Opinion

Walsh believes in Arizona children, healthcare, schools

OPINION — As a pediatric registered nurse, I have spent much of my life caring for children and advocating for their well-being. I believe healthcare should be accessible to everyone, and I believe just as strongly that every child deserves access to a quality public education.

Opinion

Six years later, accountability still waits

OPINION — More than six years have passed since the underlying events at a Chandler Unified School District high school, yet a serious professional-conduct matter involving a district administrator still lacks a final public resolution.

OPINION

Chandler SpeakUp: Gas prices around Chandler on Oct. 3

Here are some of the comments we received on our Oct. 3 story "Where are some of this week's lowest gas prices around Chandler?"

OPINION

Peace has a face in Chandler

OPINION Peace is a big word, and one of the hardest to turn into everyday action. So, this Peace Week, instead of talking about peace in the abstract, we honored people in Chandler who practice it. …

Question of the Week: Are you voting by mail this year or going to the polls Nov. 3?

There has been plenty of bluster about mail-in voting, some of the negative coming from President Trump — who votes by mail himself. Do you believe in the integrity of voting by mail through …

Opinion

U.S. vs. Mexico: ‘War’ that ends at final whistle in Glendale

OPINION — On Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m., the United States’ men’s soccer team will play Mexico at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. On paper, it is a friendly. Nobody in my family has ever used that word for this game. Mexico can lose to the United States in almost any sport and take it well. Basketball, baseball, a bad night in the ring. We shake hands and go to dinner. Soccer is different.

Question of the Week: How are you observing Hispanic Heritage Month?

Arizona’s population of Hispanic or Latino heritage is 32.5% — nearly one-third, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. President Lyndon B. Johnson established Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and …

Opinion

Why Stephanie Walsh is the state senator LD 14 deserves

OPINION — As a resident of Legislative District 14 for 20 years, I want leadership that reflects the everyday priorities of our community, not partisan talking points. That is why I am supporting Stephanie Walsh for the Arizona State Senate, and why I find it troubling that Mylie Biggs is being considered a viable candidate to represent our families.

Opinion

Finding hope within heartbreak

OPINION — Our daughter Collyns Belle — “Colly” — was born in 2021 after an uneventful pregnancy. She joined her two brothers and sister, and when she arrived, our family felt complete. Her first year was very typical. She did everything her three older siblings did. She rolled, sat, smiled, babbled and even crawled. Colly was overflowing with life, and her personality sparkled.

Opinion

Valley Gen Xers won’t be able to rely on Social Security

OPINION — For Gen Xers rapidly approaching retirement, the old playbook no longer applies. With Social Security nearing insolvency, Gen Xers will find they can’t retire as their parents did.

Opinion

Arizona lawmakers should kill the legislative subpoena

OPINION — According to Arizona law, a subpoena can be issued by the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House and the chairman of any committee. The Legislature has over 30 committees.

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Checkmark Take the high road. Respond to the topic — not the person. Refrain from demonizing others for their opinions. Assume those you disagree with are, like you, genuinely interested in improving the community.

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Checkmark Listen & learn. It's both polite and respectful to listen to those we disagree with (as well as those we support) and be genuine in our attempts to understand their point of view. Expand your mind by thoughtfully seeking out views that don't agree with your own.

Checkmark Look for common ground. When disagreeing with others, look for even small areas of agreement — which can be the gateway to working together for the greater good.

Checkmark Respect privacy. Keep private things private — whether it involves your own information or those with whom you disagree. Revealing private information about someone else is rude, unethical, potentially harmful and, in many cases, illegal.

Checkmark Set a good example. Practice civil behavior online as well as in public and in your interaction with others. Encourage others to practice these civil behaviors. And it's OK to challenge disrespectful behavior — but be courteous, respectful and helpful in your approach.

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Your Community Your Voice

The importance of routine PSA testing in combatting prostate cancer

OPINION — Prostate cancer often is called a “silent disease” because it rarely causes symptoms in its early, most treatable stages. Unlike a broken bone or a bad cough, there's no obvious signal that tells a man that something is wrong. And by the time symptoms like difficulty urinating, blood in the urine and pain occur, the disease often has progressed.

