by Staff Reporter | Jan 13, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The inventor and top distributor of the Taser, Axon Enterprise, scrapped plans for its new headquarters in Scottsdale.
Not only will the Scottsdale-based company not be breaking ground on its new headquarters as planned — they may move out of Arizona completely after over 30 years in the Valley. Axon says that the results of a forthcoming ballot referendum from another state’s labor union are to blame.
Rick Smith, Axon Enterprise CEO and founder, said in a press release that ongoing “political games” from a California-based labor union-led referendum put their entire operations at risk.
“[T]he uncertainty caused by this referendum forces us to confront a tough reality: we can’t allow political games to put our mission or our team at risk,” said Smith.
Apart from its headquarters in Scottsdale, Axon also has offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; London, England; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Tampere, Finland; Sydney, Australia; Melbourne, Australia.
Axon’s decision to cancel the groundbreaking came just two months after the Scottsdale City Council approved the company’s plans for the development.
The labor union, Unite Here, and its Phoenix-based political arm, Worker Power Institute, led on the offending ballot referendum, which would effectively reverse the Scottsdale City Council’s zoning changes allowing residential development.
The planned complex site was formerly established as an industrial zone. The new headquarters would have housed about 1,900 apartments and condos, a hotel, and multiple restaurants.
Last month, reports emerged that Unite Here attempted to coerce Axon into “a shakedown” agreement awarding the union exclusive collective bargaining agency in exchange for a withdrawal of the referendum. A spokesperson with the labor union denied their organization having any contact with Axon; an organization attorney reportedly contacted Axon over the leaked communications.
Under the alleged proposed agreement with Unite Here, Axon would have been required to notify the union of plans to solicit bids or proposals from business operators and require operating businesses to work with the union to screen applicants.
Scottsdale has been home to Axon since its founding in 1993. The company grew from Taser production to other technologies and weapons for law enforcement, military, and civilians.
“Our focus remains on saving lives, improving public safety and attracting the brightest minds to join us,” said Smith. “If that means relocating to a community that fully supports those goals, we’re prepared to make that move. This type of political interference risks not only this project but also Arizona’s ability to attract and retain major employers in the future.”
Axon’s press release also noted that Unite Here and Worker Power Institute led a successful campaign to thwart arena development efforts for the Arizona Coyotes.
“That campaign ultimately led to Arizona losing a major sports franchise,” stated the press release. “Axon’s leadership has raised concerns that such political interference risks undermining Arizona’s ability to attract and retain major employers.”
One impact study cited by Axon projected their new headquarters would support up to 5,500 high-wage jobs, generate $11.5 million in annual city tax revenues, and contribute $3.6 billion to the state’s economy annually.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 13, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Unmarried couples lead significantly more in the occurrences of domestic violence incidents in Phoenix, and guns were least used overall.
New data from the city of Phoenix’s annual Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team (DVFRT) showed that there were nearly 5,700 domestic violence victims that were the boyfriend or girlfriend out of over 11,100 total reported victims in 2023 — nearly 51 percent.
Comparatively there were just over 1,500 domestic victims that were the spouse, over 1,200 victims that were the parent or step-parent, over 900 victims that were the sibling or step-sibling, over 800 victims that were the child or step-child, over 600 victims that were the former spouse, over 100 victims that were the in-law, about 80 victims that were the grandparent, and over 50 victims that were the grandchild.
Although unmarried couples were the leading source of domestic violence occurrences, the DVFRT selected the near-fatality incident of a married heterosexual couple to make the focus of their Case Review Subcommittee assessment.
The case study did share some of the characteristics common among the other domestic violence incidents: past criminal history and alcohol use. Based on that case study, DVFRT recommended greater involvement of the fire department’s Crisis Response Teams, more medical follow-ups with victims, more trainings for EMTs on strangulation when the victim refuses transportation to a medical facility, amending reporting methods to make “strangulation” a separate category when accounting for use of force, and more frequent follow-ups by victim services case management.
Further on in the report, it was revealed that firearms were far from the first choice for perpetrators. In over 6,500 of the reported cases, perpetrators used their body parts (hands, fists, or feet) to assault their victim. These body part calculations included strangulations.
In over 1,200 incidents, the weapon of choice was categorized as “other.” Knives ranked the third most popular: nearly 700 incidents were reported with knives as the perpetrator’s weapon. Handguns and rifles or shotguns came in last: just over 500 incidents involved a handgun, and less than 50 used a rifle or shotgun.
An overwhelming majority of domestic violence incidents were assaults and aggravated assaults (nearly 13,000 incidents), with criminal damages coming in third (over 4,400 incidents), and an order of protection violation coming in fourth (over 2,800 incidents).
In over 2,200 incidents, the perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol; in over 600 incidents, the perpetrator was under the influence of a drug or narcotic. That accounts for over 25 percent of all reported incidents.
