The Foothills Focus 101222 Zone 1

Autumnfest brings fall to North Valley

BY SUMMER AGUIRRE Foothills Focus Staff Writer

Althoughthe summer heat still lingers in the Valley, the arrival of one of Anthem’s favorite annual festivals is bound to set the fall mood.

The 2022 Autumnfest Arts & Crafts Festival is bringing traditional fall fun activities and plenty of opportunities for early holiday shop ping to Anthem Community Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 and Sunday, Oct. 23. The adjacent Frazier Shows Carnival is set to open the evening of Thursday, Oct. 20 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 23 in the lower park, mak ing for an overall festive outing for local families and beyond.

“I think Autumnfest means tradition, com

This year’s Autumnfest is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 22 and 23. The beloved Anthem festival will include its signature arts and crafts fair in addition to all of the fall staples: a pumpkin patch, hayride, fair foods and more. (Anthem Community Council/Submitted)

The Daisy Mountain Veterans Parade returns Nov.

BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer

TheDaisy Mountain Veterans Parade returns to the streets Saturday, Nov. 5, for its 18th year of celebrating and honoring veterans, active duty military and their families.

“We’re just happy that people are getting back to it and wanting to be a part of this

again,” said Reagan Briggs, secretary for Daisy Mountain Veterans. “Having a year off of anything can be really devastating and we’ve seen so many not come back after COVID and 2020 and everything. So, the fact that we’re still able to pull it off here and still able to support all the veterans is huge.”

The event starts at 8:45 a.m. with a para chute jump by the Frog X team. They will land on the Anthem Soccer Field, located off

Gavilan Peak Parkway. Children are invit ed to line the soccer field to help guide the parachuter to his perfect landing. Children and their parents are invited to arrive early to enter an on-site raffle for two $50 Visa gift cards and may other goodies. Don’t leave be fore the drawing as you must be present to win! After the Frog X team has landed, chil

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munity and welcoming in fall,” said Deb bie Pulido, the special events manager of the Anthem Community Council. “Being that Arizona doesn’t have a lot of seasons, it gives them (the community) a chance to just bring in and feel like they’re in that fall feeling, and then get out with their friends and family and neighbors and just enjoy the day. It’s just a really fun family event.”

Sponsored by plumbing company ProSkill Services, the festival highlight is the dozens of arts and crafts vendors it fea tures each year. Many are residents of the Anthem community and Arizona, however some travel from out-of-state to participate in the event.

Pulido said the event showcases around 70 crafters specializing in art, jewelry, pho tography, candles and other handmade items. There will also be several business vendors.

“For the crafters that are from Anthem, it’s extra special for the Anthem commu nity to see the talent that their friends and community neighbors have, and to be able to purchase something made by a fellow resident,” she said.

One of the festival’s past vendors, an in dependent consultant for Usborne Books & More named Kayce Westfall, said in a previ ous interview with the Foothills Focus that she enjoys interacting with the community and looks forward to attending each year as a vendor and a parent.

“My kids go to the event with us ev ery year, even when we’re working in the booth. It’s a family business and we have a great time,” Westfall said.

Autumnfest features dozens of vendors specializing in handmade goods, art, jewelry, cuisine, pho tography and other items. Many crafters are from the Anthem community and across Arizona, with a few traveling from out-of-state to participate in the festival. (Anthem Community Council/Submitted)

ion for display near the pumpkin patch.

Submissions for the contest must be en tered by Friday, Oct. 14. There is no cost to enter, however there are required entry pa perwork, category descriptions and addi tional guidelines online. Festival-goers vote for their favorites, and one winner in each category will receive a prize.

In true fall fashion, the kids’ zone will have tractor-pulled hayrides and the Dai sy Mountain Railroad both circling around the park, as well as bounce houses and in flatables for children. A balloon artist will also be roaming the festival, providing free balloon art.

ris wheel, some roller coasters and game booths.”

Over the course of the two days, the fair itself attracts about 8,000 guests, not including those who attend the evening carnival.

For Pulido, the Anthem locals and their commitment to coming together as a com munity are what sets Autumnfest apart from other festivals.

“Some of these people have been doing the event since it started and they just all know each other, and it makes it special because it’s like one big, huge family get-to gether,” she said.

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During their breaks, she or her hus band will take their kids and wander the grounds. They always end up at the fes tival’s large pumpkin patch, where they take family photos every year as a family tradition.

Alongside the pumpkin patch this year, there will be a decorating tent for attendees to embellish their purchased pumpkins. Each pumpkin is accompanied by a compli mentary foam face kit.

For those who would like to show off their creations, there will be a decorated pumpkin display and contest. Decorated, uncarved pumpkins can be dropped off for show from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 22 in a tent near the park’s Main Pavil

Autumnfest’s food court will include ven dors featuring traditional fair food, such as kettle corn, fry breads, barbecue and lemonade, in addition to Greek, Asian and other cuisine. The Anthem Rotary Club will host a beer garden offering beer and wine.

For entertainment, Arizona-based bands will be rocking out on-stage at the Main Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on both days. Saturday will feature the group SOU LITIFY, who plays top 40 hits and R&B, while country-rock band Western Fusion Band takes over on Sunday.

Even after the arts and crafts festival ends each evening, the carnival will still be running into the night with fun activities for families.

“The Frazier Shows Carnival is now en tering into its 21st year with us, they’ve been coming to us for almost as long as An them has been around,” Pulido said. “They will have a lot of rides, like a funhouse, Fer

She hopes that festival-goers leave with a good memory of fall, and for kids, specif ically, “the memory of something that was part of their childhood, something tradi tional in their own community.”

Autumnfest is open to the public, and admission and parking are free. Fees may apply to specific festival activities.

Carnival tickets can be purchased on fra ziershows.com and all-you-can-ride wrist bands are available for specific hours of the carnival.

Autumnfest Arts & Crafts Festival

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 and Sunday, Oct. 23

WHERE: Anthem Community Park, 41730 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem

COST: Free

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dren will have the opportunity to meet and have photos taken with the Frog X team members.

Frog X is a veteran-owned extreme ae rial parachute demonstration team that performs nationwide. It is composed of four retired Navy SEALs, a Marine Force Recon Gunnery Sergeant and a drop zone ground safety specialist. They have over 47,000 jumps among them, and have captivated audiences around the country at National Football League, Ma jor League Baseball and Major League Soccer games, professional golf matches and NASCAR races. This year, they re turn to Anthem to open the 18th Annual Daisy Mountain Parade.

Then, the parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the corner of Memorial Drive and Gavilan Peak Parkway and travel to An them Way, head east and end at the An them Community Center on N. Freedom Way. A traffic plan will be in place and volunteers will announce the parade participants from key points along the parade route.

Each year, Daisy Mountain Veterans chooses a different group of service members to be highlighted. This year, the parade grand marshals will be Viet nam War veterans. All Vietnam War veterans are invited to join the parade as this year’s grand marshals, and can contact Dennis Salisbury by sending an email to dlbcs@cox.net if interested in participating.

The Daisy Mountain Veterans and An them Veterans Memorial are partners

of the national 50th Vietnam War Com memoration that serves from May, 2012 to November, 2025 to welcome home Vietnam veterans as their service was not properly recognized. Vietnam War veterans also are invited to join Daisy Mountain Veterans at the Anthem Vet erans Memorial Veterans Day, Nov. 11, from 9:30 to 9:50 a.m. to receive the offi cial national commemorative pin and to be welcomed home in the manner they deserve.

