SanTan Sun News 02-26-2023

COVID’s gone, but millions in relief bucks aren’t

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

Most Americans look at the COVID-19 pandemic a lot differently today than when it first arrived as those early months were filled with unknowns as fears for the economy grew with business shutdowns.

Some of those fears were based in reality. The unemployment rate reached 14.7% in April 2020, the highest it has gone since the Great Depression. The Gross Domestic Product dropped by 32% during that second quarter of 2020.

So, the federal government responded by throwing money at the problem.

A lot of money.

About $5 trillion was shipped to individuals, businesses, schools and local governments to help them overcome the economic fallout of COVID-19.

The money was approved with mostly bipartisan support and it did help. The

COVID-19 recession was the shortest in U.S. history, lasting two months, MarchApril, 2020.

Chandler received its share of that money – and still has millions of it in the bank.

City officials said they received just under $100 million in COVID funds and have yet to spend $46.8 million.

Chandler Unified School District got about $83 million and has not spent over $31.5 million, according to a recent report from the Arizona Auditor General.

“We did not have a lot of the technologies in place for our employees to work mobile, for the security that you need … for a change that large, and also just communicating with the public through WebEx and Zoom and all the different methods,” said city Chief Financial Officer Dawn Lang.

“So it was all hands on deck with our technology team. And it really took a lot

of the funds themselves to get us where we needed to be, and it was a pretty speedy process.”

The information technology department received $10.8 million to make the city’s website more mobile-friendly and to beef up security so employees could work safely from home.

Lang said it took about a year for the city to be fully ready for remote work and helping citizens connect from their mobile devices.

“It was a pretty amazing undertaking, we did have to bring in quite a few contractors to help us get there as well,” Lang said.

Most of the money, more than $36 million, went to the city’s Housing Department.

It was intended to help those who were most impacted by the pandemic. There were also funds to help pay for utilities, get food to senior citizens and

provide emergency shelter.

The city also spent $500,000 on personal protection equipment and another $250,000 to establish four mobile hotspots to help CUSD students connect to the internet to facilitate their remote learning.

First responders did not get a lot of direct funds from the government. However, the money freed up by those funds allowed the city to spend about $4.8 million on its police and firefighters in addition to state and federal grants totaling another $814,282.

But not all of the money was used strictly on pandemic-related issues.

The city manager’s office spent $50,000 of the funds to promote events for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office. The Economic Development office spent nearly $500,000 on tourism

San Marcos parents get good news on school’s future

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

Chandler Unified School District Superintendent Frank Narducci gave some good news to the San Marcos community at a Feb. 21 informational meeting.

“As a result of your input, feedback and recommendations and conversations with leaders in this community, we believe the best path forward is to maintain San Marcos Elementary as a pre-K through sixth grade campus.”

The “Save San Marcos” signs some people brought would not be needed since the district does not plan to recommend closing the school.

However, Narducci made it clear there may come a time when the school could not be saved and asked for the community’s help in making sure they don’t

reach that point.

“We know that typically schools with enrollment below 300 students experience increased challenges in providing equitable opportunities for all students,” Narducci said. “For that reason, should the enrollment at San Marcos drop in the 200 range, the district recommendation will be to repurpose the school.”

San Marcos had the lowest enrollment of the nine schools that are under consideration for repurposing.

Its 2021-2022 100-day enrollment, which is the number the state uses to determine funding since students come and go all year, was 357. The school has a capacity of 840.

The meeting was the second at San

See SAN MARCOS on Page 4

Police union head claims city retaliation

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

The head of the Chandler police union has filed a legal claim against the city, alleging officials retaliated against him for some of the things he said and did as head of that body.

Michael Collins, president of the Chandler Law Enforcement Association (CLEA), is offering to settle his claim for $470,000. In a statement, the city said, “Since it’s a legal claim and personnel matter, we won’t be making any comments at this time.”

The claim was filed with the city on Jan. 31 by attorney Kathyrn R.E. Baillie.

In it, Collins claims he was removed

from the city’s Criminal Intelligence Unit as retaliation for comments he made to the media in his role as the leader of CLEA. Collins has worked for the Chandler Police Department for 28 years.

“The relationship between Det. Collins and command staff began to change when he started to meet with

the public and the local media regarding the working conditions and short staffing of police officers in Chandler,” the claim says.

“As Det. Collins continued to gain media attention and the public began

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on Page 5

Kym Marshall, center, the executive director for student personalized learning at Chandler Unified School District, takes notes as she listens to ideas during a Feb. 21 meeting on how to attract new students to San Marcos Elementary School. (Ken Sain/Managing Editor)

MICHAEL COLLINS

SAN

Marcos. There have been similar meetings at the other eight schools the district is considering repurposing. The district said it needs to address declining enrollment in the years to come at Bologna, Conley, Hull, Frye, Galveston, Navarrete, and Sanborn elementary schools and Shumway Leadership Academy.

No decision has been made on the fate of any of the nine schools. District staffers currently are engaging the schools’ respective communities and will make recommendations to the Governing Board at a later date.

While high school enrollment is above capacity, the earliest grades are starting to show signs of a downward trend.

During an Aug. 10 study session, district officials said there were a number of factors.

The biggest reason is the lack of affordable housing in Chandler. Young families with children under five mostly cannot afford to live in the city. They are moving to places where they can buy a house.

That same factor has been cited by a demographer as one of the reasons for student enrollment declines in the Kyrene and Tempe Union school districts, which serve parts of northern and western Chandler.

Chandler’s population also is getting older, and for the most part many of the families that remain either have older children now filling up the high schools or their children have gone on to college or started working.

CUSD has about 45,000 students. Based on birth rates, officials expect the enrollment to drop 270 students per year, with the strongest declines taking place in 2024-2025 and 2027-2028.

Another factor is the growth of charter schools. There are 18 charter schools with a total of about 10,400 K-12 students that operate within the district’s boundaries.

Declining enrollment means the district will get less funding from the state. To deal with that reality, the district launched a repurposing committee at the start of this school year to examine underutilized schools.

It also committed to rebuilding one of

the schools on the list, Galveston.

Since Galveston (to the northeast) and San Marcos (to the southwest) both serve the downtown region and are on the list, one possible solution would be combining the two. Galveston had 443 students last year, but had the lowest percentage capacity at 42%. San Marcos is at 43% capacity.

That percentage prompted community fears about San Marcos’ future.

The new $23.6 million Galveston school is currently in design. CUSD officials hope to have it ready for use in the 2024-2025 school year.

District facilitators at last week’s meeting led participants in a discussion about what the community wants – and what can the district reasonably do to attract more students to San Marcos so it wouldn’t have to close.

Repurposing doesn’t have to mean closing. The district has been repurposing its buildings for years. Goodman Elementary became Chandler Traditional Academy-Goodman. Erie Elementary is now Arizona College Prep Middle School.

Knox and Weinberg elementary schools are both gifted academies today.

San Marcos Elementary serves a large Latino population. The meeting this month was held in both Spanish and English and both of Chandler’s elected Latino representatives attended, City Council member Angel Encinas and CUSD Governing Board member Patti Serrano. Encinas graduated from San Marcos.

Narducci made it clear if it is going to stay open then the community needs to help district officials decide how best to attract more students.

“School administration and staff, along with the community, are now tasked with brainstorming programming and engagement opportunities to grow and sustain enrollments here at San Marcos, so all students can receive an equitable educational experience,” Narducci said.

Michael Hiatt publisher emeritus

Laurie Fagen account executive Jane Meyer jane@TimesLocalMedia.com

executive editor

Paul Maryniak

managing editor Ken Sain photographer

27,250+

Leo Schlueter, Chandler Unified School District Executive Director of Elementary Schools, West District, speaks to

with

assist from translator Vanessa Rivera during a Feb. 21 meeting at San Marcos Elementary. (Ken Sain/Managing Editor)

COLLINS

from Page 1

to question the City of Chandler, Det. Collins started to see a shift within the command staff and was called on numerous occasions, sometimes when he was a detective and not as a president, to Chief Sean Duggan’s office where he was met with disdain, confrontation, bullying and intimidation to cease his continued activities.”

Collins’s claim accuses the city of removing him from the Criminal Intelligence Unit and National Operations Center Detail, and that Duggan attacked his reputation with false claims he was not performing as a detective.

Because he was removed from his position on the Criminal Intelligence Unit, Collins lost his top-secret SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) credentials.

The claim says that holding those positions allows for potential opportunities once a detective retires.

The claim says the Collins received excellent evaluations before he began speaking to the media as the head of CLEA.

Those evaluations cited his willingness to be flexible to help meet staffing needs, according to the claim, which

also noted that in 2021, the intel unit received a citation for its work.

Collins spoke to SanTan Sun News a few times.

His strongest comments came after Mayor Kevin Hartke’s 2022 State of the City speech. Hartke had claimed during his speech that crime rates are the lowest in 35 years thanks to the efforts of the police.

“That doesn’t pass the smell test,” Collins said at the time. He pointed out that the city in the 1980s had a fraction of the about 275,000 residents it has today. The mayor made a similar remark in his State of the City address this month.

He went on to detail how the mayor could make that claim, even though common sense otherwise.

“Our department hasn’t kept up with the growth of this city. We’ve been asked to do more with less for almost 13 years now. We’ve kind of reached the breaking point.”

Collins also said in the interview that the city needed to do more to attract more officers to Chandler, and that current officers were overworked.

“We’re stretched very thin,” he said in April of 2021. “It’s happening more than anyone should be comfortable with, and our citizens deserve better.”

He also complimented the city after

it agreed to give each officer a $2,000 bonus as part of its current labor agreement.

“We appreciate that the City Council recognizes the difficulties of policing for our current officers, and how competitive the market is for new recruits,” Collins said in March 2022.

“Our officers have worked incredibly hard for a very long time, and I’m glad we are able to find ways to reward them for the excellent job they have done to keep the community safe.”

Collins said because of the ongoing claim, he could not talk to the media about this case at this time. A call to his attorney was not returned.

One council member, Jane Poston, may have a conflict of interest in considering this case, if it reaches the Council in executive session.

Poston, who was elected in August and began serving her term in January, did media relations work for CLEA before joining council.

Poston said in an email the case has not made its way to the council level yet.

She said if it does, she would seek the advice of the city’s attorney before deciding whether she should recuse herself.

CUSD program helps struggling students succeed

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

Last summer Perry High School student Gabriel Ruiz was worried about his upcoming senior year.

“It was not good,” Gabriel said. “I was down a lot of credits, I didn’t think I would graduate at the time. I knew I could make up my core credits, but I didn’t know about electives or any of that stuff.

“I didn’t think I would graduate. I thought I might drop out and get my GED.”

Fast forward to this month and Gabriel learned that not only will he be graduating, but he just got accepted to attend Northern Arizona University.

He credits Chandler Unified School District’s Early College program for helping him turn it around. The school is on the campus of Chandler-Gilbert Community College and offers a small-school alternative to students in need of extra attention.

“It’s a small school,” said Gabriel, who said he thought he was going to be 12 credits short of graduating when the school year began. “At Perry, it’s hard to get noticed because your teachers have like 300 kids. It’s hard to get their attention sometimes, or reach out for help. Here, I just needed that little extra push to get my way there.”

Janeen Scaringelli, the director of Early

College, is in her first year in that position and has seen enrollment more than double this year, from 43 students last year to 95 now.

In fact, since the program only has three classrooms, leaders have had to put some students on a waitlist to get in.

What was the key to getting enrollment to more than double in her first year?

“My connections with the counselors

at the high school,” Scaringelli replied.

“[We] met and talked with them to promote our program, but it’s really having that personal connection with the counselors, letting them know that we are going to take care of their kids as best we can,” she said.

Students enrolled in the Early College program come from all six CUSD high schools and are from all four grade levels. They remain part of those schools, meaning they can play on sports teams, or participate in band, drama, or attend homecoming and prom.

However, they take their classes at CGCC. In addition, they are eligible to take college courses. The college provides a grant so they can sign up for classes at a discounted rate. The typical Early College student has his or her high school classes in the morning, then college classes in the afternoon.

This differs from the dual enrollment program, where students get college credit for classes they take on their high school campus.

This year, for the first time, an Early College student will not only be graduating from high school, but will also have earned an Associate of Arts degree from CGCC.

So what types of students benefit from the Early College program and why are counselors recommending students?

“They’re not being successful at their school, and they feel that a … smaller school environment will assist,” Scaringelli said. “They also know we have a full-time counselor who’s absolutely amazing. I have a former counseling background. So we kind of give tender, loving care.”

Because of space limitations, all grades take English together at the same time. Students sit in different groups based on their grade level. The teacher takes turns working with each group, while making sure the other groups have a project they need to be working on.

Scaringelli said Gabriel is just one success story and that there are many more.

“His life changed because of here, because he was able to have the opportunity and people that believed in him, because we pushed him,” she said.

Gabriel agrees, saying he can see a brighter future now than the one he imagined last summer.

“I think [I’ll major] in computer science,” he said. “I like computers and I’m pretty good at math, so I’d like to do that.”

English teacher Carla Brown works with a group of students during class at Chandler Unified School District’s Early College program at the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Pecos Campus, Wednesday, February 15, 2023, in Chandler, Arizona. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

(Above) Perry High School student Gabriel Ruiz thought he’d have to drop out of school because of his frustrations with his academic progress, but the Early College program changed his life around. (Inset) Janeen Scaringelli is the director of the Chandler Unified School District’s Early College. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

3 Chandler students top regional Brain Bee

SANTAN NEWS STAFF

Three Chandler students were the top three finishers in Midwestern University’s the 24th Annual Arizona Regional Brain Bee, an educational competition similar to a spelling bee that focuses on neuroscience.

Presented in partnership with the BHHS Legacy Foundation. the bee featured 45 students from 15 Valley high schools testing their knowledge of the human brain and how it governs human behavior.

They also were asked about the science that helps medical professionals understand brain function over the 19 rounds of questions.

The top three Brain Bee finishers, in order, were Baochan Fan of Hamilton High School, last year’s runner-up Catherine McInnes and Pranati Chintada. Catherine and Pranati are both BASIS Chandler students.

Baochan is now eligible to compete at

the 2023 U.S. National Brain Bee at the University of California, Irvine, this spring, with Midwestern offsetting the travel, hotel, and food costs up to $2,000. BASIS Chandler was recognized as the overall highest-scoring team for the event.

Dr. Douglas Jones, associate professor of pharmacology at the Midwestern University College of Graduate Studies, served as the faculty academic director.

Midwestern University student volunteers served as judges, question readers, timers, and scorekeepers at all stages of the event.

Questions ran the gamut from identifying physical features of the brain itself to naming brain disorders and diseases to surgical and medical practices that modify neural behaviors.

The Arizona Regional Brain Bee is by BHHS Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit whose philanthropic mission is to enhance the quality of life and health of those it serves.

State lawmakers may override some local chicken laws

BY HOWARD FISCHER

Capitol Media Services

Legislation awaiting a House vote would override most local ordinances that now keep poultry out of many residential areas and allow for more chickens

that Chandler’s new ordinance does.

The measure is being pushed by Rep. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, would allow residents to keep up to nine birds – four more than Chandler allows – as long as they comply with certain conditions. But

like Chandler’s ordinance, it would not supersede HOA rules against chicken coops.

“Chickens are loving birds,’’ Payne told members of the House Committee on Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs twow eeks ago, likening them to other pets.

“You can hold them,’’ he said. “They purr. They help soothe people.’’

Payne also said they “love to have company,’’ which is why his HB 2483 seeks to allow more than just a lone chicken.

And then there’s the practical side.

“They produce eggs, the golden nuggets that come out,’’ he said.

Only thing is, not every community sees things the same way. And even in cities and counties that allow residents to have the birds, the rules are not uniform.

This would change all that.

In essence, the proposal said if you live in a single-family detached home, you can have chickens.

Still, there would be rules.

Noisy roosters are still poultry-non-grata.

Letting the chickens roam cage free on a lot of less than half an acre also would be off limits. Instead, they would have to be kept in an enclosure at the side or rear of the property at least 15 feet from a neighbor. And the pens could be no larger than 200 feet.

Then there would be requirements to maintain the pens and either pick up or compost the manure at least twice a week, and do it in a way to prevent insects.

There also are requirements to have adequate overflow drainage for water sources and that food be stored in insect-proof and rodent-proof containers.

Glendale resident Shelly Honn urged lawmakers to approve the measure after she was forced to get rid of “the girls’’ in her yard. And she said efforts to get the city to change its ordinance proved unsuccessful.

Honn also told lawmakers they need to consider the issue in light of other events, ranging from fires at egg ranches to other disasters.

That would include incidents of bird flu which have required flocks to be destroyed. And that, in turn, has been one of the things that has driven up the price of eggs.

“Arizonans need some sort of food security,’’ Honn said.

“Some want to live sustainably,’’ she continued. “A small flock of chickens would go a long way with both of these.’’

Not everyone was enthusiastic.

Marshall Pimentel, lobbyist for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns said his organization is not opposed in concept. But he would like changes, like limiting chicken ownership to lots of more than a half acre, with a six-bird cap.

Lawmakers were not persuaded as they voted unanimously to approve the measure.

“With the cost of food nowadays, this is how families can afford good-quality protein,’’ said Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford.

There is one group left out of this: Residents of homeowner associations which can enact their own restrictions, regardless of local ordinances.

Lawmakers could override HOA rules. And they’ve done that in the past.

Consider the measures they have approved governing everything from allowing political signs to permitting them to fly certain flags like those honoring first responders or remembering prisoners of war.

