I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis.
I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God.
I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree.
Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons.
I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA.
While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon..
In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God.
We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987).
From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting.
Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982.
I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects.
In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston.
In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018.
Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia.
In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey.
As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova.
Love and God Bless,
Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi
Gosar Introduces VA Hiring Integrity Act to Keep Convicted Fraudsters Off VA Payroll
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Paul Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement in response to introducing H.R. 10556, the VA Hiring Integrity Act of 2026, legislation that would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from hiring or retaining individuals who have knowingly committed fraud involving federal funds.
“Veterans who risked their lives to defend our country deserve to know that the people entrusted with their care and benefits can be trusted. It is unacceptable for someone who has committed fraud against the federal government to turn around and collect a federal paycheck—especially from the very department responsible for serving our veterans.
The need for stronger hiring protections is clear. A 2023 VA OIG report found four individuals on the Veterans Health Administration payroll who appeared on the HHS OIG exclusion list, including one convicted of health care fraud. The VA removed them only after the OIG identified the problem. As the VA itself recognizes, fraud, waste and abuse undermine the integrity of the agency and erode the trust veterans place in it.
My legislation gives the VA a common-sense tool to remove bad actors and protect veterans and taxpayers. There should be no such thing as a federal job for someone who has defrauded the federal government. We need to put veterans first, protect taxpayer dollars and make sure the VA has the authority it needs to deal with fraud and abuse,” stated Congressman Gosar.
“Veterans have tremendous potential to continue serving and strengthening their communities long after they leave the military, and they deserve a VA that helps them do just that,” added Michael Nudo, Federal Legislative Liaison for Concerned Veterans for America. “The VA Hiring Integrity Act is a commonsense safeguard that helps ensure bad actors don’t undermine the care and support veterans need to thrive and continue contributing to our country.”
Background:
Under the VA Hiring Integrity Act, an individual would be prohibited from employment at the VA if their conduct resulted in:
A criminal conviction for fraud, theft, bribery, kickbacks, false statements, conspiracy to commit such offenses, or similar crimes involving federal funds;
A final civil judgment establishing liability under the False Claims Act; or
Exclusion from federal health care programs as listed by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
The bill also preserves due process protections. The VA would be required to establish an internal grievance process for health care employees subject to the legislation, ensuring the law is applied based on documented conduct and cannot be weaponized for political purposes by changing administrations.
Original Cosponsors (34): Alford, Baird, Bean, Bergman, Biggs (SC), Bilirakis, Bost, Brecheen, Burchett, Carter (GA), Cloud, Davidson, Edwards, Fine, Finstad, Fry, Harrigan, Lawler, Luttrell, Mann, McDowell, McGuire, Messmer, Miller (OH), Moore (NC), Murphy (NC), Norman, Obernolte, Rose, Self, Sessions, Van Duyne, Van Orden, Wittman
Group Support: Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS, Concerned Veterans for America (CV4A), Military Order of the Purple Heart, Military-Veterans Advocacy (MVA), National Defense Committee, Tragedy Assistance Programs for Survivors (TAPS), Vietnam Veterans of America
The weekend is here, and we have gathered what is going on around San Tan Valley so it is all in one place.
Maybe you are looking for something to do with the family, catching up on local news, finding a business close to home, or just keeping up with your neighbors. You will find it all below.
Take a look, make some plans, shop local when you can – and have a great weekend, Pahovis ! 😊
Did You Know?
A lot of local stories start with a neighbor. If something is happening in the San Tan Valley area, like a new business, a local achievement or an event worth covering, you can tell us about it on our Share Your News page. It comes straight to us.
Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple told a U.S. Senate subcommittee on Sept. 23 that the newest AI-powered camera networks can violate people’s Fourth Amendment rights, and he asked Congress to write…
The Town of San Tan Valley’s new Planning and Zoning Commission picked its first chair and vice chair on Aug. 24, then spent the rest of the meeting on two cases it has no power to vote on.
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Looking for things to do in the upcoming week? Here are a few highlights from our events calendar. Don’t forget to check out the full events calendar at https://santanvalley.com/events to make sure you’re not missing out on anything.😀
The Cubs, White Sox, Guardians and Padres all clinched, meaning there are just two spots left — one in each league — before the 12-team October field is finalized.
With two AL divisions still to be decided, two playoff spots up for grabs and an unsettled NL Wild Card picture, the final three games of the season will be fun and frenzied.
The Red Sox welcome the Cubs to Fenway Park for Game 1 of a doubleheader at 1 p.m. ET before Pete Alonso and the Orioles take on Ben Rice and the Yankees in Game 2 of a doubleheader at 7 ET (or Braves vs. Marlins). Then, catch the D-backs vs. Padres following the final out of Orioles vs. Yankees (or Astros vs. A’s).
Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler. We have a poll for you, everything on the line this weekend, Verlander’s sendoff and more.
Looking at the 2026 playoff teams, you might notice something: Three of them have never won a World Series.
That’d be the Brewers, Rays and Padres, who are three of the five teams that have never won it all. (To the other two, the Rockies and Mariners: There’s always next year.)
So will we see a first-time World Series champion this year? Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and San Diego each have a pretty strong case why they can win. Let’s take a look — and we also want to get your vote on this in a sec.
