Ahwatukee Foothills News - May 10, 2017

www.ahwatukee.com

Boom! goes bust: No fireworks in Ahwatukee this year

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Ahwatukee will not have its own Independence Day fireworks show and celebration this year – and maybe never again.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has canceled what would have been the 42nd annual Red White and Boom!

And unless the Chamber finds a partner organization willing to pay its cost, the community celebration may never return.

“The cost is escalating, the logistics are getting more complicated and city permits are getting more expensive,” Chamber President/CEO Lindy Lutz Cash told AFN.

“We’re saddened by the situation and we wish it was not the case, but it is what it is.”

Even if the Chamber had held Boom! this year, it would have had to move the celebration out of Ahwatukee because the South Mountain Freeway construction has eliminated the fireworks staging area, she added.

That was the original plan – until an organization that initially had offered to cosponsor the celebration with the Chamber abruptly pulled out.

Cash declined to identify the organization, or even to say whether it was a business or nonprofit.

She did say the organization’s decision to pull out came too late to find a new cosponsor.

Ahwatukee remembers Casey

“There is not adequate time to complete the complex planning process, nor secure the funding involved with this event,” she said.

Cash said that long before she became its chief executive, the Chamber had decided it couldn’t afford to sponsor the celebration.

“The board had been doing a lot of research on this before I was even appointed interim president,” she said.

For the last few years, Boom! has been held at Pecos Park after Rawhide in Chandler, the host site for several years, decided to have its own July 4 party.

Former Chamber board chair Martha Neese, an Ahwatukee resident and longtime Boom! volunteer, said she could not recall

BY JIM WALSH AFN Staff Writer

Casey Thomas spent his life working toward the lofty goal of playing someday in Major League Baseball. His journey took him from Ahwatukee Little League to Desert Vista High School to GateWay Community College and to Texas A&MCorpus Christi University.

Finally, Casey got the shot he had dreamed about last summer. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics and played 37 games in the Arizona Rookie League – the first rung of professional baseball’s stepping

stone to the big leagues.

No one could imagine that Thomas, 24, would suddenly die without warning at his mother’s Ahwatukee house on May 1, leaving a shocked family to grieve a life that was too short.

The closest Casey would get to the major leagues was a moment of silence observed last week at Target Field in Minneapolis before the A’s played the Twins.

And on Friday, some Ahwatukee Little League players also held a moment of silence to honor someone who was once their own – as well as a man who

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer) Tom Thomas and his son Brady mourn the loss of a son and a brother during the Ahwatukee Little League memorial for Casey Thomas.

TheAhwatukeeFoothillsNewsis 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

ADVERTISING STAFF

National Advertising Director Zac Reynolds 480-898-5603 zac@ahwatukee.com

National Account Coordinator: Patty Dixie 480-898-5940, pdixie@ahwatukee.com

Major Account Representative: Terry Davenport 480-898-6323, tdavenport@timespublications.com

Advertising Sales Representatives: Karen Mays, 480-898-7909, kmays@ahwatukee.com

Laura Meehan, 480-898-7904, lmeehan@ahwatukee.com

Classified: Elaine Cota, 480-898-7926, ecota@ahwatukee.com

Circulation Director: Aaron Kolodny 480-898-5641, aaron@azintegratedmedia.com

NEWS STAFF

Executive Editor: Paul Maryniak, 480-898-5647, pmaryniak@timespublications.com

Managing Editor: Ralph Zubiate, 480-898-6825, rzubiate@timespublications.com

Sports Editor: Greg Macafee, 480-898-5630, gmcafee@timespublications.com

GetOut Editor: Justin Ferris, 480-898-5621, jferris@timespublications.com

Designers: Ruth Carlton, 480-898-5644, rcarlton@timespublications.com Tonya Mildenberg, 480-898-5618 tmildenberg@timespublications.com Paul Braun,480-898-5601 pbraun@timespublications.com

Production Coordinator: Courtney Oldham 480-898-5617 production@timespublications.com

Reporters: Jim Walsh, 480-898-5639 jwalshe@timespublications.com

Photographer: Kimberly Carrillo, kcarrillo@timespublications.com

WRITE A LETTER

To submit a letter, please include your full name. Our policy is not to run anonymous letters. Please keep the length to 300 words. Letters will be run on a spaceavailable basis. Please send your contributions to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com.

EDITORIAL CONTENT

TheAhwatukeeFoothillsNewsexpresses its opinion. Opinions expressed in guest commentaries, perspectives, cartoons or letters to the editor are those of the author.

ADVERTISING CONTENT

The content and claims of any advertisement are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. TheAhwatukee FoothillsNewsassumes no responsibility for the claims or content of any advertisement.

© Strickbine Publishing, Inc.

Ahwatukee’s A+ schools celebrate their

Kyrene Superintendent Jan Vesely joined the staff of two of the three Kyrene schools in Ahwatukee that received A+ School of Excellence awards from the Arizona Educational Foundation. Estrella, above, and Cerritos elementary schools celebrated last week. Lagos Dual Language Academy, will party next week. Board president John King and board member Michael Myrick also joined the celebrations.

The staffs of two of the three Kyrene elementary schools in Ahwatukee to receive A+ School of Excellence awards celebrated their wins last week.

Both Kyrene de la Estrella and Kyrene de los Cerritos celebrated last week, hanging the banner they received for successfully passing a rigorous application process covering all aspects of their operation.

Lagos Dual Language Academy, which also reeived the award from the Arizona Educational Foundation, will celebrate May 17.

One other Ahwatukee school, Desert Vista High, also received its second A+ award.

It was also the second time around for Cerritos, where Principal Darcy DiCosmo was praised by the foundation’s evaluators for her work in getting teachers focused on getting their students “to think and perform at high levels.”

The foundation also gave high marks to Estrella Prinicpal Michael Lamp and his staff, lauding their commitment to “rigorous instruction, culturally responsive teaching and authentic teacher-student relationships that support the learning potential of every student.”

(Photos by Lauren Clark/Special to AFN)

AFN News Staff

Close-out Specials!!

‘Traveler Bandit’ charged in Ahwatukee holdups

A26-year-old man dubbed the “Traveler Bandit” has been arrested in a series of armed robberies at fast food restaurants in Ahwatukee and Chandler.

Garrett Sedlickas was arrested last week by Phoenix Police detectives in connection with a series of at least five robberies between April 4 and May 3 in which the suspect threatened employees with a hatchet.

Phoenix Police spokeswoman Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said Sedlickas is believed to be the man who entered a Taco Bell at 4815 E. Warner Road, Ahwatukee, around 11 a.m. April 23 and demanded money while holding a hatchet. The suspect, who was wearing a red USC sweatshirt and a dark baseball cap, fled on foot and responding officers were unable to find him.

Fortune said that on May 4, detectives “received information from the community” and arrested him at his job – ironically at a fast food restaurant.

Detectives from the South Mountain Precinct arrested Sedlickas on two counts of robbery, one for the Taco Bell holdup and one for a stickup at the Subway at 4810 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee, on April 4.

(Special to AFN)

Chandler Police said Sedlickas also will be arrested in connection with an April 13 holdup at another Subway at 4939 W. Ray Road and an April 18 robbery at a Papa John’s at 4980 W. Ray Road, both in their city.

Sedlickas, who is scheduled for a court appearance on Thursday, May 11, was jailed under a $100,000 bond, records show.

There is at least one other robbery Sedlickas is suspected of committing, though police had no information about it.

SUMMER FUN

Garrett Sedlickas was arrested for two robberies in Ahwatukee.

With less than three weeks to go before the May 31 filing deadline, three candidates so far have emerged for the City Council election in District 6, which includes Ahwatukee.

So far, attorney Zofia Rawner and psychologist Kevin Patterson have filed to challenge incumbent Councilman Sal DiCiccio, the only Ahwatukee resident

in the race.

One other candidate, Joan Greene, filed in early February but then withdrew her petition, records show.

The nonpartisan election will be held Aug. 29 for District 6 and three other even-numbered council districts in the city. An election for mayor and representatives in Phoenix’s oddnumbered council districts will be held in 2019.

The city clerk has mailed notices to

over 270,000 registered voters on the permanent early-voter list in the four districts where elections will be held this year.

Voters who received a notice and want to stay on the list don’t need to do anything, but residents who want to be removed from the list must return their postage-paid postcard to the city clerk by July 5.

Early voting begins Aug. 2 and voters who want a mail-in ballot and are not registered as early voters have until Aug. 18 to request a mail-in ballot. They

can go to phoenx.gov/elections or call 602-261-8683.

Residents who are not registered must register by July 31 to vote in the election.

DiCiccio, who was a Phoenix councilman 1994-2002 and then elected again in 2009 and 2013, will be termed out if he wins again this year since council members are allowed by law to serve no more than three consecutive terms.

A candidate must win a majority of the votes cast in August to avoid a runoff in November. If that fails to happen, the top two vote-getters face off Nov. 7.

Freeway walls going up around 17th Avenue

The walls are coming.

The Arizona Department of Transportation said those patterned walls that are going up around 17th Avenue and Pecos Road in Ahwatukee are essential to stabilizing bridges.

Calling the erection of the so-called “mechanically stabilized earth” walls “a construction technique that’s essential to completing the project by late 2019,” ADOT in a release said the concrete panels are as large as 50 square feet.

“They are part of a system, used on Arizona Department of Transportation projects since the 1970s, using the walls and steel reinforcing straps to construct the retaining walls under bridges,” the release said.

About 600,000 square feet of MSE walls will be installed for the freeway. That’s more surface area than the retractable roof at University of Phoenix Stadium, ADOT said.

“MSE walls are an essential element of highway design, as they can be

constructed efficiently in confined spaces with minimal use of heavy equipment,” said Julie Gadsby, an ADOT assistant district engineer on the South Mountain Freeway team.

The concrete panels are manufactured off-site and delivered to construction areas, where, ADOT said, “they are carefully assembled much like a jigsaw puzzle.”

ADOT said the walls will have “aesthetic patterns” and that the ones on 17th Avenue “feature desert plants and simple shapes based on the forms of native cholla and ocotillo cactuses in the Ahwatukee Foothills area.”

Steel straps are connected to each panel and planted in the earth behind the wall, securing both the soil and the panel.

ADOT and Connect 202 Partners, the developer responsible for building the South Mountain Freeway, expect to complete the walls at the 17th Avenue interchange this month.

Wall construction is scheduled to start soon at the 24th and 40th street bridges,” ADOT added, saying they will be painted during the final stages of the project.

(Photos by the Arizona Department of Transportation) Crews are putting together earth retaining walls around Pecos Road and 17th Avenue as work continues on the South Mountain Freeway stretch through Ahwatukee.

Foothills

BOOM from page 1

the cost of last year’s celebration, but guessed that it was around $50,000.

But she said there have been “increasing costs in all aspects of planning” – though both she and Cash in separate interviews said fees for city permits alone were skyrocketing.

Additionally, liability insurance premiums were escalating.

The Chamber last year tried to recover some of those costs by charging a $5 admission to a fair that began about four hours before the fireworks.

That fair included bounce houses, live music, food vendors, swimming in the Pecos Pool and other family-oriented activities.

The Chamber last year could not say how many paid admissions it had, but the crowd that showed up only for the free fireworks was far larger than the number of people at the fair.

“I am very sad and disappointed,” Neese told AFN on Monday.

In a statement to previous large sponsors, Neese said:

“The Ahwatukee Chamber has led this event since 1999 and has overcome many obstacles in that long history. With increasing costs in all aspects of planning, a sharp reduction in potential site locations and significant liability issues, the Chamber must pass the torch as the host to another organization.”

In that same message to sponsors, Cash said:

“We are disappointed to have to make this decision that impacts Ahwatukee and its residents who have enjoyed the fireworks and family atmosphere over the years. We will support a new host and remain ready to have a full volunteer support effort that would be a big part of such an event.”

Cash in an interview said the original plan with the unidentified cosponsor was to have the Chamber provide most of the manpower both before and during the celebration.

Hundreds of Chamber members worked a wide array of jobs setting up and tearing down the fair. Many also worked during the fair itself, doing everything from collecting tickets to monitoring bounce houses.

Neese and Cash declined to say what venue was being considered this year.

Long ago, Ahwatukee Country Club had hosted the fireworks show – but now none of the local golf courses want to, they pointed out. Partly that’s because liability insurance has become too expensive and the risk of accidents too serious a consideration.

“There really aren’t many places you can hold something like this in Ahwatukee,” Cash added.

This is not the first time Red White and Boom! has hit a wall. In 2014, the party started – but a fierce monsoon storm forced cancellation of the main event.

(AFN file photo)

The big fireworks display in Ahwatujkee for July 4 is likely relegated to history because the South Mountain Freeway eliminated the staging area for the explosives.

I BUY HOMES FOR CASH!

Big corporate tax cuts left Arizona short for services, Brewer admits

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Arizona might have had more money to spend had there not been a series of corporate tax cuts approved by lawmakers half a decade ago that are still kicking in.

For just this coming budget year, those changes will reduce state revenues by another $107.2 million.

The $9.82 billion state budget approved last week is being billed by Republican lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey as the best outcome given the money the state has to spend.

Jan Brewer, who as governor signed the tax-cut legislation, told Capitol Media Services that, in hindsight, the size of those cuts was a mistake.

“Of course, it was a little bit too aggressive,’’ she said. The result, Brewer said, has been a reduction in revenues needed for state services.

But Brewer said she signed the package as a political compromise, saying “the boys at the Legislature ... wanted more.’’ Legislative budget analysts predict revenues this coming fiscal year of $9.79 billion. That, coupled with the $171 million anticipated to be left at the end of this budget year on June 30, plus $8.2 million in transfers from other funds, gives the state its structurally balanced budget.

When Republican legislative leaders needed to buy votes for the plan, they agreed to cut another $10 million from state revenues by allowing Arizonans to exempt another $100 of their income from state taxes.

The highest-paid Arizonans – those making more than $150,000 a year –will see a difference of just $4.54 when they file their taxes in April; the tax relief for those below that figure is even less.

Democrats, for the most part, say the state could have done more.

That goes beyond their belief the state should have financed a 4 percent teacher pay hike versus the 2 percent approved. They also said the state is shortchanging other needs, like providing adequate payments to those who provide direct services to the developmentally disabled.

Ducey and Republicans said the state has to live within its means.

That, however, leaves the question of whether those tax cuts, which ultimately will reduce corporate payments by

$400 million from where they were in 2015, actually stimulated the Arizona economy or simply threw away needed revenues.

Economist Alan Maguire said there’s no simple answer.

“There are monetary, financial effects,’’ Maguire said. “And you have psychological or confidence kinds of effects. People feel better or don’t feel better.’’

And, in general, when consumer confidence rises, so does their willingness to spend which, in turn, stimulates the economy.

The biggest part of the tax cut was a 30 percent reduction in the corporate tax rate, taking it from just a hair below 7 percent to 4.9 percent.

There’s also a special provision that allows multi-state corporations to compute their Arizona income based on the percentage of sales made in the state. That option makes no sense for retailers. But it provides a major tax break for firms that manufacture everything from computer chips to missiles where the number of sales to Arizona consumers is small to nonexistent.

Economist Dennis Hoffman of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University said what he’s been able to see leaves him with doubts about whether those cuts have had the advertised effect.

“There is no discernible evidence that corporate economic activity accelerated in response to the cuts,’’ he said. “Indeed, net corporate collections this fiscal year will likely be less than 60 percent of the net flows observed in fiscal year 2012 or 2013 despite the moderate growth we have seen in the overall Arizona economy since then.’’

Put another way, if the cuts were supposed to convince more corporations to move to Arizona and start to pay taxes, that hasn’t been the experience. Hoffman cautioned that he and all economists are working without sufficient data to determine the true impacts, as state law makes the taxes paid by any individual corporation confidential.

Economist Jim Rounds agreed there’s no way to say for sure what have been the effects of the corporate tax cuts.

“You cannot go back and just do some simple math, like a lot of economists will tell you, and say ‘This study proves that this had a massively positive impact,’ ‘’ he said.

But Rounds said even if an exact economic impact can’t be measured, there’s reason to believe some corporate tax cuts were a good idea.

He pointed out that Arizona’s corporate income tax rate at the time was just a hair shy of 7 percent, among the higher rates of surrounding states. He said it needed to be around 5 percent to be competitive; the actual new tax rate is 4.9 percent.

But Rounds said there’s a danger of going too far.

“If we cut taxes too much to the extent we can’t build roads, we can’t have any economic development, we can’t address other things, it will have a negative effect on the economy,’’ he said. Rounds said the state needs to find the balance of “providing enough revenue to pay for all the other stuff that businesses and the public want to make a nice environment to live in.’’

Behind life’s adventures is a primary care doctor.

As you get older, reliving moments from your youth holds an incomparable joy. The primary care physicians and specialists of Dignity Health Medical Group will work with you so you can experience that feeling even longer. Start a lasting relationship with a doctor at dignityhealth.org/DHMG or call 602.406.3464 (DHMG).

(Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services)

Protesters supporting more pay for teachers gathered last week with boats to ridicule a lawmaker who said teachers should take a second job if they wanted to buy things like a boat.

Voter referendum efforts afoot to stall voucher, initiatives laws

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Citizens are already organizing efforts to roll back two major products of the 2017 Arizona Legislature session – expanded vouchers and curbs on the voter initiative process.

