The Foothills Focus 112422 zone 1

Walk nets $12K to provide clean water

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor

Hope 4 Kids International’s Water 4 Kids International and the An them Rotary Club raised more than $12,000 for the impoverished Ariet Vil lage, in remote Uganda, Africa, at the Walk 4 Water Anthem Fundraiser on Nov. 12.

Anthem Rotary Club, a major sponsor of the event, supported the fundraising effort with a $5,000 donation.

That Saturday, 130 Walk 4 Water Anthem

WATER page 4

Plaza

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Scottsdale-based Diversified Partners facilitated the sale of Daisy Moun tain Plaza, a 5,138-square-foot retail space, home to Starbucks and DECA Dental.

The plaza, located on 1.62 acres at 39422 N. Daisy Mountain Drive, An them, sold for $4.5 million to an all-cash buyer at an aggressive 4.6 cap rate. A cap rate is calculated by net operating income divided by the sales price of the asset. It shows the potential rate of return on a real estate investment.

It sold in 45 days. Emma Barreca and Marti Weinstein represented Diver sified Partners.

“In a climate of rising interest rates and cap rates, it’s important to work with a team that can get the job done. We pride ourselves on setting records, pushing value and surpassing our client goals,” Weinstein said.

in

Walk 4 Water Anthem Fundraiser on Nov. 12 supported the impoverished Ariet Village in Uganda, Africa. (Hope 4 Kids International/Submitted)

Daisy Mountain Plaza is home to Starbucks and DECA Dental. (Diversi fied Partners/Submitted)

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

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

Display Advertising: 480-348-0343

Classifieds/Inside Sales: 480-898-6500 | classifieds@TimesLocalMedia.com

TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 | tjhiggins@TimesLocalMedia.com

Steve Insalaco | 480-898-5635 | sinsalaco@timeslocalmedia.com

Advertising Office Manager: Tricia Simpson | 480-898-5624 tsimpson@timeslocalmedia.com

Director of National Advertising Zac Reynolds | 480-898-5603 | zac@timeslocalmedia.com

NEWS DEPARTMENT

Executive Editor: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski | 480-898-5631 christina@timeslocalmedia.com

Design: Nathalie Proulx | nproulx@timeslocalmedia.com

Production Coordinator: Courtney Oldham | 480-898-5617 production@timeslocalmedia.com

CIRCULATION : 623-535-8439

Circulation Director: Aaron Kolodny | aaron@phoenix.org

Distribution Manager: Brian Juhl | brian@timeslocalmedia.com

Proud member of :

participants walked 2 miles around An them Community Park, the average oneway distance the women and children of Ariet Village walk to seek out water for their families’ survival. The village’s current water source is a swamp that is shared with local wildlife and com pletely evaporates during the dry sea son, leaving behind nothing but cracked earth and dust.

All proceeds raised by Walk 4 Water Anthem will support the drilling of a deep-water well in Ariet Village, which will provide safe, clean water from deep aquifers to Ariet and the surrounding villages, year-round. With proper instal lation these wells can last between 30 to 50 years with little to no maintenance.

In addition to drilling deep water

wells, Water 4 Kids International also provides these communities with hy giene and sanitation education, as well as operation and maintenance training. Access to clean, drinkable water has an immediate impact on the health of these communities and prevents transmission

of common diseases, like cholera and di arrhea.

“I think Arizonans think about the val ue of water on a daily basis,” said Dave Murphy of Anthem Rotary Club, which is partnering with Water 4 Kids Inter national to promote and produce the event.

“We think of it as a precious resource for our future. But many people have been conditioned to take it for granted and expect it will always be there. And there are more than a billion people in the world who struggle every day to find the life-saving water they need.

To start or stop delivery of the paper, please visit: https://timespublications.com/phoenix/ or call 480-898-7901

https://www.thefoothillsfocus.com/e-subscribe/

The content of any advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The Foothills Focus assumes no responsibility for the claims of any advertisement. © 2022 Strickbine Publishing, Inc.

“This is something we take for granted as Americans. Arizonans and Americans would hope that we never face that kind of future, but it’s important to recognize that people all over the world face these types of challenges every day.”

for the drilling of Ariet’s deep-water well. Visit w4ki.org/w4wanthem. (Hope 4 Kids International/Submitted)

Water 4 Kids International is still accepting

Water 4 Kids International is still ac cepting donations. Those who wish to contribute to the drilling of Ariet’s deep-water well can give here: w4ki. org/w4wanthem

WATER from page 1

Walk 4 Water attracted participants from around the Valley. (Hope 4 Kids International/Submitted)

Participants walked 2 miles, the average one-way distance Ariet Village women and children walk to seek out water. (Hope 4 Kids International/Submitted)

donations

Not only are we experts in plumbing and

we are your neighbors. As residents of North Phoenix, we bring over 31 years of experience with 16 years in business and a neighborly approach to service. We recognize that nobody likes to have air-conditioning/heating or plumbing problems, but when you do, you have a choice. When you choose West Coast Plumbing and Air, you are choosing the company that looks out for its neighbors and one that comes with a 100% money back guarantee.

Testimonials

“Thank you for getting our air working for us! It was an urgent matter, and they had someone at our house within 2 hours of my phone call.”

