WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
Today: High 90, Low 77, Chance of storms
Tomorrow: High 93, Low 76, Sunny
New Phoenix ID cards won’t be of use to Ahwatukee residents, official says. 13
City to improve South Mountain trailheads. 19
Ahwatukee woman invents germ guard for shoppers. 34
IS BACK
Keegan’s Grill, an Ahwatukee favorite, has a new look. 40
Mountain Pointe High trounces Chandler on the gridiron. 43
By Paul Maryniak AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
Both sides in the ongoing controversy over the South Mountain Freeway took major steps this week. Opponents asked a federal judge to stop the project pending an appeal of her ruling, and construction crews began the first of what likely will be many construction-related traffic disruptions.
By Coty Dolores Miranda AFN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Connor Koester of Ahwatukee just turned 8 years old on Saturday, but he’s already making his mark on the world of business.
The Cerritos Elementary School second grader rents out party decoration sets through a business he founded and named Bins of Fun.
The name was inspired by the large, rubberized containers he uses to store all of the decorations, divided into 25 themed batches. Though he gets help from his mom, Nicole Koester, and picked up some lessons from a Junior Achievement class at school last year, Connor brings his own business acumen and sense of popular taste to the enterprise.
>> See BUSINESS on page 10
Both the Gila River Indian Community and Ahwatukee-based Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children filed separate requests for an injunction with U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa, who last month rejected their arguments that highway planners’ environmental and cultural impact studies were flawed. Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Transportation rolled out a schedule of lane closures that will occur throughout this week along Pecos Road and adjacent arteries so that crews can take soil samples and locate underground utility lines. Additionally, a city source disclosed that crews will place temporary concrete barriers on the eastbound shoulder of the Loop 202 Santan Freeway between 48th Street and the I-10 on Monday, as a prelude to
>> See FREEWAY on page 9
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The Ahwatukee Foothills News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Ahwatukee Foothills. 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Suite 219, Tempe, AZ, 85282
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The Ahwatukee Lions Club has fallen on hard times.
Once numbering as many as 30 members in its various efforts to help blind and sight-impaired people, the club has dwindled to seven members “and a couple of them are ill,” said Lions President Tony McLain.
“A lot of members either moved or passed away,” McLain said, adding that besides needing volunteers, he is especially hurting for organizers.
“Right now I don’t have anyone in the club who’s an organizer,” he explained. “I’m not an organizer. Somebody tells me to do something, and I do it, but I need people who can organize things.”
The Lions promote free eye screenings to help detect children with vision problems, collect used and new eyeglasses for people who can’t afford them, run summer camps for visually impaired children, and run other programs aimed at helping the visually impaired.
McLain, an Ahwatukee resident for more than a decade, joined the Lions Club after he moved to Arizona from Minnesota in 1981.
“My best friend went blind because he didn’t take care of his diabetes,” he explained.
McLain has a long list of organizational needs, from a social media expert to a banquet chief to various project coordinators.
Among those needs are five people willing to represent Ahwatukee on the boards of five statewide Lions groups.
They include the summer camp in Show Low for blind and non-ambulatory children and adults; the Lions Vision Center that screens kids for vision problems and helps underprivileged people buy glasses; the Lions Foundation of Arizona, which helps pay for eye surgeries; the committee that oversees the Fort Thomas, Arizona memorial to Lions Club founder Melvin Jones; and the local chapter’s peace poster contest.
The Ahwatukee club’s poster contest selects a child to represent it at the statewide competition, which in turn selects the best work from an Arizona child to
By Paul Maryniak
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
A group of Club West Golf Club homeowners will focus on buying their beleaguered golf course or finding a permanent source of cheaper water rather than pursue a court fight.
Jim Lindstrom, a leader of Save Club West, said that even though his group has grown to include about a quarter of the community’s approximate 2,530 homeowners, it cannot afford to join the HOA in its lawsuit against golf course owner Wilson Gee.
“We did not raise enough money to participate in the law suit and also to pay consultants needed work on the water problem and explore purchasing the course,” Lindstrom told Save Club West’s 675 members in an email.
“Some homeowners voiced concerns that we should not spend money on litigation but rather work to solve the foundational problem – cost effective water,” he added. “In response, and in order to make the best use of our limited resources, Save Club West will not pursue legal action at this time.”
The HOA’s lawsuit already has become more complex since it was filed in June.
Gee’s four companies that are named in the suit filed a counterclaim against the HOA, accusing it of conspiring with
the city to drive them out of business and get the course for a “fire sale price.”
The HOA at one point offered Gee $10 for the course, which currently has a sale price of $1.9 million.
The HOA is accusing Gee of limiting irrigation of the course, turning it into less than the first-class golf course required by his contract. Gee said he is paying $700,000 a year for city potable water and that he cannot afford it.
Lindstrom said the HOA’s lawyer has already admitted that “the lawsuit could take years to resolve and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and a desirable outcome is not guaranteed.
“Meanwhile, the homeowners may be confronted with a major eyesore in their community. We purchased homes in Club West to be a part of a unique lifestyle with a first class, high end golf course serving as its focal point.”
He said Save Club West had hoped to raise enough money to hire its own lawyer, but that “instead, we will focus our efforts to find a long term water sourcing solution for the course and develop a strategy to purchase the golf course. We will continue to monitor and report on the lawsuit as best we can.”
Lindstrom noted that the HOA cannot sue for damages or losses in home values if the course fails.
Hence, he said his group “now narrow its focus to find affordable water for the course” or “facilitate a homeowner purchase of the course>
He said regional golf course operator and management consultant Bellows Golf of Scottsdale has agreed to help Save Club West at a reduced fee.
Bellows is evaluating both the course as well as Gee’s financial records as well as exploring potential sources of cheaper water. Those possible sources include local water wells, and SRP canal water; extending an existing pipeline from the Foothills Golf Club, and exploring then possibility of drilling for water.
He said Bellows also will prepare a business plan to present to the homeowners “so they can decide whether to purchase the course.”
Lindstrom said that so far Save Club West has spent nearly $5,500 on Bellows’ fees, legal expenses to become a non-profit entity and flyers.
He estimates the group will spend another $16,000 by the end of October,
mostly for Bellows’ work and a water consultant.
“Without additional funds, we will deplete our cash reserves in November,” Lindstrom said. “Our best estimate now is to complete our work by the end of the year, at which time, homeowners and/or investors will be asked to make decisions about the future of the golf course.”
Lindstrom is encouraging homeowners to contribute to the group at https://www.gofundme.com/2fr6gjg He said homeowners can also contact him at 480-656-1108 or james. lindstrom@cox.net.
Send your news tips to pmaryniak@ahwatukee. com or call 480-898-5647.
Following is the text of the consent form mailed by The True Life Companies to the approximately 5,200 property owners governed by the Ahwatukee Board of Management that, if approved, would become the amended deed restriction on the 101-acre Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club property.
True Life is attempting to amend the deed restriction, which currently allow golf use only on site, to allow development of Ahwatukee Farms, which would have 267 single-family residences, two lakes, a private Montessori school, community farm, farmers market, small café, hiking trails, green belts and pocket parks on the property on both sides of South 44th Street between Warner and Knox roads.
To amend the deed restriction, True Life must gain consent from 50 percent plus 1 of the property owners governed by ABM.
An approval may be rescinded by sending or delivering written notice of rescission to True Life within seven days of signing.
Save the Lakes, which is urging residents not to sign the form, has
scheduled a series of meetings to explain its position. The meetings, all at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive, Ahwatukee are: 10 a.m. today; 6 p.m. Thursday, Monday and Sept. 22; 1 p.m. Sept. 26; and 6 p.m.
The Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course is currently vacant and is no longer used as a golf course. TTLC Ahwatukee Lakes Investors, LLC (“TTLC”), the owner of the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course, does not intend to operate the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course as a golf course. TTLC desires to develop the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course as a single-family residential community. The Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course is subject to a Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, Restrictions and Easements recorded November 13, 1992 at Recording No. 92-0646838 in the records of the Maricopa County Recorder (the “CC&Rs”). The CC&Rs restrict the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course to use solely as a golf course. The Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course cannot be developed as a single-family residential community unless the
CC&Rs are amended. Therefore, TTLC is requesting your approval and consent to amend the CC&Rs to permit the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course to be developed as a single-family residential community, subject to the following criteria: (a) the community will have no more than 3.0 dwelling units per gross acre within the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course; (b) dwelling units will be used only for residential purposes and for any other use permitted under the City of Phoenix Zoning Ordinance; (c) dwelling units will be limited to two stories; (d) at least 30% of the community must be open space (e.g., parks, lakes, drainage retention areas, trails, roadways and attendant sidewalks, agricultural areas); (e) multifamily rental apartment projects will be prohibited; and (f) schools or other educational uses, community supported agriculture,
a café, a farmer’s market, the sale of produce, seeds or other products related to agriculture, or any other retail use associated with or related to education or community supported agriculture will be permitted, but all other commercial uses will be prohibited.
represent the state in a similar national contest.
McLain also needs someone to help the club start Leo Clubs in local high schools. “Right now I haven’t been able to get past the counselors,” he said.
The banquet for first responders involves a considerable amount of phone calls to a wide variety of organizations, ranging from the FBI to local police and paramedics, McLain said.
“I’m holding the club together but I really need people to take on these projects,” he said. “They don’t even have to come to our regular meetings, just pay the $45 semiannual dues and get busy with their project.”
the PSAT as a junior and achieve a high enough score. Only about 2 percent of eligible students are selected and recognized as scholars, an Horizon spokeswoman said.
The school has some openings in grades 7-11 for the 2016-2017 school year. Information: horizonclc.org.
Interested people can contact McLain at 602616-8475 or tonymac43@yahoo.com
Horizon Honors Secondary School senior Cameron Vega, has been named a Scholar by the College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program. To be nominated students must take
Ahwatukee resident Mary O’Neil was recently accepted into the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) and will be taking classes toward a master of arts degree in biology at Miami University in Ohio through Project Dragonfly.
As a first-year AIP student, O’Neil will complete web-based courses from Miami University with face-toface learning at the Phoenix Zoo. Project Dragonfly is based in the department of biology at Miami University.
Robert Allen of Ahwatukee received a B.S. in business management during Governors University’s 31st semi-annual commencement ceremony this summer in Salt Lake City, Utah.
mike@azms.net
>> From page 1
widening the I-10.
The preliminary construction work came as lawyers for the tribe and PARC told Humetewa that their appeal of her decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit “will destroy the subject matter of this litigation.”
“The appeal will raise significant legal issues concerning the (highway) agencies’ compliance with federal law that merit review before the freeway construction begins damaging the area,” the Gilas’ injunction request filed by attorney David B. Rosenbaum states.
“The agencies have been waiting more than 30 years to build this freeway. They will not be harmed if they wait a bit longer so that the Ninth Circuit can resolve this appeal. In contrast, if the freeway is built while the appeal is pending, the very damage that the appeal seeks to prevent will be done.
“The mountain ridges and other sacred sites vital to the community and its people will be destroyed. This harm is significant and irreparable.”
PARC attorney Howard Shanker said in his request that his client and the GRIC deserved the injunction because the appeal stood a “likelihood of success on the merits.”
Humetewa is not expected to hold a hearing before ruling on the injunction, PARC president Pat Lawlis said.
Lawyers for both PARC and the Gilas have indicated that if the judge turns down the injunction request, they would ask the 9th Circuit to halt construction
activity until the appeal is decided.
In his request, Shanker focused much of his argument on what he termed the flawed studies by ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration in assessing the harm the freeway posed to children, particularly those in some 17 schools located near the freeway path.
The 22-mile freeway between West Phoenix and Ahwatukee will enable I-10 motorists to bypass Downtown Phoenix. At a cost of nearly $1.8-billion, the project is the most expensive ever undertaken by ADOT.
Shanker said contaminants from traffic on the new freeway posed a greater danger to children than they would to adults and that this danger was “not accounted for or even acknowledged” by the planning agencies.
“This freeway will have a direct impact on at least 17 schools that will be in close proximity to the right-of-way,” he said.
“This does not include the parks, day care providers, and children who live near the right-of-way and who attend these schools.”
He said that in assessing air-quality impact, the government agencies focused on the 150-square-mile area around the length of the freeway instead of looking only on the impact of traffic in the Ahwatukee stretch. That, in effect, diluted air pollution readings by spreading them across a much wider geographical area.
“The undisputed legal obligation to consider health impacts on children, and our state and federal governments’ moral obligation to demonstrate, at
>> See FREEWAY on page 11
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“We looked for things like movie stuff,” he explained. “I usually go to watch movies, and I know if it’s really good.
“Like ‘Frozen.’ Everybody likes ‘Frozen,’” he added.
He and his mother scour stores, including local thrift shops, for themed party items that are inexpensive or have potential.
“Then me and my mom go shopping and buy stuff to fix ’em up,” he said.
Then Conner brings in his own imagination, making favors and other decorations to enhance the festiveness of each bin’s wares.
Part of preparing the party bins includes painting and repairing toys and other decorations. He is often found at the kitchen table with an assortment of paints, brushes and other art supplies.
Currently he has 25 party bins ready to rent. The most popular themes are Harry Potter, Star Wars, Frozen, Lego, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Alice in Wonderland Tea Party, and Dinosaurs, he says.
“Since the first of this year we’ve rented more than 50 bins,” said his mother.
“We love seeing how different people take the same decorations and create unique parties for their kids. They also have fun painting, cutting, and spending time together after school.”
Connor hatched his idea last fall after he told his mom and his dad, Chris Koester, that he wanted to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios for his 8th birthday.
The Koesters knew he was posing a pricey proposal, since they have two other younger children who couldn’t be left behind.
To help their son learn the value of money and assist in paying for his own admission ticket, they encouraged him to earn $100 to help make his dream come true.
Within two months of his startup, Connor earned his $100. He’ll be traveling to what he calls “Harry Potter World” next month.
But he saw no reason to stop.
After what he called “a lot of work,” he decided to continue to earn more funds – this time earmarking portions for college.
He even advertises on Facebook. Bins of Fun now has 600 followers.
The smiling, sandy-haired, articulate boy said that starting a business required a steep learning curve.
“We spent a lot of money getting it ready,” he said. “It was an investment; and no, I didn’t know that word before. I know it now.”
Another word Koester learned was “deadline.”
“When we started, we had a lot of work to do. We had a deadline,” he said seriously while nodding his head. “Me and mom worked on it and we got it done before the deadline,” he said with a proud grin.
The youngster is not all business. As the interview came to a close, Connor scampered away to play on his iPad.
“He’s a good kid. He’s good at school, he’s good at home,” his mom said as he left the room.
Through his involvement with Bins of Fun, Conner is learning skills like responsibility, budgets, customer service skills, marketing, and – of course – improving his art skills.
“I’m not concerned about teaching him to understand budgets or profit margins,” his mom said. “It’s about learning the value of a dollar, responsibility and commitment. Anything beyond those skills is a bonus.”
Would she recommend that other parents help their kids start a business?
“Maybe,” she replied. “Kids can have short attention spans. So I’d say be prepared that children’s interest levels will vary.”
Sometimes Conner is really excited about making decorations, she said. Other days he’d much rather be busy on his iPad.
“We worked for hours in the beginning, while we were getting Bins of Fun ready to launch. But now we’re at a point where we create new decorations when Conner wants to. So the pressure to produce is much lower.
“As long as it’s still fun for both of us, we’ll keep going,” she added.
Conner was considering the University of Arizona for school when he gets older. But now that Olympian Michael Phelps is at Arizona State University, he’s reconsidering – because he, too, is a winning swimmer.
“We’re not friends. But we watch him on TV,” he said. “I go to the Y and I’m really, really fast. I win high point winner every time, so maybe I’d go to ASU because of him.”
least, some minimal concern for the health and welfare of the citizenry, would dictate that the FHWA/ ADOT do some sort of health impacts analysis that considers direct impacts on children near the freeway,” Shanker wrote.
Although he too cited health concerns, Rosenbaum keyed heavily on the freeway’s cultural impact.
“South Mountain is one of the community’s most significant and sacred natural resources and a cultural property that figures prominently in the community’s oral traditions,” he said.
Calling South Mountain “central to the community’s traditional and spiritual view of the surrounding natural resources and the community’s world view,” he asserted that the tribe’s “intimate relationship with the natural environment” is “essential to the continuing survival” of the Gilas’ culture.
“Due to the sacred nature of South Mountain, private and traditional religious activities still are conducted in various forms around the area by community members,” he said, adding: “The chosen alignment of the freeway would forever alter the landscape and views of South Mountain as they are experienced and relied upon by community members. It will separate the members from many culturally significant locations and resources. It will destroy areas that the Community and its members have used for cultural and religious purposes for generations.”
Meanwhile, PARC has begun a campaign urging residents to turn out in force for ADOT’s hearing on the freeway, scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 27 at Desert
There are several ways residents and business can learn about the South Mountain Freeway and register their observations and concerns.
• azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway: This site gives people the option of signing up for freeway updates. Contact information also is provided.
• thomas.remes@phoenix.gov: This is the email for the City of Phoenix’ new freeway coordination manager.
• Ahwatukee.com: read past Ahwatukee Foothills News stories on the freeway.