On May 8, a group of parents announced a move to gather 75,321 valid signatures on petitions by early August to put the expanded voucher system on the November ballot. If they succeed, the law cannot take effect until voters get a chance to ratify or reject the measure.

And last week, Grant Woods, who was a Republican attorney general, and former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson filed the paperwork last week to create Voters of Arizona and to start circulating petitions to put the curbs on initiatives on the same November ballot.

In announcing the referendum attempt with school vouchers, organizers decried the state of public funding for education in Arizona.

“If our public schools were funded and our teachers were well paid and our classrooms had the supplies that they need, then great, give vouchers to everybody,’’ said Dawn Penich-Thacker, an organizer. “But that’s not where we are in Arizona. Not even close. We are at the bottom of the barrel.’’

About 5,500 children now use the vouchers, which are worth about $5,600 a year, though students with disabilities can get more.

The new law would make all 1.1 million students in public schools eligible, regardless of background, though the base amount would be reduced to $4,400.

Penich-Thacker said Arizona already has a lot of options for parents, including an extensive system of charter schools. These are public schools that can be run by private organizations but cannot charge tuition beyond what the state provides.

In fact, she said, she sends her own children, age 15 and 11, to charter schools.

Penich-Thacker said the problem is that any dollars shipped off to help parents pay for private and parochial schools means less money for what she said is an underfunded public school system.

If voters reject the expanded voucher system, the current cap of 5,500

vouchers self-destructs after 2019. That potentially means the approximately 200,000 students in existing eligible categories could seek vouchers beginning in 2020.

The referendum effort is only half the battle against the curbs on initiatives, said campaign organizer Joe Yuhas.

“We will also simultaneously pursue litigation,’’ he told Capitol Media Services. He said some provisions of what lawmakers approved appear to be unconstitutional.

He said a majority of Arizonans do not support the changes, noting: “Since statehood, Arizona voters have had the cherished right to enact their own laws through the direct democracy process. These bills are designed to decimate that process.’’

And he said anyone who doubts the views of Arizonans should recall the approval in 1998 of the Voter Protection Act, an initiative that specifically bars lawmakers from tinkering with what has been approved by the ballot.

There will be at least two referenda. The first seeks to void a law that would make it a crime for initiative proponents to pay people on a per-signature basis. Proponents argued that creates

(Capitol Media Services)

Former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, above, has teamed up with former state Attorney General Grant Woods to get a voter referendum on the Legislature’s changes in the way initiatives are placed on the ballot in Arizona.

Wolfgang’s

INITIATIVES

for fraud.

But that change does more, declaring that any otherwise valid signatures gathered this way are void and will not be counted. It also expands who can challenge initiative petitions.

restrain the initiative process: those who have used it before when the Legislature ignores their proposals.

Arizona has many laws on its books solely because of voter-proposed initiatives.

A second measure foes are trying to quash requires judges to disqualify any initiative drive where there has not been “strict compliance’’ with each and every election law. That is a major change from the current law, which says petitions are considered valid if they are in “substantial compliance’’ with the law.

There may be a third petition drive to challenge a measure that would make a committee pushing a ballot measure financially responsible for any acts of fraud or forgery committed by anyone who is paid to gather signatures for an initiatives. Those fines would be $1,000 for each violation.

That measure, however, has not yet gained final Senate approval or been signed by the governor.

Yuhas said he anticipates a broad-based coalition of groups who have a good reason to quash efforts by lawmakers to

For example, smoking is banned in restaurants because voters wanted the change. It also is illegal to use leghold traps on public lands, confine breeding pigs to tiny crates and engage in cockfighting.

But Yuhas said the initiative has not just been a tool of liberal interests. He pointed out that foes of same-sex marriage were able to put their own proposal on the ballot and get it approved in 2008. And Arizona has a law on the books about voter identification at the polls because of a different initiative.

The petition drives will likely need broad backing, both political and financial, as the business groups that successfully got lawmakers to put new curbs on the initiative process are likely to do whatever they can to kill the effort.

Yuhas said he already anticipates various legal challenges to try to keep voters from ever getting a chance to weigh in on the referenda.

“We know we’re going to end up in court,’’ he said.

was starting to reach the heights many of them aspire to achieve.

“I had 24 beautiful years with Casey, from an infant to a boy to a man,’’ said his father, Tom Thomas, a scout for the A’s. “I am more proud of him as a person. The baseball part was secondary.’’

Casey had been playing for the A’s in extended spring training, awaiting his assignment to a minor-league team.

Tom Thomas said there was no warning that Casey was experiencing any sort of health issue.

An autopsy was conducted by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office and results are pending, according to an office spokeswoman.

“I talked to him on Saturday,’’ he said of a conversation that occurred two days before his son’s death. “He was very excited. He was playing very well. He told me about a great play he made.’’

The A’s, Tom Thomas’ employer, selected Casey in the 34th out of 40 rounds in last year’s draft.

“It was a thrill,’’ Thomas said. “He never wanted to be known as a favor. He was a really good player.’’

Tom Thomas said Casey was a leader among the other young players in extended spring training, many of whom are from the Dominican Republic and looked toward his son for direction.

Shaun Chase, a former top Ahwatukee

“The disappointment is that he can’t continue to leave his mark on more people,’’ Tom Thomas said. However, Casey was an organ donor, and his father takes some solace in knowing that someone else likely will benefit from his son’s excellent eyesight through cornea transplants.

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

Tom Thomas consoles Brad Goodlander during the Little League memorial for Casey Thomas.

CASEY

from page 18

baseball player who played on numerous teams with Casey, spoke about their lifelong friendship at the honorary service before the Little League game Friday at Ahwatukee Field.

It was part of Ahwatukee’s effort to come together as a community and to support Tom Thomas and his family through their grief.

The players wore Casey’s number 18 on wristbands in his honor. Brady Thomas, one of Casey’s brothers, pitched for the Yankees team. Austin Thomas, another brother, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

“Casey Thomas was my best friend. We started playing together on this same field,’’ Chase said, recalling they both wanted to reach the majors.

“Cherish every moment, because you will never know when someone will be taken away from your life,’’ Chase said. “I will always remember that life is precious.’’

He said Little League is more about forming lifelong friendships than who won a particular game.

“I want you guys to have friendships, like me and Casey did, because you will have that the rest of your life,’’ Chase

said told the young players.

Mark Hopkins, a friend and neighbor of Tom Thomas in Ahwatukee, said he was saddened when he learned about Casey’s death.

He felt bad for Tom Thomas, who plummeted from elation to heartbreak in a matter of weeks.

“When Casey got drafted, Tom was as proud as he could be,’’ Hopkins said. “He had only 37 games under his belt when he died.’’

Scott Malone, who coached Casey at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, described him as having a laid-back, West Coast sort of personality with a happy-golucky attitude.

He said Casey was not the sort of player who got in arguments, or threw his bat in disgust. He would keep an even temper and play the game properly.

Because Casey was undersized at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, it seemed as if there was always someone bigger and stronger player who wanted to take his place at shortstop.

Malone said he recruited a new shortstop after Casey’s junior year and called him into his office, telling him he was being replaced and would play second base instead.

“Casey said, ‘You can bring in anybody you want. I’m going to be the shortstop,’’

Malone said. “To Casey’s credit, he won the job fair and square.’’

As a baseball player, he was an excellent lead-off hitter who would get on base and score runs,” Malone recalled, adding

that he was a solid, reliable fielder.

“He could get the bat on the ball, he was always making good contact,’’

Malone said.

Casey hit .322 during his senior year at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and hit .258 in the Arizona Rookie League.

Mitch Sokol, a scout with the Washington Nationals who also lives in Ahwatukee, said that he and Tom Thomas are close friends and they would share parenting duties.

“I was thrilled to death for him, that he got a chance to achieve his goals’’ with the A’s, Sokol said, adding that “it’s been gut-wrenching’’ to see Casey pass away at such a young age.

From a scout’s prospective, Sokol said, Casey had qualities that made him successful beyond his considerable athletic ability.

His unflappable personality was a great benefit in a sport like baseball, where even great hitters fail seven out of 10 times to get a hit.

“He had a very innate ability to put things behind him and keep plugging away,’’ Sokol said. “Casey had great makeup. He was a leader of men.’’

Casey Thomas is survived by his father, Tom; his mother, Kristy and her husband Mike Hall; by Tom’s wife, Cyndi; by his brothers, Austin and Brady; Austin’s wife, Candice; by his two sisters, Breanna and Payton; and by his grandparents, Stan and Suzie Hall.

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

Following in his older brother Casey’s footsteps, Brady Thomas pitched for his Ahwatukee Little League team after the memorial.

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

The wrist bands worn by Ahwatukee Little League players during Casey Thomas’ memorial carried his number, 18.

Foster parents face the pain of losing their young charges

BY RALPH ZUBIATE AFN Managing Editor

Shelley and Danny Valdez decided a few years ago that they wanted to open up their home to kids that needed it, becoming foster parents.

Now, they’re being torn up emotionally as the two girls they’ve raised for about two years are about to be taken away from them to be rejoined with their birth mother.

They had just been told they might be able to adopt the pair when the courts changed the plan.

“I have no regrets,” Shelley said. “They’re the two sweetest girls in the whole world,” she said about the children placed with them, who are now 5 and 2½. The girls’ names are being withheld for their own privacy.

“I have regrets,” Danny countered. “Not with the girls, but with how the system treats us.”

Added Shelley: “I don’t want to come across as angry, but we’re in kind of a bad place now.”

But through all the court dates and home inspections and visits with the birth mom, they both still love the little girls.

“They’ve been such a blessing,” Shelley said. “But this is a lot harder than raising your own kids.”

A longstanding decision

The Valdezes have a child of their own, a girl who is now 10. But Danny said he made the decision to foster and possibly adopt a long time ago.

“In high school, because my dad had been adopted,” he explained. “I thought it would be a cool thing to do.”

The two relied on their strong Christian faith to make the decision.

“I was scared,” Shelley said. “But when your husband is telling you he’s been called … God’s scarier than anything. You better listen.”

A faith-based group, Christian Family

Care, helped shepherd the Valdezes through the process with the Arizona Department of Child Safety.

Its website says, “Our aim is to provide professional care and biblical counseling to these families, at no cost, so every child finds a stable, permanent home with a Christ-centered family.”

Christian Family Care is one of different licensing agencies for foster parents. The agencies are responsible for the health and well-being of the caregivers. The state is responsible for the child.

On New Year’s Eve 2014, the same day they got their final certification, two girls, a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old, were placed with the Valdezes.

Since then, the family has been through the ups and downs of foster care.

“If you’re going to foster,” Shelley said, “your goal should never be to adopt. The state’s goal is to put families together. Your mindset should be to support the case plan.”

Anticipating adoption

Even knowing that, the Valdezes found

Resources for foster and adoptive parents

May is National Foster Care Month. To learn more about fostering and adopting children in need, visit these websites:

◆ AdoptUSKids: adoptuskids.org

◆ Arizona Association for Foster & Adoptive Parents: azafap.org

◆ Arizona Department of Child Safety: dcs.az.gov/foster-care

◆ Arizona Friends of Foster Children Organization: affcf.org

◆ Christian Family Care: cfcare.org

◆ National Foster Care Month resources: childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth

◆ National Foster Parent Association: nfpaonline.org

themselves in anticipation of adoption.

“That option was presented to us rather strongly,” Danny said.

“The case manager thought it was going to happen,” Shelley said. “We were one hearing away.”

“The decision was for severance and adoption in March. A week later, it went back,” she said.

Danny said he felt they were being pulled back and forth

“We are nothing more than a repository for the kids with very little say,” he said, exasperated. “Minimal at best.”

“Some people have treated us well,” Shelley said. “A lot have not.”

The wounds are still fresh for the Valdezes.

“We’re trying to do good,” Shelley said,” but they treat us like …”

“Second-class citizens,” Danny finishes.

“This case seems to change on a dime,” Shelley said. “It really teaches you that you have to live one day at a time. You can’t plan anything.”

“We go to court, we go to meetings. We go to everything. It’s like another job,” said Shelley, who is a commercial photographer. Danny is an insulation purchaser.

The stress gets to the girls, too.

“They sense our anxiety,” Shelley said. “They’re on the roller coaster, too.”

Not an unusual case

Kris Jacober, president of the Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents, said that although she’s not involved in the Valdezes’ case, she’s seen

this situation before.

“I was a foster mom for 15 years,” she said. “I’ve seen cases go every kind of way that I didn’t anticipate or expect.”

She said she knows the decisions made by the courts are difficult.

“As a foster parent, I felt fortunate that I didn’t have to be in the position of making the decision of what will be the best for the future of the children,” Jacober said.

“Ultimately, as a foster parent, it is out of our hands.”

Jacober warns that reunification isn’t necessarily the best decision.

“Many children who are reunified end up back in the system, and that means everybody has failed the kids,” she said.

“The goal of foster care is reunification. The bigger goal is permanency of the situation.”

Strong in their faith

Through it all, the Valdezes have found solace in their Christian faith.

“I don’t know how anybody does foster care without a relationship with the Lord,” Shelley said.

“There are so many people praying for these kids. We have to rest in that. God must know something we don’t.”

They also pray for the growth of the birth mom.

“I feel comfortable with her,” Shelley said. “She wants to be independent, but I have to show her that she can’t do it alone. She’s also growing in her faith.”

The Valdezes will lose the girls May 19 in the midst of National Foster Care Month. But they want to make sure to be a presence in their lives.

“We’ve developed a friendship with the birth mom,” Shelley said. “We want to be available to help.”

To that end, they’ve helped her by giving her clothes, furniture and transportation. They’ve even gone over to help clean her house, all to help out the girls.

“We’ll still be around,” Shelley said.

“If she allows us,” Danny counters. Shelley said she believes they will have the mom’s permission to visit.

And if they don’t?

“Then I will sign up to volunteer at their schools,” Shelley said.

For now, the Valdezes are going through what they say is a grieving process.

“It’s a loss for us,” Shelley said. “To be grieving the girls but still parenting them at the same time is really hard.

“You want to curl up and cry, but you can’t.”

(Anisia Valdez/Special to AFN)

Shelley and Danny Valdez are foster parents to two little girls, 5 and 2 1/2. The girls soon will be rejoined with their mother.

Community

Desert Vista High senior was piano teacher’s star pupil

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

The Ahwatukee Foothills Senior Association ended its season last week with a concert by entertainment committee chair Barbara Danielson’s star pupil.

Desert Vista High School senior Steven Romero started learning piano under Danielson’s tutelage when he was 8 years old.

And by the time he was in his seventh year with her, she recalled, “I realized he was better than me.”

That’s saying a lot for Danielson, who has taught piano for decades in a musicfilled career that included singing opera in Minnesota, managing 24 music stores in 12 Midwestern states for 20 years and overseeing the installation of more than 300 organs, both pipe and electric. It was Girl Scout cookies that brought Steven, 17, and Danielson together in the first place.

His mother, Kristine, recalled that she was helping her oldest of three children, Alison, sell cookies in the neighborhood

where Danielson has lived with her husband the last 21 years.

“I heard she taught piano and made a mental note that I was going to come back to her,” Kristine Romero said.

Sure enough, a year later she brought all three of her children to learn. Alison, now a student at Stanford University, dropped out after a couple years and Jessica, a

Desert Vista High junior, is still one of Danielson’s pupils.

Steven impressed Danielson quickly. Within six months, she brought him to Corpus Christi Church in Ahwatukee, where she had been choir director.

“The pastor at the time was in awe of him,” Danielson said.

Steven still awes her, partly because he

composes his own music now and never uses sheet music. “He has an amazing memory for music,” she said.

“I felt this guy is going to go places,” she added. “I had him playing at hospitals and other places where they had special events. Everyone raved about him.”

The senior association’s 95 members like him too. “They always want him back,” Danielson said.

Steven, who is planning to study music this fall at Cornell University, said he wasn’t crazy about taking piano lessons at first “because you had to practice 15 minutes a day and that was a long time.”

“She definitely encouraged it,” he said of his mother. “She played piano when she was young and we were ready to try it out.”

Quickly, those 15-minute rehearsals didn’t seem so long.

“Once I figured out how to play, I would play for hours,” Steven recalled.

Though he seemed almost embarrassed by his teacher’s praise, Steven admitted, “I’m a little better than when I started out.”

“I learned all the fundamental stuff and

Desert Vista High yearbook ‘storms’ into national spotlight

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Agroup of Desert Vista High School journalists are ending the school year on a high note.

The staff for the school yearbook, called “The Storm,” earned national recognition as being among the best high school yearbooks of the year.

With a theme titled “Naturally,” this year’s edition of “The Storm” is featured in the “Jostens Look Book,” a compilation of spreads and photos from outstanding yearbooks that honors their “creative themes, cool covers, dazzling designs, relevant coverage, storytelling copy and action-packed photography.”

“The Storm” was created by yearbook staff members under the direction of

senior editors Ally Costello and Marisa Jacobsen with Michelle Coro as adviser.

“Each year, our student leaders rise to the challenge of creating a book that is unique to the school year,” Coro said.

“The team of student leaders had a goal in mind of what they wanted to accomplish and they’ve done a great job. Creating a publication is so much more than what most people realize.

“This crew is learning and using realworld skills that give them a foundation and an edge for the next step in their lives. We have editors who are getting jobs and opportunities based on what they are doing in this class and with this massive project.”

