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November 8, 2020 | www.santansun.com

Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

Mesnard surviving, Sellers trailing in unofficial results take a commanding lead in a three-way race for two House seats. Incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Weninger held a slim lead for the other House seat over Republican challenger and Chandler Realtor Liz Harris. The unofficial results also showed that former Chandler City Council member and incumbent Supervisor Jack Sellers losing to Democrat Jevin Hodge in a stunning result in the heavily Republican County District 1 race. In the Chandler Unified Governing Board race, the three candidates on the ballot – incumbent Barb Mozdzen and newcomers Joel Wirth and Jason Olive – appeared to be shoe-ins despite a late write-in campaign by former CUSD teacher Sharon Tuttle. No results were

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

The blue wave that gave Arizona its second Democrat in the U.S. Senate may have nearly cost a longtime Chandler legislator his seat and apparently dashed the hopes of another local politician for a full term on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Although at the SanTan Sun News deadline thousands of ballots remained to be counted, the latest unofficial results of Tuesday’s election showed south Chandler Sen. J.D. Mesnard barely escaping an aggressive challenge from Democrat Ajlan AJ Kurdoglu in Legislative District 17. LD 17, which covers south Chandler, Sun Lakes and part of Gilbert, also saw incumbent Democrat Jennifer Pawlik

J.D. Mesnard

Jevin Hodge

See

ELECTION on page 2

Apartment, condo boom advancing in Chandler BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer

Jack Holder has never talked about living through the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbnor until now. The Sun Lakes veteran, who turns 100 next month, reminds us of why we honor those who served. (Pablo Robles/Staff)

Sun Lakes veteran recalls Pearl Harbor horrors BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer

Jack Holder claims he’s never really considered himself much of a hero. The World War II veteran and Sun Lakes resident, who will turn 99 next month, is quick to recall specific dates and figures of battles he witnessed during his stint in the Navy. He can vividly describe the mayhem of watching young men drown in the Pacific seas as he himself dodged enemy fire. Yet, Holder still maintains a humble attitude when he discusses his wartime experiences and said that while his life may seem extraordinary, but he still thinks of himself as a simple farm boy from Texas. As Veteran’s Day nears Wednesday,

Holder is preparing to celebrate the achievements of his fellow servicemen the same way he does every year – though he admits that the commemorations will feel notably different. The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed how public community events can be held this year. Many cities have opted to cancel their Veterans Day parades, while others are choosing to stream events online. Veterans Day is typically a special one for Holder, so he hopes to find a way to acknowledge it in a pandemic-friendly manner – as he has other commemorations this year. In September, Holder participated in a digital ceremony recognizing the 75th See

VETERAN on page 18

A growing demand for multifamily housing is fueling developers' plans to add more than 1,000 new apartment and condominium units across Chandler in the near future. The city Planning and Development Department is currently reviewing several housing projects that could substantially increase Chandler’s inventory of apartments in several different regions of the city. The projects range from standard three-story apartment buildings to chic single-story homes designed to be shared by multiple families. All the developments range in size and scope, yet they are all trying to squeeze into some of the last parcels of developable land within the city limits. Planning Administrator Kevin Mayo said Chandler is simply running out of space to build large, expansive subdivisions like the Fulton Ranch-type projects that dominated the city’s housing market for last couple of decades. “Those are going away – they’re few and far between now,” Mayo said. The city has shifted to becoming

more strategic, he added, by carefully assessing which projects get greenlighted and where they get developed. That strategy seems to be focused presently on accommodating the multifamily housing market. According to housing data tracked by the city, the construction of multifamily housing units has been outpacing single-family home building in Chandler since 2016. Before the housing market crashed in 2009, builders in Chandler were completing up to 3,500 new single-family homes per year – a number that has since dropped to about 500 homes annually. By contrast, the rate of new apartments and condos in Chandler has been increasing steadily since 2010. City officials say the historically low inventory of single-family homes and a sudden flood of new jobs coming into Chandler have created an environment that’s allowed alternative types of housing to thrive. “The multi-family market is coming in to fill that gap right now especially because we’re running out of large See

F E AT U R E STO R I E S Chandler Airport needs $106 million fix-up . . . . . . COMMUNITY . . . . . .Page 5 No dinner? Chandler chef has you covered . . . . . . BUSINESS . . . . . . . Page 33 Chandler teen's invention wins big award . . . . . . . . SPORTS . . . . . . . . Page 41 Sun Lakes Rotary gets wordy for third graders . . . NEIGHBORS . . . . . Page 45 Allergy-cnscious eateries blossoming . . . . . . . . . . . EAT . . . . . . . . . . . Page 57

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COMMUNITY NEWS

ELECTION

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

from page 1

provided for Tuttle. Mesnard, who began building a comfortable lead late Wednesday with 51 percent of the vote, or 58,520, to Kurdoglu’s 49 percent, or 55,132, had been the target of the most expensive legislative race statewide when spending totaling $2.7 million by independent organizations is factored in. The latest filings with the Arizona Secretary of State showed organizations, many from outside Arizona, spent a whopping $1.33 million advocating for his defeat and another $616,572 advocating his reelection to a second term. Other groups spent another 410,473 advocating against Kurdoglu and $318,550 for him. That’s on top of at least $288,682 Kurdoglu spent from a war chest totaling $401,484 and the $152,586 Mesnard spent from his $249,758 in donations to his campaign. Mesnard’s apparent victory helped Republicans likely keep control of the Arizona Legislature, although races in some legislative districts appeared on Thursday to be too close to call. That was not the case in the two legislative districts that include Chandler, however. In Mesnard’s district, LD17, Rep. Jennifer Pawlink, the only Democrat in the race for two House seats, continued demonstrating a broad appeal to voters by topping her Republican rivals. Pawlik garnered 35 percent of the

Jack Sellers

Ajlan Kurrdoglu

vote to Rep. Jeff Weninger’s 33 percent and Realtor Liz Harris’ 32 percent. The other Chandler district, LD18, remains solidly blue. In an all-Ahwatukee race for the Senate seat, Sen. Sean Bowie easily defeated Realtor Suzanne Sharer with 59 percent of the vote to 41 percent, unofficial results show, while Reps. Jennifer Jermaine of Chandler and Mitzi Epstein of Tempe drew 30 percent and 29 percent, respectively, to Republican challengers Bob Robson’s 22 percent and Don Hawker’s 20 percent. Robson, who had been a Chandler Council member for eight years and Chandler’s legislative representative for another eight before he lost in 2016, had hoped to return to his old stomping grounds. Robson, who now lives in Ahwatukee, targeted Epstein in debates and had won the endorsement of the

Chandler, Tempe and Mesa chambers of commerce. While the Legislature appeared likely to be held by Republicans, the same cannot be said about the GOP’s control of county seats and the Board of Supervisors. While former Gilbert Council member Eddie Cooke, a Republican, appeared likely to win election to a four-year term as County Assessor and incumbent Republican County Attorney Allister Adel had gained a lead Thursday over Democrat Julie Gunnigle, Democrats appeared to have taken all other county offices. That includes three seats on the five-member Board of Supervisors, where both Sellers and Bill Gates appeared to have lost. Both Sellers and Cooke had been

appointed to their respective offices when their predecessors resigned. In District 1, Republicans hold a strong edge with 199,999 registered voters compared to 176,000 registered Democrats. There also are 182,000 independent voters. But Sellers lost the money game in the race. Sellers raised $132,745 and spent $102,362 while Hodge raised $250,987 and spent $222,740. Sellers in unofficial results was trailing Hodge with 49 percent of the vote to his challenger’s 51 percent, or 187,632 to 178,306. Hodge was already declaring victory on Wednesday even though about 30 percent of the votes in District 1 remained to be counted. If his lead holds, he will be celebrating with his mother, Tempe Union High School District Governing Board President Berdetta Hodge, who appeared on her way to a second term after outpolling eight candidates in a race for three board seats. Jevin Hodge is national engagement director of LINK Strategic Partners, a business, nonprofit and government consulting firm in Washington, D.C. His website describes his job as working “with community partners to maximize impact by governments, non-profits, and businesses hosting major events around the US and abroad.” His apparent victory makes him Maricopa County’s first African-American supervisor. See

ELECTION on page 10

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

APARTMENTS

from page 1

tracts of land,” said Micah Miranda, the city’s economic development director. Data shows Chandler’s vacancy rate is already low for its current stock of affordable apartments and condos, Miranda added, indicating there’s a strong demand for new developments in the immediate future. But not everyone in Chandler is thrilled about adding a slew of new multi-family housing projects to the city’s landscape. “We’re not looking forward to seeing this development come in,” said Wendy Yeager, who lives near Elliot Road and the Loop 101 freeway about a proposed project in her neighborhood. Yeager’s neighborhood is adjacent to the site of the proposed Village at College Park project, which would add 40 housing units in eight single-story cottages. The project’s developers describe College Park as a “unique” housing product unlike any other found around Chandler. Each cottage would include five housing units ranging from one-bedroom studios to three-bedroom apartments and every unit comes with an attached garage. “The development team for The Village at College Park is confident that the proposed project will be a great addition to the community as it complements the adjacent developments,” developers wrote in city documents. But neighbors like Yeager are worried

The Alta Chandler complex is one of a number of mutlifamily complexes that may be constructed over the next few years in the city. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

College Park’s designs won’t be aesthetically pleasing nor match well with surrounding homes. Yeager also is concerned about the development interfering with a nearby horse therapy ranch and impacting area roads already congested by the adjacent San Tan Loop 202 Freeway. “This is going to be a huge, huge increase in traffic,” she added. College Park is one of several projects expected to be reviewed and possibly approved by the Chandler City Council early this month. Another of those projects is Evergreen, a 396-unit complex under development near Arizona Avenue and Germann Road. The project’s close proximity to the Chandler Airport has raised concerns

about exposing Evergreen’s future tenants to a deluge of continuous flight traffic. “The property is not located within an airport noise contour and will experience daily overflights from aircraft in the normal traffic pattern,” Airport Administrator Chris Andre wrote in a memo last month. The Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission denied Evergreen’s request to rezone the land for a multi-family housing project due to its incompatibility with nearby development. Rick Heumann, the commission’s chairman, specifically objected to taking land away that would be more appropriate for commercial purposes – a trend that he has seen happen before

in Chandler and would like to avoid in the future. “We took land use away that will never come back to employment and that’s my heartburn with this particular case,” Heumann said. The commission’s denial of the Evergreen project is only considered a recommendation because City Council has final approval on authorizing development matters. The Villages at Chandler, a 108-unit complex looking to build near Gilbert and Riggs roads, is another project that could be reviewed soon by Council. The development would consist of several duplexes and triplexes on a 9-acre parcel of land that’s surrounded by housing subdivisions. Described as a “pocket neighborhood,” the Villages is being pitched by its developers as an intimate community where residents can easily become friends due to their proximity to each other. “The community design will allow for spontaneity, encourage connections, and lay the foundation for lasting friendships,” the project’s plans state. Some nearby residents have objected to the construction of a multi-family development in a part of Chandler that’s starved for more retail and commercial projects. “Once this is approved, we’ll never have the opportunity for retail,” said Christie Brown, who lives near the Villages project site. Deborah Kehl, another neighbor, See

APARTMENTS on page 6

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Consultants recommend $106M for airport upgrades BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer

The Chandler Airport needs up to $106 million in infrastructure improvements in order to accommodate growing flight traffic demand, according to a recent assessment of the city’s facilities. An update to the airport’s master plan has identified 45 construction projects that consultants believe should be done sometime over the next 20 years. Projects include fixing taxiways, improving airfield lighting, repaving runways and replacing transceiver radios. Estimates by Coffman Associates indicate the number of planes and helicopters based in Chandler will increase by about 200 over the next couple decades and the airport’s annual flight operations will rise by about 54,000. Residents living around the airport have been voicing concerns about the noise that more flight traffic will generate in the near future, but Eric Pfeifer, one of Coffman’s consultants, said noise levels may not change dramatically. The Chandler Airport is intended to cater to the small business jets, Pfeifer said, and this type of aircraft is currently being manufactured with quieter engines. “As these newer business jets are entering the fleet,” he said, “it’s not having such a huge impact on the noise footprint at airports.” One of the most expensive projects

recommended in the master plan is a $9-million rehabilitation and extension of one of the airport’s runways. Pfeifer said extending the runway by 680 feet is necessary to improve flight circulation and alleviate growing congestion. Although the Federal Aviation Administration could potentially cover most of the costs associated with the runway project, Chandler would still have to go through several bureaucratic steps before the project could commence. Assistant City Manager Joshua Wright said listing the runway extension in the master plan does not automatically ensure it will ever be completed. “That is certainly not the case,” he said. “There is still much work to be done even if the master plan shows this project.” Chandler’s city code requires runway extensions to be funded through a bond that has to be approved by voters. The city failed to get such a bond passed in 2000 and again in 2007. Another costly project on the master plan is the construction of a new 16,000-square-foot terminal building for $8 million. Pfeifer expects this new building would efficiently place some of the airport’s existing services under the same roof. “We’re proposing a new terminal facility that takes advantage of an existing

parking lot and consolidating some of the business activities and airport offices into one facility,” he said. According to the master plan, aviation terminal buildings generally can’t be paid for with grants from federal or state governments and might have to be constructed through some sort of public-private partnership. Planners believe private developers could potentially cover up to $42 million of the infrastructure projects listed in the new master plan – most of which include utility work on land that could be developed for additional airplane hangars. “Because of economic realities, many airports rely on private developers to construct new hangars,” the master plan states. “In some cases, private developers can keep construction costs lower which, in turn, lowers the monthly lease rates necessary to amortize a loan.” The plan places a timeline on when its 45 recommended projects should be done. The majority should be started before 2030. Twelve of the projects – which have a total cost of $22 million – are encouraged to be completed by 2025. But the plan’s recommendations are meant to be flexible and adaptable to changes in the local economy. “It is not unusual for certain projects to be delayed or advanced based on changing conditions, such as funding availability or changes in the aviation

industry,” the plan states. Pfeifer said the plan intentionally prioritized projects located along the airport’s northside because any southside projects would require additional development. “There would be quite a bit of utility infrastructure that would need to be built in,” he said. Despite the extensive number of recommended improvements, city officials say the airport is not planning to encroach upon its neighboring properties. “The airport is not looking to expand the facility,” said Airport Administrator Chris Andres. “All the improvements that are depicted on the master plan are going to be contained within existing airport property.” All the recommended improvements would be a worthy investment, he added, because the airport’s an “economic engine” and an asset to the Chandler community. A 2016 economic analysis concluded the Chandler Airport helped to generate up to $32 million in revenue and employ more than 160 people. “That business activity also generates tax dollars that fund several city services – ranging from police, to parks, to community centers,” Andres said. Once completed, the updated master plan will be reviewed by the Chandler City Council and be used as a roadmap for future development at the airport.

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

from page 3

prefers keeping the Villages’ land zoned for commercial uses so it can be turned into something that can serve all the surrounding communities. “I want to see what we thought we were going to see when we bought our house a year ago,” Kehl said. Kehl and her neighbors have started an online petition in an attempt to thwart the city from rezoning the Villages site for housing developments. As of Nov. 3, more than 1,300 people have signed Kehl’s petition and many of them expressed dissatisfaction with inviting a large cohort of new residents to their neighborhood. “I don’t want to have more traffic in this area. More traffic equals more accidents and deaths,” said Anne Martin, one of the residents who signed Kehl’s petition. Kortney Adelman, another resident, signed the petition because she fears more multi-family housing in this part of Chandler will drive up crime rates. “We don’t need more apartments in Chandler,” Adelman said. “There are tons of homes being built as it is with tons of rental homes available as well.” One multifamily project that could benefit residents looking to move into the city’s downtown area is Alta Chandler at the Park, a 293-unit apartment complex that could be built near Alma School Road and Chandler Boulevard. The land’s owners had originally envisioned developing this site as a 60-acre retail mall full of shops and office buildings. But the demand for

As single-family home construction begins to slow down (yellow line) as Chandler approaches build-out, apartment and condo construction is rising. (City of Chandler)

new commercial units in this part of Chandler has dried up in recent years, prompting developers to look for new land uses. “All of the marketing efforts for additional office development on the site have proven unsuccessful,” city documents state. “The prospects for additional office development on the balance of the site are therefore highly unlikely.” Developers believe the addition of Alta’s four-story apartment buildings –

which come with an onsite dog spa and bike shop – would be a major benefit to the existing downtown businesses. “Adding a luxury multifamily community in the context of the existing uses would be an enhancement not only to the housing options in the area but would also help support the retail uses in the center,” Alta’s developers wrote in a memo. The Planning and Zoning Commission recently recommended approval of the

Alta Chandler’s development plan and the project advances to the council for further review. Councilman Matt Orlando has said he has some concerns about Alta’s size, describing the project’s scope as “intense.” He also and worries that the apartment buildings would be too close to other developments. “I wish it was a little bit smaller – like three stories. I think that would be a little bit more manageable,” Orlando said.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

CUSD grappling with enrollment decline BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer

Enrollment in Chandler Unified School District has continued to decline, though administrators believe it won’t harm its budget as much as originally projected. Chandler Unified started off this school year with about 1,600 fewer students than expected and has continued to lose more pupils in the subsequent months. As of late October, CUSD had more than 2,000 fewer students than it did during the last school year. Lana Berry, the district’s chief financial officer, said enrollment appears to have leveled off and has recently been holding steady at about 44,700 students – below the 47,000 students that CUSD expected this year. Enrollment could potentially start to grow again soon, Berry added, because CUSD has traditionally seen more younger students enroll halfway through the school year. “I do think that number will grow because our preschool numbers and our early childhood numbers always pick up steam in the second and third quarters,” she said. The departure of so many students is troubling for a district that had been

priding itself as one of the few public-school districts in Arizona to see enrollment growth year after year. CUSD was expecting to see its enrollment grow by 100 students this school year but that projection was made months before the COVID-19 crisis shut down schools and ruptured the district’s operations. Like every other district in Arizona, CUSD struggled over when and how it would start offering in-person learning again and continuously assessed the risk of reopening schools while the pandemic lingered on. Several parents disparaged CUSD for choosing to keep its schools closed during the first few weeks of this school year and some threatened to pull their child out of the district if campuses didn’t reopen sooner. Though CUSD started welcoming back students in September, it appears some families have already decided to send their children elsewhere. Because students equal funding dollars from the state, Berry’s department has been tracking what the new enrollment trends mean for Chandler Unified’s overall budget. Berry predicted back in August CUSD could experience a budget shortfall of nearly $21 million due to the sudden drop in enrollment. But her

calculations have recently changed that loss to be closer to $3.7 million after factoring in additional funding from the state and federal governments. “This is all subject to change,” she stipulated, noting the projected loss is “all based on our interpretation of what’s happening.” One major factor determining how much money CUSD could lose this year is the arrival of additional grant funding from the state intended to help districts stabilize their budgets. Earlier this year, Gov. Doug Ducey allocated an extra $270 million for school districts that have had their budgets impacted by the pandemic. Berry said the exact amount of funding CUSD could get from those “enrollment stabilization grants” could be lower than expected because the district chose to reopen its schools in September. CUSD originally thought it might get $15 million from the grant fund, but administrators now believe it may get about $11.7 million. School districts should know by December the exact amount of grant funding they’ll receive from the state. The drop in projected enrollment is tied to a rise in the number of students who returned to in-person learning in September and October. The fewer on-

line students a district has could result in less funding from the grant program. It’s a “complicated” funding formula, Berry added, but it is essentially based on how many students are learning online compared to those in the classroom. If CUSD schools remain open for the rest of this year, then Berry expects the district’s grant amount to stay at about $11.7 million. Some schools in other Arizona districts have had to abruptly shutter after reporting an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus among their students and teachers. As of this month, CUSD has had 115 students and staff members test positive for COVID-19. Even with less grant money from the state, CUSD still estimates its overall budget loss at about $3.7 million. The district had expected to lose more money if it had kept its campuses closed for a longer period of time, since online students are typically funded at a lower reimbursement rate than those on campuses. Though Berry expects the district’s budget to take some hits, she said CUSD is still in a good position to handle the financial shortfalls due to wise spending decisions made in previous years.

Plummeting school enrollment worries official BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

A sharp drop in the number of youngsters in Arizona kindergartens this year due to COVID-19 could have ripple effects for years to come on their education. State schools chief Kathy Hoffman said last week that while enrollment in public schools is down 5 percent from the same time a year earlier, the preliminary figure is about 14 percent for kindergarten. Hoffman said parents are telling her that their concerns about the coronavirus are causing them to keep their kindergarten-age children at home – which is optional. But Hoffman, who as a speech therapist worked with young children, said there are major implications to skipping this stage of organized instruction. And those who do not attend could end up with issues when they go into the first grade a year from now and even further down the road. “One of the greatest benefits is the social and emotional learning and being able to play with other kids,’’ she said. But Hoffman said parents also are worried about the spread of the virus in the classroom. But Hoffman said she remains convinced the best bet is to get those kids into kindergarten for at least a few hours a day. “Some of the most important skills that they’re learning are the letter sounds, the name for the letters and

State schools chief Kathy Hoffman is concerned about kindergarten enrollment decline. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

the alphabet,’’ she said. Kids also start reading their first simple words. “They’re learning to count objects and they’re learning what numbers look like and how to name numbers,’’ Hoffman continued. “So those are very important foundational skills as they go through the grades.’’ Central to that is Move On When

Reading. That law says students cannot be promoted from the third grade if they score “far below’’ that grade reading level on the statewide assessment. Hoffman’s not a big fan of the law. “Our kids come from so many different backgrounds,’’ she said. “The kids that are struggling readers are typically coming from disadvantaged homes.’’ More kids starting regular school without the benefits of what kindergarten can teach, Hoffman said, could lead in a few years to more youngsters being told they’re not going on to the fourth grade. “And it is a huge social and emotional impact on students to be held back a grade,’’ she said. Then there are the less measurable but also equally important social skills. “They’re also learning how to be a student,’’ Hoffman said. “They’re learning to get in line, they’re learning to take turns, to share, to problem solve,’’ she explained. Even learning how to have social interactions with other kids, Hoffman said, is “very critical.’’ “I think all the impact of what we’re seeing right now is yet to be seen,’’ she said. Christine Thompson, president and CEO of Expect More Arizona, an education advocacy group, said if youngsters don’t learn the basics in kindergarten – especially letter recognition and reading – it’s going to “take a lift’’ to ensure that they’re not held back in third grade. For parents who don’t want to send their kindergarten students into classrooms, there are online options. But

Thompson doesn’t see that as a realistic option for picking up reading skills. “When you think about how technologically savvy you have to be in order to navigate the web, it’s really falling on parents to help them,’’ she said. “But you really need those educators with kids, helping to identify what the challenges are or what things are going to get a kid hooked on reading or really understanding the contents that are so incredibly important, especially in those really early years,’’ Thompson said. And there’s a more practical concern. “Being online can be really exhausting, especially in these really little kids,’’ Thompson said. Pediatricians also stress the importance of young children having only limited screen time. “To go from that to having school online is a massive shift,’’ she said. “So, we’re going to have a lot of ground to make up.’’ Hoffman said her message to parents planning to keep their kindergartners at home would be to reconsider. “As far as we can tell from the research that’s been done this year, the spread of COVID-19 is extremely low for the K thru eighth grades,’’ she said. “Missing out on a whole year of school can have detrimental effects in the long term,’’ Hoffman continued. “And school provides such amazing opportunities and wrap-around support for our kids, not just academically but also socially.’’

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Chandler Realtor helps cancer victim in a big way SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

The community rallied in a big way to Chandler Realtor Darwin Wall’s Breast Cancer Awareness Pub Crawl the third weekend of October, helping Wall and his team to raise $15,000 to defray a breast cancer victim’s medical bills. The amount raised at last month’s pub crawl was twice what Wall’s team raised last year and the biggest raised in the past six years he has run the annual effort. Realtor Paulina Matteson said there were several reasons that she thinks the seventh annual pub crawl was so successful. “I truly feel this pandemic made many people take a step back and realize what’s really important in life like our health and the quality time we spend with people,” she said. “When we are waking up each day feeling grateful to be healthy it makes you want to give back to those who maybe aren’t as lucky. And also, great weather and eight amazing bar stops didn’t hurt!” Georgann Roberts, the beneficiary for this year’s event, has endured five

ELECTION

from page 2

It also may end a long political career for Sellers, who was on Chandler City Council for eight years, the State Transportation Board for six. He was ap-

Cancer Chandler Realtor Darwin Wall gets a hug from Georgann Roberts after he presented her with a check from his fundraiser that raised $15,00 to defray some of the costs from her treatment for breast cancer. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)

surgeries in five months and is facing two more operations as out-of-pocket expenses go through the roof. “Georgann has been a trusted partner of the Darwin Wall Team for many

years when it comes to home warranties as she works for Fidelity Home Warranty,” Matteson said. “Her son Nolan is a general contractor for Grindstone General Contractor

pointed to the Board of Supervisors in January 2019 to replace Denny Barney, who resigned to become president/ CEO of the Phoenix East Valley Partnership. In other races involving Chandler, the Maricopa County Community College

District Governing Board seat that includes the city saw Gilbert Republican Councilman Laurin Hendrix lose his bid for another term to Arizona State University vice President Jacqueline Harris, who got 56 percent of the vote to Hendrix’s 44 percent.

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who does everything from handy man work to remodels for many members and clients of our team. She is fighting the tough fight while still helping us keep our clients happy, how could we not choose her?” Wall had enlisted 25 sponsors as well as eight participating Chandler bars, including Murphy’s Law, Bourbon Jacks, Ghett’yo Taco, SanTan Brewing, The Local, 1912 Lounge at the San Marcos Resort, The Stanley and Pedal Haus. For each $50 donation, participants received an event t-shirt made by Chandler’s State 48 so that when they visited each bar, they got a complimentary drink and food specials. This year the crawl was extended from a few hours one evening to three days – which Matteson said probably also contributed to its smashing success. “At first this was really a gamble,” Matteson said. “We didn’t know how a three-day event would stack up to a one-day, power-packed event. But in the end, it turned out to be a home run. See

CANCER on page 24

An at-large seat for that same governing board apparently is going to incumbent Dr. Linda Thor, former longtime president of Rio Salado College. She garnered 64 percent of the vote to 34 percent for challenger Shelli Boggs of Queen Creek.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Chandler aquatic center named for beloved coach BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer

The late Chandler High swimming coach Kerry Croswhite, seen here with his wife Laurie, succumbed to COVID-19 in July and was memorialized recently by the Chandler Unified Governing Board. (File photo)

touched by the district’s tribute and felt her husband would have appreciated the school board’s resolution. “(Kerry) had spent 35 years of his life dedicated to teaching and coaching here at Chandler and he was very proud of the team he built,” Laurie said. “It really honors his memory and carries on his legacy.” Croswhite was one of hundreds of residents in the Chandler area to contract the coronavirus since the pandemic began in March. But his death has been one of the pandemic’s most visible impacts for the CUSD community. His family said Croswhite tested

positive for the virus on July 3 and he was checked into a local hospital. His health showed signs of recovery in the subsequent weeks before his symptoms suddenly worsened on July 17. Doctors eventually informed Croswhite’s wife and children there was nothing else they could do. “We stayed at his bedside to assure him he was so brave and has fought so hard and how proud we are of him,” Laurie Croswhite wrote shortly after her husband’s death. Croswhite coached Queen Creek High School’s swim team before transferring to Chandler High in 2002. He quickly became a staple in the local

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Chandler High School will honor a beloved swim coach who earlier this year died from COVID-19 by naming its aquatic center after him. The Chandler Unified School District Governing Board voted unanimously on Oct. 28 to honor Kerry Croswhite, who succumbed to the deadly virus on July 21, by putting his name on the facility – where he spent several years coaching Chandler High’s swim team. Croswhite, who was 61, spent nearly a month fighting the coronavirus and his death was met with an outpour of tributes from former students and colleagues. “We shared many laughs, exciting wins, and painful losses,” another swim coach wrote on a fundraising site that collected $60,000 for Croswhite’s medical treatments. “I enjoyed our time together. I think we made a difference with the kids we coached.” In a resolution officially naming the aquatic center after Croswhite, the coach was described as a kind and compassionate teacher who always taught his students to not take life too seriously. “Kerry Croswhite was always there for those who needed help and was a teacher and coach who truly wanted to better every single person he encountered,” the resolution states. Croswhite’s wife, Laurie, said she was

sports community and became known by his students for his happy-go-lucky attitude. CUSD Board President Barbara Mozdzen said Croswhite was her son’s coach for several years and their families grew to be close – even resulting in Croswhite playing the bagpipes at the wedding of Mozdzen’s daughter. Croswhite regaled his swim team and spectators at matches by playing the bagpipes and he performed at many events throughout the Valley. “Kerry was a friend and he was a very special person,” Mozdzen said. “He was always so positive and optimistic and I think this is so appropriate to honor the aquatic center in his name.” In 2008, Croswhite was credited with saving the life of Kandace Jilek, one of his students, after she experienced a seizure while swimming in Chandler High’s pool. Croswhite rescued Jilek from the water and gave her CPR, according to old newspaper reports. Jilek went on to become a teacher herself at CUSD and was quick to memorialize her former swim coach after his death over the summer. “The saying ‘not all heroes wear capes’ has never been more true, Coach Croswhite, you were my hero that day,” Jilek wrote in an online tribute to Croswhite. The district plans to host a dedication ceremony on Dec. 5 at Chandler High’s aquatic center in honor of Croswhite.

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Cyclists now have a new straightaway to cruise life.’’ The negotiations didn’t end with ADOT’s agreement to build the path, which will be accessible at each freeway cross street, including 40th, 32nd and 24th streets, Desert Foothills Parkway and 17th Avenue. Struttmann and other cycling community leaders have spent months meeting with ADOT, haggling over a number of safety and other issues that are critical, especially because pedestrians, parents with baby strollers and others will be allowed to use the path. In one email three months ago, Struttman

SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

Chandler bicyclists now have a 6-mile strip where they can power along without worrying about motor vehicles getting in their way. The Arizona Department of Transportation Oct. 30 opened the shared use path along the southern edge of the South Mountain Freeway between 40th Street and 17th Avenue in Ahwatukee. The path, along with a new interchange in Ahwatukee, are the last pieces of the $1.7 billion, 22-mile freeway that connects the Chandler and 59th Avenue interchanges of I-10. Both the interchange and the multiuse path have a long history that took a long time to iron out as the former was an off-again on-again component and the multi-use path the result of persistent lobbying by the high-speed bicycling enthusiasts. For years, bicyclists across the Valley flocked to Pecos Road, which was considered a premiere training facility where they could cruise up and down hills while reaching speeds of up to 40 mph for stretches between traffic lights. But it was a far from perfect place for cycling, given that motorists reached hit higher speeds. Two cyclists were killed in 2004 and 2014. Cycling community leader Joe Struttmann saw the imminent disappearance

The shared-use path along the southern edge of the South Mountain Freeway in Ahwatukee is expected to become a regional attraction for cyclists, who can cruises at high speeds for six miles, although they need to watch for pedestrians. (Pablo Robles/ Staff)

of Pecos Road to make way for the freeway as a perfect opportunity to build a safe path for cyclists that would be the first of its kind in the country – and far safer than Pecos Road. “We would be negligent not to build this facility. It screams to be done,’’ Struttmann said in 2016. “We’re losing Pecos Road. We need to have a place for cyclists to go.’’ As the result of months of negotiations by a slew of political and cycling community leaders, ADOT in 2017 agreed to build the path. Among those who lobbied ADOT

was former Chandler legislator Bob Robson, who has since moved to Ahwatukee. Even before that agreement was reached, city Councilman Sal DiCiccio told the Ahwatukee Foothills, Village Planning Committee that it had the potential to become “a national landmark for the city” that would draw cycling enthusiasts even from outside the state. “We have very specific types of parks in our community. No one has created a park for the cycling community,’’ DiCiccio said. “It’s all about quality

told ADOT, “We are close to opening an unprecedented, for the state (maybe the nation), Shared Use Path that we have all worked very hard on. Even though we have been communicating to users to stay off the path during construction, simple observations of the path on weekends and feedback we have received makes it apparent this path is going to be very popular 7 days a week and draw users from all over the valley.” See

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Chandler Chamber moving to new location SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

The Chandler Chamber of Commerce is moving by next month. But it won’t be going too far from its present location at on South Arizona Place, where it has been housed for 25 years. It is leaving the high-rise for a standalone location in downtown Chandler at 101 W. Commonwealth. “On behalf of the Chandler Chamber Board of Directors, we are thrilled to be moving to a stand-alone, downtown Chandler location, easily accessible to our businesses and community alike,” said Chamber board Chair Molly Bell. “This change will open up so many incredible opportunities and we look forward to strengthening our downtown Chandler presence even more.” Terri Kimble, Chamber President/ CEO added, “We are very excited about this location, right in the heart of downtown Chandler. “The new building provides convenient, walk-in access for community, business and tourism.”

t? o G ws Ne

San Tan Brewing founder, Anthony Cannechia, one of the building owners, said he’s proud to have such a visible member of the community as a tenant. “We are proud to have the Chandler Chamber as neighbors right here in downtown,” he said. “The Chamber is really the voice of business here in Chandler.” The Chandler Chamber has been serving Chandler since 1912. The fact that they are relocating to a historical building actually constructed by the father of former Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny “is a perfect legacy” to their commitment in serving the business community,” the Chamber said. Judge Jay Tibshraeny said, “The new Chamber location on Commonwealth was actually built by my father’s company. Those red brick buildings have stood the test of time, just like the Chandler Chamber. I know I am proud to say the Chamber will be calling it home.” The move makes a longtime Chamber dream come true. “While our location at 25 S. Arizo-

The Chandler Chamber hopes to move into its new digs at 101 W. Commonwealth by next month. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

na Place served us well over the years, we have always desired street level access for patrons,” Kimble said. “The time was right and we look forward to building even stronger ties with our members.”

The Chamber promotes regional economic growth, advancing business-friendly public policies and supporting their members through programs, benefits and services. Information: chandlerchamber.com.