- Anthem Resident

“The technician was awesome he was fast, professional and polite. Hopefully I won’t have to call anyone anytime soon but, if I had to West Coast Plumbing & Air would be my first choice.”

- North Phoenix Resident

Anthem Veterans Day celebration

The public, veterans, military and Anthem officials honored those who lost their lives for our country during a Veterans Day remembrance. Children from Sandra Day O’Connor High School took part in the event, as well as ProMusica Arizona Chorale and Orchestra. Photographer Cassandra Tomei was there to cap ture it.

1 - Wreaths represent the six branches of the military Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force. 2 - ROTC cadets from Sandra Day O’Connor High School stand watch at the Anthem Veterans Memorial. 3 - ProMusica Arizona Chorale and Orchestra perform. 4 - Master Sgt. Christopher Villaneuva honors veterans. 5 - Veteran Dennis Burns attends the ceremony. 6 - Lt. Col. Amber Cargile gives a historical perspective. 7 - ProMusica Arizona Chorale and Orchestra perform. 8 - Petty Officer 1st Class Machinery Repairman Mary Lou Spicer gives the invocation. 9 - ROTC cadets from Sandra Day O’Connor High School stand watch. 10 - ROTC cadets from Sandra Day O’Connor High School stand watch. 11 - Sgt. 1st Class Broderick De Armas, Sgt. 1st Class Kyle David and Staff Sgt. Luis Beltran attend. 12 - Keynote address given by Col. Thomas H. Kirk Jr., who was instrumental in establishing the memorial. 13 - Lisa Jones pays tribute to veterans. 14 - Flags fly. 15 - ROTC cadets from Sandra Day O’Connor High School stand watch.

The Travel ID will be required in 2023 at TSA

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Less than six months before the federal deadline for domestic airline travelers to have a feder ally compliant form of ID, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is urging people to consider getting the Arizona Travel ID.

Beginning May 3, travelers will need a federally compliant credential — like the Arizona Travel ID — to get past TSA checkpoints at airports for domestic flights. For most people, the main reason to get the Arizona Travel ID is because it will make travel easier. Without the Arizona Travel ID or oth er form of federally compliant identi fication such as a valid U.S. passport, fliers risk missing an airline flight be cause the standard driver license will not be accepted at TSA checkpoints. This credential is distinguished by

a star in the upper right corner and is available to Arizona residents as a driver license or identification card. Historically, the months of Novem

ber and December see less traffic in our MVD offices and that makes right now a great time to go to an MVD of fice and upgrade your driver license

to the Arizona Travel ID.

Travelers can walk-in to an office for this service, but we suggest sched uling an appointment. That can be done online at azmvdnow.gov. Even those who haven’t activated their AZ MVD NOW account can still schedule a Travel ID appointment.

Because the Arizona Travel ID is compliant with the federal standards, you will need to provide extra docu mentation. This includes:

Proof of identity: a birth certificate or U.S. passport

Social Security Number: just the number, not the card

Two documents proving Arizona residency: rental or bank statements, credit card or cellphone bills in your name with your current Arizona ad dress, etc.

More information and a full list of qualifying documents are available at azdot.gov/TravelID

TSA won’t accept traditional driver licenses starting May 3. (Submitted photo)

Judge Williams discusses garnishments

BY JUDGE GERALD A. WILLIAMS North Valley Justice Court

Agarnishment is a court order requiring a third-party (such as an employer or a bank) to seize money to satisfy someone else’s debt. It is the most common way to force someone who lost a lawsuit to pay the prevailing party.

There are two types of garnish ments. With a wage garnishment, an employer is required to take as much as 25% of someone’s dispos able earnings and give it to a plaintiff every payday. Someone who is hav ing their pay garnished can request a hearing to object to the garnishment. If the defendant can establish that either he or his family would suffer extreme economic hardship, a judge can reduce the amount being with held to not less than 15%. However, this law is about to change.

Proposition 209 was on this year’s November election ballot. Support ers of Prop 209 stated that it will help prevent predatory debt col lection. Opponents stated that if it passes, it will be very difficult for anyone who wins a lawsuit in Arizo na to collect the judgment. It passed

overwhelmingly. Soon, the maximum any creditor could garnish is 10% of someone’s wages. A judge could then reduce that percentage to 5%.

If you request a hearing to chal lenge a garnishment, you will not be able to also challenge the factual basis for the judgment at the garnishment hearing. For example, if you believe that the evidence was insufficient, or if you believe that the service was not done correctly, then you should file the appropriate motion with the court that entered the judgment (e.g., a motion to set aside the judgment).

In many if not most cases, after someone has requested a hearing, a judgment creditor will not object to a reduction to 15% (soon to be 5%). If they file an order of continuing lien at the reduced rate, the court will likely vacate the requested hearing.

There are also nonearnings gar nishments. These usually involve

an attempt to zap someone’s bank account. In those cases, a judgment debtor can also request a hearing to challenge the garnishment. For ex ample, the bank account may be re ceiving deposits from sources that cannot be garnished (e.g., Social Se curity, veterans benefits, etc.).

Have a plan to pay your debts. Bad news often does not improve with the passage of time and avoiding a debt (especially if interest is also running) often makes things worse. If you reach a point where you need to speak with an attorney, I recommend starting by contacting the Maricopa County Bar Association Lawyer Re ferral Service either online or at 602257-4434.