Vista High School. ADOT officials also have been encouraging a big turnout, stating it wants public input throughout the design process.
In a post on PARC’s Facebook site, Lawlis last week said, “The public needs to overwhelm the ADOT contractors with questions about the freeway.
“It is particularly important to continue to pound on the necessity for a below-ground freeway, with intersections at ground level. The contractors keep saying they want to create a quality freeway.
“ADOT has no credibility whatsoever about this freeway since they have paid no attention to the public yet — in spite of their claims to the contrary.
“They also need to see that the public is really angry about this freeway being shoved down our throats,” she added. “It is important to fight for a freeway closer to what our community can live with, just in case the freeway really happens.”
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS STAFF
Tiny bits of history were found along the 22-mile path of the planned South Mountain Freeway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The field investigations along three of the cultural resource sites near Pecos Road were completed earlier this year. The findings have been documented, including a number of historic petroglyphs, and artifacts collected are being analyzed in a lab in Tucson, ADOT said.
“These sites did not yield a lot of artifacts, but archaeologists did identify historic shards, pottery pieces, food cans, shotgun shells and lumber fragments,” ADOT said in a release.
Although the analysis of the artifacts has not been completed yet, the artifacts most likely date from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, the department said.
ADOT will hold a public tour toward the end of this year or early next year to visit some of the 16 cultural resource sites along the 22-mile-long freeway corridor when all of the investigations are completed.
At one point along the freeway footprint, archaeologists were systematically digging five-foot-deep trenches looking for signs of ancient civilizations or farms. At other sites, archaeologists have found pottery pieces and 19th-century shotgun shells, among other items, and also documented historic petroglyphs.
ADOT said 16 various sites were identified as potentially having cultural or historic significance during the 13year study phase of the South Mountain Freeway.
As a result of these extensive studies, “ADOT published an environmental impact statement allowing decisionmakers to better understand the potential positive and negative impacts of the project on the environment the department release said.
“Whether they contain evidence of those who inhabited this area in prehistoric times, artifacts from farms important to the area’s heritage or even an abandoned railroad, these sites must be managed according to federal and state historic preservation laws before freeway construction,” ADOT said.
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS STAFF
The Arizona Department of Transportation began on Monday to close lanes and divert traffic on Pecos Road and adjacent arteries so that crews could take soil samples and locate underground utility lines. Here is the schedule of lane closures for the rest of this week. Closures will be in effect 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.:
Today
• Westbound Pecos Road left lane closed west of 17th Avenue.
• Westbound Pecos Road right lane closed between 40th and 32nd streets.
• Northbound 40th Street right lane closed at Pecos Road.
• Westbound Pecos Road right lane closed at 40th Street.
• Westbound Pecos Road left lane closed at 32nd Street.
Thursday
• Westbound Pecos Road left lane closed near the end of Pecos Road.
• Westbound Pecos Road right lane closed between 40th and 32nd streets.
• Westbound Pecos Road right lane closed between 32nd and 24th streets.
• Westbound Pecos Road right lane closed at 40th Street.
• Westbound Pecos Road left lane closed at 32nd Street.
• Westbound Pecos Road left lane closed at 24th Street.
Friday
• Eastbound Pecos Road right lane closed between Desert Foothills Parkway and 17th Avenue.
• Westbound Pecos Road right lane closed between 40th and 32nd streets.
• Westbound Pecos Road right lane closed between 32nd and 24th streets.
• Westbound Pecos Road right lane closed between 24th Street and Desert Foothills Parkway.
• Northbound 40th Street right lane closed at Pecos Road.
• Westbound Pecos Road left lane closed at 24th Street.
ADOT said that while it “works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions,” it might require “unscheduled closures or restrictions” because of weather and other factors.
The impact on cultural and historical remains was briefly discussed during the May hearing on the Gila River Indian Community’s federal suit to stop the freeway.
U.S. Attorney Tyler Burgess, representing the Federal Highway Administration, told U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa that neither the GRIC nor the Ahwatukee-based Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children had cited the National Historic Preservation Act in their arguments against the freeway.
Burgess said highway planners “recognize the importance and sensitivity of these issues and they have spent a lot of resources trying to make sure that they have coordinated and consulted with the community every step of the way.”
Since the start of the study phase in 2001, he added, freeway planners were carrying out cultural resource studies and consulting tribal leaders, tribal historic preservation officers, state historic preservation offices, land managers and other stakeholders.
“Protecting and preserving cultural resources is the law, but it’s also the right and respectful thing to do,” said Linda Davis, who leads ADOT’s Historic Preservation Team.
“ADOT is very sensitive of the cultural sites that we encounter,” Davis added. “We work closely with tribal communities to ensure the best preservation and protection when avoidance is not possible.”
ADOT said that by law, some of this
work “must remain confidential while it is happening, and sometimes a site will be fenced and monitored by security for safety reasons and to protect what ADOT’s research and field surveys suggest may be found there.”
ADOT also said that its freeway dig made it “one of the largest sponsors of archaeological research in Arizona.”
“As part of its environmental planning process, the agency considers the effects of transportation projects on sensitive cultural resources by consulting with Native American communities, conducting research and limiting impacts from highway construction as much as possible,” ADOT said.
Work at prehistoric and historic sites may include thorough documentation or excavation and extraction, analysis and preservation of artifacts, which can include sending the identified artifacts to an accredited repository, such as the Arizona State Museum, Museum of Northern Arizona, Pueblo Grande Museum or Huhugam Heritage Center. Historic structures are also documented.
“Building any transportation facility has consequences, including cultural and environmental impacts that ADOT is committed to minimizing as much as possible,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “In fulfilling its environmental commitments, including how it handles cultural resources, ADOT has to strike a balance between the need for a modern transportation network and protecting Arizona’s cultural heritage.”
By Paul Maryniak AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
Phoenix City Council has approved the development of a “Unified City Services card” that helps Phoenicians prove their residency and may eventually become a debit card.
So how will it benefit Ahwatukee residents?
“Not at all,” said Councilman Sal DiCiccio, who called the card “just a feel-good proposal meant to appease a small group of individuals that puts Phoenix on a very bad path.”
Many cities across the country are adopting some kind of municipallyissued identification card that especially helps immigrants, the homeless and people without a driver’s license open bank accounts and prove their residence.
Under a five-year contract with a California company called SF Global LLC, Phoenix will pair the card with the Phoenix Public Library ID as proof of city residency, beginning in February.
For now, the city is not planning to adopt its use as a prepaid debit card, although two cities that are under contract with the same company have taken that step. In approving the contract two weeks ago, the council sidestepped the debit proposal.
“The city will then work with the company to develop a strategy, plan and timeline for creating an integrated city services card for other city services, such as the Parks and Recreation Reservation System, Golf Management System, and Human Services Membership System,” a city release stated.
A staff report to the council admitted “it takes ID to get ID, but said it was important to prevent fraud in getting a card. A committee of eight staffers and three unidentified “stakeholders” voted 6-2 to recommend that council approve it.
Residents who want the new card will need to complete an application under penalty of perjury that requires proof of identity and proof of Phoenix residency, including at least two identity documents from an approved list.
“At least one of the documents must display a photo of the applicant and at least one of the documents must display the applicant’s birth date,” a staff report to council said. “If the applicant’s
provide a debit function.
Residents can use as debit cards, drawing on an account they establish with Global. The goal is to provide lowincome people with debit cards with lower fees than traditional bank-issued ones.
But the debit cards aren’t free. Richmond and Oakland residents pay a monthly fee of $3.99 and $2.99, respectively, and pay between 75 cents
“ It’s ‘just a feel-good proposal meant to appease a small group of individuals that puts Phoenix on a very bad path. ”
—Councilman Sal DiCiccio
current legal name is different from his/ her primary document, the applicant must show legal proof of a name change...Each applicant will need to present utility bills or other information that includes both the applicant’s name and a residential address that is located within Phoenix.”
“Each city department will accept the city card as a valid identification and valid proof of Phoenix residency,” the city’s release said. “The Phoenix Police Department may use other identification forms and processes as necessary to substantiate a person’s identity.”
It also said the card is “not intended to replace any other existing requirements for issuance of other forms of identification in connection with the administration of city benefits and services.”
The card would cost residents $30 and be good for three years. Residents will not have to buy one if they don’t want it.
Under their contracts with SF Global, the cities of Richmond, Virginia, and Oakland, California, not only use the cards as forms of identification but also
and $1 when they use it to withdraw money from their account.
Although council for now stopped short of allowing the new ID to be used as a debit card, DiCiccio said he is still concerned that residents’ private information will be going to a third party, namely the company that makes the cards.
“It’s just a bad idea,” DiCiccio said.
The contract is designed so that the fee paid for the ID covers its cost and no tax money is spent.
In a news release issued within hours after council approved the contract, Councilman Nowakowski hailed the card as “a revenue-neutral way to allow residents of Phoenix to more easily access city services with just a single card.”
SF Global describes itself on its website as a “socially responsible business founded to develop the internet platform(s), prepaid card products and service processes to provide low income residents, greater access to secure, affordable and high quality financial services and products.”
By Jesse Canales Cronkite News
Arizona’s letter-grading system to measure how well schools are teaching students is on hold while the state school board makes changes.
The state school board this month will discuss revising a system that measures schools’ academic performance on a scale from A-F.
Tim Carter, vice president of the Arizona State Board of Education, proposed a revision that depends less on standardized tests to determine whether schools are teaching students well.
His proposal would measure proficiency and performance growth on standardized tests but add categories such as career readiness and college readiness.
Carter expects his proposal will be modified but hopes much of it will remain intact. The state school board is looking at different proposals it will discuss on Sept. 26. The board is expected to finalize and vote on a new school grading system.
The board will send its accountabilitysystem choice to a committee of parents, state school-board members, teachers and school superintendents to recommend standards.
Several Arizona teachers said the current system of assessing schools’ –and students’ – academic performance relies too much on standardized tests.
“It is kind of sad education is turned to more of teaching to the test instead of teaching to lifelong learners and students,” said Kyle Shippy, a fourthgrade teacher at Heritage Elementary School in Glendale.
“It’s so important for the school financially,” Justin Dye, principal of the Glendale charter school, said about schools’ academic performance.
By Jim Walsh AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
Fifteen years ago last Sunday, the East Valley and the rest of the United States froze and watched in horror as planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania.
Many Americans cried as the tragic news footage was seared into the nation’s collective memory, playing repeatedly on news reports as more than 3,000 victims were mourned, the worst foreign attack on U.S. soil since Japan bombed Pearl Harbor 60 years earlier.
It seemed as if the world was coming to an end that morning.
Others in the East Valley suffered a personal loss that would change their lives forever. Donna Killoughy Bird lost her husband, Gary, the father of their children, Andrew and Amanda. Rana Singh Sodhi of Gilbert lost his brother, Balbir, and Balbir’s son lost his father.
At first glance, Killoughy Bird and Singh Sodhi would appear to have little in common.
Killoughy Bird is a retired commercial litigation attorney who grew in Chicago and is a devout Catholic. Singh Sodhi grew up in the Punjab region of India, immigrated to the U.S., launched a successful business career and is a devout Sikh.
But Killoughy Bird and Singh Sodhi, who had every reason to be bitter and even hateful after suffering such tragic
losses, both have devoted the rest of their lives to serving humanity. They have both chosen to embrace tolerance, acceptance and the pursuit of peace.
Gary Bird, 51, of Tempe, a community volunteer and real cowboy who grew up riding horses on ranches near Cottonwood; Delta, Colorado; and Kingman, was the only Arizonan killed in the World Trade Center attacks.
Bird’s death seemed like a cruel irony, while Balbir Singh Sodhi’s murder seemed like a tragic case of mistaken identity and an example of the ultimate cost of hatred and bigotry.
Bird had spent most of his life helping others through his family and his volunteer work with the Tempe Boys and Girls Club. He had just landed his dream job as a risk manager with Marsh & McLennan Companies, a professional services and insurance firm. Bird was attending an orientation meeting when the company’s office was obliterated by a hijacked plane. He was one of more than 60 Marsh employees killed.
Killoughey Bird takes solace in knowing that her husband lived such an exemplary life that he is still remembered 15 years after his death. She described him as a humble, quiet servant of humanity who looked for opportunities to help others and always delivered on his promises.
“Every year, in the weeks before 9/11, I remember how blessed I was by God to have him,” Killoughy Bird said. “In the short time that God puts us on earth, if
we live our lives the way Gary lived, we will be remembered.”
Killoughy Bird said she was touched by a letter she received after her husband’s death from a woman who had never met either of them. The woman recounted how she rode the same bus to downtown Phoenix with Gary, and how she observed that Gary would give up his seat for an elderly or handicapped person.
“Everyone who knew Gary admired him,” said Dr. Jeff Eger, a Mesa optometrist. “Everyone knew Gary made Tempe a better town.”
He said that Bird was his friend and mentor.
“I would like to think because Gary was so unique, authentic and unselfish, that he would be a role model for a ‘we’ society instead of a “me’ society,” Eger said.
Balbir Singh Sodhi, 49, who immigrated to the United States from India because of his love for the Bill of Rights and its guarantee of freedom of religion, did not die in the terrorist attacks, but he died four days later because of them.
Singh Sodhi was gunned down in front of his East Mesa gas station on Sept. 15, 2001, by Frank Roque, an
angry man who mistakenly thought he was retaliating against a Middle Eastern terrorist. Singh Sodhi, who had no connection to the Middle East, was wearing a turban in observance of his Sikh religion.
Singh Sodhi’s murder was the first hate crime slaying in the aftermath of 9/11. He would not be the last Sikh targeted, even though Sikhs were not implicated in any terrorist attacks. A Sikh truck driver was wounded in a shooting in North Phoenix but survived his injuries. Other Sikhs were harassed.
In his diary, Singh Sodhi had thanked Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, for the all the blessings in his life. He had driven a cab, saved his money, bought the gas station and had a family. It was the perfect American Dream, until it was shattered by ignorance. Singh Sodhi wrote that he was ready for any mission the Guru had in store for his life.
A Mesa jury sentenced Roque to death, but that sentence was later reduced by the Arizona Supreme Court to life in prison without possibility of parole because of concerns about whether Roque was mentally ill.
Singh Sodhi quickly emerged as a powerful symbol of the need for diversity, tolerance and acceptance.
Rana Singh Sodhi, a Mesa restaurant owner, businessman and Balbir’s brother, has dedicated the rest of his
life to educating others about the Sikh faith and preaching acceptance and inclusion.
“His death will not be in vain,” Rana said. “It’s more awareness of different cultures.”
Rana and his family remember Balbir every year on the anniversary of his death at a memorial service held outside the Chevron station at 80th and University Drive. The event features Indian food and prayers for tolerance. The 15th anniversary, he said, holds no special significance to him.
Rana owns the Guru Palace restaurant in Mesa.
Three years ago, Rana said he was buying some flowers for the memorial service when he came across some people he never expected to see again. It was Frank Roque’s daughter and his wife.
Rana said he recognized Roque’s daughter because she testified on behalf of her father during the trial.
“I said, ‘Your Dad killed my brother,” Rana said. “She said, “I’m so sorry.”
Rana said he invited the Roques to the memorial service but they declined, saying they might come some other time.
“His memory is part of American history. His turban is in the Smithsonian, with his bracelet, his clothing and his diary,” Rana said.
Rana said he is also scheduled to
appear as a panelist on Sept. 27 at Rio Salado Community College at a forum titled “Hate, Terrorism and 9/11.” He also is scheduled to speak at events in Tucson, Denver, Portland, Los Angeles and Detroit.
“I think all of the victims have the same value to their lives. Everyone who lost their lives deserves the same respect and honor,” Rana said.
“Hate never brings peace,” he said. “I don’t know how long I will live but this is for the rest of my life.”
But like Rana, Killoughy Bird still believes she has an obligation to use her rich and unique experiences in life to help others.
After Gary’s death, she and her family established the Gary E. Bird Family Foundation scholarship through the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. It awards a scholarship yearly so that a seventh grader from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Tempe can attend one of the six area Catholic high schools.
Killoughy Bird worked with author Charlotte Rogers Brown to publish a memoir titled “Nothing Will Separate Us: A Widow’s Memoir of Faith, Grace and Miracles Since 9/11.”
She said she has studied the lives and works of people who “radiate peace,” including Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
“That is my mission in this world, to be an instrument of peace,” she said.
By Ralph Zubiate
TRIBUNE EDITOR
Tom Shrader was in Virginia that day, having spoken to a convention of executives in New York City earlier that week.
He was like millions of other Americans when he heard that an airplane hit a building.
“I remember we were standing in a gift shop, and a lady was saying, ‘My, that’s a big accident, how did that happen?’
“You didn’t think terror then,” he said. “The world has changed so much.”
Shrader was lead pastor of East Valley Bible Church in Gilbert at the time. Now, he’s pastor emeritus for the church, since renamed Redemption Gilbert.
Shrader and his wife Susan were staying at Hot Springs, Virginia, during that visit. On a day off, they were tourists, visiting Appomattox Court House.
“Then we heard what happened, and the park was closed. You had to go.”
In the days after the 9/11 attack, planes around the nation were grounded. Instead of waiting in Virginia or trying to find an empty seat on an Amtrak train, he decided to rent a car to get back to Arizona.
