The Foothills Focus - 09-09-2020

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Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Acclaimed writer dies after fall at home

BY KAMALA KIRK Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

NEWS............................... 3 CCUSD reopens classrooms with social distancing measures

BUSINESS.......................... 8 Games on at the new Gaming Goat in Shops at Norterra

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ward-winning journalist, bestselling author and former Times Media Group executive editor Shanna Hogan died Sept. 1 following injuries sustained after a fall at her North Phoenix home.

She was 38 and leaves behind her husband of 17 years, Matt LaRussa, and their 15-month-old son, Zander. They lived near Sonoran Desert Drive and North Valley Parkway.

Hogan earned more than 20 awards for reporting and writing, including the 2009 Arizona Press Club’s Virg Hill Journalist of the Year award and the 2011 Arizona Newspaper Association’s Journalist of the Year.

She gained national recognition for her coverage of high-profile criminal cases, including the Jodi Arias trial. She reported

Shanna Hogan was the bestselling author of several true-crime books.

(Photo courtesy Sharlene Martin)

Rising star at Starlight Community Theater

OPINION.................................. 6 BUSINESS................................ 8 ARTS........................................ 10 FEATURES............................. 11 DINING....................................13 CLASSIFIEDS....................... 14

on the case for more than two years before it went to trial, becoming a nationally recognized expert and the goto source for Nancy Grace.

Her second book, “Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story: A Beautiful Photographer, Her Mormon Lover, and a Brutal Murder,” made the New York Times bestseller list in 2013.

“Shanna was an intrepid journalist, a talented writer, a natural podcast star, and an enthusiastic and loving first-time mother,” said Charles Spicer, vice president and executive editor at St. Martin’s Press.

“Speaking as her editor, she was a dream to work with,

see HOGAN page 2

Amped Coffee Co. remembers 9/11 with memorial

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor

FEATURES.................... 11

PAGE 10

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eith and Janine Walashek remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks vividly. They recall exactly where they were and the pain and fear that overcame their bodies.

So, when Keith heard New York was considering canceling the 9/11 Tribute in Light due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was angry.

“I promised to never forget,” he said.

“Well, this is how you start forgetting.

You start canceling things. You start forgetting things. There’s a whole generation right now who doesn’t

Keith and Janine Walashek. (Photo by Pablo Robles)

even know about 9/11. We need to keep that going.

“When I heard New York canceled their lights, it was like a kick in the gut.

So we thought, ‘OK, let’s do something.’

So I thought we’d do lights.”

It was easier said than done, because lights that bright and that illuminate that high aren’t readily available. One company in Arizona offers them. The town of Gilbert was going to use them, but when it canceled its memorial, the Walasheks grabbed the lights.

“It will be the brightest lights in Arizona,” Janine said. “We want the first

see 9/11 page 2

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NEWS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

HOGAN from page 1

the consummate professional who was also a kind and thoughtful person with a natural warmth and a delightful sense of fun.”

She authored four true-crime books, two of which were optioned for television shortly before her death.

Two days prior to her death, she turned in the outline for her book, “The Stranger She Loved: A Mormon Doctor, His Beautiful Wife, and an Almost Perfect Murder,” which was optioned by Sony.

Hogan was born in Olathe, Kansas, and grew up in Arizona. In 2005, she graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.

Even before graduating, she joined the East Valley Tribune in 2004 as a reporter. She was hired by Times Media Group in 2008 as a reporter and later was promoted to executive editor, overseeing multiple publications.

Steve Strickbine, founder and president of Times Media Group, recalled that Hogan would always come to editorial meetings with the most interesting story ideas.

9/11

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responders to know this matters to us because it really affected them.”

When she thinks of 9/11, Janine recalls the sounds of the television and the feelings she felt that day. She kept her kids home from school.

“They were little, and I was scared,” she said. “I remember feeling bonded with my neighbor over this because they felt the same way I did. I think we’re losing that feeling. We’re all in

On one assignment, she spent the night in the middle of the forest with a team of Bigfoot hunters. She also covered the notorious Baseline Killer case, which brought to light the mishandling of evidence by the Phoenix Police Department Crime Lab. “Shanna had a lot to do with our success,” Strickbine said. “She was one of the best writers I’ve ever known. She had a this country together, and we need to support each other.”

The event will take place in the parking lot of The Green Room and its sister coffeeshop, Amped Coffee Co., at 6:30 p.m. September 11.

Introducing The Green Room

Housed in the former Pizza Hut, The Green Room is a relatively new venture for the Walasheks. The couple received

1720 E DEER VALLEY RD., #104

reporter was her ability to gain access to hard-toreach sources.

On one occasion, she managed to get a tour of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, which had previously avoided the media.

“When it came to writing her books, Shanna wanted to Bestselling true-crime writer Shanna Hogan died at 38, leaving behind husband Matt give a voice to the LaRussa and son Zander. They lived in North Phoenix. (Photos courtesy Matt LaRussa) victims and tell very distinctive passion for her work their stories,” Gibbons added. “I always and the difference that it could make in thought that was a noble approach to communities. It was incredible to watch the true-crime endeavor. She also wanther grow as a writer. When she became ed to write young adult fiction, but she our executive editor, she mentored a lot never got the chance to.”

Another colleague, Zac Reynolds, reof young writers, which was another one mained close with Hogan throughout of the many great things about her.”