In fact, there’s a bill this year awaiting Senate action to allow HOA residents to display “any historic version of the American flag, including the Betsy Ross flag, without regard to how the stars and stripes are arranged on the flag.’’ Payne’s measure, however, contains no similar override.

The top three finishers in Midwestern University’s 24th annual Arizona Brain Bee were, from left: Pranati Chintada, Catherine McInees and Baochan Fan. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

Gilbert lawmaker makes impassioned plea for kids’ mental health

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

As he appeared Feb. 14 before the state House Education Committee, state Rep. Travis Grantham bluntly told members that he wasn’t happy last year when he was assigned to the task force on teen mental health that had brought him before them.

“In the last session, I was asked to serve on an ad hoc committee dealing with teen mental health,” the Gilbert Republican told his colleagues. “And to be honest with you, I didn’t want to. But once I got on the committee and I understood how important of an issue this is, I changed my mind.”

Grantham had been appointed with then-state Rep. Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, to co-chair a committee that would “take a substantive look into the issues and causes affecting teen mental health, including substance abuse, depression, and suicide, and to identify potential solutions and improvements.”

From September through November, that panel – comprising police, school officials and various medical experts –heard at times gut-wrenching testimony about the rising incidents of drug overdoses, substance abuse, suicides and attempted suicides among teenagers in Arizona.

That panel produced 23 recommendations and Grantham in the committee’s first meeting warned members and the audience they shouldn’t get their hopes up.

Grantham warned the panel and people in the audience against unrealistic hopes for the committee’s work.

“There was an understanding that while mental health can be addressed and can be changed and for the better,” he said, “it’s like steering a ship: you turn the wheel and over time, the ship slowly starts to move, hopefully, in the right direction. It’s not an overnight fix.”

And though he echoed those cautionary remarks in the task force’s final meeting in December, he appeared before the House committee last week as a crusader.

“I heard stories that quite honestly made me want to cry and formed a new appreciation for the folks who are the professionals in this industry who work so hard to try to solve these problems and the people who deal with this on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

A tragedy also struck closer to home for Grantham.

A female sophomore at a Gilbert private school died by suicide only a day earlier.

“We had an incident in my own district just a couple days ago where a young woman (died by) suicide and it set the school in a crisis mode,” Grantham told the committee.

“And I’m sure it’s affected a lot of her friends and the people who knew her. And every time a student or a young person does that, we lose tremendously and it’s devastating,” he said.

“I can’t tell you that this legislation will change the social aspect of the family

or whatever might be weighing on these people that are choosing to go down this road or having mental health issues, but at least it provides the opportunity for help to be there at the push of a button.”

The legislation he was referring to was the first – and probably easiest – of three bills he has filed to help push Arizona into a more proactive response to a crisis that has been aggravated by pandemic school closures, social media, bullying and other peer pressures.

He won when the committee voted to send to the House a measure that would allow school districts to develop or buy an app that would enable students to anonymously report safety issues ranging from self-harm to threats against students and receive anonymous clinical support 24/7.

The app also would provide students and parents with resources on mental health, bullying and substance abuse issues. It does not require districts to provide such an app but rather clears any administrative hurdles that might be preventing one from being offered, Grantham stressed.

Grantham’s other bills would create a teen mental health program within the state Department of Health Services and provide a so-far unspecified amount of money to fund its operation.

Such a program – which Osborne suggested could be funded with some of the $14 million Arizona will receive from the settlement of its lawsuit against Juul for a marketing campaign that led millions of children and teen into vaping addictions – could help pay for school district programs like the app.

Grantham’s bill would empower DHS to also pay school districts and nonprofits for training on mental health first aid, youth resiliency and substance abuse for staff, parents and peers.

It also would require the Health Services Department to make an annual report on projects it funded and the outcomes it achieved.

Grantham’s appearance also comes on

the heels of a Chandler Unified School District report that disclosed 395 district students had considered suicide since July – and those are just the ones that officials know about.

Before the House committee took its unanimous vote, Osborne also addressed the crisis, noting that Grantham, a major in the Arizona Air National Guard, knows all too well about the “horrendous” suicide rate among military veterans in the United States. The Guard uses the app the committee voted on to the full House.

She then cited a new report by the Centers of Disease Control last week that said 57% of adolescent girls “feel persistently sad or hopeless.”

“That’s the highest rate in a decade and 30% said they have seriously considered dying by suicide, a percentage that has risen by nearly 60% over the past 10 years,” Osborne said.

“We have a crisis. It’s not an answer from one bill. It’s not an answer from one organization or one group or one teacher. It’s all of us. As parents, it’s our churches. It’s our schools. It’s our communities. We’ve got to recognize this because our kids don’t have five years for us to wake up as adults and say we got a problem here.

“It’s at our doorstep right now. And it’s affecting every one of our districts. There is no social, economic or whatever to it. Kids are having trouble.”

State Rep. Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert, implored the House Education Committee to approve the first of three bills he has submitted to improve state and local response to the worsening teen mental crisis in Arizona. (Arizona Legislature)

New uncertainty looms over tax extension

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

State lawmakers are moving to wrest control of transportation planning from local officials to instead represent their own political philosophies.

And now the question is whose vision among all those lawmakers should take effect.

Strictly speaking, the debate on SB 1122 deals with whether Maricopa County voters will get a chance to extend a half-cent sales tax for transportation projects for another 20 years.

That can happen only with permission of the Republican-controlled Legislature. And several GOP lawmakers said they will give the go-ahead only if the amount set aside for mass transit is reduced from current levels – and if absolutely none of that goes to fund light rail.

For the moment, the 4-3 vote on Feb. 13 to kill SB 1122 by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Technology quashes any future election.

The Maricopa levy is set to expire in 2025 unless lawmakers give the go-ahead for an election.

Last week’s debate and vote show that any county that wants to fund transit projects will get the necessary legislative approval to ask their own voters for approval only if the plan complies with how state lawmakers agree how the money should be spent.

And that has become tainted by po-

litical philosophies, including a specific bias toward roads at the expense of mass transit and light rail in particular.

Sen. Frank Carroll, R-Sun City, has backed a broader approach with continued funding for alternatives to freeway construction.

That’s the plan prepared by and backed by the Maricopa Association of Governments, made up of elected officials of all area cities, tribes and the urban areas of the Maricopa and Pima counties.

But Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, rejected that as being driven by “nudge theory.’’

“It’s a tactic the Left likes to use called ‘choice architecture,’ ‘’ he said, essentially forcing people to accept the policies desired by those setting the rules.

Hoffman said that’s what’s happening under President Biden by shutting down the Keystone Pipeline, curtailing offshore drilling and refusing to renew some lease permits for drilling in Alaska.

“The Left is making a concerted effort to drive up the cost of gas,’’ he argued, to advance its agenda of reducing driving and emissions.

But Carroll, who supports more money for mass transit – and even sponsored a bill continuing dollars for light rail –said while that may be true, it’s also irrelevant. He said the gas prices are a reality for taxpayers.

“They’ve still got to get to work, they’ve still got to get to places,’’ Carroll

said. And that, he said, makes it logical to assume that ridership on mass transit will increase with higher gas prices.

The more over-arching question is whether lawmakers, being pushed by groups like the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona whose members are developing housing projects farther from the county’s urban core, know better than local elected officials what their constituents want.

Avondale Mayor Kenn Weise, who chairs MAG, acknowledged that not every community benefits from each part of the regionally developed plan. For example, he said, his residents would not be aided by light rail which doesn’t extend into his community.

But he said the plan was unanimously adopted after “extensive public input’’ as being the best for all concerned.

In fact, state lawmakers agreed last year to put that on the ballot. But that was quashed when then-Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed even letting the issue go to voters.

That resulted in this year’s new and sharply modified plan, with more of the share going to pavement.

What the Legislature wants to do, Weise said, is override the locally adopted plan with its own priorities and those of “special interests,’’ meaning groups who would benefit financially by financing more road-construction rather than transit.

MAG wants lawmakers to simply give voters a chance to approve the plan it created, the votes that adopted the tax and the first 20-year plan in 1985 and its renewal in 2005.

Weise rejected Hoffman’s suggestion of two separate votes: One on road construction and the other on mass transit. That, he said, would destroy the idea of having a plan where everyone recognizes the needs of the larger community.

He said that’s what enabled the MAG plan to include money for extension of State Route 24 in Hoffman’s district even though his own residents might otherwise have wanted dollars for a new State Route 30 to funnel traffic into his own area of the county.

Hoffman and some other lawmakers also want to insert other political elements before giving local voters permission to vote on transit funding.

For example, he wants to say that projects cannot be developed to fit “demand management’’ policies to reduce vehicle miles traveled. And he said he is not bothered if that means giving up federal dollars, a large share of transit funding that the state and counties receive.

The committee’s vote leaves in limbo the question of whether Maricopa County voters will get a chance to enact or extend existing taxes for their transportation plans if they do not meet with approval of a majority of lawmakers.

State schools chief steps up initiative for armed personnel on campuses

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

The former second in command of the Phoenix Police Department is now heading the state schools chief’s initiative to place armed officers or security personnel on all school campuses.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Schools Tom Horne last week announced that Michael Kurtenbach will be his director of school safety and that another former Phoenix Police Commander Allen Smith will be his assistant director.

As executive chief of the Phoenix force, Kurtenbach was a familiar face at City Council hearings in 2021 and early 2022 as he reported on the difficulties Phoenix Police were encountering in maintaining a sufficient number of patrol officers in the face of low recruitment results and a high rate of department retirements and resignations.

Former Police Chief Geri Williams last year summer pulled Kurtenbach out of that position, saying that because she was retiring, she wanted her successor to name his own person for the job. Kurtenbach subsequently retired.

“Every school should have a law enforcement officer to protect students and staff, and this should be accomplished on an urgent basis,“ Horne said in a Feb. 8 release. “Delay in implementing this goal could leave schools more vulnerable to a tragic catastrophe.“

Horne also indicated that he won’t look favorably on school districts that request public safety grants for measures that do not include an armed officer or security personnel. Such requests could involve more counselors or related personnel.

“Schools that currently have no armed presence yet submit grants applications that do not request an officer will not receive a recommendation from this department to the State Board of Education,” he said.

Horne said that while “I am a longtime supporter of each school having a counselor to help ensure the well-being of students” he is a strong believer in an armed presence on campuses.

“Schools still ought to have counselors but providing a safe school atmosphere that requires an armed presence is the first priority,” he said.

The Education Department noted that in recent weeks throughout the Valley, “there have been reported incidents of heightened school threats, real and fake weapons found on campus, and disturbing social media postings regarding school violence.

“Department staff have also received phone calls from teachers in a Phoenix-area high school district complaining of fights including one involving multiple students in which a female teacher was knocked down. This is a growing trend not just in Arizona but throughout the country,” the department said.

Mountain Pointe High School has been one of the targets of online threats and heightened security measures were taken several weeks after the threats were first reported on Jan. 19.

“The Phoenix Police Department does have an ongoing investigation into threats at Mountain Pointe High School,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Melissa Soliz told The Arizonan over the weekend. “No arrests have been made and

no specific threats have been substantiated.”

Horne said Kurtenbach and Smith “will work throughout the state providing schools with resources and expertise to implement effective personnel and safety procedures. They will also assist school administrators in building trust with students to foster specific types of communication that help support a safer school environment.“

Kurtenbach has more than 32 years of experience in law enforcement. He has served as vice chair of Terros Behavioral Services, a member of the advisory board of the Arizona State University Center for Violence Prevention, a board member of AZ Common Ground and belongs to numerous law enforcement associations.

He attended the 2018 Anti-Defamation League National Counter Terrorism Seminar in Israel, and he has served as a grant reviewer for the U.S. Office of Justice Programs.

He is a recipient of the Freedom Fund Award for Law Enforcement from the Maricopa County NAACP, the MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award, Hero Award from the Center for Neighborhood Leadership and multiple law enforcement honors including the Phoenix Police Department Medal of Valor, Distinguished Service Award, Community Based Policing Award.

MICHAEL KURTENBACH

Trans students ask CUSD board for more rights

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

Several students who identify as transgender urged the Governing Board of the Chandler Unified School District to adopt trans-friendly policies at the Feb. 8 meeting.

“I am a gender-fluid, queer student at a CUSD school,” said Kanix Gallo, a Chandler High student. “I preface this by saying this because we’re pushing for change in our schools.”

Kanix has been one of the leaders of the Support Equality Arizona Schools. The sophomore led a student walkout at Chandler High earlier this school year to protest new anti-LGBTQ laws.

“Something we want to see is gender neutral bathrooms,” Kanix said. “Being a gender fluid student at a school, sometimes I dress more masculine and when

I walk into a female restroom, I get harassed. I get assaulted, and they’re asking ‘why is there a guy in this restroom?’

“When I dress female, like I am today in a skirt, how people view me is female. I go into the restroom, it’s fine. Sometimes, I’ll still go in there and people will question ‘why is there a boy wearing a skirt?’”

Kanix was given a dress code violation for wearing women’s clothes.

“I got dress-coded for wearing this exact outfit that I wear before you,” Kanix said. “I’ve worn this a million other times outside. I’m completely covered up. ... Our identities aren’t respected for who we are.”

Board President Jason Olive asked staff to investigate why Kanix was given a dress code violation, agreeing his attire was appropriate.

Another trans student asked the board

to allow them to use their new names, instead of the ones on their birth certificates.

“As a trans kid in school, even one person using my dead name is harming,” said Salem Babington, a sophomore at Chandler High. “This continues to be your fault.”

Salem said he asked an assistant principal what would it take to change his name in the system so he would no longer be misnamed and have to correct substitute teachers.

“It’s not that easy anymore,” Salem said, pointing out that to get a legal name change would require parental support and not all trans students can count on that.

Salem said he would also like to study abroad, but once again the name is a significant hurdle to overcome.

“My diploma will say my dead name,” Salem said. “We need more resources for trans kids.”

Another trans student spoke specifically about a bill currently in the legislature. SB 1001 would ban any teacher or staff at a school from using the preferred pronouns of a student if they differ from their biological sex unless they have written permission to do so from their parents.

Other speakers called for more LGBTQ+ policies.

One pointed to the high rate of attempted suicides by LGBTQ+ students.

“You as the school board can fix this,” Gilbert Classical Academy student Hayden Nguyen told the board. “And you have a responsibility to your kids to fix this. You have a responsibility to the parents of those kids to fix this. You have a responsibility to save lives today.”

Sun Lakes Republican Club hosts election data speaker

The Sun Lakes Republican Club will feature “Policies for Thriving Communities” with guest speaker George Michael Khalaf at its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 8 in the Navajo Room of the Sun Lakes Country Club, 25601 S. Sun Lakes Blvd., Sun Lakes.

The public is invited to the event, which the club says is part its mission, “education for an informed electorate.”

Khalaf is president of Data Orbital, managing partner of The Resolute Group and a partner at First Day Public Relations. “For more than a decade, he has leveraged his political instincts, data expertise, and strategic relationships to advance conservative clients and causes through-out Arizona and a growing number of states,” the club said in a release.

“He believes conservative policies create thriving com-munities and will share his assessment of the past election in Arizona and his best ideas for shaping a bright future for our community and state.”

“Data Orbital is a top-ranked survey research and data visualization firm that is known for its accuracy and transparency,” the club added, saying Khalaf “led the effort to keep the Arizona Legislature conservative.”

A graduate of Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in political sci-

Around Chandler

ence, Khalaf was born in Lebanon.

State Representative Liz Harris, R-Chandler, also will speak at the meeting. Information: slgop.org or Mike Tennant, 262-880-4620.

One dead, suspect arrested in assault at Intel's Ocotillo campus

One person is dead, another injured and a third man in jail after an assault at Intel’s Ocotillo campus.

It appears all three worked at the facility.

Chandler Police said 49-year-old Dan Foster was killed and 27-year-old Jaron Williams injured in the assault. Police arrested 50-year-old Derrick Lemond Simmons at the scene without incident.

Police were called to the facility at 6:15 a.m., Feb. 18. Simmons has been booked into Maricopa County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Mental health fair is slated at Chandler practice on March 4

Strategies for Success Counseling and Psychiatry at 3377 S. Price Road, Chandler will hold a Community Mental Health Fair 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March Saturday, March 4.

The goal is to end the stigma of mental health and bring the community together. There will be vendors, raffles and free food.

Ostrich Festival announces some of its lineup for next month

The Ostrich Festival has announced most of its lead acts for this year’s event, which runs from March 16-19 at Tumbleweed Park.

Three-time Grammy Award winning Train will headline the Friday entertainment. Their “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” was the best rock song of 2002 and 2011’s “Hey, Soul Sister” won best pop performance by a group with vocals.

The Commodores are the headline act for Saturday night. The soft rock group has sold more than 70 million albums with hits such as “Easy,” “Three Times A Lady,” and “Brick House.”

Supporting the Commodores is Nicky Youre, who became a TikTok sensation in 2021. His song “Sunroof” has been streamed more than 400 million times. It was nominated for “Song of the Summer” for 2022 by MTV.

Closing the festival on Sunday will be “Sublime With Rome.” The ska alternative rock group is a staple on alternative rock stations with hits like “Wrong Way” and “Wicked Heart.”

The festival has not yet announced its headliner for the Thursday show. Tickets are available at ostrichfestival.com.

Chandler Police, Fire to host safety fair downtown

The Chandler Police and Fire departments are teaming up to host a Public Safety Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 4, on Washington Street between Boston and Chicago in downtown.