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

State revises school closure guidelines BY PAUL MARYNIAK AND WAYNE SCHUTSKY Staff

State health officials last month quietly revised their recommendations on how school districts should follow three COVID-19 metrics in deciding when to close campuses. Up until now, districts were advised to consider online learning if one of three benchmarks was in the “red” category, signifying significant COVID-19 spread. Those benchmarks include number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, the percent of new positive test results and percentage of hospital visits by people exhibiting COVID-like symptoms. But the state Department of Health Services changed that recommendation, advising a return to virtual learning should be considered if all three metrics fall into the substantial range. The latest data posted by Maricopa County on Nov. 5 show that COVID-19 levels within Chandler Unified School District’s boundaries have barely changed in two weeks in two benchmarks – positive new test results and hospital visits displaying COVID-like symptoms. They remain within the minimum spread level. But cases per 100,000 people jumped into the subsantial spread level jumped from 68 to 111 between the weeks of Oct. 18 and Oct. 25.

many of the districts that did meet on the day of their release were unaware of the change. For example, Kyrene Superintendent Dr. Jan Vesely and her board met the day they were released, Oct. 22, but was unaware of the change when she expressed some concern about the district’s COVID-19 metrics. “Our metrics support five days of in-person learning, but we are concerned about this trend,” she said “If any category falls into the red category or substantial spread category, that will generate an overall red rating for our district,” she also said. “If this rating is maintained for two consecutive State health services Director Dr. Cara Christ discussed changes in virus-related guidance to school districts on Oct. 28 weeks, this could warrant movas Gov. Doug Ducey looked on. (Capitol Media Services) ing into a remote online learning modality.” visits. In that same time period, cases per Maricopa County health offiAll East Valley school districts are 100,000 people climbed from 71 to 104 cials now say if one of the three benchposting dashboards showing virus cases marks falls into red, a district should in 85286 - indicating substantial spread. reported from campuses but amid But 85286's other two benchmarks confer with them and that closure is remained in the minimal-spread catego- thousands of students and employees advised only if all three benchmarks are ry. However, 85248 remained in the mid in each of those school systems, only a in the red category for two consecutive handful of cases are being reported. 80s for cases per 100,000 and in the weeks. CUSD reported 52 cases overall, minimum-spread category for the other Tempe Union has been far more though it does not distinguish between conservative even though the district two benchmarks. Overall, the city of Chandler showed staff and student cases as many disoverall – and most individual ZIP codes tricts do. The most on any individual an increase in cases per 100,000 from within its boundaries – have been in the campus 16 at Casteel High.. 68 to 102, slightly more positive virus yellow category, signifying moderate The CUSD board has not met since test results and a minimum-spread level See on page 17 the new guidelines were posted and for COVID-like symptoms in hospital

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

COVID

from page 16

spread. The state Department of Health Services belatedly notifying county health officials of their revised guidelines. After media reports emerged last week about those changes, state health director Dr. Cara Christ wrote a blog that said districts should work with local health officials if ZIP codes within their boundaries reached red levels in all three benchmarks. Will Humble, executive director of Arizona Public Health Association and former state health director, was critical of the change. He argued that it puts too much weight on the “COVID-like symptoms” metric. “I do still think they’re good metrics, especially the percent positivity and the number of cases per 100,00. Those are solid metrics,” Humble said. “I’ve always been less enthusiastic about that third metric, which is COVID-like illness reported by hospitals because it’s what we call it in the business ‘syndromic surveillance,’” he said. Humble said that metric is subjective and voluntarily reported, making a poor indicator for public health decisions. “I didn’t have a problem with the way the guidance was written before because you could have two out of the three indicators – meaning the two good educators regardless of what happened with the bad indicator – and once you got into the red zone, then

you need to start thinking about going back to a virtual instruction,” Humble said. Humble continued, “But now when you say…you should include the third metric, which is a flimsy metric, then you’re putting (Governing Boards) in the position of not understanding that two of the three metrics are good and one is bad, and they may start to change their decisions based on a metric that is poor.” Humble agreed that local control was appropriate but still had concerns about how the guideline change would impact local decision makers. “Somebody who’s on a governing board or even a superintendent is unlikely to understand that COVID-like illness reports from hospitals is not a solid indicator; yet they will be making recommendations to their boards thinking that it’s equal importance to these other two indicators.” Exactly why the department changed its guidelines – which could potentially allow many schools to stay open that might have closed under the old guidance – is the subject of some debate. In a press conference on Oct. 29, Gov. Doug Ducey said the changes were made “at the request of public education leaders in coordination with public health officials.” But shortly after that statement, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman took to Twitter and stated, “The Arizona Department of Education did not request or recommend any changes to the AZDHS

school benchmarks.” Chris Kotterman, lobbyist for the Arizona School Boards Association, said the way board members around the state found out about it was through the media. “We weren’t consulted on it,’’ he said. “We don’t like it when fundamental policy changes that impact the operation of public schools are not communicated clearly.’’ Kotterman said school board members “absolutely’’ see the change as having political overtones. “There definitely are groups out there that believe that schools should be open and are pressuring their local governing boards to just reopen the schools and everything will be fine if only vulnerable people stay home and all that sort of stuff,’’ he said. Christ wrote that her department has been working on the changes since Oct. 2 after hearing concerns from the members of its Schools Reopening Workgroup. The group includes representatives from county health departments and the Department of Education. But ADHS still has not answered why it did not announce the change more publicly. An ADHS spokesman did not respond when asked how the department informed the public of the change, directing AFN to Christ’s blog post. That post only states that ADHS informed members of the Schools Reopening Workgroup on Oct. 16. Ducey said too much was being made of the change.

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“These adjustments are just that,’’ he said. “They are guidance.’’ The governor said he understands there are teachers with underlying health conditions who may not want to be in school and parents who don’t want their children in a classroom. He said, though, that should be the exception, not the rule. “Where it is possible and safe, we want our schools open and we want our kids inside a classroom, with a teacher at the front of the classroom, and them getting the best, safest education possible,’’ Ducey said. Humble was critical of the way the department handled the roll out. He said county health officials “should’ve seen it at least a week ago and had a time to digest it, because it’s the county health departments that are working with the school districts and it’s their responsibility; the state is like the ivory tower.” Humble said the state also has a responsibility to be transparent and honest about these type of changes with residents or it risks losing public trust. “And the best way to keep trust is be honest with them and be truthful and be transparent,” Humble said, adding: “And if one of those three things breaks down, then you start to lose trust and you can’t afford to lose trust anytime, and in particular during a pandemic when you’re asking people to participate in this grand emergency response in various different ways.” Howard Fischer with Capitol Media Services contributed to this report.

COMMUNITY NEWS

VETERAN

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

from page 1

anniversary marking the end of World War II. He had originally planned to fly to Hawaii and visit Pearl Harbor but fears of COVID-19 forced officials to put the event only online. The move was a disappointment, Holder said, because his memories of his time there are still fresh in his mind. He only started retelling his war stories publicly a few years ago, keeping his memories private for decades. That choice to remain silent for so long may stem from the small-town humility Holder said gained being raised in a culture where most families struggled just to survive and didn’t brag much about themselves. His medals honor him as a heroic airman, yet he’s fast to say that he was only one of many young men who wanted to serve their country as the world was engulfed in war. “I’m proud of the small part that I played,” he said. Holder was born about 30 miles outside of Dallas on Dec. 13, 1921. His family moved to the small community of Proffitt, which is now listed as a “ghost town” with nothing left there except an old church and cemetery. Holder spent his childhood working on his father’s 360-acre cotton farm. His family spent long hours each day working the fields and sweating underneath the hot Texas sun. This type of laborious life wasn’t destined for him, Holder said, as he

As a young Navyman, Jack Holder of Sun Lakes was caught in the middle of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He has put some of his memorabilia from World War II on a wall in his home. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)

the Navy and was dispatched to San dreamed of getting out of Texas and Diego for boot camp. seeing as much of the world he could. Life in the Navy was wonderful and So, he searched for the first opporexciting, Holder recalled, despite grueltunity that could get him away from his ing work and a strict regimen. family’s farm. “It turns a boy into a man,” he said. “It’s all work and no money,” he said, After boot camp, Holder was sent to “I learned pretty quick that I wasn’t the military’s naval base in Pearl Harbor. going to let farming consume my life.” President Franklin Roosevelt relocated Like his father, who had traveled the fl eet of ships from San Diego to across Europe during World War I, Pearl Harbor in 1940, around the time Holder said he longed for a similar diplomatic tensions between Japan and opportunity and got as World War II the United States were starting to rise. loomed. By the end of 1941, negotiations for In 1940, Holder convinced his mother peace had soured between the two is pleased to introduce to sign enlistment papers shortly after nations and a Japanese attack almost he graduated high school, so he joined

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seemed imminent. On that fateful morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Holder remembered assembling for the daily roll call when he heard a terrible explosion. “The first bomb that fell in Pearl Harbor fell about 100 yards from me,” he recalled. He and his crew members ran outside and saw several Japanese planes flying over the harbor. One shipmate noticed an empty construction ditch nearby so he and Holder jumped inside to take cover from aerial bombard-

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VETERAN

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ments. The shipmates clung to each other and prayed for the attack to end swiftly. Holder recalled an enemy plane zeroing in on their ditch and opening fire with a machine gun. A pile of dirt surrounding the ditch protected Holder and his friends. The Navy men eventually found the courage to climb out of the ditch and inspect their surroundings. “When I came out, I saw devastation I’ll never forget,” he said. Several battleships, including the U.S.S. Arizona, had been obliterated by Japanese bombs and hundreds of servicemen were desperately trying to swim to safety. “I’d seen guys swimming through burning water and oil,” Holder said. “A lot of them died in the water, some of them died when they reached the beach.” The hours following the attack comprised a mixture of fear, confusion and monotony for Holder and his shipmates. They were ordered to hunker down in gun pits and keep watch on the skies. As the men fended off thirsty mosquitos, Holder tried to ignore the smells emanating from his dirty uniform; their spare clothes were given to doctors to use as bandages for the wounded. In his 2014 autobiography, “Fear, Adrenaline and Excitement,” Holder went into detail about how they patiently sat and waited for the sound of plane engines to barrel over their heads again. “For three days we listened for that sound, scared as hell the Japanese were going to come back and finish what they’d started,” he wrote. In the end, more than 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor and another 1,170 were wounded. Holder managed to survive the incident unscathed. In fact, he said he survived the rest of the war without any major injuries.

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from page 13Struttmann

complained that ADOT and freeway builders Connect202Partners have “have not followed through” an October 2017 commitment to install bicycle facilities at the arterial roads and the path. “What we proposed is very common sense and well supported by” several highway agencies,” he said. “It is not expensive and easy to do with a little paint and signs, a drop in the bucket. If I thought it would be productive, I would just scream in a meeting that we are building a great facility, we are a federal focus state and city due to the high number of bike/pedestrian fatalities.” Members of the biking community are still pressing ADOT to address what they call safety issues on the path. ADOT has resisted some of those demands, including requests for more

There were a few close calls, Holder said, yet luck always seemed to be on his side. “Bullets came so close sometimes I had debris showered on me but I never got hit,” he said. Holder was later sent to Europe and conducted several aircraft missions flying over the English Channel. He was part of five squadrons that flew more than 6,000 missions over the sea patrolling for enemy submarines -- during which time they managed to sink at least eight. “I managed to get one of them,” Holder remarked. Holder was discharged in 1948 and re-entered civilian life by flying planes for a charter airline in California. After his wife convinced Holder to stop flying planes, he moved to Arizona and retired in 1991. Though his retirement years have been full of relaxing days on the golf course, Holder’s still had his share of misfortune in recent years. In 2016, he fell victim to a scam that had con artists swindling $43,000 out of his retirement account. Community members later raised more than $65,000 to supplement Holder’s losses. He survived a terrible bout of pneumonia a couple years ago that drained Holder’s energy. His health still isn’t 100 percent, he said, but he is still feeling well enough to look forward to a time when it will be safe to hold Veteran’s Day events again. Although he belongs to the “Greatest Generation,” Holder hopes today’s young people won’t ever have to witness the horrors of war that he has seen. As he wrote in his autobiography, Holder noted how many members of his generation didn’t get to live long lives. If millennials don’t have to make the same sacrifice, then he thinks that’s a sign of progress. “By the end of my war, more than half of those friends were gone and most of them before they reached their 25th birthday,” Holder wrote. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

signage – which the highway agency says can become too confusing if there are too many signs. The agency also has said other demands are within the jurisdiction of the City of Phoenix, which has largely been silent on the cyclists’ demands. Meanwhile, a new problem quickly arose when the multipurpose path opened and this time some cyclists are in the bull’s eye. Pedestrians and roller skaters have lit up some social media sites complaining about rude cyclists who travel at high speeds and yell at them to get out of the way. Some pedestrians questioned whether cyclists could legally use the path, but ADOT already has said it is open to any non-motorized traffic and that besides cars and trucks, that includes motorized cycles and e-scooters.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Chandler readies a salute to military veterans SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

The City of Chandler is hosting its first pandemic-friendly Veteran’s Day event with a walk-thru memorial that pays tribute to local servicemen and women. The city’s “Path of Honor” memorial is a public display at Veterans Oasis Park, 4050 East Chandler Heights Road, featuring pictures and stories recognizing 20 residents who have served in various branches of the U.S. military. Visitors will have until the end of November to stroll through the park and learn about Chandler residents who served in the military during World War II and the Vietnam War. Serving as an alternative to previous Veteran’s Day festivities, the “Path of Honor” is intended to still commemorate the November holiday at a time when most public events have been hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Niki Tapia, the city’s community resources and diversity supervisor, said her staff spent the last couple months coming up with a new event that could abide by the pandemic’s health guidelines while still honoring the city’s veterans. “Many surrounding cities have parades or special events and we wanted a unique way to celebrate our Veterans’ safely during the pandemic,” Tapia said. “We’re grateful we were able to make this happen and we hope to make it an annual tradition for our community.” One of the oldest veterans rep-

resented in the memorial is Arthur E. Price, who served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Originally an attorney by trade, Price had been a business partner of A.J. Chandler – the city’s founder and namesake – before deciding to enlist in the military in 1917. Price served as an artillery instructor in France and was later transferred to Camp Funston in Kansas – believed by some historians to be the place where the deadly “Spanish flu” virus originated in 1918. Price was spared from the virus, which infected more than 500 million people across the globe, and safely returned to Chandler. Another veteran memorialized is Zora Folley, the world-famous boxer and first African-American resident to sit on the Chandler City Council. Folly enlisted in the military as a

Some living members of the city’s “Path of Honor” inductees include Councilman Matt Orlando, who retired from the Air National Guard in 2008, and Vice Mayor Rene Lopez, a third-generation Navy veteran. The individuals featured along the “Path of Honor” were selected from Chandler’s Veterans Database – a project started by local historians earlier this year – and the Chandler Museum’s existing collection. Local veterans or family members interested in sharing their stories can visit the Chandler Veterans Database and complete an online form. The information may be used as a foundation for future initiatives to honor their service and continue to tell the stories of Chandler’s veterans. Meanwhile, the annual East Valley Veterans Parade will be a “parade in reverse.” People are asked to decorate their car and head to downtown Mesa between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11. As many as 30 parade entries will be stationed along the East Valley parade route on Center Street in Mesa and the spectators will be driving in their own cars, becoming the parade in effect. Residents from throughout the Phoenix region are encouraged to decorate their automobiles in patriotic themes to express appreciation for lives of service as they drive through the parade route to view the parade entries.

teenager and saw combat during the Korean War. While serving in the military, Folley discovered he had a knack for boxing and went on to win several championships. After going up against Muhammed Ali in the ring, Folley retired from boxing in 1967 and returned to Chandler. Not long after he was appointed to fill a seat on the council, Folley died from a poolside accident in 1972. One of the few women featured in the “Path of Honor” is Virginia Gleason Norton, who served in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve during World War II. Norton grew up around Chandler and was motivated to enlist in the military after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. She was stationed around Virginia up until the war’s end in 1946. “I was proud to be in service and I had great pride when we had parades. We were able to show people that we were trying to help,” Norton said in a 2010 interview. Norton went back to school after leaving the military and taught in schools around Arizona before dying in 2010 at the age of 86.

