving, loyal, fierce, and reliable. We are proud to be Military Spouses.

Submitted by Linda Wolverton

Peoria 411

Military Appreciation Month

Did you know that May is designated National Military Appreciation Month. The late Arizona Senator John McCain proposed having a Military Appreciation Month and Congress approved designating May as National Military Appreciation Month in 1999. May also celebrates other military events such as Military Spouse Appreciation Day, Armed Forces Day, Armed Forces Week, and Memorial Day. This month highlights the contributions that past and present military personnel have made and are making for our Country.

We are fortunate to have Luke Air Force Base as a neighbor. You may hear the Air Force Jets in the skies. I like to think of it as the sound of freedom. Luke Air Force Base is home to the 56th Fighter Wing, the largest fighter wing in the world and the Air Force’s primary active-

duty fighter pilot training wing. As part of Air Education and Training Command, and home to 24 diverse squadrons in addition to both F-35A Lightning II and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. Since 1941, Luke has graduated over 61,000 pilots.

Peoria Annual Crime Statistics

I wanted to share the 2022 Peoria Crime Statistics. Evaluation of data is a vital part of public safety. Data can assist in analyzing what is working well and what needs improvement. It also provides transparency and accountability. Peoria’s Police Department has taken steps to make its internal data available to the members of our community. As you can see in the chart, most types of crimes have decreased. Our officers are committed to partnering with the community to ensure a high quality of life and safety, maintaining community trust, and preserving life and property. We have an outstanding Police Force!

Submitted by Councilmember Brad Shafer

Yum Yum

Overnight French Toast Casserole

Go ahead and sleep in, because this French Toast Casserole is completely prepped the night before, perfect for Mother’s Day!

Ingredients

8 cups cubed French bread, from a thick, crusty loaf

7 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 cup half & half cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup salted butter, melted

1 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

3 TB pure maple syrup

Optional Cinnamon Sugar Topping: 1/4 cup sugar, whisked with 1 tsp cinnamon. Serve with pure maple syrup and fresh berries.

Instructions

• Butter a 9x13 baking dish; arrange bread cubes evenly in the dish. Set aside.

• In a large bowl, add all remaining ingredients (except optional topping.) Beat until fully incorporated and no clumps of brown sugar remain. Evenly and slowly pour liquid mixture over the bread cubes, gently tossing to ensure that all bread is coated with egg mixture. Bread cubes should be mostly soaked. Cover with foil and chill overnight.

• Remove casserole from fridge, uncover, and let it rest at room temp while you preheat oven to 350F. Sprinkle top with Cinnamon Sugar Topping, if using.

• Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes, or until French toast is quite puffy and golden brown. Let casserole rest at least 5 min before cutting and serving. Serve with pure maple syrup and fresh berries for a perfect Mother’s Day morning!

Moving On

Friendships are an essential part of living a fulfilling life. The problem is, no one really talks about how to evaluate your friendships and let go of the ones that are no longer adding value to your life. Danielle Bayard Jackson, Bumble For Friends’ expert, shares her advice on how to assess your friendships so that you can find peace in letting go of the ones you’ve outgrown. She suggests starting by asking yourself these questions:

• Does the friendship feel like an obligation? Many people have circumstantial friendships, meaning relationships that are mostly based on convenience, such as taking the same classes or having the same hobbies. When these friendships become obligatory, and you maintain them out of a sense of duty, it’s time to reassess.

• Why are you maintaining the friendship?

One of the most common reasons why people hold on to friendships that no longer serve them is that they feel they owe it to history. If the reasons you’ve elected to keep a friendship don’t include a value-add to your life, then it might be time to mend or end the relationship.

• What is maintaining the friendship costing you? Holding on to a friendship that you aren’t genuinely interested in maintaining can lead to resentment, as you’re investing time, energy and emotional bandwidth that you most likely can’t afford. There are only so many hours in the day, so it’s important to focus on friendships that positively impact your life.

If you decide that it’s time to part ways, Jackson recommends a three-step formula:

* Show that you’re intentional about the decision. Say, “Listen, I’ve been thinking a lot lately....”

* Address your needs without blaming the other person. Use ‘I’ statements as much as you can; try saying, “I need friendships in my life that can prioritize and support me in times of need.”

