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EVICTION RELIEF
Wednesday, April 15. 2020
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85048 has highest virus count in Ahwatukee BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
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new breakdown by Arizona officials shows there are at least 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in each of the majority of zip codes in the state’s two major metropolitan areas – including two in Ahwatukee. Only 85045 showed a vague “1 to 5” confirmed cases while 85044 so far has had 15 and 85048 has 24, according to information
Local principals see ‘a different kind of work’ now
from the Arizona Department of Health Services. While those numbers pale in comparison to some ZIP codes – including nearby Chandler 85224, with 42 cases, it lends some urgency to concerns on Ahwatukee social media about people failing to observe stay-at-home directives and social distancing guidelines. Just over last weekend, Ahwatukee artist Sandra Davis Marshall posted: “What is going on here folks? We are supposed to be in this together and working on
the curve for COVID-19. Our local arts and craft store was packed this afternoon! Families coming in and out like it was just an ordinary day! I sat in the parking lot in disbelief! No masks, no social distancing. What is going on here? “I took my daughter for a drive to see the empty parks and parking lots. “Parks were empty. This place, busy as ever!
A parade of sorts
see VIRUS page 20
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
T
hey stop by their respective schools once or twice a week at most, wishing they could hear the hum of students moving through the corridors and missing their faces and those of hundreds of colleagues. But Desert Vista Principal Mike Deignan and Mountain Pointe Principal Dr. Tomika Banks aren’t spending much time in melancholic reverie. They’re too busy coordinating a steady stream of distant learning material to thousands of students, shoring up the spirit of students during this massive disruption of their lives, providing moral support for teachers who not only have to worry about their students’ learning but who in many cases have
see PRINCIPALS page 14
Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club President Margaret Ramsay and Parade Boss Mike Schmitt led an Easter parade after all as club members and a few supporters decorated their cars and drove up and then back down 48th Street between Warner and Elliot roads Saturday. The club felt compelled to ensure that there would be a 44th annual Ahwatukee Easter Parade - albeit a truncated one with none of the scores of floats and marchers the previous 43 featured. The other reason for the “parade lite” version of one of the community’s signature annual events was to call attention to the club’s loss of its primary fundraisers, the parade and the Spring Fling that follows it. “Without these funds this year, we are having to cut our charitable donations considerably,” said Spring Fling organizer Andi Pettyjohn. The club is hoping residents will open their hearts and wallets to the club’s charitable activities, much of it directed to children in group foster homes, by making a donation at ahwatukeekiwanis.org or mailing a check to to The Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee, PO Box 50596, Phoenix, AZ 85076. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)
The latest breaking news and top local stories in Ahwatukee!
www.ahwatukee.com
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
50 YEARS OF TRUSTWORTHY SERVICE! The Ahwatukee Foothills News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Ahwatukee Foothills.
Times Media Group: 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Suite 219 Tempe, Arizona, 85282 Main number: 480-898-6500 Advertising: 480-898-5624 Circulation service: 480-898-5641
PUBLISHER Steve T. Strickbine
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ADVERTISING STAFF National Advertising Director Zac Reynolds 480-898-5603 zac@ahwatukee.com
Advertising Sales Representatives: Karen Mays, 480-898-7909, kmays@ahwatukee.com Laura Meehan, 480-898-7904, lmeehan@ahwatukee.com
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Jim Walsh, 480-898-5639 jwalshe@ahwatukee.com Wayne Schutsky, 480-898-6533 wschutsky@timespublications.com Cecilla Chan. 480-898-5613, cchan@timespublications.com Ahwatukee Foothills News is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, and for subscription information, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@ azintegatedmedia.com.
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Ahwatukee wedding planner Kim Horn, flanked by daughter Alexa and husband Steve, says the pandemic has crushed the wedding industry. (Courtesy of Kim Horn)
Virus throws wedding industry into chaos, local planner finds
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see WEDDING page 16
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NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
Business rent relief mired in uncertainty
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor And HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
S
aying some landlords are weighing evictions, Gov. Doug Ducey last week ordered judges around the state to immediately suspend such legal actions against commercial tenants affected by the pandemic. But a major Valley strip mall owner and others fear that may not offer much of a lifeline to many struggling small businesses. Chandler Chamber CEO/President Terri Kimbel says that while Ducey’s order “is another tool in the toolbox” for businesses to use as they struggle to survive, it’s not a panacea. Noting that at least some landlords themselves also are up against the wall financially, she is urging Chandler businesses to open a dialogue now rather than later with their landlords. “There are two sides of this,” Kimbel said, explaining that with landlords, “sometimes their hands are tied with their bank or venture capital.”
The Arizona Small Business Association last week released this chart for businesses that want to quickly look at various types of virus-relief aid might be available and where to get more information. (Special to AFN)
Gilbert Chamber President CEO/President Kathy Tilque noted that Ducey’s order “does not dictate any relief or removal
of contractual obligations.” “The amount owed to the landlord will still be due at some time in the future de-
pending on the agreed upon plan. Discussing the abatement of penalty fees with the landlord is a great place to start in negotiations,” Tilque said. Michael Pollack – who owns strip malls in Gilbert, across the county and in three other states – agrees. He said the federal government must overcome the sluggish delivery of relief funds and get money into the hands of strapped business owners fast. “What most people don’t realize is that landlords have loans,” Pollack said. “They don’t understand what the terms of those loans really mean.” Noting many of those loans forbid lease changes without the lender’s permission,” Pollack explained, “If you do it without the consent of the lender, then you can be in default of your loan and the remedies available for the lenders could be used.” Those remedies include a nullification of the loan. “Even if a landlord could afford a adaptations to their leases, unfortunately with those loan documents out there, it’s not easy at all,” he said.
see RENT page 6
Businesses fret as relief remains at a crawl BY CHRISTOPHER SCRAGG Cronkite News
W
hile Congress and the White House are promising to add billions to the Paycheck Protection Program, some small businesses say they are just trying to hang on long enough to get the money there now. Advocates say overwhelming demand and confusion have delayed disbursement of the $349 billion in loans made available April 3 under the program aimed to help businesses suffering as a result of coronavirus lockdowns. Small Business Administration officials have acknowledged that complicated policies, a surge of applications and the “newness” of the program made for a bumpy roll out. One SBA official In Arizona said while she doesn’t “have a crystal ball,” she expects the system to stabilize in the coming days.
Some businesses in Ahwatukee have resorted to unique ways to provide curbside service, as Boxseat Collectibles at Warner Road and 48th Street recently did. (Special to AFN)
But business owners say they are running out of time.
“I’ve talked to restaurant owners that really can’t continue to pay employees for
more than two weeks,” said Chad Heinrich, the Arizona state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. “I’m afraid that there’s probably a portion of businesses that have already decided to permanently close their doors because of the delays,” Heinrich said. As of the end of last week, more than a half-million applications had been submitted nationwide and $130 billion had been approved, the SBA said. While that might be seen as a measure of success, one business leader said it is a cause of concern for businesses that have not received a loan and are watching the funds dwindle. The PPP was part of a $2 trillion relief package – the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act – enacted last month to prop up an economy stunted
see SBA page 9
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
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NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
RENT from page 4
Worse, he said, many loans end up sold to investment companies where “you learn real fast, there’s nobody to talk to.” Ducey’s order says commercial landlords must consider deferring rent payments for those who cannot pay the bill due to financial hardship created by COVID-19. The order also encourages landlords to work with tenants to waive late fees, penalties and interest due to late payments as well as develop repayment plans. But the hammer is the governor’s directive to the courts that “a commercial evicMICHAEL POLLACK tion action including lock out, notice to vacate or any other attempt to inhibit the the end of May. His directive comes nearly two weeks operations of a business shall be temporarily suspended for tenants unable to pay after a similar executive order dealing rent due to financial hardship caused by with residential rentals. But in the residential order, Ducey the COVID-19 pandemic.’’ The only exception in Ducey’s order is barred police officers and constables from uxeviction carrying in cases where a judge determines that ury Vinorders ugs ~ Lout yl ~ Cunder certain Artoea Rtriggers m ount o staying any eviction action is u“contrary related directly or indirectly to C stdoes not COVID-19. erto ~ s r e the interest ofSjustice.’’ His order ps ~ how ood ~ Laspell atewhat minout The order for business-landlord situthat includes. Ducey’s order, which covers businesses ations only directs judges on what they up to 500 employees, is effective through may and may not do.
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Aaron Nash, spokesman for the Arizona Supreme Court, said there is no concern on the part of the justices that Ducey has tread into their jurisdiction since judges can still determine what is in the “interest of justice.’’ Even so, Pollack and others warn that businesses can’t assume Ducey’s order gives them much breathing room with their landlords – at least automatically. “It’s not about forgiving rent,” Kimbel said. Kimbel said that while some of the federal relief programs can help businesses with rent, a recent Chandler Chamber survey showed nearly a quarter of the respondents are frustrated by the process of getting aid. “We’re hearing all kinds of things and people are really getting frustrated,” she said. The East Valley Chambers of Commerce said a survey last week of more than 300 businesses in Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Queen Creek and Gilbert showed 31 percent of respondents are seeking rent or mortgage relief, 46 percent are applying for Small Business Administration disaster loans and 47 percent for the Paycheck
Protection Program loans. “I do think eviction is a concern for many of our smaller businesses, but not sure that it’s a reality yet,” said Mesa Chamber CEO Sally Harrison. “In reading through the executive order, it looks like more of a preventative measure than a responsive measure.” The East Valley chamber group’s survey did not indicate how successful businesses have been getting money. But Bloomberg News Service last week reported that 790 disaster-relief loans, for a total of $357 million, were issued as of April 4 and that most of them went to California. “A handful of smaller states, including Connecticut and Maine, divvied up most of the rest,” the news service reported. Texas, the second-most populous state, got just six loans worth less than $1 million dollars in all; at least a dozen states got nothing at all. While Bloomberg did not indicate if Arizona was among that last group, Pollack would not be surprised. He said that 70 percent of his approxi-
see RENT page 7
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NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
RENT from page 6
mate 1,000 tenants have sought federal relief and that “not one single tenant” has even heard a response. Pollack even has hired a consultant with 24 years of experience dealing with the SBA to help his tenants navigate the bureaucratic channels involved in getting aid. “The federal government needs to figure out a way to get this $2 trillion or whatever it is this that’s earmarked for small businesses into the hands of those people,” he said. “They need to get it done and after they get it done, then hopefully the quicker we’ll be able to stop the pain of what’s going on in our country.” Ducey’s order on business-tenants declares that a tenant that cannot pay must first notify the landlord or property owner in writing and furnish “any available supporting documentation of their inability
t o Gews? N
to pay rent’’ due to a temporary financial situation. Tenants also have to acknowledge that the lease contract remains in effect. Kimbel said there are countless situations where a landlord likely will demand additional financial records from a tenant. She said a leasing company told her of a business-tenant who got the first five months of occupancy free in return for signing a five-year lease and that the tenant already sought a delay in making the first month’s payment. “So, from the landlord’s standpoint, he’s taking a look at it and saying, ‘Okay. I just gave you five months free rent. Did you put some savings?’” Kimbel said. “When you got months of not paying a bill, the landlord is going to wonder what you did with that money,” she said. “There are really two sides to this because landlords are businesses too.”
Ducey’s order on business evictions spells out that tenants getting any form of public assistance must apply “a portion’’ to any current or past-due rents. That includes a portion of the $2 trillion federal relief package which allows businesses with fewer than 500 employees to get SBA loans. But the order spells out that landlords cannot require any specific percentage of that outside aid. Farrell Quinlan, executive director of the Arizona Building Owners and Managers Association, said the governor has been working with the commercial real estate industry. “There’s a lot of forbearance going on out there,’’ Quinlan said. “And there’s a lot of working with our tenants.’’ Echoing Pollack’s explanation, Quinlan said the order does not mention the landlords’ financial obligations. “Are the banks and the lenders that we
7
have to answer to for our bills, are they going to show a similar forbearance with our obligations?’’ Quinlan asked. The governor says lenders “shall consider’’ deferred payments, but Kimbel and Tilque both stressed that business owners simply can’t hide from their landlord. “It’s about that relationship that they build,” she said. “You’ve got to be able to pick up that phone and just have that frank conversation and work something out.” Pollack said he doesn’t fault Ducey, who “is doing an incredible job.” He likened the state of the federal apparatus for distributing relief to jello. “It’s not hard yet,” he said. “There’s a lot of unanswered questions about the program and there’s a lot of the blanks that haven’t been filled in yet. I sincerely believe once the program gets implemented and can get out to all the small businesses that truly need it, then I believe that we’ll see some progress.”
Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com Due to safety/health concerns I have several of these properties temporarily off market, but they can be set up as private/safe showings with either myself or your realtor. Just give me a call. Thanks! Kevin JU
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NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
SBA from page 4
by COVID-19. The paycheck program will dole out $349 billion to small business owners through participating banks. The program was rushed into operation, with rules for loans being written in just a week after President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act into law, and still being rewritten right up until the eve of the program’s start. “Once the program launched on Friday (April 3) and over the weekend the banks just got slammed with applications,” said Mike Huckins, vice president of public affairs at the Greater Phoenix Chamber. “Between the banking industry and the SBA getting on the same page to get the funding out to the businesses, it’s taking a little longer than folks would’ve liked.” Small businesses across the country have flooded banks with calls and online applications for loans, which the government will forgive if the business owner
can show the money was used to keep workers on the payroll. A report last week by the NFIB found that 70 percent of 884 small business owners it surveyed said they had tried to apply for a PPP loan “with varying degrees of success.” The survey found 28 percent of respondents said they were unsuccessful when trying to apply for the loan. Shivani Dubey, the deputy district director of SBA Arizona, noted Friday that there were “so many moving parts” to the program that have contributed to delays. “Everybody has to understand what they’re applying for, how they’re applying for it, getting the lenders on board and up to speed with all the parameters and the systems, the rules, the policies and also getting the pieces to get the loan to fund and get the money in people’s hands,” Dubey said. “It’s just a lot of pieces to the puzzle.” She expects the kinks will be worked
Ahwatukee Chamber hosting seminars The Ahwatukee Chamber of Commerce is hosting weekly seminars on working with federal relief programs at 10 a.m. Thursdays for any business – regardless of whether they belong to the chamber or not. “The more financial information we can provide to our businesses the better,” said a Chamber spokeswoman. “Hopefully, most if not all can recover once the stay at home order is lifted.” The registration link changes weekly, so for further information, contact the Chamber at 480-753-7676 or ahwatukeechamber.com.
out in the coming days. Huckins agreed that the system will probably look better soon, but he said every day is life or death for some businesses. “In this situation every day is crucial,” Huckins said. “The longer it takes for businesses to get the money is another day that they are struggling.” Congress and the White House are working to add another $251 billion to the program, boosting the total available
funding for the program to $600 billion. Meanwhile, business owners can just watch and wait. “That’s a big concern, I’ve heard some estimates that the money may run out as soon as maybe the middle of next week,” Huckins said. “We are pushing to support that as fast as possible,” Huckins said. “We hate to see the politics of things get tied up in that process.”
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Majestic Southwest contemporary home on private hillside lot with stunning mountain and city light views.
Listed for $1,510,000
Listed for $425,000
Tapestry Canyon D! L SO
Prime Ahwatukee home featuring a 2020 roof replacement plus perfect mountain views.
Mike Mendoza MendozaTeam.com
! LD O S
Listed for $1,325,000 3 BR / 2.5 BA / 2,288 SQFT
5 BR / 3.5 BA / 4,839 SQFT $50,000 update allowance now included on this outstanding hillside custom with amazing mountain and city light views.
Tapestry Canyon D! L SO
Listed for $1,099,000
4 BR / 2.5 BA / 2,581 SQFT Immaculately updated golf course home with mountain views from the 17th hole of the Foothills Golf Club.
Listed for $334,900
Arizona Greens
9
Listed for $525,000
Foothills
10
NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
Lisa Miguel
Virus could wallop state spending, revenue
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Cabrillo Canyon Listed for
$595,000
Beautifully remodeled 2,574 sf 4 bedroom 2 bathroom single level home on over a 1/3 acre preserve lot! 2018 roof! 2016 HVAC! Sparkling pebble tec pool with grand rock water feature and built in slide. Kitchen remodeled in 2020 with quartz counter tops, trendy white Shaker cabinets, upgraded Frigidaire Gallery Series stainless steel appliances (with air fry range,) island / breakfast bar, walk - in pantry, and eat - in casual dining nook. Open kitchen - family room floor plan, 2020 interior paint, 2018 exterior paint, new 15x30 porcelain tile flooring and new carpet (carpet only in bedrooms and formal living room.) Master suite is enormous with double sinks, separate shower and Roman tub and large walk-in closet. Master bedroom has a separate single French door exit to the back patio. Both bathrooms remodeled (2020) with quartz vanity tops, upgraded rectangular sinks, brushed nickel faucets, lights and fixtures, dual flush extended length toilets, and tile surrounds in showers / tubs; custom glass door enclosure at the master shower. White Shaker cabinets in both bathrooms. All new lights, fixtures, ceiling fans and hardware throughout.. Five car slab parking in front and extra slab parking behind the double gate on the south side. Double gates on both the south and north sides of home.
Tapestry Canyon
Listed for $2,250,000
Gorgeous 1+ acre property with panoramic mountain views and city lights views! 7,644 sf main house plus a detached guest house and flex room (1940 sf.) Kitchen boasts distressed black finish Alder cabinetry, Cantera stone hood, large island, pantry, Viking double ovens, six gas burner cook top, warming drawer, Thermador refrigerator, two Kitchen Aid dishwashers and a stock pot faucet above cooktop. Open kitchen family room floor plan. All bedrooms are ensuite and have their own patios with mountain views. Negative edge, heated salt water pool. Multiple covered patios. 20’ x 20’ observation deck. Lower level bonus room with grand rock mountain water feature! Bonus room has large wet bar and full - wall pocket doors that open to a large covered patio area. Detached guest house and enormous flex room. Flex room could function as office space, media room, home gym, game room; many options! Five car garage! One garage bay is tandem.. Great for car collectors!
Sun Groves Listed for
$375,000
Gorgeous 2,392 sf 5 bedroom, 3 full bathroom home. Backs to a greenbelt! Open kitchen family room floor plan. Kitchen has a center island, granite counter tops, custom cabinets, and black appliances. Family room has built in media center. Soaring vaulted ceilings! Large master suite has neutral color upgraded carpet, ceiling fan and large picture windows. Master bathroom has double sinks, separate soaking tub and walk in shower, and large walk in closet. The resort like back yard has an extended covered back patio with waterfall feature. Three car garage and RV Gate. Walking distance to Navarrete Elementary.
San Tan Valley Land Listed for
$195,000
Great development opportunity or horse property! 8.35 acre parcel in San Tan Valley. Spectacular panoramic mountain views! No HOA. Property can be split (if desired) into five 1.67 acre parcels. Miles of state trust land all around. Owner is willing to facilitate a minor land division. In the country but has nearby emergency services, hospital, schools, and shopping.
Circle Mountain Land 2 Parcels Listed for
$290,000 each
Two parcels; 4.7 acres each. Residential Acreage abutting Pyramid Peak and state trust land. Elevated property, away from flood zones. Build a grand estate or subdivide a small community! Beautiful Northeastern views of New River Mesa and surrounding mountains. Zoning requires at least 1 acre per home. 15-20 minutes from Anthem and Cave Creek and still only 45 minutes from Sky Harbor 9.4 acres total available (10 acres minus 40 foot road easement along Northern edge)
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T
he COVID-19 outbreak is going to blow a billion-dollar hole in state finances. And about 775 Arizonans will die by the end of May. Those predictions came Thursday from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee as staffers said the decline in state revenues – plus additional costs to the state from the effects of the virus – should leave Arizona with a $1.1 billion budget deficit by the end of the coming fiscal year. That’s out of what is basically an $11.8 billion spending plan. The potential fiscal effects of the pandemic are even more dire. The new report says that $1.1 billion deficit comes even after the state uses close to $1 billion it was expected to have left over by the end of this budget year on June 30. There is one bright spot of sorts. The state does have about $973 million in its “rainy day’’ fund, a special account set aside for emergencies. And legislative budget staffers said there will be some relief funds coming in from the federal government. But it also could mean that lawmakers, who until a month ago were planning to spend what was expected to be a cash surplus, will now have to find places to cut. And there’s something else. Even if the more immediate revenue shortfall gets addressed, whether with the rainy-day fund or something else, budget analysts are predicting another $1 billion shortfall in the 2021-2022 fiscal year because the number of people in the state’s Medicaid program is still expected to be high. By that point, the extra dollars the federal government is providing to help will have disappeared. Richard Stavneak, staff director of the JLBC, told members of the state’s Finance Advisory Committee projections at this point are risky. “Those virus forecasts are extremely speculative and changing weekly,’’ he
said. That starts with projections of the effect on Arizona. As of Thursday, state health officials reported had 89 deaths. But Stavneak said the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is predicting Arizona will end up with 775 deaths by the end of May. IHME added the total could be as low as 230 or as high as 2,361. By Memorial Day, though, Stavneak said the number of deaths per day could drop to close to zero. However, he warned, “There is typically a second wave that comes. The hope is we would be better prepared in terms of mitigation strategies. But we’re still a year out from a vaccine.’’ And what that means, Stavneak continued, is that the Arizona economy, driven by income and sales taxes, could take much longer to recover. Gov. Doug Ducey brushed aside the projections. “No one really knows because the economy is not operating,’’ he said. “And without economic activity it’s very hard to make forecasts.’’ For the moment, economists are looking at the indicators they have to make some forecasts. Among those is that the Phoenix hotel occupancy rate fell by 71 percent in the last week of March. That affects not just the tax revenues from hotel rooms but the fact that people are not coming to Arizona and spending money here. At the same time, the report says, several restaurant chains have reported a 70 percent decrease in sales, even with an increase in takeout orders. And then there’s the fact that nearly a quarter million Arizonans have applied for unemployment benefits in the past three weeks alone. By comparison, total private sector employment in Arizona before the pandemic was about 2.5 million. “That’s just incredible,’’ Stavneak said. He said state is working with only limited data. For example, sales figures for March – and the sales taxes collected won’t be fully reported until June. There
see FINANCES page 12
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
We would like to offer our felt thanks to all the hospital, police, fire, postal, grocery, delivery, gas station, restaurant and other essential workers that are keeping us going during these trying times. Please reach out to us if you or anyone you know are in need of any necessities, including masks. “Price is what you pay; value is what you get.” – Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
Mike and Mary Jo Santistevan 480.703.4085 MaryJos@cox.net www.TeamSantistevan.com ©2018 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity. Information not verified or guaranteed. If your home is currently listed with a Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation.
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NEWS
12
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
Sleepy primary ballot awaits Ahwatukee voters AFN NEWS STAFF
T
he Primary Election appears likely to be a sleepy affair for Ahwatukee. Now that the deadline for filing for a ballot position passed last week, there are no Aug. 4 contests for Legislative District 18 and only a few beyond that. Even the race for constable in the Kyrene Justice Court is a one-man affair after incumbent Democrat Ben Halloran is the only candidate to filed the requisite number of signatures to get on the ballot. For Ahwatukee voters in the Republican primary, the biggest decision will be
FINANCES from page 10
also are variables in anticipated income tax collections. The prediction is that withholding revenues – the amount taken out of employees’ paychecks – is expected to drop by 15 percent as there are fewer people working. Even the decline in the stock market will have an effect when people file their returns, what with no capital gains and people actually declaring capital losses. Then there’s expenditure side, notably the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program, with eligibility linked to individual income. He said there was a 2.3 percent increase in enrollment at the beginning of this month alone, a figure he called “pretty dramatic for a single month.’’ What all that means, he acknowledged, he
e op l i f a s t r E S!
a at UT ng l c vi nt ia I N a e M S t fr
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sorting through six candidates for two spots in the race for the Arizona Corporation Commission. Republicans also will have to decide between two candidates each for County Treasurer, Assessor and Recorder and three for County Sheriff. Democrats have even slimmer pickings on the ballot, with decisions to be made only among three candidates for County Attorney and three for the twoseat Corporation Commission race. In LD18, incumbent Democrats and their November challengers can hold their fire. Incumbent Sen. Sean Bowie and Reps. Jennifer Jermaine and Mitzi Epstein
Richard Stavneak, staff director for the Joint Legislative Budget Committee at the Arizona Legislature, painted a bleak picture of the impact on state finances that the pandemic-driven economic downturn will inflict. (Special
to AFN)
is that $1.1 billion shortfall could be as little as $600 million – or as much as $1.6 billion. Stavneak said that’s why he’s not urg-
I live
alone
SH
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ing state lawmakers to craft solutions at this point, given the variables, and that his staff should have better numbers in June.
Union governing boards, which both have three seats up for grabs. Candidates can’t submit petitions for a November ballot spot yet, but so far, five candidates in both districts have filed statements of interest in seeking a seat. People who have so far filed a statement of interest in the Kyrene races are Jose Alfaro, Mary Brownell, Wanda Kolomyjec, Trine Nelson and Scott Weinberg. Those who have filed statements of interest in seeking a spot on the Tempe Union school board include incumbents Sandra Lowe and Berdetta Hodge as well as Don Fletcher, Armando Montero and Paige Reesor.
Still, Stavneak said, “Legislators may well want to start holding discussions about potential solutions.’’ Economist Elliott Pollack, a member of the Finance Advisory Committee that reviews the data, called the current situation a “black swan event.’’ “It’s not because people won’t spend,’’ he said. “It’s because people can’t spend,’’ what with businesses closed. Pollack also said there is reason to believe there will be a much longer-term financial hangover even after the virus goes away. He said that “social distancing’’ may become built-in to individual behavior. “More people are going to be working from home,’’ Pollack said. “You’re going to have more takeout and less eat-in at restaurants, especially if there’s close seating,’’ he continued. “Airlines are going to have a tough problem getting people into planes.’’
