Opinion

Why I’m voting Scianna over Montenegro for LD 29 House

OPINION — Legislative District 29’s Steve Montenegro has used his power as speaker of the state House to promote the nation’s most expensive voucher system at the same time Arizona is second-to-lowest in support of education.

Opinion

Howard, Clayton are my choices for LD 27

OPINION — “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!” Or is it “Knowledge is power?” It’s a bit of both. I felt uneasy telling people what I did for a living. At parties, “What do you do?” Me: “I am a public high school English teacher.” Reaction: “Oh … I hated English.” “Really?”

Opinion

Unhappy with Hamadeh despite support for veterans, responders

OPINION — I read with great interest the recent letter extolling the virtues of Congressman Abe Hamadeh’s many services to the constituents of Congressional District 8.

Opinion

Why I’m voting Coniam over Densmore for DUSD board

OPINION — I agree with Bob Doyle that Bill Coniam’s national political views are unwanted. He is running for a local office and should stick to the issues confronting the Dysart Unified School District.

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

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

Reader: Rep. Hamadeh should follow Charlie Kirk’s example

OPINION — In a recent newsletter, Rep. Abe Hamadeh memorialized Charlie Kirk, writing, “Charlie was murdered on September 10, 2025, while doing precisely what he had done throughout his public life: peacefully engaging Americans in a discussion about the future of our country. He did not hide from people who disagreed with him. He invited them to the front of the line, handed them a microphone and listened.”

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.

Opinion

LD 27 challenger Howard: Fink shows she is an extremist

OPINION — Rep. Lisa Fink’s recent op-ed touting Andy Biggs as the gubernatorial candidate Arizonans should support was appalling, yet unsurprising. Fink has shown herself to be an out-of-touch extremist more interested in ideology than good governance.

Opinion

Big Beautiful Bill letter praising Hamadeh doesn’t tell full story

OPINION — I’d like to offer a rebuttal to a recent letter-writer’s effusive praise for Rep. Abe Hamadeh’s support/vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill — OBBB.

Opinion

Dysart candidate should set a better example for students, reader says

OPINION — I recently saw a photo that appeared to show Dysart Governing Board candidate William Coniam wearing a “No Kings” shirt.

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Your Community Your Voice

Closed doors fueled Hamadeh protests

OPINION — Abe Hamadeh has built the largest protest movement in the history of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. He did it by refusing to let constituents in the room.

LD 27 Rep. Lisa Fink: Vote Andy Biggs for governor

OPINION — Arizona has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to elect a conservative governor who will fight for our values in the West Valley and deliver results for our entire state. Andy Biggs has shown he has the experience, the character and the vision to Restore the American Dream in our state and help Arizona reach its full potential.

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, …

Reader agrees Congress must fund defense innovation

OPINION — I recently read Todd Jackson’s letter to the editor, Don’t forget local Army Reservists after 9/11 remembrances. I have to say I had no idea about many of our modern defenses such as the Integrated Battle Command System that are being built and designed to protect not only our nation, but our service members as well.

How we can expand support paths in suicide prevention

OPINION — For many people, suicide is not a distant issue. More than 2 in 5 U.S. adults report personally knowing someone who died by suicide, so it’s important to foster more open conversations about mental health and to make supportive resources easier to access.

Retired educator backs Deborah Howard for LD 27 House

OPINION — For me, the Arizona Legislative District 27 races are very vital to the future of my neighborhood and state. I’m a retired public-school educator (high school English teacher and guidance counselor. I have a vested interest in education due to my grandkids, but also considering the effect public schools has on our community and quality of life.

Surprise reader: Hamadeh’s office failed us

OPINION — We submitted, for a nice refund, our e-file on April 2. In May, the IRS asked us to be verified. We did. Online it shows that they received our forms. It does not progress past received.

Data center incentive moratorium risking one of Arizona’s labor success stories

OPINION — Arizona earned its title as a national leader in data center development through smart, innovation-focused policies, a highly skilled workforce and union members who have proven they can build some of the most advanced infrastructure in the world. However, the Legislature’s three-year moratorium on data center tax incentives now risks the very momentum making Arizona one of the country’s greatest labor success stories.

ESA voucher decisions could cost Arizona GOP lawmakers political control

OPINION — I’ve seen this before. When the main character, Neo, sees the same black cat walk by twice in the original movie “The Matrix,” he asks his colleagues, “Do you ever have déjà vu?” His partners instantly know something is wrong. Déjà vu is usually not a good thing. In the political world, we see it all the time.

Grateful that Hamadeh supports veterans

OPINION — Our freedom depends on the men and women who serve in uniform. Less than 1% of our population serve. Without them, we would not have a free country. That’s why I’m grateful …

Is Turning Point’s pull in the West Valley elections eroding?

OPINION — A recent Valley news report indicated that candidates and voters are pushing back against Turning Point USA’s growing influence in Arizona elections. As West Valley voters, we should understand its involvement in our own races.

Why Rep. Hamadeh has my vote

OPINION — I have read some recent negative opinions in your editorials about Rep. Abe Hamadeh and I just say they obviously don’t know what this man has done for Congressional District 8.

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.

Can Abe Hamadeh properly represent CD 8?