* Tell them how much you appreciate them and what your intention is for moving forward. This could be, “I have appreciated our friendship so much, and you have been such an integral part of my life. However, I won’t be able to show up in this friendship in the same way that I have before.”

Ending a friendship that no longer fits doesn’t make you mean or disloyal. Instead, it creates space for the both of you to be better positioned to invite new connections into your lives.

Creative Surface Solutions is part of the Younger Brothers Family of Companies

A Lethal Experiment

Experimenting with drugs is more dangerous than ever. With 6 out of 10 counterfeit pills in 2022 containing enough fentanyl to potentially kill your child (just 2 mg), as found by the DEA, there is a 60% chance of one pill destroying your child’s life.

ONE pill can kill. And—it is not just pills; fentanyl is being found in other street drugs such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, Percocet, Adderall, and Xanax.

Parents like Rebecca Kiessling did not realize the threat our nation is truly facing until her two boys died of fentanyl poisoning. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, she said, “People didn’t use to die from experimenting with drugs.” Before Congress, she stated, “…law enforcement made it clear to me that this fentanyl came from Mexico. It came from our southern border. I didn’t know what fentanyl was. I didn’t know what Narcan was. …I didn’t know people were dying.”

Parents, your kids need you. Your son or daughter is not immune—talk to your children. It is not your father’s Percocet or your grandmother’s weed. Prevention starts at home; keep communication open and build those relationships. Kids often do not want to disappoint mom and dad; this can lead to hiding from you or running toward you in times of trouble. Which will it be?

Ms. Kiessling mentioned Narcan earlier; this is a vital tool in saving lives from opioid overdose deaths. Narcan is a nasal spray version of naloxone, an opioid antagonist, used to temporarily push opioids off opioid receptors in the brain, blocking their effects. Without a prescription, you can get Narcan from a pharmacy or find a local distributor on NaloxoneAZ.com, free-of-charge! Having Narcan on hand is vital in today’s world, and you can find out how to use it among many other free resources at https://www.3PCoalition.org. We exist to serve you and our community. Please spread this information to everyone; we want to see more lives saved from fentanyl poisoning and accidental overdose.

The Peoria Primary Prevention Coalition is a prevention association that promotes safe and healthy choices and responds to problems caused by marijuana, nicotine, and opioid use by implementing strategies to prevent and reduce youth substance use. Author Larry Tracey is a member of the Peoria Primary Prevention Coalition (3PC) and the founder of Youth4Youth, which develops success and leadership skills in youth and promotes school safety by treating everyone with respect. For additional information, visit www. Youth4Youth.org.

Legal Advice

NON-STRESS IRA DESIGNATION

For 401ks, IRAs and other qualified retirement accounts, the designated beneficiary form directs how the funds will be paid on your death.

Common problems that arise with beneficiary designations are:

a. The “Estate” or no beneficiary is listed, so a probate is needed and the IRA will lose the ability to be stretched beyond 5 years, increasing the income tax.

b. A beneficiary dies before you, and if the trust was not the IRA’s designee, then the financial company rules apply to who gets the deceased beneficiary’s share.

c. The designated beneficiary is a minor, not a trust for the minor, and so a costly court conservatorship is need and much of the deferred tax benefit is lost.

d. Your spouse, who is not your children’s parent, did not sign a spousal waiver, so your spouse is entitled to at least if not all of funds, not your children.

Remember, currently, an inherited IRA must be paid in 10 years, if the beneficiary is not a spouse. Leaving a portion or all of your qualified retirement account to charity makes sense. The charity does not pay income taxes and will receive more funds than a family member. Other assets which are not taxable then can be left to family or friends.

Sharon Ravenscroft, Esq., The Cavanagh Law Firm, PA, Sun City and Phoenix offices, (623) 815-7451 or Sravenscroft@CavanaghLaw.com. Sharon’s practice focuses on Wills, trusts, probate and trust administration. For more information visit www.sharonravenscroft.com.

928-830-6329

Samurai Sudoku

This samurai sudoku puzzle is a great way to engage the brain and help develop logic skills. To solve this Samurai puzzle use standard sudoku rules for every 9x9 grid: each digit from 1 to 9 can only appear once in every row, column and 3x3 box. Good Luck!

Solutions are on our website www.EstrellaPublishing.com