A former Tribune colleague, Tom Gib- the entirety of her career at Times Media bons, said that one of the things that see HOGAN page 5 impressed him most about Hogan as a the keys to the building in January, but, of course, the contractors started working two weeks before COVID hit.

“We were out of the country when COVID hit,” Keith said about a trip to Israel. “It was the worst time ever to commit to a build. On the other side, we were shut down, so it was the best time to do it.

“We took advantage of that.

We moved everything out of this space (Amped) and did a super deep clean to keep everyone safe.

We took that opportunity to rear- Superhero salad with quinoa, edamame, roasted sweet potato, range how we function, too.” shredded carrots, dried cherries, broccoli, spinach and kale.

The Green Room did open in said. “We serve you. I think that’s the July. The salad restaurant—not a walkhardest part about opening it right up salad bar—was the result of the now, is really getting the word out that Walasheks’ studies. They monitored this is full service. We even made our what the community was saying, and sneeze guard extra tall, like taller than most wanted to see a healthy restauwhat the health board requires.” rant or salad restaurant go into that The Green Room—a further play on space.

“It’s full service, like Chipotle,” Janine see 9/11 page 5

NEWS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

CCUSD reopens classrooms

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BY SARAH DONAHUE Foothills Focus Staff Writer

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fter months of online learning at home due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the state and around the country, most of Cave Creek Unified School District’s students returned to in-person classes Tuesday, September 8.

But not Cactus Shadows High School.

“At this time, we do not have enough staff to safely open and will need to revert to our distance learning model,” Principal Tony Vining said in a September 4 Facebook post.

“I understand that this is not what was expected. However, we determined that with the need for safety to be our utmost concern, it would be impossible to reach those parameters with the current projected staffing.”

Vining posted an update Monday, September 7: “Cactus Shadows will be open for students on Wednesday, September 9. Please make sure your student has a mask. ... Students will attend classes in rooms with all available teachers and substitutes. If coverage is not available for a classroom, students will be directed to a safe area for attendance and to complete work assigned by the absent teachers.”

Elementary schools in the district were expected to reopen after a unanimous vote from the CCUSD governing board August 31 to resume in-person classes with social distancing measures.

The nearly four-hour meeting had 149 public comments from parents, students, teachers and community members on both sides of the argument.

The governing board’s president, Kathryn Hill, stated that after examining extensive data and seeing a decline in new cases and hospitalizations, she feels the numbers are small enough to make a safe return.

“In knowing that we have concerns about safety for our teachers and our students and our staff, we also have concerns for the educational well-being and mental well-being of our students,” Hill said before voting against a recommendation to delay school reopening.

For students, the return to in-person classes wasn’t likely the school experience they were used to. Parents, teachers and students are now required to follow a new routine of precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In the morning before school, parents must evaluate their children for COVID-19 symptoms like vomiting, sore throat and shortness of breath and must also check their temperatures to be sure it is under 100.4 degrees, according to the CCUSD’s 2020-21 school-year plan logistics.

Social distancing is encouraged as much as possible on buses and in school, and not wearing face masks can lead to disciplinary action, the plan states. Other adjustments to school include but aren’t limited to no early drop-offs, no field trips no group restroom breaks; however, restrooms will be sanitized throughout the school day.

Not everyone was happy about the return to in-person classes.

Jennifer Warner, a CCUSD parent, former critical care nurse and current anesthesia provider, said in a comment during the board meeting that while COVID-19 doesn’t pose as big of a threat in children, they can be asymptomatic carriers and spread it rapidly to others around them.

“The virus is unlike any we have dealt with in recent history with potentially life long-lasting effects that are not yet understood,” her comment said. “The virus is going to be present, circulating throughout the world indefinitely and we need to find ways to mitigate its effects by limiting the spread in our community.”

Some other parents against schools reopening brought up the viral photos spreading on social media showing students across the country in crowded hallways without masks or social distancing. Parents warned that it could be even more devastating for students to return to school only to have to be quarantined and forced to go back to online learning after a potential outbreak.

But many of those who supported the reopening of schools cited the CDC’s

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paper from late July called “The Importance of Reopening America’s Schools this Fall” before the vote was taken. The paper outlines the harms tied to the lack of in-person instruction and the benefits that brick-and-mortar schools provide students.

“The harms attributed to closed schools on the social, emotional, and behavioral health, economic well-being, and academic achievement of children, in both the short- and long-term, are well-known and significant,” the CDC paper states.

The paper also states that the lack of in-person education disproportionately harms low-income and minority children as well as those living with disabilities.

Many parents brought up the educational gap of online learning in their comments to the board.

“We understand that each parent has a right to express their individual concerns for their children and their family’s safety; however, we believe the child’s education is just as if not more important,” said Robert Young, a CCUSD parent and business owner.

“Unfortunately, the online option is not working for us at all, and we feel our daughter’s education is suffering greatly without the ability to work directly with a teacher in person.”

While many were eager to return to in-person classes, many teachers expressed major health and safety concerns during the meeting.

“The ‘social distancing’ that is being done with desks is only about a foot and half, which is not enough to keep my students or me safe,” wrote Jennifer Cento, an English teacher at Cactus Shadows High School, in a comment to the board.

In an anonymous survey asking CCUSD’s certified teachers about returning to in-person classes September 8, 62% said they would return and 38% said they would not. This survey included 87% of the district’s teachers.

