Ahwatukee Foothills News - May 17, 2017

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Freeway land acquisitions far from done; design getting there

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

The Arizona Department of Transportation still must acquire 43 percent of the properties it needs for the South Mountain Freeway and has yet to finish about a quarter of the highway’s design, the developer’s spokeswoman told the Chandler Chamber of Commerce last week.

But a November 2019 opening of the entire 22-mile stretch is still anticipated, Theresa Gunn, spokeswoman for Connect 202 Partners, told the Chamber’s public policy committee during a panel discussion

on Valley freeways last week.

Meanwhile, a representative of the Ahwatukee organization trying to stop the freeway urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at a hearing earlier last week to withhold a permit needed for its construction until a court fight is concluded “to avoid unnecessary liability and permanent damage to the nation’s aquatic resources.”

The Corps of Engineers hearing and Gunn’s presentation came amid a virtual standstill in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on an appeal from a federal judge’s ruling that allowed construction to begin.

That appeal is being pursued primarily

by the Ahwatukee-based Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children and the Gila River Indian Community, which say the $1.77-billion project poses health and other environmental threats.

No action is expected in the next stage of the appeal – the setting of a hearing date before a three-judge panel – until next month because the Gila Community obtained an extension to May 30 of a deadline for its final brief in the case.

In her progress report, Gunn noted that the freeway is a “design-build” project that allows

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Kyrene Schools’ governing board is studying the possible sale or other profitable use of two large tracts of land that include the Tempe site of the district headquarters and a much larger tract in Ahwatukee along the I-10 corridor.

Former longtime Kyrene board member Ross Robb, who owns a real estate investment firm, gave a presentation last week on options the district could consider for disposing of the land.

“I am not here for any compensation. This is pure volunteerism and whether it goes anywhere is up to you,” said Robb, who as a board member had suggested that the district seriously consider doing something with the land in an effort to address its precarious long-range financial

picture.

The tracts in question are the 19-acre district headquarters site at Kyrene and Warner roads in Tempe and an empty 28-acre parcel on the west side of I-10 in the vicinity of 50th Street and Chandler Boulevard in Ahwatukee.

The board seven years ago won permission from voters to dispose of the land and has three years left to do something or else it would have to hold another referendum.

Kyrene’s study means that both public school districts serving Ahwatukee are now exploring options to make millions off land they have owned for years.

Tempe Union High School District is exploring the sale of a 63-acre site in Ahwatukee at Desert Foothills Parkway and Frye Road and some disposition of a

See LAND on page 14

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

Dolly Dentz, 90, of Ahwatukee Lakes, faces a fine and even possible jail time because a neighbor complained that her dogs, Fluffy, left, and Boots, bark too much. Her case is in Phoenix Municipal Court. See page 9.

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Two Ahwatukee residents earn medical degrees

Two Ahwatukee residents were among the 81 students from the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix who graduated recently.

Liam Bosch and Taylor Jenkins were in the group led by the Phoenix Pipe Band in a procession in downtown Phoenix for the ceremony.

“We are immensely proud of the class of 2017,” said Interim Dean Kenneth S. Ramos, MD, PhD. “They embody everything a physician should have: compassion, empathy and the drive to be the best physicians they can possibly be.”

One-third of this year’s class will stay in Arizona for their residency training, while 51 students will train outside the state at prestigious programs across the country.

When the medical college opened in 2007, Arizona was suffering from a severe physician shortage. In just 10 years, the U of A College of Medicine-Phoenix has graduated 355 physicians, including this class.

Jenkins, a Tucson native, will be at Maricopa Medical Center, where she will be practicing and still learning obstetrics and gynecology.

“I love being able to do some tangible good for patients at every visit,” she said. “I’m very passionate about advocating for women’s health, and I find that the bonds you form with your patients in this field are incredibly gratifying.”

Bosch, a Mountain Pointe High School graduate, will be in orthopedic surgery residency training at Stanford University, a five-year program starting next month.

“During the summer after my freshman year at ASU, I had the opportunity to shadow an orthopedic surgeon in Phoenix,” he said. “This was my first exposure to medicine and I realized right away that it was what I wanted to do. I enjoyed the personal interactions with patients throughout the day and felt like he was able to make a real difference in peoples’ lives.”

He selected orthopedic surgery as his specialty because “I want to help people regain physical function and keep

throughout Ahwatukee Foothills.

people active as long in their lives as I can. I enjoy being in the operating room and want to be able to see the results of work that I do with my hands.”

Bosch had mixed feelings on graduation day, admitting “it is difficult to leave Arizona and my family.”

Yet, he added, “Medical school was challenging but also rewarding. I definitely look forward to residency as I will finally be able to focus on orthopedics. I feel fortunate to be able to pursue the specialty of my choice at an incredible institution.”

Jessica Ercius earns veterinarian degree

Meanwhile, Ahwatukee native Jessica Ercius is about to become a different kind of doctor.

Ercius was among 74 graduates earning a doctorate of veterinary medicine from Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.

She is the daughter of Susan and Paul Ercius of Ahwatukee.

“These new veterinarians have worked hard for many years to achieve their goals,” said Dr. Chris Ross, interim dean of the veterinary center. “We are very proud to welcome them as colleagues.”

Oklahoma State veterinary graduates are known for being practice-ready upon earning their degree. In addition to private practice, her degree opens doors into many different careers, including military service, academia, biomedical research, government roles and the pharmaceutical industry.

Jeffery A. Kohler, D.D.S.

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for construction even while the highway is still being designed. That approach is projected to save more than $200 million in what is Arizona’s most expensive freeway project in history.

Gunn said 77 percent of the design and 57 percent of right-of-way property acquisition have been completed, although she did not indicate the areas of the freeway path that have yet to be designed or acquired.

Homes, businesses and land in the freeway’s path can be legally taken through eminent domain court action, though ADOT has preferred to negotiate the purchase of private property.

Most – if not all – of that property acquisition is believed to be on the western end of the thoroughfare.

She also said only 5 percent of utilities have been relocated and about only 7 percent of construction has been completed.

Gunn also disclosed that the other half of the interim Pecos Road, extending between 24th Street and Chandler Boulevard, will open next month.

And she said it’s likely the 40th Street Bridge will be the first completed among the 40 bridges that will span the freeway at various points along the corridor between the Chandler Interchange on I-10 and the 59th Avenue interchange in west Phoenix.

ADOT is spending about $18 million to $25 million a month right now on freeway construction and planning, Gunn disclosed, adding that slightly less than a third of the expected 1,400 workers who will be employed at the peak of construction are already on the jobded.

Gunn’s presentation May 12 came three days after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a hearing in Laveen on a permit that freeway builders need because the freeway is near several wells as well as the Salt River.

Representing PARC, environmental activist Stephen M. Brittle suggested that the Corps was being rushed to judgment on the permit.

“Having participated in proposed permit processes before, which seem to plod on for years, I wonder why this one seems to be accelerated,” he said.

Gila Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said the freeway “crosses over 30 washes and waterways” and “impacts the environment of the community’s reservation. This is not an alignment the Corps should permit.”

ADOT told the Corps. the Ahwatukee segment of the freeway would have culverts that will channel storm water

away from flood-prone areas. It is unclear when the Corps might make a decision on the permit. ADOT already has said it intends to continue construction while the federal agency considers what to do.

Because the design has not been completed, Brittle said, it’s impossible for the Corps to determine whether the freeway poses a danger to waterways.

“The Corps of Engineers is continuing this pattern of vagueness and inadequate analysis and planning by not disclosing what the final damages and mitigations might be.,” Brittle said, adding:

“If the Corps of Engineers doesn’t know these, then there is no basis for a permit or even this hearing. In short, the permit as proposed is too vague to be valid, and is a moving target, and therefore illegal.”

Brittle said the Corps is obliged “to minimize adverse effects on populations of plants and animals, as well as human uses, such as recreation, besides controlling runoff, either onto the Ahwatukee Foothills or Gila River Indian Community’s side” of the freeway.

He also said that currently permits forbid the removal of soil and gravel from river banks, but that companies hope to mine the area around Salt River to sell sand and gravel.

“We would hope the design isn’t being created with the profits of sand and gravel companies in mind,” Brittle said.

Brittle also disputed the Corps’ expectation that freeway workers are doing everything they can to minimize environmental damage.

“Despite the Corps’ assurances,” he said, “contractors for the freeway’s construction have already exhibited a failure to take proper care of natural resources and seem to be motivated more by speediness than proper care.”

He noted other questions remain:

What possible hazardous materials will be uncovered or generated, and how will they be handled?

Where will water used in construction be stored before discharge into protected waterways and how will it be treated?

What flood-control plans have been made, given “the inadequacy and incompetence of ADOT”?

“How groundwater from Kyrene De La Estrella, Kyrene Akimel A-al, Bridgeway Community Church and Foothills Mountain Ranch will get south of the freeway, as the freeway will form a dam?”

Brittle also said Estrella and Akimel schools and Foothills Mountain Ranch could “pay the price” of a major deluge because ADOT is relying too heavily on the HOA’s retention area south of Liberty Lane.

Ahwatukee residents can apply to use Waymo’s self-driving cars

BY RALPH ZUBIATE AFN Managing Editor

After a year of seeing Google and then Waymo self-driving cars make their way around Ahwatukee and the rest of the East Valley, residents now have a chance to use one themselves.

Waymo is letting residents apply at waymo.com/apply to be “early riders” and start using their cars.

“During the time we’ve been in the East Valley, we’ve already experienced so much enthusiasm and support,” said Jennifer Haroon, head of business operations. “We’ve seen a lot of interest so far.”

Some families have already been using the self-driving cars. They are friends of Waymo employees.

“Now is the chance for anyone in Chandler and the surrounding cities to apply,” Haroon said.

The project started in 2009 in Mountain View, California. The program has since spread to Austin, Texas, and Kirkland, Washington. A fleet of self-driving cars started cruising Chandler streets in April 2016.

“We do want to make sure we’re thanking everybody for their enthusiasm,” said Jennifer Haroon, head of business operations for Waymo.

“Given that our goal is around learning, we are looking for a wide variety of people who have a wide variety of transportation needs,” Haroon said.

“This is part of our transition to really find out how people want to use selfdriving cars, how they interface. Do

they want longer, shorter, everything or only certain one-off trips?”

According to the Waymo website, one family currently in the early-rider program is using Waymo for all those and more.

Ted and Candace from Chandler,

whose last names were not given, are using Waymo to get around with their four kids.

According to Waymo’s website, the family is using the cars to get to work,

(Special to AFN)

Ted and Candace, along with their kids Abbi, Brielle, Izzy and Trey, have been busy riding in a Waymo van.

(Special to AFN)

City hounds Ahwatukee widow, 90, over barking dogs

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

A90-year-old Ahwatukee widow is facing the possibility of six months in jail and a $2,500 fine because a neighbor and the city say her two 20-pound dogs bark too much.

Dolly Dentz of Ahwatukee Lakes said her six-month ordeal has been so stressful that she has broken down in public worrying about her fate, which ultimately could be decided at a trial in Phoenix Municipal Court.

How Dentz ended facing a charge in the same crime classification that includes drunk driving, domestic violence and graffiti vandalism dates back to late last year, when her next-door neighbor, Jerry Angerman, complained to Dentz about her dogs.

Bob Dentz, her son, gave her Fluffy and Boots about two years ago. And that’s about the extent to which Angerman and Dentz agree.

Dentz, who at one point told her son she wanted to move and sell the home she has owned for 37 years, said that Angerman approached her on the street last December. She said he told her that her dogs were barking too much and that she needed to get them to stop.

“They really aren’t barkers,” she said. “They’ll bark if someone walks by or if they see a rabbit, but that’s all.”

Bob Dentz said Angerman made his mother so upset she cried.

“He said he was going to call the police and have the dogs taken away from us,” her son said.

Angerman disputed their version, saying he had gone to Dolly Sentz’s home to talk to her about the dogs.

“They were ok for a time,” he said of the dogs, adding that he and his wife were friends with Dolly Dentz before the dispute began.

While the dogs had been quiet for nearly a year and a half, Angerman said, late last year “they started barking and there’s one of them that has a real problem.”

“One of the dogs is so hyper, I don’t know how she can live with it. We can hear the dog when we’re in the house and the doors and windows are shut,” Angerman said. “We live in a retirement community and we have a right to have some peace.”

Angerman said after he explained the problem to Dolly Dentz, “She said that’s what dogs do: bark. I said I understand because I’ve had a lot of dogs in my lifetime….Then she slammed the door in my face.”

Later in December, Bob Dentz said, he and Angerman ran into each other outside Dolly Dentz’s home.

Bob Dentz said, Angerman “came up to me and says, ‘We got a big problem here.’ I didn’t even know who he was. He said, ‘Those dogs are keeping us up

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

Fluffy, taking a nap on Bob Dentz’s lap. She and her sister Boots live with him these days because Dentz wants to spare his mother any more problems with a complaining neighbor.

Ahwatukee high schools ready to bid 1,300 seniors adieu

More than 1,300 seniors will receive their high school diplomas at Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista high schools on Thursday, May 18.

And some will prepare for college with at least some financial help, thanks to scholarships totaling nearly $40 million.

Ceremonies at both schools will be held on their football fields beginning at 7 p.m.

Because parking will likely be a challenge, spectators may want to plan an early arrival.

Mountain Pointe High School will graduate 600 seniors. Its Class of 2017 earned a total $6.6 million in scholarships.

Logan Kenny is valedictorian and Sara Ding is salutatorian.

Logan is heading to Arizona State University’s Barrett, the Honors College as a Presidents Scholar while Sara is bound for the University of California’s Berkeley campus

About 745 seniors are graduating at Desert Vista High with scholarships totaling a whopping $33.3 million.

Four valedictorians have been selected at Desert Vista.

They include: Bobae Johnson, who is bound for Harvard University; Aditya Bollam, who is heading to Berkeley; Dewey Johnson, who will be studying at the Colorado School of Mines; and Rice University-bound Alice Wong.

The district declined an AFN request made last month for detailed information about scholarship winners from the two schools.

However, two of the district’s five

National Merit Scholarship winners are from Desert Vista. Both Bobae and Neha Parvathala won the $2,500 awards.

Bobae, an accomplished violinist, plans to study law at Harvard while Neha plans to study bioengineering.

Ahwatukee’s other high school, Horizon Honors Secondary, is holding its graduation May 30 at Sun Valley Church in Tempe for 96 seniors.

Valedictorian Ross Wilson plans to attend Butler University in Indianapolis

and double-major in recording industry studies and digital media production. He probably reflected the feelings of many members of Ahwatukee’s Class of 2017 about their upcoming graduation when he said:

“My favorite part of high school was senior year since all of the hard work I had put in to high school was finally paying off in the form of college.”

Horizon spokeswoman Melissa Hartley said a one-minute video on each senior will be aired at the graduation.

Arizona high school seniors appear to be acing first-ever civics requirement

BY DUSTIN QUIROZ Cronkite News

The civics test that will be required of all graduating high school seniors this spring does not appear to have been that much of a test for members of the Class of 2017.

The Arizona Department of Education does not keep statewide statistics, but calls to individual school districts found pass rates nearing 100 percent, with the number who have yet to pass getting smaller every day.

Gov. Doug Ducey, an advocate of civics education, signed legislation in 2015 requiring that seniors pass a basic civics test before they can get a diploma, beginning with the Class of 2017. Details of how and when to give the test were left to school districts, but the apparently high success rate has left supporters of civics education pleased. For critics, the success rate is evidence that the test resembles little more than “barroom trivia.”

“It eats up another instructional day, it gives another silly high-stakes test to our students and it’s completely

unnecessary,” said Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association.

“This information is already covered, taught and assessed in a multitude of other courses that the students take.”

A spokesman for state Education Superintendent Diane Douglas told AFN last fall that no guidelines were given to school districts in terms of how many times a senior could take the test – allowing for the possibility students could keep taking it until they passed.

