By Linda Bentley | May 18, 2016
Dueling Buffalo Chips?
Ford selected to fill council vacancy
CAVE CREEK – With Councilman Thomas McGuire absent, council appointed John Ford to fill the vacancy on council left by Mark Lipsky’s resignation by a vote of 3-2 with Mayor Vincent Francia and Vice Mayor Steve LaMar dissenting.
Neither Ford nor Russ Carlson, who was also under consideration, were interested in running for council but were willing to serve out the rest of Lipsky’s term.
By Linda Bentley | May 18, 2016
Will state land conservation be Wright’s Enchanted Canyon redux?
CAVE CREEK – During the April 18 council meeting, Mayor Vincent Francia said he hoped Steve Betts’ presentation at the April 2 meeting would “put an end to the fear mongering.”
Betts is a Cave Creek resident who served on Gov. Doug Ducey’s transition team and was contracted by the town as a consultant to help come up with a way to conserve the approximately 4,000 acres of state land annexed into the town as open space.
By Linda Bentley | May 18, 2016
Christian-owned business files suit against Phoenix’s LGBT law
‘Civil rights litigants do not have to choose between jail time and exercising their fundamental rights’
PHOENIX – Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski are Christian artists who own and operate Brush & Nib Studio, LC, an upscale hand-painting, hand-lettering and calligraphy company that sells artwork, paintings, prints, wedding invitations, etc., customized for clients and their events.
May 18, 2016
Town of Carefree selects 2016 Spirit of Carefree Award recipient
Broker and real estate developer Harry Vardakis awarded for dedication to community
CAREFREE – At the May 3, 2016 Town Council meeting Mayor Les Peterson honored Harry Vardakis, real estate broker and developer, with the third annual Carefree Spirit Award. The Spirit of Carefree Award, underwritten by Sanderson Lincoln, is an annual award given to a Carefree resident who shows above-and-beyond dedication to the community and its residents.
May 18, 2016
Mary Elrod announces candidacy for Cave Creek Town Council
I married into the Elrod family and couldn’t be more proud of their Cave Creek roots. The Elrod Family has been fencing Arizona for over 60 years and the home base for the Elrod Fence Company is Cave Creek. Our home is here, our work is here and our lives are here. We’re raising our children and grandchildren in Cave Creek and Cave Creek is important to our family in every aspect.
May 18, 2016
Tom McGuire announces for town council re-election
During my years of service on the town council, I have learned what is most important to our citizens. Cave Creek does not need nor do I support a property tax. I have participated in financial planning and implementation of efficient operations that will allow us to avoid a property tax and continue to reduce debt.
May 18, 2016
Traffic stop leads deputy to 313 pounds of marijuana, 1 smuggler arrested
FLORENCE, Ariz. – Early Thursday morning, a PCSO deputy stopped a Ford SUV on Interstate 8 for a traffic violation and discovered the vehicle contained 9 bales of marijuana weighing 313 pounds. The driver of the vehicle, Ana Salazar, 20, of Laveen, was arrested and booked into Pinal County Jail for Transporting Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Marijuana for Sale. Court paperwork listed Salazar has two prior arrests for Human Smuggling. After 10 hours in custody, Salazar was released by Court Commissioner Sylvia Lafferty without bond, on her own recognizance.
May 18, 2016
DEA takes down drug den day care
Warrants Executed in Joint Operation Reveal Drug Stash House Doubled as Daycare
PHOENIX – DEA Agents and Detectives with the Scottsdale Police Department (PD) Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) simultaneously executed seven search warrants across Phoenix today, as part of a long-term joint investigation into a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization responsible for the monthly distribution of hundred-pound quantities of meth across the U.S. During the warrants, one residence that operated as a stash location also served as a provider for private in-home childcare. Approximately six children were cared for at the residence that doubled as a meth stash site.
May 18, 2016
Senate should defund HUD racial and income housing quotas in vote this week
FAIRFAX, Va. – Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning urged the Senate to support an amendment by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), S.3897, to the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) appropriations bill that will prohibit implementation of the HUD regulation "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" (AFFH) that conditions $3 billion of yearly community development block grants on 1,200 recipient cities and counties rezoning neighborhoods along income and racial guidelines:
