Scottsdale Progress 01-22-2023

Ortega rips Legislature in annual address

Managing some 5,000 short-term rentals in Scottsdale was a monumental task for the city’s staff and elected officials in 2022, and it looks to be just as daunting a job in 2023.

That’s why Mayor David Ortega used his annual State of the City address Jan. 18 to call for a new zoning category for shortterm rentals.

“This year the proliferation of shortterm rentals continues to threaten our neighborhoods,” Ortega said. “Today, I am asking that our council and city staff initi-

ate text amendments to place short-term rentals as a separate zoning category in our zoning ordinance.

“We will continue to push for density caps, density restrictions and distancing measures to rein in short-term rentals.”

He blamed the short-term rental “debacle” on the state Legislature.

“In 2015, actions taken by the Arizona Legislature essentially legalized shortterm rentals everywhere, pre-empting local zoning oversight,” Ortega said. “Unregulated short-term properties violate our outstanding neighborhood livability.”

Though he noted lawmakers returned some control to the cities last year and the

Western Week galloping back into Scottsdale

Western Week returns to Scottsdale beginning Saturday, Jan. 28, bringing a broad range of classic events that pay homage to the history of the “West’s Most Western Town.”

This year brings plenty of promise as

two keystone events will be celebrating big anniversaries.

The Hash Knife Pony Express will make its 65th annual pilgrimage from Holbrook to Scottsdale to deliver the mail via pony ex-

see WESTERN page 26

Scottsdale City Council approved amendments to the city’s vacation rental code to require all short-term rentals to register with the city in order to do business in town.

“Scottsdale's short-term rental licensing program is in effect and owners of STR properties must comply with every term and condition and be held accountable,” Ortega said.

Over-construction of multifamily complexes is just as big of a crisis for the city, Ortega said.

“Similar to the short-term rental debacle, which originated at the Arizona Legislature, there are forces at the Legislature at-

Monopoly: Scottsdale

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McCormick-Stillman Park welcomes 2-millionth visitor

The McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park Model Railroad Building celebrated the arrival of its twomillionth guest on Jan. 14 with a surprise ceremony marked with balloons, loud horns and cheers that echoed throughout the entire building.

The lucky visitors were the Machnee family, who traveled to Scottsdale on vacation from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, looking for a fun place to take their four children.

“There’s not really anything like this elsewhere and it’s really interesting for the kids,” said mom Rachel Machnee. Machnee admitted she was not expecting such fanfare upon her arrival.

“It was definitely unexpected but that’s what makes it a memorable experience,” she said.

Although Machnee and her family were a bit overwhelmed with the shock and excitement, few people were more excited by the milestone than Bill Lazenby, the past president and current member of the Paradise & Pacific Railroad Club – which owns the first of four train displays housed within the model railroad building.

For Lazenby, this milestone was a

long time coming.

The Model Railroad Building opened in 2011 after the Scottsdale Railroad and Mechanical Society persuaded Scottsdale City Council to allow it to erect a $2.5 million privately funded building on the park grounds. After securing the funds and building a 10,000-square-foot building, four non-profit train clubs filled the walls

with 1,280 square feet of exhibits that offer over 450 feet of up-close viewing of miniature figurines, toy cars, popculture references and, of course, dozens of trains available to view free of charge to visitors.

This was a must for the Railroad and Mechanical Society.

“When the Scottsdale Railroad and Mechanical Society booked this, they wanted to make sure that private people could come in without paying anything,” Lazenby said. “It's free and it's one of a kind in the United States.”

Because of this, Lazenby says that the building likely would have been welcoming its three-millionth visitor had it not been for the great interrupter of COVID-19.

“If COVID didn't happen a couple of years ago, we would’ve hit this mark two years ago, at least, and would have been working on our 3 millionth visitor,” he said.

The McCormick-Stillman Railroad, which opened in 1969, generally attracts around a million visitors a year to its various attractions like the merry-go-round and its train ride while offering several other attractions.

In addition to being free, these model railroads give everyone from the children frantically running around

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SUSD board members clash on policy language

Members of the Scottsdale Unified Governing Board last week clashed on language in a policy that states whom it serves.

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Newcomer Amy Carney on Jan. 17 asked that a policy changed by the previous board a month ago be changed back to the previous language.

The old language of the policy read:

“The governing board is responsible to the people of the district and, therefore, should be aware of opinions and attitudes in the community and of identified district needs.

“As representatives of the people who own and support the schools, the board accepts the responsibility to identify community attitudes and opinions, and the district needs and to require short- and long-range strategies that are responsive within the limitations of the district.”

But the board last month changed it to read: “The governing board’s responsibility is to act in good faith, in the best interest of the district as a whole with the paramount concern being the best interest of student learning, achievement and well-being.”

It continued by stating “the board should consider” the following: “the likely consequences of any decision,” the interests of students and district employees, the district’s need to foster relationships, “the impact of the district’s operations on the community and the environment,” and financial and budget considerations related to those areas.

“We represent a lot of people so I just want to have a discussion on why we changed this language to basically tell our taxpayers in our community that their opinions and voices really don’t matter and that we really don’t represent them.”

Carney also said all of SUSD's peer districts still use the old language and asked governing board president Julie Cieniawski why she voted for the change.

“It was an 8-year-old policy and we updated it appropriately to actually be more inclusive, as I see it, of the individuals we represent,” Cieniawski said.“I don’t see there’s any omission of community members in here or families at all … think it is more detailed to recognize all of the members of our community.”

Carney disagreed, saying, “So the language that was struck about being aware of the opinions and attitudes in the community … all of that should be brought back.”

Board member Libby Hart-Wells didn’t see a need to revert to the old

see SUSD page 10

As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves

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“As duly elected members of the community, the Board accepts the responsibility to employ short- and long-range strategies that are responsive to District needs within the budgetary limitations of the District,” the policy also said.

Carney said, “Who were we elected to serve? I think that’s a lot of people. We are representatives of the taxpayers who own and frankly paid for our schools.

“We also represent the parents who entrust their children to be educated in our district schools. We obviously represent our students, first and fore-

SUSD Governing Board member Amy Carney took issue with a change in a policy statement on whom the district serves.

(Progress file photo)

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Civic Center slowly returns to vibrant new life today

Love is returning to the Scottsdale Civic Center.

The famous statue by Robert Indiana will be up, along with three other pieces of public art, when two-thirds of the Civic Center reopens today, Jan. 22, for the Arizona Concours d’Elegance auto show today.

The Winfield Scott memorial called “Windows to the West” – one of the first pieces of public art purchased by the city and which marked its 50th anniversary last week – will also be back, as will the Mayor Herbert Drinkwater statue.

The Yearlings statue is still being refurbished and scheduled to return next month.

The new-look Civic Center will have some new exhibits while some familiar public art pieces will be going away.

For example, the desert garden will be new when the center’s last section opens up but the Mountains and Rainbows art piece is now located at the DC Ranch Park in northern Scottsdale.

The other six pieces of the public art earmarked for the center will be located in the part of the part between City Hall and the library that is scheduled to open in March.

“We are opening up the western two thirds of the project,” said Erin Walsh, Capital Improvements Projects spokeswoman. “The way I best describe it as the area from Old Town Scottsdale at Main Street and Brown Avenue, which is known as the west entry and now it’s known as the West Paseo will be open.

“You will be able to get all the way through to the 360 (degree) stage, the East Lawn, the Civic Lawn, Marshal Gardens. There will be pedestrian access all the way through to the north

City Hall parking lot, which is a great thing.”

The park will boast an open design so that City Hall can be seen from Old Town looking through the Civic Center.

“This project came out of an extensive community involvement project,” Walsh said. “Way back before it was a bond project, the City Council approved a master plan for the Civic Center. A lot of the infrastructure was built long, long ago. It was crumbling and it was failing. At one point we had to close Drinkwater (Boulevard) because the overpass was failing.

"So we knew we had to put money into it and rather than piecemeal it together.

“We really comprehensively de -

signed, a cohesive public space that can also hold large scale events. We opened it up to the community and we told them to dream big. What did they want it to look like? What was important to preserve? What was important to let go of and what needed to evolve? One of the things we definitely heard was we needed a space that was active at all times. In other words, not just have be a passthrough.”

The center will have two stages, including one that is an open 360-degree design equipped with lighting, audio equipment and electrical requirements already in place for anyone renting it out.

CIVIC page 10

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Some residents were afraid the park would lose trees, but contractors actually added 103 to the project.

And a reduction in turf lawn, the use of low-water materials and drip-irrigated plants is expected to save 5.8 million gallons of water per year.