The honors accorded to “The Storm”

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

Before Steven Romero played for the Ahwatukee Foothills Seniors Association, he paused to pose with, from left, his piano teacher, Barbara Danielson; his mom, Kristine Romero, and his younger sister, Jessica.

(Special to AFN)

The Desert Vista High School yearbook staff celebrates the national recognition their work received.

also extend to the two top editors.

Ally, who is bound for Northern Arizona University in the fall, will work this summer as a camp photographer after she was chosen because of her school portfolio of work.

Marisa Jacobsen, who will attend Austin Community College with the intention of establishing residency to go on to the University of Texas, was invited back to the Jostens National Summer Workshop as an intern this summer because of her work.

Another yearbook editor, Sophia Santos, has won a full scholarship to Arizona State University as a firstgeneration college student. Maya Coro, a junior, will assume leadership of next year’s yearbook staff.

“The Storm” was one of 418 yearbooks selected by Jostens from approximately 3,000 entries.

“Yearbooks are unique, limited-edition books created by students to capture the stories and events for all of the school’s students, and Jostens is proud to celebrate the yearbook tradition,” said Look Book editor Gary Lundgren,

calling the selections “very sophisticated in terms of visual presentation and the relevant and inclusive content that is featured.”

Coro gave her student staff all the credit:

“These kids have been amazing. The amount of time and commitment that it takes to want to step into take a leadership position really shows their character. I appreciate each of them, along with the entire staff for helping to make it happen.”

The 2017 “Storm” is the school’s 22nd edition and is produced by students in the digital communications course, a career and technical education program.

“Our staff has 10 advanced editors and 46 beginning students, who were brand new to the program and the process of putting together this massive project,” said Coro, who started advising yearbook staffs in 1996 at Ruskin High School in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 2002, she joined Desert Vista, where she has advised the yearbook, ‘View” newspaper, dvthundermedia. com online news and DVTV video production.

“The Storm” traditionally has been popular with Desert Vista students.

“Our buy rate is nearly 70 percent, which is pretty high nationwide,” Coro said.

And this year’s recognition from Jostens is something of a tradition as well, given that “we consistently have garnered national respect as a leader in the yearbook world,” she added.

Work on the yearbook begins early with a group of student editors going to a national yearbook summer camp at the University of San Diego.

“They come up with a theme that is relevant to the lives of students at the school and can be unified verbally and visually,” Coro explained. “As the year progresses, they reassess and retool by adding details that are specific to the year. I teach our students to understand that the yearbook fills many roles; it is a fun, educational, and historical picture/ public relations/reference book all rolled into one.”

The resulting 344 pages comprise “one of the largest books in the state,” she said, adding, “It’s really amazing to think of where they start and where they end.” It also weighs five pounds.

This year’s edition is Coro’s 13th “Storm” and Coro noted that many students get into its production without

knowing much about photography or other aspects of the process.

“It’s a steep learning curve to produce a product like this that will be seen by thousands of people, so it’s important for them to understand that this is not an individual piece of work,” Coro said. “I often remind them that people pay to see their homework.”

“In a school with 20-plus sports, 50-plus clubs and 3,100 students and staffers, our goal is to get everyone in the book multiple times,” she added

“Technology has changed everything we do and it still evolves because we have to find a way to keep students interested and involved. Our staffers gain skills and talents throughout the year. It can be a shock to some of them to realize just how far they have come.”

The title “Naturally” derives from an effort to get people away from the notion that the school’s accomplishments come naturally, Coro said, explaining:

“Taking a deeper look into the activities, academics and athletics reveals that, while many students are blessed with strengths and abilities, they also are nurtured through hard work, competition and a daily devotion from Desert Vista’s natural setting.”

MUSICIAN

from page21

then I wanted to branch out and do other things,” he said to explain how he took up a electric keyboard that allows him to add the sounds of other instruments to his solo compositions and performances.

For the last three or four years, Steven also has used computer software to create original compositions.

“I’d hear songs on the radio I wanted to play,” he said to explain his early forays into making his own music.

Besides playing solo performances at various special events, Steven also likes to play with other musically inclined friends at open-mic sessions in coffee houses.

And while he said he sometimes plays for hours, he also has other interests: He ran cross country for Desert Vista and plans to return to his previous summer job as a lifeguard in a few weeks.

His ultimate goal is to score and perform music for movies.

“I like people like John Williams,” he said. “I admire them.”

Besides, Steven added, what better way to become known than do movie scores.

“So many people hear it,” he said, “that they’ll recognize who I am.”

Cardboard boaters win

Ahwatukee high school seniors earn college degrees as well

Seniors in Ahwatukee’s three high schools accounted for a third of the 93 high school students who are earning associate degrees from Rio Salado College before getting their high school diplomas later this month.

That number included 18 seniors from Desert Vista High, 10 from Mountain Pointe and two from Horizon Honors Secondary School.

“It is very rewarding to see so many high school students take advantage of early college options and achieve this great accomplishment,” said Rio Salado President Chris Bustamante.

Taught by certified instructors at their respective high schools, dual-enrollment students earn college and high school credit at the same time.

Cassie Riggs, a senior at Mountain Pointe High School, earned degrees at Rio in arts and science.

“Rio Salado’s dual-enrollment program helped me reach my academic goals because I was able to get ahead of the game,” she said. “While all of my friends are getting their high school diplomas, I will already have two college degrees. I can’t wait to display my AA and AS degrees in my room.”

Riggs plans on attending Arizona State University to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“I believe dual enrollment has done a lot for me and I can’t wait for the new chapter in my life,” Riggs said.

Richard Audrain, a senior at Brophy College Preparatory, is using his associate degree toward a teaching career, and hopes to one day teach Latin or work in education policy.

“I am proud and humbled to have been afforded the opportunity to earn a college degree before I graduated from high school,” Audrain said. “Rio has proven to me that I am capable of achieving my goals.”

Desert Vista High School senior Katherine Niemeyer credits her determination for her academic success.

“I took dual enrollment classes at my high school, and online classes at Rio Salado,” Niemeyer said, admitting that the process was rigorous. “Earning an associate degree was my biggest motivation.”

She has earned a scholarship to attend Colorado Christian University in the fall, and plans to become a youth pastor and teacher.

“This jump-start I have will allow me to step into the workforce much sooner than my peers,” Niemeyer said.

EJ Anderson, director of Rio Salado College’s dual enrollment program said, “We are just thrilled so many students are taking advantage of this. Not only do students get a jump-start on their college education, research has shown dual enrollment are more likely to stay in college, graduate from college and have better GPA once they are in

(Special to AFN)

Tempe Union governing board member Berdetta Hodge is flanked by the Mountain Pointe High School team that won the annual cardboard boat race held by engineering students from Desert Vista, Mountain Pointe and Corona del Sol high schools. With Hodge are, from left Hunter Smatla, Deon Martinez, Noah Swatton and Zachary Eckard.

AFN News Staff

This is what memory care is all about.

It’s not to say that dementia isn’t an emotional and challenging disease. It’s just that when you see the human instead of the disease you don’t see sadness. You see life. You see history. You see achievements. You see family. You see love. And that’s how we see it at Hawthorn Court.

We can help you with the challenges you’re facing. Please join us for a personal tour. Call 480.359.2898 to schedule.

Join us for our Lunch & Learn Event: Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease

Join us for an informative talk about Neurology and Dementias with neurologist Andrea An, MD. Friday, May 19th, 11:30am • Please call 480.359.2898 to RSVP

Ahwatukee resident Herbert Mauch dies after brief illness

BY BARBARA HANSER AFN Guest Writer

Herbert Otto Mauch, 82, of Ahwatukee left this earth on April 24 at Hospice of the Valley in Chandler following a brief illness.

He leaves his son Richard Herbert Mauch, brother Robert Carl Mauch, nephews David Mauch and Martin Mauch, niece Karolyn (Mauch) Woodruff, numerous cousins, grand nieces, and many close friends and neighbors.

Herbert was born and raised in Cleveland, the son of Otto Hermann Mauch and Clara (Lapple) Mauch. He lived in many places throughout his career, including California, Minnesota, Texas, Japan, Germany and Arizona.

After attending Parma Schaaf High School in 1952, he enlisted in the Navy and served on the USS Black during the Korean War. After serving with the Navy, he began working for the Ford Motor Company in Brooklyn, Ohio and became a foreman after only two years at the age of 21.

He moved to Southern California in the early ’60s and accepted a management position in the plastics industry. As his career evolved, he acquired skills in the highly specialized field of carbon fiber composite manufacturing.

He supervised a startup of several manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Japan, and Germany where he made many longterm friends and, in addition, thoroughly enjoyed keeping in touch with those friends over the years.

Herb had a passion for dogs and leaves behind his loving and loyal German shepherd, Max.

SALADO

from page 25

college.”

Along with improving academic achievement and graduation rates, dualenrollment courses also help with job placement, said Anderson.

Desert Vista High students who earned degrees from Rio Salado are: Audrey Larson, Basia Adeleke, Carly Rogers, Elena Kalina, Erick Rivera, Garrett Penna, Jacob Fisher, Jason

With the exception of his foreign assignments, he always had a dog at his side as a faithful companion.

Herb was warm, engaging, had an excellent sense of humor, and was always willing to go the extra mile in order to help friends and neighbors. He was loved by many.

He often dedicated his time and resources to charitable and veterans’ organizations.

He was an active member of Local American Legion Post 64 for 41 years and served in their color guard. He attended many events including the dedication at the state Capitol and marched in many parades.

He also volunteered his time packaging boxes which were sent to the troops serving overseas.

Herb will be interred at the Veterans National Memorial Cemetery at 23029 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, at 10:30 a.m. May 18. A celebration of his life will take place 4-8 p.m. the same day at his home.

Donations may be made In lieu of flowers to charities that he was fond of: Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue, Arizona Humane Society, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, Arizona Animal Welfare League, Phoenix Rescue Mission, Admiral Nimitz Foundation, Fisher House helping Military Families, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and American Legion Post 64.

-Barbara Hanser is an Ahwatukee author.

Rattner, Jenna Vanderhave, Jodi Kreiner, Joshua Caballero, Julia Ziesmer, Katherine Niemeyer, Kelly Tabarez, Nicole Trujillo, Olivia Pinkowski, Paige Martin and Steven Oeberst.

Horizon seniors are Courtney Fried and Nicole Padgett.

Mountain Pointe seniors are Cassie Riggs, John Marshall, Madeline Greve, Noah Lopes, Payton Mackey, Sara Bacon, Saul Favila, Terryn McDonald, Valeria Smith and Vlada Markov. Information: riosalado.edu/dual.

Lonely cat, dog seek new owners to befriend them

Alonely cat and dog are looking for homes in Ahwatukee.

Jenn Bernot of Arizona Rescue said Bowie, an orange tiger cat, is an active animal less than a year old.

“He loves to play with anything he can get his paws on,” she said.

“Around him, no toy is safe.

Bowie loves batting around pipe cleaners, chasing crinkle balls across the room, pursuing the cat dancer and jumping for wand toys of all shapes and sizes.

“Throw in a cat tunnel for him to dart in and out of to make the hunt even more exciting, and not only will Bowie be more entertained – you will be as well,” she added, stating Bowie loves attention.

“If you pick him up, he will drape himself over your shoulder and happily purr the time away,” Bernot said. “Bowie is also a fan of other friendly kitties, equally enjoying play and snuggle time with them.”

Information: azrescue.org.

Shauna

Michael of the Arizona Animal Rescue League said Vernon, a 7-year-old Doberman

Pinscher mix available at its main adoption center, 25 N. 40th St., Phoenix, is “an easy going boy who loves to greet new people.”

Saying the dog “loves to play and romp around,” she said Vernon “loves to explore, so a nice evening stroll or a weekend hike will let him indulge his adventurous spirit.”

Information: 602-273-6852 ext. 116

Daylong benefit at Chick-fil-A to help 18-month-old Addy

Chick-fil-A Ahwatukee, 5035 E. Ray Road, is holding a benefit all day today, May 10, to benefit 18-monthold Adelyn Troutman of Ahwatukee, who suffers from a rare blood disease that requires monthly transfusions. Her parents, Matt and Kami Troutman, are trying to raise funds and find a donor for a bone marrow transplant.

Patrons can have 20 percent of their food tab donated to helping Addy from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. In addition, staffers from Be the Match will be on hand to register potential bone marrow donors –and possibly find a match for Addy.

To learn more about Addy: gofundme. com/adelynscure.

Ambassador Academy to hold open house Saturday

Ambassador Academy, 3820 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee, is holding an open house 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 13, featuring games, refreshments and tours.

Ambassador Academy, opened in 2007, is a free K-5 charter school whose mission is “to prepare individuals who can excel in their present and future

society, enhance their self-confidence, motivation and self-worth, and formulate positive personal values.”

“Ambassador Academy is a hidden gem,” said parent Jennifer Amsbaugh. “I love their philosophy of creating future leaders. The teachers do a great job of communicating with the parents and keeping the atmosphere academic, yet fun. The small class sizes truly enable each student to work at their own level.”

Added parent Krista Bailey: “Ambassador Academy’s staff and teachers allow the families to not just volunteer but to be a part of the school. Ambassador has an open-door policy which allows us as parents to come and check on our children anytime throughout the day. And all of the school events create a wonderful family atmosphere. My kids are literally getting the quality of a private education for free.”

Information: 480-961-2214 or emmelter@ambassadoracademy.us

Summer academy for gifted kids scheduled in Ahwatukee Smart Minds Summer Academy for See AROUND on page 28

gifted and talented children will be offered this summer at Summit School of Ahwatukee.

Smart Minds offers the gifted and talented or highly motivated secondthrough seventh-graders the opportunity a challenging program.

Families can choose the morning-only or all-day program. The latter includes geometry, magic of science, public speaking and debate, engineering in action, mastering Jeopardy and chess strategies.

“The priority of Smart Minds is to create a passion for learning by engaging the students in hands-on, creative, and investigative projects in each and every course we teach,” the school said in a release.

Information: azsmartminds.com or 480-73-7455.

Line dancing classes for summer set at Pecos Community Center

Ahwatukee dance and fitness

instructor Carrie McNeish is signing up participants for summer classes in line dancing and muscle mania at Pecos

Community Center in Ahwatukee.

Evening dance classes are on Tuesdays and daytime classes are on Thursdays beginning the week of May 30.

McNeish also is holding 12-week muscle mania classes on Mondays and Wednesdays beginning that week.

Sign up at phoenix.gov/parks.

Information: 480-221-9090, cmcneish@ cox.net or dancemeetsfitness.com

Specific

Chiropractic hosting homemade salsa competition

The Specific Chiropractic Center, 4425 E. Agave Road, Ahwatukee is hosting a homemade salsa competition at 6:30 p.m. May 18 and the public is invited.

Entries must be handled safely, and will be judged on color, aroma, appearance, taste and aftertaste.

Chips will be provided by CK’s Tavern and Grill but entrants can bring their own, feel free to bring your own.

To register contact Dr. Cameron Call at ahwatukee@thespecific.com no later than May 12. Information: 602-753-7782.

Childhood development disorders to be discussed at workshop

Childhood neurodevelopmental and

behavioral disorders such as autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, OCD, ODD, and Tourette’s will be the subject of Dr. Cameron Call’s workshop at 6:30 p.m. May 17 at The Specific Chiropractic Center, 4525 E. Agave Road, Ahwatukee.

A limited number of seats is available. RSVP: 602-753-7782 or ahwatukee@ thespecific.com.

Foothills Montessori school slates 8-week summer camp

Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori, 3221 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee, is offering a “fun, interactive and handson” summer camp for children age 3-8 for eight weeks from May 30 through July 21 with a different theme each week. Campers will participate in themerelated activities, crafts and games each week and enjoy Water Day every Friday. Themes are related to Spanish and art activities and special events such as puppet shows and magic shows are scheduled throughout the summer. Campers do not need to be enrolled in the regular school program and can sign up for weekly sessions or just for a few days a week. Space is limited. Information: 480-759-3810.

Desert Bloom

Chase Field hosting packing effort to feed the hungry State Farm and the local nonprofit Kitchen of the Street are seeking volunteers for its Neighborhood of Good Event 2-5 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

Volunteers can sign up for shifts to fill bags with nonperishable, prepackaged food items that will be distributed to local children in need.

Walk-ins are welcome at the event, though volunteers can also sign up at NeighborhoodofGood.com.

Freeway a likely topic Friday at Chandler Chamber meeting

Representatives of the Maricopa Association of Government, the Arizona Transportation Board and the develop designing the South Mountain Freeway will give a presentation at a session sponsored by the chamber's public policy committee.

It will be at 8 a.m. Friday, May 12, at the chamber's offices, 25 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler.

The presentation is likely to include the freeway as well as other highway issues in Arizona and the Valley.

THURSDAY, MAY 11

Kiwanis lines up speakers

Bob Tucker of ADT will discuss home security at the next meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee. State Sen. Sean Bowie is the speaker for Thursday, May 18. DETAILS>>7:30 a.m. Biscuits Restaurant, 4623 E. Elliot Road, Ahwatukee. Information: mike.maloney2003@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, MAY 16

Critique group meets

The Writers Critique Group meets the second Tuesday of every month. Bring five double-spaced pages of writing to get feedback on from your peers.

