WEDNESDAY,
AUGUST 17, 2016
Today: High 108, Low 86, Sunny
Tomorrow: High 106, Low 85, Sunny
Business owners have many retirement options. p40
AGAINST THE WALL
Ahwatukee muralist’s work graces schools, businesses. p22
SWEET SUCCESS
Ahwatukee newcomer’s cookie making a hit. p36
Mountain Pointe alumnus Will Claye repeats his Olympics success. p56
Neighbors p3
Around AF p21
Community p22
Opinion p30
Faith p42
GetOut p44
Sports/Rec p51
Classified p57
By Paul Maryniak
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS MANAGING EDITOR
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake told a group of Republicans at an Ahwatukee breakfast Tuesday that he won’t vote for Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Then, minutes later, the Republican senator from Arizona told the Ahwatukee Foothills News that he’s not yet prepared to vote for his party’s nominee either.
“I want to vote for Donald Trump, but I just can’t now – until he changes some of his positions,” he said in a brief interview after his address at the Ahwatukee Republican Women’s breakfast.
Those positions, Flake told the larger group, could haunt Republicans for a long time. Trump’s campaign statements, he added, “will have ramifications for our party for years to come if our candidate does not run a different campaign than he is doing now.”
“I’m not happy with our Republican nominee,” he told the group. “I think we can do better.”
By Paul Maryniak
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
A second Ahwatukee golf community has become embroiled in a lawsuit over conditions of its course, generating a three-way fight involving its owner, the homeowners association, and hundreds of residents.
The Club West HOA in July filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court against four companies connected with owner Wilson Gee, accusing them of “not
operating the golf course at the contractually required level equal to or exceeding other upscale public courses.”
But some homeowners are unhappy with the HOA lawsuit and have formed a nonprofit organization called Save Club West. Leaders of that movement say the lawsuit offers no long-term solution for the problem that all the parties agree exists at the community.
>> See GOLF COMMUNITY on page 14
“Some of us in elected office need to push back,” he said, adding that Republicans had nearly a duty to let the public “know that not all Republicans hold his views.”
Though he did not comment on the internal division Trump has caused in his party, some evidence may have existed in the turnout: Only about 40 people, mostly women, attended the breakfast at the Four Points by Sheraton South Mountain Hotel. In his talk, Flake
>> See FLAKE on page 4
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From the $290s to high $300s 15841 S. 12th Way, Phoenix, 85048 Open Daily 10AM to 6PM Except Fridays 12PM to 6PM 480.785.4797 1,930 sq ft with 3-Beds + 2-½-Baths 1,750 sq ft with Expanded Great Room 2-Beds(+Loft) to 3-Beds + 2-½-Baths + Cov. Patio Still Time to Personalize
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Space isn’t the final frontier for Cassandra “Cassi” Bych of Ahwatukee, but it’s a big part of her future plans right now.
Cassi, 14, attended the Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, recently, and the timing couldn’t be better as she starts a new phase of life as a freshman at Desert Vista High School.
“This camp has really focused me on becoming an astronaut,” she said. “It really opened my eyes to that career path and has motivated me to do my best in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects that I will be taking in high school.”
The weeklong camp is designed to promote STEM while training students and adults with hands-on activities and missions based on teamwork, leadership and problem solving.
Cassi was part of the Space Academy program, designed for trainees who have a particular interest in space exploration. She spent the week training with a team that flew a simulated space mission to the International Space Station, then participated in experiments and successfully completed a spacewalk.
More than 750,000 trainees have graduated from Space Camp since its inception in 1982, including three astronauts.
The daughter of Rob Bych and Debra Wickman, Cassi said she is most interested in math and science, and currently is eyeing the U.S. Air Force Academy, Vanderbilt University, and Georgetown University once she graduates from Desert Vista. She also plays competitive soccer for the Ahwatukee Foothills Soccer Club.
She called her Space Camp trip “challenging but always fun.”
“We studied the history of space exploration, the planets in our solar system, the constellations, the construction and launching of small rockets, the construction of reentry vehicles, and much more,” she said, adding several astronauts also spoke to her group about space shuttle and space station missions.
She enjoyed the mission simulations the most. One involved executing a crew exchange on the space station and landing a shuttle simulator safely back on earth, said Cassi, who was a flight engineer for the mission.
“The missions were conducted in a big room containing a mock-up of the ISS and space shuttle, and a control console simulating Houston Control,” she explained. “All of the participants wore headsets and communicated by intercom. Although the missions were simulations, it was very realistic. It was definitely the coolest thing I got to do there.”
It wasn’t all fun and games.
“The most challenging part about this camp was trying to take in all of the information that was presented,” Cassi
>> See NEIGHBORS on page 5
>>
fondly recalled when he, his wife and two children enjoyed a lengthy stay there when it was the Grace Inn.
Relatively new residents of Ahwatukee back then, Flake said, he had been reading the paper when his then-4-year-old son Brian asked if he could have part of it. The two had been at a father-son camp the day before. Flake said Brian snuck into the garage with a friend and set the paper on fire, using his newly acquired campfirebuilding skills.
The resulting smoke damage forced the Flake family out of their home for a month, resulting in the long hotel stay.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake.
(Special to AFN)
“I’m troubled by the rhetoric against TPP,” he said, calling it essential to global peace since China otherwise could inflict harm to America’s position in international markets.
“ I’m not happy with our Republican nominee. I think we can do better. ” —U.S Sen. Jeff Flake
Flake’s speech covered a wide range of topics as he updated the audience on issues ranging from congressional gridlock to immigration, global trade, and security. He chastised both major party presidential nominees for their opposition to the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP) that still needs Senate approval.
“We’ve got to swallow hard and enter into this trade agreement.”
While he did not comment on Trump’s position on illegal immigration from Mexico, Flake assailed his comments on Monday, when he said he would “extremely vet” Muslim immigrants, partly on the basis of the country they came from.
“The one thing we cannot have is a
Muslim ban,” Flake said. “Some of what he said Monday made sense, and some didn’t. Foreign policy is extremely complicate. To say we’re going to accept people from this country but not that country or who have this religion but not that religion – it’s not that simple.
“Some of what he’s proposing I don’t think would work,” he added. “There are 3 million Muslims who are citizens in this country and 99.9 percent of them are patriotic Americans who want to help in the fight against terrorism.”
Flake also addressed congressional deadlock and the overall breakdown in any working relationship between Democrats and Republicans, joking that “Congress’ popularity is now down to paid staff and relatives.”
He said he believes the breakdown began with the disputed results of the court fight that followed the 2000 Presidential Election.
“Democrats decided that President Bush was not legitimately president, so they refused to work on anything,” Flake said. “Then when Obama was elected, Republicans decided he was not legitimately the president because he didn’t have a legitimate birth certificate, so they wouldn’t work with Democrats.”
Flake said he saw the same feelings developing among Trump and Clinton supporters.
“I worry this cycle will continue with the
next election,” he said.
He also blamed inter-party rancor on “Republicans overpromising,” social media and the 24-hour news cycle.
But he warned that the failure of both parties to begin working together will soon affect Americans in deep ways, citing the growing federal deficit of $20 trillion.
“I’m afraid that, one of these mornings, we’re going to wake up and find that the financial markets have decided we’re not a good bet anymore,” he said, asserting that reaction would cause a steep rise in interest rates that would clobber the U.S. economy.
said. “It was intense. I learned so many new and interesting things that it was difficult to process it all. But all of this new learning inspired me to want to learn more.” She returned to earth in Ahwatukee with a valuable life lesson as well as an itch to explore the cosmos.
“What camp made me realize is that a common goal, or interest, can really bring people together,” Cassi explained. “The same way my soccer team plays together to win is how we worked together at this camp to successfully complete the simulated missions.”
As for her career, she said, “I learned how selective NASA’s astronaut training program is, and that to be competitive in the future, I will need to be very qualified.”
Joe Phipps, a long-time area resident who grew up in the Chandler-Tempe area, graduated from Corona del Sol High School, and spent four years with the Coast Guard, now calls Ahwatukee home.
He is the youth pastor at Bridgeway Community Church, 2420 E. Liberty Lane, Ahwatukee.
After his enlistment ended, he attended Arizona Christian University and earned a
pastor Joe Phipps.
(Special to AFN)
degree in Christian ministries before attending Phoenix Seminary, where he received a master’s of divinity degree with an emphasis on counseling and family ministries.
While pursuing his post-high school education, he intern in the high school ministry at Scottsdale Bible Church and worked for CRU, formerly the Campus Crusade for Christ, at Arizona State University.
He’ll be working with middle and high school students at Bridgeway and hopes to “encourage parents to establish the home as the primary place where faith is lived out and nurtured,” a church release said.
He will be meeting with middle school students at 4 p.m. on Sundays and high school students at 5:45 p.m. Each month he’ll be treating all students to a special event.
Any student is welcome to attend. Reach him at joe@bridgewaycc.org, 480-706-4130, or www.bridgewaycc.org.
Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio took a couple of shots at the Black Lives Matter movement, saying that the protest group is “promoting a lie of racism” and costing city taxpayers.
In a news release two weeks ago, DiCiccio said street protests July 8 and July 15 cost the city $247,996 in regular wages and overtime for officers to maintain order.
“This extra $200K does not include the tens of thousands of dollars lost by local businesses who lost customers or had to close early due to the threats made by protesters,” the release said.
“Equally as concerning, Phoenix police had to call in a SWAT team from Glendale to respond to a call because our officers were occupied
covering the protest,” it added.
The movement sprung up two years ago in response to fatal shootings by police of black men, some unarmed.
“This shows a complete disrespect for the taxpayer and our great Police Department,” DiCiccio said. “This disrespect can easily be added up. Add up the loss of taxpayer monies, the cost to local small-business owners, the waste of limited police resources, and the fact that the protesters refused to change the date of their protest as it occurred the day after we lost those brave police heroes in Dallas.”
He also said, “I am a fierce proponent of free speech and people’s right to protest, but the way the protesters exercised their rights squandered critical resources away from the
serial-killer investigation and our community.”
On Aug. 4, DiCiccio continued his criticism on his Facebook page with another blast, accusing the movement of “promoting a lie of racism with no facts.”
He cited the Aug. 9, 2014 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black youth in Ferguson, Missouri, stating “after riots and destruction of property it turned out to be a guy was shot after he attacked an officer.”
“One fact is clear: Police murders are up since this movement began. This movement is pushing an agenda of hate of police based on lies,” he said on Facebook.
DiCiccio said the costs of monitoring the protests came from the Phoenix Police Department.
One Tempe Union High School governing board member and two members of the Kyrene board are not seeking re-election, according to the final list of candidates on the Maricopa County school superintendent’s website.
But both districts will see school board contests in the November election to fill seats of members whose four-year terms expire in December.
The deadline for filing for school board races was Aug. 10.
Kyrene board members Ross Robb and Michelle Hirsch did not file for reelection, nor did Tempe Union board member Moses Sanchez.
Sanchez is seeking a seat on the Maricopa County Community College governing board in the district that includes Ahwatukee and the East Valley.
The only incumbent on the Kyrene board
who filed for reelection is John R. King. He and three other candidates will be seeking three seats up for election.
The other Kyrene candidates are Michelle Fahy, Eshe N. Pickett and Michael R. Myrick.
In Tempe Union, where three of the board’s five seats are up for election, incumbents Michelle Helm and board President Sandy Lowe are seeking another term.
There are also four other candidates: Scott Ryan, Andres A. Barraza, Berdetta B. Hodge,
and Don C. Fletcher.
None of the candidates in either district race have yet filed biographical profiles, which are required by Sept. 15. They will be published at https://mcesaaz.squarespace.com/currentgoverning-board-candidates
All seats in both Kyrene and Tempe are fouryear terms. School board positions are unpaid. School board races do not have a primary election and instead go right to the General Election on Nov. 8.
AHWATUKEE
The dog that RESCUE is trying to place this week may not play tennis, but she sure likes tennis balls, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit group said.
Chessie, a 6-year-old Lab mix, “adores them,” said Jenny Medlock.
“Chessie loves to play fetch and would most likely do so for hours if your arm would hold out as long as she did,” Medlock said.
“Chessie zips after the ball, retrieves it, brings it back sometimes playing keep away from you and then asks for the game to start again and again and again.”
Calling her “a great gal with a big personality,” Medlock said Chessie “is one of the happiest, sweetest, and most affectionate dogs you’ll ever meet.”
“Simply saying ‘Hi Chessie” sends her into a full body wag and rewards you with her big, infectious smile,” she added. “Chessie is friendly towards all, greeting everyone with enthusiasm. She is quite the kisser, showering her people with love.”
Chessie enjoys being petted, brushed, having the back of her ears and neck scratched, and munching on treats. When it’s time to relax, Medlock said, “she is calm and laid-back, happy to settle nearby in a comfy dog bed.”
The dog also is eager to please and has
excellent listening skills that make her a fast learner. “The latest skill she is learning is how to catch a Frisbee mid-air,” Medlock said, adding that the dog also knows sit, down, and rollover.
Chessie doesn’t mind a leash, rides well in the car, and “is also a champ at baths,” Medlock said.
To fill out an application: www.azrescue.org
Meanwhile, Friends for Life is looking for a home for a 2-year-old cat named Brie who was rescued off the streets with one kitten, which has been adopted.
Brie is a domestic, short-haired Torti and has been spayed, microchipped and tested. Her adoption fee is $85.
Information: 480-497-8296, FFLcats@ azfriends.org, or www.azfriends.org.
By Mike Butler
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
Maricopa County public health and environmental services officials, who are battling to stay a step ahead in the fight against the Zika virus, are urging Ahwatukee residents to rid their yards of standing water and report pockets of high mosquito activity.
The Zika virus alarm level ratcheted up a notch last week after federal and Florida state health officials reported that a growing number of people in that state have become infected after being bitten by local mosquitoes carrying the virus.
Most of the damage is confined to a north Miami neighborhood, for now. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an unprecedented warning to pregnant women—or women expecting to become pregnant — to avoid Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Yuma County reported its first travel-related case of Zika, the 18th documented case in Arizona.
By comparison, South Florida (MiamiDade, Broward and Palm Beach counties) had documented more than 400 travelrelated Zika cases when the first locally transmitted case was reported July 29.
But James Will, eastern region supervisor of the Vector Control Division in Maricopa County’s Environmental Services department, said it’s a question of when, not if, the East Valley will see its first local case.
“We thought we’d get a localized case last year, but it didn’t happen,” Will said.
Will said what keeps him up at night is the thought of all those visitors at the
Olympic games in Rio returning to Arizona and the United States.
“We’re wondering if Zika will be the only thing that comes back,” he said.
Zika is spread through Aedes aegypi mosquitoes, aggressive daytime biters that are abundant in Maricopa County. They’re especially bothersome in Gilbert and Chandler, which have become breeding “hot spots” according to Will. The Zika mosquito can also spread dengue and chikungunya virus.
If a person has Zika in their blood and is bitten by a mosquito, the mosquito can pass it on by biting another person. Zika can be passed through unprotected sex if one of the partners has the virus. And, tragically, Zika virus can be transmitted during pregnancy and cause the birth defect microcephaly.
Maricopa County is also home to an abundance of Culex mosquitoes, night biters that carry the West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses.
Whether Culex or Aedes aegypi, mosquitoes require stagnant water to lay their eggs and continue the life cycle. Larvae can hatch in just a few days into hundreds of thousands of bloodthirsty adults from pools of rainwater.
Retention basins, which often double as greenbelts and informal parks, are frequent and familiar sights in East Valley neighborhoods and along major roadways. They are also prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
City crews monitor retention basins in parks and other public property, but the
Green pools turn into breeding grounds for mosquitos that cause Zika and West Nile viruses. Residents are urged to report such pools to local city or county officials.
From page 8
vast majority of them are owned by HOAs. Laws require private property owners to maintain retention basin drywells so that these low-lying areas drain in 36 hours. City and county officials also want to hear from neighbors about backyard swimming pools that have turned green, which are also nirvana for breeding mosquitoes. Neglected swimming pools were a big problem six to eight years ago during the housing recession.
Will said the trouble with Aedes aegypi mosquitoes is that they don’t really need big retention basins and swimming pools to breed. They can reproduce in empty flower pots, small holes or depressions in the ground, and buckets left outside and forgotten when everyone in the East Valley headed indoors as the monsoon season began.
“We’ve found them breeding in soda bottle caps–that’s all the water they need,” Will said. “That’s why we’re more worried about people’s yards.”
That fear, and the knowledge that Zika mosquitoes have a flight range of only about 150 yards, prompted county environmental and health experts last week to ask the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to give them the authority to access private properties as soon as possible when there is a Zika threat. It can take a week or longer currently to obtain a warrant.
When state and county public health employees confirm a travel-related case of Zika, they visit the individual and impress
upon him or her the importance of not getting bitten by mosquitos. Abatement teams trap, test and spray the person’s yard and nearby properties if possible.
There is no vaccine to prevent Zika and no specific medicines to treat it. Prevention is the best protection. Residents are encouraged to eliminate sources of standing water, use DEET repellent and wear long sleeve shirts and long pants.
Four out of five people infected with Zika don’t become ill. Those who do may experience mild fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, muscle pain and headache.
– Reach Mike Butler at 480-898-6530 or at mbutler@ahwatukee.com.
Anyone who sees mosquitoes breeding, increased adult mosquito activity or a green pool in their neighborhood is encouraged to call the county mosquito hotline at 602-506-0700. Online complaint forms are available online at FightTheBiteMaricopa.org. The site also provides information on mosquito-related diseases, prevention, monitoring and fogging.
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By Mike Butler TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
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Upgraded home on spectacular golf course lot! Incredible view of the golf course! 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1,526 sf home. Kitchen boasts granite-look counter tops and trendy white kitchen cabinetry with upgraded hardware. Newer carpet and wood burning fireplace. No popcorn ceilings! Master bedroom has large closets and master bathroom has step-in shower. Situated in a quiet cul-de-sac.
Developer Douglas Allred said he can’t wait to get started on Park Place II, a massive expansion of Park Place I that will bring 928,000 square feet of new office space and a hotel/conference center to a 62acre campus near Price and Willis roads in Chandler.
“We are ecstatic to get started on Park Place II,” he said. “Over the last several years, Price Road has transformed into one of the most vibrant business corridors in the entire Valley. Park Place II will help ensure the area’s success for years to come.”
The Chandler City Council greenlighted Allred’s rezoning request July 28. The property had been zoned for agriculture.
A proposed hotel/conference center and a pair of mid-rise office buildings anchor the portion of the campus on the west side of Price Road. An additional four office buildings and a parking structure are planned on the east side of Price road.
Allred’s Park Place I, southeast of the San Tan Freeway and Price Road,
has six fully leased office buildings with 2,400 employees and hosts such notable companies as Infusionsoft and Healthways. Once completed, Park Place II’s total annual economic impact is estimated at $1.4 billion, according to a report from Scottsdale-based Elliott D. Pollack & Company. The City of Chandler will derive most of the benefit, but the East Valley as a whole will also share in the increased economic activity.
The study said Park Place II will generate $19.4 million in annual tax revenue for the state, $6.4 million for Maricopa County and $2.5 million for Chandler. The Chandler Unified School District stands to gain $1.5 million in annual tax revenue from Park Place II.
The new project will create more than 2,000 construction jobs and employ an estimated 9,691 when built.
– Reach Mike Butler at 480-898-6581 or at mbutler@timespublications.com.
– Check us out and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
By Paul Maryniak
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
The Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee on Monday will hold discussions on two hot-button issues affecting thousands of residents and motorists in the community— current construction and other plans for the South Mountain Freeway and the extension of Chandler Boulevard.
Because general discussion of items not on the agenda is allowed during the meeting — 6 p.m. at Pecos Recreation Center, 17010 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee — it’s possible that there also will be some general discussion of True Life Companies’ plan to replace the course at Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club with an urbanagricultural development. However, at this point there is no formal plan for that project before the committee or city officials.
But there’ll be plenty to discuss as city and Arizona Department of Transportation officials disclose the status of design and construction plans for the freeway and a revised design for the city-owned Chandler Boulevard Extension.
Because the freeway design is only half complete, committee Chairman Chad Blostone said “now is the time for public input to affect the design.”
A group of Ahwatukee residents, organized under the name Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children, and the Gila River Indian Community are suing ADOT in federal court in an effort to stop the freeway project. They are charging that ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration “acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner in approving the South Mountain Corridor Loop” by not complying with environmental and other regulations.
U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa, who
has not yet issued a ruling, raised questions during a May hearing about ADOT’s environmental study for the freeway path after PARC’s lawyers showed how it threatened three wells on Gila Tribe land.
The state spent $750,000 trying to find replacements for the wells and found only one with potable water, so it now must go back and try to find new sources in the area, Blostone said.