The Daisy Mountain Veterans parade has grown from a small-town get-to gether to one of the most prestigious pa triotic parades anywhere. It is the larg est civilian-run parade west of the Mis sissippi River, meaning that those who choose to participate are volunteers using their own time and resources to make the event happen.

Briggs said the organization itself only has about 10 people who put every thing together behind the scenes, which makes it a bit of a daunting task. But she followed that up and said while it is hard work, it is a job that should be done and that is well worth the effort.

“We all have a lot of time, a lot of en ergy and blood, sweat and tears in this,” Briggs said. “We are very happy to get this back and work hard doing so. We owe it to all those who served all of us to do something to celebrate. It’s a cause very near and dear to our hearts. Any thing we can do we are more than happy to do. They deserve to be honored any and every day of the entire year, but if

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not, we’ve made one day very impactful.”

Luczywko said she also has military family mem bers, and volunteers her time to make sure their sac rifices are recognized both now and in the future.

“For me personally, I have a lot of veterans and some active duty members in my family. Remembering those people and showing them respect is something I grew up with. So, to me, that’s something I want to pass on to the generation behind me,” she said.

Justin Simons, Agent 3655 W Anthem Way Anthem, AZ 85086

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“Then I also see the strug gles of veterans today and we see a lot of veterans and families struggling. They don’t make a lot of money, a lot of them have mental illnesses from PTSD and I think we should really make sure that we take care of them and we don’t forget about them.”

Daisy Mountain Veterans was initial ly established in 2005 because there was not an organization in the area that united veterans or current active duty military members who had shared ex periences. It grew to serve north Phoe nix, Desert Hills, Anthem, New River and Black Canyon. Its mission is to honor, support and thank all who have served and those who are currently serving our military. The members provide service to their community, promote patriotism and celebrate the achievements and sac rifices of our veterans and their families.

Comprised of former service mem bers, active-duty military, veteran family members, and all those who support the well-being of veterans and their fami lies, the DMV has a long history of serv ing communities.

munity,” she said. “Then other people just come to enjoy the parade and it’s become something they do with their families. A lot of people in Anthem, if you ask them if they have been to the parade, they say, ‘Yes, we go every year.’”

The event is free and open to the pub lic. Families are encouraged to get there early for a good view of the Frog X para chute jump and are recommended to gather around the west edge of the An them soccer field on Gavilan Peak Park way. Other than that, Briggs said to sit back and enjoy the day.

“Bring your chair, bring anything you need, bring your friends and family and be ready to have a really great time and to honor those who served and who are currently serving for our country,” Briggs said.

Daisy Mountain Veterans Parade

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Adriane Luczywko, marketing coordi nator for the organization, said the an nual parade means a great deal to these veterans and has also become a staple for the community.

“It’s a huge deal to them. We reach a lot of veterans in and around our com

WHEN: 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5

WHERE: Starts at the corner of Gavilan Peak Parkway and Memorial Drive, ends at the Anthem Community Center

COST: Free

DaisyMountainVeterans.org

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The Daisy Mountain Veterans Parade will kick off with a demonstration from the Frog X Parachute Team. (AVM/Submitted)

Anthem

BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer

After conducting a study on the usage of the Sk8 and Ride Park, the Anthem Commu nity Council unanimously voted at the Sept. 28 board meeting to ap prove a recommendation of staff to charge nonresidents $3 a day or $25 a month, as long as there is capacity available, and continue to staff the security booth.

“The ACC has been operating the skateboard park for several months and we’ve been collecting data about the users of the facility,” said Aaron Baker, executive director of the An them Community Council, when the item was first discussed at an Aug. board meeting. “Based on that infor mation, we’ve come up with (this) set of recommendations.”

Residents will be allowed to con tinue using the facility at no charge, like other Anthem amenities. They will need to check in when using the skate park using the same keychain used to get into the Community Cen ter.

Baker said a good deal of research and analysis was done to determine what the best course of action was for nonresidents using the skate park.

“For nonresidents, we looked at several different options. On one ex treme, it could be just residents and the other extreme is that it could be open to everyone and we wouldn’t

charge anyone,” he said.

“But we kind of came to the con clusion that we have a capacity at the Sk8 and Ride Park, it can handle several hundred users at the same time. We’re not approaching those numbers when it’s free for everyone, so we feel like it would be good to capture some of that revenue from non-residents coming in.”

With that in mind, it was deter mined that nonresidents should be charged a usage fee. Starting Tues day, Nov. 1, nonresidents must pur chase either a single day pass for $3 or a monthly pass for $25 to use the Sk8 and Ride Park. The passes can be purchased online or in-person at the Community Center. Nonresidents who purchase the monthly pass would then receive a keychain tag that would only allow them access to the skate park for the month.

The fees, and nonresident usage as a whole, are subject to change based on usage of the park. Baker said the numbers will continue to be moni tored and if the situation changes, the policy will be re-examined to en sure that residents have priority.

The Sk8 and Ride Park has 14,000 square feet of skating space, and, ac cording to the park’s rules, the max imum occupancy is 941 people. An them Community Council Board of Directors Chair Darrin Francom said data collected from the skate park for roughly three and a half months, from May 28 to Sept. 19, showed there were 6,847 users, with 54%

being residents and 46% being non residents.

If usage was spread evenly across each day in that timeframe, that would equate to about 60 people us ing the skate park a day — far below the maximum capacity. Of course, there are likely to be more people there on weekends, but the park has not come close to being at capacity.

“We have excess capacity at the skate park. So, we’re not adopting these fees to run people off, we’re aiming to reduce the burden on the rest of the community in terms of maintenance,” said ACC Board Direc tor Bob McKenzie.

Another aspect of the skate park that was studied was whether or not to continue staffing a park patrol of ficer there during operating hours. Baker said based on the information gathered, there are several reasons to keep personnel there.

“First, incidents at the facility are

down since the opening of the booth,” he explained. “Second, having staff on-site makes it easier to respond to and enforce rules like no smoking, no loitering, no motorized bikes or scooters and no food or nonwater beverages. Finally, there is a safety benefit to staffing the booth because staff is immediately available to re spond to any potential incidents or injuries.”

It was unanimously approved by the ACC Board to continue staffing the security booth.

Lastly, as Anthem is in the midst of preparing its budget for next year, Baker said the skate park was pro jected to bring in $10,500 from non-residents using the skate park, about $875 a month.

and Ride Park

Phoenix Promise scholarship applications now open

Phoenix Promise, the $5 million Phoe nix-Maricopa Community Colleges scholarship program for two- and four-year degrees, is now accepting appli cations through Monday, Oct. 31 for Spring 2023 awards.

The scholarship program from the city of Phoenix provides scholarship and stu dent support funding to around 400 Phoe nix residents pursuing two- and four-year degrees at Maricopa Community College. The Phoenix Promise program, adminis tered through Maricopa Community Col leges Foundation, is using American Res cue Plan Act funding, to support eligible residents.

“Phoenix’s future is strengthened by partnerships that ensure today’s students have the best skills and are positioned for promising careers, including those in semiconductors, electric vehicles, health care, and computer technology advance ment,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

“This program with Maricopa Community Colleges will help hundreds of students overcome barriers and access degree pro grams, delivering top talent to growing in dustries in Phoenix.”