DETAILS>> 6:00-7:45 p.m., Ironwood Library, 4333 E Chandler Blvd. No registration required. Emailhaley. dziuk@phoenix.gov for more info.

THURSDAY, MAY 18

Understand Medicare

“Understanding Medicare” covers all aspects of the federal program, including a person’s rights, options and entitlements as well as what it covers and how to enroll. It is an educational seminar produced by Gregory Geryak, a local insurance consultant.

DETAILS>> 4 p.m., Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Information: 480-7975615. Refreshments will be served and advisors from Physicians Mutual will be on hand.

TUESDAY, MAY 23

Understand Medicare

“Understanding Medicare” covers all aspects of the federal program, including a person’s rights, options and entitlements as well as what it covers and how to

CALENDAR

enroll. It is an educational seminar produced by Gregory Geryak, a local insurance consultant.

DETAILS>> 5 p.m., Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Information: 480-7975615. Refreshments will be served and advisors from Physicians Mutual will be on hand.

SATURDAY, MAY 27

Folded books taught

Learn how to make your own “folded book art” in this interactive class.

DETAILS>> 2-4 p.m., Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Register in the calendar section at phxlib.org. Adults only.

SATURDAY, MAY 31

Weekly teen program starts

Wednesdays are for Teens will begin, featuring movies, games and other activities.

DETAILS >> 4:30-6:30 p.m., Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. No registration required. Ages 12-18 only.

SUNDAYS

‘TinkerTime’ open for kids

A makerspace for children to design, experiment, and invent as they explore hands-on STEAM activities through self-guided tinkering.

DETAILS>> 1-4 p.m. every Sunday, Ironwood Library 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Ages 6-11. Free; No registration required.

MONDAYS

Chamber offers networking

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking

and leads group is open to chamber members.

DETAILS>> Noon, Native Grill and Wings, 5030 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee. Devida Lewis, 480-753-7676.

LD 18 Dems meet monthly

Legislative District 18 Democrats gather monthly, usually the second Monday, to share news, opportunities, food and laughter. Meetings include guest speakers, legislative updates, how-to sessions and Q&A. Volunteer or just enjoy an evening with like-minded folks.

DETAILS>> For times and places: ld18democrats.org/calendar.

TUESDAYS

Chair yoga featured

Inner Vision Yoga Studio offers chair yoga to help seniors and people recovering from injuries to stay fit.

DETAILS>> 1:30-2:30 p.m., 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. $5 per class. Information: donna@ innervisionyoga.com or 480-330-2015.

Toastmasters sharpen skills

Improve your speaking skills and meet interesting people at Ahwatukee Toastmasters meetings DETAILS>> 6:45-8 a.m at the Dignity Health Community Room, 4545 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee.

Power Partners available

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group is open to chamber members.

DETAILS>> 8-9 a.m., Four Points by Sheraton, 10831 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee. Dorothy Abril, 480-753-7676.

WEDNESDAYS

Watercolor classes available

Watercolor classes that teach both bold and beautiful

as well as soft and subtle approaches to the art are available twice a week for beginners and intermediate students who are at least 15 years old. Step-by-step instruction and personal help are provided.

DETAILS>> 2:30-5 Wednesdays and 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays at Hobby Lobby, 46th Street and Ray Road, Ahwatukee. Cost: $25 per class, $80 for four classes. Registration required: jlokits@yahoo.com or 480-4718505.

Montessori holds open house

Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori holds an open house weekly. It includes a short talk about Montessori education, followed by a tour of its campus.

DETAILS>> 4 p.m. Wednesdays, 3221 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Information: 480-759-3810

Grief support is free

Hospice of the Valley offers a free ongoing grief support group for adults and is open to any adult who has experienced a loss through death. No registration required.

DETAILS>> 6-7 p.m. first and third Wednesdays, Pecos Community Center, 17010 S. 48th St. 602-636-5390 or HOV.org.

Foothills Women meet

An informal, relaxed social organization of about 90 women living in the Ahwatukee Foothills/Club West area. A way to escape once a month to have fun and meet with other ladies in the area. Guest speaker or entertainment featured.

DETAILS>> 7 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, Foothills Golf Club, 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive. Contact jstowe2@cox.net or FoothillsWomensClub.org.

See CALENDAR on page 30

Parents can ‘drop in’

Parents are invited to join a drop-in group to ask questions, share ideas or just listen to what’s going on with today’s teenagers.

DETAILS>> 5:30-7 p.m. second Wednesday of each month. Maricopa Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Road, Phoenix. Free. RSVP at 602-827-8200, ext. 348, or rcarter@cals.arizona.edu.

‘Dems and Donuts’ set

Legislative District 18 Democrats gather for an informal chat.

DETAILS>> Free and open to the public 7:30-9 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month at Denny’s, 7400 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. RSVP: marie9@q.com or 480592-0052.

LD 18 Dems meet in Tempe

The Legislative District 18 Democrats meet the second Monday of the month.

DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m. social time, 7-8:30 p.m. meeting time. Because the location may be different from month to month, see ld18democrats.org. Information: ld18demsinfo@gmail.com. Free and open to the public.

Special networking offered

Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has a networking and leads group is open to chamber members.

DETAILS>> 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Radisson Hotel, 7475 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. Devida Lewis, 480-753-7676.

THURSDAYS

Kiwanis meets weekly

The Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club meets weekly and welcomes newcomers.

DETAILS>>7:30 a.m. Biscuits Restaurant, 4623 E. Elliot Road, Ahwatukee. Information: mike.maloney2003@ gmail.com.

Mothers

of Preschoolers gather

Free child care for ages 0 to 5.

DETAILS>> 9 a.m. second and fourth Thursday, Foothills Baptist Church, 15450 S. 21st St. Call Kim at 480-759-2118, ext. 218.

FRIDAYS

‘Gentle yoga’ offered

Inner Vision Yoga Studio offers “gentle floor yoga” for core strengthening and healthy backs.

DETAILS>> 1:30-2:30 p.m. 4025 E. Chandler, Ahwatukee. $5 per class. Information: 480-330-2015 or donna@ innervisionyoga.com.

Toastmasters teach skills

This chamber-exclusive Chapter of the International Toastmasters club boasts professional development skills. Become the speaker and leader you want to be with Ahwatukee Chamber Toastmasters Club.

DETAILS>> 8-9 a.m., First American Title Conference Room, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., #100, Ahwatukee. Devida Lewis, 480-753-7676.

SATURDAYS

Read to therapy dogs

Reading aloud to certified therapy dogs is an excellent way for emerging readers to practice their skills (and lots of fun, too!) Come read to our certified therapy dogs.

DETAILS>> 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd. Ages 1-11. First come first served.

Alzheimer’s support group meets

Caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients can find support

High honors

Eighth grade students who made Principal’s Honor Roll with a perfect grade point average all three years at Kyrene Centennial Middle School in Ahwatukee were honored last week. Principal Michelle Anderson is flanked by honor students, from left, Jack Piorkowski, Anaya Williams, Natalie Stevens, Ethan Aslamy, Lindsey Logan, Tyler Kearney and Aaron Brown.

monthly.

DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m. Ahwatukee Alzheimer’s Support Group meets the first Saturday of the month at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St.

Bosom Buddies slates meetings

Ahwatukee/Chandler nonprofit breast cancer support group.

DETAILS>> 10 a.m. to noon, second Saturday of the

month. Morrison Boardroom next to Chandler Regional Medical Center, 1875 W. Frye Road, Chandler. Contact Patti Lynch at 480-893-8900 or tomklynch@msn.com or Cele Ludig at 480-330-4301.

— Email calendar items to pmaryniak@ahwatukees.com

(Lauren Clark/Special to AFN)

www.ahwatukee.com

Lawmaker’s compulsory education rant poses scary proposition

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Iam grateful to my teachers for many things – among them teaching me to think before I speak (or write).

It seems that lesson has become a casualty of social media – hence the litany of public officials who resign, public servants who get fired or people getting killed because they spoke, wrote or posted before they thought.

So, last week I figured Lake Havasu legislator Paul Mosley had failed to engage his brain before announcing that the Legislature ought to eliminate compulsory education.

My first thought was, “Haven’t these guys done enough this session?”

But the more I thought about it, the more I feared he had given his announcement some thought.

That notion got so scary I felt like wrapping my head in tin foil as conspiratorial thoughts began emerging.

I wondered if there is a Conspiracy of Stupid going on in Arizona, a determined effort on behalf of some to

help America become ruled by an elite few.

I put the Reynolds Wrap away and pondered the import of what was publicly said by a representative whose constituency may be getting too senile to be allowed a ballot.

The demographics of Lake Havasu differ greatly from those of Ahwatukee.

Here in Ahwatukee, public school districts and private schools are focusing on how to prepare children for a world that is already being called in some quarters the “after-work world.”

It’s a world where robots are projected to take over so many jobs that some futurists are even suggesting we need to figure out ways to prevent machines from actually taking control.

But even if you scoff at this kind of scare talk, you cannot escape the reality that we are living in a world where a high school diploma alone will be as valuable as a credit card from Montgomery Ward.

It’s no longer a matter of if – but when – whole categories of occupations will become distant memories, joining switchboard and elevator operators on history’s ash heap.

What will take their place are jobs and

challenges requiring minds molded by academic rigor – whether kids like it or not.

Schools no longer are talking just about college readiness, but about the need to be more focused on life readiness.

And instead of advocating for more education, an elected official is actually calling for less.

I googled a quick look at the history of compulsory education and discovered it dates back to 1642. I also learned that Massachusetts was the first state to mandate the study of arithmetic and English more than 200 years ago.

Then I came across some fringeright commentaries that argued against compulsory education.

Among them was a columnist on the Freedom Works blog who uses the image of a colonial American to imply that he’s more patriotic than most.

He noted that the colonists weren’t a bunch of dunces. Indeed, he said without any attribution, 90 percent of all whites back then were educated.

Whites. Not Americans. I thought the distinction was interesting.

Then he went on to say:

“Children in the early 19th century were

largely homeschooled or apprenticed to tradesmen. In stark contrast to modern students, these children received their educations with individual attention and finished with little to no debt.”

In other words, why force kids to go to school? Heck, as soon as we evolve from driverless cars to horse-drawn carriages, they can learn the art of making saddles at home.

This is not a rant about charter schools, by the way. Parents should have an option to do what they think best for their kids when it comes to education.

But they don’t have a right to condemn their kids to a life of stupidity and ignorance.

And that’s why we require that children go to school.

I’ve met some amazing students in Ahwatukee’s elementary, middle and high schools over the last nine months. Their accomplishments and drive are a credit to their parents and the schools where they learn.

I don’t know if any of them would have not gone to school had the state not required it.

But do we as a society really want to find that out?

I’m the reason teachers deserve more than they’re getting

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

As the debate over teacher pay in Arizona again descended into absurdity – a poorly worded suggestion by House Majority Leader John Allen that perhaps teachers who get second jobs do so not to make ends meet, but because “they want to pay for a boat” – my mind drifted back to a woman I knew 40-some years ago, a schoolteacher I passionately loathed for one long year of my life, at the age of 9, when she was my teacher in the fourth grade.

Mrs. Schoenbach. To say we did not get along would be a grand understatement, like saying Arizona’s teachers union and

our state’s elected Republicans “kinda sorta mildly disagree” over public schoolteacher salaries.

This was 1974. I was a hyperactive hippie kid with hair to his shoulders and frayed Sears bell-bottoms covered in iron-on patches. Mrs. Schoenbach was tall, stern, raspy-voiced. I wanted to be Caine from the TV hit “Kung Fu.” Mrs. Schoenbach wanted me to sit down, stop cracking wise, learn to raise my hand and do my homework.

Ours was an epic struggle of iron wills, marked by detentions, notes home to my parents and report cards littered with grades of U – unsatisfactory – for behavior.

I can still hear in my head the exact thing Mrs. Schoenbach said to me early in our war: “I’m going to make a

mensch of you, David.”

And she did make a man of me. Not in 1974. But eventually, decades later, her voice still in my head, her insistence on respectful behavior still guiding me even when my spirit wants so much to rebel in inappropriate ways.

There were other teachers in other years, some more nurturing, some more demanding. We all have those guides whom we might become, teachers who stand out, who make us who we are. If I could, I would buy each of them a boat, so they all could live Rep. Allen’s dream lifestyle.

At the very least, I would give them all a salary that would allow them to pay a mortgage, make a car payment, take the occasional vacation, and go to sleep without anxiety over the next call from

a credit card company.

I don’t know what Mrs. Schoenbach earned in 1974 for putting up with me, scolding me, teaching me. But I do know this: The average annual elementary schoolteacher salary in Arizona is $42,730, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. When you adjust that figure for the state’s cost of living, according to the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Arizona ranks 50th in the nation for teacher pay. That’s dead last, people. Personally, I don’t think $42,000 is enough. It’s not enough to attract our best and brightest into classrooms, and it’s not enough to keep the very best teachers motivated to stay in the

New Ahwatukee development features 22 two-story houses

AFN News Staff

new community has opened in Ahwatukee.

Oasis in the Foothills, on Desert Foothills Parkway near Liberty Lane, is a 22-home gated community built by Divinity Homes, a 50-yearold Ahwatukee-based company that describes its goal as “developing and constructing quality residential properties within the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.”

Oasis is one of three subdivisions in Phoenix being marketed by Divinity. The others are the 149-home Courtyard at Madison Ranch on around 18th Avenue

and Baseline Road and Arcadia Lite at Indian School Road near Camelback Mountain.

All five Oasis models are two-story houses ranging in size from about 1,800 square feet to 2,300 square feet and are priced in the mid-$300,000

Divinity says the individual homes boast “high-end finishes” and “clean contemporary designs.”

Planners who okayed the development in 2014 called the proposed clusterhomes design “unusual for the village” but said it “would provide some additional diversity in housing types.”

Info: ivy@divinityhomes.com or 602561-5510.

Mendoza

Another Kachina Drive home records 7-figure sale

The fourth home to sell for more than $1 million on E. Kachina Drive in the last two months has seven bedrooms, nine baths and boasts “an elegant and timeless design by Mark Fredstrom.”

The 7,600-square foot three-story home at 3604 E. Kachina Drive sold recently for $1.85 million.

Mls.com records show that the home was built in 2007 and was put on the market only once, in 2010, for $2,895,000. That listing expired.

With a square-foot price of $242, the house is a gourmet’s delight with three kitchens, including one outside and one in a sprawling basement that is 2,100 square feet – big enough to be described by mls.com as a “second house.”

Zillow.com noted that the basement includes a 22-foot-long bar that’s “only seen in night clubs.”

The main kitchen sports high-end appliances, including an eight-burner range.

The house also includes a thermostatcontrolled wine room big enough to accommodate 500 bottles, a theater room, two laundry rooms, an elevator and a four-car garage.

The master bedroom also has a large master dressing room that can also be used as a nursery.

And if that’s not big enough for overnight guests, no worries: there’s a separate guest house on the lot as well. With 24-foot ceilings, you might not miss the outdoors.

But if you do, the stunning backyard offers mountain views and impeccable landscaping surrounding a heated pool and separate spa.

The latest home on E. Kachina Drive in Ahwatukee to sell for more than $1 million offers 7,600 square feet of luxury living where the full-equipped backyard and patio offers stunning mountain views. The gourmet kitchen includes top-of-the-line appliances and a butler’s pantry(below left) and the formal living room (right) has one of the house’s three fireplaces.

(mls.com./Special

(Special to AFN)

The massive basement is 2,100 square feet and has a 22-foot wet bar, as big as many dance clubs in the Valley offer.

Home buyers: Beware of ‘win at all costs’ attitude

BY STACEY LYKINS

AFN Guest Writer

When considering what to ask for on your Buyer’s Inspection Notice, how much is too much to request to have fixed or repaired?

I can tell you that you need to put yourself in the seller’s shoes, because you will be there one day. I am currently in escrow on a house representing the seller and just got a laundry list of items that the buyer wants addressed.

The list is about three pages and includes everything from a faucet, to new carpet, new roof and new AC unit, as well as numerous other items. Well, this house is not falling down and carpet is not a repair item.

The house is about 30 years old, so it is not new by any means. However, if you want a completely remodeled home or a new home, then go buy one. Especially when it is a seller’s market in Ahwatukee Foothills for homes under $400,000, sellers are not going to put $20,000 into their home to sell it to you – especially if these items are old but in working order.

out the day of close last August. As you can imagine, the buyer was not happy and the seller dodged a bullet. However, we got a brand-new unit for the buyer worth over $4,000 for a total of $600, which I split with them.

When you become a home owner, you need to have cash to take care and keep your home in disrepair. This is a good reason not to stretch too far to buy this new home.

Don’t leave yourself “cash poor” so that basic maintenance items put a strain on your finances and leave you unable to tackle the demands of home ownership.

No one likes to negotiate with an opposing party that has a “win at all cost” mentality or an attitude of “let’s see what I can get.” By approaching this request for repairs with such an approach, you put the opposing party on the defensive.

The days of “let’s throw everything against the wall and see what sticks” do not work well in today’s market.

If the sellers were going to replace all of these items, they would probably stay in the house. No one is asking buyers to take a substandard home or settle for disrepair, but there is a difference between old and non-functional.

Home warranties are a good way to protect yourself as a buyer. If the AC unit fails and there are no pre-existing conditions, then a good home warranty company will replace the unit. Your agent should make sure you have a good home warranty company representing you.