A number of police and fire vehicles will be on display as well as some classic cars and hot rods there to raise money for the Chandler Family Advocacy Center.

The Fire Department will give children hands-on instruction on how to get out of a smoke-filled environment. Visitors will also get to see the K-9 and tactical robot units.

There will also be a free child fingerprinting ID clinic and CPR demonstrations.

Bike with the Mayor event coming in April

Mayor Kevin Hartke is inviting Chandler residents to bike with him along the Paseo Trail for the 15th annual Chandler Family Bike Ride.

The nearly eight-mile ride starts at 8:30 a.m. April 1 at Chandler’s Park & Ride lot near Tumbleweed Park, at the southwest corner of Germann Road and Hamilton Street.

Cyclists will then travel to Tibshraeny Park, before turning around and returning to Tumbleweed.

Participants get a free T-shirt while supplies last. There will be refreshments and bicycle safety information. Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m.

Working America exhibit opens at Chandler Museum

The photographer exhibit “Working America” is now on display at the Chandler Museum through May 21. Artist Sam Comes presents immigrants and first-generation Americans working in skilled trades in a way to highlight the American experience.

The museum is located at 300 S. Chandler Village Drive and open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

City hosting Golden Neighbors events for local senior citizens

The City of Chandler is hosting another of its Golden Neighbors events from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the Chandler Public Library on Delaware Street.

Host Keystone Law Firm will be there to give information about deeds, trusts, wills and more.

They also plan to host a giveaway event from 10 a.m. to noon March 8 at the Chandler Senior Center. Call 480782-4362 for information.

Chandler seeks nominations for its top volunteers of the year

The City of Chandler is asking residents to nominate worthy friends, family and neighbors for its Volunteer Recognition Awards.

Deadline is March 1. People can make their nominations at chandleraz.gov/ VolunteerAwards.

The city has eight categories for nominations: 1,000 Hour Volunteers, Innovation,. Longevity, “Makes It Happen” Multitasking Maestro, Sunbeam, Strong Arms, Working Together And Youth.

Chandler Chamber accepting Community Awards nominations

The Chandler Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for its annual Community Awards through April 7.

This will be the 36th year the Chandler Chamber has recognized top businesses, educators, and public servants. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on June 1.

For information on how to submit nominations, email info@chandlerchamber.com.

Join us for an informative presentation on senior. Afterwards, take a tour of our community and enjoy a delicious lunch. To RSVP, please call 480.400.8687.

Lawmakers try to shorten train delay impact on drivers

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

If you’ve been stuck for minutes or hours waiting to get across railroad tracks, Arizona lawmakers are moving to provide relief.

Legislation approved last Friday by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure would limit the length of trains going through the state to 8,500 feet.

And while 1.6 miles may seem like a lot, Scott Jones, a licensed locomotive engineer in Arizona, told lawmakers that the two main railroads operating in the state have been running trains a lot longer than that.

What’s wrong with that, he said, is when they have to stop to do switching operations. And he said that can leave trains on the main track extending out of the yard and blocking traffic on both sides.

Scott cited photos of a 16,800-foot train, half of it carrying new cars and trucks to the vehicle distribution facility in El Mirage.

“And they’re blocking crossings all the way down Grand Avenue,’’ he said, stretching as far as Bell Road to 99th Avenue in Sun City. And in the meantime, Scott said, access across the tracks at Thompson Ranch Road, including to a school and fire station, remained blocked for an hour and 20 minutes.

There are other situations in downtown Phoenix in the rail yard near Chase Field, Scott said, where people trying to get to the ballpark from the south on streets that have grade crossings are blocked.

But Rep. Consuelo Hernandez, D-Tucson, whose district extends into rural Santa Cruz County, said this isn’t strictly an urban problem. She said roads in her area of the state have been blocked for more than an hour.

“When you can’t get across because a train is crossing, that means you can’t go to work, you can’t go to school,’’ Hernandez said. “It also means that if there’s an accident, God forbid, the first responders cannot get to that location on time.’’

Dunn acknowledged that longer trains may be more economical for companies

to operate.

The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, which bills itself as an independent, nonprofit think tank, produced a report saying that a train of 10,000 to 12,000 feet moving freight between Illinois and New Jersey would cost around $60,000. Splitting the same freight between two 5,000-foot trains, it said, would cost $74,000.

Hernandez also cited the train derailment earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio, where freight cars filled with a variety of toxic chemicals spilled, creating a hazardous situation.

Some of the chemicals, including five rail cars with cancer-causing vinyl chloride, were intentionally burned off to avoid an explosion. And while there was a temporary evacuation, some residents continue to complain of rashes and respiratory problems.

Federal investigators have said it appears the incident was caused with a mechanical issue with a rail car axle.

But CBS news said employees working the train told them they believe the

train’s excessive length and weight – 151 cars, 9,300 feet and 18,000 tons – was a factor in an earlier breakdown and the ultimate derailment.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are no federal laws or regulations on blocked crossings. Nor are there state laws.

What does exist, Scott told lawmakers, are regulations of the Arizona Corporation Commission which prohibit railroads from blocking public grade crossings to be blocked for more than 10 continuous minutes unless it is moving continuously in one direction. But he told lawmakers that isn’t providing any relief.

“They essentially log in the complaints,’’ Scott said.

No one from any of the railroad companies that operate in Arizona came to the meeting to testify on HB 2531 even though it was filed and available online nearly a month ago and has been on the committee agenda for days.

The 10-0 vote, with only Rep. Neal Carter, R-San Tan Valley abstaining, sends the measure to the full House.

State audit found CUSD classrooms got most COVID funds

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

Millions in pandemic relief funds that school districts and charters in Chandler and throughout the state received directly or indirectly from the federal government are still in the bank, according to a new report by the Arizona Auditor General.

“Districts and charters reported spending just over $2.2 billion, or 48 percent, of their nearly $4.6 billion allocated relief monies through June 30, 2022,” the report states, adding the state Department of Education “had yet to spend/distribute almost $322 million, or 79 percent, of its discretionary relief monies as of June 30, 2022.”

Chandler Unified School District received about $83 million and has spent more than half of that money, the report says, adding that CUSD still has $31.5 million left.

The district’s chief financial officer said there is no question the trillions of dollars the federal government handed out during the pandemic helped get students back in the classroom sooner.

“The COVID dollars were instrumental in the success of us being able to open our schools and to provide technology, and now with some of the impacts of COVID being able to help our students academically,” Lana Berry said.

What would have happened if the government hadn’t given out that money?

“At that time, Dr. (then Superintendent Camille) Casteel said we’re going to use our reserves to be able to open and provide an environment that the kids can either be virtual, or in person, because we are a student-centered district,” Berry said.

Berry said Casteel made that decision before knowing if CUSD would ever see a dime from the federal government. Like most bodies, the district maintains a strong reserve to qualify for top bond ratings, which allows them to borrow money at very low interest rates.

It’s also a good rainy-day fund.

And it was pouring in the spring of 2020.

First up, the district was not ready for the switch to virtual learning. It had to buy computers for students and staff to take home in March.

There was also a huge increase in students deciding to enroll in the Chandler Online Academy. It jumped to 14,000 almost overnight.

“We had to deploy a number of teachers to the online programs,” Berry said. “And we had to hire, I think about 176 additional staff members across our district to make that happen to be able to have those virtual and in-person instruction.”

The Auditor General’s report said CUSD spent $2.5 million on technology.

That cost was part of more than $40 million spent on “maintaining operations,” which the Auditor General says consumed 73.8% of all the pandemic relief money CUSD has spent so far.

The Auditor General defines that spending as “instruction costs of activities that deal directly with the interaction

Most of the $40 million covered salaries – $23.5 million for in-classroom personnel and another $9.3 million for “non-classroom salaries and benefits,” according to the report.

Another $4 million went mostly for salaries and benefits for new programs in the classroom – which the audit describes as “academic progress assessments, instructional delivery modifications, summer enrichment, after-school programs, etc.”

Another big expenditure involved food service, since the district provided pickup meals for students and families. That cost $5.7 million, the Auditor General said, with about $25 million of that going to pay for workers who prepared and distributed the meals.

Money came to the district in nine batches.

Most of the money came from ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds. The federal government awarded three rounds of that. CUSD got about $3.28 million in ESSER I, $14.14 million in ESSER II, and $30.66 million in ESSER III.

Berry said most of the ESSER I money went to purchase computers for students and staff. ESSER II money was mostly used for salaries and benefits to beef up its Chandler Online Academy to handle the huge influx of students.

Districts have until Sept. 30, 2024, to spend all their ESSER III funds.

The district also had to get all of its teachers and staff ready for a virtual world because when school reopened in July, students were still not allowed in the classroom and didn’t return until September 2020.

So about 2,500 staff had to get certified for online education.

Most of the money the district has remaining are from ESSER III funds and is going toward extended learning, and tutoring students to help them make up any learning gaps caused from the pandemic.

One unforeseen result of the pandemic is a lot of students are no longer attending school.

“Approximately 50,000 students are missing from the system,” Berry said of the statewide total.

She added it’s not clear what happened to them. They may be home schooled or left the state. Whatever the reason, CUSD’s enrollment dropped by more than 2,000 in 2021.

The Enrollment Stability Grant was awarded because the state officials knew

that every district’s enrollment numbers would decline during the pandemic. The state awards education dollars based on that enrollment.

Most of the pandemic relief money Chandler Unified School District has spent so far went to classroom programs and the district plans to spend just as much of its remaining COVID funding the same way, the state uditor General reported. (Arizona Auditor General) between teachers and students, student support costs for activities that assess and improve the students’ well-being, and instruction support costs of activities that assist instructional staff with the content and process of providing learning experiences for students.”

CUSD also received $11.1 million from the state’s Education Plus-Up Grant –$5.44 million for the 100 Day In-Person Reimbursement Grant, and $3.23 million for AZ OnTrack Summer Camp funds. There were three other grants, all for less than $1 million.

“I don’t think anyone in the world was ready for COVID,” Berry said. “I think if anyone were to say that, that would probably not be accurate. None of us … knew what the severity of COVID and how it was going to impact our system.

“I think Chandler Unified School District was ahead of most in the K 12 environment. We had already had the Chandler Online Academy. We already had the curriculum for that, we had the teachers, or if we didn’t have the teachers for that we were able to hire additional ones, but we already had a structure.”

She said from a financial perspective, one lesson learned from going through a pandemic is that having good reserves is essential.

“We were very fortunate to have reserves built up to where we could deploy a virtual academy,” Berry said. “At the time, we didn’t know if we were going to get our second pot of money.”

recovery.

The city decided to switch out its street lights to LED to generate ongoing savings. That cost nearly $11.2 million, with about $5.2 million coming from pandemic-relief money. The rest was paid through the city’s own General Fund, but was possible because staffing costs were covered by federal COVID funds.

The non-housing money came to the city from two sources.

The first and easiest for the city to deal with came from the state AZCares grants. That amounted to just under $30 million. That is money the federal government gave to the states and let them decide how to distribute it.

The money that came directly from the federal government itself was part of the American Rescue Plan Act, and it required a lot more bookkeeping and had restrictions on how it could be used. The city received more than $34.5 million of those funds.

There were additional federal funds available for housing that required a lot of staff time to track every dollar and ensure spending complied with the restrictions.

“Were we prepared for it? No,” Lang said. “Have we been able to handle it? Yes.”

One of the allowed uses of those dollars was to reward employees for exceptional performances during the pandemic. That led to those employees being

given a one-time $3,000 bonus.

Lang said the city also gave some of the money to nonprofits that worked directly with the people most impacted by the pandemic.

“If you’re asking on the nonprofit side, I think it was a tremendous help,” Lang said. “Nonprofits serve our most vulnerable in our community, so their need actually did increase substantially.

“So people who were on the fringes and either maybe lost a service industry job, they weren’t bringing in as much income and so that now they needed food boxes, they needed rental assistance, they needed utility assistance. So I think, for nonprofits, it really helped.”

There’s still a lot of money left to

spend.

One major project where work has not started is $4 million for Gazelle Park in the Galveston neighborhood. That money will go toward improvements to the park’s storm drainage system.

Lang said there was never any serious talk of laying off city employees.

“The biggest amount of money in my area that’s been spent, it was on rent and utilities, and that came half from the Cares Act. We anticipate that we’ll get through maybe April of this year, before we’re completely out of the rent and utility assistance that we’ve been able to

provide.

“This money has either kept people in their homes, or is continuing to keep people in their homes. And I think when it’s gone, the eviction rate will be even higher. I think what’s on the horizon is a realization that we need some sort of money for this purpose ongoing.”

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GOP bill would give teachers a $10K raise

BY BOB CHRISTIE Capitol Media Services

A freshman Republican lawmaker who helped shepherd former Gov. Doug Ducey’s effort to raise teacher pay to end a 2018 statewide teacher strike is working to boost educator salaries by another $10,000 a year.

And the measure cleared its first hurdle on Monday with a 10-5 vote of the House Appropriations Committee with most Democrats opposed for a variety of reasons.

HB 2800 is designed to address that Arizona teachers remain among the lowest-paid in the nation despite the 20% raise they won after the strike, said Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, a former Madison School District teacher.

He said he wants to make Arizona a mecca for teachers by boosting pay well above the national average.

“This would potentially move us into the Top 10 when we get the new rate base,’’ Gress told Capitol Media Services on Monday.

“The goal here is, in other states there’s going to be a billboard saying, ‘Come to Arizona, the starting teacher pay is X’ versus other states coming to Arizona and poaching our teachers,’’ hje continued. “We really need to take bold action on getting the money to the teachers.’’

Gress’ proposal is one of two considered by the House Appropriations Committee that are designed to boost teacher retention and get more people to come to Arizona to teach in public schools.

The other is a Democrat’s bill subsidizing family health insurance for teachers and staff who work in public school districts and charter schools. It got approved by the panel, with hesitancy from some Republicans.

Gress’ teacher pay raise bill, however, faces a tough go in the Legislature because of its price tag.

The overall cost of his plan to give teachers a nearly 20% raise by 2025 is nearly $700 million a year, a big chunk of this year’s anticipated $1.8 billion budget surplus.

But that surplus is expected to go to nearly zero by the time the plan would be fully implemented – meaning its chances are iffy at best.

Potentially more problematic is that $700 million would have to be provided by lawmakers each and every year into the future or the extra pay would disappear.

Gress, however, remained optimistic. He noted that state revenues this year continue to grow beyond projections.

It wasn’t Republicans worried about finances who opposed the measure.

One concern was that while the state would fund teacher salaries, districts would be stuck with the associated costs like retirements and benefits. Then there’s the fact that other school workers, like librarians, social workers and support staff, were left out.

Rep. Judy Schweibert, D-Phoenix, said none of this addresses the expenditure cap on education dollars, something lawmakers can – but need not – raise every year.

The additional dollars, she said, would give schools “in a very precarious position where they’re just at the mercy even more so that they are now of the Legislature every year.

The Feb. 20 vote came over the objections of most of the Democrats on the panel.

Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe, pointed out Gress crafted the measure so the dollars would flow only if lawmakers approve a parallel measure to increase information that would be available to the public on a “school transparency portal.’’

But with that measure sidelined so far, Salman called the vote on Gress’ bill “half-baked legislation’’ and “an exercise in political theater.’’

Gress called the vote “bizarro world.’’

“Republicans are voting in favor of getting more money into the classrooms and raising teacher pay and holding schools accountable, and Democrats aren’t,’’ he said.

School districts across the state have struggled in recent years to fill classroom teaching posts, with yearly surveys by the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association showing more than 2,500 vacancies just a month into the current school year.

That means nearly 7,600 teaching jobs either vacant or filled with uncertified teachers. The state Education Department says there are about 60,000 teachers in public K-12 district and charter schools.

One of the biggest factors in hiring and retaining teachers is low teacher pay in the state, which ranked 44th nationally, according to the most recent survey by the National Education Association, the national teachers union.

That is up from nearly dead last in 2018, when tens of thousands of K-12 teachers went on strike and forced the GOP-controlled Legislature and Ducey to enact a 20% pay raise.

Gress’ measure, HB 2800, is crafted to address not just starting pay but across the board.

On one hand, he acknowledged, 40% of the education workforce is in years one through five of the profession.

“And that’s where you see most of the churn to begin with,’’ Gress said. But he said boosting pay only for new teachers and not for those who are more experienced “could create significant workforce issues for schools.’’

The measure also specifies that low-performing teachers do not qualify. And teachers must spend half their time in the classroom to qualify.

But he said it is one thing that could help.

“What I really believe this bill rep-

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resents is advancing an issue that all Republicans, I believe, agree with, and I think Democrats, do, as well, that teachers need to be paid more,’’ Gress said.

Gress, who represents a Phoenix district and was Ducey’s budget director from 2017 until he left office this year, said he is hopeful he can get it passed.

The health insurance proposal that won approval, HB 2737, would subsidize up to 90% of the cost for teachers and support staff to add their dependents to their health insurance coverage.

Teachers now pay less than $100 a month for their own health insurance coverage, but adding family coverage can bring the cost to $1,000 a month, bill sponsor Rep. Amish Shaw.

That drives younger teachers from the profession as they start families and are hit with the cost of insuring them, said Shaw, a Democrat who represents a Phoenix-area district.

“A lot of what happens is that the teachers are leaving, and other profes-

sionals are leaving, because of the cost of health insurance,’’ Shaw said. “The intent is to retain a good employee who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get their kid or dependents covered.’’

The proposal met with some resistance from Republicans on the committee. That included Gress, who said he believes teachers should instead be added to the state insurance pool to save money.