PARC has stated on its website that it will ask the court to stop any construction if ADOT contractors begin work on the freeway before Humetewa issues a ruling.
Blostone said people at the planning committee meeting will be able to ask questions of city and state officials about the freeway design and possibly other issues related to the project. The planning committee has already gone on record in opposition of the freeway.
The long-proposed 22-mile freeway would provide a bypass for I-10 traffic around Phoenix. State officials are eyeing a 2019 completion, although it is not clear how that timetable would be affected if either side appeals Humetewa’s decision. Whoever loses the case is expected to appeal the decision.
The Chandler Boulevard Extension, a 1.2mile stretch between 27th and 19th avenues, would not only replace Pecos Road as an alternate route if it is closed during freeway construction, but would also become a permanent part of Ahwatukee’s street grid.
About 30 feet wide and bordered by South Mountain Park to the north and state trust land to the south, the east-west extension would be a two-lane highway with bike paths on either side. It would be doubled in width to accommodate two more lanes if the trust land is ever sold and developed, city officials said.
During a planning committee meeting Jan. 25, Blostone raised questions about the design, noting the thoroughfare would be narrower at either end than the existing four-lane rights of way it connects to, according to minutes of the session. A city official “indicated that the roadway would be safe,” the minutes state.
Committee member Michael Hinz also raised concerns about the absence of traffic control devices and said the anticipated traffic would be too great for the neighborhoods affected by the extension.
At the time, the city had not performed a traffic study. But a city Street Transportation Department study about three months later concluded that traffic movement on the extension— even with Pecos Road closing — would rate a B. That’s the same rating the analysis gave to traffic flow currently on Pecos Road.
Phoenix Streets Department spokeswoman Monica Hernandez said the construction start date on the Chandler Boulevard extension “will be determined upon the completion of the land
acquisition from the State Land Department and upon completion of the final design and contract documentation.”
But she said the city is still eyeing a start date of late summer for the $11.5-million project with completion expected next summer.
“The Chandler Boulevard alignment has been on the City’s Street Classification Map for several years,” Hernandez added. “Typically development would initiate construction of a new roadway but this project is funded by the Regional Area Roadway Fund, which is being used to advance the project to provide an additional transportation route for the existing Foothills Reserve and future Foothills West neighborhoods.”
Also scheduled for a possible formal recommendation by the committee is a selfstorage warehouse proposed for a .277-acre plot of empty land on the corner of Desert Foothills Parkway and Marketplace Way. While the lot is zoned commercial, the developer needs a special use permit to run a storage facility.
By Paul Maryniak AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
Long empty of life since their acquisition by the state to make way for the South Mountain Freeway, three Ahwatukee houses have been among structures used by firefighters and police agencies for training and practice in the last 10 months. Phoenix firefighters last November used three Ahwatukee homes for roof ventilation exercises while Rural Metro Fire Department used some West Valley homes to practice a so-called “mayday scenario”
in which they try to escape a smoke-filled building. In addition, SWAT teams used a West Valley hotel acquired by Arizona Department of Transportation to practice hostage scenario techniques.
ADOT has negotiated the acquisition of 191 properties, plus an additional five currently in escrow, along the 22-milelong freeway corridor since March 2015, department spokesman Dustin Krugel said.
About two-thirds of the homes acquired for the project thus far have been located in the Ahwatukee area, he added. Besides
those 191 structures, ADOT also used eminent domain and court orders to acquire an additional 24 houses and other buildings, Krugel said.
“ADOT’s property acquisition program includes working with property owners as early as possible and providing benefits to the extent allowed by the law to cover actual, reasonable moving costs and related expenses,” he said. “The acquisition process is a negotiation like any other home purchase, but ADOT is required by law to offer market value for any property.”
He said eminent domain is a last resort because “we prefer to come to an agreement with property owners on the purchase price.”
There are approximately 100 parcels outside Ahwatukee that still must be acquired.
Krugel said that thus far, ADOT has paid nearly $182 million for property acquisitions along the entire freeway corridor, and an additional $21.1 million in residential and commercial relocation expenses.
>> From page 11
ADOT said in a release that it “has continued a tradition of working with first responders to provide real-world training opportunities using the controlled environment of vacant structures. Since last year, more than a dozen agencies have been able to train scores of personnel.”
The Phoenix Fire Department sent 48 ladder companies as well as every recruit for rooftop-ventilation exercises in the West Valley.
“For the recruits, it is the opportunity to practice this critical skill prior to an actual event at 3 a.m., in the dark, or whenever the call may originate,” Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Riley said. “The amount of training we were able to do was invaluable to our department.”
The Rural/Metro Fire Department’s training exercise involved “crawling trainees who were unable to see through their air masks have a chain-link metal structure drop on them to simulate being trapped by a falling roof. This mayday drill forced them to communicate, work through the problem and breach a wall to get out,” ADOT said.
“There is no question that the job these firefighters do is dangerous,” said Shawn Gilleland, a Rural/Metro Fire Department spokesman. “Partnering with ADOT, we are able to provide real-world training in a very controlled environment.”
Using the structures for training before they are removed involves no expense for ADOT or the training agencies, except that the agencies need to get insurance, ADOT added.
“As a public safety agency, ADOT works hand in hand with police officers, firefighters and other first responders every day,” said Brian Rockwell, ADOT assistant chief right of way agent. “Much like the general public, we appreciate their life-saving efforts and were more than glad to be able to assist when we
were approached by several agencies. The exercises provide valuable training that they might not have had otherwise and, in turn, are a tremendous benefit those these agencies serve.”
But the president of an Ahwatukee citizens group opposing the freeway said ADOT was “whitewashing” its “wanton destruction” of the homes, calling it a “premature demolition of Ahwatukee homes in the path of a phantom freeway that will never be built.”
“While it is wise for our fire departments to take advantage of available training opportunities, there are far more costeffective ways to produce training structures,” said Pat Lawlis, president of Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children. PARC has asked a federal judge to close down the freeway plan.
ADOT said in a release that it has collaborated since the 1990s with firstresponder agencies to use condemned houses for training.
Prior to any training, structures are tested and abated for asbestos.
They also accuse the HOA of heavyhanded tactics that are undermining their efforts to resolve the problems permanently, saying the suit was filed without a vote by homeowners and that the association board won’t talk with them about alternatives to legal action to save the course.
But HOA board President Paul Moroz disputed those assertions.
In an emailed response to questions sent him by the Ahwatukee Foothills News, Moroz noted that a “Golf Club Declaration” on file with the Maricopa County Recorder’s office “binds the golf club owner to operate and maintain the golf course up to a certain contractual standard.”
“The association, as the declarant, has the right to enforce this Declaration,” he said.
As for not seeking a vote before filing the suit, Moroz said the board, as in other nonprofit corporations, “makes the decisions on behalf of the corporate entity,” and that no regulations required a vote to enforce a contract.
“In fact, many of the owners were demanding that the association (take) action regarding the golf course and its condition before the association filed the lawsuit,” Moroz said.
“We chose to act, rather than make empty threats, so that the club owner would not run the course further into the ground.”
Save Club West is not disputing the allegations of the HOA’s complaint, which accuses Gee’s companies of turning off the water and giving the once-lush fairways a “hay-like appearance.”
The complaint says the companies have not maintained other foliage, closed the clubhouse temporarily until October, refused to keep the course open during the summer, and are “generally operating the golf course in a matter not even consistent with mid-level public courses via the watering schedule, its appearance and hours of operation.”
It also contends that the community’s covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) require that the site be maintained “in a first-class manner and at a level equal to or exceeding the maintenance level of other upscale, high-end” public courses in Maricopa County.
Two residents of the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club are fighting a similar action against True Life Companies, the owner of their community’s course. Recently a state Superior Court judge ruled that the owner is required to reopen and restore the course under their CC&Rs. (Not convinced this is legally accurate. The judge ruled that the current CC&Rs require this, no
the the owner is required … fine line but important.) May need another comment from True Life on this for clarification.
True Life says the import of the judge’s ruling is unclear and that the course will never be used for golf again. It has proposed an urban-agricultural development called Ahwatukee Farms on the 101-acre site that calls for a school, a community farm and up to several hundred houses.
Asked to comment on the Club West problem, city Councilman Sal DiCiccio said:
“The Club West situation proves this is not just a Lakes problem. The same exact thing that happened at the Lakes is now happening at Club West golf course. Things got so bad that the HOA had to bring a lawsuit against Mr. Gee. The individual homeowners are also raising funds to join the lawsuit and do everything they can to protect their homes, their investments and their community.
“The situation at Club West and the Lakes is further proof that this is not an isolated situation. We need to work together as a community knowing full well that the Ahwatukee Country Club and Foothills golf courses are next. We must be prepared.”
Retired engineer Jim Lindstrom and attorney Ellen Davis, two residents who are leading the Save Club West movement, say a lawsuit won’t solve anything in their community.
They have raised $20,000 in two weeks and are negotiating with Gee to find a permanent “water sourcing” solution to prevent, they say, the value of about 2,530 homes from plummeting.
It’s not just the value of the approximate 350 houses adjacent to the course that are in peril, they assert.
“The homeowners are not part of the lawsuit,” Davis said.
“Our interests are at issue, and we are trying to protect ourselves against what likely could be a protracted and expensive legal case that we don’t think will be effective in the long run.”
Their greatest fear is that, if the HOA loses the suit, Club West course owners would simply continue to let the fairways and greens deteriorate. Already the lake’s
level has dropped, and is starting to stink, Davis and Lindstrom said.
Moroz differed with Lindstrom and Davis on the need for a lawsuit.
“Because many different aspects of the maintenance and operation of the golf course fell below the expected standard, and based on the club owners’ inaction in raising the condition of the course, the association had to act,” he said.
Moreover, Moroz added, “Right now I would say the course and how it is being maintained and operated is already jeopardizing owners’ investments. Had the association done nothing, the course would look even worse than it does now.”
The course’s current state differs drastically from what Davis bought into when she purchased a home at Club West in 1995, two years after it opened. Conditions also differ radically from what prompted Lindstrom and his wife to buy a home there six years ago.
The fairways were lush and the clubhouse operated into the evening seven days a week, becoming a gathering place for residents who could find lunch or dinner without leaving their neighborhood, Davis
and Lindstrom said.
“We were buying into a lifestyle,” Lindstrom said. “This is a quiet, friendly neighborhood and has what has been recognized as one of the premier golf courses in the nation.”
Owners of homes adjacent to the course also paid lot premiums of as much as $50,000.
Now, Lindstrom and Davis fear that their investments are in jeopardy, as are the values of homes in the entire community.
“Realtors tell us the value is already going down,” Lindstrom said. “The time that homes stay on the market has gotten longer. What residents here don’t realize is that this doesn’t just affect the homes adjacent to the golf course. If those homes sink in value, the entire community will get dragged down with them.”
One resident, Cheryl Ploudre, remarked on a social media site: “This is so sad. We pass the golf course every day because we live by it. Weeds, dead trees. Makes the neighborhood look horrible.”
When Club West opened, it relied on nonpotable water from a water reclamation plant run by the City of Phoenix since the 1970s.
But the city closed down the plant in the late 1990s, citing high operating costs and the inability of the facility to meet seasonal needs.
The pipelines serving both Club West and nearby Foothills Golf Course were abandoned, and Club West arranged to get potable city water while the Foothills course turned to a well.
For a while, Gee said, he could purchase city water at a reduced cost, but then in
By Paul Maryniak AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
The owner of three of Ahwatukee’s four golf courses said they will never be converted into housing sites and disputed City Councilman Sal DiCiccio’s assertions they could “fall like dominos” and see as many as 2,000 new apartments at one of them alone.
“I don’t know where he gets that,” Wilson Gee said in an interview with the Ahwatukee Foothills News. “It’s not true at all. Foothills, Ahwatukee County Club and Club West will always be golf courses.”
Gee also denied that he would have to take back ownership of the course at Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club if True Life Companies fails in its bid to have homeowners approve changes to deed restrictions to make way for an urban-agriculture plan that could have as many as 300 new houses. True Life bought the course for $8.25 million from Gee in 2014.
A group of Ahwatukee Lakes homeowners is fighting True Life’s plan, called Ahwatukee Farms, which calls for a private school, a fiveacre community farm, homes, a farmers’ market and a café along with the homes on the 101-acre course.
Save the Lakes is urging homeowners not to sign any agreements allowing True Life to change the deed restrictions. The developer needs one more than 50 percent of the approximately 5,600 homeowners to sign the agreement.
The group insists the course can be revived, and noted that a Superior Court judge has already ruled that the covenants, conditions and restrictions governing the use of the site requires it be kept as a golf course. True Life has said the site will never be a golf course again.
Gee said he has been watching the fight between True Life and Save the Lakes and that he’s not surprised it has become a pitched battle.
“Save the Lakes went overboard where there’s absolutely no compromise no matter what,” he said, recalling his own efforts to convert that golf course to another use.
“I approached them (Lakes residents) five years ago and told them I’ve been losing money and asked what do you want to do with this,” Gee said. “After a few meetings they said, ‘We don’t want to meet with you anymore’ and that was that. The other courses were subsidizing it.”
He praised Ahwatukee Farms as a “pretty good development.”
“It gives more of a community feeling, which I never thought about,” he said.
Gee disputed claims that any resurgence in the golf industry, while has been facing some rough economic times in recent years, would return Ahwatukee’s courses and most
Wilson Gee, owner of three of Ahwatukee’s four golf courses, said the sites will not be used for any other kind of development.
of the others in the Phoenix metro area to their former popularity.
“Unless you are a destination point like Pebble Beach, it won’t happen,” he said.
He said Ahwatukee’s golf courses largely collapsed after the Canadian dollar, called the loonie, began spiraling in value around 2013.
In the last three years, some economists have said, the loonie fell faster against the American dollar than at any other point in its 45-year history as a free-floating currency.
Earlier this year the loonie was worth 69 cents against the American dollar.
“The decline in the golf industry has been going on for six years,” Gee said.
“When the loonie devalued, that affected Maricopa County golf courses especially hard because most of our visitors were from Canada,” he continued. “With the devalued Canadian dollar, fewer people were traveling.”
Gee also said that high-dollar luxury courses in the metro area, like Troon, charge fees that are far higher than what he could charge during the winter in Ahwatukee.
“There was just no way in the winter to make up for what we were losing,” he said.
Gee is negotiating with a group of Club West homeowners on the possible sale of that golf course. As for Foothills and Ahwatukee Country Club, he says they are doing well financially. “We spent a lot of money improving Foothills,” he said.
Asked for his reaction to Gee’s remarks, DiCiccio said, “The Lakes disaster all started when Mr. Gee had the water turned off and now we are facing the threat of triple density development.”
Meanwhile, in other parts of the Valley, the Phoenician is considering turning nine of its 27 golf course holes into a housing site while the Raven dropped plans to develop nine of its 18 holes for homes.
–Reach Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com
>> From page 14
2012 he was told he would have to pay the same rate as everyone else.
So he reached an agreement in 2013 with City Council to gradually go up to the full rate over a five-year period. But the Water Department scrapped the deal – on grounds, Gee said, that it had never been involved in his negotiations with City Council.
Gee said his water bill began skyrocketing to $700,000 a year.
In June, Lindstrom and Davis said, Gee shut off water to the fairways and started a rotational watering of the greens and tee boxes on a reduced basis.
Long-term solutions discussed Save Club West has already signed a letter of intent to purchase the golf course, currently selling for around $2 million. Lindstrom said the group has hired an expert in golf courses as part of the due diligence involved in the possible transaction to evaluate the site.
So far, he and Davis said, the HOA has rebuffed any of their efforts to join them in finding an alternative solution to saving the course.
Moroz denied that claim.
“The association is aware of the longerterm issues created by the current water source and is willing to work with anyone interested in solving those issues,” he said.
“The Save Club West group is encouraged to take any and all efforts to join the litigation or work out other solutions to the condition of the golf course or solutions about water sourcing.
“We want their help and welcome it,” he continued. “In fact, the association has tried to work collaboratively with the Save Club West group in the past. Any avenues they pursue to resolve the water issue are worth consideration, from securing a different water source, to obtaining cheaper water rates, to putting together a group to buy the course.”
The HOA board has scheduled a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at its clubhouse to discuss the lawsuit, but it would only accept written questions sent to the board in advance, Lindstrom said.
Moroz said taking questions in advance “is something our community manager and our attorney explained is common during
town hall-type meetings.” He also said that process “assists with maintaining order and business decorum.”
Gee said he applauds the residents for trying to reach an amicable solution.
“Hopefully we can work something out with the homeowners,” Gee said.
But Moroz accused Gee of treating Club West homeowners unfairly.
“Mr. Gee knew when he was buying the golf course that water would be expensive. He should have been proactive to the issue,” Moroz said. “He should have been a good neighbor to the HOA and the other HOAs near courses he owns or owned. He should have been a good neighbor, not using ‘expense’ as an excuse to cause blight our neighborhoods.”
“He assumed that risk and, as a business owner, it’s up to him to figure out,” Moroz added.
Lindstrom cites various options for running the course more profitably. For example, he said that if it is restored, it could be used for special events that would bring in additional revenue.
Other potential long-term solutions, he said, could involve forming a Club West Water District, finding a new source of reclaimed water, and reconfiguring about 30 percent of the existing turf to natural terrain.
He said he has been trying to reach all Club West homeowners on his own, because the HOA won’t give him their contact information. So far, he said, about 400 owners have signed up with Save Club West.
”We are trying to get the word out to all the Club West homeowners that this is their future on the line,” Lindstrom said.
“We have to find a solution because no one else is going to do it. They are mistaken if they think the problem will solve itself.”
–Reach Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com.
Save Club West leader Jim Lindstrom is trying to find as many homeowners in that community as possible to help the group find a permanent solution to its water sourcing problems. They can contact Lindstrom at 480656-1108 or james.lindstrom@cox.net
By Howard Fischer CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES
Like wine?
Neighborhood potlucks?
As of last this month, Ahwatukee residents should be able to get more of both. Current law has strict restrictions on the ability of Arizonans to get wine from out of state vinters that might otherwise not be available here. Now, Arizonans will be able to place orders by phone, mail or even online.
Initially the limit will be up to six cases. That will increase to nine in 2018, and a dozen cases starting in 2019.
There are some restrictions, including a requirement for the seller to obtain proper identification to ensure the recipient is at least 21. That includes whoever is doing the delivery must inspect a valid photo ID of the recipient.
And getting free booze will also get easier: A separate measure eliminates the requirement that beer and wine stores be at least 5,000 square feet before providing samples.
Potlucks are a different issue.
In general, state health regulations cover situations where food is sold.
Since its inception in 2003, TPI has studied thousands of golfers ranging from the top professional tour players to weekend enthusiasts. Using this data, TPI discovered how a properly functioning body allows a player to swing a golf club in the most e cient way possible. By integrating our team of TPI certi ed physical therapists, certi ed personal trainers , and PGA Golf Professionals, Pritchette Physical Therapy, operating as Rehab Plus of Ahwatukee, o ers one of the most comprehensive golf training programs available.
Pre-registration – $25 per person prior to day of event
Multiple registration discount – $20 per person for multiple person registration
Event Day registration – $30 per person registration day of event
*Payment will be collected day of event, or you can pay by phone
This clinic will work with each individual one-on-one, so please register and include your preferred time between 12-3pm. We will have our event coordinator contact you to schedule your speci c time. Wear loose athletic attire. Golf equipment will be on-site for use. SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
>> From page 19
There is an exception for a “noncommercial social event,’’ a definition that does include potlucks. But that exemption applies only when the event is at a workplace, making a gathering of folks at the local mobile home park illegal.
Neighborhood potlucks now fall under the exemption.
On a related front, another new law spells out that the health department no longer can regulate food grown in school gardens if it is prepared and used on site.
Several measures dealing with education also gained legislative approval.
One limits the ability of schools to use assessment tests that seek personal information.
Another requires the state Board of Education to prepare a list of academic assessment tests that schools can use rather than the one now mandated.
And lawmakers forbid local school boards and interscholastic organizations from prohibiting students from wearing religious or cultural accessories as long as they do not create health or safety issues.
At the higher education level, one new law prohibits state colleges and universities
By Howard Fischer CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES
from limiting student protests to certain “free speech’’ zones. A similar measure spells out the right of students to free speech.
That second one also makes it illegal to block someone from going to a government meeting or political rally. That followed efforts by protesters earlier this year to keep people from going to a Trump rally in Fountain Hills.
Lawmakers also created a new exception to existing regulations that allow colleges and universities to ban weapons on campus. Now, individuals need not disarm themselves if they are on a public right-ofway going through the campus.
They also approved two separate measures designed to keep local governments from enacting any of their own rules, something that, at least on paper, is already illegal.
One requires people to report the loss or theft of a gun to police; the other allows police to request a breath sample from someone who has negligently discharged a firearm and appears intoxicated. The new state law provides some teeth, allowing a judge to assess a penalty of up to $50,000 from a knowing or willful violation of state preemption as well as removing public officials from office.