I had a client whose AC unit went

The sense of cooperation and “let’s do what we can to be fair and make this work” leaves the equation.

Now you have put the seller on the defensive and you will be less likely to get much of your wish list satisfied – or, worst case, none of your wish list satisfied.

Then, you risk losing the home and the seller will move on to the next buyer.

Moral of the story: always deal in good faith. It is the best way to get best deal for yourself. No one likes to feel like they have a gun to their head.

It does not make people want to do more for you. It makes them want to do less.

Time will tell if this deal stays together or if the seller moves on to the next buyer. But it will be shame if the buyer’s “win at all cost” approach to negotiating kills it!

- Ahwatukee resident and associate broker Stacey Lykins, West USA, can be reached at 602-616-9971, S.Lykins@LykinsProperties. com or LykinsProperties.com.

Stacey Lykins

$407,000

Before popping the cork on the champagne, homeowners who have inked a deal to sell their house go through an ordeal that could make or break the celebration: a home inspection.

The home inspection is a contingency written into most offers, meaning that if the buyers aren’t happy with the result, they can cancel the sale without losing their earnest money deposit, or reopen negotiations and ask for a price reduction.

worst case, people with buyer’s remorse will use results of a home inspection to back out of the deal without penalty. The first home inspection will let you know everything that’s wrong with your home.

Armed with that information, you can fix problems before the next buyer shows up, adjust the price to reflect necessary repairs, or simply have a ready response when the issue comes up again.

A home inspection is no quick onceover. Inspectors have a 1,600-item checklist, according to the National Association of Home Inspectors.

Exterior: Cracks or rot, dents or bowing in vinyl, blistering or flaking paint or inadequate clearing between siding and earth;

Window, doors, trim: Rotting frames, peeling caulk, damaged glass;

Interior rooms: Water-stained ceilings, inadequate insulation or insufficient heating vents;

Kitchen: Proper venting, no leaks under the sink, cabinet doors and drawers operate properly;

Bathrooms: Toilets flush properly, showers spray and tubs are securely fastened;

of it as an early start to your packing.

Create a file with documentation of all maintenance and repairs done on the home.

If you’ve had an insurance claim on your house, keep those papers together so you can prove that you took care of the problem.

Make sure you unlock gates and doors to a shed or garage that doesn’t have lockbox access.

You don’t need to set out cookies and drinks; or provide ladders and other tools the inspector needs. He’ll bring his own.

$469,500

“Most buyers who are planning to live in your home want to know what they’re getting into,” said Realtor.com. “They want to know which systems work, and which don’t. They want to know how much money they’ll need to plow into the purchase, and which items you, dear seller, are willing to fix or replace to seal the deal.

The results of home inspections can give buyers peace of mind, or a tool they can use to bargain down the price. In the

Here are some areas the inspector is checking, and what a home inspector is looking for:

Grounds: Standing water, faulty grading, sick or dying trees and shrubs, crumbling paths and walls;

Structure: Foundation integrity, rotting or out-of-plumb window and door frames;

Roof: Defects in shingles, flashing and fascia; loose and hanging gutters; defects in chimneys and skylights;

Plumbing: Drains flow properly, water has proper temperature and pressure;

Electrical: Proper electrical panels and working light switches and outlets.

There are some things you can do before a home inspection to make the process go more smoothly.

Clean and de-clutter your home; inspectors will look way beyond the superficial sparkle of a clean home. But make sure they have easy access to attics, basements, and electrical panels. Think

Buying and selling a house is a competition: Sellers want to get the highest price, and buyers want the lowest. It’s not personal – it’s business.

Remember that when a home inspector presents a list of problems with your home as long as your arm.

And that’s where an experienced real estate agent earns his or her commission.

Agents know how to interpret inspection reports, which issues are vital to address and which are red herrings designed to reopen price negotiations.

SPOTLIGHT home

Stunning curb appeal on this quality built home located in gated finesterra! Single level 4 bedroom, 2.5 Bath, with an open floorplan, n/s exposure gated courtyard entry, grand foyer formal living & dining, family room w/fireplace & built-ins stone-look tile flooring, sculptured carpet shutters kitchen includes: rich dark cabinets, s/s jenn-air appliances, slab granite, island, & pendant lighting breakfast nook, large master suite w/ walk-in closet, spa-like master bath w/ soaking tub & glass shower, paradise perfect backyard w/pebbletec pool, putting green, gazebo, patio, pavers, & tropical landscaping, 3-car garage, community park w/playground, ramada, grass area, & basketball court, walking distance to top rated schools, located close to shopping & dining!

Listed for $589,000

Ross

751-2121

Maricopa County making permit process easier

BY DENNIS BARNEY AFN GUEST WRITER

It takes a leap of faith to create something new. Maybe you want to start a business or build an addition to your home.Maybe your company builds the roads that help us get home, or the computer chips that connect us across time and space.

If the dream is big enough, you’ll probably sketch it out on a piece of paper. And guess what? That paper might just end up in our hands.

As Supervisors, we strive to better serve the builders and land owners who create spaces of opportunity in Maricopa County. That’s why we’re funding a brand new system that allows them to submit permit applications and building plans, check the status of their projects, and schedule any necessary inspections –all from the comfort of their home or office.

approved your permit.

We’ve only begun to dip our toe in the electronic filing world. Right now, we only accept residential permits online and 10-15 percent of submittals are done that way.

With this new EDR system, which will be phased in over the next few months, we will be accepting commercial, industrial, and tenant permits as well.

There are plenty of good reasons to expand our use of electronic documents. For customers, it’ll be faster, cheaper, and more convenient. The new system also benefits our staff. Instead of swimming in a sea of paper, they will be one click away from perusing your plans, sharing them with colleagues, and providing timely feedback.

Think about this: a single permit set for one of our recent capital projects weighed about 200 pounds! It took four carts to deliver it. We’re talking about a lot of trees—and a cost of thousands of dollars.

Our “Electronic Document Review (EDR)” system is designed for anyone who is tired of that—tired of spending money on copies, tired of driving between their office and ours. We know it can be a hassle. You’re thinking, “How long will I be away? Is the plans examiner going to be available? Did I bring enough sets?”

With EDR, you can log onto our citizen access portal anywhere, anytime to upload the documents you need us to see. When we’ve reviewed them, you’ll get an e-document back with red-lined comments so it’s easier for you to make revisions.

Corrections can be agreed upon digitally. You can also electronically submit for changes even after we’ve

This is part of a broader effort. For example, the Flood Control District is accepting online applications and payments for right-of-way use permits. Environmental Services fast-tracks commercial swimming pool variances to allow construction to start earlier. Our Planning and Zoning Department offers a number of timesaving resources, including fast-track, same-day service for small residential construction projects.

It’s all part of the same story: we are streamlining our regulatory agencies so they work better for you.

We understand some of you like things the way they are. You like the certainty of printing off plans and handing them to an actual person. You can keep doing it that way if you prefer. EDR is simply another option. Our goal, as always, is smarter government and better service.

In short, if you take a leap of faith and draw up a plan on a sheet of paper that will make Maricopa County better, we want to make your life easier. EDR is the latest example of that, and it won’t be the last.

-Denny Barney chairs the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Share Your Thoughts

Send

Dennis Barney

‘Mayor Noodle’ betrayed Ahwatukee with inaction on freeway

BY MICHAEL HINZ AFN Guest Writer

Greg Stanton did not neglect to mention Ahwatukee, and he did not ignore us. Mayor Stanton abandoned – no, he betrayed –Ahwatukee.

I had a meeting with Stanton in late 2008, just prior to his announcement that he was joining the attorney general’s office in 2009.

The meeting was casual and cordial, typical Greg.

I had called his offices, and my message of concern about the South Mountain Freeway seemed to move Mr. Stanton enough that he graciously invited me for coffee to discuss my concerns.

At the time, he was our city council representative for District 6. I was new to my HOA and very concerned about the Loop 202. I was working to get onto the citizens’ advisory team.

That team was to influence the state and

LEIBOWITZ

from page 32

profession after they encounter years of 9-year-old little Leibowitzes determined to make their lives hell. Frankly, the same goes for firefighters – average salary in Arizona $45,230 annually –and street cops – average annual salary a tick over 62 grand.

In a better world, we would pay public servants commensurate with the importance of their roles. I’m not sure this pay scale would necessarily generate better classroom results, but it would surely improve the lives of those like Mrs. Schoenbach, for whom at least one kid owes more than he can ever repay.

Maybe she’s gone, maybe somewhere in retirement she still hears my voice in her head as I hear hers. Either way, Mrs. Schoenbach will never be forgotten. Like schoolteachers everywhere, she deserved so much better, so much more than she got.

the way the 202 was to be developed. I was shocked at how unwilling the Arizona Department of Transportation was to listen to, much less mitigate, our concerns.

In that meeting, Greg was enthusiastic about our efforts as a community. He said ADOT was off base and needed to address our concerns. He felt that the city, via its influence and voting power at the Maricopa Association of Governments, could influence the outcome of the highway and its design. He promised to push for the community.

Stanton actually stated that they would have to build the highway “over my dead body.”

“There were alternatives,” he said. He said the highway was not suitable, nor would it achieve transportation goals.”

I was relieved that our representative on the counsel would drive to save Ahwatukee from the highway. He seemed stern and stalwart in opposition.

Within weeks, Stanton vaulted out of his position to the attorney general’s

office, far enough away from controversy that a run for mayor in a couple of years would be easier.

In 2011, at a private resident’s campaign event in Ahwatukee, he talked about the future of the community and his plan for the city.

I asked him again about the 202 and he assured that he was opposed to the freeway and its plan, that he sympathized with Native Americans and felt that Ahwatukee would face serious issues as the projected traffic rivaled I-17’s.

Then he said that perhaps the highway could have benefit if designed properly. In that moment, the “dead body” guarantee was gone, and so was our community. Stanton’s backbone became a noodle. I even refer to him publicly as “Mayor Noodle.”

After his election, Mayor Noodle barely set foot in Ahwatukee again. He has never attended one of the five annual community meetings our HOA invited him to. He accepted once, but then had

to cancel. He declined future calls. I have never seen him at an ADOT meeting in our community. He and his team have avoided and ignored us. Apparently, his zeal for Phoenix to become a sanctuary city leaves no room for the mundane concerns of Ahwatukee. Stanton even had the opportunity to influence the design of the highway. As mayor, he had the clout in MAG, which required the city’s participation to get the highway done.

He never made a public effort to change the course of the highway or even tried to influence a less offensive design.

Thanks, Mayor Noodle.

Today, as he prepares for some future statewide office, he touts the benefit of one community and ignores the damage committed on the other. He has betrayed Ahwatukee and sold our quality of life for his political gain.

-Michael Hinz is a member of the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee and the board of the Club West Homeowner Association

Motorists could one day be nabbed through the ‘textalyzer’

BY OLIVIA ELDRIDGE AFN Guest Writer

The “textalyzer” is currently being tested other states in the country such as Tennessee and is making its way through other state legislatures.

If passed, this new tool would allow law enforcement officers to plug in to a phone (without a warrant) and do a scan of its recent text history to see if the phone’s owner was texting while driving.

Texting and driving is currently illegal in many cities but can be very difficult to prove.

Some argue that this tool is not needed and could be considered a violation of privacy.

However, many are in favor of this tool because the statistics don’t lie. Eleven teens die every day as a result of texting while driving.

According to a AAA poll, 94 percent of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35 percent admitted to doing it anyway. And 21 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their cell phones, according to EdgarSynder. com.

Unfortunately, all too often our clients are victims of drivers who were texting and driving.

This often results in serious injuries, permanent disabilities and even death. To prove, without a doubt, that the driver who caused the accident was in fact texting and driving would make a world of difference in many accident cases that we handle.

The “textalyzer” could have the same

affect as a breathalyzer with the ability to prove activity on your phone instead of alcohol on your breath. There may be a long road ahead if and when the “textalyzer” is passed in Arizona so for those of you who are still texting and driving, now is the time to reconsider your driving habits.

– David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@leibowitzsolo. com.

-Olivia Eldridge is marketing director for the Husband & Wife Law Team in Ahwatukee. Reach her at 480-307-8879.

(Special to AFN)

Police may soon be using a "textalyzer" to determine whether motorists involved in accidents were texting while driving.

A wartime injury inspired me to give back

In 2008, I was serving as a hospital corpsman in Helmand Province, Afghanistan when my unit came under attack. As I rushed to help an injured Marine, I stepped on an IED. And in that split second, my life changed. My left foot was amputated at a military hospital in Afghanistan before I was flown to Germany and ultimately to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

While I received medical care, my family lived nearly a thousand miles away and the airline flights quickly piled up. I was lucky. A local church raised more than $25,000 for what they called “Wings for Anthony” to make sure my parents could be by my side while I underwent more than 30 surgeries and two and a half years of intense physical therapy.

My family was there with me as I grew

stronger, stood up on my own, and eventually walked out of the hospital on my new prosthetic leg.

That experience taught me that for injured veterans, recovering from the trauma of war requires a lot more than surgeries, doctor’s appointments, and physical therapy.

It also means reconnecting with the family members who can help us heal. And it inspired me to help other veterans that were struggling to navigate their own recovery.

Less than three years after that terrible day in Afghanistan, I founded Wings for Warriors, an Arizona-based nonprofit to help families to be at their loved ones’ sides, as well as to support healthcare benefits and financial counseling.

The need was clear. And I brought the passion and the energy for helping veterans. But it turned out that wasn’t enough. We needed some help to connect with veterans and families, find funders, and build partnerships with hospitals

and communities.

Government downsizing and budget cuts are nothing new. Successful nonprofits innovate so they can do more with less. The internet is helping us do that.

That’s why we’ve been so happy to work with companies like Google, which gave us an advertising grant to help put our organization on the map. Internet advertising may not sound like much, but it has enabled us to reach millions of people across the country and connect with donors, sponsors and volunteers.

A high school senior nearly 2,500 miles away from Arizona raised $3,700 for our organization, and her school has decided to continue her work. She first found and researched our organization through a simple online search.

Google provided nearly $2.9 billion in economic activity for local businesses, publishers and nonprofits. Tens of thousands of Arizona businesses and nonprofits depend on the internet to find

customers or volunteers and collaborate with partners.

As I struggled through my own long recovery, I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to helping hand to those who have sacrificed so much for our nation. To date, we have served more than 2,500 wounded warriors and 300 military families.

The secret to our success at Wings for Warriors has been the incredible staff, volunteers, veterans and families that we get to work with every day. But the secret to finding and funding all these efforts has been getting online.

When I talk to entrepreneurs, activists, and students across Arizona about what it takes to succeed I tell them the same thing. It’s time for our businesses, nonprofit organizations, and schools in Arizona to get online and connect to the world. In today’s digital world we simply can’t afford to wait.

Information: wingsforwarriors.org.

-Anthony Ameen

www.ahwatukee.com

Chamber guests 'experience the fabulous' at first fashion show

PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY CARRILLO AFN Staff Photographer

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce last week held its first Spa, Sips amd Style... Experience Fabulous fashion show at Foothills Golf Club, featuring vendors, raffle items and some designer clothing. In the top row below, from left: Seila Whal, Kris Price and Julie Mietin pause for a photo; Leslie Sprinz touts a bargain she found among one of the designers' offerings; and Shannon Para and Tara Whitt enjoy some female bonding. In the bottom row from left: Lara Bruner tries out a rowing machine under the direction of an unidentified instructor from Orange Theory Fitness; and Olivia Kruse and her mother Karen Kruse stand next to Chamber Ambaassador Tracy Jones of Amtrust Bank take a spin on a prize wheel. The event is part of the Chamber's Women in Business Committee, which is in the process of expanding its programs and activities. To join, contact events@ahwatukeechamber.com or 480-753-7676.

Photographer wants to help businesses put best face forward

BY PAUL MARYNIAK

AFN Executive Editor

Amy Aranyosi has built her profession around the belief that even on the internet, first impressions matter for a business owner.

The Ahwatukee woman owns Golden Light Photography, which focuses on commercial photography for websites –mainly for women-run businesses.

Although she also does individual and family portraits as well as some pet photography, Aranyosi wants those owners to “understand why they should invest in professional photography and delegate it out to me.”

“They often don’t realize their website photos are the main, if not only, first impression of their business or of themselves,” the mother of four explained. “If the photo is not done thoughtfully and with great care, they may not come across as approachable or professional. To accomplish that, it often takes an objective perspective that I can offer.”

A Virginia native who lived in Boston and Chicago before moving to Ahwatukee with her husband, Joe, about 18 months ago, Aranyosi brings an artist’s sensibility

to her business. She described herself as “an artist that encourages and brings joy to people in

any way I can” and is frequently seen at Be an Artist studio on the southeast corner of 40th Street and Chandler Boulevard working with owner Sandra Marshall.

Enamored of photography since she was a little girl, Aranyosi went professional about 15 years ago. She recalled the logistical challenges she encountered as a wedding photographer in Illinois.

“I lived in the suburbs and the weddings were often in the city,” she recalled. “I’d take a cab and try to fit as much equipment in a small bag on my back as I could while I was pregnant with my fourth child.”

She had initially contemplated a career as a writer, but motherhood changed her mind.

“I thought I’d pursue a writing career, but my oldest has Aspergers and when he was a baby, it was very difficult to make the time to write as the challenges with him were significantly life-changing,” she

Sad task of dismantling an Ahwatukee landmark business begins

AFN NEWS STAFF

Plaza Hardware has begun phasing out into Ahwatukee’s history.