Katie Hansen, the social studies content specialist for the Phoenix Union School District, said she has “mixed emotions” about the test. While the current test may not be “aligned with our current standards and our content,” she said, the mere fact that a civics test is required demonstrates the importance of the topic to state officials.

“When legislators decided that civics is an important part of our society that valued our content, it showed that what we teach is very much important,” she said.

The experience of PUSD with the test seems to be similar to other districts contacted.

Questions are drawn from the same naturalization test given to people applying for U.S. citizenship. It covers everything from branches of government to presidential history to identifying Native American tribes.

But while the naturalization test consists of 10 questions chosen from a list of 100 and given as an oral exam, the state test requires students to answer all 100 questions on a written multiplechoice form. A passing grade for both is 60 percent correct.

Thomas called the legislation that backed the test a “dog-and-pony show” based on “shoddy” research that resulted in a “ridiculous” test.

“We’re investing thousands of dollars a year,” Thomas said. “I think we need to go deeper than, you know, name the president.”

But the chief academic officer for the Joe Foss Institute, which pushed for the tests, disagreed.

Lucian Spataro said students are doing more than learning simple facts and echoed Hansen’s feeling that civics has been moved to the front burner alongside math, science and English.

“Kids are doing well on these tests because teachers are teaching in a way that rewards understanding and not memorization,” he said.

Spataro said educators opposed to the test are downplaying the important work of teachers who do more than just enforce memorization but incorporate civics into the curriculum.

“They need to give their colleagues more credit because they know full well that kids don’t learn long-term, through rote memorization, they learn long term through higher discussion,” Spataro said.

Thomas disagreed.

“If this test was necessary, some districts in the state would already be doing it,” he said. “If teachers really felt that it was necessary for kids to take a test like this, we would already have this assessment.”

Before the test, however, civics was “a subject area that wasn’t being emphasized,” Spataro said. He compared it to English, where you need to “learn the alphabet before you write a sentence.”

“Before you can have higher level discussion about subjects and disciplines, you have to know the facts,” he said.

(Special to AFN)

Logan Kenny is the valedictorian for this year’s Mountain View High School graduating class.

(Special to AFN)

Ross Wilson is the 2017 Horizon Honors Secondary School valedictorian.

(Special to AFN)

Sara Ding is salutatorian for Mountain View High School’s Class of 2017.

(Special to AFN)

Desert Vista High School Class of 2017 valedictorians are, from left: Aditya Bollan, Dewey Johnson, Alice Wong and Bobae Johnson.

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LAND

49-acre parcel at Kyrene Road and the Loop 202 Santan Freeway in Chandler.

would argue this is an underutilized piece of property.”

Kyrene Superintendent Jan Vesely and board members stressed that district officials are probably months away from any final decision on either parcel.

At the May 9 meeting, Robb walked the board through various options for disposing of the two parcels, noting, “The first thing you want to have is a land plan.”

The two districts could realize millions of dollars in new revenue from the disposition of the tracts, depending on what option they select. Those options range from an outright sale to some kind of long-term partnership with a developer.

And all four sites have been eyed by developers for years for various reasons, particularly their prime locations.

In Kyrene’s case, the disposition of the headquarters site poses some additional issues because it hosts more than just district personnel. It also is home to Kyrene’s fleet of school buses as well as the its food-service operation and print shop.

Admitting “this is a much more complicated piece of property because you need a place to fix buses, make lunches and so on,” Robb nonetheless said, “One

“You have to start with ‘What is your goal?’ Is it just revenue? Is it usage? Does the district want to put things on this property?’”

Recalling the board’s sale of an 11-acre parcel in Club West, Robb reminded the board that the simplest disposition – though not necessarily the most advantageous long-term – is to sell it. “If you spend it like Club West, it’s gone,” he said of the proceeds.

Ground leases or other options, he added, could result in “more money over

(Kyrene School District)

This aerial shot shows the 28-acre site in Ahwatukee along the I-10 that Kyrene school officials are considering selling.

from page 1

a long period of time.”

Robb and the board also acknowledged that any option has pro, cons and some complications. And they agreed that they would want to engage citizens in the decision-making process.

“Given the combined value of these properties, you’re talking tens of millions of dollars,” Robb said. “You’re going to want to do it right.”

But Robb also noted that disposing of publicly owned “land that doesn’t provide any revenue” and selling or leasing it “is something a lot of universities are doing” and that “a lot of cities are doing this.”

The district site could provide a possible hybrid of school-private uses, Robb said.

Both tracts also could be leased –which “would require a greater number of consultants” to hammer out a deal, including an appraiser, a transaction attorney and other professionals.

“There are lots of complexities in a ground lease,” Robb said. “It’s slightly riskier than a sale because you are relying on someone to make a payment year after year after year … but it could be very advantageous as opposed to a sale.”

Board member Michael Myrick asked

about a swap of one property for another.

“It could be almost anything,” Robb replied. “The private sector is resourceful in telling you what is possible. To whatever extent you don’t put them in the box, it will work. Just let them use their own creativity.”

But Myrick also noted that any developer interested in either site would want to do an environmental study because the district site could be contaminated by oil and gasoline from school buses and because no one knows what, if anything, was ever on the Ahwatukee site.

When asked about adverse neighborhood reaction to some possible uses of either site, Robb told the board, “I think your motivation is likely to be less philanthropic. I think you probably need the revenue more than positive publicity.”

While her colleagues conceded, they had much to consider before making a final decision on either tract, board member Bernadette Coggins suggested the Ahwatukee tract may offer a chance to move more quickly – especially in light of Kyrene’s fiscal struggles.

“I do absolutely agree that with the I-10 tract, we have to consider it’s a healthy market right now,” she said. “And I think we do have a responsibility to the taxpayers of Kyrene.”

WAYMO

page 8

school “and juggle everything from the parents’ weekly date night to their children’s soccer practice.”

“They are excited about giving everyone in their home a greater sense of freedom and independence,” it says.

People chosen to participate in this next phase won’t actually be alone in the car or get to keep the car.

“For now, we will have our own test driver behind the wheel,” Haroon said. “I would think of it more like our early riders sharing the vehicles.”

One of the things Waymo hopes to find out is whether people prefer to schedule rides or whether they’d like to summon them when ready. They’ve built a mobile app for early riders to do both.

The early riders might get to use a Fiat-Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan,

which were recently added to the East Valley program, joining the hybrid Lexus SUVs that the project started with. Haroon says an additional 500 minivans will be delivered over time.

With all those numbers, the Waymo vehicles have become a common sight in the East Valley, particularly Chandler, where the company’s operations center is located. That’s how Waymo wants it.

“It’s so important for us,” Haroon said. “Not that the cars are a fabric of the East Valley, but that Waymo itself is an engaged member.”

Although the early-rider program is limited, Haroon said it’s a special thank you to the East Valley.

“We do want to make sure we’re thanking everybody for their enthusiasm.”

– Contact Ralph Zubiate at 480-898-6825 or rzubiate@timespublications.com.

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Send your ideas and letters on local issues to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com

Eventually, they got a court-appointed lawyer and went mediation conference.

every day and every night.’ I asked him ‘How about last night?’ and he said they kept him up way past midnight and I said, ‘You’re full of it because the dogs were with me last night.’”

Angerman said Dentz was immediately confrontational and even menacing.

“The son came up and I asked him, ‘Would you please have your mother do something about the dogs. We know her well and she’s been a good neighbor until she got these two dogs. He got right up in my face and said, ‘You monitor whatever you want. I’ll get you.’”

He said Dolly Dentz goes out every Saturday night and the dogs bark until she gets home.

Dolly Dentz called the assertion untrue, adding, “I wish I could go out every Saturday night.” Her son said Angerman has been the menacing one.

Early this year, a police community action officer arrived and told her “there had been a complaint about my dogs and that I’d be getting a letter in the mail,” she recalled.

A few weeks later, the “letter” arrived. It was citation for failing to keep Fluffy and Boots quiet.

Both Angerman and Dolly Dentz say the subsequent four months have been stressful.

As the city recommends generally in barking dog case, Angerman began keeping a daily log on what time the dogs bark every day and for how long.

Dentz and her son said they received a letter telling them to appear for mediation and they threw it out. “We didn’t know what it was,” Bob Dentz said.

Then they decided to seek a lawyer –only the first one they contacted told them the fee would be $6,500 and that they probably would lose in court. Another told them the same thing, but offered to handle the case for $4,500.

“They wouldn’t even sit in the same room with us at the mediation center,” Dolly Dentz said opf Angerman and his wife. “The mediator had to go back and forth between two rooms.”

“We agreed to get barking-dog collars, keep the doors closed overnight, and said if they bark, we’ll stop them,” Bob Dentz added, “but Angerman said he wanted her to plead guilty. He wanted her on probation.”

Angerman said he is not allowed to discuss what went on mediation, saying only, “It didn’t work out.”

“We did everything the city ordinance says we need to do and they just ignore us,” he complained. “She keeps asking for a continuance. I don’t know what else to do.”

Since April 10, Bob Dentz said, he and his wife have been keeping Fluffy and Boots fulltime at their home.

Sometimes brings them over to his mother’s house for a couple-hours visit. Most times, she visits them at his.

“I miss them,” she said,

To reach the level of a citation, the city requires three complainants – no more than two from the same house.

Angerman and his wife are listed as complainants, as is the neighbor who lives on the other side of Angerman, two houses away from Dentz’s.

Bob Dentz said Angerman’s complaint should be with the owner of a dog across the fairway behind their home. Angerman said that dog starts barking only when Fluffy and Boots do.

Dolly Dentz said she has bark collars – which send a small shock when th dog barks – but she isn’t using them now because they stay with her son most of the time.

Angerman said, “I’m sorry it’s gotten to this point. I’m not 90 but I’m close. I

DOLLY on page 17

have a

He claimed he can’t drop the complaint because “it’s out of my hands in in the hands of the court, nothing can be done.”

Matthew Heil, a city Law Department spokesman, said the case could be dismissed “if the matter had been resolved to the satisfaction of the parties.”

The city filed 25 barking dog

complaints last year, he added.

Bob Dentz said that when he asked Angerman to drop the case, he complained that he would then have to start the whole process over again if the dogs started barking.

“This isn’t right,” Dentz said. “We’re in court with drug dealers, shoplifters, people who have car accidents with no insurance. My mother is not a criminal and she’s being treated like one.”

Added his mom: “In Connecticut or New Jersey, this would have never made it this far.”

City says owners can figure out why their dog barks

The City of Phoenix website tells dog owners, “Many times if you can figure out what is troubling your dog, you can stop its barking.” Here’s what it recommends:

• “Monitor your dog to assess the reason it is barking.”

• “Talk to your neighbors to find out when your dog is barking.”

• Exercise the dog so it has “less pent-up energy to burn by barking.”

• “Avoid leaving a lonely dog alone for long periods of time if possible.”

• “Give your pet toys and provide soothing sounds, like radio or television while you are away.”

• “Never comfort, pet, hug or feed your dog when barking for attention or out of anxiety.”

• “Shouting at your dog to stop barking does not help.”

• “Consider a bark collar or muzzle.”

• “Train your dog.”

• Control its access to doggie doors.

• “Consult your veterinarian and/or trainer if you continue to face barking issues.”

More information: phoenix.gov/law/prosecutor/barking-dogs.

AFN NEWS STAFF

Horizon Secondary yearbook editors score national spotlight

left: top: Gabe Knippers, Blake Benefiel and Matt Butler; bottom: Arianna Drapkin, Kate Allen, Bry Holguin, Haley Greene and Abby Grove; not pictured: Allisen Kim.

Pedestrian deaths growing with rise in distractions

BY JIM WALSH AFN Staff Writer

Minutes before a pickup truck ran a red light and killed her, Pamela Hesselbacher sent a message to her husband, Matt, saying that she and their two small children had left a nearby park and would be home soon.

“We finished up at the park. We are headed home now. We’ll see you in about 15 minutes,” Pamela Hesselbacher said. “Love you.”

But Pamela, 31, never made it home, even though she was only about 100 yards away. She was struck on Nov. 12 by the truck at Ponderosa and Ray roads in Chandler, where a makeshift memorial still features a picture of her smiling. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Hesselbacher became one of a growing number of pedestrians killed in collisions with cars in the East Valley and Arizona during 2016. Police and traffic safety advocates cite the deadly combination of distracted driving and distracted walking, with cellphones viewed as a strong contributing factor.

Other factors include high speeds on six-lane arterial roads, long distances between intersections, speeding, impaired driving and walking, jaywalking and the need to retrofit

region as the 16th worst nationally out of 105 regions.

Hesselbacher was only one of 198 pedestrians killed in Arizona collisions with vehicles in 2016, compared with 153 in 2015, a more than 29 percent increase.

In Phoenix, the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured in 2016 hit 100, compared with 64 in 2012, a 56 percent increase.

Actual pedestrian deaths in Phoenix nearly doubled from 41 in 2012 to 81 in 2015, before a slight dip to 77 in 2016.

East Valley police, a Mesa transportation engineer and a national expert all seem to agree there is no panacea for eliminating pedestrian fatalities. All of them cite the need for a combination of education, improved traffic engineering and increased enforcement to attack the problem.

Richard Retting, co-author of the national report, noted a record amount of wireless data usage coinciding with the spike in pedestrian fatalities, but he cannot prove a direct correlation. Anyone driving around the East Valley is likely to see distracted pedestrians using cellphones and listening to headphones.

Although the Hawk signals are proven to save lives and reduce serious injuries, “a large part of the equation is the road user. People have to behave safely,” Retting said.

cities built for cars to make them more accommodating to pedestrians and bicyclists.

East Valley cities have embraced this retrofit to some extent, with Mesa installing seven “Hawk” traffic signals designed to allow pedestrians to cross safely mid-block in areas with anticipated pedestrian traffic.

Gilbert and Tempe also use the Hawk and other traffic signals to promote pedestrian safety.

And Ahwatukee saw a new HAWK crossing installed last week at Kyrene de las Cerritos Elementary and Altadeña Middle School. The Phoenix Transportation Department installed a pedestrian signal on Desert Foothills Parkway near the two schools to improve safety for students.

This is similar to the crosswalk light system at 32nd Street and Liberty Lane near Desert Vista High School.

Safety experts say the new traffic signals save lives, but no amount of engineering can counteract bad decision-making, with 80 percent of pedestrians killed nationally while crossing mid-block at night, according to a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association. Pedestrians involved in fatalities also are about twice as likely as drivers to be impaired.

Sixth worst for pedestrians

The study noted a record number of pedestrian fatalities for two consecutive years. Another ranked Arizona as the sixth worst state for pedestrians and ranked the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Mesa

Although the numbers are less dramatic in the East Valley, every death represents a tragic loss.

The number of pedestrians killed in Mesa doubled, to 10 in 2016 from five in 2015. Pedestrian injury accidents increased to 147 from 137.

Despite a large number of pedestrians, Tempe’s pedestrian deaths remained static, with two deaths in 2016 and the same in 2015. Injuries to pedestrians increased, however, to 59 in 2016 from 44 in 2015.

Chandler’s number of pedestrian deaths rose to four in 2016 from three in 2015, with injuries increasing to 75 from 67.

Gilbert recorded no pedestrian fatalities in 2016 and one in 2015. Injuries also dropped to 36 in 2016 from 43 in 2015.

Joggers hit in Gilbert

But Gilbert’s relative good fortune seemed to run out on April 20, when two women were struck by a pickup truck while jogging in a crosswalk at Val Vista Drive and Elliot Road, one of the city’s busiest intersections.

Sgt. Darrel Krueger, a police spokesman, said the women were jogging east when they were struck by a pickup truck heading south on Val Vista. He said Carrie Brown, 49, died from her injuries, while Shari Irion, 53, was critically injured.

The longtime friends jogged together on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for years, according to a YouCaring, crowdfunding page. Irion also was a trainer at a Gilbert health club.