And if that’s not enough to get the
Self-driving cars are already being tested on Arizona roads, but state lawmakers and the governor are concerned about rules that govern them.
There apparently are no laws prohibiting manufacturers from marketing the vehicles today to consumers. And nothing keeps anyone from buying one and taking it out on the road. Nor are there specific rules about how they have to be operated and how much actual control -- if any -- a human must have. Amid the vacuum, a special panel set up by Gov. Doug Ducey met Monday to try to come up with some new rules of the road.
attention of recalcitrant city officials, another new law allows any legislator to ask the attorney general to investigate whether a local ordinance or policy is contrary to state law. But the real key is that if the city does not come into compliance within 30 days, the state treasurer would be required to stop providing revenue sharing dollars, money that makes up a large share of each city’s operating budget.
The breadth of that law actually goes beyond guns, covering any situation where the attorney general says a city has tread into forbidden territory.
Animals will get some new protections.
Lawmakers told local governments they cannot ban the sale of commercially bred dogs and cats despite testimony that even those raised at federally inspected facilities are not humanely treated. That killed ordinances already adopted in Phoenix, Tempe and Tucson.
But they did agree to require pet stores to obtain their animals only from breeders approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Separately, the Legislature altered laws that govern service animals, specifically allowing businesses, especially restaurants, to tell an owner the animal has to go if it is out of control or not housebroken.
Other laws that kicked in Saturday
John Halikowski, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, said there are a series of these that need to be addressed.
Some almost sound like the lead-in to a joke or a riddle: “If two driverless vehicles crash into each other, who’s at fault?’’ Halikowski asked.
Halikowski told committee members there is good reason to promote driverless technology. He said virtually all of the nearly 35,000 fatal accidents in the country last year caused by driver error.
But that raises other questions.
“Do I need a driver’s license to operate an autonomous vehicle?’’ Halikowski mused.
“Does there have to be an adult in the car if
I want to send the kids off to school?’’
And then there are some interesting technology questions, like the possibility of the software that operates the vehicle being hacked.
Among those waiting for answers is the state Department of Public Safety.
Major William Beck said there are varying degrees of self-driving cars. Aside from current technology like cruise control and braking assistance, he said some vehicles will require someone behind the wheel to pay attention while others may not.
That goes to the related question of who is actually controlling the vehicle.
Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, who chairs the
include:
•making it easier for auto insurance companies to drop policyholders whose business they no longer want;
•setting up new rules for private operation of “drones’’ while restricting the ability of local governments to have their own laws;
•requiring medical marijuana dispensaries to post signs warning pregnant women of the effects of the drug;
•removing the $15 cap on what dealers can charge as a deposit on people who purchase new auto batteries but do not immediately have an old one to return;
•giving cities some limited power to oversee “sober living homes’’’
•doubling the dollar-for-dollar state income tax credit that individuals can take for donations to certain charities;
•easing conflict-of-interest rules for members of the Arizona Corporation Commission, a move designed to remove roadblocks to voting for Andy Tobin whose relatives work for regulated entities;
•making it a felony to return someone else’s early ballot to polling places, a measure under challenge in federal court;
•requiring permission of a landowner before putting a “drop box’’ for charitable contributions on private property;
•making it illegal to drive a vehicle unless all stop and tail lights are working.
Senate Transportation Committee, said the issues are even deeper than that.
“Is there a way to position cars to minimize damage to little children?’’ he said. That, in turn, goes to the programming -- and having the computers make split-second decisions of what -- or who -- to hit.
“There’s all kinds of moral dilemmas that, as we have computers drive our cars we’ve got to resolve,’’ said Worsley.
Kevin Biesty, ADOT’s legislative liaison who also is on the panel, said that nothing in Arizona law prohibits someone from taking a self-driving car out on the road. Waiting for those questions to be answered, Biesty said, is not an option.
The Rev. Dr. Jamison J. Hardy, bishop/ district president of the English District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, will preaching at the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Divine Service at Family Of Christ Lutheran Church, 3501 E. Chandler Blvd., in Ahwatukee. The Rev. David M. Burge, intentional interim pastor at Family of Christ, will serve as liturgist at the service.
A 2000 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and senior pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in McMurray, Pennsylvania, Hardy became bishop and district president of the English District in 2015.
His visit to Family Of Christ Lutheran is part of his effort to make appearances at all 163 congregations in the English District. A non-geographic district of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the English District has congregations in 15 states and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
A reception for Hardy will also be held after the service.
A football cheer clinic for students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade will be held 1-4 p.m. Sept. 10 and Kyrene Altadena Middle School, 14620 S. Desert Foothills Pkwy., Ahwatukee.
Desert Vista High school cheerleaders will teach cheers, chants, jumps and dances and are inviting the clinic participants to perform during halftime for the Sept. 16 home game of the Thunder varsity football team. My Fit Foods will provide a snack.
Cost is $35 for preregistration and $40 for walk-ins and will cover instructions, a clinic T-shirt, pompoms, and admission for one adult to the Sept. 16 varsity game.
Registration: www.dvcheer.com.
Officers from the South Mountain Precinct of the Phoenix Police will be on hand 6:30-8 p.m. Aug. 24 at Pecos Recreation Center, 17010 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee, to meet local residents during another quarterly “Tukee Talks” session.
The precinct includes Ahwatukee. The session will include a discussion by a narcotics detective about medical marijuana and the impact of legalization. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided by Target.
Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori is now enrolling new pupils and is running a series of open house sessions at 4 p.m. Wednesdays. The open house includes a short talk on Montessori education and a tour of the facility, 3221 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee.
Information: 480-759-3810.
Donors at one of the upcoming Ahwatukee blood drives sponsored by United Blood Services can win a 2016 Volkswagen Passat S. United said blood of all types is urgently needed and that all donors will get a $50 voucher for a free ride from Lyft. Donors can make an appointment by
calling 1-877-827-4376 or at www.bloodhero. com.
United’s bloodmobile will be at the following Ahwatukee locations: 4750 E. Francisco Drive; 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Aug. 25, Telgian, 10230 S. 50th Place; or 11 a.m.3 p.m. Aug. 27, On the Border, 5005 E. Ray Road.
Carrie McNeish of Ahwatukee is offering beginning and intermediate/advanced line dancing classes in beginning the week of Sept. 12 at the Pecos Community Center. No partner or experience is necessary. The next 12-week session of evening classes are on Tuesdays, while daytime classes are Thursday mornings and early afternoon.
McNeish also conducts “muscle mania” body toning classes starting the week of Sept. 12 at Pecos Community Center. Six week and drop-in options are available for all classes.
Information/registration: phoenix.gov/ PARKS, 480-221-9090, cmcneish@cox.net, or www.dancemeetsfitness.net.
By Coty Dolores Miranda
Suzanne Whitaker surveyed her newest mural creation on the walls of the newlyopened Coconut’s Fish Cafe in Chandler, smiled and nodded her head.
“I really like this,” said Whitaker, a longtime Ahwatukee resident.
So do a lot of other people, said owner Kim Kuhljuergen, who has used Whitaker’s company, Passion for Murals, to create artwork at his two other Scottsdale restaurants of the same name.
“We were kicking around some initial ideas about sea life and Maui, and Suzanne came up with the idea,” said Kuhljuergen, who began with the restaurant franchise after visiting the original in Maui.
“Suzanne has the ability to deliver exactly what I’m looking for conceptually, and the most common feedback from our customers after seeing them is ‘wow!’ She’s obviously very skilled, and her work is fantastic.”
Whitaker, who is also a book illustrator, has operated her mural business for 23 years, since graduating from the University of Cincinnati School of Art.
Armed with a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in painting, she brought her business to Ahwatukee following a family transfer. Since then she’s been active throughout the Valley, working with designers on both residential and commercial projects.
She’s also created artworks for nonprofits like Mesa’s Child Crisis Center, and many Kyrene District schools.
One 12-foot-by-35-foot wall of cavorting butterflies at Kyrene de la Mariposa Elementary School’s Media Center she did in 2015 still gets raves.
“I like being able to create murals for kids to enjoy,” said Whitaker, who has authored a book, “Creative Kids’ Murals You Can Paint.”
Another project in the design stage will grace the walls at the Gilbert Hospice of the Valley.
As philanthropic as she is, Whitaker, a mother of two, is also a businesswoman: working with companies like Coconut’s Fish Cafe keeps the balance sheet in the black.
Her newest project is a YouTube interview show, “If These Walls Could Talk,” that has Whitaker interviewing area artists, craftsmen and interior designers.
“One thing I recognize that really makes me happy and gets me excited is when I connect people,” she said. “I love introducing people who do a really good job to others who will appreciate what fine work they do. This interview-format will be a venue to help me do that.”
On her website Passion4Murals.com, Whitaker blogs about how she got started doing murals as a young teen when challenged by blank walls in her bedroom.
A family of lions, a koala in a tree and a toucan were her choices, and she searched the family’s World Book Encyclopedia to get the images.
“I never gave thought that these animals
would never be realistically seen in the same environment… I simply chose the animals I liked,” she wrote.
That was the first step of what would become her career.
The 30-foot-wide, 12-foot-high mural at the Chandler Coconut’s Fish Cafe is one of her more ambitious: she incorporated a 3-D effect with the aid of craftsmen.
“This is really different than the other ones I’ve done at the other Coconut’s locations. When I saw an image of a sea turtle, I knew I had to do it, but I wanted to do it in 3-D,” she said.
Working with Thad and Jordan Trubakoff of TruCollective of Tempe, Whitaker had
the brothers cut wooden shapes for the coral pieces surrounding the sea turtle. She then used a plaster mix on top of the composite wood for a more organic look, and to camouflage hard edges.
Using her detailed sketch as her guide, she put paintbrush to wall.
“I painted a solid yellow base on the wall and then began to paint in some of the aqua tones over the coral,” explained Whitaker.
“I continued to do some detail until the turtle finally emerged.”
The oversize, green-tinted turtle’s right eye stares directly at the viewer as sun rays spill through the blue ocean waters from above.
“This is really different than the ones I did at the other two Coconut Fish Cafe locations, though all have the Hawaiian theme,” she said. “It was challenging, and fun to do.”
–Information: www.Passion4Murals.com or Suzanne@Passion4Murals.com.
By Paul Maryniak
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
Last week’s unexplained death of a former Chandler football star brought back a grim reminder to Sharon Bates of the 2000 death of her Mountain Pointe graduate son.
But while her memories of her son Anthony will forever be a part of her, that reminder was more a call to action than anything else.
“I’ll have to see if I can get heart screenings in Chandler,” she said.
Bates runs the Anthony Bates Foundation, which provides low-cost heart screenings to anyone from age 10 up to find hidden cardiac ailments that normal physicals often overlook.
She suspects that such a defect claimed the life of Chandler grad and University of Arizona senior Zach Hemmila, 22, who died in his sleep. He was the second local football player to die in less than a year: Perry High senior Michael Roach died in his sleep last December.
Like those two young men, Anthony Bates, who died from undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), was in the prime age group for hidden cardiac ailments. He was 20 and annual physicals had found him in perfect health.
But normal physicals don’t detect heart
ailments, including HCM, which is a thickening of the heart muscle.
The death of her only child motivated her to establish a one-woman war on the hidden killer.
She formed the foundation, which also equips schools with portable defibrillators that can save a life if a child goes into cardiac arrest.
Back when Anthony was growing up in the Kyrene and Tempe Union school districts, there were not only no portable defibrillators around; there were no mobile heart screenings.
Even today, heart screenings can cost upward of $3,000 when paired with a consultation with a cardiac specialist. The Bates Foundation now has three portable cardiac screening machines, ranging in price from $25,000 to $75,000 that it uses in organized events throughout Arizona and in other states. It asks for a tax-deductible $40 donation for a screening.
The screenings have found hidden abnormalities in about 10 to 12 percent of the thousands of people the foundation has tested.
More significantly, more than half of those hidden abnormalities were found in people ages 12 to 24, Bates said.
A retired computer programmer, Bates has partnered with about 20 other
parent-driven organizations across the country that address heart ailments. They are trying to get the NCAA to administer heart screenings to all current athletes and those who were athletes in the last two decades.
The NCAA has balked, saying that kind of effort would cost $69 billion.
“What the NCAA doesn’t seem to understand is that this could save 10 million lives,” Bates said.
The campaign dovetails with the Bates Foundation’s mission: “No parent should suffer the heartbreak of losing a child to an undiagnosed cardiac malady; we seek to eliminate preventable Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). The organization will fulfill its mission by continuing our efforts to establish a nationwide heart screening program for youth, free of charge or low cost, thus solving a significant public health issue through screenings, education, collaboration and facilitation.”
The Anthony Bates Foundation is the only organization of its kind in the country with a copyrighted protocol and a method for collecting data that can be used by researchers of heart ailments. That database built will be used in the campaign to get the NCAA to agree to heart screenings. Its screenings have been literal life-savers in some cases. Recently, a young man screened
at one of the foundation’s events underwent surgery to repair a defect that the screening had found.
Bates has found support for her work from a variety of sources, ranging from the Arizona Cardinals to Kansas State University, where Anthony had been playing football at the time of his death.
But she said she would rather be screening more hearts than holding events to raise money.
–The Anthony Bates Foundation will hold its next local heart screening 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Foothills Golf Club, 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive, Ahwatukee. Reservations: anthonybates.org or call 602-482-5606.
Who: All students in grades Pre-K through 8.
When: Saturday, September 10, 2016 from 1:00 to 4:00pm (Doors open for registration at 12:00pm)
Performance will be Friday, September 16, 2016 during half-time of the Varsity Football Game.
Where: Kyrene Altadena Middle School 14620 S. Desert Foothills Parkway, Phx 85048
Cost: $35 Pre-registration, $40 Walk-in, $5 Sibling discount. Fee includes instructions, cheer clinic t-shirt, poms, refreshments, and admission for one adult to attend the Varsity Football Game.
By Coty Dolores Miranda
WRITER
Area children ages 3 through 20 years are encouraged to join the Saturday audition for Ahwatukee’s own production of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker” even if they have no dance experience.
Kimberly Lewis, owner of Dance Studio 111 and the director-producer of the annual community ballet, says there’s plenty of time to get experienced.
“I don’t want anyone to feel left out; even with no experience they can be a part of this,” said Lewis. “I want everyone to come and audition. We have four months of Saturday rehearsals, so we can teach them to dance.”
The Ahwatukee “Nutcracker,” renowned for its rich costuming and staging, has become a Valley tradition with a cast of area children and youth and a few adults — such as Nutcracker choreographer Meghan Arena, who is perennially cast as the character Claire’s mother.
“We’re going into our 17th year, can you believe it?” said Lewis.
This year a new part is also up for grabs; the Queen of Sweets will join Clara at the Royal Queen Dinner Party.
“I like to change it up a little bit every year to keep it fresh,” said Lewis, a dancer herself.
In addition, because the Saturday matinee is always a sell-out with its Santa appearance, a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee is also being added at the Desert Vista High School Fine Arts Theatre.
“There’s a little bit of magic that happens,” said Jill Hammond, assistant director of “The Nutcracker” since its inception. “I really see the girls and boys have a good time during the whole process, and there’s a bond that’s built.”
She reminded anyone heading to the audition that there are parts for boys in the two-act ballet, including the Russian tumblers, Mouse King, March boys, and non-dancing actors in the party scene.
“We have one of our former Russian tumblers who’s now dancing for Disney,” Hammond said proudly. “And we have other dancers who have gone on to bigger things who come back to help us backstage or anywhere they can.”
Arena, “Nutcracker” choreographer since 2008, said there are many perks for youngsters who are a part of the annual production.
“It gets them in the holiday spirit, even if it is 100 degrees outside, and it’s a good way to teach them about the arts,” the mother of two said. “And it’s a different kind of discipline than they get at school. It’s fun. And it’s so awesome for the older kids to mentor the younger ones!”
The Nutcracker auditions are held at Dance Studio 111, 4910 Chandler Blvd., suite 111, Ahwatukee, with the following schedule: 9-10 a.m. Dancers age 3 - 8 (ballet shoes required).
10-11:30 a.m. Dancers ages 9 and older (ballet shoes required).
noon–1:30 p.m. Dancers age 10 and older (pointe and ballet shoes required).
1:30 – 1:45 p.m. Boys ages 5–18 for nondancing roles.
“We want those who audition to be committed to the production, and willing to accept any part,” said Lewis, adding that anyone who shows up without ballet slippers or pointe shoes as required can still try out, but they’ll have to do it in bare feet.
Tickets go on sale Sept. 17 and may be purchased at Dance Studio 111, 4910 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 111, Ahwatukee; or 480706-6040 or afnutcracker@gmail.com.
Six-year-old Anna Wolcott will unveil her repaired Little Free Library on Saturday at her Ahwatukee home, bringing full circle a summer-long saga that touched the hearts of people around the world.
Anna first unveiled the library for which she had raised money, collected used books and decorated for four months on June 25.
A week later, while she was on a summer vacation with her parents, the library and that table it was screwed onto was stolen from her front yard. On the very day she returned from that vacation July 29, a man known only as Mike from South Phoenix called her mother Heather Wolcott to tell her he had found it on an online site.
There are 36,000 Little Free Libraries, built from kits made by Amish carpenters, in 70 countries around the world.
They are meant to encourage reading and literacy, allowing people to borrow books without the need for a library card.
Word of the theft reached around the world on social media, and people as far away as Australia called Anna’s mom offering money – and in one case a completed new library – for the little girl.
Mike told Wolcott he saw the library online under the name of an anonymous person who was selling it
for $80. He thought his niece would like it and wound up buying it for $75.
But then he found Wolcott’s name and number on a laminated tag inside the library, so he called her and told her, “I think I have something that belongs to you.”
The library “was pretty dirty and dusty, had some chipped wood on the sides and top, and some chipped paint,” Wolcott said. “We pretty much revived it last weekend with new paint, but Anna wants to re-do her hummingbirds and hand paint them herself instead of using stencils. And she wants to add some ‘sparkle’ to it with some jewels we’ll glue on. Other than that, it is in good shape.”
Wolcott and her husband bought a new kit before Mike had contacted her.
Wolcott said the new library she bought for Anna just arrived last week.
“I’m going to set it up on a table at her re-opening and put paper and pens next to it and ask people who attend to write down the name of a school or neighborhood where they would like to see that Little Free Library donated once Anna paints and finishes it,” she said.
“So many people from our Ahwatukee community donated funds so we could purchase it quickly, so I would love for them to have a voice or give suggestions as to where and whom we should give it,” she added. “I don’t think it will be completed for a little while. We just
need to focus on re-opening her first one.”
While the books in the stolen model were never recovered, Anna won’t be desperate for replacements: People have donated hundreds of books that her parents stash in their garage.
Anna will be on hand to greet wellwishers at the library’s unveiling 9-10 a.m. Saturday at 907. E. Mountain Vista Dr.
By Jason P. Skoda
AFN Prep Sports Director
The dinner table in America has become the catch-all in many homes. It’s where the mail gets placed, becomes a pseudo desk for homework and used to make out the bills.
All too often, however, it goes unused for its intended purpose because crazy schedules, the convenience of eating out and so many other factors that keep families from sitting down and sharing a meal like the days of yesteryear.
But the dinner table is just what it means for the Pola-Mao family of Ahwatukee.
The family of two Mountain Pointe High football players makes sure the household, all seven of them, sit down together, share a meal and go over their day.
With Isaiah, a senior, and Matthew, a sophomore, being key cogs on the Pride program, it means the plates don’t always hit the table until late in the evening.
“The little ones are always hungry, but I tell them they have to wait until we are all together,” mom Carrie Pola-Mao said. “It’s our time together. Their dad (Tracey) loves to cook, and we tell them to sit at the table and we bring them their food and we get that time together whenever we can.”
Even the two young men’s teammates often find themselves at the Pola dinner table and the boys bring the same emphasis on family to the Pride’s locker room.
“We have been brought up to understand what family means and to be respectful,” Isaiah said. “It’s a part of our heritage (Polynesian) and it’s what we do. Meals are a huge part of our culture and how we spend our time together.”
A portion of the conversation during meal time centers around an idea by the boys’ younger sister, Gabriella: everyone goes around the table discussing their high and low points of the day.
“It’s a great way to get things out in
the open,” Tracey said. “It’s a good way celebrate things and discuss other matter further if we need. It’s become a great little thing we do.”
Isaiah and Matthew look to have plenty of good things to talk about this fall as the Pride begin the 2016 season Friday with a home game against Sandra Day O’Connor.
“Getting a second year of playing together is great,” said Matthew, who had an impressive freshman year at the varsity level. “It’s something we will always have, and if we can be better than last year.”
