Year: 2021

Embezzlement in Sierra Vista Leaves Small Businesses with a Hefty Bill to Pay
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Embezzlement in Sierra Vista Leaves Small Businesses with a Hefty Bill to Pay

By Kyler Van Vliet Embezzlement is defined by Merrian-Webster Dictionary as “to appropriate (something, such as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use.” The most notable embezzlement cases that people think of are the Ponzi-schemes that were carried out by Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford who would take money from new investors to pay out old investor’s “returns”, subsequently embezzling money before paying off their previous investors.  Both are currently serving a combined sentence of 260 years behind bars after stealing a grand total of 58 billion dollars. However, a study conducted by specialist insurer Hiscox in 2017 on embezzlement in America showed that small and mid-sized companies (fewer than 500 employees) are disproportionately victimized, making up 6...
Legal Treats, Cramped Streets
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Legal Treats, Cramped Streets

By Kevin Murphy Proposition 207 was passed last November, legalizing the use and sale of recreational marijuana in Arizona.  Under the new law, people 21 and older can grow up to six plants, with a maximum of 12 plants in homes with more than one adult, and possess up to an ounce (28 grams) of marijuana, with no more than 5 grams of concentrates.  Once licensed by AZDHS, medical marijuana dispensaries can sell recreational marijuana. Recreational marijuana sales have the usual state and local taxes applied as well as an additional excise tax of 16 percent.  After administrative costs, the remaining excise tax revenues are split mainly between community colleges (33%), police and fire departments (31.4%), state and local transportation programs (25.4%), public health and criminal justice ...
Restaurant Resilience: Two Local Restaurant Owners Adapt to Covid-19
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Restaurant Resilience: Two Local Restaurant Owners Adapt to Covid-19

By Kevin Murphy Tucson restaurant owners are adapting to a new normal under Pima County’s Covid-19 health and safety guidelines.  With the onset of nationwide Covid-19 vaccinations already under way, the light at the end of the tunnel couldn’t come any sooner for local restaurant owners who have been soldiering on in this bitter battle since the beginning of the pandemic.  With resilience and resolve, these restaurant revisionists have adapted and overcome setbacks to continue to safely serve their fare to the community at large. Located at 2650 N. 1st Ave., Smokey Mo co-owners OC Davis, Pat Jorgenson, and Brandon Johnson have been executing Kansas City style BBQ for the masses, while making some changes in protocols along the way.  Purchased from previous ownership in March of 2020, the...
Proposal Would Cut Costs on Speeding in Arizona
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Proposal Would Cut Costs on Speeding in Arizona

Photo by Taylor Beach By Kyler Van Vliet Sen. David Gowan (R- District 14) proposed a bill that would save Arizonans money and save them from higher car insurance premiums.  Gowan proposed SB 1127 on the 12th, a bill that he designed to help both the citizens of Arizona and its police officers. One of the key aspects of the proposed bill is if a driver is speeding up-to 10 mph over in 55, 65 or 75 zone then you can be cited for the offense of “waste of a finite resource” instead of a speeding citation.  This comes as good news as the offense of “waste of a finite resource” carries a fine of $15, whereas fines for a speeding ticket start at $250 for going 10 mph over the speed limit and raise by $50 for every additional 5 mph over. The bill also adds that the state Department of Transpor...