Applications can be submitted online at Maricopa.edu/Phoenix-Promise. All appli cations for the Spring 2023 semester must be submitted by Friday, Oct. 31.

“The Phoenix City Council’s unanimous August 31st approval of this program demonstrates their support for this pro gram and the City’s commitment to grow and maintain an experienced and educat ed workforce,” said LaSetta Hogans, ex ecutive director of Phoenix Business and Workforce Development Board, the body that oversees the city’s Workforce pro grams, including Arizona@Work-Phoenix.

“Companies looking to grow and locate in Phoenix say talent is their number one reason for selecting a location. Phoenix Promise is for both our career-bound resi dents and growing companies in search of talent.”

To be eligible for Phoenix Promise schol arships, students must be current Phoenix residents eligible for Arizona in-state tui tion and have graduated from high school or obtained a GED or high school equiva lency. Applicants must demonstrate finan cial need through receipt of a Pell Grant or being part of a household qualifying for certain federal assistance programs. Stu dents must also be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours per semester and will be required to maintain satisfactory aca demic standing while enrolled at a Mar icopa Community College.

After meeting the basic qualifications, priority may be given to applicants who have graduated from high school since Spring 2020, are first-generation college students, single parents, veterans, and/or living in a historically under-served area known as a Qualified Census Tract.

“As a daughter of immigrants who heav ily emphasized access to education as a pathway to personal and generational re siliency, I want to equip every young per

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son in my district with the opportunity to pursue any level of education that could benefit their future and our entire city,” said Phoenix Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari.

“More importantly, I’m going to push for an aggressive outreach campaign that reaches young adults who might have lost that opportunity during the pandem ic. With this major investment, Phoenix is showing we’re focused on proactively addressing inequalities in educational at tainment and building strong, sustainable pathways for economic vitality.”

Complete details of the program and el igibility requirements are on the Phoenix Promise website.

Phoenix Vice Mayor Laura Pastor said she was “thrilled” that the city council passed the Phoenix Promise Program. Having previously served as a teacher and school board member, Pastor said she has a first-hand perspective on the importance

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Applications open for Barrett-Jackson’s custom car, truck competition

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

Barrett-Jackson, the World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions, is accepting applications for its custom car and truck competition, the Barrett-Jackson Cup, held Saturday, Jan. 21 to Sunday, Jan. 29 during the 2023 Scottsdale Auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale.

For the third consecutive year, the Barrett-Jackson Cup, which recognizes the talent and craftsmanship of custom car and truck builders, will be a part of Barrett-Jackson’s flagship auction and the most anticipated automotive event of the year, with all 50 entries show cased throughout the entirety of the event.

“We are excited to once again host the Barrett-Jackson Cup as part of our Scottsdale Auction in Janu ary,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson.

“Since the tri umphant return of this competition in 2021, we’ve seen many spectacular custom builds compete for the ‘Ultimate Best in Show.’ While this is a competition, it is also an opportunity to celebrate the incredible skill and cre ativity we see in the hobby today and with all the Bar rett-Jackson Cup contestants.”

The Barrett-Jackson Cup will feature 50 custom builders who will compete for two awards: the coveted “Ultimate Best in Show,” selected by two distinguished builders, Bobby Allo way and Troy Trepanier; and the “Peo ple’s Choice Award,” voted on by Bar rett-Jackson fans worldwide through social media.

The 50 entries, which will be selected by Barrett-Jackson from the total num ber of applications submitted, will be introduced to auction-goers via a pa rade across the world-famous auction block during Family Day on Saturday, Jan. 21, before being displayed inside

Fifty entries will be selected to participate and have the opportunity to showcase their custom car or truck at the Scottsdale auction. (Barrett-Jackson/Submitted)

Applications are open for the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Cup, which will crown an “Ultimate Best in Show” and “People’s Choice Award” at the Scottsdale Auction in January. (Barrett-Jackson/Submitted)

the South Show case throughout the entire week.

On the morning of Super Satur day, Jan. 28, the five finalists for the “Ultimate Best in Show” will be an nounced on stage and the winner, as well as the winner of the “Peo ple’s Choice Award,” will be crowned be fore that day’s collector car auction.

“This competition is something we are incredibly proud of as we contin ue to raise the profile of custom builds and Resto-Mods within the collector car hobby,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson.

“We’ve seen some remarkable works of art cross the block for the Bar rett-Jackson Cup the last two years and I’m excited to see what today’s most tal ented builders bring to WestWorld this

January.”

The competition in 2022 was fierce, and it was an immaculate 1936 Ford Roadster owned by Bob Johnson and built by Pinkee’s Rod Shop that took home the title of “Ultimate Best in Show” as part of Barrett-Jackson’s 50th anniversary celebration last January. For the title of “People’s Choice Award,” thousands of fans voted and ultimately chose a 1963 ½ Ford Galaxie built and owned by Jason Graham Hot Rods as the winner.

Applications for the 2023 Bar rett-Jackson Cup can be found at Bar rettJacksonCup.com. The application deadline is Monday, Nov. 21, and the chosen entries will be notified by Thurs day, Dec. 1. The “Ultimate Best in Show” winner will receive a $20,000 award along with other prizes. The top five fi nalists will receive a snap-on tool chest and gift certificates.

Established in 1971 and headquar

tered in Scottsdale, Barrett-Jackson, the World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions, is the leader in collector car auctions and automotive lifestyle events, which include authentic automobile auctions and the sale of private collections. Wel coming over 500,000 attendees per year, Barrett-Jackson produces live col lector car auctions in Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Texas, where thousands of the most sought-after, unique and valuable automobiles cross the block in front of a global audience.

With broadcast partner A + E Net works, Barrett-Jackson features exten sive live TV coverage, including broad casts in more than 150 countries. Bar rett-Jackson also endorses a one-of-akind collector car insurance for collector vehicles and other valued belongings.

INFO:

New law will lower Medicare recipients’ drug costs

BY RITHWIK KALALE Cronkite News

When Brenda Dickason switched from private in surance to Medicare shortly after turning 65, she was shocked at how much more she had to pay for the EpiPens she keeps on hand because of her severe bee allergy.

“When I got my EpiPen on regular insurance, it was $40 for two. When I went to get it last year on Medicare, it was over $300,” said Dickason, a retired Tucson police detective and former middle school science teacher who sells specialty soaps and seasonal wreaths at craft shows for extra income.

Dickason said her booth is often swarming with bees because of the scent. She also has to manage her asthma and a latex allergy.

“The season is starting, and I work to pay my Medicare and my insurance,” she said. “So I have to make a choice: Do I go without the EpiPen, or do I buy supplies I need for my job?”

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Dickason and millions of other Amer icans no longer will have to shell out thousands of dollars to pay for pre scription medications through Medi care, the federal health insurance pro gram for those 65 or older and people with disabilities.

The sweeping measure includes sev eral provisions aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs for the 64 million Americans on Medicare.

In addition to cutting drug costs, the act extends tax credits to those insured under the Affordable Care Act — pre venting an estimated 2 million people nationally and 41,000 Arizonans from losing coverage and ensuring others avoid premium increases.

“What the (inflation) act will do is improve affordability for Ameri cans who purchase coverage from the health insurance marketplaces across the board by improving the amount of tax credits that those folks are eligible for,” said Christina Cousart, senior pol icy associate at the National Academy

for State Health Policy.

