BUSINESS

QuikTrip under construction at Cadence

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

In the Eastmark/Cadence rapidlybooming area of southeast Mesa, there’s a Safeway gas station on Signal Butte Road north of Warner.

But on the west side of the developments featuring hundreds of homes, it’s hard to �ind a drop of gas.

That is rapidly changing, however, with construction underway for a new QuikTrip.

The convenience store, gas station and QT Kitchen off South Ellsworth Road and East Cadence Parkway, in the Arrival at Cadence commercial center at the entrance of the Cadence at Gateway.

Construction started in late July, with an expected opening before the end of the year.

The Cadence QuikTrip location will have 16 gas nozzles.

Cadence developer Harvard Investments also expects new businesses opening here soon: Point 22 Tavern, Cork Crush Wine Bar & Beer House, NextCare Urgent Care, Athletico Physical Therapy, BoSa Donuts and a nail spa to its shops.

The QT will be next to Mountainside Fitness, which opened this month, and Black Rock Coffee Bar.

For more information, visit cadenceaz.

com. ■ Construction started on a QT gas station at the entrance of Cadence at Gateway.

(Special to the Tribune)

MARKET ���� ���� 26

about 2,869 homes over the last three months, which “represents almost 9 percent of resale purchases.”

They also have not sold as many as they have bought, though they are selling more to institutional investors, the Cromford Report stated.

Moreover, it noted, the prices paid by iBuyers for homes are 53-75 percent higher than they were paying a year ago, even though the median price of homes sold in the Phoenix Metro region has increased 26 percent.

The iBuyer and investor buying spree has sharply impacted the availability of resale homes, it said.

“We can see that the iBuyers (particularly Opendoor and Zillow) have increased

DANCE ���� ���� 26

pretty awesome and really fun.”

The studio teaches about every dance style for all ages and levels with the focus on hip hop and contemporary but lessons are also offered in ballet, jazz, tap and tumbling.

“Our youngest student is 2, which is my daughter,” said Banuelos. “She takes classes two to three times a week. Our oldest is in her 50’s. We have classes for those untheir inventory massively,” the Cromford Report said. “If iBuyers had not done this, we estimate that supply would already be higher by some 1,800 listings…We conclude that pricing would also be weaker without their intervention. This begs the question: what happens if they stop buying on this massive scale?”

“Investors, too, can decide to stop their buying spree at a moment’s notice. The market is therefore more precarious than if demand were primarily growing through owner-occupiers,” it added.

The news is a lot happier for investors that rent – and not so hot for their tenants, judging by the Cromford Report’s �indings.

“Investors intending to rent out their properties are a different matter and the rapid rise in rents over the past year has justi�ied them splashing out,” it said. “Inder 18 and separate programs for adults in the evening.”

The studio also offers private lessons.

They even have a professional corporate dance team.

“We hire out dancers all of the time for gigs and shows,” explained Banuelos. “We put a lot of dancers on NBC’s ‘World of Dance with J Lo.’”

Not everyone is interested in dancing professionally. Some enjoy the exercise dance offers. deed, far more homes are going from iBuyers straight to the rental operators than we saw prior to July 2021. This takes homes off the re-sale market for a long time and reduces supply.”

It also noted “large scale investors with deep pockets are crowding out smaller investors.”

“We have seen larger buying sprees from investors before, notably between 2011 and 2013,” it continued. “However we have never seen iBuyers so determined to increase their top line.”

The average rental price per square foot has increased from $1 per square foot to $1.36 in the past two years, Cromford said.

“That is a 36 percent increase in just two years and must be a budget problem for tens of thousands of tenants,” it said, noting rents increased by 28 percent in the

“We work out really hard,” explained Banuelos. “We train like professional athletes. But we’re also dancers and artists.”

Being in good, physical condition is not a requirement for taking dance lessons. “We’ll help you get in condition,” Banuelos said. “We take all shapes and sizes, all levels, all ages. We will try to help you to the best of our ability. We believe in helping with a positive mindset �irst and then we help with dance.”

For kids, he said, “We have a Christmas previous 18-year period.

“The cost of renting has escalated over a very short period,” Cromford said. “The housing bubble of 2004-2008 saw little to no rise in rents and in fact the low point was 64 cents in February 2005, just as the for-sale market was reaching its highest frenzy. This time is very different, showing that the rapid appreciation in home values is due to real shortage of housing rather than speculative activity based on easy money.”

However, Cromford also noted that all housing costs are soaring in the Valley.

“Although the cost of renting has jumped 36 percent over two years, the average home price per square foot has increased by far more – from $169.26 to $262.21, a jump of 55 percent,” it said. ■

show every year we do at Higley Center for the Performing Arts. It seats about 1,500. We do an end-of-the-year banquet so parents can get to see the kids dance. It’s a lot of fun. Parents seem to enjoy it.”

One of the Elektro’s many mottos is, “One Mind. One Soul. One Family.”

“At Elektro, you will always be welcomed and treated like family,” added Banuelos.

Information: elektrodanceacademy.

com, 480-271-6262. ■

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Celebrities’ medical advice as worthless as endorsements

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ

Tribune Columnist

One of my crowning achievements as an American is having never watched a single episode of any program involving a Kardashian. I have made a point of this for the past 20 years for three reasons.

