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Ghosthunters invite public to investigate Pioneer museum

BY JORDAN HOUSTON Foothills Focus Staff Writer

With spooky season around the corner, local ghosthunters are calling on skeptics and nonskeptics alike to explore life beyond the grave at the Pioneer Living History Museum.

The volunteer-based Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society is hosting a guided investigation tour from 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays Oct. 8 and Oct. 22.

The Whispers in the Dark Tour, located at 3901 W. Pioneer Road, costs $35 and is limited to 30 guests. Attendees must be 13 years or older with minors accompanied by an adult.

This isn’t just any average ghost tour, either, explained PAPS member Angela Maloy. Participants will have the chance to truly participate in every sense of the word.

“Instead of going around and telling them (the attendees) about the history (of the museum), we hand them the equipment and have them interact and ask questions,” she said.

“We all gather inside the homes and do it just like they are part of the team. That is hard to find in ghost hunting.”

Attendees will accompany the seven-member team of investigators as they navigate digital and audio equipment throughout Pioneer Village, boasting roughly two dozen historic and original reconstructed buildings from the 1880s

The Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society, an investigative team that conducts paranormal examinations, is relaunching its popular guided ghost tours. The Whispers in the Dark Tour will take place at Pioneer Arizona from 7 to 10 p.m.

Fridays Oct. 8 and Oct. 22. (Photo courtesy of Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society)

and early 1900s — including the homes of those who helped “tame the Wild West.”

Proceeds from the Whispers in the Dark Tour will go toward funding the paranormal team’s investigative equipment, Maloy said.

“Everything we do is volunteer work; we all have jobs. We call it the ‘paranormal night shift,’” said Maloy, who also works as a Norwegian Cruise Line travel agent. “We mostly go to homes and help people who feel their homes are haunted. The highest priority is always homes with children.

“When we do it for museums and things, it’s all for fundraising, which, I really like that. It’s so much fun to see people’s reactions when they hear things, see things and are getting to know the history.”

PAPS is dedicated to “helping others gain peace of mind by helping to explain what is and is not paranormal through use of modern techniques and documented evidence acquired during investigations.”

Maloy was inspired to join the team roughly 10 years ago due to her own experiences with the paranormal, she explained. The travel agent recalled stumbling across PAPS one October at the Phoenix Zoo during its annual Boo! At the Zoo volunteer event.

“Me and my daughter showed up one night at this event and I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, when I was a child, I had all of these experiences and I’m still scared of the dark because of them, and I would love to conquer this fear,’” Maloy said.

Maloy now happily assists PAPS in its mission to “prove the existence of life after death” through audio and video signatures.

PAPS accepts investigation requests through a submission form on its website, asking clients to clarify why they are in need of the group’s services.

“We come back with (the evidence) and

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tell them the client, ‘You’re not crazy, there is something going on,’” Maloy expressed. “If it’s really bad and they request a cleansing, we have a way to do that. Most of them just want to know that they’re not seeing things and they’re not crazy.”

PAPS utilizes a variety of recording equipment tailored toward capturing electronic voice phenomena (EVP), Maloy said. EVP is the recording of sounds and voices, often interpreted as supernatural, onto tapes, videocassettes and other electronic devices, she continued.

“We use digital recorders and lots of equipment. We have really good video cameras,” Maloy said. “The whole time we are listening, we have recorders on us because we pick up a lot of EVPs of conversations. The digital recorders tap into a different frequency.”

Members use digital and video cameras, such as Sony, as well as electromagnetic field (EMF) sensors, like the K-II EMF Meter. Maloy said she also owns a TIR-Crosshair, a dual axis Thermal IR paranormal investigation tool “designed to locate and assist spirit interaction using a thermal matrix infrared sensor,” according to GhostHuntersEquipment.com.

The most exciting part about investigations, though, is helping children feel comfortable in their own homes again, Maloy said.

The Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society relies on digital and video recorders to connect with the paranormal. Such equipment can capture electronic voice phenomena (EVP), which is the recording of sounds and voices that can often be interpreted as supernatural onto tapes and videocassettes. (Photos courtesy of PAPS)

see GHOST page 27

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Local author specializes in edgy thrillers, releases new book

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor

Former Cave Creek resident Ryan Alexander penned poetry as a child and then turned to audiobooks as he grew older. He’s still a traditionalist and a lover of words.

He recently released the book “Bow Season.” According to Alexander, a winding case unfolds when a young woman is found shot with an arrow in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Brayden Tucker and Mike Lenard, Eagle River’s most unlikely duo of detectives, discover this may be the work of a serial killer.

Tension rises between the young progressive detective and the grizzled old veteran as they try to solve each case before the next bow season.

“She looks like a girl from 12 years ago,” Alexander said.