The store, in Mountainside Plaza on the southeast corner of Chandler Boulevard and 40th Street, has been a pioneer in the local business community, established in 1981 before Ahwatukee reached past Elliot Road.

But it will be around for only a few more weeks as it closes in the wake of owner and founder Leonard Branstetter’s death. Branstetter died in February at age 90 after a long illness.

Before he got sick, he had talked about selling the store this year and finally retiring. Now, his widow Karilyn and his children are faced with the sad task of closing out the store as the end of its lease comes May 31.

Signs announcing deep discounts on everything from tools to pool supplies have been posted throughout the store and new signs with deeper discounts were going up this week.

Christ McCartey, who co-owns an Ahwatukee company called Power Retailing, said he was marking most of the items’ prices down by at least 50 percent.

“We have to be out by the end of May,” said McCartey, whose company helps businesses

close down.

Originally, the Branstetters opened a hardware and pool supply store on Elliot Road in 1981.

In an interview last year, Leonard Branstetter boasted how the store became a Saturday meeting place for many Ahwatukee residents who had previously had to go to a Kmart store for their supplies.”

Even in his late 80s, he continued to service longtime customers’ pools and estimated that he had installed 5,000 pool pump motors since 1981.

Despite his age, he also came to work every day, recalling how he was determined from the start to make the store the place to find nuts and bolts, tools and plumbing hardware, pool service and supplies, and anything else do-it-yourself homeowners might need.

“I like to work. I’ve never minded it, and I’ve worked since I was 18,” he said last year.

When he opened Plaza Hardware, he previously had built and remodeled pools in Scottsdale. He saw no reason to stop pool service with the new endeavor. So he and as many as four other employees drove to Scottsdale daily to continue to service those pools.

An Iowa native who arrived in Arizona in

1965 after running a family feed and grain business, he had decided last year to close the store in 2017 because of changes in the market.

Hardware is not in as much demand today from independent stores like theirs, he said, because many handymen are taking care of the repairs that homeowners used to perform themselves. Some of the handymen tend to get their supplies from retail chains.

The Branstetters employed only one pool repair and service person and about six parttime store clerks. Their staff includes retirees

with engineering, law enforcement and other skilled backgrounds.

What hadn’t changed with time was his business philosophy: “Treat customers as I’d like to be treated. Make a profit, but treat the other guy so he can live with it.”

Numerous Ahwatukee residents mourned Branstetter’s passing earlier this year, posting on Facebook and other social media emotional tributes to his knowledge and his friendliness.

“Ahwatukee grew up around them,” said airline pilot Scott Williamson. “It’s like Americana, the way it used to be.”

(Photos by Amy Aranyosi)

Adam and Kinana Halik posed for photographer Amy Aranyosi with their three sons as the family prepared for next month's opening of their new Ahwatukee restaurant, Early Baker.

See Photographer on page 39

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer) The signs say it all as Plaza Hardware nears the end of the line.

CAFE

Revelation Real Estate grows business in region

BY MICHAEL BUTLER AFN Contributor

If you’re at a party or event with Chuck and Angela Fazio – and you will be if you’re any way involved with real estate in the East Valley – you’ll hear a whisper from a gossip.

“He was in the mob, you know.”

Even though that’s a long-closed chapter, he doesn’t sidestep it. “I wasn’t in the mob. I worked for the mob,” he said. “I ran night clubs. I did some bodyguard work, odds and ends.”

Seeking a better way in 1998, he moved to Arizona. The only thing he retains from the old life is the New Yorker’s way of thinking and moving with purpose and speed.

“My mind is still wired that way,” he said. He struggled in real estate. A big plus went in the personal column when he met Angela, but they continued to grind their gears on the business side.

“We we’re broke. We almost got out of the business,” he said. “We prayed over it, and God made it clear. We never looked back.”

From broke in 2001, the Fazios closed $11.5 million in 2002. After several years of

Even the Great Recession couldn’t slow them down. Sales increased year over year. New agents continued to join the fold.

Those future deals will be made in a sleek new office building the Fazios are calling the Forum, which will be ready in a few weeks.

increasing sales, the Fazios opened their own office in South Chandler in 2005 – Revelation Real Estate, affiliated with West USA.

That year, the Fazios alone closed on $40 million; their growing team of brokers closed on $49 million.

“It was nothing short of miraculous,” Chuck said.

Revelation, which went independent last year, has been the top-producing brokerage in the East Valley for the past six years. Angela said more than 100 agents have joined the team so far this year, swelling the ranks to 585. Three of the six Fazio children work for the firm.

Last year, Revelation almost hit $1 billion. The Fazios are shooting for $2 billion.

At 2301 S. Stearman Drive, near Germann and Gilbert roads, the Forum will house the necessary executive offices and working spaces, of course. But it will also feature a cafe, a 7,000-square-foot patio and a lounge that will rival the best sports bars in the East Valley.

See Revelation on page 39

(Photo special to AFN)

Chuck and Angela Fazio hit a rough spot with their business, but then, “We prayed over it, and God made it clear. We never looked back.”

(LGE Design Build/Special to AFN)

Revelation Realty's new headquarters in Chandler, The Forum, will feature a cafe, a 7,000-square-foot patio and a lounge.

The restaurant, bar and patio will be open to the public and can be rented for special events.

Angela said new Revelation agents often remark that they didn’t know the business could be like this. You can imagine how they’ll feel meeting with a new client or another agent at the Forum, or ducking into one of its sound-proof cubicles to take a call.

Revelation enjoys so much business now that it has its own private listing service. Sellers and buyers often connect without a home ever having to go on the MLS.

“We’re different,” Chuck said. “We’re centered on relationships. It’s family. It’s life.”

The Fazios never force their faith on anyone and give their agents the continuing education and systems they need to succeed.

Angela said it’s not all about production, either. If an agent wants to do six sales per year, that’s fine as long as he or she has the right attitude. Whiners and victims won’t make it.

“It’s a tough business,” she said. “You have to have your mind straight to be successful and enjoy it.”

Industry veteran Heidi Zebro, business development manager at On Q Financial, said she marvels at the Fazios’ accomplishments and their “passion and fearless vision. These are two leaders to watch.”

explained, adding:

“I found that I could still tell stories through photography in powerful ways. As he grew up and the challenges lessened, I decided to continue creating powerful images to help others see joy in who they are and the business they own.”

She named her business partly on the basis of the philosophy that helps guide her technique: “As a photographer, I seek the golden light in the morning and evening that reflects the mood of my photography.”

She also knows what she wants that approach to accomplish – “to help build strong Tukee businesses and community through my photography by helping clients better represent themselves and their businesses on their websites.”

And she has embraced her community.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, May 11, her business is working with another Ahwatukee business, Metro Image Consulting, to present a fashion show

(Photos by Amy Aranyosi) Ahwatukee photographer Amy Aranyosi says it's important for businesses to have

A mother’s pursuit of contentment should include God

BY DIANE MARKINS AFN Guest Writer

Contentment can be an elusive state, but even more so for moms. Mother’s Day is every day, and it isn’t always happy.

For as long as I can remember, I have preached to loved ones that contentment can’t be dependent upon circumstances, possessions or relationships. It is something we establish in our minds and spirits.

This sounds a little trite and maybe even kind of pious, but I believed it then and I believe it now. The problem is, a few years ago I came to realize that, while I fully apply that principle to my life, I still struggle with contentment as a mom. And my kids are fully grown adults! Sigh.

I don’t long for a fancier car, a bigger house, a different job or a better husband. I have every earthy thing I could ever want, and I think I show that.

So, by Merriam-Webster’s definition, I am content. It says, “Feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status or situation.”

My lack of contentment is found in the definition in Easton’s Online Bible Dictionary:

“A state of mind in which one’s desires are confined to his lot, whatever it may be” (1 Timothy 6:6; 2 Corinthians 9:8).

“It is opposed to envy” (James 3:16), “avarice” (Hebrews 13:5), “ambition” (Proverbs 13:10), “anxiety” (Matthew 6:25, 34), and “repining” (1 Corinthians 10:10).

“It arises from the inward disposition, and is the offspring of humility, and of an intelligent consideration of the rectitude and benignity of divine providence” (Psalm 96:1, 2; 145), “the greatness of the divine promises” (2 Peter 1:4), “and our own unworthiness” (Genesis 32:10); “as well as from the view the gospel opens up to us of rest and peace hereafter” (Romans 5:2).

I’m fine except for that one part about contentment being “opposed to anxiety.”

In most areas of my life I’m at peace, but I allow anxiety to penetrate my peaceful existence as it concerns my children.

I trust God with their futures, prosperity, relationships, health and

especially their eternal life. The problem is I still feel what they are feeling. Mothers will always be connected to their children emotionally.

If you didn’t think I was nutty before, now you must really think I’m a wacko. When one of my kids is having a bad day, I’m right there with them experiencing the fear, pain, rejection, grief, anger or longing as though it belongs to me.

Their emotions are my emotions. It’s as if my participation in their struggle will spread the pain or challenge around, making it easier for them to bear. Since I’ve realized this about myself, and even as I put it in writing, I see how ridiculous it is.

But I know a lot of you are reading this and nodding your heads. Moms get it. If parents are going to please God by our contentedness, we need to let our kids go through their “stuff” without us tagging along for the emotional ride. We can offer compassion and guidance, when asked, without feeling the weight of the problem on our shoulders.

I think our kids want us to listen and care deeply but I don’t think it helps them to know our peace is stripped away

when they share a problem with us. I also believe that if we walk through life in peace and contentment, we model that behavior for our kids and others. Even in the midst of their worst circumstances we are a calm port in the storm, not participating in the frenzy of their emotional turmoil.

There is an old expression that goes, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” I think it could also be said that “if Mama ain’t content, ain’t nobody content.” I’m going to increase my efforts toward contentment, even when one of my kids isn’t.

If you’re still fortunate enough to have a mom living on earth (mine’s in heaven), thank her for all she’s contributed to your life, especially the unimaginable amount of emotional investment. If you’re a mom, release your kids to God’s care, especially this Sunday. You deserve that grace and peace.

Happy Mother’s Day. -An Arizona native and Ahwatukee resident, Diane divides her time between family, platform speaking, radio, business, and writing.

SATURDAY, MAY 20

PACKING PARTY FOR KIDS SET

The Operation Christmas Child South Mountain Team will is planning a packing party to get a jumpstart on filling gift-wrapped shoeboxes with presents for poor children around the world at Christmas. The party will focus on packing gift items for boys ages 10-14. The team, which includes volunteers from Ahwatukee, welcomes newcomers and they can sign up on signupgenius.com and search for “spring packing party.”

DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m. Mountain View Lutheran, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee.

TUESDAY, MAY 23

MEET THE AUTHOR

Kay West, who with her husband John left Ahwatukee to be missionaries in southern Africa for almost seven years will discuss and sign copies of her first book, “Refiner’s Fire,” which is based on their experiences. Purchase proceeds help Swaziserve Missions.

DETAILS>> 7 p.m. May 23, Bridgeway Community Church, 2420 E. Liberty Lane, Ahwatukee. Information: createspace.com/6649422.

SUNDAYS

BIBLE EXPLORED

This biblical scripture study embraces a spirit-filled, intellectually honest, and understandable exploration of God’s Word. Lessons will combine Christian and Jewish theology along with Bible history, archaeology and linguistics for a rich learning experience.

DETAILS>> 9:15 a.m. Mountain View Lutheran Church. 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. 480-893-2579, mvlutheran.org.

HORIZON SEEKS YOUNG PEOPLE

High school and middle school students meet to worship and do life together.

DETAILS>> 5 p.m. at Horizon Presbyterian Church, 1401 E. Liberty Lane. 480-460-1480 or email joel@horizonchurch.com.

KIDS CAN LEARN JEWISH LIFE

Children can learn and experience Jewish life. Chabad Hebrew School focuses on Jewish heritage, culture and holidays.

DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m. to noon, for children ages 5-13 at Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.

SUNDAY CELEBRATION SERVICE

Inspirational messages and music to lift your spirit. A welcoming community committed to living from the heart. Many classes and events offered. We welcome you!

DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-7921800, unityoftempe.com.

MONDAYS

JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA

This Flow 1-2 class (intermediate) is free and open to the community.

DETAILS>> 6-7 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-759-6200 or gbattle@moutainpark.org.

CLASS TARGETS THE GRIEVING

Classes for those grieving over death or divorce.

DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. 480-963-4127.

TUESDAYS

GRIEFSHARE

Mountain Park Community Church is offering an ongoing GriefShare programs to help people deal with the pain of losing a loved one.

DETAILS>> 6:30-8 p.m., 2408 E. Pecos Road, Ahwatukee. To register: mountainpark.org and click on Launch. Information: Alex at 480-759-6200

FINDING HEALING FOR PAIN

HOPE, an acronym for “Help Overcome Painful Experiences,” offers support for men and women who seek God’s grace and healing.

DETAILS>> 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. mountainpark.org.

SENIORS ENJOY ‘TERRIFIC TUESDAYS’ The program is free and includes bagels and coffee and a different speaker or theme each week. Registration not needed.

DETAILS>> 10-11 a.m., Barness Family East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler.

CALENDAR

evjcc.org or 480-897-0588.

WEDNESDAYS

CHIMING CHERUBS

For younger kids, grades 2 and 3, who love music and want to learn to ring the handbells.

DETAILS>> 5:45 p.m. Mountain View Lutheran Church. 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. 480-893-2579. mvlutheran.org.

CELEBRATE RECOVERY

Celebrate Recovery is a Biblical 12-step program that helps you find hope and healing from all of life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups.

DETAILS>> 6:20 p.m. Mountain View Lutheran Church. 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. 480-893-2579. mvlutheran.org.

DIVORCE CARE

DivorceCare is a friendly, caring group that will walk alongside you and provide support through divorce or separation.

DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m. Mountain View Lutheran Church. 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. 480-893-2579. mvlutheran.org.

SANCTUARY CHOIR

This choir sings regularly at the 9:15 a.m. worship services and is a part of the Cantata Choir that presents around Christmas and Easter.

DETAILS>> 6:45 p.m. Mountain View Lutheran Church. 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. 480-893-2579. mvlutheran.org.

CELEBRATE RECOVERY

MEETS

Celebrate Recovery says it “brings your relationship with the Lord closer to your heart as it heals your hurts, habits and hang-ups.” Participants can discuss issues ranging from feeling left out to addictions. “Nothing is too small or too large.”

DETAILS>> 6:20 p.m. at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. mvlutheran.org/ celebraterecovery or email cr@alphamvlc.com.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY OFFERED

Living Word Ahwatukee women’s Bible study and fellowship that offers “a short, low-key time of praise and worship in music and message.” It’s also an opportunity to meet other Christian women in Ahwatukee.

DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m., Living Word Ahwatukee, 14647 W. 50th St., Suite 165, Ahwatukee. Free child care.

THURSDAYS

SLEEPING BAGS FOR THE HOMELESS

Ugly Quilts has made more than 15,500 sleeping bags for the area homeless, and continues to do so at First United Methodist Church every Thursday. Quilters stitch donated fabric, comforters, sheets and blankets into sleeping bags. Those are then distributed to the Salvation Army, churches and veterans’ organizations.

DETAILS>> 8 a.m.-2 p.m., 15 E. 1st Ave., Mesa. Information: 480-969-5577.

KIDS CAN FIND SUPPORT

Support group for children ages 6 to 12 coping with a separation or divorce in the family. One-time $10 fee includes snacks and workbook.

DETAILS>> 6:30-8:30 p.m., 1825 S. Alma School Road, Room C202, Chandler. Pastor Larry Daily, 480-963-3997, ext. 141, larrydaily@chandlercc.org or chandlercc.org.

FRIDAYS

NEFESHSOUL HOLDS SERVICES

Congregation NefeshSoul holds Shabbat services the second Friday of every month on the campus of the Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

DETAILS>> 6:15 p.m., 6400 W. Del Rio St., Chandler.

Information: nefeshsoul.org.

TOTS TAUGHT TORAH

Hosted by Chabad of the East Valley for children ages 2 to 5. Features hands-on activities about the Shabbat, songs, stories and crafts. Children will make and braid their own challah.

DETAILS>> 10:15-11 a.m., members’ homes. 480-785-5831.

SATURDAYS

JEWISH STUDY OFFERED

Congregation NefeshSoul Jewish study for adults is held weekly.

DETAILS>> 8:45-9:45am, 6400 W. Del Rio St., Chandler, in the sanctuary.

Information: nefeshsoul.org or rabbi@nefeshsoul.org

WEEKLY SERVICES SCHEDULED

International, nondenominational church offers weekly

Sabbath services. Congregational meeting in the morning and Bible study in the afternoon.

DETAILS>> 10:30 a.m.-noon; 1:30-2:45 p.m. at True Jesus Church, 2640 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. 480-899-1488 or tjcphoenix@tjc.org.

JEWISH KIDS PROGRAM AVAILABLE

Shabbat Yeladim is a free Shabbat program for Jewish children ages 3-7 sponsored by Ahwatukee’s NefeshSoul Jewish Community. Shabbat Yeladim is on the second Saturday of the month. Songs, stories and art project each month.