“I’m all for helping defray the cost of fringe benefits,’’ Gress said.

“I am not convinced this bill is the right solution to it, because we’re just going to be subsidizing all of these contracts that (school districts) have with various insurance companies,’’ he explained. “And I don’t think that they’re getting the best price given the economy of scale.’’ Shaw’s proposal appropriates $10 million for the insurance subsidy, which would provide up to $6,000 a year and apply only to teachers and staff who earn less than $75,000 per year. With average teacher salaries at only $52,157 last year, virtually all teachers would qualify.

Legislature wants to curb highway sign messaging

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

The way Rep. Neal Carter sees it, those electronic signs along freeways and major Arizona roads should be spreading safety messages to motorists, not telling them how to run their lives.

And especially not to get vaccinated.

So now state lawmakers are taking steps to ensure that doesn’t happen again.

On a 7-4 vote Friday the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved a measure which limits the messages to those “directly related to transportation or highway public safety.’’ Anything else, the San Tan Valley Republican said, should be off limits.

“They are a little bit distracting,’’ he said.

“They do put on things sometimes that are not related to transportation,’’ he said. “That would be inappropriate.’’

But Carter conceded there’s something else behind his measure.

“What we’re worried about is the government effectively using as a kind of advertisement for other things,’’ he told colleagues. And Carter said such decisions should not be made by bureaucrats in the Arizona Department of Transportation who decide what is “worthy’’ of being posted.

“We think there’s a little bit of a slippery slope,’’ he said.

But Carter already has seen the state

sliding down that slope.

Two years ago, signs above state roads spelled out the message, “Want to return to normal? Get vaccinated.’’

That got the immediate attention of then-Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Apache Junction.

“Seen in Communist China today,’’ she wrote in a Twitter post with a photo of the sign. “Oops, I mean Arizona.’’

The message disappeared days later.

ADOT maintains to this day it did nothing wrong, saying that the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which is the standard for all devices and signs on roads open to public travel, specifically allowed the vaccine message because the president had declared a national emergency. And that, the agency said, permitted state and local transportation

agencies to display optional “homeland security messages’’ such as this one.

Carter, however, said it’s not related to transportation. And his legislation, if it becomes state law, would preclude that from ever happening again in Arizona. But it’s broader than that.

Also gone would be signs advising motorists of “no burn’’ days during periods of high pollution. So, too, would messages ADOT posts for state and national parks as well as the U.S. Forest Service related to wildfires.

And there would no longer be signs, usually displayed on the day a police officer or firefighter who had died in the line of duty was buried, with a message like “rest in peace’’ with the officer’s name.

“I’m sure he’s an upstanding guy,’’ Carter said of seeing one of those signs.

“And I love firemen,’’ he continued. “But this is the beginning of a sign, now, that’s going to start to say everything from ‘someone died’ to ‘thanks to soand-so’ to `voting.’ ‘’

That last one already has happened.

Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, said ADOT has allowed signs in the past reminding people about Election Day. Carter said that should not have happened.

“It’s not transportation related,’’ he said.

The legislation does contain exceptions.

HB 2586 would still allow the “silver alert’’ messages about missing seniors and the “blue alerts’’ where police are seeking the public’s help in finding someone who has assaulted or killed a law enforcement officer.

And Carter said nothing in his legislation would kill the ability of ADOT to display their safety messages in a humorous way.

So there will keep being communications like “Drive hammered, get nailed,’’ “Focused driving is the way of the Jedi,’’ or “Drive like the person your dog thinks you are.’’

That pleased Rep. David Cook, R-Globe. “I kind of like the funny stuff,’’ he said. “You’re tied up in traffic and you’re not going anywhere.’’

The measure now needs approval of the full House.

(File photo)

Mayor’s address celebrated Chandler’s evolution

BY THE CITY OF CHANDLER

Mayor Kevin Hartke put a spotlight on Chandler’s past and present at the annual State of the City address.

The theme for the event was “Through the Decades,” which began with a tribute to Dr. A.J. Chandler for his original vision for our city, which led to the Downtown Chandler that we know today, a thriving business and leisure destination.

The mayor also highlighted Chandler’s transformation from an agricultural economy to the high tech, global manufacturing hub that it is today.

He stated, “As I thought about the city’s accomplishments over the past year, it became more and more clear that Chandler has always been a Community of Innovation.”

Throughout history, Chandler’s leadership has made thoughtful decisions that have shaped the City’s growth.

In 1920, the first Chandler Town Marshall was established, it was our only law enforcement officer and oversaw the 18-person volunteer fire department.

Today, Chandler Police consists of 362 sworn positions and 177 civilian employees. Chandler Fire has more than 200 firefighters in 11 stations. The mayor reported that Chandler is one of the saf-

est cities in the country, with one of the lowest serious crime rates in 35 years despite all our growth.

As we launch into 2023, there are a variety of projects that will have a positive effect on our quality of life and continue to move the City forward.

Chandler prides itself on having a park within one square mile of every residential development and many of those

parks will see improvements in 2023.

Construction will soon begin on the diamond field project at Tumbleweed Park. Later this year, work will begin on the Tumbleweed Recreation Center expansion. After receiving public input, city staff will begin renovations to Gazelle Meadows and Brooks Crossing Parks.

In addition, ADA Improvements at Tumbleweed Park, Pima Park, Sunset Park, Basha Library and Hamilton Library will be completed.

For those who commute to work on a bike or just like to take a leisurely ride, be on the lookout for new protected bike lanes on Frye Road from approximately one-half mile west of Arizona Avenue to the Paseo Trail.

Another street project is the conversion of 18,000 streetlights to LED lighting, which will provide significant annual energy savings.

Thanks to Chandler voters in the November 2021 bond election, funds were allocated to update Fire Station No. 282, also known at Fire Station #2. When com-

pleted this year, it will house two engine companies, a low acuity unit and a medic unit, which will improve emergency response from our busiest fire station in the City.

The strategic vision in Chandler, and the emphasis on the unique characteristics of employment corridors, have positioned the City for future economic growth.

In all, there were 27 companies that located, expanded or chose to continue operating in Chandler in 2022, bringing more employment opportunities this year and beyond.

Some of those employees may choose to live in Downtown Chandler. Two multi-family housing projects, DC Heights Phase 1 and Encore Chandler, are slated for completion this year.

Arts and cultural is a vital part of life in Chandler. Look for new public art projects, including a new mural in the Pueblo Alto neighborhood, exciting performances at Chandler Center for the Arts and new exhibitions at Chandler Museum.

A clear vision and strategic planning are the foundation of Chandler’s identity, through the decades, and continuing into 2023.

Mayor adds humor, science fiction to annual address

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

The State of the City is great, if you just ignore that giant ostrich named Bertha.

Mayor Kevin Hartke gave his annual State of the City speech on Feb. 16 at the Chandler Center for the Arts and it just about had everything, from local entertainment to a little “Back to the Future” and “Jurassic Park” mixed in.

To close his speech, Hartke was “abducted” by two agents from the future. As they were leaving the stage, a video began running on the main screen. Hartke was forced inside one of the city’s Flex vans, where a man from the future (who looked a lot like Assistant to the City Manager Steven Turner) was waiting.

It’s not a DeLorean, but it still got the mayor to the year 2026. The Turner lookalike told the mayor an announcement he was about to make in his State of the City speech would destroy Chandler in the future and that’s why they had to stop him.

He then showed him future Chandler, which apparently annexed Phoenix and Glendale. It’s now Chandler Sky Harbor Airport, and the three-time Super Bowl champion Ostriches play at Chandler Stadium, which looked a lot like State Farm Stadium.

The mayor was about to announce an ostrich sanctuary at Tumbleweed Park. The man from the future said that decision led to Ostrich World, the largest amusement park on earth. They were able to attract visitors by making the ostriches bigger, and bigger, and bigger.

But now, they’re too big and biggest of them all, Bertha, is on a rampage and will likely destroy the city.

As for the actual speech, Hartke hit on all of the city’s strong points, while not spending much time of any of its challenges. The 50-minute speech came after some dance performances by local groups.

He repeated a claim that he made last year: “The city experienced the same amount of serious crimes in 2022 that we did in 1988, when the population was only 80,000.”

The mayor is using the Uniform Crime Report data that is reported to the FBI. The Part I crime index data includes theft, auto theft, burglary, aggravated assault, robbery, forcible rape, homicide and arson.

In 1988 there were a little more than 5,000 such cases reported. In 2022, the

numbers were slightly higher, but still under 6,000. However, there was an increase in serious crimes in 2022 from 2021.

Chandler’s worst year for serious crimes came in 2002 with more than 11,000 cases reported.

However, the current crime rate for violent crimes is higher than in 1988. The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer shows there were 199 violent crimes reported in 1988, and that 111 of them were cleared.

In 2021, those numbers are 529 violent cases reported, with 179 of them cleared. That’s more than double the violent cases in 1988.

The mayor also highlighted the city’s water management, saying it has positioned them well during the current drought.

He praised the previous council for its strong conservative management of the city’s finances, saying taxes remain the

lowest in the Valley and they have been able to increase services.

He highlighted Intel and the role the company has played in the growth of Chandler. The theme for the speech was “Through the Decades.” He used that to focus on the new tech companies that continue to set up shop in the city.

Hartke said one of the main reasons that tech companies are moving to Chandler is its highly-educated workforce. He talked about the relationships the city has with the state’s top universities and colleges to keep building on that.

The mayor highlighted the city’s first historic district with a segment dedicated to Southside Village. Other topics covered included public housing, affordable housing, parks and recreation, and the diversity of the city.

But before he could get to the “big announcement,” the agents from the future interrupted the speech.

If you’re worried about the fate of future Chandler, don’t be. The mayor was able to divert Bertha from the city. It was last seen heading toward Tucson.

Watch the Mayor

You can view Mayor Kevin Hartke’s 2023 State of the City speech on the Chandler YouTube page, youtube. com/@cityofchandler. There are also links to the three videos, including Ostrich World, that played during the speech.

MAYOR KEVIN HARTKE

Bertha the giant Ostrich threatened the entire city in the comedic video that was part of Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke’s annual State of the City address. (YouTube.com)

CUSD board member focus of dust-up over school speaker

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

A member of the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board is facing criticism for attending a Turning Point USA event at Perry High School on Feb. 21.

Five speakers called out Kurt Rohrs for attending a presentation by three speakers at the Gilbert school. Turning Point is a student group that supports conservative political candidates.

The lead speaker, Stephen Davis, a podcaster known as the “MAGA Hulk” (Make America Great Again), was canceled out of an appearance at the University of California Davis in late October after about 100 people engaged in a brawl.

According to media reports, the clash was between members of the Proud Boys and left-wing protesters. The extreme-right Proud Boys were involved in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I’m disturbed and outraged by the actions of one of our Governing Board members and the message it sends to our community,” said Katie Nash, a CUSD parent, former teacher in the district and past president of the Chandler Education Association.

“As we look to our portrait of a learner, the creation of which included many stakeholders including staff, parents, students, and community members, it has attributes like empathy, critical thinking, collaboration and global citizen,” Nash said. “I fail to see where violence, hate, exclusivity, and uniformity fit in.”

CUSD parent Brandy Reese said she does not believe a divisive political group should be a club on a high school campus.

“Turning Point USA keeps watch lists of school boards and professors that it considers radical,” Reese said. “This includes this school board, it posts the members, board members photos, names and contact information.”

Rohrs said the speakers were misinformed. First, they quoted him from a satirical website that he does not run. Second, he is required to wear his board member ID whenever he is on a CUSD campus.

He said he went to the event because he had heard some information about the speakers and wanted to find out for himself what they were about.

“Don’t believe everything everybody tells you, go find out for yourself, go do your own due diligence, learn about it in-

stead of relying on it, because you never know, when people are telling you things, just to manipulate you or get you to do something,” Rohrs said.

“And I think in some respects, that’s kind of what happened here. Because there’s a lot of disinformation that came out.”

The district said Turning Point is a recognized student club at Perry High, having followed all the rules necessary to become one. They limited attendance to just club members, and only 14 students attended the presentation.

“Permission slips were required,” the district said in a statement. “Students needed parental consent to attend the club meeting to hear the speaker. Students need parental consent to join school clubs in general. All clubs must have a sponsor who is a certified staff member. Additionally, all clubs must follow district approved bylaws and have officers before it is approved by the district.

“Safety is a top priority, and we take it very seriously. At no time was the school or students in danger. The speaker’s engagement was not open to the public nor was it for the general student population. This information was shared with all

Governing Board members. Board members represent themselves and do not necessarily represent the opinions of other Board members or the District.”

A group of counter-protestors did try to attend the speech at Perry, but said they were turned away.

The other speakers with Davis were Morgonn McMichael, a social media influencer, and Anthony Watson, a 2018 Winter Olympian from Jamaica. All three are contributors to Turning Point USA. Davis and Watson are both Black.

“It actually was very positive talk,” Rohrs said. “Their history is that they came out of tough circumstances, and then got past it, and you want to kind of share that. They did talk a lot about their being canceled for trying to speak out against the narrative that’s out there.

“The other thing is that they said when they were growing up, they were very afraid of white people, because that’s what they were taught. So they were reaching out to kids and saying, ‘Hey, look, just don’t judge each other by what you look like go find out about people, get to know them. Then make a decision whether you like them or not.’ So I thought it was pretty good.”

Ocotillo Bridge adding $3.9M in design costs

BY CECILIA CHAN Staff Writer

Gilbert Town Council approved an additional $3.9 million to complete the engineering design of a bridge over the 272-acre Gilbert Regional Park that would connect Ocotillo Road between Greenfield and Higley roads, providing another east-west route across the Southeast Valley.

Kimley-Horn has already been paid $1.8 million to provide a partial set of design plans. The item is on the consent agenda and would bring the total cost for the design to $5.8 million.

“The increase in design is included in the project’s budget,” said spokeswoman Jennifer Snyder in an email. “The design work is estimated to be approx. 4-5% of construction costs.”

Snyder said last August that the Town’s design budget was approximately $4.7 million and that Kimley-Horn’s total contract amount was expected to stay within that budgeted amount. She did not respond by deadline with an explanation for the 23.4% increase.

The adjustment, or change order, to the original contract will have Kimley-Horn provide final and post design services through the end of construction.

The bridge incorporates four structures spanning the existing water channels at the park – the Roosevelt Water Conservation District Canal, East Maricopa Floodway, Chandler Heights Regional Basin and Queen Creek Wash.

The 545-foot-long span will have four travel lanes along with bicycle lanes and pedestrian pathways on both sides, according to the Town.

The Ocotillo extension project also included a roadway alignment, designing a multi-modal roadway, analyzing the need for traffic signal modifications, planning for future trails and relocating the 69kV overhead power lines.

Last year the Town said the total budget for the Ocotillo Bridge and the roadway improvements was $79 million with $66 million for the construction.

Snyder didn’t say if that budget is expected to increase due to inflation and supply-chain issues that have been driving up construction costs on numerous municipal and school projects throughout the Valley.

“The project team continues to collect information on how market volatility is impacting this project,” she said. “Project costs will continue to be refined as design progresses.

The project is funded out of the $515-million transportation and infrastructure bond voters approved in November 2021.

According to the Town, connecting Ocotillo Road will mean faster response times for police and fire in the southern portion of Gilbert. A fire station is located

on Ocotillo Road less than a quarter mile from where it ends.

But some residents have taken issue with the bridge’s cost, questioning why it has to be so elaborate.

Four designs – all having lights for nighttime display –were trotted out in spring 2022 for public feedback. The so-called Palo Verde concept was picked as the preferred design and was undergoing further revisions such as to the shade structures.

The only portion of the bridge that will feature the design concept will be the main section located over the future phase of Gilbert Regional Park.

One woman at a council meeting last fall called it a “Disneyland-style bridge” while dozens of people on social media have criticized the Town’s spending on the bridge, calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars.

According to the Town, this area of Gilbert is unique as it connects communities through multiple modes of travel and extends through the future phase of the Regional Park, a destination spot for local residents as well as national and international travelers.

Completing the project with a “statement bridge” further enhances the experience for all users and provides a landmark for Gilbert’s residents for years to come, the Town said on its website.

According to Snyder, construction of the full bridge project is estimated to begin in fall 2024.

“Preliminary work to relocate some utilities in the area has already been started,” she said.

Palo Verde was picked as the preferred design for the bridge and was undergoing further revisions. (File photo)

AG probing local supermarket chains’ merger

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Attorney General Kris Mayes is investigating whether to try to block the proposed merger of the state’s two largest grocery chains.

Mayes said Thursday she wants to know what will be the effects of allowing the combination of Kroger Co., the parent of Smith’s and Fry’s Foods, with Albertsons Companies, which operates not just stores under its own name but purchased Safeway and all the stores that company owned in 2015.

It starts, she said, with whether that combination will be able to drive up prices for consumers who already are suffering under high inflation.

“The impacts of this merger, in particular at a time when people are struggling to pay for groceries and prices are high, could be huge,’’ she said.

Then there’s the question of whether the merged company will close stores, forcing some people to travel farther. And Mayes wants to know how all of this would affect the 35,000 workers now employed by both.

Much of that, she said, will come from “listening sessions’’ her office will conduct to hear what Arizonans think of the deal and how it will affect them.

Mayes is not the only one looking at the deal announced last year.

The Federal Trade Commission is conducting an inquiry into the $24.6 billion deal where Kroger would purchase its competitor while a group of consumers has filed suit in California to block the deal.

Mayes, however, is focused more on what the combination of the two giants would mean here. In fact, she told Capitol Media Services that, on a per capita basis, the merger will have a greater effect on Arizonans than any other state.