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Chandler teen’s nonprofit addresses healthcare BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer

When cases of domestic violence started rising in Arizona during the pandemic, 16-year-old Viveka Chinnasamy felt she had to find a way to help the individuals who were forced to flee abusive households. The Chandler student started raising money and quickly accumulated enough to buy more than 50 meals for the occupants of local domestic violence shelters, which have been burdened in recent months by an uptick in domestic abuse cases reported by local law enforcement agencies -- including Chandler Police. Viveka said it seemed like the victims in these cases probably weren’t getting all the resources they might get if the pandemic had not been straining local nonprofits. It’s not too unusual for Viveka to be at the helm of a large-scale service project aiming to resolve a problem in the community. The teenager has been on an ongoing mission to improve society’s access to medical care and she’s not letting a global pandemic interfere with her goal. Viveka is busily getting through her senior year at Hamilton High School and yet she’s a bit more preoccupied with trying to expand the reach and impact of her nonprofit. Medical Minds, an organization

Viveka Chinnasamy Viveka founded last year, consists of more than 60 teenagers from across the Valley who wish to serve underrepresented communities in need of medical supplies, food, clothing, or a little companionship. “Our mission is to be a voice for those around the world who are marginalized from the health care system,” Viveka said. The reach of their service extends far and wide. From Chandler’s nursing homes to rural villages in South America, Viveka said there’s no place in this

world that Medical Minds won’t strive to make a footprint. The scope of her group’s work is diverse and varied. They volunteer in local hospitals, put on mental health workshops for teenagers, and organize fundraisers for patients who can’t afford medical care. Everything the club does is essentially tied to three main pillars: service, community, and education. Viveka said it’s important the organization’s members not only serve the public through charitable acts but learn why their philanthropy is needed in the first place. She was motivated to start the club a couple years ago after reading about the wide disparity of medical coverage between rich and poor communities. Viveka, who aspires to become a surgeon someday, said she’s seen family members struggle to find affordable health care and wants to make sure no one else has to be caught up in such a predicament. “My mission is to do whatever I can – no matter how small – to advocate for their concerns and to make sure they get the medicine they deserve,” she said. One goal of Medical Minds is to educate young people about the complexities of paying for health care, Viveka added, and hopefully make them more passionate about the issue. “This prominent universal lack of

health care made me realize that the gaps in health care separate those who have money from those who don’t,” Viveka added. One of the group’s most successful service projects involved sending 200 kits of medical supplies to families living in Peru, Nicaragua and Cambodia. “Often the issue in these countries is that the availability of health care is really low,” Viveka said. “They have to walk miles to find the closest hospital.” It’s a project Viveka is most proud of and hopes to replicate it again in the near future. But the COVID-19 pandemic has recently made the group’s operations a bit more challenging. Medical Minds has been trying to adapt to the pandemic’s limitations, Viveka said, by conducting outreach events virtually and interacting with nursing home residents online rather than in-person. “It’s been hard but I feel like having an adjustment and trying to switch to online is better than just waiting for the pandemic to go away,” she said. The group already has a five-year plan in place and Viveka isn’t letting COVID-19 stop them from achieving their objectives. Medical Minds is on the verge of an expansion with additional branches in other parts of the country, she said, so their international presence is destined to get bigger in the future. Information: medicalminds.us

COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Planned Parenthood drops Arizona abortion suit BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Planned Parenthood has quietly dropped its lawsuit challenging several abortion restrictions in Arizona that had forced it to close its Chandler clinic. Without explanation, attorneys for the organization filed paperwork on Tuesday telling U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps to dismiss the legal challenge. Last week’s action means the state is free to continue enforcing the cooling-off period as well as other challenged restrictions. Those include who can perform what abortion-related services and prohibiting doctors from prescribing abortion medications by telemedicine. No one from Planned Parenthood of Arizona, which promoted its filing of the 2019 lawsuit, would explain the decision to drop the case. Lola Bovell, a vice president of the organization, provided only a written statement about its ongoing concerns about the statutes in question. “The status of this lawsuit does not change the fact that harmful laws like telemedicine bans, advance practice clinician bans, and mandatory waiting periods push abortion access out of reach for far too many people,’’ she said. But Kevin Theriot, senior attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which supported the restrictions, pointed out the decision to drop the case comes in the wake of a changing legal environment. In June the U.S. Supreme Court did rule 5-4 that Louisiana has no legal right to prohibit doctors from terminating

That includes that 24-hour waiting period, something that means a patient needs to make two trips to a clinic to terminate a pregnancy and a requirement for only licensed physicians to perform abortions. In a 2011 ruling, for example, state appellate court Judge Peter Swann rejected arguments that the restrictions imCathi Herrod, whose Center for Arizona Policy has crafted many anti-abortion pose undue restricstatutes in Arizona, hailed Planned Parenthood's decision to drop its suit. tions on a woman’s (Fle photo) constitutional right to choose. pregnancies unless they also have admitAnd he said that it is legally irreleting privileges at nearby local hospitals. vant that nurse practitioners, who are That, however, really was a divided ruling, with Justice Stephen Breyer, writ- more available in rural areas that abortion-trained doctors, have a comparaing for himself and three other justices ble safety record. that the requirement served no legitiBut Alice Clapman, a Planned Parentmate purpose in protecting the health hood staff attorney, told Capitol Media of women. Chief Justice John Roberts, casting the Services at the time that she was countdeciding vote, said he was not accepting ing on Zipps to look not at the individual restrictions but the overall effect. those arguments but agreeing to the She cited a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court result based on different precedents. That 5-4 ruling had Justice Ruth Bad- decision that said abortion restrictions need to be judged on whether they creer Ginsburg in the majority. She is now ate an “undue burden’’ on women. replaced by Amy Coney Barrett, who What that means, she said, is that may prove more inclined to give states courts look at the statutes “to deterleeway in restricting the procedure. mine if the benefits of the restriction In filing suit in federal court last year, attorneys for Planned Parenthood outweigh the burdens.’’ “When states restrict abortion under acknowledged that some of the laws at the guise of women’s health they have issue had been unsuccessfully chalto actually produce evidence that the lenged in the past.

restrictions enhance patient safety,’’ Clapman said. She said several of the challenged statutes are “sham public safety laws where there’s no evidence of benefit.’’ Cathi Herrod, whose Center for Arizona Policy has been behind crafting many of the statutes at issue, said when the lawsuit was filed that they all are justified and justifiable. “Abortion is different than other medical procedures,’’ she told Capitol Media Services. “It involves taking of a life, it involves risk to the woman’s health,’’ Herrod said. “So the state is completely justified in requiring only doctors perform abortions.’’ She also defended the other challenged restrictions like a requirement for a personal consultation with a doctor 24 hours before terminating a pregnancy and forbidding doctors from prescribing the pills for a medication abortion unless there is a face-to-face visit. “Women who are considering abortion deserve a chance to be one-onone with a doctor before they take the abortion pill,’’ Herrod said. Planned Parenthood said the laws have had an effect, including the closure of clinics in Yuma, Goodyear, Prescott Valley and Chandler. And the Flagstaff clinic can provide abortion services only one day a week. Bryan Howard, who was president of Planned Parenthood Arizona until retiring at the end of last month, said the cumulative result is that the number of abortions performed dropped from between 9,000 and 10,000 a year a dozen years ago to fewer than 6,500 when the lawsuit was filed in 2019.

Salt River gardens honor USS Arizona heroes SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

Since opening in February, the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River has been visited by thousands of guests who pay tribute to the men aboard the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, sharing their stories, efforts and sacrifice. The Gardens has also reconnected many to family and friends who were lost during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and incited a need for them to share some remarkable stories, just as Chelsea Jordan did. Her great, grant uncle, James Harvey Sanderson, played the clarinet and saxophone in the USS Arizona’s “last band” and died in the attack. The community celebrated the grand opening of the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River on the eve of the 2020 spring training season. A few months later, the Gardens was named the 2020 Outstanding Facility Award for populations under 10,000 at Arizona Parks and Recreation Association’s Best of the Best awards show. Located on tribal land, the gardens were built by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to honor those

The USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River is shaped like the doomed ship, left, and there is a light for every serviceman who lost his life in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack at Pearl Harbor that destroyed the ship.

who served and those serving today. “It is a great honor that the land of the O’odham (Pima) and Piipaash (Maricopa) is now the permanent home to a relic from the USS Arizona,” said Martin Harvier, President, of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. The gardens span the exact length and width of the USS Arizona, with over 1,500 commemorative columns, outlining the actual perimeter of the USS Arizona. Each column is representative of a life aboard the ship that day. Additionally, there are gaps within the column

outline representing an individual who survived the attack. As the day ends, each column illuminates, transforming the memorial at night representing each individual as a light and that their light will continue to go on and stand through the test of time. “I walked through the garden tonight for the first time and found my great uncle’s name,” Jordan said. “I haven’t felt chills like that in a long time. It is a stunning memorial. I just want to say thank you to the Community for doing such a beautiful job with it.”

The Gardens are open daily from dawn until dusk and is free to the public. Located in the Talking Stick Entertainment District at 7455 N. Pima Road between Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and Great Wolf Lodge Arizona, the relic room is staffed by volunteers. Those interested in learning more can also come by the Discover Salt River Visitor Center at 9120 East Talking Stick Way, Suite E-10, Scottsdale in the Pavilions at Talking Stick shopping center. Information: 888-979-5010 or memorialgardensatsaltriver.com.

COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Ducey shoring up dwindling unemployment trust fund BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Gov. Doug Ducey is planning to put federal cash given to the state for COVID-19 relief into the soon-to-beinsolvent unemployment trust fund to save companies from having to replenish the account on their own. But unemployed Arizonans will have to continue to live on no more than $240 a week before taxes. Daniel Scarpinato, the governor’s chief of staff, said his boss believes that the state’s $1.8 billion allocation from the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities Act is designed to help Arizona blunt the economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of that has gone directly to local governments, schools, the state health department and local hospitals. He said that the virus also has affected the unemployment rate, which is why the trust account for jobless benefits is going broke. And that, he said, makes it appropriate to use the CARES funds rather than put the burden on employers. “I can’t think of any better way for them to get to real people than to ensure that we’re protecting our social safety net,’’ he said. But that help does not include boosting the benefits for the more than 400,000 workers currently collecting unemployment insurance who have

been fired or laid off through no fault of their own. Those benefits haven’t been adjusted in 16 years and are the second lowest in the nation, behind Mississippi. “Gov. Ducey’s focus right now as we deal with this pandemic and the effect it’s had on our economy is making sure that less people are unemployed, that more people have a job, that we have more jobs available,’’ Scarpinato said. What that means, he said, is creating an economic environment where jobs are being created “so that people don’t have to be on unemployment, that they can get back to work, that they can earn their paycheck and have their livelihoods back.’’ Ducey said, “There are jobs available.’’ He noted that employment levels in Arizona are at 96.9 percent of what they were before the pandemic. That theme was echoed by Ducey’s chief of staff. “The governor has an interest in creating jobs, in getting people back to work,’’ Scarpinato said. “That’s the best way to help people who are unemployment.’’ Even when the state’s jobless rate hovered in the 4 percent range more than a year ago, about 17,000 people were collecting benefits every week. “They’re looking for work,’’ Scarpinato continued. “We want to make sure that there’s jobs available so they can transition from unemployment back into the workforce.’’

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’’

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And what of those folks who do find themselves unemployed, can’t immediately find work and have to live on no more than $240 a week? “Our message would be the governor is fighting for you,’’ Scarpinato said. “You actually have to have a policy on helping people find employment, having employment available for our workers so that they don’t have to be on a program that’s not going to pay them as much as a job.’’ Both the move to tap CARES funds to bail out the trust fund and Ducey’s refusal to consider higher benefits are tied to his belief that the best thing for the Arizona economy is keeping costs down for employers through direct financial help and not raising their costs through higher jobless benefits. Those benefits are paid through the trust fund which is financed by a tax paid by employers on the first $7,000 of each worker’s salary. The actual levy depends on how often employees are fired or laid off. Premiums range from less than 1 percent for companies that retain their workers to more than 13 percent for those who do not. Before the COVID-19-induced recession, the trust fund had more than $1.1

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billion. It is now in the $163 million range. And projections are it will become insolvent as early as this month or December at the latest. Under normal circumstances, the U.S. Department of Labor would replenish the fund and then impose an additional levy on employers to pay it back. Scarpinato said Ducey thinks it’s a bad idea to add to the financial burden of Arizona businesses as they are getting back on their feet. The alternative? Arizona has somewhere between $400 million and $500 million left in CARES dollars. Gretchen Conger, Ducey’s deputy chief of staff, said the plan is to start funneling some of that cash into the trust account to keep it from going broke – and keep employers from having to dip into their pockets to keep it from having to borrow money. It’s a maneuver that appears to lack precedent. The last time the fund ran out of money was a decade ago, during a prior recession, with the account at one point going $600 million in the red. But that loan was paid back not with state dollars but instead with a surcharge on employers. Scarpinato said this is different. “We believe unemployment is, particularly in this scenario, directly tied to COVID,’’ he said. More to the point, he said, lots of employers also have been hit hard by the economic fallout from the pandemic “and are working to come out the other side and stay in business.’’ “That’s really important for our workers, for our economy, so that we can fund things like K-12 education and all the important things in the state,’’ Scarpinato said.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

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The Darwin Wall team celebrated their fundraiser haul with a check presentation to beneficiary Georgann Roberts. Behind Hall and Roberts are, from left, Vanessa Contreras, Brooke Michie, Monda Clemons, Kari Dean, Laura Kulakowski, Chad Cox, Paulina Matteson and Tiffany LeDeux. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)

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“We heard from participants that they couldn’t always make it on a Saturday due to other obligations but when we made it all weekend long, they could go when it worked for them, and that ending up working majorly in our favor,” she added, saying they’ll likely repeat that format next year. The participating bars went above and beyond to help make the event a success, she said. “Every year we almost push every bar to capacity,” Matteson said. “This year we asked the bars to accommodate us in the middle of a pandemic, I think that makes every bar considered above and beyond. We are so grateful for their support even in these challenging times and hope we brought them some good business throughout the weekend.” Mike Smith at the Local, whom Matteson called “always so accommodating,” let Wall’s team set up a step-andrepeat on his patio for people to take photos “and their servers are always ready with a smile to host us.” Among the crawlers, Tony and Joann Aguilar, whose company QBE was a sponsor, “have gone every year to support the Save Second Base Pub Crawl.” There were also many cancer survivors who joined in the fun. “Cherie Booth comes every year with her friend Sonja Clark,” Matteson said. “At the Darwin Wall Team, we already have the utmost respect for educators so we loved to see Brenda Gerson and Joanna Murray, my kids’ former teachers at Hull Elementary, and their husbands Mike and Dave take time to always support our cause.” She also said Mike Gerson “not only comes ready to party but he’s also been a sponsor the last few years.” Wall runs the event through a

nonprofit called Save Second Base, so everything that was collected is not only tax deductible but goes directly to the beneficiary. “We not only had a record number this year but are lucky enough to have the absolute best of them,” Matteson said. “Many of our sponsors not only sponsor the event, they donate amazing raffle items and they come and bring big groups with them making the event even more fun.” Among them, she said were Pablo Reynoso with SoCal Fish Tacos in Downtown Gilbert and Radi Rahimi and Ryan Nouis with their newly acquired Pitt Fitness in South Chandler. And Wall and his team also rolled up their sleeves for the event. “Every Realtor knows you have to work hard to play hard,” Matteson said. “Our team was doing early morning showings and taking phone calls the whole weekend. The best part about being on such a tight knit team is that we always have each other’s backs. “When someone had a client to attend to, someone else stepped up and took their responsibility at the pub crawl. This is exactly how we work as a team on an everyday basis. The back bone of Darwin Wall Team is hard work, trust, and a strong support system. We are always there for each other from marketing ideas, showing houses to helping out with contracts, because if one of us succeeds we all succeed.” But in the long run, she added, what mattered was helping someone who needed it. “This is a cause we truly believe in and it’s one of the highlights of our year,” Matteson said. “We get the most satisfaction from bringing people from all reaches of the Darwin Wall Team together to raise money for a very deserving individual and have an absolute blast doing it.”

COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Around Chandler Chandler Fire collecting holiday toys for local children

The Chandler Fire Department is once again collecting toys to help brighten the holiday season for Chandler children who might otherwise go without this year. The annual drive will be held at Chandler Fashion Center, with a few changes to help promote a safe environment for everyone. The drive will be from 2-8 p.m. Dec. 5, at Chandler Fashion Center, 3111 W. Chandler Blvd. The toy collection point will be in the parking lot west of the south facing entry point of Chandler Fashion Center. The highlight of the event will be the Enchanted Fire Village, a special holiday wonderland built by Chandler firefighters with decorated fire trucks. Anyone who donates a new, unwrapped toy during the Holiday Toy Drive will receive admission into the Enchanted Fire Village. An adult must accompany all children through the village. Once the donated toys are collected, Chandler firefighters and volunteers will help deliver them to the Chandler CARE Center, where they will be distributed at a designated event to families identified by staff at each Chandler Unified School District elementary school. “Our annual toy drive has been a tremendous success over the years. We get to witness the generosity of so many Chandler families and we, in turn, are able to fulfill the dreams of a lot of area kids,” said Chandler Fire Chief Tom Dwiggins. “This event is just another way that our fire department personnel get to partner with the people we serve and together make a difference for those in need.” For those who cannot attend the Dec. 5 event at the mall, toy or gift card donations may be dropped off or mailed to the Chandler Fire Administration Headquarters at 151 E. Boston St., 85224, starting Nov. 9 through Dec. 11. Toys can also be taken to any Chandler fire station; however, gift cards will only be accepted at headquarters. People who prefer a contactless donation method, can ship items to headquarters or purchase them under the “Chandler Fire Toy Drive” wishlist on amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ ls/1DH9IZMQOIQ3M). Bring your receipt for admission to the Enchanted

Fire Village on Dec. 5. Information: chandleraz.gov/ﬁre or 480-782-2120.

