Pastor Ed Delph PAGE
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TheFoothillsFocus.com
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS.................. 6
Veteran Mary Lou Spicer makes her mark
OPINION........... 10
Around the Bluhmin’ Town
FEATURES......... 14
ProMusica chorale, orchestra hosting auditions
Back to School Anthem Area Edition
FEATURES................. 14 BACK TO SCHOOL..... 18 CLASSIFIEDS............. 22 Zone I
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Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Armed robbery suspects arrested in California BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor
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wo suspects involved in an armed robbery at Andrew Z Diamonds & Fine Jewelry in Anthem were arrested in California on July 16, four days after the incident. The suspects were arrested by Huntington Beach police after a vehicle pursuit. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office later determined the suspects matched the description of those involved in the armed robbery. The suspects were later identified as Helen Simmons, 18, and Mathew Jones, 22. The two were booked on various felony charges. Jones is being held on a $1 million bond on the MCSO charges and Simmons is being held on a $500,000 bond. The armed robbery took place just after 6 p.m.
see BURGLARY page 4
Mathew Jones, 22, is being held on a $1 million bond. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office/Submitted)
Helen Simmons, 18, was one of the suspects and is being held on a $500,000 bond. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office/Submitted)
A breakdown of county’s $4.5B budget BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer
OPINION.................... 10
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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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aricopa County Manager Joy Rich recently discussed the 2023 fiscal year budget of about $4.5 billion, which may result in a property tax reduction. The talk came during the July 8 Friends of Daisy Mountain Trails meeting. “I think you probably all know this, but Mar-
icopa County is the fastest-growing county in the country, and continues to have that fastest-growing county award every year,” said Rich, who has been manager since 2016. “We are a very large county with almost 4.5 million people. We’re the fourth largest county in the country, so this is really a large organization, and we have a budget that obviously reflects that.” This fiscal year’s budget is a 30% increase from the previous year. Expenditures are broken up
into six categories, with public safety accounting for 47% of the $4.5 billion budget. The other categories, in order of percentage of the total budget, include health, welfare and sanitation; general government, highways and streets; culture and recreation; and education. Rich said one of the budget highlights is it sets the tax rate at less than the truth-in-taxation rate.
INDOOR/ OUTDOOR LIVING A TREND THAT’S NEVER OUT OF STYLE
4454 East Thomas Road • Phoenix, AZ 85018 602.508.0800 liwindow.com Mon-Thurs 8:30-5p.m. | Fri 8:30-4p.m. | Sat 9-2p.m. | ROC#179513
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BUDGET page 4