East Valley Tribune: Gilbert Edition - Jan. 8, 2017 by Times Media Group

Basha’s undefeated record is a good start, but team wants more

ALS breakthrough gives patients new hope

Gilbert sufferer knows discovery

BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Executive Editor

When the Barrow Neurological Institute said in December that it had found new genetic clues to Lou Gehrig’s disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, it said the discovery would “pave the way for the development of new drug targets and therapies.”

For Doug Clough, it’s likely too late to help.

Clough, 54, of Gilbert, has had ALS for 2½ years now. He knows that any new discoveries won’t help him.

“It probably won’t beneﬁt me,” Clough said. “If I don’t get killed in an accident, I will die from ALS before any of the data could be used for me.

“But I don’t care. I want it to beneﬁt the ALS community as a whole. I know it will help give

people diagnosed in the future some hope.

“For me, my hope is not here, but in Christ and Heaven.” ALS is a disease that robs people of control of their bodies. Slowly, patients lose the ability to walk, write, eat, talk and then breathe. e groundbreaking discovery involved IBM Watson, a famous, cutting-edge artiﬁcial intelligence program. It gave Barrow scientists new data that has unlocked some mysteries of the brain.

“We are very excited about this discovery,” says Robert Bowser, director of the Gregory W. Fulton ALS Research Center at Barrow Neurological Institute and one of the nation’s leading ALS researchers.

“ALS is one of the most complicated diseases to unravel. We hope that the use of IBM

is stronger, with

the kids and my friends.”

Sales soar but uncertainty remains for medical marijuana

BY MIKE BUTLER Tribune Staff Writer

East Valley medical marijuana

dispensaries are enjoying a phenomenal growth rate in sales, despite the failure of Proposition 205, but they are also prepping for an inevitable period of price declines, market consolidation and increased competition.

“We have already seen price declines

and increased competition,” said Steve White, CEO of Harvest of Tempe. “Market consolidation is likely next.”

Lilach Power, co-owner with Gina Berman of e Giving Tree Wellness Center in Mesa, agreed.

“We have seen a number of licenses consolidating,” she said. “We have seen more dispensaries opening in Maricopa County— some are new licenses, some have moved from other areas of Arizona. But overall it’s a

market of small local operators.”

e Giving Tree and Harvest comments come in reaction to a recent eye-opening report saying that medical cannabis sales in Arizona—on course to hit $367 million in 2016—will top $681 million by 2020. e study was conducted by Washington, D.C.based New Frontier Data, a big data cannabis analytics outﬁt, in partnership with publisher

Gilbert Edition Sunday, January 8, 2017

(Larry Mangino/Tribune Staff Photographer)

“I would not trade the last 2½ years for the previous 52 for anything,” said Doug Clough, with his wife Karen. “My relationship with God

Karen,

Watson for Drug Discovery will allow us to identify new and more effective treatments for ALS.”

But the breakthrough may not start benefiting patients for some time. Drug treatments may take 10 to 15 years and $2 billion to bring to market.

Coping with changes

Clough is aware of his future, and wants to make his life count while he’s still here.

He hosts a softball game to raise more money for research and has participated in an ALS walk in Scottsdale.

In the meantime, he spends his days at home, limited by his strength and energy. That’s a difficult consequence for him.

A full day for him is meeting somebody for breakfast or lunch, using a special van to make his trips. He’s usually done for the day after that.

Like it does most people, the ALS diagnosis caught the Cloghs by surprise.

After an unsuccessful pro baseball career—“I was drafted really low”—back issues started to slow him down. Since 2001, he has had five back surgeries. Then, a leg issue started to concern him.

He went to a neurologist to find an answer. After needle electrodes were placed in his neck and leg, the doctor had a quick verdict—ALS.

Clough and his wife, Karen, went out to the car after the diagnosis and prayed.

“The first few days were tough,” he said.

He found out some difficult facts about his disease. For example, life expectancy is 3-5 years after diagnosis.