Copper Creek Inn slates Alzheimer’s research walk

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Month and the month for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Phoenix and surrounding cities. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. This year’s event won’t be a large in-person gathering but the Koelsch Kickers from Copper Creek Inn Memory Care are still walking in small, safe teams at Veterans Oasis Park in Chandler Nov. 14. The residents at Copper Creek Inn Memory Care are joining the fight against Alzheimer’s by creating inspirational, hand-painted rock art to be left along the trail for future park guests to find. “The rocks create awareness of the 5 million American’s living with Alzheimer’s. Ladies and gentlemen at Copper Creek Inn design them as part of Living Well with Purpose, a program empowering elders to keep giving back to their community in ways that matter to them.” noted Benjamin Surmi, MSG, director of education and culture for Koelsch Communities. Team walk participants are needed to “hide” the residents’ rock art along the 1.5 mile route. Contact Debbie Newport at Copper Creek Inn Memory Care Community to join the Koelsch Kickers Alzheimer’s Walk team. Masks are required but purple wigs and tutus are optional. The Copper Creek Inn Memory Care Community is at 2200 W. Fairview St. in Chandler. Information: 480-634-4191

Downtown Chandler Partnership plans ‘Sugarland’

The Downtown Chandler Community Partnership is celebrating the holiday season with “Sugarland,” a new interactive display of holiday decorations for downtown visitors to safely enjoy in Dr. A.J. Chandler Park West from Nov. 28-Jan. 3. People will be able to snap a selfie in the candy sleigh next to the Tum-

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Cosmetics company to locate headquarters here

VB Cosmetics Inc. has signed a 40,000 square-foot lease to expand and relocate their corporate headquarters, R&D and manufacturing operations in Chandler. The company will be moving into the Lotus Project, one of Chandler’s premier industrial developments, located near Kyrene Road and the Loop 202. VB Cosmetics Inc. is a manufacturing company engaged in the creation and sale of cosmetics and personal care products. It is also the inventor of Dazzle Dry, a quick-dry, award-winning and proprietary nail polish system that is revolutionizing the multi-billion dollar US nail salon and spa industries. “VB Cosmetics is in a premier location for continued growth and success,” said Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke. “We are thrilled they found a new home in Chandler that will allow them to take their innovative cosmetics enterprise to the next level.” VB Cosmetics expects to be fully moved into their new headquarters, designed to efficiently process and manage materials, by April of 2021. This relocation

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bleweed Christmas Tree, check out the fruit rollup slide, climb over giant marshmallows spilling out a life-size cup of hot chocolate and dance through the candy canes any time of the day or night, allowing for social distancing. At night the display showcases “Sugarland’s Canal of Lights,” a walkway over the Commonwealth Canal on Commonwealth Avenue with colorful lights timed to “dance” to themed music. “Sugarland is the perfect backdrop for family photos and overall enjoyment as you stroll the downtown shopping and dining,” said Mary Murphy-Bessler, DCCP Executive Director. “We are so proud to be able to offer a safe and whimsical option for visitors to Downtown Chandler, and are excited to build upon the display in the years to come.” The DCCP is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to mobilize leadership and resources to advance the development of Downtown Chandler as a regional destination for shopping, dining, living, culture and the arts. Information: downtownchandler. org/sugarland.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport sees uptick in activity BY TYLER WEGLEITNER Contributor

Following months of restricted travel and stay-at-home orders caused by COVID-19, travelers are slowly starting to return to the skies at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The east Mesa facility has seen a steadily increasing number of passengers returning to the airport in recent months and saw more travelers on Labor Day weekend this year than last. “We have actually kind of bucked the trend a little bit,” said airport spokesman Ryan Smith. He said that while “nationwide travel is down as much as 70 percent,” Gateway activity was down only 35 percent in August and September. However, activity at Gateway plummeted 93 percent in April and 61 percent in May. Smith said that due to the significant decline in passengers, a Starbuck's in the airport was forced to close and is unlikely to reopen. He also said that the airport received over $20 million in federal pandemic relief grants to support the airport following a sharp decline in traffic. As a result of that funding, Smith said, “we made the commitment that we had to maintain our staffing levels at 90 percent.” Smith said that while business travel is still limited, airports are seeing an increase in leisure travel. “Here at Gateway, most of our travel is focused on leisure travel so we have seen a rebound much quicker than oth-

travelers, her flight Sept. 25 was much different. “That airplane was packed like sardines,” she said. “It was almost like it was a normal flight from what I had flown before COVID.” Despite the flight being full, she said that staff did take necessary precautions to protect passengers, both in flight and at the airport. According to a release, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport has implemented the Stay Healthy, Fly Safe initiative, aimed at protecting travelers from the coronavirus. “Our Stay Healthy, Fly Safe initiative has helped to stop the spread of COVID-19 and helped build After the pandemic smothered airline travel for months, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is starting to see a resurgence in passengers eager consumer confidence in to take advantage of the regional airlines that fly out of there. (Special to SanTan Sun News) the safety of air travel,” said airport CEO J. Brian said. “I don’t remember there being er airports in other areas throughout O’Neill. anybody with a really bad attitude or the country,” he said. The initiative calls for increased cleanhostility about it.” Robin Cosand has been at the airing, the promotion of social distancing Before flying to Mesa on June 20, port several times since the beginning and the addition of plexiglass barriers she researched how to keep herself of the pandemic. throughout the airport. safe onboard and was able to distance She visited Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Smith said the airport is following herself from other passengers. Airport in June and September. guidelines to protect travelers and he “I was in a row by myself by the winShe said she felt safe each time and expressed optimism for the future. dow… I turned all the air vents toward that the airport and other passengers “We’re excited for people to get back me in my row and wore my mask,” were following health guidelines. and start flying,” Smith said. “If you’re Cosand said. “Everybody was really nice and kept comfortable traveling, there’s no better Following an increasing number of their mask on, 6 feet apart,” Cosand time than now to book flights.”

County gives EV Assistance League much-needed help SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

For more than two decades, the Assistance League of the East Valley has helped people in need of all ages in the region, but now, amid the pandemic’s impact on most nonprofits, it’s the Assistance League that could use a little help. It’s cut the hours of its thrift store in Chandler and reduced some annual programs as donations have declined and its spring fundraiser canceled because of COVID-19 concerns. Maricopa County officials last week provided some much-needed help with a $25,000 grant from their share of federal pandemic relief money. The purpose is to cover expenditures related to the public health emergency brought on by the pandemic. “This grant from the county comes at a most difficult time for us,” said Lois Eitel, president of the all-volunteer Assistance League chapter. “Due to the pandemic we had to close our Thrift Store, a major funding source for us, and we have been able to open only limited hours ever since. The grant will play a big part in helping us continue supporting 24 schools that depend on us. I join with the more than 125 volunteers in thanking Maricopa County for this much-needed grant.” Member Sarah Auffret added, “Many

Bonnie Domin, who manages the Assistance League of the East Valley thrift store in Chandler, said a county grant will help it cover rent and utilities for two months. (Courtesy Maricopa County)

of our grants from the public have dried up. We are hoping to receive endof-year tax credit donations.” Still, she said, “We are continuing to provide emergency assault survivor kits of clothing and toiletries to East Valley fire and police departments and hospitals.” The nonprofit is one of more than two dozen Assistance League nationwide. In its 2018-19 fiscal year, the local chapter contributed more than 31,087

service hours, “enabling us to touch the lives of more than 16,300 men, women and children,” it says on its website. The funds it raises are returned to Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale and Ahwatukee through philanthropic programs that include Operation School Bell, its assault survivor kits, adult day care socials, scholarships and its and Share Our Spare programs. The county grant will help the Assistance League provide new school

uniforms to more than 7,000 elementary school students this year, part of its Operation School Bell program. “By dipping into reserve funds, we will still provide new uniforms for 7,000 elementary school children in 24 East Valley schools, but we’ll no longer provide shoes, hoodies, underwear and toiletries,” Auffret said. However, the League had to eliminate its in-person dressings at Target for children in non-uniform schools. Last year, it dressed almost 10,000 children from both uniform and non-uniform schools The thrift store, at 2326 N. Alma School Road in Chandler, is now open only three days a week, Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. “This schedule barely covers our store rent and operating costs,” said Auffret, explaining hours were reduced from 35 a week because many volunteers are retirees whose health may be adversely impacted by the pandemic. The group hopes that as the holiday season approaches, people will open their hearts and their wallets and donate at assistanceleagueeastvalley.org. Also needed are donations of goods to the shop, which offers clothing, household items, books, toys, linens, sewing supplies and more. Donation hours are Thursday-Saturday 10 a.-m.-3 p.m. and Monday during those same hours.

COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Murder charge filed in beloved Gilbert man’s slaying BY CECILIA CHAN Staff Writer

The man accused of strangling a disabled veteran in his Gilbert home sits in jail with a $1 million secured appearance bond. Jacob Kanakaholoka Samia, 32, was arrested last Monday at his apartment off of Val Vista Drive and faced first-degree murder and second-degree burglary charges. He made his initial court appearance on Oct. 26 and as of last week did not have an attorney. Police said Samia was trying to flee the state because he did not return to work at Walmart and was seen packing a bag. Court records also show his wife filed for divorce in August. Samia was originally arrested Oct. 11 after police found 73-year-old Frank Bernal gravely injured in his home. At the time, Samia was looking at aggravated assault, criminal damage-deface and second-degree burglary charges and made bail the next day. The charges were dismissed pending DNA results, according to a court document. Samia was re-arrested six days after Bernal died of his injures in the hospital. The events leading to Bernal’s death began with Samia and his friends drinking during the evening of Oct. 10 with the last stop for the group at Cogburn’s Big Wings on Cooper Road. Samia eventually left Cogburn’s and attempted to break into the adjoining Kure CBD and Vape shop by smashing the glass door with his fists, cutting his hands in the process, according to court documents.

Frank Bernal

Jacob Kanakaholoki Samia

Samia was unable to break into the smoke store and began walking east toward 131th Street. A friend who was the designated driver took the others home first before reporting Samia to Gilbert Police at 2:28 a.m. Oct. 11, an hour after the attempted break-in. Officers arrived to the vape shop and saw a blood trail traversing east from the store and followed it a half mile to Bernal’s home in the 800 block of 131st Street. Police found blood on and inside a vehicle parked in the driveway. The blood trail led police to the rear of the home where they found the back security screen door and wood door damaged by the suspect forcing himself in, according to documents. Police heard moaning coming from

inside the home where there were signs of a struggle and found Bernal on the ground, bloodied. Bernal was taken to Chandler Regional Hospital where he was hooked up to a breathing tube and placed in the trauma intensive care unit. Police said Bernal was most likely sleeping when he was woken up by the suspect forcing his way into the home and he was attacked in his living room. Because of his condition, Bernal could not give a statement to the police. Police said Bernal had petechiae – pinpoint spots caused by broken capillaries – on his face and neck, which are signs of strangulation. “Frank’s right side of his face showed signs of a bite mark and his earlobe was

partially severed,” the court record read. Police were able to apprehend Samia shortly after due to a 911 call from a resident near Elliot Road and Neely Street who reported a man covered in blood knocking on the door asking them to call 911. Police arrived at the location, a mile north of Bernal’s house, and found Samia, who was under the influence of alcohol. According to police, Samia had a prior arrest for shoplifting in 2006 when he was 18. The court document stated the hospital later reported that Bernal suffered a stroke due to his injuries. Bernal was pronounced dead at 1:48 a.m., Oct. 20 and an autopsy completed the same day found that the injuries the victim received during the attack caused the stroke and ultimately his death, according to the court document. Graveside services were held for Bernal Oct. 30 at Mesa Cemetery. Bernal, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, came from a founding family in Gilbert that established its roots in the community in 1915. His death came as a shock to family and friends. Dianna Jennings, who worked with Bernal at USDA Rural Development since she joined the federal department in 1995, last week learned of the death. “He was gentle,” Jennings said. “He was very respectful and kind and he was wellliked pretty much by everybody.” In lieu of flowers a donation can be made on behalf of Frank to the Disabled American Veterans, DAV.org, East Valley Chapter #8, of which Frank was a lifetime member.

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

High court warns judges on initiative rulings BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Trial judges cannot keep voter-proposed initiatives off the ballot just because the description doesn’t mention every provision, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled last week in a conclusion that should make it easier to put future initiatives to voters. In an extensive decision, the justices rejected the idea that the legally required 100-word explanation on petition sheets must inform would-be signers of everything the proposed state law or constitutional amendment would do. As long as the verbiage does not provide “objectively false or misleading information’’ or obscures key provisions, it meets what is legally required, wrote Justice Ann Scott Timmer for the unanimous court. Timmer said including every provision of a complex measure in that 100word limit is impractical. She said it’s sufficient for proponents to say in the description that those who want more information should read the actual text of the proposal. The ruling specifically explained the court’s earlier decision to give voters their say on a 3.5 percent surcharge on taxes of earnings above $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for couples. Proposition 208 earmarks the proceeds mainly for K-12 education.

A trial judge had provided a litany of reasons he found the proposal legally unworthy to be on the Nov. 3 ballot. The high court’s decision sends a message to trial judges that they should not look for excuses to knock future proposals off the ballot as long as petition signers have reasonable notice of what the measure would do. The unanimous decision is also a setback for initiative foes, particularly the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which has routinely opposed efforts by voters to go around the decisions of the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature in deciding what to enact and what issues to ignore. It also could ease the path for anticipated future ballot proposals including increasing Arizona’s unemployment

benefits, providing for family leave and creation of more affordable housing, all of which might end up on the 2022 ballot. But other hurdles may be coming. Chamber spokesman Garrick Taylor, who believes initiatives are misused, noted some states require that a certain percentage of signatures to come from different areas of the state. Right now, circulators can get all the names they need only from one county. Taylor also noted some states have a requirement for initiatives to be ratified at two successive elections to take effect. And he also cited a requirement for a 60 percent approval margin that exists elsewhere. That latter hurdle, had it been in effect, would have resulted in the de-

feat of at least two proposals opposed by the Chamber: the 2010 initiative allowing the medical use of marijuana and the 2016 measure imposing a $12 minimum wage. Garrick claimed initiatives often are financed by out-of-state interests and noted that a voter-approved constitutional amendment bars lawmakers from tinkering with anything approved on the ballot. Central to the ruling is the right of Arizonans to propose their own constitutional amendments and changes to state law by gathering sufficient signatures on The high court extensively addressed Superior Court Judge Christoper Coury’s numerous reasons for trying to kill Prop 208. The bottom line, said Timmer, is that nothing in the Arizona Constitution or state initiative laws throws as many hurdles in the path of petition circulators as foes of the process have suggested. And she specifically said that only the most important, consequential and primary features of the initiative have to be in that explanation. The justices told the trial judges to use common sense in deciding whether a description is misleading. “Reasonable people can differ about the best way to describe a principal provision, but a court should not enmesh itself in such quarrels,’’ Timmer said.

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

How fire heroes saved Lost Dutchman Park BY JIM WALSH Staff Writer

First Water glistened in the spring, its towering green saguaros and palo verdes showing off the Sonoran Desert’s surprisingly verdant terrain and showcasing the Superstition Mountains. But that postcard-worthy scene is now a bittersweet memory, the same desert landscape charred and singed by the Superstition Fire – one of four that have claimed nearly 160,000 acres of mostly pristine desert in the Superstitions the past two years. The Superstition Fire started Aug. 20, burning through 9,539 acres before it was brought under control Sept. 23 after torching the top of Superstition Mountain near Flat Iron, a steep but panoramic area. The scars around First Water will linger for decades in the fragile desert ecosystem, where it can take 100 or more years for saguaros to grow tall. Now, all that awaits many of the once imposing saguaros is decay. They are either charred or turning an unnatural shade of brown, burned at the base and ready to topple with a good blast of wind. But in the wildfire that torched the region, First Water died nobly as firefighters served heroically. Firefighters made their stand there, saving popular Lost Dutchman State Park to the south and preventing the inferno from march-

The Superstition Fire cast an eerie glow through many nights for Apache Junction and East Mesa residents in August and September as firefighters fought the stubborn blaze for weeks. (Special toSanTan Sun News)

ing north toward scenic Canyon Lake. A bumpy dirt road gave them a critical fire break to halt the wildfire’s hellish onslaught. Firefighters used torches to set some vegetation ablaze, robbing the advancing fire of the non-native grasses that had made the area lush in spring but fed

The red-shaded area shows the swatch of desert scorched by the Superstition Fire. First Water is located midway along the northwest border of that area. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

the inferno in summer. Planes dumped fire retardant while firefighters sprayed water from brush trucks in triple-digit heat. The evidence of their labors is obvious to any visitor: to the south lies an ugly burn scar, to the north, lush pristine desert. “That was the place that was going to give us the highest probability for success,’’ said Incident Commander John Pierson of the U.S Forest Service. The top priorities were protecting lives, especially those of firefighters on scene as well as Lost Dutchman State Park and even Apache Junction, he said. If the three-or four-day assault on the fire at First Water had failed, the next best option would have been the Apache Trail, where the impact would have been much worse, Pierson said. “It’s a very flashy fire system, where fires will get very large, very quickly,’’ Pierson said. “We did a lot of effort to protect the natural and cultural resources.’’ Apache Junction Fire Chief Mike Farber considers the response a great success overall. But he is saddened by the loss of pristine desert as he drives past the Lost Dutchman Fire site along Apache Trail and on the First Water road past the charred terrain. “It’s a beautiful area of pristine desert. It was there when I was a kid. Now, it’s gone for my lifetime,’’ he said. “This is something that took hundreds of years (to grow). It’s going to be lifetime, if ever, to be restored.’’ But Farber also shudders over what might have happened if the First Water fire line had not held. Lost Dutchman State Park, a popular destination, might have been lost forever. The fire could have raced north up Apache Trail, consuming thousands of acres as it headed toward Canyon Lake. “It was a lot more saved than lost,’’ he said. “Overall, I think limiting the damage was a phenomenal success, but

any acreage lost is too much.’’ Firefighters say the area had been primed for devastating fires by higher-than-usual rains that supported the growth of non-native grasses during the winter, providing fuel for spring and summer blazes to travel and grow. High winds, triple-digit temperatures and a dry monsoon season combined to create an environment ripe for fire. “This is what we are seeing throughout the West,’’ Pierson said. “I don’t know that we will see any relief in the future.’ The ominous pattern includes the following fires that have burned through the Superstitions. Besides the Aug. 20 Superstition Fire, there also was: • The Woodbury Fire: The largest of all the fires, the fire started near the Woodbury Trailhead in June 2019, in the northeast section of the Superstitions, about five miles northwest of Superior. The fire consumed 123,875 acres by the time it was 100 percent under control in August. The terrain was too rugged and too dangerous for firefighters on foot, making an aerial assault the only safe option. • The Sawtooth Fire: Caused by lightning, it started two miles northeast of the Peralta Canyon Trailhead last May 30 and burned 24,779 acres. • The Lost Dutchman Fire started May 7 west of the Apache Trail, south of Lost Dutchman State Park. It burned 221 acres of mostly pristine desert. “The last two years have been horrible with the wildfires. It took out a massive part of the interior of the Superstitions,’’ said Jodi Akers, an Apache Junction business woman who operates Mother Lode Mercantile in Goldfield Ghost Town and lectures about the Apache Trail’s history at the nearby Superstition Mountain Museum. “We’re horribly sad about what happened. All of those saguaros will take See