Zyriek understands firsthand the value of Kyrene schools

OPINION — As a lifelong educator, I am pleased to endorse Franklin Zyriek for Kyrene Governing Board.

Question of the Week: Are Valley communities planning wisely?

Metro Phoenix remains among the fast-growing areas in the country. But are its communities doing the best job of regulating growth and development? Are they planning wisely for housing, schools, …

The educator behind the library desk

OPINION — Public education has many people doing important work out of sight. I met one recently at Casteel High School after taking junior high students into the library to find books they might want to read. That sounds simple until you are standing next to a student who has no idea where to begin.

Chandler school board should reconsider land acknowledgement

OPINION — To the Members of the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board: I am writing as a Chandler resident who is deeply concerned about the direction of our school district and, …

What will the Valley of the Sun look like in 2035?

OPINION — Greater Phoenix’s architectural landscape is ever-changing. For decades, we’ve seen business developments, lifestyle hubs and communities sprout up across the desert. But as we look toward 2035, the next chapter of Valley growth may look very different from the last.

Let’s make suicide something we discuss and prevent

OPINION — In my office, a conversation about suicide may start with a patient saying they cannot sleep, a parent mentioning that their teenager has withdrawn from friends or an older adult struggling with pain, illness or the loss of a spouse. None of these concerns necessarily means someone is considering suicide, but each is a reason to ask more questions.

Question of the Week: Are freeways the best way to get from here to there?

Since the mid-1980s, the Valley has built its regional freeway system, which moves tens of thousands of people every day. Population continues to grow. Lane expansion is inevitable. New freeways are …

As Valley heat keeps rising, it takes all hands to keep pace

OPINION — A few weeks ago, a family of four was brought to our doors by a Phoenix firefighter who had responded to a heat-distress call in a parking lot where the family had been living out of their car. That handoff, from first responder to shelter provider, happens more often than most people realize.

9/11 memories: The Valley looks back on terror attacks

You didn’t have to be in New York City, Washington, D.C, or rural Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, to be profoundly impacted by the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and changed both America and the world forever. Here are memories shared by 14 current and former Valley residents.

Question of the Week: Should the Trump administration move forward with its border wall project in Arizona over a Native American tribe’s objections?

The Trump administration has resumed construction of a stretch of border wall in southern Arizona along part of the Tohono O’odham tribal land, despite protests from the tribe. U.S. Customs and …

Congress must prioritize accessibility in housing supply

OPINION — The United States has witnessed a historic level of legislative commitment to address the national housing crisis. In July 2025, Congress expanded the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to fund an estimated 1.22 million affordable rental homes over the next decade.

Young Arizonans can contribute to their college savings — here’s how

OPINION — School is back in session across the state, making September a busy time for many Arizona families. September is also College Savings Month, and the start of the seventh-annual statewide essay writing contest where students can jumpstart college dreams by winning $529 for their AZ529 education savings plan.

Preventing burnout in the growing caregiver landscape

OPINION — For more than 63 million Americans, daily life includes providing ongoing care for adult or minor family members with a medical condition or disability. This extraordinary act of service provides much-needed support for a loved one, but it can also lead family caregivers to put their own well-being to the side, leading to burnout that affects physical and mental health.

Running mate pick a political ploy by Hobbs

OPINION — Choosing a running mate of the alternate party by Katie Hobbs is just a political ploy to get more votes. What a scam.

Arizona doesn't need a lieutenant governor

OPINION — About the selection of a lieutenant governor: What is the reason for cross-party candidates? If this is the case, the lieutenant governor should run completely separate from the governor.

Valley kids’ psychological assessments should be accessible, affordable

OPINION — When a child struggles in school, some of the first advice they, and usually their parents, may hear is to study harder, pay closer attention or spend more time on homework. For many students, those strategies help. For others, the problem has nothing to do with the effort being made.

Hobbs’ selection of Giles more than astute politically

OPINION — Gov. Katie Hobbs’ choice as her lieutenant governor was more than a politically shrewd choice. She selected a highly respected, accomplished and experienced former Mesa mayor, John Giles.

Rallying against hunger in Arizona

OPINION — September is a time when food banks and meal programs across the country shine a spotlight on a problem that never takes a month off. Food insecurity in America has reached its highest level in more than a decade, affecting more than 47 million people, including 14 million children ... the Valley is no exception.