“Eleven million individuals are now enrolled in marketplace coverage, largely because of these affordabili ty provisions, and that will be main tained because of this” law.

Experts call the new law one of the most significant steps toward improv ing health care in the country since the 2010 passage of the ACA, then-Presi dent Barack Obama’s signature policy.

One big change allows the federal government to begin negotiating drug prices directly with manufacturers of 10 drugs starting in 2026 and 10 more drugs by 2029. That’s expected to re duce government spending by about $100 billion over 10 years, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.

“That’s huge savings to Medicare beneficiaries, as well as the Medicare program,” said Dana Kennedy, the state director of AARP Arizona.

Many provisions of the new law affect only those enrolled in Medi care and, specifically, Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drugs. About 1.3 million people in Arizona

are enrolled in Medicare, with just over 1 million in Medicare Part D, fed eral data show.

Medicare enrollees who have diabe tes or require vaccines will be the first to reap the benefits of the new poli cies. Starting in 2023, Medicare bene ficiaries will pay no more than $35 a month for insulin — for which prices have soared in recent years.

And although influenza vaccines are always free under Medicare, other shots, including the shingles vaccine, often require copays. Under the new law, Kennedy said, “vaccines will also be free for Medicare beneficiaries.”

Kennedy recalled hearing from one woman recently who was quoted $400 for a shingles vaccine. “She actually got shingles because she couldn’t af ford” the shot, she said.

Starting in 2025, Medicare Part D enrollees also will see a new $2,000 cap on annual out-of-pocket spending for drugs. That will save a lot of mon ey for people with conditions that re quire expensive prescriptions.

For example, Medicare enrollees using the cancer drug Revlimid spent

nearly $9,000 out of pocket in 2019, according to a Kaiser Family Founda tion analysis.

Another provision will penalize drug companies if prices for drugs covered under Medicare rise faster than the rate of inflation. Sarah Bourland, legislative director for the advocacy group Patients for Affordable Drugs, said that could help all Americans by incentivizing drug manufacturers to keep prices in check.

“The monetary penalties paid by drug manufacturers that hike their prices are based on Medicare sales and paid back to the Medicare pro gram,” Bourland said, adding:

“But this does not mean Medicare beneficiaries will be the only ones that benefit or that prices will rise in other sectors. That’s because the penalties are based on market-wide measures of prices. This should discourage drug companies from hiking prices in the private sector as well.

“Commercial payers are not help less here,” Bourland continued. “They have a tremendous amount of market power to push back on potential price increases.”

Federal research shows that Amer icans pay two to three times more for prescription drugs than people in oth er countries.

For Dickason, those increased costs have been hard to manage.

She had to utilize coupons through GoodRx to get her EpiPens, an injec tion device that delivers epinephrine to counter life-threatening allergic reactions. That cut the cost to about $150. But Dickason also uses an in haler because of severe asthma and needs Botox injections to help allevi ate chronic migraines. Botox alone can cost $800.

Although it will take time for some of the law’s cost-saving provisions to go into effect, Dickason is hopeful that once they do, she’ll have more money to spend on other necessities.

“It’s actually more than just income,” she said. “It’s paying your bills or get ting food. Those aren’t cheap.”

Brenda Dickason needs to keep expensive EpiPens on hand because of a bee allergy, but rising prices have made it hard for her to afford medications. The Inflation Reduction Act includes sev eral provisions that should help, including an annual $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending for prescriptions. (Betty & Smith for P4ADNow/Submitted)

Rotary raising funds for injured teen

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

TheAnthem Rotary Club is hosting a charity car wash for a teen who was critically injured in a moto cross crash.

The event is 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 15, at Legends Bar and Grill at 3655 W. Anthem Way in Anthem. The Rotary Club’s members will volunteer their time to wash anyone’s car for free in ex change for a charitable donation to the family.

The car wash benefits 14-year-old An

them resident Christian Fox, who is in a coma at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

On Sept. 24, Christian and his father, Dave Fox, were riding motocross bikes with others on a local track. Christian rode his bike over a jump and lost his footing, falling off his bike outside the field of view of other oncoming bikers.

To protect his son, Dave Fox ran over and stood in the path of the other ap proaching bikes. Several other bikes go ing over the jump landed on Christian because they could not see him. Both Dave and his son Christian were struck

by multiple bikes at high speeds.

Christian was flown by Flight for Life to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where surgeons removed part of his skull to al low for brain swelling. Dave Fox also has injuries and is recovering.

Beyond any contributions received at the car wash, Anthem Rotary will further contribute to the family’s cause with an incremental matching cash donation of $2,000.

“The Fox family is in desperate need of support from our community right now,” said Steve DeMar, president of Anthem

Rotary Club. “This car wash fundrais ing event is another example of how the Anthem community supports our neigh bors.”

In addition, a GoFundMe account has been established for anyone who may also wish to contribute to support the family in covering their extraordinary medical expenses. As of Oct. 9, more than $20,000 had been raised to support Christian via https://bit.ly/ChristianFox.

All donations will go to the family to help cover medical bills and ongoing treatment and care costs.

of affordable education for everyone.

Councilmember Carlos Carcia added that the program was created after they saw a need.

“As a proud product of community col leges, I am really excited about this op portunity for students,” Garcia said. “In

conversations with both the colleges and students, it was evident that there were needs beyond just tuition, and the Phoenix Promise Program can now fill those gaps.

I am glad that these funds will be able to be used for childcare, food and other aca demic support.”

And, through the program, the city will have a return on investment with trained

and knowledgeable graduates entering the workforce.

“The Phoenix Promise Program under scores the role the community colleges play in contributing to the wellbeing of the community and ensuring we have a pipeline of successful graduates enter ing the workforce, who are prepared for 21st-century employment,” said Brian F.

Spicker, president and CEO of the Marico pa Community Colleges Foundation.

“As a longstanding partner, the city of Phoenix continues to support the founda tion’s vision with this program by making post-secondary education affordable and accessible for those Phoenix residents who are most in need.”

INFO: Maricopa.edu/Phoenix-Promise

Judy Schwiebert

for Arizona State House | District 2

for our public schools, protecting women’s rights

putting people over politics.

Watch out, robots can ‘byte’

BY JUDY BLUHM Foothills Focus Columnist

Flippy,

move over. There is a new tin can in town. Elon Musk debuted Optimus, the “robot of the future.”

Flippy is just a shiny steel robot who can flip burgers at fast-food restaurants that had to be put on paid leave one day after he started! It seems that Flippy’s human co-workers just couldn’t keep up with the robot.

The humans had to assemble the burg ers in buns and add the lettuce, toma toes and sauce. Well, Flippy was simply too fast for the humans and the burgers were getting cold. Unable to slow down, Flippy had to be “reprogrammed” to work at a snail’s (human) pace. Now we have Flippy 2.

You see, robots are not ready to take over the world. Yet.

Musk has a plan to “enrich our lives.” It is called Optimus. A humanoid ro bot that will cost under $20,000 that can “assist” with just about everything. Our wish is Optimus’ command! Make dinner, take out the garbage, wash the clothes, make the bed, detail the car, pull the weeds. Strong enough to move furni ture and smart enough to do our taxes! Musk claims in a few years, we will all want one. I am ready now! And one day, Optimus will run all functions at manu facturing plants. There will be no limits to what a robot can do!