FIRES on page 30

COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Left: Numerous saguaros in the area torched by the Superstition Fire will only need a strong gust of wind to topple, their bases ruined by flames. Right: Acres of pristine desert were left charred and their beauty ravaged by the Superstition Fire. (Jim Walsh/Staff)

FIRES

from page 29

hundreds of years to regrow,’’ she said. Apache Junction Mayor Jeff Serdy said the area has been reeling from the series of fires. They also washed out the Apache Trail near Fish Creek and made it impossible to drive to Roosevelt Lake, removing access to an important tourist attraction. “We hadn’t recovered from last year and we got hit again,’’ Serdy said. “Some experts say it needed to burn, but I don’t buy that. I think it will be 3040 years before it looks like our Superstitions again.’’ Kim Grady, a board member of Friends of Lost Dutchman’s State Park, said she was startled and frightened as she watched the fire from her home. “It was coming down Flat Iron. There were fire bombs coming down there. It was scary,’’ she said. Although the fire burned out before it reached the lower terrain of Lost Dutchman State Park and no houses were damaged, “to see the fire come down the hill was just unbelievable,’’ Grady said. “I don’t want to go through another summer like it.’’ Amy Schnoes, Lost Dutchman State Park’s manager, said the fire burned about the top a quarter to a third of the mountain. She said it came within a half mile of the park’s boundaries. “We didn’t have any direct damage at all. We did have to close the park for four days,’’ she said. “We were very lucky we had the resources in the area we did. We have fire crews that are very experienced with the topography.’’ The series of fires leaves behind a patchwork of pristine areas that were saved by firefighters. They include Lost Dutchman and Peralta Canyon, which hosts one of

the area’s most beautiful hikes. The fires have left ugly burn scars in some remote areas east of Peralta and north of iconic Weaver’s Needle. The Tonto National Forest reopened the trails after concluding that the increased risk of flooding is not high enough to justify leaving them closed. Still, East Valley hikers tired of being cooped-up during the COVID-19 pandemic and anxious to head out for some exercise are advised to use additional caution amid hazards worsened by the fire. “We’re very fortunate that our highest use trails were less impacted,’’ said Matthew Quinn, trails manager for the Tonto National Forest. “When they go out this year, they will see a difference. There’s going to be a loss of vegetation from what people remember in previous years. There might be a lot of open space,’’ Quinn said. He said the missing vegetation creates a temptation for some hikers to go off trail, further damaging the ecosystem at the worst time since the ground is likely to be looser and less stable. The damage only increases the need for hikers to stay on the trails and wear appropriate footwear with good traction, Quinn said. “You might find a lot of deadfall that wasn’t there before,’’ including various types of cactus and other plants that hikers will need to step over, Quinn said. “It will definitely have an impact on trail conditions.’’ Volunteer trail stewards will likely assist hikers at the busier trailheads in the Tonto National Forest and will issue warnings about any additional hazards they may encounter, he said. “I think anytime you have an event like this, it changes what we see as humans. Our life span is a speck compared to our natural resources,’’ Pierson said.

COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

New memory care program involves Mesa center SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

A five-year partnership between a Mesa adult day care center and a lifelong learning provider have produced a memory care engagement program that a spokeswoman said makes participants “feel valued, loved and connected.” Oakwood Creative Care and ALLE Learning utilized research gleaned from their partnership to create EngAGE EnCOURAGE, which “sets a new standard for best practicees in caring for adults with memory impairment by blending creative and expressive sessions with lifelong learning,” spokeswoman Rose Tring said. Family members of memory-impaired people are praising the program, saying they see improved brain fuction and mobility in their loved ones. Marsha Segler, for example, said, “My husband has had an increase in cognitive improvement and in muscle control.” Oakwood has moved some offerings online to reduce health risk for clients during the pandemic. But even virtually, the classes are having a positive impact. “With this pandemic and having to stay home, my husband’s dementia was going downhill fast and he was so depressed,” said Joyce Leiske. “Even though he is quiet and sometimes dozes off, he looks forward to the classes and his confusion has improved. Even our son commented on how much better he seems to be doing.” Sherri Friend, president and CEO of Mesa-based Oakwood, said when she took over management at the nonprofit program eight years ago, “it was very institutionalized.” She patterned her approach to providing daily services at Oakwood from the model credited to Professor Thomas Kitwood at the University of Bradford in England, who advocates for person-centered care that recognizes people’s personal beliefs, life experiences and relationships that matter to memory function. Friend and ALLE founder Jennifer Clancy wanted to create better programs and classes for those in adult day clubs and adult living environments. “The EngAGE EnCOURAGE curriculum focuses on using adult language, engaging the participants and their family members in familiar topics, and stimulating their creativity. Our goal is for them to have the best experience possible every day,” Friend said. “For whatever reason, if you have a dementia diagnosis, we were trained that you can’t learn, that you were just losing skills,” Friend said “People with memory impairment still learn and still retain information. It just has to be done differently to help them be successful.” For the past 20 years, scientists and researchers have searched to find a cure for dementia. During that time, much has been learned about the human brain, including what works and what doesn’t. Clancy said that research has proven that the old “brain games” don’t move the needle and people become less engaged with the world around them, and

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COMMUNITY NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Realtor arrested in wife’s slaying on Mesa road BY JIM WALSH Staff Writer

A mother moved into a friend’s house in East Mesa with her two young boys to escape a husband she suspected of using drugs and hiring escorts. But Janell Mora could not hide from Stephen Mora, who is accused of tracking her down and shooting her to death while she was jogging on Sept. 26 near Power Road and the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway. Mesa Police formally arrested the 54-year-old Scottsdale Realtor on Wednesday following his release from a local hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the head. Shortly after the shooting, Mora attempted suicide as he sat in his silver Mercedes Benz in the parking lot at Mesa police headquarters, shooting himself in the head, police said. He survived and was arrested on suspicion of second- degree murder, according to a court document. The document said that Janell, who had two master’s degrees and had formerly worked for Arizona State University, had separated from Stephen on Sept. 7 and moved more than 20 miles from their north Phoenix home to East Mesa in hopes of eluding him. Her sister, Amy Hall, told the Tribune that the two had a meeting set up only a couple of days after the slaying and were scheduled to discuss an amicable divorce. The court document describes how Stephen Mora visited the house where his wife and her children were staying on Sept. 25 but was told she wasn’t there. He returned armed with a revolver on Sept. 26. Janell Mora had attempted to hide her location from her husband but to no avail. A witness reported that Janell pleaded for help the night she was slain, approaching the witness’ vehicle and saying, “Help me, he has a gun,’’ the court document said. Moments later, the witness watched a man, later identified as Stephen Mora, shoot Janell and get into the driver’s seat of his Mercedes. Another witness reported seeing the victim lying in the southbound lanes and “a male crouching over her with a revolver in his right hand.’’

Stephen Mora Police said a low-slung vehicle hit Janell and other passersby administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation though she eventually was pronounced dead at the scene. Stephen Mora’s father called police and told them his son had shot his wife and intended to take his own life. Later, Stephen himself called police and said, “I shot my wife’’ and that he was going to shoot himself at police headquarters in downtown Mesa. A short time later, an officer heard a shot and saw the suspect step out of his car, blood covering his face. Police found the revolver, two spent casings and Mora’s cell phone inside the car, according to the document. A preliminary autopsy by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that Janell Mora was shot through her right side and suffered internal bleeding after the bullet travelled through a lung. She also sustained some cracked ribs from being struck by the passing car. The document said that Stephen Mora was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but did not identify the substance. Janell, 40, was laid to rest in her native Fayetteville, Arkansas. Her estranged husband was initially locked up in the Mesa City Jail but was expected to be transferred to the County Jail. The Moras were married in April 2017 and it was the second marriage for them both. Janell, who had been divorced sev-

Stephen and Janell Mora were married for about three years and knew each other for about four. (Special to the

SanTan Sun News)

eral years and whose two sons, ages 8 and 9 are from her previous marriage, met Mora in 2016 through the dating app Tinder. The Moras married about 10 months after he divorced his first wife. At the time of their wedding, Janell posted effusive descriptions of Mora, calling him “the most charming, kind-hearted, loving…man I’ve ever known.” The court document gave no indication when their relationship soured, stating she had separated from him on Labor Day weekend. The slaying – one of two domestic killings of women by their husbands that weekend – came days before the beginning of October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Experts say domestic violence is

often built on a pattern of intimidation and manipulation of victims, with the abuser oftentimes attempting to control every aspect of a victim’s life. Mesa Mayor John Giles hosted a Domestic Violence Awareness Month digital event on Thursday that can be viewed on Mesa Channel 11 or the city’s You Tube channel. The purpose was to educate the public about domestic violence, encourage victims to escape from their tormentor and to demonstrate there are shelters and other resources available to help. Janell’s family has set up an account on gofundme.com to raised money for the victim’s two sons. It can be found by searching “trust fund for Brighton and Owen McClelland” on the site.

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

For more community news visit SanTanSun.com

Chandler Chef Robbie Held is a lifelong cook BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA Contributor

When Robert ‘Robbie’ Held was 5, growing up in an Italian family in suburban Chicago, he learned to whip up some spaghetti and meatballs. At age 7, he was consumed by his grandmother’s and mother’s cookbooks. “I read cookbooks like they were comic books,” Held quipped. His love of cooking continued through a hospitality career that included bartending, and heading his own marketing firm after moving to Arizona in 2007. Yet, it was cooking and launching his business as a personal chef that won out. He’s thankful he chose that path. “I’ve always done private parties for friends, and then people started reaching out to me. After the calls started coming in regularly, I decided to start my own business,” Held said. “I have complete insurance, I follow CDC guidelines and I’m finding in-home personal chef services are more in demand since COVID.” His business, Health Held in Hand, began in the fall 2019 and immediately took root. He now has five employees and has landed a number of high-profile

Robert “Robbie” Held brings gourmet dinners to customers’ homes, doing everything from buying the ingredients to cleaning up after the meal.(Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)

clients, including local athletes in the NBA and NFL. Chef Robbie, as his clients and friends call him, said unlike many businesses, the pandemic has actually been

a boon for him. “Business was going decently before COVID, but since the shutdown and even now, my business has more than doubled,” he said. “People were and

some still are afraid to go out, and I bring the restaurant experience to them.” Whether Chef Robbie books a romantic dinner for two or a dinner party of 10, he says he makes the process painless for those hiring him. “I do all the shopping, the prepping, the cooking and the clean-up; I do everything,” he said, adding he’s not always hidden away in the kitchen. “Sometimes I’ll give the people a taste of what I’m cooking and that whets their appetites for what’s coming” Though Chef Robbie has clients throughout the valley, he proudly states more than half come from the Chandler area. “I’m a local business, I like keeping the business in the community,” said the Chandler resident, who met his wife Angela in the frozen food aisle of a local Fry’s supermarket. “You know that meet-up scene with Steve Martin in ‘My Blue Heaven’? Well, that’s how I met my wife except I tripped and fell flat on my face. Then I introduced myself.” Chef Robbie’s in-home chef services can be a one-time special event or on a regularly-contracted basis. See

CHEF on page 35

Banner opens new hospital in south Chandler We are so excited “open this beautiful to SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

South Chandler now has a new hospital. Banner Health’s newest hospital, Banner Ocotillo Medical Center, opened last week at 1405 S. Alma School Road, just north of the SanTan Loop 202 Freeway. The new facility, the first new Banner hospital since it opened Banner Ironiwood Medical Center in Queen Creek in 2010, is starting out with 124 beds but is designed to grow over time. The hospital offers emergency and intensive care, endoscopy, cardiac services, imaging, surgical services and women and infant services, including labor and delivery. It can care for babies born at 32 weeks and older. “The hospital anticipates handling about 21,000 emergency visits per year to start,” said Banner spokeswoman Nancy Neff. She said it has the capacity to double the emergency room from 14 to 28 beds and grow from four to six operating rooms “whenever patient volumes dictate expansion.” Prior to the opening, a Chandler youngster had a chance to tour the facility after submitting the winning entry in a coloring contest Banner ran for youngsters in the neighborhood. Brendan Wang, 9, a fourth grader

Brendan Wang, 9, of Chandler got to treat a “patient” at the new Banner Ocotillo Medical Center beflore any real patients arrived. (Courtesy of Banner Health)

at CTA Independent, and his mother, toured the entire hospital and cared for a “patient” in the emergency room and operated on a another, participated in a consult in the intensive care unit, grabbed a snack in the doctor’s dining room and went up to the helipad. He was accompanied by Banner CEO Laura Robertson, who hailed the new facility’s opening. “We are so excited to open this

beautiful new hospital to serve Chandler and surrounding communities,” said Robertson. “I’m proud and honored to be leading and working alongside an experienced, patient-centered team of health professionals, many of whom live in Chandler and are now able to work here, too.” And almost within hours of the hospital’s opening Nov. 2, the first patient walked through the doors.

new hospital to serve Chandler and surrounding communities, I’m proud and honored to be leading and working alongside an experienced, patientcentered team of health professionals, many of whom live in Chandler and are now able to work here, too.

”

– Laura Robertson Charlie Betts, 80, of Chandler, started feeling faint and dizzy and asked if the new Banner Ocotillo Medical Center was open yet since it was just a few minutes’ drive from home. It turns out, he was the first patient to walk through the Emergency Department doors for treatment. Betts said he and his wife, Bonnie, See

BANNER on page 35

BUSINESS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Waymo to offer ‘fully driverless’ rides to public BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer

Waymo, the Chandler-based autonomous driving company, will soon start offering rides that are completely driverless and open to the general public. After experiencing a setback during the COVID-19 pandemic, the tech company plans to resume its rideshare service and allow customers to go for rides without the presence of a Waymo employee. Users of Waymo’s rideshare services have previously been accompanied by an employee who could quickly take control of the autonomous car for any reason and at any time. But Waymo says the company can move into driverless rides. “We expect our new fully driverless service to be very popular,” a Waymo spokeswoman said, “and we’re thankful to our riders for their patience as we ramp up availability to serve demand.” The announcement could be a significant milestone in Waymo’s multiyear journey as a notable player in the emerging autonomous vehicle industry. The company set up its headquarters in Chandler in 2016 and quickly started testing out its self-driving cars on the city’s roads while building a positive image in the community through partnerships with city officials and other local leaders.

Waymo has signed a deal with Daimler Trucks to develop autonomous rigs. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

Waymo first began offering driverless rides for a limited pool of patrons earlier this year and started collecting feedback on how the company could eventually transition to fully-driverless rides. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, the company temporarily halted its rideshare services altogether and waited for guidance on how to safely open its services up to the public. Before the pandemic, Waymo claims it had been providing up to 2,000 rides within a 100-square-mile territory positioned across the East Valley. “We expect to be able to return to and exceed that volume over time,” the Waymo spokeswoman said.

