SEE WISHES

The Glendale tar

Glendale’s Community Weekly Since 1978

The Glendale Star is a circulation weekly published every Thursday.

Publisher

Steve T. Strickbine

Vice President

Michael Hiatt

Associate Group Publisher

Laura Meehan, 623-777-1042 lmeehan@star-times.com

EDITORIAL HOTLINE 623-847-4604 Executive Editor

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski, christina@star-times.com

ADVERTISING sales@star-times.com Advertising Representatives

Barbara Duran, 623-847-4608 bduran@star-times.com C.E. Williams, 623-847-4601 cwilliams@star-times.com

Classifi eds and Obituaries

623-535-8439

Legals

Elaine Cota, notices@star-times.com

Production Manager

Courtney Oldham, production@timespublications.com

Graphic Designer

Tonya Mildenberg, tmildenberg@timespublications.com

CIRCULATION 623-535-8439

SEND US YOUR LETTER

We want to hear from you. Letters should be kept to 300 words or less. Letters will be edited for length, grammar, style and accuracy. Each letter must include your name, address and phone number for verifi cation. Letters should address issues and avoid personal attacks. Complaints about individuals or businesses will not be published. The Glendale Star reserves the right to withhold letters determined to be objectionable or inappropriate.

Email ..................................... christina@star-times.com Online .................................................... glendalestar.com Fax ................................................................623-935-2103 Mail ................................250 N. Litchfi eld Rd., Suite 100, Goodyear, AZ 85338

Published by Times Media Group

250 N. Litchfi eld Rd., Suite 100, Goodyear, AZ 85338 623-847-4600 • FAX 623-935-2103

(USPS 998-340)

Published weekly by Times Media Group, 250 N. Litchfi eld Rd., Suite 100, Goodyear, AZ 85338. Periodical postage paid at Glendale, AZ 85301. (c) 2021 Strickbine Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.

The Glendale Star is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@azintegratedmedia.com. WISHES FROM PAGE 1 Charities Draft Day presented by SRP. It is so exciting when we call each teacher to let them know their name was selected as a grant recipient,” said Patrick Barkley, chairman of the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors. “Wishes for Teachers is well known around the state as the preeminent program for teacher support. My mom was a teacher, and we all know teachers who inspire us with their selfl ess work.”

This year, the 400 teachers represent 300 schools in 63 cities across the state, educating more than 200,000 students in 84 districts over 75 subjects, from social studies to special education, literature to leadership, music to math. Through the program, here is just a sampling of classroom wishes being granted:

• Nicole Young, a fi fth grade teacher at

Alta Loma Elementary School, will use the funds to purchase materials and supplies for hands on learning. • Amanda Dismukes, a technology teacher at Challenge Charter School, will use the funds to provide tablets for students. • Kori Klein, a visual art teacher at

Copper Canyon High School, will use the funds to purchase a new sound system to allow students to listen to music that inspire creative and artistic ideas for their projects. • Bailey Williams, a fourth grade grade teacher at Copperwood

Elementary, will use the funds to provide Chromebooks for the class. • Sabrina Cole, an art teacher at Desert

Garden Elementary School, will use the funds to purchase new art materials for the students. • Douglas Bruce, a programming, robotics and game design teacher at Desert Heights Preparatory

Academy, will use the funds to purchase robots and materials to engage students in hands-on investigation of STEM concepts. • Julie Trent, a band and orchestra teacher at Glendale High School, will use the funds to purchase accessories to allow more students to have access to the musical instruments. • Kenneth Bloomfi eld, a physical education teacher at Hillcrest

Middle School, will use the funds to purchase additional equipment for physical education class. • Phuong Kieu, an integrated science teacher at Independence High

School, will use the funds to purchase personal whiteboards for each student in class. • Katie DeVito, a third grade teacher at Legend Springs Elementary

School, will use the funds to provide new seating options for her students to promote a better learning environment. • Colin Apthorp, a chemistry teacher

at Liberty High School, will use the funds to purchase equipment and supplies for the science lab. • Gail Hayes, a kindergarten through fourth grade teacher at Moon

Mountain Elementary School, will use the funds to purchase items for students to earn with “Behavior

Bucks,” such as sensory items, different seating and prize box items.

“Teachers are our unsung heroes who give so much to our students in helping them become tomorrow’s leaders,” said Mike Nealy, Fiesta Bowl executive director.

“Giving them a spotlight for their selfl ess work and support them with extra resources is an important part of the Fiesta Bowl’s commitment to our community. Thanks to our partners Desert Financial and SRP, Wishes for Teachers help rewards Arizona’s teachers and give them a step forward in ways they may have only wished.”

For more information, or for a full list of granted wishes, visit fi estabowl. org.

Catch up on Local News!

It’s About to Get Festive

Bundtinis® and our “Ugly Sweaters” Bundtini Toppers available by the dozen.

December 2, 2021

APS off ers holiday decorating safety tips

BY GLENDALE STAR STAFF

APS encourages residents to put safety at the top of their holiday lists.

The hustle and bustle of the season often leads to accidents. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 200 decorating-related injuries occur each day during November and December, sending thousands of people to the emergency room.

When stringing lights outside, use a dry wooden or fi berglass ladder, and be sure to stay away from overhead power lines. Only use your ladder on level ground. Don’t use the top rung, and don’t lean away to hang decorations.

