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Kallie Case

Official: Fed ozone limits could cripple Valley growth

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Foothills Focus Staff Writer

The Phoenix Metro region could lose more than $100 million in economic growth if it fails to meet upgrade federal air quality standards for ozone levels by August 2024, a Valley environmental official told Phoenix City Council recently.

And those losses would steadily increase over the next 20 years to as much as $848 million if the Valley’s ozone levels are not brought under control, Tim Franquist, environmental policy director for the Maricopa Association of Governments told council’s Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee Jan. 4.

Moreover, the controls necessary to meet more stringent federal air quality controls

will carry a substantial cost to taxpayers, he indicated.

“That’s going to be a big issue for this area,” he continued. “We really haven’t put in ozone-control measures for about 20 years, so we’re definitely going to need a lot more measures coming into place.”

Right now, the only way the Valley could meet the elevated Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone limits would be taking all four million gasoline-powered motor vehicles in Maricopa County off the road by August 2024, Franquist said.

And even then, he added, “we would barely make the standard.”

And since that’s a virtual impossibility, the cost of meeting tougher air quality standards will come in lost industrial development opportunities as businesses avoid

relocating or expanding here rather than pay for federally-imposed, tougher emission controls.

That cost would extend beyond the Valley since tougher emission standards would exist even for trucks and cars that come into the region on a regular basis from other parts of the state and country that may not have similarly tough standards, he said.

It also would be reflected in other ways, Franquist said, such as higher construction permit fees and more stringent vehicle emissions inspection standards.

“It impacts us by aborting businesses,” he said, noting that the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plant in north Phoenix theoretically would need a permit and

BY SUMMER AGUIRRE Foothills Focus Staff Writer

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be operating before the new standards kick in. “Now, a $40 billion investment: I think the White House gets involved and I think (it) comes here.”

Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari seized on that example, saying “the hallmark example of an incredible foreign investment” would be scuttled because “we are dangerously close to reaching serious nonattainment, which means that those businesses would not be able to come here after 2024.”

“Nonattainment” is the classification that the EPA gives metro areas that fail to meet air quality standards. Other metro areas already have studied the economic impact of non-attainment and have projected staggering losses in future economic growth.

For example, Franquist said, the Oklahoma City metro area faces an economic loss of as much as $15.2 billion over the next 20 to 30 years for violating tougher federal air quality standards. Corpus Christi, Texas, estimates a loss of $600 million to $1.7 billion a year in economic activity for failing to meet impending EPA ozone standards.

“We have kind of a table of increasing stringency in programs as we don’t meet the standard,” Franquist said. “So obviously. as we don’t meet those standards, those programs become more stringent and there’s more of them.”

Franquist said the culprit in all this is the ozone level.

While Maricopa County has actually done a good job reducing many air pol-

lutants, he said, ozone levels have been aggravated in large part by things beyond its control – namely, forest fires in both Arizona and California and the Valley’s average 300 days of sunny weather.

“Unlike some pollutants, like carbon dioxide which is a direct pollutant that comes from your tailpipe or from an industrial stack,” Franquist explained, “Ozone is considered a secondary pollutant. So it actually requires volatile organic compounds.”

Those compounds react to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, adversely affecting air quality.

Franquist produced a chart showing how wildfires in Arizona and California have adversely impacted air quality, posing a growing health risk to vulnerable adults and even more children.

“This is what our children are breathing,” he said. “What most folks don’t realize with children they do breathe in the same amount of air as an adult. They just breathe faster than we do. So they actually take in these pollutants more than we do.”

Franquist said the Valley’s future ability to meet federal air quality standards has been crippled by former Gov. Doug Ducey’s veto last year of a bill that would have asked the public to vote last November on an extension of the halfcent gas tax that funds a variety of rapid transit and road improvement projects.

While the Legislature could again vote to put Proposition 400 on next year’s ballot ahead of the tax’s expiration in 2025, the uncertainty currently surrounding it threatens a number of

projects already on county and municipal drawing boards – including an expansion of public transportation aimed at curbing car traffic.

Franquist praised Phoenix for being “a fantastic leader” in programs aimed at reducing ozone pollution mainly involving its multi-million-dollar investment in replacing a large portion of the city’s gas-powered vehicles, such as fire engines and garbage trucks with electric ones and its aggressive expansion of bus and light rail routes.

But many of those city vehicles won’t be replaced until 2028 well beyond the federal deadline for ozone reduction.

Franquist also warned, “There’s no silver bullet in terms of reducing ozone in one different control program. It takes a lot of different control programs working together to actually reduce ozone.”

“I think it’s important that we continue to get the word out to both the public and to our legislators that this is important for our economy, but it’s absolutely important for our public health,” he added, conceding the ozone control programs “are not cheap to implement.”

Franquist’s message provoked Ansari to express alarm about the impending air quality measures and the region’s attitude toward them.

“We are treating them as though they’re not urgent, and they’re not priorities and they don’t have financial implications even though they really, really do and they will hurt us economically,” Ansari said. “So I feel very strongly that we need to be doing a lot more than we have.”

Anthem to host MLK Day Celebration, Unity Walk

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The public is invited to participate in the Anthem MLK Day Celebration and Unity Walk at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at the Anthem Community Park.

The event theme, “a day of unity and community service,” will highlight the life and work of King and his vision of how strength coming from individuals can make a positive difference in the community. The one-mile unity walk begins after the celebration followed by the

Day of Service event hosted by Anthem residents.

“We’re very excited as this will be inaugural Anthem celebration as officially authorized by the Anthem Board of Directors,” said Board Chairman Darrin Francom, Anthem Community Council (ACC).