Erik Guderian, Mesa’s deputy transportation director, said Mesa is always looking for new ways to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety, whether it’s new projects or installing mid-block signals to reduce jaywalking.

“When we have a new project coming in, we take into account all users, not just vehicles,” he said. “We continually try to get the education piece out there.” He said all fatalities are reviewed to see whether traffic engineering changes could promote safety.

“There’s not a single solution. There has to be a multi-pronged approach,” Guderian said.

Chandler tragedy

All the Hesselbacher family knows is that they miss Pamela, that their lives will never be the same and that there needs to be more accountability for negligent drivers.

William Epperlein, 39, escaped felony prosecution, despite a poor driving record, because he was not impaired, was not speeding, he did not leave the scene and he was not street racing when he hit Pamela and her children.

Chandler police originally cited him for three felonies: causing a death by use of a vehicle and two counts of causing serious injury by use of a vehicle.

Epperlein’s case is expected to land in Chandler Municipal Court for prosecution of misdemeanors, lesser charges with shorter sentences. Arizona does not have a specific law that makes distracted driving a crime, although

Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

Matt Hesselbacher reads with his daughter, Audrey. She was hit by a pickup truck Nov. 12, 2016, and spent a week in a coma. Her mother, Pamela Hesselbacher, was killed.

(Kim Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

This curbside memorial commemorates Pamela Hesselbacher.

PEDESTRIANS

police can cite drivers for violations that often stem from distraction, such as failure to drive in the proper lane.

Pamela’s son, Ryan, 4, remembers everything, pushing the button on the traffic signal, waiting for the “walk” sign,” and getting struck by the truck. The family believes he survived primarily because Pamela had insisted that he wear his bicycle helmet while riding.

Pamela was pushing her daughter, Audrey, 14 months, in a stroller when they were hit. Audrey ended up in a coma for a week, but she pulled through. The family clings to one silver lining, that both children are doing fine, even though they will live the rest of their lives without a mother.

“If I had lost them, I don’t know what I would do. I could have lost them all in an instant,” Hesselbacher said.

“You can’t dwell on the fact she isn’t here anymore. You have to think, ‘I was lucky enough to know her, to have two beautiful children with her,’” he said.

Jody Kieran of Peoria, Pamela’s mother, said her daughter met Matt at the University of Arizona, where she was awarded a scholarship, earned a degree

in marketing and got a job with General Mills. The company will donate $20,000 a year to the HopeKids program for children with cancer.

“If anything would have happened to them, I don’t think she would have wanted to live,” Kieran said. “She was just safety conscious every step of the way.”

Safety campaign

While Hesselbacher’s family continues to cope with their tragic loss, Arizona officials are working on a federally financed safety campaign to combat a spike in pedestrian deaths, with the number of pedestrians seriously injured or killed rising throughout the Phoenix metro area.

Jody Kieran already has volunteered to appear in a public safety campaign after meeting with Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Chandler police also have volunteered to participate. “I hurt so bad. I don’t want anyone else to go through it,” Kieran said. “I’m trying to spare other people from this type of pain.”

Gutier has obtained a commitment for $800,000 in federal grants from the Focused Cities Program, which targets

areas with a high incidence of pedestrian and bicycle deaths. He envisions a combination of a public safety campaign in English and Spanish coupled with more enforcement of traffic laws.

“It’s a major priority that we do something about pedestrian and bicycle safety,” he said. “We want to reach as many people as we can.”

Gutier said he has up to five years to spend the money but wants to make a big impression with the campaign as quickly as possible.

“There has to be mutual respect” between drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, Gutier said.

He noted that pedestrian deaths are only one contributing factor to Arizona’s recording the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2007 in 2016.

Preliminary statistics have recorded 967 fatalities last year, compared with 887 in 2015 and 774 in 2014.

Busy intersections

Sgt. Steve Carbajal, a Tempe police traffic enforcement supervisor, said police target busy intersections with the highest number of collisions for enforcement. Early this year, they targeted jaywalkers near the Metro light rail, attempting to reduce collisions.

Carbajal said police in January made 352 stops during their pedestrian safety campaign, which resulted in 316 citations. He said 171 of those violations were specific to pedestrian violations.

“It’s not a popular thing, trust me. I have been called every name in the book,” Carbajal said. “They don’t understand what we’ve seen and what causes pedestrian crashes.”

He said drivers are distracted and pedestrians have difficulty judging distances, especially at night.

“You can’t count on a driver seeing you, even if you see them,” he said. “If there is impairment, it’s more often on the part of the pedestrian than the driver.”

Phoenix police Sgt. Alan Pfohl, a former traffic unit supervisor, agreed with Carbajal that pedestrian fatalities are more likely on arterial streets, where drivers don’t except to see anyone walking, rather than in congested downtown areas where drivers anticipate foot traffic.

“I think people are in a zone, looking at their phone or singing a song but not focused on the task of driving,” Pfohl said.

– Reach Jim Walsh at 480-898-5639 or at jwalsh@timespublications.com.

State Legislature gave some money to schools, hardly anything to roads

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

The 122-day legislative session this year was different than those in recent years in one significant way. Lawmakers were not looking for places to cut spending. In fact, there was actually a bit of cash available even after taking care of existing programs and the normal additions driven by formulas linked to inflation and the growth in everything from the number of students to people enrolled in the state’s health care program. But the fact that there were dollars to spend sent various interests scurrying to get their share.

Education

Lawmakers put more money into education, including bigger raises for teachers than Gov. Doug Ducey requested. But the question remains whether any of that will make a difference in the fact that four out of every 10 new Arizona teachers quit in the first two years.

Republican legislative leaders point out that the $34 million in the budget for a 1 percent raise this coming school year, with a promise of another percent next

year, is not the only money available for teacher raises. Schools are getting a $128 million increase in basic state aid to compensate for inflation and student growth.

Education advocates counter those dollars also have to cover changes in the cost of everything from utilities and supplies to school buses. There also is $38 million for “resultsbased funding,’’ awarded to highperforming schools. Lawmakers also agreed to ease the requirements for who can teach in public schools. But the potentially biggest change is

the decision to remove all restrictions on who can get vouchers of state dollars to attend private and parochial schools.

Proponents want universal vouchers for everyone. With that politically unacceptable, they had to settle for removing all restrictions on eligibility but agreeing to a cap of about 30,000, about 3 percent of students in public schools.

Transportation

One area that came up short was ensuring that Arizona has the funds to build new roads and repair the ones it has.

The situation is so bad that even the trucking industry is willing to pay more in gasoline taxes rather than put up with the delays that eat into profits and the potholes that lead to repairs. And the 18-cent-a-gallon levy is worth nowhere near what it was when it was last increased in 1991.

Members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved asking voters to boost the levy. But that was quashed when the bill could not get a hearing in the Ways and Means Committee, through which all tax bills must pass.

A Senatepassed bill to give county officials the power to ask local voters to impose their own dime-agallon gas tax hike for up to 20 years. But that gained no traction in the House.

Lawmakers agreed to ban license plate covers that are designed to make numbers and letters unreadable to speed cameras, but refused to require motorcycle riders to have helmets. Lawmakers did agree the state’s newest drivers – those with learner’s permits

See MONEY on page 23

(AFN file photo)

State Sen. Sean Bowie of Ahwatukee marked his first year as a legislator by successfully securing legislation that curbs “surprise” hospital bills when a patient unknowingly is assigned a doctor out of the patient’s coverage network.

(AFN file photo)

During the now-expired legislative session, state Rep. Jill Norgaard of Ahwatukee pushed through legislation that will enable dyslexic students to get more help in schools.

Vista Class of 2017

Thanks and Acknowledgments to families and businesses for their contributions to 2017 Grad Night

Donations

Desert Vista High School

Grad Night:

Arizona Vision

Chick-fil-A

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Firehouse Subs

Fry’s Foodstore

Goodwill of Central Arizona

Kneaders Bakery & Café

Lowe’s

Master Creations Jewelry

Mod Pizza

Murphy Law Firm

Napa Auto Parts

Native Grill & Wings

Pati P. Photography

Safeway

Saks Fifth Avenue

Spinato’s

Sweet Tomatoes

Team Ostendorp-Realty One Group

The Home Depot

Zzeeks Pizza & Wings

Desert Vista High School Booster Clubs:

Desert Vista Baseball Boosters

Desert Vista Men’s Basketball Boosters

Desert Vista Men’s Volleyball Boosters

Desert Vista Choir Boosters

Desert Vista Dance Boosters

Desert Vista Football Boosters

Desert Vista Golf Boosters

Desert Vista Lacrosse Boosters

Desert Vista Men’s Soccer Boosters

Desert Vista Swim & Dive Boosters

Desert Vista Thunderboard

Desert Vista Women’s Soccer Boosters

Desert Vista Women’s Volleyball Boosters

Desert Vista Cheer Boosters

The Grad Night Committee and parents of Desert Vista students would like to thank the administration, faculty and staff.

or in the first six months of getting a license – should not be using any wireless communication devices for talking or texting.

But to get even that, proponents had to agree to make it a secondary offense, meaning a citation can be issued only if the motorist is pulled over for another reason. And the restriction doesn’t take effect until July 1, 2018.

Law and order

It wouldn’t be a legislative session if there were not multiple efforts to make it easier for Arizonans to buy, sell, carry and use guns.

Lawmakers agreed to ban local governments from requiring those who sell weapons to be sure that the buyers are legally entitled to own them.

Gun-rights advocates failed once again to allow people who have concealed weapons permits to remain armed when entering public buildings unless there are guards and metal detectors. And legislation to ease laws making it illegal to fire off guns in city limits hit a dead end.

Lawmakers found money to do DNA tests on new rape kits and clear up the backlog.

And legislators agreed to make it harder for police and prosecutors to seize property they contend was involved in criminal activity.

Politics

Lawmakers tightened their grip on the right to write new laws. Initiative organizers will no longer be able to pay circulators by the signature. And judges will be able to invalidate petition drives if there is not “strict compliance’’ with all election laws, a departure from court rulings that voters should be given the last word if there is “substantial compliance.’’

Lawmakers would not hear a proposal to require that those who want to propose new laws must get a certain percentage of signatures from each of the state’s 30 legislative districts, leaving intact laws which set a minimum number, regardless of where the signatures are gathered.

Also dead is a proposal to ask voters to repeal a constitutional provision that now bars lawmakers from tinkering with what has been approved at the ballot.

Health and welfare

This year lawmakers voted to spell out what doctors must do when an abortion results in a live birth, including what actions medical staff must take to try to

Debbie Jeska has been an Aesthetician since 2005. She originally set out to open her own business and got licensed in aesthetics, laser, permanent makeup and lash extensions. She immediately started working with a small Medspa in Ahwatukee where working with people and customer satisfaction became her true passion. In January of 2011, Jeska started working for Dr. Stockton where she intensified her skills and broadened her knowledge through direct education from Dr. Stockton and her expertise staff.

Jeska offers a full range of aesthetic services that include treatments to help reduce chronic skin conditions, improve unwanted scarring, texture and laxity. She also treats Psoriasis and Vitiligo with the Excimer UVB laser.

The most enjoyable part of working at Stockton Dermatology for her is working with patients of all ages and ethnicities with direct access to the lead experts in the field. She dedicates herself to always doing what’s best for each patient for a significant, positive change in their skin and their esteem.

Laurie Evans, a certified laser technician and licensed aesthetician is a California-native who moved to Arizona in 2004.

She has been with Stockton Dermatology since 2008, and has received extensive education and extensive training from working directly with Dr. Stockton. In addition to her work at Stockton Dermatology, she has been a Clinical Aesthetic Device Trainer for Genisis Biosystems at the International Association for Pysicians in Aesthetic Medicine since 2011.

Laurie is certified by the Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency as a Laser Safety Officer, and as a Laser Technician who specializes in lasers, radio-frequency, and light-based therapies. She has garnered a strong aesthetic background working with a variety of skin conditions like Rosacea, Melasma, sun damage, acne, scarring, wrinkles, stretch marks, leg veins, skin laxity and textural irregularities. Additionally, Evans has been treating

keep the baby alive.

It proved controversial because of concerns that it will force doctors to do procedures on babies too premature or too deformed to survive, depriving parents of the minutes to bond with the child before it dies.

At the other extreme, another law is designed to protect health care providers and hospitals that refuse to participate in assisted suicide, euthanasia or mercy killing.

Lawmakers did agree to reverse the decision two years ago limiting lifetime benefits for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families to just one year, making Arizona the stingiest in the country.

The legislation contains various provisions that would reduce benefits by half for a single violation of rules, including kids not attending school at least 90 percent of the time or failing to immunize a child.

Economic development

Lawmakers both extended existing tax breaks and credits that were set to expire, expanded some of them and even created some new ones.

Some of these are aimed at major manufacturers, giving them additional incentives to do research and development in Arizona, with state taxpayers effectively

reimbursing them for part of the cost. They also are getting new property tax breaks on the equipment they buy.

And legislators agreed to give businesses some protections against lawsuits for failing to comply with the Arizonans with Disabilities Act.

Grab bag

In the category of “who knew that was illegal?’’ students attending public schools or summer camps now will be able to put on their own sunscreen without a note from home or a prescription.

Moving companies that say the cost has risen from the original estimate can’t refuse to deliver household goods.

Farmers will now be able to grow hemp for industrial uses if they get federal permission.

The San Tan Valley can schedule a vote to incorporate.

Foster children will be able to buy their own car insurance.

Lawmakers did agree that students journalists should get First Amendment protections though the fate of that measure is up to Ducey. Ditto with legislation to exempt the profits on gold and silver U.S. coins from state capital gains taxes. And a proposal to ban teaching “social justice’’ in schools proved to be a nonstarter.

At 90, Kyrene substitute teacher still going strong

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

Unlike some substitute teachers, Kathleen Schulke doesn’t prompt high fives and high jinks from students when she walks into a classroom

Instead of switching names or chairs or instruments, students in the Altadena Middle School intermediate orchestra class, the Akimel A-al orchestra and band classes and other Kyrene schools treat her with respect.

Chalk it up in part to her experience. Schulke marked her 90th birthday last October.

Schulke teaches music, language arts and social studies classes for the district.

A former full-time teacher for two decades in East Lansing, Michigan, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education, Schulke moved to Arizona in 1996, then taught orchestra full-time at Centennial Middle School for seven years.

She began her substitute teaching career at Kyrene 18 years ago.

Diane Grieser, a 23-year Kyrene teaching veteran, remembers Schulke’s debut as a substitute because she was the teacher for whom Schulke first subbed.

“I had played with Kathleen in the Chandler Symphony and she’d mentioned she was a retired string

teacher. When I was pregnant with my triplets, I needed a sub, and she was there for four or five months,” said Greiser, whose triplets are now seniors at Desert Vista High School.

“Kathleen’s amazing. She’s so healthy and so involved in education and active in the community. Her ‘with-it-ness’ is incredible for her age,” said Greiser, who holds a doctorate in musical arts from Boston University and is string specialist for Kyrene.

“I’ve known her almost 20 years now and she’s become a really good friend,” said Greiser, who teaches orchestra at Akimel A-al and Altadena. “She’s the only substitute in Kyrene who teaches strings.”

“My students always react very positively to her,” Greiser added. “And I always say when I grow up, I want to be Kathleen Schulke.”

Mel Allbright, Kyrene’s former substitute teacher coordinator, lauds Schulke’s work ethic.

“Whenever I called Kathleen, she would answer, ‘What do you need, kid?

I’m heading out to golf, but if you need me, I’ll get out of it; but tomorrow I’m golfing!’” Allbright said, adding:

“I knew that even if I needed her the next day as a middle school music substitute, she’d be there.”

Schulke is still a golfer, even though her favorite course, Ahwatukee Lakes, is

(Dianne Ross/AFN Contributor) Kathleen Schulke still plays violin and viola in the Chandler Symphony and substitute teaches for Kyrene School District.

defunct.

