The Foothills Focus - Zone 1 - 7.7.2021

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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 ................. 7

APS offering grants to K-12 Title 1 teachers

BUSINESS ......... 15 Feel the Red Effect with new infrared fitness studio

YOUTH ............. 24 Student safety is a DVUSD priority

OPINION ................... 10 BUSINESS ................. 14 FEATURES ................ 21 YOUTH ...................... 24 CLASSIFIEDS ............ 26 Zone I

Around the Bluhmin’ town Anthem Area Edition

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Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Phoenix works to reduce $3.2B unfunded pension debt

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Foothills Focus Staff Writer

P

hoenix City Council recently took a step toward chipping away at a nearly $3.2 billion accrued pension liability for police and �ire retirees with a plan that Ahwatukee Councilman Sal DiCiccio called “the least �iscally responsible plan I would support.”

Mayor Kate Gallego refused to go along with part of that plan – a possible $1 billion pension liability bond issue – expressing reservations about investments that might be made by future politically appointed members of the Arizona

��� PENSION ���� 4

Assistant Phoenix Finance Director Katherine Gitkin and Chief Financial Officer Denise Olson briefed City Council recently on the plan to reduce the city’s unfunded pension liability. (Special to Foothills Focus)

Nonpro�it seeks volunteers to help pigs, piglets

BY ANNIKA TOMLIN Foothills Focus Staff Writer

D

anielle Betterman was gifted her �irst pig, Beezers, 12 years ago.

She researched the ins and outs of raising a pig in the Valley. Wanting to impart her knowledge and her love of pigs, she opened Better Piggies Rescue in 2017.

“I started doing research and quickly started volunteering with other organizations around the Valley like Ironwood Pig Sanctuary and Circle L Ranch (Animal Rescue and Sanctuary) out in Prescott and then just saw the need for

rescues and adoptions,” Betterman said.

“The number of pigs that are purchased as pets and then discarded is outstanding,” Betterman said. “It’s an issue that a lot of people don’t know about. It’s a very unique issue, but it has gotten out of control.”

Located at 36246 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, the nonpro�it takes in around 25 surrendered pigs every two weeks. Last year alone the nonpro�it rescued 200 pigs.

“We have 110 pigs on the property right now — all rescues,” Betterman said. “We also have three cows that are rescues as well.”

To help care for the 110 pigs, Better Piggies

Rescue is restarting its volunteer program that was stopped in lieu of COVID-19.

“Before COVID we were doing Piggy Yoga and Get Fit with the Pigs and we would have these large crowds on our tours and our (volunteer) orientations and then COVID hit and it was just, we had to stop,” Betterman explained.

“Just for the safety of myself and our rescue manager and also for the volunteers that would come on a daily basis and then the pigs, too.”

Unaware at the time if pigs could contract and spread COVID-19, the rescue named safe-

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NEWS

An edition of the East Valley Tribune The Foothills Focus is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout the North Valley. To find out where you can pick up a copy of The Foothills Focus, please visit www.thefoothillsfocus.com CONTACT INFORMATION Main number: 623-465-5808 | Fax: 623-465-1363 Circulation: 480-898-5641 Publisher: Steve T. Strickbine Vice President: Michael Hiatt Associate Publisher: Eric Twohey | 480-898-5634 | erict@thefoothillsfocus.com ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Display Advertising: 623-465-5808 Classifieds/Inside Sales: Elaine Cota | 480-898-7926 | ecota@timespublications.com TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 | tjhiggins@timespublications.com Steve Insalaco | 480-898-5635 | sinsalaco@timespublications.com Advertising Office Manager: Lori Dionisio | 480-898-6309 | ldionisio@timespublications.com Director of National Advertising Zac Reynolds | 480-898-5603 | zac@thefoothillsfocus.com NEWS DEPARTMENT Executive Editor: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski | 480-898-5631 christina@timespublications.com Photographer: Pablo Robles | probles@timespublications.com Design: Nathalie Proulx | nproulx@timespublications.com Production Coordinator: Courtney Oldham | 480-898-5617 production@timespublications.com Circulation Director: Aaron Kolodny | 480-898-5641 | customercare@evtrib.com Proud member of :

The Foothills Focus is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@azintegratedmedia.com

The content of any advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The Foothills Focus assumes no responsibility for the claims of any advertisement. © 2020 Strickbine Publishing, Inc.

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

PENSION ���� ���� 1

Public Safety Personnel Retirement System Board.

“I do have concerns in the future about some of the candidates for governor who are likely to succeed and who they might put in these seats,” Gallego said.

Even DiCiccio, who frequently butts heads with the mayor, agreed with Gallego’s assessment of PSPRS and wishes police and �ire pension could be put under the Arizona State Retirement System because it has a better track record with its investments.

“You and I are totally in agreement on the status of the entity itself,” he said. “I would love to �ind a way to get rid of it and move it into a more stable fund. But that’s not what’s in front of us. The only thing in front of us now is whether or not we want to pay down that debt.”

DiCiccio also expressed concern that the city’s plan to pay down its debt assumes PSRPS will deliver on its projected investment returns of about 7.5% when it historically has achieved only around a 5% return.

Gallego concurred, stating “Some of the investments this pension fund made in the

past, were unnecessarily risky and didn’t pay off. And that’s part of the reason for the current funding levels” required of the city.

Without criticizing the PSPRS, the administration memo to Council noted that the city’s unfunded liability comes from “actual results (interest earnings, member mortality, disability rates, etc.) being different from the assumptions used in previous actuarial valuations.”

“Most funds in PSPRS are signi�icantly underfunded due to historical low returns on plan assets, people in general living longer and decreases in governmental workforces,” it said.

The city’s total pension debt has nearly doubled in two years, increasing to $5.4 billion from $3.01 billion at the end of the 2018-19 �iscal year.

Its funding ratio is hovering around 40% even though it should be twice that, City Manager Ed Zuercher and Chief Financial Of�icer Denise Olson said.

The unfunded part of that ratio equals $3.2 billion of a total $5.4 billion pension debt for �ire and police retirees.

The administration’s memo to Council noted that its three-pronged plan would

“avoid a huge burden” down the road that would require “signi�icantly decreasing services or an increase in taxes.”

“This taxpayer burden must be balanced with being �iscally responsible and committed in providing pensions to retirees,” the memo said.

They said the increased pension fund liabilities and costs already “have placed signi�icant budgetary constraints on the City’s ability to provide employee wage and non-pension bene�it increases, public services and infrastructure maintenance.

“While currently manageable, this pressure will continue into the foreseeable future. Further, credit rating agencies and lenders place strong consideration on the funding plan and funding levels of the city’s pension systems when determining their view of the overall �inancial health of the city.”

The plan includes three components that, if successful, could erase the city’s pension fund liability by 2038 or even 2036.

One component involves possible future council approval of a $1 billion pension bond issue if interest rates are below 3.5%.

Zuercher said he didn’t want to �loat any more bonds out of caution lest the city exhausted its borrowing capacity and be rendered unable to pay for important infrastructure needs.

Another part of the plan involves taking 1.2% of $5.6 million in new revenue from recreational marijuana sales taxes and putting that toward pension debt.

