25 minute read
Call the Doctor
by ROX Media
by Gigi McWhirter
When in doubt, call your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary care facility — not Dr. Google! In our area, there is not a 24-hour veterinary hospital. Casa Grande Animal Hos pital is the only veterinary office open seven days a week. At the bottom of the article there are numbers for 24- hour emergency centers in the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
Please note these lists apply to animals of ALL ages. These lists have been compiled after discussion with the veterinarians I work with and, mostly, the one I live with.
Canine: • Licking a Colorado River toad. • Refusing to drink for 24 hours or more. • Unconsciousness. • Heatstroke or heat stress. • Extreme lameness, inability to move a leg or legs, broken bones. • Severe diarrhea or vomiting — or a combination of both — more than two episodes in a 24-hour period. • Seizures and/or staggering. • Bleeding from the nose, mouth, rectum, blood in urine or coughing up blood. • Severe bleeding or bleeding that does not stop within five minutes. • Not able to pass feces (poop) or urinate (pee) or obvious pain associated with either. • Eye injuries. • Hit by car or other moving vehicle/item — not all injuries are visible! • Obvious signs of extreme pain or anxiety. • Choking, trouble breathing, gasping for air, nonstop gagging or coughing. • Bloated abdomen, especially in bigger dogs with large chest cavities (example:
Labrador or any retriever, Bernese
Mountain Dog, pointers, setters, etc.). • You suspect or know that your pet has consumed something poisonous such as: antifreeze, dark chocolate, xylitol, marijuana or marijuana byproducts, your medication (including Tylenol and Ibuprofen), rat/ rodent poison, foods deemed toxic to the species (that is another list available at the
ASPCA website).
Phone numbers for 24-hour emergency care:
AVECCC (Arizona Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Center) Gilbert: 480-487-0222 1st Pet Veterinary Center — Chandler: 480-732-0018
Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center — Tucson: 520- 888-3177 Feline: • Straining to urinate or changes in urinary habits — especially in male cats. • Suddenly unable to use the hind legs especially but not limited to, crying out in extreme pain and breathing changes. • Open-mouth breathing and other breathing changes. • Consuming a foreign object such as string, dental floss, tinsel or any other suspect item. • Poison ingestion such as antifreeze, rat/ rodent poison or human medications (including Tylenol or Ibuprofen). • Hit by car — or other moving vehicle or object. • Severe bleeding that does not stop within five minutes. Bite wounds should also be treated as soon as possible to avoid the risk of infection or abscess. • Eye Injuries, sudden blindness or a change in your cat’s eyes. • Heat stroke or heat stress.
Phone numbers for 24-hour emergency care:
AVECCC (Arizona Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Center) Gilbert: 480-487-0222 1st Pet Veterinary Center — Chandler: 480-732-0018
Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center — Tucson: 520- 888-3177
Equine: • Colic. • Acute lameness. • Choke (esophageal obstruction). • Punctures, lacerations or extreme bleeding . • Joint or tendon Injury. • Eye trauma. • Exertional myopathy/exhaustion. • Reproductive emergencies. • Foal emergencies. • A.D.R. “Ain’t Doin’ Right” is actually used by veterinary professionals and astute pet owners used to describe when “something just isn’t right” with their animals.
Phone numbers for 24-hour emergency care:
EQUINE:
Arizona Equine Medical & Surgical Centre — Gilbert: 480-962-6660
Avra Equine — Marana/Picture Rocks: 520-870-2898
EQUINE & OTHER LIVESTOCK:
Herd Health Management — Gilbert: 480-899-5088 or emergency number: 602-513-0390
It is extremely important to be reminded that these lists are not, in any way, intend ed to replace the diagnosis, consultation or treatment by a licensed veterinarian. If you suspect your animal is experiencing a medical emergency call your veterinarian or a 24-hour facility right away.
To be prepared for an emergency, you should also consult with your veterinary care team for their after-hours emergency recommendations.