What she’s able to do about it, however, remains to be seen.

State law forbids any “contract, combi-

nation or conspiracy by two or more persons in restraint of, or to monopolize trade or commerce.’’

What Mayes said she needs to study is whether what the two grocery giants are doing, at least in Arizona, meets that definition.

“The people of Arizona have important input to make here, people who live in the neighborhoods where a Fry’s or a Safeway or a Smith’s could be shut down,’’ she said.

(Capitol Media Servcies)

That goes not just to the question of whether the combined operation, no longer competing for customers with each other, would be free to raise prices. Mayes said that decisions by the new company to shutter some of the stores could mean much longer drives to get food.

But she said it isn’t just the people shopping there who might be affected.

“We’re going to be getting input from the dairy operators in Arizona and the farmers and cattle growers who are worried about the reduction in competition in Arizona and the reduction in the number of outlets for their products,’’ Mayes said.

The attorney general said she also wants to look at how many workers at the two companies will end up unemployed if the deal goes through.

A spokesman for Albertsons said there would be no comment about Mayes’ investigation.

Kroger, in a statement, said the merger ``provides meaningful, measurable benefit to all stakeholders, including lowering prices, providing more choices and establishing a more competitive alternative to large, non-union retailers.’’ That last comment is in reference to Walmart, though not all Kroger stores are unionized.

But on a website set up by the two

chains, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said the deal will “deliver superior value to customers, associates, communities and shareholders.’’

It also claims that after the deal is closed, Kroger will invest $500 million to lower prices, $1.3 billion into Albertsons stores “to enhance the customer experience,’’ and $1 billion “to continue raising associate wages and comprehensive benefits.’’

Mayes, for her part, said she wants details.

Beyond that, she wants to hear not just from the corporations who will be getting questioned by her investigators, but from those living in the affected communities.

“I think there’s value involved in bringing to light what this potential merger means to the state of Arizona and offering a forum for Arizonans to express what it means to them,’’ Mayes said.

“We’re talking about neighborhoods that could experience the closure of a grocery store, entire communities that might have to drive 100 miles or more to get to a grocery store, and potentially the layoff of thousands of people,’’ she continued.

That gets into one of the details that

Mayes wants and could affect any decision on whether there would be violations of Arizona’s antitrust laws.

In its announcement, the retailers said they are willing to divest up to 650 of the stores to overcome regulatory concerns. None of the possible locations have been announced.

But even if that happens, that is no guarantee the stores will stay open.

When Albertsons bought Safeway, it agreed to sell 146 stores to Haggen, a regional grocer. But Haggen eventually went bankrupt and Albertson’s bought back many of the stores.

Then there’s the question of whether anyone would be willing to buy the stores the new company is willing to shed, what with the possibility they are likely to offer up those which are least profitable.

There is, however, a backup plan: If a buyer can’t be found for the stores the new company is willing to sell, there is an offer to create a spin-off, still owned by Albertsons shareholders, which would operate independently and compete with the newly merged operation.

The merger – and whether it violates state antitrust laws – isn’t occurring in a vacuum. that also needs to be considered is what competition would remain in Arizona.

Bashas’ operates 118 stores, mostly in Arizona, under that name as well as Food City and AJ’s Fine Foods.

Mayes said these will be conducted in the next few months, with her office probably having to make a decision on what action to take, if any, within six months. That should still be enough time to intercede given that the two companies are looking to finalize the deal sometime in 2024.

Bill requiring Pledge of Allegiances in class advances

BY HOWARD FISCHER

Capitol Media Services

State lawmakers voted Feb. 21 to require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day, courting a likely lawsuit.

Existing law spells out that schools have to set aside time each day”for students who wish to recite the pledge.’’ But HB 2523, given approval by the House on a 31-29 party-line voice vote, adds language that says each student “shall recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag during this time.’’

The only exception would be for students who have a request from a parent to opt out. And students who are at least 18 could refuse.

Rep. Barbara Parker, R-Mesa, told colleagues she sees no problem with this.

“We stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day on this floor,’’ she said. “What’s good for us is good for the children.’’

What it also is, according to Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, D-Chandler, is illegal.

There had been a 1940 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which said that Jehovah’s Witnesses could be required to salute the flag and recite the pledge despite religious objections.

But Pawlike noted the court reversed its stance three years later after the West Virginia Board of Education adopted a resolution ordering that the salute to the flag become a regular part of activities in public schools, requiring students to participate and saying that refusal would be “regarded as an act of insubordination, and shall be dealt with accordingly.’’

“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein,’’ wrote Justice Robert Jackson. “If there are any circumstances which permit

an exception, they do not now occur to us.’’

And Pawlik said that was buttressed by a 1969 Supreme Court ruling which upheld the First Amendment right of students to wear black armbands at school as a silent protest against the war in Vietnam.

“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,’’ wrote Justice Abe Fortas.

Parker, however, said there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution requiring separation of church and state. The only restriction, said Parker, is that the government cannot form or enforce a state religion.

She also pointed out when the Supreme Court ruled in 1943 the words “under God’’ were not in the pledge.

“And nobody’s ever opposed that,’’ Parker said.

Finally, she said, nothing changes for students who don’t want to say the

pledge -- at least for those whose parents excuse them from that obligation.

“The current law is that parents have a right to direct the education of their child,’’ Parker said. “And this is a parents’ rights state.’’

A final roll-call vote would send the measure to the Senate.

In a separate measure, a vote is pending in the Senate on a related bill to financially penalize schools that do not obey existing laws requiring that there be a U.S. flag in each classroom.

“This is to make sure that students growing up understand the country in which they live and embrace the citizenship and the founding principles that we hold so dear,’’ said Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff.

Rogers acknowledged she had no figures on how many schools were not following the law. But she said she had heard from constituents that there are instances of noncompliance.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes wants to see if the upcoming merger of the state’s two largest supermarket chains will impact customers and neighborhoods adversely.

His website pays homage to Holocaust survivors

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Staff Writer

Even though Jerry Guttman was a child when he was introduced to the gruesome reality that his parents had survived during World War II, the Scottsdale man said it wasn’t until he was older that they began recounting the horrors they witnessed.

The youngest of three children of Irving Guttman and Rosie Polkenfeld of Detroit, Michigan, Jerry always felt a burning curiosity about his parents’ earlier life in Europe.

“I was very young when I learned that they were in the Holocaust, but my mom would never tell a story,” Guttman recalled. “My brother was born in a displaced prisoner of war camp (DPW) in Fürth, Bavaria, Germany, so he is also considered a survivor.

“My father told some stories… but most people who went through the atrocity didn’t want to tell their story.”

It wasn’t until his father passed away in May 1997 that his mother began talking about her life in the Nazis concentration camp at Auschwitz in the late 1930s into the early 40s.

Rosie Polkenfeld was born in June 1927 as one of six children in Petrova, Romania, but relocated to Hungary when she was 14 to care for her mother’s cousin.

Upon her arrival in Hungary, she was met with the frightening presence of the

German Nazi party’s growing presence. Though she led a somewhat normal life throughout her early teens, Polkenfeld’s life was ripped away from her around age 16 when she was taken

from her home, shaved of her hair and transported to Auschwitz. She split her imprisonment between there and the camp at Bergen-Belsen throughout the Holocaust.

She shared a bed with 13 other people and subsisted on one loaf of bread a week and a bowl of soup that contained one potato and a bean.

She worked on an assembly-line-style conveyor belt, examining hundreds of bodies prisoners executed in gas chambers and harvesting any valuable dental work before they were incinerated.

Although workers were expected to remain emotionless during their long, draining days of work along that assembly line, Polkenfeld one day was overwhelmed by the shock of seeing her pregnant cousin’s corpse.

Prison guards reacted by lashing her, leaving permanent scars on her shoulder.

Rosie remained in concentration camps until English forces advanced onto the eastern front and began liberating camps.

Irving Guttman was born as one of six kids in 1915 in Poland at a time the country was already becoming a battleground that evolved into World War I.

“The Great War” put the Guttmans in a strong economic position as the family owned a successful creamery that was so busy Irving left school after the seventh grade to work there. The creamery was closed after Germany invaded Poland in 1939.

German soldiers showed up at the Guttman home, forcing Irving and his brother to hide and listen as the soldiers executed his mother and three sisters.

Irving refused to live in a German settlement and eluded the invaders, spending months on the run from the Nazis.

“He would always try to find places under stairs and he’d have a piece of wood with him so he could go under the stairs, pull the piece of wood, and then they would not see him,” Jerry recalled his mother telling him.

When his father was captured, Irving surrendered and was sent to a labor camp, where he worked alongside his father until the two were stricken by typhoid. Irving returned to work but his father was too weak to return.

They never saw each other again.

Irving was sent to a small camp in Poland of 800 Jews that were under looser supervision than other camps.

One rainy night, he slipped under a fence and ran to the forest, eventually finding refuge in a Polish village where he was given clothes and a place to live for months.

Irving later found work working on a highway alongside the Russian army paving his way through what was then Czechoslovakia, Poland and Germany. He eventually ended in the same displaced persons camp where Polkenfeld had been searching for her family.

Polkenfeld and Guttman fell in love, married and gave birth to their first child at this camp. They eventually got to the United States in the early 1950s, living in their cousin’s basement in Michigan and working multiple jobs.

“(My dad) worked three jobs and my mom worked two jobs,” Jerry recalled. “They worked for Dodge, they worked for Chrysler. My dad used to move furniture at midnight. They did whatever they could to scrounge up what money they could.”

Eventually, the Guttmans saved enough funds to purchase a small storefront in Hamtramck, Michigan, that was originally a furniture store that would become the famous Irving’s Delicatessen.

Though the duo became known for their delicious dishes like gefilte fish, fresh challah bread and chicken-in-thepot with kreplach, matzah ball and boiled potato, they were most renowned for the care that they showed to every customer who walked through their door.

“If you came into our restaurant, my mom would walk up to you, see what she was cooking in the back, talk to get your name, your phone number and learn a little bit about you,” Jerry recalled. “She would take your kids in the back in the kitchen where they’d make bread and they’d make coleslaw.

“Then they’d go to my father, who would teach them one of six Slavic languages of the day, then he put a pack of gum in their pocket and gave them a scoop of ice cream and you became part of our family.”

Jerry recalled instances where his parents sent a week’s supply of food to regulars if they were ill and said they remained active in the community even after they sold their booming business that grew to as many as three locations.

Jerry Guttman, the son of Holocaust survivors Irving Guttman and Rosie Polkenfeld and the creator of OurHolocaustStory.com, looks over the memorabilia from his parents’ ordeal. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

What stuck out the most to Jerry was how welcoming his parents were to fellow immigrants.

“My dad used to give me a little piece of paper on a Saturday (with an address on it) and say, ‘Go pick up these folks,’” Jerry said. “(My parents) would give them clothes, food and money to get them settled and help them adjust to the country. My parents were just amazing people in the Detroit community.”

Yet, their traumatic background haunted Jerry throughout his life – especially because he still had so many questions about where his parents came from.

Because of this, Jerry began tracking down documents relating to his parent’s past in Europe about a decade ago and has since recovered his father’s European driver’s license, records stating his parents had been at displaced person camps, sponsorship documents to immigrate to the United States and loads of photos of his parents.

Although this piqued his curiosity, Jerry then realized that he couldn’t be alone and felt compelled to create a website called OurHolocaustStory.com, where other survivors and their children could

keep these stories alive.

“As I compile things and as I learn more, the more they become my heroes to survive what they went through,” Jerry said.

Jerry hopes that he can hear more heroic stories about how people survived one of the worst genocides in history and keep the dark history of what hap-

How Will They Know?

pened decades ago for generations to come.

“My goal with this is to have other survivors or family members who have documentation, pictures, videos, audio that we can upload for them, and create a library so others or teachers can use it to teach people and try to eliminate hate,” Jerry said.

Living life to the fullest is easier knowing your loved ones don’t have to worry about your burial, cremation, or funeral. Our inflation-proof preplan arrangements ensure your wishes are respected.

Call or visit us online today.

A 1948 letter from the administrator of the Jewish Displaced Persons camp in Fürth Germany attests that Holocaust survivor Irving Guttman had been at the camp since November 1945. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Excitement building over TPC sportsbook

BY HARRISON CAMPBELL Cronkite News

The PGA Tour is taking the plunge into the world of sports gambling as completion nears of a one-of-a-kind DraftKings Sportsbook located across from TPC Scottsdale.

DraftKings joins FanDuel, Caesars and BetMGM as sportsbook operations with brick-and-mortar venues in the Valley. The others are located at Footprint Center, State Farm Stadium and Chase Field.

Construction is currently ongoing and the grand opening is tentatively planned for October for the first ever physical sportsbook on a PGA Tour event site.

The goal of the partnership between the PGA Tour and DraftKings is to help use the growing popularity of sports betting to bring new fans to golf. In Arizona more than $618 million was wagered on sports bets in December 2022 alone, a figure that has steadily risen since legislation passed in 2021 to legalize online and retail sports wagering in the state.

“Part of the overall strategy is to reach more new fans and to create more engagement with existing fans through the lens of sports betting,” said Norb Gambuzza, senior vice president of media and gaming for the PGA Tour.

“When we talk about our strategy, that’s really at the top.”

With the rapid rise of sports betting in Arizona, it comes as no surprise that many spectators at the recent WM Phoenix Open were eagerly anticipating the sportsbook’s opening.

“Yeah, a sports book entices people to gamble no matter what,” said Patrick Fortuna, a Phoenix resident at the tournament. “I think a sports book would really push people in the direction of gambling on the sport and really being more enticed to come here and enjoy the sport.”

The sportsbook will include 40 betting kiosks and seven ticketing windows along with almost 400 seats across the interior and an exterior patio for people to sit and enjoy the high-end dining and

cocktail options.

Once sports betting was legalized in Arizona, the Tour brought the proposal to multiple betting operators. In the end, it was DraftKings that was able to strike a deal.

The sportsbook is being built on the corner of Bell Road and Greenway-Hayden Loop, directly across the street from TPC Scottsdale’s clubhouse and the Stadium Course’s 18th hole.

The facility will be front and center near the entrance to the most attended tournament in golf. The only other sportsbook in the area is The Sportsbook at CAZ Sports Bar at Casino Arizona.

“If you kind of map and plotted where all these (sportsbooks) are, you’d see that we have a bit of a geographic advantage, we’re separate and we’re also in an area that’s got kind of, from an economic standpoint, a bit more of an affluent cli-

entele nearby,” Gambuzza said.

“So, I think that’s one of the reasons that DraftKings also was intrigued with this, due to its ability to be a little bit different from the others.”

The DraftKings Sportsbook will be the closest physical sportsbook to many residents of the North Valley.

On top of the location, the opportunity to bring a sportsbook to TPC Scottsdale, home of one of the most popular events on Tour, made perfect sense once sports betting was legalized.

The PGA Tour had been talking about partnering on a retail sportsbook for a year or two before Arizona legalized sports betting, opening a door for the deal to be made.

“It’s this golf tournament that has this very distinct personality and massive attendance,” Gambuzza said.

“It kind of became like, ‘If we’re going

to do this, we’ve got the ingredients for a really special and successful venture, so let’s do it.’”

While the sportsbook is expected to open in the fall, it will not be open to the public at the next WM Phoenix Open. Instead, the space will be used by DraftKings and the sponsoring Thunderbirds as a VIP hospitality area.

Although only VIP fans will be able to place bets there, the sportsbook’s location during the WM Phoenix Open will make hundreds of thousands of people aware that it’s there.

“Yeah, that’ll be so great, not having it this year is just a huge shame,” said Elliot Wood, another WM Phoenix Open spectator. Wood and his friends traveled to the tournament from Canada and said they look forward to seeing the completed building at a future WM Phoenix Open.

The sportsbook will be open to the public for the remainder of the year, but restricting access to patrons at next year’s tournament isn’t exactly in keeping with the event’s “The People’s Open” brand.

And it’s something that Fortuna, as a fan, doesn’t believe is a good idea.

“I think a lot of the time with gamblers, it’s like an everyman’s thing,” he said. “You know, it’s like a lot of people are gambling, whether they’re VIP or not. I think that should be open to everyone. I don’t think it should be exclusive to one or the other.

“Gambling on the app is a whole lot less fun than gambling with a whole group of people at a sportsbook.”

Planners envision a comfortable, upscale setting for the new DraftKings Sportsbook, which will be located directly across from the TPC Scottsdale clubhouse. (Courtesy of Allen + Philp Partners)

The DraftKings Sportsbook near TPC is not expected to open until October and won’t be open to the public during next year’s WM Phoenix Open. (Rendering courtesy of Allen + Philp Partners)

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Chandler home market soaring for sellers, analyst says

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

Chandler is leading a strong resurgence of the housing market in the Southeast Valley that’s rapidly tilting in favor of sellers, according to a leading Valley analyst.

The Cromford Report, which closely watches the housing market in Maricopa and Pima counties, said this month that its index of market health shows Chandler second among all 17 Valley submarkets it monitors in terms of favoring sellers, behind only Fountain Hills.

But that good news was tempered last week as the Cromford Report last week said, “Any buyers who are waiting for prices to fall further are probably going to be disappointed. The Cromford Market Index is now over 120 and that strongly suggests firmer pricing ahead.

“However it is possible that mortgage interest rates may get worse for buyers. The average 30-year fixed rate is already over 6.75% and heading for 6.875%. Last month we saw an average rate of 6.20%, so affordability has deteriorated.