But admirers won’t be able to just go down and check out of the new digs today. You’ll need a ticket to get into the Arizona Concours d’Elegance.

The refurbished park will be fully accessible to the public Jan. 23rd and the first non-ticketed event will be the Arizona Indian Festival on Feb. 4th and 5th.

SUSD from page 6

policy either.

“I do not feel we are politicians. I believe our responsibility is indeed to the district as a whole to serve our students and their learning, their achievement and their well-being,” said Hart-Wells. “Ev-

The park was originally built in the 1970s and the refurbishing project was part of the 2019 bond project. It was originally budgeted for $27.3 million but the total cost rose by $6.2 million because of supply shortages, inflation and additions to the scope of the work (like adding lights and audio equipment to the stages). The extra costs are being paid for out of the city’s General Fund.

Shovels hit the ground for the refurbishing project in October, 2021. Walsh said there was never a hard completion date put on the project.

“What we always said was, ‘We’d be Super Bowl-ready in January and that we would be opening up a portion of it in January but we always knew that to be fully complete, it

erything else is a feeder into that main goal. You ask why did you vote for this? That’s why I voted for it because that is exactly what that policy says. It put the center at the student achievement, their well-being and their learning.”

If the board wasn’t tapped into community members’ opinions and at-

would be done a bit after that,” she said.

“The funding was approved in the 2019 bond election and almost as soon as we had funding, we started the project,” she said. “We started with the demolition phase and we approved that in the contract but while we were doing that, we were still designing the project so we never had a firm completion date because we were still figuring out what it was we were going to build.

“And as we began construction, certain things got added to the project such as a sound and lights package for both stages and by adding that element, it also extended that timeline.

“It has been a challenging environ-

titudes, she added. the district would never would have been able to pass the district additional assistance override that voters approved in November.

Hart-Wells also told Carney, “I still don’t see the language that you’re referring to is so offensive. I really don’t. I’d like to. I’d like to understand where

ment to construct things in,” Walsh continued. “There have been material delays right and left. That’s not unique to us. It’s been happening through out the construction industry. We built this differently than maybe we would have in different times.

“There was a lot of concrete, several different types of concrete involved in this project and valley wide, contractors were putting limits on how much concrete you can get at one time. Instead of doing some large pours we had to break them down into smaller pours. We had two concrete suppliers on contract as opposed to one so we are really proud of what we’ve been able to deliver on this timeline.”

you’re coming from but a blanket 'we just need to throw this out and go backwards' that’s not really a reason.” Carney responded, “I’m not saying this is offensive. I’m just saying I would like us to go back to saying we are respon-

see SUSD page 14

tempting to pre-empt our oversight of dense apartments,” he said.

“This a concerted national campaign by multi-housing interests to subvert our zoning rights. Their aim is to overwhelm cities like Scottsdale.

“Essentially with the flight of populations from dense urban cities, the multihousing interests want to cut their losses there and bring massive density here. Their lobbyists and elected sympathizers blame mayors and city councils from Peoria to Gilbert to Chandler and in-between,” he said.

“They demand that Scottsdale bend to their will and are trying to use the Legislature as their tool. Know your mayor and council will not capitulate to their demands. There are over 220,000 unbuilt housing units already entitled in metro Phoenix.”

And that’s not all the Legislature is doing to Scottsdale, Ortega said.

“Looking forward, there are elements at the Legislature now threatening to take control of our Scottsdale Water facilities,” he said.

“Scottsdale Water is the most sophisticated integrated water resource and delivery system in all Arizona and some legislators are attempting to hijack our facilities to benefit out-ofjurisdiction wildcat subdivisions,” he said in a nod to the situation in the Rio Verde Foothills community northeast of Scottsdale, where the city turned off a standpipe servicing about 700 homes relying on hauled water.

Ortega even called out Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin, who asked Scottsdale to not turn off water.

“Respectfully, Maricopa County Supervisor Galvin, Scottsdale Water cannot be commandeered in favor of unbridled dry-lot growth in outlying county areas outside of Scottsdale,” Ortega said.

Ortega also spoke of accomplishments by the city in 2022.

“The City Council appointed the Protect and Preserve Task Force – a group of resident volunteers who will play a critical role in our future,” Ortega said.

“The task force will identify and quantify unfunded needs for protecting, preserving, and maintaining all public open spaces—including 44 city

parks, the Indian Bend Wash, and certainly, the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

He also mentioned the city’s Bell 94 Sports Complex is open for local soccer, rugby teams and ideal for regional and national tournaments.

It wasn’t just all about leisure, though.

“Council authorized design and fast track construction of a new police and fire department training facility. And Information Technology is being upgraded citywide.

And business is booming at the Scottsdale Airport.

“At Scottsdale Airport the new $11 million runway will serve us for decades,” Ortega said. “Our airport is the premier aviation touchpoint for corporate and private jet charter travel.

“More than $125 million in fixed wing facilities expansions including NetJets, will enhance Scottsdale Airport's position as one of the most desirable general aviation airports in the world.”

Things are looking up at Scottsdale Airpark too, he said.

“The greater Scottsdale Airpark area is nearly built out and several obsolete buildings have been removed for significant redevelopment,” Ortega said.

“However, the sale of State Trust Land at the 101 – the northern sector of the greater Airpark area – offers growth opportunities and is dubbed the corporate corridor. New Silicon Valley-based technology headquarters are coming to Scottsdale and regional commercial projects are proposed to keep our economy strong.”

Ortega pointed to some of the opportunities the city will have this coming year

that will put Scottsdale back on the international stage, such as the Super Bowl.

“Scottdale is ready to host ESPN’s Super Bowl LVII coverage at the historic Old Town ESPN Main Street Tailgate” Ortega said. “For one week leading up to kick-off, ESPN will broadcast live next to the Rusty Spur showcasing our Western heritage surrounded by one-of-akind shops, award-winning restaurants, art galleries, and vibrant night life – all framed by our Arizona sunsets.”

He didn’t forget about the Phoenix Open either.

“Just hours before kick-off, the final round of the Phoenix Open will captivate golf fans,” he said. “The Greatest Show on Grass brings one million fans to Scottsdale and the week of telecasts draws millions more viewers worldwide.”

He also hailed the reopening of the city’s newly refurbished Civic Center.

“From Scottsdale Stadium to joyful kid-friendly play areas outside the Civic Center Library, to the iconic LOVE sculpture at City Hall, new outdoor stages near the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts walk past the Little Red School Museum along tree-shaded pathways to Main Street in Historic Old Town,” he said.

“You can saunter through Main Street galleries then go north to Fifth Avenue brimming with one-of-a-kind shopping and cool dining along the Canal Promenade to Solstice Park. Walk across the Soleri Bridge and find over 270 stores and venues in Fashion Square.”

“Be excited, Scottsdale! Be proud!” he said. “This is going to be an incredible year!”

WE

Bring as many old toys as you can. There are a lot of different types of toys we cannot name them all so bring them in. WE WANT TO SEE THEM! We also buy large collections. If you have something odd or unusual but not necessarily a toy, bring it anyway. We may be interested if it is old. Also buying BB guns.

the grandiose displays to the gentlemen operating the intricate machines inside of the displays the same sense of childlike joy.

However, nothing brings Lazenby and other club members closer to their childhood than putting the trains they have owned since their childhoods on tracks.

“When I bring in my trains from 1955 that still run on that track …. it brings me back,” he said.

Lazenby said one of the most popular attractions is a model of the Thomas the Tank Engine carrying cartoon characters on a track made entirely of

SUSD from page 10

sible to the people of the district and should be aware of their opinions and attitudes in the community. I think we can

Lego bricks.

He said the display is updated throughout the year to reflect upcoming holidays, ranging from Valentine's day to Halloween to Christmas.

However, the busiest time of year in the model train building tends to be around Spring Training, when tourism season reaches its peak.

“Christmas and Halloween are a big time, but one of the biggest months here in the park is actually March when we have Spring Training Baseball,” Lazenby said.

Although the park usually tapers off in attendance after Spring Training and the heat rolls in, Lazenby said the

go back to the language before that was serving us. Or discuss as a board how we move forward, maybe in a better way."

Carine Werner, the board’s other newcomer, agreed with Carney.

McCormick-Stillman Railroads plans to add a splash pad that could sustain year-round visitation.

“There are plans for this park to put in a splash pad in the next couple of years, so that'll boost the number of people involved here during the summertime since it's kind of sparse here in the summertime,” Lazenby said.

In the meantime, Lazenby looks forward to interacting with the giddy guests who travel worldwide to view his model trains and is eager to reach three million visitors.

