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CURBING KIDS’ SOCIAL MEDIA
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
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THUNDER VICTORY
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@AhwatukeeFN
LD18 candidates spar on education funding, taxes, vouchers BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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@AhwatukeeFN |
ome sparks flew last Friday in the Clean Elections Commission debate involving five of the six candidates for the State Legislature in the district that includes Ahwatukee. Education funding, taxes and the proposition to expand school vouchers dominated the debate that included Republic House candidates Rep. Jill Norgaard and Greg Patterson, Democratic House candidates Rep. Mitzi Epstein and Jennifer Jermaine and incumbent Democratic Sen. Sean Bowie. Republican Senate candidate Frank Schmuck did not attend. While occasionally praising Bowie for his bipartisanship, Patterson and Norgaard either individually or together sparred with their Democratic opponents before an audience of about 100 people over education funding and the referendum expanding the school voucher program. Following some discussion on how the original voucher program was designed to help parents of special needs children as well as students in foster care and those from military families, Epstein criticized the absence of accountability in the program and cited an instance where a charter used tax dollars to send students on a trip to Africa. Norgaard then asked both Democrats, “So, I just want to be clear because a year ago both of
you came out against any (voucher) program because you said that it took money from the general and steered it towards private schools. So, could you clarify your position?” Jermaine replied, “I have always been supportive of the original program but not the expansion of the program.” Epstein said that while “I recognized the value to special needs families,” the voucher
program had no “accountability metrics” and that Republicans want to expand the program beyond the categories of students it originally was intended to help. But Patterson said the statements by Epstein and Jermaine represented “huge progress on an issue that I think was very controversial.” See
DEBATE on page 6
Ready to grill them
(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Staff Photographer)
Mountain Pointe High School AP Government classes are ready to present a forum where they’ll grill candidates for Tempe Union school board and LD 18 Senate and House seats. Guided by teacher Lane Waddell, left, the leaders of the forum include, from left, Alison Robinson, Alan Dupre and Destiny Aleman. Details: page 12.
New legal action tries to block Gee from Club West BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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lub West Golf Course’s restoration has been imperiled again after its former owner asked federal bankruptcy court to reinstate his petition and block Wilson Gee from taking control of the site. In a petition filed with the court on Friday, the Inter Tribal Golf Association and its CEO Richard Breuninger accused Gee of foreclosing on the course Sept. 4 despite “deep discussions” with what they claimed was a new owner of the association to hold off on the trustee sale. ITGA also said a clerical mix-up caused its
failure to file a mandatory list of creditors. A bankruptcy court judge cited that failure in dismissing ITGA’s petition and allowing the foreclosure to proceed. Gee said he’s mystified by the latest claims and expressed concern that the latest legal maneuver will jeopardize his preparations to have the course ready for the golfing season. “It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “But here’s the problem: This is September and our window is three weeks. If we can’t resolve this, there won’t be golf.” Nonetheless, Gee said he is proceeding with preparations for the course and was scheduled to meet with Mike Hinz, president of the Club West HOA. He said he also is hoping to
meet soon with Lloyd Melton, who will need to arrange a new lease with Gee for Biscuits Restaurant at the clubhouse. ITGA and Breuninger bought the course Dec. 1, signing a note for $1.3 million and promising to pay Gee $35,000 a month until the note was satisfied. But ITGA fell into arrears by mid-spring as other big bills came due – including a water bill from Phoenix that is now close to $300,000. Breuninger blamed the water bill on Club West Golf Management, the one-person company he had hired to manage day-to-day See
WEST on page 3