Marana News, June 30, 2021

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Marana hosting live Star Spangled Spectacular for Fourth of July

HOOP DREAMS Last week the Amphi community lost basketball standout Charron Campbell (upper row, second from left), who was part of the school’s first girls basketball team to win a region title. Former coach Tom Danehy remembers her talent and enthusiasm on page 11.

Our Town

Body of Hiker Found | Page 4

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Border Patrol Chief Ousted | Page 6

What to Do Around Town this Week | Page 9

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The program still has more than $20 million in rental assistance available of the $34 million in federal eviction prevention funding for the City of Tucson and Pima County. Community Investment Corporation Director Danny Knee expects more funding from the American Rescue Plan.

See EVICTION, P7

See FIREWORKS, P8

Aid to renters, landlords available as CDC extends eviction moratorium through the end of July C D

Happenings

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t was no surprise that many 4th of July firework celebrations were cancelled last year. But while COVID and reducing gatherings were the main reason, Arizona’s massive 2020 wildfire season also added to concerns. Although Arizona’s current wildfire season has already seen multiple largescale wildfires throughout the state, local municipalities have announced their plans for Independence Day firework shows.

The Town of Marana plans to have an in-person event for their 2021 Star Spangled Spectacular, which will include food vendors and music in addition to the fireworks at 9 p.m. Marana’s fireworks will be launched near the Crossroads at Silverbell District Park, 7548 N. Silverbell Road,

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hile the CDC last week put COVID-related evictions on hold until July 31, a local program aimed at preventing evictions has more than $20 million available to aid both renters and

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Fireworks: Marana, Oro Valley, A Mountain Continued from P1

where the event is taking place. While Marana is authorizing a public gathering, town staff will still be following CDC guidelines.

Food vendors include The Curry Pot, Ro’s Rollout American Comfort Food, Smokin Monster BBQ, Roadrunning Wood-Fired Pizza and more.

Oro Valley is continuing a partnership with fire departments to ensure the shows are as safe as possible. The Town of Oro Valley already hosted a fireworks test launch in early June. Although Oro Valley won’t be hosting an in-person event, they will be using larger

fireworks shells, which can be seen from greater distances. The fireworks will be launched from Naranja Park, 810 W. Naranja Drive, beginning at 9 p.m. and will last roughly 20 minutes. If you still can’t see the larger fireworks from where you are, the Town of Oro Valley will also be hosting a live stream of the event from their social media. The Oro Valley 4th of July fireworks are sponsored by Lisa Bayless with Long Realty, a veteran real estate agent who has specialized in the Oro Valley, Marana and Catalina Foothills area for more than a decade.

For downtown Tucson, the popular “A” Mountain fireworks are returning for their 24th annual celebra-

tion, sponsored by Desert Diamond Casinos. For more access to the fireworks, the City is allowing free parking at the Tucson Convention Center’s Parking Lot B (off Cushing Street between Granada and Church avenues) or Parking Lot C (off Granada between Broadway Boulevard and Cushing Street). Free parking will also be available all day Sunday at the City/State garage and at meters throughout the downtown area. However, due to the fireworks display, there will be restricted access to Sentinel Peak Park throughout the weekend.

The eastbound exit ramps at I-10 and Congress, I-10 and Starr Pass, and the westbound I-10 exit ramps at Silverlake and Congress will

be closed from 9-11 p.m. to ease congestion. Fireworks will begin at 9:15 p.m.

Although local fire crews work closely with towns and cities for a safer firework celebration, household firework celebrations pose a risk, especially in states like Arizona.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly 20,000 fires started by fireworks were reported to local U.S. fire departments in 2018. These fires caused five civilian deaths, more than 40 civilian injuries, and more than $100 million in direct property damage.

“Airborne fireworks are illegal in Arizona, so anything that leaves the ground can get you in trouble,” said Tucson Fire chief Chuck Ryan. “Keep a bucket of wa-

ter or hose nearby in case of a fire. And always douse used fireworks with plenty of water before throwing them away.”

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, four of the five largest current wildfires in the nation are in Arizona. These include the Telegraph Fire

east of Phoenix which has burned 180,000 acres, the Backbone Fire near Payson which has burned 40,000 acres, and the Pinnacle Fire outside of Safford which has burned 34,000 acres. The only wildfire in the top five not in Arizona is the Johnson Fire just next door in New Mexico.

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Marana News, Month xx, 2021

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Explorer and Marana News, June 30, 2021

EXPLORER The Explorer and Marana News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout the Northwest Tucson. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of the Explorer and Marana News, go to www.TucsonLocalMedia.com

Ryan Dyson Graphic Designer ryand@tucsonlocalmedia.com Emily Filener, Graphic Designer emilyf@tucsonlocalmedia.com

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ADVERTISING TLMSales@TucsonLocalMedia.com Kristin Chester, Account Executive kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Lisa Hopper, Account Executive lisa@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tyler Vondrak, Account Executive tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com

ADMINISTRATION Steve T. Strickbine, Publisher Michael Hiatt, Vice President Jaime Hood, General Manager jaime@tucsonlocalmedia.com Claudine Sowards, Accounting claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com Sheryl Kocher, Receptionist sheryl@tucsonlocalmedia.com EDITORIAL Jim Nintzel, Executive Editor jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Managing Editor jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Mike Truelsen, Web Editor mike@tucsonlocalmedia.com Christina Duran, Staff Reporter christinad@tucsonlocalmedia.com Ireland Stevenson, Staff Reporter istevenson@tucsonlocalmedia.com PRODUCTION Courtney Oldham, Production Manager, tucsonproduction@timespublications.com

CIRCULATION Alex Carrasco, Circulation alexc@tucsonlocalmedia.com

EDITORIAL & AD CONTENT The Explorer and Marana News expresses its opinion in the editorial. Opinions expressed in guest commentaries, perspectives, cartoons or letters to the editor are those of the author. The content and claims of any advertisement are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Tucson Local Media assumes no responsibility for the claims or content of any advertisement. Publisher has the right to edit for size or refuse any advertisement at his or her discretion.

7225 N. Mona Lisa Road, Ste. 125 Tucson, Arizona 85741 PHONE: (520) 797-4384

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Hot Picks Desert in Bloom. This month at the Madaras Gallery, they’re celebrating the beauty of the desert in bloom, from prickly pear blossoms to wildflowers and poppies. The explosions of color that happen in blooming season are perhaps both one of the most surprising and most wonderful parts about living here in the desert. And when the going gets rough with that desert heat, it’s always a good idea to take the time to focus on the good stuff. The exhibit will be open throughout the month of July. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Madaras Gallery, 3035 N. Swan Road. Free.