The �inal component was increasing the General Fund contribution to pension debt by $39.7 million this �iscal year for a total payment of this year of $283.6 million.

Councilwoman Ann O’Brien asked what would happen if “we do not pay our debts and go into an economic downturn.”

Olson replied, “If we do not make those annual contribution payments, then that starts a sequence of events that (would be) detrimental to the city.”

DiCiccio underscored the urgency behind the administration’s plan even though he felt the problem requires even stronger measures.

“If we don’t handle these things in the way that they’ve presented – by putting these monies toward paying down the debt – we’re going to be screwed in the future as a

��� PENSION ���� 5

NEWS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

VOLUNTEERS ���� ���� 1

ty a No. 1 priority.

“Now that people are getting vaccinated and things are opening up and people that are not vaccinated are still wearing masks, we’re able to have our events again so we are starting with our volunteer orientations,” Betterman said.

Volunteers of any age — minors require parent or guardian accompaniment — should attend the hour-long orientation for $25 to “learn about the sanctuary and get a tour,” according to Betterman. The orientation also includes an exclusive BPR volunteer shirt and car sticker.

The Saturday morning orientations are booked for July and are nearly full for August. However, orientations run through the end of the year. To sign up, visit betterpiggiesrescue.org. Waivers are required for the volunteers and are on the website. “(During orientation) you learn the different pens and what kind of needs each pen has,” Betterman said.

“You get to learn 110 names that you won’t remember at all. Then you get to see what we need from our volunteers. Where

to go to clean up the poop or what wallows to re�ill and what pigs you can interact with.”

Volunteers complete a variety of tasks, including picking up pig waste.

“We have 110 pigs,” she said. “You are going to have a lot of poop. We want to make sure that the area is as clean as possible for these pigs because some are still recovering from extreme trauma, or they got spayed or neutered. It’s really important for all areas of the sanctuary to be clean of poop.”

Cleanliness also extends to the pools that are used during the summer to keep the pigs cool.

Outside of picking up poop and cleaning out the wallows, volunteers are asked to socialize with the pigs, according to Betterman.

“Because all of our pigs are rescue animals, they are coming from horri�ic situations whether that be abandonment in the desert or just our on the street, abuse by people or other animal attacks,” Betterman said.

“They all come in with a very unique story and they all come in very scared. It’s really important for us to bring home the fact that our volunteers are here to socialize with them and reteach them that people are good and that they don’t have to be afraid.”

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any of our farm hogs because they are seen as meat pigs so we don’t want anybody to get ahold of them.”

Better Piggies Rescue 36246 N. 24th Street, Phoenix 602-790-2955 betterpiggiesrescue.org

Summer and Beau are two identical pigs that were rescued and surrendered to Better Piggies Rescue. (Photo courtesy of Danielle Betterman) Beezers and his best friend, Beyoncé, are among Betterman’s “forever pigs.”

“It is so hard because we do adoptions as well but if a pig doesn’t get adopted out, they’ll just stay here forever,” Betterman said. “We don’t move them around to other sanctuaries if they feel comfortable here and they don’t get a forever home than this is their forever home.

“Twelve is what we claim as our ‘forevers,’ but it’s a lot more than that because there are a couple of pigs that we won’t adopt out because of health issues. We don’t adopt out

PENSION ���� ���� 4

city,” DiCiccio said.

He said some cities have �loated pension bonds successfully while “other cities have failed at it and they’ve lost really their rear ends on it and the reason why is that they did not set in place �iscal measures and �iscal ways of handling those additional dollars coming in: they started using it for everything else.”

The city also established a Pension Reserve Fund “to ensure annual payment during downturns in the economy.” Currently, there is $41 million in the reserve fund.

The administration stressed its plan maintains “the city’s legal commitment to employees and retirees by paying at least 100% of the annual required contribution.”

6

NEWS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

Debbie Lesko briefs

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Lesko calls out SBA for poor handling of Shuttered Venue Operator Grant U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ08) sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator Isabel Guzman calling out the agency’s inef�icient management of the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) program and requesting an immediate prioritization of the program within SBA. “The Shuttered Venue Operator Grant program received vast support from me and my colleagues when it passed the House in December 2020, but it is clear it has received no such support from the Small Business Administration,” Lesko said.

“From launch delays, to applications being completely ignored, this program is riddled with mismanagement that leaves small venue operators in Arizona and across our nation with no assistance. I’m determined to get to the bottom of this and

make sure these venue owners get the assistance they need.”

The SVOG program was approved as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 and received 358 votes in the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite its approval by Congress, SBA took over three months to launch the program and then had to shut down the program and relaunch after a technical glitch, requiring businesses to resubmit applications. To date, over 14,000 applications have been submitted and only 90 have been approved.

The program is managed by the SBA Of�ice of Disaster Assistance.

Lesko introduces bipartisan legislation to thank NASA suppliers U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ08) introduced a bipartisan resolution to thank NASA suppliers for its work on the Artemis program and to highlight the contribution made by all 50 states to the program. The resolution’s introduction date

marks the fourth anniversary of the revival of the National Space Council.

“Every single state in our nation has suppliers that have contributed to NASA’s Artemis program, including over 80 suppliers in Arizona” Lesko said. “I am proud to introduce this resolution to thank the NASA suppliers and recognize the dedicated men and women who are working on this nationwide effort to support our missions to space, advance scienti�ic innovation, and explore the �inal frontier.”

Companies in every U.S. state have contributed to the success of NASA’s Artemis program, working on innovations that will help support missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. These missions are critical to our economy, fueling new industries and technologies, supporting job growth, and furthering the demand for a highly skilled workforce.

Lesko was joined by Reps. Cliff Bentz (R-OR-02), Stephanie Bice (R-OK-05), Ken Buck (R-CO-04), Michael Burgess (R-TX-26), Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08), Ed Case (D-HI01), Tom Cole (R-OK-04), Charlie Crist

(D-FL-13), John Curtis (R-UT-03), Warren Davidson (R-OH-08), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-05), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-07), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN03), Scott Franklin (R-FL-15), Bob Gibbs (R-OH-07), Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04), Kay Granger (R-TX-12), Garret Graves (R-LA06), Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06), Michael Guest (R-MS-03), Diana Harshbarger (RTN-01), Yvette Herrell (R-NM-02), Ashley Hinson (R-IA-01), John Katko (R-NY-24), Billy Long (R-MO-07), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11), David McKinley (R-WV-01), Carol Miller (R-WV-03), John Moolenaar (R-MI-04), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL-07), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Jay Obernolte (R-CA-08), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01), Scott Peters (D-CA-52), John Rutherford (R-FL-04), Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), Maria Salazar (R-FL-27), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04), Roger Williams (R-TX-25), Joe Wilson (R-SC-02) and Robert Wittman (R-VA-01) in introducing this legislation.

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��� LESKO ���� 7

BEFORE

NEWS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

LESKO ���� ���� 6

Lesko and Schneider introduce bipartisan legislation to simplify tax payment deadlines U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) and Rep. Bradley S. Schneider (D-IL-10) introduced the bipartisan Tax Deadline Simpli�ication Act to change the estimated tax payment deadlines to a uniform, quarterly schedule.