“The best thing is seeing the little kids smiling and then the other thing is seeing the little kids crying when

“I will add that I think it’s very important to identify community attitudes and opinions of the district because we do want the input of our parents, even our teachers and our taxpayers so I definitely support

the parents are taking them out because they don't want to leave,” Lazenby said. “We've met people from all over the world here and you never know who's going to walk in the door.”

If You Go:

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

7301 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale.

480-312-2312. Therailroadpark. com

adding this back into the policy and making some modifications,” Werner said. The issue will be placed on the board’s Feb. 7 agenda for possible action.

Lawmaker wants to curb property taxes for paid-off homes

The way Rep. Rachel Jones sees it, once you've paid off your house you shouldn't have to worry about property taxes.

But the first-term Republican lawmaker from Tucson acknowledged there are a bunch of practical questions with her legislation, including who would or should get a tax break. And she said her plan is probably going to need some major amendments to get any traction.

Jones, however, said she decided to swing for the fences and start out asking for everything, figuring that gives her lots of negotiating room.

"You go big,'' she told Capitol Media Services.

"It's awful that you're charged taxes on something you own,'' she said. Jones said that would be like buying a couch, paying the sales taxes and then

having to pay some sort of fee for possessing it.

"My main heart issue behind it are those, especially elderly folks who are on a fixed income, who lose their homes,'' Jones said.

"I just talked with a constituent whose uncle lost his home last year because of this very issue,'' she continued. "That's just unacceptable.''

HB 2315 does not have any sort of "means testing.'' And she acknowledged that means anyone who pays off a mortgage at any age or buys a home for cash would escape all property taxes if her measure were to become law as written.

"That is one thing I don't like about it, especially with all the Californians moving in,'' Jones said, people with money who can buy a house outright, with no mortgage. "That's not ultimately my 'mission accomplished' at all.''

And there's a related issue.

Some elderly will take out a "reverse mortgage,'' using the equity in their paid-off homes to be able to stay there and pay other bills. And as HB 2315 is crafted, those people would go from paying no property taxes at all to once again having an annual bill.

Jones also said she wants to be careful not to harm local governments which, unlike the state, are heavily dependent on property taxes. And schools depend on locally raised taxes for budget overrides and paying off the bonds to build new schools.

"I understand how much property taxes go to police, education, all those things,'' she said.

There might not be any net loss of revenues.

Most levels of government figure out how much they need to raise. Then they divide it into the total assessed valuation of the community.

The result is a tax rate.

But if some property is removed from the tax rolls, that reduces the total assessed valuation. So the calculation divides the amount of money to be raised into that smaller base.

And that, in turn, raises the tax rate for everyone who is not exempt from paying taxes –meaning the taxes not being paid by those with paid-off homes is shifted to them.

Jones said House research staff is crunching some numbers to figure out what that shift might be.

Jones said, though that she sees another side of that.

"There are a lot of renters in Tucson currently,'' she said.

"It's becoming a big rental market,'' Jones continued. "I don't particularly like that people that are renting homes aren't contributing to their community, either.''

She said altering that could "kind of take some of the pressure off'' of homeowners.

Jones acknowledged, though, that renters may not be getting an entirely free ride.

That is because the landlords are

themselves paying property taxes. And that is something they can pass on to tenants.

There is another unanswered question in HB 2315.

As crafted, it would exempt those without mortgages from paying any property taxes at all. That includes not just the basic levies to operate government but also the taxes that people voted to impose on themselves, such as overrides, bond debt and even special districts for everything from fi re protection to street lights.

And what that would mean is people who are exempt from taxes being able to approve new levies that affect everyone else.

"That's a really good question,'' Jones said, saying she's going to have to think about that issue as her bill goes through the legislative process. And the senator said she is a big fan of voter approval of taxes "because that's the best way to get people's opinion on something.''

How much Arizona homeowners might save if Jones' bill were to become law depends on both the value of the home and where they live.

It starts with the full cash value, a figure roughly equal to about 80% of its market value. And owner-occupied homes are assessed for tax purposes at 10% of that value.

So a home valued by assessors at $350,000 has its property taxes computed based on $35,000. And assuming a tax rate of $9 per $100 of assessed valuation, that computes out to about $3,150 a year.

But the tax rate can vary, with the state Department of Revenue pegging the figure at anywhere from $3.39 in Greenlee County, which has the benefit of a copper mine to bolster its revenues despite a low tax rate, to $13.81 in Pima County.

And these figures also vary within counties depending on taxes imposed by cities, schools and other special districts.

The average property tax rate in Maricopa County per $100 assessed value in 2022 was $10.82.

Rental owners slow to comply with city registration law

Fewer than half of all the short-term rental owners in Scottsdale have applied for a city operating license despite the the fact the deadline has passed.

Of an estimated 5,000 short-term rentals in Scottsdale, owners of only 2,333 applied as of Jan. 15 – a week past the Jan. 8 deadline – and only 536 licenses have been issued.

Meanwhile, 928 applications are pending and 869 others were sent back to the owner because they were incomplete. Typically, those rejected applications lack a complete address, owner name or emergency contact information.

City staff has been taking an average seven days to review an application, though incomplete information slows the process.

“Responsible short-term rental owners have complied, but renegade short-term rental owners continue the aggravation,” mayor David Ortega said. “The Arizona Legislature limited fines and delinquent notifications, but our city compliance teams are pursuing laggards.”

Vice Mayor Tom Durham said the number of owners who have not applied is understandable.

“It’s still early and it’s a new system,” Durham said. “So I can understand there may be some confusion.”

Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield, on the other hand, called the low application numbers disappointing. With all the publicity and city outreach efforts, she said she finds it hard to believe that short-term rental owners don’t know by now they have to register.

“I am not sure why they are dragging their feet,” she said. “There’s going be repercussions.”

The application costs $250 annually, but the penalties for not applying can be far worse.

Fines for running a short-term rental in the city without the license can be as high as $2,000 per month. That breaks down into $1,000 per month for not seeking the license and an additional $1,000 per month for doing business without one.

City code enforcement staff began issuing notices of violation to short-term rentals that were advertising on Jan. 10.

City spokeswoman Holly Walter said enforcement of the city’s nuisance party laws will continue throughout the Phoenix Open and the Super Bowl season, but did not say whether or not it will be stepped up for those events.

The city’s short-term rental police unit will not be ready in time for the “Super Season,” Walter said.

“There is no real staffing update yet other than it continues to be a priority for us to add additional officers to our short-term rental team as our staffing improves this year,” Walter said in a written statement.

“We have a sergeant taking the lead on securing the needed equipment for the team so it’s ready to go once officers can get assigned. He continues to lead the training for our officers and responds/reviews the short-term rental calls for service our officers respond to.”

Scottsdale city staffers are also working to encourage other cities to adopt similar licensing requirements. They also meeting with other cities, including Carefree and Payson, to help them draft their own ordinances.

City staff have also reached out to Sedona to start developing legislation that would allow cities and towns to cap the total percentage of short-term rentals allowed in a municipality.

A bill recently introduced in the Legislature would cap the number of shortterm rentals allowed in municipalities with a population of 17,000 or less.

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Arizona led nation in rise of homeless youth, HUD says

WASHINGTON – Arizona saw the largest increase in the number of homeless youth in the nation last year, at a time when other large states were seeing those numbers decline, according to a federal report.

The December report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development said 284 unaccompanied youth under age 25 were added to the rolls of homeless people in Arizona between 2020 and 2022, bringing the total in the state to 917. And advocates say that number may actually be an undercount of the real problem.

“HUD does not believe that couch surfing should be considered as homeless,” said Dawn Bogart of the nonprofit Homeless Youth Connection, pointing to just one area where unaccompanied youth may be missed. “For a lot of our youth who might be couch surfing, they can easily be going between three to

five different homes in any given time.”

Arizona did not have the largest number of homeless youth in the nation, trailing well behind larger states like California, New York and Florida, according to the report. But while Arizona’s numbers were climbing, all of those states saw their numbers drop. California had 9,590 homeless youth in 2022, for example, but that was 2,582 fewer than two years earlier.

The numbers came from part one of HUD’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress, which is based on the annual point-in-time survey of homelessness taken on one night in late January in communities across the country.

The report usually measures year-toyear changes in the nation’s homeless population, but the latest report spanned two years because of pandemic-related problems with collecting the data in 2021.

Even 2022’s numbers may have been skewed, the report’s authors concede, by the fact that more than a third of communities were allowed to delay their

survey until February or March, when warmer weather may have reduced the number of people in shelters.

The report measures a wide range of characteristics about the homeless population, from age, gender and races to veteran status, family groupings and whether people were sheltered or unsheltered. Nationally, the homeless population continued its steady rise over the last few years, going from 580,466 in the point-intime count for 2020 to 582,462 in 2022.

