East Valley parade to ‘Honor and Remember’ veterans
Tribune
Staff Report
The 2017 East Valley Veterans Parade is ready to step off again, with the theme “Honor and Remember.”
The parade, originally born as the Mesa Veterans Parade more than 50 years ago, begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at the intersection of Center Street and University Avenue. The parade will travel south on Center Street, turning west at the intersection of Center and First Street, then will continue west to Robson.
The East Valley Veterans Parade honors veterans, active military and their families with the celebration of their service and sacrifice. School bands, historical military vehicles and floats will be featured.
Maj. Gen. David P. Rataczak is the grand marshal.
After the parade, Main Street in Mesa will host live music, food and shopping. More details about the Veterans Day celebration, go to evvp.org.
For more about the East Valley Veterans Parade, see a four-page special section inside this week’s Tribune.
Gateway Airport project would open up business to Mexico
BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Tribune Staff Writer
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is working with a private Mexican developer to create a 360-acre mixeduse business park adjacent to the airport that could turn into a preeminent destination for American exporters by bringing Mexican customs officers to the East Valley.
Those officers would pre-clear American cargo bound for Mexico – a draw for American companies that do business in Mexico.
Currently, only select airports in Mexico have customs officers on hand to inspect incoming goods, which restricts the number of airports American businesses can use when shipping goods into the country.
With Mexican customs officers on site, Gateway Airport could open up access to
over a hundred additional airports in Mexico that do not have customs inspection services, according to information provided at the East Valley Partnership Aviation and Aerospace Committee’s October meeting.
Increased access to Mexico would appeal to companies like Amazon and potentially allow the online retail giant to expand its two-day shipping service to the Mexican market, said Roc Arnett, former president and CEO of the East Valley Partnership.
Earlier this year, the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority signed a memorandum of understanding with Mesa SkyBridge.
The document is a precursor to an official Master Development Agreement and lays out a broad description of what the future development, tentatively known as SkyBridge AZ, would look like.
Gov. Doug Ducey likely will officially
announce the project after Thanksgiving along with trade representatives from Mexico and the White House.
Mesa SkyBridge LLC is operated by Carlos Puente and Sky Plus Development Corp., according to Arizona Corporation Commission documents.
That appears to be the same group behind a similar project in Mexico called Sky Plus Logistics & Aerospace Park. That development – a nearly 200-acre project geared toward manufacturing and logistics companies – is under construction at Guanajuato International Airport.
Puente is alternatively referred to as development director and CEO of Sky Plus in reports from the Mexican manufacturing and export publication “Mexico Industry.”
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City to help get Mesa children get ready for kindergarten
BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer
Hoping to combat a longstanding poverty problem at its roots, Mesa is launching an innovative pilot program to prepare more low-income children for kindergarten, increasing their opportunity to succeed in school.
The overall goal of Mesa K-Ready, based on programs in Tempe and throughout the nation, is to create a more educated workforce in Mesa, with fewer high school dropouts and more college graduates.
A report prepared by a task force observes that Mesa lags behind other East Valley cities and parts of Maricopa County in several critical demographic categories, including educational attainment and median income.
Among the most telling is a chart that shows a little more than 25 percent of Mesa residents have bachelor’s degrees by age 25, compared with more than 40 percent for Chandler and 45 percent for Tempe and Gilbert.
Although Mesa has many nice neighborhoods and excellent schools, it is undeniable that the city has a pervasive poverty problem, Mayor John Giles said. Part of his job is to address the health of the entire community, he said.
A map showed poverty by ZIP code and identified low-income areas north of the Superstition Freeway through west Mesa, generally along Main Street, with some scattered in East Mesa.
“The statistics don’t lie. We are undereducated in comparison with where we would like to be,” Giles said. “For economic development, I have a hard time selling Mesa with companies like Apple and Google if the statistics don’t demonstrate an educated workforce.”
Giles, the son of a school principal, said
he knew the city had to act as a catalyst when Dr. Michael Cowan, Mesa Public Schools superintendent, told him that a growing number of 5-year-olds flunk an assessment test upon entering kindergarten.
“I think the best way to fight poverty is education,” Giles said, addressing the root of the problem.
Giles’ enthusiasm for the program was not shared by East Mesa council member Kevin Thompson, who questioned whether the city was encroaching into an area better left to Mesa Public Schools.
“I think we are getting into that slippery slope between what the city’s responsibility is and what the school district’s responsibility is,” Thompson said, adding that maybe Mesa would be better served by “getting our house in order with city services.”
But Cowan said the city’s intervention, with help from many other Mesa partners, is necessary because the Arizona Legislature does not require kindergarten, much less fund early childhood education programs.
“I spend an enormous amount of time talking to the Legislature,” Cowan said. “There’s really no discussion. It’s more me talking at them.”
Cowan said children are reporting to kindergarten without such basic skills as identifying a letter in the alphabet or identifying colors.
“If we don’t provide them with these skills, they never catch up with their peers,” Cowan said. “The parent education piece is essential. We are changing cultural and generational practices in homes.”
The city’s only appropriation for the program is $60,000 in donations by Mesa utility customers, through the “A Better Mesa” program. T-Mobile is donating tablets, and $130,000 has been donated for future operations. Giles and Cowan will lead a fundraising drive, with the intent of creating a $1 million foundation to support funding.
Sally Harrison, CEO of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, said members are interested in donating. Mark Lewis, head of the Mesa United Way, said he would assign people working in federal employment programs to help with support services.
The pilot program will start in January and include 50 families at first, with a goal of eventually enrolling 1,000. Because of funding issues, the city is taking an innovative approach. Children will receive tablets downloaded with Mrs. Humblebees, an early childhood development learning program.
Mentors assigned by the program will follow up with families, teaching them how to use the tablets and coaching parents on how to help their children suc-
(Tim Hacker/Mesa Public Schools)
Students in Erin Edwards kindergarten class at Roosevelt Elementary School in Mesa work with tablets in class.
Override, bond vote results due Tuesday in four EV districts
Results in the override and bond votes in several East Valley school districts will be known Tuesday night, but voters who haven’t cast their ballots yet won’t be able to use the mail to do so.
That’s because all ballots in elections in Chandler, Queen Creek, Tempe Union High School and Kyrene school districts must be postmarked by 7 p.m. Tuesday, leaving little hope for a timely arrival if they are mailed Monday.
They will be able to drop off their ballots at the County Recorder’s early voting stations in the Tempe Public Library or the district headquarters for Queen Creek and Chandler. Details on hours are at recorder.maricopa.gov/ballotcenterlocator. The centers are being manned today, Sunday, Nov. 5.
Queen Creek voters will decide on a $63 million bond proposal that mainly would go toward the construction of two elementary schools and a new high school for about 1,200 students.
They rejected a $95 million bond last year for the same projects, but the bond is
lower because the district got some building funds from the state.
Queen Creek spent $2 million leasing 10 portable buildings to manage classroom sizes.
Depending on where they live, Chandler residents will have either two override requests or one.
If they live in the Chandler Unified School District, they are being asked to vote yes to continue the district’s 15 percent override.
A citizens budget committee unanimously recommended that the governing board renew the override. The funds will be used for maintaining manageable class sizes, attracting and retaining high-performing teachers, and maintaining a host of programs that prepare students for college and the work world of the future.
Kyrene has three ballot questions in the all-mail election while Tempe Union High has one.
Kyrene is seeking continuation of its 15 percent maintenance and operations and its 15 percent capital overrides. Because both already are in place, neither will result in a property tax increase.
The largest part of the maintenance and
operations override pays 210 teachers’ salaries.
The rest covers special programs such as music, art and physical education; instructional interventions; and middle school “exploratories” such as classes in coding, foreign languages, culinary and performing arts and STEM.
The capital override supports Kyrene’s technology program, maintaining the devices such as laptops, tablets, whiteboards; software licenses, school security systems, parent services such as ParentVue, crisis notification and online payment options; and school buses and maintenance vehicles.
The combined additional taxes for the two overrides amounts to $232 annually on a home valued at $238,270, the average value of a home in the district, which includes parts of Tempe, Chandler and Mesa as well as all three Ahwatukee ZIP codes.
The bond question would allow Kyrene to borrow a maximum $116 million to make capital repairs on its buildings –many of which are 30 years old. Those repairs also would allow the district to expand its preschool program, which cur-
rently has a waiting list of about 150 children, the district says.
The money also can be used to buy new school buses to replace those too old to be of much use anymore.
Taxes would go up by about $23 a year on a home valued at $204,000 if Tempe Union’s override is approved. The annual tax bill on a home valued at $204,000 in the district is currently $47.
Tempe Union not only wants to continue a current 10 percent maintenance and operations override but also to increase that to the maximum 15 percent.
That additional 5 percent has been designated exclusively for the recruitment and retention of “highly effective teachers” and staff through raises that would be incrementally increased over five years, starting with 2 percent in the first year and 1 percent annually in each of the four following years.
The existing 10 percent override in Tempe Union is used, among other things, to keep class sizes small, fund electives and student support services, support preventive maintenance programs and pay for athletic and other extracurricular programs.
Movement grows in East Valley to curb teen suicides
BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer
Alarmed by the continuing heartbreak caused by teen suicide, the grassroots movement to fight the problem is expanding throughout the East Valley.
The latest example was in Queen Creek, where about 20-25 parents and others seeking to prevent more deaths held a “Kids Count” rally outside Queen Creek High School in the wake of a fourth suicide last weekend. The parents held signs saying, “Reach out, we care,” “You are important,” and “Kids matter.”
The grassroots effort will continue this week, when a conference aimed at preventing teen suicide will be held Tuesday, Nov. 6, at Ahwatukee’s Desert Vista High School, as the Tempe Unified School District attempts to take further steps in addressing the problem.
Another conference was held last month by the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, whose CEO, Sally Harrison, knows the deep, lasting pain of losing a child. Harrison’s son, Bryce, 17, committed suicide 11 years ago.
“The world sits in too much judgment.
We need to love people more,” said Nancy Marion, executive director of House of Refuge, an East Mesa transitional housing program that helps domestic violence victims.
Marion said she went to the Queen Creek rally after hearing about the suicide and deciding that she needed to reach out to teens and offer her support.
Katey McPherson, a longtime East Valley educator, has spearheaded the movement after noting a disturbing cluster of seven teen suicides in six weeks this summer in Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek.
McPherson and other activists have
been saddened to note a number of additional suicides since then, including one in East Mesa recently and last weekend’s Queen Creek suicide.
But McPherson and Harrison are far from deterred. They have been broadening a loose-knit coalition, with representatives of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and Rep. Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe, scheduled to attend the Desert Vista conference.
“We’re starting to get some traction,” McPherson said.
Harrison said her heart breaks with every death, knowing exactly the pain another family is suffering, which also can
include self-doubt and guilt. Parents wonder what else they could have done to prevent the death, even if they did everything possible.
“When I heard the news Monday morning (about the Queen Creek suicide), I thought, my God, another student. It’s almost like a flu epidemic,” Harrison said. “It’s such a huge issue. It takes the community coming together, kind of like a campaign.”
To that end, Harrison said she and McPherson and the Mesa United Way are planning to pursue grants to educate the public about teen suicide. McPherson’s conferences feature speakers who give parents and educators tips on how to recognize suicidal behavior and to prevent deaths.
Among their recommendations is to get immediate help for teens in crisis, confront teens by asking them directly if they are planning to commit suicide and forming a deep emotional bond with their children, not settling for superficial banter.
“No one else should go through this,” Harrison said, urging teens to help each other by reporting suicidal posts on social media or other suicidal statements made by their friends. “To me, it’s also therapeutic. You can’t hide from it.”
(Facebook)
About 20-25 parents and friends held a “Kids Count” rally outside Queen Creek High School recently.
Tribune News Staff
Gateway Airport development’s connection to Mexico is a significant part of the proposed project as a portion would be set aside for Mexican and U.S customs facilities.
On Aug. 23, Kevin K. McAleenan, acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, met with a Mexican trade representative in San Diego and agreed to a bilateral trade agreement.
A part of that agreement allows Mexican customs officers to work beside U.S. CBP officers in U.S. airports under a Unified Cargo Processing program, said Teresa Small, Customs and Border Patrol affairs liaison.
The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority anticipates that the August decision will result in the relocation of Mexican customs officials from Laredo, Texas, to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and that “this is a tremendous opportunity to increase cargo activity at Gateway Airport,” according to minutes from the board’s monthly meeting in September.
Small confirmed that the agency had received a request from the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority to station Mexican customs officers with CBP officers at the airport. However, she stated that they are “just in talks” at the moment and no official decision has been made.
“It is not so much a real estate play as it is a logistics play,” Arnett said.
CBP officers and Mexican customs officers already work together at select borders in Arizona as part of the Unified Cargo Processing program. That program began in Nogales at the Mariposa Port of Entry in July 2016 and since has expanded to San Luis and Douglas, Small said.
KINDERGARTEN
from page 3
ceed. Many of these mentors will be educators assigned also to monitor the progress of children.
“We’re going forward with the pilot program to work the bugs out,” Giles said.
He said the city can’t afford a classroombased program, such as Tempe’s, and must try a more innovative, unconventional approach.
“I really admire what they are doing in Tempe. If I had the money, we would do that too,” he said.
The report says 26.5 percent of Mesa children are living at or below the federal poverty level. Mesa has 18,525 children 3 years old or younger and 10,923 who are 3 to 4 years old.
The goal is to make more of these
The concept has resulted in a reduction in transaction costs for select businesses shipping cargo between the U.S. and Mexico, said William K. Brooks, CBP Tucson director of field operations, in a video prepared by the agency.
The program has resulted in a time savings of around three hours for qualified shipments passing through the border, Mexican Customs Commissioner Ricardo Treviño said in the video.
Arnett added companies could take advantage of the Foreign Trade Zone in the Mesa Gateway area to ship products into the U.S. for additional manufacturing and then send them to Mexico without paying additional taxes.
Mexico is the No. 1 foreign destination for Arizona exports, accounting for 30 percent of all Arizona exports to foreign markets, according to Arizona-Mexico Economic Indicators from University of
children ready to succeed when they enter kindergarten so that they don’t start school already behind their peers, starting a pattern of struggling that often results in a failure to graduate from high school.
The report says preschool readiness programs are essential because 90 percent of brain development occurs before age 5.
“Quality early learning experiences for children ages birth to 5 increases school readiness, which leads to career readiness. Every $1 invested in early learning yields a $16 return to the community with strong positive effects on kindergarten readiness, language, math and social skills, K-12 test scores, high school graduation and college enrollment,” the report says.
Mesa 3- and 4-year-olds rank below the national average, with 36 percent enrolled in early education programs compared with 48 percent nationally. Not surpris-
Arizona’s Eller College of Management.
Despite that impact on the state’s economy, Arizona accounted for only 6.5 percent of exports from border states to Mexico in 2016. That ranked ahead of New Mexico but well behind Texas (72.3 percent) and California (19.9 percent).
While Arizona is not likely to close that gap completely, the new development at Gateway Airport could help Arizona “get a larger fair share” of exports to Mexico, Arnett said.
The U.S. and Mexico Customs facilities accounts for only about a quarter of the proposed project, with the rest of the space reserved for commercial and industrial uses.
A majority of the development – 169 acres – would go toward warehouse and light industrial space.
The development, previously referred
ingly, Mesa’s per-capita income lags behind the other East Valley cities, with Mesa at $25,000 and Gilbert and Chandler at $35,000.
“The competitiveness of small, medium and large companies depends on having a pipeline of talented, educated employees with the skills needed in today’s economy,” the report says.
“In order to have the greatest long-term impact on developing and keeping an educated workforce that leads to greater economic development, Mesa needs to place a high priority on the entire education continuum by offering quality early learning opportunities,” the report continues.
A chart says 64 percent of Mesa children are below the proper benchmark while 36 percent are above the proper measurement of readiness. By improving the readiness of children for kindergarten, “the
to as Gateway Aerospace Park, would also include a retail and hotel element at the entrance of the park that would cover approximately 11 acres.
It also would include 38 acres of office space and 60 acres dedicated to airport uses, including a taxiway, detention basins, utilities, roadways and open spaces.
The memorandum calls for the airport to maintain ownership of the property and sign a 49-year lease with the developer. Under the agreement, Mesa SkyBridge is responsible for building 100 percent of the “horizontal infrastructure” needed for the development. Horizontal infrastructure typically refers to things like roads, water and sewage lines and stormwater drains.
The vertical infrastructure, such as the buildings themselves, would be developed jointly by Mesa SkyBridge, PMGAA and “local and foreign partners” in the form of build-to-suit structures designed for specific tenants.