Happy Tails to You!
PINAL COUNTY PRESS
CONTINUED…
Republic Services Orders 2,500 Refuse Trucks from Nikola
Republic Services, the second-largest recycling and waste removal company in the country, announced in August it ordered a minimum of 2,500 zero-emission trucks from Nikola Corp., the vehicle man ufacturer that just broke ground for a massive factory in Coolidge.
Republic President Jon Vander Ark said, “Our agreement with Nikola represents the industry’s first large-scale commitment to fleet electrification. We expect to realize significant operating cost savings and environmen tal benefits from these trucks, and we are confident that our customers, communities and employees will benefit from our bold commitment.”
Phoenix-based Republic set a long-term goal last year of re ducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35% and is the first waste and recycling company to have its sustainability plan ap proved by the Science Based Targets initiative.
The order, expandable up to 5,000 trucks over the life of the agreement, anticipates on-road testing will begin in 2022 and PARKS AND REC...cont. from page 15
Reiter and Schultz said the City’s Youth Enrichment Rec reation Coordinator Terri Cross and other parks and rec staff have been instrumental to the programs’ success, but gave ul timate credit to the community and its participation.
Both programs have been forced to put the brakes on since school instruction moved online and occupancy limits elsewhere were lowered last spring, but are ready to start back up when con ditions are closer to normal. delivery of the vehicles, straight from the Nikola factory to Re public Services, will begin the following year.
Nikola spokeswoman Nicole Rose said the company plans to produce the trucks in Coolidge, and the order will create more jobs at the factory, which has been projected to create up to 2,000 jobs in Pinal County by 2024.
The Nikola Tre chassis will form the core of the trucks, which are projected to have a single-charge range of 150 miles (and 1,200 garbage cans) and re charge overnight.
Nikola Founder and Executive Chairman Trevor Milton said, “Nikola specializes in heavy-duty, zero-emission Class 8 trucks. The refuse mar ket is one of the most stable markets in the industry and provides long-term shareholder value. The Nikola Tre powertrain is ideal for the refuse market as it shares and uses the same bat teries, controls, inverters and e-axle. By sharing the Tre plat form, we can drive the cost down for both programs by using the same parts.”
Reiter said Maricopa Esports is starting leagues this fall at two schools: A+ Charter School and Sequoia Pathway Academy.
Schultz said the city and school district are hoping to resume Maricopa Swims for the spring semester, “but first we’ve got to get these kids back on campus.”
He said the remaining MUSD elementary schools are eager to join in, and the city wants to bring it to all charter schools in town as well.
“Everyone is just ready to go,” he said.
Nikola said this is the largest single order in the waste trans portation industry, valued at $1.2 billion, and signals Republic’s commitment to sustainability. The company said these vehicles will be much quieter than their diesel counterparts and overall
will be less invasive to the neigh borhoods they travel through.
The groundbreaking for the million-square-foot Coolidge factory was held July 23, at which point Milton said it would be ready to produce zero-emission
vehicles within 14 months.
PINAL COUNTY PRESS
CONTINUED…
Shower Trailer Serving Homeless Residents in CG
ACasa Grande nonprofit is offering free showers in a trailer parked at a church one day a week to people who are homeless, with hopes of expand ing to other services for them.
Melanie Velcko said The Rest Stop’s showers are available from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Saturdays at the Fountain of Living Wa ters Church, 518 E. Second St. The trailer has two stalls; one is ADA-accessible.
She is able to accommodate eight showers per day, and us ers are required to sign up ahead of time at the Seeds of Hope hot lunch program, which is held at the same church. The showers are disinfected after each use, which limits the number of showers that can be offered each Saturday.
“So far the response has been good. It’s mostly the same peo ple that show up every week,” she said. The trailer is towed away after each use.
Velcko and her husband Chris first got involved in aiding the community’s homeless popu lation by handing out bottles of water to people in Peart Park and the downtown area.