In addition to several local speakers, the MLK Day Celebration’s featured speaker is Executive Pastor Chris DeWald from Crossroads Church. DeWald has been a part of The Crossroads Church for 14 years and served as an elder before ac-

cepting his current position. He will give the closing prayer prior to the start of the unity walk.

“As most people know, Dr. King was a powerful pastor. Having an inspiring person from the Anthem Community offering his message of unity and service is a proper way to honor Dr. King,” noted ACC Executive Director Aaron Baker.

The ceremony will be at Anthem Community Park’s amphitheater (41703 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway). Visit onlineatanthem.com for complete event details.

their relatives through community service, education and advocacy. The organization is in its fifth year of operation, and continues to grow and reach more of the military community.

“We’ve been very fortunate for how the kids structured this nonprofit and started it,” said Tonya Piatt, Youth for Troops president.

“It’s building community relationships all around the world, and that’s a really unique thing. To think that what we’re doing right here in the North Valley — driving around to different schools, organizations and businesses — we’re not only impacting locally with great feelings and great experiences, we’re impacting globally.”

Youth for Troops is led by a youth board consisting of the organization’s founders, the Piatt and Hoffa families’ six children, who spearhead events, business visits and speeches and presentations. An adult advisory board provides assistance.

The organization’s work consists of preparing care packages for deployed troops, assembling plastic mats for homeless veterans, hosting box decoration and appreciation card drives, and organizing events for local veteran groups and children of veterans in crisis.

Their efforts are supported by volunteers and donations. Hundreds of community members of all ages volunteer their time

and energy to events each month, and the organization fosters strong relationships with local schools that supply items for care packages.

“When you go to our events, it is awesome because you see active duty (military) working alongside World War II and Vietnam veterans working with Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups, school groups, all just coming together and getting to know each other,” said Youth for Troops founder Heather Piatt, 20.

“When you walk in the room and you see dozens of different organizations working together and the youth stepping up and getting involved, that’s an accomplishment every time. It’s not easy to pull everyone together like that, but it’s really rewarding.”

Youth for Troops founder Hannah Piatt, 17, shared that the group receives many “uplifting” letters from deployed troops explaining just how much of an impact the care packages make.

She recalled an encounter at an event with a man whose deployed son was opening one of their packages that very moment. Months later, they met the man’s son and his family when he returned to the U.S.

“He brought back these cards that were in the care packages that were written to him from little kids around the Anthem area who attended our events, as well as his favorite items in the care packages,” she said. “He also brought back this American flag that flew over NATO Headquarters on May 4, so we keep that flag around at all of our events.”

“(It was nice) to actually have a name and face, and to actually sit there and talk to him for a while and meet his family,” she added. “That’s probably one of my favorite moments from Youth for Troops that we’ve had so far.”

The care packages not only reach U.S. troops, but allied forces, as well.

“Sometimes they get subdivided out,” said Tonya. “I know one of our people who received our boxes let us know that he couldn’t use everything in the box, so he takes it out with him when they’re on patrol and he gives it to the kids they run into.”

Youth for Troops’ 2022 Mission Report revealed that it garnered its highest numbers last year, with 3,928 shifts totaling 12,149 hours. Its mission was shared with approximately 31,830 people across events, schools, businesses and presentations, as well as through articles and interviews.

“(Over the past five to six years) we have

sent over 9,000 care packages — 5,557 is what we’re at for total shipments. We’ve raised a little over $143,000 to pay for shipping expenses, and we’ve made almost 750 plastic mats so far. So it was a good year for us,” said Heather.

“The total community service hours since they started this organization in 2017 is nearing 45,000 hours of people serving together, and we’ll hit that in the next few months,” added Tonya. “It’s just amazing to me that something that six kids here in the North Valley started is having such a great impact.”

The Piatt and Hoffa families were already active volunteers in the Anthem community when their six kids established Youth for Troops nearly six years ago.

Upon seeing a lack of youth volunteers and a need for more organizations allowing volunteers under the age of 16, the families’ children were inspired to launch the organi-

The Anthem-based Youth for Troops nonprofit organization was established in April 2017 by the Piatt and Hoffa families. Its mission is to inspire patriotism and encourage youth and families to volunteer on behalf of veterans, service members and their relatives through community service, education and advocacy. (Youth for Troops/Submitted)

Youth for Troops’ work consists of preparing care packages for deployed troops, assembling plastic mats for homeless veterans, hosting box decoration and appreciation card drives, and organizing events for local veteran groups and children of veterans in crisis. (Youth for Troops/Submitted)

zation. They wanted to give youth who were also interested in getting involved in their communities the opportunity to do so and show them that they can make a difference at any age.

The group chose to support the military community in particular to help educate others about how to best help deployed troops and the struggles that veterans endure once out of the service.

“I think it’s really important to just continue the tradition of trying to inspire patriotism in the youth of our community,” said Heather. “I think it still is dwindling in this day and age.”

The organization is not short on opportunities to further help the active duty and veteran communities, and its members are confident that they will exceed last year’s success.

Their goals for the new year include raising $80,000 to support all Youth for Troops’ projects, shipping an additional 2,400 care packages and delivering a total of 800 plastic mats by the end of 2023.

Its members are also aiming to acquire a

Youth for Troops is led by a youth board consisting of the six founding members, with an accompanying adult advisory board. They receive hundreds of community volunteers at their events every month. (Youth for Troops/ Submitted)

permanent space by Easter to better serve North Valley’s service members.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to get groups to come to us and we can do birthday parties, business get-togethers and field trips, stuff

like that,” said Heather. “They can come to us and we’ll have a place where they can get to hang out, eat lunch and then they can pack care packages and make some plastic mats.”