A project like SkyBridge has been a goal of local development organizations since Williams Air Force Base reopened as a commercial airport in 1994.
Arnett referred to it as a “25-year developing success” and noted that it is not the only proposed development that could draw major attention from local and national businesses.
Arizona State University is planning to develop a research complex similar to its existing Research Park in Tempe near the airport and is working with worldrenowned design firm Sasaki on the project, Arnett said.
He added that the university is about a month away from meeting with the city of Mesa about the infrastructure needs for the project.
– Reach Wayne Schutsky at 480-898-6533 or wschutsky@timespublications.com.
goal is to help children escape the cycle of poverty,” said Jaye O’Donnell, a Mesa economic development official.
Tempe cited almost identical kindergarten readiness figures before launching Tempe Pre, a two-year pilot program in August. So far, the program has 15 classrooms and 270 students, but Tempe report said 1,396 3- and 4-year-olds in Tempe and Guadalupe would benefit from the readiness program.
Marie Chapple, a Tempe spokeswoman, said the city hopes to add five more classrooms. Each classroom has 18 students, so that would increase enrollment to 360 children.
If Mesa launches the program, it would join a national trend, with cities acting as a catalyst to improve pre-school education in a variety of approaches, from Boston to Seattle to San Jose, California.
(Tribune file photo)
A project like SkyBridge has been a goal of local development organizations since Williams Air Force Base reopened as a commercial airport in 1994.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Iconic Buckhorn Baths Motel in Mesa is sold
Buckhorn Baths Motel, where baseball’s Cactus League is said to have been born, was sold recently for $2.15 million to The Avenue Shops.
The 15.6-acre property on Main Street and Recker Road in Mesa has been closed since 1999.
The new owners have not announced specific plans for the property yet.
The baths were a popular spot for baseball teams like the New York Giants, who started coming to the Valley in 1947. The visits reputedly led to the creation of the Cactus League.
The motel was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2005. – TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Waymo cars won’t let drivers take control amid danger
Alphabet’s Waymo self-driving car unit no longer is developing features that require drivers to take control in dangerous situations. The company says users were too prone to distraction and ill-prepared to take the wheel.
Waymo cars have been tested in the East Valley since 2016.
Alphabet had intended to have drivers take over the self-driving cars as needed, but testing found that users napped, put on makeup and fiddled with their phones as the vehicles traveled up to 56 mph.
“Our technology takes care of all of the driving, allowing passengers to stay passengers,” the company said in an October report.
The two drive controls provided to passengers in Waymo’s Chrysler Pacifica minivans are buttons for starting a ride and asking the vehicles to pull over at their next chance.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Insys founder steps down from firm’s board of directors
In the wake of his indictment, the founder of a Chandler manufacturer of opioids is stepping down from his seat on the board of directors.
“I am confident that I have committed no crimes and believe I will be fully vindicated after trial,’’ John Kapoor wrote to members of the board of Insys Therapeutics.
“Nevertheless, I realize that my continued involvement with Insys will only serve to draw unnecessary attention to the company and its employees,’’ he wrote. Kapoor, who has been on the board since its incorporation in 1990 and owns about two-thirds of the company’s shares, also said the indictment would “distract the management team from my primary goal when I founded Insys – helping patients.’’ Kapoor, 74, and the others are charged with overly aggressive and illegal marketing of Subsys, the company’s spray form of fentanyl, an opioid narcotic many times more powerful than heroin.
According to the indictment, the executives used bribes and kickbacks to get doctors to issue new prescriptions for Subsys, which at the moment is one of the company’s two available products. They also are charged with using speaker fees, food and entertainment to get doctors to increase not only the number of prescriptions they were writing but also to write prescriptions at higher doses than appropriate.
– HOWARD FISCHER, CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES
Sat. November 18, 9-5 Sun. November 19, 10-4
Vendors from around the region will be selling items from their sizeable inventories. Raffles and silent auctions will be held throughout the show for an opportunity to win some amazing prizes. Food will be available for purchase. This is a unique event the whole family will enjoy!
• Original jewelry designs, gemstones, beads and findings
• Rare and unusual crystal, mineral and fossil specimens
• Lapidary, cabochon, rough material and slabs
• Kid’s Corner – lots of fun activities
SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL
845 E CRISMON RD, MESA, AZ, 85208
Admission: $3 Adults; $1 Students Children under 12 free
Presented by Apache Junction Rock & Gem Club, Inc. Apachejrgc@ajrockclub.com facebook.com/groups/ajrockclub
ASU survey: Angry customers cost businesses $300B in future sales
BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Tribune Staff Writer
When that brand-new television breaks or the Internet goes out, consumers have no choice but to call customer service in search of a solution – an experience that often includes automated operators, long hold times and other inconveniences.
Arizona State University’s newly released 2017 Customer Rage Survey found that these nightmare scenarios do not just irk consumers but also cost businesses hundreds of billions of dollars.
The study – the eighth Customer Rage Survey since the White House first conducted it in 1976 – found that businesses have put $313 billion in future sales at risk due to ineffective customer-service programs that leave a majority of consumers unsatisfied.
Consumers faced the most problems with cable/satellite television services, followed by computer and telephone services. Big companies accounted for the vast majority of these issues over small businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
The survey found that 69 million families experienced at least one issue over the past year and 56 percent of people reported customer problems in 2017. That marks a 2 percent increase over 2015 and 24 percent increase over the original White House study.
“I think that there are a number of things behind that uptick (between the original study and 2017),” Mary Jo Bitner said. “Some of the things are that the context that we live in today and the products and services have changed.”
The Mesa resident added, “There are a lot of complex products and services and things that can go wrong. People’s expectations are higher.”
Bitner is co-executive director of the Center for Services Leadership at ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business, which conducted the study with Customer Care Measurement & Consulting. Confirmit and Bernett also participated in the study. Unlike in the original study, recent surveys found that the way companies respond to these complaints affects whether customers will use those products or services in the future.
In 1976, the survey found that there was a 9 percent increase in brand loyalty
again.
That intention to repurchase drops dramatically – to just 11 percent – when customers indicated they were somewhat satisfied. The intention to repurchase is nearly nonexistent in customers that were dissatisfied with the action taken, falling to 3 percent.
This is a serious issue for businesses, as dissatisfied or somewhat-satisfied consumers accounted for 79 percent of those surveyed.
This lack of satisfaction could be related
“ I think a big issue for a company is to figure out how they can handle a complaint on the first call. ”
– Mary Jo Bitner, co-executive director of the Center for Services Leadership at ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business
among complainants over non-complainants even when the complaint was not satisfied.
“What (researchers) found (in 1976) was as long as you listen to people and let them complain, you were going to get an increase in satisfaction and a likelihood to return again,” Bitner said. “We don’t see that at all in 2017.”
In fact, Rage Surveys from the 2000s found that brand loyalty decreased 10 to 12 percent as a result of dissatisfied complainants.
Unsurprisingly, customer satisfaction has a direct correlation to whether consumers intend to use businesses or services in the future.
Only 21 percent of those surveyed in 2017 indicated they were satisfied by the action taken in response to their complaints. Of that group, 68 percent had an intention to purchase from the business
to the disconnect between what customers wanted to receive and what they actually got. In 2017, 51 percent of complainants felt they received nothing for their complaint.
For example, 87 percent of respondents indicated they “wanted to be treated with dignity” but only 37 percent reported that they actually received that treatment. Similarly, 76 percent indicated they wanted their product or service fixed but only 29 percent reported that the issue was actually fixed.
Overall, 73 percent of customers reported they were most satisfied when they received a combination of monetary and non-monetary remedies for their complaint. That is much higher than the percentage of customers satisfied with only a monetary remedy (41 percent) or only a non-monetary remedy (23 percent).
Customers indicated that several phonerelated activities contributed to their dissatisfaction, including no option to speak to a live person, attempts to sell complainants additional products and having to repeat information.
Businesses still need to pay attention to consumers’ online activity because of its reach. Posts on social networking websites spread negative word of mouth to 825 people on average compared to 12 people under traditional word of mouth.
The news was not all bad for companies, though. The survey did find that the number of households experiencing “customer rage” fell to 56 percent in 2017, down from 66 percent in 2015. Customer rage refers to extreme anger.
However, that decrease in customer rage did not extend to other negative emotions associated with customer service as 91 percent of people experienced frustration, 84 percent felt disappointment and 62 percent experienced anger.
“The bad news about that (decrease in customer rage) is the other emotions are equally important,” Bitner said. She also stated researchers have not pinpointed a definitive reason for the decrease in rage.
Bitner suggested that companies can improve customer service by increasing satisfactory remedies and limiting the amount of time it takes customers receive a satisfactory resolution to their complaints. In the 2017 survey, just 25 percent of consumers said their issue was resolved on first contact. That number is up from just 11 percent in 2015. The average number of contacts required to resolve a complaint in 2017 was 4.1, a number that has held relatively steady since 2003.
Typically, consumers – even young people – still use the telephone to make complaints, with 70 percent of respondents making complaints over the phone versus 12 percent using the Internet.
“People still want their problem solved and they don’t feel necessarily that expressing it online is the best way of getting that solved,” Bitner said.
“I think a big issue for a company is to figure out how they can handle a complaint on the first call,” Bitner said. “I think that is a responsible for improving (customer complaint handling).”
The 2017 Customer Rage Survey included a telephone survey interviewing a representative household sample of 1,000 respondents.
– Reach Wayne Schutsky at 480-898-6533 or wschutsky@timespublications.com.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Open houses to collect public input on Main Street/Apache Trail improvements
Two open house meetings on Monday, Nov. 6, will allow the public to learn about and share input on improving US 60X, the Mesa roadway known as Main Street/ Apache Trail.
The Arizona Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration have scheduled the meetings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m. at Red Mountain Library, 635 N. Power Road.
Formal presentations begin 30 minutes into each session. Members of the project team will be available to answer questions, and participants can view and provide comments on maps illustrating two alternatives for US 60X.
The meetings are part of a study that will lead to a Corridor Master Plan creating priorities for the stretch between Sossaman and Meridian roads,.
More information on the study is available at azdot.gov/US60XMainStreetStudy.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Mesa police debut Blue Santa Golf Tournament
The Mesa Police Association tees off its inaugural Blue Santa Scramble Golf Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Superstition Springs Golf Club, 6542 E. Baseline Road.
The tournament will raise money for the Officer Assistance Fund, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance and other aid to police officers killed or injured in the line of duty and their families.
Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. and the scramble start begins at 8 a.m. Cost is $125 per golfer or $450 per foursome. The fee includes cart rental, lunch and polo shirt. To register, go to ssa-oafbluesanta.golfgenius.com/pages/1183575.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Program provided for homeschoolers at Veterans Oasis Park in Chandler
The Environmental Education Center at Veterans Oasis Park, 4050 E. Chandler Heights Road, will conduct a Homeschool Day 9:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 9. This program will embrace the past, present and future of gardens through hands-on activities and experiments.
Homeschool Days are part of the EEC’s Environmental Explorations program, which provides field trip experiences for students and other groups. It is designed for families to learn together while exploring the environment of the Sonoran Desert and sustainability through hands-on learning activities.
The cost is $6 for homeschooled children 5-17 years old living in Chandler and $9 for non-residents. Accompanying parents, chaperones and spectators attend for free. For more information, contact Ariane Francis at 480-782-2886.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Climate, energy and national security to be discussed at ASU panel discussion
A panel discussion on how energy security and climate resiliency affect national security and global security, why these issues matter to the military and why these issues should matter to the business community and Arizona citizens will take place 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at ASU’s Wrigley Hall Room 481.
The keynote presentation and panel, hosted by ASU’s Global Security Initiative and the American Security Project, will address key issues, why they matter, and what the military, research institutions, businesses and others are doing to address them.
The cost is free but RSVPs are encouraged due to limited space. RSVP online at tiny. cc/asutalk.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
At Fynes Audiology, we advocate family time as our #1 priority. That is why we want to help our family and friends enjoy their holiday season with a memorable experience.
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Mesa man’s Marine boot camp book meant to entertain
BY MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor
Jim Barber of Mesa joined the Marine Corps when he was 17 and a high school dropout.
“My buddies and I thought the smartest thing we could do was join the Marine Corps,” Barber said. “So, we did.”
He served four years after joining in 1958.
Three bothers also followed him into the Marines while his oldest brother joined the Army.
And based his and his brothers’ experiences, Barber has written a book, “Sh*tbird: How I Learned to Love the Corps,” which looks at the dreaded first step of military service – boot camp.
“When we get together – four old men talking and reminiscing – the conversation will generally get around to our experiences in boot camp,” he said.
“We all found some humor in the experience. Although some of the experiences might not have been funny at the moment, in retrospect you can find a lot of humor. So, I thought, well, I should put these stories down for the family.”
Barber decided to compile his stories along with his brothers. He then reached out to strangers for their stories.
COMMUNITY BRIEFS MESA
Junior high student councils from around state to meet
The Arizona Association of Junior High Student Councils Annual Workshop is from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center St. The event will offer a full day of workshops and networking opportunities. Attendees will be given the opportunity to hear about Foundation for Children, a state charity.
To register and find out more information, go to aajhsc.org/events.
Mesa talking registration for winter youth sports
Registration is now available for Mesa Parks and Recreation winter youth sports
“And the more I thought about it, the more I thought, well, you know what, there are a lot of Marines out there and they all experienced Marine Corps boot camp, and I betcha there are a lot of other funny stories out there,” Barber added.
“So, I began to solicit stories in various ways from Marine sites to emails to VFWs and places like that.”
The response was overwhelming. “The book took on a life of its own.”
But Barber is clear: “There’s nothing derogatory in the book about the Marine Corps. It’s strictly about boot camp and the methods that were used to instill pride in the Marine Corps.”
Not everyone who submitted stories included their photos, but each story does have at least a name, year of boot camp, platoon number and location such as Parris Island or San Diego. All stories in the book involve incidents prior to 1975.
Barber remembers a lot of stories about drill instructors and describes them as “guys who are pretty damn sure of themselves and everything they do. They have extreme pride in the Marine Corps and they tell you from the beginning that you probably don’t have what it takes to be a Marine.”
He says there are a “thousand rules” and when a drill instructor asks a question or
programs. Registration for adult flag football and kickball is available Nov. 8-21. Youth sports programs include basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, golf and Playball, a multisport program.
Registration can be done online at apm. activecommunities.com/mesaaz/Home or in person at the Mesa Parks and Recreation Office at 200 S. Center St., Building 1. Customer service staff are available to assist families in the registration process at 480-644PLAY (7529).
Holiday
demands an answer, “you’re probably not going to get it right. Sometimes there’s just no right answer.
“The only difference between a drill instructor and God is that God doesn’t think he’s a drill instructor,” he added.
On the cover of the book are yellow chicken feet. Barber explained that when recruits go into boot camp these days, they don’t know their left foot from their right foot. So yellow footprints are on the ground to teach recruits how to organize themselves within the ranks.
The book is available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Barber can be reached at bootcampstories4@gmail. com
(Melody Birkett/Special to the Tribune) Jim Barber of Mesa has written a humorous book on bootcamp based on his recollections and those of his brothers.
New, unwrapped toys can be donated at 10 different Mesa locations. The toys will be delivered to Cardon Children’s Medical Center by members of the city council, Mesa Fire and Medical Department members, Mesa police officers and the Mesa Police Department’s Blue Santa
For drop-off locations, call 480-644-4750.
The pancake breakfast will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Mesa Fire Station 210, 1502 S. 24th St.
GILBERT
age for Stations #5 and #11.
Fire Station #9 was included in a master plan established 15 years ago to help meet Gilbert’s growing needs.
CHANDLER
City begins bike lane safety improvement project
Two bike lane safety improvement projects have begun in Chandler.
Cardon center
Toy Drive begins to benefit
The Mesa City Council has started its ninth annual Holiday Toy Drive to benefit Cardon Children’s Medical Center.
Toys will be collected through Nov. 29, culminating with a collection event and free holiday pancake breakfast on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Gilbert breaking ground on latest Fire and Rescue station
Gilbert Fire Station #9, at 3355 East Ocotillo Road, will break ground at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7.
The station will serve residents in south Gilbert, providing quicker response times, the Gilbert Fire and Rescue Department says. The station also will serve as secondary cover-
The projects will fill in the gaps where a bike lane goes away for a short distance and then resumes. The work will occur on Ray Road at Federal St., west of the Loop 101/ Price Freeway, and on Price Road at Fairview St. near the Loop 101/202 freeway interchange. Construction will involve minor curb, gutter, sidewalk and paving modifications.