Of those that answered that they

see CLASSROOMS page 4

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NEWS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

CCUSD’s search for a new superintendent fter working with Cave Creek Unified School District for 17 years and serving as its superintendent for 13 years, Dr. Debbi Burdick is on the path to retirement, leaving an open spot for the district’s next superintendent.

“Being able to work among such an amazing staff with such supportive families and such intelligent and hardworking students has been a real joy for me, and to be able to lead a district like ours in the community that I live in has been so much fun,” Burdick said in an interview with Foothills Focus.

Burdick also sent her children to CCUSD schools, and she said she plans to spend her retirement enjoying time with her family and traveling with her husband once it becomes safe again.

The district’s governing board is currently searching for a new superintendent to lead the staff and students of Cave Creek and is being assisted by the Arizona School Boards Association in the process.

The thoughts of the community are being taken into account during this search with an e-survey set up by the Arizona School Board Association that opened August 19 and will remain open until September 14 at noon.

Boards, will do background and prep work to present the candidates to the CCUSD governing board October 3.

During that meeting, the board will solidify a date for the first round of interviews. It could be two dates, depending on the number of potential candidates, Highlen said, predicting that the interviews will take place during the week of Oct. 12.

The governing board wants to hear the community’s thoughts before the candidates are presented to them, Highlen said, adding that this way, the govWith the pending retirement of Dr. Debbi Burdick, the Cave Creek erning board “has a flavor for Unified School District is looking for a new superintendent. what the community’s thinking” (Photo courtesy CCUSD) and can make the best decisions during the screening and interThe board is hoping to collect a large view process.

Once the first set of interviews has number of responses from parents, staff members as well as students. All completed, finalists are chosen. Two responses will be kept anonymous and weeks later, the governing board will the information will be generated into conduct the finalist interviews, Highlen a report that will be presented to the said.

Typically, final interviews include governing board on September 21 for a “Meet and Greet” Q&A-style forum review and discussion.

The superintendent position opened where candidates answer questions at the end of August will be open until from the community. However, with the pandemic’s spread, it’s hard to say September 23.

After that, there is a 10-day peri- whether or not that can happen, he said. od where Steve Highlen, an executive Sometimes these events can attract search consultant for the Arizona School around 500 attendants, he added.

“It’d be hard to justify having a meeting like that now or even proposing it, but maybe by the time we get closer, maybe we’ll have a better feel for it.”

After the finalist process is over, the board can offer contract negotiations or conduct more interviews if the right candidate wasn’t found, Highlen said.

While the timelines are in place, it doesn’t necessarily mean a decision will be made at that specific time, he said, adding that it’s important for the board to be satisfied with their choice.

While Arizona has statutes that outline requirements for potential superintendents, Highlen said it’s also up to the local board to decide what they’re looking for. It’s important to keep the door as wide as possible when evaluating candidates, looking at their education, background, challenges, successes and past work, he said.

After several weeks of remote learning, classrooms opened for CCUSD students September 8 with social distancing measures after the governing board voted unanimously to resume in-person classes.

While being a superintendent was never easy, “right now these conditions add another layer to the skills needed to bring to the table,” Highlen said.

To complete the survey, visit surveymonkey.com/r/Cave_Creek_USD_ Comm_ESurvey.

wouldn’t return, 33% said they wanted the COVID-19 safe metrics to be fully met, according to the governing board.

The Arizona Department of Health Services set benchmarks for schools reopening and recommended waiting until all three benchmarks at the county level are in a moderate or minimal transmission category for two weeks.

The first benchmark is COVID-19 cases, where they recommend delay-

ing in-person instruction until there is a two-week decline in weekly average cases or two weeks of less than 100 cases per a population of 100,000.

The second benchmark is two weeks with positivity below 7% and the third benchmark is two weeks with less than 10% of hospital visits due to COVID-19 related illness.

Before the vote, Superintendent Dr. Debbi Burdick noted there can some-

dated data has been inputted. This would mean waiting until COVID-19 cases are under 10 per 100,000 people, as well as waiting until the percent of positive cases and COVID-19 hospital visits are under 5%.

“There is a writer named, Ralph Marston and he wrote, ‘You always have an opportunity to make a good decision, yet you’ll rarely be able to make a perfect decision,’” Burdick said to the board.

BY SARAH DONAHUE Foothills Focus Staff Writer

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CLASSROOMS

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times be a 12-day lag in data, which can make it hard to evaluate the numbers to make a decision. This delay is the reason many school districts are waiting a few more weeks to go back, she said.

Burdick mentioned how the administration recommended waiting until all three Maricopa County Department of Public Health benchmarks are in the “green” classification and resume in-person classes a week after the up-

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NEWS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

9/11

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music, like the Amped Coffee Co. name— boasts five salads. One is the Amptastic, a Southwestern-style salad with black beans, crunchy jalapeno, corn, cheese, red peppers and fire-roasted red peppers and served with a Chipotle ranch dressing.

The Superhero salad is vegan, with spinach and three types of kale, with shredded carrot, quinoa, broccoli, edamame, butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries and a citrus poppyseed vinaigrette.

For the protein powerhouse cobb, bacon, eggs, chicken, tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese sit on a bed of crisp romaine lettuce.

Spinach topped with quinoa, chicken, mandarin oranges, edamame, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries and shredded white cheddar is the Thai citrus salad.