‘The main problem for those who are hoping for a price collapse is that supply remains stubbornly low and continues to move downwards. There is absolute-

ly no evidence of a supply wave coming towards us.

“Quite the opposite in fact, as new homes will be scarcer in the coming months because of the low number of permits that have been issued over the past six months.:

Nevertheless, the Cromford Report stressed, “The result is that we still see the market balance moving in favor of seller which will help support pricing.

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The volume of transactions will not rise as quickly as it would have if rates had stayed as low as January. “

“Basically the correction in pricing has run its course and we are now back in a normal market, far less frenetic than we experience between 2020 and 2022.”

Based on a variety of market data, the Cromford Market Index rates municipalities as being balanced at 100 points, with anything over that increasingly tilting

toward sellers and anything below favoring buyers. Its latest index puts Chandler at 169 – a 22% increase over its rating a month ago.

“Overall the market is more favorable to sellers than we expected in December and downward pressure on pricing has been largely eliminated, except in a few market segments,” it said.

Further pointing to a resurgence of the sellers market is an increase in January of listings under contract over December.

The Cromford Report said 19 ZIP codes in the Phoenix Metro region showed double-digit increases in listings under contract in January, although none were in Chandler. The closest geographically to northern and western Chandler was Ahwatukee 85245. In all, 10 of 19 were in the city of Phoenix, there were one in Carefree, Glendale, Goodyear and Peoria; two each in Mesa and Gilbert; and one in Sun Lakes.

The number of listings under contract rose from 5,456 in December to 7,810 in January – a 43% increase, it said.

“This is by far the highest percentage increase we have ever measured from

Bill would remove many many local zoning laws

BY BOB CHRISTIE Capitol Media Services

Several officials form Maricopa County municipalities are voicing opposition to a state Senate bill that would remove many local zoning laws across the state and require municipalities to allow new housing developments on very small lots in residential areas.

Although Phoenix’s weekly report on whether pending legislation would harm or help the city legislation does not mention SB 1117, approved by the Senate Commerce Committee on a 5-2 vote Feb. 8, both Gilbert and Fountain Hills mayors testified against it.

The bill’s author, Sen. Steve Kaiser of Phoenix, touts the legislation as a possible solution to the state’s housing crisis.

According to Kaiser, his measure would not only remove zoning rules but speeds up approval processes that housing advocates and apartment developers say have hamstrung development. He has been pushing for an overhaul of zoning laws for a year.

The bill also would ban municipalities from enforcing design standards; eliminate requirements off-street parking requirements and override some height restrictions.

It would require cities with light rail to allow apartments to be built on any

commercially zoned property within 2 miles of the rail line and bypass current requirements that local planning boards review new proposals and fast-tracks city approvals.

But Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson told the committee, “Rising housing costs have impacted Gilbert like they have nearly all communities in Arizona and throughout the nation. The lack of affordable housing is widely recognized as an issue of concern but there’s not a clear simple solution to this complex set of factors that impact housing costs.

“While we appreciate ongoing efforts to address the issue, we feel SB 1117 will not create affordable housing solutions but have unintended consequences and long-lasting negative impacts on our communities.”

Peterson said her experience from her two years as mayor, five years as a council member and over 14 years as a planning commissioner for Gilbert taught her that “strong communities are created through long-term planning and are maintained and enhanced through consistent, planning processes.”

Peterson said if SB 1117 passes, there would no longer be a formal citizen review process and residents would be

This 5,313-square-foot house on W. Aster Court in Ocotillo recently sold for $1.4 million. Built in 2001, the home has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a full glass living room wall overlooking the lake, a negative edge pool with waterfall and roof, an outdoor kitchen, sunken gazebo and a slew of other amenities such as a fireplace, balcony and detached casita. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

MARKET

from Page 32

Report to take a shot at Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs for its fear-inspiring forecast – and some media outlets, notably Fox News, for giving it more credence than Cromford thinks is warranted.

ZONING

from Page 32 one month to the next,” the Cromford Report added. “It shows us that buyers are getting used to interest rates around 6%. It helps a lot when sellers are willing to help them buy down the initial rate.”

The Cromford Report counseled, “It is time to drop the skepticism and enter the hope stage of the cycle” – a reference to its map of the market cycle, which plots Valley homesellers’ emotional state over the last few years.

“Listings are going under contract so quickly that the supply of new listings cannot keep up, despite a much higher flow of new listings than we saw in December,” it said.

“We are heading back towards a supply-constrained market and it is likely that prices will start to move higher within a short space of time. Asking prices are moving upwards quickly and these are usually a leading indicator.

“While there is no guarantee that mortgage rates won’t go higher again, 2023 has started out much stronger than anyone expected back in November.”

The Cromford Report also said that overall, January closings totaling 4,559 were 44% below those record in January 2022, with new home sales down by 6% and resales plummeting 49%. The monthly media price of those sales last month was $439,000 – down less than 1% from a year earlier.

The median sales price of new homes sold last month was $503,195 – up 9.4% over January 2022 – while the median sale price of re-sale homes was down 4.3% in the same period to $420,000.

“Clearly new homes are faring much better than resales in. both volume and pricing, the Cromford Report said.

It also noted, “Although closed sales volumes are low and prices are down from this time last year, total dollar volume is higher than it was in February 2020, just three years ago. This is because prices are so much higher than they were on 2020.”

All this good news for sellers also became a springboard for the Cromford

It ripped Goldman Sachs for “making all kinds of weird and unlikely forecast” that said the housing market would crash and home values plummet by as much as 25% or more in four cities, including Phoenix.

“Not quite sure how to deal with it because its description of the current Phoenix market bears little comparison with the real world,” the Cromford Report said.

“The idea that interest rates will skyrocket in 2023 seems more than a little far-fetched when the inflation rate is falling,” Cromford said. “It could happen, but to have this as your base case seems very irresponsible.

“Is Goldman Sachs really saying Phoenix home prices will go up and then drastically down? Come on now, there is no data that supports that outlook. Just a wild-ass guess?”

Noting home values crashed by 60% between 2006 and 2011 in the Valley during the Great Recession, the Cromford Report slammed Goldman Sachs for using that for comparison. “Since the peak in May 2022 of $475,000, the median was down to $412,000 by December. This is a fall of 13% so far,” it said.

While wondering whether Fox News “garbled the message that Goldman Sachs put out,” it called out Goldman Sachs s well for forecasting mortgage rates months from now, stating, “No one has ever been very good at forecasting mortgage interest rates more than a couple of weeks in advance.

“This includes the Mortgage Bankers Association and it especially includes Goldman Sachs whose track-record on interest rate forecasts is extremely poor,” the Cromford Report continued.

“This is not saying much because there is no one who gets them right more than by random chance.

“Any time spent listening to people making interest rate forecasts is time you could have spent more productively.”

unable to engage or even be aware of projects that may have a major impact to their neighborhoods.

She said residents’ involvement would be further impacted by the bill with the restriction of the Planning Commission’s role.

She said the bill would harm towns and cities’ ability to manage growth and development in their communities.

“Arizona is unique,” she concluded. “And this bill will change the landscape of our beautiful state.”

Paradise Valley Councilwoman Anna Thomasson said overruling local zoning rules will have wide-ranging effects, including forcing change to local character.

“We think it’s important to hang on to the culture of all Arizona communities, including Paradise Valley, that we retain the right to have our own zoning, and to have our own determination, public process involvement,’’ she said.

The proposed law does not override existing rules adopted by planned communities known as CC&Rs. That means many developments with homeowner associations could continue to maintain design standards and bar backyard casitas as extra housing that could be separately rented.

Some Democratic lawmakers on the panel noted, however, that Kaiser’s proposal requires that no affordable housing actually be built.

Frank Cassidy, an attorney representing the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, also spoke against the proposed bill.

“This is basically a nuclear option to allow a whole bunch of housing but not saying it has to be affordable housing,’’ Cassidy said. “It is just a ‘trickle down’ argument for that.’’

The plan is backed by developers of homes and apartments as well as urban renewal advocacy groups.

“The fact of the matter is, we have zoned out starter homes, that is just a fact,’’ Spencer Kamps of the Home-

builders Association of Central Arizona told Committee members. This bill, he said, would allow developers to produce “starter homes.’’

“We have zoned out accessory dwelling units,’’ Kamps continued. “We’ve zoned out single-occupancy dwelling units. They don’t exist. You can’t build them. This bill allows the triplexes, duplexes, what we call the missing middle. This bill allows that to happen.’’

The measure is being pushed as a needed solution to a huge lack of housing supply in Arizona that has seen apartment rents and home costs soar.

Jake Hinman of the Arizona Multihousing Association cited state Housing Department figures that show Arizona is short 270,000 housing units. He said the proposal would cut local zoning regulation and open the floodgates to new building.

He said the big issue is “NIMBY-ism,’’ the fight that erupts when local residents take a “not in my backyard’’ approach, object to a new project and end up delaying or killing it outright.

“Projects that used to take … six months to be approved are taking years,’’ Hinman said. “The intensity grows with every aspect, whether it’s comments about traffic, comments about crime, comments about property values, all of these things we know not to be true, but yet they poison the well.’’

He and members of the Senate committee referenced emails they received from local community activists who said Kaiser’s bill would destroy the character of their neighborhoods.

Kaiser pointed to the elimination of city-adopted design standards as a major point, at least for him. He cited historic districts in Phoenix where every home is different and “doesn’t look like cookie cutter.’’

“Imagine what we could have if we had variety, if we didn’t have government-controlled design review standards that sound like Soviet-era construction of housing,’’ Kaiser said. “We need to let the free market, the architects, the designers, and … the buyers decide what is going to be good.’’

Chandler yoga expert busy on many fronts

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

Claire Larson has built a successful yoga business in a couple ways.

In addition to managing a Chandler yoga studio, she also started her own company, giving individual lessons and offering group sessions.

Not bad for someone who failed the final exam of an elective yoga course in college.

“I took this yoga class thinking, ‘This is my for fun joke class. How will I not do well on this?’” Larson said.

“I had aced the midterm, which was very postural based and I thought that the final would be just like that. It ended up being all history and philosophy, which I didn’t know, I hadn’t opened my book. So yeah, so it didn’t go well.”

Larson said despite that setback she liked doing yoga. – especial since her life in Minneapolis started to get hectic working in public relations and marketing after leaving the University of Wisconsin. he signed up for some yoga courses and not long after that was teaching the courses.

“Two blocks from my first apartment

was a CorePower Yoga. So I immediately got hooked on that and started teaching within a couple of months of joining as a member, just because I knew it was something that I wanted to keep doing on the side.

“And then eventually, once I moved [to Chandler], it became a full-time deal.”

When a serious climbing accident left him with six permanent screws in

his shattered ankle, CorePower Yoga founder and CEO Trevor Tice turned to yoga.

An avid outdoorsman from Telluride, Colorado, he found yoga a good exercise to replace the running, climbing and other physically challenging activities that were no longer accessible to him.

Traveling for his technology business, Trevor practiced a variety of yoga disciplines at yoga studios across the country and in 2002 opened his first CorePower

Yoga studio in downtown Denver with a proprietary form of athletic, heated yoga in modern, welcoming and spa-like studios.

Larson said she didn’t think about starting her own business. After she would teach classes, her students would come up and ask if she did private lessons.

“My answer forever was no,” Larson said. “And then I kind of realized, ‘why is it no?’”

Her first client was her dentist, who hired her to put on an event for the entire office.

Most of Larson’s group events involve businesses or corporations looking for a bonding event for their employees.

“Maybe those people who weren’t necessarily comfortable doing yoga, all of a sudden they feel like this window has been opened where they are comfortable because they’re with their friends and their colleagues and they’re laughing,

Robson Communities going strong after half century

BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor

You probably need a time machine to get a full picture of what Sun Lakes was like in 1972 when Edward J. Robson and three business partners decided to build a senior resort community in the middle of nowhere.

The only thing like it anywhere was Del Webb’s Sun City, and that was at least along the road between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

“I have to tell you, that takes vision for him to take … formerly farmland and turn it into one of the best-selling active adult communities,” said Alina Hushka, the senior vice president of marketing for Robson Communities.

“He realized there was room for people that wanted an affordable, active adult lifestyle. Back then there was only another builder that was offering that … and that was up in the northwest area. He realized that there was room for people who want it to be more in the Southeast Valley and he had the vision and the foresight to buy along with a couple of partners to get some acreage down south of Chandler.”

Robson built Sun Lakes, and people kept coming, and coming, and coming. The farmlands around the area are mostly gone, now filled with homes, retail centers, churches, and a giant semiconductor manufacturing plant owned by Intel.

While it’s not technically inside Chandler’s borders, it is part of the huge

growth in population that took place in the city starting about the time the retirement community was built.

Sun Lakes is no longer part of the Robson portfolio, having sold all 10,000 of their homes in 2005. Robson still is in the retirement community business, having celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

The builder has six other retirement communities in Arizona and Texas that are still selling homes. They include PebbleCreek in Goodyear, The Preserve at SaddleBrooke, SaddleBrooke Ranch, and Quail Creek in the Tucson area, Robson Ranch Arizona in Eloy, and Robson Ranch Texas in Denton.

The company tends to buy far from

population center, where land prices are not as high. Hushka said they also provide top quality homes and resort living, and that’s been their secret to success.

“What I believe separates us from the competition, is that we truly provide an extensive amenity package and lifestyle,” Hushka said. “You know, we invite people to compare what we offer to other 55plus communities.

“Take a look at the number of pickleball courts that we offer. Our resort style pool complexes, and state-of-the-art fitness centers. We have creative art centers, grand ballrooms, auditoriums and dog parks. I think that the level of amenities that we offer is truly exceptional.”

She said Robson was well ahead of the pickleball craze, building their first pickleball courts around 2004. She said other retirement communities may have a few courts, but their communities built since the early 2000s have at least 16. SaddleBrooke Ranch has 24 courts.

The founder, Edward J. Robson, still goes to work in Sun Lakes. He had quite a life before starting his own company and building Chandler’s first retirement community. He played on the U.S. Olympic hockey team in 1956.

“Our passion, mission, and vision have turned houses into homes and neighbors into extended families,” Robson said. “The communities we have created foster new goals, new hobbies, new connections, and most importantly, a new vision of what retired life truly should be.”

The company has earned awards throughout the years, including the Best 55+ Builder of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders and Builder of the Year by the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona.

“I want to thank everyone who has worked with me to make the last 50 years a success,” Robson said. “While it is fun taking a trip down memory lane, I look forward to continuing to move the vision forward in the future.”

Robson Communities built Sun Lakes but sold all its 10,000 homes in 2005. (Submitted)

See

In addition to managing the CorePower Yoga studio in Chandler, Claire Larson also teaches groups and individuals through her own business. (SanTan Sun News)

French cookie the star at Decadent Macaron

BY CECILIA CHAN

Staff Writer

Mark and Stephanie Wagner’s search for the perfect French macaron took six months and hundreds of batches of test cookies before the Gilbert couple created a recipe for the perfect meringue-based confection.

“Our real kind of secret sauce was creating the butter cream,” said Stephanie Wagner. “Our feelings are it’s a lot different than most macarons.

“We like to use more butter and less sugar so it’s a lot silkier and more health sensitive but tastes much better. It got more of a delicate texture to it than the traditional American butter cream, which is sugary.”

Now, residents can get a taste of those colorful bite-size treats locally at the Wagners’ first brick-and-mortar location at Verde at Cooley Station at Williams Field and Recker roads. It opened Jan. 23

“Our goal with the new location is more variety of flavors and expanding the menu a bit,” Stephanie said.

Previously, since December 2018, Decadent Macaron was selling its sandwich cookies inside the Palette Collective in Chandler, which houses a variety of merchants in studio spaces. The couple closed their Chandler location Jan. 20.

While before 15 to 20 of the over 40 different flavor options were baked daily, the Gilbert bakery offers more flavors

that will be rotated, Stephanie said.

The flavors include salted caramel, mint chocolate, red velvet, strawberry, chocolate peanut butter and key lime.

The overall fan favorite is churro, Stephanie said.

The couple’s 2-year-old son, Greyson, also loves the meringue-based sweets.

“His favorite is churro,” Stephanie said.

“He is our chief tasting officer.”

Besides flavors to suit just about every taste bud, Decadent Macaron also bakes up specialty cookies molded into shapes such as avacado, unicorn, Baby Yoda, pumpkin and cactus.

Some of the new menu offerings will include cheesecake with a macaron crust instead of the traditional graham crackers and tiramisu with macarons instead of ladyfingers, Stephanie said.

Other yummy desserts in the planning include creme brulee in various flavors rotated out and a variety of croissants.

“And we are going to team up with local bakers to wholesale their items,” Stephanie said. “That is how we started out and we wanted to do the same for other small bakers starting out.”

The Gilbert location also offers a full-service coffee menu.

The business, which now has six bakers, up from the one employee when it first opened makes well over 200 to 300 macarons daily. The quantity increases if there are special orders.

While Stephanie manages the day-today operations, husband Mark handles the bookkeeping.

“He makes sure I stay in budget,” she said.

Mark not only balances the books but he inspired the couple’s venture.

According to Mark, he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and Raynaud’s disease at the age of 17. When he was 26, he changed his diet to primarily gluten-free. But the new eating habits meant it was challenging to find a dessert that would not damage his body.

And that was when Stephanie introduced him to macarons that uses almond flour instead of wheat, rye and barley, which contain the protein gluten.

“Macarons were always my favorite,” said Stepahnie, who has a sweet tooth. “Living in Gilbert it was very hard to find good ones.

