Restaurant Requires Vaccination + State Fair + Film Festival

Morning, neighbors! Madison here with your Friday edition of the Scottsdale Daily. It was a slow news day today, so I included some news from nearby — Phoenix, specifically. Hope this is agreeable and helpful to you plan your day!

First, today's weather: Clear throughout the day, with a 10mph breeze from the west-southwest. The high is 106 with a low of 89.

Here are the top stories in Scottsdale today:

1. A local chef finds herself at the center of the mask and vaccination debate after announcing guests will be required to show proof of vaccination to eat at the restaurant. Charleen Badman, chef and co-owner of FnB in Scottsdale, earned the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest award just a few years ago, but now is facing backlash after following the lead of New York City requiring proof of vaccination to eat at a restaurant, as well as Google and Disney requiring employees to be vaccinated. (KJZZ)
2. The Arizona State Fair announced it will be returning to the Arizona State Fairgrounds in downtown Phoenix this October 2 to October 30. Although there had been conversations about moving the Fair to the Gila River Indian Community’s Reservation, COVID-19 caused delays in supplies, materials, and other infrastructure necessities. As a result, it was not possible to relocate the Fair in time for this year, but the possibility is still on the table for 2022. (City Sun Times)
3. Arizona state health officials report that approximately 67 percent of inpatient beds and 53 percent of ICU beds in hospitals across the state were occupied as of July 29. With around 8 percent of inpatient beds and 15 percent of ICU beds being filled with COVID-19 patients. (read more on Patch)
4. After being postponed and scaled down in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Phoenix Film Festival returns in full force this August 12. There will be 99 feature films and an astounding 114 short films, all played at our very own Harkins Scottsdale 101. (AZCentral)
5. Seven Arizona cities, including Scottsdale, ranked on a recent list of the top 100 places that support an active lifestyle. Scottsdale ranked as the 4th best overall for active lifestyles, 2nd best for gyms, and as the 7th healthiest city in the US. Good job Scottsdale! (AZBigMedia)

Today's Scottsdale Daily is brought to you by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Scottsdale!

Today in Scottsdale

• Kindergarten Early Release - Anasazi Elementary (12:00 AM)
• MEMORY LOUNGE: Nature Shapes with Clay (1:30 PM)
• 6th Grade Ice Cream Social - Desert Canyon Middle School (3:30 PM)
• More Than Modeling - Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place (4:30 PM)
• DSMS Walk Through Event - Desert Shadows Middle (6:00 PM)
• Marching Band Concert - Chaparral High School (7:00 PM)

Scottsdale Patch Notebook

• Scottsdale Police Department: "Scottsdale PD's 5 newest police officer recruits went through a weeklong Pre-Academy to prepare for the 25 - week Police Academy. " (Facebook)
• City of Scottsdale - Government: "If you spend a lot of time in Old Town Scottsdale you’ve probably seen our mounted police on patrol, especially during busy nights in the entertainment district." (Facebook)
• Scottsdale Sports Complex: "Fresh Paint - SSC staff prepping fields for this weekend's games." (Facebook)
• Arizona State University Alumni: "When ASU Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation professor Charlotte Thrall took her husband to the emergency room after an accident, she didn't expect to find one of her former students at his bedside." (Facebook)
• Scottsdale Vista Career Center: "Check out all the services we are offering in August! For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please visit https://ScottsdaleAZ.gov/.../vista-del-camino/career-center" (Facebook)
• Scottsdale Economic Development: "Congratulations Trainual! The Scottsdale-based company was named a winner of the Mountain Desert Region for the 2021 EY Entrepreneur of the Year program." (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Free Family Mini Photo Sessions (August 7)
• Ask the Divorce Experts – Scottsdale, AZ Hub ~ No–Cost Webinar (August 12)
• Shine On Floyd - Pink Floyd tribute band concert (August 14)

Gigs & services:

• High APS bills? Let me help (Details)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday. I'll see you soon! If you're loving these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to follow along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Madison Feser

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Scottsdale Daily? I'm all ears. You can email me at madison.feser@patch.com.