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have clear sailing. They each submitted petitions with twice the number of signatures required. On the Republican side, former state legislator Bob Robson of Ahwatukee garnered the most signatures out of the three candidates. He qualified to seek the nomination for one of two House seats by getting 995 signatures. His running mate, Alyssa Sheahan, garnered 613 signatures. Ahwatukee Realtor Suzanne Sharer collected 660 signatures to qualify for the LD18 Senate ballot. There is no primary for school board races, but the battle lines are quickly shaping up for both Kyrene and Tempe
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NEWS
PRINCIPALS from page 1
children of their own trying to master the intricacies of virtual instruction. They mourn their seniors’ loss of life milestones to COVID-19 while they are spending time with their fellow principals and Tempe Union Superintendent Kevin Mendivil developing different scenarios for graduation ceremonies that include a going forward as planned in May if social distancing is no longer a factor, postponing commencement till later in the summer or doing some kind of virtual event. They spend endless hours on phones and internet devices conferring with Tempe Union district staff and their own staffs while fielding questions and concerns from parents and students alike. “You just never get off your devices and you’re never done answering questions and all that from your computer to your tablet to your cellphone. I mean, we’re connected 24/7,” said Deignan. “So that makes it a little more challenging. “It’s a different type of work having to do it from home versus being able to have face-to-face contact at school right now.” Banks also said, “It’s a different type of work.” “I mean, I’m used to long hours. I’m used to working 12-, 13-, 14-hour days…. It’s just so taxing. I mean, you don’t have that support system to bounce things off of right away because there’s no one there except virtually.” Deignan and Banks both said the emails are relentless. “There’s a never-ending list of unanswered questions that pop up but we’re trying to get to them and get a job,” he said. Both he and Banks are relatively new to their current positions: Banks is in her second year at the helm of Mountain Pointe and Deignan just started his stint at Desert Vista last summer. Banks is Tempe Union success story, an alumna of Tempe High School and Arizona State University who got her doctorate at Grand Canyon University before going back to her alma mater in 2009 as an assistant principal until she joined the Pride. Deignan, hired away from Desert Ridge High School, a Gilbert Public Schools campus in Mesa where he was principal for five years. Before that he was a principal in the Kyrene School District, at Cielo Elementary and Akimel A-al Middle School. His family has been impacted by clo-
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
uation and my wife and I keep telling her and others to keep it in perspective,” Deignan said. “This is a worldwide pandemic. Banks and her husband recently bought a new house, and while closures have added a greater imposition on her time, she said she makes time for herself – and directs her staff to do the same thing. In one of her early weekly letters to teachers and administrators, Banks said she told them, “I really need you to disconnect and really take that time with yourMountain Pointe High Principal Tomika Banks and her husband recently self and your families, bought a new house. (Special to AFN) make yourself a work sures in many ways. schedule so that you His wife Michelle is a counselor at Co- work 8 to 4 and at 4 you turn your comrona del Sol High, so she is particularly puter off and then that becomes your time involved in making sure students’ mental with you and your family – and make sure and emotional well-being isn’t too frayed you’re getting out and exercising. by the seemingly endless crisis. “Those are all things that I touched on a Both his daughters, Josephine “Joey” leadership team and we’re really trying to Deignan, 17, and Paige, 16, are Desert Vis- practice what we preach as well. So, like ta students and therefore continuing their after 4 or 5, I’m not going to answer any course work in the same way he’s helping more emails because I need to have that to direct that of nearly 3,000 students. moment where I disconnect.” But Joey also is a senior, and so he Both she and Deignan make a few visits also has experienced first hand the a week to their schools, where only a few unique damage closure has done to the other staffers may be doing the same. Class of 2020. “I do a couple hours in the morning,” “She understands the gravity of the sit- Deignan said. “I work from home after
Desert Vista Principal Mike Deignan and his wife Michelle, a counselor at Corona del Sol High School, have two daughters - Desert Vista senior Josephine “Joey,” second from left and sophomore Paige. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)
that and I just feel better being able to, you know, keep an eye on the school, making sure that it’s in a good spot.” Though she is “pretty much homebound,” said she stops by a couple times a week and “there are some security guards and “then the food nutrition folks are here and sometimes it might be the athletic director who is here as well or another administrator or two.” Those visits only reinforce how much they miss their colleagues and the students, but also their anxiety for their students’ well-being. “There’s a lot of connection between our counseling department and our students out there to keep an eye on the kids and if they feel that somebody’s really in crisis, they’re going to reach out and do something about it,” Deignan said. “I think they are so disappointed but I also think there’s a heavy dose of being realistic here,” he added, “because this is unprecedented and we have a very caring and well-informed parent community that understands the gravity of the situation. So, I think there’s a sense of reality here.” Banks keeps a regular weekly message to students that goes beyond whatever administrative directives she needs to pass along. “We miss you, Pride” has gone out on social media and she plans to do some video messaging as well in the next couple weeks. And with seniors especially, Banks added, “I empathize completely with them. You know, their gatherings are canceled, all that stuff. You’re looking forward to for four years to your senior year and now, it’s just like your senior year was unfinished. I remember my senior year as one of the best times of my life. I’m sad for them.” Like Diegnan – who said “I crave human touch” and the daily face-to-face interaction with peers and students” – Banks noted that all the video meetings in the world can’t replace that kind of day-today contact with colleagues and kids. “It’s not, it’s not the same,” she said. “I’m an extrovert. I need that interaction every day… I do miss my staff. I miss the people and I miss what goes on here, the great things that happen in this building every day.” But she also recognizes, “Right now, we just have to look at what’s going on globally and say it’s just not the right time.”
NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
15
Closures prompt preschool to serve kids online AFN NEWS STAFF
C
ampus closures ordered during the pandemic hasn’t just affected K-12 schools. Just ask Diana Darmawaskita, founder and director of Inspire Kids Montessori in Ahwatukee. “The preschool and childcare industry has been impacted greatly,” Darmawaskita said. “According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Early Care & Education Consortium the industry has lost, on average, 70 percent of its revenue.” Darmawaskita, who founded Inspire Kids in 2010 after a successful career as an engineer, has felt the impact keenly. “We were at full capacity before the pandemic started and we’ve lost 35 percent of our enrollment,” she said as her school closes in on its first full month of closure. Still, Darmawaskita and her staff haven’t been idle. Like K-12 schools, Inspire Kids Montes-
Youngsters at Inspire Kids Montessori are relying on distant learning programs but owner Diana Darmawaskita said their parents are concerned about the closure’s impact on the development of their socialization skills. (Special to AFN)
sori has been busy running distant learning courses for the children. “Our teachers immediately provided an
online distance learning program starting
see LEARNING page 20
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WEDDINGS from page 3
October, November,” she said, adding that even before the pandemic struck, the competition was keen for Oct. 10 because the idea of having a wedding on 10-10-20 had a numerical attraction for many couples. On a macroeconomic scale, the breadth of the devastation is almost incalculable. “Caterers are going to be hit very hard,” Horn said, “and the reason is they have food and if they have their liquor license, they have food and bar materials ready for those events that were supposed to happen. They’ve already purchased it because the events were supposed to happen and then the client calls and says, ‘Hey, we canceled or we’re postponing. It’s perishable things that they can’t wait on. They’ve already ordered it. It’s on its way to them.” Even companies and individuals that don’t necessarily come to mind when you think of weddings have suffered a major blow, Horn said. Take the rental companies, for example, that supply linens, tables and chairs for receptions. They’ve already lost out on spring and Easter events in general, especially at churches, Horn said. Then there are the musicians and DJs, who already lost considerable income they may have earned playing gigs at now-closed bars and restaurants. Some of those musicians – and many other wedding vendors – also have lost out on vying for any weddings that might
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
be held later this year because the June Arizona Wedding Show that Horn helps to organize at the Phoenix Convention Center has been canceled. The biannual event – the January show went on without interruption – draws thousands of brides and their entourages for an up-close-and-personal look at musicians, gown makers and other vendors available for the big event. Of course, venues and the couples and their families are among the prime victims of the social distancing tsunami that has swamped so much of the economy, Horn said. But in there is a lesson for couples that may be thinking of a wedding down the road. Many venues likely have already received partial or full payment if they were hosting an event when social distancing regulations took effect, Horn said. “It’s very important that everybody reads their contracts – not only reads them but I should say reads and understands the contracts they’ve signed,” she said. That’s particularly important when it comes to language on cancellations. Normally, 75 percent of wedding expense involves the venue. “So let’s say the venue has a non-refundable retainer and they are traditionally forfeited if the client cancels the event,” she explained, some may have a ‘force majeure’ exception that provides an escape from a major financial hit. But, Horn said, “‘force majeure’ is defined in many different ways... so that’s
important” to understand exactly the kind of major, unforeseen circumstances in which a venue will either allow the couple to postpone the reception or refund at least part of the money they’ve paid. But the virus has opened a myriad of issues. Even before the full brunt of stay-athome orders took effect, couples who had big wedding plans even in mid-March, for example, likely had paid already for food and beverage – only to find guests canceling out. “And so, when your guest count drops off,” she said, “you may have to pay the minimum for attendance.” Venues don’t want to get stuck, said Horn, explaining: “Let’s say you picked March 21 and you said ‘I am guaranteed 100 people.’ They’re saying, ‘Okay, then we’re going to buy enough chicken and potato salad, everything for 100 people based on what you’ve agreed with us and sign in your banquet event order.’ They paid for it. There are no refunds whether you hold that event or not. They’ve already hired the staff. They’ve ordered the bar. They’ve taken that date out of inventory.” “There are so many things that go into that that people don’t see – If they had to order the cake. If they had to order special linens, crystal centerpieces or they had a specific champagne that they wanted. They’ve already ordered that in order to get it in for that March 21st date.” “That’s why it’s really important that you have documentation in writing” as
to what a venue will do or not do in the event the wedding is abruptly cancelled or postponed, Horn said. “There are people that put their heart and soul into planning their wedding and haven’t thought about their life the day after their wedding,” Horn said. “Then there’s the people that at the end of the day say, ‘you know what it doesn’t matter on what day it is.’” But even those couples who just think eloping will do are running into problems since the actual exchange of vows not only requires an officiant but also two witnesses, Horn noted. “There’s at least five people involved,” she said. Given the uncertainty as to when some semblance of normalcy might return to Arizona and the country this year, Horn is recommending that couples contemplating a wedding this year to put off the big event until 2021. “They’re saying that potentially this epidemic will affect us for 18 months,” she said. “I would rather err on the side of safety for my family and for my clients…. The whole thing is they have to be aware of what is happening on travel restrictions, what’s happening on local quarantines.” And people who think wedding insurance might cover them might want to carefully read the contract since “a lot of the wedding insurance doesn’t cover a pandemic.” “The whole thing is knowing what you’re signing before you sign it,” she said.
we started smelling acrid smoke and thought it was from the dumpster, but when we walked over we saw that the slope where Gee had dumped a huge amount of brush and branches was smoldering,” Farquhar said. “He was required to remove the debris a year ago because it posed a fire hazard but a lot of mulch-like material remains,” she added. Other residents told AFN the Phoenix firefighters came out on multiple days last week – once at 7 a.m. – in an effort to put out the smoldering debris. Farquhar said every time they left, “We think it’s out, then the smoke starts again… None of us needs lung irritation right now.”
“These fires are more than a nuisance or a prank,” she said. “Phoenix Fire believes they may be result of arson.” The Phoenix Fire Department on Friday announced that the fires were finally out. In a statement to AFN, it said: “Fire crews from the neighborhood fire stations have quickly responded to extinguish several recent fires on The Club West site. Those stations are working with a heavy equipment operator to break up the mulch pile and ensure that any smoldering material is permanently extinguished. The Phoenix Fire Prevention Section is working with the property owner to clear garbage, excess brush and other debris from the property.
“These efforts will bring the property into compliance with city code and will help prevent future fires on this site. Furthermore, the property owner is being required to have a manned water source onsite to extinguish any smoldering hot spots on the mulch pile during this operation. This will ensure that the debris on the property will stop smoking.” The department also said detectives and investigators have been “assigned to investigate all known fires that have occurred recently at this property. Thanks to their hard work and information shared by the community, there are several leads being pursued. Because this
Officials finally quell arson fire plaguing Club West AFN NEWS STAFF
C
ity of Phoenix officials gave an Easter present to some Club West residents who suffered through more than a week of acrid smoke from a series of fires started by an arsonist in a dumpster near the now-closed clubhouse. Someone torched a load of golf cart wheels and tires in a dumpster near the maintenance shed in the first couple days of April, setting off nearly 10 days of smoke that forced nearby residents to keep their windows shut in a vain attempt to keep out the smoke. Resident Elizabeth Farquhar blamed course owner Wilson Gee for the mess. “The Fire Department responded, then
see FIRES page 17
NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
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Crews spent nearly a week trying to extinguish once and for all a stubborn smoldering fire at Club West Golf Course. (Elizabeth Farquhar/Special to AFN)
FIRES from page 16
is an active investigation with possible criminal consequences, specific information cannot be shared at this time.” There are two open code violation cases pending against the course owner for excessive vegetation, city spokeswoman Tamra Ingersoll said. “We also are working with the Community Action Officer and the property owner to facilitate an authority to arrest if people are caught trespassing,” she told AFN. The Club West HOA board late last week also issued a statement to homeowners, urging them to assist police “in keeping a more careful eye on the community” so that “we can reduce the resource demand on our first responders
and allow them to focus on more urgent matters.” The board also said it was in contact with Gee and the city and that “we are insisting on greater code compliance.” “However, we must recognize that deliberate vandalism and arson are a threat to the community and we must all work together to eliminate it,” the board said, urging residents to report any suspicious activity on the course, which has been closed since early 2019. This past weekend, Farquhar said, the air was clean and the fire and smoke appeared to be quelled. But she said even early Monday morning, a water tanker drove down to the affected area, adding, “So, either they are just being careful or it’s not completely out.”
