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Serving the communities of Cave Creek and Carefree
Cave Creek - Carefree Area Edition
TheFoothillsFocus.com
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This Week
Rio Verde hit hard by city water shut-off BY J. GRABER Foothills Focus Staff Writer
A OPINION............. 8
Judy Bluhm discusses the joy of decluttering
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
fter years of warnings it may happen someday, Scottsdale turned off the water at the stand pipe servicing the Rio Verde Foothills community of about 2,000 homes northeast of the city on Jan. 1. Roughly 500 homes had been relying on the stand pipe for hauled water for all their needs while about another 200
homes relied on it to supplement their wells. “My heart bleeds for this community,” said Karen Nabity, a resident and champion of the here-to-date unsuccessful effort to create a noncontiguous domestic water improvement district. “Human nature is, ‘Oh, the city is not going to cut us off. Oh, if they do the county will take care of us.’ Well guess what, we’re here folks. We’ve been cut off and we have no solution for our homes.”
The group had tried to create a water district to purchase water from outside sources, treat it in the Scottsdale water system and provide water through the city owned stand pipe. But the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in August to not allow its creation, noting many residents opposed it on the grounds it would give too much power to too few
see SHUT-OFF page 6
North Phoenix woman shares Celine Dion’s agony FEATURES......... 14
Mick Adams satisfies Rolling Stones fans
YOUTH.............. 21
Lucas Harrison made the dean’s list
OPINION.......................8 BUSINESS.................. 12 FEATURES................. 14 YOUTH....................... 21 CLASSIFIEDS............. 22 Zone 2
BY SUE KERN-FLEISCHER Foothills Focus Contributing Writer
W
hen singer Celine Dion was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, Melissa Meyer was sad but relieved. The North Phoenix resident said she didn’t feel so alone. Meyer and Dion suffer from the syndrome, a rare, progressive neurological disorder. Symptoms may include stiff muscles in the torso, arms, and legs; and greater sensitivity to noise, touch and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms. “I had mixed emotions,” she said. “I felt really sad for her. In her video, it seemed like she had so much emotion
and hope. I remembered what it was like to be there. There’s just so much unknown about it because it’s rare.” Stiff person syndrome affects twice as many women as men, and is frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases such as type-I diabetes, thyroiditis, vitiligo and pernicious anemia. Scientists don’t yet understand what causes stiff person syndrome, but research indicates that it is the result of an autoimmune response gone awry in the brain and spinal cord. Stiff person syndrome is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, psychoso-
see AGONY page 4
Melissa Meyer was diagnosed in July 2020 with stiff person syndrome, a rare, progressive neurological disorder. (Submitted)
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