Waymo will be scaling back its service territory down to a 50-square-mile radius as it begins transitioning to a fully-driverless rideshare service. Customers can only request rides to and from within the company’s service territory. Waymo said it will be attempting to recruit new customers to its rideshare service in the coming weeks and open their rides more broadly to the general public. But the company isn’t planning to completely discard its car operators anytime soon. Waymo said it will reintroduce car operators once it installs barriers inside their vehicles designed to protect customers from any possible germs or

viruses. When car operators are reintroduced to the rideshare service, Waymo said it will be able to start expanding its service territory again. Even though Waymo is not planning to be completely driverless long-term yet, local officials are still quite elated they get to claim to be the first city where residents can hail a driverless taxi. “We are excited to be the first city in the nation to host a public, fully driverless ride-hailing service on our streets,” said Mayor Kevin Hartke. “Waymo’s unwavering dedication to the safety and well-being of riders and employees...gives me confidence as both mayor and a Waymo rider.” Mesa Mayor John Giles echoed Hartke’s excitement as his city is also part of Waymo’s service territory and hosts a repair facility. “As Mesa grows and evolves, this innovative technology is in alignment with our city’s future and I’m excited that our residents will be among the first to take advantage of this one-of-akind service,” Giles said. Waymo is asking customers to take precautions in order to avoid contracting or spreading the coronavirus. Riders are advised to wear a face mask while riding in a Waymo car, even when they’re riding alone. The vehicle’s See

WAYMO on page 37

r e i m Make Your Community aPre Community! Serving Arizona’s Homeowners Associations Robb Lipsey, President, CAAM, PCAM, AMS, CMCA

3930 S. Alma School Road, Suite 10, Chandler AZ 85248

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BUSINESS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

BANNER

from page 33

“watched every nail go in this place” while it was being built. He was getting his car serviced when he started feeling ill. “Then Charlie was next” for needing repair, joked his wife of 21 years.They shared a few laughs in his treatment room, remembering how they met at a singles dance at Camelback Inn. A longtime nurse and healthcare administrator with deep roots in the medical industry, Robertson also is CEO of Banner Desert Medical Center and Banner Children’s at Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa. In a 2019 interview, she told the SanTan Sun News that the ability to help usher in a new hospital was “exciting.” “The ability to start a culture – that’s exciting,” she said.“The ability to deliver care in that community is exciting. I

CHEF

The new Banner Ocotillo Medical Center has been built in a way that it can be expanded over time as demand warrants. (Courtesy of Banner Health)

love the City of Chandler. Our mission’s about making healthcare easier so life can be better. The part about that is

about being able to deliver care in the community.” The four-story, 240,000-square-foot

from page 33

Dan Oswald, principal at Scottsdale-based Oswald Consulting, had Chef Robbie and Health Held in Hand on a contractual basis, sometimes an average of 17 hours weekly, and said he was pleased with the service. “Chef Robbie was our personal chef for various months this year and the overall experience was great,” Oswald said. “He experimented a bit in our kitchen, resulting in meals that were both unique and delicious. He was always prepared with the freshest ingredients and emphasized clean eating.” Alexandra Loye, senior vice president of Healthcare & Life Sciences Services/Arizona hired Health Held in Hand for a dinner party. “Chef Robbie was so personable. He tailored our private dining experience at my home to the theme I chose, which was a Latin theme, with drink and food options,” said Loye. “He was prompt and had a lot of positive energy which made me have confidence immediately that the night

Chef Robbie Held and his team recently prepared lunch for the staff at Phoenix Children’s Hospital (Facebook)

was going to be fabulous. I was able to relax with my guests versus serve them and he cleaned everything up before

leaving which is the perfect end to any hostess’s dinner party.” The chef admits much goes into

hospital is located on the southeast corner of Alma School Road and the freeway. Neff said the hospital features cutting-edge technology to improve safety and quality, including robotic surgeries, UV-disinfecting lights, monitored hand-hygiene stations, and smart phone devices for all caregivers to improve charting, communication and medication and lab orders. Another feature involves 200 pieces of artwork, much of it done by local artists, that represents Chandler’s history and landmarks. A signature piece in the main lobby was commissioned specifically for Banner Ocotillo. It is a 9’-by-10’ ceramic mosaic, called Desert Healing, by Gilbert artist Rylee Sturge. Banner Ocotillo is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit healthcare system with 30 hospitals in six states. Information: bannerhealth.com/ ocotillo.

each home visit whether it is for family or a group. Not only does he work with the client on the menu, serve multiiple courses, navigate dietary limitations, purchase the ingredients and travel to your home but with his usual flourish and handlebar mustache, he presents the dinner as theater. And he says even with the loosening of pandemic parameters, people appreciate being able to have the restaurant feel without the worry. “You know with everything that’s going on these days, it’s kind of scary to go out to restaurants.,” he said. “You don’t know where your server, or their co-workers, or their other past clients have been. “With me you get a healthy chef, that goes shopping the day of your events so you get the freshest, handpicked products available. No additives or preservatives. All fresh, made with love, in your own home.” “We do everything with safety and health in mind,” he said. Chef Robbie is also working on a line of organic baby food. Information: ChefRobbieH.com or find him on Facebook

New Banner treatment for sleep apnea SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

After more than 20 years of troubled sleep, Dwight Johnson can finally sleep peacefully just by clicking a button right before bedtime. Johnson, 73, recently was treated at Banner Desert Medical Center for obstructive sleep apnea using “Inspire,” a small device implanted in his body that works while he sleeps. Inspire applies gentle stimulation to open key airway muscles during sleep, allowing him to breathe normally. No mask, hose or machine is needed. “I’d wake up every 15 or 20 minutes some nights, and some nights every hour” for the past two decades, said Johnson. “Now I’m sleeping much, much

better. It’s phenomenal. You wake up in the morning and feel refreshed, as opposed to being tired and dragging.” Inspire is placed under the skin of the neck and chest during a short, outpatient procedure. The device, about the size of a pacemaker, is turned on about a month later. “The results are really impressive and long lasting,” said Dr. Glenn Rothman, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Banner Desert. “Part of the device is sensing what’s going on in the body and sending signals, watching your lungs and working for you. It knows when you breathe in, and sends a gentle stimulus to the nerve that pushes the tongue out on one side. When you exhale, it relaxes.” About 22 million Americans suffer

from sleep apnea, with 80 percent of the cases of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea undiagnosed, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association. When left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, chronic heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation and other cardiovascular problems, among other health issues. Candidates for the treatment include people with sleep apnea who have a body mass index of 35 or less and those who find CPAP machines ineffective. Patients must first undergo a sleep endoscopy, a sedated procedure to determine there’s a blockage in breathing in the palate and/or tongue region that could be treated by Inspire.

“We’re able to highly predict the device’s success before we implant it, which is unique,” Dr. Rothman said. The remote fits in the palm of your hand and only requires two AAA batteries, making it easy for travel. The batteries in the implanted device are expected to last about 10 years before needing to be changed, Rothman said. “The world revolves around sleep,” said Dr. Joyce Lee-Iannotti, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix. “Every organ in your body is affected by sleep – your brain, heart, lungs, immune system – so when you’re up all day, it’s crucial that you get good, restorative sleep at night.” Information: 480-539-4000.

BUSINESS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Chandler couple’s preschool is child-centered SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

Parental anxiety is at an all-time high as pressure mounts to prepare children for kindergarten and COVID-19 has only made things worse. But Dr. Rosalind Schoppet is addressing that anxiety by putting play back into preschool with her new enterprise. Schoppet is cofounder of Pathways Preschool, the first of its kind in Tempe to be inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Stressing she is bringing a fresh way of teaching to parents of toddlers, Dr. Roz, as she’s known to students and parents, created Pathways “to give parents a practical alternative to conventional preschools.” “Early childhood education is more important than ever,” she said. “Our children are suffering from sensory issues and difficulties with fine motor skills at such young ages. “I wanted to create a preschool that would help children develop vital skills before entering the school system, but also a place that felt like home. And the Reggio Emilia approach to learning allows us to do just that.” The Reggio Emilia approach is a child-centered educational philosophy rooted in the belief that children are powerful and capable individuals with the ability and desire to construct their own knowledge.

Pathways Preschool founders Ropsalind “Dr Roz” Schoppet and Mike Schoppet have two children, Jessie and Jacob. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

Developed after World War II, the Reggio Emilia approach originated in Italy. Loris Malaguzzi is credited with founding the child-directed approach to learning as he worked with mothers to build schools from the ground up after the war. The Reggio Emilia approach has sev-

eral core values: Children are capable of constructing their own learning and the classroom environment acts as the third teacher. It also looks at teachers as co-learners and believes documentation allows adults to see projects and learning through the child’s eye. The Reggio Emilia method also

considers parents and the community partners in education. “We are a family at Pathways Preschool. We invite parents to be a part of their child’s education, and participate in the Reggio Emilia approach themselves,” said Schoppet. “There’s a lot that parents can learn from this educational philosophy, and even adopt some of the principles at home.” Pathways Preschool also stays true to a “nature-first concept of education.” It boasts a half-acre natural grass playground. Very few plastic items or unnatural colors can be found at the preschool or on the playground, which features a greenhouse, a water pump with a stream, a tunnel, a vegetable garden and a big wheel course. Although play is the center of Pathways Preschool, there is still a curriculum for teachers to follow. The Reggio Emilia approach believes that children have 100 languages in which they interact with the world. To inspire those languages, teachers “provoke” thoughts, discussions, questions, interests, creativity and ideas from children. For example, the teacher may read a book about birds, then the children are provided different materials like cardboard, yarn, sticks, and fabric scraps to make a bird’s nest. Information: drroz@pathwayspreschooltempe.com or 480-590-3300.

BUSINESS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Chandler area casinos make 3 nonprofits winners SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

Some gamblers’ losses at three Chandler area casinos made winners of three local nonprofits. The Gila River Hotels and Casinos divided up more than $76,000 in socalled “self-excluded” jackpots among the three recipients, with each receiving slightly more than $25,000. Each time someone hits a jackpot in any card or machine games or bingo at Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte and Vee Quiva casinos, management verifies “that the individual is able to win based on a pre-existing list of rules, regulations and behavior,” said spokeswoman Ashley Bold. And those who don’t pass the test don’t get to keep their winnings, which are set aside for the for the Gila River Cares Week of Giving. “Week of Giving represents our commitment to supporting programs that help meet the needs of the community and make a difference in our state,” said Kenneth Manuel, CEO of Gila River Hotels & Casinos. “We are grateful that we were able to turn our annual celebration into a week of giving this year and continue to provide year-round support to nonprofits through our Gila River

WAYMO

from page 34

windows should be rolled down slightly during a ride in order to maintain regular ventilation. The company also is providing hand sanitizer in every vehicle and is encouraging riders to avoid pressing any of the vehicle’s buttons. Customers are still able to connect with techni-

Cares program.” Miracle League of Arizona of Scottsdale, was among the recipients. It offers a safe and successful baseball experience for children, teens, and adults with disabilities or special health care needs. The funds will allow them to continue serving nearly 400 families with special needs as well as help expand their family baseball sessions and provide personalized equipment to each player

to allow them to participate safely at home. Also benefitting the fund was Pawsitive Friendships in Gilbert, which helps children with special needs achieve their therapy goals by providing animal-assisted therapy. “The funds will allow them to continue providing services to their 11 facilities, as well as help train and equip new animal therapy teams and expand

cians through the Waymo app on their phone. Meanwhile, Waymo also announced that it is partnering with Daimler Trucks on the development of autonomous SAE Level 4 trucks. Their initial effort will combine Waymo’s industry-leading automated driver technology with a unique version of Daimler’s Freightliner Cascadia, to enable autonomous driving.

Waymo said its cars having driven over 20 million miles on public roads across 25 U.S. cities and 15 billion miles in simulation. Both Waymo and Daimler Trucks said they share the common goal of improving road safety and efficiency for fleet customers. Waymo and Daimler Trucks will investigate expansion to other markets and brands in the near future.

their services to additional schools,” Bold said. The group was pawsitively delighted, “Thank you to Gila River Hotels & Casinos for allowing us to continue serving the special needs community with animal therapy,” said Tosha Tharp, CEO of Pawsitive Friendships. “This grant will allow us to continue providing services to our 11 facilities, as well as help us train and equip new animal therapy teams and expand our services to additional schools to create even more Pawsitive Friendships.” The other beneficiary was Child Crisis Arizona, a Mesa-based group that works Valleywide to strengthen the community’s most vulnerable children and families, build resiliency, and prevent crisis situations. The funds will help serve up to 200 children each night in their Emergency Children’s Placement Services which includes their foster care program, shelter and group home. Earlier this year, all Arizona nonprofits were eligible to apply to receive the self-excluded jackpot funds and a committee from Gila River Hotels & Casinos selected the recipients. Information: PlayatGila.com.

Roger Nielsen, president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America, said, “The combination of increased road freight volumes and the need and vision of fleet operators for highly automated trucks fuel our relentless pursuit of innovation.” Waymo CEO John Krafcik said the partnership will “improve road safety and logistics efficiency on the world’s roadways.”

Microenterprise ventures have major impact BY LAURA SHERIDAN Contributor

Everyday entrepreneurs are the real saviors of the local economy during a time of economic crisis, adding new jobs and creating fatter wallets, according to research conducted by Venture Forward at GoDaddy. The Venture Forward program at GoDaddy conducted a multi-year study of 20 million microenterprise ventures and the data it obtained are impressive. It defines a venture as “a business, nonprofit, cause or idea represented by a unique domain and active website.” The study found that microbusinesses contribute exponentially to the health of the local economy. “During the 2008 recession, communities with higher microbusiness density recovered faster,” explained Alexandra Rosen, executive director of Venture Forward. “For example, take two cities that are alike in population diversity, similar age group distribution, similar broadband adaption rates but one city is in the top 10 percent of cities that recovered and the other is in the bottom

10 percent. “The only difference between the two cities is one in the top 10 percent has twice the density of microbusinesses.” In Phoenix 2018, according to Venture Forward, the monthly median household income was $5,769. By adding one highly active microbusiness per 100 people, that number rose to $6,177 – a 6 percent increase. Unemployment level also is impacted by the number of microbusinesses. The research shows that each new start-up creates two or more new jobs. Adding one or more microbusinesses per 100 people can reduce the unemployment rate by .05 percent. Even during the pandemic-driven shutdown, the study found, 22 percent of businesses closed up shop from February to April while the number of microbusinesses only dipped 1.8 percent. Kara Lamb, a Queen Creek resident, owns three microbusinesses with her husband. Together they own Small Wonders daycare at 21925 E. Rosa Road and Weight Loss Boutique at 21455 S. Ellsworth Road, both in Queen Creek, as

Alexandra Rosen is executive director of GoDaddy's Venture Forward program. (Special to the Tribune)

well as Got Roots Salon and Spa at 2036 N. Gilbert Road in Mesa. Lamb is a prime example of bringing jobs to the market. She was able to open her salon and spa during the pandemic while growing her other two businesses by integrating them online and creating new and future positions that could become available as these businesses continue to grow.

Microbusinesses need support now more than ever, Rosen said. Many have closed their doors in the Southeast Valley for lack of resources, capital and failure to develop an online presence. Government help can be hard to find and many entrepreneurs lack sufficient skills or funds to create a robust online presence or platform, Rosen said. Gary Stewart, a Gilbert resident who has owned GNL landscaping for the past 10 years, said his biggest struggle is that he works with a skeleton crew of only 13 men. Each time one of them gets sick, it hinders his ability to take on special projects – the bread and butter of his business. “The biggest struggle is people feeling sick and not being aware of what the issue is,” he said. “People will say they’re not feeling well and I will tell them that they need to get tested and then they will have a negative test and will come back to work a few days later,” Stewart continued. “But what makes us nervous is that See

MICRO on page 38

BUSINESS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

MICRO

WE COME TO YOU!

from page 37

we don’t ever really know. It’s a revolving door with employees and testing.” Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek have all been diligently working together on rectifying many of these issues. These municipalities have partnered with several entities to get multiple resources out to the entrepreneurs in their community. Queen Creek, for example, is considered a prime location for starting a small or microbusiness. The town encourages entrepreneurship and makes resources are readily available for start-ups. “The Queen Creek Town Council approved an ordinance to waive fees for new business licenses and renew-

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als from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 for businesses that have a physical location in Queen Creek,” Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney said. “Council also approved a resolution implementing a grant program to reimburse businesses for costs incurred in connection with enhanced sanitization, employee safety, and customer safety.” “In addition to applying for our small business support grant mentioned, local businesses can access resources on our website, QueenCreek.org/BusinessSupport. This page provides direction in how to find resources on the county, state and federal level,” Barney said. To help start-up micro and small businesses across the Valley, the Better Business Bureau and GoDaddy teamed to start the Empower program. Information: bbbempower.com.

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In previous articles, I’ve listed the main benefit of a Roth IRA Conversion. You will have no tax on unlimited earnings for your and spouse’s life, nor will your heirs to your Roth IRA for the first 10 years. If Biden wins the election, his tax plan outlines a number of changes that will greatly increase the benefit of doing a Roth IRA conversion now. Example #1: You and your spouse are age 60 with $122,050 of federal taxable income and your federal tax would be $18,431. You have $500,000 in a traditional 401k and decide to convert $500,000 to a Roth. Your taxable income would be $622,050 and the tax would be $167,307.50. So, the marginal federal tax cost of doing a $500,000 Roth IRA Conversion would be $167,307 - $18,431 = $148,876. Of course, if one combined the 26 percent solar tax credit with Section 179 from leasing solar business equipment, one could owe no federal tax on the $500,000 Roth IRA Conversion. Assume that you do not need most of this money when retired due to high social security and perhaps a pension. Assume that by the time both of you die; it will have grown to $4 million. Now your only child who is single inherits it and in 10 years it has grown to $6 million, when it must all be distributed. Assume that your child has other taxable income and is still working a good job. Now his tax on the $6 million times a 39.6% rate = $2,376,000. Under the Biden tax plan, the maximum federal rate increases from 37 percent to 39.6 percent. In contrast, had you done a Roth IRA Conversion, there would be NO federal income tax. Example #2: You and your spouse are both age 50 and do not plan to retire until age 70. You have saved $500,000 in your traditional IRA.

You are lucky enough to be able to retire on two Social Security checks, which total $84,000 because both waited until age 70 to take it, and you have a $26,000 pension. Assume that your IRA will be worth $4 million upon your death at 90. You also own three rental houses worth $1,000,000. You only have one child. Because you are both engineers, you like to make detailed plans for the future. If you held the three rental houses until death in 30 years, assume they would be worth $2 million. Under current tax law, with the step-up in basis, your child could sell them for $2 million upon your death, and would owe $0 federal income tax. Under the Biden tax plan, there is no step-up in basis or capital gains treatment and the full $2 million sale of the rental houses will be taxed at 39.6 percent, resulting in $792,000 federal tax (assuming that taxable income is at least $1 million). This is because your child decided to cash in your $4 million traditional IRA that he inherited. He pays 39.6 percent of $4 million = $1,584,000, or a total of $2,376,000 on what he inherited. Action plan: You decide to sell your three rental houses immediately while the market is hot. You will use the $1 million to contribute to your Roth IRA and 401k accounts over the next 20 years. You will also convert your current $500,000 to a Roth IRA. Now, your son will owe no federal income tax on the millions he will inherit. Few advisors plan for the next generation. Free information on income tax savings, retirement planning, and solar business investments can be found at drharoldwong.com or solarbusinessinvestments.com. To schedule your free consultation, please contact Dr. Harold Wong at (480) 706-0177 or harold_wong@ hotmail.com. He earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/ Berkeley and has appeared on over 400 TV/radio programs.