Judge Gerald A. Williams is the jus tice of the peace for the North Valley Justice Court. That court’s jurisdiction includes Glendale, Phoenix, Anthem and Desert Hills.

Blood donors receive symphony tickets

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Vitalant donors are “Hearing the Sweet Sound of Saving Lives” when they give blood through Nov. 30 at any donor center or blood drive across the Valley, com pliments of The Phoenix Symphony.

In appreciation for saving lives around Thanksgiving, all blood do nors will receive a voucher for one ticket to a Phoenix Symphony per formance. To make a blood dona tion appointment, call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825) or visit vitalant.org and enter your city or ZIP code.

The Phoenix Symphony’s part nership with Vitalant was inspired when their late maestro, Hermann Michael, was diagnosed with aplas tic anemia, a disease that affected his body’s ability to produce blood cells. Doctors treated him with chemo therapy and blood transfusions ev

ery few days. Michael was grateful that blood was there for him when he needed it and shared his story with the public to inspire increased donations.

Since the Thanksgiving partner ship was established with The Phoe

nix Symphony in 2002, the annual campaign has grown to become one of Vitalant’s most popular and has inspired more than 86,500 people to donate blood.

“As we celebrate our health and well-being with family, it is import

Look REFRESHED AND RESTED with our Premier Wellness EYE BRIGHTENING PACKAGE which includes:

BODY

CONTOURING for ARMS with BIONEXIS LASER

Tighten the Skin, improve Tone and Elasticity, and Achieve Lift NON-INVASIVELY Arms $299/treatment OR Package of 6 treatments $1499 (reg. $1799)

ant to remember that patients are relying on a plentiful blood supply so that they can celebrate another holiday with their families as well,” said Sid Lewis, vice president of Vi talant’s Southwest Division.

• 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, St. Rose Catholic Community, Blood mobile at Building A, 2825 W. Rose Canyon Circle, Anthem

• 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, American Legion Post 107, Blood mobile, 20001 N. Cave Creek Road

• 7 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Nov. 29, HonorHealth-Sonoran Crossing, Ambulatory Multipurpose Room, 33400 N. 32nd Avenue

• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, Focal Point Rejuvenation Center, Bloodmobile, 7025 E. Mayo Boule vard

• Noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, Moon Valley Country Club, Ball room, 151 W. Moon Valley Drive

Smooth Neck Lines and Creases, Achieve Lift, Tightening, and a more Youthful Neck with our NECK REJUVENATION PACKAGE

Includes 1 syringe of Filler for neck creases followed by a Plasma Pen treatment $1299 (reg. $1595)

PLASMA LIP & LIP LINES TREATMENT

Give your Lip area Hydration, Smoothness, and Revive your Natural Lip Color with PRP INJECTIONS

$325 (reg. $400)

CLEARLIFT

LASER FACELIFT

Restore Youthful Skin with NO DOWNTIME and NO PAIN Lightens, Brightens, and Lifts Excellent for Melasma, too! $229 (reg. $299)

42211 N. 41st Drive, Suite A109, Anthem 623.399.8222 PremierWellnessAZ.com

BY JUDY BLUHM Foothills Focus Columnist

Football. Turkey. Family. Oh my, did I mention football? The first professional Thanksgiving Day football game was played in 1920. In 1939, Thanksgiving was moved to the third Thursday in November, because President Roosevelt wanted to add more Christmas shopping days to the holiday season. This really upset foot ball coaches because it was “disrupting the game schedule.” Football prevailed and Thanksgiving was moved back to

the fourth Thursday.

I do recall as a child my mother, aunts and grandmother working hard in the kitchen while the men stayed in the living room watching football. Every now and then, an uncle might wander haplessly into the kitchen and was met with shouts of, “Get out of here, we’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

My grandmother liked to point out to the men huddled in the living room that all the women in the kitchen had sharp knives and wouldn’t put up with any shenanigans. I think she was kid ding, yet Thanksgiving cooking was

serious business back in the day. And women ruled the kitchen!

Times have changed. We welcome men into the kitchen. Cook the dinner! Now, our homes have great rooms with massive televisions, connected to our spacious kitchens outfitted with dou ble ovens, six-burner stoves, toaster ovens and Instapots. Everyone can be everywhere at the same time and not miss any action. Roast a turkey, watch a touchdown, grab a drink and the mir acle of modern appliances means that all of the food can stay hot while serv ing.

Americans cook about 46 million turkeys during the holidays. And 68%

Questions surround Lake’s election loss

BY J.D. HAYWORTH Foothills Focus Columnist

Here in Arizona, conservatives find themselves at wit’s end.

As Republicans watched the 2022 Election degenerate into “2020, 2.0,” they developed enough doubt, dis belief and outright cynicism to fill a met aphorical Grand Canyon.

Joel Barry, managing editor of The Babylon Bee, may call Ohio home, but in temporarily abandoning satire to get se rious, he earned the status of “Honorary Arizonan” by succinctly describing the current state of affairs in the 48th state.

“It’s not Republican messaging. It’s not low-quality candidates. It’s not Trump. It’s not abortion. It’s mass mail-in/drop box voting. It’s as simple as that.”