In China, at every major airport, they have 5-foot-tall and 170-pound robots that serve as security and customer ser vice agents. Able to move at speeds up to 20 miles per hour, they can outrun people, block them, retrieve luggage and scan passports, and are a “crucial” part of airport security. They even speak!

We need these in America. Imagine the possibilities! TSA agents replaced by ro bots? Perhaps.

Yes, the world is changing. Self-driving vehicles, more automation and robots entering the workforce might mean that the future has arrived! The era of arti ficial intelligence and using robots to solve complicated problems is upon us, and sometimes it has unintended con sequences. When Facebook built two robots to work as computer engineers, they were “shut down” quickly. Why? Be cause the human programmers noticed that the robots had developed their own language and were communicating with each other. When asked to translate, the robots refused. Yikes, robots going rogue! Should we worry?

While we are building new robots ev ery day to “make every day better,” a few experts warn that we could be in for a little trouble. What happens when the robots we program outsmart us? De veloping their own language or, even worse, their own agenda? Yes, the sci-fi movie that depicts a world relying less on humans and more on the bots is a

Get

with

Veep’s post-hurricane remarks create a storm

BY J.D. HAYWORTH Foothills Focus Columnist

There’s no confusing a haboob with a hurricane.

While Arizonans can attest that the howling wind and desert dust from a haboob may present genuine hazards, the recent travails of Floridians remind us that hurricanes can become life altering.

Hurricane Ian unleashed its fury upon Southwest Florida, bringing tragic loss of life, almost unbelievable damage to homes and roads, and other awful, awe some examples of nature’s power.

There was also ample evidence that the hurricane season intersects with the political calendar.

Vice President Kamala Harris, fresh from a faux pas abroad where she mis takenly lauded a longtime American alli ance with “the Republic of North Korea,” proved equally maladroit when she re turned home and advocated race-based relief in Ian’s aftermath.

Appearing at a forum sponsored by the Democratic National Committee, the nation’s “No. 2” emphasized equity as job one, even in the wake of a killer storm.

“It is our lowest-income communities and communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not of their own making,” Harris said.

“And so we have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity, and understanding that not ev eryone starts out at the same place. And if we want people to be in an equal place, sometimes we have to take into account those disparities.”

Got that?

“Equity” is not synonymous with “equality.” Instead, it is based on retribu tion and redistribution.

While America’s historic civil rights movement advocated for equality of op portunity, today’s woke elites envision the role of government as enforcing uni formity of outcomes. Equity is the blunt tool of social justice warriors intent on exacting a price in the here and now from those they deem “historically ad vantaged.”

In 2020, that translated into riots in major American cities, which Harris de scribed as “mostly peaceful protests.” In

2022, it would translate into selective relief in spite of widespread suffering if Harris had her way.

Unsurprisingly, a self-appointed “praetorian guard” from the partisan press quickly intervened to try to pro tect the vice president from her own statement.

So-called “fact checkers” blamed ex tenuating circumstances — a long, mul tilayered question and an even longer response from Harris — before falling back on the three favorite words of all post-quote revisionists: “out of context.”

Despite the empathy and action from “advocacy journalists” eager to jump to Kamala’s defense, it became abundant ly clear to President Joe Biden’s White House that the subject had to be changed — and quickly.

Whatever the shortcomings of the Biden Bunch — and they are legion — Ol’ Joe and his handlers saw the obvious course of action: Visit the hurricane-rav aged portions of Florida, meet with Re publican Gov. Ron DeSantis, and pledge that the federal government would help everyone adversely affected by Ian — period.

As the flood waters began to recede, so

did the controversy concerning “equity.”

The sight of Biden and DeSantis stand ing in the sunshine, sharing a common concern and a common goal, proved once again that sometimes good policy can make for good politics — especially when it involves potential political op ponents.

But don’t be deceived.

Even without the forecast of a haboob here in Arizona or another hurricane in Florida, the outlook will again turn stormy.

After all, Election Day is Nov. 8.

cautionary tale. Be careful of the burg er-flipping robot who can also scan your credit card, plan the menu, set the tem perature, lock the doors, and hold you hostage for ransom! Oops, only kidding. I meant to say a robot could confuse the

ketchup for mustard. Or start laughing wickedly while chasing you with a hot spatula! OK, enough of the future. Dear readers, beware of robots. They can “byte.”

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

How to get a letter published

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

The Foothills

Spare me the food snob, eatery chains just fine

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Foothills Focus Columnist

Of all the many sorts of snobbery that exist in the world today, surely the most annoying is dining snobbery. You, too, have that one friend, I imagine — the Certified Restaurant Adventurer©.

Ask the CRA© how his/her/their weekend was and the conversation turns into a Travel Channel mono logue about the joys of eating fried calf testicles off a food truck in a Maryvale back alley.

My eyes glaze over during such tales — and not in a honey-glazed epicure an way — before I say something like,

“That’s just nuts,” and wander off.

I’m an adventurous eater. I like steak, medium rare. I love cheesesteaks, cheeseburgers, cheese fries, pizza, and caffeinated beverages ordered with out substituting Italian numbers for sizes. Hold the cheese on the coffee, thanks. But only there.

In sum, I have always believed my self to be a typical American eater. Meaning I am not a gastronomic ex plorer, nor am I a big chain restaurant purveyor.

However, I don’t look down my nose at people who think Olive Garden is the best Italian food known to man. By the same token, I’m tired of hear ing about Pizzeria Bianco and how it’s worth camping out for a week for a slice of Sonny Boy pizza, because, oh Lord, the soppressata is to die for! Salami is salami, people. They do a nice pepperoni pie at Pizza Hut, too. And they have 6,600 locations in the United States, which means less wait ing.

That’s what chain restaurants are for: people who see meals not as op portunities for reverie and humble bragging about their palate, but as fuel for the body and a chance to chat with loved ones, friends and colleagues.

Dining snobs will scoff, but there’s a reason that chain restaurants continue to be popular. They’re not the devil, or even Red Devil Pizza, with three loca tions in the Valley and one in Pinetop.

Chains are thriving, and regular people must like them, because chain restaurants comprise the majority of dining options in the United States, according to recent data from two scholars at Georgia Tech University’s Friendly Cities Lab.

Dr. Clio Andris and Ph.D. candidate Xiaofan Liang compiled statistics on more than 700,000 restaurants na tionwide, including nearly 400 chains of 50 locations or more. The most pro lific restaurant in the study? Subway, with more than 24,000 locations in the United States.

Restaurants with only one location comprised about 44% of the study, or

about 310,000 locations total.

Liang told the Washington Post, “the foodscape is very political,” meaning the study’s big takeaway was that, “Places with a high percentage of Trump voters have a higher percent age of chains. We didn’t expect it.”

Yawn. Sounds like food snobbery to me.

My big takeaway is that Arizona is not the fast food capital of America, as many Valley food snobs would have you believe.

The most franchise-y state in the nation? Kentucky, where 46% of restaurant options have 50 or more locations. Arizona ranked 21st, with chains comprising 35% of restaurant offerings — as compared to Vermont, the least franchise-y state, where only 13% of restaurants had 50 or more lo cations.

As for metro Phoenix, it ranked 204th among more than 380 metro politan areas, with chains comprising about 37% of restaurant options. So we’re not New York City, with 18% chains, nor are we Aniston, Alabama, with 57% chains.

We’re right in between, not un like the beef patty in a Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers All American Burger. CB&C has 12 Arizona locations, by the way, which makes them something of a local chain.