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

In your corner, just around the corner Banner Ocotillo - Now open

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

For more community news visit SanTanSun.com

Arizona Jaguars have chance to play in youth nationals BY ZACH ALVIRA

Sports Editor

A Valley youth football team has received the opportunity of a lifetime, as it will fly to Florida in early December to compete for a national championship at the 12U level. The Arizona Jaguars, coached by former NFL defensive lineman and current Desert Vista line coach Derek Kennard Jr., received the invitation to the National Youth Championships for the American Youth Football League from Dec. 4-12, one of the largest national tournaments on the youth football circuit. “We want to represent Arizona,” Kennard said. “It’s an honor to be going out there and it will be an awesome experience for our kids. Our goal is to win a championship.” Kennard founded the Jags organization three years ago when his son, Derek “Tre” Kennard III, was 9 years old. The team is made up of players from all over the Valley, including many from Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa. Kennard said it’s also common for parents from northwest Phoenix drive to Tempe or Pecos Park in Ahwatukee for their kids to join the Jags. While only two games into the reg-

The Arizona Jaguars, a 12U team based in the East Valley and coached by Desert Vista line coach Derek Kennard Jr., will head to Florida in December to compete at the National Youth Championships for the American Youth Football League. (Courtesy Derek Kennard Jr.)

ular season against league competition, the Jags played a prestigious preseason schedule which helped earn the invitation. Kennard said his team faced several out-of-state teams, including some from California and the surrounding states. Overall, the Jags sit at 8-1 on the year, most of which having come during preseason. “We’ve been stacking up our competition so we could get the best looks possible,” Kennard said. “We just want to make sure we are as prepared as pos-

sible for when we go to Florida.” Kennard hopes to make it a trip of a lifetime for his players. But that comes with a price. The Jags have spent much of the month fundraising any way they can to help pay for every player to travel to Florida. Kennard aims to use the funds raised to pay for flights, three large rental vans and two Airbnb houses where players, coaches and the parents able to go can stay. Kennard estimates the total trip to

be around $20,000, which also includes fees to compete at nationals and food for everyone for the week. The Jags have done everything from selling promotional cards to fundraisers at local restaurants. On Thursday, Oct. 29, Some Burros in Ahwatukee donated 30 percent of all pre-taxed food sales to the Jags. Kennard said the team is also accepting donations via Venmo, Cash App and GoFundMe. See

JAGUARS on page 42

Wyatt Chapman excelling in golf, academics at Casteel BY MILES ARONSON

Contributing Writer

Whether it’s great performances on the golf course or outstanding academic achievements, Casteel sophomore Wyatt Chapman does it all. Within his sophomore class, Chapman is ranked fourth in state and 75th globally, according to the Junior Golf Association. Chapman also has an impressive 4.83 weighted GPA which puts him near the top of his class. Still, he remains humble and grounded. “Sometimes I undersell myself,” said Chapman. “Then I remember I am fourth in Arizona and it’s taken a lot of work to get there, so I got to give myself some credit.” “For me it’s all about mental toughness. Some people don’t have it, but I can go out on the course every day and find something new to work on for hours on end, I don’t get bored of it.” In the classroom, Chapman has put in a lot of time and effort to get the grades he has now. He is enrolled in all honors courses, including math, English, Spanish and chemistry. “One of my unusual hobbies is math,” Chapman said. “I feel like a lot of kids don’t like math but I’m not one of them, I really enjoy it.” “I also consider myself to be a good test taker. It’s an important aspect,

Casteel High’s Wyatt Chapman says he sometimes undersells himself. Special to SanTan Sun News)

when I’m taking a test, I feel calm.” For Chapman, inspiration comes from several sources, ranging from pro players such as Ricky Fowler and Matthew Wolff to his own granddad Leon Chapman who played on the PGA tour for five years. “My grandpa was the one who really got me into golf,” Chapman said. “He always gives me a lot of great advice and it helps improve my game.”

That includes helping him improve his backswing. He showed Chapman how to add more power to his shots by changing his footing on his swing. He also tried to mirror Ricky Fowler’s putting stance, but as he got older, he changed to what works best for him. “Ricky is putting on greens that are really quick, and I’m putting on slower greens because they’re not PGA Tour quality,” Chapman said. “But I have adopted my own stance that works for me.” Wherever Chapman is, he’s making an impact. Whether it be around the community coaching young golfers or at the courses helping clean up, he’s always trying to make a difference. One of his friend’s dad, Ben Brooke, moved to Arizona with his family from Colorado and mentioned the impact Chapman had on him and his kid after their first interaction. “Within the first week I was in Arizona I met Wyatt on a driving range.” Brooke said. “After our conversation, I went home and told my wife I had just met a kid that went to the public school here. I told her if the other kids are like him, that’s where I want my son to go to school.” The next week, Brooke moved his kid to the public school. The move came

after talking to Chapman for the first time. “He made such a good impression on us, it was hard to ignore,” Brooke said. “At the time, he was in sixth grade, but it was like talking to a kid that is just way more mature. He looks you straight in the eye and you get to have a really cool conversation with him.” Brooke he truly understood the type of person Chapman was after him and his son, Preston, went out for a round of golf. Chapman pulled out his phone to text Brooke while he and Preston were still on the course. The text, Brooke said, included words of encouragement and praise from Chapman. He said he believed Preston had the ability to do something great on the course. During the round, Chapman had a feeling something special was going to happen. He pulled out his phone and filmed the last hole as Preston stepped up to the tee box. He ended up shooting an impressive 68 overall on the course. Chapman then went as far as posting it on his Instagram page to show off Preston’s achievements. “Wyatt makes this whole big thing about it to everybody,” Brooke said. “Funny thing is, though, Wyatt shot a 65. Here’s a kid that is shooting really well, See

CHAPMAN on page 42

SPORTS & RECREATION

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Chandler teen’s invention earns STEM prize BY ZACH ALVIRA

Sports Editor

A partially blind Chandler teen took his love for football and turned it into a national project that earned him second-place honors and $2,000 toward a STEM camp of his choice next summer. JT Mulvihill, a 14-year-old freshman at Arizona College Prep’s Erie campus, received high praises from judges at the Broadcom Masters, a premier science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) middle school competition for his helmet liner design. The liner helps reduce the impact a football player sustains from a blow to the head. The project, which was presented remotely to competition judges, earned Mulvihill a $2,500 check he can use toward any STEM camp he desires. Mulvihill said it’s likely he will put the money toward a marine biology camp, something he’s been interested in most of his life after spending summers on New Jersey shore. “I love marine biology, I basically grew up near the ocean,” Mulvihill said. “I never thought I would really get that far in the competition, I was nervous. But once it came down to explaining everything, I was fine. It was a fun experience. Mulvihill began researching for the project two years ago.

The majority of the first year was spent deciding which material he would use. The second year was spent sourcing the liner. He did all this while his left eye became fully blind due to a connective tissue disorder. Before losing his vision, it was always common to see Mulvihill with a football in his hand or playing. He grew up loving the sport and had a natural talent for it. But his disorder forced him to walk

tinue to pursue what I want to do.” Mulvihill is still part of the football program at Arizona College Prep. Coach Myron Blueford welcomed him with open arms and noticed right away in non-contact drills how talented Mulvihill was when he was able to play. “He started going through conditionLeft: JT Mulvihill, a freshman at Arizona College Prep, placed second ing drills and at first I overall in a STEM competition for a special football helmet liner that will thought, “are you sure reduce the impact to a player’s head. Above: The liner is made from a gelastic polymer, similar to what is used in bullet proof vests. When there you’re allowed to be is impact, it absorbs and disperses it throughout, much like a rock hitting doing this?’” Blueford water and causing a ripple effect. (Pablo Robles/Staff) said. “But you could see in his footwork that he away from the game entirely. knew what to do and did it well. He’s Mulvihill said because it’s a tissue part of this team like everyone else.” disorder, he likely sustained it playing His love and desire to remain around football and taking blows to the head. football helped fuel Mulvihill’s energy He said even minor blows that did not to tirelessly research a one-of-a-kind result in concussions could have fasthelmet liner that will reduce the impact tracked his vision loss. of a blow to the head and perhaps Mulvihill said it’s likely only a matter prolong the careers of those playing. of time before he loses vision in his Mulvihill said he hopes it’ll also reduce right eye as well, but that he’s not letthe chances of former players develting that affect his day-to-day life. oping Chronic Traumatic Encephalop“I have to make the most of it,” athy (CTE), a progressive degenerative Mulvihill said. “I don’t know when or if disease commonly found in football it will happen. It could come later, or it could come sooner. I just have to conSee on page 42

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“We are trying to do everything we can,” Kennard said. “It’s a tough time with COVID and with it being in December it’s right before the holidays. We are trying to be proactive to raise as much as we can.” Not only will the trip be special for Kennard as a coach, but as a parent. Tre grew up hearing stories about his grandfather, Derek Kennard Sr., who played several years in the NFL on the offensive line. He also heard about his father’s career, which led him to play for the Indianapolis Colts and in the

CHAPMAN

from page 40

yet he makes a big deal out of my kid. “It’s a very selfless act. This kid is just awesome.” While offering praise for others,

LINER

from page 41

players and other athletes with a history of head trauma or concussions. CTE has been linked to suicides by former athletes long after their careers had concluded. It has also been linked dementia and other similar brain disorders. Mulvihill sourced the gelastic polymer from a local company. It’s thick,

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Canadian Football League. His uncle, Devon Kennard, had an illustrious career at Desert Vista and USC before he was drafted by the New York Giants in 2014. An outside linebacker, Devon played four years in New York, two in Detroit before he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals before the start of the 2020 season. Tre, however, has gone in a slightly different direction in terms of football compared to his father and other relatives. Kennard said he didn’t get the classic family genes, which include a build similar to an offensive and defensive lineman. Instead, Tre has found his niche at defensive back.

Kennard said he’s more athletic at 12 years old than him, Derek Sr. and Devon were at the same age. “We were all athletic for our positions I’m sure. But I can assure you none of us were playing corner,” Kennard laughed. “To be able to coach my son’s team, it’s been so much fun. Just being able to be on the field with him and experience that, it’s a special thing.” Kennard hopes to continue a strong regular season before he and the Jags head to Florida to represent the state at the 12U level. No matter the outcome, he looks forward to providing a unique experience for all of his players.

“My passion is the youth,” Kennard said. “Whether it’s high school or younger age. I’ve had these kids since 10U and just to install the basic fundamentals into them, so they are correctly taught going into whatever level they go to next, we want to send them away better than they came. “We want to give the kids the chance to not only represent the state, but to experience some of that national talent out there.” Donations to the Arizona Jaguars 12U trip to Florida can be made via Cash App using $AZJAGS, Venmo at @AZJAGS or via GoFundME at gf.me/u/y4tqy3.

Chapman also has a fierce competitive side to him that is easily visible to his teammates at Casteel. Chapman entered the 2020 Division I state golf tournament as the thirdranked golfer overall. He and senior teammate Rio Newcombe – who is

ranked fifth – helped catapult the Colts to the No. 3 seed in the tournament, which took place Wednesday, Oct. 28 and Thursday, Oct. 29 at Omni National Golf Course in Tucson. Chapman placed fourth overall and the team placed sixth. “He wants to beat every single

person out on the course,” Newcombe said. “He will tell you to your face that he will beat you, then he’ll go out and try his absolute best to do that.” “It’s awesome to watch how competitive he is but at the same time he is very supportive of everyone.”

yet absorbing material has the ability to absorb high-impact contact and spread it evenly throughout the rest of the material, minimizing the amount that would instead affect an athlete’s brain. The same material is often found in bullet proof vests. “It’s like a rock hitting the water ripple effect,” Mulvihill said. “It will evenly disperse the impact. This is one of the materials out there that can eliminate impact force reduction so drastically

that people will feel safer playing.” Mulvihill said he was honored to place second in the national competition for his project, but his work is far from over. He plans to continue perfecting the helmet liner, eventually finding a solution that would allow it to be place underneath the paint surface or as a second layer between the padding and shell. Mulvihill said he also plans to partner with a helmet manufacturer

sooner rather than later to begin testing the liner for its effectiveness. His long-term goal is mass produce a perfected liner that will hopefully begin allowing those like him to safely play the game and for a longer period of time. “I hope this helps kids like me be able to play,” Mulvihill said. “There’s still lots of adjustments and lots of tests to be run by several different people for this to be approved. But I’m confident it will work out.”

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 8, 2020

For more community news visit SanTanSun.com

New principal proud of students’ safety diligence BY JENNIFER WHITE Guest Writer

This has been a school year like no other. Remote learning. Hybrid schedules. Online log-ins. Technological challenges. If you’re a parent of a school-aged child, you know what I’m talking about. As the new principal at Legacy Traditional School-North Chandler, I’m proud we’ve given our students a sense of normalcy with our return late last month to 100 percent in-person instruction. Families who for the time being prefer a virtual education still have that option and, whether in-person or remote, our goal remains the same: to provide the best possible education to

the students in our care. This is personal for me; my youngest child attends 8th grade at Legacy-North Chandler. So, I think I know a bit about the range of emotions Arizona parents are feeling this fall as they try to make decisions about their children’s education while keeping track of COVID-19 dashboards and evolving public health recommendations. I, too, have felt the anxiety and uncertainty caused by COVID-19. But I’m also confident that – working together – we are up to the challenge. Since returning to in-person instruction a few weeks ago, we’ve all gotten accustomed to the new routine. That means distancing from each other on campus and in the classroom,

everyone is wearing a mask, and we’re sanitizing, washing hands, cleansing, and washing hands some more. I’m so proud of our students and staff members for helping to keep each other safe and healthy. This is my 25th year in public education – I’ve taught everything from kindergarten to high school English, and been a librarian, athletic director, middle school principal and more. I feel fortunate this breadth of experience from the classroom to administrative offices is something I can rely upon now that we’re confronting circumstances that may have seemed unimaginable as 2020 began. COVID-19 or not, the fundamentals for a great education remain the same. Key ingredients include healthy classrooms

where students feel safe; excellent teachers who are empowered; and involved parents. I joined Legacy Traditional Schools because this is truly a family. Of course, being part of a family comes with responsibility. Our students are taught to think critically, care for others and love this country we’re blessed to call home. These are timeless values that are perhaps more important today than ever before. I’m excited to bring my passion for education to Chandler, and thankful to this community for welcoming me with open arms. Let’s make it a great year! Jennifer White is the new Principal at Legacy Traditional School-North Chandler. This is her 25th year in public education. Information: LegacyTraditional.org.

How to help your child’s online learning struggles BY ABIGAIL WOOL-BERINGER Guest Writer

After more than seven months, many kids have just recently returned to in-person school, while a good number remain in hybrid or fully virtual. In my practice as a pediatric occupational therapist and ADHD specialist, I have notice one common theme: kids are struggling with online learning and parents feel helpless about it. Missed assignments, lack of engagement, decreased social interaction and too much screen time are among the biggest complaints. Many of my clients are what I call “fall through the cracks” kids. They are smart, but they struggle with things like staying on task, organization, time management, and problem solving. Many of them have low frustration tolerance and coping skills. Remote learning has made things even more difficult. We cannot just toss our children in their room in front of a computer and

expect success. We must support them in this new model of learning. Here a few ways that you, as a parent, can help. Figure out what the specific struggles are. Lack of focus? Impulse control? Organization? Motivation? You may know what the issues are, or you may need to observe, talk with teachers, and do some detective work. I call these “lagging skills” and they need support to be strengthened. Once you understand, you can systematically work through each one. Make a schedule for each day. Instead of having a loose “to-do” list or even time blocks on the calendar for classes, homework, etc, write specific tasks and what time they are to be done. This helps you organize the entire school and workday. This schedule should be posted for the family. Everyone in the household will know what is coming up, and there is a comforting certainty in that. Prioritize. I urge my clients to get super specific: writing out homework,

due dates, and upcoming tests. Include reading and studying and how long each item will take. I recommend teens assign an “effort factor” to assignments and studying. Then, prioritize by urgency and time needed, and calendar each item into blocks. When the task is on the calendar, there is little chance of missed assignments – and parental sanity is sure to follow! Encourage independent problem solving but be available for help. There will be bumps in the road! Lead your child to answers but don’t jump in and solve them. Encourage your teen to contact teachers on their own, or seek peer tutoring. Empowering kids means that they must learn to solve problems through trial and error. This is their time to do that! Offer just the right amount of help. They are learning to be more independent. Set aside time for family fun. Make sure that you make time to have fun and enjoy your family. What we are ex-

periencing now is a season of challenges in the big picture. Your success or failure, or that of your child, does not define anyone. Take a deep breath and decide that NOT losing your mind is more important than anything else. If your relationship is suffering because of this, seek outside help and take a step back. Then plan something fun for the family! I believe that in the end, our children will come out of this experience more resilient and resourceful. Growth occurs when we meet challenges head on. If you and your child are struggling, seek help through counseling, tutoring, or with me. I specialize in helping kids and teens in strengthening executive functioning skills. Read more about executive functions on my blog and website, kidsempowered4life.com. Abigail WooI-Beringer is an Ahwatukee pediatric occupational therapist and ADHD specialist can be reached at kidsempowered4life@gmail.com or 602-753-7441.

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