All streets will remain open to
Woman shares late father’s WWII memories in new book
BY JESSICA SURIANO Tribune Contributor
Aformer Phoenix resident and World War II veteran’s stories are being preserved and shared in the new book “Journals of War: Coming of Age with the 104th Infantry During World War II.”
Anne Dorre, a Kingman resident, decided to publish the book of her father’s six World War II journals after she found them in an ammunition can as a teenager in their house. Before her father, Ernest John “E.J.” McCully, died in 1973, he told Dorre and her sisters they could decide what to do with the journals.
“It’s a story of a part of his life that was very significant,” Dorre said. “He participated in one of the most significant events in history.”
59th Infantry.
Her father’s regiment in World War II, known as “The Timberwolves,” liberated the Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp in Nordhausen, Germany.
Dorre published an excerpt of her father’s account of this liberation on the book’s website.
“My driver and I investigated one of the barracks and here was the ultimate horror – many of the slaves had died in bed, too weak to run for the air raid shelters, if the Germans had provided any,” McCully said in his journal. “They had slept on crude wood, double-decker bunks with straw mattresses and must have been forced to live like animals, for the quarters were the epitome of filth.”
Dorre said she learned about her father’s past and his romance with her mom mostly from her mother and by reading the journals.
“Like most men of his generation, he didn’t talk about it that much,” Dorre said.
working at Hayden Flour Mills and Hayden Brokerage in Tempe in 1954, eventually working his way to secretary
treasurer. He was active in the U.S. Army Reserve in Phoenix from 1950 to 1966, becoming a lieutenant colonel in the
She said she had several reasons for transcribing and publishing her father’s
See JOURNALS on page 15
(Special to the Tribune) opean the
(Special to the Tribune)
“Journals of War” recounts E .J. McCully’s experiences with the 104th Infantry overseas in World War II.
Safety and Veterans Expo takes place at Chandler park
The second annual Safety and Veterans Expo takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Veterans Oasis Park, 4050 E. Chandler Heights Road. Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, Chandler Police and Chandler Fire, Health and Medical departments are hosting
The S.A.V.E. Expo is a free event for the entire family and the veterans community. Attendees can learn about personal and property safety, fire and crime prevention methods, how to obtain a city building permit and sign up for services and programs provided by City of Chandler departments. Veterans will be able to receive claims assistance from the Veterans Health Administration and get information from other veterans’ service organizations.
For more information, visit chandleraz.gov/ connect.
Pollack Tempe Cinemas
free for military on Nov. 11
Pollack Tempe Cinemas, on the Southeast corner of Elliot and McClintock Road in Tempe, will honor all current and former military and National Guard members with a free admission to one of two military-themed movies on Saturday, Nov. 11.
The two films are the 1970 war comedy film, “Kelly’s Heroes,” and Tom Cruise’s 1986 film “Top Gun.”
Military personnel must show their military ID card at the cinema’s ticket booth.
Show times and more information are at pollacktempecinemas.com.
Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que serves free food for veterans
On Veterans Day, Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que will offer a free “Two Meat Salute” to veterans and military personnel from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The dish, a choice of two different meats, will be offered Saturday, Nov. 11, at the restaurant’s Chandler, Mesa Riverview and SanTan Village Mall locations. Proof of military service and valid photo ID will be required.
For more information, go to famousdavesbbq. com.
Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa
offering ice cream
social
A free concert to celebrate and honor our veterans, with an emphasis on patriotic music, will take place from 1:30-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Organ Stop Pizza, 1149 E. Southern Ave., Mesa
No food service will be offered other than beverages and ice cream.
Organ Stop Pizza accepts only cash and checks. No debit or credit cards are accepted.
Jacksons Car Wash to give free service to military
Jacksons Car Wash locations in Gilbert and Tempe will provide free full-service car washes to all active and retired military members from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11.
All veterans and military service personnel who provide a valid military ID will receive a free full-service car wash, a $14.99 value, at any full-service Jacksons Car Wash in the Valley.
In Tempe, Jackson’s is at 2090 E. Rio Salado Parkway at Tempe Marketplace. In Gilbert, the car washes are at 4027 S. Gilbert Road and 2870 S. Market St.
Throughout the year, military service members receive a $3 discount on full-service car washes when they present their military ID.
Lucille’s Smokehouse to raise money for military meals
Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que is celebrating Military Family Month by teaming up with Round It Up America to raise funds for Operation Homefront’s Holiday Meals for Military program.
During November, Lucille’s will donate to Operation Homefront the Round It Up America contributions – in which guests “round up” their purchases to the nearest dollar – at the Tempe Marketplace location, 2030 E Rio Salado Parkway.
In honor of all those who have served in the military, Lucille’s will take 20 percent off the bill for active duty or veteran military personnel.
Free chiropractic, physical therapy offered to veterans in Chandler
Alpha Chiropractic and Physical Therapy is offering free services to veterans on Friday, Nov. 10, at the Chandler clinic, 4955 S. Alma School Road, Suite 10.
Services include chiropractic care, chair massage, acupuncture, naturopathic consultations, vitals checks and physical therapy treatments.
Apex Medical Group, WholeSelf Acupuncture, 5 Elements Massage and Dr. Don Selvey will be offering services.
Appointments are encouraged and can be made at 480-812-1800. VETERAN
GetOut. GetConnected. eastvalleytribune.com/get_out/ facebook.com/getoutaz twitter.com/getoutaz
NEW REPORT: “1 SIMPLE TIPS TO MAXIMIZE RUNNING AND WORKOUTS WHILE EASING
HIP OR KNEE PAIN-WITHOUT
NEEDING PILLS OR SURGERY”
BY LEADING PHYSICAL THERAPIST, ERIC BLOOM
THIS REPORT is for the active runner or avid workout individual who is suffering from the torment of daily, annoying, chronic hip or knee pain. The type of “ache” and “sharp pain” where you get so nauseated that you feel your only option is to stop what you’re doing completely, reach for the painkiller draw and wonder how long you’ll be told to rest up for this time! The thing is, all those painkillers are not good for your stomach - and the long periods of rest you’ve been told about, is not likely to be doing you much good either.
Over the last 8 years I’ve been working on a daily basis to help active, healthy people find relief from chronic hip or knee pain - and what I can tell you is the cocktail mix of more rest and more painkillers will do absolutely nothing to get to the root cause of chronic pain ... No matter what most GP’s say!
And it’s because I’m growing increasingly frustrated with the number of active people suffering unnecessarily that I’ve written a report that details the 7 things any person can do to relieve hip and knee pain naturally ... And I want to send you this report at no charge.
Now, I don’t know if these 7 things will relieve you of your hip or knee pain completely. And I can’t promise that what has worked for most of my patients and clients over the past 7 years, will work for you.
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day “resting”, “accepting it”, thinking “it’s your age” or worse yet, masking it with painkillers.
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Former Marine joins brother to open Mesa’s Cider Corps
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Tribune Contributor
When Sgt. Jason Duren returned from Afghanistan, he faced the long medical retirement process. He had suffered two traumatic brain injuries from multiple IED blasts and was facing the end of his career.
To keep busy, he and his brother, Josh, began experimenting with cider. Now the duo will celebrate Veterans Day by opening Cider Corps, a brick-and-mortar taproom in downtown Mesa.
Cider Corps will offer juice and coffee before the East Valley Veterans Parade starts in downtown Mesa at 10 a.m. and after the parade, from about 11 a.m. onward. Visitors can do tastings, and a food truck will provide meals.
Afterward, Cider Corps will open its doors on select days during buildout, and the brothers hope to have regular hours in the spring.
It’s all been a labor of love.
“We started the journey toward the commercial part of it in 2015,” Josh said. “We basically spent two years going through all the paperwork, looking for a location.”
The brothers, who were raised in Kansas, had the help of Neighborhood Economic Development Company. The organization, dedicated to rebuilding the economic base in downtown Mesa, saw the importance of having a taproom in the area.
“One of the loan requirements was to be located along the light rail in downtown Mesa,” Jason said.
“We were looking at Tempe or Chandler. Then we started getting phone calls from the city (of Mesa) saying they really wanted us down here. That sucked us into downtown Mesa.”
While most cideries are in orchards, Cider Corps is in an 1800s-era building that was once the 4,500-square-foot Mesa police station. Jason used his degree in sustainable horticulture to develop fermentation techniques for cider. He moved to Arizona originally to obtain a fire science degree and to pole vault for Mesa Community College.
“Being that it was the first of its kind here, it took some extra work to figure out how we had to classify it,” he said. “There aren’t rules about cider in the state.”
Classified as a farm winery, Cider Corps released its first two ciders in September, and they are available at Valley bars and restaurants. They continue to create more styles while building out the taproom that will be a space where folks can honor the sacrifices of veterans and raise awareness for the challenges they face at home.
“The taproom is the embodiment of Cider Corps’ mission,” said Josh, who earned a degree in graphic design. “Drink great ciders, honor great sacrifice. We want it to be a platform for veterans to be honored through times of awareness. Giving the community a way to ‘own’ this space with us is huge.”
Cider Corps is at 31 S. Robson, Suite 103, Mesa. Information: cidercorpsaz. com.
(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Sgt. Jason Duren pours a sample of cider directly from the fermentation tank at Cider Corps.
journals. First, she wanted to leave a historical record of her father and his service for their future family generations and for military historians. Second, she thought the people in her father’s regiment might be interested in reading them. Finally, she said the book was published simply to honor her father.
Dorre attended her father’s regimental reunion recently, and she said the people in attendance loved the book. She said one man accompanied by his son were able to identify their father and grandfather in McCully’s personal accounts.
“It was really quite an experience for me to read about my father,” Dorre said. “I really came to know and understand him on an entirely different level.”
She said her father was “quite a patriot,” displaying the flag in the yard for
BRIEFS
from page 11
traffic during the work, but lane restrictions will occur. Construction will be completed by early December.
For more information, call 480-782-3324.
TEMPE
Tempe Fire Medical Rescue
adding two new ambulances
The Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department put two new ambulances into service on Oct. 30 as it begins to assume 911 ambulance service to the Tempe community from a private ambulance company. Within five years, the department will have a fleet of ambulances staffed by teams of nonsworn paramedics and emergency medical
VET BRIEFS
from page 13
Histories of 24 veterans
to be recorded at event
New Vistas Center for Education will host a Veterans Day Special Event at 2 p.m. Nov. 9 to honor Arizona’s military.
Twenty-four service members representing all four branches of the U.S. military will attend and have their oral histories recorded. They’ll be added to a permanent website, Veterans Legacy Projects.
Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny will read a proclamation honoring all veterans. State Representative Jeff Weninger will present a Declaration of Recognition of the Veterans Legacy Project. The presentation will take place at 670 N. Arizona Ave., Suite 35, Chandler.
every Veterans Day and Memorial Day. She can’t recall him participating in any of the Veterans Day parades, but she said he did used to write lots of editorials for publication in Arizona newspapers about his experiences.
The book can be purchased at journalsofwar.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or at Changing Hands Bookstores for $24.95. The book will also be sold in the gift shop of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
“I would say that my father was a man of high integrity, and he was a very honest man,” Dorre said. “He was a role model. He was a man that I admired. He was a good father.”
(Special to the Tribune)
Anne Dorre shared her father’s six World War II journals after she found them in an ammunition can. The result is “Journals of War.”
technicians but will continue an arrangement for backup emergency services with Professional Medical Transport.
For more information on Tempe 911 Ambulance, go to the fire department’s Medical Services division page, tempe.gov/medical.
City seeking volunteers for boards and commissions
Tempe residents who are passionate about their city are being invited to consider volunteer service on a city of Tempe board or commission.
According to Tempe officials, vacancies exist on many boards, including Tempe’s Board of Adjustment, Industrial Development Authority and Library Advisory Board.
A full list of vacancies is available at tempe. gov/getinvolved.
For more information, go to veteranslegacyprojects.org.
Gathering of Legends event celebrated at air force museum
The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum is presenting its 10th Annual Gathering of Legends event 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, at 2017 N. Greenfield Road in Mesa.
Aircraft from WWII to today will be available for the public to see up close. Children’s activities and speakers will also be available. For admission details and more information, go to azcaf.org.
Tempe American Legion Auxiliary to host annual spaghetti dinner
The Tempe American Legion Auxiliary’s an-
Applications are accepted year-round for all boards and commissions. For questions, call 480-350-4311.
City seeks nominations for MLK Diversity Awards
The Tempe Human Relations Commission and the city of Tempe Diversity Office are seeking nominations for the 20th Annual MLK Diversity Awards.
The award recognizes and honors community members and organizations “who selflessly work toward inclusiveness while demonstrating the characteristics that exemplifies the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. –social justice, respect/courtesy, leadership, courage, inclusion and serving/representing the marginalized,” according to a release.
To be eligible, nominees must live, work,
nual spaghetti dinner is 5-8 p.m. Nov. 18 at 2125 S. Industrial Park Ave.
The dinner is “all-you-can-eat-everything” spaghetti, garlic bread and salad bar for $10, $5 for children 12 and under. The proceeds from the event will go to the American Legion Auxiliary’s Girls State program.
Music and contests will also be on the program. Tickets will be available at the door.
Salute to Veterans Program at Mariposa Gardens in Mesa
Mariposa Gardens Memorial Park, at 6747 E. Broadway Road in Mesa, is honoring military men and women at its Salute to Veterans Program, 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10.
The program includes military honors, music and an inspirational message. The program concludes with the release of white doves.
or volunteer in Tempe. Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 17.
For more information or to obtain a nomination form, visit tempe.gov/mlk or contact the Tempe Diversity Office at 480-350-8979.
QUEEN CREEK
Crismon Road extension
to open up route to Queen Creek
Construction of the Crismon Road extension, from Queen Creek Road north to Germann Road, has begun.
The extension will provide an additional north-south connector for motorists.
The project extends Crimson Road with one lane in each direction to Germann Road, with bike lanes and intersection improvements at Queen Creek and Germann roads.
A community blood drive will also take place that day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To schedule a blood donation, call 480-8304422 or go to bloodhero.com and enter the sponsor code “Mariposa Gardens.”
‘Share Your Story’ book drive focuses on military, veterans
Gilbert’s Postal Connections is seeking people to “Share Your Story” in a community-wide book donation drive.
Until Saturday, Nov. 11, Postal Connections is partnering with Operation Paperback to gather gently used paperback books to donate to active troops, veterans in need and VA hospitals in need.
Postal Connections, at 2473 S. Higley Road, is accepting gently-used paperbacks to ship overseas and to VA hospitals domestically.
EV tech startups struggle to secure capital; groups try to fill gap
BY SAMANTHA POULS Cronkite News
Spencer Thomason’s startup beat out 63 others at this year’s Venture Madness competition.
His pitch: “The internet has two big problems: porn and cat videos. You might be asking, ‘But what’s wrong with cat videos?’ Well, nothing per se, but cat videos represent the 44.5 hours per week on average that kids spend online.”
His Mesa-based company, Clean Router, provides parents a way to filter the internet content their kids see.
The pitch impressed the judges and Thomason walked away with the competition title and a $10,000 cash prize, but he wasn’t able to attract the potential $300,000 in funding from regional investors.
“As soon as I said the word ‘hardware,’ they ran,” Thomason said.
Thomason’s situation illustrates a problem all too common in the East Valley: the struggle technology startups face when trying to secure capital. Experts said although the East Valley’s reputation as a growing tech hub has flourished in recent years, funding these kinds of startups is a relatively new – and potentially risky – prospect for many investors.
Several organizations have stepped in to fill those gaps by hosting everything from competitions such as Invest Southwest’s, Venture Madness and billionaire Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest to networking and educational events, such as PHX Startup Week. One of the latest efforts brought together the East Valley Partnership, the city of Chandler and Arizona Tech Investors for October’s Angel Investor Initiative.
“Arizona has not had the same amount of capital as the other (areas), especially the Bay Area, Boston, San Diego, Seattle, so this initiative is an attempt to try and change that,” said John Lewis, president and CEO of the East Valley Partnership. Thomason said while there is a lot of talk about investing within the startup community in Arizona, few investors want to follow through.
Invest Southwest, a nonprofit that focuses on helping startups raise capital, partners with the Arizona Commerce
Authority to run the bracket-style Venture Madness competition. It promotes the competition as a way to gain experience and connect with potential mentors and investors.
“Invest Southwest is a great organization, and now we have great bragging rights and exposure,” Thomason said.