One issue the couple had to deal with was their living situation. They had to decide whether they would find an ALSfriendly house or rebuild the house they were in.

“It was a wave of emotions,” Karen said, “asking me to pick out a house I’m going to become a widow in.”

They decided to stay in their current house. That means modifying the bathroom, widening doorways and more changes.

“At one point, we’ll turn the living room or the kitchen into a bedroom and move in a hospital bed,” Karen said.

“No, this is not what I signed up for. But it’s in sickness and in health.”

Doug said he understands Karen’s view.

“I think it is harder on the caregiving spouse or family member than on the patient,” he said. “Their role continues

to change, and they see their loved one literally waste away and their dreams for the future for with it also.

“Then, once the patient dies, they are exhausted and have no money.”

Karen said, “It’s not only a disease, it’s the death of dreams.”

Support groups and family and friends help the Cloughs get through the rough times.

Doug said ALS patients that get involved with support groups live longer by three to 18 months. He said they also have a better attitude.

Donations also help. Doug gets around on a $45,000 wheelchair that a friend at his church donated.

He and Karen also lean heavily into their Christian faith.

“We have a God who can do anything,” Doug said. “I don’t know how people face this without faith. My faith allows me to know I’m going to be healed from this after I die.

“I don’t know even if I’d be alive today without faith.”

Watson’s discovery

The IBM breakthrough came after only a few months.

Barrow began working with IBM in 2015 to explore unidentified genes and proteins that may be linked to ALS using Watson for Drug Discovery, a cloudbased computing tool.

Within months, Watson for Drug Discovery rank ordered all of the nearly 1,500 genes within the human genome

and predicted which genes might be associated with ALS. The Barrow team then examined Watson’s top predictions and found that eight of the top 10 genes proved to be linked to the disease. More significantly, the study found five unexpected genes associated with ALS.

Without IBM Watson for Drug Discovery, researchers predict the breakthrough would have taken years rather than only a few months.

Doug hopes that Barrow’s discovery will create another wave of fundraising for ALS, much as the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 ended up raising $120 million. Some of the money was invested in research projects. Millions also were given to look at naturopathic medicines.

Doug doesn’t let his own failing abilities keep him from making a difference. He volunteers one day a week with an ALS group.

“I’m a Class A label sticker and a Class B-minus letter folder,” he said.

Doug reflects on his diagnosis without regret.

“I would not trade the last 2½ years for the previous 52 for anything,” Doug said. “My relationship with God is stronger, with Karen, the kids and my friends.”

“Not that we haven’t had times where we cry and hold each other,” Karen confessed. “We say, ‘This stinks.’ Then, we regroup.”

– Contact Ralph Zubiate at 480-898-6825 or rzubiate@timespublications.com.

Some warning signs of ALS

The ALS Association says the initial symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can be different in different people. It can present itself in difficulty grasping a pen or lifting a coffee cup. The association also says a change in vocal pitch when speaking may be heard.

Some of the more common symptoms include:

• Gradual, painless, progressive muscle weakness

• Tripping

• Dropping things

• Abnormal fatigue of the arms or legs

• Slurred speech

• Muscle cramps and twitches

• Uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying

Since ALS attacks only motor neurons, the sense of sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell are not affected. For many people, muscles of the eyes and bladder are generally not affected.

—Source: ALSA.org

(Larry Mangino/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Doug Clough’s walker gives him some mobility around the house, but the maximum distance he goes is the few feet from his bedroom to the bathroom to his living room.

THE SUNDAY

Streetcar project could take fans to proposed Coyotes arena

EAST VALLEY

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BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer

Peering into a crystal ball, it’s possible to see Arizona Coyotes fans someday taking the light rail and Tempe Streetcar to the proposed new arena near Tempe Marketplace.

The odds of this ever happening might be another matter. Everything possible would have to work out perfectly, but an East Valley hockey fan’s daydream about not having to make the long drive to Gila River Arena in Glendale could potentially materialize.