DETAILS>> 10-11 a.m. on the Valley Unitarian Universalist Campus, 6400 W. Del Rio, Chandler. Contact Rabbi Susan Schanerman at rabbi@nefeshsoul.org or nefeshsoul.org.

Out

These Mother’s Day offerings will make mom feel special

BY GETOUT STAFF

We hope you don’t need a special day to tell your mom that you appreciate her. Still, Mother’s Day, which this year falls on May 14, is always a good time to step up your game. Here are some events in the East Valley that might make a good starting place for fun Mother’s Day festivities.

On Saturday, May 13, the i.d.e.a. Museum hosts the Multi-generational Mother’s Day Tea Party.

Mothers and grandmothers will enjoy cucumber sandwiches and tea, while kids can decorate a special Mother’s Day mug. The tea party costs $15. Register at ideamuseum.org/ classes.html.

For moms with a sweet tooth, the Smitholator Cookie Shop in Mesa hosts a cookie decorating workshop on May 13. Kids can decorate three cookies for Mom, and get a complimentary gift box to put them in. The event costs $10. Learn more at facebook. com/SmithOLator or call 480-969-5816.

If your mom enjoys the outdoors or fresh fruit, take her to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek for the annual Peach Festival. Starting Friday, May 12, you can pick ripe peaches, enjoy homemade peach products, take a trip through the orchards and plenty more.

For the first weekend, there will even be a vintage market to explore. Admission is $5, but kids 12 and under are free. Learn more at

‘Anarchy’ son exchanges cycle for sword in new film

During an interview about his forthcoming film King Arth ur: Legend of the Sword, actor Charlie Hunnam turns the (round) table on an interviewer.

Who would win in a fight? The valiant King Arthur with his magical Excalibur? Or the gun-running Jackson “Jax” Teller on Sons of Anarchy?

First, the similarities, of which Hunnam feels are aplenty.

“First and foremost, they look pretty similar. ... Sorry, that was a terrible joke,” Hunnam said with a laugh.

“Seriously, they’re both ordinary men called to do extraordinary things. There are no great men. Just ordinary men called to greatness through circumstance. That’s a narrative I’m drawn to over and over again.”

Both of them were in situations dictated by their birthright.

“There are these really lofty destinies, neither of which they chose for themselves. Both wanted to deny them,” Hunnam said.

“Denying one’s destiny is not that simple. I didn’t intend for there to be that many

schnepffarms.com.

Sticking around the Queen Creek area, Queen Creek Olive Mill hosts its annual

Mother’s Day brunch on May 14. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., enjoy brunch, take a tour of the Olive groves, enjoy complimentary wine tastings, eat chocolate-covered strawberries and listen to live music.

Flower arrangements will be available to purchase as well. Entry to the event is free. Learn more at queencreekolivemill.com.

For Mother’s Day that offers a Western flair, consider Rawhide Western Town’s Mother’s Day Buffet. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 14, the steakhouse will serve everything from barbecued meats to yummy breakfast food.

The buffet costs $23.95 for adults and $9.95 for kids 4-12. You can make reservations at 480-502-5600 or email reso@rawhide.com. Even if you already ate, Rawhide itself will be free to wander for the day.

An unexpected Mother’s Day option comes courtesy of Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa. Its Mother’s Day Musical Lunch takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy an all-you-caneat pizza buffet and salad bar backed by a concert on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Beer, wine and ice cream are also available. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $10 for kids. You will need to purchase them online at organstoppizza.com/news.

(Special to AFN)

Rawhide will host a sumptuous buffet on Mother’s Day and let you wander around all day.

CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GETOUT Contributor

(Special to AFN)

Actor Charlie Hunnam goes from biker outlaw to hero knight in a new King Arthur movie.

similarities.

“I played Jax for seven years and I just finished Sons of Anarchy when I went into this movie. There was inevitably going to be a bit of a hangover from one character to another.”

Hunnam stars as King Arthur in the Guy Ritchie-directed flick due in theaters Friday, May 12.

When the child Arthur’s father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur’s uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city.

But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy, whether he likes it or not.

Hunnam said that Ritchie taught him how to have fun at work.

“I tend to be pretty serious about the work I do,” he said. “I go in with a lot of preparation, quietly executing my game plan. Guy said that’s all well and good, but I don’t know what we’ll be shooting. You should be prepared to be a little lighter on your feet.

“We want this to be really fun. Then, when Guy was in the editing room, if we were having fun, the material he gets will

be fun. That was a really liberating, new approach for me to filmmaking.”

Hunnam called King Arthur a kind of “everyman,” a story for all people.

“Arthur is historically rendered as this very noble man, who goes on this noble quest to become the noble king,” he said.

“It’s quite elitist in that rendering. What we wanted to do was make Arthur an ‘every man.’ The most exciting thing about this film is that it’s a universal language. People from all parts of the world and all cultures can take something from this. Ultimately, it’s about how do we become the best version of ourselves?”

Doing so evokes fear because everyone endures failure and difficult circumstances, Hunnam added.

“It’s a lovely story,” he said. “The people I’m most excited about seeing this film is the younger generation. It seems to me that, in the kids of today, there is a lot of disillusionment in the world.”

More importantly, Hunnam said he believes that Teller and King Arthur would be “pals in real life.”

“They seem like similar souls, those two guys,” he said. “I think that’s all right. I like them both. I’d like to go out for a beer with both of them. As for the fight? King Arthur has the magical sword, which is lovely for him. But Jax is a gun runner. I’ll have to go with Jax on that one.”

his many characters resonates with them. That is exciting to Lowe, who made his mark early in his career as Sodapop Curtis in “The Outsiders.”

“As my ‘Parks and Recreation’ character, Chris Traeger, would say, I see fans ‘literally’ of any age,” he said. “She could be an 8-year-old who saw ‘Monster Trucks’ in the theater, or an 80-year-old who loves ‘The West Wing.’ I never know what project anyone is going to want to talk about.

“I really am proud of that. There are plenty of (entertainers) who have one or two big ones. I have such a diverse body of work. That’s the fun of the evening, too. When I open it up to questions, it’s always an adventure.”

That sounds nerve-wracking, but he said that’s the “fun of it.”

“What keeps anybody relevant and sharp is continuing to put yourself in situations out of your comfort zone,” he said. “The adrenaline is pumping. Anything that’s done over and over can be routine.

“This is one of the areas that I have not had any experience in. I have tons of experience on the stage, but this one-man show genre is really new to me. It’s a fun challenge that I always wanted.”

IF YOU GO

Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa

When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 12 Cost: $30-$165 Info: 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com

Ahwatukee!

LOWE

Actor Rob Lowe will debut his one-man show at Mesa Arts Center.

Chandler Children’s Choir founder looks beyond the East Valley

BY JUSTIN FERRIS GetOut Editor

For Aimee Stewart, founder of the Chandler Children’s Choir, music has always been a major part of her life.

“I come from a very musical family and a lot of solo performers,” the Chandler resident says.

Growing up, she studied both violin and voice. In addition to solo work, she also sang in a number of choirs around the country, including the Phoenix Symphony Chorus.

She’s such a fan of choirs, in fact, that when people approached her about private voice lessons for their kids, she would suggest they join a local children’s choir. After moving to Chandler 10 years ago, however, that advice fell through.

“People said, ‘There isn’t one nearby,’” she recalls. “But then they would ask, ‘Why don’t you start one?’”

So, in 2008, with just 27 singers, Stewart and her husband founded the Chandler Children’s Choir.

“I love teaching groups and love teaching children. And I love choral music, too,” she says. “Directing a children’s choir was a combination of all the passions I had.”

Nine years later, the Chandler Children’s Choir boasts more than 140 auditioned singers ranging in age from 7 to 18. Participants come from Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Ahwatukee, Tempe, and a few as far away as Maricopa and Phoenix.

That number also includes three of Stewart’s four children, all of whom –unsurprisingly – sing and play instruments. This is actually the first concert for her youngest, and she admits he has a little stage fright. Asked what her kids think of being in a choir conducted by their mom, she responds jokingly, “I think they’re proud their mom is the one in charge bossing everyone around.”

The choir performs four major concerts during its August-May season, as well as special events, festivals, honor choirs and

other opportunities. There are also regular tours around the state and country.

The choir’s final concert of its ninth season takes place at Chandler Center for the Arts on Saturday, May 13. The theme is “Fields of Gold” and focuses heavily on Americana, spirituals and spring. Expect to hear familiar works like “Simple Gifts,”

“America the Beautiful,” “Here Comes the Sun,” and “Homeland,” along with lesserknown works like “Stand Upon the Rock,” and the titular “Fields of Gold.”

Accompanying the choir on several pieces – and performing a few solo works – will be classical guitarist Erik Sloyka.

“It doesn’t get more Americana than an acoustic guitar,” Stewart observes.

“I think it’s really going to be a beautiful concert and something different,” she says.

“I think it’s going to lower [the audience’s]

blood pressure and give them a relaxing night of music.”

After the concert, Stewart’s plate only gets fuller. In addition to planning the choir’s milestone 10th season, she was recently elected president of the Arizona chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association. According to its website, the ACDA represents more than 1 million singers across the country.

Stewart’s goal as president will be to “grow our successful programs, support and expand our membership, and reach out to underserved areas.” In that mission, she feels like Arizona is a good place to be.

“People take their choral arts seriously here,” she says, “and I love it!”

IF YOU GO

Where: Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler

When: 7 p.m., Saturday, May 13

Cost: $18

Info: 480-782-2680, chandlercenter.org, chandlerchildrenschoir.org

(Special to AFN)

Founder Aimee Stewart conducts the Chandler Children’s Choir in their winter concert.

Balanchine, rock ’n’ roll among weekend offerings

BY JUSTIN FERRIS GETOUT EDITOR

Gilbert concert series

Every other Thursday, show up at the Gilbert Water Tower for a free evening concert. On May 11, the band will be The Rhythm Edition

including “Western Symphony,” “Square Dance” and the athletic “Agon.”

DETAILS>> Times vary, Wednesday-Sunday, May 11-14. Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second Street, Phoenix. Tickets: $25-$159. 602-381-1096. balletaz.org.

DETAILS>> Times vary, May 12-May 21. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Tickets: $12$26. 480-350-2822. childsplayaz.org/ wonderland.

Peach Festival

dozens of local vendors selling handmade goods. Kids can take advantage of the SanTan Village Kids Play Area.

DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, May 13. SanTan Village, 2218 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert. Cost: Free. thepaisleypumpkin.com.

Science before Saturday

6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, May 11. Gilbert Water Tower Plaza, 45 West Page Ave., Gilbert. Cost: Free. gilbertaz.gov,

When lovable hillbilly Will Stockdale gets drafted into the Army Air Corps (the precursor to the Air Force), he sets his sights instead on serving in the infantry. His journey turns the

May 13. Hale Centre Theatre, 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert. Tickets: $18-$30. 480-497-1181.

Ballet Arizona celebrates the “Father of American Ballet,” George Balanchine, through a performance devoted entirely to his works,

Explore the art and science of animation and stop-motion movies. Meet local artists and animators and participate in hands-on activities.

DETAILS>> 5:30-8 p.m., Friday, May 12.

Arizona Museum of Natural History, 53 N. Macdonald, Mesa. Tickets: $9 adult, $5 ages 3-12. 480-644-2230. arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org.

Dog Daze

Bring your dog out for a fun-filled evening in downtown Mesa. Enter contests, hear live music, compete for prizes and plenty more.

DETAILS>> 6-10 p.m., Friday, May 12. Main Street between Center and Country Club, Mesa. Cost: Free. 2ndfridaynightout.com.

‘Rock & Roll Adventure’

Join Alice as she meets odd characters and explores the unusual world of Wonderland to an upbeat rock soundtrack. For ages 6 and up.

Pick fresh peaches, enjoy homemade peach products and food – including a peach pancake breakfast – and drop by the “Just Peachy” vintage market. There will also be live music, rides, games and more.

DETAILS>> 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday-Sunday, May 12-14. Schnepf Farms, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. Tickets: $5 adults, Free for ages 12 and under. schnepffarms.com.

Music of John Williams

Hear live renditions of the music that defined a generation of movie soundtracks, including excerpts from “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “Jaws,” “Schindler’s List,” “E.T.,” “Harry Potter” and more.

DETAILS>> Times vary, Friday-Sunday, May 12-14. Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams St., Phoenix. Tickets: $45-$90. phoenixsymphony.org.

Pumpkin Street Fair

Stroll around SanTan Village and browse

The World Is Ours

Join the Phoenix Children’s Chorus as they sing music from around the world, including “What a Wonderful World,” “Fa Shu Ha” from Taiwan, “Canto de Pilon” from Venezuela and much more.

DETAILS>> 7 p.m., Saturday, May 13. Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main St., Mesa. Tickets: $11-$20. 480-644-6500. mesaartscenter. com.

Rock, Roll & Remember

Travel to the past as the Tempe Community Chorus presents a tribute performance to Dick Clark and American Bandstand. Rock out to classics like “Blue Moon” and “I’m a Believer.”

DETAILS>> 4 p.m., Sunday, May 14. Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main St., Mesa. Tickets: $15 adult, Free ages 11 and under. 480-6446500. mesaartscenter.com.w

New India Gate serves spicy delights in Chandler

BY KENNETH LAFAVE GETOUT Contributor

India Gate was a popular destination for Chandler’s fans of curries, naan and paneer until it closed six years ago. The familyrun operation, now dubbed New India Gate, reopened on the southeast corner of Ray and Rural roads. Based on a recent visit, the new restaurant holds high the reputation of its earlier iteration.

Indian cuisine is long on infusing its meats, grains and vegetables with the flavors of spices and herbs. Other food styles may top everything with sauces, but a good curry or korma is about the flavors integrating into the chicken, lamb, beef or fish. New India Gate does an especially good job of this, even in the breads. For instance, the garlic naan ($2.25) is mildly garlicky in every bite.

I began my meal with a glass of mango lassi ($2.99), which is like drinking liquefied mango yogurt. I admit to an addiction to this sweet but never cloying concoction. My dinner mate opted for a Diet Coke, but I forgave her. (Alcohol is not yet served at New India Gate; licensing is in process.)

We then ordered an appetizer called “vegetable assorted snacks” ($6.99) that got us one samosa, two mixed vegetable pakora, two

onion bhaji and a pair of paneer pakora. Pakora are either vegetables or cheese (paneer) breaded with seasoned flour and deep-fried, and served with a cilantro dip and a savory red dip. Onion bhaji are nests of sliced and breaded onion, spiked with garlic and ginger and, again, deep-fried. As good as these are, the samosa – a pastry stuffed with potatoes and peas – will make you wish you’d order a plate full of just it.

We ordered saag paneer ($9.99) to share. The creamy spinach dish, flecked with cubes of Indian cheese, was the freshest I have ever tasted.

“The spinach is from our backyard,” said my waiter, one of four family members who cook for and run the establishment, and I didn’t know whether to take that literally or as a well-earned exaggeration.

Vindaloo is a spicy curry dish in which the meat, marinated in vinegar and ginger, is served in a sauce that marries the heat of chilepeppers to a sweet edge of cinnamon and/or sugar. The chicken vindaloo ($11.99) I ordered at New India Gate balanced all this well, and didn’t neglect to include plenty of cardamom along with turmeric and cumin.

The old India Gate was known for its goat curry ($12.99), so my dining mate chose to sample it. She loves lamb, but had never eaten goat before. As it turned out, goat reminded her of mutton, and was a bit gamey for her taste. I reassured her that because the spinach had come from the owners’ backyard we at least could be certain that the goat had not. Chicken, lamb and fish curries are also on the menu.

We closed our evening with pistachio kulfi ($3.99), an Indian ice cream a little closer to what we used to call “ice milk.” As with all of New India Gate’s foods, freshness and flavor-saturation were supreme.

New India Gate is at 4939 W. Ray Road in Chandler. Information: 480-427-4141, azindiagate.com.

New India Gate’s curries, paneer and other dishes are impressively fresh and filling.

Chimichurri sauce adds sizzle to steak

BY JAN D’ATRI AFN Contributor

Here in Arizona, many of us don’t let high temperatures stop us from cooking outdoors.

Still, this is absolutely the perfect time for backyard grilling, and I’ve got just the recipe for you! Steak with

chimichurri sauce combines a flavorful cut of meat with a blender full of fresh, bright Southwestern ingredients! So, go get your grill on and have a happy spring!

Watch how-to video for steak and chimichurri sauce here: jandatri.com/ recipes/one-minute-kitchen.

STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

For the steak:

3-4 lb. skirt steak, flank steak, hanger steak or beef flanken style short ribs 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper

Directions: Prepare chimichurri sauce and refrigerate. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes right before ready to serve. Oil and salt and pepper both sides of steak. In a hot skillet, grill or grill pan, sear steak on both sides and then cook until desired doneness.

Chimichurri sauce

(Makes about 1 1/2 cups) Ingredients:

1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley 1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor (except vinegar and oil) and pulse until roughly chopped. Add vinegar and oil and pulse until combined. Thin with a little water if necessary. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature. (Can be made one day ahead)

Mountain Pointe High salutes 21 athletes for accomplishments

AFN NEWS STAFF

Twenty-one Mountain Pointe High School athletes were among the students honored with awards for excellence on the field, in the classroom or both.

Three freshman males and two freshman females were among the 11 students earning Athlete of the Year awards while Chynna Simmons and Nathan Reinert won the Master Athlete of the Year awards.