CAPTRUST Community Gallery: Arizona Landscapes. The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance has partnered with CAPTRUST on this gallery celebrating the work of Arizona artists. It’s located in Phoenix, but it’s easy peasy to make a virtual visit at saaca.org/captrustcommunitygallery.html.

The summer 2021 exhibit focuses on art inspired by Arizona landscapes, across multiple mediums and styles.

Barbara Garber, for example is a natural light fine art photographer. Casey Cheuvront does painting, drawing and ceramics. Ira Beckway works in ink, oil and etching, among other mediums. And Nancy Breiman does everything from graphic design to woodworking. Come see

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the exhibit and celebrate our Sessions are half an hour, and lovely state! limited to one per person per week. Be sure to regisOne-on-One Writing ter in advance at the library Consultations. Calling all website! writers! The Pima County Public Library’s writ5-DAY WEATHER er-in-residence, Marge WEDNESDAY Pellegrino, is generously PARTLY 90 74 CLOUDY offering virtual office hours this summer, for anyone THURSDAY looking for advice, feedback, PARTLY 94 76 CLOUDY pointers and tips on writing.

FRIDAY Pellegrino left the business world to be a writer since PARTLY 96 77 CLOUDY 1984, and she’s been writing SATURDAY and teaching about it ever PARTLY since. She’s led workshops 78 98 CLOUDY for people of all ages, coordiSUNDAY nated programming for the Owl & Panther Project for 99 80 MOSTLY SUNNY 20 years, and developed the MOUNT LEMMON library’s Word Journeys proSATURDAY gram for 12 years. She’s also the author of Neon Words: PARTLY 79 60 CLOUDY 10 Brilliant Ways to Light Up SUNDAY Your Writing. 2 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and 83 61 MOSTLY SUNNY 10 to 11 a.m. on Thursdays.

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OUR TOWN

Hiker who departed from Oracle area Leach named senator of the year for found dead I S Tucson Local Media

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hiker was found dead after embarking on the Arizona Trail near Oro Valley, the Pima County Sheriff ’s Office reported last week.

71-year-old John “Jack” Menard started his hike on June 17. His hike itinerary included starting from American Flag Ranch in Oracle to the Gordon Hirabayashi Campground (about 18 miles south of Mount Lemmon), where he planned to be picked up on June 20.

Menard never showed up to the meeting location. He was then declared missing, so search and rescue deputies were dis-

patched along with assistance from Southern Arizona Rescue Association.

Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue, Cochise County Sheriff ’s Office Search & Rescue, Pinal County Sheriff ’s Office Search & Rescue, Pima County Sheriff ’s Department Air Unit, Pima Regional resources, Park Enforcement Search & Rescue, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection were all utilized in the extensive three-day search for Menard.

Menard was located deceased, approximately three miles northwest of the Gordon Hirabayashi Camp ground.

“The Pima County Sheriff ’s Department extends our deepest sympathies to the Menard family

on the loss of their loved one,” PCSD officials said in a news release.

The cause of death was not immediately known on the scene, PCSD says. But, on the day Menard began the hike, the temperature in Tucson reached 113 degrees.

While this week’s weather forecast calls for highs below 100 degrees this week with a chance of thunderstorms, local agencies are preparing for high temps to return later this summer. The City of Tucson and Pima County have established cooling locations to help keep residents cool and hydrated.

The City of Tucson had opened six air-conditioned cooling centers across town during June’s heat wave and has plans to

reopen them if temperatures reach more than 110 degrees.

Other locations throughout the county will run by the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Office for Pima County, which will provide emergency shelters in the event of an emergency that displaces residents from their homes. These emergencies could occur for a number of reasons during times of extreme temperatures, such as power outages and fires. These locations include the Catalina Recreation Center, Pima County Fairgrounds, Ajo Community Center, the University of Arizona Campus and various locations within local school districts.

Arizona Chamber of Commerce S R Tucson Local Media

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en. Vince Leach, who represents of Oro Valley and Marana in the Arizona Legislature, was named Senator of the Year for 2021 by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Arizona Chamber CEO Danny Seiden cited Leach’s work on SB 1377, a bill that reduces the potential legal liability for employers, schools, religious organizations and healthcare workers in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This legislation did not come together overnight. We had countless

meetings making sure that the final product was the right fit for Arizona to protect all businesses from frivolous lawsuits,” Leach said. “I am both humbled and honored to be named Senator of the Year by this prestigious organization. This was the result of many people from across the state working together for the betterment of Arizona’s business community.”

Seiden said that Leach is one of the state Legislature’s strongest advocates for Arizona’s job creators and is successful in his efforts to ensure responsible businesses can get back to work without the threat of litigation.

FALL ARTS PREVIEW 2021 Join us as we highlight the upcoming arts events in Tucson. This is our annual fall preview of the must-see shows of the season.

COMING SEPT. 2021 For more information call 520-797-4384

Explorer and Marana News, June 30, 2021

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Border Patrol chief out, as White House grapples with immigration

A M Cronkite News

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he chief of Border Patrol was forced out this week after just 17 months in the job, a move that critics blasted as a politically motivated decision by the Biden administration.

Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller said Thursday that Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott has been replaced by Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz. Miller’s announcement thanked Scott for his service, but included no details on the reasons behind the departure.

Critics accused the Biden administration of giving Scott a choice of “three Rs”—reassignment, retirement or resignation—because he disagreed with their border policies.

“The chief asked directly why it was happening and was not provided response other than, ‘We

want to go in a different direction,’” said Mark Morgan, who served as acting CBP commissioner during the Trump administration and appointed Scott to the chief ’s job.

An angry Morgan called the decision “outrageous” and “devoid of all common sense,” saying that the Biden administration is “ending the 29-year career of a man not for just cause, but rather in the name of politics.”

But Doris Meissner of the Migration Policy Institute said Scott’s decision to “align himself, as the head of border patrol, with the president (Trump) personally” was “uncharacteristic” for someone in a career position, not a political appointment.

“From what I know about Chief Scott, he was more political and partisan in the places that he chose to appear during the Trump years than has typically been the case for Border Patrol chiefs,” said

Meissner, director of the institute’s U.S. Immigration Policy Program.

“I’m simply guessing that that has been part of the reason that he’s been offered the option to resign or be reassigned,” she said.

The move comes at a challenging time for the Biden administration on its handling of immigration issues. Republicans have repeatedly attacked President Joe Biden for what they call a crisis at the border, where the number of migrants apprehended has surged to the highest levels in years.

Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Central America and Mexico earlier this month to meet with leaders there and discuss ways to stop the flow of immigrants at their source.

She also visited the border in Texas Friday—just days ahead of this week’s scheduled visit by former President Donald Trump and a delegation of Republican lawmakers.

Now Contracting Drivers to deliver newspapers weekly Make some Extra Bucks The Northwest’s Newspaper

Call Circulation at 797-4384 for details.

Photo by Jerry Glaser/U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Border Patrol Chief Rodney S. Scott addresses agents in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, in August, 2020. Scott, who took a harder line on immigration than the Biden administration, was forced out of his job this week.

The Biden administration’s nomination of Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus to be the next CBP commissioner also appears to have stalled after his name was forwarded to the Senate in April.

One expert accused the Biden administration of targeting career officials who do not agree with its policies.

“It would seem that given all the other changes that this administration has made on immigration policy that they are getting rid of the holdovers from the previous administration who actually wanted to enforce laws,” said Ira Mehlman, spokesperson for the Federation for American

Immigration Reform.

Calls seeking comment from advocates and from unions representing Border Patrol agents on Scott’s dismissal were not immediately returned Thursday.

A CBP official said the only comment from the agency would be Miller’s statement.

That six-paragraph statement included just one short paragraph on Scott and five on the background of Ortiz, who “will assume the role of chief of the Border Patrol.” It did not say whether Ortiz would be an interim or permanent replacement.

Morgan said there is likely “not going to be any difference” in operations

of the agency once leadership shifts, but that the transition could take 30 to 60 days.

“It’s still too early to determine whether they’re going to post and do a search for a new chief or if they’re going to make Raul permanent, that’s yet to be determined,” Morgan said.

But he insisted that Scott should not have been forced out in the first place. Scott, whose 29 years in Border Patrol included service under both Republican and Democratic administrations, “epitomizes what we expect and demand from non-political career employees,” Morgan said, which is to do the job regardless of who’s in power.

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Explorer and Marana News, June 30, 2021

Eviction: “intended to be the final extension of the moratorium” Continued from P1

The program has until Sept. 30 to expend about 65% of those relief funds, but there’s pressure to distribute money before the end of the eviction moratorium under which many tenants have maintained their homes. Program officials expect a wave of eviction proceedings will be filed mid-summer.

The CDC said last week’s extension of the moratorium through the end of July “is intended to be the final extension of the moratorium.”

Knee said it’s challenging to distribute the money because there are so many people to serve but he doesn’t have the staff to process all the applications.

“How do you go hire and train as many people as would be needed to process all that and then when that’s over, then let them go?” said Knee. “Nonprofits, most of us are relatively small places, where we’re not set up for that. We’re not set up like Amazon to deal with Christmas rush or something like that and this work, it can’t just be anybody. It’s not unskilled type of work that people are doing.”

Knee said the program is distributing about $1 million in funding every week, earning praise from the Arizona Multihousing Association, which said in its June newsletter that the program is “on track to be the most efficient and

expedient program in the state.”

This was compared to Arizona’s Department of Economic Security’s program, which had dispersed $7.8 million in rental and utility assistance out of $289 million to 1,519 applicants in Coronavirus Relief Funds as of Monday, June 28. But AMA President Courtney LeVinus says the entire process has been beset by delays.

“The delay in deploying eviction relief funds continues to frustrate residents and property owners,” LeVinus said via email.

“Congress allocated these funds months ago, yet this continues to be an issue.

Property owners in some cases are owed 15 months of rent, sometimes $15,000 to $20,000. Meanwhile millions of dollars in relief money is not being deployed to people in need.”

According to LeVinus, Arizona has received nearly $1 billion in relief money through various levels of government over the past 16 month, but has deployed less than 15 cents of every dollar received.

From November 2020, a waitlist began to grow, with around 4,000 applications waiting in the queue in March when they began processing them, said Knee. He speculates around 2,400 were legitimate, as some of those applications may have been duplicated because of a change in eligibility requirements and because the program encourages cooperation be-

tween tenant and landlord, where either a tenant or landlord can apply.

With around 500 to 600 applications coming in every week, the process takes roughly four weeks to get through the waitlist, said Knee.

Those at or below 50% of area median income who may be eligible for unemployment or who have been unemployed for a longer period have priority in the list. With the city and county, CIC also created a scoring system to take into consideration how long someone has been on the waitlist.

“What we were finding early on is that if you didn’t do that, the people who didn’t have a higher priority score, they would never have gotten served, because people are always coming in,” said Knee.

Once they are off the waitlist, tenants and landlords must provide the required documents, like pay stubs, leases and proof of the rent in arrears, to prove eligibility and ensure a legitimate landlord/tenant relationship. With 65 case managers across 10 agencies, the process takes another two to three weeks.

Knee said income verification is making the process take closer to three weeks.

“If somebody were to get on the waiting list right now on average, it would probably take them about two months to get served, which is obviously really problematic with the moratorium coming up,” said

Knee. “We’re very stressed about what’s going on.”

Last month, the Department of Treasury updated their guidelines for emergency rental assistance to allow the use of readily available information or “proxies” to verify the income eligibility of renters.

In order to expedite a process bogged down by red tape, the city and county followed CIC’s suggestion to use the Neighborhood Vulnerability Map Index, a map created from a 2020 study identifying vulnerable areas in Tucson and Pima County based on five factors: percentage of non-white residents; level of education; renting versus owning housing; income level; and the number of children living in poverty. Applicants would submit their address and self-attest to living in one of those vulnerable areas.

Knee said about half of the applications submitted in recent weeks have gone through that process, meaning “no gathering of pay stubs, no calculation errors, no back and forth.”

With those improvements, Knee hopes to increase the amount of funds paid to $1.5 million a week in the next couple of weeks and get closer to $2 million a week.

“The money is not going to run out,” said Knee.

“I know that’s one of the concerns. That is not the concern right now. There’s American Rescue Plan money that is going to fall behind this. So, if people

can be patient, the money will be there. There are landlords that have been out over a year, have not gotten a payment for over a year, and so it’s very difficult to ask them to be patient.”

LeVinus said the request for more patience is unreasonable.

“During the pandemic, we did not require grocery stores to give away free food and home goods.

We didn’t enforce a ‘fuel cost moratorium’ requiring gas stations to provide free gas. Only property owners have been asked to make this unbelievable sacrifice—a 16-month moratorium that has been ruled unconstitutional by multiple federal judges,” Le Vinus said via email. “Collectively, Arizona property owners–including mom and pop rental owners– have lost millions of dollars in rental income while still paying their own mortgages, property taxes, payroll, maintenance costs and other bills.”