Avoid stringing any outdoor lighting or electrical cords where water from irrigation or sprinklers may be present.

Check for labels showing the lights have been certifi ed for outdoor use. Discard light sets with broken or cracked sockets, frayed wires or loose connections.

Use more than one circuit to avoid overloading household wiring. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for the number of light strings that can be connected safely.

Consider using LED holiday lights, which run much cooler than their traditional counterparts, are less of a fi re risk and use much less energy.

Turn off holiday lights before going to bed or leaving the house.

Those with a live tree should make sure to check and add water often to the tree stand. If the tree is losing a lot of needles or the needles become brittle, do not turn on decorative electrical lights. The heat from the lights could cause a fi re.

Test smoke alarms monthly and

(Stock image)

change batteries every year. CPSC recommends having working smoke alarms on every fl oor of your home and in every bedroom.

For more electrical safety tips, visit aps.com/safety.

Get the latest breaking news and top local stories in Glendale!

Is it Time For a Tune Up?

Your heart is your body’s engine and it requires regular preventative maintenance and care to function optimally. When was the last time you had a cardiac check up? If it’s been more than six months, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your physician for a comprehensive cardiac evaluation. Stay on top of your heart health by having regular heart check ups and seeking medical attention when you experience new symptoms. Give us a call today – our team is here to help you at every step of your heart health journey.

Call today to schedule an appointment. 480-765-2800

GLENDALE

6316 W. Union Hills Drive, Suite 210

PEORIA *NOW OPEN*

26900 Lake Pleasant Parkway, Suite 200

From our Cool Blew Family to Yours: Wishing You All the Best this Season and Throughout the Coming Year.... Happy Holidays!

623-872-2900

americanstandardair.com coolblew.com

Military & Senior Discounts Available. Just ask when you call! Member of PORA APS & SRP Qualified Contractors Nate Certified Techs • HOA Friendly Se Habla Español AZ. H.P. Plmb

Licensed • Bonded • Insured ROC Lic #176357 • #258992 #267895

Arizona voters to have fi nal say on in-state tuition rates

BY MADELINE BAUTISTA Glendale Star Contributing Writer

A ballot measure in support of noncitizen residents receiving in-state tuition and fi nancial aid will be presented to Arizona voters in the Nov. 8, 2022, election.

Sen. Paul Boyer (R-20) introduced the ballot measure known as the Senate Concurrent Resolution 1044 to the Arizona State Senate. In March, the ballot measure passed 17-13 in support of putting SCR 1044 on the ballot.

SCR 1044 may revoke Arizona Proposition 300, which prohibited noncitizens and people without legal residential status from receiving instate tuition.

About 71% of voters approved Proposition 300 in the 2006 ballot.

In-state tuition rates more than doubled for DACA recipients and Dreamers. At ASU, the average in-state tuition is $11,338 and out-of-state tuition is $29,428.

Lidia Kimberly Parra, a nurse assistant from Glendale, is considered a “Dreamer,” as she is part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protects them from deportation.

“I’ve been here since I was 2 months old. I don’t know anything different. I don’t know anything other than Arizona,” Parra said.

Parra said that every two years she has to reapply for DACA, living in “constant anxiety” of whether she’ll be able to continue to work to provide for her child or be deported. For Parra, the reinstatement for DACA happened in May, four months after she applied.

“I was lucky enough to be in a position at work where they held my place in those four months of waiting,” Parra said. “And when I got my DACA back, they were like, ‘OK, you start at 6 a.m. tomorrow.’ I was blessed like that. But not everybody has it like that.”

Parra has “always wanted to go to school,” and the DACA program paved the way for her to attend school at Brookline College without fear of deportation. Paying most of her tuition from “out of pocket,” Parra graduated as a certifi ed nursing assistant and works as a nursing assistant in post-op and recovery.

Parra added that Arizona Proposition 300 “puts people in a box” and “limits them” with fi nancial barriers. The assistance that others receive to earn degrees should be “equal to everybody,” according to Parra.

“These are just basic needs that everyone should be entitled to regardless of what status we have going on,” Parra said.

Jose Patino is the director of education and external affairs in Aliento, which is a DACA and undocumented youth-led community organization based in Phoenix. Aliento was part of the community leaders and activists who pushed for SCR 1044 to be passed.

“In terms of in-state tuition, it’s been years of advocacy that groups like us, Aliento, have been doing at the Capitol. We’ve been working with lawmakers since 2018 to move the bill forward,” Patino said.

According to Patino, Aliento and the American Business Immigration Coalition led an Arizona campaign called Become Arizona with a bipartisan coalition of about 130 and more organizations that strongly supported the SCR 1044 bill.

A public letter signed by more than 130 organizations in Become Arizona requested the speaker of the House of Representatives, Russell Bowers, to bring SCR 1044 to the fl oor. The Arizona House of Representatives then passed the proposed ballot measure 3327, ultimately leaving the ballot measure up to the people in the upcoming 2022 elections.

“A lot of it comes from student voices because as a lawmaker it’s a lot easier to say no to lobbyists or organizations but it’s harder to say no to what impacts students, and telling them, ‘Hey, I can’t support this and the reason why is because fundamentally, I don’t want you to get an education,’” Patino said.