29 JULY 2026 By Olivia Garcia For Gio Santora, there is nothing like stepping onto a racetrack after a long day. At 17 years old, the professional race car driver has already spent more than a decade behind the wheel and has no plans to slow down. Santora’s racing journey began when he was four years old, at CrackerJax, where he first discovered go-karting. What started as a childhood pastime quickly became a passion as he spent hours developing his skills. As his interest in racing grew, Santora continued training at K1 Speed and Octane Raceway in Scottsdale. During those early years, he focused on mastering passing, the art of out-timing competitors, and quick decision-making under pressure. His dedication soon translated into success on a larger stage. After establishing himself in national karting competitions, Santora represented Team USA at the Rotax Grand Finals in West Asia in 2023. He then gained further momentum by winning the FEED Racing Shootout, a motorsports scholarship competition that earned him a Formula 4 scholarship in France. Since then, Santora has advanced to the MINI Challenge UK, where he competes as the series’s only American driver and one of its youngest racers. Most recently, Santora competed during the Snetterton TOCA weekend in May. He qualified 15th for Round 6 with a lap time of 2:21.330. Even with those accomplishments, Santora said the transition from karting to race cars brought a new set of challenges. Unlike open-air karts, race cars require drivers to adapt to new braking techniques, and vehicle controls become essential as they progress through the ranks. “Overall, it’s adapting to the car’s conditions,” he said. “We drive four different race cars, and they all tend to handle a little differently. The most challenging being a setup designed for an opposing driving style.” To manage those challenges, Santora relies on mental preparation as much as physical skill. Before races, he listens to “Interbloom (Radio Edit)” by RÜFÜS DU SOL, says a prayer, and writes motivational phrases on his steering wheel. Another lesson that continues to guide him came from racing coach Simon Dawson of Dawson Racing. “Never let anything get in your head,” Santora recalled. “At the end of the day, it’s you and you only, and anything that distracts you, you should take out of your mind.” His father, George, said he is grateful for the opportunities his son has earned. “The experience he’s getting, the independence, and how much he is learning is incredible,” George said. “We’re lucky to have a good foundation over there.” Santora competed in Pembrey in June in the MINI Challenge UK. He will race at Thruxton in July - one of the fastest and most demanding circuits. “I’ve learned you can’t skip any steps because if you do, something will fall down,” Santora said. “You have to give your dreams 110 percent, which means always looking onwards and upwards.” or much of my life, I felt like I was standing in my own way. My name is Gabe Turner. I’m the creator of UNTZ Apparel, a graphic designer and someone who has spent much of his life searching for connection and confidence. From the outside, things looked fine. I played baseball as a kid, softball as an adult, stayed active and built a career as a graphic designer. Inside, though, I often felt like something was holding me back. It wasn’t a lack of effort. It was a poor self-image and negative inner dialogue. For as long as I can remember, a voice in my head questioned my decisions, second-guessed my abilities and convinced me to play it safe and isolate. I focused less on what could go right and more on what could go wrong. That pattern followed me beyond sports. I struggled with social anxiety and spent years avoiding situations that made me uncomfortable. That felt safe, but I felt disconnected from the people around me, and it cost me close friendships as well as relationships. For a portion of my life, I also suffered from frequent migraines. They often left me feeling mentally and physically drained, making it even easier to retreat from the world instead of engaging with it. Part of that came from how I was raised. One of the messages I grew up hearing was that you should be seen and not heard. Over time, I internalized that deeply. I learned to stay quiet, avoid attention and keep many of my thoughts and ideas to myself. It made me more reserved in most of the things I did, more comfortable observing life than actively participating in it. Ironically, one thing that helped me find myself was something I spent years avoiding: electronic dance music (EDM). Growing up around ‘music snobs,’ EDM, especially techno, was treated as a joke. People in my friend group would imitate the beat by repeating the word “untz, untz, untz” and mock it for its simplicity and repetitive nature. For years, I accepted those opinions without giving the music much of a chance. Then, four years ago, my life changed. I lost my father. My dad and I were not always especially close, and we rarely talked about life. Much of