Our editorial picks for local personalities and media consumables.
The Staples
Valley Athlete: Devin Booker
5-time All-Star has a 24.3 lifetime per-game scoring average. That’s boss. nba.com/suns
TV Anchor/Reporter: Jaime Cerreta, Ted Simons (tie)
AZFamily doyenne, Arizona Horizon host split the honor. azfamily.com, azpbs.org/horizon
Public Servant: Mark Kelly
We like our moderates at BOV. kelly.senate.gov
Podcast/Blog/Substack: Arizona Agenda, Finding Arizona (tie)
Politics newsletter, business podcast get equal love from BOV voters. arizonaagenda.substack.com, findingarizonapodcast.com
Influencer/Social Media Star: Della Vlogs
Portmaneau-named parent-fashion influencers eke out a BOV win. dellavlogs.com
Best Book by a Local Author
The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman
Even if former Arizona Republic arts critic Michelle Hoffman didn’t include some beloved Valley spots in her debut novel, we’d still love her sharply written tale of a middle-aged piano prodigy who overcomes her fears to get a second chance to showcase her talent in a reality show. The Nordstrom at Scottsdale Fashion Square makes a prominent appearance. penguinrandomhouse.com
Best Typewriter Poet
RedTale
Armed with little more than a typewriter and a guitar, Phoenix musician and poet Derek Hoki (aka RedTale or @inkbeet on Instagram) can be found at farmers markets and pop-up events around the Valley next to a handwritten sign inviting passersby to “Pick a topic, get a poem!” Hoki has written hundreds of custom haikus (dedicated to particular people, places and things) and sonnets (based on specific words, phrases, stories and affirmations) on his signature gray Smith Corona. He even recites them aloud or puts them to music upon request.
Best Romantic
Brian Ference
You likely know all about our celebrated vampire romance novelist, but Stephenie Meyer’s got company. Cave Creek’s Brian Ference is a politico and self-described citizen journalist, but he also writes romance novels – starring werewolves. He’s got a few books about dragons, too. brianference.com
Best-Dressed Valley TV Personality
Richard Saenz of FOX 10 News
In this city of informal wear, the FOX 10 sports pundit goes against the grain by dressing old-school, favoring a tailored look that includes richly colored neckties with complementary pocket squares. If you’re going to get bad news about your favorite team, it might at least come from an elegant source. fox10phoenix.com
Best Storyteller
Dan Hull
Not only is he a fantastic storyteller in his own right, but over the last few years Dan Hull has nurtured countless others by creating a safe, supported space for Phoenicians to try storytelling on for size. Sign up ahead of time or show up the evening of a slam and put your name in the hat. Events are held nearly monthly at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix. thestoryline.com
Best Local Troubadour
Gene Moran
Not to deter anyone from seeing the Mesa-based songwriter on stage, but there is a darkness lingering in his brand of desert rock – equal parts unsettling and seductive. He’s also a hell of a guitar player, using his cerebral palsy to his advantage to create his own grungy playing style. genemoranmusic.com
Best Hometown Girl Does Good
Jetta Juriansz
Jetta Juriansz was no child actor. Her mother wouldn’t let the Scottsdale native get an agent until she could drive herself. Post-high school, Juriansz hit L.A. and booked job after job. Commercials, comedy, musicals. Now she’s in NYC with a spot on the Upright Citizens Brigade. We’ll say we knew you when, Jetta. ucbcomedy.com/people/jetta-juriansz
Best Maniacal Giggle
Johnny Johnson, Fishing with Johnny Johnson
Valley native Johnny Johnson has hosted this locally produced angling show on Arizona’s Family (3TV and CBS 5) since 2002. His gleeful excitement at hooking some resident of Arizona’s lakes hasn’t dimmed in those decades. He giggles like Renfield and sometimes hops from foot to foot with excitement. Even so, he often tosses his prize back. azfamily.com
Best Sky’s-the-Limit Artist
Patricia Sannit
Patricia Sannit lifts up the Phoenix arts community like no other. A talented sculptor in her own right, she sponsors holiday art sales, opened an artist compound and worked on the COVID-inspired Roadside Attraction. This spring, she asked locals to join her in Holding Up the Sky, a multimedia celebration of life in the desert. patriciasannit.com
Best Documentary
The Stories They Didn’t Tell Us – Nina’s Story
This spring, the Phoenix Film Festival named Cindy Lee “Arizona Filmmaker of the Year.” Not too shabby, considering Nina’s Story is the 68-year-old director’s first documentary film effort. If this short, beautiful tribute to a Vietnamese refugee who never talked to her children about her past is any indication, this is just the beginning for the ASU graduate.