It was a mixed bag for Arizona, which finished between fifth and seventh place among states in several categories, including total number of homeless people, numbers of families and veterans and overall growth in the homeless population. Overall, Arizona had 13,553 homeless residents in 2022, the report said.

The numbers did not come as a surprise to experts in Arizona, who said the state continues to attract new residents at a time when a housing shortage has led to less availability, higher rents and more evictions.

“We’re one of the fastest growing counties in the country and we have several of the fastest growing cities in the country,” said Kelli Donley Williams, director of human services for the Maricopa Association of Governments. “I don’t think the housing stock was able to keep up with it.”

While the increases in the report were not surprising, Williams said it is “an issue of increased concern in our community.”

Bogart said the demand for housing has led to higher prices which, in turn, has led to more evictions, pushing more families and young people onto the street.

“A lot of these complexes (in Phoenix) have been undergoing renovation, and as they renovate and make the property nicer, they’re able to increase the rent,” she said. “So the people that were living in those apartments can no longer afford to live there.”

Attempts to help were complicated by the pandemic, when schools were

see HOMELESS page 25

Scottsdale Monopoly board abounds in local landmarks

Monopoly: Scottsdale finally hit retail shelves Jan. 17, with 28 of its 40 spaces featuring some of the city’s top attractions, events and nonprofits.

Places featured include Tom’s Thumb Trailhead and Gateway Trailhead, Pinnacle Peak Park, McDowell Sonoran Preserve and of course, Old Town.

“Of course, Monopoly had to have a Scottsdale version, right?” said Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega during the game’s unveiling inside OdySea Aquarium at Arizona Boardwalk.

“What I like to talk about really is the different kinds of therapies in Scottsdale,” Ortega said. “We have hiking therapy at the McDowell Mountain Preserve, which has 30,000-plus acres to enjoy and find out about; we have art therapy in that we have 100 art galleries in every kind of taste, but we also have the Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of the West and SMoCA,” Ortega added.

“Of course, we have golf therapy. We've got 52 golf courses and at the same time, we have sports therapy with our equine events, Spring Training baseball and then we have all of these amazing sports fields for families to enjoy.”

These “therapies” helped guide the game board’s layout, according to Katie Hubbard of Top Trumps USA –which developed the game.

“Each color set is themed and for every city, it's different based on what's important to that city,’ Hubbard said.

On the board, players first travel to two brown squares where they can purchase either the Bob Parks Bronze Horse Fountain or the sculpture titled “Impulsion” before moving on to monuments reflecting the heritage of Scottsdale like Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the Old Adobe Mission.

From there, the board progresses to events such as the Parada Del Sol and

see MONOPOLY page 24

Study ranks Scottsdale the worse for skin health

What comes to mind when you hear the word, Scottsdale?

A threat to your skin’s longterm health?

That might be closer to the truth than most people realize, according to HouseFresh.com, a website dedicated to raising air quality awareness.

The website ranked 328 American cities for “skin health friendliness” and Scottsdale ranked dead last.

The report looked at variables like water hardness (the amount of calcium and carbonate in the water), the presence of ultra-violet light and air pollution.

According to the report, when mixed with things like soap and shampoo, hard water can leave a residue on skin, clogging pores and causing issues like dry skin and eczema. UV light increases risk of skin cancer and other conditions like solar elastosis, which causes skin to

thicken and become yellow and bumpy.

And air pollution can worsen skin conditions like eczema and prematurely age the skin by causing wrinkles, dull skin, age spots and pigmentation issues. HouseFresh said.

Scottsdale has an abundance of all three factors, according to the study.

The report listed cities on a scale of zero to 100, with zero being the worst for skin health care and 100 being the best. Scottsdale’s overall score was just 3.67.

Scottsdale isn’t alone in Arizona for poor skin health, according to the report. Other Arizona cities ranking in the bottom 20 in the nation include Chandler, Mesa, Phoenix, Tempe, Yuma and Nogales.

The place to be for healthy skin is apparently Maine, which boasts five of the top 10 American cities for skin health, including the top three.

Scottsdale’s poor showing in the study is not a surprise to Katie Mann, an aesthetic nurse practitioner and owner of Curated Medical med spa in Scottsdale.

“Sun is one of the No. 1 causes of skin aging and we have how many days of sun here?” Mann said.So that alone is going to cause people in Arizona to have worse skin or skin that is in worse condition for age than a lot of other places, just the fact of how much sun we have.”

She’s also not surprised by how hard Scottsdale’s water is.

“A lot of people buy shower filters or things like that to help improve their hair and skin condition,” Mann said. “I’m not familiar with any studies on that off the top of my head but it definitely makes sense. We have a water softener in our house and it seems to work. "

Skin care products with Vitamin C or other anti-oxidants are also important, Mann said.

“A lot of skin care products contain ingredients like anti-oxidants and are formulated to help protect your skin from environmental pollutants,” Mann said. “That is definitely a cause of skin aging that we target all the time. Some of those

ingredients are things like Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant we put on our skin and it helps to protect from the free radicals … which can cause aging.

“One example that you see on Instagram or social media is putting Vitamin C or lemon juice on top of an apple (slice) and then leaving the other half without the lemon juice or Vitamin C. You can see the apple turns brown a lot quicker. It’s the same idea when we put vitamin C or antioxidants on our skin, it protects from the free radicals in the environment.”

But, of course, the best skin protection is sunscreen.

“I like to use a mineral sun screen,” Mann said. “Those are going to be the best, they are physical blockers and they are safer for your skin. I like to recommend those in the morning before you leave your house.”

But the trick is reapplying the sunscreen regularly – every one to two hours

see SKIN page 23 $225

if you’re going to be out in the sun. “Here it’s important to remember that driving is being out in the sun,” Mann said.

She doesn’t recommend an SPF number above 30 because that just measures the time of how long the sun screen is effective. If you’re reapplying every hour or so, the SPF number becomes less important, she said.

“To make things easier, I recommend either a mist sunscreen or a powder sunscreen. That way you’re not rub-

bing creams on your face all day long,” Mann said.

Medical-grade supplies (available at doctors’ offices or a med spas) are always preferable to products available at most other stores because they are held to a higher degree of scrutiny when it comes to effectiveness, Mann said.

And if the damage is already done, Mann said her med spa offers things like laser treatments or chemical peels to remove the brown discolored spots known as solar lentigo.

Canal Convergence.

The board then transitions from events to fun venues like OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland and Scottsdale Stadium.

After passing free parking, the board turns to local haunts like the Old Town Farmers Market, Marshall Way Bridge and the Scottsdale Air Tour before transitioning to frequent tourism destinations like the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and The Phoenician.

Rounding out the board are outdoor venues like the Civic Center, Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt and Pinnacle Peak Park before finishing with two icons of Scottsdale: the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and Old Town.

Hubbard said it was overwhelming at times to whittle down all of Scottsdale's various sights and scenes to fit into 28 spaces of a board game.

She made sure to have countless conversations with some of Scottsdale’s brightest minds and reach out to representatives from some of its hottest attractions.

“With any city that I go to, I have to get feedback from the public,” Hubbard said. “I spoke with Karen Churchard, the city’s tourism and events director and she was really helpful.

“A lot of these conversations I've had with everyone were really helpful in determining what's important to Scottsdale in terms of what the locals love but of course, what the tourists love as well. It was really important to navigate that balance and make sure that this is representative for everyone since this is such a major tourist destination.”

Among other organizations that Hubbard reached out to were Arizona Boardwalk and Scottsdale Arts.

“They had reached out to us as they were really looking at the different spaces to fill,” said Arizona Boardwalk Managing Partner Ran Knishinsky. “There are a lot of really well-recognized places here in Scottsdale which are on the board and we were so pleased that we were invited to participate.”

Knishinsky’s cousin Adi, also a managing partner at Arizona Boardwalk, echoed the sentiment, added, “Monopoly represents what we represent,

which is family-friendly experiences that create memories for a lifetime.”

Representatives of other destinations pleaded with Top Trumps USA for inclusion on the board.

“(Top Trumps) reached out to us about half a year ago and they talked to us about a couple of different options. However, since we are a nonprofit, it really wasn’t in our budget to do a large investment for Monopoly, but we argued that we are important public institutions, operating out of buildings owned by the city that are culturally important to Scottsdale,” said Scottsdale Arts spokesman Brian Passey.

“SMoCA's really an icon of Scottsdale in that way and Canal Convergence is obviously one of the largest events that happens in Scottsdale being a free 10-night event, drawing more than 100,000 people each year, and it's something that we felt was important. We were grateful that Top Trumps thought that it was important to feature it on the board as well.”