Previous editions of this column have warned of the ways in which early mailin voting could easily be changed from an instrument of convenience into a tool of connivance.

In fact, a similar warning was issued a decade ago from a collaboration of interesting sources. “News 21” was a program funded by the Carnegie Corpo ration of New York and the Knight Foun dation.

The program was headquartered at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Jour nalism and Mass Communication, and it also included collaboration with NBC News, through the network’s investiga tive blog, “Open Channel.”

The headline from a Sept. 25, 2012, ar ticle tells you all you need to know: “The real vote-fraud opportunity has arrived: casting your ballot by mail.” nbcnews. com/news/investigations/real-votefraud-opportunity-has-arrived-castingyour-ballot-mail-flna1b6088606

It has not disappeared down a “mem ory hole” yet…though that could change.

What did change was the way in which the media reacted to vote-by-mail concerns about fraud when they were voiced again in the wake of COVID.

Simply stated, the press was not im pressed.

The 2022 campaign brought forth a former journalist, troubled by the dis missive coverage of concerns raised during the 2020 vote count in Arizona and the Orwellian newspeak that en shrined Democrat talking points as es tablished facts.

Kari Lake spent more than two de cades at the anchor desk on Channel 10, then walked away into the Republican race for governor.

Not only did she win the GOP pri mary in dramatic come-from-behind fashion, she also challenged her former colleagues in journalism to embrace ob jectivity in campaign coverage.

When they continued to dance to the Democrat tune, Lake held press con ferences during which she would offer on-the-spot refresher courses, and im mediate critiques to a largely hostile and partisan press corps.

Those performances established Lake as a “rising star” in the Republican Par ty, and that star continued to rise, as did her pre-election poll numbers, when Democrat nominee Katie Hobbs refused to debate her.

Lake had called for Hobbs to recuse herself from any involvement in over

Arizona knew Lake’s BS when they heard it

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Foothills Focus Columnist

You work close up to elections for 30 years, you have the chance to learn some things about candi dates and campaigns. The most import ant one is this: Many people vote with their gut, not their head.

In the end, that’s what did in one of the most arrogant candidates ever to grace an Arizona ballot, Republican governor hopeful Kari Lake.

Before her midlife conversion to poli tics, Lake spent two decades as a news anchor, a job whose main qualification is the ability to read aloud text prepared at a low high school level. This translat ed into high name identification, which Lake translated as ardor for her as a hu man being.

On the campaign trail, she spoke about “being in your living room” for decades, about how we knew her so well, about how much she loved Arizona and how much Arizona loved her back.

All I can say is, it looks like she got that half right.

In the end, it was Lake’s seething ha tred that sunk her campaign – moments like the Thursday before the election when, standing before a roomful of Re publicans, she again attacked the late Sen. John McCain, a politician whose skill

as an Arizona campaigner she could nev er touch.

“We don’t have any McCain Republi cans in here, do we?” Lake demanded. “All right, get the hell out,” she ordered. Then she added: “Boy, Arizona has deliv ered some losers, haven’t they?”

I guess we have, Kari. Except John Mc Cain never lost an election in this state, and you’re zero for a lifetime.

In the days before the election, a con servative consultant told me Lake could be the perfect vice president for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run – Robin to Trump’s red, white and blue Batman.

In retrospect, I get the enthusiasm: Lake is smooth with a microphone in her hand, polished delivering Trump’s talking points.

Put her in a crowd of 100 people and 35 will gobble up her act. Meanwhile, an other 35 will revile her.

The last 30 – the ones caught in be tween – will end up trusting our guts. And most of them will end up saying, “Boy, that Lake is really nasty.”

If the candidate herself read this col umn, she’d surely insult me right back, the way she told reporters, “I’m going to be your worst fricking nightmare for eight years,” or her closing night spiel to voters, where she crowed at the me dia, “the bastards back there don’t want us talking about stolen elections. Well it

doesn’t matter what they attempt tomor row because we’re going to show up like our lives depend on it.”

Republicans did show up by the hun dreds of thousands statewide in this election.

The GOP took six of nine Congressio nal races, and the party built majorities in both houses of the state Legislature.

But atop the ticket, the Trump-en dorsed statewide candidates mostly got beaten – Lake, Blake Masters, and total wingnut Mark Finchem.

As I write this, the attorney general race remains too close to call with only about 700 votes separating Abe Hama deh and the Dem, Kris Mayes.

The shining star for the GOP this cycle in Arizona? It was incumbent Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who easily won a second term by notching the most votes of any Arizona candidate in a competitive race.

Notably, Yee was not endorsed by Trump. She campaigned without an in cessant focus on the 2020 election and

Trump’s grievances. And Yee accepted her victory with grace, thanking Demo crat Martín Quezada “for running a pro fessional campaign.”

Lake, locked in her “war room,” where the toadies were reportedly beginning to flee, responded by tweet to news reports of her loss. “Arizonans,” she wrote, “know BS when they see it.”

Yes, we did, Kari. Yes, we certainly did.

from page 16

seeing the election, citing legitimate conflict of interest concerns that should supersede Katie’s role as secretary of state. Hobbs also said no to that request.