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
Juniors, seniors feel impact of closures AFN NEWS STAFF
A
s they make their way to the end of a bizarre school year, Ahwatukee high school juniors and seniors say they’re adjusting to online instruction – though they miss aspects that they would have had in the classroom. “It was just hard to get adjusted to doing school online,” said Desert Vista junior Alexa Horn. She praised her teachers for “trying hard to be available as much as possible to be there to help us,” saying, “They provide many videos, and other resources for us to make sure we are still learning while in this crisis.” But Alexa has her share of academic disappointments as well, especially when it comes to laboratory work. She had been scheduled to visit Grand Canyon University to see students work on a cadaver as part of her anatomy class. “We also were supposed to have more dissections like on the heart and another one on the cats, which isn’t able to happen anymore due to the circumstances we have been put in by the virus,” she said. Principals and other school officials concede that science teachers and vocational technical schools can’t fully replace what students would learn hands-on in shop or labs with online exercises. CeCe Todd, a spokeswoman for the East Valley Institute of Technology – which
Mountain Pointe junior Jack Piorkowski feels sorry that the seniors on his distance team missed out on their last season. (Special to AFN)
serves several hundred Ahwatukee juniors and seniors who are learning a trade – said: “For those who wish to enter the workforce and need industry certifications to do that, EVIT will provide additional hands-on training once students are allowed back on campus to help ensure they can pass industry certification exams. “While it’s not our ideal way of training students, EVIT administrators and faculty believe the online learning opportunities they have created for students during the campus shutdown will enhance, rather than supplant, the quality hands-on learning we offer on campus.” Horizon Honors senior Jordan Cook,
who plans to attend the University of Hawai’i Manoā, echoed Alexa, saying that while “I think my school has done the best that they can do with the situation, I do feel like the level of learning is definitely being restricted.” “There is only so much you can do from home and on your own,” said Jordan. Mountain Pointe High junior Jack Piorkowski is a member of the National Honor Society but even he admits, “Academically, the closure has definitely affected me because I am less motivated when doing online work at home than when I am attending school. I learn better during an in-person class than an online class, so my learning has definitely been affected.”
appreciate it but personally I have tried my best to look on the bright side of the isolation at home. The amount of time I’ve had to spend with my family has definitely been a refreshing change, that I’ve welcomed with school closures. I had been making plans to move out of the house where I would see my family for the least amount of time in my entire life. I would be dishonest if I said that I didn’t enjoy my prolonged time with them. However, I can’t ignore the added stress that this situation has put on me. My mother lives with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that makes
her more vulnerable to diseases like COVID-19. Whenever we pick up groceries or receive incoming packages my worries linger in my mind. “What if someone sick coughed on that box? ...I shouldn’t touch that; she can’t touch that.” I had a dream one night about a tsunami that was coming in the direction of my family. We were in a house on shore and ventured farther back into the house in hopes we would be safe from the impact. Of course, we weren’t and all we had to lean on was our hope. Sometimes, I just give up and remember that if someone in my family has it,
Mountain Pointe junior Nico Flores said, “Academically, I feel that I am not getting the amount of school time I should be getting, but I still have class calls and assignments to do so, it’s good to see the teachers trying.” Students also keenly feel their separation from extracurricular activities, both athletics and others. “Due to the suspension of my junior track season, I am missing an entire season of quality races and improvement that would bring me into senior cross-country season,” Jack said. “Although I am still training on my own, it is not the same as training with the team,” he added. “I was looking forward to watching my teammates succeed and attempting to qualify for state. With four of the top five runners on the boys’ distance team being seniors…they are missing out on their final chance to improve and try to attain recognition from colleges and leave their mark on Mountain Pointe.” His classmate Nico sympathizes with him, saying some of his friends who play sports “feel rather robbed of a dream they could have experienced with friends. Alexa is president of the Desert Vista Community Counts Club, the school’s most popular non-athletic extracurricular activity, which pairs students with kids as mentors to second graders at Wilson El-
see JUNIORS page 19
One senior’s view: staying safe top priority BY SAMANTHA MORRIS AFN Guest Writer
Desert Vista senior Samantha Morris wrote this essay about the pandemic and school closures.
M
y grandparents moved from their house into my house in order for them to stick out this pandemic for as long as it will last. I moved out of my room for them, a small sacrifice to ensure they remain safe during these unprecedented times. In almost every online class meeting I’ve been in, people have given their condolences to the senior class of 2020. I
we will all get it, so there’s no point in worrying about it. My aunt texts me to remind me to not be stressed because being stressed will lower your immune system. So, I try my best to relax and not think about the looming threat. These concerns have made me completely indifferent to all the cancellations. I am not going to wallow or complain to my mother about the absence of a senior prom, or the delay of my graduation party or ceremony. They are not priority. The priority is to stay safe. Love your family and remember that this will all be over eventually.
NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
JUNIORS from page 18
ementary School in downtown Phoenix. “We were supposed to have our zoo trip with them the week we got back from spring break, but that got cancelled because of the virus,” Alexa said. Then there is the separation from classmates and friends – and the realization that social media only can do so much to maintain valued connections. “My frustrations caused by social distancing are mainly that I am unable to do any of the things I did before the virus,” said Jack. “Simply driving around with friends, playing basketball at the park, and hanging out at Dairy Queen every weekend are things that I miss doing,” he added. “My family always goes on weekend trips, which are now cancelled as well. I miss just walking around with friends at school and practicing with the team.” Alexa said, “I have been maintaining contact with friends at least online, but it’s difficult because it’s still not the same as spending time with them in person and not as fun.” Jordan said that “as a senior, it is difficult to not be able to spend our last few
Desert Vista junior Alexa Horn feels badly for her senior classmates’ loss of memorable milestones because of school closures. (Special to AFN)
months together physically. “It has definitely taken a huge toll on all of us as I know many of my friends, including me, depend on each other for support and we are not properly able to do that at this time,” she said.
Alexa feels especially bad about her friends and classmates who are seniors. She had been looking forward “to seeing all my senior friends walk across the stage in a cap and gown to receive their diploma, to take pictures with them, and see them for the last time. “I never knew that the last time I saw some of the seniors would be the last time I see them before they go off to college, especially it’s hard to think that I might never see the ones again that are leaving to go to college out of state,” she said. Given that she is missing out on prom and commencement, Jordan appreciates sentiments like that. “I am a member of the student council and have been since I was a freshman and planning my senior prom has been something I was really looking forward to,” she said. “I am grateful I got to plan most of it, but it stings a little more knowing how much time we put into planning something that most likely will not happen. So, I am pretty upset about that.” As for missing out on a formal graduation ceremony, Jordan said, “I’m honestly not sure what could replace something so monumental in every person’s life.” Jordan hopes Horizon Honors will post-
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Horizon Honors senior Jordan Cook is said closures “have taken a huge toll on all of us.” (Special to AFN)
pone a ceremony into summer, stating, “If there’s even a chance I can experience something close to it, I will be there.” “It doesn’t feel real,” Jordan said. “With it being such a milestone in a young person’s life, it is just hard to believe I won’t get it, ever. “It breaks my heart. I’ve watched countless of my friends and former teammates walk across the stage and throw their caps in the air and cried as they said goodbye. I never even got to say goodbye.”
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NEWS
VIRUS from page 1
“I am from New York originally. Two of my friends’ dads have died, and eight of my friends have this awful virus! Two were in ICU ALONE! One almost died! Both fathers died alone. My friends are healthy younger people in their 40’s and 50’s.” Likewise, a Mountain Park Ranch resident wrote AFN: “I am especially disheartened to see so many people not taking the situation seriously. … Many, many people are simply ignoring the practice of social distancing themselves from each other.” The resident, who asked to remain anonymous, also noted, “Two nights ago, the basketball courts at Sun Ray Park were filled with teens and young adults. Both yesterday and today the Mountain Park Ranch tennis courts were full. I have several times seen groups of young teens hanging out throughout the neighborhoods. …When I see all of this, I realize the potential for this virus to spread and cause unimaginable damage.” Release of the ZIP code data was announced last Thursday by the state Health Services Department, which readily admitted the reports may not be fully thorough at first. For example, cases with no known address for a patient are attributed to the address of the provider, rather than to the address of the reporting facility. State Health Director Cara Christ noted that it was only last week that Gov. Doug Ducey ordered hospitals to provide more information to the state about their cas-
LEARNING from page 15
on March 17,” she said. That was the day after the campus closed. “Our school has created virtual classrooms for each program and shared the links with parents,” Darmawaskita said. “The Google platform is excellent.” Nor has Inspire Kids encountered any problems with the platform or distant learning in general. “Our parents are amazingly supportive of our teachers and school although they are facing challenging situations at home,”
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
es. And what’s been available so far, she said, doesn’t have complete reports from the hospitals. And even what does show up, Christ said, “won’t be 100 percent complete’’ because the hospitals were not due to file their first reports until April 10. However, a spokesman said that the web site will have all the data going back to the first reports of illness and death. Christ also stressed that the data do not suggest one ZIP code is more dangerous for exposure than another. For one thing, tests have been administered to a smal fraction of the total population namely, “the very sick, known contacts of an already confirmed case or healthcare workers.” Furthermore, she said Monday, “While ZIP code data is informative, it should not be used to determine whether or not residents of a particular ZIP code are or are not at risk of COVID-19. Ducey also said that his order earlier this week requires reporting of the number of ventilators in use and how much in personal protection equipment – masks, gowns and gloves – is being used each day, along with current inventories. Christ said the department’s web- site will have the number of hospital and intensive-care beds available and the number of beds in use for COVID-19 treatment. There also will be data about
see VIRUS page 22
Gov. Doug Ducey and state Health Director Cara Christ give almost daily updates on the pandemic in Arizona. (Capitol Media Services)
she said. “Parents overnight have transformed their lives and assumed so many roles while they still have to work from home,” she added. “They have to take turns working, adjust their work hours and meetings, teach the kids, prepare the meals and respond to teachers’ emails. “They are in a very difficult situation and yet dedicate their time to continue to provide the learning, structure, and routine as much as possible for their children. They are truly silent heroes and we are very blessed to have parents and partners
as we have at our school.” Darmawaskita said Inspire Kids’ program “is very comprehensive and covers many subject areas.” Still, parents do fret about the impact of the campus closure on their children. “Aside from the difficulty with having so many different roles and finding the time to work, the parents’ main concern is their child missing out on socializing with other children,” Darmawaskita said “So, we encourage them to schedule virtual playdates although we know that will not be the same.”
As for helping the children understand why they are not in school like they had been only a month ago, Darmawaskita said, “We like to keep it simple and leave it to parents to explain the situation to their children. “Since most of our students are very young, we use a simple explanation: ‘There is a bad virus out there that makes people sick so we stay home to keep everyone safe and healthy.’” Information: inspirekidsmontessori. com, 480-659-9402.
GOT NEWS? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com
NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
State GOP opposes online initiative petition signing BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
T
he attorney for the Arizona Republican Party says a system that allows people to sign petitions online – the same one used by political candidates – is “highly susceptible to fraud.’’ The new legal filings by Dennis Wilenchik come as the state GOP is urging U.S. District Court Judge Dominic Lanza to reject a bid by initiative organizers to use that existing E-Qual system to finish getting the signatures needed to put their proposals before voters in November. In essence, E-Qual allows anyone with an Arizona driver’s license to “sign’’ petitions online by providing certain information. That includes the name, date of birth and the driver’s license number or, in the alternative, voter ID number and last four digits of a social security number. “The risk of fraud in that system is obvious,’’ the legal briefs read. “The system is premised on the false notion that only the voters will have ac-
To get signatures for an initiative that would curb school vouchers, Save Our Schools last month geared-up to protect supporters and signers during a drive-through signaturre event.. (AFN file photo)
cess to their own driver’s license number,’’ it continues. “But as any good private investigator knows, a person’s name, address and driver’s license number are all public records at the DMV.” Wilenchik told Capitol Media Services JUST LISTED!
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that the party’s bid to block the use of E-Qual for initiatives – even just for this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the stay-at-home order by Gov. Doug Ducey – does not mean that the Legislature is wrong in allowing candidates to use it.