“Under current law, tax payment deadlines are set at uneven intervals, which can cause confusion and negatively affects gig economy and self-employed workers,” Lesko said.

“By changing these deadlines to occur on an even basis, this legislation will help our nation’s hardworking taxpayers better calculate their net income, save appropriately for their tax payments, and better comply with due dates.”

Schneider added, American taxpayers need lawmakers to �ight for them in Washington. For too long, the IRS has made paying taxes complicated and burdensome.

With the bipartisan Tax Deadline Simpli�ication Act, we’re putting common sense to work for individual taxpayers, small busi-

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nesses, estates and trusts.”

Estimated tax payments are made each quarter to the Internal Revenue Service by those whose income is not subject to tax withholding. Current law sets the estimated tax payment deadlines at uneven intervals that do not coincide with calendar year quarters. This legislation sets the estimated tax installment deadlines to 15 days after the end of each quarter, moving the deadlines to Jan. 15, April 15, July 15 and Oct. 15.

This legislation affects individual taxpayers, small businesses, estates and trusts.

Lesko introduces bill to bar federal funds from supporting educational institutes tied to North Korea U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) introduced the No Student Exchanges with North Korean Schools Act to prohibit federal funding from going to institutions that participate in or host exchange programs with educational institutions funded by North Korea.

“North Korea is a bad actor that has committed human rights abuses and poses a threat to our national security,” Lesko said. “It is unacceptable that our nation’s

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universities have exchange programs with schools directly funded by the North Korean government. This legislation protects Americans’ taxpayer dollars from funding these institutions with ties to North Korea.”

The legislation prohibits Title IV funding from the Higher Education Act from going to educational institutions that participate

in or host exchange programs with educational institutions funded by North Korea.

Title IV funding includes funding for federal student �inancial aid programs. This legislation also removes universities’ eligibility for Fulbright Scholarships. Universities must either end their exchange programs with North Korean-funded schools, or no longer receive these federal funds.

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

K-12 Title 1 public school teachers with $500 Visa gift cards.

This year, the �irst 100 grants will be directed to educators who have been teaching three years or less. APS values teachers of all tenure, and all years of experience are eligible to receive a grant, but this ensures those who en-

APS offering grants to K-12 Title 1 teachers

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Through the APS Supply My Class program, the company will award 500

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tered the classroom more recently get special encouragement and appreciation for their continued commitment to their profession and to making a difference in the lives of Arizona’s students.

Teachers can apply now. APS will randomly select 100 recipients per week starting Aug. 6 through Sept. 3.

“While no one could have predicted the challenges that the past year brought upon our education system, Arizona schoolteachers stepped up to the plate and found innovative ways to continue to enrich students’ lives,” said Tina Marie Tentori, director of community affairs for APS. “The Supply My Class grants program is just one way we hope to show gratitude for educators, who are important partners in our state’s prosperity.”

The APS Supply My Class program was established in 2018 as another avenue for appreciating and supporting those who are dedicated to powering possibilities for Arizonans of all

ages. Teachers in APS service territory enter for a chance to receive extra funding for school supplies to help bring their lesson plans to life.

Participation Eligibility • Grant recipient must be a K-12 public or charter school teacher.

• Grant recipient must teach at a school in APS’s service territory.

• The school must hold a current Title 1 designation.

• To be eligible for the school supplies grant, a teacher must complete an online application form.

• Winners from previous years are eligible to enter and win again this year.

In addition to the Supply My Class teacher awards, the company and the APS Foundation support several grant opportunities available to Arizona teachers and schools, including STEM Teacher Grants for hands-on science, technology, engineering and math classroom projects. More information about these grants can be found at aps.com/education.

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OPINION

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

Opinion TheFoothillsFocus.com

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AROUND THE BLUHMIN’ TOWN

Life is what matters most

BY JUDY BLUHM Foothills Focus Columnist

L

ook up at the hazy sky. Smoke. Fires are burning.

What would you take? The smoke and flames are approaching, you are being evacuated and you have minutes to grab things. Pets, medicines, keepsakes are picked up with a pounding heart and thoughts jumbled up in a combination of shock and terror.

No time to pack old, familiar items that have been passed down for generations as a reminder of where we came from. Fire does not stop for sentimental objects. It rages toward

us with no care about what lies in its path.

Arizona is burning. There is heartbreak for those who had to flee from their homes. The firefighters and other first responders have all been putting up a mighty fight against multiple fires that have been fueled by gusting winds, heat and dry brush.

The horses are galloping as they are set free from corrals, when they won’t load into trailers.

Prescott has a sad and poignant history when it comes to fire. When we lost 19 brave Granite Mountain Hotshots in the worst fire disaster imaginable eight years ago, we were changed forever. The fear and anxiety con-

tinue, as we see the smoke from fires raging.

It has been one heck of a start to summer.

Blessed are the firefighters and those who are volunteering and donating to various charities that will deliver help, food and care for people and animals in shelters. That is what defines the human spirit. It is a testimony to the spirit of givers when a community wraps its arms around those who are suffering and in pain.

Hey, to the idiots who like flying drones into fire areas so you could take “cool photos,” causing planes to be grounded, please stop it! Fire suppression is more important that a drone video for you to put on Face-

ed trio schemes to import millions of illegals, put them on the federal dole as well as the voter rolls and seize total political control. Will the United States survive?”

Chief executive: Joe Biden. Puppet master: Barack Obama. Madam Vice: Kamala Harris.

Program runs continuously on ABCNBCCBSCNNMSNBCPBS. The only satire above is the parody of the “TV Guide” program note. Welcome to “Reality TV” on steroids.

By the way, the “acting” is horrendous.

The news divisions of the alphabet networks, their cable cousins and taxpayer-subsidized “public” TV feature news anchors and reporters who furrow their brows, ask an occasional “gotcha” question, and then swallow whole the piffle, pablum and propaganda of the Biden regime.

Even more outrageous is the vice president’s attempt to morph into an amnesiac.

Kamala Harris found forgetfulness for the footlights during her first trip abroad as the nation’s “No. 2.”

On her June 8 visit to Mexico, she said she was there to explore “root causes” of illegal immigration.

Madam vice president, did you forget yourself and your political allies?

The primary “root cause” is the collective ambition of Democrat politicians to “bring in the vote,” by short circuiting the process of attaining citizenship, adding millions of new voters to the rolls. It would create a huge new underclass dependent on entitlements and inclined to vote for the expansion of those benefits. Simply stated, it would ensure leftist dominance of the political process in the United States for as long as the nation endures. Such a cynical path to power.

But still proving powerful to the Veep and her advisers is someone now “out of power.” When Donald Trump announced that he would visit the southern border on June 30, Kamala Harris hurriedly announced a trip to El Paso — 92 days after President Biden named the vice president

book! And enough already with people being careless. Fires have been started by people shooting their firearms into dry brush. Use your heads! Do not throw cigarettes out of car windows, go shooting in the dry forest or start a campfire!

Here is a shout out to all of the volunteers who rescue horses, cows, pigs and goats! We are grateful. We are proud of our courageous men and women, the hotshots, who work with picks and axes in unbearable heat to try and create a barrier and stop a raging fire.