Brewers
The Brewers are headed to their eighth postseason in the last nine years. They’re the best team in baseball this season, they just reached 100 wins for the first time, and they have the most overpowering pitcher on the planet in Jacob Misiorowski. This might be their best chance yet.
The Rays are the No. 1 seed in the American League. They were the best team in a loaded AL East division — the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox aren’t just playoff teams, they have the three best records in the AL. They have an MVP contender in Junior Caminero, a unique sparkplug in Chandler Simpson and great pitching depth. They’re a well-rounded team that can win in a lot of different ways.
The Padres will have to play their way through the Wild Card Series to reach the Fall Classic. That’s what happens when you’re in the same division as the back-to-back reigning champs. But San Diego is loaded with stars — Fernando Tatis Jr. has been a monster down the stretch — and is rolling into its third straight postseason run. Maybe most important for playoff baseball: This team has a lights-out bullpen. Mason Miller is the most dominant reliever in the game, and he’s just the start.
Which team is the MOST likely to win its first World Series this year?BREWERSRAYSPADRES
We’ll get back to you with the results on Monday.
EVERYTHING AT STAKE IN FINAL WEEKEND
We had four clinches yesterday — the White Sox, Cubs, Guardians and Padres — which means that 10 of the 12 postseason spots are locked up. But that still leaves two up for grabs in the final weekend of the season — and there are also still division titles to be won.
Here are the three biggest questions for the playoff picture that will be answered this weekend:
1) Who will win the AL West?
Of the two division races to be decided, this one has the highest stakes, because the loser goes home. The Astros and Rangers are tied for first place in the West at 79-80. Only one of them can make the playoffs. The Astros have the leg up because they hold the tiebreaker over Texas. The Rangers will have to win one more game than Houston this weekend.
2) Who will win the AL Central?
The Guardians are a game up on the White Sox entering the weekend, but Chicago holds the tiebreaker. Both teams have already clinched playoff spots — the second-place division finisher will slot into an AL Wild Card spot — but there’s a pretty big bonus for winning the division. The Central winner will be the No. 2 seed in the AL and get a bye into the Division Series.
3) Can the D-backs pull off the crazy comeback and take the last NL Wild Card?
It looked like the Padres, Cubs and Phillies were locks for the three NL Wild Card spots. But the Phils’ late-season slump has opened the door for a suddenly red-hot D-backs team. Arizona has won five in a row and is now only two games behind Philadelphia entering the final weekend. The Phillies control their own destiny, but the pressure’s on.
Besides those playoff races, there are also statistical races to be decided this weekend. See all the details here >>
BIGGEST SERIES OF THE WEEKEND
There’s going to be plenty of drama this weekend — and even the weather is getting involved, with teams moving games around to deal with the nor’easter that’s hitting the East Coast.
These are the two series that will decide the AL West. With the division tied, both the Astros and Rangers will send their aces to the mound tonight: Hunter Brown for Houston, Jacob deGrom for Texas. Again, the Astros have the tiebreaker cushion for the division, so the Rangers need to out-win them this weekend to make the playoffs.
To leapfrog the Phillies at the 11th hour, the D-backs have to go through a division rival and playoff team in the Padres. The Padres have stakes of their own — they’re a game up on the Cubs and two up on the Phils for the top NL Wild Card spot, which would earn them home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series. See our full preview of this series here >>
Even with the D-backs looming, the Phillies are still two games up for the last Wild Card with three to play. They can even clinch a postseason berth tonight with a win and an Arizona loss. And for tonight’s all-important series opener, Philadelphia gives ace Cristopher Sánchez the ball. The AL-best Rays are a tough last opponent, but they’re also already locked into the No. 1 seed entering this series, so they’re not playing to clinch anything.
We’re not sure yet, but this weekend also might be the sendoff for both Verlander and Scherzer.
Scherzer — Verlander’s former teammate with the Tigers, fellow three-time Cy Young winner, fellow 3,000-strikeout club member and fellow likely Hall of Famer — is expected to provide some clarity on his future in the next day or two. But it’s certainly possible that this will be the final season of Mad Max’s equally legendary career, too.
Scherzer could return on short rest to make one last start on Sunday in the Blue Jays’ season finale. If he does, we’ll certainly be watching — especially because there could be a battle for placement on the all-time strikeout leaderboard brewing.
Verlander enters the weekend with 3,554 K’s. Scherzer is right behind him with 3,550. Verlander is eighth all-time. Scherzer is ninth. The race could be on, one last time.
Every fifth day, the baseball world hyped up “José Day.” There was a palpable buzz in the Marlins’ home ballpark in Little Havana, which became the place to be in the South Florida sports scene.
From the moment Fernández debuted at 20 years and 250 days old, everyone knew he was something special.
It was his childlike exuberance matched with an equally competitive nature, the rare combination of joie de vivre and a masterclass in pitching. His infectious smile and big personality drew baseball diehards and casuals alike.
Fernández, who fled Cuba on a boat with his mother as a child, experienced true hardship that made the pressure of Major League Baseball seem easy compared to real life. He was the American Dream personified.
“He was a ball of energy,” former teammate and Marlins.TV broadcaster AJ Ramos said. “Whenever he was in the clubhouse, you knew it. Whenever he was pitching, you knew it. I think that’s why he brought a lot of people to the stadium.”
The White Sox slugger was the star of the postgame party after Chicago punched its ticket to the playoffs yesterday following three straight 100-loss seasons.
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