Most Fun Company Newsletter
Shea Cheese
You know that email account you have solely for giving to retailers? The one you never check because it’s a dumpster of marketing junk? Yeah, don’t use that one for the Shea Cheese newsletter. Owner Jenny Zink writes it personally, sharing thoughtful ruminations on life and cheese. Plus: food pics! 10880 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, 602-666-0431, sheacheese.com
Best Political Newsletter
Arizona Agenda
Used to be, you had to subscribe to the Yellow Sheet Report to catch the news. Now it’s the Agenda. This Substack has its finger on the pulse of the political process here in Arizona. With no shortage of political news, nothing can stop them now. arizonaagenda.substack.com
Best Source for LGBTQ+ News
LOOKOUT Newsletter
When Joseph Darius Jaafari ditched his investigative gig at The Arizona Republic to start a newsletter, we worried he was making a mistake. But with plenty of funding and an eye for covering the LGBTQ+ community in Phoenix, he knew what he was doing. Suddenly, LOOKOUT is the latest must-read in town. lookoutphx.substack.com
Best Sports Moment
Alek Thomas in NLCS Game 4
The 24-year-old outfielder wasn’t even in the starting lineup the night he hit the two-run homer that tied Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on October 20, 2023, at Chase Field. Coming off the bench, Thomas delivered a pinch homer for the ages in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ eventual 6-5 win over the Phillies, ultimately leading to a surprise appearance in the World Series and the Valley’s biggest sports moment of the last 12 months.
Best Scoop
Gilbert Goons Coverage in The Arizona Republic
Two months after East Valley teenager Preston Lord was beaten to death at a Halloween party in Queen Creek, local law enforcement had still not made any arrests, and it was reasonable to wonder if the crime would ever be prosecuted. But late in December, Republic reporters Robert Anglen and Elena Santa Cruz broke the story wide open, revealing the existence of a violent suburban thug clique called the Gilbert Goons. Arrests soon followed, and it was easily the year’s defining piece of Valley journalism. azcentral.com
Best Yesteryear Social Media Queen
Ann Moses
In 1965, Ann Moses took over the editorial reins at Tiger Beat magazine – making her, at age 19, the youngest editor of any national magazine in the country, chronicling nascent Boomer pop culture and interviewing heartthrobs of the day like David Cassidy and Elvis Presley. An East Valley resident since 2007, Moses credits the encouragement of her one-time employer, Walt Disney, for coaxing her into a writing career. She still connects with fans via her prolific social media channels (facebook.com/annmoses and @annmosestigerbeat on Instagram), where she posts photos, articles and anecdotes.
Best One-Woman-Band
Selin Eskandarian
With 34K-plus Instagram followers, musical multi-hyphenate Selin Eskandarian has built quite a fanbase. The former U.S. Army ammunition specialist has been performing music for more than 30 years, including her recent “elevated” performance at the grand opening of Scottsdale’s Caesars Republic Hotel, where she and her violin serenaded celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and various VIP guests from atop a 7-foot pedestal. She’s been known to hop on the piano, too. eskoviolin.com; @esko_violin
Best Woodward & Bernstein Torch-Carriers
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
When national news feels like a three-ring circus, it can seem like journalism is an endangered species. But this independent, nonprofit newsroom is dedicated to preserving the traditions and ethics of the field through its data-driven investigative reporting on state and local government, public policy, education, the environment and public health. It publishes content online and through a creative commons license that allows other newsrooms to share it – with proper attribution, natch. azcir.org
Best Fake-News Fighters
News Co/Lab
Should you share that link on Facebook? Is a news source reliable? How do you ethically consume, create and disseminate social media content? These questions and more are the work of this think tank at Arizona State University. In addition to conducting research, it hosts a free online media literacy course, offers a transparency and engagement toolkit for newsrooms, and participates in collaborations with diverse institutions to make a better media world. 555 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, newscollab.org
Best Local Label
Moone Records
Calling itself a “minimal label,” the local outfit founded more than a decade ago by brothers Micah and Caleb Dailey (vinyl lovers may know Caleb from his other job at Stinkweeds) has a robust roster of artists that includes indie music darlings Niall Breen and Freelove Fenner. It’s not Roc Nation, but we like it. moonerecords.com
Best Contortionist Theater
Kari Lake
If Kari Lake’s U.S. Senate run doesn’t work out, she could always work for Cirque du Soleil. Ever since the Arizona Supreme Court gave its blessing to a Civil War-era near-absolute ban on abortions, Lake’s been twisting herself into a pretzel over the issue. In 2022, while running for governor, Lake lauded the statute as a “great law that’s already on the books.” After the court ruling, she immediately backflipped, saying, “I oppose today’s ruling.” The far right had a kitten and two weeks later, Lake re-reversed herself in comments to conservative news outlets. Simone Biles got nothing on this woman.