“We started The Rest Stop because we noticed so many homeless have no place to go in the heat to cool off, shower or do MARICOPA HOUSING..cont. from page 15
The REV site, which is the northern part of a 60-acre parcel owned by El Dorado, is across Por ter Road from Banner Health Center and across Bowlin Road from the Glennwilde development.
A traffic study has been prepared for the project but is still under review at the city, before it goes to the Planning and Zon laundry. That’s why the goal is a building. They can stop in and get water, snack bags, shower and cool off and then head back out,” she said.
The group has obtained two grants from nearby tribes: one from the Ak-Chin Indian Com munity is funding the shower trailer, and another from the
Gila River Indian Community ing Commission and the council. Mayor Christian Price asked what would happen if the analysis ulti mately showed the development would create too much traffic .
City Attorney Denis Fitzgib bons answered, “The zoning is just how many units can be built there. If it couldn’t handle as many units as they wanted because of the traffic study, that‘s something they could work through on the
is for leasing a building for two years. A spot in an appropriate location is still being sought.
The shower trailer will be moved to the building if one is rented, so the service can be made available more often. The building also will provide a place where people can escape the heat, get water and do laundry before heading back out.
site plan and things like that. All you’re doing tonight is giving the proper zoning for the project so they can go forth.”
City officials said the rental project will be market-rate, rather than subsidized by some form of government funding. City Manager Ricky Horst add ed, though, that the zoning case only sets the basic parameters for what can be built on the lot
“That’s why it is called The Rest Stop. Just stop in to get basic needs met,” Velcko said.
The Rest Stop won approval for a two-year temporary use per mit for the showers at the church location on Aug. 13 from the City of Casa Grande Board of Adjust ment, after another application to
Continued on page 70...
and cannot require the residenc es be rented at market rates.
“I want our public to under stand these are intended to be broad discussions, conceptual discussions, but these are in tended to be market-rate units,” he said.
The REV is one of several apartment complexes being de veloped or proposed in the City of Maricopa.
Pour Your Personality Into Your Backsplash
by Blake Herzog
One thing kitchens don’t usually have a lot of is exposed walls — which can make them a great place to experiment.
Between all the appliances and cabinets found in that room, there’s only a little bit of vertical space, set off from the rest of your house, which makes it the perfect place to add a pop of color or texture that’ll make it glow without disrupting the flow of the rest of your abode.
Backsplashes, whether they’re confined to the space immediately over the stove or unfurled around the perimeter of your kitchen, can be composed of the classic white subway tile in horizontal or vertical patterns and look perfectly beautiful. You can also try any kind of colored tile, brick, stacked stone, river rock, floral graphics, pressed tin, wallpaper to simulate any of these effects or just about any other substance you can think of.
Your preferences and priorities are really the only limits to what you can do. Are you seeking an earthy look or abstract art? Do you value ease of cleaning over detail? Do you want cozy or captivating?
Here are just a few ideas:
A little goes a long way
Shown here just after installation, this backsplash leans on simple, square white tiles but sprinkles a few tiny earth-toned pieces at the corners, using a consistent pattern to highlight the purity of the look without overwhelm ing it. The colors can be coordinated to the countertops or bring in just a touch of your favorite color to make the space your own.
Mosaic mode
Mosaic squares can introduce all kinds of elements into your backsplash. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and compose patterns that are simple or complex. This one incorporates shades of green to introduce a clean, organic vibe to the kitchen to go with the fresh food you’re preparing for your family. Mosaic tiles are made of stained glass, stone, metal or acrylic, and it’s easy to mix colors and materials to make sure yours is one of a kind!
Special effects
Don’t forget about the power of lighting to make your rooms look completely different at different times of the day. This mosaic pattern already pops with the dark tiles accents, but the under-cabinet lighting is adding a dramatic golden sheen. Well-placed lights beneath cabinets or elsewhere in the room can pick up the shimmer in glass or metal tiles and add a halo effect to your kitchen.
Splashy backsplash
Most of these examples keep a consistent theme throughout the kitchen, but you can also go with the original meaning of the word “backsplash” and define the space above your range, however subtly or visibly. This one uses a boundary to define that special part of the kitchen where most of the magic happens, plus a special raised-pattern tile detail that can set the mood for the rest of the room.
Colorific
You don’t have to keep the splashy color confined to the backsplash either. This kitchen pulls off two jewel tones to create a vibrant heart for your home. But be sure about what you’re doing before you commit. A 3D design simulator can be a great way to take colors and patterns out for a test drive.
Spread the love
Of course there’s no rule against your kitchen detail splashing into the rest of the house, especially if it’s open-concept (as most are these days). This kitchen shares its stone mosaic with the accent wall around the fireplace; the neutral tones meshing perfectly with the sandy floors. Now this is how you coordinate your home!
Rates Again Fall to Record Low; Phoenix One of Top Markets for Millennials
The National Association of Realtors recently identified the top 10 metropolitan areas with the most favorable conditions for millennial homebuyers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study analyzed several factors, including housing affordability, local employment conditions during the pandemic, the number of millennials in the individual metro areas, and the availability of housing inventory.
The top 10 markets listed alphabetically are: Austin-Round Rock, Texas; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas; Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa; Durham-Chapel Hill-Raleigh, North Carolina; Houston-the Woodlands, Texas; Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana; Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa; Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona; Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The housing market remains strong and mortgage rates likely will remain low
Narin Seera, vice president of capital markets operations at Academy Mortgage, says: “While the U.S. housing market remains strong for new and existing home sales, the promise from the Federal Reserve to maintain the current low rates through 2022 provides further impetus to the U.S. real estate market and the sector financing it.”
For more information about Academy Mortgage — your FIRST CHOICE home-loan lender — contact us by calling 480-221-9826 or email ing Dawn.Svoboda@AcademyMortgage.com
DAWN SVOBODA Branch Manager Producing
NMLS 177235 | LO State Lic: AZ LO-0913936 | Corp State Lic: AZ #BK-0904081 Corp NMLS 3113 Equal Housing Lender 442 W Kortsen Rd, Ste104, Casa Grande, AZ 85122
Finance your lot purchase, construction, and mortgage
Dawn Svoboda Branch Manager | Loan Originator NMLS # 177235 C: 480-221-9826 | O: 520-316-1341 Dawn.Svoboda@AcademyMortgage.com AZ LO-0913936 | Corp AZ #BK-0904081 | Corp NMLS 3113 Equal Housing Lender
MAC821-1471403
11827 W. Sweet Acacia Dr.
$579,000
This dramatic Arizona ranch home features six bedrooms, four and 1/2 baths, a grand entry with sixteen foot ceilings, an inviting dining room - complete with two-way fireplace, and a very entertaining-friendly kitchen boasting all the finest appliances.
There is 4,400 square feet of living space in this home with half the space in the fully-finished basement, complete with kitchenette. The garage has room for six cars and a drive-through door.
This home is placed on 1.942 acres and is close to I-10 and Central Arizona College. The views from the massive covered patios include mountains, city lights and a front row seat to the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert!
JON ORPHANIDIS AND KAY KERBY 520.252.7399 | Jonathan@roxsells.com 520.560.0769 | Kay@roxsells.com
520.423.8250 | ROXsells.com ©2020 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
PINAL COUNTY PRESS
CONTINUED… Lucid Air Gets 517 Miles to the Charge on EPA-Aligned Test
The Lucid Air should get 517 miles per electric charge under the Environmental Protection Agency’s rating sys tem, its maker announced in August. The vehicles are scheduled to begin production at the end of this year at the company’s new Casa Grande facility.