Isaiah, who is 6-foot-4, 190-pounds, is considered one of the top three prospects in Arizona for the 2017 season as a fourstar safety, while Matthew, 6-2, 290, is considered the top prospect in state for 2019 as a four-start defensive tackle.
The scouts have taken notice of the brothers, who are related to potential retired NFL Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
“We are so proud what they can do on the field, but when we receive compliments
about their attitude and the respect they show to others that’s all you can ask for,” said Tracey, who played at San Diego State and for three years with the Arizona Rattlers (1994-96). “That’s all you can really ask for as a parent.”
Tracey’s time in the Arena League brought him to Arizona, where there has long been a Polynesian population and influence on high school football rosters.
The Pola-Maos have an unofficial reserved spot in the upper right-hand side of the Pride’s bleachers.
“We could have 20, 40 even 60 people, depending who is in town at a game,” Carrie said. “We multiply. They’re crazy and really get into football. It’s in the blood.”
The boys make it easy as Isaiah’s ability as a receiver and safety puts the ball in his hands a lot as he winds down one of the best careers in Pride history. Matthew is a man-child still finding out how good he could be this year and beyond.
“I was nervous being on varsity last year, and wasn’t sure I could do it,” Matthew said. “Then I go out there and did OK. I didn’t realize how strong I was and some of things I could do.”
Carrie recalled that at birth, Isaiah was the biggest baby of them all and Matthew was just a little “loaf of bread.”
“They are completely different,” Carrie said. “Matthew is the gentle giant, and Isaiah is aggressive and business-like. And now, of course, they are totally different size-wise. They are so good together, but they are different in so many ways.”
At least until the shoulder pads get buckled and the Pride jersey slides over them, signifying game time.
“Polynesians are known for being happy and nice until the helmet goes on,” Matthew said. “Then it’s a different story. We are ready to attack.”
–Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @ JasonPSkoda.
– Check us out and like the Ahwatukee Foothills News on Facebook and follow on Twitter @AhwatukeeFN.
TUESDAY, AUG. 23
The 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun will hold their third quarter meeting. Guests are welcome to attend and see how this local philanthropic group of women contribute their time and energy to benefit charities.
DETAILS>>5:30-7:30 p.m., Four Points by Sheraton Phoenix South Mountain, 10831 S. 51st. St., Ahwatukee. Information: www.100WWCValleyOfTheSun.org.
SATURDAY, AUG. 27
Heart
The Anthony Bates Foundation will hold a heart screening for children and adults, age 10 and up. Tests include blood pressure check, electrocardiogram, and an ultrasound/echo read by cardiologists. Cost is a tax-deductible donation of $40. DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Foothills Golf Club, 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive, Ahwatukee. Reservations: www. anthonybates.org or call 602-482-5606.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 1
Grandparent support offered
Grandparents who are you feeling overwhelmed, confused, and alone can join a group of fellow grandparents raising their grandchildren as they share, learn and grow together. Firsttime participants are asked to call ahead of attending.
DETAILS>> 6-8 p.m., Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 2745 N. 32nd St., Mesa. 602-274-5022; duetaz.org
MONDAY, SEPT. 5
Unpaid caregivers who are taking care of a loved one with Parkinson’s disease get an opportunity to ask questions and
learn creative and caring problem-solving techniques in a supportive environment at no cost. First timers are asked to call before attending.
DETAILS>> 1:30-3:30 p.m., Red Mountain Multi-Generational Center, 7550 E. Adobe St., Mesa. 602-274-5022; duetaz.org
ONGOING
Families in Ahwatukee and the surrounding area can host foreign students through the Aspect Foundation.
DETAILS>> Potential host families can choose their own student by viewing profiles on Aspect Foundation’s website at www.AspectFoundation.org. Information: Brynda Blowers at 480-444-6192.
MONDAYS
Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group open to chamber members and nonmembers. DETAILS>> Noon every Monday, Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 140, Ahwatukee. Call Shannon Kinsman at 480-753-7676.
This group addresses the informational, emotional and social support needs of the MS community. People with MS, care partners and spouses are welcome. The group mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-noon, third Monday of each month, Dignity Health Urgent Care Ahwatukee, conference room, 4545 E. Chandler Blvd. Free. Information: Lynn Grant at lgrant3567@ yahoo.com or 480-414-7172.
TUESDAYS
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.
WEDNESDAYS
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. Call 602-636-5390 or visit HOV.org.
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 by phone at 602-827-8200, ext. 348, or email rcarter@cals.arizona.edu.
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.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m. on second Wednesday at Foothills Golf Club, 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive. Contact jstowe2@cox.net or visit www. FoothillsWomensClub.org.
Free and open to the public 7:30-9 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month at Biscuits Restaurant, 4623 E. Elliot Road. RSVP by emailing marie9@q.com or 480-592-0052.
The Legislative District 18 Democrats have changed their monthly meeting to their new campaign office at 1867 E. Baseline Road, Tempe. DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m. social time, 7-8:30 p.m. meeting time on the second Monday of each month. Information: www.ld18democrats.org/meetings or ld18demsinfo@ gmail.com. Free and open to the public.
This group focuses on creating powerful relationships with fellow members, resulting in meaningful referrals. Learn how to create connections and get the most out of networking events.
DETAILS>> 8-9 a.m. Thursdays at the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 140. For information, call Shannon Kinsman at 480-753-7676.
Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group. Get involved and network. Open to chamber members and nonmembers.
DETAILS>> 8 a.m. every Thursday, Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 140. Information: Shannon Kinsman at 480-753-7676.
By Jeff Lane AFN GUEST WRITER
The 2016 winter runoff season, which overpromised and underdelivered for the second year in a row, proved again that the Salt River Project water-storage system can handle just about anything.
El Nino 2016 started out with such promise, but then but faded into just another “first” in SRP’s 118 years of record-keeping annals.
The final runoff total from January through May was 338,181 acre-feet, which was an unprecedented sixth consecutive year of below-median runoff into the Salt and Verde rivers.
SRP’s initial forecasts called for about 1 million acre-feet of runoff to flow into the system over the winter and spring. After the poor winter, the reservoir system today stands at almost the exact position as it was one year ago.
The total Salt and Verde system is currently at about 50 percent of capacity, nearly the same on this date in 2015.
Theodore Roosevelt Lake, which holds about two-thirds of the water SRP stores for use by Valley shareholders, stands at about 40 percent full – also about the same as 12 months ago. The two reservoirs on the Verde River are at a combined 42 percent of capacity -down from 52 percent a year ago.
“The good news is that we understand that we live in a desert, and we plan accordingly,” said Charlie Ester, SRP’s manager of Surface Water Resources.
“That means we plan for dry winters even when the conventional wisdom would suggest otherwise, like last winter.
“I would much rather be surprised with water in storage I wasn’t planning for than to have the reservoirs be lower than expected. The better news is that we are still in good shape after six consecutive years of below-median runoff and more than 20 years of drought in central Arizona.”
Ester credited improved water conservation and significantly reduced water demand as the two primary reasons why SRP’s system remains strong despite another January-toMay runoff period that fell far short of the optimistic early predictions as well as the 30-year median runoff of 534,336 acre-feet.
This year’s runoff total still finished above the 2015 runoff total of 327,840 acre-feet, which was about twice the runoff of the 2014 season of 148,038 acre-feet – the eighth-driest since SRP has been keeping water-gathering records.
To help keep as much surface water as possible in the reservoirs – which have remained at about the same level for the last five years -- SRP relies upon pumping from underground wells to supplement its surface water supplies.
“We are right in the middle of our peak water-demand time of the year, and our system is doing exactly what it is designed to do – store water during wet years for these kinds of dry periods,” he said.
-Jeff Lane is a media relations representative for Salt River Project.
Parents experienced “a day in the life” of a Horizon Honors Elementary School student at the annual curriculum night. Parents began in their child’s first period class and walked through their child’s day at school to learn about each subject area and gain insight into the student school experience.
Parents are invited to apply for the 2016-2017 school improvement team. Student, parent, teacher, and administrative representatives will come together throughout the year to plan for the future, assess progress and address concerns that arise. The teams make recommendations to both the Horizon Honors leadership team and school board. A lottery is held each fall to determine the parent representatives. This year, the Elementary School Improvement Team will be working on promoting the school in the community.
Students who qualified for the Spring 2016 honor rolls can be found at www. horizonclc.org/blog/secondary-schoolspring-2016-honor-rolls
All students in grades 7-10 will be tested under Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) this month. This testing will allow teachers to see details in academic progress. Teachers will then be able to plan instruction to meet individual needs and help students reach their goals.
MAP testing will occur three times during the school year which will, for the first time ever, give timely feedback to students and family
Horizon Honors is seeking to expand a group of fun, energetic, knowledgeable, and reliable 7th - 11th grade students that serve as orientation guides to new students and families. The guides’ primary goal is to introduce prospective students and families to Horizon Honors. Applications are due Aug. 29 and require a parent signature.
–News in this report comes from schools. News can be sent to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com.
By Shane Degrote
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
Cadence at Gateway, a new community designed by real estate and developmental company Harvard Investments, is offering East Valley Institute of Technology students more than just a look at master planning.
With the introduction of a special partnership, the students — some of whom are from Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista high schools in Ahwatukee — will get their hands dirty with the process of building a community from the ground up.
“It is going to give our students a bird’seye view of what it takes to put together a community of houses, structures and everything,” EVIT Superintendent Sally Downey said. “This is going to be a unique experience for our construction and interior design kids.”
The partnership will produce a 12-month program that begins Aug. 25. About 200 students who are enrolled in the constructions trades program or interior design program at EVIT will receive access to all of the planning that goes into a master-planned community. They’ll see how property is zoned and marked. And, they’ll get real-time experience with professionals.
The student experience was why Arizonabased Harvard Investments reached out to
EVIT for this partnership.
“When we learned about EVIT and what they are doing in the East Valley, we kind of just brainstormed one day and it just seemed like a great idea to share with the students there,” said Craig Krumwiede, president of Harvard Investments. “It seemed like it would be a lot more fun to do it real-time and share with the students what we see and what we do and why we love doing it.”
The community, Cadence at Gateway, will be next to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, between Ray and Pecos Road.
The first phase will provide about 600 residences, with an anticipated completion by May 2017.
Additionally, Cadence at Gateway hopes to bring shopping, services and recreation to accompany the community, which includes parks, a community center, pools, fitness center and more.
Krumwiede said he believes the community will be a big benefit for Mesa.
EVIT students will have access to some of the best talent in the industry through interactive lectures.
“We are all about our students and we are all about trying to develop options for them,” Downey said. “The more that we can expose are kids to and the more we can open their eyes, the more options they are going to have.”
By Paul Maryniak AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
My name is Paul and I am a football addict.
But that’s not why the Ahwatukee Foothills News welcomes the new high school football season today with front page pictures, a hefty preview of the season, and Friday night’s games involving the Pride and the Thunder.
As the book “Friday Night Lights” so dramatically demonstrated in 1990, high school football is big – not just for the high schools but the community at large.
And one of Ahwatukee’s many endearing attractions is the presence of two high schools within its boundaries, providing an up-close-and-personal rivalry that reaches its apex every fall with the Tukee Bowl, where Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe High School face off for their annual brawl for local bragging rights. This year that ritual is slated for Sept. 30 at Mountain Pointe. No, we’re not going to overlook the other fall sports in those schools. But, as documented in surveys across the country, football draws more eyeballs in Ahwatukee than any other sport.
I’m sure that statement rankles some hoops and hockey fans, to say nothing of the many young athletes and their fans who will be competing this fall in the wake of inspiring Summer Olympics performances.
Nevertheless, the reality can be seen at every home game in Ahwatukee, where bleachers are filled to capacity with local fans.
I’ll leave the reasons for the phenomenon of high school football (or even college or pro) to the talking heads on ESPN.
For the AFN, the Thunder and Pride contests are not just games; they’re community events, particularly when held at home.
Our coverage of these games is multifaceted, under the direction of our sports director Jason Skoda, who is beginning his 22nd season as chronicler of the prep gridiron. That career includes 12 seasons in Arizona,
seven of them for the Ahwatukee Foothills News.
Jason and his crew will be covering every Thunder and Pride game. In addition, they’ll be covering many of the games involving high schools in Tempe, Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert because many readers in Ahwatukee like to know how the nearby teams are faring. Some of our readers even have attended those high schools.
Our game coverage begins every Friday night of the season, when Jason is preparing and posting game stories at ahwatukee.com.
On Wednesdays, we’ll be offering both review and preview, telling our readers about what happened to the DV and MP teams the previous Friday and sizing up the game that follows in two days.
In addition, check out www. ahwatukee.com/opinion/blogs/ ahwatukee_sports and twitter.com/ jasonpskoda for updates throughout
the week – not just on football but on other sports as well.
The home games give Ahwatukee residents a chance to support the players, their boosters and the coaching staff. You’ll find local businesses stationed at the games as well, like Phoenix Phreeze, a mobile shaved ice vendor operated by Ahwatukee residents Kurt and Lucy Nederbrook.
It’s also important to underscore one major fact about our coverage: we have no dog in the hunt; we try to give both high schools equal treatment.
Many times, however, this is difficult.
“The hardest thing is trying to convince people I do not favor one school over the other,” Jason told me when I asked what his biggest challenge was.
“It doesn’t come up as much as it did early on, and I hope that means there is a trust factor now. I essentially follow the better story 99 percent of the time. It might mean one school
ends up getting more coverage than the other, but the only intent there is to bring the best stories possible to the community,” he continued.
“That doesn’t mean there are not good human interest stories on teams that are struggling, but it helps if the team is having a good season.”
Naturally, we welcome your comments about our coverage, letters to the editor about the teams (no name calling, please), and tips on the news in high school sports that may have slipped past our notice.
Communicate with us and post comments https://www.facebook. com/search/top/?q=ahwatukee%20 foothills%20newspaper
Good luck to both the Thunder and the Pride.
And Football Anonymous: don’t bother calling me. This is an addiction I’m not interested in kicking.
–Reach Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com
I read in the Ahwatukee Foothills news recently that the city claimed, in response to allegations of neglect along Pecos Road, that “We sweep there every 14 days,” adding that Pecos Road is under a consistent watch by the Streets Department for potholes and other problems.
As a resident of a community at the very western end of Pecos Road since 2005, I can assure you that statement is not correct and has never been correct. Working from home, I travel Pecos Road many times every day. Pecos Road street sweeping has typically occurred once every six months.
The last time I saw a sweeper doing its thing, it was traveling 30 plus miles per hour to the left of the bike lane. In fact, nothing ever happens regularly or at all unless taxpayers complain. Even then, any response is dubious and delayed at best. The following are blatant examples:
·Tolerance of unauthorized access to government owned right-of-way and East Bureau of Indian Affairs Road 32 created huge dust clouds over entire communities many times a day for years.
·Street sweeping in my neighborhood rarely ever happens and is ineffective.
·Noisy manhole covers in neighborhoods bent by haulage trucks hauling homes to the dump have not been fixed.
·Remediation of trash and large item dumping along Pecos Road has never occurred regularly.
·Tree trimming on Pecos Road stopped years ago.
·Replacement of wind destroyed trees and automobile destroyed Saguaros on Pecos Road has never occurred.
·Removal of dumped tree clippings along the side of Pecos road is not happening.
·Potholes on West Pecos Road do exist and get worse every year.
Either the City of Phoenix spokesperson is really ignorant as to what actually happens or she’s just a part of the PR machine. A tool of government that just does as she’s told and promotes that everything is working as it should, as long as civil servants do little to nothing but preserve and grow their money pipe and preserve their pensions. Apparently that’s the new American economy all around and it’s happening right here in our community.
I guess under ADOT control, the three roadside memorials along West Pecos Road will disappear before anything of any substance to address the above will occur or (U.S. Disrict Judge Diane) Humetewa renders her opinion.
-Dietmar Hanke
(Editor’s note: The author of this letter asked that it be published as an open letter to a variety of people involved in the discussion of the Ahwatukee Farms plan for the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club, including all 5,200 homeowners in the community, City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, lawsuit plaintiffs Linda Swain and Eileen Breslin, True Life Companies representatives Quentin Thornton and David Sabow, and Agritopia lead designer Steve Barduson.)
I am a proud property owner in the Ahwatukee community for the last 35 years. Our home is located just west of the proposed updating with Ahwatukee Farms, and happens to be in the jurisdiction of both Ahwatukee Board of Management (ABM) as well as Equestrian Management Association (EMA).
By Don Rea AFN GUEST WRITER
I see Facebook posts about it, I hear about it, and the media loves to write about it: The game of golf apparently is dying, died a few years ago or is facing certain death.
Golf is nearly a $70-billion industry that gives back close to $4 billion to charity. That is more than all of the other sports combined – the NFL, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball. Some other facts:
·24 million Americans play 455 million rounds annually at 15,200 facilities.
·76 percent of all golf facilities are public.
·90 percent of all golfers play on public golf courses.
·Approximately 143,000 charity events are held annually with 12 million participants.
Are national rounds of golf and number of golfers down? Yes, since 2003 those numbers have decreased every year. Is golf on the rebound? Yes, rounds of golf
in 2015 were up over 8 million compared to 2014. Through the first four months of 2016, rounds are up another 4 percent. In addition, 37 million people have said they are interested in playing, an all-time high.
The impact of baby boomers on the game of golf is well documented.
With the youngest baby boomer now 51, this golfing generation is only mid-way through its golfing years. Many say the millennials are not interested or don’t have the time to play golf. However, 6.3 million golfers are between the ages of 18-34 and playing approximately 93 million rounds or 21% of the golf played.
Youth golf (ages 6 to 17) grew 25 percent in the last five years. This is the largest jump in total volume compared to other youth sports, including soccer, basketball, football and baseball.
About 105 million people tuned into watch golf in 2015. CBS’s ratings were up 20 percent and NBC’s were up 5 percent. Weekly minutes viewed were up 13 percent over 2014.
Adaptive golf is growing. Of the 57 million Americans with some form of disability,
We have respectfully paid thousands of dollars of annual management fees over the years to both, and have been pleased to recently modernize our home with improvements over the last four years, knowing our home value will appreciate with those improvements. The following points I bring up are my insights of the proposed acreage updating as I view them.
Mr. DicCicco, I fully agree that True Life Companies should act in a trustworthy manner and pay for past due taxes of $1.4 million.
I disagree with you saying that this updating will open floodgates of high density developments. Please reflect on the 101 total acres being considered for updating. If, as True Life states, 30 acres are used for landscaping/ setbacks, 10 acres used for the new Montessori School, and five acres used for the Desert Garden Farms, that leaves 56 acres for homes. Multiplied by three homes per acre, that amounts to only 168 homes, not 300 plus. If a more gracious landscaping happened (increased by 25 percent), then the 101 acres less 40 for landscaping, 10 for the school, and five for the garden, that leaves 46 acres for homes, multiplied by 3 per acre
>> See LETTERS on page 33
over 10 percent are now playing golf with 35 percent more interested in learning.
How much water does a golf course use?
“Compared to what?” is my first question.
Does a golf course in Arizona use over a 100 million gallons a year? Yes, but in Arizona, a state that has over 330 golf courses, that is less than 3 percent of Arizona’s total water usage. In addition, half of that water is effluent water which is not available for human consumption.
The agriculture industry in Arizona uses 70 percent of the state’s water supply.
Golf courses throughout the United States continue to lead the industry in water stewardship by reducing water usage over 20 percent in the past eight years.
Most golf courses determine watering times based on the evapotranspiration rate of the microenvironment of that golf course. The only water given to the grass is the water that evaporated over the last 24 hours.
Yes, the perception is that golf courses abuse water, but in reality water is not only their most valuable asset, but their most
expensive need.
Golf is good for the economy. The economic impact is undeniable. In Arizona, golf impacts the economy to the tune of $3.4 billion a year.
However, the impact on a family is unquestionably golf’s most resonating affect.
Whether it is fitness (a walking round of golf equals 10,000 steps and 2,000 calories) or the quality time together (golf can be played by all ages and gets you off of the digital grid for three to five hours), a life filled with golf is a healthy one mentally and physically.
Today’s families want to spend time together.
Long gone, or dead you might say, are the Saturdays dads spent away from the families hanging with their buddies at the men-only golf club.
Golf is now about family, fitness and fun.
Yes, golf is very much alive and kicking.
By Jeff Dial AFN GUEST WRITER
Education. As we move forward with the passage of Prop 123, we must continue to ensure that we are prioritizing high impact areas, like K-12 and higher education, while still protecting the hard work that has taken place in order to get our fiscal house in order. Our K-12 public schools need stability after the state was hit hard by the Great Recession. Our university system and community colleges need stability so students and families can plan for their financial future and not be priced out of obtaining a higher education. In order to do so we must take a comprehensive look forward about where our priorities are.
Maintaining a structural balance and a healthy will ensure that we are
able to not only meet our statutory and constitutional obligations, but also consider investing and leveraging new high-impact areas within our education system.