that was my own fault, because of the self- isolation I mentioned earlier. That made one of our final conversations even more meaningful. He had spent years dealing with serious health problems and understood how quickly opportunities can disappear. During that conversation, he spoke honestly about missed opportunities and things he wished he had done while he still had the chance. Then he gave me a piece of advice that changed my life. He encouraged me to start experiencing life, try new things and, half-jokingly, said to do everything once. Because conversations like that were rare for us, those words carried even more weight. After he passed away, I returned to them again and again. That conversation became the start of an unexpected journey. My father set me off on an adventure to reclaim my life – not through grand gestures, but through a simple decision to stop letting fear make my choices. It sparked something in me, I began saying yes more often. Yes to travel. Yes to new experiences. Yes to meeting people. Yes to stepping outside my comfort zone. That decision led me to places I never expected. Along the way, I got more into fitness, electronic music and festival culture. While there are positive and negative aspects to most cultures, my festival experiences have been mostly positive. I found a community built around music, movement and connection. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged. Festivals are where I feel most alive. The EDM genre and dancing has helped quiet the noise in my head and allows me to constructively confront the hurdles in my life. Fitness has had a similar impact. Movement became more than exercise. It became a source of confidence, focus and growth. Whether through sports, training or dancing, movement taught me to trust myself. Growth often happens when we step into discomfort instead of running from it. The name UNTZ comes from those old jokes about electronic music. What was once used to mock a sound became a symbol of something meaningful. That idea evolved into UNTZ Apparel and a message that has become deeply personal to me: Unleash Your Freq. To me, that message has a double meaning, it’s about unleashing your frequency and your freak. Not “freak” in the negative sense, but in the sense of embracing the parts of yourself you’ve spent years hiding. It’s about letting go of the fear of standing out and pursuing what makes you feel alive. Whether that is fitness, music, creativity, competition, entrepreneurship or self- expression, we all have something that energizes us and makes us feel most like ourselves. To me, unleashing your frequency means finding that authentic part of yourself and putting it into the world. It’s your energy, passion, creativity, self-expression and purpose. By broadcasting it, you can help inspire others to find their own path. That is what UNTZ represents: movement, connection, self-expression and the courage to fully participate in life. The voice that once told me what I couldn’t do has never completely disappeared. The difference is that I’ve learned to quiet it. Life is meant to be experienced. Every workout, festival, friendship and experience outside my comfort zone feels like a way of honoring that final conversation. My dad told me to start living. I’m working on it. For more info, follow UNTZ Apparel on the gram @untz.apparel & untzapparel.com Arcadia News designer finds connection through movement & music Speed, skill and international success follow this Arcadia racer Gabe Turner (left) created UNTZ Apparel in hopes of inspiring others through music, movement and connection. From go-karts at CrackerJax to racecars across the pond, Gio Santora has big plans for his summer – including multiple races in the UK. PHOTO COURTESY OF SIMON DAWSON

30 JULY 2026 By Michael P. Murphy Imagine going into a Valley bar or a restaurant and ordering a glass of wine. As the server pours, you ask about the details – vintage, flavor profile, etc. It might happen that the server knows nothing about it. Their job is to pour, right? Did you know there’s a wine bar in Old Town Scottsdale where every single employee is certified and knows how to talk wine? Welcome to The Wine Collective – a shop that’s celebrating its fourth anniversary in 2026. Owner Zoya Vero-Shah is proud of her staff’s knowledge. It’s a standard she expects as a customer, she said, because she is passionate about wine, hospitality, and people. She loves making people feel good. Her background conveys her experience in the industry. “I have been in the business for 20- plus years,” she said. “I started out as a bartender and a server, then I became a distribution rep in Florida, then a specialist. I opened my first bar, the Wine Cellar, in 2011, then a second location. This is my third, which is also a tasting and bottle shop.” Zoya likes to stress that they are “representing the unrepresented” wineries that are too small to open a tasting room in the city. The goal is to cater to everybody, with a focus on vino from twelve Arizona