Lucid Motors officials brought a Lucid Air to the Michigan fa cilities of FEV North America, a top-rated testing center and in cubator serving the automotive industry. Its testing process mir rored the EPA’s for determining how far the pure electric drive train will be able to take the luxury car when fully charged and confirmed it is the world’s lon gest-range electric vehicle, according to a Lucid press release.
“I believe that our 900-volt ar chitecture, our race-proven battery packs, miniaturized motors and power electronics, integrat ed transmission systems, aerodynamics, chassis and thermal systems, software, and over all system efficiency have now reached a stage where they col lectively set a new standard and deliver a host of ‘world’s firsts,’” said Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson.
The current longest-range electric vehicle on the market SHOWER TRAILER..cont. from page 63 place it in front of the former high school auditorium near City Hall was rejected by the board in June.
Velcko said The Rest Stop has is the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus with an EPA rating of 402 miles per charge, according to a June 2020 article on Cars.com.
Norwalk, California-based Lucid also said in August the Air will be the world’s fast est-charging electric vehicle at 20 miles per minute, which adds up to 300 miles of range been receiving more donations of clothing, hygiene supplies, face masks and snacks since res idents started learning about the shower trailer.
“I am grateful for all the sup
in 20 minutes. The Air includes an on-board “Wunderbox” that combines several functions and makes the car fully compatible with public EV charging stations.
Lucid’s online global reveal for its brand and the production Lu cid Air was scheduled for Sept. 9, along with the launch of a new website with the industry’s “most advanced” configurator where those who have reserved a vehicle will be able to customize it.
Lucid is also debuting an app allowing buyers to follow their car through the production pro port we have received from CAHRA (Community Action Hu man Resources Agency), Seeds of Hope, The Fountain of Living Waters Church, New Life Baptist Church, the City of Casa Grande cess and communicate with the automaker after delivery on ser vice and other needs.
The Air will be sold directly to the consumer, either through the website, one of 20 brick-andmortar “studios” Lucid plans to open through 2021 or some com bination of the two.
Robotic machinery that will be used to build the cars has been installed over the course of the summer at the Casa Grande factory at Peters and Thornton
Continued on page 80... and the community,” she said.
Anyone who wants to donate money or supplies to The Rest Stop can call Velcko at 520-431-8726
There are huge advantages to combining your auto and home insurance with a single company. The biggest and most direct benefit is getting a multiple-policy discount.
However, it goes beyond that, and the advantages can work in your favor. Let’s look at the numerous variables on why this really works to your benefit.
Discount
The combined auto-home or multipolicy discount, as some companies call it, can result in some real savings; in many cases, it can amount to hundreds of dollars per year.
The best part of this is that the discount applies to both policies and, depending on the insurer, often ranges from 10% to 20% off the total price.
Let’s say you own three cars and a home. Your auto policy runs to $2,500 per year and your home policy to $1,000. Let’s further state that the auto discount is 10% and the home discount is 15%. This would result in $250 off the auto insurance and $150 off the home insurance. Combined, that’s $400 savings annually.
Single online portal
Most companies give you online access, and, when you combine your policies, you only need one login to access all your documents and online needs. Nowadays, consumers have so many websites they need to access and so many passwords they need to save, so having single access simply eliminates another portal that you may need access to. It simplifies your life. Umbrella policy
Umbrella policies give you upper-tier liability coverage. If you have equity in your home, financial assets and you make good wages, you would want to secure an umbrella policy in order to protect your assets and future earning power in case of a catastrophic auto accident or serious liability incident that may occur in your home.
Many companies require that you have your auto and homeowner’s policies combined in order to qualify for these low-cost/high-coverage policies.
The takeaway
With cost savings, a single point of contact, a simplified life and qualifying for extra coverage, having a single company really goes a long way toward bringing great value to your insurance program. This is why insurance agents oftentimes will recommend a single company and would want to quote your personal insurance with one company.