He said it’s a matter of scale. Someone seeking statewide office needs at least 6,500 signatures. The threshold for legislative candidates depends on the district, with the requirement as low as 244. By contrast, putting a statutory change on the ballot this year requires 237,645 valid signatures. And that, Wilenchik said, justifies the decision by lawmakers to limit the use of E-Qual to candidates and not to ballot measures. “The reality is, the Legislature has spoken on it,’’ he said. “It’s not an accident,’’ Wilenchik continued. “And therefore, you should give great deference to the Legislature’s reasons unless you have compelling reasons to find that they had no basis to do so.’’ It is precisely that question of compelling interest that is being presented to Lanza at a hearing this week. In his own legal filings, attorney Jim Barton said the two petitions drives he
see INITIATIVES page 22
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
INITIATIVES from page 21
represents started gathering signatures before there was a pandemic, with circulators approaching voters and asking them to physically sign petitions and circulators then required to sign a sworn affidavit that they witnessed the signatures, all part of efforts to prevent fraud. All that changed with COVID-19. “The requirement that electors sign the petition in the presence of the person who is circulating the petition cannot be accomplished during the pandemic,’’ he told Lanza. He said one circulator who wants a measure on the November ballot “is re-
VIRUS from page 20
the number of hospitalizations and visits to the emergency departments for treatment of the virus. That data, however, will be available only on a statewide basis. It was unclear how often the website –adhsgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/84b7f701060 641ca8bd9ea0717790906 – will be updated, although it is likely to be at least once a day. State health officials say the number of confirmed cases should peak sometime this month, with hospitalizations hitting their own peak in May. The latest available dataAnytime. at AFN’s
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quired to literally endanger her life in violation of public health warnings and stay-at-home orders in order to exercise her free speech.’’ Barton said there is no reason why initiative circulators, exercising their First Amendment rights to seek to put issues on the ballot, cannot use the system lawmakers put in place to be able to gather their own signatures for nominating petitions. “The state’s specific purpose of preventing fraud can be accomplished without denying plaintiffs access to the E-Qual system,’’ Barton wrote. Wilenchik, on behalf of the state GOP, told Lanza to reject claims of the security of the system.
deadline show some relative hotspots, including areas in and around Florence and Casa Grande, each with 17, and into Sahuarita with 14. Some areas appear unaffected relatively with fewer than five cases reported, the 85045 in Ahwatukee, a stretch of central Phoenix and south Tempe 85284. Maricopa County issues its own daily report on virus cases and its last report said there are 1,741 cases – nearly half of all 3,500 recorded in Arizona so far – and 41 known deaths. “People aged 65 or older or those who have at least one chronic health condition make up 70 percent of those who have been hospitalized and 96 percent of deaths for COVID-19,” the county said,
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adding no hospitalizations or deaths involved anyone under 20. The state’s maps do not show the relative rate of infection, as the number of people living in each ZIP code can vary widely. But the maps provide a more granular look at neighborhoods by the department which, until now, had released data only on a county-by-county basis. There also are gaps, with the latest report not listing data for zip codes where tribal residents make up more than 50 percent of the population. According to the latest available data, Chandler’s 85224 with 43 confirmed cases was the highest in the East Valley, followed by 95143 in Queen Creek at 40
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and 85205 in northeast Mesa at 34. Department of Health Services does not report actual death numbers in counties with fewer than three. Statewide, the latest available data showed 63 percent of fatalities were male and the largest number of deaths by age group was 78 among those 65 and older, followed by 24 in the 55-64 age group and 12 who were 45 to 54. Only one death was recorded in the 20-44 age brackets. By ethnicity, 25 percent of deaths were white/non-Hispanic, followed by 16 percent Native American, 16 percent Hispanic/Latino and 2 percent black. AFN contributed to this report.
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signatures wrongfully or fraudulently to make the ballot.’’ Separately, Lanza rejected the bid by Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, and House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, to intervene in the case. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said she will not oppose the bid to let already-existing initiative drives finish getting their signatures online. Lanza pointed out that he already has allowed Attorney General Mark Brnovich to intervene in the case to defend the laws limiting E-Qual to political candidates, rejecting the claim by Fann and Bowers they deserve a seat at the defense table because Brnovich may not “make the same arguments.’’
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“The E-Qual system has never undergone a full third-party security review, because the number of signatures that are actually collected using E-Qual has historically been very small, on average of between 2 and 3 percent of all signatures collected,’’ he said. “It’s not for the courts to tamper with,’’ he said, saying that the Legislature had a “rational basis’’ to limit the use of the online system to themselves and other candidates. “The number of signatures required of candidates is disproportionately different than what you need for these ballot measures,’’ Wilenchik said. “So, there’s a lot more ability and susceptibility to obtain that kind of massive number of
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COMMUNITY
Community
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
@AhwatukeeFN |
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Husband-Wife Law Team launch effort to help eateries AFN NEWS STAFF
F
or most of their career, Mark and Alexis Breyer have made giving back to the community as much a part of their work as building their law practice’s brand. The Breyers, known throughout the region as the Husband and Wife Law Team, have regularly celebrated people’s accomplishments on billboards throughout the county, hold an annual community fair in Ahwatukee and generously promote fundraisers for a variety of charities. Now, the Breyers have stepped up to help restaurants, which have been slammed by social distancing regulations in the wake of COVID-19. They have launched the HWLT (Husband and Wife Law Team) HEART (Helping Excellent Arizona Restaurants Today) campaign. “We know so many are struggling during this challenging time,” the couple said in a release. “Among many, the fantastic restaurant workers and owners are hit very hard. We are going to pull together and do our small part to help.” Each Thursday, the Breyers will pay half
Alexis and Mark Breyer of Ahwatukee are picking up half the tab for all orders on Thursdays at a preselected restaurant, based on nominations from the public, for the duration of the pandemic. (Special to AFN)
of every patron’s takeout and delivery order from a restaurant chosen from nominations by the public. They’re spending up to $2,000 that day to help both struggling restaurants and probably more than a few patrons who have suffered financial setbacks caused by business closures and other economic fallout from the pandemic.
Ex-Ahwatukee nurse signs up to help virus patients BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
L
ast month Jeremiah Green of Ahwatukee decided to bring some cheer to the community in this dark time by decorating local businesses with festive Christmas lights. Now, his wife Jill is doing something a little more dangerous to help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s heading to work in a hospital emergency room in a suburb of Chi-
cago, located in one of the counties that have been hit hardest by the pandemic with more than 12,000 confirmed cases – most of the approximate 17,000 confirmed in the entire state of Illinois and four times the approximate 3,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Arizona. The Greens moved from Quincy, Illinois, three years ago to Ahwatukee, where Jeremiah opened South Mountain Window Cleaning with his brother and
see NURSE page 25
People can nominate a restaurant at breyerlaw.com/heart. “We will work with the restaurant and our social media to get the word out that there will be a 50 percent off all orders to drive a lot of extra business and help keep the restaurant running.” Tomorrow, April 16, they’re picking up half the tab for orders at Florencia Pizza
Bistro, 3636 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee. (480704-7404 or florenciapizzabistro.com). If the Breyers end up hitting their $2,000 limit on any given Thursday, “This will help boost revenue for each venue to $4,000 in a single day,” the Breyers noted. Rosi Khazoom, a spokesperson for the lawfirm, said the first restaurant to benefit from the Breyers’ campaign was Lucky Lou’s in Chandler. And the Breyers plan to continue their campaign as long as restaurants remain closed by the virus crisis. “Being a part of this community is important to both our family and our team at work,” they said. “So many people are struggling right now and we wanted to find a way we could have an immediate, positive impact for some of the people hit the hardest. “We put this program together hoping it would help make ends meet for many different restaurants and their employees. Watching the community rally around this program and start nominating and helping different restaurants has been even better than we could have hoped when we started it.” Former Ahwatukee resident and ER nurse Jill Green will be working in a hospital in Chcago treating patients, including those afflicted by COVID-19. (Special to AFN)
COMMUNITY
APRIL 15, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
NURSE from page 24
eventually Holiday Lights Phoenix. But seven months ago, Jill got homesick and moved back to Quincy after signing on with a medical group as a float nurse and Jeremiah became a commuting husband, driving regularly between Ahwatukee and Quincy to be with Jill and with their families there. “So now I’m here full-time and he’s half and half,” said Jill, a nurse for seven years and a paramedic for more than 10. But a few weeks ago, the medical group she worked with laid off its staff, falling victim to a major decline in faceto-face visits in the virus’ wake. So, Jill applied for a “crisis position” with a company that places urgently needed healthcare workers in hospitals across the country. “She submitted me to Washington, New York City, Phoenix actually and Chi-
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cago and Chicago was the one that got back to me,” said Jill. “I was part of a group of 4,000 employees hired by this hospital system that will be responding to help with the potential influx of COVID-19 patients,” she said. She told her friends in Ahwatukee on social media, “They have informed me that they have plenty of PPE (personal protective equipment) in case you were worried.” She told AFN that traveling nurses “are saying that before you take a contract to make sure you ask the hospital what their PPE situation is and the place I’m going to has it.” “They have backup plans and they have not experienced a shortage yet,” she added. “So, they’re prepared, thankfully.” With experience in emergency rooms and critical care transport, Jill doesn’t seem particularly worried for her personal safety working in a city that, while
not a hot spot for the virus, is nevertheless under siege by the pandemic. Her social media message to friends quoted from one of Peter’s Epistles in the Bible: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in various forms.” She told AFN that when she learned where she’d be assigned, “It was not like not doing was an option for me because they didn’t need me here, but I would have the skills that are needed elsewhere. So, I just knew I had to at least try to go help now.” Though she won’t be working exclusively with COVID-19 patients, Jill expects to be helping her share of them “I’ll take care of anybody that comes to the emergency room, but people who are COVID-19 usually come to the ER first,” she said. “It’s happening a lot where people will
Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com
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stay home and then finally, they start having difficulty breathing and they’ll go to the emergency room,” she explained. “Sometimes they need to be intubated in the emergency room, other times they watch them to see if they need to be intubated.” Jill had been living in an area that had not been nearly as hard hit by virus cases as Cook County, where Chicago is located. Now, she will be renting a home that still is far enough away from the city’s core where she feels she has less of a chance of coming into contact with victims when she’s not suited up in protective gear. As for the prospect of still working where people hardest hit by the virus likely will be coming through the ER doors, she said, “I’m okay with it. I’m young. I’m 32. I don’t have kids with me, just the husband and the dogs.”