“I don’t play as much as I used to, but now the Ahwatukee Country Club is where I’ll go because it’s close by,” said Schulke. “The Springfield in Sun Lakes is also a good one.”

Music has been her passion since her first violin lesson at age 12.

After becoming proficient on violin, she picked up viola and continued to perfect the stringed instrument, playing in symphonies and orchestras in

Michigan and in Arizona. She has played in the Scottsdale Symphony and now-disbanded Sun City Symphony, and she still plays with the Chandler Symphony.

“I’ve been in orchestras all my life,” she said. “I played violin until college in my late 30s, then switched to viola. I played viola with the Chandler Symphony at first and a few years ago switched to violin. I own two violins and a viola.”

“I privately taught violin and viola at my home for many years but not now,” she continued. “When I substitute teach in orchestra, I usually bring my violin, and, yes, I do play for them a bit.”

Schulke said she substitutes at middle schools rather than elementary schools because she enjoys the age group.

“They’re fun, and they’re certainly a challenge,” she said. “I get high fives and hugs from some of the kids when I sub. They know who I am. I don’t have much of a problem, maybe once in a while a class will be out of control.”

Schools she’s substitute taught this year include Aprende, Pueblo, Akimel A-al and Altadena. In the past she has also taught at Kyrene Centennial and Kyrene Middle School.

“I did a little subbing in a few elementary schools in the past, but not for a number of years,” she added. “I

10 Kyrene teachers get gift cards in ‘appreciation raffle’

Ten Kyrene School District teachers won $100 gift cards after a poll put them in a running for a raffle in conjunction with Teacher Appreciation Week. The gift cards, courtesy of the ADM Group of Tempe, were given to teachers whose names were drawn

during the Kyrene governing board meeting last week.

Kyrene Superintendent Jan Vesely had asked the community a few weeks ago to nominate a teacher for their outstanding work.

All the nominees’ names were then entered in the drawing.

“My daughter is a kinder teacher and hasn’t had a raise in five years, so it’s not

hard to imagine a $100 gift card would make a difference,” ADM principal and founder Ben Barcon told the board, saying he and his company were happy to help the Kyrene Foundation provide the gift.

The winners, the class and their school were: April Elmore, sixth grade, Pueblo Middle School; Chris Epolite, fourth grade, Cerritos Elementary;

Chris Frazer, chorus and guitar, Pueblo; Dave Carras, fourth grade, Mirada Elementary; Dave Mattel, eighth grade, Akimel A-Al Middle School; Delia Lyding, third grade, Colina Elementary. Also, Janice Wagner, third grade, Lagos Elementary; Karri Guerena, kindergarten, Cielo Elementary; Laura Revenew, third grade, Colina; and Stacy Liddy, fifth grade, Cielo.

AFN NEWS STAFF

Cub Scouts social

Wall,

show off the ice cream boys can have if they attend Cub Scout Pack 78's ice cream social at Vista Canyon Park (near Desert Vista High School) at 6 p.m. Friday, May 19, to hear about the kind of fun scouting offers. While kids are having fun with water games, troop leaders will explain to parents the features and benefits of becoming part of Pack 78. Registration is not required since the pack just wants to introduce itself. Cub Scout Pack 78 is based out of Kyrene Monte Vista Elementary and open to boys in kindergarten through fifth grade. Information: BSAPack78.org or facebook.com/AhwatukeePack78.

Jo Anne, 80

SUB from page 24

choose to stay in middle schools.”

She’s noticed changes in student behavior over the years, but it’s nothing she can’t handle.

“I see a lack of responsibility and respect,” she said. “What they’re doing today wouldn’t have been permitted years ago.

“But I don’t have much of a problem, and this doesn’t apply to the majority, of course. There will always be some who challenge authority, but the schools are

on top of handling any situation which arises, and I have a wonderful support staff.”

She is known for her unique class starts, or which she rings two little brass Tibetan chimes.

“I use them rather than yelling out,” she said.

She said she’s not sure if she is Arizona’s oldest substitute teacher, but she’s sure she’s the oldest in Kyrene.

And substitute teaching is on her radar for years to come. As she remarked:

“I’ll do it as long as I can, because I like it.”

(Special for AFN)

Aidan

left, and Aidan Kirkpatrick,

Ahwatukee estate sale filled with little treasures

BY KELLY ATHENA AFN Contributor

Last Thursday, I stood in line at 9 a.m. with 38 others waiting to enter an estate sale held at an Ahwatukee Foothills home.

A retiree man said he was looking for tools. His wife was searching for clothes and gifts for the grandkids. A young woman from Ahwatukee, her thumbs flying away on her cell phone, was there to find vintage clothes for her eBay shop.

Another young woman wearing a stylish dress, heels, and lovely makeup was there searching for vintage clothes for her downtown Phoenix boutique. We entered the home through the garage, where thousands of tools, knickknacks, vintage ashtrays, gardening tools, pots, jars, fertilizers, fabrics and car parts were arranged neatly on a dozen tables.

The garage opened into a laundry room with about 100 canned and packaged food items arranged on shelves. The laundry room opened to

We

a huge living room lined with designer purses and original art pieces.

Intricate glassware and crystal glittered everywhere. I entered the master bedroom, where circular displays held hundreds of clothing items. I saw the boutique owner holding a huge armful of pastel chiffon dresses.

In the kitchen, every inch of counter space was filled with patterned dishes, glassware, Belgian pots and ceramic vases. I smelled the aroma of cinnamon and sensed the love that had gone into many meals prepared in this room.

The owner of the estate-sale business, Pamela Mullavey, was in the crowd. A couple of her 10 employees, all in matching aprons, were bringing her items as she quickly looked up the latest sales price they had received on eBay. She usually priced her items lower.

sale. I found four vintage insulated cookie sheets for a quarter of eBay’s price and decided to give them a try.

The third day of the sale, I brought my 8-year-old neighbor girl, Isabelle. On the way we stopped at a garage sale. I noticed the beautiful canopy of a palo verde tree spreading across their yard, sporting thousands of green pods.

“Do you mind if I eat one of your beans?” I asked the young couple running the sale. “They’re edible?” the husband asked incredulously.

“Any tree with a green trunk and branches is a bean tree that locals have eaten for centuries,” I said.

He tried one. “Tastes just like edamame,” he said. I call it “desert edamame” when I take it to potlucks or introduce it to restaurants.

Soon, several more people started picking pods, splitting them open, and eating the beans.

“Hey, I never knew you could eat these,” a man said. “Yes, and just wait till that lavender-flowered ironwood tree next door grows its pods in June and July. They taste like pistachios!” I added.

We pulled up to the estate sale and walked from room to room with wide eyes. Isabelle picked out three stuffed animals. “What do you think about this estate sale, Isabelle?” I asked.

“I’m overwhelmed, flabbergasted and flummoxed,” she said. I was astounded at her aptly-used vocabulary.

We filled our “Stuff any bag for $5” bag with toys, four decorative widemouth glass jars, two silk scarves, garden gloves, epsom salts, and six bags of drip irrigation emitters.

“How has the sale gone for you, Pamela?” I asked.

I had seen her at many Ahwatukee estate sales over the past nine years.

“I got out of corporate America and started my own organizing and staging business in 2009,” she said. “My business, Clutter Sweepers, morphed into estate sales and now that’s my exclusive specialty. You should have seen last week’s sale. Our website got over 9,000 hits. It was the biggest estate sale we ever had.”

The second day of the sale, I dropped in for the 25-percent-off-everything

“Well, some resellers came in and cleaned out all the 1800s antiques.”

“1800s antiques! Where were those hidden?” I inquired.

“They were all over the living room. These people knew their stuff, and snatched up everything at 50 percent off first thing this morning. My client had held on to some precious heirlooms from her grandmother and greatgrandmother.”

Now it was my turn to be flabbergasted.

(Special to AFN)

Kelly Mullavey, owner of an estate-sale business, sells an antique crystal bowl to Dee Golay.

Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori trio sweeps essay contest

Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori swept the kindergarten category for the Arizona Sports & Entertainment Commission’s Grand Canyon State Games Essay Competition. One of the oldest sports commissions in the United States, its mission is to bring national and international sporting events to the state, assist in the promotion of existing events and teams and support youth sports programs.

While it focuses on mainly athletic competitions, the commission each year also holds statewide contests for art and essay writing.

The winners and their essays follow.

“American Heroes” by Matthew Hughes, gold medal:

My American heroes are my teachers. I look up to them because they are nice to me and teach me everything I need to know. They teach me how to be good in class, to be good in reading, writing, answering math problems, and coloring. They teach me how to behave and be good to my parents and to everybody. They also teach me to do some art lessons like cutting paper, pasting, card and poster making. They also teach me about music and about Spanish

language. They say that teachers are nation builders and it is very true. That is why I want to be like them when I grow up.

“Teacher” by Ishita Bhatia, silver medal:

A teacher is an American hero who helps kids to learn new things. Teachers keep kids safe when parents are away. Teachers study hard and work harder than most people. Teachers take good care of children and encourage them to do challenging work to become smart kids.

A teacher is the most special community helper because she helps in making doctors, firefighter, policemen, and other teachers in the society. I love all my teachers at my fun school.

“Friends” by Kelly Dai, bronze:

A good friend helps her friend when her feelings get hurt. A good friend will always be there when she is needed. A good friend will share the truth. A good friend is someone I feel comfortable to be with. A good friend will be on my side even when I lose.

A good friend will show up when I call her. A good friend will help her friend to grow up and live a better life. A good friend shall be kind and fun. I hope I can make good friends forever.

Fitness Fanatics – the children will spend this rotation doing all things physical (i.e., yoga, karate, dance, and any game that gets our bodies moving!

AFN NEWS STAFF

(Special to AFN)

Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori students who won medals in the annual Grand Canyon Essay State Games Contest are, from left, Matthew Hughes, Ishita Bhatia and Kelly Dai.

Centennial teacher wins grant for high-tech equipment

Arelative newcomer to the Kyrene School District teacher corps scored a $4,860 grant from CenturyLink to buy equipment that will help Centennial Middle School students learn science, technology, engineering and math.

Centennial media teacher Jennifer Werner, who just started teaching in the Kyrene School District this year, applied for the grant at Principal Michelle Anderson’s suggestion.

“I had written grants before and told her that I would be happy to work on this in the short amount of time we had before the due date,” said Werner, who had about 10 days to submit the application.

Werner had to come up with a project for the grant, and she developed the “prototyping innovation project,” which she said “will integrate technology into the curriculum in ways that the students rarely get an opportunity to experience.”

She said the project will give students a “meaningful understanding of the full design-and-production process.”

“By having this technology available,

students will be able to take the problemsolving units we have in class to the next level by taking the brainstorming, concept mapping, design and development stages they already complete in the class and make the real-world examples of the products and ideas they design,” she explained. Ultimately, she added, “This

will solidify the learning experience and make a more tangible process for the students.”

A teacher since 2012 who has taught in three other area districts, the South Dakota native and Northern Arizona University graduate almost missed the check presentation during an assembly

because she had to take a group of students back to her classroom.

A few minutes after she got back to the classroom, she was summoned back to the gym. “That is when they revealed the surprise. I was extremely excited when I won. I had actually been anxiously awaiting the posting of the winners on the CenturyLink news feed for weeks,” Werner said.

Werner said the grant will be used to buy 3D printers, which she said will give students a more realistic idea of the manufacturing process.

“In this STEM class, 3-D printers will play the role of giving the students a real-world example for the ideas and innovations they create in class,” she explained. “Throughout the curriculum, students discover the importance of technology, problem solving, and how to use their ideas to solve issues in their home, school, and communities.”

She said the technology also will help students “troubleshoot and correct errors in their designs” and “further their understanding of math and science principles.”

(Lauren Clark/Special to AFN)

Celebrating a grant Centennial Middle School received from CenturyLink are, from left, Kathy Winslow of CenturyLink, media teacher Jennifer Werner, the Phoenix Suns Gorilla and Centennial Principal Michelle Anderson.

Ahwatukee Republican Women to hear county school official Ahwatukee Republican Women will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee.

Following a half-hour of socializing, the meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and feature Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson Information: arwomen@aol.com or 602-300-4185.

Village Planning Committee cancels meeting for May

The Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee will not be meeting this month.

The city announced that its meeting, which would have been held Monday, May 22, won’t be held.

Legion post to hold annual flag retirement ceremony in June

American Legion Post 64, the only veterans’ service organization in Ahwatukee, will hold a ceremony to retire and burn old American flags at 7 p.m. June 14 at Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive.

American Legion, Post # 64

AROUND AHWATUKEE

People can bring old flags to the ceremony. Information: americanlegionpost64.com.

Inspire Kids Montessori sets open house for parents

Families are invited to stop by Inspire Kids Montessori, 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee 9-11 a.m. Friday, May 26, to observe classroom activities, meet the staff and take a tour of the campus and new school gardens.

Inspire Kid’s early education programs for ages 6 weeks to 6 years old introduce children to science, technology, engineering and math), practical life skills and reading, writing and manners. Graduates rank in the upper percentile in Terra Nova academic testing nationally. Information: 480-659-9402 or info@ inspirekidsmontessori.com.

Summer academy for gifted kids scheduled at Summit School

Smart Minds Summer Academy for gifted and talented children will be offered this summer at Summit School of Ahwatukee.

Smart Minds offers the gifted and

talented or highly motivated second through 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 at Pecos Park beginning soon

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

Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori 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.

Share Your Thoughts

Send your letters on local issues to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com

THURSDAY, MAY 18

Kiwanis host Bowie

State Sen. Sean Bowie of Ahwatukee will discuss the recently completed legislative session at the next meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee. DETAILS>> 7:30 a.m. Biscuits Restaurant, 4623 E. Elliot Road, Ahwatukee. Information: mike.maloney2003@ gmail.com.

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 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 STEM 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 480-471-8505.

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.

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 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.

Virtual doctor visits can save time and money

BY DAVE ALLAZETTA AFN Guest Writer

Time is a valuable commodity for busy families. Health insurers are taking notice, offering their members the option of telemedicine for many common health issues.

Services like UnitedHealthcare’s “Virtual Visits” are covered by most employer-sponsored medical plans and are available to patients at any time of day via a mobile device or computer.

Telemedicine has been around in various forms for a few years, yet the proliferation of mobile devices and high-speed data connections make it easier than ever for anyone to talk to a doctor using live audio and video technology.

For the busy employee, balancing both work and family commitments, telemedicine is a convenient way to access medical care quickly. Employers offering benefits like virtual visits can witness the value through happier, healthier employees.

Patients typically use a mobile device or a computer equipped with camera and sound to access virtual visits. The patient then logs into a care provider’s secure mobile app or website.

Once connected via live video and sound, the physician consultation is much like an in-person visit. The physi-

cian will ask questions, make a diagnosis, and prescribe treatment as appropriate. Doctors can diagnose and treat many non-emergency medical conditions and even write a prescription.

The visits are an efficient use of time for both patient and doctor, and the cost of a virtual visit is typically lower

than that of a visit to a doctor’s office, urgent-care center, or emergency room.

Once an online appointment is complete, patients have access to a visit summary they can give their primary care physician to ensure the information becomes part of their permanent medical record.

It’s important to note that virtual visits are good for common conditions like allergies, bronchitis, coughs, diarrhea, fever and pinkeye; however, sometimes an in-person diagnosis by the doctor is necessary.

Orthopedic injuries like broken bones or sprains are not diagnosed over a computer. Patients with cancer or other complex conditions, and those with chronic conditions should still see their physician in person for care.

Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911 and seek appropriate emergency medical assistance.

Learn more about UnitedHealthcare virtual visits at uhc.com/individual-and-family/member-resources/ health-care-tools/virtual-visits.

-Dave Allazetta, is UnitedHealthcare Arizona Health Plan chief executive officer.

(Special to AFN)

To the Class of 2017: Savor your achievement, prepare for the next

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

With graduation ceremonies just a day away for Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista high schools and 13 days away for Horizon Honors Secondary School, I briefly thought of writing one of those “dear graduate” columns.