LeVinus said she didn’t expect the end of the eviction moratorium will cause a spike in evictions.

Instead, she expects them to increase incrementally.

“We have seen predictions of an ‘eviction tsunami’ based on bad data and unreasonable projec-

tions,” said LeVinus. “We do believe there will be an incremental increase in evictions. That’s inevitable, given that evictions have slowed to a near standstill over the past 16 months.

At some point, people will have to pay the rent they owe or there will be some consequence.”

AMA continues to advise landlords and property owners to continue what they have been doing for 16 months: “Keep working with rental residents who make an effort to work with them,” according to LeVinus.

“This type of collaboration requires renters to make an honest effort to communicate, seek assistance and work with their property manager,” said LeVinus. “Unfortunately, we have seen many renters fail to participate, including applying for assistance.”

The Tucson Pima Eviction Prevention Program provides landlords and property managers with up to 12 months in back rent and three months advance pay for tenants who have been negatively impacted

by COVID-19.

Those in need of assistance should visit tucsonpimaep.com.

www.tucsonlocalmedia.com Your online source for news in the Northwest

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Explorer and Marana News, June 30, 2021

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THE GATE CHURCH

Reconnect Reach Up, Reach In, Reach Out! Casual atmosphere.

• Sat 6 PM Cowboy Church • Sun 11:30 AM Contemporary Service Lead Pastor David Willard 9000 W Avra Valley Rd, Marana www.thegatechurch.com

St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church

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(520) 825-1985 www.vistaumc.org

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ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON CATHOLIC CHURCH

RESURRECTION LUTHERAN CHURCH AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

8650 North Shannon Rd, Tucson 85742 (520) 297-7357 church@seastucson.org † www.seastucson.org 8650 North Rd, Tucson 85742 Office Hours: Mon. -Shannon Fri. 8am-12:30pm & 1:15pm-4:30pm (520) 297-7357 Closed Saturday & Sunday church@seastucson.org Due to Covid-19, the Parish Office will †bewww.seastucson.org closing to the public for walk-ins Office Hours: Mon. - Fri.email 8am-12:30pm 1:15pm-4:30pm until further notice.

Please or call and&we will assist you.

Daily Mass - online & in person Monday - Friday: 8:15am Daily Mass - online & in person

11575 N. 1st Ave. Oro Valley, AZ 85737 (520) 575-9901 Welcome to Resurrection Lutheran!

Come join us every Sunday for worship!

OUR DOORS ARE OPEN! Oro Valley Location

seastucson.org Watch Online

7:45 am and 9:15 am Traditional Worship and our 10:45 am Contemporary Worship!

FB.me/ChurchSEAS

SaddleBrooke Location

Weekend Saturday:Masses 5pm

SaddleBrooke 9:00 am Worship in HOA 1 Clubhouse Vermilion Room.

Monday - Friday: 8:15am Watch Online

YouTube.com/SEASTucson seastucson.org FB.me/ChurchSEAS YouTube.com/SEASTucson

Weekend Masses Saturday: 5pm (Spanish), 5pm Sunday: 7am, 9am, 11pm, 1pm Sunday: 7am, 9am, 11pm, 1pm (Spanish), 5pm

Communion Distribution Communion Distribution Sunday 8-8:30am & 12pm-12:30pm Sunday 8-8:30am9:15am & 12pm-12:30pm Monday-Friday: - 9:30am Monday-Friday: 9:15am - 9:30am

St. St. Elizabeth Elizabeth Ann Ann Seton Seton Catholic Catholic School School Daily Daily in-person in-person instruction instruction Pre-K – 8th Grade www.school.seastucson.org † (520) 797 - SEAS

SANTA CATALINA PARISH

Please joinWorship us for for In-Person Vista Church Sunday at 10 amand Please join us LIVE! Online service Children’s Sunday School Live Streamed Worship Service Sunday @ 10am @ 10:00am at 10:15 am after the children’s www.vistaumc.org www.vistaumc.org time in the church service or watch anytime using the the previor watch anytime using ous broadcast button! previous broadcast Adult Sunday School –button!

11:15 am Please visit our website and/ 3001 E. Miravista Catalina or VistaUMC onLane, Facebook for Facebookfor viewing and daily updates updates on our our viewing on Locatedand on daily Oracle Rd. between Sunday services.

Sunday services.

LUTHERAN

Closed Saturday & Sunday Due to Covid-19, the Parish Office will be closing to the public for walk-ins until further notice. Please email or call and we will assist you.

Saturday: 5-5:30 PM Sunday: 10-10:45 AM

VISTA DE LA MONTAÑA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

CATHOLIC

ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON CATHOLIC CHURCH

Saturday Vigil: 4 PM Sunday: 7 AM* and 9 AM 11 AM Bilingual (4th Sunday is Spanish Mass) 5 PM

METHODIST

Methodist

Wilds Rd. & Golder Ranch Rd.

Call 520-797-4384

Call 520-797-4384

Catholic

Reconciliation: T-F at 7:30 AM, Sat at 2-3:30 PM and by appointment.

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2727 W. Tangerine Road Oro Valley, AZ 85742 520.469.7835 www.stmarkov.com

Saturday: 4:00 PM Vigil Mass Sunday: 7:00 AM 8:30 AM Masks required 10:00 AM 11:30 AM

Get the word out

Or join us in your home for online worship or visit our website for for information. www.orovalley.org

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hunched over, probably the result of having been Special to Tucson Local Media taller than everybody else at an early age. hen I first startShe and my daughter, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST ed coaching Darlene, were in the same high-school bas- class at Amphi High. Their ketball, a well- first year of basketball, BUSINESS/ known coach here in town Charron was the star of the ELECTRICAL PROFESSIONAL gave me this advice: Just freshman team. Darlene SERVICES teachSERVICES them the game; don’t had been a member of the get to know them. Be there varsity volleyball team that for a couple hours each went to state, so she got day, give them your best, to basketball late and was then go home and forget afraid that she wouldn’t about it until the next day. make the freshman team.