The competition also dangles a potential investment pool of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
However, Thomason said the organizers shouldn’t promote the potential investment dollars “when few of the investors actually have any intention of investing.”
“They gave us the opportunity to pitch to investors, but winning the competition didn’t guarantee that the investors would pick you,” he added. “They chose only a couple of pitches to go to, so not everyone got the chance.”
Nate Mortensen, the chair of Invest Southwest, said the competition is purely to get the word out about new companies. While private investors can provide
funding, they are not required to do so.
“Invest Southwest can’t control private dollars going into companies,” said Mortensen, principal at Tallwave Capital, a company that invests in businessto-business technology companies. “Two parties have to mutually agree on funding.”
Although Thomason did secure a few investors from the competition, they eventually pulled out. Thomason said that, ironically, the company is actually doing better without help from investors.
Yet state and local officials have tried hard to draw focus to the state’s tech opportunities.
Phoenix ranked sixth for tech cities competing with Silicon Valley, according to Entrepreneur Magazine. The magazine considered the city’s booming 1.5 million population, a one-year increase of 188 percent in technology job listings and a low median house selling price.
Michael Winer, an economic develop-
ment specialist with Chandler, said in places such as the Silicon Valley area, the concept of angel investing is commonplace, whereas it’s a foreign concept in the Valley.
“Out here, it’s more of a recent thing,” he said. “And a lot of people that are investing are doing so in real estate, so we’re trying to shift the mentality toward other avenues for investment, specifically tech startup companies.”
That’s one of the reasons why organizers started the Angel Investor Initiative. It’s open to individuals who possess a net worth of $1 million, or an annual income of $200,000 or a family income of $300,000, according to the guidelines.
Lewis said the group wants to identify, educate and activate potential investors: “There are individuals who have the materials to possess, but they know the real estate market, and this tech innovation market is a little new to them in terms of wanting to take money and invest in it.”
(Special to the Tribune)
Clean Router co-founder Spencer Thomason holds a router his company manufactures.
Home builders to merge; both have EV developments
Home builders Lennar Corp. and CalAtlantic Group are merging in a $9.3 billion deal.
The builders, which both have developments in the East Valley, will have a combined $17 billion in revenue.
Lennar has developed apartments in Tempe and midtown Phoenix. The firm has 27 housing developments total in the Phoenix market.
CalAtlantic has a new subdivision under construction in Gilbert at McQueen and Guadalupe roads. In all, it has 35 subdivisions and projects in the Phoenix region.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed by owner of Z’Tejas
Cornbread Ventures LP, the group that owns Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Phoenix on Oct. 30.
For more about LGE Design Build, visit LGEDesignBuild.com. For more about Fortis Development, visit FortisDev.com. For tenant inquiries, email Russell Posorske at rposorske@fortisdevelops.com.
Desert Cove Nursing Center names new executive director
Desert Cove Nursing Center, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Chandler, has named David Mahrt as its new executive director.
Mahrt most recently served as executive director at Big Sky Health Care Community in Helena, Montana.
Desert Cove Nursing Center, at 1750 W. Frye Road, is one of 10 skilled nursing and rehab facilities in Arizona operated or managed by Life Care Centers of America. Information, lcca.com.
Three Phoenix-area Z’Tejas restaurants and one in Texas closed suddenly last week. Locations in Chandler and Paradise Valley remain open, as does a restaurant in Austin.
Z’Tejas, which has been around for about 20 years, filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and sold to Austin-based Cornbread Ventures that same year.
Queen Creek welcomes beginning of new development
Queen Creek Fiesta, a mixed-use development project that will open new dining, fitness and retail options in the area, has broken ground.
The 47,500-square-foot property at 21545 S. Ellsworth Loop is anchored by Planet Fitness and developed by Cave Creek’s Fortis Development. Construction will continue until summer 2018, and several tenants are already lined up.
Western Dental names new clinical director for Arizona, Calif. Western Dental & Orthodontics has appointed Maher Arnouk as clinical director for Arizona and parts of California.
Western Dental has offices in Chandler and Mesa. Arnouk recently had served as vice president of clinical operations at West Coast Dental.
Information: westerndental.com or 1-800-6-DENTAL.
Senior living community to celebrate opening in Mesa
Mariposa Point of Mesa, the newest senior living community in the Valley, is celebrating its grand opening from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 16.
The community, built by Surpass Senior Living of Texas, is at 1248 S. Crismon Road, Mesa.
Attendees should RSVP by calling 480807-3883 no later than Nov. 9. For more information on Mariposa Point of Mesa, visit mariposapoint.com.
Honor and Remember: Join the East Valley Veterans Parade on Nov. 11
Special To The Tribune
Why do we hold parades? It’s simple, really. Parades are opportunities for communities to come together in a shared spirit of celebration, commemoration and unity.
The East Valley Veterans Parade has been celebrating the lives and sacrifices of veterans, active military and their families under one name or another for more than 50 years. Originally called the Mesa Veterans Parade, it is a tradition that began under the auspices of the city of Mesa. But in 2006, the parade fell victim to budget cuts. Residents Gerry Walker and Frank “Gunny” Alger sounded the call to keep the annual event marching through Mesa, even if it included only just the two of them.
The Marine Corps League (Saguaro Chapter) in Mesa took the lead and the Mesa Veterans Parade Association was formed as an all-volunteer organization. The parade was renamed in 2013 as the East Valley Veterans Parade to reflect the participation of parade entrants, sponsors and attendees from throughout the East Valley.
This year’s parade, which takes place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, in downtown Mesa is expected to be a spirited celebration at which citizens can gather to “Honor and Remember” all our area
residents who have served on their behalf. It’s a once-a-year chance to personally say, “Thank you. We appreciate your service. We haven’t forgotten your sacrifices.”
More than 2,000 people will march or ride in this year’s parade – in cars, military vehicles, floats, motorcycles and on horseback. They’ll play rousing music as part of area high school marching bands, with flags waving. They’ll sing. They’ll wave. There will be flyovers and somber tributes to those fallen in service.
And there will be red, white and blue splashed everywhere, reminding all of us of our shared identity as Americans. And some will shed a few tears, as they proudly salute 40,000-plus spectators, who are as important as the parade entries themselves. After all, what is a parade without spectators?
The East Valley Veterans Parade will be held on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and starts at 11 a.m. in commemoration of Armistice Day, the day World War I ended. It will last approximately 90 minutes.
The parade route starts on Center Street and University Drive in Mesa and runs south on Center Street to First Street. It then turns west onto First Street and continues to Robson. Any location along the route offers great viewing. Bleachers
(Special to the Tribune)
For more than 50 years, East Valley families, organizations and businesses have come together as a community to honor and remember veterans and active military and their families with a parade.
Answering the call: Spotlight on two parade participants
Special To The Tribune
The East Valley Veterans Parade is a unique opportunity for communities to come together to honor and remember the service and sacrifices of veterans and members of the active military and their families. Each year, more than 2,000 parade participants march, play, drive and/or ride in tribute to past and present service members.
The Jones Family, for example, joined the parade beginning in 2013 to honor their dad, Maurice, who says of his military service, “I fought for my family’s future.” His children were taught, by his words and actions, to be patriotic and to serve in their neighborhoods, schools, community and country.
“We have been taught the importance of honoring and remembering the service of our country’s military and its veterans,” says his son, Kyle, a former Mesa city councilman and vice mayor. Two of Maurice’s grandsons also have served in the military. At age 90, Maurice plans to ride with his wife and extended family one more time in this year’s parade. Maurice served as a fireman in the
Navy during World War II and as a Far East Command Master Sergeant in the Korean War. One day in Korea, with his platoon on a snowy mountain ridge, two of his men were hit by heavy enemy machine gun fire. Maurice crawled down the snowy hillside twice to pull each soldier
over the hill to safety while under fire. His commander saw the whole thing from another ridge and recommended Maurice for the Bronze Star for Valor, which he was awarded.
The family’s parade entry has always consisted of a five-ton military transport
truck and a pickup pulling a 30-foot open trailer, all decorated in patriotic trappings. Dozens of family members ride in the vehicles while singing their theme song, “This Is Worth Fighting For,” through a public-address system. Some members have noted, “it is rewarding to see all the spectators on the streets who show a deep respect for the American flag and those veterans who served our country, including our father, as we perform in the parade.”
“Our father has very deep feelings of patriotism that began when he joined the Navy right out of high school in WWII. When he was called back to duty to serve in Korea in the Army, his experiences in the front lines of battle solidified his love for freedom,” Kyle said. “His posterity has no doubt that our father and grandfather truly did and still does believe this is worth fighting for.”
A parade entry that has participated since 2012 is the Official Arizona Centennial Legacy Buffalo Soldiers of the Arizona Territory – Ladies and Gentlemen of the Regiment, Headquarters Mesa, Arizona
(Special to the Tribune)
The Buffalo Soldiers of the Arizona Territory – Ladies and Gentlemen of the Regiment keep history alive by appearing in the parade in authentic uniforms and period clothing.
(Buffalo Soldiers). This organization is dedicated to keeping history alive by educating people on the significant contributions of these proud soldiers of color who served from 1866-1902. Members dress in authentic uniforms and period clothing. The organization was awarded the Official State Proclamation “Buffalo Soldiers Day,” on June 19, 2009, and was inducted
into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame in 2016.
As part of the East Valley Veterans Parade, their entry features a Buffalo Soldiers wagon as a float, with marchers and equestrian horsemen.
“I join the parade each year because it provides an opportunity for me to pay respect to the veterans that served before me,” Maj. Stanley Sebastian said.
Founders Cmdr. Fred Marable and Deputy Cmdr. Michelle London-Marable say “parades like this are important to recognize the contributions of veterans from all eras. We participate because this provides an opportunity for us to keep history alive by representing a group that rarely gets recognized for their contributions to the nation.”
Special flag featured to honor and remember sacrifice
Special To The Tribune
TThe flag was developed by the Honor and Remember organization dedicated to perpetually recognizing the sacrifice of America’s military fallen service members and their families. For more information, visit honorandremember. org.
(Special to the Tribune)
Members of the Maurice “Maury” Jones family appear in the East Valley Veterans Parade to honor the service of this Bronze Star for Valor recipient.
are located on the west side of Center Street on Second Street, across from the Mesa Convention Center entrance, and on First Street at Macdonald on the south side of the street across from the grandstand. Attendance is free.
The East Valley Veterans Parade is sup-
ported by the East Valley Tribune, Downtown Mesa Association, 960 The Patriot, Signarama Chandler, Mesa Community College, Albertsons-Safeway, SRP, Mesa Hohokams, Visit Mesa, Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services, Berge Ford, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Boeing, Gateway Bank and the Berg Family.
For more parade information, visit evvp.org.
Maj. Gen. Rataczak named 2017 Parade grand marshal
Special
To The Tribune
The East Valley Veterans Parade is proud to have Maj. Gen. David P. Rataczak as the 2017 Parade grand marshal. With more than 43 years of distinguished service with the U.S. Army culminating as the Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard, Gen. Rataczak holds a proud military record that includes:
• More than nine years as the adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard and director of the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, a state department with over 8,000 military and emergency management professionals.
• Combat service in Vietnam in 1966, when he flew more than 900 combat hours in attack helicopters.
• The deployment of more than 5,000 soldiers and airmen from the Arizona National Guard for Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
• Commander during the largest military operation conducted in Arizona, Operation Jump Start (the border mission) where more than 17,000 soldiers and airmen from 52 states and territories
deployed to Arizona to support the U.S. Border Patrol.
• President of the Adjutant General’s Association, 2002-2004.
“Gen. Rataczak has served our nation and the Arizona National Guard with tremendous distinction, and I am sad to see him go,” said then-Gov. Janet Napolitano at his retirement. “He commanded our National Guard during a time of growth and extreme challenge, and he has always performed very admirably. We could not have asked for a better adjutant general.”
The Arizona National Guard experienced tremendous growth and prosperity under Gen. Rataczak’s leadership, at a time when most organizations were experiencing downsizing. The Arizona Army National Guard grew more than 60 percent in size during his tenure, while the Arizona Air National Guard was awarded the coveted Predator and Space Missions. Both organizations have secured missions and infrastructure that will ensure the viability of the Arizona National Guard for generations to come.
During the signature event of this generation, Sept. 11, 2001, Gen. Rataczak
was in the Pentagon when it was attacked. He fortunately was uninjured, but the events of that day would be at the center of the rest of his military career and would shape the future of the Arizona National Guard.
His major awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Air Medal (with 37 Oak Leaf Clusters), Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Master Army Aviator Badge, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation and Arizona Medal of Valor.
(Special to the Tribune)
Maj. Gen. David P. Rataczak has more than 43 years of distinguished service with the U.S. Army culminating as the Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard.
(Special to the Tribune)
Years ago, these World War I veterans marched in the parade.
(Special to the Tribune)
U.S. Army biplanes conduct a flyover of the parade.
Nobody comes off looking good in this profane Twitter
BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist
Of all forms of government, all of which I dislike, my favorite form is county government. That’s because county government basically works likes your colon. You never notice it until it’s a problem. Case in point: Our new county recorder, a guy named Adrian Fontes, a Democrat who replaced the old county recorder, Republican Helen Purcell, whom voters fired after 28 years because they didn’t like waiting in line last year on Election Day. Fontes made sure lines wouldn’t be a problem this year by switching to by-mailonly balloting for the Nov. 7 local elections. This process and the ballot itself apparently confused a state House candidate from Goodyear, Democrat Nathan Schneider. Schneider complained on Facebook that he had a tough time finding the date
of the election marked clearly. He asked his mom to read the ballot, and she, too, had a tough time finding the date. When Schneider vented on Facebook, along came Fontes. A social media tiff ensued, with Fontes, who likes to jaw about being a Marine and working as a criminal defense lawyer, acting the tough guy.
“How about you go F-yourself,” Fontes wrote. “If you can’t handle a little social media heat, then don’t criticize. By the way, is your Mom also running your campaign? She seems to solve all your problems.”
For the record, I’m gravely disappointed in Fontes, who is paid $76,600 annually as a public servant. First of all, if you’re going to go all Buster Badass on social media and drop the f-word, man, the least you could do is spell it out instead of abbreviating. And picking on a guy’s mom? In a nation where a vice president, Aaron Burr, literally shot dead the former secretary of the Treasury in a duel – with pistols and every-
thing! – Recorder Fontes is proof that our politics has regressed a long way since the era of Alexander Hamilton.
Personally, I might’ve gone in a different direction were I Fontes, who on Wednesday offered a Facebook Live soliloquy to apologize for being mean on Tuesday. I might have suggested that if a candidate for public office can’t find the date of an election literally written on a piece of paper he is holding, perhaps serving in the Arizona Legislature isn’t such a good idea for that individual. I know lobbyists actually read and write the bills and tell legislators what to do, but functional literacy still seems like a good idea if you’re serving down at the state House.
In a similar vein, Schneider’s whiny complaint and his “mommy test” of the ballot underscore for me the real problem with our elections: As voters, we don’t pay attention to anything that isn’t right in front of us highlighted in bold print or headline-size capital letters – much
This Veterans Day, help us honor those who have served our country
BY JAY TIBSHRAENY Tribune Guest Writer
It’s already been a busy autumn, and there’s plenty left for Chandler residents to stay busy.
Last fall, we successfully combined three popular events to bring a day of fun and interesting information to Chandler families through the Mayor’s Safety and Veterans Expo (SAVE). This year’s event will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Nov. 11. It will be held at Veterans Oasis Park, at the northeast corner of Chandler Heights and Lindsay roads. And, because that is Veterans Day, we will hold a very special ceremony at 11:11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial just outside the park to honor those who have served our country so selflessly. The SAVE Expo is a free event for the entire family. Participants can learn about
personal and property safety, fire and crime prevention methods and a host of do-it-yourself project tips from various city departments. Veterans can meet with a host of organizations providing education and benefits. Public safety vehicles will also be on display, and several food trucks will be on site selling a variety of culinary delights.
At 11:11 a.m., we will hold a ceremony that will include several veterans’ groups, our Police Department Honor Guard and our Fire, Health and Medical Department’s Pipe and Drum Team. It should be a very special event, and I encourage you to attend.
Protecting this country through military service is an honorable duty. Many have taken that responsibility to heights most of us could not imagine. I look forward to honoring them all on Nov. 11.
For more information on the SAVE event, visit chandleraz.gov/connect.
A couple of other events in November have become time-honored traditions with our residents. After the SAVE event, stop by Tumbleweed Park for this year’s Chuck Wagon Cook-Off. It will be Day 2 of the event and it wraps up at 4 p.m. For details on the 8th annual Cook-Off, visit Chandlermuseum.org for all the details.
