(03/10/26 9:19pm)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – As state governments face a crisis over the Colorado River and negotiate over water rights, experts say local Arizona communities will need long-term strategies.With a decades-long drought across the Southwest and declining supplies of water from the Colorado River, elected officials in Arizona have long been advocating for the state’s water rights. Before meeting with other governors and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to negotiate Arizona’s allocation of Colorado River water, the Office of Governor Katie Hobbs released a statement calling for the need to protect Arizona’s share.Water from the Colorado River is managed by the Central Arizona Project, delivering supplies across 336 miles to cities across the valley, including Scottsdale. According to the city of Scottsdale’s website, 70% of the water Scottsdale uses comes from the Colorado River. This year, there is a reduced allocation of water to Arizona because the Colorado River basin is in a Tier 1 Shortage.“The drought has essentially been 20 years”, Central Arizona Project spokesperson DeEtte Person said. “The real crux of the issue is that we are talking about water from the Colorado River and we are in this period where the guidelines agreed upon are expiring in 2026.”According to the city of Scottsdale Water’s Strategic Plan, the city needs hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water stored in the aquifers below ground. As a result, government officials in Scottsdale and other municipalities need a long-term solution for providing adequate water for the growing population.“There's a lot of pressure on the Colorado River, on the allocations to local municipalities such as the one I live in Scottsdale,” former member of the Scottsdale Environmental Advisory Commission Ryan Johnson said. “The bottom line is that cities are trying to do what they can to ensure a long term water supply because it's vital to economic development and continued growth”. Scottsdale Water, the city’s municipal water utility, is providing new technologies for water planning and recycling. Scottsdale’s Advanced Water Treatment Facility treats recycled water and then recharges the aquifer with this treated water.“Groundwater is finite. It's not going to be there forever,” Scottsdale Water Spokesperson Bryan Bouchard said. “We are looking at other every other opportunity that we have to acquire new water sources.”Long-term planning for water usage in Scottsdale is important for the health of residents and the economic growth of businesses. Scottsdale Water’s Strategic Plan 2025-2030 includes a call to implement advanced purified water on a systemic basis by 2027 and Automated Meter Infrastructure Technology by 2030. The same plan states that Scottsdale Water will also propose to the Scottsdale City Council that the city invest in SRP’s Bartlett Dam and a City of Phoenix facility to draw on additional sources.In addition to recycling and seeking new sources, Scottsdale Water offers tips and educational materials to help residents and local businesses conserve water supplies. For residents seeking a more fundamental understanding of water planning and usage, Scottsdale Water offers a Water Citizen Academy.
(03/03/26 8:36pm)
Larisa: Although not entirely accurate to the original book, Emerald Fennell’s newest film ‘“Wuthering Heights”’ is both deeply moving and entertaining. Starring Margot Robbie as Catherine “Cathy” Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, the two leads have undeniable chemistry. Shazad Latif plays Edgar Linton and Alison Oliver portrays Isabella Linton, and Cathy’s father Mr. Earnshaw is played by Martin Clunes. Bear in mind, I went into this movie without having read the book. I knew small details about it, but didn’t have a full concept to base the movie off of, so when watching the film I was viewing it as its own entity. One of my favorite aspects of the film was the cinematography and set design. In the best way possible, every room introduced, especially at the Linton estate, felt like part of a dollhouse, reinforcing the idea of the role Cathy is forced to play and her feelings of helplessness. The lighting and coloring offered itself to some beautifully done shots and it always felt very intentional, something that I feel has been lacking in many films recently.Additionally, the costuming was fantastic. While not time period accurate, the outfits again added to the feeling of a dollhouse with unique, bold designs. Cathy’s dresses were some of my favorite outfits throughout the film. Her wedding dress, which can be seen in the trailer, is an especially beautiful example of the film’s costuming. I also liked that the men’s costumes weren’t boring or overly classic, a common problem of period films.Charli XCX’s score was another highlight of the film for me. There’s a montage with the song “Chains of Love” that had me floored and might have been one of my favorite sequences of the movie. Unfortunately, Charli’s vocal songs did occasionally take me out of the film because of how distinct her voice and style are. Both Robbie and Elordi were great in their respective roles, and the chemistry between them felt incredibly real. I hope to see the two act together again, I feel as though they worked well together in creating the film’s romantic tension. The only thing that really spoiled the film for me was finding out about details from Emily Brontë's novel that were changed or