We admire the pilots flying fixed-wing tanker airplanes dropping fire retardant – flying low and steady to try and stop the burn. We all pray for your safety.

One woman who was evacuated from her home in the Yarnell Hill Fire with minutes to spare grabbed the tea kettle off of her stove.

see BLUHM page 11

Border disorder: Political theater of the absurd

BY JD HAYWORTH Foothills Focus Columnist

L

ong before the invention of motion pictures, television or the internet, there was theater. Ancient Greece had Sophocles, Elizabethan England had Shakespeare; but modern America has a plethora of political performers.

Now, courtesy of the aforementioned technological innovations, we are subjected to ceaseless offerings from a 21st century “Theater of the Absurd.” The most ambitious, current production costs billions —“Arsenic and Old Lace,” it ain’t. It’s “The Arsenic of Amnesty.”

The temptation to outline the plot as an old program description from a tattered copy of “TV Guide” proves overwhelming: “An aging and confused chief executive remains remarkably focused on one final objective: the erasure of America’s southern border. Following the orders of his puppet master and with the encouragement of his ambitious assistant, Madam Vice, this twist-

as his “border czar.”

That June 25 journey to Texas was not a pleasant one for Ms. Harris. She was greeted by protestors and criticized by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who said he had invited her numerous times to his district, which includes portions of the Rio Grande, where illegals are flooding into the United States.

The Lone Star legislator later tried to temper his criticism, by calling her visit a “first step.”

Because the steps Vice President Harris took were principally around the El Paso International Airport, rather than directly at the border, she employed a principle of political theater: it’s easier to attack than explain. Accordingly, she trained her rhetorical fire on former President Trump.

“It was here in El Paso that the previous administration’s child separation policy was unveiled,” Harris claimed. She added that the remain in Mexico policy forced asylum

see HAYWORTH page 13

11

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

READER’S VIEWPOINTS

Discount up to 30%

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Response to JD Hayworth Editor: Today I read the opinion piece “Some Thoughts on the Audit.”

I would like to respond to the writer, JD Hayworth. I then went to your digital page and noticed that he is a regular contributor.

Does the author have a response email address?

Let me say I almost never read ultra-conservative feature local papers and I found this refreshing so I can visit with the QAnon and Trump supporters. I found this interesting.

It is certainly true that the Jan. 6 march on the Capitol included mob action, but to accept the media narrative that all the blame must rest at the feet of Trump supporters is as ludicrous as Joe Biden’s assessment that the tragic, sorry episode was “the worst assault on our democracy since the Civil War,” conveniently forgetting Sept. 11, 2001, and Dec. 7, 1941.

I guess your paper thinks stopping an election and attempting to ravage the Capitol while looking to lynch Congress was just a small mob action. Hmm. Meanwhile, the above writer is very concerned about the reaction to the audit. Not those incompetents doing the audit.

Richard Feldman, Desert Ridge

Column on ballot audit ignored facts Editor: Failed sportscaster. Failed congressman.

Now J.D. Hayworth can add failed columnist to his impressive resume of flops.

Specifically, his latest screed, “Some thoughts on Arizona election audit,” illustrates Hayworth’s remarkable, even uncanny, ability to say nothing in 500 words.

His thoughts – to be generous, let’s give

BLUHM from Page 10

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him the benefit of the doubt and agree that they are indeed “thoughts” – say nothing about the validity of the Arizona audit. He doesn’t address its genesis, its multiple, often contradictory processes, its controversies, the characters involved in the audit or the question of just what the purpose of the Fraudit, er, audit, is.

Instead, he waxes endlessly about this and that for six paragraphs, until he gets to the meat of his rambling – the audit. At that point, he mentions “complaints were lodged and discrepancies uncovered.”

The first, of course, is true. Complaints were indeed lodged. And promptly dismissed, an inconvenient fact that Hayworth just doesn’t want to mention.

“Discrepancies uncovered,” though?

Where? By whom? And what? Our intrepid columnist answers none of those, preferring an ad hominem attack on Katie Hobbs, the Secretary of State Hayworth imagines “among the thistles and thorns of suspicion.”

Hayworth has a way with metaphor, eh?

Facts, not so much. Because once again, he fails to tell us just what the “suspicion” is. I suspect Hayworth doesn’t really know, but he enjoyed writing it.

Hayworth finishes this epitome of how not to write a column by suggesting that the audit might overturn results here in Arizona. Something that Hayworth – apparently as knowledgeable of the Constitution as he is talented a writer – seems to believe could happen.

Hayworth might want to look at yet another profession after the several columns of rhetorical mush he has provided to the paper. Maybe political consultant? He could give advice, and those who employ him could promptly do the opposite. And succeed.

Mike McClellan, Valley resident

such an unimportant item. Yet, she says, it is a constant reminder of how fragile life is, how things can change so quickly, and how “things” really don’t matter. Life does.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a story or a comment? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com.

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OPINION

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

Let’s hope for a championship season

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Foothills Focus Columnist

I

t has been 53 seasons and never have the Phoenix Suns won an NBA championship. Maybe that sounds not so awful if you’re a Cardinals football fan and your last title dates back to 1947, when the team played in Chicago.

But no NBA team has toiled longer, ever, without winning a single title.

Now comes these 2021 Suns, with a chance to set all that right.

I do hope so – for this Valley’s sake, and for all the Suns fans I call friends. I’m talking about guys like my buddy, Louie, a season ticket holder dating back to the Madhouse on McDowell.

If Louie had a choice between missing a Suns game or missing a leg, I’m pretty sure he’d be on Amazon tomorrow

HAYWORTH from page 10

seekers to stay south of the border while their claims were arbitrated.

Left unsaid was the reality of the de facto child separation policies of the Biden Administration, where parents see a lack of border enforcement, and decide to send their kids northward, “chaperoned” by human traffickers.

Left unanswered was the implication that it is somehow preferable to allow asylum seekers to enter the United States while their status is determined. Doesn’t that simply encourage illegality, as most would walk away from the entire process on this side of the border?

Left undefined was this assertion by Vice President Harris: “There’s still much more work to be done, but we’ve made progress.”

If “progress” is defined by encouraging this foreign invasion, surrendering our national sovereignty and corrupting our constitutional republic, then Ms. Harris may be right.

The Hollywood “Creative Class,” now financed by the Communist Chinese, can begin work on a huge new production.

“Death of a Nation.”

In Mandarin, with Spanish subtitles.

searching for “single leg pants” and a prosthetic limb.

Then there’s Troy, a genius with a video camera who likes to post a yellowed snapshot from his childhood, him in an ancient Suns jersey and headband, skinny arms held aloft in the classic jump-shooter’s pose.

Each new post contains a caption written in the third person, grown man Troy talking to little boy Troy. The most recent: “Western Conference Champions!!!

Four more to go until that 48-year-old dream comes true, little self. Four more. @suns #suns #rallythevalley” Is it sweet? Yes. Strange? Not at all once you learn that Troy’s 10-year-old son is named Nash, presumably – with apologies to Chris Paul – after the best point guard ever to wear purple.

This team has always owned a hunk of the Valley’s heart, though Robert Sarver, the head Sun, tested the community’s

collective patience for years.

