Anthem News and Events

• The Anthem Festival of Fine Art met with great success this weekend as art patrons poured in to visit the top 50 Arizona artists in a juried art show.
• Home values continue to rise at incredible rates.  Anthem Parkside homes have appreciated by leaps and bounds since the city's opening.  Home prices within the Country Club seem to skyrocket every few months.  Take a trip to Anthem, Arizona and see for yourself.

Arizona News

• Water and Land are top issues on the Arizona agenda.  Governor Janet Napolitano pushed her agenda throughout the voting season and plans to carry through her promises.  Today, she will begin plans for protecting both water and land in Arizona, creating more space around the edges of cities and increasing the income from state trust land sales.  Approximately 5 million dollars more will be pumped into the Arizona Department of Water Resources for a new water conservation office and additional water-monitoring efforts.
• Susan Ratliff, owner of a local trade show supply company, presented the "Women's Entrepreneur's Business Boot Camp" to more than 200 women on Saturday.  The number of self-employed women has increased 77% since 1983!
• The air pollutant, Particulate Matter 10, or PM10, occurs when tiny, coarse particles are released from the dust and dirt in the valley and is linked to a long list of respiratory issues.  Construction and driving on dirt roads often releases PM10.  Currently, Phoenix is attempting to control the levels of PM10 in the air in order to shake off the EPA's "serious" label for the high levels of the pollutant.  The EPA requires 3 straight years of clean readings in order to be removed from the "serious" list.  In 2004, high levels were recorded on 5 occasions in Maricopa County.  The Maricopa County Air Quality Department suggests that there may still be a chance to prevent the pollutant, but that "we have a long ways to go."  Gilbert, Buckeye, southwest Phoenix, and west Phoenix were the culprits of the high-level readings.  More research into these areas is being conducted in order to determine how best to control PM10 levels.