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
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OPINION
Opinion APRIL 15, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
27
Share Your Thoughts:
Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timespublications.com
www.ahwatukee.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Nation has been left in crisis by disdain for facts
I read every word of Jane Emery’s April 8 letter to the editor. It was filled with Trump inspired misconceptions. I am not a “deceitfully negative and corrupt liberal.” My grandfather and his siblings fought in WWI, my father in WWII. My mother was born in the height of the Depression. I am a now retired third-generation public school teacher, having taught 37 years, a resident of Ahwatukee since 1981. I grew up listening to and learning the lessons of those who experienced hardship. Peter Wehner, lifelong Republican, is not a “deceitfully negative and corrupt liberal” either. He worked in three previous GOP administrations. His words sum it up eloquently: “Trump has no desire to acquaint himself with most issues, let alone master them.” No major presidential candidate has ever been quite as disdainful of knowledge, as indifferent to facts…Trump is fundamentally unfit – intellectually, morally, temperamentally, and psychologically – for office. At some point it’s reasonable to expect that a president will face an unexpected crisis and at that point, the president’s judgment and discernment, his character and leadership ability, will really matter. That crisis arrived in the form of the coronavirus pandemic. The president and his administration are responsible for grave, costly errors… the epic manufacturing failures in diagnostic testing, the decision to test too few people, the delay in expanding testing to labs outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and problems in the supply chain. These mistakes left us blind and badly behind the curve…created a false sense of security…the coronavirus silently spread for several weeks, without us being aware of it and while we were doing nothing to stop it. As of April 9, there were more than
400,000 confirmed cases and 15,639 deaths in the U.S. As you read this, how many more have died? Trumps false information, refusal to listen to experts, and dismantling of critical institutions such as the National Security Council’s global-health office, whose purpose was to address global pandemics is horrifying. For months, Trump has lied to the American people. Although this virus hit China in December, no critical infrastructure to fight it was done in the U.S. for months. In January, Trump called Covid19 “a hoax.” On Feb. 5, Health & Human Services Secretary Azar requested $2 billion to buy respirator masks and other supplies for the National stockpile. Trump cut that request by 75 percent. Trump claimed Covid19 was contained when it was spreading; that we had “shut it down” when we had not; that testing was available when it wasn’t; that the coronavirus will one day disappear “like a miracle.” It won’t. He said a vaccine would be available in months; it will not be available for a year or more. Most troubling of all, Trump’s labeling of the Covid19 Pandemic as the “Wuhan virus” inspires racism, singling out Chinese people and Chinese Americans as “them”, inspiring hate crimes and racist rants. Trump has used this strategy to pit “us” against “them” once again. There is no “them” in a pandemic. We live in a world connected globally in every way. Those of us who dream of a world where all are valued and respected regardless of the color of our skin, the language we speak or the country we are from must speak out. -Lori Andover, MA
Speaking from experience about hydroxychloroquine
On March 26, 2020, Harvard professor Dr. William Hazeltine was interviewed on CNN. Dr. Hazeltine spent his career developing pharmaceuticals for Anthrax, Ebola, HIV-AIDS, and other infectious diseases. He discussed a small study that was
done in China using hydroxychloroquine, which is currently perceived as a promising antidote for the current strand of coronavirus. The small study included 30 people infected with COVID-19. One half of the participants were given the drug hydroxychloroquine, and the other half were not. There was only a small statistical difference between the results. Hazeltine’s analysis was that the people who were given hydroxychloroquine actually did slightly worse than the people who were not administered the drug. However, the statistical difference was so small that his conclusion was that it had no effect. I have lupus and took hydroxychloroquine for years. I want to warn people that it has some serious side effects. I was hospitalized last year for seizures – and seizures are a listed side effect. It can also cause permanent damage to your eyes. As such, if you are given a prescription, doctors require you to see an ophthalmologist every year or they will not renew it. Do not take this medicine without the advice and care of your doctor. Although it has been proven to ward off malaria and is used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, it is not without serious side effects. It has been prescribed for years, but it is not benign. -Lisa Scinto
Bankruptcy may not so bad for Lakes Golf Course
Why would Wilson Gee filing bankruptcy on The Lakes be a bad thing? If the course were to sell for $100 at bankruptcy auction, the new owners could restore it for $4 million (or whatever) and then operate it profitably. Golf is not going away. I am not sorry that Wilson Gee paid too much for the golf course and then found that he could not operate it at a profit. Investors - win some, lose some. Meantime open space is acceptable. Joan Gillespie
America makes the wrong choices in protection
I can already tell that America will take the wrong lesson from this pandemic. We will assume that our mistake was not acting quickly enough to contain the initial outbreak. And while that is part of the problem, our biggest problem is acting too slowly in shifting our long-term priorities. We are about to plunge millions of working-class people into poverty and many will never recover. Tens of thousands will die. And it’s a choice we must make. As we all know, we simply don’t have the hospital beds or ventilators to treat all who will get sick from the coronavirus if we don’t flatten the curve. So, we are making the right choice, but only because it’s the only possible choice after decades of misplaced priorities. How does the most powerful nation in the world find itself so woefully unprepared to battle its most likely enemy – a global pandemic? After all, when it comes to preparing for war against foreign nations, we never find ourselves with a shortfall of the weapons we need. Yet, within two weeks, we will run out of ventilators. Every year, a new strain of flu evolves and about every fourth year, the strain is deadly. And yet, when a pandemic erupts in one of the most densely populated cities in the world (because that’s how pandemics work), we find ourselves beseeching Ford and GM to hurriedly make ventilators. Why wouldn’t we keep an “arsenal” of working and maintained ventilators on hand just in case the single most likely threat arises in the homeland? My guess is that it’s probably the reason that we wouldn’t have enough doctors to hook people up to them even if we did. Because our priorities are misplaced. The richest country in the history of the world cannot produce enough doctors to care for its people. This is even though
see LETTERS page 29
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OPINION
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
Now more than ever, foster kids need a hand BY DAN SHUFELT AFN Guest Writer
F
or many children in foster care, birthday celebrations are not ever expected. I’ve met many teens who have never celebrated their special day. For teens in group homes, the March party might be held on the 15th, and no mention is made when Alicia’s birthday comes on the 25th. Many whose birthdays fall during March and April this year will be able to relate to Alicia. Arizona Helping Hands provided essential needs to the 14,000+ children in our State’s foster care system. We provide beds and cribs to give children a safe place to sleep. We help foster families become licensed for fostering by
supplying home safety items including fire extinguishers, first aid kits and more. We provide back-to-school supplies, personal care items, diapers, clothing and other basic needs to help children who have experienced abuse and neglect in their short lives. We also go well beyond the basics; we seek to bring joy into the lives of boys and girls who have not experienced that emotion enough. We want children to know every day, but especially on their birthday, that they are loved, and that we care. Our Birthday Dreams program assembles gift packages for children in foster care. Learning that Samantha likes crafts or Pedro is a Paw Patrol fan, we will assemble a few toys and a book in a personalized gift package for their birthday. In 2019 alone, Arizona Helping Hands provided 3,596 children with a gift pack-
age, and we added in a party pack – cake mix, frosting and candles. All of our efforts were to say that YOU MATTER. Children in foster care should have a celebration. In these days of the coronavirus, this message takes on an additional meaning. We want these boys and girls to know that outside of the house they can’t leave today is a community that supports them, that wants to say “Happy Birthday to You!” Perhaps you can relate to children in foster care whose life experiences have never included a party. Our program seeks to change that. Even without our army of volunteers to help us fill packages while they observe stay-at-home directives, we are sending our Birthday Dreams to boys and girls every day, especially these days. These kids deserve a celebration, now
more than ever. Arizona Helping Hands is open. We are shipping out beds, cribs and birthday dreams to make a difference for children in foster care. We need community support to continue to fill birthday dreams, and to provide essential needs to thousands of children in foster care each year. Arizona taxpayers can donate $1,000 per year as a married couple to support our work, and receive every dollar back on your Arizona tax return. Contributions are due by April 15 to claim as a credit on your 2019 tax return. Help us bring joy and hope to children in foster care. -Dan Shufelt is president/CEO of Arizona Helping Hands. Information: 480889-0604, dshufelt@azhelpinghands. org, azhelpinghands.org.
Share Your Thoughts: Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timespublications.com
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OPINION
APRIL 15, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
LETTERS from page 27
American doctors are amongst the highest paid doctors in the world. So how is supply and demand not working in American medicine? As a result, even in the absence of a pandemic, we must lure almost one third of our doctors from other countries. And when a pandemic strikes, we find ourselves begging doctors to come out of retirement. So, not only do we not have the weapons to fight our most likely enemy, but we also don’t have the “soldiers.” And it’s all about priorities. Because, militarily, we haven’t been caught short on manpower and ammunition since the Alamo. In fact, we spend more than the next top eight countries combined to make sure that we can stare down Russia, China, India or anyone else. But a microscopic virus knocks us on our rears because we failed to plan for the most likely threat. And if we don’t change our priorities, then we will find ourselves in the same situation sooner than we imagine. -Barry Smith
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29
BUSINESS
Business 30
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
@AhwatukeeFN |
@AhwatukeeFN
www.ahwatukee.com
Couple find a winner with high school signs BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor
A
s 2019 inched to a close, the world was normal as Aaron and Janine Moeller decided they would move their 5-year-old Ahwatukee PostNet outlet across the street to a new space with better parking and other amenities. By the time their move to 4611 E. Chandler Blvd. got underway March 19, the world was crashing. A week earlier, all schools were ordered closed for two weeks and subsequent directives closed them for the rest of the school year. This affected the couple personally as their 8-year-old son, Josh, is a second grader at Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary. Suddenly, it was a daunting time for the Colorado couple, who chose Ahwatukee from a nationwide list of possible places to start their own
business. “It was scary signing a new longterm lease in such an environment, said Aaron. “Yet overall, the move has already been good for us and I’m sure over time it will be seen as a great move for us.” Unlike many businesses, the couple’s PostNet has been bustling with activity, he said. A major reason for that is to offer an inexpensive way for families to celebrate high school and middle school graduations by creating yard signs to honor the students who face the strong prospect of canceled commencement ceremonies this May. Since their March 28 announcement of the full-color signs with high school logos of many area schools – including Desert Vista, Mountain Pointe nd Horizon Honors, the business has been literally swamped with orders. The 18 x 24 inch yard signs – with a
graduate’s name and or photo for $7 more – come with a metal outdoor Hstake. PostNet needs to order them in bulk with 25 per order so individual families can be charged only $10. And 25 orders per school hasn’t proved problematic. “We had inquiries from Ahwatukee, Chandler and throughout the East Valley and as far as Casa Grande and Globe,” said Janine. “These are custom order items so they are printed as we get orders in.” Once they announced their ability to supply the yard signs, their Facebook page exploded with interests and requests – among them parents and students from Basha, Hamilton
see POSTNET page 31
Janine and Aaron Moeller, owners of PostNet stores in Ahwatukee and Chandler, hold the high school grad tribute posters they’re selling. (Special to AFN)
Ahwatukee man’s firm memorializes the deceased BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor
B
rian Musgrave and his younger sister, Camille Musgrave Barnett, were young when their father passed away suddenly from a heart aneurysm. He was 13, she was only 8. And their father’s passing ultimately inspired Brian to start a unique business, called LegacyMarker, that offers family and friends the ability to share stories and anecdotes about a deceased person online. Even photos can be uploaded to their own Legacy Markers site for free. What sets LegacyMarker apart from the online sharing of memories is how those memories can be accessed graveside by using a smartphone’s QR (quick response) code scanner to read the matrix barcode sticker that LegacyMarker securely fas-
Kansas State University where he’d graduated. My sister and I thought what if we could create a way that we, and our children could learn more about dad. That’s one of the reasons behind our starting LegacyMaker,” said Musgrave, an Ahwatukee resident born and raised on the 100-yearold family farm in Atwood, Kansas. The idea for LegacyBrian Musgrave’s son Dodger Thomas partly inspired the creation of his Marker came about when unique marker for gravestones that links to a website honoring the de- Musgrave, an engineer at ceased. (Special to AFN) PhoenixNAP, and his wife tens to a headstone or memorial with a Amber, an assistant manager at Rawhide, small, stainless steel marker. visited a Kansas graveyard during a family “A lot I know about my dad came from reunion. stories – my aunt, a college buddy from “We attended my wife’s family reunion
in Junction City, Kansas and took our then 1-year-old son to visit the cemetery where a lot of family members were buried,” he recalled. “We walked around trying to read the old headstones and wondered what their lives entailed. I remember one that said the man buried there had been a Confederate soldier.” Time had made some older headstones nearly illegible. “Many of the headstones were worn down to where you could hardly read them and most had only their name and dates listed,” he recalled. “We knew these people had so much more to their life story than just these two lines. But as our older family members pass away, we knew it would become harder and harder to find someone who
see LEGACY page 32
BUSINESS
APRIL 15, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Skin diseases don’t take holiday during pandemic AFN NEWS STAFF
W
hile the COVID-19 pandemic may be the top-of-mind health concern for these days, other diseases haven’t taken a holiday – including those affecting skin. Ask MMS-PA-C dermatology Physician Assistant Sarah Neumann, whose Ahwatukee Skin & Laser still treats patients with skin cancer and other disorders, although she and her staff are taking similar precautions that other medical offices have taken as well as limiting surgeries. “Because we are a medical office primarily treating skin cancer, we are not under any closure order,” Neumann said, adding that “90 percent of our visits have been transitioned to virtual or telehealth visits.” “The only patients we are seeing in the office are those with current malignancies,” she added. Using her savings, Neumann opened her first dermatology office, Ahwatukee Skin & Laser in 2010. But as a result of the pandemic, her business has been cut by more than half. “We have halted all nonessential proce-
POSTNET from page 30
and Chandler high schools in Chandler, where the couple own and operate their second PostNet at 2820 S. Alma Road. Inquiries were also fielded for Red Mountain and Skyline High in Mesa; Perry in Gilbert; Valley Christian in Chandler; and Xavier College Prep in Scottsdale. Aaron said the Moellers and their staff were surprised, yet grateful, for the interest. “We’re extremely thankful for the response to the Class of 2020 yard signs. We try to be very active in the community and like to think this is a way to help the class of 2020 to get a little more attention, and engage the community in what the kids have achieved,” he said. The volume of orders has grown exponentially and may yet peak as May draws closer. “We really appreciate the parents trusting us with this as well,” he said. “Many people have also been very patient as we had huge volume in a short period of time, probably 80 percent of all our signs have been custom which takes longer to set up,” he said. “Getting through the backlog was a
travel and exposure or symptoms. “We have one way into the office and one way out. All staff are wearing whatever PPE that we have and there is no more than 10 people in the practice at any time. All precautions are taken very seriously and the safety and health of our staff and cliSara Neumann, second from left, and her team at Ahwatukee Skin & Laser have ents is priority numinitiated a variety of safeguards to protect patients from exposure to COVID-19. ber one.” (AFN file photo) While unnecesdures, surgeries and cosmetics,” she said, sary procedures have been postponed, adding that aesthetic procedures also Ahwatukee Skin & Laser is still treating have been postponed for the duration of patients with a current malignancy – primarily skin cancer. the crisis. “Patients still need care so telehealth is And for those who still come to her clinic for treatment, the protocol is different key,” Neumann said. “We most certainly do not want to abandon our patients in the from what it used to be. “Patients wait in their car until their ap- time of crisis and they need to know we pointment time,” she explained. “They are are here to help in multiple ways.” Telehealth appointments are now covthen screened for temperature, pulse and asked our screening questions regarding ered under all carriers including Medicare
challenge but it has kept us and our whole staff busy, which is what we were hoping for. Many people understand that even though we’re open, the current climate is not business-as-usual since we still depend on other vendors for our supplies.” The Moellers previously worked in the corporate world in Denver. After nearly two years of intensive searching for self-employment opportunities coast-to-coast, they opted for the PostNet franchise and opened the first of their two storefronts in Ahwatukee. They had weaned the site down from a final list of 10 areas where they felt opportunities awaited them. Aaron wanted to operate a business that allowed for a good work-life balance. Six years ago they took the leap, knowing only one couple in the area, Bryon and Dawn Matesi, who were long-time friends from Denver. The pair dove into the task, networking in the community and putting in long hours, but those things, along with their joint commitment to succeed, has paid off. “We’ve lived in Ahwatukee since we moved here about six years ago to start
the business,” said Janine. “We love the community and so does our son Josh. “And meeting so many wonderful people throughout Ahwatukee is another reason we wanted to honor these local 2020 graduates who deserve the recognition even without the graduation ceremony they’d been looking forward to.” The new storefront isn’t much larger than the one they had across the street at 4605 E. Chandler, but there are benefits that have already proved valuable. “We’re at about the same square footage, but we gained great parking, easy client access, double entry doors, a back door, and it allowed us to lay out the store a little differently,” he explained. PostNet, which began as a packing and shipping business in Las Vegas in 1993, franchised and expanded its business offerings to include printing, design solutions, office services including copy, scan and fax machines, as well as a wide range of shipping services, and mailbox rentals. Due to COVID-19, customers with mailboxes now have the option of having mail forwarded to another address, such as their home. And in the age of social distancing, many
31
and AHCCCS, since previous rules have been suspended during the pandemic. As the weather warms and people under stay-at-home orders think it might be a good time to work on their tans in the back yard, Neumann also advises them to be careful. On the other hand, a little sun might even help. “Given the current circumstances, we encourage vitamin D exposure (exposure to sunlight) 15 to 20 minutes daily as it can assist in reducing viral replication as well as boosting immunity and aiding in improving mental health,” Neumann said. “Of course, if patients are going to be out for hours at a time, we encourage photo protection/sunscreen.” Neumann recommends that individuals try to avoid the sun during the hottest times of the day (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and abide by the “shadow rule.” “If your shadow is shorter than you, seek shade,” Neumann said, adding people should lather up with a sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30 to prevent sun damage.” Information: 480-704-7546.
of the office services can be completed remotely, including having printed projects shipped or picked up curbside. Distancing of customers within the stores themselves is also maintained. “We’re all privately-owned and operated franchises so each location can offer different services,” Moeller explained. “We focus on printing and offering marketing to B2B (Business to Business).” Brochures, business cards, signage, and of course, banners can be printed at the Moeller’s Ahwatukee and Chandler PostNet stores. Fingerprinting services are also available, a growing need in the community said Aaron Moeller. “Basically, any industry that now requires a fingerprint card for background, and there are a lot that now require it, we can provide the standard card for them,” he said. “In a month we do anywhere between 90-120 at each of our locations. It’s not usually by appointment, but with COVID 19 going on, we’ve had to limit fingerprinting to essential service customers and only at our Ahwatukee store. Information: postnet.com or 480-7534160.