Youth for Troops has been approached by corporations to work on team building, as well, and its members expressed their excitement at the opportunity to partner with them and help their employees and staff support the organization, troops and veterans.

As events season approaches in the Valley, the organization is preparing for several big military-focused outreach opportunities to go in tandem with the Super Bowl, Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show and other events.

Youth for Troops will be participating in the 11th Annual Shred-a-Thon from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 21 in front of Freeman Income Tax Service in Anthem. Those looking to safely discard old and unwanted documents can drop off up to four banker size boxes. Youth for Troops volunteers will help unload documents from vehicles.

The event is free, but volunteers will accept money donations to support their mission, which will all go toward helping ship

care packages to deployed troops.

Throughout the year, the organization also hosts numerous monthly events. These include First Friday Coffee with veterans, Anthem Cars and Coffee Car Show every first Saturday, care package preparation on second Mondays and plastic mat assembly meetings on third Tuesdays.

Those interested in further helping Youth for Troops continue its mission can share information with others and become a sponsor by donating $100 or more. Youth for Troops can also be chosen as your charity of choice with Fry’s and AmazonSmile, and supported through Walmart purchases.

With the community’s support, the organization can send more packages to deployed troops, provide additional service projects for volunteers of all ages, inspire patriotism through meaningful service experiences, and raise morale and show appreciation to deployed heroes.

Youth for Troops

youth4troops@gmail.com youthfortroops.org

Liv Communities breaks ground in Norterra

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Liv Communities broke ground on a 55-and-older-qualified rental community in Norterra.

The upscale community, Liv+ Union Peak, 25400 N. 21st Avenue, Phoenix, will boast 145 units and will be ready for occupancy in late summer/early fall of 2024.

“Building on our extensive background serving all ages with unparalleled hospitality and wellness centered services, Liv is excited to bring our purpose of ‘helping people live fuller lives’ to an underserved group of 55+ adults,” said Heidi Arave-Noonan, Liv Multifamily vice president.

Active adults can choose from apartment style-homes or larger, upgraded casitas. The community offers eight acres of vacation-style living, attractions and adventurous activities including a clubhouse (The Hub), a pool house (The Cabana), a private dog park (The Bark

Park), outdoor spaces for yoga, swimming, pickleball and overall relaxation/ well-being (The Rec) and a state-of-theart gym (Liv Fit).

“We understand the desire to stay vibrant longer, while enjoying life with others that share your passions and energy. Liv is thrilled to enter the 55-plus age-qualified housing space with our focus on mind, body, spirit health and community centric programs designed to help people thrive and live life to its fullest,” said Arave-Noonan.

The community was designed by Todd & Associates (architect) and is being built by MT Builders (general contractor) with Envision Interiors taking the lead on interior finishes. All apartment homes will feature smart home technology with energy efficient appliances and offer the convenience of lock and leave for residents with a jet-set lifestyle.

Info: 1-844-liv-here or email livplusunionpeak@livcommunities.com

This egg debacle is cracking up no one

BY JUDY BLUHM Foothills Focus Columnist

Eggs, where art thou? How we miss your oval beauty and deliciousness. How will we manage without this essential ingredient for our yummy baked goods and that pairs perfectly with toast? Where will we find the joy that we get from cracking the little balls of wonder? So easy to eat, so lovely to taste, what horror is besetting us? A world without eggs?

If you have been to a grocery store lately, you will see the empty refrigerator shelves where eggs once sat. You might get lucky and be able to score a dozen, for about eight bucks. The bird flu caused millions of chickens to be slaughtered. And now, all eggs are as scarce as hen’s teeth. Which makes me wonder where exactly that old saying came from.

Oh well, we are resilient and have been through shortages before. Right? Perhaps I will go past the barren egg shelves and get some butter. But, oh wait, it seems butter is being sold at the same price as gold. By the ounce! OK, I will move my sorry grocery cart on to greater things. We can survive without butter and eggs. Maybe.

Shopping anxiety is evidently a “real deal” for Americans as we try to navigate prices, low product inventory and shortages. One woman in Phoenix broke down and wept in the supermarket when she saw the prices of items that were on her list.

Crying in the aisle doesn’t help. Well, we did get through the toilet paper debacle, so we can probably cope with the egg crisis. But we better not get a headache over it, because ibu-

profen is in short supply.

Which came first — the chicken or the egg? Yikes, if we can’t find eggs, what’s next? Should we buy a separate freezer just so we can stock up on chicken? Might not be a bad idea.

I would like to get a few live hens. Sadly, I don’t think my HOA would approve.

When I was a child, my family had 20 chickens. My job was to fetch the eggs every morning. It was fun, until I left their gate open a few times. My mother and grandmother would have to run around with brooms trying to herd the chickens back into the pen. It was comical watching the chaos of the hens flying the coop. I was seriously scolded for “upsetting” the chickens because they would retaliate by not laying eggs for a week.

Evidently, there are a whole bunch of “upset” chickens right now. I tend

to shy away from conspiracy theories, but I do have a neighbor who believes there is an “egg plot” of some sort which is undermining a staple of Americana (doubtful). My doctor says we don’t need eggs because they are raising everyone’s cholesterol levels (oh, come on).

I do have a full bottle of ibuprofen that I will gladly trade for a dozen eggs. Don’t crack up — I am serious. It could be egg-cellent.

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

NC State broadcaster faces a woke-up call

BY J.D. HAYWORTH Foothills Focus Columnist

He’s spent three decades calling the play-by-play for the “Red and White,” and like the legendary Red Barber, he may wind up with a pink slip—for the sin of telling the truth.