Economy. Arizona must focus on reducing harmful regulations and reforming our tax code. I’m proud to have been endorsed by the Arizona, Tempe, Chandler, and Greater Phoenix Chambers of Commerce.
During my time at the legislature I’ve sponsored key pro-growth bills that help our state more forward. Last session, I co-sponsored successful legislation to have the state look for ways to consolidate our IT departments.
As the chairman of State Debt and Budget Reform, I sought innovative solutions to pay down our state debt and work toward a structurally balanced budget.
Public Safety. I’ve always been an
advocate for public safety and want to ensure that we continue to protect neighborhoods and keep communities safe.
This last session, I sponsored legislation to ensure that the Arizona Department of Homeland Security continues on for another eight years. I also worked on an important reform for Public Safety Pensions that was supported by police and fire as well as conservative groups across the state.
I’m committed to making sure our police officers have the resources and technology to stop crime.
Jeff Dial says he "is passionate about helping people live an excellent life."
He serves as the current State Senator from Legislative District 18. His main priorities "include economic development and the improvement of education. " Additionally, He said he "works as a realtor helping people achieve their dreams by assisting them in buying, selling, and investing in residential real estate."
The only local contest in the Aug. 30 primary election involves two Republicans battling over the nomination for state senator in Legislative District 18, which includes Ahwatukee. It pits incumbent Sen. Jeff Dial against challenger Frank Schmuck. The Ahwatukee Foothills News asked both candidates to respond to three questions. Their responses to the second question appear today. Their responses to the first ran last Wednesday and can be read at ahwatukee.com. The final question and responses will be published Aug. 24 in the Ahwatukee Foothills News. Today’s question: What are the three biggest local issues in Legislative District 18 that you want to address and how would you address them?
By Frank Schmuck AFN GUEST WRITER
Taxes, the Loop 202 freeway and education are three important issues for our district.
It’s time for growth, and as the federal government keeps more of our hardearned dollars, the states tend to follow. I propose we let the people of Arizona keep their money.
It is possible to write responsible legislation that eliminates our state income tax over several years. Seven other states do not have a state income tax. North Carolina is on a 10-year plan to eliminate theirs; we can beat them. By drawing down our state income tax by 1 percent per year and replacing it with a consumption fee of .25 percent per year on items except basic food and clothing, we protect those on fixed incomes, yet inspire people to be productive. The average resident could save $1,660 a year.
Current income tax credits could be transitioned to the property tax, which I’ll work to protect against increases. Collecting consumption revenue from estimated millions of illegal immigrants who pay no taxes, and from 40 million tourists who visit Arizona every year just makes sense
as they too use our services.
Once accomplished, we create a positive environment for both business and residents to compete and prosper, where all are treated fairly and equally. No more playing favorites and hurting those who are hard working, productive citizens. This creates a state that encourages work over welfare entitlements.
Ahwatukee is concerned about the proposed 202-freeway expansion. While the development of it is still in litigation, it is imperative to hold the state and other interested parties accountable.
I have spent my career in transportation and when the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration wanted to widen the U.S. 60 and build the Loop 101, I stepped up with a team to address the noise issue for residents.
We proposed ways to reduce noise using rubberized asphalt and demonstrated its mitigating effects for adjacent neighborhoods. So whatever this outcome, I plan on supporting residents while ensuring the state and other parties fulfill their obligations to the highest standards possible.
Education indirectly drives our local economies. Prop 123 was a step in the right direction, yet it lacked clear
restrictions to ensure funds go directly to the classroom and teachers.
Our public schools in the district enjoy a great reputation, as do our many charter schools in the area. In order to serve the residents of our district, I plan on investigating how money is allocated to the schools, and the restrictions of the tax credit program, which gives parents the freedom to chose the best educational situation for their own children.
Great teachers help create great students, but it is up to us to make sure that we put our money where our mouth is to attract and keep qualified and innovative teachers in our classes. People choose our district to live, work and raise their families. Let’s keep it that way.
Name: Frank Schmuck Age: 50
Employment Background: U.S. Air Force 1988 –1993; Southwest Airlines 1994 - Present Military Background: U.S. Air Force: C141B Aircraft Commander, Executive Officer; Persian Gulf War of 1991. One of three squadron Pilots awarded the Air Medal for efforts during Desert Storm.
Education: U.S. Air Force Academy, B.S. in Engineering, graduated military honors; attended American Graduate School of International Management, (aka Thunderbird).
Hometown: Tempe
Community Involvement (past and current): ALS
Association Arizona Chapter, America United in Memory, American Legion, American Motorcycle Assn., Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Assn., Kiwanis International, Military Officers Association of America, Military Order of the World Wars, National Rifle Association, U.S. Congressional and Senatorial Military Service Academy Selection Board, Service Academy Alumni Association, Southwest Airlines Adopt-A-Pilot, Southwest Autism Resource and Research Center (SAARC), SSN-702 Society, St. Andrew the Apostle, Tempe Dollars for Scholars, Tempe Historical Museum Advisory Board, Tempe Sister Cities, Veterans Medical Leadership Council, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Voices Take Flight.
amounts to only 138 total.
Mrs. Breslin, Swain, your concerns with the flood control issue seem unjustified. Please bring up Google Earth map to view this area and see the actual property of the acres in question.
The first west lake is one of the current holding ponds for rain retention, but rain water continues to flow east under 44th Street, over 48th Street (south of Taco Bell and north of Lore Apartments), east over Wakial Loop, east under the (westbound) I-10 freeway to a 50 plus acre “Borrow Pit” by the Highland Canal.
This pit can be viewed from the freeway just north of the Lexus, Audi, BMW dealerships in Chandler, and south of the new Drury Hotel as well as on the Google Earth map. This pit is a minimum of 40 feet deep, holds many thousands of acre feet more than the current five lakes hold until it seeping into the ground.
The design of the update by the hydrology firm that True Life retained no doubt accounts for both the holding of water (with two lakes) as well as the channelization of the water to this “Borrow Pit.”
Mr. Sabow, please consider revealing an actual plot plan (not just rendering) showing the number of homes to be built so viewing by the ABM owners can relax their possible concerns. This plot plan would be that which is submitted to the City of Phoenix for approval.
Please have a town hall meeting at the time this would be revealed or other meetings prior, to address concerns of the ABM owners. Second, please consider not going through the efforts of having the 1992 CC&R’s changed, by leaving the golf course (in some form) as the judges’ recent ruling demanded, in conjunction with the Urban Ag theme for the updated property.
This would eliminate the need for 2,601 owners signing a change for the CC&R’s, and accelerate the development. This acceleration would address the 5,200 ABM owners’ many concerns of the current blight, as well as hasten your return of future profits from your original True Life investments.
Mr. DiCicco, please address if this proposed combined golf course and updated property into housing developments would necessitate a zoning change.
Realize that my opinion is not based
on any monetary remuneration by any party, just the opinion of a current happy Ahwatukee resident wanting the disfigured, blighted property updated as quickly as possible.
-Rick Kruse
Bravo to Eileen Breslin and Linda Swain (co-plaintiffs) in their successful litigation against True Life to ensure the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club’s existing CC&R’s must be honored.
While I do not live in your zip code, I am closely following your legal battle as my HOA —- The Foothills — also has a golf course.
Like Winston Church said many years ago: “Never, Never, Never Give Up.”
So thank you for your perservence and determination —I t is making the difference for our village.
-Jim Jochim
Whether you’re a fan of either candidate for president or not, this isn’t the election to skip. Many other candidates on the ballot deserve your consideration, even your scrutiny.
Most policies that directly affect us come from those elected officials closest to us, our state representatives, state senators, even mayors and city councilmen and women.
Arizona voters will choose a U.S. senator, nine U.S. house representatives and fill all 30 seats in the State Senate and all 60 seats in the State House. The results could flip the state government on its head.
This is your opportunity to reward good lawmakers and replace others. But your choices won’t even make the November ballot unless you put them there in August.
It’s equally important to be informed before you vote. The azvoterguide. com is a non-partisan resource with information on where candidates stand on taxes, minimum wage, guns, abortion, education, and other economic and social issues.
With a little information, even Arizona voters who look past Clinton and Trump can engage in the political battle here at home, because good –and bad — policy comes from the State Capitol as much as it does from Capitol Hill.
–Cathi
Herrod, Esq. President, Center for Arizona Policy
The Arizona Corporation Commission designated CenturyLink as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier within its service area for universal service purposes. CenturyLink’s basic local service rates for residential voice lines are $16.47 per month and business services are $34.50-$38.00 per month. Specific rates will be provided upon request.
CenturyLink participates in a government benefit program (Lifeline) to make residential telephone service more affordable to eligible low-income individuals and families. Eligible customers are those that meet eligibility standards as defined by the FCC and state commissions. Residents who live on federally recognized Tribal Lands may qualify for additional Tribal benefits if they participate in certain additional federal eligibility programs. The Lifeline discount is available for only one telephone per household, which can be either a wireline or wireless telephone. A household is defined for the purposes of the Lifeline program as any individual or group of individuals who live together at the same address and share income and expenses. Lifeline service is not transferable, and only eligible consumers may enroll in the program. Consumers who willfully make false statements in order to obtain Lifeline telephone service can be punished by fine or imprisonment and can be barred from the program.
Lifeline eligible subscribers may also qualify for reliable home high-speed Internet service up to 1.5Mbps for $9.95* per month for the first 12 months of service. Please call 1-866-541-3330 or visit centurylink.com/internetbasics for more information. If you live in a CenturyLink service area, please call 1-888833-9522 or visit centurylink.com/lifeline with questions or to request an application for the Lifeline program.
*CenturyLink Internet Basics Program – Residential customers only who qualify based on meeting income level or program participation eligibility requirements, and requires remaining eligible for the entire offer period. First bill will include charges for the \first full month of service billed in advance, prorated charges for service from the date of installation to bill date, and one-time charges and fees described above. Qualifying customers may keep this program for a maximum of 60 months after service activation provided customer still qualifies during that time. Listed High-Speed Internet rate of $9.95/ mo. applies for first 12 months of service (after which the rate reverts to $14.95/mo. for the next 48 months of service), and requires a 12-month term agreement. Customer must either lease a modem/router from CenturyLink for an additional monthly charge or independently purchase a modem/router, and a one-time High-Speed Internet activation fee applies. A one-time professional installation charge (if selected by customer) and a onetime shipping and handling fee applies to customer’s modem/router. General – Services not available everywhere. Have not have subscribed to CenturyLink Inter-net service within the last 90 days and are not a current CenturyLink customer. CenturyLink may change or cancel services or substitute similar services at its sole discretion without notice. Offer, plans, and stated rates are subject to change and may vary by service area. Deposit may be required. Additional restrictions apply. Terms and Conditions – All products and services listed are governed by tariffs, terms of service, or terms and conditions posted at centurylink. com. Taxes, Fees, and Surcharges – Applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges include a carrier Universal Service charge, carrier cost recovery surcharges, state and local fees that vary by area and certain in-state surcharges. Cost recovery fees are not taxes or government-required charges for use. Taxes, fees, and surcharges apply based on standard monthly, not promotional, rates.
By Shane DeGrote AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
A twist of fate ultimately led to the establishment of Mountainside Martial Arts Center, now one of Ahwatukee’s oldest businesses.
It all began in July 1979, when Rick Savagian had just finished a master’s program at the University of WisconsinLa Crosse. He came to Phoenix for a job. When he arrived, he discovered it had been filled – by someone else.
Two months later, he went to the airport to pick up a friend. While waiting, he passed the time reading a brochure and saw an ad for a recreation center.
When he visited Ahwatukee, Savagian said he liked what he saw.
“When I first came here, it was like a bedroom community,” he said.
“Everybody knew everybody.”
He got to know his new neighbors especially quickly after he took the community center job.
What: Classes in self-defense, martial arts, karate and Wadu-Ryo.
“Being ingrained in the community because of running the recreational programs and being involved in the community, everybody soon knew who I was,”
When: Classes are offered Monday through Saturday.
Where: 3173 E. Chandler Blvd. Information: 480-759-4540 or www.mmacaz.net.
“It was a fluke. It was at a little kiosk in the airport,” said Rick Savagian, now Mountainside’s owner and head instructor. “I thought ‘Hey, maybe they need someone to help with some activities.’”
Savagian followed up and was hired by Presley Development Company to run the community center and build a comprehensive recreational program for the Ahwatukee Foothills development. He had a background in physical education, exercise physiology and kinesiology, plus a love for track, golf and karate. At the time he had a five-year goal for himself to make the 1984 U.S. Team for the World Cup.
Savagian said.
Directing specific programs, such as the swim team, was immensely important to the growth of the recreational complex.
“We kept breeding success and that’s when people jump on board,” he said. “We had the tools that we needed to make sure we were successful.”
Then, later the same year, he left the center and created a program that quickly developed a following. He named it the Ahwatukee Karate Program. Later, he changed the name to Mountainside Martial Arts in 1991, shortly after he moved to his current location in the Mountainside Plaza.
A severe back injury kept him from realizing his Olympic dreams. Savagian had previously been an intense martial
arts competitor.
But he kept teaching and watching both his business and Ahwatukee change over the years.
“The community has grown immensely and diversely,” he said. “All of a sudden you would see a new road here, another one there. Everything started to develop.”
Ahwatukee in many ways still has a small town feel, he says.
“Even with all the growth that has occurred, I still run into people who know me. But now, sometimes, I have a hard time placing where I know them from,” Savagian said.
“After 37-plus years in business, people will come up and start talking to me,” he said.
“I have to admit it does get a little embarrassing when I am in a conversation for a while, and I have no clue how I know these individuals. That’s the biggest change I have to cope with as a result of growth.”
He also has seen changes in martial arts as a result of growth in the art.
“I think we have seen the sport change; they have become very safety conscious,” he said of his students. “We want to be proactive so our athletes are not hurt. You have to go with the changing times of the sport, but the art does not have to change.
“Over the years, the public perception has changed, too,” he added. “The past perception might have only been a means for self protection. The public now looks at martial arts as a life skill and a way for children to gain confidence and motor-skill development – especially for children with ADD and how it can help them with focus.”
Savagian currently has about 125 students and 14 volunteer instructors.
He said the best part of the business
is watching his young students become successful adults who understand hard work and competition; the hardest part is seeing them leave to pursue other interests. Because of the principles taught in karate, the majority of his black belt students have received partial or full scholarships to college, he said.
“Our competition is more organized soccer and baseball than any other martial arts school,” he said.
Overall, Savagian said he has strived to make his school a place where kids and adults can learn an art – and a sport that enhances that art.
“The basics and fundamentals are that you can compromise on philosophy, but never on your principles … If you want to learn the art and the science that goes into the art and the culture and you want to gain a deep, well-rounded understanding of these traditional arts, that’s what this school is about.”
By Coty Dolores Miranda AFN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Julia Perugini is new to Ahwatukee, having moved here a year ago from the New York City borough of the Bronx.
But it was while working as a nanny in Manhattan that she discovered her future, which fused her love of art design that she honed in her native Brazil with her love of baking.
She originally went to New York to study English and further her training with a Rio-based international engineering corporation.
It wasn’t long after meeting her husband-to-be that she decided to stay in the U.S., ending her paid education and corporate career.
“So I began working as a nanny in Manhattan and that gave me time to do fun things with the kids. So I started baking,” she said.
“After a while, people were asking me to bake cookies for a party or special occasion. Soon I realized I was making more money working weekends making cookies for people. From there I said ‘I’m going to sell these things.’”
But it wasn’t the fact that Perugini was baking delicious vanilla, chocolate or orange-flavored sugar cookies that rocketed her in the business world: it was what is on the cookies that have made her product much in demand.
The variety of “Cookies by Julia” designs are infinite.
She has made multicolored nail-polishbottle cookies, guitar shapes, MetroCard designs, champagne bottles and “filled” flutes, back-to-school cookies, christening and birthday cookies, and specialty business logo cookies.
Many involve cookie cutters of her own creation.
“I always loved to design, but I didn’t have a lot of time because when you work for a big corporation, you live for them,” she said. “Suddenly, I was able to use my art designs on my cookies.”
Before long, Julia’s Cookies NYC was shipping throughout the United States. It didn’t hurt that New York City event planners discovered her cookies as props to carry out special event themes.
Everything was going well when her husband Charles Perugini accepted a new job in Phoenix a little over a year ago. She followed, bringing her burgeoning cookie business with her.
“Coming here was very difficult because I was making good money, but we’re happy here,” she said. “It was a good decision.”
Six months ago, the couple celebrated
the birth of their first child, daughter Sophia.
This event, along with the move, cut back a bit on her production, but she still found time to provide her special cookies for an Ahwatukee Little League team and her Realtor, Stacie Lee of Ahwatukee/Tempe Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.
“She made me sugar cookies designed as red apples; the presentation was adorable and the cookies were not only a work of art, they tasted amazing,”
Lee said.
“I’m definitely going to order more as I often provide my clients with closing gifts after I help them purchase a home and I’m sure she’d have fabulous ideas on including her cookies in a gift basket— possibly in the shape of house keys or a cute home,” added Lee. “She can do just about anything.”
As a new mother, Perugini often finds odd hours are good for creativity.
“I usually try and make cookies in the middle of the night, and when I’m not doing work, I may get up to design something I have in my head,” she said. “I think about cookies all the time.
Really, I have so many ideas, I don’t have time to make them all!”
She said she bakes her cookies at home as allowed by Arizona’s Home Baked and Confectionary Goods Act. In New York City, she rented a commercial restaurant kitchen by the hour.
“Most of my sales are in other states— New York, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, Tennessee. I’m hoping to do more here,” she said.
Her decorated cookie creations sell for approximately $3 each, though specials may go for a little less. She said she gets frustrated when she hears grumbling about her prices.
“People pay as much as $3.50 for a coffee that doesn’t take any talent to make, but when you ask $2.50 or $3 for a handmade cookie that takes a long time to make, then bake, cool-down, dry, decorate, then dry again, they think it’s too much money,” she said. “They don’t realize it takes at least 12 hours to finish a cookie.”
– Information: www.facebook.com/ juliaspartydesign or on Instagram @ Juliascookiesnyc or email her at CookiesbyJulia@gmail.com.
By Mike Butler AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
Although some East Valley strip malls and neighborhood shopping centers continue to struggle with vacancies, the commercial real estate market is picking up steam, said Michael A. Pollack of Pollack Investments.
“We are in a red-hot market right now,” he said, adding that he can see a day on a not-so distant horizon when East Valley commercial space will be fully leased and have waiting lists.
With scores of shopping centers in the Valley, Pollack has his share of minor vacancies, but many are 100 percent leased. It’s a payoff for the hard work and careful navigation that was needed to make it through the choppy waters of 2008-2011.
“If you were in commercial real estate, you were not in a recession; you were in a depression,” Pollack said. “I hope we never see that again.”
When Pollack lost five grocery store anchors during those hard times, he retrofitted and instead welcomed in Goodwill retail stores. Other successful shopping center owners with big-box and smaller vacancies have been following that playbook by courting everything from private charter schools to public library branches. Often, church groups and health-care providers find a fit in a neighborhood shopping center.
Pollack said a center that struggles to replace an anchor tenant creates a downward spiral because rents have to be reduced to keep remaining tenants happy.
Vacancies and below-market rents cause troubles for owners who have loans against their properties, said Sean Barrie of Trepp, the New York City firm that analyzes and provides data to the commercial real estate market.
Nationally, according to Trepp, the commercial mortgage-backed securities
The owners of Dana Park
Road and
Drive want to tweak their already highly successful, 66-acre luxury shopping center to include a four-story, 260- to 320-unit residential tower and a 40,000-square-foot movie theater.
delinquency rate has been going up for the past four months. But a delinquency rate of 4.6 percent is still a big improvement over the 9 percent delinquency rate that was reached July 2011.
Pollack said the Valley commercial market is shaking out some of the last amateurs that jumped into commercial real estate during the boom years of 2005-2007 to chase rates of return.
Before the crash, he added, there was also too much new retail space being built, often on speculation.
Pollack figures he has bought and renovated 11 million to 13 million square feet of commercial space since moving here from San Jose, California, 25 years ago. He hunts for functional but aesthetically and financially distressed
shopping plazas that can be bought and renovated for the right price.
The key is to avoid centers that have become physically obsolete, he said.
An obsolete center has too many buildings and not enough parking.
Another kind of obsolete neighborhood shopping center you probably drive by every day is one in which the backs of the stores face the street. That’s inconvenient and annoying for both shoppers and retailers, who want high visibility.
Pollock’s own 31,000-square-foot corporate headquarters on West Baseline Road in Mesa is a good example of repurposing. As a former Reliable Furniture Store, the building didn’t work for retail anymore because the city put a median on Baseline,
preventing left-hand turns.