The Master Athlete award is given to the senior boy and girl who have accumulated the most varsity letter awards in their high school careers.

Both Nathan and Chynna garnered seven.

Scholar athletes must have competed in two sports and had the highest grade point averages in their class. One boy and one girl from each class is selected.

The scholar athletes, their GPAs and their class rank are:

Freshmen: Zachary Cortez, 4.833, ranked 1; Leila Sajadea, 4.5, ranked 7; Sophomores: Kevin Fitzner, 4.444, ranked 19; Avery Luoma, 4.722, ranked 3; Juniors: Matthew Logan, 4.065, ranked 54; Sarah Van Horn, 4.29, ranked 19; Seniors: Devin Hasty, 4.442, ranked 26; Nura

Muhammad, 3.833, ranked 107.

Athletes of the year are chosen on a point system basis made up of lettering for a varsity sport, and membership in an all-city, all-region, all-state or all-star team.

They included: freshmen Spencer Michael, Gage Klein, Rashion Hodge, Molly Harrison and Kristen Kopplin; sophomores Matthew Pola-Mao and Piper Manross; juniors Kenneth Churchwell and Gabrielle Leo; and seniors Isaiah PolaMao and Kayleigh Conlon.

Some of the non-athlete awards included students who excelled in math, community service and academics in general.

Sara Bacon and Daniel Diaz won the Ahwatukee American Legion Post 64 awards; Jadyn Bruce received the Daughters of the American Revolution Citizenship Award; a Maricopa Friends of the Library Scholarship went to Jessica Mathews.

Saul Favil, Josh Svatora and Adam Tejada were named National Hispanic Scholars and Mica Stewart was named a National Merit Finalist. Community service letters were awarded to 18 students, with Cassie Riggs logging the highest number of hours in community service.

Prepare for summer alert: Plan physical activity for kids

BY CHUCK CORBIN AFN Guest Writer

Kids are typically less active during the summer than during the regular school year.

A report from Active Living Research, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of childhood obesity and the promotion of active communities, indicated that because American kids are less active in the summer, they gain weight and become less fit.

The report states that during the summer “children gain up to three times as much weight as during the entire school year.”

Another report from UK Active, a British research organization, showed similar results. Eighty percent of the fitness that children gained during the school year was lost over the summer months.

The ALR report suggests that today’s youth have “fewer of the freedoms many adults may remember from their childhood summers.”

For example, many adults remember “riding bikes to the corner store, walking to the local swimming hole, playing active games with neighborhood friends, but this has become less common among today’s youth.”

In 1969, 41 percent of American youth walked or rode a bicycle to school, but now only about 13 percent do so.

National guidelines recommend 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day for children and teens.

Yet the majority of youth do not meet this standard. For example, only 27 percent of high school students are active 60 minutes a day on a regular basis.

Other reasons for the loss of fitness and the increase in weight gain over the summer include greater screen time (e.g., TV, video games, social media) and the availability of food not typically available during the school year.

According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, children “now spend more than seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen.”

This is often instead of participation in physical activity common in previous

generations.

This is almost four times the amount of screen time as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (two hours or less per day). Because youth are not in school five-plus hours a day in the summer, they have more free time to view a screen.

During the summer, kids also have access to snacks at home that are not available during the typical school day. The ALR report also notes that summer camps, especially day camps, often promote poor dietary habits.

For example, 50 percent of children bring sugar-sweetened beverages and chips to summer day camps. Only 33 percent bring fruit.

Many studies have shown that youth who spend time outside are much more active than those who mostly stay indoors.

Staying inside invites the use of screen time and promotes searches for unnecessary snacks, often high in empty calories. Playing outside can be problematic for those who live in hot or humid areas so planning is necessary to promote outdoor activities in these

locales.

Here are some summer suggestions. Staying active: Encourage outdoor activity; find ways to be active on hot days; include some vigorous activity each day; be active with your kids (family walk, biking, roller skate, ice skate); arrange active play dates; take active vacations; help your child meet the 60-minute a day national activity guideline; walk or ride a bike as opposed to driving; find an active camp, sports team or kid’s activity program; have kids walk in grocery stores rather than ride in a cart.

Avoiding unnecessary calorie intake: Limit the availability of “empty calorie” foods that are easily accessible (candy, sweetened drinks, chips) both at home and at camps; have a limit if high-calorie snacks are available; make healthy foods available and promote consumption. Limit screen time and encourage active computer games.

Information: activelivingresearch.org, ukactive.com and fitness.gov.

-Chuck Corbin is professor emeritus at Arizona State University and a resident of Ahwatukee since 1987.

Ahwatukee!

Four East Valley athletes help win wheelchair rugby championship

BY DAVID M. BROWN AFN Contributor

Four East Valley men put their four wheels to the floor and their rugby balls over the goal line to help the 360 Phoenix Heat win a national wheelchair rugby tournament.

Joe Jackson of Mesa, Jack Zunich of Tempe and Chandler residents Joe Delagrave and Scott Hogsett joined eight other team members in winning their third U.S. Quad Rugby Association Division I national championship.

The team defeated the Minnesota Steelheads 55−51 at the Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center, 5025 E. Washington St., Phoenix, in an event sponsored by Vantage Mobility International.

Formerly Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL), Ability360 offers and promotes programs for people with disabilities, empowering them to continue or achieve independent lifestyles, explained Gus LaZear, vice president and general manager.

“The tournament was a big moment for the Valley and our team,” said Hogsett, who began working with the team about

20 years ago. “It’s the first time in 20 years that the national title was contested here in Phoenix.”

Added Jackson, a Chandler native and Hamilton High School graduate: “The annual tournament is the granddaddy of

them all in club ball. All teams bring their ‘A’ game.”

Each 90-minute game comprises four eight-minute quarters and a half time. Goals are scored by carrying the volleyballsize ball over the goal line, vigorously

guarded by defensive players.

To qualify, players must have a limitation in all four limbs.

“We have players at many different levels, but you must have the ability to move the chair to compete,” said Hogsett, who won a gold medal at the Paralympic Games, the Olympics for disabled athletes, which is organized and sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Delagrave has won a bronze.

The USQRA traveling-circuit schedule begins in October and ends in April with games throughout the country – including San Diego, Florida, Birmingham, Tucson – and Canada.

To enter the final tournament in Phoenix, 45 teams of the nation’s elite-level disabled athletes in eight divisions competed in regional and sectional tournaments.

The 360 Phoenix Heat entered as favorites and finished the tournament 5-0 to complete a perfect 32-0 season. This was the team’s third national title in four years.

But, said Hogsett, with a smile, “The hardest thing to do is to win a game you’re supposed to. But, we’ve got a great system

See RUGBY on page 53

(Loren Worthington/Special for AFN)

Scott Hogsett of Chandler poises to catch a ball during a championship rugby match.

and really smart players, and when it comes to a championship game, training and conditioning are the key.

“Their commitment is proven in the way they train,” added Hogsett, who plans to coach more and play less next season. “We practice three days a week during the season. Like with any other sport, you have to work at what you do.”

Each player has met and beat adversity most people cannot understand, the four East Valley men said.

Jackson attended Hamilton from 2003−2007 and was a member of its varsity football team in 2005. During practice that fall, he was paralyzed while preparing for a semifinal game against Mesa’s Westwood High School.

“I was in the hospital for three months learning how to function and continued with outpatient physical therapy and occupational therapy for six months,” Jackson recalled.

He missed a quarter of his junior year but was able to return for the fourth quarter and graduate with his class in 2007. He is now attending ASU, studying industrial engineering. His parents still live in Chandler.

As a teenager, Hogsett was injured at a party in Idaho.

“I had to learn that there was life after a major accident, just like the other guys on the team,” he said.

The two men met when Hogsett was mentoring new patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.

He saw the potential in Jackson, both for acute physical and mental skills to win at the arduous game of wheelchair rugby. Jackson has been playing with the team for nine years.

“Joe is very physical, which is absolutely necessary, and he’s also a smart player,” Hogsett said. “You have to play with your

brain, too.”

In addition to schooling, Jackson oversees his Joe Jackson Foundation, which provides adaptive sports equipment to young adults and children with spinal cord injuries encouraging them to continue to live a healthy, active lifestyle.

“We offer assistance with lessons for scuba diving and lessons for driving modified vehicles as well,” he said. With teammates Delagrave and Ernie Chunn, he is playing this month in Japan as a member of the USA National Team.

Wheelchair rugby is therapeutic and relationship-building while also being high octane and hard hitting.

“You don’t need to play at the highest level,” Hogsett said. “It’s a way to feel normal again, and the league has done that for a lot of these guys.”

“This team is one big family,” Jackson said. “We have each other’s backs on and off the court. We build each other up in the toughest moments and we never give up on each other. We bring out the best in each other.”

For more information, visit usqra.org, ability360.org, joejacksonfoundation or email Jackson at joe@joejacksonfoundation.org.

A Foundation for a Lifetime of Learning

We have been parents at Keystone Montessori for over nine years and this is the only school that both of our kids attended. We believe Keystone has provided our children with the perfect blend of social, emotional and intellectual development. The Keystone staff and teachers have done a remarkable job in fostering the intellectual curiosity coupled with emotional maturity in our kids that we believe have prepared them for their next steps of high school and then college.

- Parent Testimonial

(Special to AFN)

Joe Jackson charges at the ball during the rugby championship game.

Only Granite Transformations uses ForeverSeal™, which means our granite is more stain and scratch resistant than “ordinary” granite. And our surfaces bond permanently over existing countertops, walls, showers and tubs, so you get lifelong beauty without the usual renovation mess. Most installations are done in a day and backed by a LIFETIME WARRANTY.

1230 West Southern Ste. 103 Tempe, AZ 85282 http://www.granitetransformations.com/phoenix/

Classifieds

Anniversaries

ANNE & MICHAEL DiGIOIA CELEBRATE 50th ANNIVERSARY

It was some enchanted evening when Anne Giannini and Michael DiGioia met as total strangers in a New York disco Mike had just returned from his mandatory service in the Army, and Anne was barely out of high school A week later they went on their first date to a movie followed by hot chocolate in the cold New York winter Fate took hold and they married two years later in 1967

Long Island, New York was home for Anne and "Mike" before they made the bold decision to move to Arizona It was a vacation to visit friends in sunny warm Phoenix that sparked their adventure Leaving family behind, they brought their two young children, Anthony and Nicole, and came to Ahwatukee in 1976 They settled down in the budding community and watched their children and the area grow

Mike secured a job in the postal service and earned his moniker, "Mike the Mailman" He was able to pursue his love of golf in and around the ar ea Anne worked as a server and manager at Rogerio's, one of the first original restaurants in Ahwatukee She also worked as an office man-

Because of his wit and sense of humor, as well as her compassion and kindness, Anne and Mike make friends easily, generously welcoming people into their home and lives As the years passed, other relatives headed west to join the desert dw ellers, satisfying their love of a large family

Anthony and Nicole attended Corona del Sol High School, remained in the area, got married, and now have one exceptional and spirited teenage daughter apiece

Anne and Mike are now retired and going strong Mike continues to be an avid golfer and has become pretty good at the game They love socializing and enjoy their beautiful Ahwatukee home that they share with their beloved dog, Petey On May 13, 2017 they are celebrating t heir 50th wedding anniversary with a sense of pride and satisfaction

Employment General

KYRENE is now hiring

School BUS DRIVERS FT 30 hrs/wk Benefits offered Paid training and CDL testing onsite Flexible work schedule with split shifts Starting Salary $14 49 - $18 00 For additional info go to www kyrene org/hr

Christian School in Ahwatukee, seeks:

Lead 2 year Teacher beginning May 22 for a year round program.

Hours 7:30 am to 3:00 pm five days per week

Lead Pre-K Teacher for Fall 2017-18 school year

Hours 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, Monday - Friday

Two years of experience preferred and Early Education required

Please send resume to sn10115@yahoo.com

Awatukee Foothills News / East Valley Tribune 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway #219 • Tempe, AZ 85282 • 480.898.6465 • classifieds@timespublications.com

Deadlines: Classifieds: Monday 11am for Wednesday • Life Events: Friday 10am for Wednesday

Personal Announcements

Looking for rescue dog owner

Garage Sales/ Bazaars

Garage Sale Friday 5/12 & Sat 5/13 730am-12

14430 S 11th Pl Phoenix, AZ 85048

China Cabinet Book shelves, TV stand, patio furniture, boys Nike basketball shoes, comforters lots misc

Save the Date! Garage Sale Sat 5/13 7am-1pm 4212 E Tano St Phoenix 85044

Home & Garden decor, kitchen Items, holiday decorations, misc items Everything Must Go!!

GARAGE SALE! 5/13

7:30AM-? 7914 E Hubbell St Scottsdale Delivery Available Flat screen TV s, TV stands, bookshelves, chairs, beds, dishes, furniture, glasses purses, bags, bedding, home decor, clothes, antiques, blue rays, dvds Misc items

Miscellaneous For Sale

80 YEAR OLD MAPLE HAND CRAFTED DANIEL BOON BEDROOM SET Queen Bed, 2 Dressers & Night Stand

$3,500 - Very Rare 602-810-3888

Will Email Photos On Request Miscellaneous For

AUTHENTIC REPLICA 16-PIECE GUN SET Colonial, Civil War, Old West and Revolution War 2 Powder Horns, Leather Covered Gun Display Mounting

$4,750 00 - Very Rare Collection Appointment To See 602-810-3888 Will Email Photos & Description on Request

Pets/Services

A FRIEND OF MINE Your in-home pet sitting and plant care service For all your pet needs, domestic and exotics Flat fee-no hidden costs Serving Ahwatukee

Visit: GALLERYPLAZAAZ com Contact David Singh at 602-380-8080 or David singh@pruthiproperties com www pruthiproperties com

Ahwatukee

Handyman

1. Sort through your closets, cupboards and garage for items to sell.

2. Partner up with a neighbor or friend. This is helpful to give each other breaks during the day.

3. Advertise your sale in Wednesday in our Yard Sale Special!

4. In the ad, include the type of sale, (ex: Yard Sale, Multi-Family Sale, Moving Sale) date, time, address/cross streets, and be specific on prices for high dollar items. Popular items you can include: furniture, appliances, electronics, tools, yard equipment, designer/childrens clothes & shoes, craft items, antiques, unique items & collectibles/collections.

5. Place signs on major cross streets and on the corners leading into your neighborhood. Keep the signs simple! Just a fat, solid black arrow on colorful poster board works fine.

6. Price your items. If having a multi-family sale, each family should have a different colored price tag. You can do a $1 table, $5 table, etc. to save time.

7. Money. Be prepared with change. Including coins. Do not accept checks. Cash only!

8. Have electricity available to test items.

9. Be safe. Do not let anyone into your home. Take your phone outside with you. Have an

R HANDYMAN

Rebuild: Under sink floors, drawers & shelving

All sm repairs, welding Clean carpet traffic areas & stains. Fix: toilets, faucets, gates doors

ROC095639 BOND/INS D Call Bob 480-893-9482

Gary is Back Household Repairs drywall plumbing small painting, varnish doors grout cleaning,ceiling fans, roof turbines 30 years experience Gary 480-268-0380

ROC#183872, 227944

Home Improvement

REMODEL CONTRACTOR

Plans / Additions Patios New Doors Windows Lowest Price in Town! R Child

Lic#216115 Class BO3

Bonded-Insured-Ref's 480-215-3373

NOTICE TO READERS:

Most service advertisers have an ROC# or "Not a licensed contractor" in their ad, this is in accordance to the AZ state law

Home Improvement Landscape

business cards, or on flyers

What it does require under A R S §32-1121A14(c)

y , i f n o t p r o p e r l y l i c e n s e d a s a c o n t r a c t o r , d i sc l o s e t h a t f a c t o n a n y f o r m o f a d v e r tising to the public by

i n c l u d i n g t h e w o r d s " n o t a l i c e n s e d c o nt r a c t o r " i n t h e a dv e r t i s e m e n t

A g a i n , t h i s r e q u i r em e n t i s i n t e n d e d t o m a k e s u r e t h a t t h e c o n s u m e r i s m a d e a w a r e o f t h e u n l ic e n s e d s t a t u s o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r c o mp a n y

Contractors who adv e r t i s e a n d d o n o t d i s c l o s e t h e i r u n l icensed status are not e l i g i b l e f o r t h

Meetings/Events

THE AHWATUKEE TEA PARTY

Watch For An Announcement on our New General Meeting Location, with Dates And Times in January, 2017

Email: info@tukee teaparty com

In-Ahwatukee Toastmasters Club meets from 6:45-8am every Tuesday at Dignity Health Urgent Care Ahwatukee - Community Room (1st floor), 4545 E Chandler Blvd , Phoenix, AZ 85048 Guests welcome anytime! http://4873 toast mastersclubs org/

Christian Business Networking, Chandler BiMonthly Chapter

7:30 a m second and fourth Tuesdays of the month

Offers members the opportunity to share ideas contacts and business referrals

Chandler Christian Church, Room B202 1825 S Alma School Rd Chandler Info: Maia, 480-4250624, christianbusinessnetworking com

Meetings/Events

Aegis Hospice Grief/Loss Support Group

We meet 6 pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month Legacy Funeral Home: 1722 N. Banning St. Mesa, Refreshments provided Contact: Rick Wesley 480-219-4790 rick@ aegishospice com