I’ve always remembered She instead got put on the that advice because it was junior varsity team because probably the worst advice she dove for a loose ball I’ve ever received. What a during tryouts. (Coaches load of hoo-hah! These are LOVE that stuff!) people with whom you are All three Amphi teams dealing, people with hopes (varsity, JV and freshman) and dreams, silly quirks had crappy records that and interesting stories to year. In fact, nobody at tell. That’s why I got into the school could rememcoaching in theCONTRACTORS first place ber when an Amphi girls’ Contractor and it’s why I continue to basketball team had had a coach long after my expi- winning record. But there ration date. was just something about But every now and the kids in that freshman VOTEDgetting - Best of Northwest then, to know class. Coaches will tell you 10 years as in apeople row! has "Servicing your players 1995" that at Tucson every Since school in eva· Additions downside.& What would ery district in every city, · Flooring have elicited a shrug from there are classes that come Enclosures · Patio ad- along every now and then the aforementioned ·vice-giving Kitchen coach is instead that are simply special. You · Vigas a gut punch for someone www.uriasremodeling.com Remodels can see them coming off · Painting who took the time to get · Bathroom & More! in the distance, like a huge to know his players. And swell that will crash espeRemodels Bonded, Insured. those players aren’t sup- R.O.C.#270042. cially hard on the beach. posed to die before you do, Such was this class of girls, especially if they’re in theiryour Get message winning championships in 30s. cross country to our readers! and track, Charron Campbell was going to state in volleyball a goofy kid with a crooked Call 520-797-4384 and winning the school’s smile. She walked kinda first (and still only) bigGet your message to our readers T D

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team—blocking school Southern Arizona of that Guaranteed Monthlygrabbing Maintenance rebounds, championship in basket- shots, Low Prices the floor. But, ball, clinching the title on running for a FREE ESTIMATE! astoday soon as the game was the road as they ruined Call (520) 622-8167 over, she’d revert or to mellow Salpointe’s Senior Night.

(520) 286-1319 mode, shoulders stooped Those kids wanted it. www.grandcanyonlandscaping.com ROC # 3035681 ing along at halfAs soon as their respec- and shuffl tive freshman-year seasons speed. I told her that she LANDSCAPE/ LANDSCAPE/ like an old white were over, they started walked MAINTENANCE man. She laughed and working for the next year. MAINTENANCE At Amphi, school didn’t asked, “What old white man?” Landscape startARACELI’S until 9 a.m. on Thurs-Budget gave her the days.LANDSCAPING They’d show up at BestIQuality/Lowest Pricepersona of Earl, a retired 7:30 a.m. to play ball for 75 • Irrigation Installation & Repair corn Trimming • Planting & Removal farmer minutes.

During the sum• Tree Servicefrom Iowa. She emAny Type of Trees • Cactus Control braced the shtick, but also mer, they’d show up from • Weed Clean-up Maintenance said Removal that she was going to Timers nineWetoInstall noon, five days a• Cactus Plans Shakur (who Repair Systems marry Tupac week, Irrigation in the Old Gym (with• Maintenance • Decorative Rock - Hauling Gravel • Pavers • Etc... hadRemoval already been killed by no air conditioning). Then • Junk All of yourplay landscape then). Residential they’d summer league • Commercial/ maintenance needs Serious injuries on the games at night. Charron 4005 JOE FREE ESTIMATES team prevented them from and Darlene would room 358Free Estimates as Citizens, conference together when they’d go to 10%repeating Discount for Senior Cell (520) 405-8107 and First Responders champs their senior year, tournaments in Prescott or Military Insured & Bonded • Not Licensed Contractor but they still made it back Flagstaff.

By the end of their to the state tournament. sophomore year, they were Charron played a year at varsity players on a win- Pima, but college really ning team. Their Know juniorUswasn’t her thing. We got to Community hang out a few years ago year, it allKnow came Your together.

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Charron died last week, time. We had four African-Americans (including still in her 30s. She had LLC issues Charron), three Latinas been having health (including Commercial/Residential Darlene), two with her liver. Many of her ESTIMATES former teammates are goAnglos, a PacificFREE Islander • •Irrigation Weed Control gather at Amphi on and a Native American. ing to •Pavers Clean Ups I• One-Time July 25 in her honor to play always said that our fast •Tree Service •Maintenance Mgmt break looked like a fire some ball and release some *All Types of Masonry balloons. I’ll be there. I’ll drill at the United Nations. probably play the Dixie We spent the entire year in CONTRACTOR LICENSED the Top 10 in the State and 520 - 4 9Chicks 5 - 8 4song, 4 4 “Goodbye, Earl. ” won the aforementioned economylandscapellc@gmail.com Charron conference championship.

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HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis

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ACROSS Hairstyle for Billy Preston 5 Pacific nation composed of 250+ islands 10 Fairy tale baddie 14 Brest milk 15 Cold War concern, for short 16 Spot for an ibex 17 Event with minutes that might last hours 20 What choristers may sing in 21 Persistently bothers 22 Shania Twain’s “___! I Feel Like a Woman!”

23 Bacillus shape 25 Left after taxes 26 Purchase inspired by a New Year’s resolution, often 33 Diamond parts that are rounded 35 Transport from Seattle to Bainbridge Island 36 Kerfuffle 37 Poet Dove

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Hardly iffy

39 Avocado or olive products 40 Computing pioneer Lovelace

Made a peeling?

Sound, e.g.

43 Rubella, by another name 46 Suffix with “most,” redundantly 47 Item sometimes made with pikake flowers 48 Director DuVernay 51 Surname of father-and-son Latin pop singers 56 Chair wheel 58 Ominous request from a teacher … or a hint to the first words (and following letters!) of 17-, 26- and 43-Across 60 Scandinavian name whose masculine equivalent ends in “-var” 61 Get a sense of 62 Show with booths 63 Stash belowdecks 41

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Know Us, Know Your Community

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Keep observing those who do what you want to be doing. If you’re not in love with anyone’s work yet, you need more influences. It is good to have one or two models, but having 12 is better and having 20 is better still. This is a phase of absorption -of becoming great by steeping in greatness.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’re not new at this. You’ve traveled this life enough to know the benefits of having a destination in mind and the dangers of being so fixated on it that you lose the richness of the journey.

This week, you hit the perfect relaxed stride.

Progress is assured and the detours will be both necessary and lovely.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’ll feel and respond to the texture of the present moment, even the parts you’re not actively engaging with. This week, some of life will seem to be behind velvet curtains; you don’t have to touch to know how it would feel to. Relax, access the experience at a respectful distance for now and enjoy the show.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There was a time you were compelled to share, and now the higher value you place on your own mystery inspires you toward different social strategies.

Not everyone needs to know what you’re thinking and doing. You’ll navigate your privacy ideals and decide how much of your inner world to reveal as well.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It’s an age-old struggle in the art of living. Two sides of you, the director and the actor, are in conflict. The director has a vision; the actor doesn’t share it. The actor throws tantrums, playing it wild, flowing unapproved emotions through the performance.