Mesa city officials are considering a proposal from Chicanos Por La Causa Inc. for a mixed-use project on the vacant northwestern corner of Main Street and Country Club Drive. The Hispanic community development corporation is planning a five-story building that would include 200 residential units with retail and commercial spaces and parking.
The owners of Dana Park Village Square at Baseline Road and Val Vista Drive want to tweak their already highly successful, 66-acre luxury shopping center to include a four-story, 260to 320-unit residential tower and a 40,000-square-foot movie theater.
– Reach Mike Butler at 480-898-6581 or at mbutler@timespublications.com.
By Joseph Ortiz
WRITER
In the 2016 Summer Olympics, one of the most compelling events is the marathon, a 26.2mile endurance contest with roots dating to ancient Greece.
It may be that we’ve kept our interest in the marathon because it can teach us much about life – and it certainly has lessons for investors.
If you were to compare investing to an Olympic sport, it would be much closer
to a marathon than a sprint. Here’s why: Long-term perspective. Sprinters are unquestionably great athletes, and they work hard to get better. Yet their events are over with quickly.
But marathoners know they have a long way to go before their race is done, so they have to visualize the end point. And successful investors, too, know that investing is a long-term endeavor, and that they must picture their end results – such as a comfortable retirement – to keep themselves motivated.
Steady pacing. Sprinters go all out, every second and every stride. But
marathoners have to pace themselves; too many spurts of speed could tire them out and doom their performance.
As an investor, you, too, should strive for steady, consistent progress. Rather than attempting to rush success and achieve big gains by chasing after supposedly “hot” stocks – which may already have cooled off by the time you hear about them – try to follow a long-term strategy that emphasizes diversification among many different investments.
Keep in mind, though, that while diversification can reduce the impact of market downturns that primarily affect
one type of asset, it can’t guarantee success or prevent all losses. Ability to overcome obstacles. When sprinters stumble or fall, they are finished for the race; there’s simply not enough time to recover, so they typically just stop. But over 26 miles, a marathoner can fall and – providing he or she is not injured – get up again, compete and possibly even win.
When you’re investing for the long term, you have time to overcome “mishaps” in the form of market volatility. So instead
>> See INVESTING
By Dr. Rashmi Bhatnagar
Last week, Ahwatukee dental offices were bombarded with shocking national headline news. Prominent national television, radio, and online news sites announced that the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture in 2015 issued guidelines negating the need for flossing as a part of recommended oral hygiene.
For centuries, dentists and hygienist have been stressing the need to floss as a requirement in preventing tooth decay and gum disease. The Associated Press reviewed the research over the past 10 years, evaluating the result of toothbrush only versus the use of toothbrush and dental floss. It found the evidence of flossing’s benefits weak and unreliable. Ahwatukee’s specialist in gum disease, Dr. Randy Fitzgerald, of AZPerio of Ahwatukee, sees on average 120 Ahwatukee residents per week specifically for treatment of gum disease.
“With the short-term studies, the data does show that flossing decreases gingival inflammation,” says Fitzgerald. “But to have more accurate and strong data, research would require expensive studies, long duration, large data pool, and accuracy in the flossing technique. The researchers would basically have to bring the patients in daily to floss for them to obtain accurate data over the course of many years.”
The American Dental Association released an announcement in response to the national headline stating: “The bottom line for dentists and
patients is that a lack of strong evidence doesn’t equate to a lack of effectiveness. As doctors of oral health, dentists are in the best position to advise their patients on oral hygiene practices because they know their patients’ oral health status and health history.”
“In our practice, we can tell the difference in gingival health in the patients that report they are consistently flossing verses the ones that do not by their recorded decrease in gingival inflammation,” the
>> See GUM DISEASE on page 39
We have been parents at Keystone Montessori for over nine years and this is the only school that both of our kids attended. We believe Keystone has provided our children with the perfect blend of social, emotional and intellectual development. The Keystone staff and teachers have done a remarkable job in fostering the intellectual curiosity coupled with emotional maturity in our kids that we believe have prepared them for their next steps of high school and then college. - Parent Testimonial
of dropping out of the “race” and heading to the investment sidelines, stay invested in all types of markets.
As you near retirement, and you have less time to recover from market downturns, you may need to adjust your portfolio to lower your risk level – but even then, you don’t need to call it quits as an investor.
Proper fueling. Sprinters have to watch what they eat. But world-class marathoners have to be ultra-diligent about their diets, especially in the period immediately preceding a race. Because
>> From page 38
ADA added. “If retained food or debris is not removed, patients are going to have an increased risk of bad breath, a bad taste in the mouth, and an increase in bleeding when brushing.”
Since the national news, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reaffirmed the importance of flossing in an Aug. 4 statement to the ADA stating. “Flossing is an important oral hygiene practice,” it said. “Tooth decay and gum disease can develop when plaque is
they must maximize the oxygen their bodies can use while running, they need a high percentage of their calories to come from carbohydrates, so they “carbo-load” when needed.
When you invest, you also need to periodically “refuel” your portfolio so it has the energy and stamina needed to keep you moving forward toward your goals. And that means you must add dollars to those areas of your portfolio that need beefing up. Regular reviews with a financial professional can reveal where these gaps exist.
Ahwatukee Foothills Edward Jones Financial Advisor Joseph B. Ortiz, AAMS, CRPS, can be reached at 480-753-7664 or joseph.ortiz@ edwardjones.com.
allowed to build up on teeth and along the gum line. Professional cleaning, tooth brushing, and cleaning between teeth (flossing and the use of other tools such as interdental brushes) have been shown to disrupt and remove plaque.”
On reaction to the flossing story, he stated, “My main concern is that if our patients read this information and feel flossing is not needed, they may not follow the regimen we have recommended for them. Then, their gum disease may rebound.”
Dr. Rashmi (Rush) Bhatnagar, DMD, MPH, is a local dentist. Reach her at 480-598-5900 or www.BellaVistaDentalCare.com.
By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services
Arizonans will not get to decide in November whether to cap the pay of hospital executives.
A spokesman for a California-based union which had collected more than 281,000 signatures said late Monday that its efforts would be better spent ensuring that Donald Trump does not get into the White House.
“We have decided not to pursue the executive compensation initiative in this election cycle so we can put all of our energy and resources into the presidential race,’’ Steve Trossman said in a prepared statement. But Trossman left the door open to a future initiative bid.
The move came as Maricopa County Superior Court Judge David Gerlach was to hear arguments Tuesday over whether the branch of the Service Employees International Union had enough valid signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
Led by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry on behalf of hospitals, challengers were hoping to convince Gerlach that many of the people who circulated the petitions were not
legally qualified to do so. That includes the failure of out-of-state or paid circulators to register with the Secretary of State’s office and provide an Arizona address.
Attorney Jim Barton, who was representing the union, said he believes there were enough valid signatures. But Barton said the scales are tipped in favor of those challenging petitions.
That’s because the failure of a circulator who has been subpoenaed to show up in court automatically throws out all of the signatures that person gathered. Barton said that provides an incentive for challengers to issue a lot of subpoenas under the premise some people simply won’t appear.
The measure would have limited the total compensation for any hospital executive, manager or administrator to no more than what the president of the United States is paid. That is currently $450,000 a year.
Chamber president Glenn Hammer said his organization is “extremely pleased’’ that the hospital pay initiative will not go to voters. But Trossman, speaking for SEIUUnited Healthcare Workers West, pointed out that the initiative specifically excluded those involved in direct health care.
Here are a few of the many businesses in Ahwatukee ready to serve you. To find more businesses: http://ahwatukeechamber.com/m/listing/home
960 W. Elliott Road, Suite 212, Tempe 602-689-6467
www.yourmortgagemaven.com
To help you find the right type of home loan to meet your specific needs, RPM Mortgage offers multiple mortgage programs. This variety of residential mortgage lending solutions puts you in control of your future and enables our knowledgeable, trusted staff to help create a personalized mortgage.
3100 W. Ray Road, Suite 201, Chandler.
480-759-5995
www.seniorcareauthority. com/phoenixmetro
With over 45-years of combined service in social work, healthcare and financial services industries, Senior Care Authority’s unique background enables it to personally guide you through the options for senior living and care – matching your needs and budget to the best fit.
7300 W. Orchid Lane, Chandler.
480-893-0000
www.EarnhardtFord.com
Servicing and selling Ford trucks, cars, SUVs and vans in the East Valley for over 60 years, this Chandler Ford dealership carries a full lineup of new and Arizona-used and certified pre-owned vehicles.
By Bruce Peterson AFN GUEST
If you own a small business, there are many retirement plan alternatives available to help you and your eligible employees save for retirement.
To make an informed decision on which plan is right for your business, review the differences carefully before you choose.
Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (SEP IRA). This plan is flexible, easy to set up, and has low administrative costs. An employer signs a plan adoption agreement, and IRAs are set up for each eligible employee. When choosing this plan, keep in mind that it does not allow employees to save through payroll deductions, and contributions are immediately 100 percent vested.
The maximum an employer can contribute each year is 25 percent of an employee’s eligible compensation, up to a maximum of $265,000 for 2016. However, the contribution for any individual cannot exceed $53,000 in 2016.
Employer contributions are typically discretionary and may vary from year to year. With this plan, the same formula must be used to calculate the contribution amount for all eligible employees, including any owners. Eligible employees include those who are age 21 and older and those employed (both part time and full time) for three of the last five years.
Savings Incentive March Plan for Employees (SIMPLE). If you want a plan that encourages employees to save for retirement, a SIMPLE IRA might be appropriate for you.
In order to select this plan, you must have 100 or fewer eligible employees who earned $5,000 or more in compensation
in the preceding year and have no other employer-sponsored retirement plans to which contributions were made or accrued during that calendar year. There are no annual IRS fillings or complex paperwork, and employer contributions are tax deductible for your business. The plan encourages employees to save for retirement through payroll deductions; contributions are immediately 100 percent vested.
The maximum salary deferral limit to a SIMPLE IRA plan cannot exceed $12,500 for 2016. If an employee is age 50 or older before December 31, then an additional catch-up contribution of $3,000 is permitted. Each year the employer must decide to do either a matching contribution (the lesser of the employee’s salary deferral or 3 percent of the employee’s compensation) or nonmatching contribution of 2 percent of an employee’s compensation (limited to $265,000 for 2016).
All participants in the plan must be notified of the employer’s decision. Defined benefit pension plan. This type of plan helps build savings quickly. It generally produces a much larger tax-deductible contribution for your business than a defined contribution plan; however, annual employer contributions are mandatory since each participant is promised a monthly benefit at retirement age. Since this plan is more complex to administer, the services of an enrolled actuary are required. All plan assets must be held in a pooled account, and your employees cannot direct their investments.
Certain factors affect an employer’s contribution for a plan, such as current value of the plan assets, the ages of employees, date of hire, and compensation.
A participating employee with a large
projected benefit and only a few years until normal retirement age generates a large contribution because there is little time to accumulate the necessary value to produce the stated benefit at retirement. The maximum annual benefit at retirement is the lesser of 100 percent of the employee’s compensation or $210,000 per year in 2016 (indexed for inflation).
401(k) plans. This plan may be right for your company if you want to motivate your employees to save towards retirement and give them a way to share in the firm’s profitability. 401(k) plans are best suited for companies seeking flexible contribution methods.
When choosing this plan type, keep in mind that the employee and employer have the ability to make contributions. The maximum salary deferral limit for a 401(k) plan is $18,000 for 2016. If an employee is age 50 or older before Dec. 31, then an additional catch-up contribution of $6,000 is permitted.
The maximum amount the employer can contribute is 25 percent of the eligible employee’s total compensation (capped at $265,000 for 2016).
Individual allocations for each employee cannot exceed the lesser of 100% of compensation or $53,000 in 2016. The allocation of employer profit-sharing contributions can be skewed to favor older employees, if using age-weighted and new comparability features. .
Once you have reviewed your business’ goals and objectives, you should check with your financial advisor to evaluate the best retirement plan option for your financial situation.
In the past week, we have been overwhelmed with the amount of positive feedback we’ve heard for Ahwatukee Farms and the vision for the Ahwatukee Foothills. We are looking forward to continuing to hear from the community and tell the truth about the vision
As we continue to hear from you and your neighbors, we want to answer a few questions we’ve heard from residents:
The full implementation of the CC&R amendment results ONLY in a land use change to Ahwatukee Farms;
This will NOT raise your HOA fees;
Amending the CC&R’s is only the first step of the process; once we receive consent from the community, we will present this vision to the City of Phoenix where the community will take part in the discussion of Ahwatukee Farms and its future
Ahwatukee Farms is exactly the plan our community needs to move forward and revitalize our neighborhood. I love the emphasis on our agricultural roots in the Ahwatukee Foothills and the addition of the Desert Garden Montessori School will be a great way to bring life into the area. We need to step up and support Ahwatukee Farms!
This is a very impressive vision that will turn this property from an eyesore into a cornerstone of the Ahwatukee Foothills The trails, open space and lakes will protect the integrity of the property intact and protect the surrounding neighborhoods Our community should rally around Ahwatukee Farms and support this plan
“ “ “ “ “ “
Jim Hunt, ABM Resident
www.AhwatukeeFarms.com
Toby Ehrler, ABM Resident
I couldn’t believe how thought out Ahwatukee Farms was when I visited their website and had every question of mine addressed. From upgrading the current drainage system to creating a healthy environment, I really believe this is a great idea for Ahwatukee Foothills and I am happy to sign the consent form amending our CC&R’s.
By Steve Hammer AFN GUEST WRITER
Recently the small town of Williamstown, Kentucky, located about 40 miles south of Cincinnati, was in the national news for an unusual reason: the grand opening of Ken Ham’s “Ark Encounter,” a 510-foot boat that claims to be the largest timber structure in the world.
Ham is the Australian-born president of Answers in Genesis, an organization dedicated to promoting what it considers to be the biblical understanding of the creation of the world around 6,000 years ago.
There has been some controversy about the “life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark.” Significant tax incentives were provided by the state of Kentucky and the local government as a way of creating jobs. Those working at the attraction
SATURDAY AUG. 20
GAMES AND ICE CREAM ON TAP
Pilgrim Lutheran Church and School is holding a “Minute to Win It” game and ice cream social. Players are given 60 seconds to complete each simple game, such as blowing up a balloon and knocking cups off the table; tossing toilet paper rolls into a hoop; knocking soda cans down with rubber bands; and building a pyramid with 36 plastic cups. Simple games will also be provided for preschoolers.
DETAILS>> 4-5:30 p.m. at the school, 3257 E. University Dr., Mesa. Information: 480-830-1724, pilgrimmesa.com, office@pilgrimmesa.com.
SUNDAY AUG. 21
CHABAD CENTER MARKS 3 YEARS
The Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life and the Chandler Jewish Preschool will celebrate their third anniversary with a barbecue. Parents and children can learn about programs and meet the staff. It will feature balloons, inflatables, caricaturist and other activities.
DETAILS>> 5-6:30 p.m., 875 N. McClintock Dr., Chandler. Free admission and food will be on sale. RSVP required: 480-855-4333 or chabadcenter.com.
WEDNESDAY SEPT. 7
CHILDREN’S CLUBS TO START
The AWANA Children’s Clubs for children 3 years old through the 6th grade will start Sept. 7 and continue weekly on Wednesday at Bridgeway Community Church in Ahwatukee. Activities include learning about God, memorizing Bible verses and games.
DETAILS>> 6-7:30 p.m., 2420 Liberty Lane. Register: www.bridgewaycc.org.
were required to sign declarations of faith, raising questions about separation of church and state.
A colleague of mine asked on Facebook whether the more that $100 million it took to build the attraction could not have been put to better use. Someone replied to him, “What’s the harm?”
A part of me agrees with the question.
If you want to spend $40 per person to see a big wooden, land-locked boat, you can do that. In fact, there are discounts for seniors or for also buying tickets to Ham’s Creation Museum, located nearby.
Some in the science community argue that the harm lies in presenting myth as fact, especially to elementary school children who come on field trips.
One of the things you will see at the Ark Encounter is human beings coexisting with dinosaurs even though the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago and human beings as we know
VALOR CHRISTIAN OUTLINES MISSION
them have only been around for a couple of hundred thousand years.
As for the earth being only 6,000 years old, a trip to the Grand Canyon will show you the layers of geological record that point to a much longer period of time.
While the debate between scientists and so-called young earth apologists will no doubt continue, I have a different, noncarbon-dated bone to pick with the Ark Encounter and the biblical interpretation in represents.
Whatever happened to faith that reaches beyond fact? Why is it that so many people need to see their sacred stories as factual record? Is there something even deeper and more meaningful to the story than a history lesson?
There are a lot of reasons why I ask the questions.
For one, according to the Bible, Noah was 600 years old when he built the ark without all the cranes and trucks and
RABBINIC LIT COURSE OFFERED
Valor Christian Church in Gilbert offers “great praise and worship and great messages for today’s living,” according to Pastor Thor Strandholt. “Our mission is evangelize, healing and discipleship through the word of God.”
DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Thursdays. 3015 E. Warner Road. Information: valorcc.com.
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.
BEREAVED CAN SHARE GRIEF
A support group designed to assist people through the grieving process. One-time book fee $15.
DETAILS>>2-4 p.m. at Arizona Community Church, 9325 S. Rural Road, Room G3, Tempe. 480-491-2210.
UNITY OFFERS INSPIRATION
Inspirational messages and music are offered, along with classes and special events.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m. at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103. 480-792-1800 or unityoftempe.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 Dr., Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@ chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.
Ongoing morning study of two classics of rabbinic literature by medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides (the “Rambam”). At 10 a.m., Prof. Norbert Samuelson, Grossman chair of Jewish Philosophy at ASU and TBS member, teaches “Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: What Jews Ought to Believe.” At 11:15 a.m., TBS member Isaac Levy teaches “Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah: How Jews Ought to Behave.” Readings in both Hebrew and English.
DETAILS>> Community Room of the administration building at Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley, 3400 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. 480-897-3636.
UNITY OFFERS A PATH
Unity of Mesa says its Sunday service offers “a positive path for spiritual living” through “transformational lessons, empowering music and various spiritual practices with an open-minded and welcoming community.”
DETAILS>> 9 a.m. Spiritual discussion group and meditation practices group. 10:15 a.m. service. 2700 E. Southern Ave., Mesa. Child care available at 9 a.m. Nursery for infants through kindergarten at 10:15 a.m. 480-892-2700, unityofmesa.org, joanne@ unityofmesa.org
JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA
This Flow 1-2 class (intermediate) is free and open to the community.
DETAILS>>>6-7 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-7596200 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.
construction workers in Kentucky. He lived another 350 years after the flood.
For another, there are flood stories in diverse cultures around the world.
The one in the Hebrew Bible has its roots in Sumerian and Babylonian culture. On this side of the globe, flood stories abound.
This may seem obvious to some, but sacred story is story. It is not science, it is not journalism, it is not history.
Like the foundational stories told in your family and mine, our sacred stories tell of our relationship to that which is greater than our imaginations, that transcend the temporal world and help us derive meaning and purpose.
And as the old saying goes, a good story teller never lets the facts get in the way of the truth.
Steve Hammer is pastor of Esperanza Lutheran Church in the Ahwatukee Foothills and can be contacted at www.myesperanza.org
STRUGGLING FIND SUPPORT
Support group for those struggling with how to deal with a loss in life.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., 1825 S. Alma School Road, Room C201, Chandler. Pastor Larry Daily, 480-963-3997, ext. 141, larrydaily@chandlercc.org or chandlercc.org.
DIVORCED CAN FIND COMFORT
People suffering through a divorce or separation can find understanding and caring support to face these challenges.
DETAILS>> 6:30-8 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E Pecos Road, Room 117, Ahwatukee, 480-759-6200 or mountainpark.org
FINDING HEALING FOR PAIN
HOPE, an acronym for “Help Overcome Painful Experiences,” offers support for men and women who seek God’s grace and healing.
DETAILS>> 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. mountainpark.org.
SENIORS ENJOY ‘TERRIFIC TUESDAYS’ The program is free and includes bagels and coffee and a different speaker or theme each week. Registration not needed.
DETAILS>> 10:30 a.m. to noon, Barness Family East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. evjcc.org or 480-897-0588.
HOLY TRINITY HAS GRIEFSHARE
DETAILS>>> 2 and 6:30 p.m., 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. 480-963-4127.
READ BIBLE FOR PLEASURE
Bring a Bible, or Bibles are available at these free sessions.
DETAILS>> 7 to 8 p.m., Chandler Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1188 W. Galveston St. Lori, 480-917-3593.
WEDNESDAYS
CELEBRATE RECOVERY MEETS
Celebrate Recovery says it “brings your relationship with the Lord closer to your heart as it heals your hurts, habits and hang-ups.” Participants can discuss issues ranging from feeling left out to addictions. “Nothing is too small or too large.”