“I was trying to find a map, and I asked the guy at the rental place. He said, ‘You go down here, make a right, and when you get to Flagstaff, take a left.’
“I didn’t realize I-40 was outside.”
On that long, difficult drive, Shrader found out something interesting about the mood of the nation.
“The further you got from the East Coast, the less impact it had.
“That was the way it felt like, driving further away from the pain.”
Shrader and his wife had only a radio on the drive, and heard news bulletins and stories on the way back. It didn’t seem as desperate on the radio. But, he said, a picture really is worth a thousand words.
“We’d get to a hotel, and once you flipped on the TV, it was a totally different scene. Radically different.”
He saw a different world on the road, too.
He remembers rolling in to Henryetta, Oklahoma, to eat some barbecue. “The Pig Out Palace. At the center of every table, there was a roll of paper towels.”
Shrader saw many other people there and on the road in pain, trying to make their ways back home in the aftermath. Uncertain of their next move.
“Every car I saw was filled with five or six people in suits.”
At the time, people were seeking comfort and answers. Some sought that in churches.
“Back in Arizona, businesses in the area were calling, asking us to open up the church. They wanted their employees to be able to pray.
“We were helpless and scared. You kind of intuitively kick out to something bigger than you.
“It’s a pattern that follows. Either it pulls you closer to God, or it shatters who you really are.”
Shrader and his wife got back to Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 15.
“The next Sunday was like Christmas. The church was jammed. It was a lifechanging experience.
“That lasted two weeks.”
Some commentators at the time were expecting a spiritual revival in the United States. Shrader wasn’t.
“I can be a bit cynical, but I think it was a collective foxhole conversion.
“You survive the moment and it reinforces the illusion that you’re selfsufficient. But it really exposes how needy, how vulnerable we are. It’s all outside of our control, but not outside God’s control.”
Shrader still preaches these days, though not as often. He knows that 9/11 still resonates, but in a different way.
“I have this view that we have our own 9/11s around us. We’re sick, we’ve lost a job. For us, it’s personal, traumatic.
“The comfort we find is in knowing Christ, and knowing that God is sovereign. Faith is assurance that He is in control.”
There were things to learn from 9/11, Shrader said.
“One of the big messages is that we’ll never be the same again.”
– Contact Ralph Zubiate at 480-898-6825 or rzubiate@timespublications.com.
Monte Vista Elementary School in Ahwatukee last Friday held a Patriot Day Assembly to commemorate the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Western Pennsylvania 15 years ago and to honor people who are serving or have served in the U.S. military.
The assembly included a visit by a fire engine company courtesy of Mike Sanders, a Phoenix firefighter and a Monte Vista parent.
Besides special patriotic songs they learned about from music teacher
Brenda Mulkey, the students also got to see a flag and certificate that was given to Monte Vista Principal Suzanne Ramundo by Tech Sgt. Ron Blodgett.
Blodgett, also a Monte Vista dad, had been stationed in Bagram, Afghanistan. He was able to obtain a flag that the Flying Tigers flew on Sept. 11, 2013, in honor of the terror attack victims and first responders.
The same flag was aboard an Air Force A-10 fighter aircraft during an Afghanistan combat mission and Blodgett obtained it and a certificate signed by the pilot.
The certificate states, “This American Flag was flown on 11 September 2013 in honor of the Monte Vista Mountain Lions.”
Blodgett later presented the flag and certificate to the school.
By PAUL MARYNIAK
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
It may not be as uncomfortable as an end-of-life discussion, but it can be just as traumatic for all concerned.
But telling an elderly parent or loved one that it’s time to give up their car keys can be a life-saving necessity, says the owner of Home Instead Senior Care. The Mesa-based provider that has launched a program in the East Valley and Ahwatukee, called “Let’s Talk about Driving,” to help guide adult children and their aging parents in having that sitdown.
“The idea of giving up driving completely sparks a range of emotions in senior drivers—everything from anger, to anxiety and loneliness,” said Mahnaz Pourian, whose business provides a range of care for homebound seniors. “The emotions current senior drivers most often feel when asked to think about giving up driving are frustration, helplessness and depression.”
Home Instead has developed a website, LetsTalkAboutDriving.com, that presents scenarios depicting different senior driving situations as well as tips and suggestions on how to start the conversation. Additionally, its representatives help facilitate “the talk.” Families can use the site to work with their aging loved ones to assess their driving and then find resources that will help them “have the talk.”
Age-related disabilities ranging from dementia to a deterioration in motor skills can make an elderly driver a menace on the road.
In the most recent study available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that in 2012, there were almost 36 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in the United States. An average of 586 were injured every day in crashes.
That worked out to 5,560 fatalities among older adults and more than 214,000 injuries. Last year in Arizona, 167 motorists over
64 years of age were among the 895 killed in accidents, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Of the 53,554 insured, 2,637 were older than 64, ADOT said.
Statistics like that underscore the need for children to pay attention to signs that their aging parent may not be road-ready any longer.
“As adults, we don’t hesitate to talk to our teenage children about driving, but when we need to address concerns with our own parents, we drop the ball,” said Elin Schold Davis, who coordinates an “older driver initiative” for the American Occupational Therapy Association.
“It’s not easy for seniors to ask for help from others, and the loss of various abilities that help them stay mobile usually happens gradually,” she said. “Often it’s not until a ‘close call’ event occurs before we get called in.”
Pourian cited studies showing that North Americans ages 70 and older “aren’t ready to give up the car keys.”
“A majority are still very active on the road,” she said. “Seniors overwhelmingly depend on having a car and driving. This gives them freedom to do what they want, when they want. More than 90 percent of seniors over 70 rely on the independence they get from driving.”
Independence is a primary goal of Home Instead Senior Care’s work with seniors and their families.
“For our clients, our primary goal is to help them stay as independent as possible as they age from the comfort of their home,” Pourian said. “And for many seniors, the ability to drive is a key component of their sense of independence. We have to respect that sense of independence that is associated with driving, while making sure families are safe on the road. That’s why we need to be proactively talking.”
It might be time to get the keys if …
Home Instead Senior Care cites 10 warning signs alerting people to the possibility that it might be time for their parent or other elderly loved one to stop driving:
• Mysterious dents. If an older adult can’t explain what happened to his or her car, or you notice multiple instances of damage, further investigation is needed.
• Trouble turning to see when backing up. Aging may compromise mobility and impact
important movements needed to drive safely. Newer vehicles offer backup cameras and assistive technologies that can help.
• Confusing the gas and brake pedals. Dementia can lead to a senior being confused about how a car operates.
• Increased irritation and agitation when driving. Poor health or chronic pain can trigger increased agitation that may, in turn, lead to poor judgment on the road.
• Bad calls on left-hand turns. Many accidents occur where there is an unprotected left turn (no turning arrow).
Parking gone awry. Difficulty parking, including parallel parking, could cause damage to an older adult’s vehicle as well as to those around it.
• Difficulty staying within the lanes. If you’ve spotted a driver zigzagging along the road, it could be a sign that fatigue or
vision problems are making it difficult to stay on course.
• Delayed reaction and response time.
• Driving too fast or too slow may be indicators that a driver’s judgment may be impaired.
• Riding the brake could be a sign that a driver no longer has confidence in his or her skills.
By Paul Maryniak
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
Ahwatukee hikers who enjoy South Mountain can look forward to major improvements over the next two years in parking, restroom accommodations and other amenities at three well-used trailheads.
The city has scheduled projects at Foothills Trailhead in Ahwatukee as well as the Beverly Canyon and Pima Canyon trailheads while improvements at a fourth, the 19th Avenue South Trailhead, are still being planned.
“It’s all about the open space and giving people access to it,” said Sal DiCiccio as he looked out at South Mountain from the Foothills Trailhead off Desert Foothills Parkway, which last underwent transformation in 2009.
“Every city that has a great park makes visitors feel like they want to live there, and that’s what these improvements help to do for South Mountain and Phoenix,” he added.
The projects for the three trailheads, planned for next year and 2018, are aimed at hikers and nearby neighborhoods alike, DiCiccio noted.
Replacing portable toilets with permanent restrooms alone can make a big difference.
He explained that hikers, particularly women, don’t like portable toilets or
letting their children use them.
“So they could be tempted to wait until they’re somewhere else in the neighborhood,” he said.
Parking hassles tend to create even more friction between hikers and nearby residents.
It’s irritating enough for neighbors when long lines of cars are waiting for
an opening to develop, especially on the weekend. But then add the impatient users who simply park on a residential street, and tempers begin rising.
“All this is about quality of life,” DiCiccio said, noting that more-welcoming trailheads not only make hikers happy but offer the amenities that help keep peace between them and nearby residents.
The Foothills Trailhead is a good example.
In the early part of the 21st century, it only offered 39 parking spaces, and little else.
In 2009, the city more than doubled that number to 83 spaces, and added a ramada, chilled drinking fountain and 16 trees APS donated after salvaging them from a utility project in north Phoenix, city landscape architect Jarod Rogers said.
It was an upgrade for a project that was DiCiccio’s first as a councilman in 1994, when the trailhead was created as a result of a land swap with the nowdefunct home builder Del Webb, which gave the city the 12 acres of land.
Working with the nearby neighborhoods, the city also put up a tall berm along the parkway to shield the parking lot from homes across the street.
But now, the trailhead is “deteriorating from normal wear and tear, age, weathering and lack of maintenance,” according to city documents, adding that it is “currently heavily used and in need of additional facilities.”
In 2018, it will undergo an estimated $654,000 in renovations that include a permanent restroom, two new ramadas, concrete benches, interpretative signage and vegetation.
>> See TRAILHEADS on page 25
FOOTHILLS NEWS STAFF
Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio is forming a committee to study openspace preservation in Ahwatukee. Spurred by controversies involving golf course communities, particularly the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club, DiCiccio said he is working with Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee Chad Blostone to determine if the group should be part of that panel or a separate, informal entity.
He said he is seeking concerned residents to join the group.
“I feel like our community is under threat and people aren’t seeing it,” DiCiccio said. “Every homeowners association is tied together on the planning committee now and I want them working on solutions. We see the problems, but how do we get
ahead of that?”
Rana Lashgari, his chief of staff, said “anyone is welcome” to join the panel, and that ideally it would “be a good mix from all the various neighborhoods— residents, experts, community leaders, and so on.”
DiCiccio said the group would play an important role in determining Ahwatukee’s future.
“We have to start thinking about how we solve this long term,” he said. “The thing I care most about is preserving open space. I don’t want every inch of this community developed. It would dramatically change the quality of life in the community.”
DiCiccio has been a vocal critic of how the now-closed Ahwatukee Lakes course has been handled and plans by its
current owner, True Life Companies, to build an urban-agriculture development called Ahwatukee Farms.
That plan calls for 267 single-family homes, a community farm, two lakes, a private Montessori school, farmers market and a café on the 103-acre site on both sides of South 44th Street between Warner and Knox roads.
True Life is trying to get homeowners in the community to approve a change in the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions governing the course. The company needs approval from 50 percent plus one of the approximate 5,200 Lakes homeowners.
DiCiccio disputed True Life’s claims that 30 percent of Ahwatukee Farms would be open space.
“They’re including schools, sidewalks
>> See OPEN SPACEon page 25
Kyrene Early Education Resource Center at Kyrene de las Lomas Elementary School in Ahwatukee started on Monday a weekly play day for children under 5 years old as part of an array of programs this fall aimed at preparing kids for kindergarten.
“Research has shown that play im-
pacts everything from physical abilities and vocabulary to problem solving, creativity, teamwork and empathy,” said center director Irma Horton. Register 480-541-1526 or ihorton@kyrene.org.
Residents in the Ahwatukee community of Lakewood will have a chance tonight to discuss their concerns about crime with Phoenix Police Officer Chad Williamsen, who works in the department’s community programs section.
Williamsen will meet with them at 6:30 p.m. at Pecos Community Center, 17010 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee.
Kyrene School District’s Community Education Kids Club, Early Learning Center and After Hours staff will host a book fair and a series of reading activities for children and parents 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday at the Barnes & Noble store in Chandler Fashion center.
Events include a story time with crafts and Curious George at 11 a.m. and a Batman photo booth and related activities at 2 p.m. Kids can wear costumes to the latter event.
Other activities include: Vex Robotics, Makey Makey, Ozobot, Dash Robot, and littleBits demonstrations, face painting and a Lego wall.
A percentage of Barnes & Noble purchases will be divided among all 25 Kyrene schools. People who cannot attend can support the event Saturday through Sept. 22 at bb.com/ bookfairs. Bopok store patrons are asked to use Bookfair ID 11938305 at checkout.
Because blood supplies typically plummet by as much as 75 percent over Labor Day weekend, United Blood Services has scheduled three drives next month.
Donors can make an appointment at 1-877-827-4376 or www.BloodHero.com (enter your city or ZIP code).
The drive dates are: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, St. Benedict Catholic Church, 16223 S. 48th St.; and 7:30-11:30 a.m. Sept. 20, Desert Vista High School, 16440 S. 32nd St.
Tickets are on sale for Mayor Greg Stanton’s address 8 a.m. Sept. 30 at the Four Points by Sheraton Ahwatukee, 10831 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee.
Stanton is scheduled to discuss the Phoenix business climate and his goals for
2017. A moderated question-and-answer session will follow.
Tickets are $45 for chamber members, $55 for nonmembers. Purchase: ahwatukeechamber.com or 480-753-7676.
The Ahwatukee Republican Women will be hosting an “open table” discussion at its 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27 meeting at Four Points by Sheraton South Mountain, 10831 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee.
The event is a discussion version of speed dating.
People can share their thoughts and opinions about topics with elected officials and/or candidates at tables, each one assigned a topic randomly. The discussion lasts 10 minutes, and then guests move on to another candidate or official at another table with another topic.
Candidates who want to attend should email jenniferszatkowski@hotmail.com.
State Rep. Jill Norgaard, R-Ahwatukee, recently spoke on a panel at the Read On
Arizona Summit in Phoenix. The summit was aimed at promoting early literacy and examining the steps needed to make thirdgrade reading proficiency a reality for Arizona¹s children.
Last week, Norgaard also hosted a twoday booth at the First Things First Summit, launching a statewide dyslexia awareness campaign. She said she is also helping to develop pilot programs for dyslexic preschool children.
South Mountain Community College will hold “An Evening with the STARS” to raise money for the Students Transforming to Achieve Radiant Success scholarship fund at 7:30 p.m. Friday at its campus.
Highlighting the evening will be a performance by the Harmony Project Phoenix, a research-based multi-year mentoring program for low-income youth that uses music for positive development and social inclusion.
Also performing will be Johnny K and Kompany performing oldies from the '50s, '60s, and '70s.
Tickets are $25. Purchase: mcccdf.org/ colleges/smcc/stars-event.
By Mike Butler
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
When Carl Hermanns and his wife, Jeanne Powers, moved from San Diego in 2001 to teach at ASU, they were attracted to Tempe’s ranch houses and the established Meyer Park neighborhood especially.
The emerald-green lawn in front of their new home seemed out of place in the desert, though.
“It looked like a back-east kind of lawn,” Carl said.
Jeanne was more blunt.
“It was ugly.”
In the last couple of decades, much of the Valley has shifted from grassy lawns to xeriscaping, Gilbert Water Conservation Specialist Haley Paul said. It saves water, and it shows an appreciation for the natural desert.
Knowing little about desert plants and xeriscaping themselves, Carl and Jeanne joined the Desert Botanical Garden. They also took a class from the City of Tempe, taught by Ron Dinchak, longtime Life Science teacher at Mesa Community College and designer of the award-winning Xeriscape Demonstration Garden on campus.
Under Dinchak’s guidance, Carl and Jeanne devoted a hot summer to killing their Bermuda grass lawn with herbicides. When they were sure it was dead, a contractor came in with a Bobcat and scraped it off. He also created small hills and contours to add interest and to collect rainwater.
A flagstone path bisects the front yard. A cascalote tree, which erupts in showy yellow spikes in fall-winter months, anchors one side of the north-facing front yard. A feathery sweet acacia presides over the other half of the yard.
With the trees set, Carl and Jeanne planted Southwest stalwarts such as desert milkweed, Arizona yellow bells, brittlebush, ruellia, bird of paradise and fairy dusters.
In the backyard, the couple kept a venerable olive tree and planted a fig tree. Creosote and hop bushes and other lowwater shrubs provide a lush backdrop for accent plants such as candelilla and slipper flowers. In summer and prolonged periods of drought, a drip irrigation system keeps the plants in good health.
“There hasn’t been a day we haven’t been glad we did it,” Carl said. “It’s pretty. It looks like it belongs here.”
Over in the McCormick Ranch section of Scottsdale, Walter Thurber and his
wife went through a similar xeriscaping learning curve when they moved from the suburbs of Philadelphia in the 1990s. After dumping the front lawn, the Thurbers landscaped specifically to attract birds.
Hummingbirds love their namesake chuparosas, while other feathered friends are drawn to desert hackberry, fourwing saltbush, little-leaf cordia, wolfberry and fairy duster. The Thurbers kept a small patch of lawn in the backyard, which their dogs enjoy, but also created a 425-gallon pond—another bird magnet.
