THE VOICE OF THE EAST VALLEY SINCE 1891 AND WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR LOCAL REPORTING
THE SUNDAY
2017 IN REVIEW: Scandals, Trump shook East Valley
Tribune
PAGE 3
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE THE EAST VALLEY) | EastValleyTribune.com
West Mesa Edition
INSIDE
This Week
COMMUNITY ......... 11 Local booksellers learn to adapt, take on new roles
BUSINESS................... 12 Saba’s Western Wear celebrates 90 years in Chandler
EAST VALLEY
Students seek answers in biotech program PAGE 10
Sunday, December 24, 2017
At Sunshine Acres, kids without a home find a family and love BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Managing Editor
F
or kids who are apart from their families, Christmas can be a sad time. But Sunshine Acres Children’s Home in Mesa makes sure kids are loved and cared for that day and every day. The only facility of its kind in the Valley, Sunshine Acres was founded in 1954 by Rev. Jim and Vera Dingman. Children come there for a variety of reasons. Their parents may be homeless, ill, in financial straits or incarcerated. The children also may be in the custody of grandparents who can’t care for them anymore. All the placements are voluntary, which doesn’t make it any easier for the kids. See
FAMILY on page 4
(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)
SPORTS ......................16
Boys at Sunshine Acres, just off the school bus, ham it up for visitors. Residents at Sunshine Acres stay an average of three to five years.
Mesa dancer, 13, blitzin’ his way to the top
New technology helps golfers improve their swings
BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Managing Editor
B
DINING .................... 20 Flo’s New Asian Cuisine marks 20 years
COMMUNITY......... 10 BUSINESS.....................12 OPINION.................... 14 SPORTS........................ 16 FAITH............................ 18 CLASSIFIEDS............. 24
(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Dancing is only one of Brandon Metz's interests. He plays defenseman in hockey.
randon Metz is a one-of-a-kind dancer. Literally. The 13-year-old from Mesa is the only youngster in his category as he competes nationally and internationally. “He has no competition,” said his coach, Ross Pearce. “He’s the only boy in his level worldwide. He could go out there and shuffle his feet and win.” But his competitiveness goes deeper than that. As other kids get ready for Christmas, Brandon has been practicing four to six hours a week in the studio, floating across the floor like Santa’s reindeer. He’s taking his
unique talent to the Country Dance World Championships in San Francisco on Dec. 31. It’s his seventh time competing in the world championships. Brandon competes in country line dancing, but he likes ballroom dancing, too. He says his favorites are the samba and hustle. He started dancing at age 6 and was already competing a year later. He became interested in dancing by watching his grandfather, Stan Williams, have fun on the dance floor. “We would stay home,” his mom, Gwen Metz, says about her and her husband, Brian. “But Brandon wanted to go with him. He loved it. He was hooked.” See
DANCER on page 6