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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS Wednesday, November 16, 2016
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Homeowners complain freeway work launched scorpion invasion
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BY JIM WALSH AFN Staff Writer
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n uptick in scorpion activity is putting some extra sting in the already controversial construction of the South Mountain Freeway for some nearby homeowners. Ahwatukee residents near Pecos Road and 27th Avenue are reporting far more scorpions on their property—and even in their homes—after the Arizona Department of Transportation created a temporary nursery a stone’s throw away from their houses.
The nursery is housing thousands of cactuses, bushes and other desert flora that had to be removed from the freeway right of way. Once it is built, they will be transplanted along its path. Two residents, Jeff Menard and Joe Rao, said their dogs, a French Bulldog and a Golden Retriever, have been stung by scorpions in recent weeks. A third resident, Dietmar Hanke, reported seeing more scorpions in his backyard as well. Menard, a real estate agent, acknowledges
he is sensitive about scorpions. He said he has been stung twice by the pests at his mother-in-law’s home in another Ahwatukee subdivision. He said he was physically ill for more than a day after one scorpion incident. “It was 24 hours of misery you can’t imagine,’’ Menard said. But his highest priority is protecting his 2
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS Businesswoman of the Year DRIVERLESS CARS Region becoming key experimental zone
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MUSIC LADY Ahwatukee flutist produces holiday album
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SCORPIONS on page 8
Unofficial election results give Ahwatukee, Democrats new voices in Legislature BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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See
arring a surprise from the Maricopa County ballots that remain to be counted, Ahwatukee can now boast of having its own state senator and representative. And as a result of last week’s election, unofficial results have made Ahwatukee part of a newly blue legislative district after Democrats took the vacant Senate seat and ousted one of the two incumbent House Republicans. But Sean Bowie—the Ahwatukee native who defeated Tempe Republican Frank Schmuck 51.5 to 48.5 percent in the Legislative District 18 Senate race—and incumbent Republican and longtime Ahwatukee resident Jill Norgaard both say they want
to put aside partisan politics and work on issues that are important for the community. The other winner from last week’s election, Tempe Democrat Mitzi Epstein, ousted 14-year Chandler Republican Bob Robson with just over 30 percent of the vote. She was followed by Norgaard with 29 percent, Robson with just under 28 percent and Tempe Green Party candidate Linda Macias, who garnered 12 percent, according to unofficial results. All the Legislative District 18 winners weren’t wasting time. After apparently clinching her second term, Norgaard not only congratulated her two new legislative colleagues, but scheduled a meeting today for See
NEW VOICES on page 8
(Will Powers/AFN Staff Photographer)
Elements Massage Chandler West owner Janet Schwab, center, registers surprise after she was named Businesswoman of the Year last week by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce. Runners-up Betty Teille, left, and Kendra Pieratt help her recover from the shock. For a full report on the awards, see page 38.
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