So, “with the fox guarding the hen house,” most Republicans eschewed mail-in voting, opting instead to cast their votes in the traditional way on Election Day. They reasoned that their personal presence at the polls might help prevent a repeat of the curious 2020 results.

Then a not-so-funny-thing happened. Thirty percent of the tabulation ma chines malfunctioned in the county with 60% of the total Arizona electorate.

Whether through incompetence or in

tentional neglect, the Maricopa County mess resulted in voter suppression of Republicans.

The refusal of a state judge to grant an emergency GOP request to extend vot ing hours to 10 p.m. helped seal the deal.

Next came six days of laborious vote counting “Kabuki Theatre,” culminating with the announcement of a narrow Hobbs victory.

Lake’s reaction was succinct: “Arizo nans know BS when they see it.”

Look for a legal challenge ahead.

Meantime, The Babylon Bee has re turned to satire. One of its recent head lines reads, “Katie Hobbs projected to win Arizona governor’s race with 108% of precincts reporting.”

There is truth in humor.

How to get a letter published

E-mail: christina@timespublications.com

The Foothills Focus welcomes letters that express readers’ opinion on current topics. Letters must include the writer’s full name, address (including city) and telephone number. The Foothills Focus will print the writer’s name and city of residence only. Letters without the requisite identifying information will not be published. Letters are published in the order received, and they are subject to editing. The Foothills Focus will not publish consumer complaints, form letters, clippings from other publications or poetry. Letters’ authors, not the Foothills Focus, are responsible for the “facts” presented in letters.

HAYWORTH

of Americans really don’t care for Thanksgiving side dishes like green bean casserole, and most people are not crazy about turkey. An Instacart survey found that although folks would rather have something else for Thanks giving dinner, they eat “the usual” for the sake of tradition.

Did you know that Butterball has

had a Turkey Talk-Line open for over 40 years? The “turkey experts” answer about 100,000 questions each year. Do not thaw your turkey out in the bath tub! Do not place an outdoor turkey fryer next to your house! Never use water to put out a grease fire! Some fire departments have coined the slo gan, “Don’t turn your Butterball into a fireball!” Yikes, who knew that cooking a turkey could be so dangerous?

Evidently, a Thanksgiving “tradi tion” is that people get up on ladders. Be careful, dear readers, as each year there are about 165,000 emergency room ladder injuries that occur around the holidays. I just got up on a ladder and I am happy I lived to write about it. Breaking all of my own rules, I was home alone when I marched up three steps and grabbed a platter off of a shelf. Ladder accidents and holidays

go together like eggnog and rum. It’s all good, until it is not. So don’t drink and climb.

‘Tis the season to get the ladder, trim the tree, bake, cook, eat and watch football. Hang the holly with care. Need a ladder? Beware. Sip spiked eggnog if you dare. The holidays are here.

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

Think vaping is a safe alternative to cigarettes… think again

BY DR. SAGUN SHRESTHA Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Phoenix

In the past decade, vaping has reached epidemic levels and has become prevalent among middle and high schoolers across the country. In fact, a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey found approximately 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students are currently using e-cigarettes. This trend is alarming, especially when consider ing e-cigarettes can negatively impact adolescents’ developing bodies and brains, leading to possible nicotine ad diction, or worse, lung-related diseas es and other maladies.

Unfortunately, vaping is often viewed as a healthier alternative to cigarettes. As e-cigarettes do not contain high lev els of tobacco, but do include significant amounts of nicotine, many individuals use vaping as a transitional method to kick smoking habits. The myriad of enticing, flavored e-cigarette products further contribute to the popularity.

However, this misinformation that vaping is safe compared to ciga rettes is inaccurate and risky. Vaping is not safe for anyone. The combination of hazardous chemicals and the inha lation of potentially carcinogenic com pounds pose risks for all who partake.

Though e-cigarettes are believed by some to be less harmful than regular cigarettes, the negative effects are un deniable. The aerosol inhaled when va ping contains a mixture of nicotine, formaldehyde and acrolein, among other ingredients. Acrolein, which is commonly used as a weed killer, can cause irreversible lung damage. Form aldehyde has been associated with cer tain types of cancer.

Yet vaping does not just affect us ers. The surgeon general concluded those exposed to secondhand emis sions, including nicotine, ultrafine particles; flavorings such as diace tyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, found in car ex haust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin and lead, are at increased

risk of developing lung cancer.

Two studies published in the Ameri can Heart Association’s peer-reviewed journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology indicate vap ing products and traditional tobacco cigarettes affect cardiovascular sys tems similarly.

The combination was discovered to have extreme, severe negative effects on heart health. Other concerns with use of these products include airway irritation, and a reduced capacity of large blood vessels to supply sufficient blood to the heart, lungs and other ma jor organs.

In addition, vaping impacts middle and high schoolers to a greater de gree. According to the aforementioned CDC survey, e-cigarettes have become the most commonly used tobacco prod ucts among middle and high schoolers.

Though 23.6 million people in the United States have a nicotine depen dence according to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NS DUH), adolescents are most vulnerable to adverse effects. Nicotine impacts parts of the brain which control atten tion, learning, mood and impulses, and has been linked to an increased risk of addiction to other drugs.

According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, long-term use of to bacco products is almost always estab lished during adolescence when the developing brain is most likely to suc cumb to addiction.