WoofStock celebrates its 10th anniversary on Nov. 18 at Tumbleweed Park. The family- and pet-friendly free event runs from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and includes demos, food and merchant vendors and nonprofit organizations that concentrate on the welfare of animals. Donations will also be accepted to help displaced animals from Hurricane Irma after it battered the Florida coast.
So, mark your calendars and join us as we celebrate all things Chandler.
– Jay Tibshraeny is mayor of Chandler.
less any issues. Frankly, if you’re walking through life blissfully unaware that there’s an election in which you have the civic responsibility to exercise your franchise, then by all means do the rest of us a favor and sit this one out. I know life is supercomplicated, but if you can’t handle putting your ballot in a mailbox, again, maybe this whole voting thing isn’t for you? As for people who “don’t trust the mail” and prefer to drop off their ballot in person, I’d like to meet those folks and ask them if they also drop off their IRS payments, monthly mortgage checks and the power, cable and phone bills.
I don’t trust the mail either, mostly because it’s operated by bureaucrats like Adrian Fontes. Those people have been f’ing us for years. Usually they just don’t bother to tell us to our faces.
– David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@leibowitzsolo.com.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Of prisoners and seniors
With regard to the letter “Prisoners better off than seniors” in the Oct. 22 edition: a couple of things.
I would suggest the writer become a prisoner for, say, two weeks. Then, after release, ask if the opinion of “happy, normal” still fits. The abuse among prisoners is the subject of quite a few reports, so I will not detail that here.
If he has a mental health condition, allow that writer to go through that process as well. Wait, forget that because it would extend his stay, nominally to six weeks or more.
The jails and prisons have been turned into the mental health institutions for Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler all the other municipalities of the East Valley, the county, the state and the country. Locally, Gilbert has no funding to treat those with mental illness, so when they are jailed for a misdemeanor, they are held until their court date, then released back onto the streets. This sets the stage for a repetition of the cycle, over and over until disaster strikes, either in the individual hurting someone else in the community, or increasing severity of the individual’s problems. Once again money, or lack of it and associated priorities of the legislatures, aid
LETTERS
and abet a never-ending cycle of destruction of individuals.
Gilbert is probably not the only municipality with this decision. Sometimes, the court may order an individual into treatment, but it is usually a two-week stay. That does nothing for a severely mentally-ill person. After a couple of those cycles, that person is astute enough to know just what to say and how act to make their stay there as pleasant as possible for then. Then, when released, they return to their earlier behavior. So, the cycle continues. If anything is to change, the public needs to insist their legislatures, at all levels, make the necessary changes.
– Mike Gallagher – Gilbert
Letter got it right
Hurrah, many hurrahs, to James Fetterman (“Prisoners better off than seniors,” Oct. 22). He is absolutely right!
We seniors worked all these years – more than 42 – and what do we get for it? Just pay, for everything we need, with no help from anyone. All we get are increases in the cost of everything –all insurances, house, car and medical.
Also, food – butter was $1.79 last year, now $3.49. When we moved here, English muffins were 50 cents, now $1.99 on sale.
We don’t go out to eat. We don’t go to the shows. We go to the grocery store. We go to the doctor’s.
That is my life!!
Letter got it wrong
– Sue Martin – Mesa
I am writing in response to the letter from James Fetterman in the East Valley Tribune (“Prisoners better off than seniors,” Oct. 22). I could tell by his comments that he has never spent a day in prison, nor has he talked to anyone who has. I spent 10 years in an Arizona prison and would like to refute his claims.
Medical care in prison is NOT free. Each visit to the medical unit costs $4. At an average wage of 20 cents an hour in yards where 50 percent unemployment is prevalent, a medical visit IS expensive, often the price of an entire two-week paycheck. Compared to a minimum-wage worker, that equals approximately $210 per doctors visit.
Three square meals? Mr. Fetterman has never eaten prison food. It is mainly carbohydrates, and we did not get fresh fruit and veggies. Housing is free – at a cost. Are seniors living in two-man cells or in cramped dorms with 60 double-bunked men with 30 square feet of personal living space, and only five toilets, sinks and showers to accommodate all of them?
TV is not free! A 13-inch flat-screen TV costs $235. Compared to a minimum-wage worker, that TV would cost $12,337.50.
Gym? Mr. Fetterman is making opinions based on what he has seen in a movie. Our gym consisted of a small asphalt track with 10 benches and pull-up bars, a basketball court and a dirt
volleyball court used by 1,280 inmates.
Library? Since when did seniors have to pay to use the library? Arizona inmates have very limited choices of reading material that is heavily censored. We had no access to the internet or email, no DVDs to check out. Not only did we have to make an appointment to go to the library, we also had a very limited amount of time to find a book.
Game room? There are no “game rooms” in prison. We had three small tables in the dorm where we could play games like dominoes and Scrabble or cards. Twelve seats for 64 inmates.
But, yes, I agree that the inmate did break the law and is being punished. I did. I was. And I deserved it. But when I started having severe tremors, balance issues (with frequent falls), speech difficulties and severely cramped hands and feet, I was given a wheelchair and told I was faking symptoms for attention. It took six years of constant complaining and filing grievances before I was seen by an outside neurologist and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Thank heavens the medication is inexpensive.
In the last 10 years I was incarcerated, I had at least 10 friends who died from completely treatable illnesses that were ignored repeatedly.
Last, but not least, inmates do NOT live a happy, no-wants life. They live a life of stress, constantly watching behind their backs for someone who wants to hurt them. They are not happy that they are separated from their families. We miss birthdays, births, weddings, funerals and children’s milestones. Each day is spent trying to ignore the feelings of remorse, guilt, inadequacy, loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress. Mr. Fetterman has no idea what prison is like. I sincerely hope that he never has to.
Next time, Mr. Fetterman, before you decide to complain about something about which you have no clue, do your homework.
– B. Platt – Chandler
Florida lawmaker is wrong
To paraphrase an old quote, “If Donald Trump were to walk on water, Rep. Frederica Wilson (DFlorida) would call a press conference to criticize him for not being able to swim.”
It is appalling enough that she has made a public spectacle of such a personal matter – the president calling bereaved parents of a soldier who died in action to offer his condolences –but she is also wrong to assume that his mentioning that Sgt. La David Johnson knew the risks of serving his country was “insensitive.”
It’s also sad that Sgt. Johnson’s mother and father fell into her race-baiting agenda.
Not since the end of the Vietnam War has this country depended on the draft for its military personnel needs. That Sgt. Johnson was one of the millions who have served, and protected, voluntarily the freedoms that Wilson seems to take so lightly is relevant and, indeed, makes his sacrifice that much more heroic.
We should stand in awe of those warriors instead of making them pawns in the nasty politics and divisive rhetoric. Wilson should apologize to the Johnsons and the president.
Sports & Recreation
East Valley sports community rallies in tragedy
BY GREG MACAFEE Tribune Sports Editor
Sports often have a strange way of uniting friends, families and even complete strangers. Athletics can often take it one step further and unite entire communities together in moments of need.
It has happened multiple times on a national level this year. When Houston, Puerto Rico and Florida were stuck by hurricanes, surrounding states, community members, celebrities and athletes did everything they could to show their support. Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was one of the biggest faces showing his support by raising over $37 million to aid in Houston’s recovery.
Tragedy also has stricken the Phoenix area multiple times this high school sports season, and every time, communities have respond with tremendous amounts of support.
First, Alex Edjourian, a Perry studentathlete, and his family lost their home and
all their belongings in a tragic house fire at the beginning of September. After a Facebook post from the Perry High School Touchdown Club, the response to help the entire Edjourian family in their time of need was outstanding.
Donations started piling in, but the support didn’t just come from the Perry community. Surrounding schools and fellow football boosters’ program, pitched
in. Hamilton, Chandler, Campo Verde, Williams Field and many others helped the Perry family.
“People from all over were willing to help,” Perry varsity football coordinator Becky James said. “Especially people involved in football programs at other schools such as Campo Verde, Williams Field, and even schools way up north, who either saw it on social media or heard about it from their kids.
“We had Arizona College Prep reach out and send a $200 check just because it was a family in the Chandler school district. Families sent individual donations from other surrounding schools as well. Their GoFundMe account raised $6,000.”
This was just the first time that the Arizona football community would bond together over a tragic event.
The death of Perry junior varsity football player Brayden Mason, brought together this special community once again.
The Chandler Wolves gifted memory towels to the Pumas that displayed both Brayden’s name and his number 40.
“The outpouring of love, concern and donations that were received for the Mason family was even more than what we saw with the Edjourians, and this was significant considering the two tragedies happened so close together and both with kids from the same JV team,” James said.
“So many surrounding schools sent their love and support in the way of personal messages, doing their own collections from their football communities and presenting cards and donations to the family.”
After the Perry JV team beat the Chandler JV team, both teams joined on Austin
Community college freshman representing U.S. in gymnastics
BY GREG MACAFEE Tribune Sports Editor
AChandler-Gilbert Community College freshman has qualified to represent the United States in the Trampoline & Tumbling World Championships in Bulgaria, starting Nov. 9.
“They announced who made the team and that whole experience is super-nerveracking but also exciting at the same time,” Matthew Hawkins said. “Just waiting for them to call your name.”
Hawkins recently traveled to Texas to compete in the T & T World Team Selection Competition, where he was ultimately chosen to compete in the double-mini event. The double-mini is a gymnastics event that is a mix of the vault and the trampoline.
“You run full speed at a stationary object and then he has to hit that, do three flips, land on his feet and then do three more and land in a little tiny box on the mat,” said Chelsea Rainer, Hawkins’ gymnastics coach said.
This isn’t the first time Hawkins has had the opportunity to represent his country. In 2015, he traveled with Team USA to Denmark and competed on the junior level. This year, he will compete at the senior level.
Rainer said during competitions, gymnasts must complete four passes and can’t
have any of the same skills more than once – meaning they must use eight different skills throughout the competition.
If Hawkins does well enough in the preliminaries, he will have a chance to compete for a medal as a part of the doublemini team, which chooses three of the four competitors.
This is something that he has always trained for both physically and mentally by completing pressure passes during training to develop consistency for the big competition.
“For example, you have to make three of your competition passes in a row and for every pass you miss, you add another,” Rainer said.
“Those passes take 100 percent of their effort, they take so much effort mentally and physically to complete those passes, they are the hardest things they can physically do. So, when they get to that third one it’s like that do-or-die situation and you don’t want to do another. So, it’s like that competition environment, where you have one chance to hit it.”
Hawkins has been involved with gymnastics for about 11 years, having started when he was just 7 years old.
He said his mom signed him up for a class at a local recreation center with her friend’s son. His talents soon developed and he moved to the artistic team before eventually making the jump to trampoline and tumbling.
“I switched over to the trampoline and tumbling because I was better at the flipping aspect than the technical,” Hawkins said.
His talents have shined in the last few years.
Since the double-mini isn’t an Olympic-sanctioned event, the world championships are the highest level that he can compete at. But just making the USA team was a big accomplishment for the Mountain Pointe High School alumnus.
“For Team USA, who are arguably one of the best teams in double-mini,” Rainer said. “Making that team is a huge part of
(Becky James/Special to the Tribune)
Teammates display Brayden Mason’s uniform during a candlelight vigil.
(Special to SanTan Sun News)
Chandler-Gilbert Community College freshman Matthew Hawkins is Bulgaria bound.
TRAGEDY
Field at Chandler High School for a candlelight vigil to honor Mason’s memory. Perry varsity football head coach Preston Jones called the moment “indescribable.”
“There couldn’t have been a better way to celebrate a life with a bunch of teenage boys. It was a very special time. Emotions were crazy because it was after a game and a big win, but also after a big loss” Jones said.
“I guess words can’t really describe it, but if there was a perfect way to do something, it sure felt like it that night.”
Recently, it was the death of Moon Valley football player Carlos Sanchez that united the Phoenix football community during the final week of the regular football season. Sanchez, 16, a junior linebacker, suddenly fell to the ground during Moon Valley’s Oct. 20 game against Cactus.
Sanchez was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead days later. Last week, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office announced that “bluntforce trauma” was the cause of death.
The junior was honored in Moon Valley’s regular season finale in more ways than one. There was a 33-second moment
of silence, a tackle was credited to Sanchez on the first play of the game, and Moon Valley’s captains carried his jersey onto the field for the coin toss.
The support for a player Moon Valley football coach Seth Millican described as having a “200-pound heart stuffed into a 170-pound body” still hasn’t ceased. A GoFundMe account, set up by the Moon Valley boosters in the name of the Sanchez family, collected donations that will go toward medical bills, funeral costs and more. As of Thursday morning, the total had reached close to $35,000 of a $50,000 goal. The GoFundMe account received donations, from groups, businesses, individuals and several high school athletic teams throughout the Valley donated as well.
And other members of the high school football community wanted to rise to the occasion as well. With a history of organizing charity events that have benefitted different causes, Sports360AZ Lead Photographer Andy Silvas decided to raffle off a two-hour photo session, which usually costs around $275. So, he reached out to the Higley High School football program and put the fundraiser in motion for its regular season finale.
“I hadn’t done anything in a while and I saw that someone was donating their en-
try fees,” Silvas said. “So, I thought what if I donated a photo session. They said, ‘We’re in; whatever we need to do.’”
During just one game, the raffle raised around $600, and the funds were donated to the Sanchez family earlier this week. Forty-five miles separate Higley and Moon Valley, and even though Silvas never knew Sanchez personally, helping his family was about something more.
“It’s a family. It’s high school football,” Silvas said. “It’s not as big as Texas or as Florida, but you know what, they have their rivalries, but at the end of the game everybody shakes hands and says, ‘Good game.’ It’s a tight-knit family.”
While these are just three examples of how sports can bring entire communities together, they are significant examples. They show no matter the team, no matter the colors donned or the rivalries played, when someone needs it most, sports have a strange way of uniting people.
“Football has done that,” James said. “Football is competitive, but is also about discipline, respect, and doing the right thing and that definitely has shown this season.”
the battle, just getting there is almost as hard as what you have to do once you’re there.”
In Denmark, Team USA took third in the double-mini at the senior level and Austin White took first in the individual double-mini.
And in 2013, when the world championships were held in Bulgaria, both the women’s and men’s double-mini teams took first.
Hawkins is hoping to add to that storied legacy over the next couple of years, as he said he has hopes of walking away with a medal over the next few years.
To accomplish those goals, Hawkins has made numerous sacrifices over the years, including 20 or so hours of training every week along with an hour drive to and from the gym in North Phoenix.
Along with the training and all the traveling that is associated with competing, Hawkins is an engineering major at Chandler Gilbert Community College. But Hawkins says it’s worth it.
“It’s wonderful. It’s pretty much turned me into who I am today,” Hawkins said. “It’s been a big part of my life.”
Christian group plans shoebox-gift project in the East Valley
While some people already are counting the days to Christmas, a group of East Valley families are counting the days to Operation Christmas Child.
They are part of the annual national project by the nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse, which aims to send decorated plastic shoeboxes filled with toys and necessities to thousands of needy children around the world. The group’s national collection week is Nov. 13-20.
“We are motivated by not only the needs of the children internationally but also the impact on individuals packing boxes,” said regional coordinator Robin Earle of Chandler, echoing the project’s theme of “reaching children and families on both sides of the box.”
Samaritan’s Purse has distributed shoebox gifts to children in over 130 countries since 1993, and more than 12 million received one last year. Earle noted that boxes packed by Arizonans last year were delivered to kids in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Ukraine
The idea behind the project is simple: Pack a shoebox with school supplies, toiletries and small toys. Prohibited items include toothpaste, candy, liquids, perishable food and war-related toys.
The containers can be pre-decorated
SUNDAY, NOV. 5
CELEBRATE VETERANS
Attention, all veterans: Valor Christian Center wants to celebrate you. The color guard, Gilbert’s mayor and city officials want to honor you on that day. If you can still get into your uniform, wear it!
DETAILS>> 10 a.m., 3015 E. Warner Road, Gilbert, between Greenfield and Higley. Information: 480-5454321, valorcc.com
WED-SAT, NOV. 8-11
HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE
gifts to children in over 130 countries since 1993.
photo-storage boxes or plastic or conventional shoeboxes with tops and bottoms gift-wrapped separately so they can be checked before they are shipped. Donors also are asked to donate $9 per box to defray shipping costs.
Two separate teams are covering the East Valley.
