STSN September 6-19, 2014 Book

Page 1

September 6 - 19, 2014

www.SanTanSun.com

Primary voters elect new council GM opens IT and approve Home Rule Innovation Center BY JOAN WESTLAKE

The predicted importance of the primary election was confirmed Tuesday, Aug. 26. Even in a crowded field of candidates, it appears that sole council incumbent Kevin Hartke, former Mesa police Officer Terry Roe and project manager Rene Lopez have won

the three council seats outright, ending the need for a November runoff. Mayor Jay Tibshraeny ran unopposed and was re-elected. Chandler’s Home Rule measure also was approved, which means that $104 million will not need

SEE ELECTIONS PAGE 4

WINNING SIGNS: Winning City Council candidates, from left, Rene Lopez, Terry Roe and Kevin Hartke with Keith Frankel, celebrate on election night. Photo courtesy of Rene Lopez

BY TRACY HOUSE

General Motors opened its fourth Information Technology Innovation Center, adding Chandler to its list of locations already operating in Warren, Michigan, Austin, Texas and Roswell, Georgia. The grand opening was held Friday, Aug. 22 with approximately 500 facility employees in attendance in addition to guests that included Randy Mott, senior vice president, global information technology and chief information officer; Mayor Jay Tibshraeny; U.S. Reps. Matt Salmon and Kyrsten Sinema; Arizona Senate President Andy Biggs; and Speaker of the House Andy Tobin. In his opening remarks, Mott said, “I would like to just say it’s hard to believe that just 17 months ago we were here in March of 2013 announcing our decision to open General Motors fourth IT Innovation Center in Chandler.” The 170,000 square-foot facility, located at 2900 W. Geronimo Pl., was completed in June. The center is expected to employ 1,000 workers,

Chandler Regional hopes to meet demand with new 5-story tower

RIBBON CUTTING: Randy Mott, senior vice president, global information technology and chief information officer, was joined by Mayor Jay Tibshraeny and other invited guests in the official ribbon cutting of the new GM IT Innovation Center. STSN photo by Tracy House

hiring 500 more during the next five years. “Today, approximately 25 percent of our folks are recent graduates from local and regional universities. Another 25 percent of them are seasoned professionals newly located to the greater Phoenix area,” Mott said. SEE INNOVATION CENTER PAGE 4

CCA 25TH ANNIVERSARY

BY MEGHAN MCCOY

Before Tuesday, Aug. 26, patients who needed services at Chandler Regional Medical Center most likely encountered long wait times before being admitted to the facility. Hospital officials hope that problem is solved with the addition of a 96-bed, five-story tower. “We anticipate moving patients through the hospital much more rapidly,” says Tim Bricker, president and CEO of Dignity Health’s Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert medical centers. “We need more capacity to meet the needs of the community.” The $125 million project, which began in December 2011, includes a 171,000-square-foot expansion, spread throughout the tower and basement. The space boasts a new emergency

RIBBON CUTTING: Peter Menor, vice president of hospital operations, Tim Bricker, president and CEO of Dignity Health’s Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert medical centers, and Brian Evans, manager of hospital security, have a ribbon cutting for the new 96-bed tower that opened Tuesday, Aug. 26. Submitted photo

room, 56 treatment spaces and four trauma bays. Two helipads were added, and the radiology department was expanded. The former emergency room, which closed at the end of August, treated about 65,000 patients annually. The new facility can accommodate

CELEBRATE DANCE: Savannah Goebel of the Youth American Ballet Company shows perfect form during her performance in the Bogle Theatre. STSN photo by Tim Sealy For more photos of the Chandler Center for the Arts’ 25th anniversary see p. 60

SEE CHANDLER REGIONAL PAGE 5

F E AT U R E STO R I E S Bogus SRP caller scamming businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Wang delivers on his promises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 16 Spanish 4kids immerses children in foreign language. . . . . . . YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 27 Chandler photographer wins prestigious awards. . . . . . . . . . . NEIGHBORS . . . . . . . . . . Page 49 improvMANIA plans to make Chandler laugh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 61

SanTan Family Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Center Section

More Community . . . . . . .1-15 Business . . . . . . . .16-26 Youth. . . . . . . . . . 27-34 Opinion. . . . . . . . 47-48 Neighbors. . . . . . 49-60 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . 61-66 Spirituality . . . . . 67-69 Directory . . . . . . .70-71 Classifieds. . . . . . .72-73 Where to eat . . . 74-78


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