32
BUSINESS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
Mesa firm’s eye-track device helps COVID-19 patients AFN NEWS STAFF
A
Mesa firm’s invention that helps non-verbal, often bedridden patients communicate with medical staffers has taken on additional meaning during the COVID-19. EyeTech Digital Systems, which develops eye-tracking technology for healthcare workers, launched its federally-registered EyeOn LifeLine communication tablet for hospitals, giving doctors, nurses and caregivers a way to communicate with critically ill COVID-19 patients who are unable to speak while confined to their beds. The stand-mounted tablet faces the patient, who simply looks at word squares to express pain level or make a request. In turn, the tablet voices the patient’s response through speakers for nurses and doctors. “EyeOn LifeLine is ultra-portable so it can be utilized with multiple patients during this pandemic to improve patient outcomes,” said company spokeswoman Kathryn Kudavi. EyeTech launched the “augmented and alternative communication” device earlier this year for people with ALS, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord
LEGACY from page 30
knew these stories that we could then share with our son.” The first person honored on LegacyMaker.com was his father, Tom Musgrave. “I was only 13 when my dad passed away, leaving me with very few years to really know him as a person, aside from just being my dad,” Brian said. “Having his LegacyMarker profile where other people who knew him through all walks of his life can post stories of him – this allows people to get to know him in a whole new way.” “My grandmother is now passed away as well and as more of these older generations pass, unfortunately their stories can go with them. LegacyMarker is a way to capture those moments and those lives for many future generations to be able to enjoy,” he added. Musgrave said he started LegacyMarker to produce “a true legacy to those family members that have passed.” “Our mission is to build a bridge from the past into the future with the use of modern technology, resurrecting legacies
EyeTech CEO Robert Chappell added, “As a long-time eye-gaze user with hand disabilities, I was devastated to see doctors and nurses not being able to communicate with ICU patients under a ventilator.” “If we can save one life, it will be a huge contribution,” he said. “I just wish we had enough units to serve all the ICUs around the country.” The company also is donating $500 per unit Keith Jackson, a vice president at EyeTech Digital Systems in Mesa, to the American Nurses demonstrates how bedridden, nonverbal patients can communicate with Foundation “to express physicians and nurses through its EyeOn LifeLine system. (Special to AFN) our heartfelt support to injuries, Rett Syndrome, traumatic brain those fighting this pandemic on the frontinjuries or stroke as well as those on the lines,” Chappell said. EyeTech has been developing devices autism spectrum. “But the entire team jumped into action using artificial intelligence for more than to modify the software and firmware to cre- 20 years. Its devices have been used in a variety ate EyeOn LifeLine, so COVID-19 patients can communicate critical needs to their of fields, including neurology, ophthalmolhealthcare workers while intubated or us- ogy, augmentative and alternative communication, challenged education and ing a ventilator or respirator,” Kudavi said.
The QR code fastened securely on gravestones can be used to connect a cellphone to a website with tributes to the deceased. (Special to AFN)
that risk being lost forever.” Registering on LegacyMarker.com and starting a memorial page is free; the charge comes only when ordering the marker – a 24-gauge stainless steel, 2”x3” plaque permanently engraved with a QR code and a searchable number. “When this is scanned with any smart device, the code takes you directly to the loved one’s memorial page that has been set up by the family,” explained Brian’s sister Camille and company co-owner. “The page
can also be accessed by entering a name of the searchable number on the site.” The personalized memorial site also features a life timeline, photos and videos, any links the family wishes to share, a story sharing capability for visitors and a guestbook. “We set it up so the site is completely free – free to build a profile, free to include photos and videos, free to visit and sign other people’s guestbooks,” explained Brian. The stainless steel plaque can be attached to any sealed surface. Camille said the plaques come with industrial-grade 3M high-bond peel-and-stick adhesive “that you don’t have to worry about coming off”. Noting “the plaque can stick to almost any surface,” Brian said, “We haven’t received any complaints or push back from any cemeteries. And I think it would work great on a columbarium niche, too, if there was no objection from the cemetery.” The searchable marker number provided for each LegacyMarker memorial also allows friends and family who can’t physically visit the actual gravesite location to access the information and photos of the person being memorialized.
consumer research. It has devised applications in patient screening, medical management, progress monitoring, predisposition testing and other areas. Disabled artist Rachel Jafvert is one of the people who has benefited from the company’s eye-tracker technology. “My EyeTech eye tracker has flipped my world upside down in the best way possible,” she said on the company’s website. “Growing up I often felt really frustrated about my disability, and then on top of that developed repetitive overuse strain as I got older. I felt completely stuck as a designer. Not to mention, I was always frustrated by the fact I would have to wait to have help making physical architecture models.” She said she had started “giving up the thing I liked to do most, which is paint” because she had trouble physically executing her ideas. With EyeTech’s, she added, “I can create eye paintings. I can do eye sketches with my eyes and let my writing hand rest. I can create cards. Although, I am still practicing and learning how to master eye tracking with all different types of design programs, I have hope that I can create a new destiny.”
The dedication of the first LegacyMarker was in March on the 27th anniversary of Tom Musgrave’s passing and was attended by extended family and friends in Kansas. “It was bittersweet that six of Dad’s nine grandchildren were there to witness it,” Camille said. “They never got to meet him. These stories are as close as they will get on this side of heaven.” Creating a Memorial Page can be done easily at LegacyMarker.com as they provide the tools to post memories, photos and links. Their Facebook page has a video by Camille that explains the product and process and the site has a messenger application that can also answer questions. “The hope is that the next time we visit one of these cemeteries with my son, Dodger, that he’s not bored looking at old, worn-down cement, but instead enthralled with opening each profile and actually seeing these people come to life through photos, videos and real life stories,” said Brian of his now 2 ½-year-old son, Dodger Thomas Musgrave. “This can make him all that more proud and knowledgeable of his lineage.”
APRIL 15, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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Athletes staying active despite lost season BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor
T
he cancellation of the spring sports season was met with mixed reactions for many of the athletes at both Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe. While some saw their prep athletic careers come to an abrupt end, others have taken it as an opportunity to better themselves in preparation for the next year. Desert Vista senior JD Mettham found a silver lining in the cancellation of the spring sports season, as he announced his commitment to Loras College to continue his baseball career. “The coaches and the team have been very welcoming to me,” Mettham said. “I wasn’t ready for my baseball career to end.” Mettham played just eight games as a junior catcher for the Thunder, recording 18 put outs in limited action. In seven games this season before it was canceled, he recorded 30. Since the season was canceled, Mettham has spent his time working out on his own to prepare for college ball. He has set up his own gym at his home, working out there at least once a day. He also heads to a local park, where he and a couple of his friends will meet to hit and do field work in order to stay loose. The thought of his senior season being taken away by under unfortunate circumstances has become easier to deal with, but he still wishes it could have ended differently. Especially given it ended with Desert Vista losing to Brophy and two more games being rained out. “When I first realized my senior season was taken away I was upset especially since our previous game did not go how we wanted it to and our game scheduled 2 days later was canceled due to rain,” Mettham said. Fellow Desert Vista senior Tyson Grubbs has used his time away from track and field to shift his focus back to football,
he finished the season with Pride this past season after transferring 1,004 rushing yards and 13 from Chandler in January. He rotates his touchdowns. His perfor- workouts through the week. If he isn’t mance helped him earn a taking batting practice, he is running at a scholarship to NAU, where local. His father even made a homemade barbell for him to lift weights while gyms he signed in February. He is still hoping to be are closed. If that isn’t an option, he can able to head up to Flagstaff strap himself into a harness and pull the at some point this summer family’s Ram pickup truck behind a local to begin workouts. In the shopping center. “It helps a lot,” Moore said. “My favorite meantime, he is in the process of setting up his own place to run mountains is at Sunray Park. set of weights at his house I also have a VertiMax trainer that also to use when others aren’t helps. I do a little bit of everything.” The overall sense of wanting to train available. “We are trying to put a and prepare for what is next spreads begym together at our house, yond the Ahwatukee boundaries. Makayla Donahoo has leaned upon her too,” Grubbs said. “It’s not a lot but it’ll work for now. best friend to stay active during the canWe just try to do anything we can.” see ATHLETES page 35 While seniors prepare to go on to the Desert Vista senior JD Mettham found a silver lining in the cancellation of next phase of the spring sports season as he committed to continue his baseball career at their athletic Loras College in Iowa. (Courtesy JD Mettham) careers in colwhere he will play for Northern Arizona lege, those younger than them are preparing to make a stateUniversity in the fall. Grubbs gave himself a break when the ment when sports is able to track season was initially postponed two return. Robert Moore III wakes weeks. But as it became clear the season would likely not continue, he’s gotten up every morning and comback into it and when schedules align, has pletes online schoolwork to worked out with his sister, younger broth- maintain his 4.0 GPA. He then er, Devon, and fellow senior Colton Grover. heads outside for workouts, “We felt our bodies kind of getting out of where he has become creshape, so we got going again,” Grubbs said. ative. “It was difficult at first “We started going on hikes or working out at a field. We will sometimes go to Colton’s to find workouts, but I just because he has a gym setup in the garage.” thought of different things Grubbs enjoyed a breakout junior sea- and looked up stuff on Twitson in 2018, where he was on track for ter,” Moore said. “Usually I’ll 1,000 yards rushing before a season-end- eat, do some schoolwork then ing foot injury left him sidelined. Healthy start a workout in the afterfor the start of his senior year, he picked noon.” The Mountain Pointe fresh- Mountain Pointe freshman Robert Moore III is doing what he can to stay up where he left off. However, an ankle injury again side- man played baseball, foot- active for football season, running mountains and working out at home with homemade barbells. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff) lined him for two games. But even then, ball and basketball for the
APRIL 15, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
ATHLETES from page 34
cellation. The Red Mountain senior softball player routinely works out, juggling online schoolwork at the same time to prepare for Weber State. If she isn’t at a park fielding ground balls or taking batting practice in the cage in her backyard, her and Mountain Pointe senior Theresa Wilsterman are running and doing other exercises. “My college sent me monthly workouts to help stay in shape,” Donahoo said. “It’s a lot of body weight stuff and running. We
35
usually try to meet up Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If we can’t meet up in person then we Facetime on the phone. “She keeps me motivated.”
