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Wednesday, July 17, 2019
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Police probe local PTO’s missing thousands BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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hoenix Police are investigating the possible theft of thousands of dollars from the parent-teacher organization at Monte Vista Elementary School in Ahwatukee. Although some media reports put the loss at $20,000, Phoenix Police spokesman Luis Samudio said the department won’t comment on the extent of the alleged theft. “There is an investigation that was initiated but it’s still an ongoing investigation,” Samudio said. “Based on what I read on the report, it’s allegations only at this point. Detectives will have to conduct an investigation.”
With only a reported $2,000 in its bank account and $11,000 in unpaid bills, the PTO is unable to give teachers the customary $300 to $500 grants the group usually gives to help them set up their classrooms, the new board said in a joint letter to Monte Vista parents on June 26. The board was just elected and took office in mid-May, and soon thereafter discovered the financial irregularities. Co-vice president Robin Barrett told AFN, “Ultimately, children are the victims when financial integrity is in question. Now more than ever we need the support of our parents, community and local businesses.” “We will not be able to discuss anything that relates to the investigation. We can tell
you where we are right now and the efforts we are making to replenish missing funds,” she added. The new PTO board’s letter to parents said a number of changes were being made in the way the group’s finances are handled. “We hope to restore these activities by next year and provide the level of support that our students and teachers deserve,” their letter stated. The letter also said that soon after the new board took office, “we learned that there was a material discrepancy between the account balances reported on the PTO budget and the actual funds in the PTO bank accounts.”
see MONTE page 7
’69 moon walk means a lot to this Armstrong BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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s the nation this Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of man’s first lunar walk, one group of people will have a unique reason to celebrate – and Jack Armstrong of Ahwatukee will be among them. Those people are members of the Armstrong Clan, from which the late astronaut Neil Armstrong is among its most famous descendants. Jack can tell you all about that clan. He’s spent eight years so far researching the Armstrong Clan, tracing its centuries-old roots and collecting enough books, old photos, maps and other memorabilia that his house is home to what may be Arizona’s largest Scottish-Irish museum. Though he is not related to Neil Armstrong – “People ask me that all the time,” he said – Jack does share the pride in and fascination with the clan that was the astronaut’s heritage.
see ARMSTRONG page 18
WE’RE MAID FOR THIS 30 Years and Still Keeping It Fresh and Clean
Jack Armstrong has amassed a collection of memorabilia, some dating back to the 1600s, that reflect his family’s history and that of the broader Armstrong Clan. To mark the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, he’s opening his micro-museum to the public. (Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Staff Photographer)
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