While we are still understanding exactly how dangerous vaping is, an other surgeon general’s report under

scores the point, noting that, if current rates of use continue among youth, 5.6 million are projected to die from tobac co related diseases.

Bottom line: The vaping epidemic must be taken seriously. I am calling for dedicated prevention and interven tional resources to be directed at mid dle and high school students, or even earlier at elementary schools to stop students before they start. As clinical providers, we also play an essential role in having conversations with our youth about the proven health risks tied to vaping. The health of young Ar izonans matters, and we must unite to protect this precious asset.

Dr. Sagun Shrestha is the medical on cology lead for CTCA Phoenix’s Lung Cancer Center and has a passion for public health education.

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Founded in 2018 through an ex clusive partnership between the Carefree Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce and The Holland Community Center, the Desert Foothills Leadership Academy is a preeminent communi ty-based leadership academy in Arizo na.

Its focus is to build a thriving, healthy and sustainable Sonoran Desert Foot hills. The academy works in partnership with local governments and businesses to educate leaders on the various com ponents of the community such as first responders, commerce, education, gov ernment and the arts.

Each year, applicants from a variety of sources from around the region apply for a challenging and interactive experi ence taught by current and former exec utives, experts in leadership and leaders in the community.

The two entities recently announced that the next Desert Foothills Leader ship Academy (DFLA) Class will com mence on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023.

“After a very successful 2022 class of 17 participants, we are excited to wel come Class III,” said Jennifer Rosvall, executive director of The Holland Cen ter. “The feedback and reviews from our previous class supported our mission to educate, energize and engage emerg ing leaders with a goal of enriching community life while responsibly sus taining our natural resources for gener ations to come.

“All of this is done through a focus on strengthening participants’ under standing of the past, current, and future potential of the Sonoran Desert Foot hills.”

Class III for the 2023 academy will take place over a 10-month period that will include both on-site and “class

room” training incorporating subject matter expert presentations, on-site tours, panel discussions and hands-on training. Areas that will be covered in clude health care, tourism, technology, sustainability, innovation, education, land usage/growth, social services, arts, local issues, transportation, Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), leadership training/styles and public safety.

Participants of the 2022 class recently graduated in October, and the program saw rave reviews.

Desert Foothills Leadership Acad emy is looking forward to welcoming applicants for the next class, encourag ing those who are seeking connections, confidence and knowledge to become effective and inspired community lead ers to apply.

For additional information or to apply for DFLA Class III, visit its website at desertfoothillsleaders.org

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Renee Parsons and global pop su perstar and fellow golf aficiona do, Nick Jonas, recently threw an intimate soiree, celebrating the launch of their PXG x Nick Jonas Capsule Col lection. The VIP dinner was hosted at SONA, Priyanka Chopra’s New York City restaurant, where celebrities, athletes, fashion tastemakers and friends gath

this collaboration is a celebration of our shared passions, creativity, and values,” said Renee Parsons, president and exec utive creative director of PXG Apparel.

“We partnered on this project to de sign something that we both felt was elevated and missing within the golf ap parel industry. The outcome is an appar el and accessories capsule that is classic, modern, and tailored.”

The limited-edition collection, born

John Molner and his wife, renowned journalist Katie Couric, PXG’s Renee Parsons and pop singer Nick Jonas were among those celebrating the entertainer’s collaboration with PXG. (Dimitrios Kam bouris/Getty Images)

cocktail hour by Parsons and Jonas, followed by din ing on a selection of SONA’s refined Indian fare, including galouti kebabs, malvani prawn curry, tamarind barbecue lamb chops and kofta korma. Guests included Zac Posen,

Katie Couric, Colton Underwood, Bill Cow her, John Varvatos, Michael Park, Eric Ruth erford, Alexander Roth, Patrick Janelle, Ken Downing, Ezra Williams, Landon Collins, J. Logan Horne, Andrew Gelwicks, Ian Malone, Elisee Browchuk, Charly Sturm, Eric McNeal, Harrison Vail, Jasmine Contomichalos, Landon Phillips, Naomi Elizee, MaryKate Boylan, Ray Mate, Blair Wheeler and Ian Rapoport.

MOVE-IN/MOVE-OUT CLEANING - We understand moving is a stressful experience. Let our cleaning teams help, so you aren't overwhelmed.

HOME CLEANING SERVICES - Many homeowners enjoy the time and energy that is saved when a professional cleaning service comes in and takes care of the hard work

CARPET CLEANING - Nothing freshens up a home more than a thorough carpet cleaning!

UPHOLSTERY CLEANING - We also have specialized equipment to clean upholstery, such as armchairs or sofas.

TILE & GROUT CLEANING - Tile floors can look fantastic, but even with regular cleaning stains build up on your tile and grout.

W INDOW CLEANING - Our window cleaning services include hard water removal, frame and track cleaning, along with a thorough inside and outside cleaning job.

PRESSURE WASHING - Offered on patios and garages!

Zac Posen, Joyce Varvatos, John Varvatos and Ken Downing strike a pose for a photo during the dinner.

PXG

Harrison Vail, Vogue’s Eliseé Browchuk and Ian Malone attend the PXG

Collection launch dinner.