Regardless, they don’t serve pig cheeks, rattlesnake bites or other food snob fare, so I can’t recommend the place highly enough.

OneAZ Credit Union sponsors financial literacy program BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF

OneAZ

Credit Union is sponsor ing the Banzai program in five schools this fall. Banzai is an on line financial simulation for elementary, middle and high school students that teaches them real-world finances.

Teachers use the program in their fi nancial education or business classes. OneAZ will sponsor American Leader ship Academy in Queen Creek, Williams Field High School in Gilbert, West-MEC Deer Valley High School, Great Hearts Academy of Anthem, and Graham Coun ty School District in Northern Arizona.

“This is an exciting opportunity to de liver critical financial education resourc

es to Arizona students,” said Kim Reedy, president and CEO of OneAz Credit Union.

“OneAZ is committed to ensuring that Arizona students and teachers have the resources to build a foundation for a strong financial future.”

Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee appointed Arizona’s first Task Force on Financial Literacy and passed laws re quiring the state’s K-12 academic stan dards to include financial literacy and established a seal of financial literacy on diplomas that may be earned by gradu ating high school seniors.

“Financial education is essential to families in Arizona,” Yee said.

“As members of the financial commu

nity, it is crucial that we do our part to provide initiatives for Arizonans to at tain basic money management skills.”

“I commend OneAZ for their sponsor ship of financial literacy programs such as this in Arizona schools, which will help set our younger generations up for success.

“When citizens are responsible with their money, it positively benefits the overall economy of our entire state.”

A few statistics indicate why financial literacy in schools is needed:

Outstanding student loan debt stands

at $1.6 trillion, up from $1.52 trillion the previous year.

Only 41% of adults in the United States have a budget and keep track of their spending.

Of millennials ages 18-34, one in eight have debts in collections.

About 39% of millennial women do not pay their bills on time and are twice as likely than millennial men to take out a high interest loan to cover a $2,000 emergency.

A record 7 million Americans are three months behind in their car payments.

The Holland Center hosts glass pumpkin patch fundraiser

BY LAURA LATZKO Foothills Focus Contributor

naments to 18-inches and have price points anywhere from $35 to $800.

Throughout

the year, glass artist Gregory Tomb and his team work to make glass pumpkins. Each piece is slightly different in shape, size and color, which means each pumpkin takes time and care to craft.

His pumpkins will be on display at the Holland Center as part of a glass pumpkin patch fundraiser, which will run from Friday, Oct. 21, to Sunday, Oct. 23.

The North Scottsdale community cen ter will have around 1,000 glass pump kins on display among hay bales, giving it a traditional pumpkin patch look.

Jennifer Rosvall, executive director of the Holland Center, said the artist brings a twist on traditional Halloween pumpkins.

“They’re absolutely beautiful. They’re all one-of-a-kind,” Rosvall said. “It truly looks like a pumpkin patch out there, but instead of real pumpkins, they’re all glass.”

The pumpkins range in size from or

This is the third time the artist, who spends half of the year in New York and half of his time in Arizona, has part nered with the center to do a fundrais er. This year, he has also done pumpkin patch fundraisers for the North Creek Depot Museum, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Make-A-Wish Hud son Valley.

“I look for a cause I believe in, that can do a lot of good in bringing a communi ty together,” Tomb said.

There are a number of local art en thusiasts who collect Tomb’s pumpkins.

“He has quite the following. We have people who come from all over the Val ley,” Rosvall said. “Last year, we had people come down from Cottonwood and Show Low…They come from ev erywhere… He has people who look for new ones every year.”

During the event, Tomb will be onsite, talking about his work with patrons.

The pumpkins will be for sale, and 20% of the proceeds will go to the cen ter. The Holland Center is a nonprof

it organization that operates through donations and fundraising. Volunteers help the center in different ways, in cluding assisting at events such as the pumpkin patch fundraiser.

The center also raises money through events such as a masquerade murder mystery dinner party, an improv come dy show, a holiday cabaret and a Ken tucky Derby party.

The center’s Desert Awareness Com mittee will hold its annual Prickly Pear Festival Saturday, Oct. 29.

During the event, stations will be fo cused on harvesting, cleaning and pro cessing prickly pears. There will also be information on the history and me dicinal qualities of prickly pear cacti, as well as chances to try foods made with prickly pear. A cookbook with different prickly pear recipes will be available for purchase.

The Holland Center engages the com munity in different ways, including art and wellness classes, theater oppor

tunities, art exhibits and a leadership academy.

Rosvall said the center tries to offer a diverse range of programming to ap peal to people with different interests.

“If it has to do with arts and education and lifelong learning and culture, we do it here. We try and find something for everyone,” Rosvall said.

The glass pumpkin patch fundrais er has helped the center to raise over $10,000 for its theater and arts educa tion programs.

Tomb first worked with the center as an artist in residence during the pan demic. During this time, he set up a mobile glass-blowing studio at the cen ter, where he taught classes and made pumpkins.

The artist became interested in glass art as a child when he would take family trips to the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. He went on to study

As part of a pumpkin patch fundraiser, the Holland Center displays pumpkins from artist Gregory Tomb. (Gregory Tomb/Submitted)

glassblowing at Hartwick College and worked as a production glassblower in a factory under renowned glass blower Simon Pearce.

Throughout his career, Tomb has tak en part in juried art shows throughout the country. He has been the featured artist at a number of shows, including Scottsdale Artfest, and has won awards such as “best in glass.”

He has also taught classes on glass blowing in different parts of the coun try.

Tomb is in the process of building a glassblowing studio in Cave Creek in Stagecoach Village.

The artist has participated in glass pumpkin patch fundraisers since 2006 and started his own events in 2019. He has also taken glass pumpkins out to the Enchanted Pumpkin Garden event

RIGOR,

a

Saying a lot in a little

Pastor Ed Delph

Thisarticle is designed to fuel your mental motor so that you can head out on the highway. So let’s start with 10 fun facts.

1. You can’t see your ears without a mirror. 2. You can’t count your strands of hair. 3. You can’t breathe through your nose with your tongue out. 4. You just tried No. 3. 6. When you tried No. 3, you realized that it is possible, only now you look like a dog. 7. You are smiling right now because the question fooled you. 8. You skipped No. 5. 9. You just checked to see if there was a No. 5. 10. Share this with your friends so they can have some fun, too. I just applied No. 10 because I shared 10 fun facts with you.

Here’s an important fact: Those who like my articles are happier, more in telligent and better looking than those who don’t, according to a study I made up. Aha!

It’s good to read what others are say ing and thinking in today’s world about various subjects, whether they’re wise, cheeky or reveal something that equips us for life. So I’ll mix a bit of me into this compilation of insights.

Cheeky snippets about life

Here’s someone like me. “I don’t have a train of thought. I have seven trains, on four tracks, that narrowly avoid each other when their paths cross and all the conductors are screaming.” Does this sound familiar? “My kid before dinner: ‘I’m starving. I need a snack.’ My kid during dinner: ‘I’m full. I can’t eat.’ My kid after dinner: ‘I’m starving. I need a snack.’ Repeat forever.” Wom en, consider this vow. “Wedding vows should include, ‘Do you promise to al ways help him find his stuff that is right in front of him?’ Because you will be doing that forever.”