The DVFRT report stated that police responded to over 33,700 calls for domestic violence. Of those calls, over 23,100 resulted in incident reports, over 8,500 adults were arrested, and over 400 juveniles were “contacted.” Out of those arrests, nearly 2,800 were for aggravated assault and over 260 were for aggravated domestic violence, which concerns individuals convicted of three or more acts of domestic violence over a seven-year period.
DVFRT is overseen by leaders of the city’s Family Advocacy Center and Phoenix Police Department, with members from the city’s Human Services Department, Arizona State University, Maricopa Association of Governments, Phoenix Fire Department, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the city’s Prosecutor’s Office, Department of Economic Security, the organizations A New Leaf and La Frontera Empact, and Honor Health.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 12, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The newly elected Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) board president is a conservative mother, declining to re-elect the sitting president.
PUSD elected its new president, Heather Rooks, during Thursday’s regular board meeting following their 8-hour study session. Members Janelle Bowles, Jeff Tobey, and Becky Proudfit voted for Rooks, with only board member Melissa Ewing voting against. Ewing didn’t provide an explanation for her “no” vote.
Proudfit attempted to re-elect herself, but only Ewing voted for her.
Public comment on the board president election expressed hope in the prospect of new leadership.
One mother and community advocate, Nikki Eancheff, explained that Rooks helped her navigate school procedures after her daughter encountered a boy in a girls’ restroom at Liberty High School.
“What Mrs. Rooks said earlier today in the retreat, that she was elected by parents to be our voice and be our champion and advocate here in the board room and the district level is the truth,” said Eancheff.
Several other mothers also expressed their overt support for Rooks due to her prioritization of parents while backing public schools.
Kristen Balthis with the Peoria Principals’ Association said that while their organization didn’t endorse any one candidate, they supported the candidate that “can facilitate the education environment that allows our children to thrive.”
Teddy Todd, who has spoken out against PUSD board policies before, expressed her pleasure with the makeup of the governing board for this year, and said she hoped the president would foster “trust, hope, and collaboration” among all members.
However, those aligned with the teachers’ unions disagreed with some parents’ desire for change.
Trina Berg, president of the Peoria Education Association (PEA), asked for the reelection of Becky Proudfit for board president. PEA is part of the Arizona Education Association and the National Education Association. Berg questioned whether Rooks’ lawsuit against PUSD presented a conflict of interest.
In September 2023, Rooks sued PUSD for prohibiting her from quoting Bible verses during board meetings. The First Liberty Institute is representing Rooks in her case, which is ongoing. The Arizona District Court scheduled in-person oral argument for Friday in the case.
Berg also said that Rooks didn’t exhibit the qualities of a president, citing her past decisions to step out of executive meetings she felt should be public as well as Rooks’ decision to not silence certain speech from her supporters.
“Allowing misconceptions and sometimes downright misinformation to flourish and move through your group of supporters on social media without any correction is not leadership material,” said Berg.
Devon Moseler, vice president of PEA, also asked for the reelection of Proudfit for board president.
“We may not always agree with decisions that have been made, but we have appreciated the transparency and willingness to discuss challenging topics in an effort to understand the needs of our educators, administrators, and students,” said Moseler.
Proudfit’s husband, Taylor Proudfit, urged the board members to change their minds on Rooks and vote for his wife. Taylor claimed that board members supporting Rooks weren’t voting in accordance with their constituents.
Rooks’ rise to the leadership position came, in part, from the elections of new members Bowles and Tobey, ensuring the board’s flip to a majority of more conservative-minded members.
In recent years, the PUSD board came under community and even national scrutiny for adopting policies that favored progressive ideologies. This included the alignment with the Biden administration’s interpretation of Title IX which ordered schools to allow bathroom or locker room access based on gender identity. Ewing was one of the defendants of that policy, arguing that discrimination based on gender identity violates Title IX protections.
Rooks attended PUSD and graduated from Sunrise Mountain High School. Rooks first took office in January 2023.
Rooks’ campaign platform prioritized parental rights, academics, and organizational transparency. She ran in opposition to mandates for masks and COVID vaccines, Critical Race Theory ideology, and sexual content materials in classrooms.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 11, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A prominent Hamas supporter and online influencer was arrested again this week, this time for trespassing.
Saiaf Abdallah — the Gilbert-area CEO of the Tempe-based Voyage Medical who goes by the username “Resistance is Beautiful” online — was arrested for trespassing after refusing to leave a Lifetime gym in Gilbert from which he was asked to leave.
In his recording of an interaction with Lifetime management and police, Abdallah wore a black t-shirt that read “Israel Kills Children… and we pay for it with taxes.” The management member informed Abdallah that he had trespassed because his membership wasn’t active. In response, Abdallah questioned whether the employee was motivated by bigotry or racism.
“Is the problem the shirt? Or the skin color?” asked Abdallah. “Are you offended by the shirt, or by the fact that you guys kill all of the Palestinians in the gyms over there?”
Abdallah then claimed to cops that the gym staff trespassed him for his shirt, not his inactive membership.
“They’ve always said, ‘Oh that shirt is offensive’ — typical Gilbert white supremacy stuff,” said Abdallah.