But then I remembered I don’t have a Twitter account.

I’m not being a smart aleck. Right next to the barge that’s full of graduation columns written in newspapers and magazines, I can sail another barge packed to the brim with studies showing how few people under 25 read those print products.

So, I am going to hope that if you know someone who is walking on stage at one of the three Ahwatukee High Schools on Thursday, May 18, or May 30 that you’ll

pass this column along to them.

First off, congratulations.

What you are about to celebrate is no small accomplishment. Yeah, graduation was a big deal when I did it. But given the sheer volume of what you’re required to know these days, it’s a bigger deal now.

For most of you, it’s not over yet. Indeed, many experts say that to succeed and stay successful, you’ll have to become a lifelong learner. You will have to be prepared in many instances to embrace a whole new career than the one you are preparing for right now.

I don’t mean to throw a cold towel on your pride in getting this far when I also remind you that all that independence you are about to inherit brings enormous responsibility as well.

If you are going to a college or university, you and you alone will be responsible for choosing courses, then meeting those course requirements and making sure the totality of your

academic experience is such that you can build a future on it and not just get by.

If you are opting for a trade, that same responsibility may have a different form, but it has the same bottom line.

If you are entering the military, thank you for thinking of us first and putting yourself on the line for your country. I don’t need to tell you what to do, because there will be enough people doing that.

But you’ve made it through a very important first stage in this thing we call growing up.

And you should celebrate and be proud – for a few days, anyway.

Next, I hope you remember the people who helped you get to that moment when you’re handed your diploma.

Yes, I know that you did the work – but so did your parents or guardians, your teachers and your school administrators.

I hope that if you don’t recognize the sacrifices and the blood, sweat and tears they put into your journey to this

momentous occasion that you one day will – if for no other reason than the fact you’ll be called upon to do the same one day.

I suppose that you will hear or read in the coming days about how perilous and uncertain a future you face.

Frankly, those who came before you faced the same thing.

And many of your predecessors went on to beat other seemingly insurmountable odds to become great scientists, great artists, great business people, great statesmen, great parents.

Great human beings.

So, savor your victory because the buzz will wear off soon enough.

Soon, it will be time to start climbing up another mountain, aiming for another high point like the one you are reaching this month.

Congratulations on getting to the top of this mountain.

And good luck with the next.

Why is True Life Companies changing horses midstream?

BY BEN HOLT AFN Guest Writer

The True Life Companies’ defense of its Ahwatukee Farms concept in the May 3 issue of the Ahwatukee Foothill News resorts to the land redevelopment firm’s familiar name-calling strategy.

True Life also tosses around a handful of logical-sounding transitional words, like “thus,” to create the illusion that it is presenting a reasoned opinion supported by verifiable, factual information. Instead, a closer reading of the opinion reveals that the proof is nothing more than an assertion as fact of the highly contentious claim that golf can never be profitable at the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course.

Simply stated, saying something is so doesn’t make it so.

Barry was referring to a previous statement of STL, in which the homeowners group conjectured that True Life adopted the new legal strategy because True Life’s petition drive to change the CC&Rs has not been successful.

Facing a court deadline in June, True Life last month asked the judge to hear its request to change the CC&Rs another way because of a “material change in circumstances,” and the judge agreed to hear the case this fall.

STL and Barry agree on one thing: STL cannot speak for True Life; we assert that we were attempting to make a plausible explanation for events since the company has not offered one. Even in his rebuttal, Barry offers no clarification. He offers only the cryptic statement that “the two procedures (judicial override and petition

In True Life’s latest public statement, Aidan Barry, a senior vice president, also complains that Save the Lakes has drawn a conclusion about why True Life is pursuing a new legal strategy. Barry claims that STL “continues to make up false information” about why True Life changed legal strategies.

drive) are mutually exclusive.”

We stand behind the simpler, clearer conclusion.

The CC&Rs can be changed if 51 percent of the owners agree to change them. True Life has been collecting signatures to change the CC&Rs for about a year. If it is now asking a judge to open another way to change the CC&Rs, we conclude that True Life’s petition drive has not captured a majority of public opinion.

In business, time is money. It doesn’t make business sense to begin another court battle, delay the project further, and postpone the payday by starting a new strategy. If the horse you are riding across the river is getting you where you want to go, why call in another horse to get you there, especially if the new horse has to be summoned from miles away?

Most significant and more misleading is Barry’s assertion that the CC&Rs ought to be changed because “material circumstances” have changed.

As evidence of the material change

in circumstance, Barry offers up as fact True Life’s conclusion that golf can’t be profitable at the Lakes. This claim is supported only by an off-the-charts renovation estimate of $14 million from Troon, a high-end third party manager of golf and club operations.

As Barry mangles it: “Given the fact that operating a golf course on this specific property is not economically viable…Thus .... Thus, the CC&Rs need to be modified.”

In fact, the material change in circumstances – the so-called golf downturn – had been in effect before True Life took control of the parcels. Indeed, it had been in effect when predecessor redevelopers purchased land constrained by CC&Rs to be a golf course.

True Life is using the court to create the impression it acquired the Lakes to run as a golf course. True Life is asking a judge to overrule the apparent wishes of homeowners in the area.

Phoenix has a priority problem when it comes to police in Ahwatukee

BY MICHAEL HINZ AFN Guest Writer

Good Schools, pretty neighborhoods, involved and engaged people. In Ahwatukee we have everything – everything, that is. except police protection.

On the evening of April 26, Ahwatukee had no police coverage for over two hours. An auto accident north of the mountain was “so severe” that resources were insufficient to provide police coverage. So, all the Ahwatukee police resources were sent there.

Let that sink in for a moment: there were not even enough officers for a traffic accident.

So few, in fact, that they had to move all of the Ahwatukee police to north of the mountain. We don’t even know how many cops are really here. It’s hard to get answers.

In any case, the number was not “some” officers, not “one or two” officers, but all of the officers. Which meant there was no police presence in Ahwatukee. None. Not a car, not a policeman, not even a crossing guard.

For several hours, and likely not for the first time, this community had absolutely zero police. Zero police for 85,000 people is outrageous. Is this our tax dollars working for us?

Perhaps this explains the upticks in our crime and the ever-slower responses from police. Why is our precinct so

and our services are going elsewhere. Greg Stanton wants statewide office –supporting Ahwatukee is just too local. That’s politics and we need to wake up to stop it.

But the failure to provide adequate police coverage is simply wrong. It is outrageously, unacceptably wrong that

“ The truth is that this city has a priority problem. Police are a first priority. The city must fully fund and hire police to our current stated need. ”

undermanned? Are we just a place where no police are needed, or is the city bottom-dealing us again?

It is unfortunate that Ahwatukee is getting short shrift on a variety of fronts: the South Mountain Freeway, the design of Chandler Boulevard Extension, transportation expenditures and road repair, even parks and recreation.

Our tax dollars are being sucked out

there were zero police in our community.

It’s not like the city is unaware of our police concerns. In the village planning meeting in February, residents voiced concern that city transferred Pecos Road patrols to the state Department of Transportation. Citizens feared a degradation of police coverage.

Board members were concerned that the city would allocate those officers

somewhere else in the city. We were assured unequivocally that patrols would not degrade. In the annual meeting of the Club West HOA in March, we were assured by our local police command that coverages were more than adequate. As evidenced on April 26, the city “misspoke”– and more than once.

Though the city confirmed that our police were moved, they could not provide any information on why the precinct is so under staffed a traffic accident would fully deplete the manpower. How can something like this be allowed to occur? How can man power be so short that there are too few officers to handle an accident in another neighborhood? Is it a manpower issue, a planning and organization issue or both?

Though Ahwatukee is not alone, we are far shorter of police than any other area of the city.

In December 2016, the city police union said it needed 400 additional officers. 400. Currently Phoenix has about 2,800 police. Are we really 15 percent under-policed as a city ?

We do not have access to the owners’ and former owners’ business plans, but we can look at actual events -- which are facts -- and draw conclusions.

True Life and all previous owners of the Lakes property knew that the use of the property was restricted to a golf course; presumably they did their due diligence and freely chose to buy the property involved in what they now label a “failing business.”

Indeed, True Life never attempted to operate the property as a golf course; upon acquisition, both True Life and Pulte proceeded with plans to repurpose it. Why is True Life now discovering that golf can’t be profitable?

We do not know how hard the prior owners tried to make golf viable at the Lakes, but from what other people in the industry say, they didn’t try very hard. The appearances suggest to us that the developers saw a chance for a quick buck “fix-and-flip.”

In addition, Barry’s response continues to try to portray the lawsuit against its effort to convert the golf course into 300 tract homes as the effort of “two individuals” rather than an outcry from a broad segment of Ahwatukee.

Let’s be clear: We admit that we are selfish. If it is selfish to want to preserve open space that makes our homes more valuable than crowded neighborhoods, we are selfish. If we want to protect the nest-egg that our real estate investment

from page 36

The Phoenix city budget is $3.9 billion, and 400 additional police is likely a $40-million-a-year expense – about 1 percent of the city budget.

Moving just 1 percent (one penny for every dollar) in other department budgets over to public safety is certainly not a hardship and is easily achieved. These secondary expenses should then be put to the public vote. If the public rebukes the taxes, cut those programs.

The primary duty of the city is to provide police and fire protection and clean water. Everything else is secondary. The real issue is priorities.

represents, we are selfish. If it is selfish to prefer flowing traffic to gridlock and to want protection from flash flooding, we are selfish.

If we are selfish, what is True Life? True Life specializes in acquiring properties, resolving hurdles to redevelopment like government approvals, and reselling the lots to builders, who construct and market residences. True Life bought the property from Wilson Gee for $750,000 down and a note for $8.25 million.

If True Life sells the 300 undeveloped residential lots to a builder for the average lot price in Phoenix, True Life could fetch $20 million before expenses, said developers who asked not to be named. If expenses amount to $10 million, True Life’s net profit could be about $10 million. How is True Life sharing the windfall of selling a community asset whose value has skyrocketed with Phoenix’s growth?

Instead, True Life expects the community to embrace development’s unpleasant financial and aesthetic side effects, and offers only unsubstantiated claims that Ahwatukee Farms will promote prosperity and property values. We challenge True Life to provide any evidence from impartial sources that its claims are more than fantasies, and we urge Ahwatukee residents to evaluate for themselves the credibility of True Life’s statements.

-Ben Holt is an Ahwatukee Lakes resident, and member of the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee and president of Save the Lakes.

Are the mayor and his like-minded cronies cheating on our police and fire protection and spending tax money and their efforts on pet projects –like development, sanctuary status or injecting our city into national politics? I think they are.

The truth is that this city has a priority problem. Police are a first priority. The city must fully fund and hire police to our current stated need.

The city must stop creating a shortage of police simply to extort more taxes for pet programs and the city must stop ignoring Ahwatukee.

-Michael Hinz is a member of the Club West HOA board and the Ahwatukee FoothillsVillage Planning Committee.

Stylin’ in Tukee

PHOTOGRAPHS

BY

KIMBERLY CARRILLO/AFN PHOTOGRAPHER

Golden Light Photography and Metro Image Consulting helped the Tukee Sisters for Business networking group with fashion show last week at Blooming Beets in Casa Paloma Center. Models included: top row, right, Stephanie Sujey; middle row, from left: Ariel Callahan applies some finishing touches to Tiffany Ticlo; Kelly Hartt adjusts Tiffany's blouse; and Kyra Hobacia shows off a summer outfit; bottom row, from left: Kim Mayfield sports a leopard cape; designer Mabel Cortez talks as models show off her clothing line, called Mabella Chic; and Northern Clover designer Jane Kaw soaks in applause.

Feng shui practitioner looks to rearrange people’s lives, not just furniture

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

In the most basic terms, Roseanne “Ro” Rusnock’s business is all about rearranging furniture.

Now, the Ahwatukee woman is branching out to rearrange people’s minds and hearts.

Rusnock, who owns Elements & Energy, is a feng shui consultant who arranges people’s homes and offices “to enhance people’s lives.”

A 3,000-year-old Chinese practice that combines art and science, feng shui is based on the belief that people’s everyday spaces – home and work – directly affect their peace, health, abundance and happiness.

Trained “to understand how an environment impacts an individual internally,” she explained the philosophy of feng shui simply.

“If you live in a cluttered home, you’re going to be cluttered and disorganized here and here,” she said, pointing to her head and her heart. “If everything is beautiful and in harmony outside, everything will be in harmony inside.”

Certified in feng shui since 1999, she has kicked up her business a number of notches this year with the help of a business consultant and not only serves private clients but also works for Realtors to stage homes for sale.

While staging furniture in sale homes is becoming increasingly common, applying the principles of feng shui to the practice is fairly new.

Rusnock says the homes she stages sell fast – and that has caught the attention of the home-improvement cable channel HGTV. A producer is auditioning her for a series that will show what she does and what happens to the homes she does it to.

Now, she is branching out into a

niche she admits where most feng shui practitioners have never ventured: taking the principles of arranging people’s external environmental and applying them to their self-image, their habits and other aspects of their internal selves.

“The feng shui practitioner understands that every nook and cranny of a living space is alive and is mirroring back aspects of the occupants’ internal lives,” she explains on her website.

So why not have clients begin to examine how they can alter those internal lives?

“I enjoy saving people from despair,” she said.

Moreover, she said, she’s able to read a person’s needs and deficiencies in 10 minutes.

“I’m just curious; I ask questions if I am meeting someone,” she explained. “Just from the energy they’re projecting

Learn about the Market

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As a little girl growing up in small, cluttered home in the Bay Area, she was impressed with organization.

She recalled how she needed scissors to do her homework one day and when she couldn’t find anything in her home, she went to the next-door neighbor.

“She opened the drawer and everything was in its place and I remember thinking ‘I want to live with her,’” Rusnock said. “I went over to her house a few other times when I needed to borrow something for my homework.”

As she got older, however, her path seemed to take her further away from the organized life and surroundings she craved.

She was raising two daughters and living in a cramped apartment in Scottsdale and despairing that she had no money and little future.

“My life was dismal,” she said. “I didn’t have anything going except my relationship with God, and I felt like God had forsaken me.”

from their body, I can tell if they hate their job, if they’re happily married, if they have trouble with their finances. I’m a great listener. Just from the way someone compose themselves I can read body language. I can read the intonation of their voice. I can read how you compose your body.”

Rusnock is developing both on an individual and group basis that will cost $1,899 and $997, respectively, for the first 12 weeks.

She’s also hiring a couple certified feng shui practitioners to carry that part of the business that addresses people’s environment.

“I have to get smart with my time,” she explained. “I don’t want to get burned out.”

While Rusnock is starting to feel like she’s arriving, her path to success has been rocky.

So, a sympathetic friend took her to the self-help section of a bookstore and told her to stand in front of the shelves of self-improvement books, close her eyes and reach out and pick one.

It was a book by Louise Hay, a world-renowned lecturer and writer on spirituality, health, and wellness.

She read the book and then borrowed $149 to hear her and six other women speak in Phoenix about the need to surround one’s self with good.

One of those other women was Terah Kathryn Collins, a feng shui guru.

“The day I heard Terah speak, I bought her book,” Rusnock recalled. “But I was so shy, I couldn’t go and have her sign it. Today she’s one of my dearest friend.

She didn’t get certified though Collins’ feng shui training program for several

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

Roseanne Rusnock of Ahwatukee decorated her home along the principles of feng shui, which she has studied for more than a decade. See FENG SHUI

Beeline Bikes brings mobile bike service to Ahwatukee region

BY RYAN CLARKE

Contributor

Astartup mobile bike shop is wheeling around Arizona, proving repairs, tune-ups, parts and accessories for bikers stretching from Ahwatukee to the East Valley.