Other entities like Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West also pitched their attraction to Top Trumps.

“There was an announcement in

one of the newsletters I got that said that they were talking about a Scottsdale Monopoly game. I've been involved in other Monopoly games before at a hotel chain I worked for and also in Canada, so I quickly tracked them down and I chatted with Katie and then they interviewed me,” said museum spokesman David Scholefi eld.

“They wanted to make sure that it was an appropriate representation of Scottsdale. Then we shared information in terms of costs, location, and things of that nature and they were very helpful.”

Though there was a bargaining process to get these locations on the board, there was a shared sense of gratitude to be included in a game that will likely be featured at game nights across the city soon.

“I’m always excited when I see an ad come to fruition whether it's an ad in a magazine, or a newspaper, or radio or TV, so we're excited by it,” Scholefield said. “Now, the next step is for us to

see MONOPOLY page 25

8 Scottsdale seniors are Flinn Scholarship semifinalists

PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

Eight Scottsdale high school seniors made it to the ranks of 82 semifinalists for this year’s prestigious Flinn Scholarship.

The scholarship, now in its 38th year, includes funding for tuition at one of Arizona’s three state universities’ honors colleges, housing, meals, and study abroad – a value of more than $130,000.

The semifinalists were selected from a pool of over 1,000 applicants. Those who made it to the semifinal

MONOPOLY from page 24

find out when we can actually have the games (to sell.)”

Monopoly: Scottsdale Edition will be

HOMELESS from page 19

forced to shut down. Bogart said that left her organization, which partners

round will interview this week and the field will be narrowed by March to 40 finalists. Ultimately, about 20 Arizonaseniors are selected each year and attend the honors colleges at Arizona’s three public universities.

The Flinn Scholars Class of 2023 will be announced in April.

By being named Flinn Scholarship semifinalists, the 82 students qualify for a specially designated scholarship from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, or the University of Arizona.

available in stores, including Barnes & Noble Scottsdale, Kactus Jock, Scottsdale Southwest, Southwestern Reflections, The Poisoned Pen, and online at retail partners, including Amazon and

with 130 high schools, without one of the main ways it can identify and reach out to youth in need.

The Maricopa Association of Gov-

“To come this far in our very competitive process is an honor earned by just 8% of applicants from around the state,” said Anne Lassen, Flinn Foundation vice president, scholarship and education initiatives.

“These students impressed reviewers with their academic achievement, service, and leadership. Our partners in this program, Arizona’s public universities, recognize the significance of reaching this stage and offer generous awards to those semifinalists who are not ultimately chosen as Flinn scholars.”

more.

Scholefield and Passey said they are having discussions to sell the game respectively at the Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West and Scotts-

ernments does its own point-in-time count every January, which has helped it obtain federal funding that can be directed to programs that work to alle-

The semifinalists represent 59 traditional public, charter, and private high schools, and include one homeschooled student.

The semi-finalists from Scottsdale are: Baraa Abdelghne, Saguaro High School; Shria Ajay, BASIS Scottsdale; Sam Benavidez, North Phoenix Preparatory Academy; Camille Campbell, home schooled; Tommy Liddy and Aidan Lin, both Brophy College Preparatory; Zack Okun, Desert Mountain High School; and McKinley Paltzik, Phoenix Country Day School.

dale Museum of Contemporary Art gift shops.

The game is currently being sold for $49.95. Information: toptrumps. us.

viate homelessness, Williams said. But she added that donations and community organizing are also essential in fighting the problem.

press and the Parada Del Sol will march for the 69th consecutive year.

The parade follows a route from Drinkwater Boulevard along Scottsdale Road, finishing at Brown Avenue and Indian School Road.

Immediately following the parade, Old Town transforms into a massive Western-style block party with a kids’ zone, food trucks, merchandise vendors and multiple stages with live entertainment from today’s popular bands to traditional performers.

This year’s theme – Cowboy Kickoff – recognizes Super Bowl LVII the following weekend. Guests can expect a fun melding for both modern-day cowpokes and football fans.

All the events will be restriction-free for the first time in three years.

“Last year, I was pleasantly surprised with the number of people we attracted for both Hash Knife Pony Express and the Parada Del Sol,” said city Tourism and Events Director Karen Churchard.

“You could tell that even last year,

people were excited to be out again. I think this year we're anticipating record attendance at a lot of our upcoming events.”

Western Week kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 28, with casual events like the OldTown Farmers Market and specialized Puzzle Rides.

However, the events pick up steam as February unfolds.

One event Churchard expects staggering attendance at is the Arizona Indian Festival Feb. 4-5.

“One of the biggest things that we're excited about is having the Arizona Indian Festival back in the Civic Center where it debuted as an annual event seven years ago and will be one of the first free events in the newly opened Civic Center,” Churchard said.

However, the cornerstones of Western Week are still the arrival of the Hash Knife Pony Express and the Parada Del Sol that follows a day later.

Because of this, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West offers a unique conversation with Hash Knife Pony Express Captain Mark Reynolds – which Scholefield says has been a

popular attraction during Western Week.

“Last year, we formally scheduled Mark to formally speak at the museum and despite the suggested guidelines we had in place to keep everyone six feet apart, we had a standing-roomonly crowd in our theater,” said museum spokesman David Scholefield. “Although we advised people to be concerned about COVID, they persisted because they thought ‘this is so interesting.’”

This year, Reynolds will speak at the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Theater/Auditorium at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West at 9:45 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Feb. 3 and Feb 4. The free talks are part of the museum’s free admission days Feb. 3 and Feb. 4.

Reynolds will not be the only voice delivering an informative talk at the Museum of the West. Scottsdale historian Joan Fudala will discuss the past six decades of the Parada Del Sol Feb. 2.

Scholefield said Western Week also helps focus more attention on Scottssee WESTERN page

One of the top attractions of Western Week remains the Parada Del Sol. (Facebook)

WESTERN from page 26

dale’s Arts District.

“I applaud the city for taking four or five events and rolling them up into a bigger one that can be marketed as Western Week,” he said. “I also think it's an excellent way for the Arts District to come together.”

Western Week will also benefit from the coming uptick of tourism brought on by the Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium Feb. 12.

Because of this, Churchard teased that there could be some cross-part-

nership between the Super Bowl and Western Week.

“We’re working with the Arizona Super Bowl host committee about having some components to recognize and celebrate when the Super Bowl comes into town the following weekend,” Churchard said. However, one thing remains certain. This year’s Western Week is set to draw a crowd, which is ultimately good news for the city and Old Town establishments.

“I'm anticipating further growth this year both at the events during the whole week and especially here at the museum,” Scholefield said.

Western Week highlights:

Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market

Saturday, Jan. 29, and Feb. 4 | 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Brown Avenue & 1st Street

Offers indigenous specialties of the West, flowers, free-range beef, eggs, local cheeses, freshly baked artisan breads, jams and more from local purveyors.

Western Spirit Gold Palette ArtWalk

Feb. 2 | 6:30-9 p.m.

Scottsdale Arts District

Guests can stroll the streets of the Scottsdale Arts District and take in authentic Western entertainment as well as exclusive Western-themed exhibitions at participating galleries.

Marching through Six Decades of Parada Del Sol

Feb. 2 | 6-7 p.m.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West 3830 N Marshall Way

Scottsdale’s Community Historian Joan Fudala leads this special photo-rich presentation on the Parada from its origins to date. Held in the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Theater, the event does not require registration but attendance is limited.

65th Annual Hashknife Pony Express Arrival

Feb. 3 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

Attendees are invited to “saddle up” for this one-of-a-kind experience in celebration of the arrival of the Hashknife Pony Express, the oldest officially sanctioned Pony Express in the world, which delivers more than 20,000 pieces of U.S. Mail to the steps of Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

The event begins with live music, bands, line dancers, Native American hoop dancers and royalty, kids’ activities and food trucks. Riders arrive at noon. Event is free, as is admission to the museum all day.

History and Stories of the Hashknife Pony Express

Feb. 3 | 9:45 and 10:45 a.m. and Feb. 4 | 9:45 and 10:45 a.m.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

In addition to free admission to the museum, Western Spirit hosts multiple History and “Stories of the Hashknife Pony Express” educational seminars in the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Theater/Auditorium.

69th Annual Scottsdale Parada del Sol Historic Parade and Trail’s End Festival

Feb. 4 | 10 a.m.-noon (parade), noon-4 p.m. (festival)

Old Town Scottsdale – Scottsdale Road

Presented by Oliver Smith Jeweler, the 69th Annual Scottsdale Parada

Del Sol Parade and Trail’s End Festival celebrates the city’s Wild West roots beginning with a family-friendly parade featuring more than 125 entries such as vibrant floats, mounted horse-riders, horse-drawn carriages, school marching bands, wagons and stagecoaches representing multiple cultures from Mexican and Native American to Arabian and Western.