It was Sarver’s incompetence that led me to fall off the Suns’ bandwagon back around 2012. First, I gave up my season tickets, then I tuned out the great Al McCoy. Even now, my rooting interest in this team is more by proxy: I enjoy seeing my friends full of joy.

Like Stephen, a giant of a man, an elected leader respected for his smarts and heart, who lately has traded in business suits and bolo ties for an assortment of Suns T-shirts, jerseys and Nike high tops.

His statement after the series clincher over the Los Angeles Clippers? An image of Chris Paul in the arms of head coach Monte Williams. The caption: “No words needed!”

Some things words cannot accurately depict, like the emotional bond between a team and its hometown.

Little else explains why 300,000 people – one out of 10 residents of the Phoenix metropolitan area – showed up

13

Downtown on Saturday, June 26, 1993, for a parade to celebrate the Suns after their Finals loss in six games to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

People went so insane that day – when temperatures in the desert spiked to 114 degrees – Suns superstar Charles Barkley never got to ride in the actual event, because Suns’ fans refused to stop mobbing his convertible.

Dan Majerle, a beloved member of that Suns squad, nailed it in a 2018 interview celebrating the team’s 50th anniversary.

“We had such a great team,” Thunder Dan explained. “Honestly my thought was, this is unbelievable, we’ll be back next year. We’ll be back the next two or three years. … You enjoy it, thinking this is unbelievable, we’re gonna do it again.”

The Basketball Gods are fickle in the extreme. Again, they took 28 years to arrive. Now it’s here. Let us hope the next time Phoenix parades, it’s to honor a champion.

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Pet Butler does the dog owners’ dirty work

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Foothills Focus Staff Writer

P

et Butler has expanded its franchise and its plans are to keep growing.

Cesar Jimenez has only been a franchise owner for a few months, but he has already witnessed the growth of dog waste services.

Pet Butler prides itself on being “No. 1 in the No. 2 business” and offers more than a simple scooping service for its clients’ pets.

“We’re a professional business doing the dirty business,” Jimenez said.

Owning a Pet Butler franchise was a

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natural fit for Jimenez and his wife, Rachel. As the owners of three dogs, they realized they spent a lot of time picking up after their animals.

“My wife and I are both from the east coast and when we first moved here, we realized that the poop out here petrifies so we had to go out to our yard multiple times a week to scoop it,” Jimenez said.

While visiting his parents in Georgia, Jimenez saw something that intrigued him.

He saw another pet waste removal company’s truck driving around the neighborhood and thought that it could be an interesting business venture.

Once the franchise was purchased, Jimenez wanted to take it to the next level.

“With the expanding real estate market and the increase in pet ownership during the pandemic, we thought this would be a good opportunity to buy into this business and take it to the next level,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez’s three trucks cover the Valley north of the Salt River and has techs.

They service about 75 residences a day, five days a week, and have more than 300 clients. Jimenez still wants to see his franchise grow.

See BUTLER Page 16

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Jimenez looked into this concept. He then received a letter in the mail from Pet Butler stating it had opportunities to own a franchise.

Cesar and Rachel jumped at the opportunity.

“We got into this because it’s in the pet industry, which is something we both enjoy,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez said he also believes his franchise best exemplifies the direction modern businesses are heading.

“We believe that the future of business is in something that provides a service, a convenience or time back to do what you would like to do,” Jimenez said.

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The cold laser therapy is a noninvasive procedure that uses light to stimulate cells and increase blood circulation. At the correct laser/light wavelength, pain signals are reduced and nerve sensitivity decreases. The procedure also releases endorphins, or natural painkillers. It is not recommended for animals that have cancer because the device can stimulate blood flow to cancer cells. The procedure is based on the idea that light is absorbed into the cells. The process, known as photo-biotherapy, stimulates protein synthesis and cell metabolism, which improves cell health and functionality. The therapy can take as little as 8 to 10 minutes on a small dog or cat, up to about a half an hour for bigger dogs with multiple arthritic areas.

2750 W. Dove Valley Rd, Suite 150, Phoenix, AZ 85085 (623) 594-7466 • www.PetWellnessaz.com

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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

Feel the Red Effect with new infrared fitness studio

BY ANNIKA TOMLIN Foothills Focus Staff Writer

B

rittany Wise loved the Michigan-based Red Effect Infrared Fitness company so much that when she prepared to move west, she opened one in the Shops of Norterra.

“I was a member of the Red Effect group fitness in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I fell in love with the product while walking in and having options of classes to take and I felt comfortable as a community,” Wise said.

“It didn’t feel like I didn’t belong, it just felt like a family.”

Wise and her family moved into the Fireside Norterra community and opened Red Effect in the Shops of Norterra on Jan. 6 — the day before her birthday.

What sets Red Effect apart from other fitness studios is the infrared technology that is used during every class and in the personal saunas.

“All of our classes and all of our workouts are under infrared, which helps with recovery and anti-aging,” Wise said.

“A lot of our members would like the option to burn an extra 100 calories per class with infrared and really just taking advantage of that.”

Infrared is a colorless light that “warms the core” making it possible to burn extra calories while working out in a room set at “78 to 79 degrees.” Red Effect uses red lights in its fitness room “because it’s fun,” according to Wise.

“We offer hour-long interval training classes with heart rate monitoring,” Wise said. “We have barre studio-type classes and we also have yoga classes — five different types of yoga. Then we also have the personal infrared saunas.”

Membership is available on a monthly basis without a commitment. Memberships start at $99 per month for eight sessions a month to $159 per month for unlimited interval training, barre, yoga and infrared saunas.

“A lot of people take a sauna after class to help with recovery,” Wise said.

“A lot of people will take saunas in lieu of classes just to burn a few extra hundred calories or if it’s a recovery day for

Barre classes, interval training and five types of yoga classes are available under infrared at Red Effect within the Shops of Norterra. (Photo courtesy of Brittany Wise) them they’ll just go to the sauna.

“For the hour-long classes, the first 28

minutes or so are spent on the treadmill and the last half of the class is spent on

the water rower and doing like the synergy floor work,” she said.

Red Effect is similar to Orangetheory Fitness, but the Norterra facility has additional weights, battle ropes and other fitness equipment that can be used during the interval classes, according to Wise.

Most of the saunas are on the second floor. Members can use them when needed.

“It’s a three-person sauna but only one person is there at a time,” Wise said.

“It just gives them plenty of space if they want to do meditation or yoga or just stretch out. They all have Bluetooth so that people can listen to their favorite playlists (podcasts or watch Netflix),” she said.

Each sauna includes a “sanctuary box” that houses members’ technology like iPads to watch TV shows or guided meditations in the sauna.

Because Red Effect opened during the COVID-19 pandemic, sanitation is a pri-

See FITNESS Page 17

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BUTLER from Page 14

“We want to grow the territory as much as possible when it comes to the commercial and residential scooping services,” Jimenez said. “Our goal is to make this as convenient as possible for the pet owner.”

Jimenez sends his techs into clients’ yards with pockets full of treats and says they play with dogs and give them belly rubs, which increases job and client satisfaction.

The techs do not just scoop up pet waste, Pet Butler also places an enzyme-based odor eliminator on yard surfaces monthly. The product is pet friendly and has a citrus-like scent that works best on harder surfaces like artificial turf and concrete.