Last, the Fruitopia is a spring mix lettuce with quinoa, shredded carrots, peaches, chicken, dried cranberries, white cheddar, walnuts with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Guests are welcome to design their own salad as well.

Amped opened in June 2018, and in mid-August 2019, a customer arrived who wanted to purchase treats for first responders. She paid for a $100 gift card and left it behind the counter. Since then, the Amped employees and customers have kept the card topped up so first responders’ tabs will always be paid.

“The card hasn’t hit zero since we started,” Janine said. “It’s been really cool. It’s not like they make a whole lot

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Group. The two would eat lunch together several times a week.

“Shanna was the kind of person who brightened every room she walked into,” Reynolds said. “She was kind, funny, insightful and a heck of a journalist.

“She knew how to tell a story, to take the craziness of a story like the Travis Alexander murder or the Baseline Killer story and dig into the case, and find the story that hadn’t been told before. But she could also tell the light-hearted story with the same great wit and writing.

Kaelyn Marble prepares a salad for a customer. (Photo by Pablo Robles)

of money. So, they just come in and they eat. It’s a great way to show them that the community is behind them.”

The Walasheks opened Amped as a way for their son, Austin, and other musicians to have a place to showcase their talents.

“We thought it would be great to have a stage here in Anthem for the community,” Janine said. “We’re a platform for up-and-coming musicians. That’s where the name ‘Amped’ comes from.”

The Walasheks say the 9/11 memorial and the first-responders gift card are personal missions as well. Their oldest son, Dylan, is a medically retired police officer. His partner was Clayton

Townsend, a Salt River police officer who was killed by a distracted driver.

Dylan named his son Clayton.

The 9/11 event will benefit Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which has a local chapter. Siller, who was assigned to Brooklyn’s Squad 1, had just finished his shift and was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he got word over his scanner of a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Upon hearing the news, Siller called his wife, Sally, and asked her to tell his brothers he would catch up with them later. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear.

Siller drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security

She was genuine and will be missed.”

Katie Mayer met Hogan when they were both reporters at the East Valley Tribune. The two remained close friends, often getting together for playdates with their kids.

Days after their last meetup in July, Hogan surprised Mayer’s 3-year-old son by sending him a star projector.

“She went out of her way to make everyone feel special. I was in awe of Shanna’s dedication as a mother—she shared a bond with her son like no other I have

seen,” Mayer said.

“The two were inseparable, and she brought the same joy and magic to Zander’s world as she brought to ours.

Without a doubt, a piece of the magic in all of our lives is gone without Shanna, but we will continue to honor her life by working every day to live our lives with the kindness, grace and humor that she did.”

Hogan was also passionate about inspiring the next generation of writers and in 2015 joined her alma mater as an

It’s personal

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purposes. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 pounds of gear to his back and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others.

“It turns out they’re the reason New York is doing the 9/11 lights again,” Keith said. “The Tunnel to Towers Foundation just pressured them.”

Amped Coffee Co.’s memorial will feature bagpipers, a testimonial from 9/11 survivors and then Austin Walashek’s band, Wild Giants, will perform the Jimi Hendrix version of the “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“It’s going to be kind of cool,” Keith said. “We’ll be led into prayer and then we’ll go into a moment of silence, and the silence is going to be broken by Wild Giants playing the ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ Jimi Hendrix style.

“When they hit the part ‘bombs bursting in air,’ that’s when the lights will go on. It should be cool. It’ll be bright.”

Janine hopes this event makes Americans remember the importance of community.

“We’re not missing 9/11,” she said.

“We’re missing 9/12. Do you remember how we felt, as a nation, on 9/12?

It doesn’t matter how you voted. We’re just all in it together.

“The 9/12 feeling is slipping away.

We can’t let it slip away. Even though we’re just a little coffee shop here in Anthem, we want to do a little something and make a little difference to those who aren’t forgetting.”

adjunct professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she taught a news reporting and writing course.

Services for Hogan are pending. Her husband donated her organs, stating, “I wanted as much of her in this world as possible, and I hope that I can someday meet the recipients.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for memorial costs, medical bills and to support Zander Hogan.

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AROUND THE BLUHMIN’ TOWN

Tarantulas make nice houseguests

BY JUDY BLUHM Foothills Focus Guest Columnist

H

as anyone seen Manuel? Is he in quarantine?

Come out, Manuel! We are worried. There is an all-out search for the “special” friend of New River resident Diane Wilson. Manuel has been visiting her on a regular basis for the past 25 years. Manuel has a plump body; big, hairy legs; and a sweet disposition.

No, we’re not trying to locate Diane’s neighbor—it is Manuel, the tarantula, who is missing.

Yes, that’s right. I am talking about a big, gentle spider who first showed up at Wilson’s home many years ago and likes to visit annually, usually staying a few months. Every year, Manuel has made

the migration to the Wilson home, arriving usually in July and leaving in early October. I am sad to report that Manuel has not arrived yet this year.

The Phoenix Zoo’s arachnid expert is quite interested and confounded by the behavior of this tarantula that has made himself at home on an annual basis at the Wilson residence. In fact, it might be that Manuel has passed this strange “migration pattern” on to his offspring.

Manuel usually just shows up unannounced through an open patio door or squeezes in the doggy door. He gets along with assorted dogs, cats, birds and humans and has a pleasant personality.