1 Cigna will reduce your monthly Medicare Part B premium by $100.

2 Benefits, features and/or devices vary by plan/service area. Limitations, exclusions, and restrictions may apply. All Cigna products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation. The Cigna name, logos, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. Benefits, features and/or devices vary by plan/service area. Limitations, exclusions, and restrictions may apply. Contact the plan for more information. This information is not a complete description of benefits, which vary by individual plan. You must live in the plan’s service area. Call 1-888-284-0268 (TTY 711) for more information. Cigna is contracted with Medicare for PDP plans, HMO and PPO plans in select states, and with select State Medicaid programs. Enrollment in Cigna depends on contract renewal. © 2022 Cigna Some content provided under license. Y0036_23_786411_M

A happy Thanksgiving is a healthy Thanksgiving

Pastor Ed Delph Foothills Focus Columnist

This quote by Robert Lintner sums up Thanksgiving perfectly. “Thanks giving was never meant to be shut up in a single day,” said John F. Kennedy. “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”

I have a challenge this Thanksgiv ing holiday season that may be hard on our emotions. With an attitude of gratitude, let’s thank our families, co-workers, friends, spouses, em ployees and employers for something special they have done for us.

Even the famous sprinter, Usain Bolt, found a way to thank his doubt ers. He wrote: “I’d like to say thanks to all my fans, thanks for the sup port. And to all my doubters, I’d like to thank you very much because you have pushed me to run faster.” Not bad! Dub Nance points out another thing we can all be very thankful for. “There’s one thing for which you can be thankful – only you and God have all the facts about yourself.” Yes, and Amen!

The Oxford Dictionary defines thankfulness as “the feeling of being happy or grateful because of some thing.” Here’s a story reported in the Los Angeles Times on Nov. 20, 1988, that illustrates our need for Thanks giving and thankfulness more than just one day a year.

A screaming woman trapped in a

car dangling from a freeway transi tion road in east Los Angeles was res cued Saturday morning. The 19-yearold woman apparently fell asleep behind the wheel at about 12:15 a.m. The car plunged through a guardrail and dangled by its left rear wheel.

A half dozen passing motorists stopped, grabbed some ropes from one of their vehicles, tied the ropes to the back of the woman’s car, and hung on until the fire units arrived. The fire units extended a ladder from below to help stabilize the car while firefighters tied the vehicle to tow trucks with cables and chains. It was quite an ordeal.

“Every time we would move the car,” said one of the rescuers. “She would yell and scream. She was in terrible pain.”

It took almost two and a half hours for the passers-by, police officers, tow truck drivers and firefighters — about 25 people — to secure the car and put the woman to safety. Throughout the episode, the wom an continued talking, repeating a phrase repeatedly to the rescuers. It was kind of funny, the fire captain re called later. “She kept saying, ‘I’ll do it myself.’” Fortunately for the young woman, the rescuers didn’t listen to her. She survived the crash.

I don’t know about you, but if that had happened to me, I think I would have profusely thanked all involved in the rescue for taking the time and effort to rescue me from my precar ious predicament. Perhaps she was

in shock, but once she came out of shock and had her wits back, she might have gone back to thank the police and fire department.

Did you note what the girl kept say ing, “I’ll do it myself”? Consider this Thanksgiving thought. Partnerships may feel least comfortable when it is most necessary. That was certain ly the case on the first Thanksgiving. Both the Native Americans and the Pilgrims were in the same predica ment. They worked together to sur vive a very rough winter. And they also celebrated the first Thanksgiv ing together after the crisis.

Richard Douglas enlightens about the idea of Thanksgiving and thank fulness. “The modern American sel dom pauses to give thanks for life’s simple blessings. One reason is that we are used to having so much. We assume that we will have all the good things in life. Another reason is that it hurts our pride to be grateful. We do not want to admit that God is the Provider of all good things. We are His stewards. Being thankful requires humility and faith in God. When we have these things, we can be grateful.”

The lack of thankfulness in our lives has devastating consequences. It af fects our attitude negatively when we are closed to the idea of thankful ness. We end up becoming judgmen tal and prideful. We tend to become selfish and self-sufficient. We end up underachieving, alone in our self-cre ated unthankful world, hanging by

one wheel on a bridge saying, “I’ll do it myself.” Brene Brown says, “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”

Anyone who is a resident of the entitlement world should change addresses. Taking the time to thank God and others for everything we have is what Thanksgiving is all about. It’s giving thanks, not just taking thanks. Thankfulness gives you a different perspective on life, a healthy one that builds up a person, not tears them down. Thankfulness is an attitude of gratitude, elevating both the giver and the receiver in life-lifting ways.

A happy Thanksgiving is a healthy Thanksgiving; a healthy Thanksgiv ing is a grateful Thanksgiving; a grateful Thanksgiving is a hopeful Thanksgiving.

Ed Delph is a noted author of 10 books, as well as a pastor, teacher, former business owner and speaker. He has traveled extensively, having been to more than 100 countries. He is president of NationStrategy, a nonprofit organization involved in uplifting and transforming communities worldwide. For more information, see nationstrategy.com. He may be contacted at nationstrategy@cs.com.