Beeline Bikes, founded in the Bay Area in 2013, expanded to the Valley with the help of The Velo bike shop in downtown Phoenix. That local partnership has allowed Beeline Bikes to find an instant customer base for the mobile operation. “We’re a full bike shop on wheels,” chief operating officer Peter Small said. “Everything that you’d go to a traditional bike shop for, we do out of the

FENG SHUI

years, spending that decade reading everything she could about feng shui and working as a cocktail waitress.

“Kept working on it and working on it,” she said.

But even after she became certified, it took another 10 years for her to become a feng shui businesswoman.

convenience of whatever location is best for you – whether that be your home, work or elsewhere.”

CEO Pete Buhl started Beeline Bikes after struggling to find a bike shop in San Francisco that met his needs as an avid biker.

The mobile shop tries to address the issues that might exist with your typical bike shop, whether it be a lack of accommodations or having a difficult time finding what fits your individual needs.

With the growing popularity of ondemand services like Uber and Postmates as the leaders in ride-sharing and delivery services, Beeline wants to follow that trend and be part of the digital age.

Convenience attracts customers to the service.

She still couldn’t conquer her shyness.

“I couldn’t speak about it,” she said.

“My business was not successful because I didn’t have the inner fortitude to speak about my business.”

Then she hooked up with a business coach who “changed my life.”

By 2009, she was starting to take off.

“I changed my life and I am doing that with my clients,” she said.

Her clients run the gamut from people

“We always focus on being accessible to all types of people that ride bikes,” Small said. “That’s everything from the highend, enthusiast racer to someone who just wants a bike to ride down the street to get ice cream.”

It’s not just repairs and parts that Beeline provides, either.

Partnering with The Velo allows Beeline to build new bikes and deliver them to customers’ front doors.

Beeline also has mobile shops in Denver, Southern California, Albuquerque and San Antonio. It’s a fast-growing service that has nationwide appeal.

Small said the decision to expand to a market depends on two key factors:

who have read about feng shui and believe in its positive benefits to skeptics to people in between.

“I had one businessman call me who wanted to feng shui his office, but he made an appointment in the evening because he didn’t want his coworkers to know what he was doing,” she said.

With her life of clutter and despair well in her rear-view mirror, Rusnock is excited by the possibilities and opportunities that

BOA BABES

demographics of the area and finding a good partner. Both boxes were checked when he explored expansion to Arizona.

“The Phoenix area has a thriving bike culture,” Small said. “It’s a large population with a good corporate presence as well.”

In addition to its services for individuals, Beeline also provides a recurring service on site for corporate campuses, repairing and delivering bike parts to folks at their workplaces on a larger scale.

Pricing and coverage information is available on the company’s website, beelinebikes.com, where customers also can schedule appointments.

Embracing the tech boom and providing a reliable service is at the core of Beeline Bikes’ mission.

are opening up before her.

She has already doubled her income into six figures, she said, and her major new goal is “I want to be smarter and more effective with my time.”

But considering where she’s come from, that challenge hardly seems all the challenging.

As she put it, “I’m on my way.”

Information: elementsandenergy.com, 480-241-5805 or ro@elementsandenergy.com

SHOP LOCAL

Explosion Sportswear

4802 S. 35th St., Phoenix.

480-703-5914

explosionsportswear.com

Explosion Sportswear specializes in custom screen printing, embroidery, and over 300,000 promotional products. We offer a one-stop shopping experience and have a wide variety of different items to choose fromn.

Freeway Chevrolet

1150 N. 54th St., Chandler.

480-735-0399

yourphoenixchevroletdealer.com

Freeway Chevrolet is your Chandler dealer also serving Phoenix Chevrolet customers with new and used cars, trucks, SUVs, GM parts and service. At Freeway Chevrolet, Chandler and Phoenix Chevrolet drivers can view and test-drive the best lineup of new Silverado trucks in Arizona.

Flooring America

6909 W. Ray Road, Chandler. 480-447-1801

flooringamericaofchandler.com

Flooring America of Chandler is more than just a flooring specialty store. We are trained in flooring and design and will help you find the perfect floor, countertop, shower remodel or closet system for the way you live. Flooring America of Chandler is locally owned and family operated.

Laura L. Bush, PhD, Writing and Publishing 1930 S. Westwood, Mesa. 480-200-5431

laurabushphd.com

If you don’t have time to write, don’t like to write, or know you want help to write and communicate better – either for your business or for personal reasons or both- – you’ve come to the right place. Laura can help you tell people clearly what you do, why you do it, and how you make a difference.

At Home

5000 S. Arizona Mills Circle, Tempe.

480-214-7328

athome.com

With a variety of home décor products, we want to inspire you to express your own unique style throughout your home.

Main Street Ahwatukee

Brought to you by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce

Name: Laura Meehan

Company: Ahwatukee Foothills News

Address: 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Tempe.

Contact information: 702-807-9213, lmeehan@timespublications.com Website: ahwatukee.com

What type of business services do you provide?

Marketing as well as print, digital and email-blast advertising and online videos. Besides the Ahwatukee Foothills News, Times Publications publishes more than a dozen other weekly, bi-weekly and monthly publications serving portions of the Valley and Arizona, including the East Valley Tribune, San Tan Sun News, Lovin’ Life After 50, Entertainer and College Times.

What are some exciting things happening in your business?

AFN is committed to serving Ahwatukee with a thorough and comprehensive weekly newspaper covering all aspects of the community, from kids accomplishing great things in Ahwatukee schools to issues, like the South Mountain Freeway, that affect the community. We also are committed to serving the business community of Ahwatukee. We had a special edition Summer Kids Camp Guide recently and will be publishing a Back to School Guide in July and a guide to medical professionals in the fall. In addition, we are sponsors of many major community events, including the Festival of Lights Kick-Off Party and Wine and Beer Tasting Event.

What is you background and how did you come to be in this business?

I have been in advertising for about 20 years. I am a mom of four and love meeting clients and helping them with their business needs.

What other organizations are you involved in?

I am a board member of the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA.

What are your special interests?

Outdoors, I like hiking and tennis. I also enjoy spending time with my family and dogs.

Chamber offering valuable face-time opportunities

BY GINA JENKINS AFN Guest Writer

All things in life are cyclical and the face-to-face meeting is no different. Face-to-face was the beginning and the standard for obtaining and closing business. Our method of arriving for such meetings just changed over time, from arriving by horseback to smart cars.

Along with the change in transportation mode, there was the invention of conference calls, the internet, web conferencing, websites and email marketing.

Combining the rise in travel costs, postage for print marketing and a recession – along with the technological advances – many businesses saw moving to a more e-sales model as a way to cut costs and reallocate time that would have been spent traveling or in face-toface meetings.

Fast-forward to 2017. There is an increase in business-related networking groups, including general networking, women in business and ethnicity-based groups and young professionals.

Although technology opened up a new vertical for businesses, it could not replace the retention and referral factors

that play into the concrete business relationships that are solidified through face-to-face meetings.

Many business people who stepped away from the day-to-day networking opportunities and focused on more mass contact efforts are stepping back into networking. There are many advantages, ranging from increased sales to branding and market reach, that technology has brought the businesses.

But there are still areas that are key, especially for small businesses that need that good old fashioned “face time.”

Potential clients are less likely to say “no” in a face-to-face meeting and more likely to make referrals based on personal business relationships.

Engaging in small-group networking often leads to collaboration on larger projects involving multiple businesses. And so the networking lines begin to form a web – not connected by an internet router, but a personal touch.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce continues to assist businesses’ organic growth with its many networking opportunities, ranging from Power Partners Leads groups, Wake Up Ahwatukee Morning Mixer, After 5 Evening Mixer, Get to Know Your Chamber Breakfast and Toastmasters.

Beginning in June, it will debut

“Round Robin” network luncheons. Round Robin is a simple back-tobasics model of networking, based on efficiency of time and more personalized engagement.

Members will sign up to meet at a restaurant and will be paired with three other participants to give an overview of each of their businesses. Over the course of an hour, they learn about three other business, educate three other businesses about their business, possibly gain a client.

They can also evaluate the possibility of collaboration opportunities and set up on-going referral opportunities.

“You will never see eye-to-eye if you never meet face-to-face,” says Warren Buffett.

If you would like to be added to the weekly chamber newsletter and be informed of upcoming events and networking opportunities email: info@ahwatukeechamber.com or sign up on the chamber website: ahwatukeechamber.com. To learn more about membership, networking and sponsorship opportunities within the chamber, contact me at 480-590-5444 or gina@ahwatukeechamber.com.

Formoreinfoontheseandotherupcoming events,visitahwatukeechamber.com.

After 5 Evening Mixer

Dr. Walter Rapacz

3646 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee. 5:30-7 p.m. today, May 17. $5, members/$15, general admission.

Public policy speaker series

Dr. Jan Vesley, Kyrene School Superintendent Kyrene District Office 8700 S. Kyrene Road, Tempe. 7:30-10 a.m. Thursday, May 18. Free.

Get to Know Your Chamber Breakfast

Mountain Park Senior Living 4475 E. Knox Road, Ahwatukee.

8-9 a.m. Thursday, May 25. Free.

TruFit ribbon cutting

4302 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee. Noon-1 p.m. Thursday, May 25. Free

AMBASSADOR OF THE MONTH

-Gina Jenkins is membership director for the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce.

(Special to AFN)

Even youngsters joined the crowd for Music Makers Workshops ribbon cutting.

(Special to AFN)

Shelley Yakubow and Kim Steedman were joined by other Chamber at the Music Makers Workshops ribbon cutting.

SPIRITUAL SIDE

Turn to God when the ride is smooth, too

BY RABBI SUSAN SCHANERMAN AFN Guest Writer

Sitting in a cramped airplane when turbulence hits can be a shaky experience –both figuratively and literally.

I have been known to grab a stranger’s arm just to make physical contact with another human being when the bumps become especially pronounced.

On a recent flight, I nearly drew blood from my husband’s hand when a rainy patch of sky turned my stomach to mush. Once the rocking ceased, I calmly resumed munching on peanuts

as though nothing had happened. It’s that way with faith sometimes. When the going gets rough, we turn to God with intensity and immediacy. We grab on for dear life. Our priorities become clear, our actions focused and intentional.

But, when things return to normal, we sit back and resume our complacent lives, content to let life’s engine propel us forward.

I wonder if a meaningful, faith-based life demands more of us. I wonder if we ought to sit on the edge of our seats more often, ought to hold onto someone’s hand more fervently, ought to acknowledge the fragility of life with

more conscious awareness and purpose.

To do that means that we construct a life for ourselves that challenges us to create what I call “aha” or “God” moments. Those experiences that stop our breath, that move us to tears, that open our hearts to bursting.

Do any of us have enough of those moments in our lives? I wager not.

We are so concerned with our dayto-day doings that we deny ourselves the sacred moments that make life so much more interesting. I know that I get too caught up in my to-do lists, my errands, my schedule. I forget to take a deep breath, to smile at a stranger, to say “thank you” for my blessings.

In Judaism, we are asked to say 100 blessings of gratitude every day. Hard to do, you might think, but you’d be wrong. Easy to do, hard to remember to do. But, oh so important.

As I sit on an airplane writing this, the plane ride has just become a little bumpy again. My mortality faces me head-on.

I reach for a nearby arm to hold. And, I am glad. I need these little reminders to keep me humble, grateful, and aware. Maybe you do, too.

-Rabbi

Parents’ deaths from cancer led Chandler mom from despair to hope

BY PAUL MARYNIAK

AFN Executive Editor

There is a segment of Chandler author Lynne Hartke’s new book where she writes about her mother’s final weeks in terms of a relay race.

“Mom’s job will be to place the baton in my outstretched fingers,” the Chandler author writes. “In that moment, her race will be done.”

“Mom has been preparing me for this moment my entire life – to run my race with God’s strength, choosing family and faith as my feet hit the ground in practiced rhythm.”

Hartke, the wife of Chandler pastor and Vice Mayor Kevin Hartke for 35 years, never counted on cancer playing such a huge role in the “race.”

As a daughter, the disease deeply affected her relationship with her parents – both of whom were fighting cancer at the same time. But it had a particularly profound impact on her during her mother’s final years.

And as a mother, the disease has affected Hartke relationship with her four children, especially her two daughters, because she herself had just finished her

own battle with breast cancer when her parents were diagnosed.

Hence, “Mother’s Day is complicated.”

“It’s still hard to walk past the Mother’s Day cards in the supermarket,” said Hartke, whose mother died three years ago at age 78 – roughly two years after her father succumbed to the disease.

She aches for her daughters in the wake of her own bout with cancer.

“They can no longer check ‘no’ at the doctor’s office” when a form asks if there’s a history of cancer in her family, she said.

“I’m concerned for their future,” added Hartke, noting that until she developed cancer, there had been no history of the disease in her family.

Hartke’s book focuses on cancer’s devastating impact on her as a daughter.

While doing what she could to make her parents’ final years comfortable and as vibrant as she could amid the ravages of an unrelenting disease, Hartke also found a deeper relationship with God.

Bible passages illuminate both her childhood memories of her parents and her interactions with them in their final years.

Her book, “Under a Desert Sky,” started “as a way of processing my mother’s death” and ended as a testament

to the power of her Christian faith.

Hartke was particularly close to her mother, whom she cared for daily during her final four months after moving her from her native Minnesota to Chandler.

“Under a Desert Sky” chronicles how her near-constant heartbreak and despair brought her to a deeper understanding of the Bible and its message. That’s why the book is subtitled “Redefining Hope, Beauty and Faith in the Hardest Places.”

Hartke started the book three years ago, shortly after her mother died.

“I had no intention of writing a book,” she said “I didn’t consider myself an expert on anything.”

“I wrote the book for myself as a way of processing the death of my mother,” Hartke explained, adding she wanted “to find out where God had been” during her parents’ ordeal.

“I wrote 90 percent of that book in three months, starting it May 1 and ending Aug. 1. The words were in my brain and I had to get them on paper. Then I had the hard work of editing” and finding an agent and publisher over the subsequent three years.

The book is not only an extended meditation on finding God at the moments of greatest despair, but also an

encouragement to readers.

“We live in a world where everyone is waiting for the dust to settle,” she writes, adding that “this season of cancer has taught me this truth: the dust never settles.”

That lesson, she said in an interview, underscores the importance of “embracing normal life, the beauty that’s found in the ordinary.”

Her journey left her “realizing the legacy my parents left me. I want to leave that for my kids,” she said.

Hartke said her parents each had left her their own legacy as well as one they jointly imparted.

“I didn’t realize until writing this book the legacy of storytelling I had from my dad,” she said, recalling how her father, an English teacher, would correct the letters she sent them from camp as a little girl.

“My mom was entirely the organized, behind-the-scenes person,” Hartke said.

And when her mother’s memory started to fray and her body would no longer let her tend to all the details of life, Hartke said, “What she was left with was this queenly graciousness. She would

Susan Schanerman is head of the Congregation NefeshSoul. nefeshsoul.org

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.

HARTKE

from page 42

welcome doctors into their own exam room during appointments.

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

“I remember a receptionist at a clinic who told me, ‘I used to be very angry with God and I have watched your mom and how she has dealt with what God has dealt her and I have to revisit my anger issues.’”

Her parents’ joint legacy has been the strong sense of family and a deep faith in God.

“My father always said, ‘I’m going to live until I die and then my real life will begin,’” Hartke recalled.

Likewise, even as she dealt with unbearable pain, her mother frequently comforted Hartke as she struggled to

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.

FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH

The Foundations of Faith Bible study embraces a spiritfilled, intellectually honest, and refreshingly 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.

MONDAYS

JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA

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

understand why God would let such a good woman suffer so horribly.

One of the more comforting moments came when Hartke discovered how “fanatical” her mother was about lipstick – even at the hospital.

Hartke realized the lipstick in her mother’s final months was an affirmation that “cancer was not so powerful after all.”

“Cancer cannot strip away femininity.

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

“Cancer cannot erase God-given purpose and destiny.

“Cancer cannot steal beauty.

“Mom proves it over and over again –every time she grabs her lipstick.”