He sometimes would walk along the kitchen counter or saunter up a wall. He has even sat on the back of Diane’s sofa, possibly watching television! In other words, forget anything and everything you might have thought about tarantu-

las—they make nice houseguests!

Last year, Diane noted that Manuel acted a bit odd. He seemed reluctant to leave and made himself more and more visible as his visit progressed. Last October, he was still hanging around the house, showing up in strange places, like in the shower and on the bedside table. Was he just getting ready for the long goodbye? Was he feeling a bit melancholy? We wonder if he’ll be coming back.

A female tarantula can live for 25 years! But a male might only live 15 years. Once they mate their life is over.

We’ve all been hoping that Manuel did not meet some sultry female along the trail to Diane’s house this year. But it’s hard to solve a mystery about a migrating spider that acts in peculiar ways.

Maybe Manuel is a female? Or is it Manuel Junior who has been coming by the

past few years?

Yes, I know that there are greater losses than that of one goofy tarantula. But the world seemed to be spinning just right, when one of God’s little critters showed up at Diane’s door many years ago and then kept coming back each summer. It seems Manuel knew exactly where he belonged. And that was a summer home where he found love and acceptance!

If you do see a big handsome tarantula showing up in your kitchen, acting like he intends on making himself at home, please do not panic. He could be lost.

Until next week. If you see Manuel, give me a scream—I mean call.

jump over 14 garbage cans, or Jimmie Walker, playing J.J. on “Good Times,” might have new reasons to shout “Dy-No-Mite!”

Simpler times, huh?

I haven’t seen a print edition of TV Guide in 20 years, but it’s easy to imagine Hollywood rebooting our favorite shows for 2020 and all the great storylines we’d have in store after Labor Day weekend.

What’s on the horizon?

“Laverne & Shirley” (ABC)—When the girls get laid off from the Shotz Brewery assembly line because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they take shifts at the Pizza Bowl, where a customer assaults Laverne for not wearing a face mask.

Sounds like a laugh a minute.

“The Streets of San Francisco” (ABC)— Chasing after a serial killer in the Tenderloin District, Lt. Stone stumbles in a pile of human excrement and ruptures his Achilles. His ensuing opioid addiction ends his career as a homicide investigator.

Karl Malden at his very best. I’d watch.

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (CBS)— The WJM newsroom must choose sides when an intern files a #MeToo sexual harassment complaint against anchorman Ted Baxter.

Things get uglier in real life when actor Ted Knight—who plays Baxter— retweets a Harvey Weinstein meme and draws the attention of President Trump.

What’s the opposite of far-fetched?

Close-fetched? Either way, I’d say there’s a great chance this could happen.

“Little House On The Prairie” (NBC)— When Minnesota legalizes recreational marijuana, Charles and Caroline Ingalls argue about the merits of planting wheat or getting rich growing weed.

Laura joins PETA to protest the leather goods being stocked at the Oleson’s country store.

“The Six Million Dollar Man” (ABC)— While his bionic right arm, legs and zoom-vision left eye thrive, Col. Steve Austin’s regular body parts start to suffer.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a story or a comment? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com.

How old TV standbys might play in 2020

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Foothills Focus Columnist

W

hen I was a kid, we subscribed to TV Guide.

The best issue always came at the end of summer, because it previewed the upcoming fall television season.

I loved knowing reruns were finally ending and being teased about new seasons of “Happy Days,” “S.W.A.T.” and “Welcome Back, Kotter.”

Sure, it meant going back to school and again suffering an early bedtime, but what a small price to pay if it meant Fonzie might stage a record motorcycle

see

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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

STANDBYS from page 6

His physical issues lead Steve to the Mexican border, where he gets cheap dental work, a prescription for blood-pressure meds and explores surgery for bionic, uh, manhood.

In a special two-part episode, Steve also uses his bionic jumping ability to leap the newly installed border wall, becoming the rare American able to avoid long lines at the Lukeville/Sonoyta border crossing.

So what do you think a bionic guy is worth in 2020 dollars?

“CHiPs” (NBC)—The 2020 season ends up canceled before a single episode airs after protesters from both sides of the political aisle fight in the streets of Los Angeles, where the show is filmed.

Progressives, angered by the show’s sympathetic portrayal of police officers,

clash with furious conservatives, who demand that Ponch and Jon boycott their Japanese-made Kawasaki motorcycles.

“It just seems like everyone hates us now,” said one confused NBC studio executive. “We were thinking about making them bike cops, but Schwinns didn’t test well with focus groups.”

The more I think about it, the more I understand why Hollywood TV producers have gone away from comedy and drama to crap like “The Masked Singer,” “Celebrity Family Feud” and “America’s Got Talent.”

There’s not much funny about 2020 right now. And we’re exponentially too sensitive to handle real life. It’s like the whole year has been one long “very special episode”—minus the laughs and all the teary hugs at the end.

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BUSINESS

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Business TheFoothillsFocus.com

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New gaming shop popular during pandemic

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor

T

he novel coronavirus pandemic has caused an unexpected surge in game and puzzle sales among those quarantining with family.

After less than a month in business as The Gaming Goat, Mark Gorden has witnessed this—and maybe did a little game shopping himself.

“People are looking for puzzles,” the North Phoenix man said. “We’re trying to order puzzles right now. During the height of the pandemic, I was going to game stores and dropping a lot of money on games.”

