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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS www.ahwatukee.com
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Wednesday, March 7, 2018
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Water shut-off, lawsuit hit Club West course owner
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS T BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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he city has shut off water to the Club West Golf Course for nonpayment of bills and a partner in its management company has sued the owner and the general manager, alleging mismanagement, misrepresentations and “wrongful and unlawful conduct.” William Day and Club West Golf Management last week filed suit in state Superior Court against the Inter Tribal Golf Association, its founder Richard Breuninger and course general manager Christa Jones. The suit says Day – in return for a 40 percent stake in the management company –
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS CHILL WITH CHILI
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TURNAROUND
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FRAUD on page 12
School heads, police chief oppose arming teachers BY JIM WALSH & PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Staff
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HIS WEEKEND
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(Tom Sanfilippo/Inside Out Aerial)
Club West Golf Course may not remain green for long now that water service has been shut, the suit warns.
resident Donald Trump’s proposal that a select number of trained teachers be armed with concealed guns is drawing largely negative reaction from East Valley school superintendents and a police chief who fears it would create more problems than it would solve. Of the two districts serving Ahwatukee, Tempe Union Superintendent flat out opposes arming teachers while Kyrene Superintendent Jan Vesely said she’s seen no data suggesting it would be an effective deterrent to school shootings. AFN polled superintendents and police chiefs last week on whether they favored arming teachers in light of the Feb. 14 massacre at the South Florida high school that claimed the lives of 14 students and three staffers and wounded 12 others.
Trump proposed that arming a few highly trained teachers could reduce or even eliminate such carnage. Superintendents in Chandler and Gilbert also flatly oppose the idea, while others had district spokespeople issue a statement. Others gave more nuanced responses. Higley School District spokeswoman Michelle Reese only would say Superintendent Mike Thomason was out of town. While most police chiefs declined to comment on the politically charged proposal, Gilbert Police Chief Mike Soelberg said, “It’s not the best choice. They should focus on education.” He said even teachers who are expert marksmen lack the vital training that officers receive on when it’s necessary and legal to fire their weapons. “I don’t think teachers are the best option,” said Soelberg, a former Mesa assistant police chief who once supervised Mesa’s team of
school resource officers – the first line of defense in keeping schools safe. “They want to protect their kids at all times. You see them sacrificing themselves in these shootings to protect a child,” he added. The National Rifle Association espoused arming teachers after the Florida massacre and previous campus shootings. Police and school officials boast how the largely unnoticed SROs build rapport with students on campus. They also take all threats seriously and investigate to determine whether they are real or hoaxes. See
GUNS on page 10
More inside: Parent presses Kyrene board, p. 7 Superintendent on school shootings, p. 32