Gary Hahn, the “Voice of the Wolfpack,” has used his microphone as a palette, painting colorful word pictures of football and basketball contests for North Carolina State fans. His style of describing the action for radio listeners can best be described in three words: Vivid. Accurate. Honest.

A master of that medium comes to understand that broadcasting an event of several hours’ duration must be punctuated with current events, comic relief and an acknowledgment of the absurd.

Hahn included all three in a single utterance, during his play-by-play account of the Dec. 30 Duke’s Mayo Bowl Game in Charlotte. A pause in the action between the Wolfpack and the Maryland Terrapins provided an opportunity for Hahn to update his audience on the only other post-season collegiate contest underway at the time: “Down among all the illegal aliens in El Paso, it’s UCLA, 14… Pittsburgh, 6.”

Irreverent, but on target.

And given the absurdity of Uncle Sam’s unwillingness to enforce immigration law, amusing in a “laughto-keep-from-crying” fashion.

Ironically, NC State’s last bowl victory came in El Paso, a 52-31 win over Arizona State in the 2017 Sun Bowl. In the years since, El Paso has changed…and not for the better.

In fact, this year’s Sun Bowl “Fan Fiesta” was canceled on Dec. 21 because the city has been using its convention center to house illegal aliens, who have flooded across the international border there in recent weeks.

American media outlets, from the Associated Press to the alphabet networks, adhere to the P’s-and-Q’s of political correctness, also now known as “wokeism.”

That simply means that these allegedly objective journalists now convey a bias on behalf of open border advocates, employing the terms “migrants,” “newcomers,” or as that noted theologian and soon-to-be former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once proclaimed, “God’s Children.”

And faster than Nancy omits any reference to the unborn as “God’s Children” when she changes the subject to abortion, Hahn’s employers took immediate and public exception to his brief Sun Bowl score update.

Learfield Communications, the current broadcast rights holder for NC State Athletics, “suspended Wolfpack Sports Network play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn from his agreement indefinitely following comments made during today’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl radio broadcast.”

That statement came from Wolfpack Sports Properties general manager Kyle Winchester; NC State Athletic Director Boo Corrigan followed his customary practice of not saying “boo.”

There are two reasons for Boo hitting the mute button: His future aspirations as an upwardly mobile athletic administrator; and, directly related to that, his apparent acceptance of a “Great Awokening” throughout higher education.

Corrigan’s current stint in West Raleigh was preceded by eight years as

the AD at West Point. While there, he learned that our military leadership today is more in the mold of Mark Milley than Dwight Eisenhower.

For Boo, the reasoning was simple… if West Point was going “woke,” how much more prevalent would “wokeism” be on the NC State campus? His hunch: a whole bunch.

So, since his arrival in 2019, Corrigan has joined with other university administrators, lurching further leftward, embracing the toxic doctrine intent on destroying the very diversity it claims to champion.

Where does all this leave Gary Hahn? Not in a good place, it appears.

But should NC State issue Hahn his “walking papers,” he can seek solace in the fact that it also happened to one of sportscasting’s greats.

In 1966, Red Barber pointed out that the team for whom he broadcast games—the New York Yankees, ironically owned by CBS at the time—was in last place, losing games in front of crowds as sparse as 413 in 65,000seat Yankee Stadium.

CBS canned the “Ol’ Redhead” for his candor; NC State would repeat that mistake, should Gary Hahn meet the same professional fate.

J.D. Hayworth’s column was written before N.C. State announced that Gary Hahn would return to his play-by-play duties, effective Jan. 14.

Bills player’s collapse raises questions about football

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Foothills Focus Columnist

It was shortly after supper time on the first Monday night in 2023 when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collided with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins near midfield. Hamlin popped to his feet. He adjusted his face mask. Then the

24-year-old toppled directly backwards, his heart stopped cold.

“That’s, uh, that’s not what any of us want to see,” said Troy Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned Monday Night Football commentator. “You just hope that he’s going to be okay.”

Most of us agree utterly with the second part of Aikman’s analysis: We

fervently hope Hamlin, who remains in critical condition as I write this, will not only survive his episode of cardiac arrest, but once again thrive.

That remains to be seen so early on, but some things we already can say for certain:

The impromptu show of support for Hamlin, including the $8 million donated to his GoFundMe toy drive—

initial goal $2,500—is heartening, especially when this country of 350 million people can agree on precious little.

Also, we can submit that Aikman was wrong, or more than a little naive, if he truly believes that football fans don’t tune in to games to see the

obliterating hits that Monday Night Football and every other broadcast thrives on.

True, no one wants to see a young man meet death or be maimed on the field. But be real: When hulking brutes of enormous strength square off 11 on 11, some capable of bench pressing 400 pounds while others run 40 yards in a little over four seconds, what do you expect to happen?

Every football play at the professional and college level is a traffic accident, minus the vehicles, bumpers and seat belts. The wonder isn’t that Hamlin was felled midgame; it’s that no one has died on a gridiron since football started being played for money more than 100 years ago.

The NFL can talk all it wants about player safety, but the league didn’t command $100 billion in television rights because Joe Sixpack loves to see a well-executed screen pass for 11 yards and a first down.

Football fans watch because we

thirst for machismo, combat, violence. Then we cue up the highlights and watch it again. At least until an incident like Damar Hamlin’s collapse reminds us that this isn’t ancient Rome and these aren’t gladiators. These are human beings risking their lives and who suffer from such high levels of chronic traumatic encephalopathy that the NFL has paid

out more than $1 billion in settlement funds since 2015 to more than 1,500 concussed former players and their kin – with thousands of additional claims pending.

Since Hamlin fell, I have heard all manner of analysis about how the league handled postponing the game, how ESPN covered it and how Hamlin’s heart may respond to treatment.