Question of the Week: Should Arizona gubernatorial candidates cross the political aisle in selecting running mates?

For the first time, Arizonans will select a lieutenant governor in November. The new office will be the No. 2 position in state government. Gov. Katie Hobbs raised eyebrows when she named former Mesa …

Chandler SpeakUp: More proposed utility rate increases

OPINION — Here are some recent online comments about Chandler Independent proposed utility rate hike stories: “Chandler Council to take 9% utility rate hikes to residents”: “Do we …

How to spot an AI-powered scam

OPINION — Early this summer, an “advertisement” about a big sale — $1 books at Barnes & Noble — was all over social media. Any voracious reader would hoist an eyebrow. Last spring, there were widespread “offers” on the internet of deeply discounted tickets and travel packages to see the University of Arizona men’s basketball team play at the Final Four.

Americans are more than the divisions we inherited

OPINION — America has an imperfect history. We should teach it honestly.

Question of the Week: Have rising prices affected your back-to-school spending this year?

For many Valley families, back to school means updating their students’ wardrobes, buying backpacks, assorted gear, books, electronics and school supplies. According to reports, the average …

Oral health is the real magic behind the Tooth Fairy

OPINION — Every Aug. 22, families across the country celebrate National Tooth Fairy Day, honoring one of childhood’s most beloved traditions.

Chandler SpeakUp: Many takes on city's Flock license plate readers

OPINION — Here are some online comments about recent Chandler Independent stories involving Flock Safety’s license plate reader contract with the city of Chandler: “Chandler council hears …

Question of the Week: Should Arizona clergy be required to report privileged sex-abuse confessions?

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in July that religious institutions have the absolute right to define protected confessions, exempting clergy from mandatory child-abuse reporting if deemed necessary …

Community health centers: A daily lifeline for Arizona’s most vulnerable

OPINION — The most-dangerous health problems often arrive without warning. Blood pressure climbs silently. Depression goes unspoken. Developmental delays go unnoticed until a child is already behind. That’s why a single appointment, a well-child visit, a primary-care check-up, a routine screening, can mean catching a problem early instead of confronting it as an emergency. But each of these outcomes depends on something easy to take for granted: having a trusted place to turn for care, regardless of your life circumstances.

The fight against Valley Flock cameras is just the beginning

OPINION — Government surveillance isn’t new, but new wide-ranging technologies that can detect our faces and track our movements are making it more ubiquitous. While the tools have changed, the purpose remains the same: to chill independent thought, free speech and dissent, bringing our country closer to 1984.

To finance Reconciliation 3.0, lawmakers should fix Medicare Advantage fraud

— Lawmakers in Washington are in the midst of trying to pass Reconciliation 3.0, a fast-tracked spending bill that would include major investments in the military and other priorities. To fund those investments, lawmakers are facing a familiar challenge: finding enough spending reductions to pay for the bill without raising taxes. Congress doesn't have to look far.

Civility is a valuable, indispensable core value in these contentious times

OPINION — Kudos to Lee Shappell and the wonderful (as well as timely) article on civility. I teach a Humanities course entitled “Leadership and Ethics.” With the challenges we face in all sectors, Lee's article addressing the critical importance of civility serves as a valuable and indispensable core value.

Chandler SpeakUp: East Valley elections

OPINION — Here are some recent online comments about Chandler Independent election stories: “Mark Lamb wins Republican nomination for Arizona’s Congressional District 5”: “Was …

ICYMI: Why civility matters

OPINION — We live in an era of normalized boorish behavior. It has become OK to call an opponent names. To sway an argument with inflamed, hateful and often false rhetoric. The result may elicit a response in kind. The exchange quickly spirals out of control.

Question of the Week: How can Valley schools keep students safe from sexual predators on campus?

Valley school districts are among those put on notice that they may lose funding if they fail to comply with federal laws on sexual predators in schools. During the past year: The investigation …

Chandler councilmember: This is not goodbye, so stop me and say hello

As I neared the end of my eight years of serving the residents of Chandler, I wanted to thank you for the humble opportunity to represent you and our city to improve the lives of our residents. My …

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