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In Focus
Petition challenges have taken down one (and likely two) Arizona legislative candidates.
The highest-profile petition challenge has been against LD-28 state Senate candidate Mark Syms, who’s running as an Independent. Syms, the husband of state Rep. Maria Syms, was a late entrant into the race for the Paradise Valley-area seat held by Sen. Kate Brophy McGee. After Mr. Syms’ signature petitions were challenged, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office found that more than 1,675 of his 2,156 signatures were invalid. Mr. Syms was in court Friday seeking intervention to save his candidacy, but that appears to be a longshot.
Meanwhile, Rep. Brenda Barton has withdrawn her LD-6 candidacy and averted her planned Senate challenge to Sen. Sylvia Allen. A legal challenge to Rep. Barton’s signature petitions appeared likely to succeed.
One candidate who has survived Petition Challenge Fever is gubernatorial hopeful Ken Bennett. The Republican and former Secretary of State saw a lawsuit challenging his signature petitions dismissed on Thursday - setting up a primary contest between he and Gov. Doug Ducey.
Of course, petition challenges are a bipartisan endeavor. Let’s not forget the weird drama in which Secretary of State candidate Mark Robert Gordon accused the SOS office of losing more than 200 of his petition sheets, and demanded a recount. That plan backfired when, under closer scrutiny, many of his signatures were deemed invalid. Facing litigation, Gordon withdrew his candidacy and endorsed his Democratic opponent: State Sen. Katie Hobbs (R-Phoenix.)
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey officially launches re-election campaign
AZFamily.com
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has officially launched his re-election campaign.
The Republican Ducey also released a video Monday entitled “Securing Arizona’s Future” that promotes his accomplishments since taking office in January 2015 as the state’s 23rd governor.
Former Secretary of State Ken Bennett has filed signatures to run as a Republican challenger to Ducey in Arizona’s Aug. 28 primary election.
State Sen. Steve Farley, U.S. Army veteran David Garcia and YWCA Southern Arizona CEO Kelly Fryer are the three Democrats who filed signatures for their party’s primary by last month’s deadline.
Also running in the gubernatorial race is Libertarian candidate Kevin McCormick.
Read HERE.
Supreme Court hands states a victory in tax case that may cost consumers
Politico
The decision means states are free to collect billions of dollars in extra revenue from online retailers.
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that states can force out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax on purchases from their residents, sweeping away decades of precedent.
The decision means states are free to collect billions of dollars in extra revenue from online retailers, at a time when many state officials complain it’s difficult to balance their budget, and that many consumers may pay more for online purchases.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, one of the driving forces behind getting the case to the court, wrote in his opinion that the previous precedent — that states could only mandate sales tax collection from companies with a physical presence in their borders — was “unsound and incorrect.”
[...] Read more HERE.
Veridus clients in the news
Coming to Walmart's shelves: Mesa entrepreneur's cooking sauces
Arizona Republic
Kay Weldon worked as a blackjack dealer at a local casino until recently, but she couldn't stop thinking about marketing her own line of Korean-style cooking sauces.
Weldon had concocted a sweet, tangy sauce when she owned an Albuquerque, New Mexico, restaurant years earlier.
"My family and friends told me I should market that sauce," she said.
Weldon, originally from South Korea, had started a food company years ago but rebranded it in 2016 with a new name and more flavors. She secured the needed Food and Drug Administration approvals and began selling three flavors of her sauces at AJ's Fine Foods anda couple other markets, while accepting orders on Amazon.com.
But Weldon thinks the big break came June 13, when she pitched her products at Walmart's corporate headquarters. After a 30-minute interview, Walmart buyers agreed to start selling three flavors of bottled sauces made by Weldon's Ahssa Foods.
Hers was one of 450 businesses invited this year to Bentonville, Arkansas, at their own expense, to make product pitches through Walmart's "Open Call" program, designed to encourage sales of American-made products.
That involved a three-day trip to Walmart's headquarters packed with meetings, including an orientation session for prospective vendors like her.
The session emphasized the company's commitment to buy more American-made products and informed applicants what Walmart was looking for from vendors. During the 30-minute interview, she served samples featuring her sauces to Walmart's buyers.
The sauces made by Ahssa (which means "awesome" in Korean slang) will go on sale in Walmart's Western region around September. Pricing and volume details haven't yet been determined.
[...] About one in five companies that participate in Open Call receive a marketing agreement.
The Open Call program is a commitment by Walmart to buy an additional $250 billion worth of products made, sourced or grown in the United States over a decade. Last year, a Cottonwood company, Wild Tonic, landed a deal to sell its kombucha brewed drinks.
Entrepreneurs could receive deals ranging from shelf space at a few Walmart stores to thousands of stores. Their products also could be made available at Sam's Clubs and at walmart.com. The retailer has closed the Open Call application period for this year.
Read more HERE.
CVS Health will now deliver prescriptions to your home
ABC News
CVS Health will make prescription deliveries nationwide to accommodate the heightened expectations of convenience from consumers.
The nation's second-largest drugstore chain says it also will make home deliveries of other items, like allergy medicines, vitamins or household products. The service will cost $4.99 for deliveries made in one or two days.
The drugstore chain said Tuesday that it's expanding same-day deliveries, for a higher fee, to Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, DC. It began those deliveries in New York late last year.
Drugstores and other retailers have been pushing more customer-friendly services in recent years to hold Amazon.com at bay. The online retailer offers members same-day deliveries of goods typically sold in drugstores in some places.
[...] Read more HERE.
ESA Statement on Proposed WHO Video Game Classification
“It is extremely important to note that the proposed draft circulating is not final and it is still under discussion and review. Experts worldwide are urging caution regarding the World Health Organization’s proposed ‘gaming disorder’ as it may lead to misdiagnosis of real mental health conditions. There is no objective evidence to define and diagnose this disorder and the research supporting inclusion is highly contested and inconclusive. With the significant opposition from the medical and scientific community, the WHO should consider the mounting evidence put before them before making a decision on the inclusion of a ‘gaming disorder’ in the final version of ICD-11 next year.” – Entertainment Software Association, June 18, 2018
Read HERE.
Arizona bankers see bright times ahead for industry
Phoenix Business Journal
The Arizona Bankers Association held its 115th annual convention last week in Sedona, and the good news is the state’s banking industry is healthy.
Bankers from around the state gathered to learn more about their industry. Panel discussions addressed cybersecurity, bank valuation and regulatory issues. The annual convention provide a snapshot into the finance community stretching across Arizona.
American Bankers Association President Ken Burgess shared some information specific to Arizona banking. Here are just a few takeaways:
Arizona banks continue to increase lending at a 12 percent loan growth rate.
Deposits continue to grow.
Banks’ asset quality is strong.
One of the overarching convention themes was workforce development. Many businesses in Arizona have struggled finding the right employees, and the banking industry is no exception to those issues. The banking workforce challenges stem from the recession, when recruitment for new bankers was almost non-existent.
[...] Read more HERE.
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In case you missed it . . .
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