For clients who have trouble removing waste stains from their patios or harder surfaces, Pet Butler will spray and scrub them as well.

Pet Butler also disposes of all waste offsite, so clients do not have to worry about their garbage cans being filled with more waste.

Pet Butler’s newest franchise owner, Cesar Jimenez, puts customer service first. (Photo courtesy of Lana Simon)

The service provides customers with the peace of mind of knowing that all tools are disinfected with a kennel cleaner that eliminates the five major

pet diseases.

“We train all of our techs to make sure that they are doing every step through the process,” Jimenez said.

Clients can schedule appointments by calling Pet Butler directly and can sometimes book an appointment within a week of their call.

“We can sometimes service customers within the same week of their call, depending on what day they call in and how long it’s been since they’ve serviced their yard.” Jimenez said.

Jimenez does ask that clients keep their yards neat as it makes his techs’ job easier and allows waste to be spotted easier.

“If you want excellent service, maintaining your yard is the best way to get the best service,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez is expecting to see more customers book his techs this summer as temperatures continue to rise and people leave their homes more often.

“Right now is when people really start seeing the benefit of a service like ours,” Jimenez said.

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FITNESS from Page 15

ority for the fitness studio.

“We don’t know a world before COVID so for us we had to sanitize after every class,” Wise said.

“Now we know we don’t need to do all of that, but we still probably do more hand cleaning than other studios did pre-COVID, but that’s only because, to us, that’s the only thing we know and it’s natural for us.”

Members are required to wipe down their equipment after use and employees take the time to mop and further disinfect the room after a class.

Classes are available at 100% capacity and just last month the studio stopped “staggering treadmills” to help socially distance the members during class. After receiving community feedback that members felt “OK being closer together,” Wise made the switch.

“As an owner, I love seeing and meeting everybody every day,” Wise said.

“I like seeing how they grow. We have people who go from walkers to runners to people who swore they would never

17

be able to do a barre class and now they are doing three or four a week. I love just seeing them every week.”

Close to home As new Norterra residents, Wise sees it as “a blessing and a curse” working within 6 minutes from her house. However, she thoroughly enjoys being a part of the community that will host donation drives that will be “directly affecting my kids,” according to Wise.

“This is our community, and we couldn’t think of a better spot to open,” Wise said.

“We love our neighbors. A lot of the other small businesses in the Shops of Norterra are owned by (our neighbors), they live here too. It’s been a real joy getting to meet the other owners in the community in the shops.”

Red Effect Infrared Fitness

The hour-long interval training classes are done under infrared lights to help burn extra calories while people workout. (Photo courtesy of Brittany Wise)

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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

Sonoran Desert Pet Resort offers a getaway

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Foothills Focus Staff Writer

S

onoran Desert Pet Resort offers a getaway for animals, whether staying for a few hours or days at a time.

Owned by Audrey and Jon Holmes, the couple have seen an uptick in the number of dogs in their 8,000-square-foot facility in Phoenix. They only expect to see more as people go out of town this summer.

“I think that everybody is itching to go somewhere, so that’s great for our business,” said Audrey Holmes.

There has been an influx of animals in and out of the Sonoran Desert Pet Resort, testing its safety policy.

“Our main goal is safety,” Holmes said.

“We’re really big into temperament testing every animal that comes into our facility.”

Sonoran Desert Pet Resort runs temperament tests to ensure dogs will be

Sonoran Desert Pet Resort owners Audrey and Jon Holmes expect an influx of animal stays as summer travel returns. (Photo by Pablo Robles)

calm and even tempered so staff and animals will not be at risk.

“One test is for daycare and that is a much more in-depth temperament test.

That takes about an hour and costs $25,” Holmes said.

During this test, dogs are walked on a leash and placed in and out of a kennel.

They’re also tested on their reaction to objects falling around them.

At 7 a.m. the next day, owners are required to bring their dogs back to play at the resort’s off-leash pack.

From there, the dog is identified in one of three categories: green, yellow or red. The resort wants about 80% of its dogs to be green.

“We want mostly green dogs,” Holmes said. “Green dogs are loose, happy and really easy going and yellow dogs are cautionary dogs or dogs that can be reactive or protective.”

Red dogs, which are dogs that show signs of aggression, are stiff and show their teeth. They are not taken into the resort.

For boarding, dogs are put through a free, 20-minute test during which they are taken in and out of a suite and tested to see if they can go to the indoor park area.

The tests are also required because dogs are off leash the entire time they are at the Sonoran Desert Pet Resort.

Dogs are allowed to roam in “The Park,” a 2,000-square-foot turf area with quadrants where dogs are rotated in and out of every 20 minutes.

For dogs that are spending the night, Sonoran Desert Pet Resort has several suites to ensure that they have a comfortable stay.

The signature suite is called the “Dog Condo,” which is 6 feet by 8 feet and includes a television and an elevated bed.

Dogs at the resort are also treated to a pet spa where they can be bathed, have their nails clipped and ears cleaned.

The couple want pet owners to feel comfortable leaving their dogs while on vacation.

See PET RESORT Page 19

BUSINESS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

19

Overnight stays at Sonoran Desert Pet Resort come with the signature “Dog Condo,” a 6 feet by 8 feet suite with a TV and an elevated bed. (Photo by Pablo Robles)

Sonoran Desert Pet Resort runs temperament tests to ensure dogs will be calm and even tempered during their stay. (Photo by Pablo Robles)

PET RESORT from page 18

guinea pigs and turtles.

“As long as we can safely handle the animal and we have the space for it, we’re happy to take them in,” Holmes said.

After enduring a financially difficult year and a half, Holmes and her staff are truly thankful that their customers kept the resort in business.

“We count our blessings that we have

“We have seen the good, the bad and the ugly with pet resorts,” Holmes said.

“We decided to buy one because we wanted a place to leave our dogs when we go on vacation.”

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Anthem Activities

Anthem Golf & Country Club schedule

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

D

ue to the limited availability, Anthem Golf & Country Club is asking members to not register for back-to-back classes, so everyone has a chance to register.

No-shows are charged $10.

Classes are held at Persimmon or Ironwood, 2708 W. Anthem Club Drive or 41551 N. Anthem Hills Drive, respectively.

For more information, call 623-7426200 for Persimmon Clubhouse or 623465-3020 for Ironwood Clubhouse.

• Thursday, July 8 Ironwood: Total Body, 5:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Muscle Mix, 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Boxology, 9 a.m.

Ironwood Stretch: 10:30 a.m.

PWR! Moves, Fee Based, 1:15 p.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 5:30 p.m.

Ironwood: Boxing, 5:30 p.m.

Persimmon: Candlelight Yin, 6:30 p.m.

• Friday, July 9 Persimmon: Kickology Strong, 7 a.m.

Ironwood: Cycle, 7:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Fun and Fit: 8:15 p.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitnees, 8:30 am.

Ironwood: Cardio Circuit: 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Vinyassa Flow: 9:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Stability Ball, 10 a.m.

• Saturday, July 10 Ironwood: Cycle, 7:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Boot Camp, 8 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Chair Yoga, 9 a.m.

