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REAL ESTATE
Homeowners can prepare for interest rate hike. RE1
Celebrating 38 years of service
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COVER STORY
Judge says golf course required at Ahwatukee Lakes By Jim Walsh AFN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
COMMUNITY:
Convention bound Four Ahwatukee residents head to Republican convention. p8
BUSINESS:
On the range
Farmers market vendor is a real cattleman. p27
(Diana Ross/Special to AFN)
Claudia D’Amico, a chef from Italy as are her brothers Romolo and Massino, whips up a garlic chicken dish at the siblings’ new Ahwatukee restaurant, Trattoria D’Amico, the former Ruffino’s. Chef Martin Villela, who has been with the restaurant since it opened in 1989, remains head chef.
New Italian immigrant owners add authentic touch to Ahwatukee’s oldest restaurant By Coty Dolores Miranda AFN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SPORTS:
Dream Ends
Little League team’s hope of Dawgs repeat ends. p44 Neighborhood p3 Community p13 Around AF p14 Opinion p23
Faith p34 GetOut p36 Sports/Rec p44 Classified p49
The new owners of Ahwatukee’s oldest continuously operated restaurant may have changed its name for the first time in 27 years, but they’re also giving it an even more authentic Italian flair. That’s because the three siblings who bought the former Ruffino’s Italian Cuisine at 4902 E. Warner Road came to Ahwatukee from Rome after searching across the country for a place to replicate a
restaurant they ran in their native Italy. Claudia D’Amico, 29, and her brothers, Romolo, 45, and Massimo, 50, decided to rechristen the restaurant Trattoria D’Amico in May. That’s also the name for their family’s restaurant their mother opened more than 40 years ago back home in Rome. The restaurant has changed hands three other times since it opened in 1989. The previous owners each retained the original
(Diana Ross/Special to AFN)
A banner announcing the new name of the former Ruffino’s Restaurant will be in place until permanent signage can be erected. >> See RESTAURANT on page 6
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A judge ruled Monday that deed restrictions enacted two decades ago require the operation of a golf course at the former Ahwatukee Lakes layout, today a controversial moonscape where greens and fairways perished long ago. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah’s order reads in part, “The court finds the intention of the 1992 Declaration of Covenants, Restrictions and Easements was that a golf course would be operated on the subject property.’’ While the ruling represents an important step, said Timothy H. Barnes, attorney for plaintiffs Linda Swain and Eileen Breslin, much work lies ahead, including a trial on a request for an injunction. “It was an interesting fight, and it’s not done yet,’’ Barnes added. “The point of the order was to get a ruling on the fundamental interpretation of the CC and Rs. The next step is for an injunction.’’ Barnes said the suit’s ultimate goal is to force the property owners to restore the golf course and to operate it. But Dave Sabow, managing director for Arizona of the True Life Companies, said the ruling is “very vague in my mind’’ because it does not define the type of course that must be operated on the property, >> See GOLF COURSE on page 9