OPINION — Re: Arizona deserves the full story on Abe Hamadeh: The full story, like the fact he was born in this country to parents who were here illegally? Like the full story that he doesn’t live in the district he represents?

Glendale taxpayers deserve accountability on council stipends

OPINION — Thank you to Richard Smith for his ongoing reporting on Attorney General Kris Mayes’ investigation into Glendale’s council stipends. The issue is simple: in 2019, Glendale voters explicitly rejected a salary increase. In 2022, City Administrative Policy 11 quietly bypassed the public’s clear vote, handing council members a $900 monthly stipend plus a $450 monthly car allowance.

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.

Why early reading intervention can’t wait until parent-teacher conferences

OPINION — Across the country, educators continue to grapple with a literacy crisis that began before the pandemic and has only become more pronounced in its wake. In Arizona, just 36% of third graders met proficiency on the state’s English Language Arts assessment in 2025, according to data from the Arizona Department of Education.

Grandparents shouldn’t have to choose between running A/C, enjoying retirement

OPINION — Many Arizonans spent decades working, raising families and planning for a retirement they hoped would bring some financial security. But for too many, retirement has become another exercise in stretching every dollar. Housing, groceries, prescriptions and utility bills all compete for the same fixed income.

Thanks to Hamadeh for One Big Beautiful Bill support

OPINION — I've been hearing a lot of negative comments about President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. Thank God for it.

The strength behind the stutter

OPINION — When advocating for yourself in the workplace, it takes time to build confidence and develop the courage to use your voice. We must acknowledge that everyone has a different relationship with their stutter. How you choose to advocate for yourself is ultimately up to you.

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.

Disappointed in Hamadeh’s voting record

OPINION — In preparation of the forthcoming midterm election, I reviewed the voting record of my 8th District Congressman and disappointingly found he had voted or “rubber stamped” every Trump-backed expenditure.

Don’t forget local Army Reservists after 9/11 remembrances

OPINION — This Sept. 11, we bow our heads to the many we lost on that fateful day. Anyone who was alive that morning remembers not only what they were doing but the emotional toll it took on our entire nation.

Couldn’t Dysart Unified sell assets to raise money instead of going for a $71M bond?

OPINION — This fall, Dysart Unified School District is attempting to obtain funding for their schools via Proposition 421. I am not against a good-quality education, and I recognize it takes money for a good-quality education.

Democratic socialists offer only the illusion of hope

OPINION — Frustration with political institutions and the current state of affairs in America is running high. A Gallup report shows that confidence in most of our institutions is at a low 27%. A Pew Research poll revealed that six in 10 Americans think the country’s best days are behind us. The frustration is real, and it helps explain the otherwise inexplicable appeal of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Dysart Unified needs to share academic successes to support bond request

OPINION — I read Delarita Ford’s front-page article: DUSD teaches voters about latest bond proposition. We have lived in Surprise for more than a decade and I believe few district propositions have been successful.

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.

Valley families deserve affordable, quality childcare

OPINION — For more than 30 years, I've called west Phoenix home. I raised my children here, and throughout my life in this community I've met countless families who share the same concern: finding affordable, quality childcare that allows parents to work and children to thrive.

Vote this November to calm political environment

OPINION — I finally had a free day and sat down to watch the news on TV and discovered the president and Congressional District 8 Rep. Abe Hamadeh appear to think I have a fatal personality disorder just because I do not believe anything they say and I will not follow their every whim and fancy.

Glendale planned for water, that's why we are ready for growth

OPINION — The federal government recently issued new operating guidelines to reduce Colorado River deliveries to the Lower Basin states by 1.25 million acre-feet in both 2027 and 2028. Under the state’s proposed sharing agreement, Arizona would take the largest reduction. That is serious. It requires continued conservation and smart investments.

Reader takes issue with letter about Hamadeh’s full story

OPINION — In her letter, Arizona deserves the full story on Abe Hamadeh, Analyn Megison demands the “complete story” about the congressman, yet her letter largely repeats Hamadeh’s own talking points while attacking the press.

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.

Time for real representation for CD 8

OPINION — As I read Nikki Colletti’s letter, I was struck by her tone concerning our perpetually absent representative and what a “breath of fresh air” he is for Congressional District 8. I wouldn’t know about this fresh air because I have never seen him be accessible.

Military families shouldn’t be collateral damage in PBM reform

OPINION — America asks a great deal of those who wear the uniform and their families. In return, the country makes a promise: military families will have dependable access to healthcare, and that promise is called Tricare.

Voters should seek truth tellers about public education in season of negative spins

OPINION — Political season is upon us, and Arizona will once again be at the tip of the national political campaign spear until November. We are a red state turning purple, with thousands of “permanent visitors” arriving every year for more sunshine and to join the economic boom.

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.

Why I’m voting for Bernadette Greene-Placentia in November

OPINION — When I read Abe Hamadeh’s recent newsletter, I see that he has been very helpful to individuals struggling with the bureaucracy (otherwise known as our hardworking, understaffed Civil Service) and supportive of the military and police. But what about the 400,000 Arizonans who lost their SNAP food benefits and those who will not be able to afford health insurance after the election because of the Big Beautiful Bill his vote helped put into law?

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