DETAILS>> 5:30 p.m. at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. mvlutheran.org/ celebraterecovery or email cr@alphamvlc.com.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY OFFERED
Living Word Ahwatukee women’s Bible study and fellowship that offers “a short, low-key time of praise and worship in music and message.” It’s also an opportunity to meet other Christian women in Ahwatukee.
DETAILS>> 10 to 11:30 a.m., Living Word Ahwatukee, 14647 W. 50th St., Suite 165, Ahwatukee. Free child care.
TAKE A COFFEE BREAK
Corpus Christi offers a coffee break with scripture study, prayer and fellowship.
DETAILS>> 9:15 to 11:30 a.m. Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 3550 E. Knox Road, Ahwatukee. Loraine 480893-1160 or CoffeebreakMin@aol.com.
GET A ‘SPIRITUAL SHOWER’
A release calls this “a 15-minute energetic tune up each week” and says the Twin Hearts Meditation “is like taking a spiritual shower: when your aura is clean, you experience a higher level of awareness. You see through things more clearly and good luck increases.”
DETAILS>> 7-9 p.m. at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. 480-792-1800 or unityoftempe.com.
DIVORCED CAN FIND COMFORT
People suffering through a separation or divorce can find understanding and caring support to face these challenges and move forward.
DETAILS>> 6:30-8:15 p.m. Arizona Community Church, 9325 S. Rural Road, Room G5, Tempe. Onetime book fee of $15. 480-491-2210. DivorceCare 4 Kids (DC4K) will also be offered in Room G7.
CHABAD HAS TORAH FOR TEENS
The Teens and Torah program offered by Chabad of the East Valley is for teens ages 13 to 17, and combines education and social interaction with videos followed by discussion, trips, games, community service projects and thought-provoking discussions.
DETAILS>> 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Chabad Center for
Jewish Life, 3855 W. Ray Road, Suite 6, Chandler. Shternie Deitsch, 480-753-5366 or chabadcenter.com.
THURSDAYS
MAN CHURCH IN CHANDLER
“Man Church offers coffee, donuts and straight talk for men in a language they understand in just 15 minutes. No women, no singing, no organ and no long sermons,” a release states.
DETAILS>> Doors open 6 a.m., message at 6:30 a.m. 1595 S. Alma School Road, Chandler. Bob, 480-7268000 or cschandler.com/manchurch.
KIDS CAN FIND SUPPORT
Support group for children ages 6 to 12 coping with a separation or divorce in the family. One-time $10 fee includes snacks and workbook.
DETAILS>> 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., 1825 S. Alma School Road, Room C202, Chandler. Pastor Larry Daily, 480-963-3997, ext. 141, larrydaily@chandlercc.org or chandlercc.org.
ULPAN INSTRUCTION AVAILABLE
Class is based on Israel’s successful Ulpan instruction. Taught by Ilan Berko, born in Israel, schooled in the U.S. DETAILS>> 7 p.m. Chabad of the East Valley, 3875 W. Ray Road, Suite 6, Chandler. chabadcenter.com or 480-855-4333.
LEARN ABOUT MIRACLES
Experience a spiritual transformation with Michelle Lee, who will teach like-minded people and spark lively discussions as participants explore daily applications of miracles.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m. at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103. 480-792-1800 or unityoftempe.com.
NEFESHSOUL HOLDS SERVICES
Congregation NefeshSoul holds Shabbat services the second Friday of every month on the campus of the Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
DETAILS>> 6:15 p.m., 6400 W. Del Rio St., Chandler. Information: nefeshsoul.org.
TODDLERS CAN MARK SHABBAT
Celebrate Shabbat with a service, music, and a craft project designed for children up to 5 years old and their parents or other adult.
DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m., Temple Emanuel, 5801 S. Rural Road. 480-838-1414 or emanueloftempe.org.
TOTS TAUGHT TORAH
Hosted by Chabad of the East Valley for children ages 2 to 5. Features hands-on activities about the Shabbat, songs, stories and crafts. Children will make and braid their own challah.
DETAILS>> 10:15 to 11 a.m., members’ homes. 480-785-5831.
YOU CAN NOSH BEFORE SERVICE
“Nosh” and then enjoy the Shir Shabbat service led by the Shabba-Tones, the Shabbat musical group. DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m. first Friday of the month, Temple Emanuel, 5801 S. Rural Road, Tempe. 480-8381414 or emanueloftempe.org.
DINNER FOLLOWS SERVICE
The service is followed by a congregational dinner (by reservation only). Optional Israeli dancing after dinner.
DETAILS>> 6 p.m. on third Friday of the month, 5801 S. Rural Road, Tempe. 480-838-1414 or emanueloftempe.org.
DETAILS>>Regular services at 6 p.m. except on the third Friday of each month, when a 6 p.m. Young Family Shabbat Service is held for children and adults of all ages. Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley, 3400 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. Shabbat Morning and Torah Service weekly at 9 a.m. 480-897-3636 or tbsev.org. or info@tbsev.org.
Designed for children up to 5 years old and their parents or other adult. Following the service is an Oneg Shabbat, a time for a snack and to meet other families with young children.
DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m. second Fridays, Temple Emanuel, 5801 S. Rural Road. 480-838-1414 or emanueloftempe.org.
Congregation Eitz Chaim is traditional and egalitarian. Newcomers welcome.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., services at 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. eitzchaimphoenix.org.
TEMPLE
Traditional service followed by an Oneg Shabbat.
DETAILS>> 7:30 p.m. second and fourth Fridays, 5801 S. Rural Road, Tempe. 480-838-1414 or emanueloftempe.org.
STUDY THE PRAYER BOOK
These special study sessions at the beginning of Shabbat morning services teach the structure of Shabbat services and how to follow in the Siddur (prayer book). Taught by Rabbi Leitner. Introduction to Judaism, Introductory Hebrew Reading for Adults, and Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah Preparation are cumulative, so no new students can be accepted mid-year. DETAILS>> 9-9:30 a.m. fourth Saturday each month, Pre-register for fall by contacting Amy Shevitz at vped@tbsev.org.
WEEKLY SERVICES SCHEDULED
International, nondenominational church offers weekly Sabbath services. Congregational meeting in the morning and Bible study in the afternoon. DETAILS>> 10:30 a.m.-noon; 1:30-2:45 p.m. at True Jesus Church, 2640 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. 480899-1488 or tjcphoenix@tjc.org.
JEWISH KIDS PROGRAM AVAILABLE
Shabbat Yeladim is a free Shabbat program for Jewish children ages 3-7 sponsored by Ahwatukee’s NefeshSoul Jewish Community. Shabbat Yeladim is on the second Saturday of the month. Songs, stories and art project each month.
DETAILS>> 10-11 a.m. on the Valley Unitarian Universalist Campus, 6400 W. Del Rio, Chandler. Contact Rabbi Susan Schanerman at rabbi@ nefeshsoul.org or nefeshsoul.org.
Submit your releases to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com
By Justin Ferris GETOUT/AFN STAFF WRITER
‘My Fair Lady’ to appear
Scottsdale Musical Theater brings to life the classic comedy musical that tells the tale of a overconfident professor who tries to turn a Cockney flower girl into an English lady. There are only five performances, so get tickets while you can.
Details>> Times vary, Thursday through Sunday. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe. Tickets: $38-$42. https://tca.ticketforce. com/
Foray into the futuristic world of 3D scanning and printing courtesy of ASU’s PRISM Lab. See the equipment up close and ask questions. Up to 25 people on a first-come, first-serve basis can sign to get their body scanned and then turned into a printed figurine. As part of the “hello Friday” happy hour, this event is for 21 and older only.
Details>> 5:30 p.m., Friday. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe. Cost: Free.
Hear the guitar like never before as three masters — Chris Jácome, Bob Fahey and Stan Sorenson — showcase three unique styles — Flamenco, Blues and Jazz, respectively. Even better, you pay nothing for the experience.
Details>> 7:30 p.m., Friday. Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Cost: Free. http://www.chandlercenter.org/
A few times a week, the Desert Botanical Garden hosts evening Flashlight Tours so visitors can experience the wonder of the Sonoran Desert at night. For the Flashlight Tour on Saturday, teachers and one guest can enjoy the experience for free.
Details>> 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday. Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix. Cost: Free for teachers. http://www.dbg.org/fieldtrips
Join The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as it presents the amazing rock legend lineup of Heart, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Cheap Trick. We’re just going to leave it at that. If you’re not already excited from just reading those names together, we can’t help you.
Details>> 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N 83rd Ave., Phoenix. Tickets: $25.25 to $125.50. 602-254-7200 http://ak-chinpavilion.com/
Once a year, the restaurant Quiessence at The Farm features a three-course chef’s seasonal tasting menu. To make it even more exclusive, only 12 reservations are available each day. To get a reservation, call 602-276-0601 and mention “Taste of Quiessence”.
Details>> 6:30 p.m., Tuesday to Sept. 22. Quiessence at The Farm, 6106 S. 32 St. Phoenix. Tickets: $65-$89. 602-2760601 http://www.qatthefarm.com/
Join one of the best-selling music groups of all time as Coldplay sings hits from their 20-year history, and tracks from their latest album, “A Head Full of Dreams.” Joining Coldplay are Alessia Cara and Bishop Briggs.
Details>> 7 p.m., Tuesday. Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale. Tickets: $23-$173. http://www.gilariverarena.com/
“Ben-Hur” (PG-13) - A remake of one of the best-known movies of all time, this version tells the story of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) as he seeks revenge after being falsely accused of treason. Also, there’s a chariot race.
“Kubo and the Two Strings” (PG)An animated movie that follows a boy named Kubo on a mystical journey to defeat a vengeful spirit. It includes the vocal talents of Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei.
War Dogs (R) - Two con men, David Packouz (Miles Teller) and Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill), somehow end up with a $300-million government contract to arm the Afghan Military. Based on a true story.
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
When Gameworks left Arizona Mills, it left a void in the outlet mall and in the available entertainment for youngsters.
Scheduled to open at 10 a.m. Monday, Tilt Studio is fulfilling that need by providing gaming fun for all ages, according to Nancy Roggio, vice president of marketing for the facility.
“We have about 150 different games at all different types of skill levels,” Roggio said. “There’s something for everyone.
“On our second level, we have a whole retro area that has 20 pinball machines and some of the old favorites like PacMan, Ms. Pac-Man, Millipede. We also have a bunch of new games—some of which are brand new in the industry. So we’ll be showing off new games that the competition hasn’t seen yet.”
Other games include Monster Drop Extreme, Ghostbusters, Angry Birds, Transformers DLX with an 80-inch screen, Top World four-player air hockey and Outrun Deluxe race car simulators.
The Arizona Mills location is the ninth Tilt Studio facility in the United States. The mall was chosen because of Tilt Studio’s relationship with the management, Simon Properties. Roggio said the company is “growing very rapidly.”
“They already have a 10th location planned that may open before the end of the year,” she said. “That’s in Beaumont, Texas. There’s another location that has been chosen for the beginning of next year in Ontario, California.”
The 40,000-square-foot Tilt Studio in Tempe is the first one, however, to have two floors.
“We’re a little bit different in that we appeal to all ages,” she said. “Our competition has a really narrow niche. Chuck E. Cheese is for really young kids. Dave and Buster’s is for older kids. We cover everybody.”
“We’re going to have burgers and footlong hot dogs, quesadillas and chicken tenders,” she said.
“What we’re doing is build-your-own. We have a toppings bar. So you get your burger and we’ll have 15 toppings to put on the burger. There won’t be French fries, but we’ll have tater tots and sweet potato fries.”
Tilt Studio will also house a restaurant, BYO Craft Kitchen and Bar on the second level. It’s the first location to offer this.
There is the Taproom at Tilt Studio Bar as well on the second level. It will offer an array of popular beers, bottled or on tap, wine by the glass or bottle, specialty alcohol cocktail and nonalcoholic mocktails and frozen drinks.
There is no admission charge, but there is a price for the games.
“They can walk around, look at what they want to do and figure out how much they’d like to spend.”
Patrons then purchase a game card, which is similar to a credit card, in any amount. The card is swiped at all of the games. The points will never expire and kids and adults can pull the card out on another visit.”
– Contact Christina Fuoco-Karasinski at 480898-5612 or christina@timespublications.com.
– Check us out and like GetOutAZ on Facebook and follow GetOutAZ on Twitter.
By Madison Rutherford GETOUT/AFN STAFF WRITER
Stark white walls, upscale furniture and friendly staff make walking into the lobby of the Riddle Escape Room seem more like a jaunt into the doctor’s office than an immersion into an eerie escape experience.
However, being locked into one of three highly realistic themed rooms in the Scottsdale entertainment venue presents a different world that requires a delicate balance of teamwork, quick thinking and curiosity to escape.
Sixty minutes are on the clock as the lights dim and teams are forced to use a series of props and clues to work together to open locks, solve puzzles and riddles, and move on to the next part of the game.
When a team enters a room, owners and engineers Tolga Yalcinkaya and Koray Canturk observe through security cameras and give the thrill seekers sporadic clues through walkie-talkies that are attached to the walls.
They may be helpful, but it takes three
to nine players to quickly solve the riddle. If a team cannot get out within 60 minutes, Yalcinkaya and Canturk relieve it.
Canturk added that the mix of different types of puzzles and clues is paramount in keeping people engaged.
“The flow is really important,” he said.
“It’s not just opening locks; sometimes it’s electronics, sometimes it’s manual locks and different kinds of puzzles and riddles inside, so you don’t get bored just opening the locks.”
“With the rooms we saw, we knew what was missing and we tried to observe how we could make it better, how we could make it successful,” Canturk said.
What: Riddle Escape Room.
Where: 2334 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite A120, Scottsdale.
Yalcinkaya and Canturk, with the help of a small team of interior designers and a music producer, took their time making each themed room realistic, exciting and confusing. The Heist, FBI Interview and Dr. Riddler’s Lab are open. The Prison Break room is under construction.
Information: 480-659-7033, riddleescaperoom.com. Admission: $28.
The Riddle Escape Room was years in the making. Yalcinkaya and Canturk traveled to escape rooms in California, Arizona and Nevada and noticed that many of them were missing a key component — a suspenseful soundtrack. This led them to hire a producer to mix music exclusively for each room.
Social media is a big part of their business.
A short teaser video posted to their Facebook page has nearly 18,000 views. Their Yelp page has yet to see anything less than a five-star review.
“We really care about our customers’ feedback,” Canturk said.
The duo said they have seen people 8 to 90 years old try to escape the rooms.
“There’s something for everyone,” said
Canturk. “Each room requires different skillsets. You wont see the same trick in two rooms.”
When asked what customers can expect from the Prison Break room, set to debut in two months, Yalcinkaya said that they strived for the most trueto-life experience possible. This room will split each group in half and lock them in separate prison cells so they have to escape individually to continue the game.
Canturk compares their profession to that of a chef because his favorite part of the job is seeing an expression of delight on people’s faces because of something he created.
“Right now we’re just doing our best to reach out to customers,” he said. “Once they come in, we have no problems because we’re really confident about our rooms and designs and creations. They always want to come back for the other ones.”
– Check us out and like GetOutAZ on Facebook and follow GetOutAZ on Twitter.
By Christina FuocoKarasinski GETOUT/TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
A pop star who rarely plays concerts, an “American Idol” winner and two ’90s alt-rock bands are among those scheduled to play the Arizona State Fair this October.
Tickets go on sale Sept. 10 for premium seating. General admission seating is free with paid fair admission. Visit azstatefair. com/concerts for more information.
Here is the list as of press time:
Country stars Big and Rich, 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, $20
TBA, Sunday, Oct. 9, and Wednesday, Oct. 12
Baby Bash, Amanda Perez, Brown Boy, MOBFAM and Kap-G, 7 p.m.
Hip-hop recording star B.o.B., 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, $15
Fiesta Friday with MC Magic,
Friday, Oct. 14, $15
Rapper Iggy Azalea, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 15, $25
Latin pop star Luis Coronel, 5 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 16, $20
“American Idol” winner/country star Scotty McCreery, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, $15
TBA, Thursday, Oct. 20
Pop star Charlie Puth, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, $20
Alt-rockers The Flaming Lips, 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, $20
Pop-rap duo Jack and Jack, 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, $15
Hard rockers Slayer, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, $20
Alt-rockers Garbage, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, $20
Pop stars Gavin DeGraw and Andy Grammer, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m.
Old School Jam with SOS Band, One Way, Evelyn Champagne King, Grandmasters Furious Five featuring Melle Mel and Scorpio, and Rob Base, 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, $15.
The Arizona State Fair opens Oct. 7, and runs through Oct. 30. It is open Wednesdays through Sundays.
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski GETOUT/TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Scott Stapp has had a harrowing battle with the downward spiral since Creed collapsed in 2004. Two years ago — just before he was to make two Valley appearances — Stapp suffered a mental breakdown brought on by drug and alcohol use, as well as bipolar disorder. He even claimed that his family were members of ISIS.
But Stapp is getting his life together, and he’s flattered that his fans have his back.
“We wanted to try to create as many ways as possible to connect up close and personal,” he said. “They’ve been so good to me over the last nearly 20 years. I want them to have the chance to hang out and get to know me, and me to know them—and tie it in with the show experience as much as we can.”
What: Scott Stapp
When: 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21
Where: Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe
Cost: $25
“I’m human and they’re human, too,” said Stapp, sounding content. “When I meet the fans personally, I find out we’ve been through the same experiences—mine’s just public and theirs isn’t.
For his show, Stapp is trying to bring an “arena rock show” to smaller, intimate settings. He stepped up the production quality and is bringing selections from his entire catalog to the concert—including Creed tracks.
Information: 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com
“For me, Creed is part of the story,” said Stapp, who turned 43 on Aug. 8. “It’s the story of my life. I love to play those songs and the fans want to hear them.”
album with Art of Anarchy, a band formerly fronted by the late Scott Weiland. The rock act also boasts former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Disturbed bassist John Moyer, and twin
“I think the music has connected with folks on a deeper level, and I think both of those have synergy.”
He’s hoping to connect with fans on his “Proof of Life” tour, which hits the Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Aug. 21. He has various meet-and-greet opportunities for fans so he can feel connected.
Stapp is keeping busy not only with his recovery, but side projects as well. He volunteers for ChildFund USA and adopted a village of children in the Philippines. He made it his mission to provide necessities to the kids, while raising awareness of the organization. Later this year, he will release an
brothers Jon and Vince Votta. A single is set to be released soon, with an album to follow in the fall.
– Contact Christina Fuoco-Karasinski at 480898-5612 or christina@timespublications.com.
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski GETOUT/TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Dee Jay Silver has spent a good chunk of the month in the Valley, spinning for Jason Aldean at a private show and during their gig at Ak-Chin Pavilion last Friday.
The turntablist, who has played the world around, wouldn’t have it any other way.
The DJ/remixer/producer is the first and only DJ to be signed to a major Nashville record label, RCA Nashville/ Sony Music. In mid-July, he released his first original single, “Just Got Paid.”
The ode to the weekend features vocals from indie singer-songwriter Austin Webb, who co-wrote the song with Silver in their adopted hometown of Nashville.
“We wanted to write the perfect summertime, goodtime song,” said Silver.
“I write every day. Sometimes you have a hit, sometimes you don’t. The song just kind of worked itself out. I remember when Austin called me about the song, I was standing in the line at bank.”
Silver said he’s considering making a full-length album, but doesn’t see it as practical.
“It’ll be a process,” he said. “I take it one single at a time. Albums don’t make sense unless you’re Jason Aldean. There is a lot of pressure on artists to sell albums.” He said he’s planning on releasing another single soon, but so far “Just
Got Paid” was the fourth most added song to radio stations nationwide behind Miranda Lambert, Aldean and Luke Bryan.
Silver said he learns from each artist he performs or writes with.
“Every one of them has a different style,” he said. “If you don’t learn, there’s something wrong with you. There’s no wrong way to do things. Just do it the way you think you should.
“Not everybody’s going to like it, but people who don’t like it aren’t your fans. You try to make your fan base happy and convert new people.”
Silver has a busy year. He’s playing El Hefe in Scottsdale on Aug. 21, and is plotting a return in the fall. He said he has “a ton” of international dates in the Caribbean. He is also expecting an addition to his family, though he won’t say if the baby is a girl or boy.
“Basically, at my shows, I let the crowd dictate it,” he said “I just want people to drink and have a good time.”
– Contact Christina Fuoco-Karasinski at 480898-5612 or christina@timespublications.com.
Thanks for your leadership in defending Ahwatukee against unscrupulous developers.
• Follow Councilman DiCiccio’s advice. Don’t sign True Life’s blank check waiver, consult your attorney (see: http://bit.ly/2b7K8Yy).
• A judge has affirmed the CC&Rs that protect us; let the legal process work.
• If you’ve already signed, rescind by going here: http://bit.ly/2bi7mKb.