“The book solves both cases and explores the dynamic between this young detective, who’s more progressive, and the older one, who’s more conservative. They have good banter.”

Wisconsin is special to Alexander. He grew up in Arizona but moved to Wisconsin in 2013 to work in his grandfather’s cranberry marshes. Since 2018, he has traveled between Wisconsin and Arizona. His first book was the controversial “Milwaukee’s Revenge,” which follows detective Jack Owens as he investigates an attack on a young couple from rural Wisconsin. Inspired by the 2014 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Milwaukee, Alexander wrote the book in 2017. It wasn’t published until 2020, however.

“Then the whole world blew up in May,” he said. “It’s a little touchy, but ‘Bow Season’ is more middle of the road. It shouldn’t tick anyone off. That’s why I think it’s done a lot better.”

Writing comes easy to Alexander. He merely writes what he would like to read. Alexander recently wrapped up his third book, “The Factory.”

“I saw a quote that said 1 out of every 10 juvenile prostitutes in Vegas is from the state of Minnesota,” said Alexander, who lives in Marana.

“This judge said, ‘They think of us as a factory down there.’ It’s about a 16-yearold who sneaks out on Labor Day and goes to Minneapolis to a party, and she is taken. It’s about her farmer dad and diesel mechanic uncle who pursues her. It’s an edgy story.”

Former Cave Creek resident Ryan Alexander has written two edgy thrillers, “Milwaukee’s Revenge” and “Bow Season.” (Photo courtesy of

Ryan Alexander) “Then the whole world blew up in May. It’s a little touchy, but ‘Bow Season’ is more middle of the road. It shouldn’t tick anyone o . That’s why I think it’s done a lot better.

For more information

Visit https://bit.ly/RyanAlexander to purchase Ryan Alexander’s books.

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“Because I had a rough childhood with these things — we don’t even know what they are — it was rewarding for me to go into homes with children and tell them it’s going to be OK,” she explained.

She said she loves the educational component of the guided ghost tours as well.

Over the years, Pioneer Arizona has built a reputation as a paranormal hotspot, Maloy said. Several instances of paranormal activity include encounters of “children-sized” and “dog-sized” dark shadows, the investigator continued.

“There is a dog in the Victorian House named Pooch,” Maloy said. “The only reason I know that is because the lady of the house, spirit-wise, has said his name is Pooch.”

Whispers in the Dark Tour

WHEN: 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays Oct. 8 and Oct. 22 WHERE: Pioneer Living History Museum, 3901 W. Pioneer Road, Phoenix COST: $35 INFO: https://bit.ly/WhispersintheDark

New laws effective this month

BY JUDGE GERALD A. WILLIAMS North Valley Justice of the Peace

Most of the bills that were passed and signed into law during the most recent secession of the Arizona Legislature are effective beginning on Sept. 29.

House Bill 2110 concerned community service. It amended A.R.S. §§ 8-341, 13-824, 28-1603 and added 28-1604. People performing community service to pay off their fines in criminal, civil and juvenile cases will now receive credit at a rate equal to the state minimum wage but rounded up.

For example, Arizona’s minimum wage is currently $12.15 per hour. Consequently, defendants performing community service will receive a credit of $13 per hour toward their fines. (Community service is also called community restitution.) Another bill has the potential to impact anyone with a driver’s license.

Under current law, if someone fails either to appear in court for their civil traffic ticket or pay the fine, the court with jurisdiction over the ticket notifies the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and that person’s license is suspended, at least temporarily. Senate Bill 1551 prohibits ADOT from either suspending or restricting someone’s driver’s license for failure to pay a civil penalty. It amended A.R.S. §§ 13-825, 28-1601, 28-1603, 28-3480 and 28-3482. This new law even applies to individuals holding a commercial driver’s license.

The state senator who sponsored Senate Bill 1551 did so in part because approximately 30,000 Arizona driver licenses are currently suspended because the drivers failed to pay their fines.

Even though the new law will remove the main incentive for people to pay their traffic tickets, the legislation had overwhelming support. A variety of legal reform organizations supported the bill, as well as groups as diverse as the ACLU and the Americans for Prosperity. The bill passed in the Senate 30-0 and in House of Representatives 58-0 with two not voting.

Senate Bill 1551 also allows a judge to reduce any fine (with the exception of DUI fines) if the defendant can demonstrate that the fine causes a financial hardship. While this new provision is significant, judges arguably already had the authority to reduce fines and to waive surcharges under existing law.

If you have any questions or need any additional information, your best bet is to either call or email the court where the ticket was filed. Anyone may contact the North Valley Justice Court by calling 602372-2000 x4.

Judge Gerald Williams is the justice of the peace for the North Valley Justice Court. The court’s jurisdiction includes parts of Anthem, Desert Hills, Glendale and Phoenix.

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