All this chatter focuses in precisely the wrong direction. It looks outward at the conditions on the field, instead of looking inward, at why we tolerate a game that inevitably cripples a good number of combatants annually.

Since 1931, when the American Football Coaches Association under-

took the first “Annual Survey of Football Fatalities,” statistics show that 1,064 football players have died as a direct result of the game—not counting heat strokes suffered in practice, etc.

That includes last year, when “there were four traumatic injury fatalities that occurred among football players during football-related activities.”

All four were high school kids. All four suffered traumatic brain injuries.

Let’s pray Damar Hamlin isn’t fatality number 1,065. Let’s also look in the mirror and ask the face staring back why we never consider turning off the TV and finding something better to occupy our attention?

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A unique gathering of local and regional artists and craftsmen exhibiting throughout the open-air plaza. Patrons enjoy patio dining and live music, while strolling through the Village - A place where Art meets the West.

Climate change is already upon us

Editor:

At just 3 years old, I became a child survivor of Hurricane Katrina. My family had to quickly evacuate and grab what we could fit into a single car, which meant my favorite teddy bear and “best friend” was left behind to drown in the flood waters of Katrina.

This disaster left long-term impacts in my life for the next decade. I founded a nonprofit, Comfort Bears in a Catastrophe, to provide long term mental health to children impacted by disasters through a teddy bear and encouraging card. However, I realized this was a Band-Aid on a larger issue: climate change. As an MPA student, I have a focus in government and policy and understand policy needs around climate change.

When I found out climate change is causing natural disasters to increase in intensity and frequency, I knew it was time to act. As I saw during Hurricane Katrina, natural disasters can impact anyone from any background. For example, celebrities have had to evacuate and had property damaged during the Malibu fires a few years ago. This directly impacts Arizona, as studies have predicted by 2050 our state will get so hot, it will be unlivable. It won’t take until 2050 to see the impacts of climate change in Arizona though, as wildfires are increasing in intensity and frequency across our state.

In 2021, 1,773 wildfires scorched our state and left 524,428 acres of our land burned. Carbon emissions are fueling warming that exacerbates these events. This problem impacts us all, and it should scare you enough to take action.

Disasters are increasing in severity due to the increasing levels of heat-trapping gasses in our atmosphere. To reduce the future risk, we need to quickly bring down the emissions of those gasses, which primarily come from burning fossil fuels. Here in Phoenix, volunteers

with Citizens’ Climate Lobby are engaging with their members of Congress to push for carbon pricing, which would trace back excess carbon emissions to companies and fine them. This financial penalty encourages businesses and companies to cut down on their carbon emissions. I have been working with Citizens’ Climate Lobby to urge members of Congress to pass effective climate policy that will lower emissions and speed up the transition to a clean energy economy.

Rep. Debbie Lesko needs to believe science and act on our climate issues, for her constituents and children like me, who will go through increased disasters due to climate change. Rep. Lesko stated at a January 2018 candidate debate, “I think it just goes through cycles and it has to do a lot with the sun. So no, I’m not a global warming proponent.”

Rep. Ruben Gallego, on the other hand, is taking our climate change emergency very seriously, co-sponsoring many bills aimed at halting climate change by limiting emissions and promoting renewable energy. Our community appreciates this effort from Rep. Gallego to protect our state and country from climate change. I urge you to help start the conversation for carbon pricing and CBAMs.

Putting a price on pollution with a dividend returned to the people has bipartisan support and multiple members of Congress have expressed an interest in CBAMs.

Anyone can take action on our climate crisis today by visiting cclusa.org/ action.

It’s not too late to prevent climate-driven disasters like these from getting worse. If we act now, our lawmakers and communities can be part of the solution. Let’s fight to ensure our country is taken care of for the next generation.

Mimi Hymel Phoenix

Volunteer with the Phoenix chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Arizona is the No. 7 growth state in America, according to the U-Haul Growth Index analyzing customer moves during 2022.

People arriving in Arizona in oneway U-Haul trucks dropped 5% over 2021, while departures fell 4% as overall traffic slowed.

Arizona’s top growth cities are Surprise, Tempe and Goodyear. Oth -

Despite a slightly greater year-overyear drop in arrivals, do-it-yourself movers arriving in the Grand Canyon State still accounted for 50.3% of all one-way U-Haul truck traffic in and out of Arizona (49.7% departures) to keep it a top-10 growth state for the third consecutive year. Arizona ranked fifth among growth states in 2020 and 2021.

“Everyone is pretty much ditching California and coming to Arizona where things are more affordable,”

The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled according to the net gain of oneway U-Haul trucks arriving in a city or state, versus departing from that city or state, in a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck transactions that occur annually across the United States and Canada. Texas paced the nation in growth for the fifth time since 2016, while Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia round out the top five growth states. California ranks 50th and Illinois 49th for the third year in a row, indicating those states saw the largest net losses of one-way U-Haul trucks.

People arriving in Arizona in one-way U-Haul trucks dropped 5% over 2021, while departures fell 4% as overall traffic slowed. (U-Haul/Submitted)

Local vendors take center stage at show

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor

The Maricopa County Home & Garden Show is celebrating its 30th anniversary by once again hosting local industry vendors as well as Taste the Desert, a food and beverage tasting event.

The show is Friday, Jan. 13, to Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Arizona State Fairgrounds.

“The new year brings opportunity for renewal and improvement. This show gives attendees an opportunity to feel educated about any item they take home,” said Katie Jones, Maricopa County Home Show manager. “We’re thrilled to celebrate our 30th anniversary of bringing the Home Show to the Valley and hope to provide endless inspiration for your home in 2023.”