Attend the Defend Our Community Meeting Thursday, September 1, 6:30 pm Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Dr.
By Jason P. Skoda AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
The mounting expectations at Mountain Pointe High School haven’t fazed anyone in its football program.
Instead of letting that pressure stifle their growth, each Pride squad just keeps adding to it by maintaining a high standard.
This year the stadium has a ring of honor of sorts: past players are pictured in banners circling the entrance of Karl Kiefer Stadium.
Those banners both symbolize the
team’s past success and inspires the current group of players who are strapping on the maroon and gold.
“I want to be up there some day,” senior cornerback Antwaun Woodberry said. “Those guys did things that gave us the things we have. If they didn’t do what they did, we wouldn’t be expected to keep it going.”
Mountain Pointe, which has the best record (48-6) among big-school programs over the last four years, is entering
>> See PRIDE on page 52
By Jason P. Skoda
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
When a football locker room becomes the ultimate hangout for a team, it seemingly develops a heartbeat of its own.
The players feel safe because of the vibe created within those walls, where they spend a good portion of time six times a week.
No matter what happens outside of those walls – a bad practice, good game, off the field issues – it can be discussed,
dismissed and/or defused.
Desert Vista has such a place, and it has helped developed a bond initiated by the senior class to cope with anything and everything that might arise in 2016.
“We have a brotherhood,” senior running back Lelon Dillard said outside of the Thunder’s locker room.
“It starts in there and you are going to hear a lot about brotherhood this year,” he added. “As seniors we wanted this to be a year where we are all there for each
>> See BROTHERS on page 53
the year ranked No. 23 nationally by MaxPreps and is considered one of the favorites in the 6A Conference title chase.
One of the top and stable coaching staffs, led by Norris Vaughan, has some of the best talent around annually to work with and it has led to one state title (2013), one state runner-up finish (2012) and four other state semifinal appearances since 2009.
The 2016 squad expects to add to the program’s legacy.
“When you put on the Mountain Pointe jersey, you are expected to perform,” senior wide receiver Jaydon Brooks said. “Maybe it’s a lot for young guys at first, but you begin to understand what it means pretty quick. There’s a lot of stuff around here with all the banners and records.”
The players believe they have a chance to reach similar pinnacles as those before them, but there are still 10 games, including a tough California trip (Aug. 27 versus Upland at Norco High), and a new Central region schedule to navigate over the next two and half months.
“We know how good we can be,” senior wide receiver/safety Isaiah Pola-Mao said. “We know what it is going to take. We’ve made it to the semis but that’s not the goal. This team wants to be and can be great.”
The offense has a combination of established players (Brooks, PaloMao, linemen Mason Honne and Eddie
Rivas) and ready-to-prove-they-belong players (quarterback Noah Grover, running backs Gary Bragg and Anthony Stephens, lineman Justice Hudson).
Grover is one of the team’s top students and makes good decisions. Words is he is one of the most accurate passers the Pride has had in recent years.
“I’m ready to take over,” said Grover, who was 9 of 15 for 105 yards with two touchdowns in three games last year. “I’ve been in the system for a couple of years and there is a lot of talent around me so I just have to get the ball out and in their hands.”
The running back situation will be one of the storylines to watch as Bragg, who is coming off a huge junior varsity year, figures to get the first look; Stephens is suspended the first two games for an unspecified disciplinary reason.
Others, like Rashie Hodge and Woodberry, will get an opportunity to carry the ball for a program that has average 3,300 yards per year since 2009.
The defense has more established players returning than the offense does, although there might be less depth after the first unit.
“We can be really good on defense,” Vaughan said. “Some of those guys might be the best in the state at their position. We are bigger up front compared to other years but we don’t have as speed on the line. If they stay on assignment it could be one of best defenses we’ve had.”
The front line and defensive backfield are both units that rank among the best in the state.
Khalif Ravenell, Shomari Hayes, Matthew Pola-Mao and Daniel Pena
are big, strong and hungry on the defensive front and they give the defense the flexibility of playing three- or four-man front.
The defensive backfield has Woodberry and Cesar Chavez High School transfer Donte Lindsey at the corner spots with Kenny Churchwell and Isaiah Pola-Mao at safety.
The linebacker corps is led by Hodge, but the others are getting their first real taste of varsity action in Xavier Cota, Michael Washington and Jacob Olsen.
“No one knows the linebackers other than Hodge, but they are good,” Woodberry said. “With the big guys (on the line) they’ll be open to make tackles all over the field.”
It adds up to a campaign that should fall right in line with what Mountain Pointe has been able to do in transforming the program since bottoming out at 2-8 in 2008.
“We want to win our region, but that’s not our goal,” Brooks said. “At Mountain Pointe we watch the older guys play for state titles and when we get to varsity we expect to do it, too.”
– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonPSkoda.
– Check us out and like the Ahwatukee Foothills News on Facebook and follow on Twitter @ AhwatukeeFN.
Coach: Norris Vaughan
(76-15 at MP in eight years, and 248-110-2 overall*)
* = time as interim coach (about four wins) not recorded because of incomplete information
Last year: 12-1, lost in state semifinals
Last 10 years: 88-33
Aug. 19 Sandra Day O’Connor
Aug. 27 vs. Upland (Calif.), (Brothers in Arms Tournament)
Sept. 2 Bye
Sept. 9 vs. Chandler
Sept. 16 vs. Mountain View
Sept. 23 at Pinnacle
Sept. 30 vs. Desert Vista
Oct. 7 at Highland
Oct. 14 at Desert Ridge
Oct. 21 vs. Corona
Oct. 28 at Gilbert
other. We’ve had a lot of things happen; family dying and other things, and we are going to stick together through it all.”
Fourteen-year-old Chase White, who played freshman football last year, died from unknown causes in March, and senior linebacker Chad Porter had an older brother killed in a car accident in June.
Those types of incidents may not affect a play on a Friday night, but it can creep into the mindset of those close to it. So the Thunder wanted to be there for their brothers and make sure everyone has a healthy mindset no matter what comes their way.
“We all love each other,” senior two-way lineman Myles Wilson said. “We make sure everyone knows it. No one walks out of here feeling like they don’t belong.”
The question entering the 2016 season is where does it leave the Thunder on the field: Do they belong among the 6A Conference top 5? Top 10?
If Desert Vista continues to progress from last year, when the Thunder returned to respectability and the postseason, the team could very well creep into the upper echelon.
“We like where we are headed and excited about the season,” Thunder coach Dan Hinds said. “We have some pieces in place. We like our schedule and if we can continue to progress we can do some good things.”
The Thunder are coming off a 7-5 campaign after going 7-13 the previous
two years, the first time Desert Vista had ever had back-to-back losing seasons.
The losing streak came on the heel of winning 32 games over a three-year span, including the second state title in school history in 2011.
This year’s team hopes to restore the Thunder’s winning ways behind a talented set of skill players on a revamped offense scheme, an aggressive defense and “brotherhood.”
The offense starts with the trio of senior quarterback Nick Thomas, junior athlete Keishaud White and Dillard.
Dillard should break the 1,000-yard barrier. White, who is listed at three positions, might go over 2,000 allpurpose yards. Thomas moves into fulltime starter behind center.
If the offensive line, anchored by Nick Lopez and Wilson, holds its own with three new starters, the Thunder should be tough to contain most weeks. The playbook is expected to have more of a spread scheme to make the most of the matchup advantages Desert Vista believes it will have on the edges and in the seams.
“Loving it,” Desert Vista coach Dan Hinds said of the offense. “Coach (Brent) Miller has done a great job with directing the offense, and Nick Thomas has done a nice job in the offense. We have some talent coming back so we need to take advantage.”
The defense has four main cogs from last year who are expected to be leaders and playmakers.
Junior James Stagg and Wilson are defensive ends who hope to meet at the quarterback, while Porter ranked among
the state leaders in tackles in a year and junior safety Garret Chavez brings some bravado to the back of the defense.
Throw in a couple of new faces – Valley Christian transfer Alijah Gammage at cornerback and Alabama move-in Caleb Humphrey at safety — and the defense should be more sound than last year’s squad, which allowed 27.1 points a game.
“We are a bigger and better,” Stagg said. “The coaches are putting us in a position to be successful. We can be a lot better.”
The one spot where Desert Vista definitely needs to get better than the last three years is finishing games.
There have been several cases since the start of the 2013 season when Desert Vista either led or were tied in the fourth quarter only to be the squad in the quiet team huddle at the end of the game.
One thing that can get a team through and over the top in those scenarios is a level of trust that starts in the locker room.
And it becomes a heartbeat.
“This team believes in each other,” Thomas said. “There was some of it last year, but this year it feels different. We are going to step on the field as brothers and that’s a bond we will always take with us.”
– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonPSkoda.
Coach: Dan Hinds (15th year, 104-68 overall record all at DV)
Last year: 7-5, lost in second round of playoffs
Last 10 years: 72-46
Aug. 19 at Perry
Aug. 26 Bye
Sept. 2 vs. Basha
Sept. 9 at Skyline
Sept. 16 vs. Brophy Prep
Sept. 23 vs. Dobson
Sept. 30 at Mountain Pointe
Oct. 7 at Gilbert
Oct. 14 vs. Highland
Oct. 21 vs. Desert Ridge
Oct. 28 at Corona del Sol
By Jason P. Skoda
FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
The element of football that separates it from all of the other sports is the fact that there isn’t all that much to go around.
The physicality of the sport forces it to be played only once a week, and the games are almost exclusively one day a week over 10 weeks.
Until there was a need for more.
Week Zero was created in recent years for showcase games like the Sollenberger Classic, but now there are 16 games involving area teams on Friday before Week 1 even arrives.
Each week the anticipation builds until the stadium lights come on to signify it is game night.
It’s time to flip that switch. The 2016 season is here.
The classification system has been revamped after last year, when three factors and appeals led a 17-team big school classification. But the general sense that most football programs, especially the Phoenix Union schools, were in the right place was scrapped. In its place is a system that essentially took each tier of 45 to form six conferences and reverted back to the old region system.
The names are familiar — East Valley, Metro, Central, Desert Sky — but the significance has lessened.
A regional title sounds good to a lot of programs, especially those that aren’t in the state title hunt and could get a regional banner in the gym.
It’s a nice link to the past, but so much emphasis is placed on power points and getting into the postseason that making the top 16 is more vital than winning a region.
“It’s good to have regions back, but really we are going look at those power points first,” Desert Vista coach Dan Hinds said. “I’ll be more concerned where we are in the power rankings than the region standings.”
There were close to 10 coaching changes since last season, with Paul Moro taking over Marcos de Niza, Chad DeGrenier setting up shop at Mesquite and Josh Brittain replacing his father, Tommy (now at St. Mary’s), at Tempe Prep.
The one that just might be the most significant is Mike Fell coming in from Ohio with hopes of restoring Mountain View.
The football program once was the pride of the school and the envy of just about every other school in the state.
Fell feels that the pieces are in place, the administration is behind him, the facilities can get the job done and the players are committed.
The key just might be the schedule. There are some tough games—Mountain Pointe, Brophy—but the regional games are all winnable.
It just might lead to a top 10 seed and maybe even a home playoff game.
“We are on the chase,” Fell said in June.
Seven first-team selections return along with another host of players looking to do their part.
Some of the names to remember are Basha quarterback Ryan Kelley, Highland tight end Tyler Johnson, Desert Ridge defensive end Jalen Harris, Tempe defensive end MyKing Johnson, Queen Creek offensive lineman Mike Young and Williams Field kicker Brandon Ruiz.
The area player with the biggest impact after a great offseason might be Mountain Pointe’s Isaiah Pola-Mao, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound wide receiver and safety.
He was among the few in the nation invited to Beaverton, Oregon, for The Opening, a top prospect showcase put on by Nike.
The senior made quite the impression with a few pick-sixes and matched well with the top players in the nation.
Last year was only the second time in 20 seasons the East Valley didn’t have a football state champion. That won’t happen again.
Here is our East Valley Top 10 regardless of division:
1. Mountain Pointe
2. Chandler
3. Hamilton
4. Desert Ridge
5. Basha
6. Desert Vista
7. Skyline
8. Williams Field
9. Red Mountain
10. Highland
– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com.
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS STAFF
The passion for golf that Keith Pritchette shares with his wife Elena has inspired them to offer a special training program at their Ahwatukee clinic. Rehab Plus of Ahwatukee, 4730 E. Warner Road, will offer an introduction to that program, the Titleist Performance Institute’s golf training course, noon-3 p.m. Aug. 27. The session is open to the public and costs $25 for early registrants and $30 the day of the clinic.
Pritchette said he and his wife are “constantly trying to improve our game” and that goal made him realize that the road to being a better golfer “is not onedimensional.”
“We realized that in order to become a better golfer one needs to have proper biomechanical movement -- range of motion and flexibility -- sufficient strength for endurance and power, as well as exceptional technique. If any one of these pieces of the puzzle is missing, your game will suffer and maximum improvement will be limited.”
He said TPI has studied thousands of golfers since it began in 2003 and has used “an incredible amount of data on players of all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels” to determine the proper
way to swing a club as well as “how physical limitations in a player’s body can adversely affect the golf swing and potentially lead to injury.”
The program involves certified trainers and physical therapists as well as PGAcertified instructors to provide a “holistic approach” to improving one’s golf game, Pritchette said.
How long a program an individual
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certified physical therapy team helps identify any physical limitations related to mobility and strength,” he added. “From this, they create a treatment program to help address any areas that may be injured or at risk of injury to improve program outcomes.”
The Aug. 27 session is designed to show golfers what the TPI program can do for them.
He said his TPI-certified staff consists of two medical professionals, two PGA instructors and one strength and conditioning coach and that while he hopes to grow his staff in the coming year, space for the program itself is limited.
might need depends on a number of factors, which explains why Pritchette has developed individualized approaches of varying lengths of time.
“Changing one’s biomechanics, increasing their strength, flexibility, and power, as well as improving golf technique does not happen overnight,” he said. “It takes commitment and time.”
“The evaluation performed by our TPI-
What: introduction to the Titleist Performance Institute’s golf training program.
Where: Rehab Plus of Ahwatukee, 4730 E. Warner Road.
When: noon-3 p.m. Aug. 27
Cost: $25 for early registration, $30 day of. Reservations/information: 480-785-5415, http://www.ahwatukeerehab.com
I
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS STAFF
Mountain Pointe High School graduate Will Claye captured a silver medal in the triple jump for the United States for backto-back Summer Olympics victories.
• Maintaining muscle as we age
• Fitness-Rehab
• Flexibility for Longevity
• The importance of nutrition as we age
• Keep the mind sharp with balance
• Safe - E ective - Fights Aging
•
Most of our clients are in their late 40s to 70s. My clients are amazing because they understand the importance of keeping themselves active and the importance of a tness program that is age appropriate, safe and e ective.
Claye, who graduated Mountain Pointe in December 2008, finished with silver in Rio with a personal record of 17.76, repeating his silver medal victory in the London Olympic games four years ago.
He also won a bronze in the long jump at London, becoming the first man since 1936 to win medals in both horizontal jumps.
After Claye won the silver, he proposed to American sprinter Queen Harrison.
The American runner-up in triple jump celebrated his medal by jumping into the stands at the Olympic stadium, getting down on one knee and proposing to Harrison.
She said yes.
Engagements are all the rage these Olympics.
Only two days earlier, China’s He Zi had
the silver medal slipped around her neck when her boyfriend pulled out a ring and asked her to marry him.
Last week, after a rugby match, the girlfriend of Brazilian player Isadora Cerullo went down to the field and asked Cerullo to marry her.
Claye, a University of Florida alumnus, also proudly draped the American flag over his shoulders after his London win.
team and the Tempe All-City All Sports Team.
Deric Hancock, a graduate of Desert Vista High School, was awarded a volleyball scholarship to play for Missouri Valley College, a private university near Kansas City.
He also played middle blocker in high school for four years and in his senior year was selected for the 2016 All-Arizona team as one of two middle blockers.
He was also named to the Division I first team in the La Jolla California tournament, the Brophy all-tournament
Mountain Pointe will have four new inductees into the school’s Hall of Fame including current Olympian Will Claye.
The other entrants are wrestler and track athlete Clifford Sparks, Hollywood writer and comedian T.J. Chambers and student Gabe Trujillo.
The sixth annual event will be held Sept. Thursday, Sept. 8 before the Pride’s game against Chandler.
Aegis Hospice Grief/Loss Support Group
We meet 6 pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month
Legacy Funeral Home: 1722 N Banning St Mesa
Refreshments provided Contact: Rick Wesley 480-219-4790 rick@ aegishospice com
AHWATUKEE TEA PARTY
Speaker for Thursday, August 18th
Carl Goldberg, Ph D
Retired college professor
Currently specializes in speaking on the topic of Islam
Appears frequently on various radio talk shows in addition to traveling the state talking about Islam
Meetings are held at the Quality Inn, Desert Meeting Rm 5121 La Puenta Ave 51st St/ Elliot-Ahw 3rd Thursday of each month
Doors open at 6:30p, meeting starts at 7pm Public is invited!
EMAIL: info@tukeeteaparty com
Smart Recovery Meeting Wed’s 7 00 -8 30 p m 6400 W Del Rio Chandler
Montessori School next to Unitarian Church room 5 All issues drugs alcohol, gambling, online addictions, & medications 480-5322460 Meetings/Events
The Ahwatukee Republican Women s Club (ARW) General meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of the month (unless otherwise noted) at the Four Points by Sheraton South Mountain, 10831 S 51st St Phoenix 85044 Social Networking begins at 6:30 PM and the meeting (program) begins at 7 00 PM Additional info contact ARWomen@aol com
Visit our website at www ahwatukee republican women com
AHWATUKEE AL-ANON family group invites you to meetings every Mon 7:15 PM at
GARDEN CLUB, DESERT POINTE
Garden Club Meets the 1st Monday of every month at 9:30am @ Ahwatukee Recreation
Crops
We make Scrapbooks for critically-ill children who have had their "WISH" trip come true! Scrapbook with us, make embellishments for us, donate your time, or your commercial space donate funds to ship albums etc! Does your teen need community service hours? We could use their help! Copsofluv com for more info! 480 634 7763 Ahwatukee based non-profit
AHWATUKEE Post #64
We Meet Every 3rd Wed at 3pm at the Ahwatukee Retirement Center At 5001 E Cheyenne Dr, Phoenix, Az 85044
Contact ED MANGAN Cmdr
"not
aware of the unlicensed status of the individual or company
C
disclose their unlicensed status are not eligible for the handyman's exception.
Reference: http://www azroc gov/invest/licensed by law html
As a consumer, being aware of the law is for your protection You can check a
not alone and that the PAL (Parents of Addicted Loved Ones) group can help The group is available to provide education and support to anyone 18 years or older who is dealing with a friend or family member with an addiction The meeting are at held on the second and fourth Monday nights at 7pm at Mountain Park Community Church at Pecos Rd and 24th St in room 117 The meetings are free of charge completely confidential and could change your life! Please join us and get the tools you need to help yourself and your addicted loved one For more info go to www pal-group org
Democrats and Donuts
This monthly gathering is held the third Wednesday of each month from 8 - 9:30 a m at Denny s, 7400 West Chandler Boulevard, Chandler Sponsored by the Legislative District 18 Democrats, speakers cover current issues of interest Meetings are free and open to the public, breakfast may be purchased For more information, visit www ld18democrats org /meetings or email mariec9@q com
Dining For Women (DFW) diningforwomen org inspires, educates and engages people to invest in programs that make a meaningful difference for women and girls living in extreme poverty DFW helps women find dignity and strength, develop skills and opportunities, value and support their children's education We have a local chapter in Ahwatukee which meets the 3rd Thursday every month from 6:30 p m -8 30p m If you'd like to know more on how you can transform lives and reduce poverty contact Mary Hake at marysullivanhake @gmail com
$3,450 $3,450
Up to $800 in Utility Rebates*
*Up to a $2,650 Brewer’s Dealer Rebate, up to $800 Utility Rebate, up to $500 Federal Tax Credit & up to $1,000 Trane Trade In Allowance .”The Home Projects®
Visa® credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Financial National Bank, an Equal Housing Lender. Special terms for 60 months apply to qualifying purchases charged with approved credit at participating merchants. The special terms APR will continue to apply until all qualifying purchases are paid in full. The monthly payment for this purchase will be the amount that will pay for the purchase in full in equal payments during the promotional (special terms) period. The APR for Purchases will apply to certain fees such as a late payment fee or if you use the card for other transactions. For new accounts, the APR for Purchases is 28.99%. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the minimum interest charge will be $1.00. If you use the card for cash advances, the cash advance fee is 5.00% of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $10.00. This information is accurate as of 01/06/2016 and is subject to change. For current information, call us at 1-800-431-5921. Offer expires 12/31/2016.