I like this thought. “I don’t always go the extra mile, but when I do, it’s be cause I missed my exit.” “Our family is

just one tent away from a full-blown circus.” Oh, yeah! A final thought as we enter the “-ber” months. When some one says, “It’s too soon for pumpkin spice,” please realize you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.

Personal growth

“Everyone wants to reach the top of the mountain but remember: The real growth and change happens on the climb.” In other words, difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. Bob Costas offers this insight. “Cham pions don’t become champions on the field — they are merely recognized there.” What you put into something often determines what you get out of it. D. L. Moody said, “Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody, 40 years learning he was nobody, and then 40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody.” Sometimes we need to be depowered to be empowered.

Intellectual and societal humility

Here’s an actual event (I factchecked it) that changed two lives. “In 1981, a pediatrician saved the life of a 3.2-pound premature baby boy by working around the clock and beating the odds to stabilize him. In 2011, the same pediatrician was pinned inside a burning vehicle after a car collision but then saved by a paramedic who turned out to be the premature baby he saved 30 years earlier.” Most times, the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train.

Here’s an inspiring snippet. “Please understand this: Bad chapters can still create great stories. Wrong paths can still lead to the right places. Failed dreams can still create successful peo ple. Sometimes it takes losing your self to find yourself.” Note this pastor/ church snippet. “Don’t be mad at the pastor. He didn’t know what you did be fore he preached the sermon.” Bev from The Philippines says, “Some people are so poor… all they have is money.”

Lastly, “Unity does not mean same ness. It means oneness of purpose. There’s a difference between conformi

ty and destiny.”

Soul prosperity

Here’s a powerful observation. “Ad diction is a special kind of hell. It takes the soul of the addict and breaks the hearts of everyone who loves them.”

I like this idea. “When the devil keeps asking you to look at your past, there’s something in your future he doesn’t want you to see.” Consider this. “The woman at the well was divorced five times, and Jesus still used her. Don’t let people count you out because you have a complicated past. Jesus pre serves your future.” In other words, if you think you’ve blown God’s plan for your life, God has news for you. You’re not that powerful. Consider this possi bility: “What happens to a person is of ten less significant than what happens within them. The hardest prison to es cape is in our own mind.”

Prayers and praying

Everyone can pray this prayer. “Heav enly Father, thank you for pursuing me relentlessly. Thank you for your grace that allows us to come back to you time and again. Forgive us for the ways we run and hide from you. Give us the courage to turn toward you and accept your love.” Consider this insight about prayer. “Sometimes we need to pray for the answer, but sometimes we need to pray to be the answer.” A. W. Tozer said, “I don’t want the world to define God for me. I want the Holy Spirit to reveal God to me.”

Max Lucado offers this truth about prayer. “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears prayers and not in the One who says the prayer, our prayers do make a difference.” Just think, if God can make a bug’s butt light up, think of what God can do for you.

Somebody needed this today. I hear your mental motor running, so head out on the highway to a higher way.

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.

PUMPKIN

you have the different techniques is with the color application and what shape you end up choosing.”

Tomb said many collectors look for pumpkins with shades of orange, green, gold and/or black. Although he likes to ex periment and make pumpkins in different colors, he tries to offer pumpkins in these popular colors. Often, he makes glass pumpkins in different sizes and shapes with similar color patterns. His team helps Tomb with different parts of the process when making glass pumpkins.

“The ones that I’m really known for

are the large crackle ones that you have to have someone bring the stem while the pumpkin is still on the blow pipe,” Tomb said.

More information on Gregory Tomb is available at gregorytglass.com.

Glass Pumpkin Patch

Annual amount based on possible monthly or quarterly

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services

The Cigna name, logos, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna

Property, Inc. Benefits,

by plan/service area. Limitations, exclusions, and restrictions may apply. Contact the plan for more information. This information is not a complete description of benefits, which vary by individual plan. You must live in the plan’s service area. Call 1-888-284-0268 (TTY 711) for more information. Cigna is contracted with Medicare

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TOLD BY KUMA AND WRITTEN BY LORRAINE BOSSÉ-SMITH Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

Irecently turned 14 years old, can you believe it? How time flies when you are having fun! The adventures con tinue, and we recently decided to visit the Grand Falls up near Flagstaff, aka the Chocolate Falls. With all the rain, we were hopeful it would be spectacular. Be fore you go, it’s a commitment. It is a full 3 ½ hour drive from Phoenix one way, and there isn’t anything else there. That being said, if you have a chance here in the near future to go see them, you must!

First, how to get there: Take I-17 North to I-40 East and exit Winona north for about 2 miles until you reach Leupp Road where you will turn right onto the dirt road for 20.3 miles. This is a bumpy ride full of washboards. Any vehicle can go on it, but be prepared for your den

tures to fall out! The glove box kept popping open, and the windshield wipers went on all by themselves. Off Leupp Road, turn left on BIA 70 and follow the brown signs to “Grand Falls.”

At this point, you are in the Na vajo Reservation, but no permit is required. Parking is free, dogs are welcome and it has human restrooms. Note: You might want to bring your own toilet paper as it isn’t serviced very often. You are in the middle of nowhere!

Now, about the Grand Falls: It is taller than Niagara Falls, which is 176 feet, coming in at 181 feet tall, and it gets its nickname of the Chocolate Falls from the muddy, chocolate flow

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that is fed by the snowmelt and rain from the White Mountains into the Little Colo rado River. Usually the best times to see it are in March and April, but because of all the rain we’ve been having, it is flow ing.

To put it in perspective, we read that 300-cubic-feet of flow would make the falls beautiful. Well, the day we went, there was 4,500-cubic-feet flowing down the rocks. Yowsa! We encourage you to check conditions before you go as the water can disappear as quickly as it ar rives. Life in the desert. The roads were a muddy mess the day before, but thank fully, they were dry for us. We weren’t the only ones who had the idea to check the falls out, and we ended up parking at the lower lot (re strooms are in the upper lot). Although it was busy, everyone had room to view the falls and take their pictures. I have to say, we were the envy of everyone there. After a long, bumpy drive, everyone else had to get in their cars and drive home because there isn’t anything else there to

do — no hiking trails. We, on the other hand, brought chairs and a table for a lovely picnic with a view. We had cold drinks and yummy food to eat. People kept eying our lunch, and I was wonder ing if I would have to protect our food. Woof! A few picnic tables are set up, but you might want to bring your own chairs just in case.

We sat and enjoyed this amazing won der. You could see all the debris floating through, and it was a reminder of the force of nature. The water was coming from miles and miles away, and at any moment, could increase from a mon soon. I’ve said it before: keep your eye on the sky and watch out for flash floods.

The temperatures were rising, and the humidity was thick. We packed it up and got back on Mr. Toads Wild Ride Road. Mom did some research and found a na ture park on our way back that would break up the drive. The Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve Park is lo cated at 3920 N. El Paso Flagstaff Road in Flagstaff. As soon as you get off the dirt

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The Grand Falls, aka Chocolate Falls, in Flagstaff. (Lorraine Bosse-Smith/Submitted)

road, you should have cell service to plug it in. You’ll come to I-40 and go just an exit, I think, and you’ll be there.

Once again, parking was free, dogs were welcome and they had a port-opotty for humans. Picture Canyon Natu ral and Cultural Preserve is a great place to hike, mountain bike, horseback ride, and enjoy wildlife viewing at certain times of year. Unfortunately, the tem peratures climbed more than expected, and the clouds disappeared. We would have hiked longer, but we all got sweaty.