The Gaming Goat is the largest board

Mark Gorden owns The Gaming Goat in Norterra. (Photo by Pablo Robles)

game/role playing-specific retail chain in United States and are the largest Kickstarter game retailer in the world.

The Gaming Goat also carries full lines of Pokemon TCG products and supplies.

The Norterra store also carries Dun-

geons & Dragons products, Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon cards, and card games like Mille Bornes.

“There’s a complete mix of people coming through the doors,” said Gorden, who formerly ran hyperbaric chambers at St. Luke’s Hospital. “I had to pick up more games for younger kids. A lot of families are coming through. I was surprised at the number of people in their 50s who come by.”

Gorden, 40, is a longtime gamer who was introduced to the hobby by his parents in the late-1980s. They’d play Life and the Titanic game. When he married his wife, Paola, the two started enjoying

see

GAMING page 9

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9

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

GAMING from page 8

Dungeons & Dragons again, and it gradually led to board games.

“It brought my wife and I together. It completely elevated our relationship with the interaction. We were painting miniatures for Warhammer and it created a bond, and it just grew from there.”

A dialysis tech, Paola and her husband pondered how they could turn their love of gaming into a business.

“We were thinking what we could do to take this a step further,” he said. “There’s

a Gaming Goat at Mesa Riverview that we went to because the prices were so good.

We thought there was no way to compete with this. If you can’t beat them, join them.”

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ARTS

Arts 10

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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

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Purdy paints purrrrfect pet portraits

BY SHEA STANFIELD Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

D

r. Temple Grandin writes in her book “Animals Make Us Human” that “all animals and people have the same core emotion systems in the brain. They feel fear as well as a sense of well-being.”

In this awareness, Scottsdale artist Fiona Purdy captures the spirit of our most beloved pets in her stunningly perceptive fine art pet portraits.

A pet owner herself, Purdy understands completely the deep bond of love that exists between humans and the animals who share their lives. Many of Purdy’s clients said their pet portraits have become one of their most treasured paintings.

Purdy has painted pet portraits, professionally, for more than 25 years. Her fascination with animals began when she was a child living in Auckland, New Zealand.

Purdy moved to Scottsdale as an adult, and continued her work capturing the images of family pets on canvas. She specializes in rendering every detail with care, resulting in an uncanny ability to capture each creature’s personality and bestloved qualities in a timeless image.

Purdy’s realistic, acrylic-on-canvas style ranges from the very formal to informal, even whimsical. Her trademark colorful borders define space, creating an extra layer of interest by depicting individual elements of a particular animal’s personality and life with their family.

To meet a more affordable price point, Purdy developed a pet portrait style working with pen ink and acrylic on archival paper. The portraits are created with an acrylic wash applied by brush, which renders a loose, light feel to the image.

She then captures her subject’s likeness

Fiona Purdy at work in the studio. (Photos courtesy Fiona Purdy)

and personality with details done in pen ink. This newly developed technique has proven to be a hit with her clients, providing an opportunity for them to invest in several portraits over the years or gift them to family and friends.

She typically works from photographs.

She enjoys learning about the pet, getting to know their personality and hearing stories from their families. Depending on her client’s location, she may meet the animal before starting the portrait. Purdy has been known to use Skype to meet her subjects when clients live out of the area.

She enjoys working with each family to capture just the right mood for their pet portrait. Her clients are then able to develop with her that perfect and lasting memory. Purdy does not limit herself to dogs, cats and horses. She has been commissioned to paint a variety of animals, including birds and Highland cattle around

Send your arts news to Christina Fuoco-Karasinski at 480-898-5631 or christina@timespublications.com

try. She supports Foothills Animal Rescue and Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center.

Purdy is a juried member of the Sonoran Arts League and the Arizona Art Alliance. She participates in the Camelback Studio Tour each November: camelbackstudiotour.com.

Purdy has exhibited her work four times at the Mayo Clinic’s Scottsdale and Phoenix campuses as part of their Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine A painting of Perry by Fiona Purdy. outreach.

Info: 602-770-0529, petportraitsbyfiona.com, fiona@petportraitsbyfiona.com

the world.

Purdy is listed in the American Kennel Club’s Museum of the Dog Artist’s Regis-

Contact arts columnist Shea Stanfield on flowingquill@yahoo.com

Kiha with his portrait by Fiona Purdy. (Photo courtesy Fiona Purdy)

FEATURES

Features

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

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11

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Young actress wins Amy Bennett scholarship

BY BRIDGETTE M. REDMAN Foothills Focus Contributing Writer

G

wendolyn Cain believes solace can be found in performance, as the troubling aspects of one’s life can be transformed into a character.

She’s needed it during the COVID-19 pandemic, which isolated people and filled them with anxiety.

The 16-year-old Mountain Ridge High School junior is the most recent Amy Bennett scholarship winner.

The $500 scholarship is designated for use toward any of the 2020-21 season productions at Starlight Community Theatre.

The scholarship is a memorial to Bennett, a former Starlight actress who was killed in an accident while riding her bike to a rehearsal. A “triple-threat” actress, Bennett pursued a degree in theater and

Gwendolyn Cain is the most recent Amy Bennett scholarship winner. (Photo courtesy Gwendolyn Cain)

moved to New York City.

A foundation was formed in her name and has been giving memorial scholarships to Starlight since the 2017-18 season. Past recipients include Caleb Ormord, Gracie Palmer, and Jenna Padro.