Walter said he’s catalogued 70 different species of birds that have visited the garden. “And this is a very built-up area.”
The Thurbers’ garden has been a Tour de Bird stop in past years, the Desert Rivers Audubon Society’s popular East Valley garden tour. This year’s tour will be Nov. 5.
– Reach Mike Butler at 480-898-6581 or at mbutler@ahwatukee.com.
We think of these as Arizona plants; you see them everywhere. But they are actually non-native to our desert and, surprisingly, don’t belong here. They don’t thrive as well as native flora and often require more water than is optimal, or are less heat-resistant than they need to be:
• Queen palm trees
• Ficus trees
• Grass
• Hibiscus
• Gardenia
• Cottonwood trees
• Oleander
• Agave
• Prickly pear cactus
• Ocotillo cactus
Here are plants that you may not realize require little water and are suitable for planting in the Valley:
• Fruitless olive tree
• Afghan pine
• Shoestring acacia
• Texas ebony
• Wooly butterfly bush
• Desert lavender
• Wolfberry bush
• Cape aloe
• Beargrass
• Slipper flower
The Phoenix Water Services Department schedules various classes related to xeriscaping. Information: www.phoenix.gov/waterservices/ resourcesconservation/workshops
THURSDAY, SEPT. 15
A series of three workshops begins today and continues Sept. 29 and Nov. 29 for parents who can learn about eight weeks of award-winning books to read with their child at home. Sponsored by the Kyrene Early Education Resource Center, the program helps build a reading routine at home while teaching techniques to foster language and early literacy development.
DETAILS>> 9-10:30 a.m. Kyrene de las Lomas, 11820 S. Warner-Elliot Loop, Ahwatukee. Registration required: www.kyrene.org/earlyed.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 20
“First Strokes - A Handwriting Guide,” sponsored by Kyrene Early Education Resource Center, is a workshop that will provide background on fine motor, visual motor, visual motor and sensory motor development and how these skills are needed to participate fully and functionally in the task of handwriting. Development progression of pre-writing skills leading up to writing letters and numbers will be demonstrated. Tips for teaching children how to write (manuscript and cursive) and tricks for helping with difficulties will be discussed.
DETAILS>> 9:30-11 a.m., Kyrene de las Lomas, 11820 S. Warner-Elliot Loop, Ahwatukee. Registration required: www.kyrene.org/earlyed
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21
The South Mountain Park and Preserve Trails Master Plan is the subject of a public workshop next week.
City staffers will discuss feedback they have received and how this information was used to help identify planning zones and conceptual trail alignments.
DETAILS>> 6-8 p.m. Pecos Community Center, 17010 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee.
Kyrene Early Education Resource Center is offering a bilingual story time for kids 2 to 5 years old as an introduction to the Spanish language through fun, interactive activities using books, puppets, music, and crafts.
DETAILS>> 9:30-10:30 a.m., Kyrene de las Lomas, 11820
S. Warner-Elliot Loop, Ahwatukee. Register: http:// www.kyrene.org/earlyed.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 27
The Kyrene Early Education Resource Center is holding a workshop that enables parents and caregivers to understand the five critical emotional needs of all human beings; to feel accepted, included, respected, important, and secure. The workshop covers social and emotional development of children from birth to teens.
DETAILS>> 9-11 a.m., Kyrene de las Lomas, 11820 S. Warner-Elliot Loop, Ahwatukee. Registration required: http://www.kyrene.org/earlyed.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28
Baby sign language is a way to communicate by using hand gestures, and Kyrene Early Education Resource Center, in conjunction with Desert Valley Pediatric, is offering a workshop to provide a glimpse into a
Wednesday, Sept. 14: 10:00 am
Thursday, Sept. 15: 6:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 19: 6:00 pm Thursday, Sept. 22: 6:00 pm Monday, Sept. 26: 1:00 pm Wednesday, Sept. 28: 6:00 pm Thursday, Sept. 29: 6:00 pm
baby’s world by helping parents communicate with their pre-verbal infant.
DETAILS>> 9:30-10:30 a.m., Kyrene de las Lomas, 11820 S. Warner-Elliot Loop, Ahwatukee. Register: www. kyrene.org/earlyed.
ONGOING MONDAYS
Open Playday is held through Dec. 19 by the Kyrene Early Education Resource Center to help children explore and make sense of the world around them.
DETAILS>> 9-11 a.m. Kyrene de las Lomas, 11820 S. Warner-Elliot Loop, Ahwatukee. Register: http://www. kyrene.org/earlyed.
The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group is open to chamber members.
DETAILS>> Noon, Native Grill and Wings, 5030 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee. Call Devida Lewis 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 and to address the challenges people affected by MS.
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.
The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group is open to chamber members.
DETAILS>> 8-9 a.m., Four Points by Sheraton, 10831 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee. Call Devida Lewis at 480-753-7676.
Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori holds an open house weekly. It includes a short talk about Montessori education, followed by a tour of its campus.
DETAILS>> 4 p.m. Wednesdays, 3221 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Information: 480-759-3810
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.
An informal, relaxed social organization of about 90 women living in the Ahwatukee Foothills/Club West >> See CALENDAR on page 25
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 FoothillsWomensClub.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 at 602-827-8200, ext. 348, or email rcarter@cals.arizona.edu.
DETAILS>> 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: ld18democrats.org/meetings or ld18demsinfo@gmail.com. Free and open to the public.
Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has a networking and leads group is open to chamber members.
DETAILS>> 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Radisson Hotel, 7475 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. Call Devida Lewis at 480753-7676.
THURSDAYS
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.
>> From page 19
The design and even the colors of all the new ramadas and restrooms at all trailheads are designed to be more in tune with their desert surroundings.
“They’re working this down to the finest detail so nothing clashes with the immediate environment,” DiCiccio said.
Pima Canyon Trailhead is scheduled to undergo nearly $2.2 million in renovations next year. Like Foothills, it too has sustained considerable wear and tear, city reports say.
“Many of the trail entrances are inadequately marked and indiscernible,” one report states. “The current restroom is in poor condition and undersized.”
The project calls for lighting, a new
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 offers business owners as chance to get involved and network. Open to chamber members and nonmembers.
DETAILS>> 8 a.m. Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 140. For information, call Shannon Kinsman at 480-753-7676.
Free child care for ages 0 to 5.
DETAILS>> 9 a.m. second and fourth Thursday, Foothills Baptist Church, 15450 S. 21st St. Call Kim at 480-759-2118, ext. 218.
FRIDAYS
This chamber-exclusive Chapter of the International Toastmasters club boasts professional development skills. Become the speaker and leader you want to be with Ahwatukee Chamber Toastmasters Club.
DETAILS>> 8-9 a.m., First American Title Conference Room, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., #100, Ahwatukee. Call Devida Lewis at 480-753-7676.
SATURDAYS
DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m. Ahwatukee Alzheimer’s Support Group meets the first Saturday of the month at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St. Bosom Buddies slates meetings
Chandler/Ahwatukee breast feeding group meets regularly.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m. to noon, second Saturday of every month. Morrison Boardroom next to Chandler Regional Medical Center, 1875 W. Frye Road, Chandler. Contact Patti Lynch at 480-893-8900 or tomklynch@ msn.com or Cele Ludig at 480-330-4301.
— Email calendar items to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com
— Check us out and like the Ahwatukee Foothills News on Facebook and AhwatukeeFN on Twitter.
restroom with a connection to the nearby neighborhood’s sewer system, landscaping and new ramada covers. Improvements are also planned for movement of vehicles and pedestrians and the equestrian parking area.
Nearly $500,000 in upgrades are scheduled in 2018 for the Beverly Canyon Trailhead, where damage from normal wear and tear has been exacerbated by storm water runoff into the parking lot, according to city records.
That trailhead is slated to get two new ramadas, benches, better interpretive signage, lighting and extensive landscaping.
Many of those same improvements are scheduled for the 19th Avenue South Trailhead, DiCiccio said, although city parks staff has not yet developed a timeline for their implementation.
By Linda Rominger AFN GUEST WRITER
Many Ahwatukee neighbors don’t know there is a community garden in Ahwatukee at 4700 E. Warner Road wedged between the golf course, the basketball court and the batting cages.
Yet, the garden has been slowly growing for a little over four years, thanks to the generosity of the Ahwatukee Board of Management, and a group of gardeners interested in sharing good times, great produce and gardening experimentation.
Five years ago, local horticulturist Star Heilman started planning to bring a community garden to Ahwatukee. The original plan was to create a resource to provide fresh produce for our local food bank, but food banks have a difficult time making use of perishables, and our garden space is inadequate to provide a large crop of one type of vegetable.
The mission has changed to an emphasis on building community and sharing information, while planting and maintaining a desert garden.
Singapore resident Fong Yoke Hiong, right, learned how to work compost in a garden from Carol Long of Ahwatukee.
We have a community work session at the garden at 7 a.m. every Sunday from May to October, and starting at 8 a.m. the rest of the year. Sessions last about 2 hours. Since we are an open community with no residence restrictions or fees, everyone is invited to drop by when they want.
It’s always a surprise as to who will be attending each work session and exactly what will be done.
I, Kelly Athena, Linda Tate, Bob Korhely, and Bill Felton might have something they want to try that they
learned at a recent University of Master Gardener Update class. The five are University of Arizona Maricopa County Extension Master Gardeners. Deb Lamont might share a story about gardening on an allotment in England. Om Vadwha might have some seeds to plant that he hopes will grow as well here, as they do in India. Chad Chadderton might be by to prune. Carol Long might bring a new neighbor or to learn about desert gardening, first hand.
Neighbors stop by before shopping at the Farmers’ Market. Some people drop by to contribute saved seed to the seed library, or to get seeds for their home garden. Others come with garden questions or because they want to try desert gardening with group support before they try it at home. Children drop by to see what’s growing and if there are any ripe carrots, grapes, or peas, which are their favorites.
They might taste some of edible flowers which we use to entice pollinators and neighbors to the garden. Boy Scouts have been another integral part of the garden. To date, six boys have earned their Eagle
>> See GARDEN on page 27
AHWATUKEE
A cat with the unlikely name of Chairman Meow and a Redbone Coonhound mix are both in need of new owners.
Janelle Cosgriff of Friends for Life Rescue said Chairman Meow is “handsome and personable” and was found as a stray recently, and that “from the looks of him, he may have been getting beat up by the other stray cats in the area where he was found.”
Estimated to be about 2 years old, the cat “enjoys sleeping sprawled out on his back and he enjoys being petted.”
He is neutered, microchipped and tested for FELV/FIV. Information: 480-497-8296, www. azfriends.org, or e-mail fflcats@ azfriends.org.
Meanwhile, Juliette, a 5-year-old Redbone Coonhound mix, “is a playful, energetic girl who would love a family ready to take her hiking, running or swimming,” said Shauna Michael of the Arizona Animal Welfare League.
“He is good with other cats and possibly would do well with dogs,” Cosgriff added. “He is a smart boy and full of personality.”
The chairman’s adoption fee is $85.
>> From page 19
and anything they can as open space,” he said. “Schools aren’t open space.” DiCiccio said he sees the same pattern developing at the Club West golf community that occurred at Ahwatukee Lakes. At Club West, golf course owner Wilson Gee curtailed irrigation to the course and is now being sued by the homeowners association there. It claims that
>> From page 26
Scout rank with garden projects. We still share with the food bank when we can, and we hope that the fruit orchard, planted this spring, will soon be providing a large amount of peaches and figs that we can donate. In these ways, we are growing community while growing the garden! Visit us online for the latest photos and news at ACgarden. org, on Facebook, and Twitter, or contact us at ahwcomgarden@gmail.com We fulfill our informational mission
“Juliette is bursting with personality, and loves to tell you all about herself with her traditional hound baying,” Michael added, saying the dog is set “to go on adventures with an active family.”
The league’s adoption center is at 25 N. 40 St., Phoenix. Information: 602-273-6852 ext.116.
insufficient irrigation and other neglect is ruining the course and violating the CC&Rs governing it. Gee has said he can’t afford the $700,000 water bill for the course.
Gee owned the Lakes course and closed it in 2013, saying he was losing money on it.
“The same tactics used at the Lakes are being used at Club West,” DiCiccio said.
Ahwatukee residents interested in joining the group should contact council. district.6@phoenix.gov or 602-262-7491.
in various ways. This month we are assisting Ironwood Library with the first seed saw 2-3 p.m. Saturday. Our master gardeners will be there to answer your questions about growing and gardening in the Phoenix area. We’ll also have some tips on seed saving. We host an informational booth monthly at the Farmers’ Market. Bring your plant questions and get a few seeds for your home garden from our seed library.
Linda Rominger is a University of Arizona master gardener, 25-year Ahwatukee resident, and current garden director.
By Paul Maryniak
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS EDITOR
When Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton speaks at an Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce breakfast Sept. 30 on the state of the city’s economy, I can’t help but wonder if he’ll also address the state of Ahwatukee as well.
It’s probably hard to worry about three little ZIP codes when you work “tirelessly to build a modern economy that works for every Phoenix family,” as his official biography on the city’s website states.
When the guy is “boosting trade with Mexico, investing in the biosciences, and lifting up local small business,” and “leading the way to create an innovationbased, export economy built to last,” the fate of a couple golf course communities that are home to some 7,500 households probably dims in comparison.
I get that he’s carefully avoided any public pronouncements on the South Mountain Freeway. After all, the Arizona Department of Transportation
For more than three years now, we’ve seen the former Ahwatukee Lakes property lay while a few members of the community have demanded it be nothing but a golf course. There have been no other proposals from this group and no basis for believing that property will ever be a golf course again.
It’s time to move on and analyze the Ahwatukee Farms vision as an option for our community.
I am always skeptical of grand proposals that cover everything, but that doesn’t mean we should outright dismiss them before studying what has been presented. I’ve heard the pros and cons for Ahwatukee Farms in the AFN and I understand some of the concerns people may have about what this community could mean for our neighbors. What I don’t understand is the constant smearing of True Life by elected officials and neighbors that do not have any
considers Phoenix an equal partner in planning the highway, which it says will bring unprecedented economic benefits to the region.
Still, I find it more than a little curious that he’s also avoided much comment on the turmoil facing the Ahwatukee Lakes and Club West golf club communities.
When asked last month about his reaction to True Life Companies’ proposal to replace the Lakes golf course with an urban-agriculture development, Stanton said through his spokesman:
“This new proposal is very early in the process, which starts with the neighborhood and the property owners governed by the CC&Rs, as well as requiring multiple public meetings, before we get to a zoning recommendation. But I look forward to working with the neighborhood and the applicant as this case goes through the public process to get the best possible outcome.”
When the troubles confronting Club West’s golf course emerged later last month, I sent Stanton’s spokesman a series of questions I had hoped he would
address.
Two weeks later, they were addressed — by the spokeswoman for the Water Services Department.
AFN: Given the fact that golf course communities are struggling to maintain their courses so that the people who bought homes adjacent to those courses have the lifestyle they paid a premium for, I asked, is the city studying what can be done?
“The City has been working with several golf courses throughout our water service area that are on potable water system to develop alternative water supplies,” she replied. “Each golf course has different options related to available water supplies (i.e. raw water canals or reclaimed water systems) near their respective golf course.
“Just as with new development that is required to install the necessary infrastructure for water and sewer services, golf courses are required to install any new infrastructure needed to supply new water sources to their golf courses. Furthermore, it should be noted that all customers in our service area pay the same rate per
constructive critiques of the plan and provide no other alternatives.
I’ve found both the packet and website very informative about what True Life would like to do, and the True Life team promptly returned my phone call and explained their vision to me.
I appreciated their honesty about what they would like to do in terms of housing units and the Montessori school and the restrictions they have voluntarily put on what would be our amended deed restrictions.
We are signing the consent form because this is just the first step in the process of determining what will be the future of this property. I am tired of listening to elected officials and neighbors who say no to everything and don’t live in reality. This is a good first step and we should allow True Life to move to the next step, where the community will have even more input on Ahwatukee Farms.
-Edward Corona
Arizona is a national leader in Dark Money campaign spending.
In 2014, $15 million in dark (undisclosed) money was spent on Arizona political campaigns. Outrageous!
Then the 2016 GOP legislature passed Senate Bill SB1516, making it even easier for “non-profits” to hide political contributions, and removing all criminal penalties for campaign funding violations. Not one Democrat in our Legislature voted for SB1516. Every Republican in the state Senate and all but four GOP’s present in the House voted aye.
Governor Ducey quickly signed this “Dark Money Protection Act.“ A Referendum to refer SB1516 to the November ballot failed to garner the necessary signatures. But the fight isn’t over.
Vote pro-Dark Money legislators out of office on Nov. 8, so Arizona can require disclosure of dark money and restore
gallon of potable water. Reduced rates are available if non-potable water is supplied.”
AFN:Ok, I also asked: What is the city doing in terms of at least understanding the problem and how many communities in Phoenix are affected?
“Since each golf course is unique in the water sources available in their area,” came the reply, “each solution must be customized to the needs of the golf course and/or surrounding area
“The City has seen some golf courses close, some redevelop a portion of the golf course, and some have developed alternative water supplies to potable water. There are only a handful of golf courses on the potable water system,” she concluded.
AFN: All right, then there was this question: Is this an issue worth the city's attention, given that we are talking about neighborhood quality of life?
“The City is always concerned about our residents’ quality of life. However, we are also concerned about fair and
>> See PHOENIX MAYOR on page 32
lower contribution limits in political campaigns. I am supporting Democrats Mitzi Epstein for State House and Sean Bowie for State Senate in my Legislative District 18 and NOT voting for GOP House incumbents Jill Norgaard (yes SB1516) and Bob Robson (absent SB1516), both of whom have supported higher contribution limits and received $80,000 of dark money support in 2014’s election.
-Patrick Schiffer
I’ve followed much of the discussion regarding Ahwatukee Farms over the past month and I believe it is time to stop with the empty threats and fear tactics used by too many when it comes to the future of the property.
When I received a packet in the mail from Ahwatukee Farms asking for my signature, I had lots of questions about
>> See LETTERS on page 32
By Rob Samour
Thirteen years of public involvement helped shape plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, and there’s more opportunity to provide input as the Arizona Department of Transportation unveils some of the preliminary design plans for the 22-mile corridor.
With ADOT preparing to begin construction, community members can continue providing feedback and seeking information by attending meetings, connecting online and using other resources.
Beginning later this month, ADOT will host three public meetings to provide details and seek input on preliminary design plans:
open letter
the
Thank you for reaching out to the public for input on the upcoming South Mountain Freeway. I am writing you as a citizen who lives in the area and will be impacted firsthand by this freeway. We all understand this freeway is coming “for better or worse,” but I’m glad to see you’ll do everything within your power to make it “for better.”
I ask that the South Mountain Freeway be built to be below grade throughout and that any/all intersections be at grade level and not elevated.
Those of us from Laveen to Ahwatukee deserve a freeway of the same or better environmental and quality of life impact level as all the other Loop 101 and Loop 202 freeway sections across the Phoenix metro area.
At a recent Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Meeting a representative from the City of Phoenix, Eileen Yazzie, outlined specifically what the ADOT spokesman Brock Barnhart would not. That is, the fact that you have changed the design build from the initial at-or-below-grade design to at-or-above-grade design. It was also made clear that these changes were done at the request of the C202P
Sept. 27, Desert Vista High School, Multipurpose Room, 16440 S. 32nd St., Ahwatukee.
Sept. 28, Betty Fairfax High School, Multipurpose Room, 8225 S. 59th Ave., Laveen
Oct. 6, Fowler Elementary School, Multipurpose Room, 6707 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix
The meetings, which are scheduled from 6-8 p.m. (presentations starting at 6:30 p.m.), will provide information on the freeway’s location, profile, interchange configurations and noise barrier locations, as well as initial concepts for landscaping and visual appearance.
The preliminary design has been updated since it was circulated for
public comment along with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2013.
More public meetings will be held later this year to share final design and construction plans and to provide more information on what to expect during construction.
As with any project, our goals are informing and listening to the public. We continue to seek input from all members of the community, including those living in the immediate area of the freeway and those who might otherwise be impacted.
Among the ways you can connect:
Online: SouthMountainFreeway.com Email: SouthMountainFreewayInfo@ c202p.com
Phone: 1-855-763-5202), or para Español, 623-239-4558
The latest project information is available via the project website at SouthMountainFreeway.com, email and text updates (click “Subscribe for Updates” on the project website), the project hotline numbers and newspaper advertising.
We hope to see many of you at the upcoming meetings and look forward to opening the freeway corridor by the end of 2019.
contractor in the interest of saving money, more specifically meaning maximizing their profits. She also mentioned that the Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher sent a letter of protest “using the strongest possible language” and “very serious concerns” in opposition to these changes.
I too would like to use the strongest possible language: Please do not put corporate greed and profit over the longterm quality of life of the citizens who have to live near and around the South Mountain Freeway.
We are here for the long term as is the freeway. C202P’s only interest is to minimize the initial freeway build cost while also minimizing the long-term maintenance costs.
If the issue is one of cost, then please delay the project. Wait a few more years to aggregate additional tax revenues to build this project the right way. Build it in sections as the budget allows. Open the freeway in phases, much in the way that Pecos Road has been improved and lengthened over time.
There are many possible options to ensure mutual ADOT and local resident compatibility and success. But going
“cheap” to avoid additional excavation puts the commercial build partner ahead of the citizens.
Go ahead and build the freeway, just give the people who live around the South Mountain Freeway path the same respect that you’ve given our East Valley neighbor, the San Tan Freeway.
We ask for nothing more than what you’ve set as a Phoenix metro freeway precedent. That’s clearly a reasonable, sensible position for all of us.
I do want to share my enthusiastic support for the planned parallel multiuse trail. You’ll see it’s always a hot bed of citizen recreation from running to biking.
In fact, it has hosted the Arizona Senior Olympics, US Olympic Team Luge tryouts, and many other fantastic, healthy outdoor activities.
While people won’t enjoy breathing in the tremendous increase in heavy duty over-the-road commercial truck diesel emissions, perhaps light weekend traffic can help this area retain its image for being an outdoor training mecca and one
of the few accessible places in Phoenix with some decent elevation changes. I thank you for your consideration and for incorporating these freeway design inputs into the final build design. It will still yield a freeway full of east/west tractor trailers, but at least we can live with it.
Five years from now, I won’t have to explain to my kids how the South Mountain Freeway became such a Phoenix freeway system eyesore and Arizona DOT embarrassment. I’ll instead point out the beautiful artistic touches that line the ramps, similar to what the Pima Freeway has so tastefully accomplished.
I’ll show them how you can use design to blend what historically is a nuisance and landscape blemish into the desert built environment. I’ll be able to talk about how the Arizona Department of Transportation took citizen public input to heart and put the people first. I can’t wait to see that freeway in our future.
-Jim St. Leger
>> From page 30
equitable City services including water and sewer rates. All customers, residential and business, pay the exact same volumetric price for water.
“We also have a duty to our rate payers to ensure they do not pay for new infrastructure. Just as with new development that is required to install the necessary infrastructure for water and sewer services, golf courses are required to install any new infrastructure needed to supply new water sources to their golf course.”
AFN: I also wanted to know, Has any thought been given to taking this to an intergovernmental body involving other municipalities in the Valley, since this issue likely affects other courses and the communities that were built around them?
“We have heard that other valley cities are experiencing similar issues and are requiring the same type of infrastructure requirements.”
I went on to ask about reclaimed water and whether Club West could benefit now as it did before Phoenix tore down a nearby treatment plant — long before Stanton was mayor, by the way.
First I was told:
“Millions of gallons of reclaimed
water from Phoenix’s wastewater treatment plant are pumped into the 480 acres of wetlands daily. The water ultimately flows into the river bottom where it becomes a wildlife paradise for the hundreds of species of waterfowl, mammals and amphibians that call the wetlands their home.”
AFN:
AFN: Well, what about the community that some 2,650 Club West households call their home? you might wonder. I did ask: Is there any physical way of extending such a service to Ahwatukee, particularly Club West?
“No, the City’s reclaimed system is located north of the Central Arizona Project canal. The only exceptions are for the reclaimed water provided to irrigation companies in the far West Valley, and the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Plant for power generation.”
I didn’t expect the mayor would necessarily have the solution to the two golf communities’ problems. But I guess I was naïve in expecting some words of understanding or comfort – or at least something beyond a well-written script told by bureaucrats.
But then, maybe he’s saving those words for the Chamber of Commerce breakfast.
>> From page 30
the project. The pictures looked nice and a community-supported agriculture feature seemed interesting, but I wanted more information about the process. After visiting the Ahwatukee Farms website, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the process and why I should sign the consent form.
Many people are forgetting this is only the first step of a long process. The complete CC&R amendment can be found on the website, which states the new restrictions on the consent form and why Ahwatukee Farms will be kept to those restrictions when filing a zoning case. This is not a blank check; these are new, strict restrictions that limit what can be done on the property.
People need to understand that the zoning case, where we can make our voices heard about density and other concerns, will not happen unless we sign the consent form. The land will continue to be an eyesore and our property values will not improve. I am signing the consent form and urging my neighbors to do the same because this is only the first step of a community discussion to revitalize our neighborhood.
-Lee McAllister
By Chuck Corbin AFN GUEST WRITER
Universal public education is generally regarded as a principal reason for the rise of the United States as a world leader.
At the end of his first term, President George Washington called for a “public education system.”
Both Washington and Thomas Jefferson saw educating the general public — including the poor — important for participation in the new U. S. democracy. But the success of free community public schools can only be as good as the support that we provide. In Arizona, essential financial support for education is lacking, particularly in the last decade.
In 2000, the voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 301 that increased the sales tax to provide additional funding for public education. The intent was to supplement the funds generated by school property taxes and tax money from the general fund.
As it turned out, the funding for education from the general fund decreased after Proposition 301. This effectively diverted funds that the public earmarked for education to other
purposes (often tax cuts for business).
In addition, the legislature failed to provide 301 inflation funding. In 2014, Judge Katherine Cooper ruled that the millions of dollars in inflation funding must be restored by the Legislature.
This year voters were asked to approve Proposition 123 to pay for the inflation funding that the Legislature failed to provide. Rather than providing money from the general fund, the Legislature (and governor) asked the public to take the money from the education trust.
Again the public was asked to bail out a Legislature that has consistently failed to use our tax money to fund free community public schools.
Now we are told that 123 is just the first step in improved funding for education in Arizona. Is it? If so what is the next step?
The facts indicate that additional funding for education is essential.
Our state currently ranks 49th in pupilto-teacher ratio, last among states in perpupil funding, and worst for supporting teachers. Over the last decade, Arizona was third in real salary decline for teachers (-7.6 percent).
This occurred in spite of voter support for an additional sales tax and an increase in money from the education trust.
This clearly shows that lack of financial support from our Legislature. As the public taxes itself for better education funding, actual funding decreases.
Many districts are currently using old text books, have need for building repairs, and repair of buses. These are only a few of the needs that additional funding could remedy.
It should also be noted that over the last two decades many important programs have been dropped or drastically cut (often to one day a week in elementary schools). Examples include music, art, and physical education. All three are among students’ favorite subjects in elementary school and provide a reason to come to school for many children.
In addition, schools (including Kyrene), use these programs as indicators of the quality of their schools, as evidenced by ads in this newspaper. They deserve to have earmarked funding for their restoration.
Currently six candidates ask us to elect them to the senate or house from our district: Sean Bowie and Frank Schmuck (Senate); Mitzi Epstein, Linda Macias, Jill Norgaard, and Bob Robson (House). All of these candidates list education as a top priority. This is not new. Each
election education is championed, but action rarely follows.
Before we cast our votes, we should ask each candidate very specific questions. General statements that “education is my number 1 priority” no longer suffice. We need to make it clear that to earn our vote, each candidate must answer these questions and other like them:
What specific bills will you introduce, sponsor, or co-sponsor to provide additional funding for public education?
What amount of funding do you propose and what will the funding be earmarked for (e.g., salaries, educational support, music, art and physical education)?
How will you work with other legislators to pass your legislation?
Will you resist efforts to make budget decisions in closed sessions without public input? If so, how?
Will you post specific answers to these questions on your website or speak to them in articles in the Ahwatukee Foothills News?
We, the voters have done our part. Now we must use our votes to make sure that the legislature does its part!
Chuck Corbin has had a career in public education for over 50 years and is a 30 year Ahwatukee resident.
AHNWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS STAFF
Ever wonder about what goes into a shopping cart besides groceries?
Ask Jennifer Conroy of Ahwatukee and your stomach might start to get a little queasy.
“Dogs, kids’ shoes, dirty diapers, birds, leftover food, trash … are just a few of the items, other than groceries, that end up inside our shopping carts,” she said. “It’s not just the handle that’s filthy.”
So Conroy has made it her business to help people protect themselves from the consequences of unsanitary carts. And her solution goes way beyond a little antiseptic wipe.
Inspired by her late mother and with the help of her three sisters, Conroy developed the Germseal Shopping Cart Liner, a one-of-a-kind product that envelopes almost the entire cart in a selfcontained, washable bag made of durable hypoallergenic materials.
“The Germseal Shopping Cart Liner covers all cart surfaces you may come into contact with, creating a barrier between dirty carts and your groceries,” Conroy said.
The bag comes with a carrying strap and a zippered pocket for things like grocery lists, a wallet or keys and expands to fit any kind of shopping cart. It also has a child seat cover with a built-in restraint so children can fit in a cart comfortably during a shopping excursion.
Conroy touts her invention as a “germfree environment while you grocery shop” and said the idea was first advanced by her late mother, Debbie McLean of Tucson, a few years ago.
“My mom encountered a very dirty cart while shopping at the grocery store,” she recalled. “We’ve all seen them, cringed and then thoughtlessly put the food we feed to our family in them. She became determined to fix this problem and brought in myself and my sisters for ideas. Her thought was to create a product that could cover not just the handle, but the whole cart.”
For four months, Conroy and her three sisters—Tamara Jamison of Surprise, Kara Valacer of Washington state, and Lisa Hubbard of Oregon—“shared phone calls, created sketches and excitedly worked on our concept,” she said.
Four months into their prototyping, her mom passed away from a stroke.
“After her death, it became a passion to bring this idea to fruition,” Conroy said. “It took a couple years, many patterns
and prototypes to reach the point where we are now, but we made it. It is our privilege to carry our mom’s legacy to keep our food clean and our families healthy.”
She said she and her sisters “worked with local seamstresses to get the pattern down. That was what we used to send to the manufacturing plant to get the first prototypes made.”
Since April, Conroy has been using her Ahwatukee home as the headquarters for Germseal, for which patents are pending.
“We contract the manufacturing to a company based in China,” she said. “Finding a manufacturer was its own issue because we wanted it to be made
in the USA, but could not find any manufacturing plants that could match our price point.”
A four-year resident of Ahwatukee who moved to Phoenix from Tucson 12 years ago, Conroy also owns a medical transcription company that she runs fulltime.
And while she said she markets Germseal “in my spare time,” she’s passionate about the problem it addresses.
“Consumers already know that the carts are dirty,” she said. “Grocery stores are even hinting at that by providing sanitary wipes as you walk in. Most people just wipe down the handle and
maybe the plastic area where a baby would sit, but that is not the only part of a cart that is dirty.
“The basket area where you put your food is laden with bacteria and germs. Ever touch a meat package that was leaking? That leaked onto your shopping cart. Consumer education has to get a little more in depth for our customers to realize how bad this problem actually is,” she added.
Part of that education comes when she goes shopping and uses the Germseal on her own cart.
“When we are in the supermarket, using the product, we get many questions,”
By Jim Walsh AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
The Arizona Attorney’s Office has filed a motion in Maricopa County Superior Court that might eventually result in the dismissal of nearly 1,300 lawsuits against businesses accused of violating the American with Disabilities Act.
The motion seeks to consolidate 1,289 cases, mostly filed against Mesa businesses, into one case. It alleges that the plaintiff lacks standing in court to seek attorney fees.
“If these cases are consolidated, and the state is permitted to intervene as a limited purpose defendant, the state intends to file a motion seeking dismissal of all consolidated cases,” according to the motion filed by Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office.
The motion also requests an expedited ruling, saying that many of the businesses are at risk of getting hit with default judgments that could cost them thousands of dollars and that the plaintiff’s attorney has made statements that he intends to sue 8,000 additional businesses.
Peter Strojnik, the attorney who has filed the suits in behalf of his client, Advocates for American Disabled Individuals, has said his goal is to enforce the landmark civil rights law after government agencies, including the
Attorney General’s Office, failed to do so.
Strojnik said a survey found that 95-97 percent of businesses in Maricopa County violate the ADA and that his organization sent out 42,000 letters to notify business owners that they were in violation.
“What the Attorney General’s Office is doing is to protect the lawbreakers,” he said, not protect the disabled. “I understand that this is now a political issue.”
He said the Attorney General’s Office intervened a few days after a private meeting that included a law firm, the Mesa Chamber of Commerce and state attorneys.
“We will meet with them to see if we can come to common ground,” Strojnik said. “The common ground is to help the disabled community.”
But businesses interpreted the serial suits as a shakedown scheme intended to pry thousands of dollars from them through virtually identical boilerplate suits. The plaintiff generally seeks an out-of-court settlement.
The businesses owners say they support the goals of the ADA to ensure access for the disabled to public accommodations, such as restaurants, hotels and other facilities open to the public.
“This is not about the ADA. This is about them making money,” said Sally
Harrison, president and CEO of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.
She said the Attorney General’s intervention was necessary to protect businesses against predatory tactics.
“I think it’s wonderful. It makes the most sense. It’s the most time and cost effective way to do it,” Harrison said.
Harrison said it is not her role to dispense legal advice, but she has compiled resources to help businesses comply with the law, including consultants who will inspect properties for compliance.
“I have not talked to one person who is against making changes and following the rules,” she said.
The Attorney General’s motion said the suits lack standing for several reasons, including that the plaintiff failed to notify the businesses of purported ADA violations and did not give the businesses an opportunity to correct the violations.
The suits also fail to allege that an actual disabled person was unable to access a business because of deficiencies in complying with the ADA.
The civil rights law, passed in 1990, requires such measures as handicapped parking spaces, signs marking the spaces and ramps that would make it possible for a disabled person enter a building.
“In fact, the complaints fail to allege
that a person with an identified disability ever visited, or expressed an intent to visit the pertinent location, prior to filing the complaint,” the motion said.
The suits filed against the businesses generally cite the same sorts of technical violations of the ADA.
They include handicapped parking signs that are less than 60 inches from the ground; signs that do not say the space is “van accessible;” spaces that do not have the international symbol of accessibility; an insufficient number of handicapped spaces; and improper location of handicapped spaces.
In most cases, the suits seek attorney’s fees of “no less than $5,000.” The ADA does not allow a plaintiff to sue for actual damages resulting from a businesses’ failure to comply.
Defense attorney Lindsay Leavitt, who represents businesses owners, said the suits initially targeted Scottsdale businesses, but that Mesa businesses have been in the bull’s eye since February. The suits have alarmed East Valley business owners, with hundreds attending educational sessions sponsored by the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.
– Reach Jim Walsh at 480-898-5639 or at jwalsh@ahwatukee.com.
NEWS STAFF
Foster children in Arizona are so often placed in care with nothing but the clothes on their back that youngsters treasure even the simplest of items, such as a hairbrush.
And that’s why Kim and Matt Bizzack, owners of Legend Cleaners in Ahwatukee, are conducting a special drive Thursday through Oct. 8.
People who bring items for so-called Dream Kits for Foster Kids will get $5 credit toward the cleaning of any clothing items they bring with them for cleaning.
The donated items, packed into kits by Arizona Helping Hands, include shampoo,
toothbrushes, body wash, deodorant, hairbrushes, combs, drawstring bags, lotion and hair ties.
“We like to help out our community,” said Kim Bizzack, whose business in the past has conducted similar fund drives for the YMCA as well as Arizona Helping Hands.
She said she got the idea for the latest drive when she and her daughter recently helped stuff school back packs for foster kids.
“Arizona Helping Hands told me they are so low on the dream kits that they can hardly give any out,” she said, noting that 30,000 Arizona children in the last 12 months have spent at least one night in foster care.
The dream kits are especially important because 45 percent of all Arizona foster children are placed with people who are relatives or non-licensed providers and therefore receive no government assistance.
“These little items mean so much to these kids,” Kim Bizzack said. “A hairbrush was treasured by a 7-year-
old girl recently as ‘my brush.’” Donors also will be able to enter an Oct. 10 raffle that offers a first prize of $100 in free dry cleaning and a second place prize of $50 in free cleaning.
Both Legend Ahwatukee locations, 1442 E. Chandler Blvd. and 3902 E. Chandler Blvd., are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. MondaySaturday.
Information: 480-460-5343
By Joseph Ortiz
It’s open enrollment season, so if you work for a medium- or large-sized company, you will need to make some choices regarding your employee benefits—and these choices can have a big impact on your financial situation.
Depending on your employer, your benefits package may include various types of insurance, plus access to a 401(k) or similar retirement plan. Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of these benefits:
• Health insurance. Companies regularly change plans and providers, so the coverage and premiums you had last year may not be the same this year.
In any case, look at all aspects of your coverage options – premiums, deductibles, co-pays and total out-of-pocket limits. A lower premium may seem attractive, but you could end up paying even more if the coverage is not as good. So, choose wisely.
• Life insurance. You may want to take whatever life insurance your employer offers, but it still might not be enough. To determine how much you need, consider a variety of factors—your age,
income, family size, spouse’s income, and so on. If your employer’s coverage is insufficient, you may want to supplement it with a separate policy.
• Disability insurance. This could be a valuable employee benefit. But, as is the case with life insurance, your employer’s disability coverage may not be enough for your needs, especially if you’d like to protect yourself against an illness or injury that could sideline you from work for a long time. Consequently, you might want to consider purchasing your own disability policy.
Apart from reviewing your insurance options, you may want to examine your 401(k) or similar retirement plan.
Of course, your employer may allow you to change your 401(k) throughout the year, but you’ve got a particularly good opportunity to do so during open enrollment, when you’re already looking at all your employee benefits.
So look at your contribution level. Are you putting in as much as you can afford? Your 401(k)’s earnings can grow tax deferred, and you typically contribute pretax dollars, so the more you put in, the lower your taxable income for the year. Taxes are due upon withdrawal, and withdrawals made before age 59½ may be
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subject to a 10 percent IRS penalty.
At a minimum, invest enough to earn your employer’s matching contribution, if one is offered. And increase your own contributions whenever you get a raise.
As far as your investment choices, you’ll want to spread your dollars among the different investments within your 401(k) in a way that reflects your risk tolerance and time horizon.
During the early stages of your career, when you have many years to go until you retire, you can probably afford to invest more heavily in growth-oriented accounts.
When you’re nearing retirement, you may want to shift some of your assets into more conservative vehicles—but even at this point, you still need some growth opportunities. After all, you may spend two or three decades in retirement, so you’ll need to draw on as many resources as possible.
Open enrollment isn’t just a time to fill out a bunch of papers. It’s also a chance to reconsider—and maybe even upgrade— many areas of your financial outlook.
– Ahwatukee Foothills Edward Jones Financial Advisor Joseph B. Ortiz, AAMS, CRPS, can be reached at 480-753-7664 or joseph.ortiz@ edwardjones.com.
>> From page 34
she said. “Consumers have never seen a product like this before, are excited and think it is a great idea. They are amazed at how easy it is to put on a cart and then fold back into the bag form.”
She said targeting the product to “anyone who wants to protect their family from sickness, has specific dietary needs or severe allergies and those with a compromised immune system.”
Currently, she sells that product through her website and on Amazon.
“We are starting the process to get Germseal sold in stores, but haven’t gotten there quite yet,” Conroy said. “We would love to wholesale it if possible.”
During September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Conroy is donating $5 from every purchase of Germseal to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
Germseal
Cost: $29.99
Available: germseal.com
Information: 623-695-5399
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480-821-3200
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Escape to Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in Arizona and enjoy Troon golf, Kai dining and an authentic Native American experience at Aji Spa.
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480-446-7663
A premier company specializing in residential and commercial roofing services, Spencer 4 Hire Roofing is dedicated to providing quality customer service.
By Janet Schwab AFN GUEST WRITER
What makes a customer return to a business? Is it just the product or service or is it the overall experience?
Most likely, it’s customer service that meets and exceeds their expectations.
Customers need to feel valued, acknowledged and, yes, appreciated. Today’s consumers often feel “processed,” not served. Good customer service provides the feeling that the customer is important to the business so they want an experience, not a just transaction.
Customer service is in the details. Service can be defined as adding people to a product.
Anybody can copy a product but no can copy the people and the service your business provides. Great customer experiences make repeat customers. Note these skills in your next customer experience.
After an interaction with a customer, mentally take a customer service survey.
Patience: Competent service rather than being hurried out the door.
Attentiveness: Knowing the line between helpful and pushy. Communication skills: Information is presented simply and clearly.
Time management: Efficiency with transactions.
Adaptability: Fixing an error or getting someone who can.
Will they check “dissatisfied,” “satisfied,” or “highly satisfied” and what makes the difference to them?
Today’s consumers also expect the opportunity to provide feedback on product and services.
Social media, online surveys and business that seek reviews are prevalent and a way that extend the consumer’s experience.
Customers are not especially interested in anonymity, discounts,
Formoreinformationontheseand otherupcomingevents,visit www.ahwatukeechamber.com.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
The Specific Chiropractic Center
4425 E Agave Road, Ahwatukee. 4-5 p.m. Thursday. Free
Sponsored by iAloha Radio
Women in Business Luncheon
Foothills Golf Club
2201 E. Clubhouse Drive, Ahwatukee.
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday.
“Best Tips From Top Valley Entrepreneurs,”
Presented by Mike Weinstein, KTAR 92.3 FM.
$20 members, $30 general admission
Ahwatukee After 5 Evening Mixer
Arizona Grand Resort & Spa
8000 Arizona Grand Parkway, Ahwatukee.
5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 21. $5 members, $15 general admission
Sponsored by Von Hanson’s Meats & Spirits
or monetary incentives to share their ideas with businesses. They want to be heard and respected.
Whether the feedback is positive or negative, it provides an opportunity to connect with the client and create an even better customer experience.
Customer service is the key to a successful business. Remember, if a customer has a bad service experience, they tell the story to many people.
When they are “just satisfied," they share it up. But when they have a great customer experience, they tell others, making them an important referral source to build your business.
All businesses have different models for good customer service and consumers expect it. A satisfied customer isn’t enough these days. A successful business focuses its actions and people on creating a highly satisfied customer experience.
Get To Know Your Chamber Breakfast Mountain Park Senior Living, 4475 East Knox Road, Ahwatukee. 8-9 a.m. Sept. 29 Free
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Xpress Automotive
15629 S. Desert Foothills Pkwy., Ahwatukee
Free Sponsored by: iAloha Radio
Breakfast with the Mayor
8-9:30 a.m. Sept. 30
Four Points by Sheraton
10831 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee. Members: $45 Non-members: $55
By Susan Wilmot AFN GUEST WRITER
The coverage of this year’s Summer Olympics in Rio produced the inspiring story of the two runners (New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin, and U.S. runner Abbey D’Agostino) who tripped and fell in the 5,000- meter contest, but encouraged each other to get up and finish the race. If you’ve endured years of training, hours of Olympic trials, and finally made it to the Games, then finishing truly is everything. So forgive me if this sounds blunt, but why aren’t we consistently talking about our spiritual journeys and our lives of faith in the same terms? How come we’re not living discipleship with the same kind of single-minded determination as an Olympic athlete?
Why do we let ourselves become distracted, or let our passion fade for regular worship, growing in knowledge and understanding through Bible study, and the necessary practices of prayer and meditation that help us discern our path
according to God’s will? Not to mention a serious and enduring commitment to sharing our resources and ourselves generously with others.
We have the examples of faithful heroes to inspire us in the Letter to the Hebrews 12:1-2 (NRSV): “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The Letter to the Hebrews speaks of men and women who consistently trusted their lives to God’s care, and lived faithfully in good times, and even in the face of great suffering and loss. As we learn and embrace their stories, we start to recognize elements of our own lives.
Their stories strengthen our faith, and encourage us to stay the course, and finish the race. Of course, it’s important that we
actually know these stories of faith and endurance; otherwise we’re no better off than those who don’t yet know Christ, and are living in their own strength, trying to look out for themselves in this dog-eat-dog kind of world.
The stories of our faith heroes are meant to keep us as strong, committed, and focused as an Olympic athlete. Jesus is the pioneer, the lead runner, and the primary focus of all aspects of our lives. Jesus is the one who empowers us to set aside worldly distractions that can easily trip us up, or send us careening off course. Living in the integrity of our faith is about committing ourselves for the long haul. After all, our faith plays a huge part in shaping the picture of our lives, and the color and form of our transformation in Christ.
We need to be fit for the journey, because while we’re trying to stay the course and create a picture of faith in action, the world is pushing and pulling us in all different directions, many of which stunt our spiritual growth, suspend our journey, or incapacitate our
ability to serve Christ’s mission. We continue Christ’s mission in the world through our witness and the testimony of our lives, including healing those who are spiritually trashed, emotionally broken, or who’re lost in the wilderness or imprisoned by worldly traps. We may not see an end to world hunger or to systemic inhumanity or injustice in our lifetime, but every step – big or small – that we take towards God’s kingdom love, peace, equality and justice makes a difference.
Every step for the Lord gives our lives deeper meaning and purpose. In turn, God always honors our faithfulness, expanding our capacity to serve, and therefore the difference our lives make. The legacies we’re building on, and the gifts we share, continue in and through us from generation to generation. So let’s run the race and celebrate our victory in Christ.
The Rev. Susan E. Wilmot is Vicar at St. James the Apostle Episcopal Church & Preschool, 975 E. Warner Road, Tempe. Reach her at rector@stjamestempe.org or 480-345-2686. Information: www.stjamestempe.org.
SUNDAY SEPT. 18
PSYCHOLOGY PRESENTATION SET
Senior Minister Rev. Tom Martinez will be presenting a lecture on the interface between Indigenous and Depth Psychology.
DETAILS>> 10:30 a.m. after church. Desert Palm UCC in Tempe, 1230 E. Guadalupe Road. Information: 480-8310065.
TUESDAY SEPT. 20
AGING IS SERIES’ FOCUS
Mountain Park Community Church in Ahwatukee is hosting a 9-week series called Senior Focus, designed to “enhance the Christian journey and quality of life for seniors, their families and those coping with aging through education, support, information and referral,” according to a release. Facilitated by Katy Gilbert, Steve Gilbert and David Johnson, the group “will address the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and financial needs of seniors and their loved ones,” the release said.
DETAILS>> 6:30-8 p.m., 2408 E. Pecos Road. Register: www.mountainpark.org; information: afettis@ mountainpark.org.
THURSDAY SEPT. 22
LEARN TO BAKE CHALLA
The Chabad Jewish Women’s Circle joins other Jewish women from the East Valley to learn the ancient art of challah baking.
DETAILS>> Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. Cost: $18 per person, $15 for students. Information: info@chabadcenter.com or call 480-855-4333.
SATURDAY OCT. 22
CHRISTIAN GROUP HAS CAR SHOW
The Covenant Hot Rod Association Southeast Valley, whose motto is “Fully Restored Serving the Lord,” will hold its inaugural Desert Harvest Car Show to help veterans at Valor Christian Center in Gilbert. Early registration fee is $25. Sponsors are being sought and owners of the following kinds of vehicles can enter $25: street rods, sports and custom cars, rat rods, muscle cars, classics and competition cars and trucks.
DETAILS>> $25 registration fee for vehicle owners; the show will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the center, 3015 E. Warner Road. Information: Don Webb at 480-205-7925 or chra2001@msn.com.
SATURDAY OCT. 29
TRUNK OF TREAT SLATED
Pilgrim Lutheran Church & School will host its annual Trunk of Treat event. Church members will decorate their car trunks and fill them with treats. Members of the community are invited to bring their children to tour the “trunk of treats” for candy. Appropriate costumes are encouraged. A bounce house will be offered as well.
DETAILS>> 5:30-7 p.m., Pilgrim Lutheran Church and School, 3257 E. University Drive, Mesa. Information: 480-830-1724 or email office@pilgrimmesa.com.
VALOR CHRISTIAN OUTLINES MISSION
Valor Christian Center in Gilbert offers “great praise and worship and great messages for today’s living,” according to Pastor Thor Strandholt, associate pastor. “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 Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@ chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.
RABBINIC LIT COURSE OFFERED
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.
MONDAYS
JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA
This Flow 1-2 class (intermediate) is free and open to the community.
DETAILS>> 6-7 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-759-6200 or gbattle@moutainpark.org.
CLASS TARGETS THE GRIEVING Classes for those grieving over death or divorce. DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. 480-963-4127.
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.
TUESDAYS
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,
BOOK CLUB
A discussion of Robert Jones’ “The End of White Christian America.” The group then will meet with the author on Oct. 21 at the Desert Palm UCC at 8 p.m.
DETAILS>>7 p.m., Sept. 6, 20, 27 and Oct. 18. Desert Palm UCC in Tempe, 1230 E. Guadalupe Road. Information: 480-831-0065.
CHILDREN MEET AT BRIDGEWATER
AWANA Children’s Clubs for kids 3 years old through sixth grade meet weekly at Bridgewater Community Church. DETAILS>> 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. 2420 E. Liberty Lane. 85048. Register at www.bridgewaycc.org.
CELEBRATE RECOVERY MEETS
Celebrate Recovery says it “brings your relationship with the Lord closer to your heart as it heals your hurts, habits and hang-ups.” Participants can discuss issues ranging from feeling left out to addictions. “Nothing is too small or too large.”
DETAILS>>6:20 p.m. at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. mvlutheran.org/ celebraterecovery or email cr@alphamvlc.com.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY OFFERED
Living Word Ahwatukee women’s Bible study and fellowship that offers “a short, low-key time of praise and worship in music and message.” It’s also an opportunity to meet other Christian women in Ahwatukee.
DETAILS>> 10 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.
MAN CHURCH IN CHANDLER
“Man Church offers coffee, doughnuts 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. 480785-5831.
YOU CAN NOSH BEFORE SERVICE “Nosh” and then enjoy the Shir Shabbat service
Submit your releases to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com
By Shelley Gillespie
AFN Contributing Writer
Reopening an established restaurant after even a short period of renovation can be a challenge.
Just ask Steve Johnson, the owner of Keegan’s Grill in Ahwatukee since 2015.
He decided the 20-year-old neighborhood favorite needed a facelift and scheduled the closing for July 11-25.
The contractor offered a three-week contract to gut the space, and install new flooring, walls, tables, chairs and booths, and art. Johnson had other ideas.
“The contractor said it was going to take three weeks. I told him it was going to take two,” Johnson said. He gave his staff the option of working with him on the renovation. Some chose to work and others chose a vacation, but no one lost their job.
“I ended up with me and my managers here almost every single day from 8 in the morning until 7 at night,” Johnson recalled. “We drove it, drove it, drove it. And, we got it done in 14-and-a-halfdays. We did a lot of cleaning, sanitizing, and organizing, and kept the contractor on his toes.”
What: Keegan’s Grill
a bit of fine dining. Pricing is the same, with featured lunch combos for $7.95.
Dinner ranges from $11-21 with steaks, salmon, salads, and sides. Fish tacos are a favorite choice for many, as well as filet mignon and burgers.
“We have a scratch kitchen where everything is made from scratch, even sauces,” Johnson said.
Keegan’s also accommodates glutenfree dinners and vegetarian preferences.
Where: 4723 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee. Information: 480-705-0505. keegansgrill.com/ahwatukee
A kids’ menu includes favorites like mac ‘n cheese. The menu is still the same within the three Keegan’s, all based on a recipe manual. In addition to the well-liked standard fare, there is a specials menu, also in the Keegan’s recipe manual, that may vary at each restaurant. The other locations are in Phoenix on Camelback Road and in Chandler on Queen Creek Road.
a crowd congregated. Happy hour features half-price appetizers 2-6:30 p.m. and a reverse social hour is 8 p.m. to close Monday through Sunday.
Craft and domestic beers are available, as well as special cocktails and wine selections from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, California and Washington.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the Ahwatukee Keegan’s client base.
“There are a lot of regulars,” said Rashyla “Shy” Levitt, an addition to the staff this year who is a transplant from Washington State.
Johnson, himself a transplant from Hawaii, claims he was just a “Nebraska boy out in the middle of the ocean.”
the prep chef who handles everything, including all the desserts, has been with Keegan’s for 20 years. Fernando Martinez, with Keegan’s for 15 years, handles the grilled items with proficiency.
Alex Lieberman, assistant manager, described a wine promotion for which Keegan’s will donate three meals to the St. Mary’s Food Bank for every bottle sold of two special wines.
Keegan’s also features special NFL Game Day menus that include carnitas, tacos, cheeseburgers, chili cheese dogs and nachos.
When the restaurant reopened after July 25, Johnson posted a “Grand Reopening” sign. The first day of reopening was quiet, but by word of mouth, “we did great” on the second and third day, Johnson said.
The new look and feel is casual with
The new art is vibrant, with colorful paintings and large woodcuts. At a guest’s request, part of the mural that dominated the wall before the renovation found a home.
The renovated bar is attractive with LED lighting that creates a glow effect.
Even on a recent Tuesday evening,
For 26 years, he was district manager of KFCs, Pizza Huts, and Burger Kings in Hawaii, Samoa and Fiji. When his daughter grew up, he decided he wanted to live in the Southwest and Keegan’s was the restaurant he wanted to own.
Longevity is common among Keegan’s staff, unlike many restaurants where staff changes regularly. Eusebio Diaz,
Johnson is spending the next two months overseeing a newer restaurant he co-owns in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. He’ll be back, but he has confidence in his experienced staff to manage Keegan’s.
“They’re great managers here and great employees. I know they’ll take good care of it,” Johnson said.
Once he’s back from Omaha, he’ll be “looking for other opportunities in the Phoenix area.”
By Justin Ferris GETOUT/AFN WRITER
Ballroom dancers to compete
Watch amazing ballroom dancers compete in the Galaxy Dance Festival at the historic Arizona Biltmore. Styles include Country & Western, American Smooth, American Rhythm, International Latin and International Standard. Be aware that there is a dress code.
DETAILS>> Times vary, Thursday-Sunday. Arizona Biltmore, 2400 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix. Tickets: $25-$693. 740969-2431 http://galaxydancefestival.com
Foodies rejoice! Once again, you can enjoy some of the finest cuisine in Phoenix for reasonable prices. For more than a week, visit any of 200 participating restaurants in Phoenix or Tucson for a delectable three-course fixed-price meal.
DETAILS>> Friday-Sept. 25. Locations vary. Cost: $33 or $44. http:// arizonarestaurantweek.com/
Get your deal on with one of the largest vintage markets around. The Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market is a locally founded three-day event featuring furniture, furnishings, clothing, decorations and much more courtesy of more than 144 Arizona vendors.
DETAILS>> 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale. Tickets: $8 (+$5 for parking). http:// junkinthetrunkvintagemarket.com/
Head north for the 11th annual Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival to see and hear the state’s best bands for bluegrass, country, folk, jazz and similar styles. Listen to them compete for $2,000 in prizes or play
just for the fun of it. Plus, there will be a barn dance, on-site camping and plenty of activities to entertain the kids.
DETAILS>> Times vary, Friday-Sunday. Pepsi Amphitheater, Fort Tuthill County Park, Flagstaff. Tickets: $50-$115. http://
Kick off the 2016-2017 season with one of history’s great musical masterworks as the Phoenix Symphony performs Beethoven’s dramatic Fifth Symphony, along with the “sonic experience” work “Remnants” and Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.”
DETAILS>> Time Vary, Friday-Sunday. Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second St., Phoenix. Tickets: $18-$89. http:// tickets.phoenixsymphony.org/
Feel like your life is too tidy and organized? Want to make a mess without feeling guilty? Messy Fest offers guilt-free messiness with mud pits, finger-painting, a mashed-potato tugof-war and a food fight. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
DETAILS>> 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday. Schnepf Farms, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. Tickets: $20 presale, $5 spectator pass. http://messyfest. com/
Don’t miss the taco event of the year as local restaurants bring out their best recipes and drinks like fruit fresca and tequila for the Rockin’ Taco Festival. Chow down on elote, churros and other treats; enjoy live music and dancing; watch Lucha Libre wresting; and more.
DETAILS>> noon-9 p.m., Saturday. Dr.
A.J. Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Tickets: $8 online, $10 at the gate. http://www.rockintacoaz.com/
Celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution at the Constitution Fair. Meet historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, see replicas of famous national buildings, walk through the Fallen Soldier Memorial, visit the military area, watch a bi-plane flyover and cap off the evening with fireworks.
DETAILS>> 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Saturday. Gilbert Town Square Civic Center, 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert. Cost: Free. http://constitutionweekusa.com
Once a year, the restaurant Quiessence at The Farm features a three-course Chef’s Seasonal Tasting menu called “Taste of Quiessence.” You can only get it on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and only 12 reservations are allowed per day. Reservations must be made by phone and you must mention “Taste of Quiessence.”
DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., Tuesday-Sept. 22.
Quiessence at The Farm, 6106 S. 32 St., Phoenix. Tickets: $65-$89. 602-276-0601 http://www.qatthefarm.com/
Catch the last hurrah of the legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath. This farewell tour sees the return of original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler as they sing nearly 50 years of hits.
DETAILS>> 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21. Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix. Tickets: $35-$1,000+. 602-254-7200 http://ak-chinpavilion.com/
Get more ideas for fun things to do in Ahwatukee - and beyond - at Phoenix.org.
Send local entertainment news to pmaryniak@ ahwatukee.com
the Erchonia®
some information at
up to $250 For qualified participants.
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for details.
By Jason P. Skoda
AFN Prep Sports Director
Isaiah Pola-Mao pointed to the scoreboard last Thursday with his fellow defensive backs around him and made sure they understood there was still something to play for in the final quarter.
Never mind the fact that Mountain Pointe High was up by more than five touchdowns at the time against the second-ranked team in the state; he was still fully engaged and ready for more.
“I want that zero,” he said. “There is no let up.”
No there wasn’t.
Not on this night. At least not while the Pride’s No. 1s were in the game.
Top-ranked Mountain Pointe just kept coming up with play after play, score after score on the way to a 52-7 win over Chandler at Karl Kiefer Stadium.
Pola-Mao led the way for the Pride with two receiving touchdowns, an interception and a hit from his safety position that knocked Chandler wide receiver Johnnie Johnson out for a handful of plays because his facemask was broken.
He hit him that hard, and the Pride (3-0) was that impressive.
“There was a lot of hype about Chandler and we wanted to prove something,” Pola-Mao said. “We wanted
to show our physicality on the offensive and defensive side.”
It was pure domination from the start as Mountain Pointe scored on its second and third drives as the offensive line controlled the trenches.
Greg Bragg (23 for 162, 3 TDs) got tough yards and quarterback Noah Grover (10 for 14, 186 yards) was precise, hitting Pola-Mao (3-67) in stride and Jaydon Brooks (5 for 86) underneath.
“This was a total team effort,” Pride coach Norris Vaughan said. “The offense, the defense, special teams all contributed. I never thought we’d have a game like this. I expected it to be tight throughout.”
So did most observers. Even when it was 28-0 at halftime, the expectation was for Chandler (2-2) to regroup and make a run of some sort.
Instead, Mountain Pointe just kept piling on to cement the Pride as the top team, just like they were most of last year in going undefeated during the regular season.
“I tell ya, they are a really good football team and they started rolling and we couldn’t them,” said Chandler coach Shaun Aguano, whose team was playing for the third time in 12 days. “There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, they are a better football team than we are. I am never going to make excuses. We gotta come out and play.”
The Wolves had some decent drives to start, but the Pride defense either made stops on third or fourth down or forced a turnover (2 fumbles, 2 INTs).
Once it got out of hand, running back T.J. Green (67 yards rushing) became neutralized and sophomore quarterback Jacob Conover (6 for 15 for 63 yards, 2 INTs) struggled for the first time in his four career starts.
“We saw they like to get going on offense, pass all over the place and keep pushing it,” senior cornerback Antwaun Woodberry said. “We weren’t going to let them do that. We wanted to show everyone what we could do and that Mountain Pointe can play some pretty good football.”
Ahwatukee Foothills News online
Mountain Pointe 52, Chandler 7
C 0 0 0 7 -7
MP 7 21 10 14-52
First
MP – Bragg 5 run (Abercrombie kick), 1:46
Second
MP – Bragg 1 run(Abercrombie kick), 8:38
MP – Pola-Mao 17 pass from Grover (Abercrombie kick), 5:20
MP – Grover 1 run (Abercrombie kick), 1:48
Third
MP – Pola-Mao 6 pass from Grover (Abercrombie kick), 8:39
MP – Abercrombie 38 FG, 5:05
Fourth
MP – Bragg 6 run (Abercrombie kick)
MP – Stephens run (Abercrombie kick), 5:24
C – Decarlos Brooks 33 run (kick good), 3:31
TEAM STATISTICS C MP
downs 12 21 Rush-yards 20-120 44-319
6-15-2 10-14-0
yard 63 186
yards 183 505 Fumbles/lost 2/2 2/0 Penalties 8-78 6-50
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
-Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or Jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonPSkoda ahwatukee.com
C – Green 15-67, Conover 2-(-)4, Aaron Howard 2-24, Brooks 1-33. MP – Bragg 23162, Salgado 3-84, Stephens 9-56, Hodge 5-8, Grover 3-0, Brooks 2-9.
Passing
C – Conover 6-15-2-63. MP – Grover 10-14-0186.
Receiving
C – Johnson 3-2, Romney 4-21. MP – Brooks 5-82, Pola-Mao 3-67, Hinojosa 1-6, Brooks 1-12.
Missed FG MP-Abercrombie (38).
By Jason P. Skoda AFN Prep Sports Director
Lucky for Skyline High School that it does not play like it practices.
The Coyotes held off three potential game-winning drives in the fourth quarter by Desert Vista in a 26-21 win on Friday.
“We are a 4-0 team but the coaches said we need to stop practicing like we are a 0-4 team,” Skyline senior quarterback T.J. Daurte said. “We can be so much better. We have yet to have a good practice. That’s a shocker, isn’t?”
It certainly isn’t a formula that makes sense, and Coyotes coach Angelo Paffumi knows it has to stop.
“We’re winning ugly,” he said. “We’re trying to find an identity. We really only have about 40 kids and we have to bring up 8-10 kids (from JV) to get a look. You can’t get a true look and it makes for a bad practice.
“Our problem is we’re still winning. I know that doesn’t make sense. They expect to win so they think it should be given to them and don’t always work hard for it. We have to work harder right now.”
Skyline nearly let this one slip away. After building a 21-7 halftime lead, thanks to a 45-16 offensive-play advantage that
came from a successful on-side kick, the Thunder (1-2) put together two straight touchdown drives to start the second half and tie it.
The Coyotes, who have won 18 straight regular season games, answered the ensuing drive after running back Kaleb Hardin (24 carries 145 yards) converted a third and 14 with a 27-yard run on a misdirection counter. That was compounded with a personal foul on the Thunder defense to push the ball to the DV 18.
Four plays later, fullback Luis Lopez plunged in for a 4-yard touchdown, but the missed PAT gave the Thunder an opening.
Desert Vista got inside the red zone on its next drive and was within the 5-yard line when Thunder quarterback Nick Thomas (9-17-1-150, 75 rushing) dropped back, was pressured from his left and was stripped by Kolo Uasike, giving the ball back to Skyline with just over seven minutes left.
The teams traded possessions and Skyline’s second punt gave Desert Vista one last chance with 1:15 remaining, no timeouts and the ball on its own 27.
Thomas threw into double coverage on the first play in an attempt to get the ball to playmaker Keishaud White (3 carries, 21 yards, 3 catches, 32 yards), but Tait Brown came up with his fourth interception of the year.
“The defense grinded it out,” Uasike said. “We didn’t play like we could. Teams better recognize we are 4-0 and we are no near about best yet, but winning is like pizza. Even stale pizza is good pizza.”
The Thunder defense gave up too many big plays on third in the first half. The offense never had a rhythm in the first half.
It was anyone’s game, and Skyline found a way to get the win, while the Thunder had personal fouls, turnovers and a long bus ride back to Ahwatukee.
“Penalties and turnovers,” Thunder coach Dan Hinds said. “That’s it, but you know what? We have a good team, and I believe in these guys. We didn’t get one break tonight. We’ll be fine. We are just going to keep doing what we do.”
Thunder senior linebacker Chad Porter feels like the team let two games (losing to Perry in OT after a 21-10 lead) slip away.
“We shot ourselves in the foot with bad turnovers and the defense didn’t make enough plays” he said. “If we want to become the team that we can be, that stuff has to stop.”
-Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @ JasonPSkoda.
Skyline 27, Desert Vista 21
DV 0 7 14 0-21
S 0 21 0 6-27
Second
S- Wood 15 run (Gomez kick), 10:41
S - Johnson 3 pass from Daurte (Gomez kick), 8:56
DV - J. White 80 pass from Thomas (Erickson kick), 8:05
S - Crawford 21 run (Gomez kick), 1:41
Third
DV - Thomas 40 run (Erickson kick), 7:55
DV - Thomas 2 run (Erickson kick), 1:59
Fourth
S - Scott 4 run (kick failed), 11:54
TEAM STATISTICS
DV S First downs 11 22
Rush-yards 18-138 45-212
Comp-Att-Int 9-17-1 13-20-0
Pass yards 150 194
Total yards 288 406
Fumbles/lost 1/1 1/0
Penalties 3-30 8-75
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
DV - Thomas 7-75, Dillard 8-42, K. White 3-21. S -Hardin 24-145, Wood 7-29, Duarte 2-(-)8, Halvorsen 4-16, Adams 4-6, Crawford 2-23, Lopez 1-4.
Passing
DV - Thomas 9-16-1-150, Erickson 0-1-0-0. S - Daurte 13-20-0-194.
Receiving
DV - K. White 3-32, 2-17, J. White 2-88, Stagg 2-14. S - Jackson 3-73, Crawford 2-23, Gomez 1-9, Glover 1-44, Hardin 3-38, Wood 2-9.
By Jason P. Skoda AFN PREP SPORTS DIRECTOR
The postgame celebration mingling of the Mountain Pointe High School’s football team, fans, family and student body at Karl Kiefer Stadium lingered a little longer than usual.
Normally, Coach Norris Vaughan is quick to blow his whistle and hurry the Pride players back into the confines of their locker room.
He wants the players to enjoy the moment, but at the same time block out the outside influences, celebrate as one and cross off the next rung on the 10-step ladder to the top of the regular season schedule on the grease board at the front of the room.
The shriek of the whistle never came Thursday after the Pride dismantled No. 2 Chandler High 52-7.
“I’ll let them enjoy this one a little bit,” Vaughan said.
That’s because he knew what was ahead this week, and that means no let up in the way Mountain Pointe does things.
No matter what the outcome—win by 45 against the No. 2 in the state or lose
on the last play—the Pride treats each week and each opponent with the same urgency and thoroughness as any other.
“We will go back to like nothing happened,” Vaughan said before Monday’s practice. “We will go back to blocking, tackling and fundamentals.
It’s just kind of how we do it.
“We beat Chandler but so what? We have undefeated Mountain View this week.”
The Toros, who are traveling to Kiefer Stadium on Friday, are playing inspired football under new coach Mike Fell, who was hired from Ohio to try and restore one of the state’s proudest and successful programs.
Some outsiders see a connection between Mountain View and Fell and what Mountain Pointe and Vaughan did back in 2009.
The Pride went 2-8 in 2008 before Vaughan took over, changed the culture and got everyone to buy into his expectations and discipline as Mountain Pointe won 12 straight before falling in the state semifinals.
Mountain View has a long way to go before accomplishing something of that
Mountain Pointe High running back Gary Bragg has rushed for 545 yards
touchdowns, including this one against Chandler last week.
magnitude, but Fell and the Toros are clearly doing something different after going 3-8 last year.
“They look different,” Vaughan said. “They look better on defense, and they run the spread on offense. I don’t know much about them (on Monday) but they are definitely different than the last couple of years.”
Mountain View’s wins have come against Valley Vista, Corona del Sol and Pinnacle, which are a combined 4-7.
The Toros are not ranked No. 11 in the nation by USAToday’s Super 25 and No. 12 by MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25. The Pride is ranked that way this week.
The Mountain Pointe players to a man were confident after the win over Chandler, but also promised complacency will not creep into practice or the locker room.
“This was great, but are not stopping
here,” junior running back Gary Bragg said. “We are just going to keep building off each week and work to get better.”
Three-year starter and team captain Isaiah Pola-Mao was a little more bold in assessing what is next for the Pride in the coming weeks.
“This sets us up for something special, but we know the coaches won’t let it be more than one win in a long season,” Pola-Mao, who is off to a player-of-theyear start. “That’s why we are always ready to play. Coach Vaughan does not let us get too high or overconfident. Practice will be hard and focused because there is to much on the line to approach it any differently.”
It means Mountain View is just the next rung on the ladder. It will be treated as one of 10 on the way to what Mountain Pointe hopes is extended
into 14 games before the 2016 season concludes.
“I don’t know if we can play any better than we did against Chandler,” Vaughan said. “We are certainly going to try and that starts in practice this week.”
– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonPSkoda.
Mountain Pointe schedule
Aug. 19 Sandra Day O’Connor W, 51-5
Aug. 27 vs. Upland (Calif.), W, 41-22
Sept. 9 vs. Chandler W, 52-7
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
By Jason Skoda
As far as early season statements go, the Desert Vista boys golf team signed some impressive golf scorecards over the weekend to show the Thunder will be among the top contenders this season. Desert Vista finished third at the Antigua National Invitational as the Thunder had a great second day. It was the highest Arizona team in a tough 23-team field that included some of the top programs around the country and Canada.
“I am extremely proud of these young men and the way they compete in every round,” Thunder coach Matt Russo said. “They executed with precision and accuracy especially while under adversity.”
By Shelley Ridenour AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WRITER
A survey of 304 Arizona teenagers showed that one-third of the respondents who are high school senior athletes report having suffered a concussion at some point in their playing career.
The random survey was conducted for the Barrow Neurological Institute. Data wasn’t collected on what high schools the students attend, Barrow spokeswoman Carmelle Malkovich said.
Officials at Barrow called the findings both encouraging and troubling.
“While the number of teens who have suffered a concussion is disturbing, we are pleased that the survey also shows that Arizona youth are becoming informed about concussions and the dangers of not being treated,” Dr. Javier Cardenas said.
Cardenas is a sports neurologist at Barrow’s Concussion and Brain Injury Center in Phoenix.
Survey data showed that 42 percent of the students who have suffered a concussion are not afraid of any longterm effects.
According to the survey, some students are choosing to not participate in sports because of concussion concerns. Of the respondents, 1 in 4 boys said they decided to not play football and 1 in 10 girls said they won’t play soccer because of worries about concussions.
Valley Christian High School Athletic Trainer Troy Hanzel said he’s not seeing similar percentages at his high school in Chandler.
“If kids don’t play sports, it’s some reason other than a fear of concussions,” he said.
The survey also tallied how many student athletes would report a possible concussion. Cardenas said he was especially pleased with the fact that 79 percent of the students said they’d tell their coach immediately.
in 2011. The Arizona Interscholastic Association mandates participation. Arizona State University last month became the first NCAA-affiliated university to begin requiring it.
In spite of the AIA requirement, the Barrow survey showed that 25 percent of the students polled had not received any information about the signs and symptoms of a concussion. However, not all of the students surveyed reported that they participate in school sports.
According to WestGroup, which conducted the survey for Barrow, 169 of the 304 students play sports, the other 135 don’t. Students who don’t participate in sports are not required to take the Brainbook module.
The survey also showed that 61 percent of the students are more aware of concussions now than they were a few years ago.
“I have noticed a big change in awareness,” Hanzel said. “Kids are becoming more informed from the media and the Brainbook program.”
Perry High School football coach Preston Jones said the numbers from the survey didn’t surprise him. The athletic trainer at Perry discusses concussions with players, he said, and all their athletes take the Brainbook module.
The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 5.6 percentage points at 95 percent confidence for the full sample of 304 teens. The margin among the 169 athletes is 7.5 percentage points.
Barrow has conducted previous concussion surveys, Malkovich said, but this is the first time students were polled. It may become an annual survey, she said, but that hasn’t yet been determined.
The King’s Academy, Florida, team was first at even par for the two rounds, while Lone Peak was second at 11-overall and the Thunder finished at 15-over.
The other Arizona finishers among the top 10 were Brophy at No. 6 at plus 29, Hamilton at No. 7 at plus 29 and Catalina Foothills at No. 9 at 44 over par.
The highest scoring individual from the area was Campo Verde’s Branden Meyer, who tied for third at 1-under to finish six strokes behind medalist Andrew Kozan of The King’s Academy.
The Thunder’s Tyler Svendson and Brian Seon were tied for seventh at 1-over for the tournament.
“Tyler was outstanding tee-to-green,
According to the survey, 30 percent would tell their parents, too. Only 4 percent said they wouldn’t tell anyone. Just 13 percent said they would wait for a stop in the game before reporting the injury. And, 89 percent said they’d report it if a friend or teammate was concussed and didn’t tell the coach or parent.
That trend of helping fellow teammates is evident at Valley Christian, Hanzel said.
“I have a lot of kids who watch out for their teammates,” he said.
All Arizona high school athletes are required to complete the Barrow Brainbook module before they play any sport. Barrow released that module at the start of school
By Jason P. Skoda AFN PREP SPORTS DIRECTOR
The Desert Vista High girls volleyball team has a chance to join elite company this season.
The Thunder bring back quite a bit of a talent, including Tribune Player of the Year Kendall Glover, and is one of the preseason favorites to win the 6A Conference state title.
A win would give Desert Vista its third straight big-school title, which is something that has been accomplished three times since 1972.
“We have had a good run, and we have some really good players back,” Thunder coach Molly West said. “We don’t have experience at setter so we have some work to do there and it is a pretty vital position.
“They know what we’ve done and what we hope to do again.”
Tucson Sahuaro was the first team to do it 1974-76. Xavier has done it twice as the Gators dominated 1996-98 and 20072010.
The Thunder, led by Hailey Dirigl and Glover, will have plenty of challengers in the newly formed 6A Conference as Hamilton, Corona del Sol, Gilbert, Xavier, Horizon, Perry and a few others.
“It’s the usual suspects,” Perry coach Fred Mann said. “There are a few teams, like Hamilton and Desert Vista, if they put it together they will be there in the end, but there are few teams like us that are hungry to get in the mix.”
12-7 in the second set, only to trail 18-17. Then Desert Vista went on a 8-2 run to close it.
After that it was all Perry (11-0), as the Pumas built a 15-9 lead in the third set on the way to winning three straight to close out the victory.
The switch to the six conferences also brought back regions for the first time in a few years.
Interscholastic Association re-doing the whole concept yet again this season.
“They forced our hand when we could have had at least had a choice,” Mann said. “Why not give us the option?”
Last week, Perry kept its undefeated stretch to open the season by knocking off Desert Vista, 17-25, 20-25, 25-8, 2515, 15-5.
The Thunder (2-1) came out hot, grabbing a 17-10 lead in the first set before closing it out and then going up
That brings praise and questions depending on the coach, program and region makeup.
Some like the idea of rivalries, home-and-away scheduling and the automatic bids into the postseason.
Others felt there should have at least gone to a vote rather than the Arizona
The big tournaments throughout the year are Westwood Tournament of Champions (Friday-Saturday), Nike Tournament of Champions (Sept. 30Oct. 1), Chandler Prep (Sept. 30-Oct. 1), Jaguar Invitational (Oct. 7-8) and The SoCal Invite (Oct. 14-15, Desert Vista, Hamilton, Perry, Notre Dame, Canyon del Oro).
– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonPSkoda.
By Jason P. Skoda AFN PREP SPORTS DIRECTOR
The ups and down of a football season mean a team is going to have to deal with some issues and some adversity at some point.
It just so happens that Desert Vista High is facing it earlier than it expected after starting the season 1-2 with both defeats leaving everyone on their sideline believing it never should have happened.
The ride back to Desert Vista from Skyline in Mesa was quiet Friday night following a near scuffle after the game before security handled things, and an unhappy locker room after the 27-21 defeat.
“Immediately after the game we were like ‘What just happened?’” senior running back Lelon Dillard said. “Me and the other captains talked to the guys and tried to keep everyone together. We stopped everyone from pointing fingers and blaming each other. There is something everyone could have done to make it a better game and make it a W.”
The Thunder erased a 21-7 deficit against Skyline to tie it at three touchdowns apiece. Then, after Skyline gave Desert Vista an opening by missing the extra point, the offense was unable
to convert on three fourth-quarter drives despite getting inside the 5-yard line on one of them.
It was essentially the opposite of what happened in the season opener when Desert Vista held a 21-10 lead mid-way through the third quarter before losing 30-24 in overtime to Perry.
The loss put Desert Vista, which topped winless Basha in between the two defeats, at 1-2 with three straight undefeated opponents in Brophy, Dobson and Mountain Pointe to close out September.
“We are working on some things,” junior linebacker Larry Davis said. “We just need to get tougher as the season goes on. It’s not going to be an easy ride so we have to rise up to each challenge.”
Thunder coach Dan Hinds believes it will happen. He knows a couple of mistakes in the waning moments of both games cost the team, but it isn’t just about a fumble here or a personal foul there.
“We are going to collect ourselves and forget about this one,” he said. “We are fine and we are just going to keep plugging away, do what we do and we are going to be OK.”
The Thunder definitely show signs
of that with dualthreat quarterback Nick Thomas although Keishaud White and Dillard haven’t been able to get in a flow of the offense as much the preseason expectations indicated.
The defense played well at times with defensive ends James Stagg and Myles Wilson, linebackers Chad Porter and Davis and defensive backs Garret Chavez and Caleb Humphrey making a good portion of the plays.
Reality is, however, the team is 1-2 with some difficult games ahead, including big-school state championship runnerup Desert Ridge.
“This definitely is not how we felt the season would go so far,” Dillard said. “We have been beating ourselves. We have to be more disciplined on both sides of the ball. It’s going to be a big factor this week against Brophy. They are a very disciplined team and we have to be, too.
“We compete very well up front and matchup with our athleticism. As long as we play our game we know we can turn it around. There are a lot of games left.”
If the Thunder manage to win two of the next three games, then Desert Vista’s season quickly turns for the good. But work has to be done before the team can start thinking big picture.
“Obviously we are not there yet,” Dillard said. “We have to do whatever
>> From page 46
hitting 12 of 14 fairways and often gave himself a good chance for scoring,” Russo said. “Tyler is a true Senior leader with his play and demeanor on the golf course.”
Of Seon, the coach said, “Brian is a valuable asset to our team, with the intelligence that he attacks each golf hole. He is currently the top ranked player in Arizona high school golf.”
He also had high praise for other team members.
“Junior Davis Evans displayed some of the best scrambling skills I have ever seen on a golf course during his second round play,” Russo said. “During a tournament where fairways and GIRs were hard to come by, Davis showed maturity and determination.”
He said junior Gavin Chan “had a great bounce-back second round shooting (+2) over his first nine holes. He has the rare ability to stay relaxed and focused through adversity.”
Russo called freshman Scott Schlader “an
we have to do until get there. No one knows how hard we work and what we have on our team. We can only prove it on Friday nights.”
– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonPSkoda.
Desert Vista schedule
Aug. 19 at Perry L, 30-24 OT Sept. 2 vs. Basha W, 49-20
Sept. 9 at Skyline L, 27-21
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
early-season corner-stone of consistency.
“He played his two rounds posting a 76-76. Scott is a true student of the game with his preparation. Once settling into round one, he played even-par over the final 15 holes. He shot even-par over the final 10 holes in round two. Scott did an excellent job of scrambling and saving pars when his team needed him down the stretch.”
On the girls’ side of the event, Hamilton won the event it hosted.
The Huskies finished at 15-over par with Coronado out of Nevada second at plus 37.
The Thunder girls were sixth at 90over and Corona del Sol were ninth at plus 116.
The top individuals were the Hamilton duo of Jenney Bae and Hannah Lie finished tied for third at plus 5, while teammate Alyzzah Vakasiola at 7 over.
The Thunder’s Anaya Ross was highest non-Hamilton finisher at 22nd place at 13-over, while Corona’s Emma Lower finished No. 25 at 16 over.
Foothills News
PARENTS OF ADDICTED LOVED ONES
Are you affected by someone who is dealing with an addiction? If so, know that you are 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
General Meeting Notice Quality Inn
Hotel Desert Meeting Rm 5121 E LaPuenta Ave 51st St /Elliot-Ahwatukee
Meetings are held on the 3rd Thurdsday of each month Doors open at 6:30p meeting starts at 7pm Public is invited!
EMAIL info@tukee teaparty com
1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway #249 • Tempe, AZ 85282
class@timespublications.com Deadlines
Classifieds: Monday 11am for Wednesday Life Events: Friday 10am for Wednesday
Smart Recovery Meeting Wed’s 7:008:30 p m 6400 W Del Rio Chandler Montessori School next to Unitarian Church room 5 All issues drugs, alcohol, gambling, online addictions, & medications 480-532-2460
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
Crops of Luv
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
AMERICAN LEGION
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 602-501-0128
GROWING TOGETHER:
That's the motto of The Ahwatukee Community Garden Project Get your hands dirty while learning about desert gardening Join us every Sunday morning starting at 8 A M in the Garden at 4700 E Warner Rd north of the Farmers' Market acgarden org
In-Ahwatukee Toastmasters Club meets from 6:45-8am every Tuesday at Dignity Health Urgent Care Ahwatukee - Community Room (1st floor), 4545 E Chandler Blvd , Phoenix, AZ 85048
Guests welcome anytime! http://4873 toast mastersclubs org/
GROWING TOGETHER:
That s the motto of The Ahwatukee Community Garden Project Get your hands dirty while learning about desert gardening Join us every Sunday morning starting at 8 A M in the Garden at 4700 E Warner Rd north of the Farmers Market acgarden org
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 480 634 7763 Ahwatukee based non-profit
GARDEN CLUB, DESERT POINTE Garden Club Meets the 1st Monday of every month at 9:30am @ Ahwatukee Recreation Center NEW MEMBERS WELCOME 5001 E Cheyenne Sept - May Only Call Pat Faust 480-5886613
TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a weight loss organization that is over 60 years old We meet at Ahwatukee Rec Center on Cheyenne between S 48th St and S 51st St on Wed eve s from 67:30 p m For more information: Terri at 480-893-6742
TEA PARTY Thursday, Sept 15th "VICKI ALGER"
Speaking on The Federal Miseducation of America's Children 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
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 Foothills
Friends and Neighbors (AFFAN)
is a women ' s organization, dedicated to cultivating friendships, and goodwill. AFFAN promotes social, charitable and educational events all year long AFFAN holds monthly luncheon meetings with varied speakers We offer over 40 monthly activities including Book Clubs, Canasta, Bunco, Euchre, and Bridge Other monthly activities are Dining Out, Stitch and Chat, Explore Arizona, and Garden Club Significant others/ spouses can attend some events For more info contact
Teresa Akrish Phone: 480-518-5788
teresaakrish@gmail com
Check our website at affanwomensclub com
sociation) is starting their new season on
monthly luncheon is held at the Sheraton
Phoenix/Ahwatukee
Social hour starts at 11am and lunch is at
Deadline for reserva-
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
(including coffee/tea
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book Step Study
Mtg Every Tuesday
7:00pm. Closed meeting Child care provided Mtn View Lutheran Church, 11002 S 48th St , Phoenix, 85044
family group invites you to meetings every Mon 7:15 PM at Corpus Christi Church on 3550 E Knox Wed 8:00 PM at Community Center, 4700 Warner Rd , Fri "Women s only" 9 00 AM at Mountian View Luthern Church 11022 S 48th St , Sat "Men's stag" 12PM at Mountian View Luthern Church 11022 S 48th St Rita 480-496-4535
AHWATUKEE/CHANDLER Bosom Buddies We meet the 2nd Saturday of the month, 10:00 AM-12 00 noon in the Conference Room at Dignity Health Urgent CareAhwatukee 4545 E Chandler Blvd Phoenix, AZ Please contact Deb Sidman: 602 460 9893 or Devon Pollard: 602 318 8462 See more at: http://www bosombuddies-az org/ At Bosom Buddies of AZ we support women of all ages and in all stages of breast cancer
John's Window Cleaning 1-story $125; 2-story $145 Up to 30 Panes Power Washing Sun Screens/ Re-Screening
Same Day Service 480-201-6471
ROC# 132572-C42
Call Carl 480-895-3425 or 602-432-9183
GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS & GAMANON for meeting information 602-266-97846