“Under a Desert Sky,” published by Revell, is available on amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble. Information: lynnehartke.com

Get Out

Fresko means ‘fresh’ in Greek and in Ahwatukee

DAVID M. BROWN AFN Contributor

Chef Kody Harris speaks Greek, cooks Greek and feels the Greek in her soul.

Her recently opened Fresko in Ahwatukee celebrates that with authentic Mediterranean cooking she learned as a child from her chef grandfather.

Opened last November at 5033 E. Elliot Road, the restaurant is named after the Greek word for “fresh.”

“Food and cooking have been a part of my life since I could remember. Working in restaurants is the only thing that I have ever felt in my skin as a passion,” said Harris, a Valley resident for eight years, the last three in South Phoenix.

“I just knew I wanted to be a chef, so while all my high school friends were headed to college, I was working two cook jobs and never looked back,” she added.

She’s worked in 22 states, lived in Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Colorado and has opened 24 high-volume restaurants with annual revenues of $4 million to $21 million. Her prior employer, Thirsty Lion, has three Valley locations.

“Freshness, passion and the highest quality ingredients are what we bring to Fresko every day,” she explained.

This includes favorite and lesser-known Greek dishes as well as other Mediterranean foods prepared by her and the Fresko crew of four: Greek salads, dolmades, keftedes, spanakopita, moussaka, baklava, bougatsa and more.

For those on the Mediterranean Diet –focusing on fish, fresh vegetables, grains and nuts – or those looking for light summer-friendly food, Fresko focuses on meals to keep you cool and healthy.

Her father’s side of the family is from Nestani, in the southern Peloponnesus of Greece, close to the larger city of Tripoli. Phillip II of Macedon, whose son was Alexander the Great, probably camped in the area, and visitors can visit the ruins of an acropolis and a spring named for the father.

They immigrated to Portland, Oregon, in 1945.

“My grandfather came first with his older

brother, then sent for my grandmother and the kids,” she said.

Her mother’s side is from northern Greece, but they left for Yugoslavia and Turkey to escape the Nazi occupation in World War II. They later moved to Chicago’s famous restaurant area, the South Side.

“They owned taverns, but my grandfather yearned to go west and finally settled in a small town in Oregon called Sweet Home,” she added. Her mother moved to Portland as an adult, where she met Harris’ father.

Born in Portland, Harris grew up with her father, whose family owned restaurants where grandfather Spyridon was a chef. Her Fresko recipes are from him as well as others on both sides of the family.

She graduated from the Western Culinary Institute, where she received an associate’s degree in culinary arts in 1987 and moved on to a three-decade culinary career. After leaving Thirsty Lion a year ago – she said she got tired of corporate life and constantly traveling – she consulted for corporations and owners.

“Some of this work was fooddevelopment projects, some fixing operations of the restaurants as a whole,” said Harris, who continues to provide this expertise through BOH Consulting

when she’s not preparing envisioning and creating food for Fresko.

She and wife Janna enjoy the laid-back life at the base of South Mountain.

“We love to be near the mountain but close enough to the city where everything is right there,” said Harris, who particularly enjoys walking her dogs along the trails.

“Janna does just about everything, so she makes my job look easy being the chef,” she said. “She is both an IT specialist and a pastry chef. She runs the front, creates the desserts, does all the computer work and accounting, social media and goes to a bunch of networking groups we belong to.”

Janna also created the house decor.

“We wanted it to be rustic, celebrating authentic Greek home life, but modern at the same time. The reclaimed barn wood, the tile work, family pictures, my grandfather’s Greek fisherman’s cap and my Greek school book all reflect my family’s home in Greece as well as showing a little of my Greek heritage,” Harris explained.

Fresko is fast casual food, incorporating the freshest ingredients, consistent with chef’s mission: “Great food doesn’t have to be unhealthy food.”

From a family recipe, the traditional Dolmades, grape leaves stuffed with rice, dill mint, parsley and seasonings and

cooked in olive oil and lemon, are served cold.

Spanakopita, a spinach and feta pie, is layered with phyllo and slathered with butter. “It’s my own recipe,” Harris said. “I kicked it up a notch on the herbs and seasonings from my grandmother’s recipe.

“Souvlaki is all about the marinade,” she said of her version, from her mother’s recipe. “It’s very simple: olive oil, lemon garlic, salt and pepper, plus lots of dried oregano and dried basil and Aleppo pepper flakes.”

The Moussaka is from her grandfather: “It’s all about the eggplant and making the béchamel sauce with egg yolks and Kefalotyri cheese, which is like a Greek parmesan.”

The Bougatsa dessert is a northernGreece specialty and is typically made at home as a mid-morning snack or sold by street vendors, chef said. “It uses lemon, vanilla, and semolina custard, all layered between phyllo and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.”

The restaurant is open Monday−Thursday 11 a.m.−8 p.m., Friday−Saturday 11 a.m.−9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.−5 p.m. Patrons can bring beer, wine and spirits; no corkage fee.

To see the menu: freskokitchen.com. For delivery in Ahwatukee, order by phone.

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Photographer)

Janna Harris, Fresko’s co-owner and chef Kodi Harris’ wife, helps out at the Ahwatukee restaurant.

(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Contributor) Kodi Harris, chef and owner of Fresko in Ahwatukee, prides herself on the fresh ingredients in her homemade Greek cuisine.

Arizona Restaurant Week promises something for every taste

BY CARSON MLNARIK

GetOut Contributor

There’s no need to make up an excuse to go out. For 10 days this month, more than 150 restaurants have you covered with showcased meals for Arizona Restaurant Week.

From Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 28, Arizona Restaurant Week participants will serve three-course meals for $33 or $44 per person.

The biannual celebration turns 10 this year, marking a decade of fall foodie festivities and six years since the Arizona Restaurant Association expanded the event to a week in the spring and in the fall.

Arizona has made its mark as a foodie destination, so it makes sense to have a week devoted to eating out. According to event organizers, Arizona leads the nation in job growth in the food-service sector.

The eateries see about a 20 percent increase in business during Arizona Restaurant Week, too.

“Arizona Restaurant Week has remained a strong culinary driver to many local chefs and restaurant owners, as well as a

treasured memory maker for diners,” said Arizona Restaurant Association president Steve Chucri.

Over 3 million people have dined during Arizona Restaurant Week’s run, with establishments like The Capital Grille, The

Melting Pot and Roaring Fork participating in the past.

This year, foodies can enjoy dishes at The White Chocolate Grill, MATCH Cuisine & Cocktails, The Market Restaurant + Bar, Ajo Al’s Mexican Café and Firebirds Wood

Fired Grill and others.

Jennifer Russo, owner of The Market Restaurant + Bar in Phoenix, said she uses Arizona Restaurant Week to showcase its seasonal menu, reach new customers and decide on its summer selections.

This year, Russo said her restaurant will serve gnocchi, yellow fin nicoise and corn bisque.

“I feel the food scene is (filled) with seasonal ingredients and local products,” Russo said. “At least the independent restaurants seem to follow this trend.”

Brian Blake is the director of food and beverage at FOUND:RE Phoenix hotel’s MATCH Cuisine & Cocktails. He explained that Chef Matt Hobbs will offer a threecourse menu on its own and with wine and beverage pairings for an additional $18. He said he thinks Arizona flavors are evolving and changing constantly.

“The greater Phoenix area is starting to come into its own with many different cuisines featured across the Valley,” Blake said. “Chefs here in the Valley are not afraid to take a chance.”

For more information about other participating restaurants, visit ArizonaRestaurantWeek.com.

(Special to AFN)

Arizona Restaurant Week gives you an opportunity to try new dishes at reasonable prices.

BY PETER CHENG AFN Staff Writer

Coming off its 70th anniversary, Pete’s Fish and Chips isn’t looking to change a thing.

The Valley institution has been frying up tasty and affordable eats since founder Pete Grant opened his first location in Phoenix in 1947 after receiving a medical discharge from the Navy.

“He got Malaria and dysentery from a mosquito bite during the war and the doctors told him he needed a warmer climate. His famous words were ‘Well, since I don’t speak Egyptian, I’ll head out to Arizona,’” said Pete’s daughter Kathy Adams, who now runs the company alongside one of her sisters, Pat Foster.

The young couple arrived in the Valley on Christmas morning 1946. Grant had a teaching job lined up at a Phoenix school. As the story goes, he never showed up for that job because he decided to open up a little fish-and-chips stand instead.

“It was just a 6-by-8 shack, with no running water (or electricity),” Adams said. To power the lightbulbs, he ran his own wire up to a near by power line.

“You could do things like that back in ’47,” Adams said. “He bought a cooker and some fillets, he breaded them himself, and a bag of potatoes, sliced the potatoes,” and the rest is history.

The little chip shop found early success, earning $12 in its first day, a pretty penny back in those days.

The first East Valley location was opened in Mesa in 1951, just blocks from the current Mesa store and the company’s downtown Mesa headquarters. The Mesa store is now the busiest of all the stores.

The first indoor restaurant opened on Mill Avenue, in Tempe in the mid-1950s. All eight locations were operating by the end of the decade. The Tempe store, now on Apache Blvd a few blocks east of Mill, has become a part of the college experience for many students at Arizona State University’s main campus.

“I was in L.A. wearing my Pete’s shirt and this guy came up to me and said ‘I put myself through college at Pete’s. Pete’s was my first job,’” said Kathy Adams’ daughter

Carley Adams.

Carley is part of the third generation of the Grant family to work in the business. She runs public relations and marketing for the company.

“My Grandpa started with this small little idea, but to think of all the families and people that were able to support themselves (is amazing),” she said.

Grant got the idea for the simple takeout window after seeing similar fast-food

operations during his service in Australia.

“The States didn’t have anything like that, where you get your food from a window and you leave,” Kathy Adams said. “Here, there were diners where you went in and sat down.”

Grant was murdered in at 1987 at the age of 72. That’s when daughters Kathy and Pat took over. Despite the tragedy, the company has been steadily successful over the years.

Even the recession early 2000s couldn’t damage Pete’s lasting fish-and-chips empire.

“When the economy goes south, it’s good for us,” Adams said. “It’s because of our prices. People are still going to eat out, and they want a good product for a fair price, so they’ll come to Pete’s.”

Pete’s has built up a dedicated and loyal customer base over the decades. Married couple Lori and David Timbrook of Mesa have been meeting for lunch at the Mesa store for 25 years.

“We love the sauce,” Lori Timbrook said. “We always get shrimp and fish and kind of share a couple meals. It’s always fresh, it’s always hot, and really reasonably priced.”

For the most part, the Grant family has taken an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to business.

Pete’s still doesn’t advertise, and they have no plans for expanding beyond the current eight locations, but Carley has an eye toward the future.

“I do want to do a food truck one day,” she said, much to her mother’s chagrin.

(Special to AFN)

Pete’s Fish and Chips had humble origins when it began more than 70 years ago.

(Special to AFN)

Lori and David Timbrook have lunch at Pete’s Fish & Chips.

Andy DiMino loves his role as Dean Martin in ‘Rat Pack’

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Contributor

Andy DiMino has been called “the quintessential crooner.”

After a varied career that took him to Hollywood clubs and Colorado ski lodges, the Southern California native moved to Las Vegas, where he discovered his inner Dean Martin.

For the last 14 years, he has been onethird of ‘A Toast to the Rat Pack,’ a tribute act that comes to Chandler Center for the Arts Sunday, May 21. DiMino stars as Martin, while Sebastian Anzaldo and Lambus Dean perform as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., respectively.

IF YOU GO

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

When: 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21

Cost: $29-$44

Info: 480-782-2680, chandlercenter.org, dhsproductions.com/rat-pack

“It’s a really fun show,” said DiMino, via telephone from his Las Vegas home.

“In theaters, we break it up into two sets. During the first set, we focus on the individual performers. Dean Martin usually opens the show with three songs, then he turns it over to Sammy for three songs and Frank for three songs. That way, each performer gets to do the solo numbers from the catalog.”

Before the intermission, the trio comes together for a handful of songs. They return to the stage as The Rat Pack, with the three tuxedoed performers interacting and closing with “big finish numbers.” The six-piece band features a three-piece horn section that hearkens back to the Big Band era.

DiMino grew up watching “The Dean Martin Show” from 1965 to 1974, but he was a self-professed “child of the 1960s,” raised on The Beatles.

After a stint with bands, he stepped back to raise his son. In 1990, DiMino relocated to Las Vegas and started working odd jobs ranging from a strolling minstrel/guitarist

Toddler

at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino, to singing the Italian-American songs of Martin. Then, he saw a Rat Pack tribute show at the now-shuttered Desert Inn in Paradise, Nevada.

“A lightbulb went off in my head,” DiMino said. “I thought, ‘I could do this. I like this music. I like the comedy. I like the era. I’m already Italian.’ The pros outweighed the cons and it made sense.

“I studied all the music. I read everything I could. I picked up the mannerisms by watching DVDs of his TV show. I loved the attitude and the fun they were having.”

Singing and performing weren’t the hard parts. Instead, DiMino admits, he was a little leery about Martin’s comedic side.

“I had never done comedy before,” DiMino said. “Dean Martin was a natural comedian. I had done some musical theater. These were such great characters, though. Through our show, we hope to remind the audience how much they loved the characters and music of that time, and how it made them feel. If we can do that, that’s success for us. We’ve done our jobs.”

We looked around every school before our eldest started kindergarten. Once my husband and I visited Keystone Montessori, we stopped looking. We have now been a part of the school for six years. Our children, ages 10, 8 and 2 love the school. The teachers’ commitment to our kids’ development, happiness and success and the freedom to choose and follow their own passion, are some of the many reasons of why we love Keystone. It takes a village to raise a child, and Keystone is the living example of a community working together for the future of each child.

- Parent Testimonial

(Special to AFN)

Andy DiMino is Dean Martin, Lambus Dean is Sammy Davis Jr. and Sebastian Anzaldo is Frank Sinatra in “A Toast to the Rat Pack.”

One-minute kitchen: English trifle brings smiles

BY JAN D’ATRI AFN Contributor

My Italian momma calls this recipe our “Made for TV” dessert. Not only is it delicious, fresh, simple to make and easy to serve, but the presentation is absolutely spectacular.

English trifle (also known as Zuppa Inglese) is so versatile, too. You can use different fruit if you like. We always choose strawberries, kiwi and a blackberries or blueberries because you can find them fresh all year long. Clip out this column and make it for any special occasion.

Watch my how-to video: jandatri.com/recipes/one-minute-kitchen.

English trifle (Zuppa Inglese)

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow or white cake mix

1 large or two small boxes of vanilla or white chocolate pudding and pie filling (Instant or cook and serve)

Whole milk for vanilla pudding (see package amounts)

2-3 pints ripe strawberries

8-10 fresh ripe kiwi, peeled

2 tablespoons sugar

2 pints of fresh blackberries or blueberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 pint whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Bake cake mix as directed and pour into three 8-inch pie tins. If you only have one pie pan, bake each for about 12-15 minutes or until done.

Prepare pudding as directed, and set aside. Cut uniform slices of strawberries and kiwi and set aside. Reserve 1 cup each of strawberries and kiwi to be chopped up for filling. (I use the smaller slices and ends.) Mix together chopped strawberries, kiwi and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.

Assemble trifle:

Place the first cake disc in a trifle or clear glass bowl. Around the edge of the trifle bowl, alternate slices of kiwi and strawberries, laying fruit flat against the outer edge of the bowl. With a spoon, spread one half of the chopped strawberry/kiwi pieces over cake layer.

Drop spoonfuls of one third of the pudding over strawberry/ kiwi mixture. Add second cake disc. Line the edge of the bowl with fresh blackberries or blueberries. Add second layer of strawberry and kiwi slices on top of the berries. Spoon remainder of the strawberry/kiwi mixture over cake. Add 1/3 of the pudding over top.