Cain joined the Starlight family in August 2019 when she was in the ensemble of “Frozen Jr.” She played several roles, including the housekeeper.

While that was her first time on stage with them, she went to see “Mary Poppins” at Starlight when she was 9 years old.

“It’s not far from where I live,” Cain said. “It’s in the community and was always in the back of my mind. I didn’t think I could audition for something there. I was just looking for some nearby auditions, trying to get involved and Starlight’s ‘Frozen’ popped

up. I love ‘Frozen,’ and I really wanted to try that out.”

The production paved the way for her to play Anna in the Stage Dreams Youth Theater production of “Frozen Jr.” Through that, she performed in a junior theater festival when Stage Dreams condensed the show to 15 minutes and took it there.

“Gwendolyn Cain has a bright future at Starlight Community Theater,” said Artistic Director Dan Ashlock Jr. “As an actress in three of our shows this year, she demonstrated true professionalism, commitment and a lot of talent.”

Ashlock said Cain has two very talented younger siblings, Jonah and Phoebe, who have also participated in several Starlight shows.

“Starlight loves having whole families work together on projects, and the Cains

see STARLIGHT page 12

Sir Bark A. Lot’s Fashion Paw Tea goes virtual

BY WILLIAM BERGHOLZ Foothills Focus Staff Writer

W

The Scott Foundation’s annual Fashion Paw Tea benefit aims to raise awareness and funds to facilitate service programs for Arizona foster kids.

Pictured are, in front from left, Thought and Service Leader Justice and Jordon.

Behind them are Farm and Logistics Manager Billy Anthony and Culinary Director chef Brett Viber.

On the wall hangs a photo of Scott Walski, who died at the age of 27 and inspired the founding of the Scott Foundation. (Submitted photo)

hen Colleen Walski’s only son, Scott, died at the age of 27, she wanted his legacy to live

on.

To pay tribute to his memory, in 2007 she founded the nonprofit Scott Foundation, which produces positive outcomes to help Arizona’s youth transition from the foster care system into the real world with more confidence, practical skills, solid values, care for others and a vision for their futures.

To support its mission, the Scott Foundation will present the fifth annual Sir Bark A. Lot’s Fashion Paw Tea fundraiser, live in a virtual format from Inspired Media 360 at 6 p.m. September 20. The event will be hosted by Carey Pena and Kelee Lee.

Children associated with the Scott Foundation will dress up and present animals including a desert tortoise, a Spanish stallion, mini equine therapy horses, a donkey and dogs. Guests are invited to show their animals.

“These are kids who are in the foster care system, ages 13 to 17,” Walski said.

“They’re volunteering their time, and they spend about 450 hours a year per kid supporting and giving back in the community.”

WILD Arizona Cuisine chefs Brett Vibber, Jaren Bates and Alan Moore will be featured, and the Scott Foundation WILD Culinary Kids will assist in the kitchen, preparing a three-course dinner for guests and their pets.

Winemaker Sam Pillsbury and WILD mixologist Danielle Goldtooth have crafted six cocktails and wines for guests to try, too.

Viewers can tune in for free, but virtual seating tickets cost $100 per person.

Craft cocktails and wine cost $10, and gourmet plates for “fur friends” are $15.

As the event is virtual, dinners will be delivered. Sponsorship opportunities are available from $2,500 to $10,000.

Local farms that have signed up as sponsors include Adams Natural Meats, Crows Dairy, Rhiba Farms, Ramona

see FUNDRAISER page 12

12

FEATURES

STARLIGHT from page 11

are a very talented family,” Ashlock said.

Cain has been performing since she was in fourth grade, when she took part in the required “Alice in Wonderland” stage show. Calling it “magical,” she says it was then she fell in love with theater.

In middle school, she started performing with community theaters. Before the pandemic, she starred as a Russian mobster in her high school’s production of “Matilda.”

“I loved doing that show,” Cain said.

“There were several 18-hour days where we stayed at school until 1 or 2 in the morning. Our closing night of that show was Saturday night and then Sunday morning, the entire world shut down. It was a major blessing to finish out that show. It marked the beginning of all the craziness and the end of in-person the-

FUNDRAISER from page 11

Farms and WILD Farms.

The annual benefit aims to raise awareness and funds to facilitate service programs for Arizona foster kids.

It provides entertainment infused with a charitable element, while teaching compassion and empathy.

“The benefits program itself for this fundraiser benefits our culinary program, our animal welfare program and our arts program,” Walski explained.

The Scott Foundation has a mission to help Arizona’s foster youth realize their potential to make the world a more peaceful and loving place—and a vision to change lives, one teen at a time.

Throughout the life of the community program, it became apparent to Walski that the young people who were most responsive to opening their hearts and caring for others were those who needed help themselves. Those with troubled backgrounds and outsiders in each class seemed to embrace the experiences most fiercely.

Recognizing that fueled Walski’s decision to focus all her efforts on the most vulnerable of children, Arizona’s

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

ater.”

Since then, she has been watching in wonder with the way people have been adapting to creating art.

She’s participated in virtual shows like Starlight’s “Virtual Family” and the teen rendition of “Disorder in the Court.” In the first show, she played Alex, a human version of the Amazon device Alexa. Whenever a member of the house would say her name, she’d pop out and, in what she described as an “obnoxious British accent,” say, “Hello, what can I do for you?”