wineries. They also offer wines that are difficult to grow in our desert climate, such as pinot noir. Libations from Italy, France, Oregon, and California are also available. “People are usually interested in the Arizona wines,” Zoya said. “We offer a wonderful variety for customers to enjoy. In one sitting, if you wanted, you could try up to 12 different sips, all from different parts of the state.” The Wine Collective held its anniversary celebration with a Meet the Maker event featuring Todd Bostock of Dos Cabezas Wineworks. Zoya hopes to begin a delivery service in the future, but in the meantime, there is much to appreciate for patrons of The Wine Collective, including the environment. There is a certain vibe to being in Old Town Scottsdale that can’t be duplicated elsewhere. “I moved from DC 20 years ago, and I fell in love,” she said. “It’s very unique, so I wanted to have a place here. I love the energy and catering to people that are traveling and showing them amazing wines. It’s a great community.” the-wine-collective.com The Wine Collective pours knowledge into every glass There is no shortage of wine in Old Town Scottsdale. Here are a few other spots to check out: v WINE GIRL 4205 N. Scottsdale Road Locally owned and serving wines by the glass, flight and bottle, plus local craft beers and snacks. winegirl.com v ARIDUS WINE AND TASTING ROOM 7173 E. Main St. Aridus offers a space where folks can try award-winning wines produced in Southeast Arizona. ariduswineco.com v LDV WINERY 7134 E. Stetson Dr. Enjoy a wine tasting flight, wines by the glass or bottle to enjoy on one of two patios, or purchase wines to go. ldvwinery.com v LOS MILICS VINEYARDS 4151 N. Marshall Way Los Milics grows its own grapes and pair their wines with inventive bites at this Scottsdale tasting room. losmilicsvineyards.com WHERE TO SIP Shop owner Zoya Vero-Shah. The Wine Collective offers tastings, small bites and education. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZOYA VEROSHAH By Michael P. Murphy On April 25, 1976, two protesters with ill intent stepped onto the field at Dodger Stadium during an afternoon game against the Chicago Cubs. They dropped an American flag on the grass in left/center field, soaked it with kerosene and flicked a lighter. That’s when Cubs outfielder Rick Monday raced to the trespassers, grabbed the flag and ran away with it before the protesters could set it on fire. The crowd of baseball fans cheered. The protesters were arrested, fined $80 each and given two years’ probation. That was 50 years ago. Monday not only saved the flag from destruction, but he also took ownership of it. It is now on exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, where visitors not even born that day can learn its history and appreciate it. The American flag matters. It should be treated with respect. In 1942, a joint resolution of the United States Congress passed and later amended what is now known as the U.S. Flag Code. While it stands as U.S. Federal law, following the code is voluntary, a guideline for how to display and not display the flag, how it should be handled, and how it should be properly disposed of. Here are some examples: • A flag should only be displayed from sunrise to sunset unless properly illuminated at night. Only an all-weather flag should be displayed during foul weather. • It is commonly thought that when a flag touches the ground it should be destroyed, but that is not true. If a flag is soiled, it should be properly washed or dry cleaned. • The flag should never be displayed with the union stars upside down, unless to stand for dire distress. • Most American Legion posts and Boy Scout troops hold retirement ceremonies for American flags, including Arcadia’s Troop 6. The United States Postal Service has a process, known as V-P approved, for displaying flags other than the American flag at postal stations. Flags representing MIA-POWs and the US Postal Service are approved. County, state or any other flags are not allowed. No other flag should be at the same level, or above, to the right of the American flag. According to Phoenix Fire Department Captain DJ Lee, fire stations keep their flag raised around the clock, lowering it only when it needs to be replaced or lowered to half-staff. “Half-staff is usually for when someone of significance gets hurt or dies,” he said. “The City of Phoenix will usually tell us when to put it at half-staff, when we lower the flag halfway down the pole as a sign of mourning.” Would you believe there is a name for an expert in flags? A flag expert is known as a vexillologist, a term coined in 1957 by Whitney Smith, himself a scholar of flags. While most of us are not destined to be a vexillologist, it is good to be well versed in the proper etiquette of the American flag – especially during the month of our nation’s 250 th birthday. Rick Monday’s action serves as a reminder why the flag matters, because people still choose to protect and honor it. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave…