East Valley Tribune: Gilbert Edition - Oct. 2, 2016
East Valley’s best secrets for entertaining your winter visitors
BY DAWSON FEARNOW TRIBUNE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
If you listen closely, you can hear it just over the horizon: the sounds of Aunt Judy from Appleton and cousin Maury from Manitoba packing up their sandals and swim trunks, gassing up their RVs and heading south for the winter.
Yes, the "snowbirds" are coming, aka the East Valley’s annual influx of winter visitors looking to flee the frozen north for a little fun in the Arizona sun.
So what will you do with them when they arrive on your doorstep (again)? Where can you give them a little authentic taste of East Valley living—none of that phony Wild West stuff—all without boring yourself to death?
Heck you might even learn a thing or two about your own backyard, like a worldfamous landmark hiding inside the basement of a Mesa pizzeria.
A peach of an idea
But first, have you ever wondered why you live here, why anyone ever decided to settle in this famously sun-blasted stretch of the Sonoran Desert in the first place? e answer is right beneath your feet, says Mark Schnepf, who runs the first must-hit
It’s October, and they’re coming
destination, Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, along with his wife Carrie and their four children.
“We have such amazing soil here,” he says. “People are always amazed that we can grow
Crime overall is dropping in East Valley
BY JIM WALSH TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
The FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report confirms what many East Valley residents already know: relatively low crime is among the best reasons to live in the region.
Although the number of murders rose slightly, only Chandler posted a slim increase in violent crime among the four cities in 2015
compared to 2014’s report. Property crime dropped in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe, with all four cities posting a drop in burglaries.
Excluding Phoenix, the entire region of more than 1.1 million residents recorded 26 murders investigated by municipal police departments.
“ ere’s no question about it. We are policing much more efficiently and smarter,” said Chandler Police Chief Sean Duggan,
who is president of the East Valley Police Chiefs Association. “Technology has changed the nature of police work.”
Duggan attributed the strong numbers to strategic policing based on analysis of crime trends and the sharing of intelligence, through the East Valley Gang and Criminal Information Fusion Center, and partnerships with federal agencies.
“We share resources,” he said. “We’re not
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Patrick Faith adds paint to the 1912 Parker Carousel as Schnepf Farms continues preparations for winter visitors.
EAST VALLEY
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Pollack Advertising Museum offers an unusual window to pop culture
BY SRIANTHI PERERA TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
The Mesa corporate headquarters of Michael Pollack seems ordinary enough from the outside.
Inside is another matter. In addition to the opulent offices of the real estate mogul, the building houses three extraordinary museums, one a contender for the Guinness World Records.
Pollack’s 8,000-piece collection of three-dimensional advertising memorabilia in the Pollack Advertising Museum is said to be the world’s largest and has pieces dating from the 1700s. It also houses 156 animated Baranger jewelry-store window displays of the mid-1900s. It’s estimated that 165 total were made.
His other two collections—meticulously restored collections of antique wheeled slot machines and threereeler slot machines—are no less unique. Some of the wheel machines date to the 1900s and would dispense gum or candy or would play a song so that saloon owners could circumvent the illegality of gambling.
The three-reelers include slot machines carved in the 1950s by Arizona cowboy artist Frank Polk.
“I think it’s history, and I’m fascinated by history,” Pollack said.
Pollack submitted an application for the world records book after a Guinness representative toured the threedimensional advertising museum. He’s awaiting a response.
It’s a one-horse race.
“There isn’t another place that has that many pieces of one type,” Pollack said.
Until 2009, the collections were open to the general public and counted nearly 300 daily visitors. It was hard to keep up and required extra resources. Nowadays, it’s open during charity fundraisers and by appointment to Pollack’s friends, acquaintances and serious collectors. If you manage to wrangle an invite,
it’s best to walk the rooms of any of the three displays with the collector himself. In the absence of introductory plaques and devoid of the stories to give them context, the objects may seem just a collection of antique toys. It’s easy to forget that most of these objects were made before the Walt Disney Company was even founded.
So what’s there?
Advertisements featuring an elephant (Hamlin’s wizard oil—“great for pain”), tea (Lipton), airlines (Air India), shipping lines (Hamburg), a wooden ship (Cutty Sark), a bear twirling on a motorcycle (Hamm’s Beer) and the Old Crow flapping his wings and moving his head while pedaling on a unicycle (Old Crow bourbon whisky). There’s a green-shirted Squirt boy, Buster
SEE MORE
Brown with his shoes and a life size Esso tiger, just to mention a few.
One of Pollack’s favorites—he uses the word dozens of times—is the life-size Bosch man used to advertise the wellknown battery in gas stations during the Nazi years in Germany. At the time, Allied forces were bombing the stations to prevent gas from being transported. This particular statue was discovered in a basement of an excavated building in East Berlin. It was safe inside a coffin.
To see a slideshow of Michael Pollack's collection of advertising memorabilia, go to http://tiny.cc/ad_museum.
Another of Pollack’s favorite finds, with an accompanying narrative, is an apothecary’s display of a terracotta figurine of a little man with a pointy beard, a cat and many mice dating to the 1800s. His is a tale similar to that of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
A village in Germany hires a man to kill rats and mice that are invading, is only paid half the agreed
(Srianthi Perera/Tribune Staff) Michael Pollack shows off the Bosch man, an advertising icon from Nazicontrolled German,y which was found intact in the rubble of a basement inside a coffin.
(Srianthi Perera/Tribune Staff) Arizona real estate entrepreneur Michael Pollack hosts the Pollack Advertising Museum in Mesa.
almost anything here in the desert.”
And Schnepf should know as a thirdgeneration farmer whose humble family farm is celebrating 75 years in operation, and is now the state’s largest peach grower. But the Schnepf family has been farming here locally for even longer.
“My grandparents started the farm here in Queen Creek, but they never lived here,” Mark says.
“They lived on a farm in what is now downtown Mesa. They heard about a land sale out in the desert and bought 640 acres for $25 an acre, sight unseen. They didn’t really want to leave their existing farm so they sent my parents, who were newlyweds, out to start a cotton farm.
“They literally spent their honeymoon night inside a one-room shack on the property.”
Today Schnepf Farms is a 300-acre throwback to the East Valley’s pastoral past, where, “there’s something to do out here almost every day,” Carrie Schnepf says.
“There’s the Farm Stand Café, the Country Store, take a train ride through the orchards, the U-pick organic produce, plus events like antique tractor pulls, and the Dirt Road Market antique fair.”
Not to mention Schnepf Farms’ signature springtime peach festival, which helped save this relatively small family farm back in the early 1990s.
“After cotton, the farm became a vegetable farm. We had everything from lettuce and broccoli to onions and cauliflowers,” Mark says.
“We even had 80 acres of vineyards growing table grapes. But over time, we couldn’t compete with the large-scale industrial farms in California and had to reinvent ourselves again. Now, we’re the largest peach grower in the state.”
Even out here in the far East Valley, new home developments creep ever closer.
“The city has grown up around us,” Carrie says. “But it feels like you’re still in the middle of nowhere. We get a lot of winter visitors from the Midwest who love it because it reminds them of them of farms they grew up on, or going to visit their grandmother’s farm.
“They like to come and relive their own memories, or bring the grandkids to experience a farm for the first time.”
But no matter where they hail from, Carrie Schnepf says, winter visitors are always easy to spot “in their danged shorts no matter how cold it is, or we think it is. They just love seeing all these fresh veggies growing in the desert, in the dead of winter.”
Schnepf Farms, 24610 S. Rittenhouse Road in Queen Creek. For more information, call 480-987-3100 or visit schnepffarms.com.
Enjoy some ‘agritainment’
Still hungry for more fun? Fortunately, not all of the Schnepf’s new neighbors are freshly-minted home developments.
One of the exceptions is the Queen Creek Olive Mill. Just a peach-stone’s throw from Schnepf Farms, it’s Arizona’s largest producer of premium extra virgin olive oil, all fresh-pressed, blended and bottled on-site from the more than 7,000 olive trees sprinkled across the property.
“Harvest season is actually going on now and runs from October through December,” says Sydney Rea, whose father Perry founded this family-owned mill back in 1998.
“Guests are invited to watch the pressing going on inside the milling room, and to taste the freshest olive oil you’ll ever taste, right from the machine.
Five more must-visits for winter visitors
Fromsunken seafood sanctuaries
to a high-flying tour inside a historic WWII warbird, here are five more great places to entertain winter visitors.
Joe’s Farm Grill
Recently celebrating 10 years, Joe’s Farm Grill’s roots actually go back to 1927, when this fertile patch of soil was first plowed into farmland, says owner Joe Johnston. But when developers started circling in the 1990s, Johnston transformed his old family homestead into delightful café featuring farm-fresh produce from his adjacent Agritopia, a unique home development/restaurant hub/community farm. 3000 E. Ray Road in Gilbert; 480-563-4745, joesfarmgrill.com.
The Salt Cellar Restaurant
A local landmark since 1971, The Salt Cellar lives up to its name, with little more than chimney sticking aboveground. But follow the cellar steps down to discover a nautical nirvana featuring the freshest flown-in seafood and live Maine lobsters served in a charming ship-style atmosphere. 550 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale; 480-947-1963, saltcellarrestaurant. com.
Desert Trails Park
Channel your inner desert explorer (or high flying daredevil) at this 35-acre park featuring dedicated hiking and biking trails winding through a rugged desert backdrop. Mountain bikers can get their kicks (and back-flips) tearing
across trails studded with jumps, twists and turns, while hikers can explore miles of pedestrian-only paths. 2955 N. Recker Road in Mesa; mesaaz. gov/things-to-do/parks-recreationcommercial-facilities/parks/desert-trailspark.
Arizona Museum of Natural History
Kids of all ages will love the towering prehistoric skeletons—extinct American lions, Columbian mammoths and megalodon shark jaws, oh my! Even better, explore the East Valley’s Wild West past with a (faux) Lost Dutchman’s Mine and (real) panning for gold. 53 N. Macdonald in Mesa; 480-644-2230, arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org.
We also stamp each bottle with its date of pressing because, unlike wine, olive oils don’t get better with age.”
The same can’t be said for the mill itself, which is now a popular year-round culinary destination with its Del Piero restaurant serving breakfast and lunch daily. The mill also hosts live music and events like the annual Olivepalooza on Nov. 5-6.
Plus, Sydney Rea says, “We also sell local products like Arizona-grown wine, and those from nearby farmers, like Hayden Mills flour from Sossaman
Commemorative Air Force, Airbase Arizona
Why just look at WWII warbirds when you can take climb aboard and take the “flight of a lifetime” at historic Falcon Field. From the rumbling roar inside a massive B-17 Flying Fortress to the open cockpit thrills of a vintage biplane, this is an experience not to missed. 2017 N. Greenfield Road in Mesa; 480-924-1940, azcaf.org.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Writer)
The Organ Stop Pizza building, at Stapley Drive and Southern Avenue, was designed specifically to accommodate the Organ Stop Wurlitzer.
See VISITORS on page 14
– Dawson Fearnow
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographrer) Joe’s Farm Grill, which has been featured on Food Network, is created from the Johnston Family home built in 1966.
Native American festival, pageant featured over weekend
The Chandler Indian Art Market and Miss Indian Arizona Scholarship Program both are this weekend.
The art festival features Native American works from artists all over the Southwest. Jewelry, photography, pottery, paintings and crafts will be featured. It runs Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at A.J. Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Ave.
The Miss Indian Arizona Scholarship Program pageant is Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under the age 12. For information and tickets, call the 480-782-2680 or visit chandlercenter.org.
The art market and pageant are offi cial Native American Recognition Days Events. For more information, go to aznard.org.
– RALPH ZUBIATE, TRIBUNE EDITOR
Celebration of dogs expects 7,000 in Gilbert
Volunteers needed for free smoke alarm event
Chandler fi refi ghters will go door-to-door Saturday to Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe and Mesa and install free smoke alarms.
Volunteer installers and record keepers are needed for the Community Smoke Alarm Installation program from 8 a.m. to noon. No experience is necessary and all training, tools and materials are provided that day.
Registration is available at azburn.org/events/ community-smoke-alarm-installation-events.
For more information, call the Arizona Burn Foundation at 602-230-2041, ext.
Bombers
BARKtoberfest, a celebration of dogs and their owners, is Saturday.
It has been named “Best Annual Event” in the East Valley Tribune’s Best of Gilbert three years in a row.
BARKtoberfest is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gilbert Town Center, 50 E. Civic Center Drive.
Nearly 7,500 people and dogs are expected to attend. Dogs also will be available for adoption.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
make way to Mesa after summer tour
Airplanes from the Commemorative Air Force are on their way back home to Mesa after a summer tour.
A B-17 bomber, “Sentimental Journey,” and a B-25 called “Maid in the Shade” will arrive Wednesday. The public is invited to watch the homecoming as the bombers land between 1 and 2 p.m.
Students in grades 7 and 8 will compete in a cardboard regatta Saturday at Freemont Aquatic Complex.
The race will be a competition between students involved with the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Club at Fremont Junior High. Students will demonstrate their understanding of scientifi c principles, like density and buoyancy.
The aquatic complex is at 1101 N. Power Rd. The event is 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with races beginning at noon.
For more information, call the Mesa Public Library at 480-644-2707.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
The museum will open at 10 a.m. for a tour and other homecoming events. Tours of the bombers will be available.
Students to race cardboard boats in competition
The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum is at 2017 N. Greenfi eld Road in Mesa. For more information, call 480-924-1940 or go to azcaf.org.
– RALPH ZUBIATE, TRIBUNE EDITOR
Mesa students to observe ‘Walk to School Day’
Mesa students and schools are participating in the International Walk and Bike to School Day.
About 5,000 students from 10 Mesa elementary schools are taking part.
Each school has selected a day in October to celebrate. Schools will deliver pedestrian education for both students and parents.
Councilmember David Luna will attend Lowell Elementary’s celebration on Friday, where more than 500 students are anticipated to participate. Students will meet at four designated locations at 7:10 a.m. and walk together to school with banners and posters celebrating the occasion.
(Sharon G. Thompson)
(Kimberly Carrillo)
(Commemorative Air Force)
Tom Welch has his prescriptions checked by Chandler fi refi ghters Jim Spengler and Chad Goswick as part of a pilot program with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Chandler program brings health services to veterans in need
BY JIM WALSH TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
It was bad enough when Tom Welch of Chandler was shot in the chest during his first tour of duty in the jungles of Vietnam.
Welch, 65, also was hit by shrapnel during his second tour of duty, all with the U.S. Army’s 11th Armored Calvary Regiment, where he scouted the North Vietnamese Army’s movements in a highly dangerous front-line assignment.
“I learned how to duck faster,” Welch jokes in typical fashion, using humor to combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a host of serious physical ailments stemming from his military service.
The aftermath of Welch’s service to his country has been almost as trying as his time in Vietnam. He served with the prestigious Blackhorse Unit from 1969 to 1971, going on night patrols through the jungle looking for the enemy. He was part of one of the first units to cross over the Cambodian border.
First, there was colon surgery in his late 30s, followed by an aggressive form of prostate cancer that the Department of Veterans Affairs attributed to his exposure to Agent Orange, a deadly defoliant blamed for a host of health problems.
Most recently, Welch came down with bronchial pneumonia, another condition that landed him in the hospital. It was the latest in a series of life-threatening
POLLACK
from page 3
amount. He’s called again when the mice return. This time, the man asks for what was owed to him as well more for the new job, which the desperate villagers pay. The man finally brings in several cats that destroy the mice.
“That was the story that goes with him; it’s sounded like a really good one,” said Pollack, who had to clamber up a ratinfested attic in a Berlin antiques store to retrieve the statue at the shop owner’s bidding.
Pollack is also particularly proud of his Baranger collection because the company made 165 or so machines, out of which he owns 156. Manufactured in Pasadena, California, the Baranger moving figures advertised pieces of jewelry. The machines were never sold
to jewelry shops; instead, the company leased them and placed them inside the shop windows.
Pollack began his collection in northern California when he was about 12.
“I was fascinated by these moving, mechanical signs that were advertising different products,” he said.
He would buy items, such as electric beer, signs at flea markets on Saturdays, repair them at night and sell them for a profit on Sundays to antique stores.
“I actually was making money as a kid, but I was fascinated with these signs,” he said. “I liked them so much that I would try to keep one of each kind for myself. And, pretty soon, it went from a kid’s hobby to now one of the largest assemblages in the world.”
For more information, go to pollackmuseum.com.
blows he has managed to endure since he turned 60.
“I’m lucky I made it that far,” he said.
The VA and the Chandler Fire Health and Medical Department are working together to keep veterans such as Welch as healthy as possible, using preventative care, with a personal touch.
The innovative pilot program targets the sickest veterans in Chandler and Tempe, as identified from VA health records through use of an advanced informatics analysis. Robin Miller, senior management analyst with Chandler Fire, makes appointments with veterans.
Two community paramedics go to the veteran’s home and use a tablet to establish a video and audio link that allows the veteran to speak directly with a VA nurse practitioner.
During the first six months of the pilot program, which started in January, Chandler firefighters identified 794 veterans. Staff members contacted 496 to see if they were receiving services from the VA and set up 60 Tele Health appointments, Miller said.
The Chandler City Council recently extended the program another 18 months, giving it a two-year trial to gauge the effectiveness. The program’s progress is being closely monitored at the VA, which considers it an effective way of expanding or improving services to the sickest of veterans and a potential
Cowboy slot machines add Western flair to collection
BY SRIANTHI PERERA TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Arizona cowboy and artist Frank Polk carved 91 life-size wooden sculptures that were stands for slot machines and sold them to casinos in Nevada.
Some of the sculptures were in the likenesses of famous cowboys, such as Buffalo Bill Cody, while others were modeled after Confederate soldiers, Western actors like John Wayne and other notables from Western culture.
Michael Pollack owns 38 of the
carvings, including sit down cowboys, one-armed bandits and mountain men, as well as cocktail waitresses, which were made of fiberglass.
An American Indian chief likeness from the collection has a wooden headdress of hand-carved features. Pollack called it “the greatest machine of all.”
“Back in the 1950s, Frank never thought they were works of art. He didn’t look at them that way,” he said.
Nowadays, the deceased artist’s creations are much sought after.
“I hope to have them all soon,” Pollack said.
(Srianthi Perera/Tribune Staff)
The Frank Polk collection includes wooden carvings of a cross section of Western personalities.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Chandler police seek identity of bank robber
Police are seeking the public’s help to identify a suspect in a Chandler bank robbery. At 7 p.m. on Aug. 11, the MidFirst Bank at 1311 W. Chandler Blvd. was robbed. The suspect is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound white male in his 30s with a patchy beard.
If you have any information, contact the Chandler Police Department at 480-782-4130 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (948-6377). Silent Witness is offering a reward up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of this suspect. For more information, contact Detective Seth Tyler at 480-782-4105.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
ASU’s School of Art director will step down
Adriene Jenik, the director of the School of Art at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, announced that she’s stepping down.
Jenik, who took the position in July 2009, will leave in December.
She had been with the visual arts department at the University of California at San Diego, where she served as chair, for 11 years.
Under Jenik, the School of Art has become a leading fi ne arts graduate school, ranking 20th in the nation according to 2016 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Maupin, 2 others arrested in bridge-closing protest
Tempe police arrested civil rights leader Jarrett Maupin as he led a group of protesters who shut down the Mill Avenue bridge last week. Offi cers on motorcycles and bicycles had pleaded with the protesters to get out of the roadway and to use the sidewalk.
Starting near Tempe Beach Park, the protesters at fi rst marched west toward Phoenix, then turned around near an underpass, east of Washington Street. At that point, Maupin was arrested by Tempe police and loaded into the back of a white van. At least two other protesters who refused to get out of the road also were arrested.
Tempe police said all three suspects were in the Tempe jail and would be booked on a charge of impeding a public thoroughfare.
Pair sentenced in dog-abuse case put up crowdfunding page
The owners of the Gilbert kennel where more than 20 dogs died are facing new outrage after asking for money from the public.
MaLeisa and Jesse Todd Hughes, owners of Green Acre Kennel, were trying to raise $50,000 on Fundly. The fundraising page was posted by MaLeisa’s brother, Clark Warren.
The page now appears to have been taken down.
The Hugheses pleaded guilty on June 30 to one felony count each of animal cruelty and fraud. They were sentenced to 60 days in jail and six years of probation on Sept. 9.
“After two extremely diffi cult years and much pain and loss for all involved I hope you will fi nd a desire in your heart to help rebuild the lives of my sister and her amazing family,” Warren wrote on the page.
– RALPH ZUBIATE, TRIBUNE EDITOR
Lane separator posts added to Superstition Freeway due to crashes
Chandler mailboxes broken into
ADOT crews installed a series of lane separator posts along westbound U.S. 60 because of a history of crashes.
Mailboxes on Kent, Post, Corona and Santa Ana streets in the Ray Ranch Estates subdivision in Chandler have been broken into.
It’s not known whether anything of value was taken.
The white posts were added from Kyrene to the Interstate 10 interchange. They are an attempt by the Arizona Department of Transportation to discourage drivers using the HOV lane from making sudden lane changes as they approach the interchange.
Sudden lane changes from the westbound HOV lane have contributed to crashes in recent years. Most have been minor, noninjury crashes, but some have been serious.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
A spokesperson with the post offi ce says the mailboxes will be replaced by newer, more secure ones, similar to those installed a block away from the break-ins.
The post offi ce encourages residents to pick up their mail every day, and to have their mail held by the post offi ce if going out of town.
VETERANS
from page 8
model for use nationwide.
“Our intent from the beginning was to design it in a way that fire department’s across the nation can replicate it,” said Val Gale, a Chandler Battalion Chief. “It is our hope that this program will spread across the nation.”
The paramedics act as the nurse practitioner’s eyes, ears and hands. They check the patient’s vital signs. They read off a list of names and dosages of medications. The nurse practitioner questions the veterans about their health and makes sure they are taking their medications properly. They also coordinate the patient’s care by making follow up appointments with VA doctors.
“It’s good. It saves me a trip to the hospital,” Welch said.
Vickie Welch, Tom’s wife and caregiver, said the program gives her peace of mind.
“They do a great job. They’re real personable. They are very familiar, that helps,” she said.
During a previous visit, the paramedics noted that Tom Welch had an irregular heart beat and performed an EKG, a common test that measures the heart’s rhythm. An EKG is typically performed in a doctor’s office, especially a cardiologist’s office.
program.
“They are the sickest people in our system. They need the help the most. We are trying to predict who might call 911,” he said.
The program’s focus, he said, is “all about prediction and prevention.”
Doctors have only become board certified in informatics, an emerging field, for three years, Abbaszadegan said. It might eventually become a model for the delivery of health care not only to veterans, but to everyone.
Dr. Gabriel Labbad, a doctor from the New Jersey shore who recently observed the program as part of a fellowship with the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine in Phoenix, was very impressed.
“What you are doing in Chandler could be a model for the rest of the country 10 years from now,” Labbad said.
Another veteran helped by the program, who asked to remain anonymous, said the personal touch provided by Chandler paramedics adds something that is often lacking in the medical system. The veteran told nurse practitioner Wendy Astudillo-Tee that he doesn’t like to go outside unless it is absolutely necessary.
The Tempe Fire Department also participates in the program but uses a different approach. A nurse from the Fire Department and a second nurse from Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital meet with veterans in pre-scheduled appointments, making the same video and audio connection with a VA nurse practitioner, said Monique Lind, emergency medical services coordinator.
“I think there are some advantages to it, especially with drawing blood. I think the nurse model gives us more flexibility,” Lind said. “These patients have significantly increased risk of going to the ER (emergency room) or even dying.”
Dr. Hamed Abbaszadegan, an internist and the Phoenix VA’s chief health informatics officer, said the VA is using data from patients’ health records and analyzing it with algorithms and predictive modeling to identify a pool of patients who can benefit from the
“Veterans are a special class of people with specific needs,” he said. “Everybody needs a little love sometimes.”
The program also requires a new approach for Chandler firefighters, who typically don’t get to know the people they help. Usually, their priority is identifying the level of injury, providing immediate treatment and rushing an injured person to the appropriate hospital for more intensive care.
“It’s very fulfilling. You get a chance to give back to these fellows, some of them have made great sacrifices,” said Jim Spengler, a veteran paramedic who joined the department in 1984. “We get to spend 45 minutes to two hours with them,” as opposed to a typical call that might last 20 minutes.
Miller said some veterans don’t realize they are eligible for benefits, or don’t want get services when they think that will keep somebody else from getting help.
– Reach Jim Walsh at 480-898-5639 or at jwalsh@ timespublications.com.
– Comment on this article and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer) Tom Welsh (second from left) was on the cover of Life magazine on May 22, 1970.
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You can also call now to reserve a spot at a neighborhood sales meeting to learn more:
MESA
Humana Guidance Center
5943 E. McKellips Rd.
Ste. #106
Oct. 5, 12, 19 at 11:30 a.m.
Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
MESA
Iora Primary Care
9124 E. Main St.
Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.
Oct. 25 at 10 a.m.
MESA
Iora Primary Care
5110 E. Southern Ave.
Oct. 27 at 10 a.m.
**Available only through Humana’s mail-order pharmacy; always consult with your doctor or medical provider before taking over-the-counter medications. Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in this Humana plan depends on contract renewal. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premium and member cost share may change on January 1 of each year. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. Applicable to Humana Gold Plus H2649-032 (HMO). A licensed sales agent will be present with information and applications. For accommodation of persons with special needs at sales meetings call 1-855-882-4341 (TTY: 711), 5 a.m. - 8 p.m., 7 days a week.
Humana Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Humana”) do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex.
English: ATTENTION: If you do not speak English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-855-882-4341 (TTY: 711).
Español (Spanish): ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-855-346-7988 (TTY: 711).
Instead of simply reacting to crime, “most of what we do is predetermined and based on our data,” Duggan said.
“There’s a mission. When the officers are on the street, they have a better awareness of what is trending in their geographic area.”
Through predictive analysis, police allocate resources based upon the time and location where they believe crimes are most likely to occur.
murder, to 16 from 13. Violent crime fell 6.9 percent and property crime fell 8 percent.
• Tempe also experienced drops in most categories of crime except murder and arson. Tempe’s murders rose to 7 from 5, but violent crime overall was down 9.8 percent, property crime was down 5 percent and assault was down 13.7
Tempe’s crimes monitored by the Uniform Crime Report serve as a good example. During a 10-year period in Tempe, these crimes dropped from 13,758 in 2006 to 8,428 in 2015, a steep 61 percent decline.
Duggan warned against comparing crime in one East Valley city to that of another, noting that there are inherent differences between Tempe, a university town where the population swells during the day, and Chandler and Gilbert, suburbs where the daytime population drops.
“ Crime in general, over our generation, has been tremendously downward. This is the safest our country has been in our lifetime. ”
Some notable examples of statistics about East Valley crime contained in the Uniform Crime Report, which was released Monday:
—Sean Duggan, Chandler Police Chief
• Chandler’s violent crime was up 5.6 percent, including a 31.7 percent increase in rape, to 79 from 60 in 2014. Robbery and assault increased slightly but property crime fell 4.4 percent, burglary fell 19.3 percent and larceny/theft fell 2.1 percent.
• Gilbert’s already low crime numbers shrunk some more, with violent crime down 16.5 percent, property crimes down 7.1 percent and burglary down 9.7 percent.
• All categories of crime in Mesa were down, except for a slight increase in
VISITORS
from page 4
Farms and meats from The Pork Shop. Along with Schnepf Farm, we call it our little ‘agritainment’ complex.”
Queen Creek Olive Mill, 25062 S. Meridian Road in Queen Creek. For more information, call 480-888-9290 or visit queencreekolivemill.com.
Tune them out
Of course, everyone has a different definition of entertainment, and nothing can please everyone. Unless, that is, you’re talking about the East Valley’s world famous concert/dining hall, Organ Stop Pizza, where every slice comes with a free side of campy but wildly entertaining fun from the world’s largest Wurlitzer theater pipe organ.
A Mesa landmark since 1975, coowner Jack Barz says, “our secret to success is it’s a good quality product that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s the rare entertainment that appeals to all age groups.”
But what’s a Wurlitzer pipe organ, says almost everyone these days?
percent. The one exception is rape, which shot up 60 percent in 2014 after a public awareness campaign and remained at a similar level in 2015.
Duggan said it is important to keep crime in perspective and not to dwell on short-term increases in one specific crime from one year to the next.
Chandler’s number of reported crimes was the same in 2015 as in 1988, when the city had 85,000 residents, compared with more than 258,000 today.
“Crime in general, over our generation, has been tremendously downward,” Duggan said. “This is the safest our country has been in our lifetime.”
“What separates a theater organ from a church organ is that it was designed to accompany a silent movie, so it could reproduce all the sounds of an entire orchestra—from the strings and horns to the percussion—at the hands of just a single organist, rather than hiring an orchestra night after night.
"Our organ dates back to 1927, and it was built and installed at a Denver movie theater,” he adds.
So how did this marvel of early 20th century engineering/outsourcing end up in a Mesa basement, where it rises dramatically into the showroom with the organist in tow at the start of each show?
“Organ Stop founder Bill Brown had a huge love for theater organ and pizza— and a dream of combining the two,” Barz says. “So he found this organ, which had been abandoned for decades, refurbished it, and invented pizza dinner theater.”
As for the Wurlitzer’s bells and whistles, the secret is, “All those pipes are really just big whistles that are tuned to recreate the sounds of every single instrument in an entire symphony orchestra.
“It’s all original design, right down to the wind-powered percussion
The unique nature of Tempe shows up in surging sexual assault statistics. The number of reported sexual assaults skyrocketed in 2014 after Tempe police joined with Arizona State University in a well-publicized campaign to raise awareness of the crime and to encourage more victims to come forward.
The number of rapes reported in Tempe in 2014 was 103, followed by 101 in 2015. Before the campaign, 62 were reported in 2013.
Tempe Assistant Police Chief Angel Carbajal said Tempe is planning a Center Against Family Violence, where victims can go to one place to report crimes and receive counseling. The trend toward such centers is already well established in Mesa, Phoenix and Glendale.
Many sexual assaults involve alcohol and suspects that the victim knows, but not well, he said, but the mindset is changing.
“A high level of intoxication does not justify the act. It demonstrates the person’s inability to consent,” Carbajal said. “It doesn’t mean we sit back. It means we have more work to do.”
Carbajal and Duggan both stressed the need for police to get cooperation from the public in fighting crime.
Carbajal noted that Tempe experienced a surge in vehicle burglaries earlier this year. Many times, the owner left the vehicle unlocked. In contrast, residential burglaries are below the three-year average so far this year.
Three times, Carbajal said he has spoken to customers at a dry cleaning business in Tempe, warning them not to leave their cars running while they step inside to drop off their dirty clothes.
Duggan said Chandler has less than 330 officers and can’t possibly protect a city of 258,000 residents without public support and trust.
“Any contact with a citizen is a moment of truth encounter, an opportunity to win their support,” he said. “It’s a twoway street, respect and accountability.”
– Reach Jim Walsh at 480-898-5639 or at jwalsh@ timespublications.com.
– Comment on this article and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
instruments lining the walls.”
So where exactly do you find a trained theater organist these days?
“There are very few left, but there is a national group called the American Theatre Organist society, which hosts competitions and tries to recruit younger generations,” Barz says.
“One of our organists, Charlie Balough,
started at the original Phoenix location in 1973, went home to Michigan to open his own organ restaurant, and came back in 1991. He’s been with us ever since.” Organ Stop Pizza, 1149 E. Southern Ave. in Mesa. Restaurant takes cash or check only. For more information, call 480-813-5700 or visit organstoppizza. com.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Patricia Redinger, a winter visitor from Kalispell, Montana, and her sister, Mary Fox of Gilbert, taste some of the olive oils available at The Olive Mill.
Community
Gilbert’s Heritage District to get an artistic bench
BY SRIANTHI PERERA TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Gilbert’s latest streetside adornment will be a bench colorfully painted with a treehouse surrounded by playful Southwest critters.
It will be installed north of Barrio Queen restaurant and on the west side of Gilbert Road in the Downtown Heritage District. The bench will be unveiled during the inaugural Off the Street Art Festival on Oct. 29.
The artist decorating the bench is former teacher and entrepreneur Simone Woodard of Chandler. Her design was chosen by the Arts and Culture Board for its whimsicality and originality.
“I wanted to do something familyfriendly. I wanted people to smile when they see it. That’s important to me,” said Woodard, who has been painting it at the Gilbert Historical Museum for the past couple of weeks and needed only to add a resin finish and wax for sealing and durability.
The translucent fiberglass bench in the shape of a living-room couch has some history attached to it. In 2013, it was to
be one of 12 public benches that were to be painted artistically with the help of sponsors.
The sponsors didn’t materialize, so the board decided to decorate the model, which was crafted by American Fiberglass in Phoenix and already paid for.
Woodard was paid a stipend of $500 for the work.
“It’s a test bench,” said Diane Fales, a member of the Arts and Culture Board.
“We’re just getting one bench out and we’ll go back to the project to see if we can revive it.”
Fales said that the board didn’t want to waste the time and effort already put into the long-planned project.
The bench can be lighted, which increases its visual appeal.
“That was the big plus with it; it could be lit and that makes a world of a difference,” Fales said.
The front of the bench depicts daytime, while the back shows the night. The back also features Downtown Gilbert’s most recognizable symbol—its Water Tower.
– Contact Srianthi Perera at 480-898-5613 or srianthi@timespublications.com.
For more community news visit eastvalleytribune.com
Grant boosts Mesa Arts Center senior programs
BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Programs specifically geared toward people ages 55 and older are getting a financial boost at the Mesa Arts Center.
The center is among six recipients in the United States of a national demonstrations project from the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations. Mesa’s grant is $72,450 and will be directed toward the Creativity Connects program. That program helps both independent senior citizens and seniors
who live in assisted-care facilities.
Four Creativity Connects programs are about to begin or already underway at the center.
“Entangle” is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays through Nov. 22. Students are to create mixed-media, abstract sculptures.
Work-in-progress classes began Sept. 6, but three more sessions are planned in the next eight months. People can bring artwork at any stage in the creative process in and receive group feedback.
Flamenco classes for older adults
have also started, but continue from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays through Oct. 11.
Classes that focus on creative movement are scheduled from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Thursdays from Oct. 6 through Dec. 8.
To register for any of the classes, send an email to engagement@ mesaartscenter.com.
The grant is part of the National Endowment for the Arts 50th anniversary celebration, arts center spokeswoman Casey Blake said.
– Contact reporter Shelley Ridenour at 480-8986533 or sridenour@timespublications.com.
(Srianthi Perera/Tribune Staff)
Artist Simone Woodard of Chandler paints her design on a fiberglass bench that will displayed in Gilbert’s Heritage District.
District’s primary winners started out as activists
BY ADRIANA BECERRA TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Activists-turned-politicians captured District 26’s vote in the primaries last month.
Athena Salman and Isela Blanc edged out incumbent Celeste Plumlee, each getting over 30 percent of the vote in District 26, which covers Tempe, Mesa and Phoenix. They ran on the Clean Election Team with Juan Mendez for Senate.
Salman is a native Arizonian, born into a diverse family—her mother is from Chicago and father is from the Middle East. She is a first-generation graduate from Arizona State University, with degrees in economics and political science.
Salman first began experimenting with activism in college. Since then, she’s proposed a state work-study program to the state Legislature, worked with Gov. Jan Brewer on a Common Core Numbering bill, and helped increase Latino voter turnout by almost 500 percent in 2011.
Salman was recently given Tempe’s MLK Diversity Award.
Blanc was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S when she was 6. She went to Tempe public school and was the first in her family to attend a university. She graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in family and human development.
In making her children her first priority, Blanc became a volunteer at her children’s school. This led her to advocate for youth programs and education. She’s worked in the public sector, with law enforcement and with community outreach programs on the benefits of early childhood development.
Blanc suddenly found herself in politics after participating in the New American Leaders Project, and was encouraged to continue, though she never imagined herself in the political arena.
“We need more people that don’t see themselves in these positions,” Blanc said, “A lot of times our communities, our societies, ourselves tell us we’re not good enough. I can’t let fear dictate the possibilities.”
Blanc and Salman grounded their campaign in speaking directly to voters
in their district, asking their concerns and hopes for the community.
“In communities of families where there was higher income level to low income, the number one concern was education,” said Blanc.
Speaking to voters gave Blanc motivation. Particularly, when asking parents about their hopes and dreams for their children.
“They got teary-eyed and said I don’t know. I’m afraid,” Blanc said.
She herself could never imagine the difficulties and uncertainties that parents now face.
“When I held my son 20 years ago, I had the highest hopes and dreams,” said Blanc.
Blanc hopes to help repair the broken education system by giving back the funds that have previously been cut. She wants to continue giving children the best education and opportunity.
“It shouldn’t matter where you live or your ZIP code or your family income,” Blanc said on allowing all children equal access to high quality education.
Salman is also committed to reforming the education system. She stresses the importance of early childhood development.
“Momentum is being built around the first five years of a child’s life,” said Salman. “Ninety percent of a child’s brain develops within the first five years.”
Working with Arizona families and seeing the education system cuts firsthand is what motivates both to fight for education.
Strong communities and working at the grassroots level are also crucial in each woman’s platform.
Announce the a iliation of Carrie Cashman, MD, FACS and Laura Champagne, MD, FACS
Now scheduling appointments at our Chandler, Gilbert & Mesa Locations
We are pleased to announce the opening of the Ironwood Breast Centers, delivering comprehensive care of malignant and benign diseases of the breast. Dr. Cashman and Dr. Champagne have extensive experience in breast surgical oncology and treatment of malignant and benign diseases of the breast. Our multidisciplinary team approach includes surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, social service support, nutritionist, integrative services, and genetic counseling.
To schedule an appointment please call 480-792-6006. www.ironwoodcrc.com
(Special to the Tribune)
Athena Salman (right) and Isela Blanc (center) ran in District 26 with Juan Mendez for Senate. The district covers Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa.
CARRIE
Pinners passionate about empowering women
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Crissi Johnson and her sister, Tami Bresniker, are taking the fear out of power tools and empowering women to grasp some themselves.
The duo owns Made by 2 Sisters in Mesa, where they teach DIY classes and sell crafty items. They’ll showcase their talents and teach courses at the Pinners Conference and Expo on Friday and Saturday at WestWorld in Scottsdale. They will have a booth and teach classes as well.
The conference features more than 90 Pinterest-based classes taught by presenters from throughout the nation. The expo boasts nearly 200 top businesses providing options in the worlds of DIY, crafts, cooking, self-improvement, photography, party planning, scrapbooking, holiday, and beauty and fashion.
“We teach classes on power tools so women can build their own things,” said Johnson, who lives in Gilbert, while her sister resides in San Diego. “We do it step by step.
“Some women have never picked up a hammer or drill. We show them how to use them. My dad raised me and my sister not to be afraid of power tools. We just go for it.”
Johnson and Bresniker began their side careers—Johnson works as a teacher, while her sister works for FedEx—making wood signs, which Made by 2 Sisters still sells.
“It just naturally fell into how to create signs,” Johnson said about her classes. “I am super passionate about teaching people and empowering women to use tools. So I started teaching building classes.”
The classes focus on a variety of items, such as front porch posts, TV trays, blanket and towel ladders, frames and chalkboard frames and tables.
“We have different levels,” Johnson said. “The beginning level, it’s basic.”
With her sister and parents living in California, the family meets once a month. Their father, Ron Yap, does the cutting and prepping for classes and transports the items to Arizona. Their mom, Zita, is the accountant, while Bresniker sews.
Johnson said she is looking forward to the Pinners Conference and Expo.
ABOVE:
ABOVE RIGHT:
Crissi
RIGHT:
Tami
“We’ve been on the East side so much and we are always asked if we do classes on the West side or up north in Scottsdale,” she said. “It’s very hard to take our classes somewhere because there is so much wood and tools.
“It will be nice to hit a whole different market and also to teach a huge number of people at one time. Our shop holds 20, while we hear the Pinners room can fit 140. That’s more than I get to hit in a month.”
Made by 2 Sisters also hosts pallet parties, most of which are private.
Pinners and Sisters
The Pinners Conference and Expo runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale. Tickets are $7 to $99. For more information, visit westworldaz.com or az.pinnersconference.com.
Made by 2 Sisters is at 20 W. Baseline Road, Suite 6, Mesa. For more information, visit madeby2sisters.com.
“We do five to seven private parties a weekend,” she said. “Usually, we have about two open parties a week.”
Of all of their services or products, Johnson enjoys the girls’ night out events the most.
“It’s not the typical wine and painting party where everybody’s doing the same thing,” she said. “Here, we have up to 70-plus options or you can do a custom option.
“I don’t hold anything back. I don’t hold my secrets. It’s not about selling the signs. It’s teaching people what to do.”
Johnson finds time for Made by 2 Sisters because she shares a job at Fuller Elementary School in Tempe. She teaches Wednesdays and Thursdays, when the store is closed.
Kids are welcome a well.
“It’s so gratifying,” she said. “Kids have immediate gratification. It’s not like pottery places where you have to wait to bring it home. They’re bringing it home that say.
“Birthday parties are great. The kids can come and have their cake, and make something from start to finish.”
(Special to the Tribune)
Tami Bresniker (left) and Crissi Johnson own Made by 2 Sisters in Mesa. They will be showcasing their talents at the Pinners Conference and Expo on Friday and Saturday.
Johnson (left) helps a client during one of Made by 2 Sisters’ workshops.
Bresniker and Crissi Johnson recently opened a brick and mortar store, Made by 2 Sisters, at 20 W. Baseline Rd., Suite 6, Mesa.
Retired fire chief honored by national organization
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
To Harry Beck, it took a village to make the Mesa Fire and Medical Department as successful as it is—not necessarily just him.
The recently retired chief was named the 2016 IAFC Fire Chief of the Year.
“The fire chief role is just one of many that is needed in order for the department to be successful,” said Beck, who lives in Mesa. “It’s absolutely a team effort to make that happen. That’s why it’s a little awkward to get a personal award. So many people had a really huge part in making that happen.”
Beck has dedicated more than 40 years to fire and emergency services. He began his career with the Phoenix Fire Department, where he eventually became deputy fire chief. He joined the MFMD as fire chief in 2003.
Beck said his most noteworthy accomplishment while at the MFMD
was implementing a new program for emergency medical service.
“It wasn’t being done anywhere else,” he said. “We modified our standard dispatch model to try to send only the amount of resources necessary. We decided to evaluate the 911 calls more closely and determine what level of emergency it really was for the patient.”
Based on that information, the MFMD would send a two-person unit or an all-hazard, four-person unit, which is reserved for incidents ranging from a heart attack to a major fire.
“That has been recognized now as a good model, not only here in the Valley but on a national level,” he said.
Beck said his role was gratifying because he cares about Mesa residents.
“We’re doing the right things for the right reasons,” he added “It’s not profit driven. There’s a huge intrinsic value that comes with the job.”
Beck—who recently secured funding for a new MFMD dispatch center
Group wants to strengthen Mesa college connections
BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Mesa City Councilman David Luna has been appointed chairman of the re-established community advisory committee at Mesa Community College at Red Mountain.
Luna said he’s pleased to be part of the group addressing important issues connected to boosting local businesses. The committee will evaluate three main things, Luna said. One is how can the college better fit the business community. Another question is how can the college attract more students. Luna also said he wants to determine if there are classes the college should offer that could help local businesses.
and city emergency-operations center—said his team has been successful because everyone treats each other respectfully.
“If you treat people with respect and recognize them for their contributions and encourage them to think beyond the standard, you can create something that’s unusual and outstanding,” he said.
“Everyone’s focused on what’s best for the people in the community. With that sort of open-mindedness, it’s allowed everybody to participate at the levels and areas of their strengths. You add all of that up and you create some amazing things.”
In his free time, Beck serves on multiple boards including the Mountain Vista Medical Center and Life Safety Council. He’s an advisory board member for the East Valley ACS Relay for Life.
“I’m a cancer survivor, so I think Relay for Life is such an unbelievable cause,” he said. “It’s really gratifying and something my family’s been able
BRIEFS
CHANDLER
“It’s important to align business and industry with what the college is teaching,” he said.
Luna considers the Red Mountain campus “a hidden gem” in Mesa and the local higher education system. There’s room for several thousand more students on the campus, he said, and he wants to funnel students there.
Luna invites people to weigh in on the committee’s work. The committee will meet quarterly. The first meeting is scheduled from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday in the community room M200 at the Red Mountain campus, 7100 E. McKellips Road in Mesa.
Arizona Avenue speed limit changed in downtown
Arizona Avenue’s speed limit between Chandler Boulevard and Frye Road has been decreased to 30 mph from 35 mph. The stretch of road goes through downtown Chandler.
Since reconstruction of the road in 2010, studies say, the average speed has been dropping. A new road design, on-street parking and dense landscaping have been credited.
New speed limit signs have been placed, and flags are topping the signs to alert drivers to the change.
The speed limit along Arizona Avenue remains 35 mph north and south of this area.
Intersession Camps offered for kids on fall break
Chandler Parks & Recreation is offering students ages 5-13 an opportunity to participate in crafts, science projects, sports, fitness competitions and more throughout fall break.
The camps will run Monday to Oct. 14 with a choice of all day, half day and specific weeks.
Camp lineup and details are available
to participate in with me. I think we’ve been able to add to the progress. We all feel connected to it.”
at chandleraz.gov/camps or by calling 480-782-2727.
MESA
Used car dealership sued over discrimination claim
Sullivan Motor Company in Mesa has been accused of firing a disabled employee suffering from stage 4 lung cancer. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office filed a discrimination lawsuit.
In 2014, salesman Francis Beesley was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer, papillary thyroid cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with emphysema. Sullivan at the time modified his work schedule.
In May 2015, Beesley was diagnosed with skin cancer and sought time off for treatment. Management then notified Beesley that they could no longer accommodate him. Beesley was fired.
The Attorney General’s Office is seeking a judgment for Beesley’s loss of wages and injunctive relief to stop the alleged discriminatory practices.
(Special to the Tribune)
Retired Mesa fire chief Harry Beck has dedicated more than 40 years to fire and emergency services.
Comment on this story and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
(Special to the Tribune) Mesa City Councilman David Luna also works as a Community Outreach Specialist for Mesa Public Schools.
America the Divided, where we can agree only on a golfer
BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ TRIBUNE COLUMNIST
In the days after the death of Arnold Palmer last Sunday, stories about “The King” of golf popped up everywhere, but one tale has remained with me.
A national telephone poll put out by Rasmussen Reports said 70 percent of Americans viewed Palmer favorably at the time of his passing versus a mere seven percent who disliked the golfing legend from Latrobe.
One in four survey respondents told the pollster they didn’t know enough about Arnie to make up their minds.
Seven in 10. That’s a helluva number in America the Divided, a land where we can’t seem to agree on anything, as evidenced by the presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump that took place Monday night while news of Palmer’s death crawled across the bottom of the television screen.
After that 90-minute shouting match, my informal social media survey indicated a split decision: While a majority of folks seemed to believe Clinton won the gabfest, the race for the White House remained a virtual dead heat. Rasmussen’s Thursday poll had Clinton at 42 percent and Trump at 41. About 10 percent of voters plan to chuck their vote away on a third-party candidate while another 10 percent— myself included—still haven’t made up their minds.
Which brings us back to Palmer, a man whose golfing career peaked when I was about 10 years old. He owned a singular talent: The ability to come off like the kind of guy you’d want to shoot the breeze with, swapping tales on a patio someplace, you with a beer and Palmer sipping two parts iced tea to one part lemonade.
That was the King I grew up seeing on the old color Zenith that for years stood on a rickety stand in our Queens living room—Arnold recommending things,
from Pennzoil to Paine Webber, Hertz to Cadillacs to Master Card to shopping at Sears. If I wasn’t old enough to be Palmer’s target audience, that didn’t prevent me from feeling kindly toward the rugged guy with the deep bronze tan and beefy forearms.
Fast forward a few decades. Today, is there anyone about whom seven in 10 of us could agree to admire? The president or the first lady? Please. The pope? Not hardly. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and the rest of the billionaire tech aristocracy? Not even close, not when you factor in their politics, tales of offshoring business income and class envy against “the 1 percent.” Hillary Clinton we’ve covered. As for other women of fame—Oprah, Queen Elizabeth, Barbara Bush—it’s hard to imagine them rising to Palmer’s level of likeability.
I’m not arguing that this state of the nation affirms some defect with 21st century public figures. Rather, it says more about us than them.
Agreement appears to be a lost art anymore.
Professionally, I attend meetings so often it feels like that’s what I actually do for a living. And in each one, no sooner is a point made than three people say, “I hear what you’re saying, but …,” or “You know, let me play devil’s advocate for a minute.” We disagree the way we breathe—habitually, without even thinking about it. Those who do agree are looked down upon like sheep, dismissed as having “swilled the Kool-Aid.”
Which was one of the few products Arnold Palmer didn’t sell.
Across America last Sunday, people mourned perhaps the last man alive who received nearly universal affection. At the same time as we lost Arnie, admiration also passed away, though the loss received no obituary here in America the Divided.
Veterans should dutifully return John McCain to the U.S. Senate
BY RICK ERICKSON TRIBUNE GUEST WRITER
Veterans know the horrors of war. They’ve gone when ordered to go. They take special stock in the country they served. They frankly demand answers. They have no time for the aimless rancor of politics. On the other hand, when political leaders prove themselves to be incompetent and reckless with national security, veterans are the first to sound off.
John McCain is different from the political leaders we can’t stand. As a veteran, I’m convinced Sen. McCain understands and shares our frustrations more than anyone serving veterans in Congress. There is no challenger in the U.S. Senate race who knows veterans and military people better.
The McCain family legacy of military service is extraordinary, and McCain’s
personal sacrifice in uniform leaves no doubt of his devotion to the welfare of military people fighting war and recovering from it. As a disabled veteran, he knows what it’s like to be a patient of the Veterans Administration. He emerged from war, captivity and torture and, rather than resigning himself to private life, he chose to continue military service and ultimately public service in Congress.
of war and military appropriations. He’s an expert in all the things we care about most as veterans.
Today, McCain carries on Barry Goldwater’s legacy as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. As chairman, McCain fights painstakingly to overcome apathy and resistance on military and veteran issues to be sure bills are ultimately signed and implemented on our behalf.
“ There is no challenger in the U.S. Senate race who knows veterans and military people better. ”
His military experience provided the foundation for more than 30 years of vital expertise in Congress on, among many things, naval operations, air power, veterans health care, prisoners
The committee, for example, just approved the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which is probably the most significant legislation ever for military modernization and defense
reform. McCain’s influence was critical in overcoming a dangerous delusion that the county has many higher priorities than national defense. McCain is at the helm of the Armed Services Committee where he belongs. It is Arizona’s destiny to keep him there.
In this time of war against barbarous terrorists, there is no one better qualified than John McCain to steer the ship for veterans in Congress. It makes no sense for veterans to remove the most devoted and experienced veteran in Congress and replace him with a nonveteran who has no experience at all in national security or serving veterans. Sen. McCain cannot do more to prove himself worthy of our support.
– David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Reach him at david@leibowitzsolo.com.
‘Arnie’ was the golfer that was just like us, and we miss him for it
BY MIKE MCCLELLAN TRIBUNE CONTRIBUTOR
“He isn’t supposed to die.”
That was the thing golfer after golfer said on ESPN the night Arnold Palmer died. And I think that’s what we believe about our childhood icons. They’re supposed to be immortal, after all.
But they aren’t. And when they die, part of us dies with them. Maybe that innocence from when we are kids fades away even more, their deaths reminding us of our own mortality.
So when Arnie died Sunday, I was, like many, crushed. Even though we knew that he was in failing health and 87 years old.
Icons like Palmer connect us to something beyond who they are, but what they represent to us.
For America, Palmer brought golf to regular people like me. He was kind of a slob on the course, with his shirt tail out, his hair messed up, the antithesis of the color-coordinated, sponsor-filled outfits pros wear today.
And he had an everyman kind of
swing, so powerful that instead of the elegant follow-through of his peers, he had a kind of recoil. And like so many have said, his game and his charisma came along at just the right time, when TV golf really began.
He was as spectacular in failure as he was in victory, losing tournaments he should’ve won, bedeviled by the one major that eluded him, the PGA
whether it was tinkering on our car or working on his ham radio rig. I was a jock who could care less about getting under a hood or talking to some guy in Japan on the radio.
My dad also loved golf, which for the life of me I couldn’t understand. He’d try to get me on the course at the Air Force base where he was stationed, but I preferred football in the field behind
“ Icons like Palmer connect us to something beyond who they are, but what they represent to us. ”
Championship.
His losses made him more human to us, and his natural charm made him a magnet.
So my dad and I were part of Arnie’s Army.
But we also have a very personal connection to our icons, even if we never met them. For me, that connection was to my dad.
Like a lot of sons, my relationship with my dad was complicated. He was a pilot who loved all things mechanical,
our house.
But when he retired after 30 years and two wars and we moved to Tucson, he finally got me on the course, a real hacker’s 18 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
And I was hooked. We played almost every weekend in the school year, usually on very early Sunday mornings, sometimes waiting for the greens to defrost. In the summer, we’d play a couple of times a week, on the days I didn’t work summer jobs.
So we connected on the course, and
we both learned stuff about each other, especially how both of us were pretty fierce competitors.
And we extended that connection with our favorite golfer, Arnold Palmer. We’d often spend Sunday afternoons in what we called the Rat Room (a bunch of rattan furniture my parents had inherited from relatives, creating a kind of tacky Haiti Comes to the Desert in our house). He’d have a cold Schlitz in his hand, I’d have an icy Coke, and we’d root Arnie on. More often than not, we’d watch our hero lose yet another one he could’ve won. But that was OK, because we would never desert him.
I got to calling my dad “Arnie” instead of “Dad,” which he didn’t seem to mind at all.
Our rounds decreased as I got older, but he kept playing until the cancer that killed him kept him off the course.
But we still rooted for Arnie, even if he was playing on the Senior Tour. And I guess that’s part of the icons. We never let their failures or diminished skills make us any less loyal.
– Mike McClellan is a Gilbert resident and former English teacher at Dobson High School in Mesa.
Using internet as a barrier
“No Non-Internet Users Need Apply.” Reminiscent of “No Irish Need Apply,” these words illuminate a prior era in our country. An era in which people confronted discriminatory restrictions for individual characteristics they did not choose. An era grounded in limitations regarding elements out of our ancestors’ control. Internet access is no different.
With an estimate of more than a third of Arizonans living without Internet access, this reality creates significant implications for our communities. Participating in online banking just got more complex; applying for positions with electronic-only applications becomes nearly impossible; completing academic research for class is more difficult.
In many cases, public libraries fill this gap. However, libraries do not always provide 24-hour services, if at all. University libraries typically do but may not permit non-university individuals to stay in their facilities past a certain time during evenings. A lack of resources on both a personal and public level leaves non-Internet users scrambling to make
their way in a world that does not seem eager to help them.
Whether pernicious intent or unintended consequence, technological advancement should not signify abandoning 3 in 10 Arizonans.
– Caden Gillespie – Mesa
Defending Kaepernick
There is a compelling scene that transpires in “Rick’s Café” in the famous “Casablanca” when a handful of German soldiers are beginning to sing the German national anthem, much to the chagrin of many French citizens.
It is at this point that the audacious Victor Laszlo calls for the saloon’s band to play France’s “La Marseillaise.” Many may recall the intense pride that emanated from the faces of those that so joyously and proudly sang out with total abandon. It is this degree of dedication and zeal I saw after 9/11 as our nation came together for a while in a kind of unity that appears subsequent to a major tragedy. Omnipresent U.S. flags dotted the landscape and America became America to many. That is, until sufficient time had
elapsed and there was a return to business as usual.
The current controversy precipitated by NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand during the playing of the national anthem has caught many by surprise, both detractors and supporters. Yet it is the spirit he exudes that is truly American in that he is willing to put it all on the line in an act of consciousness and principle.
It is this pride, like that exhibited in “Casablanca,” that moves us to understand: When we support those whose speech we abhor, we are in a real sense safeguarding our own.
– Ahmad Daniels – Tempe
An open letter
As a former New Mexico resident who lived under Gary Johnson’s entire tenure as governor from 1995 to 2003, I can attest to his leadership, common sense and concern for his constituents.
He was one of the most fiscally conservative governors; a Republican TWICE elected in a heavily blue state that is 2-to-1 Democrat. He vetoed over 750 bills meant to help special interests, he did
not raise taxes and he left the state with a balanced budget. As he says, “Google ‘Gary Johnson,’” I welcome everyone to look up his positions on issues that have almost become dire in these polarized times.
Imagine life without the IRS, without income tax. Imagine only having to pay a flat 23 percent consumption tax for nonessential items. Imagine paying taxes on only what YOU choose to purchase.
Imagine the best interests of our people as the unquestionable priority by scaling back on international interventions to take care of our own folks who need jobs, homes, food.
Imagine a country in which our Constitutionally protected civil liberties are taken seriously.
I implore you to give him an honest gander. He could upset the election!
–
Elizabeth Crounse – Phoenix
To submit letters:
Go to eastvalleytribune.com/opinions and click “Submit letter” or email forum@evtrib.com.
Join the East Valley community in honoring and thanking our veterans, active military and their families
East
Friday, November 11 Downtown Mesa at University Dr. and Center St. Presentations: 10:15 a.m. • Flyover and Parade Start: 11 a.m. Produced by the East Valley Veterans Parade Association www.evvp.org
This community celebration is made possible through the generous support of our parade sponsors:
Specialty pharmacy helps patients with difficult conditions
BY MIKE BUTLER TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
There’s a new pharmacy in Chandler.
But DaVita Rx isn’t the typical corner drugstore doling out monthly supplies of statin pills and tubes of toothpaste. DaVita Rx specializes in dispensing medications for patients with kidney disease, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and other complex conditions.
Housed in a 76,000-square-foot office building off the city’s 101 Science & Technology Corridor, DaVita Rx really provides intensive patient counseling and improved outcomes, said Mark Carlson, vice president of specialty operations for DaVita Rx.
“We’re not just sending prescriptions out the door,” Carlson said. “We’re managing care.”
Carlson said that unlike retail pharmacists, DaVita Rx pharmacists devote about 90 percent of their time to patient care, and about 10 percent to filling prescriptions.
When a new patient calls with a medication program, Carlson explained, a pharmacist will ask the client what his or her goals are. They take time to answer patient questions. They discuss side effects and how to administer the medicine, especially if it requires a specialized injector. Technicians also ensure that patients aren’t taking prescriptions they might be allergic to or that shouldn’t be taken together. Support staff answer questions about insurance, co-payments and investigate whether the patient qualifies for financial assistance from the drug maker or a particular foundation. Patients get a follow-up call every 30 days to see how they’re doing and to make sure they’re sticking with the plan.
Many medications are highly perishable and need to be kept cold. They are shipped overnight for morning delivery. DaVita Rx’s 10,000-squarefoot, secure dispensing room includes access to 2,400 square feet of walk-in cooler/freezer space. Cool storage is independently powered and backed up by generators.
“We just can’t allow things to thaw out or get warm,” Carlson said. “We have millions of dollars of stock in here.”
Carlson, a registered pharmacist himself, said DaVita Rx expanded to Chandler because of its educated and skilled workforce.
“It’s a good culture fit for us. We’re really excited to be here,” he said.
The Chandler facility has about 100 employees so far, who are providing business continuity for pharmacies in Florida, Texas and California. At full capacity, DaVita Rx Chandler, which employees have nicknamed Canyons, will have 550-600 staff members.
Sister company DaVita Kidney Care operates nearly 2,300 outpatient dialysis centers with about 185,000 patients in the United States. About a half-dozen of those centers are located in Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert.
DaVita employees just completed their 10th annual Tour DaVita, a three-day bike ride that raises more than $1 million for charity. Carlson said Canyons team
local charities.
(Special to the Tribune)
Mark Carlson (right), vice president of specialty operations for DaVita Rx, said the new Chandler pharmacy will be able to dispense up to 10,000 prescriptions for complex medical conditions per week.
(Special to the Tribune)
A pharmacist and technician review a patient’s order. Many of DaVita Rx’s medications must be kept cold and shipped overnight.conditions per week.
Gold Canyon stretches beyond candles to include home décor, jewelry
BY RACHEL EROH TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Gold Canyon, the Chandler-born candle company, has created a new product line of scented jewelry and décor that matches what a spokeswoman called their “contemporary primitive meets whimsical boutique” style.
What started off as a direct sales business for candles has expanded to GC Lifestyle, which launched on Sept. 7.
The home décor includes vases, throw pillows, trays and other decorations.
“The pillows are great for when you want to throw a pop of color into a room,” said Elissa Shuck, director of products and merchandising.
The jewelry line offers a selection of necklaces and bracelets. Each accessory has a locket to hold a fragrance bead which can give a scent for 30 days. The fragrances are exclusive to the jewelry line.
“As much as we love the seasonal scents, you wouldn’t necessarily wear them on your neck,” Shuck said.
The accessories vary from casual to fancy, which gives customers a variety to
choose from when it comes to an everyday look or a night out, Shuck said.
When it comes to keeping the Gold Canyon style throughout the new line, Shuck said it’s all about predicting the trends and interpreting them to the brand’s personal style.
She described the style to be similar to that of a boutique in Old Town Scottsdale, where they offer many products that all have the same charming characteristics.
As a direct sales business, Gold Canyon makes most of its profits from consultants and hosts. Hosts hold Scent Mixers for consultants to sell products to their friends and family. If the Mixer reaches a certain number of sales, the host earns rewards.
Shuck said that GC Lifestyle will offer many new opportunities to their consultants and hosts because they will have more to sell than just candles.
“As much as I hate to say it, there are people who don’t like candles,” Shuck said.
The consultants were thrilled about the expansion to GC Lifestyle and are eager to sell the new products, according
Make Extra Cash
to Shuck.
Jody Zavala, a consultant for Gold Canyon for over 17 years, has filled her house with the GC Lifestyle décor items and wears the scented jewelry with her everyday looks.
The customers at Zavala’s Mixers can’t wait to get their hands on the new products, she said.
“There’s something for everyone, the GC Lifestyle can be incorporated into anyone’s life,” Zavala said. “It’s very flexible.”
Zavala has been stopped in public by strangers admiring the scented jewelry because of the unique style and aroma.
“I haven’t seen anything like this jewelry on the market,” Zavala said.
Shuck has many ideas for the expansion of the line but she said it’s important to wait and see how the customers react to the products.
“We try to make sure that we give enough time to look and listen when it comes to the responses to our new products,” Shuck said.
(Gold Canyon/Special to the Tribune)
Gold Canyon’s new home décor line includes vases, throw pillows, trays and other decorations.
East Valley Tribune wins newspaper awards
The celebration will include a complimentary mimosa bar, product samplings and giveaways.
The Arizona Newspaper Association awarded the East Valley Tribune three 1st Place and two 2nd Place advertising design awards recently.
The Tribune also came in 2nd Place for the General Excellence Award for Advertising Design.
The Tribune’s sister paper, the Ahwatukee Foothills News, won a 1st Place award for advertising design.
In the Better Newspaper Contest, Prep Sports Director Jason Skoda won 1st Place for Best Sports Column.
Maricopa Ambulance to begin EV service
Maricopa Ambulance has hired a local management team and is now seeking paramedics, EMTs, dispatchers and nurses.
Medical transport to area hospitals and medical facilities in the East Valley will begin early this month.
Jason Payne, an emergency medical services manager with more than 20 years of experience in local ambulance operations, will be director of operations. Michelle Angle, a marketing and business development expert with 15 years in the health care market, is director of marketing and business development.
The company plans to expand to 400 employees within the next five years.
Western State Bank announces new VP
Development to open at Papago Park Center
The Grand at Papago Park Center will celebrate its opening Monday.
The site is 58 acres of mixed-use urban development, and is the final parcel left to be developed within Papago Park Center.
Papago Park Center is a 350-acre business park that was started in 1988 and today includes more than 3.5 million square feet of office, industrial, retail and multi-family property.
The Grand will have office, retail, multifamily and hotel uses. When complete, it will feature an additional 3 million square feet of mixed-use development.
The Grand at Papago Park Center is at 1151 W. Washington St., Tempe.
New contract post office opening in grocery store
American Discount Foods in Mesa is the site of a new U.S. Postal Service Contract Postal Unit.
Postage stamps, Priority Mail, international mail and other special services will be available at the location, 1360 W. Southern Ave., six days a week.
American Discount Foods is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.
Elements Massage to open in Chandler
Elements Massage is opening a new studio in Chandler, at S. Arizona Ave., Suite 1.
Barbara Cushing recently joined Western State Bank as a Vice President/ Business Banking Officer. Her primary responsibilities include commercial business development and providing financing solutions to new and existing business customers.
Cushing has 13 years of banking experience, having previously worked for National Bank of Arizona as the Vice President/Commercial Loan Officer.
Gourmet shop to celebrate 13th year in Chandler
An award-winning specialty food, wine and gift basket store, d’Vine Gourmet, will celebrate its 13th year in business with an open house from 2-7p.m. on Oct. 13. The event will be at d’Vine’s store in the Promenade at Fulton Ranch, at 4955 S. Alma School Road, Suite 4.
A pre-booking special of $39 is now available before opening day, this Saturday.
Elements says its massage therapy is good to address such conditions as insomnia, high blood pressure, lower back pain and arthritis.
Fulton Homes building two-story houses in Gilbert
Fulton Homes is opening three communities in Gilbert that feature twostory homes.
Two of the communities, Santa Fe and Central & Vermont at Cooley Station, are at Recker Road north of Williamsfield Road in Gilbert. The Santa Fe community will open in September; Central & Vermont is set for November.
The Boston & Maine community has a planned opening of January 2017.
Sports
Midseason football awards set tone for final stretch
BY JASON P. SKODA TRIBUNE PREP SPORTS DIRECTOR
The final stretch of the high school football regular season has already started and many things have become clear, while others are still anyone’s guess.
The halfway point is always a good time to take a look at some of the accomplishments thus far and project what just might be ahead.
Here are some midseason awards:
Best team
Mountain Pointe clearly set the tone when it annihilated Chandler 52-7. If those two teams played nine more times, the score probably never comes close to that again, but the Pride set themselves apart from everyone else.
Others considered (based on play, not matchups): Williams Field, Perry and Casteel.
Biggest surprise
Casteel’s level of play has been fun to watch considering it is only the program’s second year and the Colts are playing only freshmen and sophomores against 3A established schools.
And they entered Friday’s game outscoring opponents 256-14.
Friday’s game at Yuma Catholic just might be the only thing keeping the Colts from a historic first season, since every other team in its region has a losing record.
Others considered: Perry, Benjamin
Franklin and Desert Vista.
Biggest weapon - or at least the biggest leg.
Williams Field place kicker and Alabama recruit Brandon Ruiz has been spectacular, and that was even before he set the school record of five field goals, including two 44-yarders, in the win over Campo Verde last week.
Heading into Friday, he had touchbacks on 44 of 46 kickoffs, made all 33 PATs and connected on 8 of 9 field goals.
“He’s a weapon,” Black Hawks coach Steve Campbell said. “He takes stress off the team. His kickoffs all are in the end zone. In high school football, the kickoff is a stressful thing.”
Best player
Mountain Pointe wide receiver/safety Isaiah Pola-Mao has been a gamebreaker on both sides of the ball for the best team in that state, which also happens to be ranked in the top 10 in the nation. He came into the season as highly touted safety, but his biggest impact just might be on offense. Pola-Mao and quarterback Noah Grover have connected for big plays week in and week out.
“We’ll make eye contact in the huddle, and I know he is going to put the ball in a spot where I can go and get it,” PolaMao said.
At some point, safeties are going to stop biting on the play-action and set up 20 yards off the ball so Pola-Mao—who is
averaging 26.4 yards a catch, with seven touchdowns on 16 catches—doesn’t torch them deep. He also is providing some big hits in the run game. Also, his two interceptions this year, including a pick six, give him 13 in his career to put him within reach of the school record of 16 held by Jalen Brown.
Others considered: Higley’s Draycen Hall, Williams Field’s Max Fine, Queen Creek’s Jace Koester, Red Mountain’s Lance Lawson.
Top newcomer
This might be the hardest category at this point in the season, and not only because a whole host of candidates just became eligible after having to sit out 50 percent of the season with the new transfer rule.
We could go with a bevy of quarterbacks like sophomores Jacob Conover of Chandler, Casteel’s Gunner Cruz and Williams Field’s Zack Shepherd. Right now, it looks to be Mountain Pointe junior running back Gary Bragg, who was fourth in the state in rushing with 891 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was given the starting nod when the top returning back was suspended for the first two games, and he clearly has taken advantage.
Others considered: Conover, Cruz and Shepherd.
Mr. Everything
Red Mountain’s Lance Lawson has
more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage while playing quarterback, running back and slot receiver with 12 touchdowns. He was forced into the quarterback role to start the year, where he made more plays with his feet than his arm. Now with the arrival of transfer Austin Duffy, Lawson is back to getting out into open spaces and making people look silly with his moves.
He plays a little bit of defense as well and has a sack and a handful of tackles on the year.
Others considered: Perry’s D’shayne James and Mountain Pointe’s Jaydon Brooks.
Top coach
Desert Ridge’s Jeremy Hathcock started the year by commandeering the team bus in California when the driver had a medical issue.
And then his team went out and played like it was ill in a 13-10 loss to Norco. It looked like it might take some time before the big-school state runner-ups found their footing.
The Jaguars haven’t lost since, including the first-ever win over Hamilton, and just might be a state title contender again this year.
“Once our guys learned how to be composed and hold onto that football, we did some good things,” Hathcock said after the win over Hamilton.
Red Mountain High’s Lance Lawson has been among the best playmakers in the area while playing multiple positions.
(Andy Silvas/Special to the Tribune)
The Casteel defense posted four shutouts in the Colts’ first five games to become one of the biggest surprises this season.
East Valley’s 3 nationally-ranked volleyball squads in spotlight
BY ZACH ALVIRA TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
It isn’t often that teams have the opportunity to prove themselves against national competition. But when they do, they know the bar is raised
“We are focused on playing well and competing at a high level with a lot of talented teams,” Ben Maxfield, coach of the Corona Del Sol High girls volleyball team said. “It will be great to see where we stack up.”
The Nike Tournament of Champions, which began on Thursday and ran through Saturday, brings all eyes from the high school volleyball community on Arizona, as talented teams from across the state and country made their way to the East Valley and Phoenix area to compete in the Nike Tournament of Champions.
“It is so neat to see teams from all over and to see that national ranking come to form,” Hamilton coach Sharon Vanis said before the weekend. “We are looking forward to the competition and to stay healthy and get better. And to
win it of course.”
Maxfield and Vanis have a few things in common. They both love volleyball and they both nationally-ranked programs.
MaxPreps nationally ranks four Arizona teams in the top 25—three of those are from the East Valley. Competing in the tournament are No. 17 Corona Del Sol, No. 22 Hamilton and No. 15 Xavier.
The Perry Pumas, also in the top 25, aren’t competing over the weekend—
something they may be thankful for.
“Tournaments take a lot out of you, they beat your body up,” said Fred Mann, coach of eighth-ranked Perry. “We are glad to not be playing this weekend.”
The Pumas have been a force the entire season, only giving up seven sets total— two to Xavier and three to Hamilton.
Even with the success of the team thus far, Mann acknowledges that there’s always room for improvement.
“Every day when we are in practice, we are finding mistakes, trying to fix things and work on things and get better,” Mann said. “We are hoping to improve.”
Along with Perry, Corona Del Sol is constantly looking for improvements in its play. One way Maxfield and the Aztecs go about assessing their performance is
SPORTS BRIEFS
Hemmila’s death ruled accidental
by comparing to goals set by the team before the season.
When they feel as if they are not playing to standards, having experienced leaders helps them stay focused.
“For most of these players, it is their third or fourth year on varsity,” Maxfield said. “It helps (the team) relax in tense situations or when we’re not playing great because they’ve been through it before and know they can turn it around.”
Senior leadership has also made big impacts for Hamilton. Like Perry and Corona, Hamilton has only one loss on the year, coming from the Aztecs.
As most teams would feel, being nationally ranked comes with the pressure of being expected to win games.
“There’s always pressure to win, but it’s those kids that can play with poise through the pressure are probably going to be the ones that are successful,” Vanis said. “If we start to feel that pressure and panic, we are going to get beat. It’s our goal to put us in the best possible situation to win a state title.”
Aside from the results of the Tournament of Champions, the four nationally ranked teams and other talented groups in the 6A division are preparing for race to the state title.
“Arizona kids are getting the credit that I think it is due,” Vanis said. “We have four teams in the top 25 and I think that is a huge credit to Arizona volleyball.”
An autopsy report on Arizona offensive lineman Zach Hemmila determined the player died because of a toxic mixture of medications.
Hemmila, a Chandler High graduate, died on Aug. 7 when he took oxymorphone, an opiate painkiller, and alprazolam, an anxiety med.
Hemmila’s death was ruled accidental.
He was set to be a fifth-year senior on the team. Hemmila, 22, appeared in 13 games in 2015 with six starts. He was expected to challenge for a starting spot at center for the Wildcats.
(Billy Hardiman/Special to the Tribune)
Perry High’s all out out effort, like Halle Razo’s atempt at a dig, has pushed the Pumas to No. 8 in the country, according by MaxPreps.
Taking account of the ways we’ve missed (and hit) the mark
BY DEAN SHAPIRO TRIBUNE GUEST WRITER
“Iwant to make a confession, to give an accounting to myself, and to God. In other words, to measure my life and actions against the lofty ideals I’ve set for myself. To compare that which should have been with that which was … ”
Hannah Senesh, a poet and a partisan, wrote those words on Yom Kippur during the Holocaust and the Second World War. I believe she expresses brilliantly the Jewish approach to sin and confession.
First, I detect a profound longing in her words. She seems compelled to purge herself, to reconnect with her ideals. This is no perfunctory action, but deep soul work. She takes it seriously.
Second, she uses the term “accounting,” derived from the Hebrew action of Heshbon HaNefesh, an “accounting of
FAITH CALENDAR
TUESDAY OCT. 7
RUSSIAN ICON VISITS
Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church will be hosting a miracle-working icon from Russia, “Mother of God the Revealer of Evil Hearts.” The icon will be welcomed with an Intercessory Canon to the Mother of God.
the soul.” This implies a thoroughness to the enterprise, and a desire to overlook no imperfection. Each personal failure, no matter how small, is worth consideration.
Third, she makes her confession first to herself. In so doing, she takes responsibility for her own life and actions, the course her life will take. Only thereafter does she make an accounting to God.
Fourth, her “failures” are not transgressions. She’s not concerned about breaking rules. Rather, she’s focused on times when she’s missed the mark. In Hebrew, this word for sin is cheyt—derived from archery when you shoot but don’t hit the target. There’s nothing wrong with failing to hit the target, but it isn’t ideal, either. Hannah knew that she was capable of better. The failure for which she needed forgiveness wasn’t breaking someone else’s rules. It was the failure to be true to her own highest self.
Chandler Christian Community Center, also known as the Chandler Food Bank, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a gala, a video and entertainment by a Beatles tribute band, The Backbeats.
DETAILS>> 6-9 p.m., Noah’s Event Venue, 2100 E. Yeager Dr., Chandler. Cost: $100 (all proceeds benefit the mission of CCCC). Tickets: ccccgala.eventbrite.com.
FRIDAY OCT. 21
RUMMAGE SALE
Risen Savior Lutheran Church is conducting a rummage sale featuring furniture, household goods and clothing.
DETAILS>> 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 21-22, 23914 S. Alma School Road, Chandler. Information: Jane Zehnder at 480-802-5334.
During the Jewish High Holy Season (from Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement), we practice tshuvah—taking stock of our lives and relationships, assessing how we may have harmed others, and asking for forgiveness. Tshuvah is Hebrew for “turning,” and through tshuvah we seek to turn our back on harmful behaviors and get back on the right path. We seek to heal.
But tshuvah is not merely external. The people we harm are not always someone else. We harm ourselves when we let ourselves down by failing to live up to our aspirations. Disappointment hurts. Loss hurts. They require the balm of tshuvah—the chance to comfort ourselves for our shortcomings and forgive ourselves for our humanity. Then, once we’ve dusted ourselves off, we can take aim once more at our ideals, and set about becoming our highest selves.
Hannah Senesh was tough on herself.
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; 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 3015 E. Warner Road. Information: Don Webb at 480-205-7925 or chra2001@msn.com.
Worship: 8:30 am Contemporary Worship: 10:00 am
I think that’s healthy for everyone. But I hope that her diary went on to list the actions and qualities she was proud of—the ways she hit the mark, the ways she lived her truth. After all, she was not only a poet, but also a paratrooper who parachuted behind Nazi lines to save Jews from Auschwitz. Caught and executed, Senesh embodies bravery and defiance. I hope that Hannah gave herself a pat on the back for all she was doing right.
And I hope that you will, too. Without becoming complacent, let’s recognize the times we’ve helped and created and gotten something right. May those achievements and their celebrations inspire us to new heights of goodness. Shanah tovah [for a good year, in Hebrew]—May the year 5777 be good to you, your family, and our community.
– Rabbi Dean Shapiro is the spiritual leader of Temple Emanuel of Tempe. Contact him at rshapiro@emanueloftempe.org and visit his “Rabbi Dean Shapiro” page on Facebook.
MONDAY OCT. 24
CHURCH STARTING BOOK CLUB
“Turning Pages” is the name of a new monthly Christian book discussion at Desert Foothills United Methodist Church. The first book will be “The Daughter’s Walk” by Jane Kirkpatrick. Set in the 1890s, it invites readers to consider their own journeys and family separations to help determine what exile and forgiveness are truly about. It is available on Amazon. Participants can bring recommendations for future books.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., 2156 E. Liberty Lane, Ahwatukee. Information: 480-460-1025 or office@desertfoothills.org.
FRIDAY OCT. 28
FINDING YOUR PURPOSE
“Energy Medicine and Finding Your Passionate Purpose: An Evening with Dr. Sue Morter on the Power of Doing YOUR Thing.” Discover the energetics of manifesting your passionate purpose.
DETAILS>> 7-9 p.m., 2700 E. Southern Ave, Mesa. Cost: $20 per person in advance, $25 at door. Information: unityofmesa.org.
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
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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: 480830-1724 or email office@pilgrimmesa.com.
SUNDAY OCT. 30
AWAKEN THE HEALER WITHIN
Dr. Sue Morter presents “Awaken the Healer Within: Merging Mind, Body and Breath for Embodiment of Spirit.” Explore the relationship of the conscious and subconscious mind, energy centers in the body and their influence on creative capacity and physical healing.
DETAILS>> 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., 2700 E. Southern Ave, Mesa. Cost: $49 in advance, $54 at door. Information: unityofmesa.org.
SUNDAYS
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, Tempe. 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.
Submit your releases to rzubiate@ timespublications.com
Rookie monster truck driver throws fear out the window
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GETOUT/TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Tony Ochs can talk for days about his job as the driver of Monster Jam’s Soldier Fortune Black Ops monster truck.
The Army veteran recently wrapped up his first season as a driver, and he’s pleased that he has a couple of wins under his hood. His goal, however, was to bring awareness to veterans and the truck.
“The biggest intention I had was to get my name on the map with Soldier Fortune Black Ops, and just pay tribute to all of the military and their families with the truck,” he said. “So far, it’s been a huge hit with children and adults alike. The kids associate it with the Black Ops video game. All of the adults know what it’s supposed to be associated with.”
A native of Oil City, Pennsylvania, Ochs will appear at University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday for Monster Jam.
“It’s my first show in Glendale,” he said. “I’m so stoked. The stadium is gigantic. It’s the biggest venue we’ve been to as far as floor space. I can’t wait to see what kind of track they’re putting in there.”
Appearing in Arizona is important to Ochs as well, as he has family members who live here. Ochs spent 10 years in the Army, half of which were spent on base in Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, Texas, and the other overseas. Ochs has completed tours in Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. He worked as an Apache helicopter technician, and has friends who work on Black Hawk copters at East Mesa’s Boeing plant.
IF YOU GO
What: Monster Jam
Where: University of Phoenix
Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8
Cost: $20-$135. 800-745-3000
Info: ticketmaster.com
motorcycles my whole life. Feld hired me as a stunt motorcycle mechanic for almost two years.”
The Army, he said, prepared him for the Monster Truck tour.
“I had combat deployments during my military career. I have all of the experience to prepare me for the Monster Jam truck— physically and mentally.
“The Army keeps you in shape. It really takes someone in top physical condition to operate the Monster Trucks at a top-tier level. When you’re driving a Monster Truck, it’s like a two-hour weightlifting session and a 3-mile run all crammed in. That’s how much it takes out of you.”
Changing careers from a helicopter technician to Monster Jam driver isn’t as odd as it sounds. He grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where ATVs are aplenty.
“Plus my girlfriend was a motorcycle stunt performer for Feld Entertainment’s Marvel Universe Live when I was leaving the Army,” he said. “I put my resume in with them. I told them that I had worked on
“I have some really, really good friends who work right there,” he said. “I’m looking forward to putting on a show for them, too. One of my friends is an Army liaison for the Boeing factory. Hopefully I can go over there and do a little tour.”
When he was with Marvel, Feld was developing the Soldier Fortune Black Ops truck, as an addition to the original Soldier Fortune.
“They wanted a driver with a military background and sports background— which I had,” he said. “Next thing I knew, they were testing me to see how I handle the truck and how well I drove. I passed the test to debut the always-beautiful Soldier Fortune Black Hawk truck.”
The show at University of Phoenix Stadium is an exhibition event, with the season arriving in January.
“Next season, they’re throwing me in with the big boys Fox Sports 1 tour,” he said. “It’s a championship series. We’re all competing for points, and at the end of the season, whoever wins that championship has an automatic bid to the world finals in Las Vegas in March.”
For now, he’s looking forward to
Glendale, which is hosting a Pit Party from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 8. Fans can mingle with the drivers, get autographs and get up close and personal with trucks and drivers. He admits that he gets a little nervous before races.
“The hour or two leading up to the show I have the butterflies,” Ochs said.
“When it comes to crunch time and it’s time to put the hammer down and fly that Monster Truck, all fear goes out the window.”
– Contact Christina Fuoco-Karasinski at 480-8985612 or christina@timespublications.com. – Comment on this
(Special to the Tribune)
Soldier Fortune Black Ops is inspired by the men and women who serve in the elite special-forces branches of the U.S. military.
(Special to the Tribune) Tony Ochs spent 10 years in the Army, half of which were spent on base in Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, Texas, and the other overseas in Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Corn Maze & Fall Festival
Spend a day of fall fun as you try to solve a 7-acre Arizona Rattlers-inspired corn maze, ride barrel and tractor trains, brave a zip line, pet animals, watch duck races and buy pumpkins.
DETAILS>> Times vary, Oct. 1-Nov. 6. Vertuccio Farms, 4011 S. Power Road, Mesa. Tickets: $9. 480-882-1482. vertucciofarms. com/fall-festival.
Keith and Kristyn Getty
Modern hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty (“In Christ Alone”) bring their latest album of new and updated hymns titled “Facing A Task Unfinished” to the East Valley for a special benefit concert. Proceeds help to plant churches in Scotland.
DETAILS>> 7-9:45 p.m., Oct. 5. Sovereign Grace Church, 1280 N. Cooper Road, Gilbert. Tickets: $25-$35. 20schemes.com/event/ keith-and-kristyn-getty-facing-a-taskunfinished.
Highland Yard Vintage Market
Every month, Highland Yard Vintage hosts a four-day indoor market featuring antiques, interior decorations, vintage clothing, food and more from up to 50 local designers and vendors. This month, the theme of the market is “Shades of Fall.”
The first Friday of the month, join 3,000 fellow motorcycle lovers in downtown Mesa for food, a beer garden, live music and endless rows of motorcycles. This is a family-friendly event.
DETAILS>> 6-10 p.m., Oct. 7. Downtown Mesa, Main Street at N. Macdonald Road. facebook.com/MotorcyclesOnMain.
132nd Annual Arizona State Fair
It’s here! Enjoy carnival rides, midway games, food vendors, art exhibits, an impressive lineup of musicians—including Cheap Trick and Iggy Azalea—monster trucks, a rodeo and the Great American Petting Zoo.
DETAILS>> Times vary, Wed.-Sun. Oct. 7-30. Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix. Tickets: $10 adults, $5 kids 5-13 and seniors. azstatefair.com.
Four Peaks Oktoberfest in Tempe
This extravaganza features authentic German cuisine and general fair food. Drink a wide range of beers; listen to traditional polka, local bands and rapper Lil John; scream on carnival rides; and let the kids play in the Kinderfest area.
DETAILS>> Times vary, Oct. 7-9. Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado, Tempe. Tickets: $7.57 (one-day pre-sale), $12.97 (three-day pre-sale), $10 at the gate (one-day). Children 12 and under free. tempeoktoberfest.com.
Want even more Oktoberfest? See other festivals taking place around the state at Phoenix.org.
Halloween at Hogwarts
Journey to a magical place as the Phoenix Symphony plays your favorite music from the Harry Potter movies. The Symphony encourages dressing up as wizards, or in other Halloween costumes.
DETAILS>> 7:30-9 p.m., Oct. 7-9. Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second St., Phoenix. Tickets: $33-$98. tickets.phoenixsymphony.org.
Railfair 2016
Train lovers should be at this event. You can freely tour the railroad park, enjoy exhibits and demonstrations about
model trains, and see rare vintage railroad equipment not normally on display. Plus, enjoy food and live entertainment.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Oct. 8-9. McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, 7301 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale. Cost: Free. therailroadpark.com.
Monster Jam
Join Grave Digger, Max-D, El Toro Loco and other famed monster trucks for an evening of crashes and smashes. This is also the farewell tour for the first-ever female World Champion, Madusa.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., Oct. 8. University of Phoenix Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale. Tickets: $20-$135. monsterjam.com.
8th Annual Chandler Indian Art Market
For two days, you can browse and buy authentic art, including jewelry, photographs, pottery, paintings and sculptures, from the region’s Native American artists. In addition to art, you can enjoy traditional food and entertainment, including hoop and flame dancers.
DETAILS>> 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Oct. 8-9. Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Cost: Free. chandleraz.gov/default. aspx?pageid=771
Low Back Pain Research Study
This study is to see if the Erchonia® MLS, a non-invasive, investigational device that uses low-level laser light, which will be compared with placebo, can help to relieve minor low back pain that has been ongoing for at least 3 months.
The study involves nine visits to a test site and recording some information at home.
Compensation up to $250 For qualified participants.
Please contact
Dr. Trevor Berry, DC at South Mountain Chiropractic Center at 480-756-2600 for details.
When you lose a loved one, it is one of those times in life when you can feel lost, or adrift–not sure of which way to turn and how to make it through. You need to know that there’s someone there that you can trust, someone who feels like family. A funeral director who cares can make a huge difference in your comfort level, and allow you to the safety of knowing that your best interests are being considered. This is the benefit of choosing Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery for your final arrangements and those of your loved ones.
Family Owned and Operated
Mountain View Funeral Home understands the concept of family: since 1951, the Coury family have been operating the family funeral home under the guiding philosophy of being of service to members of the community in their time of need. Now managed by the Second and third generation of Coury’s, Mountain View Funeral Home is a Mesa, AZ tradition with professionally trained and licensed staff members all with the stated goal of ensuring your loved one receives the dignified memorial service that they deserve.
Community Education
A family funeral home takes services a step further by offering education before a loss as well as caring and compassion during a period of mourning. Funeral directors and their team will help you understand the meaning of different parts of the memorial
Family Funeral - Comfort From Trust
service, the differences between cremation and interment, and provide you with a wealth of additional options including beautiful touches such as a release of white doves after the service.
Your Personal Concierge
When a loved one passes from the mortal coil, you can feel overwhelmed with details, so another benefit that family funeral homes can offer is access to a concierge to help with everything from florists, hotels, restaurants and even car services. Our professional staff is available to assist with any special needs six days per week.
Finding the right fit for a funeral home is important; you want to know that not only is your loved one being treated with dignity, but that you and your family will feel comfortable and supported in your decisions during this time.
Selecting Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery is one way to ensure that you are using a family funeral home who will go above and beyond your expectations.
We believe our work is a “mission of service” and it’s a privilege to help a family during the most difficult time in their life. Mention this
Perry student sews way to the State Fair
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GETOUT/TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Olivia Brown’s classmates use art or music to express their creative sides. But 14-year-old Olivia is taking it one stitch at a time: She sews.
The Gilbert girl is among three young ladies from the Valley who have entered and won sewing competitions at the Arizona State Fair. Collectively, Olivia, 12-year-old Grace Hensel of Peoria and Stephanie Rudolfo, a 16-year-old who lives in Waddell, have been entering for more than 10 years. They have won 50 ribbons.
They will compete once again this year at the Arizona State Fair, which features a fashion show at 2 p.m. Oct. 29. For more information, visit azstatefair.com/ participate/compete.
“I’m not athletic at all,” Olivia said with a laugh. “I’m more of an artistic, creative person. Then sewing came along and I found that it was really fun.
IF YOU GO
What: Arizona State Fair. When: Oct. 7-30, various times, Wednesday through Sunday. Where: Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix.
Cost: Tickets are $3-$6 in advance. Info: 602-252-6771 or azstatefair.com
“I enjoy designing clothes and making my own things. I’ve learned a lot.”
Olivia has been competing since she was 9, according to her mom, Carole. She learned how to sew through group lessons and quickly showed an interest in it. A ninth-grade student at Perry High School in Gilbert, Olivia then moved over to private lessons with a former Chandler Unified School District teacher.
“It’s nice that she can sew,” Carole said of her daughter. “She has done projects for me. Her biggest time constraint is school. She tends to sew more over the breaks.”
During those times, Olivia has created many outfits for herself, including jackets, pairs of pants, a cape and her eighth grade formal dress. She creates outfits that are
more difficult than the last because she likes to learn.
“Like in the last dress I made, I put beads on it,” she said. “That was something I’ve never done before. I made a cape to go with it. I made the entire thing. The cape was reversible.”
Sewing is going strong among adults 30 and older, according to Darren Mulqueen of Mulqueen Sewing Centers in Mesa. However, he sees very few youngsters in his store. He and his family are trying their best to see that kids enjoy the hobby as well.
“We had a post that a girl was sewing and she was 10,” Mulqueen said about a social media post. “We quickly posted on their site that we have a gift card waiting for her to purchase fabric.
“Anytime we see something with a young sewer, we try to encourage them. We have young sewer discounts on machines. We try to encourage them.”
A frequent participant in contests sponsored by Arizona Make It with Wool, Olivia said she can’t wear everything that she makes.
“We live in Arizona,” she said. “I can only wear so much of that. I do wear most of the stuff, though.
“I wore my dress to my first formal. I have more casual clothes. This upcoming winter I can wear my Chanel-style jacket.” Sewing is good for her soul, she added.
“It’s a confidence booster,” said Olivia, who plays piano and is in the STEM scholar program at Perry. “It makes me feel proud about what I’ve made. It’s fun to go on the Arizona State Fair stage and model my clothes, and show other people what I’ve made.”
–
Contact Christina Fuoco-Karasinski at 480-8985612 or christina@timespublications.com
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer) Olivia Brown of Gilbert is among three girls from the Valley who have entered and won sewing competitions at the Arizona State Fair.
A foodie at heart, Wild Ginger chef trades scalpel for cleaver
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GETOUT/TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Kathy Gee was turned on to food as a child growing up in the basement of her family’s Chinese restaurant in Cleveland.
The artistry and flavors that her greatgrandfather, grandfather and father put into the traditional Chinese dishes was enough to make her mouth water. But her parents had other aspirations for her. They wanted her to go to medical school.
“My parents wanted better things for me,” said Gee, who studied nursing at Arizona State. “But I had to go where I was happy.”
school concept.”
Serving dishes like butterscotch braised pork and lemongrass chicken, Gee is selftaught, save for a few high school classes.
“I took it upon myself to learn about almost every culture after school,” said Gee, who called herself “the biggest foodie ever.”
“I would go out somewhere, eat a certain dish and try my best to replicate it.”
Now, it’s her time to shine.
Initially, Wild Ginger was to be just Chinese, or maybe Chinese and Vietnamese.
Wild Ginger
861 N. Higley Road, Suite 111 Gilbert 480-907-7717 wildgingeraz.com
That place is Gilbert’s Wild Ginger, her family’s restaurant, where she is the chef. It is right in her wheelhouse.
“My parents are more traditional,” she said. “I loved growing up in a traditional household. I know what authentic Chinese food tastes like. I get to mix into it the new-
“I was into Asian fusion, mixing bold, intricate, exciting spices and flavors together to make something different and creative,” Gee said.
Wild Ginger’s signature dishes start with Wild Ginger chicken—battered chicken, ginger, jalapeno and a hint of sweetness. Adding to the ginger theme is ginger ice cream, which has just a hint of the spice.
“For a restaurant called Wild Ginger, we didn’t have a lot of ginger dishes,” Gee said with a laugh. “I told my dad that we needed
a ginger dish, a signature dessert. What’s easier than ice cream?
“I wasn’t sure if people would like it. Ginger is a different flavor, especially within ice cream. I figured it would be hit or miss. I’ve had such great reviews on it. Customers are requesting pints. But for me to make the ice cream, it’s a three-day process. I only make a certain amount because I can only store a little.”
Gee also recommends the gluten-free butterscotch braised pork, which features garlic and butterscotch miso glaze, which is placed atop wasabi mash.
“I let it age out for a couple of days and marinate,” she said of the pork. “I bake it and make sure it’s nice and crispy. I put a cucumber slice to make it more refreshing and add bell peppers.
Kathy and her father keep a foot in the past while looking toward the future.
“We butt heads like crazy because we’re family,” she said. “But it’s nice to work with my sister, mom and dad. I relive what I did growing up. I grew up in a restaurant in Cleveland—literally. Twenty years later, I’m back in the restaurant and it’s me behind the stove.”
3 Day October Auction!
Estates from across the Valley come together for this huge auction! Featuring furniture, appliances, TVs, decor & household Items.
Bidding starts at $10.
October 4, 5 & 6
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
The butterscotch pork belly featured at Wild Ginger restaurant is braised for 14 hours with a butterscotch miso glaze after it is seared. It comes with wasabi mashed potatoes.
Life Events
Obituaries
MALO JR Louis
Louis passed away on September 15, 2016 in Mesa, Az at the age of 79
Louis is survived by his loving wife Charlotte of 55 years and two daughters Carol and Michelle He is preceded in death by daughter Donna and Grandson Tyler He is also survived by his sister Ellie, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews Louis was born in Lowell, Mass He worked for both Hannon Electric and Fry's Grocery His memory will live on in our Hearts
Please Sign the Guestbook at eastvalleytribune.com
Employment General
Janitor Position MonFri $9 00 7pm-2 30am
WILLARD Llewellyn
Llewellyn Willard, 74 of Mesa, Arizona passed away
Llew was born in 1942 and grew up in Alfred Station
Rochester, NY Llew was a hair dresser in Rochester for many years before moving to Mesa where he continued his career
Llewellyn was predeceased by his parents, Elmer and Bertha Willard and his sister, Margaret He is survived by his cousin, Sandy Manos and his nieces, Anne and Maggie as well as many dedicated, loving and caring friends
Llew s wonderful sense of humor and spirit of life endeared him to many and he developed many friendships because of this These friends returned this spirit through their love and care of him throughout his battle with cancer Llew's family is extremely grateful to all who helped him in this battle He will be missed by many Llew will celebrated and laid to rest at City of Mesa Cemetery on Saturday November 26, 2016 at 11am In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to American Cancer Society
Please Sign the Guestbook at eastvalleytribune com
Employment General
CAREGIVERS
Starting Wage $9.50 per hour!
Hiring for all East Valley cities
Call us today for more information or stop by our Recruitment Event:
Date: Wed , Sept 28th
Time: 9:00am - 2:00pm
Location: 1930 S Alma School Road, Mesa AZ 85210 - (ResCare HomeCare Office)
Great Caregiver Candidates:
* Are Caring & Compassionate
* Looking for Rewarding Work
* Have LIFE Experience Caring for a Loved-One and/or Currently a PROFESSIONAL Caregiver
* Would like to Give Back to the Community While Earning Income
* Seeking Part-Time & Flexible Hours
Training is Provided for FREE!
Open Caregiver Positions:
* Companions * Personal Care Attendants
* Caregivers with Habilitation Experience a plus
For more details please call: Robin or Carol at 480-491-1140
www ResCareHomeCare com
60th Freeway and Country Club Location (Mesa) Posicion de limpeza lunes-viernes 7pm - 2 30am
Please call / llama (602) 437-8869
KollaSoft has openings for Software Engineers (SE) and Operations Research Analysts (ORA) in Scottsdale, AZ Candidates for SE must have US Masters degree/foreign equiv or Bach + 5 yrs exp w/ skills in Java/J2EE, RAD, JSP, and Websphere to dsgn/dev/implement/ test systems/applics Candidates for ORA must have US Bachelors degree/foreign equiv w/ skills in Java/J2EE, RAD, JSP, and Websphere to devel/interpret info to assist mgmt Email resume to Sekhar at skolla@kollasoft com and place ref no 2016-19 directly on front of resume for SE position; 2016-20 for ORA position; w/ ref to EVT ad
P/T Domestic Assistance General Household Send Resume to: Tammy Holland PO Box 5893 Mesa, AZ 85211