Add third cake disc. Place strawberries and kiwi around the edge of the bowl. Spoon the remainder of the pudding over cake disc. Combine whipped cream and powdered sugar, beating until stiff.

Spread whipped cream over pudding and decorate with remainder of fruit slices.

For the final touch, if desired, spoon some whipped cream into a piping bag and create a mound in the middle of the cake and top with a fresh strawberry. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Spoon into clear dessert bowls or parfait glasses. Serves approximately 8.

BY JUSTIN FERRIS GETOUT Editor

Tiny Dances

Contemporary dance company CONDER/ dance presents an hour and a half of Tiny Dances. The intimate setting allows audience members to ask performers questions about the works.

DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 16. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Cost: Free. tempe. gov, conderdance.com.

International Museum Day

Spend a free day at the Pueblo Grande Museum and learn about the history of the area dating back to the Hohokam tribe 1,500 years ago.

DETAILS>> 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, May 18. Pueblo Grande Museum, 4619 E. Washington St., Phoenix. Cost: Free. 602-495-0901. phoenix.gov/calendar/ parks/1745.

Dance, vintage market

Highland Yard Market

Browse antiques, interior decorations, vintage clothing and more from 40 local designers and vendors. Also, catch DIY demonstrations and delicious food. It is indoors and air conditioned.

DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-6 p.m., ThursdaySunday, May 18-21. Behind Merchant Square, 1509 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Cost: Free. facebook.com/Highlandyardvintage.

‘The Book of Mormon’

Winner of 9 Tony Awards, “The Book of Mormon” tells the irreverent tale of two Mormon missionaries and their challenges abroad and with each other. Warning: Contains explicit language.

DETAILS>> Times vary, May 18-28.

ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Ave., Tempe. Tickets: $50-$150. 480-965-3434. asugammage.com.

Cinepark

Head to the park for a free outdoor screening of the popular jukebox movie “Sing.” Pre-movie activities include karaoke, making your own microphone and

dressing room star, and more.

DETAILS>>6 p.m. activities, 8 p.m. movie, Friday, May 19. Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Road, Chandler. Cost: Free. 480-782-2665. chandleraz.gov.

Lemonade Days

Participate in the largest lemon squeeze in Arizona. Also enjoy food and beverages from local restaurants, a kids zone, hot dog and hamburger eating contests, live entertainment and plenty more.

DETAILS>> Noon-8 p.m., Saturday, May 20. Founder’s Park in Queen Creek, 22407 S. Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek. Tickets: $8 online, Free for kids 12 and under. lemonadedaysaz.com.

Billy Childs Quartet

Grammy Award-winning pianist Billy Childs brings his quartet to the Valley for an evening of unique jazz arrangements and original compositions.

DETAILS>> 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 20. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Tickets: $40. 480-350-2822. tca.ticketforce.com, lakeshoremusic.org.

Peach Festival

Tour peach orchards and pick your own right off the tree. Savor homemade peach products and foods like peach cinnamon rolls and a peach pancake breakfast. Plus, enjoy rides, games and live music.

DETAILS>> 9 a.m.-4 p.m., SaturdaySunday, May 20-21. Schnepf Farms, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. Tickets: $5, free for children 12 and under. 480-9873100. schnepffarms.com.

Wonderland: Alice’s 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. Last weekend!

DETAILS>> Times vary, SaturdaySunday, May 20-21. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Tickets: $12-$26. 480-350-2822, childsplayaz.org/wonderland.

Get more ideas for fun things to do in the East Valley – and beyond – at Phoenix.org.

Horizon Honors runner wins three state championships

BY GREG MACAFEE AFN Sports Editor

Winning three state titles can be difficult for any athlete. Winning three over the span of two days is even more difficult, especially when they are the three longest races at the meet.

Three state championships was what Horizon Honors senior Trevor Tam had set his mind on heading into the AIA Division IV State Championship meet held recently at Mesa Community College.

And at the end of the second day of competition, Tam had taken the top spot on the podium for all three distance races, the 800 meter, 1600 meter, and 3200 meter.

He was stronger than ever in his senior year, setting personal records in all three races before his final outing at the state meet.

His 1600-meter personal record came back in March, when he ran a 4:27.43 at the Bourgade Small School Classic for

his first first-place finish of the season. Just under a month later, he set his personal record in the 800 meter race by clocking 1:58.39 at the 38th Sun Angel Track Classic.

Tam was a lock for both the 800-meter and the 1600-meter races at the state meet. But early in the season, the 3200 was still in question because he had just started running it the year before.

A week before the state meet, Tam ran a personal best clocking of 9:45.86 at the Desert Vista Last Chance Meet, setting the stage for the state meet.

“Since I was doing well in all three, I decided to try it at the state meet,” Tam said.

At the end of the first day, Tam was a two-time state champion after winning the 800-meter and 1600-meter races, both by less than a second. On the second day, while battling soreness from the previous day’s competition, Tam kept telling himself, “just one more race.”

Entering the final lap, Tam said he had about a five-foot lead on his closest competitor and at that point, he had a good feeling that he has going to run away with state title number three.

“It was right where I wanted to be,” Tam said. “At 200 meters, they were dropping back so I had a good feeling, I just had to make sure I didn’t mess it up somehow.”

Tam kicked into his final gear and

Former Mountain Pointe AD to head Hamilton football team

BY GREG MACAFEE

AFN Sports Editor

Former Mountain Pointe High School athletic director Dick Baniszewski has been named the interim head football coach for Hamilton High School for the 2017 season.

Chandler Unified School District spokesman Terry Locke said officials have not decided what to do at the position beyond this year.

Baniszewski has been filling in for former head coach Steve Belles, who was “reassigned” after six Hamilton football

players were arrested in connection with hazing incidents that allegedly occurred over a 17-month span.

Three juveniles on the team face criminal charges. One of them is charged as an adult on multiple counts of sexual assault, aggravated assault and kidnapping involving minors.

Belles, who has led the program to five state titles during his time with the program, has been offered a contract to continue teaching during the 20172018 school year, Locke said.

Baniszewski also is Hamilton’s assistant principal.

Locke also stressed that the decision to replace Belles temporarily on the team is not disciplinary in nature.

“With Chandler Police and Chandler Unified investigations continuing, there is a strong desire by the school and the district to continue the program under Baniszewski for the 2017 season,” Locke said in a release.

Baniszewski has served in multiple positions at Hamilton over the past decade. Before being named head coach for the 2017 season, he was the offensive line coach for the junior varsity team.

About four weeks ago, he was

informed that he would be the interim head football coach for spring football. In the past, Baniszewski has held positions at various East Valley schools. He coached at McClintock High, where he also played and graduated from. He also coached at Mountain Pointe High and served as its athletic director.

Most recently, he also was the athletic director at Basha High School for two years.

Now that the decision has been made,

(Special to AFN)

Trevor Tam (gray) stands atop the podium after winning one of this three state titles at the Division IV State Championsips held at Mesa Community College.

Open enrollment boosts teams

BY FABIAN ARDAYA Cronkite News

It’s one of the most important decisions parents have to make: Where will their child go to school?

The open-enrollment policy in Arizona high schools can make the decision even more complicated, especially for athletically talented students.

According to the Education Commission for the States, every state (and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) other than Alabama or North Carolina has some sort of openenrollment policy. Arizona and 36 other states or territories have open-enrollment policies that make it easy for parents to send their children to any high school of their choosing.

However, the open-enrollment policies apply to academics, not athletics. While athletes in Arizona are able to initially enroll at any school without penalty, the Arizona Interscholastic Association implemented a new policy in 2016-17 that requires athletes to sit out at least half a season if they transfer to a new school, regardless if the student-athlete’s residence has changed.

“Our philosophy has been that education is your right, and athletics is a privilege,” said David Hines, who takes over as executive director of the AIA in June. “We follow state law when it comes to their first enrollment in Arizona and their eligibility. Once they transfer, it becomes the part that’s tough to manage.”

The open-enrollment policies encourage students to be able to choose where they go to school. This does not mean, however, that high school coaches are allowed to actively recruit incoming high schoolers or potential transfers to come to their school.

Once a student-athlete transfers to a new school, he or she is required to sit out of at least 50 percent of an athletic season, according to the new policy. If the student transfers a second time, he or she must sit out an entire year. And if an athlete transfers in season, he or she must sit out an entire year.

Transfers, Hines said, have become an issue not just for the AIA but also for several state athletics boards in recent years.

“It is a national issue,” Hines said.

“Across the nation, this is one of the top priorities, eligibility and transfers. I think it’s the perception that there’s always something better at another school. Either college coaches will see you at a big school, you’ll be noticed, (and) have a better shot for a scholarship.

“We think that, for college coaches, their job is to find talent. And no matter where you go to school, if you have what they are looking for, they’ll find you.

That has been proven over time.”

Former Chandler High School wide receiver and current Oregon State signee Dionte Sykes said his transfer from Basha High School was recruiting-based.

Sykes, who was eligible to play right away under the old policy because he moved homes, said his transfer paid off instantly: He saw one college recruiter during spring football in his time at Basha, he said, while spring practices

at Chandler drew coaches ranging from junior college programs to Division I.

“Chandler was where I needed to be the whole time,” Sykes said. “The exposure that you get, it changes instantly once you step foot on campus and once you become part of the team.”

Chandler High, with an International Baccalaureate program to boast of academically, the Chandler Center for the Arts on campus for extracurricular programs and a nationally ranked football program, has become one of the biggest landing spots for high schoolers with Division I aspirations.

Each of the school’s last four quarterbacks have gone on to earn scholarships from Pac-12 schools. None of the four, plus current starter and rising junior Jacob Conover, lived or live within the school’s boundaries.

“I enjoy open enrollment,” Chandler

football coach Shaun Aguano said. “The reason why I like open enrollment is because my kids are on open enrollment, too; and I’m going to look for the best place that fits for my kids as well from a culture standpoint, from an academic standpoint and an athletic standpoint.”

Hines said the AIA is watchful for recruiting and tampering in transfer cases, but said most of the problem doesn’t come from coaches — it’s from parents.

Hines said playing club sports before high school builds relationships between kids and between parents, leading them to all want to attend the same school when it comes to picking a high school.

“Sometimes, they’ll say, ‘Hey, if we all go to the same school, then we’ll be better,’” Hines said. “I think there’s more

(Special to AFN)

Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista high schools find a perennial challenge from Chandler High, which often is sought by athletes outside the Chandler School District who seek the spotlight put on a a team with its reputation.

of that going on than coaches outright recruiting.”

If a student-athlete like Sykes were to transfer schools now, he would have to fill out an AIA Form 250, which must be signed by both athletic directors and certifies that the transfer didn’t involve any impropriety.

The form asks about the student’s living situation, reasons for the move, the motive behind the transfer. And it seeks to weed out recruiting by coaches or members of the programs.

The rule allows student-athletes to have their cases heard in the form of an appeal, meaning they will have to show

RUNNER

from page 50

won his final race of his senior year, beating Pinon’s Wesley Cook by seven seconds. It was a goal he had worked towards since the 8th grade when he first started running cross country at Horizon Honors. Now, he had accomplished a feat not many get a chance to. “I felt so much happiness and joy,”

some form of hardship in order to avoid sitting out.

Hines said a hardship must be something “unforeseen, unavoidable and uncorrectable,” such as a parent no longer being able to afford tuition at a private school or a job transfer that uproots a family across the state.

Hines said the biggest loss from having an open-enrollment policy is the loss of community in high schools.

While schools in areas with strictly enforced closed boundary areas can have a reasonable expectation of knowing what their class size will look like and which kids they can expect to have in the school, open enrollment creates variances. It also means the school’s athletic accomplishments may not be

Tam said. “I thought about all that training paying off. Like you think back about all the blood, sweat, and tears, that went into it and it makes it all worth, it’s probably the best feeling i’ve ever had.”

David Allison, who became Tam’s personal coach after his freshman year, was a witness to Tam’s blood, sweat and tears. He also had the opportunity to watch Tam accomplish something they had both set a goal for heading into his

attributable to the community.

“We are losing some of our community schools, where you grew up in an area and the whole community could get behind kids when they compete,” Hines said. “Now, you have some schools where some of their best kids aren’t from that area and so they don’t have quite as much community support.”

Chandler High School Principal Larry Rother said he understands the concern for losing the community aspect of high school athletics. However, he said his goal is to provide a school that helps as many students as possible. Rother estimates that about three in every 10 Chandler High School students come from outside of the school’s boundaries.

senior year.

“Nothing is ever guaranteed,” Allison said. “It’s difficult in general to do what he did, we both knew he could but you still have to go out and execute.”

Winning three races over a two-day span is something that Tam had never done over his four-year career at Horizon Honors. He had won two races in two days before but never three in the same span. He said he had to block out all

COACH

from page 50

Baniszewski said his plan is to move forward and continue to improve the program.

“We’re going to move kids forward,” Baniszewski said after his first official practice. “We’re going to do things right and get things done and keep Hamilton playing good football.”

Although he has worked with the JV offensive line, Baniszewski has been around the team a lot during his time at Hamilton High.

For as much as parents want their kids to go to the best schools possible, administrators and coaches say they have put just as much emphasis on making sure their school or program is the most attractive possible for people to want to go there.

Coaches want the best players possible, regardless of where they come from, and making their schools attractive is one way of doing so without flat-out recruiting.

“I think, obviously, coaches would like to have the best talent possible,” Hines said. “If schools or programs have been successful, they tend to have coaches that have been there quite a while and sometimes that’s a factor in where people choose to go to school. I think that’s probably the No. 1 factor.”

the pain and soreness heading into the second day.

With Tam’s high school career behind him, he will head to the University of California at San Diego, where he plans to major in bioengineering and hopefully walk onto the track team.

Have a human-interest or feature story idea? Contact Greg Macafee at gmacafee@ timespublications.com or by phone at 480898-5630. Follow Greg on Twitter @greg_ macafee

As director of football operations, he has with the teams on Friday nights. Having been around the team in the past, Baniszewski offers an extra sense of ease for a team going through a difficult situation.

“I think they know what to expect from me and I am familiar and I think that will help us to move forward,” Baniszewski said.

– Do you have a human-interest or feature story idea? Contact Sports Editor Greg Macafee at gmacafee@timespublications.com or by phone at 480-898-5630. Follow Greg on Twitter @greg_macafee

transportation will be provided if the worker completes the employment period or is dismissed early by the employer Daily subsistence during in/out-

Announcements

- Mark Twain

Meetings/Events

SENIOR ASSOCIATION (AFSA)

Attention: Seniors 55+

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Watch For An Announcement on our New General Meeting Location, with Dates And Times in January, 2017 -----------

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Meetings/Events

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

Ahwatukee Foothills Friends and Neighbors (AFFAN) is a women s organization, dedicated to cultivating friendships, and goodwill AFFAN promotes social, charitable and educational events all year long AFFAN holds monthly luncheon meetings with varied speakers We offer over 40 monthly activities including Book Clubs, Canasta, Bunco, Euchre, and Bridge Other monthly activities are Dining Out Stitch and Chat, Explore Arizona, and Garden Club Significant others/ spouses can attend some events For more info contact Teresa Akrish Phone: 480-518-5788, teresaakrish@gmail com Check our website at affanwomensclub.com

Meetings/Events

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GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS & GAMANON for meeting information 602-266-97846

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Whitfill Nursery needs 18 temporary workers in Arizona for Tree Farmer positions Workers will harvest trees by hand and by machinery W

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Apply for this job at the nearest State Workforce Agency Office or www.azjobconnection.gov

use job listing number 2644183 or call 602 268-9466

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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/

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discussing member chosen books We do not charge fees, we call ourselves the Happy Hour Book Club and we go by the initials HHBC For more information interested women can contact Donna and the email address is happyhourbook clubahwatukee@ gmail com

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a weight loss organization that is over 60 years old We meet at Ahwatukee Rec Center on Cheyenne between S 48th St and S 51st St on Wed eve ' s from 67:30 p m For more information: Terri at 480-893-6742