excluded from the movie. Book lovers may be disappointed with some of the major differences, but when looking at the movie as its own iteration, it holds up. The quotation marks around the title do a lot of the heavy lifting when separating the movie from the source material, but still serve their purpose as a barrier for any literary criticism. Overall, I felt that the movie was fantastic, and did a great job portraying such a jarring and emotionally tumultuous relationship, details from the novel aside. I think I spent the last thirty minutes of the movie crying, and this film will definitely be added to my list of romance movies to rewatch time and again. Spencer: Emerald Fennell is such a weird director. I seem to love her style, but the content in her films always leaves me wanting more.Aesthetically '"Wuthering Heights'" is a gorgeous film, full of beautiful nature, a mist that covers the landscape and eye-popping colors that would give Technicolor a run for its money. We saw the film in one of Harkins’ Cine XL theaters which features massive screens, 4K laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound. It’s basically IMAX but with really comfy chairs. '"Wuthering Heights'" should be seen on the largest screen possible, because it really makes the visuals stand out. The grain of the film is far more noticeable on the big screen and the scale of the landscape can truly be felt in such a large format. If we were basing the film purely on visuals, it could stand as one of the greatest films of the 21st century. Unfortunately, the story somewhat drags the film down. Just for honesty's sake, I’ve never read “Wuthering Heights,” nor was I aware of what the story was about before stepping into the theater. I knew Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were the stars, and I knew it was a celebrated piece of gothic fiction from the 1800s, but that’s it. So when I watched the actual film, I was caught off guard by the brash and unlikable characters, and surprised at how boring the second half of the film becomes. I think there’s a lot of intrigue set up in the beginning of the film, the dynamics between the characters are believable, and it kept me wondering where the story would go between Heathcliff and Catherine. They go from children to adults and their dynamic has clearly shifted, now with a far more lustful feel. They clearly want to be together, but something is holding them back. Eventually, Heathcliff comes out and admits his true feelings for Catherine, who seems to feel similarly but is afraid of marrying someone so much lower in class than her. Catherine is proposed to by the wealthy neighbor Edgar Linton, and she accepts the proposal despite her more genuine love for Heathcliff. When Heathcliff hears of the proposal and Catherine’s reasons for not wanting to be with him, he runs off in the middle of the night, leaving Catherine to marry Edgar. This leaves Catherine miserable, yet simultaneously rich and powerful. She enjoys the life Edgar gives her, but knows her heart is truly with Heathcliff. After years of marriage, Heathcliff appears once again, now a wealthy man of status. He hates Catherine for what she did to him, yet still holds so much love for her. Ok, so that all sounds pretty interesting, right? Well, that’s just over halfway through the movie. The other half of the movie is Catherine and Heathcliff having an affair and trying to hide it from Edgar and the servant Nelly, all while Catherine tries to hide the fact that she is with child from Heathcliff. Unfortunately, you can kind of see exactly where the movie goes from there. They do a whole “will they, won’t they” plot, drama ensues and eventually Heathcliff and Catherine can no longer see each other. He comes up with some… interesting ideas of how to get her back, but the attempts are futile. I won’t spoil the ending, but I promise you could see it from a mile away. Because the plot became so obvious and repetitive in the second half, it made me feel quite bored. There was some visual stuff that kept my attention, but the only part of the story that really kept my attention was the very strange things Elordi is forced to do in the second half. He is basically turned into a pure creature of sex for the audience to feed upon. At some point, he turns from a character with layers into a maniac whose only goal is to have Catherine at any cost. He does some disturbing things that I’d rather not describe, which were just shocking enough to keep me on my toes. But it was nothing of substance, so while my attention was still somewhat piqued, it was only as a result of the shock value. Despite how obvious and repetitive the story becomes, I still feel there is a lot to like about “Wuthering Heights.” Elordi, Robbie, Alison Oliver and Hong Chau all give great performances and the film itself is stunning, even with its deep historical inaccuracies. But the story, unfortunately, drags the rest of the film down, as does the weird Charlie XCX soundtrack that is played throughout the movie. The soundtrack actually took me out of some very important scenes, which really sucks. I think Fennell was trying too hard to make a classic English novel into something modern. I can appreciate the attempt and the film is most definitely unique, but there are just so many issues with it that I can’t call it a “great” film. If you like romance dramas and you like visually interesting films, you will definitely enjoy “Wuthering Heights.” Just don’t expect a modern masterpiece.