If you do not have your insurance with one company, you would likely do yourself a huge favor by asking your ROX Casa Grande Insurance agent to combine policies or by con solidating your insurance if you have more than one agent.
442 W. Kortsen Rd., Ste.101 Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.7660
...continued from page 19
I was participating in calls from the governor’s office and meetings with the City. The mayor would send an email asking us to “get this out there.” The Chamber is a conduit to make sure our members are in formed of what is available to them — all of the first CARES Act options, making sure they were educated, participating in the teleconferences, putting together webinars and sessions to help members learn to ad just and improvise their business model to meet the current consumer need, despite the restrictions.
A lot of our members have expressed that these are tough times. We are working with members to stretch out payments if need ed. Our current member retention rate is 1% higher than the same time last year. We’re keeping members, and that’s a good thing.
And through that we wanted to try and convene our members. So we decided, “Let’s get Zoom, and have virtual mixers” We’ve tried to make each one fresh. When we did our first virtual Business Before Hours at Casa Grande Trap and Skeet, the owner Ti ger Volz (who was awesome), said, “Well, I’ll just bring someone in to do a shooting demo.” And so we walked out there; I had a Wi-Fi jet pack so we could take my com puter out there and show everyone on our screen in the little “Brady Bunch boxes,” this is what it looks like to go shooting here, to experience this business’ offering.
It’s like a face-to-face networking event. We’ve found ways to still give members their minute at the mic by playing games, trivia, and table topics. We announce there’s going to be questions and some prizes. It’s a
Damian Marc Instagram: drone Rhode Island
chance to shamelessly self-promote and we encourage it. We had 23 to 25 attendees at our most recent event. That’s what we usually have for in-person attendance. We gave away three I ♥ Casa Grande shirts as prizes.
A few businesses that agreed to be hosts of our Business After Hours cancelled. The Casa Grande Neon Sign Park was scheduled for March and we had to cancel and were sad to do so because that’s a great time of year to be outdoors in the evening and show off our now award-winning park. We’ve just taken the Zoom voyage to Business After Hours, too. The August host, Sun Life Fami ly Health Center, alternates every year with the hospital. They agreed to do it via Zoom because they saw it not as a limitation, but as an opportunity to not just showcase one office, but multiple offices. It is really about thinking outside the box, the box being our computer, so to speak.
We’re looking at our fall fundraisers; we want to still have a Business Showcase, for our members and the community. We an nounced it to our members to at least get that communication going with the cave at of whether or not we’ll be able to hold it. It makes more sense to start planning and have to make changes versus not to plan at all. We’ve had conversations with one of our member businesses who do a lot of digital marketing, to help us investigate a virtual option to connect our members, to have that face-to-face networking, because the whole idea is they have an opportunity to talk to potential consumers. So we’re explor ing our options, whether putting together a virtual business showcase, a video or a conference-type platform where there are breakouts; or postponing to a point when we can do the event in person. We really want to develop that particular event into a fall Casa Grande lifestyle show. Unfortunately, COVID’s restricting us, but at the same time it’s teaching us to try to do different things. And that’s the approach for the fall golf tournament. You can still play golf, that’s considered mostly distancing if you’re play ing with your familiars. So how can we do a golf tournament and still have the other parts of the tournament that people en joy as well? We’re working with Francisco Grande and we’re coming up with some fun ideas. People will still want to go play golf for the Chamber and have a good day, win some prizes and get their drink ticket. We don’t yet know if we’ll be able to have a “sitdown” lunch reception like we usually do. I’m not sure we’ll be able to have crowds by Nov. 6. I’m hoping to have the Home, Health and Garden Show, as well as our annual din ner in-person in January, fingers crossed. Maybe we postpone them. It’s in our bylaws to have the annual meeting at a certain time of year, but we didn’t have a hundred-year pandemic since we were incorporated. It won’t be this way forever. It’s just right now this is the way it will be. Hopefully next year will be different.