Best cosplay goof
Phoenix Fan Fusion
It’s official: Being a dork is hip. For evidence, look no further than this annual Downtown nerd-a-palooza, which invites folk of all ages – but mostly adults – to play dress-up, outfitting themselves like the Mandalorian, the Little Mermaid, Captain America, et al. But it’s like the old Libertarian refrain: Whatever you do in your bedroom, or Gandalf robe, is your own business. phoenixfanfusion.com
Best Bureaucrats
The Water Ladies
It’s still a man’s world – even in Arizona, where so many women hold public office. Case in point: The Water Ladies. Attorneys Kathleen Ferris, Sarah Porter and Rita Maguire have decades of experience among them – leading the state’s Department of Water Resources, heading ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy and negotiating multi-state water deals. If anyone can make sense of our state’s water challenges, it’s these three. @kylcenter
Best Secret Gift to Democrats
The 1864 Abortion Law
Political sanity prevailed when GOP legislators broke ranks and repealed the unpopular statute on the third try, but is the damage already done? A woman’s right to choose will be center stage again in November, with a state constitutional amendment enshrining that right on the ballot, driving Democrats to the polls and possibly flipping the legislature – basically, a Grand Canyon-size self-inflicted wound by the Arizona GOP.
Best Policy Reversal
ASU Scraps DEI Statements
Free speech advocates celebrated last year when the Arizona Board of Regents ended diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) statements for job applicants. However, some ASU departments reportedly still require these lefty versions of McCarthy-era loyalty oaths. Meanwhile, the Goldwater Institute is suing ASU over mandated DEI training for professors that is proudly touted on ASU’s website. The change is great in theory. In practice, it’s wanting.
Best “Get a load of this guy”
State Rep. Alexander Kolodin
Are they putting LSD in the water in Fountain Hills? When Sandra Day O’Connor passed away in December at age 93, GOP Rep. Alexander Kolodin attacked the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice, telling his colleagues her judicial decisions weren’t sound to justify his opposition to a statue in her honor. We’re talking about the same Sandra Day O’Connor, right? Reagan-appointed, universally respected, trailblazing legend? What a bizarre hill to die on.
Best Pro Golfer Who Lives in Scottsdale
Jon Rahm
- 29-year-old Spaniard is a Scorpio, meaning he’s private, enigmatic and independent. See: leaving the PGA to join the upstart LIV tour last December for a reported $300 million.
- Has two Major championships under his belt (the U.S. Open in 2021 and the Masters in 2023). Highest worldwide ranking: No. 1 in 2020.
- Fun fact: The ASU product is the first European golfer to win both the Masters and the U.S. Open.
Max Homa
- 33-year-old California native is also a Scorpio, with characteristic charisma. See: his penchant for amusing social media posts, like when he Tweeted “Airplane middle seat: the most consistent missed-cut punishment.”
- Has yet to win a Major, but tied for third at the 2024 Masters and appears primed for a breakthrough. Highest worldwide ranking: No. 5 (this May).
- Fun fact: Homa holds the PGA Tour record for longest drive – 477 yards.
