INSIDE THE NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE: Serving Up Winter Wine p. 3 Aid Helping Northland Breweries p. 4 Vodcast Expanding QCBN Stories p. 10
Community Profile: Beekeeper Producing Sweet Sting Honey p. 12 Center for the Future Gaining Momentum p. 16 Alternative Therapies for Pets p. 26
Babbitt Ranches Forges Ahead with Clēnera and SRP on Solar Project By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
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O Bar Solar is gaining energy with the recent purchase power agreement between renewable resources developer Clēnera, owned by Enlight Renewable Energy, and Arizona utility company Salt River Project (SRP). “Where we are today, as we embark on renewable energy endeavors, is truly inspirational for the Babbitt
family,” said Babbitt Ranches President and General Manager Billy Cordasco. “We are talking about what matters most for future generations. And, what we have all worked toward is not just a shift for Babbitt Ranches, but a regional and statewide shift involving landowners, city and county entities, power companies and really all of us as we help Arizona reach its clean energy goals.” The solar panel development
proposed for Babbitt Ranches’ land, northwest of Flagstaff and east of Valle, is scheduled to be in operation in 2024 and expected to deliver between 440 and 480 megawatts of renewable energy to SRP customers, enough to serve 80,000 homes, while offsetting 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year. “Clēnera has historically paved the way for renewable energy in the state, and CO Bar Solar is yet another
example of progress being made in Arizona’s clean energy sector,” said Clēnera Vice President of Business Development Jared McKee. “Babbitt Ranches has been navigating how to best participate in these renewable energy efforts for some time, especially when it comes to considering future generations,” said Cordasco. “Not only are we talking about the development of renewable Continued on page 42
Carrying Kayla’s Message Pilot carries Kayla Mueller’s backpack on Mount Kilimanjaro climb, dedicates trek to humanitarian’s memory By Ray Newton, QCBN
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In an emotional meeting, Kathleen Delany connected with Marsha and Carl Mueller after unknowingly purchasing their daughter’s backpack. Delany attached Kayla’s picture to the pack and shared her story of compassion with hikers, which served as an inspiration during the eight days on the mountain. Photo by Ray Newton November 2021 | Issue 11 Volume 9
hen Kathleen Delany went online to buy a used backpack for her upcoming trip to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, she had no idea it would become a life-changing event. Delaney is an Arizona State University graduate and commercial airline pilot stationed in California. She moved to Prescott Valley in March 2021 after being put on leave because of COVID-19, and in the aftermath of a traumatic breakup with her boyfriend. The Phoenix native previously had bought a home there for her retired parents. She had no idea she would be living with them nine months later. Delany, 53, explained,
“After my breakup, I knew it was time for me to collect my thoughts and dedicate myself to a new future. I had dreamed of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for more than 10 years. In 2010, I had visited Tanzania with a friend to celebrate my 42nd birthday. I’ve been an avid hiker since childhood. I have for years hiked the tallest mountains around me in Colorado and the Sierras.” Delany decided she needed a medium-sized backpack. She looked online and found one she liked. She contacted the people who listed it, Carl and Marsha Mueller, who live in Prescott. She met them June 11, to examine the backpack. She checked it, liked it, and bought it for $45. The Muellers told her it belonged to
their daughter, Kayla, but said nothing else. Delany had never heard of Kayla. Later, she would learn Kayla’s tragic story of having been captured in 2013 in Syria, held captive for more than 500 days and then murdered by ISIS terrorists in Raqqa in 2015. Delany used the backpack for a few training hikes. One afternoon, while preparing the backpack for the Kilimanjaro trek she had scheduled for July, she reached into a pocket and felt something. “I pulled out a worn but readable 2009 airline ticket receipt for Kayla Mueller from Phoenix to Atlanta and then Guatemala. My mom told me that name was familiar. I Googled it. When I saw who it was, I got chills. The hair on my arms was sticking up. The range of my emotions – intense. It hit me. I was meant to Continued on page 43
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