The Southeast Valley Team covers Apache Junction, Gilbert, Globe, Mesa,
The Hope’s Treasures Holiday Boutique returns this year with quality handcrafted goods at Hope Covenant Church. The boutique features holiday and home décor, decorations, gifts for kids and adults, stocking stuffers, jewelry, handcrafted apparel, comfort items and more. Shoppers are invited to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank. DETAILS >> Wednesday 4 to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1770 S. Dobson Road, Chandler. For more information, go to hopechurchchandler.com or contact Cathy Kalin at cathykalin@gmail.com or 480-229-5393.
WED-TUES, NOV. 8-14
SACRED RELICS EXHIBIT
The Shrine of Holy Wisdom will host an exhibit of 100 sacred relics of Christian saints of the 20th century from the private collection of the Most Rev. Jorge Rodriguez Eagar. DETAILS>> 5025 S. Ash Ave., Suite B-15, Tempe. Information and hours of viewing: 480-219-9633 or theshrineofholywisdom.org.
FRI-SUN, DEC. 15-17
‘WALK THROUGH BETHLEHEM’
First Baptist Church Chandler is featuring its annual live nativity event. Crafts, hot chocolate and hot cider will be free, and food trucks and a photo booth will be available. A brass band and carolers will perform. A walk will end at the manger of Jesus. DETAILS>> 6-9 p.m., 3405 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Admission is free. Information: fbc.net or 480-963-3439.
Queen Creek and San Tan Valley.
Its new central drop-off location is Harvest East Valley, 1120 S. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. It will be open 3-7 p.m. Nov. 13-17, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 18, 1-4 p.m. Nov. 19 and 1-7 p.m. Nov. 20.
Other drop-off locations can be found by entering a ZIP code at samaritanspurse.org/occ.
Earle coordinates the South Mountain
SUNDAYS
SPIRITUAL CENTER
The Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center offers New Thought, ACIM, Ancient Wisdom and Interfaith teachings, with uplifting music and positive messages. Ongoing classes include Qigong, A Course In Miracles, Pranic Healing, Kirtan, Drum Circle and many others.
DETAILS>> 10:30-11:45 a.m., 952 E. Baseline Road, Suite 102. Information, 480- 593-8798 or interfaithcommunity.org.
HEBREW SCHOOL
Registration has opened for Chabad Hebrew School at the Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life. Classes will teach children ages 5-13 about Jewish heritage, culture and holidays.
DETAILS>> Classes will be held 9:30 a.m.-noon at 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. To tour the facility or register, call 480-855-4333 or e-mail info@chabadcenter.com.
VALOR CHRISTIAN OUTLINES MISSION
Valor Christian Center in Gilbert offers “great praise and worship and great messages for today’s living,”
Team, which covers Ahwatukee, Chandler and Tempe.
Its new central drop-off is Chandler First Baptist Church, 3405 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. It will be open daily noon-5 p.m. Nov. 13-19 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 20.
Earle said her family has been part of Operation Christmas Child for 24 years.
“Our family started packing boxes when the kids were preschoolers and now they’re getting married,” she said. “How time flies!”
Three years ago, she participated in a shoebox distribution in the Philippines, where pastors invited children from their communities to receive gifts.
The country had been hit with a typhoon and a powerful earthquake.
“People were literally walking on rubble and were so grateful for our gifts of love,” Earle said.
Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world.
Since 1970, it has helped victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease and famine and bases its name on the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan. It describes itself as an organization that “serves the church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
according to Associate Pastor Thor Strandholt. “Our mission is to evangelize, heal and disciple through the word of God.”
DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Thursdays. 3015 E. Warner Road. Information: valorcc.com.
NEW CHURCH IN MESA
The Rev. Albert Bolden leads the Lawrence Memorial A.M.E.Z. Church in Mesa.
DETAILS>> Sunday school at 9 a.m., worship at 10 a.m., 931 E. Southern Ave., Suite 108. Information: 480393-3001, tlmchurch.info@gmail.com.
SUNDAY CELEBRATION SERVICE
Inspirational messages and music to lift your spirit. A welcoming community committed to living from the heart. Many classes and events offered. We welcome you!
DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-7921800, unityoftempe.com.
(Tribune file photo)
Operation Christmas Child regional coordinator Robin Earle, of Chandler, briefs a group of volunteers before they pack shoeboxes. Through the program, Samaritan’s Purse has distributed shoebox
CALENDAR
KIDS CAN LEARN JEWISH LIFE
Children can learn and experience Jewish life. Chabad Hebrew School focuses on Jewish heritage, culture and holidays.
DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m. to noon, for children ages 5-13 at Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@ chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.
MONDAYS
EXPLORING NINE PHASES QIGONG
ship and walk through the word of God with depth.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Tuesdays, 3015 E. Warner Road between Greenfield and Higley. Free. Information: 480545-4321, valorcc.com.
MESA BIBLE STUDY
The Lawrence Memorial A.M.E.Z. Church conducts Bible study on Tuesdays.
DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., 931 E. Southern Ave., Suite 108. Information: 480-393-3001, tlmchurch.info@gmail.com.
CELEBRATE RECOVERY
Mesa Market Place Swap
E Baseline Rd | Mesa, AZ 85209 Friday, Saturday & Sunday 7:00 am – 4:00 pm Leave a print on someone’s heart this holiday season. We have beautiful fingerprint jewelry. Come see Hilary in D-43 to have your fingerprints taken and select from a wide range of items. Also, we have photo charms available. 7900 E Main Street | Mesa, AZ 85207
Exploring the 3 Treasures – Jing, Qi, Shen – which are the theoretical foundation of traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy and the amazing practices of Qigong and Tai Chi. Drop-in sessions for $15. Appropriate for beginners and Qigong practitioners.
DETAILS>> 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Interfaith CommUNITY
Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information, 480- 593-8798 or interfaith-community.org.
PROSPERITY RECIPES AT UNITY
Internationally known speaker and author, Maureen G. Mulvaney brings back her Prosperity Recipes class series to Unity of Tempe on Monday evenings. Cost: $10 per session
DETAILS>> 6:15-8:15 p.m., Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-792-1800, unityoftempe.com.
KIDS CAN LEARN JEWISH LIFE
Children can learn and experience Jewish life. Chabad Hebrew School focuses on Jewish heritage, culture and holidays.
DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m. to noon, for children ages 5-13 at Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@ chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.
MONDAYS
EXPLORING NINE PHASES QIGONG
Exploring the 3 Treasures – Jing, Qi, Shen – which are the theoretical foundation of traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy and the amazing practices of Qigong and Tai Chi. Drop-in sessions for $15. Appropriate for beginners and Qigong practitioners.
DETAILS>> 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information, 480- 593-8798 or interfaith-community.org.
PROSPERITY RECIPES AT UNITY
Internationally known speaker and author, Maureen G. Mulvaney brings back her Prosperity Recipes class series to Unity of Tempe on Monday evenings. Cost: $10 per session
DETAILS>> 6:15-8:15 p.m., Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-792-1800, unityoftempe.com.
CHURCH PRAYER CALL
The Lawrence Memorial A.M.E.Z. Church in Mesa has a prayer call every Monday.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., 1-712-775-7085. PIN 162106#.
TUESDAYS
‘LIVING A COURSE IN MIRACLES’
Join Rev. Julianne and Mike Hay to share Jon Mundy’s, “Living A Course In Miracles” (An Essential Guide To The Classic Text). Suggested love offering $10. DETAILS>> 7-8 p.m., Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information, 480- 593-8798 or interfaith-community.org.
WOMEN OF INFLUENCE BIBLE STUDY
Join Valor Christian Center in Gilbert for great fellow-
Celebrate Recovery is a Biblical program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. Through teaching, worship, and sharing in small groups, you will find genuine people devoted to help discover the power of Christ through the recovery process.
DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., Central Christian Church, 933 N. Lindsay Road, Mesa. Information: Eric at 480-924-4946.
GRIEFSHARE
Mountain Park Community Church is offering an ongoing GriefShare programs to help people deal with the pain of losing a loved one.
DETAILS>> 6:30-8 p.m., 2408 E. Pecos Road, Ahwatukee. To register: mountainpark.org and click on Launch. Information: Alex at 480-759-6200
FINDING HEALING FOR PAIN
HOPE, an acronym for “Help Overcome Painful Experiences,” offers support for men and women who seek God’s grace and healing.
DETAILS>> 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. mountainpark.org.
UNITY YOGA AT UNITY OF TEMPE
Center in Mind, Body & Spirit at our weekly Unity Yoga classes with Mary Jo “MJ” Kuzmick. Bring your own mat (2 blankets & blocks, if you have them). Suggested love offering: $8 a class.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m., Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-792-1800, unityoftempe.com.
WEDNESDAYS
‘A COURSE IN MIRACLES’
Join a study and discussion group with Rev. Julianne Lewis. Suggested love offering $10. DETAILS>> Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information, 480- 593-8798 or interfaith-community.org.
CELEBRATE RECOVERY MEETS
Celebrate Recovery says it “brings your relationship with the Lord closer to your heart as it heals your hurts, habits and hang-ups.” Participants can discuss issues ranging from feeling left out to addictions. “Nothing is too small or too large.”
DETAILS>> 6:20 p.m. at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee, Preschool, Room 6. mvlutheran.org/celebraterecovery or email cr@ alphamvlc.com.
MEDITATION ON TWIN HEARTS
“Every day you take a shower. Practicing Twin Hearts Meditation is like taking a spiritual shower. When your aura is clean you experience a higher level of awareness. When your aura is clean you see through things more clearly. Even good luck increases.”
DETAILS>> 7:30-9:30 p.m., Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-7921800, unityoftempe.com.
Gilbert siblings preparing to shine at Mesa Music Fest
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GET OUT Editor
When Sophie Dorsten saw her brother, Alex, play guitar with his band Vintage Wednesday, she was hooked.
“I wanted to play music,” she said. “I was only in choir at school, but I started singing on my own – and I picked up the guitar.”
In six years, the 15-year-old Gilbert singer-songwriter has performed at Valley venues like the Queen Creek Olive Mill, Marquee Theatre and the now-shuttered Alice Cooper’stown. She’ll return to the free Mesa Music Festival in mid-November. For a complete schedule, visit mesamusicfest. com/schedule.
“It was really cool walking around and seeing all these different people performing, and all the art everywhere,” said Sophie, a Gilbert Christian High School sophomore, about her previous appearance.
Citing Adele as her biggest influence, Sophie recently released the single “Beauty of the Heart,” a song she found easy to write.
“I mostly write songs that are about myself. Some are about other people,” she said. “They’re mostly poetic.”
IF YOU GO
What: Mesa Music Festival
Where: Various locations throughout downtown Mesa
When: Thursday, Nov. 9, to Saturday, Nov. 11
Cost: Free
Info: mesamusicfest.com
Sophie was a semifinalist in Alice Cooper’s Proof Is in the Pudding competition in 2015 and 2016. She has performed the national anthem at spring training games.
Vintage Wednesday – lead singer Taylor Sackson of Mesa, drummer Josh Jones, Dorsten and Logan Dubek on guitar, and keyboardist/bassist Christopher Marchant – is slated to play the Mesa Music Festival as well.
“This is the third year we’re playing it,” he said. “It’s fun to stick around and see the other bands who are playing.”
Alex said shows like the Mesa Music Festival allow fans to see that Vintage Wednesday is the real deal.
“We all like each other, and that accounts for a lot of the success we’ve had,” said Alex, who teaches guitar to kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs in Mesa and Scottsdale. “Many bands are thrown together by people. There’s no connection. They’re just
there. I feel like because we’re friends, that pushes us along and keeps us going.”
The Dorsten household is filled with music, but Sophie and Alex rarely play together. He is usually at work, building guitars, teaching music or playing gigs when Sophie straps on her guitar.
“We do collaborate at times,” he said. “She’ll ask, ‘What should I put there?’ I’ll tell her that a chord can work, etc. Her strength is her ability to pick up on stuff quickly. She has a strong, powerful voice, too, for as young as she is.”
Sophie was a Christmas Pudding runnerup, but Vintage Wednesday took home
the prize. Last December, the band set the Celebrity Theatre stage for Korn, Gin Blossoms and Hollywood Vampires, which features Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry.
“It was the craziest night of my life,” singer Sackson said. “I met all of them. I told Johnny Depp his best movie was ‘Rango,’ which is obviously not true. When we finished performing, I went into the green room and Brian ‘Head’ Welch from Korn was digging through my purse, grabbing our CDs. They were all so normal and welcoming and friendly. It’s not what you would think Hollywood would be like.”
Lil Buck: ‘Memphis Jookin’ from the streets to the spotlight
BY LAURA STODDARD
GET OUT Contributor
From as far back as he can remember, Charles Riley was interested in dancing.
“It’s just always been in me,” he said. “I would dance with my sisters. We loved it. We used to wiggle around and try to do Michael Jackson moves. Sometimes we would get a hold of his tapes from his tours and try to learn the whole choreography.”
The “movement artist,” now known as Lil Buck, brings his style of dance to the Tempe Center for the Arts for “What Moves You.” He’ll be accompanied by cellist Mihai Marica and fellow dancer and collaborator Jon Boogz. Buck’s style of dance, called Memphis Jookin, is an amalgamation of hard-hitting street dance and fluid, ballettype movements.
When he was 8, his family moved from
Chicago to Memphis and he learned about the city’s namesake dance: jookin. His older sister came home from high school one day demonstrating moves she learned, and he was hooked.
“I was fascinated with this dance style, because it was similar to Michael Jackson’s, but it was even crazier. In Memphis, you would see it in the streets and in club parking lots because we didn’t really have dance studios.”
Buck was involved in many things growing up – from basketball to drawing – and was exceptionally good at all of them. He could have pursued many different paths.
“But when I saw jookin, I just fell in love with it,” Lil Buck said. “It eclipsed all my other interests. I really wanted to conquer it. I said, ‘This is what I want to do with my life, period.’”
(Special to the Tribune)
Sophie Dorsten is looking forward to playing new songs for the crowds at the Mesa Music Festival.
(Special to the Tribune)
Vintage Wednesday – from left, keyboardist/bassist Christopher Marchant, drummer Josh Jones, vocalist Taylor Sackson, and guitarists Logan Dubek and Alex Dorsten – play the Mesa Music Festival in November and the Marquee Theatre in December.
LIL BUCK
at 4:15pm Wine and light hors d'oeuvres
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When he was 16, he joined a hip-hop dance company called Subculture Royalty Studio. The owner of the studio made a deal with the artistic director of New Ballet Ensemble and School, in which the hiphoppers would learn ballet and, in turn, the ballet students would learn hip-hop. Buck was a natural at ballet because many of the movements were like jookin. He was given a scholarship to the ballet school and spent the next few years practicing and perfecting his unique craft.
Things changed for Lil Buck when he started uploading videos of himself jookin on YouTube. The most pivotal video was his moving rendition of “The Swan” (from Swan Lake), accompanied by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, which quickly went viral. Buck’s videos drew mass attention, and before he knew it, he was being invited to Los Angeles to be part of a music video. After that experience, he knew that his future lay in Los Angeles. With the aid of friends he met on the set of the music video, he was moved to LA permanently.
His days were spent dancing on the streets and auditioning.
“It’s just that dancer’s life,” he said. “It’s re-
IF YOU GO
Who: “What Moves You,” featuring Lil Buck and Mihai Marica with special guest Jon Boogz
Where: Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11
Cost: $38 and $48
Info: 480-350-2822, tempe.gov
ally hard. There’s a lot of competition in Los Angeles. You really have to make something unique about yourself because there are so many dancers. I was a specialty, luckily People would be wowed by me because they hadn’t seen a style like mine before.”
A huge moment for Lil Buck’s career happened when he participated in the “Dance for Madonna Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Competition.” Thousands of dancers came from across the globe to compete, and at the end, there was only one winner.
“I was the one that reigned victorious,” Buck said. “I became the first pick for her next tour.”
It’s been 10 years since Lil Buck moved to Los Angeles, and in that time, his career and notoriety have skyrocketed. He’s traveled the globe, guest starred and judged on shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” performed with Cirque du Soleil, and been involved in numerous campaigns for the likes of Lexus, Vogue and Apple.
Now, in addition to dancing, Lil Buck and Jon Boogz have started a company called Movement Art Is.
“We wanted to create a platform for dancers to be able to get their artistry out on high-levels of content, but mostly we believe dance has the power to really reach the human emotion. We also started creating short films that touch on social issues that are happening in the world that people can relate to, because those really hit home.”
At 29 years old, this is only the beginning for Lil Buck From jookin in the streets as a kid to producing and touring the world, this is an artist whose talent, passion and vision can only continue to expand throughout the years.
