The Dealmaker: 4/19/2017

My View: In defense of publicly funded sports facilities. With gloves on and poised to fend off counterpunches to his PBJ opinion-piece (see the pic), PR heavyweight Jason Rose deftly defends the notion of publicly funded sports facilities, “[a]t a time when the public is revolting against new requests by the owners of three Valley sports teams.” http://bit.ly/2oPoDkYThe Internet isn’t killing shopping malls — other malls are. “Internet retailing is eating into mall revenue, but competition from newer shopping centers was the most common cause of death…” The WSJ looks at a Wells Fargo Securities study of 72 malls across the country. Curious about how many of those have been demolished, “redeveloped” or “reused,” and which states have suffered the most mall ‘murders’?  Then tap to it: http://bit.ly/2pCt7hC

Paying taxes in cash, marijuana companies have a lot to hash out with IRS. “[C]ompanies involved in the $6.7 billion US cannabis industry are forced… to count and hand-deliver… millions of dollars to the IRS…. That’s because legal marijuana businesses have to pay taxes under IRS code 280E, the same category reserved for illegal drug traffickers. KEY QUOTE: “There are thousands [of cannabis businesses]… and all of them are carrying around tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash… It’s, in my opinion, just a matter of time before we see a tragedy.” CNBC. http://bit.ly/2pS977n

Arizona Supreme Court to rule on same-sex child parental rights. “In October, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Suzan McLaughlin was entitled to the same parental rights as if she were a man after her wife Kimberly McLaughlin became pregnant through artificial insemination and gave birth to a son…. Unless overturned, the appellate decision would indicate judges have to read state law to apply in any circumstance, regardless of the gender of the parent seeking parental rights.” Further details about the case and ruling along with attorney reaction at Arizona Capitol Times. http://bit.ly/2onwZiD

Candidate list grows for school chief’s post. Yesterday we mentioned that Tempe City Councilman David Schapira was entering the “2018 race for superintendent of public instruction.” Now, former U.S Rep. Frank Riggs has also thrown his hat into the ring.  And, according to this report in a Arizona Capitol Times, “neither challenger to Republican Diane Douglas had kind words for the incumbent.” —> http://bit.ly/2oPhfWT

LAST DITCH EFFORT? – ’Mixed feelings’ — Court of Appeals rules on Verde Ditch. “The Verde Ditch Company and the Salt River Project are not permitted to litigate the water rights of Verde Ditch shareholders in the Yavapai County Superior Court, said the ruling…” Verde Ditch commish Al Dupuy: “[T]he process to fairly supply water will now… be ‘more expensive, more cumbersome and will take much longer.’” Meanwhile, Jane Russell-Winiecki, Executive Office of Chairwoman for the Yavapai-Apache Nation [which is a ‘shareholder on the Verde Ditch’] says the court’s decision “produces mixed feelings.” Find out why, in Camp Verde Bugle. http://bit.ly/2pCRLfk