I would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful people of Prescott for the trust you have placed in me to serve as your mayor. That trust brings with it a great responsibility to care for our community’s best interests. I am also grateful to the many people who have supported me and provided encouragement along the way; I look forward to their continued support of the city as we grapple with the financial and quality of life challenges we face. I would be remiss if I did not … [Read more...] about Focusing on Economic Development, Jobs, Water in the New Year
Columnists
Hearing Loss in Children
The incidence of hearing loss in children is higher than you might expect. Studies have shown that newborn hearing screenings identify from one to four out of 1,000 babies tested, depending on the research cited. Most hospitals offer newborn hearing screening and many audiologists offer the test in their office for the babies missed at birth. The babies may have hearing loss because of genetic causes, birth trauma, middle ear fluid, debris in the ear canals or even the side effect of medications … [Read more...] about Hearing Loss in Children
Community Development Block Grants Funding Service Providers
When Prescott residents find themselves in desperate need, Prescott Area Shelter Services (PASS) has been there for them to help rebuild their lives. The non-profit group recently renovated a building to provide temporary housing for up to six homeless families, funded in part by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money allocated through the City of Prescott. “Prescott Area Shelter Services is a model organization that supports the most vulnerable in our community, and helps families … [Read more...] about Community Development Block Grants Funding Service Providers
What Documents Should You Shred and When?
With the New Year upon us, it is time to clear out old paperwork to make room for more. Are you dreading the idea of sorting through all those documents you’ve been meaning to shred for the past few years? You may be able to call a company to come and do the shredding, but you still need to sort through and decide what gets shredded and when. The prospect of beginning to shred documents can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. You just need to know what and when to shred which document to … [Read more...] about What Documents Should You Shred and When?
ERAU: Enhancing Cyber-Security Education
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott and BeyondTrust, a Phoenix-based cyber security company dedicated to proactively eliminating data breaches from insider privilege abuse and external hacking attacks, have joined forces to enhance the education and training of future cyber security professionals. BeyondTrust will provide Embry-Riddle’s College of Security and Intelligence (CSI) with hundreds of hours of videos, covering a wide range of cyber security issues such as firewalls, malware … [Read more...] about ERAU: Enhancing Cyber-Security Education
How Congressional Inaction Affects Tax Planning
Every year the scenario is the same – taxpayers, as individuals or in pairs, will gather their tax information and prepare their taxes for the prior year. They may prepare the taxes themselves or they may hire a professional to prepare them. Either way, tax returns are required. The well-prepared taxpayers will have all the necessary documents in one place already. The REALLY well-prepared taxpayers will have done some tax planning. Tax planning consists of taking advantage of your individual … [Read more...] about How Congressional Inaction Affects Tax Planning
How to Get the Good Night’s Sleep You Deserve
After a long day of work, running around with the kids or running errands, getting a good night’s sleep should be top of mind. Unfortunately, for the roughly 60 million Americans who experience insomnia, this is not the case. Those who experience insomnia have difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. Insomnia can be caused by a number of things such as stress, a change in one’s schedule, anxiety or even a result of certain kinds of medications. In some cases, insomnia can be hereditary. Put a … [Read more...] about How to Get the Good Night’s Sleep You Deserve
Retirement Planning: The Big Picture
Future and current retirees should take into consideration the big picture of their retirement planning, which includes conducting financial planning and tax reviews. Once you have the full picture, it helps you make more detailed and necessary decisions to achieve the retirement for which you have worked so hard. Planning for retirement is a multi-step process that can bring along many questions. For example, there is inflation, healthcare costs, and debt. At American Financial Security, we … [Read more...] about Retirement Planning: The Big Picture
NALA Encouraging Leadership on Environmental Issues
Those of us living in Northern Arizona are acutely aware of our environment. We live here in part because of our desire to be in close proximity to the natural wonders surrounding us. We also know that healthy snowfall brings visitors to our city and replenishes water supplies. Dark Sky initiatives further allow us to differentiate ourselves as an environmentally aware community. Recently, there has been a spate of conversations and meetings regarding the Four Forest Restoration Initiative … [Read more...] about NALA Encouraging Leadership on Environmental Issues
From the Mouth of the Hearing Aid Consumer
People often ask me after an exam how much better they will hear if they choose to wear hearing aids. They want to understand what they are getting themselves into by investing their time and effort into a device about which they have heard mixed reviews. It is an excellent question, one that I would ask if I was in their shoes. Improvement with a Hearing Aid Each person will experience a different outcome with hearing aids. Every hearing loss is unique, as is the way the brain understands … [Read more...] about From the Mouth of the Hearing Aid Consumer