In the second show, she played the judge in a court that had no sense of order or decorum.

“This court is completely wacky and there is no sense of order,” Cain said. “As the overseer of this court, I have lines I had to follow, but it was a very loose

structure for my character. I had a lot of freedom to make interesting choices.”

As fall rolls in, Ashlock is making decisions about what the Starlight season will look like.

The Starlight board met in mid-August and decided to host “Virtual Theater Trivia” at 7 p.m. September 26; “Adult Virtual Murder Mystery Party” at 7 p.m. October 2; “Young Adult/Teen Virtual Murder Mystery Party” at 7 p.m. October 3; and “Dracula” from October 23 to November 1.

Cain is eager to use her scholarship to return to the stage with her Starlight friends.

“I am just very anxious to get back up on a stage again,” Cain said. “There is something about being on a stage surrounded by your fellow cast members,

who basically become your family. That is what is missing from the online experience, though I am extremely grateful to be participating in them amid the chaos and uncertainty.”

She is concerned about the state of community theaters that rely on donations and ticket sales. It’s something she doesn’t want to see die, because theater and performing is a crucial part of her life.

“Theater is like combining all methods of expressing yourself into one,” Cain said.

“You get to become someone else entirely.

The deeper you dive in and the more you connect to the character you are embodying, the more fulfilling it becomes.

“If you are in it enough, everything else just melts away. You are this character.

You are telling another’s story, and that is just really beautiful to me.”

The fifth annual Sir Bark A. Lot’s Fashion Paw Tea fundraiser will be live in a virtual format at 6 p.m.

September 20. (Submitted photos)

foster youth.

Through the transformative healing power of selfless service, Walski continues to enrich the fortune of her son’s legacy and her own.

“This activity began about 12 years ago,” Walski said, explaining that kids would dress rescue dogs in tea party outfits, read to them and order lunch at restaurants.

Tune In To Your Community 24/7

“Eventually this idea went from dogs to everything—chickens, ducks and pigs,” Walski continued. “We ended up having more animals than we had kids, so we had more volunteers. We ended up moving this about seven years ago to a community fundraising platform.”

Now, Walski said there are about 20 animals, or “models,” in a fashion show each year.

“The animals get all dressed up and then we have a photo shoot, so we send the photographer out to them,” she explained. “This year, instead of walking on the fashion runway, they will be featured in a magazine for people to read at the dinner.”

For more information, visit https:// events.handbid.com/auctions/fashion-paw-tea.

www.TheFoothillsFocus.com

DINING

THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Dining

13

@TheFoothills.Focus / TheFoothillsFocus

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Del Taco moves into North Phoenix

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor

D

el Taco recently opened its newest Phoenix location at 2205 W. Deer Valley Road.

“We are excited to bring our winning combination of freshly prepared food at an incredible value to this new Phoenix location,” said Del Taco operator Freddy Lula. “Our menu has something to satisfy every craving—including our new, craveable epic burrito with crispy chicken and fresh guacamole.”

The new Del Taco is the 29th location to open in the Phoenix area, and the 40th location in Arizona.

With more than 600 locations across 14 states, Del Taco is committed to offering its guests a unique variety of Mexican favorites prepared fresh in every restaurant’s working kitchen. Del Taco’s meals are prepared to order with quality ingredients like fresh grilled chicken and carne asada steak, hand-sliced avocado, hand-grated cheddar cheese, slow-cooked beans made from scratch, and creamy queso blanco.

Have Dining News?

The “epic” crispy chicken and fresh guac burrito with creamy avocado Caesar is $5.

The crispy chicken taco is available with ranch or creamy habanero sauce for $1.

For those who are vegan, vegetarian or looking to reduce their meat consumption, Del Taco now offers its new Beyond tacos and burritos, which offer the same amount of protein and flavor as its seasoned beef tacos but are made with 100% plant-based protein. The company also delivers its Del’s Dollar Deals Menu featuring a wide variety of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and beverages.

Guests who crave even more value can download The Del App, available on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android), and will receive a coupon for any taco free, as well as other special offers delivered to their mobile device every week.

The new Phoenix Del Taco restaurant is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Contact Christina Fuoco-Karasinski christina@timespublications.com

The crispy chicken and fries box is $4 and comes with a choice of four dipping sauces—ranch, chipotle, habanero and creamy avocado Caesar. (Photos courtesy Del Taco)

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Public Notices SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA MARICOPA COUNTY. NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF INFORMAL APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND/OR INFORMAL PROBATE OF A WILL In the Matter of the Estate of Francis P. Koopman Case Number: PB2020-050932 NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT: 1. PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE : Donna F. Koopman has been appointed Personal Representative of this Estate on 7-31-2020.

Address: 36625 North 7th Street Phoenix, AZ 85086 2. DEADLINE TO MAKE CLAIMS. All persons having claims against the Estate are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the first publication of this Notice or the claims will be forever barred. 3. NOTICE OF CLAIMS: Claims must be presented by delivering or mailing a written statement of the claim to the Personal Representative at 36625 North 7th Street Phoenix, AZ 85086 DATED this 28th day of August, 2020 /s/ Donna F. Koopman, Donna F. Koopman Personal Representative. PUBLISHED: Foothills Focus Sept 9, 16, 23, 2020/ 32977

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