(Special to the Tribune)
Charles Riley, known as Lil Buck, studied ballet for two years while on scholarship at the New Ballet Ensemble in Memphis.
King Crossword
BY JAN D’ATRI
AFN Contributor
This crock pot tenderloin is all treat, no trick
1/2 green pepper, chopped fine
1/2 red pepper, chopped fine
Spaghetti squash a perfect way to perfect fall supper
Try these on Tacos Tuesday or any day
1 small jalapeno, optional, chopped fine (larger jalapeno for more heat)
BY JAN D’ATRI
BY JAN D’ATRI
ho knew Taco Tuesday would be such a big deal?
Tribune Contributor
AFN Contributor BY JAN D’ATRI Tribune Contributor
WIf you’re stumped for what to make for the next one, here are two of my favorite taco recipes –one for chicken and one for beef. Que Rico!
GLot dinner plans? Have I got a recipe for you.
Tacos (chicken and beef)
Ingredients:
Grab a spaghetti squash and turn tonight’s meal into a super Sunday supper. This squash makes its own alfredo sauce in the oven. Couldn’t be easier.
For chicken taco filling:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Watch my how-to video: jandatri.com/recipe/ spaghetti-squash-alfredo
1/2 large sweet yellow onion, chopped fine
3-4 cloves fresh garlic minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped fine
Ingredients: (for one-half squash):
1/2 red pepper, chopped fine
1/2 medium-sized spaghetti squash (Double the recipe if using both halves)
1 small jalapeno, optional, chopped fine (larger jalapeno for more heat)
ast Halloween, I got to trick or treat with my nieces in a neighborhood that really embraced the holiday by setting up food stations in front of their house so kids and adults had delicious munchies all along the route. Some families had big crock pots filled with shredded barbecue pork! It reminded me of one of my favorite crock pot dishes. This recipe for Crockpot Glazed Pork Tenderloin is a perfect meal for Halloween parties, and of course, for Sunday suppers. Make it for dinner and then for sandwiches the next day with this wonderful apple bacon slaw. It’s easy but ghoulishly gourmet!
1 cup shredded white cheese like mozzarella, divided (I used a four-cheese Italian blend)
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted, spicy or plain)
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan
Pork tenderloin
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Ingredients:
Optional, 1 small can tomato sauce (if creamier sauce is desired)
1 (2-3 lbs.) pork tenderloin or pork roast
3-4 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup half and half or heavy cream (plus more if needed)
For the glaze:
Directions:
1/2 cup water
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted, spicy or plain)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Optional, 1 small can tomato sauce (if creamier sauce is desired)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 heaping teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
Top of Form
Microwave spaghetti squash for 9 minutes in 3-minute intervals to soften. Slice the ends off and stand squash upright. Cut in half down through the center. Scoop out seeds making sure not to scoop out any of the squash.
12 corn tortillas
Bottom of Form
1/2 cup vegetable for frying
Shredded lettuce, tomatoes or pico de gallo
Directions:
Place squash in a foil-lined baking sheet. Make an additional foil cradle and place under the squash for stability.
Shredded cheddar cheese
Brush olive oil over tenderloin. Season with garlic, salt, pepper and a few leaves of rosemary.
Directions:
Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan.
Heat and stir until mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking.
For each half squash, sprinkle with a little pepper. Spread 1 cup of shredded cheese into the cavity. Sprinkle minced garlic over cheese. Pour half and half over garlic and cheese. Sprinkle remaining half cup of white shredded cheese over top. Finish by spreading 1 cup of Parmesan cheese over squash, and sprinkling a little around the rim of the squash. Place in the oven and cook for about 1 hour or until cheese and cream make a rich creamy sauce. If top becomes too brown, cover with tin foil. Serve immediately.
In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add ground beef, breaking up into small pieces. When beef is cooked, add green pepper, red pepper, jalapeno, chili and cumin powder and mix well. Add diced tomatoes and optional can of tomato sauce, stirring to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt, stir and set aside.
Olive oil for coating
Pepper
1 heaping teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin powder
To make tacos
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 cloves
Apple bacon slaw Ingredients:
12 corn tortillas
sprig of fresh rosemary
1/2 cup vegetable for frying
Shredded lettuce, tomatoes or pico de gallo
red pepper and jalapeno until softened, about 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and optional can of tomato sauce, stirring to combine. Add shredded
In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil. Have a tray or
pico de gallo.
Public Notices
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Most service advertisers have an ROC# or "Not a licensed contractor" in their ad, this is in accordance to the AZ state law
( R O C ) : The advertising requirements of the statute does not prevent anyone from placing an ad in the yellow pages, on business cards, or on flyers.
What it does require under A.R.S. §32-1121A14(c) www.azleg.gov/ars/ 32/01165.htm is that the advertising party, if not properly licensed as a contractor, disclose that fact on any form of advertising to the public by including the words "not a licensed contractor" in the advertisement.
Again, this requirement is intended to make sure that the consumer is made aware of the unlicensed status of the individual or company.
Contractors who advertise and do not disclose their unlicensed status are not eligible for the handyman's exception.
Reference: http://www.azroc.g ov/invest/licensed_ by_law.html
As a consumer, being aware of the law is for your protection. You can check a businesses ROC status at: http://www.azroc .gov/
CITYOFMESA,ARIZONA ENGINEERINGDEPARTMENT
REQUESTFORQUALIFICATIONS(RFQ)
NOTICEISHEREBYGIVENthattheCityofMesaisseekingqualified Consultantsforthefollowing:
ON-CALLCONSULTANTLISTFORCOSTENGINEERINGSERVICES
TheCityofMesaisseekingqualifiedConsultantstoprovideCostEngineeringServicesonanon-callbasis.Allqualifiedfirmsthatareinterested inprovidingtheseservicesareinvitedtosubmittheirStatementsof Qualifications(SOQ) inaccordancewiththerequirementsdetailedinthe RequestforQualifications(RFQ).
Fromthissolicitation,theEngineeringDepartmentwillestablishalistof on-callconsultantsforCostEngineeringServices.Thiscategoryisfurtherdefinedbelow:
Thecostengineeringfirmsshallbeknowledgeableinconstructionpracticesandproceduresinthecivil,architectural,mechanicalandelectrical disciplines.Qualifiedfirmsshallhavetheabilitytopreparedetailedconstructioncostestimates,takingintoconsiderationquantitysurveys,labor productivity,priceofmaterials,schedule,phasing,andconstruction methodologies.ThequalifiedfirmsshallbefamiliarwithStateandLocal regulationsrelatingtodesignandconstruction,includingArizonaRevisedStatuteTitle34,MaricopaAssociationofGovernments(MAG)UniformStandardSpecificationsforPublicWorksConstruction,andMesa AmendmentstoMAG.Inaddition,qualifiedfirmsshallbefamiliarwith theCityofMesa’sStandardDetailsandSpecifications (http://mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/mesa-standard-details-specifications),GeneralConditions,andGeneralConditionsAppendices (http://mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/engineering-contracts).
APre-SubmittalConferencewillnotbeheld.
ContactwithCityEmployees.Allfirmsinterestedinthisproject(includingthefirm’semployees,representatives,agents,lobbyists,attorneys, andsubconsultants)willrefrain,underpenaltyofdisqualification,from directorindirectcontactforthepurposeofinfluencingtheselectionor creatingbiasintheselectionprocesswithan ypersonwhomayplaya partintheselectionprocess.Thispolicyisintendedtocreatealevel playingfieldforallpotentialfirms,assurethatcontractdecisionsare madeinpublicandtoprotecttheintegrityoftheselectionprocess.All contactonthisselectionprocessshouldbeaddressedtotheauthorized representativeidentifiedbelow.
RFQLists. ThisRFQisavailableontheCity’swebsiteat http://mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/architectural-enginee ringdesign-opportunities.
TheStatementofQualificationsshallincludeaone-pagecoverletter, plusamaximumof 6pages toaddresstheSOQevaluationcriteria(excludingresumesbutincludinganorganizationchartwithkeypersonnel andtheiraffiliation).Resumesforeachteammembershallbelimitedto amaximumlengthoftwopagesandshouldbeattachedasanappendix totheSOQ.Minimumfontsizeshallbe10point.Pleaseprovide six(6) hardcopiesand one(1)CD oftheStatementofQualificat ionsby 2:00pmonNovember8,2017. TheCityreservestherighttoacceptor rejectanyandallStatementsofQualifications.TheCityisanequalopportunityemployer.
Deliveredorhand-carriedsubmittalsmustbedeliveredtotheEngineeringDepartmentreception areaonthefifthfloorofMesaCityPlazaBuildinginasealedpackage.Onthesubmittal package,pleasedisplay:FirmnameandOn-CallCostEngineering Services.
FirmswhowishtodobusinesswiththeCityofMesamustberegistered andactivatedintheCityofMesaVendorSelfService(VSS)System(http://mesaaz.gov/business/purchasing/vendor-self-service).
Questions.QuestionspertainingtotheConsultantselectionprocessor contractissuesshouldbedirectedtoHeatherSneddonoftheEngineeringDepartmentatheather.sneddon@mesaaz.gov.
BETHHUNING CityEngineer
ATTEST: DeeAnnMickelsen CityClerk
PUBLISHED:EastValleyTribuneOctober29,November5,2017/xxxx
CITYOFMESA MESA,ARIZONA
DESERTWELLSZONEWELLSITE NORTHEASTOFELLSWORTHROADANDWARNERROAD PROJECTNO. C04048
ADVERTISEMENTFORBIDS
NOTICEISHEREBYGIVENthatsealedbidswillbereceiveduntilThursday,November30,2017, at1:00p.m.Allsealedbidswillbereceivedat MesaCityPlazaBuilding,EngineeringDepartmentat20EastMainStreet,5thFloor, Mesa,Arizona;exceptforbidsdelivered30minutespriortoopeningwhichwillbereceivedattheinformationdesk,1stfloor,MainLobbyoftheMesaCity PlazaBuilding.Anybidreceivedafterthetimespecifiedwillbereturnedwithoutanyconsidera tion.
Thiscontractshallbeforfurnishingalllabor,materials,transportationandservicesfortheconstructionand/orinstallationofthefollowingwork: Drillanexploratoryboreholeusingthemud-rotarydrillingmethodand collectingcuttingsamplesfromtheboreholeasspecifiedinthe TechnicalSpecifications.
TheEngineer’sEstimaterangeis$220,000-$240,000.
Foralltechnical,contract,bid-related,orotherquestions,pleasecontactDonnaHornat donna.horn@mesaaz.gov.
ContractorsdesiringtosubmitproposalsmaypurchasesetsoftheBidDocumentsfrom Thomas Reprographics,Inc.dbaThomasPrintworks, http://public.constructionvaults.com.Clickon“RegisterToday”andfollowthepromptstocreateyouraccount.Pleasebesuretoclickfinishatthe end. NOTE:Inordertoreceivenotificationsandupdatesregardingthisbid(suchasaddenda)duringthebiddingperiod,REGISTRATIONONTHEWEBSITEISREQUIRED. Foralist oflocatio nsnearestyou,gotowww.thomasprintworks.com,andclickonPhoenix.Thecostofeach BidSetwillbenomorethan$13,whichisnon-refundableregardlessofwhetherornottheContractorDocumentsarereturned. Partialbidpackagesarenotsold. Youcanviewdocumentsonline(atnocost),orderBidSets,andaccessthe PlanHoldersList ontheThomasReprographics websiteatthe“PublicConstructionVaults”addresslistedabove.Pleaseverifyprintleadtimeprior toar rivingforpick-up.
OnesetoftheContractDocumentsisalsoavailableforviewingattheCityofMesa’sEngineering Departmentat20EastMainStreet,Mesa,AZ.Pleasecall480-644-2251priortoarrivingtoensure thatthedocumentsareavailableforviewing.
InorderfortheCitytoconsideralternateproductsinthebiddingprocess,pleasefollowArizona RevisedStatutes§34.104c.
Ifapre-bidreviewofthesitehasbeenscheduled,detailscanbereferencedinProjectSpecific ProvisionSection#3,titled“Pre-BidReviewofSite.”
Workshallbecompletedwithin150consecutivecalendardays,beginningwiththedayfollowing thestartingdatespecifiedintheNoticetoProceed.
BidsmustbesubmittedontheProposalFormprovidedandbeaccompaniedbytheBidBondfor notlessthantenpercent(10%)ofthetotalbid,payabletotheCityofMesa,Arizona,oracertified orcashier'scheck.PERSONALORINDIVIDUALSURETYBONDSARENOTACCEPTABLE.
Thesuccessfulbidderwillberequiredtoexecutethestandardformofcontractforconstruction withinten(10)daysafterformalawardofcontract.Inaddition,thesuccessfulbiddermustberegisteredintheCityofMesaVendorSelf-Service(VSS)System(http://mesaaz.gov/business/purchasing/vendor-self-service).
Thesuccessfulbidder,simultaneouslywiththeexecutionoftheContract,willberequiredtofurnishaPaymentBondintheamountequaltoonehundredpercent(100%)oftheContractPrice,a PerformanceBondinanamountequaltoonehundredpercent(100%)oftheContractPrice,and themostrecentACORD®CertificateofLiabilityInsuranceformwithadditionalinsuredendorsements.
Therightisherebyreservedtoacceptorrejectanyorallbidsorpartsthereto,towaiveanyinformalitiesinanyproposalandrejectthebidsofanypersonswhohavebeendelinquentorunfaithfulto anycontractwiththeCityofMesa
BETHHUNING CityEngineer
ATTEST:
DeeAnnMickelsen CityClerk
PUBLISHED:EastValleyTribune,October29,November5,2017/8923
Public Notices
CITYOFMESA MESA,ARIZONA
SEWERPIPEANDMANHOLEREHABILITATION MESADRIVE,MILLETTAVENUE,HORNEAND6THAVENUE
PROJECTNO. CP03830009
ADVERTISEMENTFORBIDS
NOTICEISHEREBYGIVENthatsealedbidswillbereceiveduntilThursday,Nov.30,2017,at 2:00p.m.Allsealedbidswillbereceivedat MesaCityPlazaBuilding,EngineeringDepartment at20EastMainStreet,5thFloor, Mesa,Arizona;exceptforbidsdelivered30minutespriorto openingwhichwillbereceivedattheinformationdesk,1stfloor,MainLobbyoftheMesaCity PlazaBuilding.Anybidreceivedafterthetimespecifiedwillbereturnedwithoutanyconsideration.
T hiscontractshallbeforfurnishingalllabor,materials,transportationandservicesfortheconstructionand/orinstallationofthefollowingwork:
Rehabilitationofexisting6-inch,8-inchand15-inchvitrifiedclaypipesewersandmanholes withinCityofMesastreets. TheEngineer’sEstimaterangeis$1,300,000.00-$1,400,000.00.
Foralltechnical,contract,bid-related,orotherquestions,pleasecontactMaggieSmithat maggie.smith@mesaaz.gov.
ContractorsdesiringtosubmitproposalsmaypurchasesetsoftheBidDocumentsfrom Thomas Reprographics,Inc.dbaThomasPrintworks, http://public.constructionvaults.com.Clickon“RegisterToday”andfollowthepromptstocreateyouraccount.Pleasebesuretoclickfinishatthe end. NOTE:Inordertoreceivenotificationsandupdatesregardingthisbid(suchasaddenda)duringthebiddingperiod,REGISTRATIONONTHEWEBSITEISREQUIRED. Fora listoflocatio nsnearestyou,gotowww.thomasprintworks.com,andclickonPhoenix.Thecostof eachBidSetwillbenomorethan$31.00,whichisnon-refundableregardlessofwhetherornotthe ContractorDocumentsarereturned. Partialbidpackagesarenotsold.Youcanviewdocumentson-line(atnocost),orderBidSets,andaccessthe PlanHoldersList ontheThomasReprographicswebsiteatthe“PublicConstructionVaults”addresslistedabove.Pleaseverifyprint leadtimeprior toarrivingforpick-up.
OnesetoftheContractDocumentsisalsoavailableforviewingattheCityofMesa’sEngineering Departmentat20EastMainStreet,Mesa,AZ.Pleasecall480-644-2251priortoarrivingtoensurethatthedocumentsareavailableforviewing.
InorderfortheCitytoconsideralternateproductsinthebiddingprocess,pleasefollowArizona RevisedStatutes§34.104c.
Ifapre-bidreviewofthesitehasbeenscheduled,detailscanbereferencedinProjectSpecific ProvisionSection#3,titled“Pre-BidReviewofSite.”