Arizona Indian Festival

Feb. 4 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m.| Feb. 5 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Scottsdale Civic Center

The Arizona American Indian Tourism Association (AAITA), in partnership with Arizona’s Native American tribes, hosts this annual event that offers guests the unique opportunity to learn more about the state’s Native American Indian tribes by exploring examples of traditional Indian villages and dwellings, experiencing traditional arts and crafts demonstrations and enjoying native food vendors and native mainstage entertainment such as dancing and singing.

The Tribal Travel and Tourism offices will showcase native destinations. The city of Scottsdale’s rich history dates back more than 130 years to the original farming and ranching operations that earned it the title of “The West’s Most Western Town.” Today, Old Town is a bustling and sophisticated area with dozens of local boutiques, art galleries, fine dining establishments, wineries and craft breweries.

However, the city works hard to maintain its “Wild West” charm and keep its heritage alive through events such as Western Week.

More information: scottsdalewesternweek.com.

Scottsdale chef finds popularity with food blog

Janette Fuschi always felt captivated by her mother's cooking.

The Sunderland, U.K., native fondly recalls watching her mother concoct grand feasts for Sunday lunches featuring great roasts of chicken or beef and cooking up delectable meals each night for dinner.

“Home cooking was a very, very big thing in our family. My mother cooked for us every night and she was the one who got me in the kitchen,” Fuschi recalled. “She would get me and my sister in the kitchen to help and because of that, I've sort of cooked for myself most of my life.”

Fuschi eventually decided to take her love of cooking outside of her home kitchen and enrolled at a culinary school in England.

Although she didn’t ever plan on leaving the showery pastures of the U.K., when Fuschi was 19, she was dating a gentleman who got a job o er across the pond in California.

She settled just outside of Los Angeles and stayed there until she met her would-be husband Michael, a Scottsdale native.

In 1998, Fuschi and her husband relocated to his hometown and have been here ever since.

However, it wasn’t until about 11 years ago that Michael made a remark to Janette that change her life.

“I enjoyed creating recipes and trying di erent things and my husband would always ask me ‘do you remember how you made that thing last week?’ I would always say no and then he would say ‘you have to start writing things down or put it on your computer or a website or something.’”

Janette liked the idea of documenting her recipes on her computer and

began searching how some people were doing such a thing.

“I looked around for software as a way to document it and that's when I discovered food blogs,” she recalled. “Then I realized when I would look for a recipe myself online, all these food blogs would come up and that was when I also thought ‘well, I could do this thinking I could earn a living at it. And that's how it started.”

In 2012, Fuschi decided to launch a blog called Culinary Ginger – a nod to her red hair and love for the culinary arts.

Her website began as solely a place to post her recipes, but it wasn’t long before she began to become a one-woman media machine.

“At the beginning as I said, it was just like the way of just documenting my recipes and just, I don't know, I guess just putting them out there to see what other people thought of them,” she said.

“Now I've become a bit of a jack of all trades with recipe cooking and testing and then because I have a website, I had to learn all the technical stu and now I'm a photographer as well as video videographer and a photo editor.”

Ever since launching her website, Janette has seen some tra c gravitate towards her recipes for her British cuisine.

“British cooking is a lot about just real hearty home-style cooking and it's just something simple,” she said. “My most popular British recipe is my steak and ale pie – which is just chunks of beef cooked in ale and put in a pie with a really good pastry.”

Janette finds the most joy in whip-

ping up elegant recipes where she experiments with myriad ingredients.

“I love bringing together all the different flavors, making a new flavor, and seeing what works,” she said.

Janette has published over 600 recipes. They range from dishes like Sonoran hot dogs to cheese tortellini with peas and pepper to a traditional shepherd's pie.

Although it is di cult to pick her favorite recipe of those 600, she says that her recipes remind her of the meals she used to whip up with her mother and sister, even though several ingredients are hard for her to come by in the United States.

“I have the problem of getting certain ingredients that really have to be specific to what I have to put in the recipes

but fortunately I’m able to have them shipped in or have my sister send me something,” Janette said. “It's helped alleviate homesickness.”

The Culinary Ginger currently amasses 100 views a day and earns funding through digital advertising.

Because of this, Janette says she has no plans to leave her home kitchen and start a restaurant or pen a cookbook. She says her sweet spot has been behind the camera and in her home kitchen.

“I am happy being behind the scenes and I never thought I would be so lucky to work for myself in a way where I get to be at home,” She said.

Info: culinaryginger.com

Aesthetic IQ injects youthfulness into the Valley

If you had told Marissa Abdo – then Marissa Henning – nearly 30 years ago that she would one day make a living working with needles and living in a desert, the Saskatchewan, Canadaborn daughter of former NHL player and four-time Stanley Cup champion Lorne Henning would have looked at you like you were crazy.

“It was shocking to my family when I said I wanted to do nursing because I was always the one that hated needles and hated getting my blood drawn,” Abdo said with a laugh. “Although, I always was interested in coming into medicine.”

After living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle due to her father's new career as a bench boss for NHL teams like the Minnesota North Stars, New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Abdo ultimately decided attended Arizona State University and find her true calling.

During her freshman year, Abdo landed a job working the front desk for renowned Paradise Valley plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Cohen.

Abdo not only began to overcome her childhood phobia of needles, but she began to pursue studies in this field.

“I kind of got exposed to all the aes- Marissa Abdo said she opened Aesthetic IQ because “I wanted to create a place where people could come knowing that they're getting safe and impactful injectable outcomes.” (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer) see IQ page 30

JOJO Coffeehouse brews a new atmosphere

Patrons who have been dining or sipping coffee at JOJO Coffee house on Scottsdale Road near 2nd Street noticed a gradual change to its interior.

When owner Mike Melton – who named the business after his son Jordan’s nickname - opened his doors in December 2018, the interior featured a dark décor to create a warm coffeehouse atmosphere.

However, as business began to grow, the restaurant outgrew its interior.

“I wanted to build something that connects people and could be a place where people have peace and happiness and where we can find common ground and I feel like coffee does that as a social thing,” Melton said. “We also really wanted to light up this

area to make it feel like an outdoor area.”

Melton began what became a nearly 2-year-long gutting of his establishment to convert it from a cozy, wood-decorated coffeehouse to an open, vibrant, kind of beachy brunch spot.

First, he topok advantage of the COVID-19 shutdown to do big projects –like installing skylights.

The interior of the restaurant was not the only major change, either.

Melton realized that his sales were soaring during the brunch hours, so he decided to capitalize on that by keeping his restaurant open in the morning and early afternoon.

“As we organically grew, our customers were letting us know what they wanted us to do and it was breakfast,” Melton said. “That's where we were just getting slammed in the mornings for breakfast.”

Because he was so successful with breakfast, Melton began looking for help to continuously ramp up his menu.

He found such help through two executive-level chefs whom he hired to

thetic things, like Botox – which was still kind of new and still a little taboo – but I remember seeing the first treatment (Cohen) performed on the esthetician that worked there and seeing the results and how amazing it was.

“I knew then that I wanted to work and use these products because they make people feel so good.”

After graduating in 2008, Abdo headed attended City, University of London and ultimately earned her master of science and health management degree in 2011.

She became one of the first people in the U.S. to receive a Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist from the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board in 2014. She feels the studies help her to reassure her clients before she injects a small needle into their faces.

“It just gives another kind of level to know that your injectors put in education and know what they're talking about,” Abdo said.

Abdo furthered her career by working at clinics throughout Santa Mon-

ica, California, and eventually landing positions as a clinical trainer for brands like Galderma and Allergan –which she still does today in addition to operating her clinic.

Abdo opened her first practice, Lumen + Bevel Aesthetics, in July 2020.

“A lot of my LA patients who couldn't get treatment in LA would come out to Arizona, so it was great because a lot of them would come with their girlfriends or come with their significant other and just make a weekend out of it,” Abdo said.

Abdo decided to venture out completely on her own and open Aesthetic IQ – loosely named after “Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond” by author Pauline Brown – last September on Scottsdale Road off Shea Boulevard.

“My philosophy here is that I wanted to create a place where people could come knowing that they're getting safe and impactful injectable outcomes, and they also know that they're going to come to me and get a natural outcome,” Abdo said.

“The way I base my injections is off of anatomy so that it's not just giving everyone the same cookie-cutter cheeks or lips. It's based on the patient's anatomy and it's based on the look we're going for. Having a natural outcome is very important to me.”