Both sides have merit. Gentleness and patience bring harmony.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). What you really desire is a stronger and wider capacity to become aware of what’s going on as it is going on. A high level of awareness is a prerequisite to finding and acting on the opportunities of the moment. Also, a greater capacity for absorbing and integrating the moment makes for an enviable smoothness.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There’s something you dream of doing that you haven’t accomplished yet. It’s been a fuzzy wish and now, suddenly, you can see it better, as though the scene came into focus with the right lens setting on a camera. Tell people your hopes, and your allies will be many.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Most people don’t like being wrong. Some will go to great lengths not to admit it’s happened. But being wrong doesn’t look so terrible on the lighthearted. In fact, well-intentioned mistakes are much more loveable than self-seriousness. At the very least, they indicate a person’s willingness to stretch and risk.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). An expensive

Crossword Puzzle Answers

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SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The same action done with a different intention will have different results. Intention can be the difference between a compliment and an insult, success and dumb luck, a crime and an accident.

Nuances matter, i.e., what’s done from love has one outcome; what’s done from duty has another.

P A H B N E S O N R O D M M E S F O R M

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You make moments for people. Like a playwright ratcheting up the drama, or the creator of a theme park experience, you think about how to construct an emotional progression and lead someone through it. Often people do this on a subconscious level, but you do it purposefully, consciously and brilliantly this week.

A I D E

DOWN Song collection 2 Animals of a region 3 Future celebrity 4 Inventor Boykin who helped develop the pacemaker 5 Wunderkind 6 Prominent features on firefighter calendars 7 Played paper against scissors, e.g.

8 Food, in a food fight 9 Tech-obsessed sort, perhaps 10 Largish chamber groups 11 Cheshire cat’s signature feature 12 Tirade 13 They run when they’re broken 18 Standards 19 Rock powder used as an abrasive 24 Warp 27 Vote of support 28 Hockey game interruption, maybe 29 Like some suites 30 Waves from the curb, say 31 Duty-free?

32 Blog entry 33 Crow 34 Gofer 38 Major pilgrimage destination in Spain 39 Number aptly found in “loner” 41 So last year 42 ___ crest (part of the pelvis) 44 Granny, in the South 45 It’s meant to be kept 49 Scooter brand whose name means “wasp” 50 Crime in insurance investigations 51 Goddess sister of Nephthys 52 Courteous chap 53 Kind of block 54 Way off 55 Knock for a loop 57 “Ethan Frome” vehicle 59 Literally, “I” 1

B R A G

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five-minute carnival ride can be a rush, but wouldn’t you rather have a whole day at the fair? Pace your delights. This week, you’ll learn about yourself as you pay slow and deliberate attention to your sensory experience of something you would usually be inclined to get through quickly.

I S I S

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ARIES (March 21-April 19). There’s someone who pouts when you don’t pay attention. You can take it as a compliment. Your attention is a comfort and an energizer. Should it also be a privilege though? There are those you feel should work for it and others who have it unconditionally. You’ll work out boundaries and rules on the matter.

ARBORIST/ ISA CERTIFIED

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A Map of the Stars. University of Arizona scientists, in collaboration with an international team of researchers, have completed the largest-ever map of the universe, which captured more than 200 million galaxies. The project is known as the Dark Energy Survey collaboration, which includes more than 400 scientists from 25 institutions in seven countries. The six-year cosmology analysis resulted in 30 scientific papers that examine galaxy clustering and how gravity distorts light. (Cosmology is the study of the origin of the universe.) According to UA, scientists found that the amount of matter in the universe and its distribution are consistent with the expectations from the standard cosmological model based around the Big Bang theory. Scientists with the Dark Energy Survey studied galaxies both (relatively) near and far, in order to create a “snapshot” of the current structure of the universe, as well as how

it has progressed over the past 7 billion years.

“It’s exciting to quantify how our universe has evolved over time,” said Elisabeth Krause, UA assistant professor of astronomy and physics, who provides scientific leadership of the Dark Energy Survey as cochair of its science committee. “Basically, we are looking at the spatial distribution of galaxies at different ages of the universe, and we track how this distribution has changed over time. It’s like watching the universe grow up, starting from when it was only onethird of its age today.”

The Dark Energy Survey examined one-eighth of the entire sky (5,000 square degrees), resulting in 226 million galaxies observed over 345 nights. Scientists used the 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera on the Victor M. Blanco 4-Meter Telescope located in Chile, which was specifically built for this project.

“This data set pushes the boundaries of cosmology to a new level,” said Tim Eifler in a press release, UA assistant professor of astronomy, who co-led the Dark Energy Survey Theory and Combined Probes working group. “The sheer number of galaxies that we observe requires a new level of precision in the data analysis methodology.”

For more information, and to access the research papers and images stemming from the Dark Energy Survey collaboration, visit darkenergysurvey.org

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Explorer and Marana News, June 30, 2021

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The Northwest’s Newspaper

My Best Friend 2021 DoggieDaycare

Dogtopia ensures your dog has plenty of fun and company while you’re at work or on vacation

By Jeff Gardner

Barks from Beyond Pet psychics receive messages from the other side of the rainbow bridge

By Emily Dieckman

OurReaders’CutestPets

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My Best Friend 2021

For the Love of Pets Jeff Gardner Tucson Local Media

I

t’s no secret that Americans love their pets.

Aside from the fact that phrases like “pet parent” are entering our vernacular, consider this: According to the annual survey facilitated by the American Pet Products Association, an estimated 67% of American households have a pet. This adds up to about 85 million families that own a pet. And the number is only increasing, with only 56% of American households owning a pet in 1988 when the survey was first conducted.

Now, we don’t discriminate when it comes to pets, it doesn’t matter if they’re furry, scaly or slimy, as long as they’re properly cared for and make you happy (most of the time). But it’s no exaggeration to say cats, and particularly dogs, own our hearts. According to that same American Pet Products Association survey, of the 85 million Ameri-

can pet households, 42.7 million owned cats, and 63 million owned dogs.

Dogs are an American tradition, from presidential pets roaming the White House to that Mark Twain quote that only gets sweeter by the year: “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”

In these pages, you’ll find information on local pet resources like doggy day care. You’ll also find a fun and fascinating article on local mediums who claim to communicate with your pets via extrasensory perception.

But last and certainly not least, we have the Tucson Local Media pets contest!

We’re ordaining the cutest pet in the region! You’ll also see an award for the ugliest local pet, but note the asterisk. Let’s be honest, dogs have that special power where even an “ugly” dog is adorable in their own way, and that’s certainly the case for this year’s winner. A big thanks to all our readers who submitted photos, and may the best pet win!