“We always went to Scottsdale and Phoenix for them and we got tired of the drive.”

One day, as Stephanie explained, the newlyweds watched a show where people were baking macarons and they de-

Owner Mark Wagner of Decadent Macaron and his wife Stephanie are excited about their new Gilbert bakery. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

cided why not give it a try themselves.

“We began playing around with it and failed miserably,” she recalled of their initial attempts. “We decided to read up on everything on macarons, watched a lot of videos and created our own recipe.

“As soon as we really learned the art of macarons is when we started to have success.”

Successful batches given out to family and friends led to strangers contacting the Wagners for the sweets.

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“When that started we thought maybe this is a business,” Stephanie said.

“We went through the proper channels, through the environmental (services) and licensing to become an actual business.”

Stephanie gave up her day job as a professional nanny while Mark remained as a real estate specialist.

Initially the bakes were done in the couple’s kitchen at home and from there they grew and located to Chandler and now Gilbert.

Although macarons are credited to the French their roots are in Italy. Each country has its own take of the cookie and

public relations and marketing would be a benefit, but there was still a lot to learn.

Decadent Macaron opted for the French version.

“Italian is very more forgiving and there’re less chances of mistakes,” Stephanie said. “French is a little temperamental but we feel the taste is better because there’s not as much sugar and it’s not as hard.”

A box of 12 macarons starts off at $24 and one specialty shaped macaron will set a customer back $4.

Stephanie attributed the macarons’ cost to the use of high-quality ingredients and the time it takes to bake them.

“They really are a labor of love,” she said. “So, for instance today we will be working on stuff that we are going to bake tomorrow.”

She explained that the macaron shells

need to rest or dry out overnight before they can be baked.

Macarons reportedly are as popular if not more than cupcakes.

“It’s about the look and taste,” Stephanie explained. “It’s a very delicate French pastry. It’s very pretty and so lot of people like it for the aesthetics and when it’s done well it tastes amazing.

“It’s the perfect size for a nice little treat. You don’t feel like you’re overdoing it with dessert.”

Decadent Macaron

2438 S. Recker Road, Suite 106, Gilbert Weekdays, 7

Weekends, 8

and joking at the same time, and they make it a lot of fun,” Larson said. “So that’s a fun experience for beginners.”

Her clients who sign up for individual lessons usually fall into one of two camps.

“Oftentimes, it’s people who have never done yoga before,” she said. “And they’re too intimidated to walk into a studio. Or they’re trying to just learn a little bit more than what they can get from a teacher teaching an entire group of people.”

When she’s not doing individual or group lessons, she has another job in managing the CorePower Yoga location in Chandler.

Starting a business is an intimidating process. Larson said her background in

“This was very much out of my wheelhouse,” Larson said. “I never saw myself as a small business owner. But then I kind of had the realization that I can be one. So far, it’s working out great.”

She said she will continue to accept individual and group sessions after starting the job at CorePower.

“I love that I still have this piece of me that I get to keep as my own outside of that business.”

Claire Larson LLC clairelarsonyoga.com

CorePower Yoga 2875 W. Ray Road, Chandler 833-448-2561, corepoweryoga.com/ yoga-studios/az/phoenix/chandler

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Chandler Sports Hall of Fame inducts latest class

BY ZACH ALVIRA Sports Editor

Seton Catholic girls’ basketball coach Karen Self’s tenure speaks for itself.

She’s won multiple state championships with the Lady Sentinels and is in the middle of a run to the coveted Open Division state title this season, which will crown a true champion among Arizona’s top three conferences.

Self was among the five individuals who were part of the 2023 Chandler Sports Hall of Fame induction class. The ceremony to honor them was held Saturday, Feb. 18 at Hamilton High School. It highlighted their achievements in athletics for the city. It also gave special recognition to Athletic Trainer Justin Deer and Athletic Announcer Dave Nardi.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Self said. “It’s just another opportunity to make connections with people and get a chance to meet people I don’t think I would’ve gotten a chance to meet before.”

Along with Self, Hamilton alum and wheelchair rugby star Joe Jackson, former Hamilton and Arizona State basketball star Eric Jacobsen, former Hamilton and Alabama volleyball star Brittany Kouand-

jio and former Chandler and current Los Angeles Rams quarterback Bryce Perkins were part of this year’s Hall of Fame class.

Self is currently near the end of her 30th season coaching girls’ basketball at

Seton Catholic, where she has won 12 state championships.

She’s already a part of the Arizona Coaches Hall of Fame and in November was inducted into the Arizona Sports

Hall of Fame. Along with Self’s induction into the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame last Saturday, her Seton Catholic championship teams received special recognition during the ceremony.

“There’s so many people that go into building up our program,” Self said. “Yeah, my name is at the top but it’s really about the people that helped us get there. It’s been a fun time.”

Jackson’s life was turned upside down when he was paralyzed from the waist down after a breaking his C6 vertebrae during a practice for the Hamilton football program on Nov. 1, 2005.

He didn’t let that set him back, however, as he quickly adapted to a new way of life.

Through Ability360, a gym that focuses on accessibility for people with disabilities, Jackson took up wheelchair rugby with the Phoenix Heat, a club that has won three national championships and helped lead Team USA to a silver medal in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.

“It feels great, I did not expect this,” Jackson said of his induction. “Like Karen

East Valley athletes shine at wrestling finals

BY ANDREW LWOWSKI

Contributing Writer

Chants of “Two! Two! Two!” and cheers from family and friends rained down on all the state’s top wrestlers from every school and division as they battled in the 2023 AIA state championship at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 18.

Sunnyside of Tucson proved to be the top dog again in Division I, coming in first with a dominant 307.5 points and placing 13 kids throughout the 14 weight classes.

“It almost seemed like it was Sunnyside versus all the matches out there,” Hamilton coach Travis Miller said half jokingly.

However, the East Valley made sure it was well represented with 41 kids placed from Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Queen Creek and Tempe.

In Division I, Mountain View came in third with 135 points with seven kids placing. Desert Vista came in a close fourth place with 122 points, placing five. Logan Smith, who placed third at 132 pounds for Desert Vista, said he was disappointed in his performance, as well as the Thunder’s.

“I could’ve done better,” he said. “Not what we (as a team) expected. We could’ve done better definitely.”

Despite his disappointment, Smith will leave Desert Vista with numerous accolades under his belt.

The third-place win secures his spot as the only Thunder wrestler currently

on the team to place at state in the topthree in all four years of high school. He’s also the program’s only current fourtime sectionals champion all in different weight classes.

Smith signed with Central College earlier this month, a Division III school in Iowa. He is currently weighing his options, however, as he may decide to pursue a different route in college.

One of Smith’s teammates, Carter Holt, placed third at 138 pounds for Desert Vista. He echoed Smith’s testament that the Thunder underperformed and were disappointed with their results.

“We did better earlier in the week,” he said. “We didn’t expect Damen (Miller) to lose. We couldn’t get it done tonight.”

Miller, who wrestles at 144 pounds, was the only Desert Vista wrestler competing in a state title match. He fell Sun-

nyside’s Christian Rivera.

Casteel fell in fifth place with 91 points while Desert Ridge placed sixth with 79 points.

Hamilton nearly cracked the top-10 at 11 with 50.5 points.

“Being at the DI level, you never know what’s going to happen,” Hamilton coach Travis Miller said. “There’s a lot of good competition, but I’m really proud of our kids and how well they did and the placers we had making the podium. Putting Hamilton near the top-10 for us is big. I’m proud.”

Miller added that his second-place finisher at 165 pounds, Grant Murray, gave Mike Avelar of Sunnyside — who is committed at the collegiate Division I level — a run for his money.

“He (wrestling in his first state finals) really brought it to him,” Miller said. “He

made a seasoned champion look a little bit nervous before championships do what champions do.”

Chandler, Corona del Sol and Queen Creek closed out the East Valley in Division I.

Queen Creek coach Joel Anderson acknowledged the dominance by Sunnyside but credited his boys for the grueling season and effort in the championship rounds.

“I’m incredibly proud of my boys,” Anderson said. “You know, the season is long, not everyone sees the mat during the season, it’s tough. But the determination and grit make it here and to have my boys on that podium, it feels great.”

The Bulldogs placed two wrestlers, Riggs Anderson with fourth place at heavyweight (285 lbs) and Beau Shepherd with third place at 135 lbs.

The East Valley had little action in Division II, with Marlin Whyte of Mountain Pointe being the only contender, placing first at 165 lbs. The Pride finished 17th in Division II.

While Mesquite and Marcos de Niza were the two East Valley programs featured in Division III, the Wildcats had four make the podium. Angelo Martinez placed fifth at 106, Trevor Ouellette placed third at 120, Eli Conde placed second at 138 and Michael Story placed fifth at heavy weight.

he

Chandler Hall of Fame 2023 inductees Eric Jacobsen, Joe Jackson, Brittany Kouandjio, Bryce Perkins and Karen Self at the 18th Chandler Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Lius Pichardo was the lone Padre in Division III to place for Marcos de Niza,

See HALL on Page 39

Several East Valley athletes represented their respective schools at a high level Saturday, Feb. 18 at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix for the state championship wrestling meet. (Courtesy Desert Vista High School)

HALL from Page 38

Self said, it’s all about the hard work you do that people don’t see. It’s an honor.”

Jackson chose not to harp on his injury in high school.

Instead, he used to it mentor and become an inspiration for others with similar disabilities. He became the spokesperson for Saguaro Scuba, a company created in 2016 that specializes in adaptive scuba diving.

He also helped found the Joe Jackson Foundation, a non-profit that strives inform and enable children with spinal cord injuries. Jackson has become an inspiration to those in Chandler and beyond.

“I just put my head down and I worked,” Jackson said. “For me to pave the way for other kids or adults who get hurt and ask, ‘Well, now what do I do?’ Find a sport. I promise it’ll change your life.”

Jacobson starred at Hamilton during his high school basketball career. A 6-foot-10 power forward when he played for the Huskies, he went on to play four years for the Sun Devils and after going undrafted in 2016, played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA Summer League.

Jacobsen has since had tenures with the Adelaide 36ers from Australia and the Fukuoza Rizing, Sendai 89ers and Ibaraki Robots in Japan.

Like Jacobsen, Perkins has also made a career out of his respective sport.

The former Chandler High School

WRESTLING

finished third at 165.

from Page 38

The East Valley was well represented on the girls’ side early Saturday morning. Casteel’s girls finished in third place. The Colts were led by Isabella Munoz, who captured her third state championship in 145, as well as Anneliese Kisting (126) who

standout quarterback had a rough go in college, suffering a neck injury at Arizona State before transferring to Arizona Western College to resurrect his career. But that’s exactly what he did.

He went on to become a starter at the University of Virginia, leading the Cavaliers to the Orange Bowl in his final season. He was undrafted out of college but has found a roster spot with the Rams. He now joins former Chandler teammate N’Keal Harry in the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame almost a year to the day he won a Super Bowl ring.

Kouandjio was a star at Hamilton under Sharon Vanis, one of the many the legendary volleyball coach has mentored during her time with the Huskies. She was a four-year varsity player at Hamilton and went on to play at Alabama, where she continued her success on the court.

She was a four-year starter for the Alabama and is now top-10 all-time for kills, digs, attacks, career points and matches played for the Crimson Tide.

“Looking back on my career, it’s a reflection of the bits and pieces coach Vanis has taught,” Kouandjio said. “It’s all little ingredients for everything and this is it.”

Her accomplishments on one of volleyball’s biggest stages earned her the honor of being inducted into the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame.

“I was very shocked to be honored, be nominated,” Kouandjio said. “When I read the other submissions, I felt very humbled.”

was in the finals for the second time in her career.

Freshman Mia Johnson took fifth in her first state meet for Casteel.

Mountain View’s Taina Uasike placed second in the 185-pound class. Her finish is the highest in the history of the Toro girls’ wrestling program. Basha’s Trinity Bouchal captured her second state title wrestling in 165.

Chandler thespians shine in new Limelight production

BY KATY SPRING Contributor

It’s a play that goes wrong in every sense of the word, but the mishaps, setbacks and mistakes come together to deliver high comedy in “The Play that Goes Wrong: High School Edition.”

Fresh off Broadway, the smash-hit farce is presented by Limelight Performing Arts in Gilbert.

With a cast of 13 teenagers, Limelight is the first theater in the state to present “The Play that Goes Wrong: High School Edition.” Performances are offered through March 5 at various times at Limelight’s Artspace Theatre in Gilbert.

“I wanted to participate in this show because I saw it on tour, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder in my life!” said 19-year-old Kayla King of Chandler.

“When it was announced Limelight was doing it, I had to audition and be part of this hilarious show!”

She’s not the only one who thinks it’s funny.

Hailed as a “gut-busting hit” by the New York Times, “The Play that Goes Wrong” won an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, snagged two Tony Awards and is the longest-running show in the

100-year history of London’s Old Red Lion Theatre.

A hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes, this play-within-a-play follows a woefully misguided troupe of players during their opening night per-

formance of “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” a 1920s murder mystery.

Forgotten lines, technical gaffes and set malfunctions all conspire to ruin the show, but cast members persist – and persist – in their quest to arrive at the

final curtain call.

“Anyone who has done live theater knows that things rarely go as planned, so actors have to be ready at all times to improvise and keep the show moving forward,” said director Christian Graca.

“What’s so hilarious about the play is watching this troupe of woebegone actors persevere with their very serious murder mystery, even when literally everything goes wrong.”

Kayla was cast as Chris, who plays the role of Inspector Carter in the murder-mystery and simultaneously serves as the show’s director, set designer, costume designer, prop maker, box office manager, press and PR person and multiple other roles.

“Chris just wants the show to go well. Of course, that’s what makes it so funny when it doesn’t,” she explained.

“You can see her slowly becoming more and more panicked as the show goes on and the cast tries to salvage it, and it is hilarious.”

Indeed, “The Play that Goes Wrong” is full of physical comedy – like pratfalls, fist fights and falling props – and boasts

See LIMELIGHT on Page 41

Sun Lakes Rotary supports dragster competition

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes is again supporting the Tco2 Dragster STEM High School at Perry High School.

Sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, the program aims to help develop students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

Student teams used computer-assisted design and manufacturing to make dragsters that competed Feb. 18 under the Rotary Club’s sponsorship.

The competition required each team to present readable renderings and drawings containing views and dimensions of the dragster. Each team was interviewed by a panel of experts and provided an overview of their dragster’s design, operations, construction, speeds, build experiences, research, simulations and finishing techniques.

The teams were required to follow specific technical regulations in body construction and wheel definition.

Anna Logan, a longtime supporter of the event, said trophies were awarded for fastest car, best in show, and in other categories.

Sun Lakes Dragster Competition Committee member Don Robins was among the group of engineering experts who judged the contestants. The panel also included other club members, retired engineers and Chandler Unified repre-

sentatives.

“The RCSL would like to acknowledge Clint Beauer, Perry High School assistant principal, for his support in arranging the competition,“ said club spokeswoman Dr. Honora Norton.

Meanwhile, Sun Lakes Rotary Club named Sun Lakes resident Ann Diamond its February 2023 Rotarian of the Month.

“Right from the start of joining RCSL, Ann has become an active new Rotarian by volunteering at the electronic recycling Project, making Amanda Hope blankets for kiddos with cancer, and

supporting the club’s upcoming golf tournament,” Norton said.

Diamond also joined the club meeting’s “setup/takedown” team and participated in the club’s visioning project.

The club also congratulated Victoria Flatley, a Sun Lakes resident and club president-elect, for earning her certificate of completion of the Rotary Leadership Institute Graduate Course.

The basic program helps leadership development and the six-course graduate program helps participants explore current challenges Rotary clubs are fac-

ing.

“Each graduate course had a different list of topics and a unique curriculum that meets the needs of the Rotarians attending the course,” Norton said, adding that topics include public speaking and presentation skills, design and use of PowerPoint, ethics and using the Rotary 4-Way Test, team building, conflict resolution and mediation, visions and strategic planning, event planning, and motivation and leadership.

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes Club President Stephen Phair also recently announced that House Bill 2062 recently passed through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for a vote to get Rotary license plates.

Up to now, Rotarians in Arizona have had to choose other charities to support because there is no license plate for them to show their pride.

“Rotarians are working with Arizona state legislators to create a Rotarian license plate,” Norton said.

Rotary International District 5495 Governor Larry Horton and Phair met with Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, D-Chandler, and toured the Capital with RI Past District Gov. Chuck Fitzgerald.

The initial cost for the program is $32,000 to cover the administration, de-

Kayla King of Chandler, joins Ava Chiappetta and Vincent Farley in rehearsing a scene from) in Limelight Performing Arts’ production of “The Play That Goes Wrong. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

CO2 Dragster Competition judges and volunteers at the dragster racetrack starting line include, from left: Gary Kay and his wife Mercedes, Sharon Flood, Kurt Rohrs, Don Robins, Stephen Phair, Janet McDonald, Kiamesha Guy’s father Mike and Jon Lyons. Kiamesha is standing between the Kays. (Photo courtesy of Tecate Phair)

LIMELIGHT

from Page 40

a set that is second-to-none.

“The set is its own character in this production,” said Graca. “Built by Jorge Forero and Joe Woodward, it was created expressly to malfunction, upping the comedic value because if the set goes wrong, everything else goes wrong.”

The disasters snowball uncontrollably as the troupe presses on, desperate to get to the end of their murder-mystery production.

“I think audiences will love the fact that they’ll never really know what to expect,” said Kayla. “You never know what’s going to go wrong next, and I think that makes for an incredible, hilarious, truly entertaining show.”