TheFoothillsFocus.com

@TheFoothills.Focus /TheFoothillsFocus

Anthem charter school provides traditional, personable environment

BY SUMMER AGUIRRE Foothills Focus Staff Writer

For Anthem families searching for a personable educational experi ence with traditional opportunities, Caurus Academy charter school may be a good option.

Founded in 2004, the Anthem institu tion consists of an elementary and sec ondary school campus. The latter teaches students in sixth to 12th grades, and is a smaller-scale traditional school offering a more intimate learning environment for its student body.

“We like to think of ourselves as a school that offers a lot of things, like student council, National Honor Society,

National Junior Honor Society, sports that participate in the CAA and clubs af ter school, but in a smaller community where every student is known and gets a personal experience,” said Dino Puccetti, principal of the secondary school.

Caurus Academy is a part of Edkey, a K-12 charter school chain that has been a leading provider of online education in Arizona since 1999. With transparency, integrity, communication and kindness at its core, Edkey has 19 schools and pro grams throughout the state that cater to a variety of student needs.

Out of Caurus Academy’s 600 students in total, 140 attend the secondary school. Puccetti is expecting to see the mid dle and high school student body grow

through the second semester into next year.

Its classes range from 15 to 20 stu dents, creating an environment that helps the children feel encouraged and eager to attend school every day.

“When you’re not student No. 35, it’s really easy to get noticed if you’re not there,” Puccetti said. “What the teachers do is they create a welcoming environ ment where they let the students know they are missed if they don’t show up.”

Every teacher participates in af ter-school tutoring each week to support the students and their academics.

“We do want to challenge them aca demically, but we also won’t challenge them without putting support in place,” said Puccetti. “So parents can rely on get ting extra help after school.”

Caurus’ secondary school emphasizes communication, something that Puccetti said he believes is often lost in larger in stitutions.

He said they pride themselves in the classroom for the strong communication that teachers maintain with parents via email, as well as practicing positive con

tacts outside the classroom. This includes weekly letters to families and monthly meetings with the parent advisory.

“One of the things that we don’t do is shut out parents. We want them informed so they can make the best decisions for their kids,” Puccetti said. “As a family, we want them to decide that they want to be here, and we’re here to support them.”

The secondary school’s educators and staff, while being fairly new to the insti tution, are “really dedicated to the stu dents,” according to Puccetti.

“They show up every day and they have a lot of energy, and I think it’s contagious around here,” he said.

Puccetti, who began his role at Caurus academy in June 2022, has been working in education for a total of 26 years.

So far, he has spent six years in admin istration, having previously served as an assistant principal in the Roosevelt Ele mentary School District and a principal at another charter school.

His two decades of teaching experience includes positions as an assistant athletic director at a charter high school, varsity basketball coach and PE teacher.

“I like to think when I’m working with my staff, from the prism of if I was the teacher, how would I be receiving this?” Puccetti said. “So I think I come with that mindset, which hopefully helps support the teachers even more than maybe someone who hasn’t spent that kind of time in the classroom that I have.”

Caurus Academy

Elementary School

41900 N. 42nd Avenue, Anthem 623-551-5083

Secondary School 44111 N. 43rd Avenue, Phoenix 623-466-8187 info@caurusacademy.org caurusacademy.org

Dino Puccetti is the principal of Caurus Acad emy’s secondary school in Anthem. (Cassandra Tomei/Submitted)

JOB SEEKERS

New Opportunities in the Media

through a variety of means. They add links and other elements to text as readers navigate their way through a story. They also ensure the copy is written in SEO, or search engine optimized, style so people using a search engine can quickly be directed to relevant stories based on key words.

At one time, finding a job in the media meant working for a print newspaper or a radio or television station. But the modern media encompasses many more careers on multiple platforms. In the new all-digital world, people in the media are not just report ers or anchors. Many produce stories that incorporate video, social media and podcasting skills that bring the public an immersive experi ence.

The changing landscape brings with it a variety of exciting jobs, not only in journalism but in many other adjacent fields. Here are a number of positions that can widen your perspective and provide oppor tunity.

Content producer

In the media, content is king. And in this highly competitive world talented content producers are prized. Content can come in the form of articles, photos, audio and video. Besides creating content, there are many jobs involving the editing and posting of content.

Video editors

Because content producers and not just writers and report ers, but also video and audio producers, someone has to edit this material into a coherent format for presentation. Video edi tors are tasked with making this happen, transferring raw foot age into an enticing production that often includes interactive features and extra content for both traditional websites and mobile formats.

Social media manager

Many people rely on their social media accounts to find infor mation about news and events, and it is the social media manag er’s job to keep audiences engaged with fresh, up-to-date con tent. A social media manager in the media will typically oversee multiple accounts on a variety of platforms to draw readers and drive potential subscribers to their sites.

UX writers

User experience, or UX, writers bring content to life online

These are just a few of the exciting fields available to people pursuing a media career. And the good news is that because modern media is fueled by rapidly changing technology, many of these roles don’t require spe cialized degrees. While some technical expertise is required in some fields, younger “digital natives” have found rewarding careers based on skills they already have. Though the delivery meth ods have changed, the media will always value excellent communicators who are in touch with their audience.

Pursuing a career in the media is the dream of many people, and the field offers more opportunity than ever before.

© ADOBE STOCK