Among the local vendors is Dave Newham with North Valley Water Solutions in Anthem. Marking his 10th year of participation, Newham will offer his water treatment services and hold a drawing for a reserve os-

mosis system.

Newham founded North Valley Water Solutions 15 years ago, but has been in the industry for more than 40 in Arizona, Minnesota and Indiana. He recently won Small Business of the Year at the 19th Annual Anthem Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala on Dec. 3.

“We do water treatment, water softeners, any type of filtration for people’s homes,” Newham said. “We service and install systems that use salt, that don’t use salt.”

Importantly, North Valley Water Solutions services and installs products with its own employees. They don’t outsource or work with contractors.

“When the service techs come out, it’s my men, my trucks,” he said. “We’re all licensed and bonded and insured. People appreciate that a lot.”

North Valley Water Solutions’ regular business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, but the staff is accessible 24-7 via an answering service. Info: 623-551-0515, northvalleywatersolutions.com

Other activities at the Maricopa County Home & Garden Show:

• Taste the Desert: A hands-on culinary education and tasting with local food and beverage experts and aficionados. Daily seminars on wine pairing, coffee roasting and brewing, Kombucha, teas and mastering flavor profiles.

• Greenhouse: Wander through an assortment of house plants, cactus, succulents, exotic plants, pottery, terrariums, trees, soil, supplies and décor.

• Handmade headquarters: Sign up for free make-and-take crafts, including customized candles, silk flower arrangements and peyote stich bracelets.

• DIY terrariums: Create your own eye-catching terrarium to bring home.

• DIY bonsai: Receive an introduction to the art of bonsai. The class comes with a terra

cotta bonsai pot, pruners and a little book of bonsai.

Free seminars

Vacation cabin: Stop by and tour a “movein ready” high-end vacation cabin, available for rent in Flagstaff.

Ask a master gardener: The University of Arizona Master Gardeners are highly trained experts. Watch and learn as they discuss and demonstrate the basics of gardening, and how to maximize space.

Exotic plants: Explore a local plant shop’s offering of exotic plants, terrariums, succulents and house plants.

Design Your Backyard Oasis: Free walk-up landscape consultation and take-home design with the landscaping professionals, a value of $350. Bring existing backyard pictures and measurements for a personalized session.

Maricopa County Home & Garden Show

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, to Sunday, Jan. 15

WHERE: Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix

COST: $8 general admission; $1 for kids ages 3 to 12; free for children 2 and younger.

Senior morning is 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Jan. 13, when admission is $4 for guests 60 and older. Customer appreciation is $2 admission from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday and Sunday. Military appreciation is $4 admission with valid military ID all three days.

INFO: 602-485-1691, mchomeshows.com

The 30th anniversary of the Maricopa County Home & Garden Show will run Friday Jan. 13 to Sunday, Jan. 15 hosted at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. (Maricopa County Home & Garden Show/ Submitted)

The Greenhouse offers patrons the opportunity to wander through a variety of plants, cacti and more. (Submitted)

Mars and Venus: A tale of two views

CHURCH COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Pastor Ed Delph Foothills Focus Columnist

Here’s a mind-popping story

I found on the internet with two perspectives — one coming from Venus (the feminine perspective) and the other from Mars (the masculine perspective). The story is called The Wife’s Diary and The Husband’s Diary.

The Wife’s Diary

“Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day, so I thought he was upset that I was a bit late, but he didn’t comment. Our conversation wasn’t flowing, so I suggested we go somewhere quiet to talk. He agreed, but he didn’t say much.

“I asked him what was wrong; He said, ‘Nothing.’ I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn’t upset, that it had nothing to do with me and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly and kept driving. I can’t explain his behavior. I don’t know why he didn’t say, ‘I love you, too.’

When we got home, I felt I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly and watched television. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt he was distracted, and his thoughts were elsewhere. Finally, he fell asleep; I cried. I don’t know what to do. I’m almost sure that his

thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.”

The Husband’s Diary

“A 2-foot putt! Who the ‘!*#%’ misses a 2-foot putt?” I’ve been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

Years ago, my wife Becky and I had a similar Venus/Mars story to the wife and husband story. At that time, we were selling our home and our home was in escrow. Becky was worried because we hadn’t found a new home. Here is what she posted on her Facebook page about how she was feeling.

“Well, as of last night, we have a contract on our house. We haven’t found a house to move to yet, so I’m in bed with my mind racing, thinking, ‘OK, our daughter said we could stay with them, or we could stay with Ed’s dad, but Ed needs the internet for his work. And where will we put all our furniture, belongings, and the rest of our stuff? I must pack. Where am I going to find the time and energy?’ So, I couldn’t fall asleep. I got up, did some stuff, and finally fell asleep sometime after 2 a.m.

“Today Ed and I were sitting in the family room, and Ed was strangely quiet, so I assumed he was thinking about our move. So, I said, ‘Whatcha thinkin?’ He says, ‘I can’t believe Jeff Gordon blew that NASCAR race!’ So, I replied, ‘Oh my gosh, you are such a guy!’”

She got 37 likes and 20 comments in a few hours (mostly from citizens of Venus).

The Venus/Mars phenomenon occurs with God and human beings, too. But it’s not Venus and Mars. It’s heaven and Earth.

Our Diary

“God, my world’s falling apart, things are terrible, everything is out of control, I can’t cope and there’s no hope. Things will never change. Someone else got my promotion, and I won’t recover from this. I’m falling apart, the bill collectors are coming, my kids are out of control,” and all the other stuff we feel, think, and say in times of crisis and ambiguity.

God’s Diary

“Yes, I understand the way you feel. This is God! I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help. So, have a good day.” In a Venus/Mars sense, God is such a guy!