One, because I’m not terribly keen on reality most days, I see no reason to watch reality television. Two, Kris and Kim, et al, have managed to ruin Bruce Jenner and Kanye West, the only humans connected to the Kardahsian clan with any discernible talent. Finally – and most importantly – I loathe celebrities.

This is clearly a minority opinion in 2021. At a moment when so many of us seem to take our cultural, political, lifestyle and healthcare cues from the rich and famous, it feels rebellious to willfully ignore everyone from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Cardi B.

Understand, please, I’m not saying that celebrities have no right to voice their opinions. They absolutely do. And, in turn, the rest of us have the right to ignore them like a 5-year-old ignoring a plateful of green veggies.

How bad have things gotten? I �lipped on CNN recently to see anchor Jake Tapper seriously ask Dr. Anthony Fauci to comment on a tweet made by pop star Nikki Minaj that “a cousin in Trinidad won’t get the (COVID-19) vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen.”

Minaj went on to encourage her 22 million Twitter followers to “pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied,” when considering being vaccinated.

Said Fauci on the subject of testicular swelling and vaccine-caused reproductive issues: “There’s no evidence that it happens, nor is there any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen. So the answer to your question is no.”

Nuts, am I right?

The most popular podcast in America belongs to stand-up comic Joe Rogan, who has spent time recently (a) �lat on his back after testing positive for COVID-19 and (b) describing his use of ivermectin to treat the disease. While it’s true the drug won the Nobel Prize in 2015, that was for its use treating the world’s poorest populations for parasitic diseases like river blindness and elephantiasis. In animals, veterinary grade ivermectin is used to deworm livestock. Is it a miracle cure for COVID?

No, says the Food and Drug Administration: “Currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19.”

By the way: “Never use medications intended for animals on yourself or other people. Animal ivermectin products are very different from those approved for humans. Use of animal ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans is dangerous.”

BS, calls Rogan: “The pharmaceutical companies are in cahoots to try and make anybody who takes this stuff look crazy. But what’s crazy is look how better I got! I got better pretty quick.” In fairness, Rogan often tells his �lock that he’s not offering medical advice – while seeming to offer medical advice.

But anymore, what celebrity isn’t offering advice? Social media is full of in�luencers peddling makeup tips, keto diets and sex toys.

The biggest draw in boxing right now isn’t a boxer at all. It’s celebrimoron Jake Paul, who initially “went viral” doing stunt videos on Vine before starring in “Bizaardvark” on the Disney Channel.

And politics? Joe Biden had a cruise ship full of celebs on his side in 2020, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Donald Trump – our �irst celebrity President! – had endorsements from Mike Ditka, Lil Wayne and Roseanne Barr.

My prescription: If you’re voting based on recommendations from The Rock or Roseanne, how about instead you swallow 24 ivermectin tablets and call me in the morning? ■

California recall outcome leaves questions

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

As Maine goes, so goes the nation!” Politics provided that boast for the Pine Tree State over more than a century.

From 1820 until 1932, the party that won Maine’s gubernatorial election and would see its nominee capture the presidency in November—at least that’s the way it went in 22 of 29 election cycles.

In more recent years, California has enjoyed a similar reputation – not as a political bellwether but as a lifestyle trendsetter, especially for the last half of the 20th century.

Postwar prosperity, pleasing weather, plus the production of motion pictures and television programs put the rest of the nation on notice that California truly was the Golden State.

Actually, the rest of the nation did more than take notice. Many Americans took to the road and moved to California; it became our most populous state in 1962.

But the growth had a downside. The traf�ic, the smog, and the crowds led many to leave in the 1970’s. In fact, a neighboring state popularized this earthy request: “Don’t ‘californicate’ Oregon!”

Sloganeering aside, statistics reveal that California’s growth has slowed signi�icantly, most notably in the second decade of the 21st century. The Public Policy Institute of California reports that “in the past year, growth has essentially ground to a halt.”

Why?

California’s government has killed the Golden Bear.

Leftist policies that excuse illegal immigration, empower criminals and emasculate police have endangered the law abiding and ended any notion of an idyllic middle class lifestyle.

Add to that wasteful spending, excessive taxation, plus a housing crisis, and it has put real economic pressure on middle income families.

So, before California’s middle class completely went the way of the Dodo, a grass roots campaign took root. The goal? To drive Gov. Gavin Newsom to political extinction through a recall election.

Initially, the recall effort appeared promising.

Not only were 2 million recall petition signatures delivered to the Secretary of State’s of�ice by March, 2021; forty-six candidates quali�ied for the recall ballot.

However, two major legal provisions helped protect the incumbent. The �irst was �inancial. Newsom was free to raise as much money as possible, but his recall challengers were forced to adhere to campaign �inance laws that put limits on their spending. Gavin had the greenbacks – a total $58 million by the end of August.

The second advantage for Team Newsom? Like the old saying, they could “mail it in.”

Legislation mandated the mailing of ballots to all registered voters, whether or not they were requested. Vote by mail has been called “fraud by mail,” and irregularities occurred in this recall. KTLA Channel 5 reported that when voter Estelle Bender arrived at her polling place, she was told she had already cast a ballot.

“They said, ‘You voted.’ I said, ‘No, I have ���HAYWORTH ���� 30