Because of this, Abdo’s most crucial part of her treatment process is the consultation she has with each client before their injections.

“It's all about building that relationship with your patients and it all starts with a consultation where we’re explaining how our faces are aging, why they're starting to see the things they're seeing and the procedures we can do to help them feel a little bit better about it.”

Although Abdo has clients of all ages ranging up to 94, she recommends the best time to begin treatment is when her clients are in their late 20s or early 30s.

“A great place to start is when you're noticing things in your late 20s or early 30s when we're starting to lose our collagen,” Abdo said. “If we start there and do a little bit at a time, then that's

going to help you down the road to maintain staying natural looking.”

She is also excited to show off innovations to her clients.

“There are some really exciting treatments for the future like a new lip filler which recently came to the market that I’ve been able to inject with since November,” Abdo said.

“I want you to feel confident and I want you to love the person that's looking back in the mirror,” Abdo said. “When I hear those stories from patients that say, ‘this gave me the confidence to go out and apply for that job I really wanted to go for’ or when someone picks up the mirror after treatment, and they have tears in their eyes because they finally love the person that they see back in the mirror, that's what matters.

“That's the feeling that you know that's important to me.”

Aesthetic IQ

7054 E Cochise Road, B200, Scottsdale. 480-454-5577. AestheticIQClinic.com.

work in his kitchen.

Together, these chefs have concocted some delectable delights like breakfast tacos, cinnamon roll pancakes and banana foster french toast.

Because of these mouth-watering dishes, Melton found himself looking to add more seating to his restaurant.

JOJO Coffeehouse now seats 120 patrons at full capacity.

Melton sees the space as more of a place for congregation rather than a spot to grab a bite and have a sip.

“I feel like it's just a good congregation of people that people come here to connect with people and it's something different that you don't get everywhere,” he said.

Although conversations over coffee often fill the air at JOJO Coffeehouse,

a sound that often protrudes outside of the restaurant and onto Scottsdale Road comes from some of the finest local musicians from around the Valley as the restaurant frequently hosts live music.

Now that Melton feels that he has built a brand by offering a beachy, bright atmosphere for patrons to congregate over a warm beverage or a hearty breakfast, his next steps are ensuring that he is prepared for the coming influx of tourists set to flock into town as early as next week.

“We definitely had to bolster up the staff, but fortunately, we've got a really good staff that already knows what they need to do,” Melton said.

Although his restaurant will most likely be filled with hungry guests during most hours of operation in the coming months, Melton sees the increase in patronage as an opportunity to further develop his brand.

“We really just want to focus on how we can improve,” Melton said. “The brand itself is a heavy brand and it's a connecting brand…and I felt like we have an opportunity to create an image of what a coffee house is like so in my mind that has live music, good drinks and is a good place to converse.”

Though Melton will have countless events driving customers into his restaurant in the coming months, JOJO Coffeehouse has an event of its own that Melton has high hopes for.

On Feb. 4, JOJO Coffeehouse will be properly celebrating its fourth anniversary by donating $4 from every order of its signature coffee and mimosa flights to the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children while also offering live music, raffles and giveaways throughout the day.

“Before we started the restaurant, one of the things I talked to my broth-

er about was regardless of the size of the restaurant and whether we did one location or 1000 locations across the country, we knew we were going to be helping out the community,” Melton said.

“We're extremely fortunate to be contributing to helping in world hunger in any way and this kind of highlights the fact that there's still a lot of people out there that don’t have a lot and we need to highlight that.”

You Go:

When: 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. Feb. 4 Where: JOJO Coffeehouse, 3712 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 110 Info: jojocoffeehouse.com, 480907-6100

Zak Hill embracing Saguaro culture, history of success

It took time for Zak Hill to determine whether the Saguaro head football coaching job would be the right fit for him and his family. He knew the pressure that would come with it, following in the footsteps of John Sanders and Jason Mohns, who both won numerous state titles during their time leading the Sabercats. But through conversations with his family and at times with Mohns, he decided he was all in.

After a month-long search, Saguaro Athletic Director Matt Harris was all in on Hill, too.

Hill was o cially announced as the next head coach of the Saguaro football program on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The next day, Hill met with members of the coaching sta for the first time and with players. While conversations mostly focused on light introductions, Hill could sense there was some excitement.

“It’s extremely exciting and it’s an honor to be in this role,” Hill said. “There’s a ton of tradition here, that’s another big reason why I’m here. This isn’t a place where you’re trying to rebuild. This is a place that knows how to win.”

Hill spent the last year as an assistant coach at American Leadership Academy – Gilbert North, where he helped lead the Eagles to the 4A state championship.

Before ALA, Hill spent two years as the o ensive coordinator under Herm Edwards, joining the Sun Devils in December 2019 from Boise State, where he held the same position.

Hill began coaching shortly after his playing career at Central Washington ended. He joined the Eastern Washington sta for a season before spending

three years at Hillsboro High School in Oregon. He returned to Eastern Washington in 2009 and remained until 2015, when he joined Boise State’s sta .

His experience could have helped him land a college job elsewhere. But speaking to media Wednesday, he said the age of his children would make the move di cult. Not to mention, he finds joy in coaching at the high school level. His father made a career of it, and few programs in Arizona have had as much success Saguaro has had over the course of the last decade.

“I’m excited to be able to use the experiences I’ve had at the college level and help elevate those players and create an environment here where they not only feel safe, but they’re excited about transitioning hopefully to the next level,” Hill said.

“I want to make that transition a whole lot easier for them.”

Hill’s experience was part of what gravitated Harris and the rest of the hiring committee to picking him to become the next head coach.

The committee agreed they wanted someone that would uphold the same values previous coaches, Mohns included, established within the program. The success would come as long as the culture remained widely the same. That centers around providing opportunities for kids to find their niche on the football field and earn an opportunity to play at the next level.

Mohns became a master at understanding what it takes to market players to colleges. That, along with his success as a coach, played a part in new Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham hiring him away from Saguaro to join his sta . Hill has the same understanding and with that, Harris knew he was the right coach for the job.

“I feel like he is going to develop our players and really get them to understand what it takes for them to be successful,” Harris said. “There’s no doubt that development continues to the other guys in the room, too. We have some great young coaches I think are going to get a new opportunity to grow

from a guy that’s done it at the next level.”

Hill plans to finish out his time with ALA in the next week then transition to being on campus at Saguaro full time. The next steps for him include building relationships with players and the coaches who wish to remain on sta .

Hill hopes to retain all of Saguaro’s current coaches. He watched from afar what they were able to accomplish under Mohns, and he knows they can be the bridge to building the relationships he desires with his players.

“Right now, it’s getting to know them and earning their trust,” said Hill, who will call plays next season. “That’s the biggest hurdle right o the bat. My initial goal is to connect with those guys and make them feel good about what is happening and make sure they understand what the vision is.”

Hill aims to continue to elevate the Saguaro football program. He knows how much it means to Mohns, that was a topic of conversation between the two shortly after he was hired and throughout the process.

He also wants Saguaro to remain a nationally recognized power. Part of that could come early in the season next year when the Sabercats travel to play California power Sierra Canyon.

Maintaining a winning culture is something that he knows is important to the community. And he plans to do what it takes to do that. That includes facing the best of the best competition.

“We want those big games. We want to go anywhere as a national football team,” Hill said. “We want to be nationally known, and the cool part is, Saguaro is nationally known.”

Pony Express saddles up for 65th anniversary

For the past 65 years, one of the pinnacles of Western Week has been the arrival of the historic Hash Knife Pony Express.

The oldest officially sanctioned Pony Express in the world, its riders on horseback gallop from Holbrook to Scottsdale to drop off priority express mail.

The route ridden by nearly 30 riders covers over 200 miles from the majestic Mogollon Rim through the wilderness of the Mazatzal range to "The West's most Western Town,” where they will arrive at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West at 11 a.m. Feb. 3.

Among those riders is Hash Knife

Pony Express Captain Mark Reynolds, who has been riding the route for 45 years. This is his 25th as captain.

“My dad and my brother were involved in it when I got out of the Air Force,” Reynolds recalls. “I’ve been riding with the Navajo County Sheriff’s Posse ever since.”

Like Reynolds, he says that most of the riders work in the Navajo County Mounted Search and Rescue.

Although these riders have a genuine love for equines, Reynolds says higher cause motivates them for the two-day ride that stops near Payson.

“We do this to keep the Old West alive,” said Reynolds. “It is a thrill to be able to watch the horses come down

Steven Page brings his trio to the Valley tonight

Former Barenaked Ladies singer

Steven Page knows how to take care of his fans.