My pastor friend, John Lynch, has a great quote from his new On My Best Day series, which captures heaven’s perspective of life. “On my best day, I’m trusting God’s perfect love, unique intention, endless forgiveness and mistake-free care, giving me peace, purpose, joy and safety on even my toughest days.” That couldn’t be said better or more accurately. That’s trust in action. But, of course, the best way to have your best day is this perspective, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know who holds the future.”

By the way, I never mentioned how Becky’s and my home dilemma turned out. So, here we were, our home in escrow, with no place to go without heaps of logistics and work. A few days later, I’m looking at houses on the internet, discovering a home for sale. I say to Becky, “Hey, this house looks OK. Let’s check it out.” We go to the house, along with 20 other people looking at it, and it’s

perfect for us. What happened then? The outcome was the same day our home for sale closed escrow, we closed escrow on our new home and moved in. It was seamless. Becky skipped as a calf let out of a stall. Please don’t think that I’m suggesting beautiful Becky looks like a calf. It’s a Biblical concept. (I suppose a calf sounds better than a cow).

Now, picture me like Snoopy in Peanuts, lying on top of his doghouse on my best day saying to myself, “Oh, the things one must do when writing articles in today’s world.”

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.

Stories appeal to bluesman Tommy Castro

BY BILL FORMANI Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

From the Who’s “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia” to Green Day’s “American Idiot” and Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” the pop music world has produced more than its fair share of rock operas and concept albums.

But unless you count Muddy Waters’ “Electric Mud” — a psychedelic blues project that producer Marshall Chess described as “a concept album like David Bowie being Ziggy Stardust” — blues artists have steered clear of all of that.

When Tommy Castro first hit upon the idea of writing and recording a blues opera — or, as he puts it, “sort of a blues opera” — he was surprised that no one had thought to do it before. Soon, the six-time Blues Music Award winner was in the studio with Nashville producer Tom Hambridge, co-writing and recording tracks like “Child Don’t Go,” “Women, Drugs and Alcohol” and “I Want to Go Back Home” for a concept album about an aspiring guitarist who leaves the family farm in search of success, gives in to the temptations of life on the road, and realizes that there is, in fact, no place like home.

“Tommy Castro Presents a Bluesman Came to Town” — which came out in September 2021 on Alligator Records and debuted at No. 2 on the “Billboard” magazine Blues Chart — may not have the most original plotline, but that wasn’t really the point.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be as epic

as, you know, the Who’s ‘Tommy’ or ‘The Wall’ (by Pink Floyd) or ‘American Idiot,’ where people had giant recording budgets and all kinds of amazing creativity,” said the soulful singer and guitarist in a recent phone interview.

“But the idea of telling a story from the beginning to the end, that appealed to me. I kicked the idea around with the record label, and then I talked to my producer, who got really excited about the concept. So that’s how it came about, and then it was just a matter of doing it and hoping it was good.”

“A Bluesman Came to Town” is also a departure for Castro because his band The Painkillers doesn’t play on it. “I usually prefer to use my own band — I’ve done that on 18 out of 19 records — because they’re out on the road with me doing all the hard work,” said Castro. “But Tom Hambridge wanted to use his studio guys, and he’s kind of a big deal. He’s got a few Grammys under his belt, and he’s worked on the last few Buddy Guy albums, as well as with ZZ Top, George Thorogood, Johnny Winter and Joe Bonamassa, you know, a lot of people. So, I kind of followed his lead on this album.”

Now that music venues have reopened, Castro and the Painkillers have returned to the more than 150 shows per year schedule that the San Jose native has maintained for most of the past four decades. Along the way, he’s earned a loyal fan base as well as the respect of artists like John Lee Hooker, who did his final session on Castro’s “Guilty of Love”

album. All of which still amazes him.

“Where I grew up was a notch or two below a working-class neighborhood, and nobody there was going to college or getting music lessons or any of that stuff,” said the self-taught guitarist, who spent his early years playing along to records by his favorite blues artists.

“I tend to like the slower guys — like Michael Bloomfield, B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters and Elmore James — because I could figure out what they were doing,” he said.

As time went on, Castro realized he was going to be making his living playing music. He tried taking guitar lessons and studied music theory. “But it was too late,” he said. “I’d already learned to play the way I did, and I couldn’t really switch

over to the proper way of doing it.

“I still work on my guitar technique every day, trying to learn something new, even if it’s just some new licks,” said Castro. “But I’m no virtuoso, I’m no Bonamassa, I’m not that kind of guitarist. I’m more of a cross between John Lee Hooker and, I don’t know, Michael Bloomfield, maybe. Somewhere in there. I kind of just play the way I play, and it works for me, you know?”

Tommy Castro and the Painkillers

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18

WHERE: Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix

COST: Tickets start at $44.50

INFO: 480-478-6000, mim.org

Tommy Castro and the Painkillers hit the Musical Instrument Museum stage on Wednesday, Jan. 18. (Victoria Smith/Contributor)

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Each year, millions of Americans come together to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and their families, and teach the next generation about the value of freedom.

This gathering of volunteers and patriots takes place in local, state and national cemeteries in all 50 states — most recently at 3,702 participating locations — as part of National Wreaths Across America Day.

Each year, a new theme is chosen to help volunteers and supporters focus their messaging and outreach in their own communities. Recently, the national nonprofit unveiled the theme for 2023: “Serve and Succeed.”

The inspiration for this year’s theme came while discussing the significance of 2022’s theme, which was “Find a Way to Serve,” and the need to continue to stress the importance of service and the positive ways it can impact lives. Wreaths Across America plans to focus on the storylines of veterans and military families who have found success through their own service, while also highlighting local volunteers across the country and the success that comes from serving their communities.