Ironwood: Zumba, 9 a.m.

Water Aerobics at Home Workshop, 10 a.m.

• Tuesday, July 13 ClubLife 101 Orientation, 5 p.m.

• Thursday, July 15 Ironwood: Total Body, 5:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Boxology, 9 a.m.

Ironwood Stretch: 10:30 a.m.

PWR! Moves, Fee Based, 1:15 p.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 5:30 p.m.

Ironwood Boxing, 5:30 p.m.

Persimmon: Candlelight Yin, 6:30 p.m.

• Friday, July 16 Persimmon: Kickology: 7 a.m.

Ironwood: Cycle, 7:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Fun and Fit, 8:15 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Cardio Circuit, 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Vinyassa Flower, 9:30 am.

Ironwood: Stability Ball, 10 a.m.

• Sunday, July 17 Ironwood: Cycle, 7:30 a.m.

Persimmons: Boot Camp: 8 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Chair Yoga, 9 a.m.

Ironwood: Zumba, 9 a.m.

Outdoor Cycle Indoors, 10:30 a.m.

• Tuesday, July 20 ClubLife 101 Orientation: 10 a.m.

• Thursday, July 22 Ironwood: Total Body: 5:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Muscle Mix, 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Boxology: 9 p.m. Thursday, Ironwood Stretch: 10:30 a.m.

PRW! Moves, Fee Based, 1:15 p.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 5:30 p.m.

Ironwood: Boxing, 5:30 p.m.

• Friday, July 23 Persimmon: Kickology Strong: 7 a.m.

Ironwood: Cycle, 7:30 a.m.

Persimmon Fun and Fit: 8:15 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Cardio Circuit, 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Vinyassa Flow: 9:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Stability Ball, 10 a.m.

• Saturday, July 24 Ironwood: Cycle 7:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Boot Camp 8 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Zumba, 9 a.m.

Persimmon: Chair Yoga, 9 a.m.

Summer Grill and Chill Pool Party, 6 p.m.

• Tuesday, July 27 ClubLife 101 Orientation • Wednesday, July 28 J Vineyards Wine Dinner, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, July 29 Ironwood: Total Body 5:30 a.m.

Persimmon Pool: Masters Swim, 6:30 a.m.

Persimmon Muscle Mix, 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Boxology 9 a.m.

Ironwood Stretch: 10:30 a.m.

PWR! Moves, Fee Based, 1:15 p.m.

Brews with Brad, 4 p.m.

Ironwood: Boxing 5:30 p.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 5:30 p.m.

Persimmon: Candlelight Yin, 6:30 p.m.

• Friday, July 30 Persimmon: Kickology Strong, 7 a.m.

Ironwood: Cycle, 7:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Fun and Fit, 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Cardio Circuit, 8:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Vinyassa Flow 9:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Stability Ball, 10 a.m.

• Saturday, July 31 Ironwood: Cycle, 7:30 a.m.

Persimmon: Bootcamp, 8 a.m.

Persimmon: Water Fitness, 8:30 a.m.

Ironwood: Zumba, 9 a.m.

Persimmon: Chair Yoga, 9 a.m.

Anthem Community Council activities schedule

P

rograms and activities are available at the Community Center and Civic Building for all ages.

Learn more and register online at onlineatanthem.com. Visit the “residents” tab, then click on “activity registration.” Most programs & classes are available to nonresidents for an additional fee. With questions, contact Lindsey at lcombe@anthemcouncil. com or call 623-879-3012.

• Senior Activities (50 and older) Golden Go-Getters; 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays Mexican Train Game; 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Fridays Free; Civic Building Tuesdays/Thursdays through July 29 • Tai Chi (Beginner), 8 to 9 a.m. $67; Civic Building • Holiday Card Class July 28 16 years and older, $22 Do you feel like the holidays come up quick every year? This class will help you get a jump start on your holiday cards. In each class, you will make four cards, two of each design. Pre-registration is required.

• Friday, July 16 Parents’ Night Out, 6:30 to 10 p.m. $18; Community Center • Saturdays July 10, July 17, July 24 and July 31 Dodgeball (up to age 12 years), Noon to 1:30 p.m. $5 (drop in); Community Center • Saturday, July 24 Parent-Teen Fitness Certification, 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.

For ages 12 to 13 years (with an adult)

$30; Community Center • Volleyball Ages 11 to 13 yrs.

July 26 to Aug. 11 $80 for the season • Summer Day camp 10 weeks To July 30 $175 a week; Community Center • Anthem Swim University All levels Check community center for dates $70 for four days a week • Dive in Movie at the Community Center Pool All age family fun 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 23 Join us at the Community Center Pool for a movie in the water! Float in a tube or relax in a lawn chair and watch “Moana.” $25 per family • Back-to-School Bash All-age family fun 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 30 Community Park Enjoy one last big event of summer vacation. Join us for an evening of food trucks, live music, train rides, yard games and more.

The indoor fitness floor, basketball gym, and rock wall are open. Fitness classes are held throughout the week, including yoga, pilates, kickboxing/boxology, core, shallow and deep water (in the pool), and more. Personal training is available; contact the Community Center for details. Cardio Tennis is offered every Saturday morning; $10 drop-in fee (18 years and older).

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Aspire to inspire before you expire CHURCH COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Pastor Ed Delph Foothills Focus Columnist

O

ne of my favorite people in the world is my brother-in-law, who is celebrating his 80th birthday this month.

I thought I would encourage Bill and all of you readers, with a upgraded view of birthdays.

A few years ago, on my birthday, I read an essay that astounded me. It is written by my friend and colleague, Pastor Gregory Lan Ijiwola, who posted the unique piece on his Facebook

page.

He is Nigerian by birth and one of the finest examples of a Christian I have ever met. He and his wife Debo have invested their lives in building a great community transforming church in the south Chicago area.

If you know Africans, they have a fantastic way of capturing and putting into words unexpected ways of describing concepts that Westerners would never consider.

As I read the essay, I was stunned by his essay’s authenticity, integrity, humility and audacity. His writing about himself on his birthday was entitled “Happy Birthday to Me.” That’s undoubtedly not self-deprecating.

Usually, people sing “Happy Birthday to You.” But Gregory captured and articulated something special from which we all can glean. Here’s his essay.

“I have failed and have succeeded.

I have fallen and have risen. I have lacked and had plenty. I have loved and struggled to love. I have dreamed and have doubted. I have laughed and have wept. I have feared and have dared.

“I have fought, and I have reconciled.

I have broken, and I have mended. I have ‘friended’ I have offended. I have been sad; I have been joyful. I have despaired, and I have hoped. I have been helped, and I have helped. I have lost, and I have gained. I have given, and I have withheld. I have been cold, and I have been hot. I have gone, and I have

see DELPH page 22

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DELPH ���� page 21

stayed. I have complained, and I have praised. I have been foolish, and I have been wise.

“Through it all, I am alive. I am loved.

I am saved. I am on a journey. I am not quitting, stopping or meandering. I am Gregory Lan Ijiwola. Always pushing forward. Always dreaming. Always rising. Always advancing. Always daring. Always hoping. Always grateful.

Happy birthday to me!”