Following his latest arrest, Abdallah launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to cover the cost of court cases and his protesting across the state. As of this report, Abdallah’s GoFundMe has raised over $11,000 of its $12,000 goal from about 250 donors.
Abdallah has had frequent run-ins with law enforcement over his activism.
Earlier this week, Abdallah was detained for obstructing a public thoroughfare along a busy road. Like in his other videos, Abdallah wore his “Israel Kills Children” t-shirt, along with a keffiyeh headband. As he does in other videos frequently, Abdallah carried a Palestinian flag on a makeshift flagpole.
In 2023, Abdallah was arrested at a pro-Hamas protest led by Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib at Arizona State University following Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. In the months following that attack, Abdallah organized pro-Hamas protests at Arizona malls, including “die-ins” during Black Friday shopping, and helped coordinate a protest inside of Senator Mark Kelly’s office.
Although he was trespassed from ASU property in November 2023, Abdallah’s posted videos online show he participated in pro-Hamas protests on the public property abutting ASU campuses and around the Valley through the better half of last year.
Abdallah has been active with the Arizona chapter of CAIR. The national CAIR is an entity of the Muslim Brotherhood officially linked to Hamas activity.
Abdallah has been documented extensively by Canary Mission, an organization that profiles individuals and organizations promoting hatred of the U.S., Israel, and Jewish people.
Under the username “@Vingati2” on X, Abdallah expressed overt support for Hamas violence.
“Palestinians are going to take thousands more hostage. This is f*****g LIBERATION, and it isn’t pretty,” wrote Abdallah in one post.
“Hamas is eating your b***h a*s soldiers. They weak like you,” wrote Abdallah in another post. “Liberation is gonna get shoved down your f*****g throat.”
Abdallah’s father, Akram Abdallah, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2010 for making false statements to the FBI regarding his raising funds for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief & Development (HLF), a criminal organization that provided material support for Hamas. Character support letters submitted to the sentencing court identified Abdallah as the son of Akram Abdallah.
Abdallah maintained similar sentiments as his father around that time. While his father was facing trial for his ties to Hamas, Abdallah was active with Students For Justice in Palestine (SFJP) while attending Arizona State University. Abdallah filmed and edited multiple videos of SFJP activism.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 10, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
James Badger, 45, a Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) teacher was arrested for sexual exploitation of children.
Badger taught at Tucson High Magnet School (THMS). He was arrested on Tuesday by the Tucson Police Department and charged with ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The statement of probable cause for Badger’s arrest cited child sexual abuse material (CSAM) images downloaded to his computer.
“On a computer belonging to James the Sandra series from BitTorrent download was located on this computer, along with other CSAM material. A manual preview of the device showed there was a large amount of CSAM on the computer,” read the statement. “10 images were selected that met the criteria of sexual exploitation of a minor. These images included prepubescent females below the age of 15 that were nude in sexual poses where their genital area was the focus. They lacked breast development or pubic hair.”
Badger formerly taught at Parker High School, where he oversaw the drama club. Badger left after an undisclosed controversy, apparently concerning his inclusion of “anything gay” within the drama department’s productions.
In March 2023, Badger posted the following on his Instagram with a partial picture of an email depicting a threat to him:
“For the record: I didn’t get fired, but someone wants to fire a gun at me, and they’ve said so very explicitly. I didn’t resign, but I did tell admin[instration] that I will not be coming back after this year. I won’t be on campus for a while, but I will finish out the year,” wrote Badger. “To those who have been kind and welcoming to us over the years: thank you. To those who let bigotry and pointless political divisions cloud your judgement: grow up. To those who have mocked, gossiped, and threatened: go f**k yourselves.”
Badger then moved on to teaching at THMS.
In a February 2024 post depicting the “second annual drag show” at THMS, Badger shared his satisfaction with THMS tolerance to LGBTQ+ ideologies for minors. That drag show was sponsored by the school’s Q Space club. Q Space clubs encourage students to adopt LGBTQ+ identities and ideologies.
“Interesting to see such an event proceeding with full support of the school’s administration,” wrote Badger. “For years I wondered what that would be like, and now I know: it’s super normal.”
The THMS Q Space club advisor is a transgender man, Sunday (formerly April) Hamilton. It was Hamilton and another former THMS counselor, Zobella Brazil Vinik, who began organizing THMS drag shows featuring the high schoolers. Vinik was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2022.
According to various posts on his Instagram page, Badger was a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, along with mainstream progressive ideologies: Black Lives Matter, critical race theory, LGBTQ+ ideologies, and abortion.
In another post in the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Badger expressed his fear of Donald Trump winning the presidency and his belief that the government would murder him and his family under a Trump administration.
“Trump will win this election, and fascism will take hold in America. Nothing matters, and nothing can be done,” wrote Badger. “When you come to kill me, please don’t let my wife and children see. When you come to kill my wife and children, please don’t let them see it coming. #notkidding #thesearethestakes.”
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