King Crossword ACROSS 1 6 9 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 21 23 24 25 27 29 31 35 37 38 41 43 44 45 47 49 52 53 54 55 56 57
Pythias’ pal Try the tea Cleveland cager Memorable mission “-- Little Teapot” Blackbird Make obscure “Material Girl” singer Bold alternative Check Dogtag wearers -- good deed Founded (on) Love god Ill-suited Praying bug Tiny Vote for Prego rival Start a rally Moon vehicle acronym -- Perignon Shaving cream additive Cut aid Insanity Free of frost Inseparable Bullring bravo Beetle Bailey’s bully Commotion Trawler need Hiker’s route
36 38 39 40 42
Storage area Pago Pago’s place Savanna grazer Wild West show Interior
45 46 48 50 51
Sudoku
DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 17 19 21 22 24 26 28 30 32 33 34
Capri, e.g. Approach A billion years Movie trickery (Abbr.) Wet wriggler
Slight touch Hearty quaff Wisconsin’s capital Leave out Wanderer Ape Apple product Cushion Christmas candies Warbucks’ ward Food item Speaker Grown-up nit Prized possession A Gershwin brother Morsel Spielberg or Soderbergh In the cards -- -de-France Fortified Portuguese wine “But -- on forever”: Tennyson Summa -- laude
PUZZLE ANSWERS on page 26
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John was born in Omaha, Nebraska Adolph Joseph John wastoborn in Lastovica and to Marie Ann Omaha, Nebraska Hladek December 18, Adolph on Joseph Lastovica 1931. He and hasMarie a twin brother Ann still Hladek Jim and a sister Dorothy living inonOmaha. He December 18, 1931. He has a twin brother married Delores (Dee) Bahensky on August 20, Jim and a sister Dorothy still living in 1955. He He graduated the University Omaha. marriedfrom Delores (Dee) of Nebraska at Omaha and then Bahensky on August 20, worked 1955. for He Fairbanks entire before retirMorse hisfrom graduated the professional University of career Nebraska ingOmaha in Phoenix, Arizona 1997. at and then workedinfor Fairbanks
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“Professional, Punctual & Clean”
Owned and Operated by Rod Lampert Ahwatukee Resident Serving Ahwatukee for over 25 years
ACP is 100% Veteran Owned Like us on Facebook to stay current & Receive 5% Off Services
AHWATUKEE SPECIAL $
Our services include: Sinks, Toilets, Faucets, Water Heaters, Garbage Disposal, Drain Cleaning, Pressure Reducing Valves, Pressure Vacuum Breakers, Hot Water Circulation Systems, Main Service Valves and Hose Taps.
(480) 279-4155 Licensed • Bonded • Insured • ROC 189848
Off 40work done *Any
Plumbing
www.AcpPaintingllc.com Licensed - Bonded - Insured ROC 290242
FREE ESTIMATES • CALL TODAY!
(480)785-6323
PLUMBING
Plumbing
PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating & Air
4995
$
DRAIN CLEANING
189
$
GARBAGE DISPOSAL
($85 Value)
ITS NEW A/C UN
Water Heaters $
799
FREE SERVICE CALLS
$
3,995!
starting at
480-405-7099
(advertised offers cannot be combined)
We are A+ Rated by the BBB and stand behind our work with a Lifetime Warranty. Call us for the BEST SERVICE and PRICES in the East Valley! Thank you Mesa for Voting us #1
Experience, Service and Price
Find out why our customers become customers for life! Over 700 five-star Google reviews!
FREE ESTIMATES
ItsJustPlumbSmart.com
$35.00 Off Any Service Call Today!
A+ RATED
We Repair or Install ROC # 272721
AHWATUKEE’S #1 PLUMBER Licensed • Bonded • Insured
704.5422
(480)
Meetings/Events? Get Free notices in the Classifieds! Submit to ecota@timespublications.com
CLASSIFIEDS
APRIL 15, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
OUR JOB BOARD HAS THE TALENT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR.
Pool Service / Repair
Pool Service / Repair
Roofing
41
Roofing
aFamily Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers! aWe have a “Spencer” on every job
$25 OFF
and every step of the way.
Filter Cleaning! Monthly Service & Repairs Available
602-546-POOL 7 6 6 5
FIND THE BEST TALENT. EASILY POST JOBS.
See our Before’s and After’s on Facebook
COMPETITIVE PRICING AND EXPOSURE
www.barefootpoolman.com
Licensed, Bonded & Insured ROC# 272001
CLR Pool Service LLC
More info: 480-898-6465 or email jobposting@evtrib.com
YOUR CLASSIFIED SOURCE
480.898.6465
Excellent Service... First time, Every time!
J BS. EASTVALLEY TRIBUNE.COM
Most jobs also appear on Indeed.com
480-446-7663 Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer!
480.399.ROCK (7625)
charles@clrpoolservice.com
www.clrpoolservice.com
Juan Hernandez
when you show this ad
on qualifying complete roof replacements
Let us show you the IN-EX Difference! Serving The Valley Since 1996
Charles Rock - Ahwatukee Resident
CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM
602-938-7575 $ 1000 OFF
FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hireroofing.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded
Pavers • Concrete • Water Features • Sprinkler Repair
PPebbleOcracking, O L Plaster R Epeeling, P ARebar IR
inexroofing.com Call for your FREE Roof Evaluation
showing, Pool Light out? I CAN HELP!
FALL SPECIAL! $500 OFF COMPLETE REMODEL! 25 Years Experience • Dependable & Reliable
Call Juan at
480-720-3840 Not a licensed contractor.
Your leaks stop here!
Remodeling
Spring into Summer with a NEW Kitchen, Bathroom or Windows Put Our Experience to Work for You!
New Roofs, Repairs, Coatings, Flat Roof, Hot Mopping & Patching & Total Rubber Roof Systems We also offer Energy Efficient Window Replacement
FREE ESTIMATES & MONSOON SPECIALS
SAME DAY SERVICE • TUB TO SHOWER CONVERSIONS • KITCHEN & BATHROOM REMODELS • MASTER BATHROOM WALK IN SHOWERS
12
25 NO INTEREST $500 NO PAYMENTS MONTHS
ABA
www.abahomeremodeling.com
HOME REMODELING
KITCHEN • WINDOWS • BATHROOMS OVER 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE REMODELING HOMES
$
Gift card to Lowe’s with Quote
30 Years Experience References Available Licensed Bonded Insured ROC 286561
off project
DON’T OVER PAY! Call or text us TODAY!
480.988.1903 BONDED & INSURED • ROC#271056
Licensed • Bonded • Insured ROC # 269218
See MORE Ads Online!
Senior & Military Discounts
480-280-0390
www.Ahwatukee.com
42
CLASSIFIEDS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
Roofing
Roofing
Roofing
TILE ROOFING SPECIALISTS
aOver 30 Years of Experience aFamily Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers!
Spencer 4 HIRE ROOFING
Flat and Foam Roof Experts! desertsandscontracting.com
Tiles, shingles, flat, repairs & new work Free Estimates • Ahwatukee Resident
FLAT ROOFS | SHINGLES | TEAR OFFS | NEW ROOFS | REPAIRS TILE UNDERLAYMENT | TILE REPAIR | LEADERS | COPPER ALUMINUM COATINGS | GUTTERS | SKYLIGHTS
10% OFF COMPLETE UNDERLAYMENT
Over 30 yrs. Experience
Commercial & Residential Family Owned & Operated
480-706-1453
FREE ESTIMATES 602-736-3019
PHILLIPS ROOFING LLC
10% OFF
Family Owned & Operated for over 30 years
ROC #152111
CR 42 DUAL
623-873-1626
SHARE WITH THE WORLD! Place a Birth, Anniversary, Wedding Announcement, In Memoriam, Obituary or any life event in this paper today! Call us for details.
with this ad
Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer!
Member of ABM
Licensed • Bonded • Insured Valleywide
480-446-7663
AZROC #283571 | CONTRACTOR LIC. AZROC #312804 CLASS CR4 | FULLY INSURED
Licensed/Bonded/Insured • ROC #236099
ROC 223367
Valley Wide Service
Quality Repairs & Re-Roofs Complimentary & Honest Estimates
All employees verified Free estimates on all roofs 36 Years experience in AZ Licensed contractor since 2006
FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hireroofing.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded
Call our office today!
480-460-7602
class@timespublications.com or call 480-898-6465
WORD SEARCH: Spring Gardening
Ask us about our discount for all Military and First Responders!
www.porterroofinginc.com
Find the 11 items on the list. DIRT FERTILIZER
phillipsroofingaz.com phillipsroofing@cox.net
FLOWERS
Licensed, Bonded, Insured
GLOVES HOSE
Roofing
PLANTS
The Most Detailed Roofer in the State
POTS RAKE
TK
®
SEEDS
Tim KLINE Roofing, LLC Roofs Done Right...The FIRST Time! 15-Year Workmanship Warranty on All Complete Roof Systems
www.timklineroofing.com
FREE Estim a and written te proposal
480-357-2463 R.O.C. #156979 K-42 • Licensed, Bonded and Insured
SHOVEL CB
WATERING CAN
APRIL 15, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
43
palmabrisa.com
NOW SELLING
A new gated resort community is coming soon in the Ahwatukee Foothills with a dramatically different style. It feels exclusive, but also lively and exciting — and it's called Palma Brisa. • Modern resort-style gated community with stately palms
• Diverse architecture: Modern Bungalow, Urban Farmhouse, Italian Cottage, Andalusian, Modern Craftsman, French Country, and Spanish Mission • Four amenity areas connected by expansive lawns
• Homes from 1,700 sq. ft. to 4,000 sq. ft. from the $400’s
ERIC WILLIAMS
480-641-1800
TERRY LENTS
© Copyright 2019 Blandford Homes, LLC. No offer to sell or lease may be made prior to issuance of Final Arizona Subdivision Public Report. Offer, terms, and availability subject to change without prior notice. Renderings are artist’s conceptions and remain subject to modification without notice.
44
YES 4
It’s Spencers
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | APRIL 15, 2020
MILLIONT TRANSACTIO H N!
We Want You To Know We Are Still Making Deliveries
ARE YOU GOING TO WIN A...
10,000
$
Give Us A Call, Buy Over The Phone And
WE’LL DELIVER THE NEXT DAY FOR FREE!
KITCHEN
FOR ALMOST HALF A CENTURY AND ALMOST 4 MILLION SALES SPENCERS HAS BEEN SAVING YOU MONEY. WILL YOU BE THE 4 MILLIONTH TRANSACTION? NOW MORE THAN EVER, NO MATTER WHERE YOU SEE IT, READ IT, OR HEAR IT, SPENCERS WILL HAVE A LOWER PRICE!
UHD 55" 4K SMART TV
• 25 Cubic Foot Capacity • Spill Proof Glass Shelves • Humidity Controlled Drawers • Energy Star Qualified WRS325FDAM CLOSEOUT
• 2 HDMI Inputs • Quad Core Full Web Browser
349
99
$
UN55NU6900
WASHER
REFRIGERATOR
STAINLESS STEEL DISHWASHER
30” RANGE
• 4.8 Cu. Ft. • Self Cleaning • Flex Heat Elements • AccuSense® Soil Sensor • Extra Large Oven • AnyWare™ Plus Window Silverware Basket WFE510S0AS • 1-Hour Wash Cycle CLOSEOUT WDF520PADM
• 3.4 Cubic • 700 RPM Spin Foot Tub Speed • Porcelain Tub
379
NTW4500XQ CLOSEOUT
$
TOP LOAD WASHER
• 3.8 Cu. Ft. • 12 Wash Cycles • 2 Water Levels • 5 Temperature Options • Power Wash Agitator
FREE DELIVERY ON PAIR
14.6 CU. FT. REFRIGERATOR
DRYER
• Large 7.0 cu. ft. Capacity • Wrinkle Control Option • Heavy-Duty Motor
429 1999
MVWC416FW CLOSEOUT
$
MEDC415EW CLOSEOUT
EACH EACH
$
• Gallon Door Storage • Adjustable wire shelves • Upfront temperature controls GTE15CTHRCC CLOSEOUT
PIECES
OVER THE RANGE MICROWAVE
DISHWASHER
• Normal Wash Cycle • Heated Dry On/Off
259 199
HDA1100FMCC
$
12 MONTHS NO INTEREST**
$
449
BUYS ALL 3 $
• 2.1 Cu. Ft. • 400 CFM • 2 LED Lights • Power Sense™ Cooking Technology FPBM307NTF CLOSEOUT
GREA T DEAL !
STAINLESS STEEL 23 CU. FT. SIDE BY SIDE • Deli Drawer • Crisper Shelves • LED Lighting FFSS2314QS CLOSEOUT
799
$
NEXT
DAY DELIVERY
** NO INTEREST IF PAID IN FULL IN 12 MONTHS. $799.00 Minimum Purchase Required Minimum Payments Required 30.79% APR If the promotional balance is not paid in full by the end for the promotional period or, to the extent permitted by law, if you make a late payment, interest will be imposed from the date of purchase at the APR noted above. This APR is as of 7/4/2019 and will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Your card agreement, the terms of the offer and applicable law govern this transaction including increasing APRs and fees and terminating the promotional period.
MESA SHOWROOM & CLEARANCE CENTER 115 W. First Ave. | 480-833-3072 AHWATUKEE 4601 E. Ray Rd. | Phoenix | 480-777-7103 ARROWHEAD RANCH 7346 W. Bell Road | 623-487-7700 EAST MESA/GILBERT Gateway Towne Center | 4630 E. Ray Rd. | South End by Target | 480-988-1917 GILBERT Santan Village | 2711 S. Santan Village Pkwy | 480-366-3900 GLENDALE 10220 N. 43rd Ave | (602) 504-2122 GOODYEAR 1707 N. Litchfield Rd | 623-930-0770 RECONDITION CENTER 160 EAST BROADWAY | 480-615-1763 SCOTTSDALE 14202 N. Scottsdale Rd. | 480-991-7200 SCOTTSDALE/PHOENIX 13820 N. Tatum Blvd. | (602) 494-0100
Arizona’s largest independent dealer! “It’s Like Having A Friend In The Business” Check Out Our Website
WWW.SPENCERSTV.COM OPEN DAILY 9AM-9PM | SATURDAY 9AM-6PM | SUNDAY 11AM-5PM
FREE DELIVERY