Tucson’s Dogtopia locations unique from national sites Jeff Gardner Tucson Local Media

T

ucson’s franchise Dogtopia locations are relatively new to the area, but after a large transformation last year, they’re seeing plenty of business and wagging tails. With locations across the US and Canada, Dogtopia brands themselves as the leading provider of dog daycare in North America.

However, the two locations in Tucson and one in downtown Phoenix operate under a slightly different model to facilitate a tight-knit community of dogs.

The first local Dogtopia opened in Oro Valley in March 2018, on Oracle Road. The following year, a second Dogtopia opened on Tanque Verde Road. According to Dogtopia relationship manager David Duran, both Tucson locations underwent a massive transformation during COVID, briefly shutting down and receiving a new management team.

These local locations now operate under a “weekly enrollment model,” where all daycare dogs are required to come in and play at least once per week to ensure familiarity. The locations offer various enrollment plans from one day per week to unlimited daycare. In addition, only dogs enrolled in daycare are eligible for boarding.

“Our complete focus on regular daycare vs. boarding or occasional drop-in daycare means that our dogs know us, we know them and they know each other,” Duran said. “It makes for a much better daycare experience because they are really able to be themselves and have a great, stress-

Local Dogtopia locations are at 7285 E. Tanque Verde Road and 7621 N. Oracle Road, suite 120. Photo courtesy Dogtopia

free time with their friends…

This is precisely why we believe so much in our enrollment plans. With all of our daycare dogs first having to pass a Meet & Greet prior to enrollment, we are able to ensure that our playrooms are filled with a tight-knit group of dogs that enjoy playing together.”

The Meet & Greet process includes one-on-one time with a Dogtopia staff member, followed by a slow introduction to two or three dogs from one of the playrooms. Once the dog feels comfortable and staff is confident, they are introduced to the rest of the pack inside the playroom. After some further observation in the playroom, they assess whether weekly daycare is a good fit. According to Duran, they generally only schedule two Meet & Greets per day so that they don’t rush the process and take the proper time with each dog to ensure maximum safety. These Meet & Greet takes between 30 minutes and an hour. Each location has three playrooms to accommodate different sized

dogs and their play styles.

“Of course, there will be minor disputes among dogs at times but our Canine Coaches, who undergo extensive training, including how to read a dog’s body language, are trained to spot issues before they happen and to safely resolve the situation in the rare cases that they do,” Duran said.

Beyond lodging, they provide dogs with treat days, photo parties, spa time and, lately, they’ve been hosting community events for their customers as well. Duran explains that they want their “dog parents” to find community through Dogtopia the same way other parents find community through their kids’ schools.

“Between people returning to work as well as taking much needed vacations, we have seen a huge increase in new sign-ups. We might have to start a waitlist soon!” Duran said. “It’s certainly been getting busy but hard to tell if that is from the heat or people going back to offices and traveling. Demand from the

heat in the summer is typically complemented by an increased number of Northern visitors wintering down in Arizona so we are fairly steady throughout the year.”

But despite the increased heat, Dogtopia keeps their play areas air-conditioned while being open seven days a week, 365 days a year, with available extended early drop off and pick up hours from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Customers can even access playroom webcams so they can watch their dogs from afar.

“Outside of our daycares, Dogtopia is very proud of its Dogtopia Foundation, which funds programs focused around three worthy causes: service dogs for veterans, youth literacy programs and employment initiatives for adults with autism,” Duran said. “Both of our Tucson stores are on their way to raising enough to each sponsor their first service dogs for veterans and we could not be prouder of our teams and thankful to our generous dog parents who continuously donate to the foundation.”

MY BEST FRIEND 2021

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My Best Friend 2021

Telepathic Con-fur-sation: Animal Communicators Are you there, dog? It’s me, Margaret.

Emily Dieckman

Special to Tucson Local Media

A

nn Marie Hoff is in the middle of telling me about how she’s had conversations with pets about their end-of-life wishes, then seen those same animals reincarnated in new bodies, when she interrupts herself.

“Just so you know, I have a master’s in animal science nutrition, so I come from a hard science-based background,” she says. “And that is, like, so far from something I would believe, otherwise.

Like sometimes, I hear myself talk, and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe she’s saying this stuff.’”

Hoff describes herself as a pet communicator and intuitive medium, with the ability to talk telepathically to animals ranging from geckos to horses. She says she first learned she had the ability to communicate with animals because she learned she had the ability to communicate with dead people. She hadn’t realized she was clairvoyant until she took a class on being a medium as an adult after leaving a job in the pharmaceuticals industry.

Though, it made sense when she thought about it. She thought about milking cows growing up on a farm, and how she’d always had a sense of how the cows were feeling as she milked them. Or how

her childhood cat would wait for her every day after school at the same time, but only on weekdays, like she’d inadvertently communicated her schedule to him.

Charles Peden, another psychic medium and animal communicator based in Tucson, also didn’t realize he could communicate with animals and the dead, or that it would become his career.

He was running a sea glass purveying business when he had his first supernatural encounter—with a ghost in his house—and started experimenting with telepathy and contacting the dead.

(Like Hoff, though, he can see inklings of his abilities looking back on his child-

hood.) When the spirit of a German shepherd showed up during a reading of a deceased person, he realized he could communicate with animals too.

BOW-WOW HOW IT WORKS

H

off has worked as a pet communicator and medium for the past 20 years. It’s been 15 for Peden. Their paying clients, of course, are not the pets themselves, but the pet owners, seeking to connect with their animals on a new level.

Hoff says there are four main reasons people get in touch: to communicate with pets who have passed away, to address behavioral issues, to locate lost pets, and to communicate with their pets about medical decisions—particularly end-of-life decisions.

“There’s a lot of guilt associated with making medical decisions for animals, because, unlike with people, they don’t really get a say in it,” she says.

She has a client, she says, who had spent $40,000 on cancer treatments for her cat and came to Hoff wanting to understand why the cat was always hiding in the basement. Hoff says the cat explained to her that he didn’t want to live, but didn’t want to disappoint his owners with that decision. On the flip side, there are animals given terminal diagnoses who tell Hoff they really don’t feel sick or ready to be put down quite yet.

How does all of this work, or allegedly work? Peden compares telepathy to using a

Courtesy Photo

Photo of Riley, who belongs to Paula Rose

smartphone, which can send data wirelessly in different formats, including text, images and sound.

“Telepathy works on those same principles,” he says. “It’s all about energy and little bursts of energy and creating these little encapsulated data packets just like a smartphone does, and entering a network, or the internet of the universe.”