Workshallbecompletedwithin150consecutivecalendardays,beginningwiththedayfollowing thestartingdatespecifiedintheNoticetoProceed.
BidsmustbesubmittedontheProposalFormprovidedandbeaccompaniedbytheBidBondfor notlessthantenpercent(10%)ofthetotalbid,payabletotheCityofMesa,Arizona,oracertified orcashier'scheck.PERSONALORINDIVIDUALSURETYBONDSARENOTACCEPTABLE.
Thesuccessfulbidderwillberequiredtoexecutethestandardformofcontractforconstruction withinten(10)daysafterformalawardofcontract.Inaddition,thesuccessfulbiddermustberegisteredintheCityofMesaVendorSelf-Service(VSS)System(http://mesaaz.gov/business/purchasing/vendor-self-service).
Thesuccessfulbidder,simultaneouslywiththeexecutionoftheContract,willberequiredtofurnishaPaymentBondintheamountequaltoonehundredpercent(100%)oftheContractPrice,a PerformanceBondinanamountequaltoonehundredpercent(100%)oftheContractPrice,and themostrecentACORD®CertificateofLiabilityInsuranceformwithadditionalinsuredendorsements.
Therightisherebyreservedtoacceptorrejectanyorallbidsorpartsthereto,towaiveanyinformalitiesinanyproposalandrejectthebidsofanypersonswhohavebeendelinquentorunfaithfulto anycontractwiththeCityofMesa
BETHHUNING CityEngineer
ATTEST:
DeeAnnMickelsen
CityClerk
PUBLISHED:EastValleyTribune,October29,November5,2017/8926
Public Notices
CITYOFMESA MESA,ARIZONA
REHABILITATIONOFADUPLEX
PROJECTNO. 691
ADVERTISEMENTFORBIDSPUBLICATIONNovember5,2017
NOTICEISHEREBYGIVENthatsealedbidswillbereceiveduntilThursday,November30,2017, at2:00p.m.Allsealedbidswillbereceivedandmustbedateandtimestampedpriortothatdate andtime,at MesaCityPlazaBuilding,HousingandCommunityDevelopmentDivision,20 EastMainStreet,2NDFloor, Suite250,Mesa,Arizona;anybidreceivedafterthetimespecified willbereturnedwithoutanyconsideration.
Thiscontractshallbeforfurnishingalllabor,materials,t ransportationandservicesforthedemolition,constructionand/orinstallationofthefollowingwork:
Completerehabilitationofaduplexincludingbutnotlimitedto;correctstructuraldeficiencies; roofstructureandroofing,newplumbingsystem;newdrain/waste/ventsystem;sewerlines;new electricalserviceandsystem;dualpanewindows;insulatedexteriordoors;HVACunit;insulated ductwork;attic/wallinsulation;newinteriorwallsandceilings ;newinteriordoors;fencing;proper gradingofentireproperty;andallotherworkrequiredpertheapprovedplansand/orwrittenspecifications.
ContractorsdesiringtosubmitproposalsmustattendallmandatoryCityofMesaHousingand CommunityDevelopmenttrainingclasses,haveaCityofMesaTaxLicense,possessatleasta GeneralResidentialContractorLicense(B-),beingoodstandingwiththeArizonaRegistrarof Contractors,notbeontheHUDExcludedPartyList(EPL),registeredwithSystemforAwardManagement(S.A.M.),andhaveaminimumamountof$1millionperoccurrence/$2millionaggregate CommercialGeneralLiabilityinsurance.Allbiddingcontractorsaresubjectto,andshallcomply withFederal,State,CountyandCityofMesaprocurementlaws,policiesandregulationsincluding butnotlimitedto;Section3oftheHousingandUrbanDevelopmentActof1968;Womanand MinorityOwnedBusinessrecruitments;Se ction504oftheRehabilitationActof1973;EqualEmploymentOpportunities(EEOC)regulationsnotdiscriminatingagainstanyemployeeorapplicant foremploymentbecauseofrace,color,religion,sex,ageornationalorigin;AmericanswithDisabilityAct(ADA)of1990;DrugFreeWorkplaceregulations;DavisBaconandLaborStandardsregulations;Federalandlocalbondrequirements;LeadBasedPaintHazardControlregulations;MaricopaCountyAirQualityDepartmentenvironmentalregulationsregardingDustControl,Asbestos andNESHAP;EnergyPolicyAct(EPA)of2005;TheFederalImmigrationandNationalityAct (FINA)andImmigrationReformandControlAct(IRCA)of1986,andArizonaRevisedStatutes (ARS)23-214relatedtotheverificationofemploymenteligibilityofemployeesoranyoneworking ontheproject. WomanandMinorityownedbusinesses,andCertifiedSection3Businesses arestronglyencouragedtoparticipate
Formoreinformationortorequestan“InvitationtoBid”,callRaymondThimeschat480-644-4521 Orbye-mail:ray.thimesch@mesaaz.gov
Amandatorywalk-thruofthesitehasbeenscheduled.Pleaserefertothe“InvitationtoBid” foradditionalinformation.Nocontractorsorsub-contractorsarepermittedonthepremises atanytimepriortothewalk-thru. Workshallbecompletedwithinonehundredtwenty(120)consecutivecalendardays,beginningwiththedayfollowingthestartingdatespecifiedintheNoticeto Proceed.Ifatanytimethecontractorisdelayedinperformingtheworkunderthisagreementby circumstancesbeyondhis/hercontrol,thecontractmaybeextendedbythesameamountoftime aswascausedbythedelay.Thecontractorshallrequestanyextensioninwriting.
BidsmustbeaccompaniedbyaBidBondfornotlessthantenpercent(10%)ofthetotalbid,payabletotheCityofMesa,Arizona,oracertifiedorcashier'scheck.PERSONALORINDIVIDUAL SURETYBONDSARENOTACCEPTABLE.
Thesuccessfulbidderwillberequiredtoexecutethecontractwithinfive(5)daysafterformal awardofthecontract,andsimultaneouslywiththeexecutionoftheContract,willberequiredtofurnishaPaymentBondintheamountequaltoonehundredpercent(100%)oftheContractPrice, andaPerformanceBondinanamountequaltoonehundredpercent(100%)oftheContractPrice, onallqualifyingprojects.
Therightisherebyreservedtoacceptorrejectanyorallbidsorpartsthereto,towaiveanyinformal itiesinanyproposalandrejectthebidsofanypersonswhohavebeendelinquentorunfaithfulto anycontractwiththeCityofMesa.
Employment General
EARN EXTRA INCOME!
The Arizona Republic wants to contract you to deliver the newspaper in the early morning hours Work just 2-3 hours a day and earn an extra $700$1,200 per month
Routes available now in your area!
Call 1-855-704-2104 or visit deliveryopportunities gannett com
HRIS Analyst 5
P a y P
H R I S Analyst 5 in Scottsdale, AZ to drive the successf u
hancement opportunities in the dvlpment of a
Computer/IT: Systems Engineer Chandler, AZ, General Motors Engineer &dvlp software solutions that improve mfg execution systems &productivity systems for vehicle assembly plants &stamping/injection molding plants incldg end of line testing sys
&minimize product defects by applying systematic techniques incldg Design of Experiments, DFSS process, Kaizen continuous improvement philosophy, &lean engrg techniques Write code in programming
HTML, &CSS to build &maintain GM systems, apps &platforms to support vehicle assembly &component mfg technologies Participate in all phases of S
projects &software apps supporting Plant Productivity Systems &Facilities Development Dept from initi-
&database mgmt environments such as Microsoft Visual Studio &SQL Server Management Studio to create services, web &desktop apps Dvlp apps following the Object-Oriented Programming in frameworks &design patterns such as Model View Control-
Master, Systems Engrg, Computer Engrg, or related 1 mos exp as Intern or Engineer, dvlpg math &statistical models to identify &minimize product defects by applying systematic techniques incldg DOE DFSS or Six Sigma, Kaizen continuous improvement, &lea n engrg techniques Mail resume to Ref#1311, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32C66, Detroit, MI 48265
openings Must be legally authorized to work
Employment General
Landscape laborers 50 temporary full-time positions
Duties: Laborers will be needed for pruning, fertilization, irrigations systems maintenance and repair, general clean up procedures and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units Work outdoors, physical work 3 months landscape EXP REQ No EDU REQ
Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2:30pm); day shift Mon-Fri Dates of employment: 01/19/1811/19/18 Wage: $12 49/h, OT $18 74 /h if necessary Raises, bonuses, or incentives dependent on job performance OJT provided
Assurances: Transportation (including meals and, to the extent necessary lodging) to the place of employment will be provided, or its cost to workers reimbursed, if the worker completes half the employment period Return transportation will be provided if the worker completes the employment period or is dismissed early by the employer Employer will provide workers at no charge all tools, equipment and supplies required to perform the job Job location: Tempe, AZ - Maricopa and Pinal counties, AZ
Applicants may send or contact the AZDES Office, 4635 S Central Ave, Phoenix AZ, 85040 Kam Weaver ph:602-542-2484 Please reference AZDES Job Order #: 2842723
Employer: R H Dupper Landscaping, Inc 1020 W Ranch Road, Suite 105, Tempe AZ 85284 Contact: Nikki Fails-Fodge, fax (480) 893-6846
equiv )+5 yrs exp Must be legally authorized to work in the U S without sponsorship Submit resume w/ ref to Req # 17-2631 to: ATTN : HR, Cube 10.3.584, P a y P a l , I
10 Temp FT Forestry Worker Positions Work site(s): Transport provided, designated locale to job site; begin in Guadalupe, Maricopa County, AZ 85283 @ $
12/12/17-6/30/18 Poss duties Select or cut trees according to marking or sizes, types, or grades Identify di seased or undesirable tree & remove them (thin, prune), using power saws or hand saws Drag cut trees from cutting area & load trees onto trucks. Identify diseased & undesirable trees, along with trees that will need to be thinned in the contracted locations Cut all marked trees, additional trees will go thru precommercial thinning & other related Forestry Worker activities per SOC/OES 45-4011 (onetonline org) Must be 18 due to travel Must show proof of legal authority to work in U S Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco free wrk zone Must walk substantially (up to 15 miles/day), also stoop, bend while carrying a pack (up to 50lbs) thru rough terrain (non-trail) Must have 3 months verifiable Commercial Brushsaw/Chainsaw exp No min edu reqmt Applicants must be willing, qualified, to perform wrk described & avail for entire period specified Based on Emplyr s discretion/cost Wrkr may have random drug/alc o h o
dismissal $13 10/hr up to poss $20 00/hr OT $19 65/hr up to poss $30 00/hr, Wage may vary DOE Poss daily/wkly hrs: 7A-4P 40+ (plus) to include lunch break M-Sa Poss wknd/holiday wrk Outdoors, exposed to weather; must be capable of d oing physically strenuous labor for long hrs, occasionally in extreme heat or cold Variable weather conditions apply; hrs may fluctuate (+/-), poss downtime &/or OT OT avail, not reqd Emplyr will comply w/all applicable fed, state & local laws pertaining to OT hrs H&W benefits may apply
Transportation: Will provide/pay cost of wrkr return transport subsistence from wrksite to place from which wrkr departed to wrk for emplyr if wrkr completes period of emplymnt or dismissed from emplymnt before end of wrk period above Transportation & subsistence will be reimbursed by check in 1st work week for cost from the place from which the wrkr has come to wrk for the emplyr whether in the U S or abroad, to the place of emplymnt The wrkr is guaranteed emplymnt for a total number of wrk hrs equal to @ least 3/4 of the w r
tools/equip /supplies @ no cost/deposit Optional housing avail at no cost Paul Bunyan's Firewood, Inc Email: firewoodaz@cox net or Phone: 602-571-3395
To apply: send resume/application w/contact info to Arizona at Work - Maricopa County 735 North Gilbert Road Suite134 Gilbert, AZ 85234 Phone: 602-3729700 Fax: 602-372-9794 Job Order #: 2810368
Construction workers, 26 temporary full-time positions
i n g physical labor at building swimming pools May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying equipment, measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment or instruments May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches and may assist other craft workers 3 months construction EXP REQ No EDU REQ
Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2:30pm) day shift; Mon-Fri Dates of employment 01/15/1807/31/18 Wage: $16 19/h, OT $24 29 /h if necessary Raises, bonuses, or incentives dependent on job performance OJT provided
Assurances: Transportation (including meals and, to the extent necessary, lodging) to the place of employment will be provided, or its cost to workers reimbursed, if the worker completes half the emp l o y m e n t p e r i o d R e t u r n
provided if the worker completes the employment period or is dismissed early by the employer Employer will provide workers at no charge all tools, equipment and supplies required to perform the job Job location: Chandler AZ - Maricopa and Pinal counties, AZ
Applicants may send or contact the AZDES Office 4635 S Central Ave, Phoenix AZ, 85040 Kam Weaver ph:602-542- 2484 Please reference AZ DES Job Order #: 2835832
QUALIFICATIONS:
• High school diploma or equivalent courses
• 2 yr proven track record of proven results
• Advertising or marketing industry experience is ideal.
• Proficient typing and computer skills, using Email/Gmail, Google Docs, Spreadsheets, internet, bookmarks, etc.
• Detail oriented with excellent grammar skills.
• Team player and independently motivated.
• Professional and customer service oriented with customers as well as other departments.
• Excellent work ethic.
apply, please send resume to: ldionisio@timespublications.com
A-Z Tauveli Prof LANDSCAPING LLC
We will give you totally new landscaping or revamp your current landscaping!
Tree/Palm Tree Trimming • Sprinkler Systems
Desertscape • Gardening • Concrete Work Block Wall • Real & Imitation • Flagstone FREE ESTIMATES 602-471-3490 or 480-962-5149
ROC#276019 • LICENSED BONDED INSURED
Finish the rhyme. The letters in each column of the quotation have been transposed and placed below the column. Unscramble the columns to reconstruct the original quote. Word breaks occur only at the dark squares. The end of a row is not a sentence break. Some letters have been filled in for you.
Guy Fawkes is synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot. A foiled 1605 plot to blow up the House of Lords to kill King James and place his daughter on the throne. After a suspicious warning letter was received, the King ordered a search.
FALLEN MESSAGES: Penny for the Guy?
“Remember,rememberthefifthofNovember.Gunpowder, treasonandplot...”
Guido (Guy) was caught leaving the cellars and barrels of gunpowder were found under piles of firewood and coal. Guido was tortured and interrogated until he gave up his fellow planners. Found guilty of high treason, they were all hung and quartered.
The failed plot has been commemorated in Britain since Nov. 5, 1605, when Londoners were encouraged to celebrate the King’s escape from assassination. Guy’s effigy is traditionally burned on a bonfire, commonly accompanied by a fireworks display.
Fawkes has appeared in children’s books and penny dreadfuls (serial literature) and his face is seen in a multitude of masks available and as worn by V in the comic book series and movie “Vfor Vendetta”.
Saying “Penny for the Guy” was a way to collect money to buy fireworks for Guy Fawkes night.
Meetings/Events
OPTIMIST CLUB
Would you like to belong to an organization dedicated to improving children s lives in a variety of ways? Do you have a desire to give back to the community?
If so, we are looking for new members & new ideas for fundraising! We have supported Sunshine Acres Children s Home for 60 yrs, we provide scholarships to students from local schools & we support the Children s Cancer Fund
If interested, contact Ann Crawford 480-234-1549 craftyanni@aol com OR phxphntm@cox net
SENIOR SONGBIRDS LOOKING FOR MALE AND FEMALE SINGERS
If you are age 50+ and love singing and entertaining, we would be happy to have you check us out at one of our rehearsals We are all volunteers and perform weekly at assisted living and care centers
We sing secular songs primarily from the 30's 40's, and 50's, as well as patriotic and gospel songs, from September through May We rehearse Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a m at Pyle Adult Recreation Center, 655 East Southern Avenue, Tempe, AZ For more information call 480-775-0730
STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
MIDVALE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE INC P O BOX 7 2205 KEITHLEY CREEK RD MIDVALE, ID 83645
Midvale Telephone Exchange, Inc is the recipient of Federal financial assistance from the U S Department of Agriculture (USDA) In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U S Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discrimin ating based on race, color national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs) Remedies an d complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident P
means of communication for program information (e g , Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign
L
Agency or USDA s TARGET Center at: (202) 720-2600 (voice and TIY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 Additionally, pro-
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint
F o r m , A D
html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the
copy of
mpany's services, please call us at our office in Midvale, ID at 1 (800) 462-4523