As the saying goes, comedy is harder than drama, but Graca knows her performers have what it takes.

“These actors were off-book after only a couple of weeks of rehearsal,” she said. “That means they’ve spent the last month developing their characters, adding nuances, perfecting their line deliv-

ery and playing off each other.

“We have run all of the scenes in this show dozens of times, but I laugh so hard I cry at every single rehearsal.”

Tickets for “The Play that Goes Wrong” are $15 and can be purchased at ll-pa.org.

Presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service under license from Mischief Worldwide Ltd. The Mischief Production was originally produced on the West End Stage by Kenny Wax & Stage Presence and on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, J.J. Abrams, Kenny Wax & Stage Presence.

If you go

“The Play that Goes Wrong: High School Edition”

WHERE: Limelight Performing Arts, 511 W. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert.

WHEN: Through March 5 The run includes both matinee and evening performances.

TICKETS: ll-pa.org. Group discounts are available.

ROTARY

from Page 40

sign, and hours needed to the plate.

The additional cost of $25 per registration will be paid for the specialty plate with $17 going back to the Rotary

Clubs of Arizona.

“If we work that backwards, our breakeven is only 1,883 license plates,” Norton said, asking people to support the plate by writing to legislators. For information about the club and how to join: sunlakesrotary.com.

(Left) Sun Lakes resident Ann Diamond was named the Rotarian of the Month by the Sun Lakes Rotary Club. (Right) Victoria Flatley, Sun Lakes Rotary Club president-elect, who earned her certificate of completion of the Rotary Leadership Institute Graduate Course. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

Art on the Boardwalk

Jewish War Vets present speaker at next meeting

Jennifer Gewarges, executive director of U. S. Vets-Phoenix, will address Jewish War Veterans, Copper State Post 619 un Sun Lakes next month.

She will be the guest speak at the March 19 meeting in the Poolside Building of Oakwood Country Club, 24218 S. Oakwood Blvd., Sun Lakes.

Clothing donations will be accepted at 9:15 a.m. and a free brunch offered at 9:30 a.m., although diners must make a reservation.

The new U.S. Vets shelter for homeless veterans in Phoenix will hold 182 men and women and is expected to open in April. The four-story building will have elevators, a private wing to allow more safety for women, an indoor gym, kitchen and dining hall.

Gewarges will detail how the veterans are selected and the services provided to help them obtain regular housing.

The new U. S. Vets facility will have a drop-off center and a mini-store where veterans can have a shopping experience selecting clothes to get them started in the program.

The Jewish War Veterans post is collecting used clothing in excellent condition and new socks and underwear.

Shirts, pants, sport & outerwear jackets, pajamas, accessories, and shoes are

needed for men. Women can use sportswear, sweaters, jackets, outerwear, casual business attire, sleepwear, accessories, and shoes.

Free lox and bagels, coffee and doughnuts are available at the March meeting but people must contact Judy Wolin aT cjsunlakes@msn.com or 480-802-8521.

JWV Post 619, which meets the third Sunday of every month from September-May boasts members who represent a wide range of religious affiliations. JWV participates in philanthropic activities to help veterans of all faiths. It is not necessary to be a veteran to join.

To learn more about JWV activities and membership, contact Commander Chuck Wolin.

Less pop. More culture.

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

JENNIFER GEWARGES

Grab a kilt and head to the Scottish Games

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

For 57 years, thousands of Arizonan Scotsmen and women have gathered in the metro area to celebrate their culture and heritage.

They’ll be doing it again next week when the Phoenix Scottish Games are presented by Caledonian Society of Arizona at Gilbert Regional Park, 3005 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert.

The games, which were moved to Gilbert Regional Park from Phoenix’s Steele Indian School Park, begin at 5 p.m. Friday, March 3, and run through Sunday, March 5.

You don’t have to be Scottish to join the fun – and if you’re not sure of your roots, there are genealogists on site who can help trace them.

The weekend opens Friday evening with a colorful and stirring presentation called the Phoenix International Tattoo, a dazzling display of music and marches that echo the pageantry of the Scotland’s famed pipe band competitions.

This year, 28 members of the Isle of Skye Pipe Band from the city of Portree are flying into perform – some leaving their homes to travel abroad for the first time in their lives.

They will join an international cast of over 100 performers who include MarineSandpiper, Southern California’s only rock and roll bagpiper, and Craic in the Stone, who update traditional Scottish

music with the sounds of the Pogues, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and other contemporary groups.

That performance will be followed by the ore traditional military tattoo, featuring performers from the United States, Canada and Scotland.

Aklso participating in both Friday even shows are the Alma College Kiltie Dancers, Arizona Academy of Highland Dance, Jason Cartmell’s Rockstrocity and the Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band.

One of the most notable guests at the tattoo will be Alex Aghajanian, president of the Tournament of Roses Parade. His visit kicks off the Pipes on Parade project

that will perform in the 2024 parade featuring many pipers and drummers from Arizona.

“This will be the largest pipe band in the history of the parade and already represents 12 countries,” said spokesman Darryl Toupkin.

Another guest is the Earl of Caithness, Malcolm Ian Sinclair, who is visiting from Scotland to preside over the Clan Sinclair family gathering at the games.

Performances run Friday from 7-8:45 p.m. but gates will open at 5 p.m. so guests can enjoy other entertainment and food.

Once the games themselves kick into

high gear Saturday, there will be plenty of eye-popping action for young and old alike.

Men and women will be testing their strength in games like the Caber Toss, Sheaf Toss, Scottish Hammer Throw and Stone Put as well as wrestling.

Don’t like athletic competitions? No worries.

Also on the card all weekend is music, dancing and storytelling as 35 clans gather in small camps throughout the park to celebrate family reunions.

Entertainment includes the International Bagpipe Competition with at least six pipe bands, the Highland Dancing Competition and music by groups that include the Noble McCoy Band, Stoneybank, the Alma College Kiltie Highland Dancers and Jason Cartmell’s Rockstrocity.

Mary, Queen of Scots will be attending with her court and Toupkin said attendees can expect to see spontaneous parades thoughout the weekend.

Food will include meat pies and what Toupkin promises to be “the best fish n’ chips in the Valley.”

Thirsty attendees can check out the Locheil and Guinness beer gardens and whiskey and wine tasting booths. There will even be a cigar lounge on the premises.

See SCOTTISH on Page 44

Need help with yard work?

Do you know of a senior resident or veteran in Chandler that needs help with yard maintenance? The City’s Neighborhood Programs Office has teams of volunteers ready to help and we need your assistance identifying those in need. Contact City staff at 480-782-4348 or neighborhood.programs@chandleraz.gov to ask for help or to connect us with a senior or veteran. And if you’re a company or organization looking for an opportunity to volunteer, let’s talk!

Learn more about City programs helping neighborhoods at chandleraz.gov/neighborhoods.

Some of the 28 members of the Isle of Skye Pipe Band from the city of Portree in Scotland are leaving home for the first time to perform in the Friday opening of the Phoenix Scottish Games at Gilbert Regional Park. (Special to Santan Sun News)

Chandler Unified feels kindergarten an important step

BY MURRAY SIEGEL

Guest Writer

Since kindergarten is the foundation of a child’s education, Chandler Unified School District considers it vital to ensure that students maximize their learning.

Among those district employees who carry out that mission is Michelle Yirku, a member of the kindergarten team at Jacobson Elementary School.

Yirku, who received her degree from Arizona State University and a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University, has more than 20 years of experience teaching in elementary school.

She believes that there is much a parent can do to prepare a student for kindergarten.

The first thing a parent should do is build excitement in the child about attending kindergarten and foster encouragement about this adventure,” Yirku

advises.

If the school offers a kindergarten orientation, be sure to attend, she said.

Yirku noted that Jacobson offers a unique event for incoming kindergarten

families called Jets in Training, where students have an opportunity to practice prior to the first day of school.

This is a half day event held July 18, the day before the first day of school

On the Jets In Training Day, parents and students practice pick up and drop off procedures. Parents are welcomed into the classroom to meet the teacher and help get their child settled.

Then parents meet with the principal and hear about the parents teachers organization. Parents learn about how they can volunteer at the school and join their students visiting the classroom.

Students practice the lunch routine in the cafeteria, and go on a scavenger hunt to become familiar with the school’s layout. The morning helps the children get comfortable with their new learning environment.

Yirku recommends that parents help their children develop specific skills that

from Page 43

Christopher Yate, an acrobat and stilt walker, will be entertaining and a British vintage car show will be offered.

Kilts and other Scottish apparel will be offered by some of the scores of vendors on the premises and there also will be plenty of kid-friendly activities such as a “fishing pond,” archery lessons, cos-

can help with their transition into kindergarten.

An important skill involves fine motor development, this can be practiced using Legos, sand play and helping in the kitchen. Other useful practice activities include cutting with scissors, writing with a pencil using a correct grip, and using snaps, buttons and zippers to help manage their clothing.

A final set of skills involves the child’s ability to self-manage, such as separating from a parent, communicating needs to a teacher, and adjusting to novel situations.

Chandler Unified offers full-day kindergarten at no cost to families. Students who will turn 5 by Aug. 31, are eligible to enroll in kindergarten for the 2023-24 school year.

Those families living outside the district, you must complete an open enrollment request prior to registration. Information: cusd80.com.

tumes, arts and crafts and others.

The event also is pet friendly and people are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the entertainment. Proceeds from the games support scholarships for Highland athletes and entertainers and other activities of the Caledonian Society of Arizona, the largest Celtic organization in the state. For information and tickets: phoenixscottishgames.com.

MICHELLE YIRKU

Mankind needs to take its prayers to God

BY RABBI IRWIN WIENER Coumnist

We certainly live in very distressing times: There is domestic violence, international terror that has now found a home nationally. Our economic uncertainties vex us to shifts in attitudes that move as fast as our doubts.

Everywhere we turn the news is depressing. It is now so numbing that we are amazed if a day passes that does not contain some horror.

Imagine, if you will, some 4,000 years ago a simple shepherd, Abraham, content with all that life has to offer, receives a message.

The message: “Take your son Isaac to Mount Moriah. There you will sacrifice him to God.”

No debate, no doubt, just blind obedience. Can any of us imagine receiving such a call, and answering it?

The angel may have saved Isaac, but

the doubt of such a request lingers. That we would even consider such a test of faith boggles the mind.

Elie Wiesel wrote a cantata involving the story of the binding of Isaac in which he laments:

“Do you God recall the request for a sacrifice over there on Mount Moriah?

Among all the men on earth it was me you claimed.

In the Holocaust you made me climb, then descend Mount Moriah crushed and silent.

I did not know, my Lord, I did not know I was to see my children, old and young, arrive in the flames of hate. Alas, there was no rescuing angel.”

Think about all the horrors experienced by so many, perpetrated by a few, and then ask, “for what, O lord, for what?”

Is it a coincidence, or even ironic, that the Holy Temple was built on Mount Moriah? To me it is a lesson in survival. To me it is a lesson in fortitude. To me it is a symbol of faith. On the very spot where the history of humanity almost

died, a new chapter in life’s journey began.

To me it also a clear message that the sanctity of life took a new route, as we learn from the Prophet Hosea: “take your words to God.” Mankind needs to take words, whether they are words of praise or condemnation, to God.

We are given, if you will, a permission slip to yell, scream and bargain with the Divine. Perhaps we even cry out, as did Eli Wiesel, “you can live with God, you can live against God, but you cannot live without God.”

We question, we doubt, we even argue at times and even become faithless. Perhaps we are wondering if all that we know and yet to learn has any meaning?

The challenges we face include speaking out when we witness injustice, or the indiscriminate annihilation of innocent people for no other reason than the color of their skin or perhaps challenge the right to worship God as we determine He should be worshiped.

Having faith means not standing idly by and not speaking out against tyran-

ny of any kind. We are obligated to do something about the tragedies that befall humanity.

All of us cannot be legions in the fight for survival, but we can, and must support the institutions designed to lead the fight and show the way.

That is how we participate. We are a different kind of soldier – a soldier who proudly declares that life is worth living, and we are part of the response available to us to ensure continuation.

Above all, the challenges we face every day involve the understanding that even though we feel helpless, at times, we still speak out in the hope that someone will hear, will listen.

There will be victories, and there will be defeats, but even when we lose, we win because we said the words that can, and perhaps, change the world.

From Abraham to today if these are not the answers to the challenges we face, what is?

Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D., is the spiritual leader of the Sun Lakes Jewish Community.

BY PASTOR MARVIN ARNPRIESTER Guest Writer

When I first read this, I thought it a simple statement: If you don’t like something, change it.

If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

-

Maya Angelou

Today I believe it to be a profoundly true statement I need to pay attention too.

The first part I understand and agree with. But it is that changing my attitude

about things I cannot change which causes me to ponder a bit.

I do not think it means, since you cannot change it just simply accept it. Might it more likely mean change how you approach it, how you let it handle you and what you choose to do with it.

Wondering if I have some attitude issues I need to be about changing?

Rev. Marvin Arnpriester is senior pastor of Sun Lakes United Methodist Church.

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Association fest celebrates Italian food, culture

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

Six men dreamed of bringing a piece of Italy to the desert, so the country would be represented in the best light.

Thus, the Scottsdale-based nonprofit Italian Association of Arizona was born.

“The founders wanted to find a way to bring Italians and those of Italian heritage together in one place to share pieces of their culture that fade away with every generation,” said Francesco Guzzo, executive director and Gilbert resident.

“The founders wanted to find a way to share that culture with those who appreciate what Italians and Italy has to offer. As much as we all love and enjoy true Italian cooking, Italy represents so much more than the food.”

The art, music, culture and traditions will be honored during the eighth annual Italian Festival at Heritage Square in Phoenix on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5. The following weekend, Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12, Sun City will host the first Italian Festival at the Sundial Recreation Center.

“We started with a small event along the Southbridge in Old Town Scottsdale in 2014 with a few vendors and lot of en-

thusiasm,” Guzzo said.

“Eight festivals later, we are hitting attendance capacity and keeping Italian traditions alive.”

The Italian Festival has a variety of live

entertainment during the weekend including opera singers, The Sicilian Band, accordion player Cory Pesaturo, and traditional flag wavers from the Piemonte region.

“The flag wavers are finally able to come back after being gone since 2019,” Guzzo said.

“Fifteen or 16 flag wavers are flying in to perform throughout the festival. That’s a big deal for us. Everybody loves the flag wavers. Since COVID, they’ve been locked down and Italy was never back to normal the way it was here.”

The event will provide authentic cuisine such as fresh biscottis, gelato, espresso, pasta and pizza. A few local vendors include L’Impasto, Little Italy of Scottsdale, Pasta Rea, My Daddy’s Italian Bakery and Pomo Pizzeria.

Non-food vendors will sell jewelry, handmade Italian leather purses and other items. Plus, children can enjoy face painting and balloon makers in the Kids Fun Zone.

The Italian Festival in Phoenix is sponsored by Peroni, DTPHX, Galbani, Queen Creek Olive Mill, Anderson Windows, PepsiCo and Desert Rose Transportation. The VIP Experience is thanks to Campari & Aperol.

Guzzo called La Cucina Galbani Cooking Stage a highlight.

“No one would have thought there would be such a solid Italian community in the desert and yet, here we are,” he said.

“It’s a little dispersed, but our voice can be heard and now we can finally be seen. Historically speaking, the first known Italian to come through Arizona was Father Kino back in the late 1600s and built missions that still stand today.”

In 1691, Father Eusebio Kino made the first of about 40 expeditions into Arizona.

Now there’s a new generation of Italians making their mark in Arizona, he said. They range from Jerry Colangelo, businessman and sports executive, to chef Joey Maggiore who owns several local and national Italian and concept restaurants and is keeping his father’s (Tomaso Maggiore) legacy alive.

A repeat visitor to the festival is Margherita Fray of Scottsdale. The 96-yearold is the last living known partisan and an artist.

“There’s something unique and special about that lady,” Guzzo said. “I love that lady to death. We’re happy to support her and give her an opportunity to showcase her artwork. It’s just beautiful.”

Entrenched in the arts, she also penned a book called “Marisa’s Courage.” She was raised in an anti-fascist family in Italy, where they were witness to bombings and executions by home-grown and foreign aggressors.

She became a member of the Resistenza as a partisan, belonging to a group called the Garibaldi Brigade around her home city of Turin and participated in dangerous missions to support the fighters in the underground for several years.

Fray is still emotionally distraught over memories of this time. In 1947 she came to America as a war bride, marrying a man she had briefly met a year earlier. She endured the marriage to a “deeply flawed” man and moved to Scottsdale in 2000.

“There are still wars today and lives are still being lost,” she said through her daughter, Angela Fray. “The war in Ukraine has really affected me and brought back many memories. Countries don’t fight wars. The leaders of countries fight wars.”

Fray said she enjoys meeting people at the festival and sharing her story in person.

“I am amazed that there is still so much interest in World War II,” she added. At the festival, she enjoys “the food and meeting vendors and seeing people enjoy themselves. The Italian Association does a great job.

“Italy has ancient history and art. I am really proud of being Italian. I am from a beautiful city and the former capital of Italy.”

If you go Italian Festival

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 4, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 5

WHERE: Heritage Square, 115 N. Sixth Street, Phoenix

COST: $10 in advance, and $20 day of.

VIP experiences available

INFO: italianassociation.org

The famous flag wavers, Sbandieratori from Asti, will appear at the Italian Festivals in Phoenix and Sun City. (Courtesy of the Italian Association of Arizona)

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