Hoff has a similar explanation. Her website says that younger animals are more likely to communicate via images, then start to use words more as they get older (just like humans). They both say they also receive sensations during readings— for example, if an animal is communicating that its leg hurts, the communicator’s leg might hurt too. Because these exchanges are energy-based, and, Hoff explains, “in the intuitive world, there’s no space or distance,” both claim they have done readings for clients and their pets all over the world via phone.

Both agree that missing animal cases are some of the most emotional. Hoff says she found each of the thousands of animals she looked for in her first 10 years of the work, but had slowed down on accepting missing animal cases because they can be so draining. Peden tells the story of finding one dog, who went missing during the summer in Tucson.

“I reached out to the dog, he told me his paws were burned, he couldn’t run anymore, that he’d found water and shade and that he could smell Italian food,” he says. ‘‘He was right next to an Italian restaurant. And he gave me the street name he was on. He was on Eighth.”

Can all dogs read? I can’t help but interrupt to ask. “Oh yeah,” Peden says. He compares it to moving to a foreign country. After living in the country for long enough, he says, you’d start to learn the language. You’d certainly be able to repeat things like street names and your age.

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I

WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE SAY?

t’s comforting to imagine consulting our pets about what makes them happy, seeing how they’d like

Courtesy Photo

to handle their end-of-life care, or even to ask them where they’ve run off to. So, it’s easy to understand why some people turn to animal communicators for help. But I have to say, it’s also easy to understand the perspec-

tive that this whole thing is impossible, ridiculous or a hoax. My main form of animal communication consists of telling my own dog what a beautiful princess she is, so I turned to some experts for some more nuanced insight.

Evan MacLean, PhD, director of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center at the University of Arizona, said in an email that he doesn’t know of any science supporting the idea of human-to-animal telepathy. He does acknowledge that the minds of humans and other animals are often quite similar, particularly when it comes to the core psychology behind things like basic emotions, learning and memory.

All species that live in social groups, he explains, use signals to communicate, which range from sounds to chemical emissions to visual cues—think barking or

talking, pheromones, and facial expressions, respectively. And these signals are received using known senses, like hearing, vision and touch.

“If animals were capable of telepathic communication, it’s hard to understand why they would need these other energetically costly ways of communicating,” MacLean says. “In other words, telepathy proposes that there are communication systems that take place outside the known senses. We have no evidence that those exist, but lots of evidence that animals have evolved specialized communication systems using conventional known senses.

We may not always be able to detect these signals (e.g. chemical or visual signals that are not accessible to human perception) but there is no reason to think that telepathy is involved.”

Stella

Jeremy Brown is the owner of the Tucson dog training company the Complete Canine, the winner of multiple national dog training awards, and a therapy dog trainer for the Pima County Police Department. He says he has mixed feelings on the subject.

“I’ve had some clients use [animal communicators] and the result is spot on.

5

Courtesy Photo

It makes perfect sense,” he wrote in an email. “However, others it seems like they fish for info and give opinions based on this.”

So the professionals are skeptical. Hoff says many people are skeptical until they experience it. Peden says he used to be a full-on skeptic himself.

See ANIMAL COMMUNICATORS, P7

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MY BEST FRIEND 2021

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Animal Communicators Continued from P5

PEANUT BUTTER AND POSSIBLE ARTHRITIS

D

espite all of this and my own skepticism, I am, of course, dying to ask these people to have a quick chat with my dog, Zelda, a Shepherd mix we got from Pima Animal Care Center back in November.

But I don’t know what the standard courtesies are surrounding this sort of thing.

Is that a big ask? I’m not sure if it’s more akin to asking a stranger to, like, hold your drink for a minute, or asking a stranger to help you move out of your 10th-story apartment.

Peden tells me he loves his job, but that readings are

exhausting and emotionally draining. Instead of asking him to read my dog’s mind over the phone, I ask to speak to one of his existing clients. Paula Rose and her dog Riley have been going to sessions with Peden for several years. She went to him most recently when Riley, normally loveable and calm, started lunging at other dogs on walks.

When Peden asked Riley if he was lunging at other dogs because they were a threat, or because he was trying to protect Rose, Riley said no both times. When Peden asked if Riley was just showing off, Riley showed him an image of Rose taking something out of the refrigerator, and then mentioned peanut butter. That sounded

familiar to Rose when Peden shared it: Every evening, she slices up some carrots for Riley as a healthy snack, then follows it up with some peanut butter. But what did that have to do with the lunging problem?

“He said Riley was changing the subject,” Rose laughs.

“He didn’t like being criticized about lunging at dogs.”

Rose says Peden was able to explain the problems and potential dangers of lunging to Riley, and that Riley has stopped lunging at other dogs since the session.

I don’t ask Hoff to connect with Zelda either, but when I mention I have a dog, Hoff asks for her name and shared some information voluntarily.

She explains that Zelda

loves to make me laugh (feasibly true), that she adores me (I hope so) and that she’s adorable (of course—cutest dog ever). She says Zelda showed her an image of me bouncing a ball so Zelda could jump up and catch it, as something she really enjoyed. I have done that, though not often. A lucky score or guess on Hoff ’s part, or Zelda telling me, via a medium, that she’d like to see more ball bouncing?

Then Hoff mentioned an image of Zelda splashing around in water, at the type of water park with fountains shooting upward. We’d just tried to take Zelda swimming in a pool earlier the same day, and she wasn’t at all interested in coming in the water, so that didn’t sound quite right to me. But, hey, it’s possible Zelda was trying to let me know she

preferred fountains to pools.

When I told her Zelda was 2 years old, Hoff said she was getting something more like 5. This, she explained, could be because Zelda is especially mature, or because she is starting to suffer from something like premature arthritis. “Ah yes,” said one of my friends, when I told him the story. “Surely it couldn’t be that she just got it wrong.”

FACT OR QUACK?

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7

that makes this both interesting and tricky is that there’s no way to verify this by asking an animal, “Is that true, then? Is that what you were thinking?”

Hoff and Peden might respond by pointing to instances that animals have shared information with them they couldn’t have known otherwise. Peden says a dog once shared the password for his family’s home alarm system, for example. Or did it?

Much to think about, or perhaps look into or laugh about, depending on one’s opinion. The only thing I’ll say for certain about the world of animal communicators is that it’s nothing if not intriguing.

f course, it very well could be that she just got it wrong. It could be that there’s no way for humans and animals to connect telepathically, and that this is an industry of people deceiving the public and/or deluding themselves.

Learn more about these As MacLean explained, local animal communicathere’s no proof for the con- tors at annhoff.com and cept. And one of the things charlespeden.com.

Let us help you bring out the best in your furry family member.

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My Best Friend 2021