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‘Wyatt Earp: A Life on the Frontier’ PAGE
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BC senior Hayden Brewer Serving the communities of Anthem, Desert Hills, Norterra, Sonoran Foothills, Stetson Valley, Tramonto, New River, Desert Ridge and North Phoenix
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This Week
NEWS ................. 6
New rules for order of protection hearings
Anthem Area Edition
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Wednesday, January 26, 2022
New developments, jobs coming despite pandemic BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer
C
hristine Mackay, Phoenix community and economic development director, presented an economic forecast for 2022 as well as an update about ongoing projects at the Jan. 14 Daisy Mountain town hall meeting. The recurring theme throughout Mackay’s presentation was that while the pan-
demic may have stalled things, it certainly did not stop the inevitable growth and development of the city. Phoenix is starting to return to a pre-pandemic status, but businesses, employers and employees have learned to adapt, creating a much different work environment. Mackay stressed the city is growing exponentially, which isn’t a surprise. Phoenix has 1.7 million residents, an 11.2%
increase from 2020 to 2021. “We’ve been the fastest-growing city in the nation for the last five years, but recently we were named the fastest-growing city of the decade,” Mackay said. “What’s important in that is that, while we’ve been fast growing for a long period of time, now it is about quality as opposed to quantity. When you think about it, 72 people a day
see DAISY page 5
AIDS Walk Arizona is group’s largest fundraiser
FEATURES ........ 16 Sixth annual WinterFest and BookFest returns Saturday, Jan. 29
YOUTH ............. 19 Cox to award $3,500 Diversity Scholarship to students
OPINION ................... 10 FEATURES ................ 16 YOUTH ...................... 19 CLASSIFIEDS ............ 21 Zone I
BY ANNIKA TOMLIN Foothills Focus Staff Writer
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unt Rita’s Foundation’s annual AIDS Walk Arizona is the state’s largest gathering that supports people living with
HIV. The Saturday Feb. 19, event that raises funds and community awareness features a 5K and 2K walk/run presented by CAN Community Health at Tempe Beach Park. “Aunt Rita’s has been hosting AIDS Walk Arizona since 2008,” said Aunt Rita’s executive director Jimmy Thomason. “All of our funds that are raised for AIDS Walk go to our corporate agencies. This year, we will have 14 partner agencies that are HIV organizations that have programs to support the community.”
see WALK page 4
Free Mom Hugs is an organization run by mothers who support the LGBTQ+ community. (Photo courtesy of Aunt Rita’s Foundation)
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