The organization will continue its commitment to supporting and bringing attention to the needs of our veteran community, while also showcasing the continued contributions of those who serve.

“There are many ways to serve your community and country, and just as many definitions of success,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America. “We hope through focusing on those stories of success we will help change the dialogue around what it means to serve your country.”

In 2022, more than 2.7 million veterans’ wreaths were placed by volunteers on headstones at 3,702 participating locations around the country in honor of the service and sacrifices made for our freedoms, with each name said out loud. Wreaths Across America volunteers work yearround to ensure military laid to rest are remembered, their families and living veterans are honored, and the next generation is taught about the value of freedom.

This year, National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, Dec. 16. It is a free event and open to all people. For more information on how to volunteer locally or sponsor a wreath for an American hero, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org.

@TheFoothills.Focus /TheFoothillsFocus

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Kallie Case of Phoenix, a member of the class of 2024 majoring in biochemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, was a member of a student team that recently completed an intense research project titled “Diffusion of Renewable Energy in Albanian Municipalities.”

At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a research-driv -

en, professional-level project that applies science and technology that addresses an important societal need or issue.

About two-thirds of students complete a project at one of the university’s 50-plus off-campus project centers located around the world. The innovative undergraduate project-based curriculum offers students the opportunity to apply their scientific and technical knowledge, developing thoughtful solutions to real

problems that affect the quality of people’s lives and make a difference before they graduate.

“The WPI project-based curriculum’s focus on global studies brings students out of the classroom and their comfort zones and into the global community to apply their knowledge and to solve problems,” said Professor Kent Rissmiller, professor of integrative and global studies and associate dean of The Global School.

“Students are immersed in all aspects of a different culture, from the way people live and work to the values they hold to the foods they eat — all valuable perspectives for surviving and thriving in today’s global marketplace. They also learn the meaning and magic of teamwork; make a real and meaningful difference in their host community; and gain a competitive edge for any resume, or graduate or professional school application.”

JOB SEEKERS

Whether sponsored by colleges, government job agencies or professional organizations, career fairs are an opportunity to meet with employers, learn about job openings and companies, schedule interviews and maybe even go home with a job.

PREPARING FOR A CAREER FAIR

The first thing you need to do is decide what you want from the fair. Are you merely collecting information? Are you hoping to get a job while there? Are you planning to market yourself? Dress for the job you want. If you’re

going to a career fair that is hiring for a manufacturing job, it may be acceptable to wear clean jeans and a shirt. For a professional job, a business suit is more appropriate. It is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. While a career fair for artistic/design and creative jobs might allow for more leeway, generally you want to dress conservatively.

Get a list of who will be at the career fair and research them. This helps you plan who you want to see. This also lets you spend your limited time with each recruiter talking about your qualifications rather than having to learn their basic information.

Prepare questions to ask about a job opening — but avoid such things as pay rate or benefits. What are some good questions? Ask things like the average tenure of employees at the organization, what sort of attributes are essential to success in the organiza-

tion, or what accomplishments are valued and rewarded in the organization. Prepare your elevator speech or commercial. Introduce yourself in 30 seconds and communicate what you are looking for and why you are interested in a job provider. Practice before you go. The ASHA Career Portal recommends including who you are, what your passion is, what your purpose is and the skills you have to achieve it, and what your something “extra” is.

PACKING FOR A FAIR

Print several copies of the strongest version you have of your resume, one designed to appeal to the type of companies that will be at the career fair. Other things to take include a pen, notepad and breath mints. Don’t chew gum. Carry a portfolio or a briefcase.

AT THE FAIR

Always behave professionally—

whether you are in the restroom, the elevator or standing in front of a booth. You never know who is going to see or hear you.

Project confidence. Use a strong handshake, make eye contact and speak in a clear and natural voice. Be aware of your body language and project the image of a professional.

AFTER THE FAIR

Send thank-you letters to those employers that you have a high amount of interest in, especially if you gave them a resume. Identify the jobs you are interested in and if you didn’t give them a resume at the fair, follow up with a cover letter and resume, mentioning that you met a representative.

Update your resume with anything you learned that better reflects your qualifications.

LOCAL JOBS. LOCAL PEOPLE.

JOBS.PHOENIX.ORG

n a R e g i s t r a r o f C o n t r a c t o r s ( R O C ) : The advertising requirements of the statute does not prevent anyone from placing an ad in the y e l l ow p a g e s , o n b u s i n e s s c a r d s , o r o n f l y e r s W h a t i t d o e s r e q u i r e u n d e r A R S § 3 2 - 1 1 2 1 A 1 4 ( c ) w w w a z l e g g o v / a r s / 3 2 / 0 1 1 6 5 h t m i s t h a t t h e a d v e r t i s i n g p a r t y , i f n o t p r o pe r l y l i c e n s e d a s a c o n t r a c t o r , d i s c l o s e t h a t f a c t o n a n y form of advertising to the public by including the words "not a licensed contractor" in the advertisement Again, t h i s r e q u i r e m e n t i s i n t e n d e d t o m a k e s u r e t h a t t h e c o nsumer is made aware of the unlicensed status of the individual or company Contractors who advertise and do not d i s c l o s e th e i r u n l i c e n s e d s t a t u s a r e n o t e l i g i b l e f o r t h e h a n d y m a n ' s e x c e p t i o n R e f e r e n c e : h t t p : / / w w w a z r o c g o v / i n v e s t / l i c e n s e d b y l a w h t m l A s a c o n s u m e r , b e i n g aware of the law is for your protection You can check a business' ROC status: http://www azroc gov/