There you go, wasn’t that refreshing? Happy birthday to me. Someone in the reader audience needs Pastor Gregory’s essay today. Like Pastor Gregory, you have been through challenges and trials. Some of the difficulties and wounds originated from the choices you made. Some were not.

You have been up, down and all around. You might feel lower than a snake’s belly right now. But you are here. You are alive. So far, you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You aren’t perfect. You’ve made mistakes.

You have offended and been offended.

You’ve been both wrong, and you have been right. That’s life.

Jesus said it’s inevitable that stumbling blocks will come in this life.

There will be trials. Jesus also said blessed is the one who is not overcome by what God is doing amid the difficulties in our lives.

Someone once said, “Mountain tops inspire leaders; valleys mature them.”

Remember, failure is a bruise, not a tattoo. No grit, no pearl. Welcome to maturity and overcoming. The idea is to grow up before we grow old. Aspire to inspire before you expire. Is it one day or day one? Be an overcomer, not overcome. You decide.

Not if, but when Pastor Gregory falls or fails, he gets up. He recovers. He learns. He overcomes. He will never be perfect. He realizes setbacks pave the way for comebacks. That’s called life.

Excrement happens! The only people who don’t create waste are dead people. That’s not an excuse. It’s real life.

“Happy Birthday to Me” is a celebration of who you are. But not the self-absorbed, “It’s all about me,” “selfie” way. “Happy Birthday to Me” de-

clares we’ve learned and are recovering from our mistakes or the mistakes others have made toward us.

We won’t go forward if we’re always looking backward. We’ve applied forgiveness, grace and mercy to ourselves and others. Life is not an event; it’s a process.

Everyone is building their airplane while it’s flying. Learning curves are not straight. Quit expecting them to be.

Author Bill Bryson once commented on the remarkable odds of everyone’s existence at this time and place in history.

“Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded or otherwise deflected from their life’s quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result — eventually, astoundingly and all too briefly — in you.” In other words, when the Lord made you, He looked at you and said, “I’ll never do that again.”

Quit trying to be somebody else.

Why? Everybody else is taken. Here’s my appeal to you today. No matter what date your birthday is, today, right now, humbly but confidently sing, “Happy Birthday to Me!” Now sing the Beatles version. “You say it’s my birthday, well happy birthday to me.” Are you hesitant to sing that?

“Take a Cha - Cha – Cha – Chance!”

So, happy 80th birthday to Bill as well as all of you in 2021.

Ed Delph is a native of Phoenix who lives in the North Valley. Since 1980, he has pastored three churches in the Valley. He is a noted author of 10 books, weekly columnist in several local and worldwide newspapers, teacher, business owner and speaker. Delph has been to or ministered in over 100 countries. He is president of a worldwide ministry, NationStrategy.

To learn more about Pastor Ed Delph, the Church-Community Connection and Nation strategy, call 623-376-6757, e-mail nationstrategy@cs.com or visit nationstrategy.com.

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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

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Student safety is a DVUSD priority

BY DR. CURTIS FINCH Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

O

n April 20, 1999, the life of every student changed with one word—Columbine.

School shootings occurred in America before that event, but Columbine changed our society forever when two high school seniors came to their local high school and murdered 12 students and a teacher. At the time, it was the deadliest school shooting in American history.

For the next two decades following the tragedy, school districts through-

out the United States began upgrading school facilities with fencing, cameras, safety enforcements, security officers and increased mental health and bullying programs for students. Today’s schools in America are dramatically safer from outside perpetrators than 1999, but school shootings still occur.

Many years ago, Maricopa County entered into an arrangement with Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) to design a new school, Boulder Creek High School (BCHS), with a 24,000-square-foot, County (joint-use) Library on the same site.

standing educational experience on a beautiful campus; the surrounding regional Anthem community is larger as well. Currently, all community members have access to drive vehicles on to the BCHS campus all hours of the school day. Parking is so limited that school students must park across the street at a local church, CCV, and cross a busy street to school.

Library patrons walk right up to the school entrance unabated, because the library entrance is located next door to the high school entrance.

For students and adults who look the same in size and development, it is very difficult for school staff and library security to know the difference between a high school student and an adult who may want to cause harm.

I am confident that the county and DVUSD can work together on a new agreement going forward that is legal and allows the residents of northern Maricopa County to continue to use the facility for community use, but better separate the adults from students during the school day.

Dr. Curtis Finch is the superintendent of DVUSD and can be reached at superintendent@dvusd.org

The dual-purpose library included Anthem regional residents sharing the space in concert with the local high school students.

There was an initial financial contribution by the county as well as development fees from Anthem-area residents to expand the initial BCHS library space and make it larger so both could use it. Since that day, there has been no charge to the county for rent, maintenance, heating/cooling or cleaning these past two decades.

Today, this rent-free arrangement between DVUSD and the Maricopa Public Library is no longer considered legal; school districts “cannot give away the property of a district even for the most worthy purpose,” per Arizona Supreme Court rulings.

Therefore, DVUSD will be working on a new five-year lease arrangement over the next 12 months to find a good, safe and legal solution for both entities to co-exist, while increasing the student use of the library and keeping the asset available for the community.

The BCHS student population is larger than it was 20 years ago, with over 2,300 students enjoying an out-

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Tint, Sunscreens, Patio Shades, Plantation Shutters, Wood Blinds.

Check our web site for products & ref's.

Family Own/Op 623-465-0373

NEED NEW FLOORING? Call Empire Today® to schedule a FREE in-home estimate on Carpeting & Flooring. Call Today! 877591-3539 (AzCAN)

dhwindowcoverings.com

Licensed, Bonded, Insured ROC# 286896 Desert Hills Sunscreens LLC

NEED NEW FLOORING? Call Empire Today® to schedule a FREE in-home estimate on Carpeting & Flooring. Call Today! 877591-3539 (AzCAN)

Roofing

PHILLIPS

ROOFING LLC COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL

Family Owned and Operated 43 Years Experience in Arizona

623-873-1626

Licensed, Bonded & Insured • ROC #166390

Sprinkler Repair Landscaping & More!

Residential & Commercial

Weekly. Bi-weekly. Semi-monthly & Monthly Services

FREE ESTIMATES • 623-465-2546

Irrigation

& Landscape

Landscape Design/Installation

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We'll Get Your Phone to Ring!

Free Estimates Monday through Saturday Licensed 2006 ROC 223367 Bonded Insured

PhillipsRoofing.org PhillipsRoofing@cox.net Welding

Cave Creek Welding, Inc.

Electric • Acetylene • Heliarc Equipment • Fireplace Screens Repair • Blacksmithing Portable Equipment • Gates Fencing • Wrought Iron Work Home Accessories • Small Repairs & More!

480-488-3677

CaveCreekWelding.com

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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | JULY 7, 2021

Recent Storms and COVID have Substantially Impacted Supply Chain

= 2020

2021

Inventory is Scarce Now and when the Heat hits, Quilted won’t be an Option

Replace your A/C while you have Time for only $ 79/month* *On approved credit only, please call for details.

Call or Text to Schedule an Appointment

AIR

CONDITIONING

•

ELECTRICAL

•

PLUMBING

•

WATER

TREATMENT