You have several trail options to choose from, and there’s a map with the dis tance. We just went out on Tom Moody for a while and turned back around. We will have to go back as the canyon is sup posed to be very cool, and we hear the fall color can be awesome. The canyon has petroglyphs, but we didn’t get far enough.

Back on the road we went, but we were on paved roads, although Flagstaff gets a big, fat F for road maintenance! From the preserve, it was only 2 ½ hours, and we didn’t encounter any traffic issues. It was

a very full day, but we are glad we went. Remember, if you go, you will be out in the middle of nowhere without cell ser vice for quite a while. Go prepared with lots of water, food and emergency equip ment. Get ready for a grand time!

My mom, Lorraine Bossé-Smith, is kind enough to help me share my Great Adventures, big and small. My mom is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, executive recruiter, business consultant, coach, fitness expert, and author of nine

published books. More importantly, she’s the best doggy mom ever!

Enjoy my blog at https://bit.ly/ kuma0901, follow me on Facebook @ku mathedog or Instagram @kumaitothe dog

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A great spot for a picnic. (Lorraine Bosse-Smith/Submitted)

STUDENT CHRONICLES

BY FOOTHILLS FOCUS STAFF WRITER

Lela Allen of Phoenix qualified for the spring 2022 dean’s list at Seton Hall in South Orange, New Jersey. After the close of every semester, undergraduate students completing all courses with a GPA of 3.4, with no grades lower than “C,” qualify for the dean’s list.

Lucas Feiden of Phoenix was named to the spring 2022 dean’s list at Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, Illinois. Feiden is a senior majoring in business. Feiden was among 743 stu dents from 30 states and 17 countries named to the dean’s list. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must earn a GPA

of 3.50 or better during the semester, based on 4.0 for straight As.

Justin Williamson of Anthem was named to the 2021-22 dean’s list at Law rence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. The dean’s list is an annual honor roll of students demonstrating exemplary aca demic performance. The list is compiled at the end of the academic year once all grades have been recorded.

Iva Drobnjak of Phoenix was named to the dean’s list at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, for the spring 2022 semester. Drobnjak’s major is psychol ogy. To be eligible for dean’s list, a stu dent must carry a semester GPA of 3.6 or better in no fewer than 15 credit hours

of graded college-level work and have completed all work for which they are registered by the end of the semester.

Emerson College student Anthony Beal of Phoenix was named to the dean’s list for the spring 2022 semester at Em erson College in Phoenix. The require ment to make dean’s list is a grade-point average of 3.7 or higher for that semester. Beal is majoring in media arts production and is a member of the class of 2026.

Emma Mayeux of Phoenix earned dean’s list honors for the spring 2022 semester at Emerson College in Boston. The requirement to make dean’s list is a grade-point average of 3.7 or higher for that semester. Mayeux is majoring in

media arts production and is a member of the class of 2023.

Kiana Hindi of Phoenix was named named to the dean’s list at Purchase College in Purchase, New York, for the spring 2022 semester. Hindi is studying theater and performance. To be eligible for the dean’s list, students must carry a semester GPA of 3.5 for Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs and 3.75 for Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bach elor of Music Performance programs. They must take a minimum of 12 credits.

Lisa Jurmu of Phoenix was named to the dean’s list at Palmer College of Chi ropractic’s Florida campus in Port Or ange, Florida.

Teen makes ordering school supplies easier

BY DOYOON KIM Foothills Focus Staff Writer

North Phoenix resident Cooper Weissman is no ordinary high schooler.

“I’m passionate about the intersec tion of technology and business, and I really love giving back what I’ve learned to the community,” said the 17-year-old, who attends Paradise Valley High School.

During the past few years, he’s capitalized on his passions and has founded two successful businesses: Dynamic Purchasing Solutions, a ser vice for schools to purchase supplies quickly and inexpensively they need, and WeiDev, a blockchain develop ment firm that develops business au tomation solutions for other groups.

Weissman got the idea for Dynam ic Purchasing Solutions about two years ago when he witnessed the price markups on supplies for his high school.

Weissman started Dynamic Pur chasing Solutions to create a system that would allow purchase of sup plies without being limited by vendor lists, wait times or purchasing pro cesses. After becoming an approved vendor, 43 schools have signed up to use his company’s service.

Weissman is also an avid program mer who enjoys coding. He partici pated in his high school’s Center for Research in Engineering, Science and Technology program. Leverag ing those skills learned from his high school program, Weissman landed a position working as a summer in tern at a blockchain development company, where he was astonished by the ways that blockchain technol ogy could be utilized to change the world.

“I got to see the amazing ways in which blockchain technology could be used to change all aspects of our future,” Weissman said.

“Blockchain could really impact all aspects of our daily lives. I see it as

a great opportunity and it’s my hope to impact as many industries as pos sible with this technology.”

After his internship, he co-founded WeiDev, a blockchain development company that develops software for decentralized business structures that will allow people to trust the applications they are using in more secure ways.

WeiDev is working on building De centralized Autonomous Organiza tions (DAOs) to increase transparen cy in Greek life at universities by cre ating shared bank accounts across members to increase trust and elimi nate corruption.

Outside of his entrepreneurial pursuits, Weissman is the associate student body president at his high school. As president, he strives to make classrooms more efficient, and to bring school spirit through differ ent activities and planned events. He

implemented new project manage ment software to streamline the pro cess of activity and event organizing at ASB.

In addition, Weissman is also the president of Mission Millionaire Club, which teaches students about personal finance. Topics discussed at club meetings include retire ment accounts, compounding inter est, stocks and general information about financial literacy. He teaches other students about how to invest and manage their personal budget. He plans to work on this initiative at a larger scale in the future.

This past summer, Weissman was one of 98 people selected to partic ipate in the American Legion’s Boys Nation program in Washington, D.C., where he represented Arizona as one of two senators selected from an applicant pool of 17,000. During the program, he had the opportunity to

learn about the senatorial process, engage in civic training, leadership development, and learn about law creation. With his passion for finan cial literacy, Weissman proposed a bill that would make a financial liter acy class mandatory in schools. The bill passed by a unanimous vote. Weissman also met Rep. Greg Stan ton, Sen. Mark Kelly and talked to elected officials, lobbyists and politi cians. He felt inspired after speaking to them about issues he was passion ate about.

“What was interesting was that I felt as if the senators were passion ate about a few different issues, but when I was sitting in front of (them), I could make them aware about an is sue or topic,” Weissman said.

“If there is some injustice I want to fight, the route to make change is through policy. It made me feel like I could make a difference in the world by advocating for the things I believe in. Seeing our government in action made me realize the importance of political efficacy and it’s something that I will keep in mind as I pursue public policy.”

As an ambitious young man, Weiss man has learned to delegate tasks and manage his time effectively. He has hired workers to handle the dayto-day operations of his businesses while he focuses on the big-picture thinking.

After high school, Weissman wants to continue pursuing tech and busi ness.

“I want to change things in the world to make them more efficient,” he said. “I want to continue pursuing my companies. I love hearing about new ideas and there’s a lot of build ing to do, so I definitely want to see them through.”

He hopes to attend Penn or Michi gan for college and wants to pursue a degree in computer science or busi ness. With his interests in technolo gy, business, and politics, he hopes to bring positive change to the world.

Cooper Weissman of North Phoenix founded Dynamic Purchasing Solutions. (Cooper Weissman/ Submitted)

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