Since the start of the pandemic, Page has performed more than 90 “Live from Home” livestream shows with different sets each time. Page will perform BNL and solo songs during a gig at the Musical Instrument Museum on today, Jan. 22. He’ll be joined by Craig Northey from The Odds on guitar and Kevin Fox on cello.

“I owe it to them to play surprising stuff every time,” said Page. “So, I’ve done every song I’ve ever written — and maybe songs I was embarrassed by — at least once now over the course of this. When you look back on diary entries you made when you were a teenager, you can’t help but be a little bit embarrassed about that. My songs are essentially that.

“In the livestreams, I’ve been playing

Barenaked Ladies songs I didn’t write or sing, like ‘Pinch Me.’ It’s been fun. It’s not the kind of thing I would do every day at the in-person shows, but it allowed me to have a new relationship with all of the Barenaked Ladies material as well as my solo stuff. I’m feeling a lot less precious about it.”

BNL singer Ed Robertson lends his vocals to “Pinch Me.”

Page said he constantly reminds himself how lucky he is to still be playing music as post-pandemic competition is fierce.

“It’s hard out there,” Page said. “Everybody in the world is out on the road right now. So, you’re competing with your peers everywhere you go, which is a strange feeling.”

Page is touring in support of his latest album, “Excelsior,” his first solo record since 2018. The collection’s 11 tracks were composed and produced entirely by Page, who co-founded Barenaked Ladies before departing on a solo career in 2009.

The lion’s share of “Excelsior” was “workshopped” on the “Live from Home” virtual concert series Page has been conducting via Zoom since 2020

from his home near Syracuse, New York.

Page’s songs are personal and thus sometimes difficult to write and perform.

“I’ve been put in a position — partially by me — where I had to be honest about things like my mental health struggles,” he said. “I’ve been doing public speaking about it and writing songs about it for years. But when I was younger, I was writing songs about it, and I think being slightly coy about the whole thing.

“But then I could no longer afford to be coy about it. I realized I was getting such feedback from people about how helpful or liberating or comforting it was for them (fans) to hear somebody else sharing similar experiences and similar struggles. And after doing that, I got less afraid of being honest about the emotional journey.”

Recently, Page opened for The Who on the East Coast leg of the classic rock band’s

see PAGE page 33

Marshall Way, delivering the mail to the postmaster and handing out our posters to our sponsors.”

Reynolds and his band of riders also celebrate the history of the state.

“Every time I do this, I think about all those people that have got us to the 65th year. We couldn't have done it without them,” Reynolds said.

The Hash Knife Pony Express dates back to 1959, when Navajo County Hashknife Sheriff's Posse founder Roy Downing invited Arizona Governor Paul Fannin to the Hash Knife Stampede Rodeo in Holbrook. They began conversing about delivering mail via pony express, as it had nearly a century earlier.

Fannin liked the idea and gave the green light for the Hash Knife Pony Express to deliver mail via horseback and the posse made the pilgrimage south to deliver the mail.

A year later, the ride would stop slightly northeast in Scottsdale to deliver the mail and kick off the annual Parada Del Sol.

Though he has made the ride 45 times, Reynolds still feels a sense of pride when he is greeted with the warm welcome he receives in Scottsdale each year.

“What I look forward to is delivering the mail in Scottsdale,” Reynolds exclaims.

“When we get to Holbrook, we probably

PAGE FROM page 32

jaunt. Most of the set featured familiar Barenaked Ladies songs, but fans will hear more from “Excelsior” at the MIM.

“We had about 40 minutes in front of 20,000 people,” he recalls. “I don’t need to go out there and play them my new stuff. I think I needed to go out there and remind them who I am in case they didn’t recognize it. Now, we can settle into playing the hits plus digging into the back catalog and learning some of the new stuff and just feeling like it’s a little bit more freeform.”

Like the MIM or the Village Theater at Cherry Hill in Canton, Michigan, Page is focused on playing venues that are serious about music. They tend to work best, he said.

“I mean, we can play anywhere,” he is quick to add.

“I’m happy to play anywhere people want to come to see us. I’m not finicky about that anymore. If it happens to be a black box or a rock ‘n’ roll bar, that’s

have maybe 50 to 75 people. When we get to Payson, There are 200 or 300 people.

“But when we get to Scottsdale, there are 2,000 to 2,500 people waiting for us at the museum (of the West) and they're clapping and yelling, and it hits home because I've been doing it for so long.

"It is a real accomplishment to take the mail from Holbrook Arizona and deliver it to the Scottsdale postmaster.”

In total, the Hash Knife Pony Express annually delivers around 20,000 pieces of first-class mail that is hand-stamped by the riders with a seal of history.

“We have two stamps: we have our hand stamp cache on the left-hand corner of the letter and then we have a cancellation stamp from the post office that cancels the stamp since a lot of people tend to write letters to the post office,” Reynolds explained. “The letters that we hand out are historical documents because we are a historical event.”

If You Go:

65th annual Hash Knife Pony Express arrival

When: 11 a.m. Feb. 3

Where: Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West: 3830 N. Marshall Way

Cost: Free

Info: scottsdalewesternweek.com

fine. I do want the audience to be comfortable. Honestly, my audience is not as young as we once were.

“The romance of standing in the back all night wears off pretty quickly. I spent 30 years of my life in those rooms. I’m comfortable in them but I’m not that nostalgic about it. I want everybody to feel like they have a comfortable place to enjoy the show. If the venue is a little bit stuffy, we always say people will remember, from seeing me 30 years ago, that that spirit of blowing up the stuffiness will always be there.”

If You Go:

Steven Page

When: 7 p.m. today, Jan. 22

Where: Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix

Cost: Tickets start at $38.50

Info: 480-478-6000, mim.org

Foster Home Providers Wanted

We are looking for caring people to welcome developmentally disabled people into their homes similar to a foster home. Homes funded by the State of Arizona, Division of Developmental Disabilities are administered by provider agencies such as ours, Consumer Advocacy Projects, Inc. (CAP). CAP was founded in 1997 and has provided services to hundreds of disabled members primarily in their group home system.

Becoming a Foster Care Provider requires several steps to become licensed as a State of Arizona approved provider. Steps include background checks, physical environment inspections and training to ensure a safe environment for the member(s). Our agency provides guidance to work through these steps with you and / or your family. Individuals or families wanting to welcome our adults into your home, should be caring, compassionate and attentive to the needs of the members.

If interested, please email ddfosterhomes@az-cap.com to learn more, or if you have questions or would like to initiate this exciting process.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Commission of the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, will hold a public hearing on February 8, 2023, at 5:00 P.M in the City Hall Kiva, 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, Arizona, for the purpose of hearing all persons who wish to comment on the following:

Written comments submitted electronically at least one hour prior to the meeting are being accepted. A written Public Comment may be submitted electronically to PlanningCommission@ScottsdaleAZ.gov. Public comments will also be accepted at the meeting.

5-AB-2022 (Martinson GLOPE Abandonment) Request by owner to abandon the 33-foot wide GLO roadway easement along the northern property line and to abandon 250 square feet of a ¼ cul-de-sac abutting N. 69th Street of parcel 216-50-028A, with Single-family Residential, Environmentally Sensitive Lands, Foothills Overlay (R1-70 ESL FO) zoning located at 31421 N. 69th Street. Staff contact person is Chris Zimmer, 480-312-2347. Applicant contact person is Wayne Rosendahl, (480) 599-1263.

For additional information visit our web site at www.scottsdaleaz.gov search “Scottsdale Planning Case Files” or in your URL search bar you can type in https://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/bldgresources/Cases/

A COPY OF A FULL AGENDA, INCLUDING ITEMS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS IS AVAILABLE AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING AT THE FOLLOWING:

Online at: http://www.ScottsdaleAZ.gov/Boards/planning-commission

CHAIRMAN

Attest

CAITLYN GULSVIG

Planning Specialist

For additional information visit our web site at www.scottsdaleaz.gov

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY MAY REQUEST A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION BY CONTACTING THE CLERK’S OFFICE AT (480-312-7767). REQUESTS SHOULD BE MADE 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE, OR AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO ALLOW TIME TO ARRANGE ACCOMMODATION. FOR TTY USERS, THE ARIZONA RELAY SERVICE (1-800-367-8939) MAY CONTACT THE CLERK’S OFFICE AT (480-312-7767).

Help Wanted. Small USPS Post Office in Bike Emporium

Need Part Time Team member to process mail packages and sell Stamps Fun environment interacting with local residents of 85250 16-20 hours per week

$15 00 per hour Stop by and speak to Tom or Jim 8443 E McDonald Dr next door to Bashas. Bike Emporium info@bikeemporium.com