First, Tempe and Valley Metro would have to sign a contract late in 2017 to receive the last $75 million that would finance construction of the $177 million Tempe Streetcar project.

A light rail spinoff, Tempe Streetcar features smaller trains that would run along a three-mile loop through increasingly dense downtown Tempe, with stops up and down Mill Avenue and at the massive Marina Heights development anchored by State Farm insurance.

The final amount of funding was part of President Obama’s last budget, which was held up in Congress and never authorized. Eric Iwersen, Tempe’s principal transportation planner, is confident the city eventually will sign a contract to receive the funding in fall 2017 as scheduled, despite the sea change in leadership as President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

“Nothing is absolute, but we’ve been going through this process for many years,” Iwersen said. “We are confident we will receive the money.”

Iwersen said Valley Metro already has received half the money earmarked for the program and will be completing the design phase throughout 2017, but officials would not begin construction without a commitment from the federal money for the remaining funding.

Tempe Streetcar would connect to Valley Metro Light Rail and would be operated by Valley Metro. The intent is to reduce traffic congestion in downtown Tempe by giving people another option besides driving a car. Unlike light rail, which runs in medians, Tempe Streetcar would share lanes with traffic.

Tempe Streetcar’s route has a “C” shape. It travels along Rio Salado Parkway from Marina Heights to Mill Avenue, where it will make a downtown loop on Mill

and Ash avenues, and head south on Mill to Apache Boulevard. It would end at Apache and Dorsey Lane.

A costly extension would be needed to have it run east to McClintock Road and Rio Salado, where the Coyotes Arena would be located. Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell has mentioned such an extension in the past and said it could potentially run east on Rio Salado to Sloan Park in Mesa, the Cactus League home of the Chicago Cubs.

Someday, hockey fans might be able to take the light rail to Third Street, where a stop also has been proposed. They could also get on from the light rail stop at Dorsey.

Rich Nairn, a Coyotes spokesman, declined to comment on Streetcar’s possible link to the arena.

“ I see a lot of possibilities for expansion of Streetcar. ”

future expansion possibilities,” Iwersen said. “I see a lot of possibilities for expansion of Streetcar.”

“I think we are positioned well for expansion of rail service in the future,” he said.

But Iwersen is not getting ahead of himself. He knows there are plenty of more immediate challenges for Streetcar to navigate in the near future. Authorities are doing everything possible to have the project ready for construction whenever the funding issue gets resolved.

Valley Metro recently awarded new contracts for the design of Tempe Streetcar to Stantec Consulting Services, which also helped design the light rail. Design is anticipated to be completed in 2017, with construction to begin late in the year and service to begin in 2020, according to Valley Metro.

—Eric Iwersen, City of Tempe principal transportation planner

Whether the new Coyotes arena gets built or not on land now occupied by Arizona State University’s Karsten Golf Course, Iwersen knows that ASU’s Sports Development District is likely to take shape eventually. And whatever is built there likely will mean more density and more potential ridership for an expanded Streetcar system.

He said Tempe Streetcar is not unlike other major transportation projects in the East Valley, such as the Superstition Freeway or the light rail. Both of these transportation systems were extended in expansions, and Streetcar is designed to do the same.

“We are building in those options for

The new Coyotes arena’s future is much cloudier. The Coyotes are looking to leave Gila River Arena, where the team plunged into bankruptcy for years as it struggled to attract fans, especially on weeknights.

Anthony LeBlanc, the Coyote’s president and CEO, said he started discussing a partnership with Arizona State University after Glendale terminated the team’s lease. He said the Coyotes need to move closer to their fan base in the East Valley.

Andrew Barroway, a Philadelphia hedge fund founder, has committed to putting up close to $200 million to pay for about half of the arena’s cost. The team said last month that is planning to lobby the state legislature for a percentage of new tax revenues generated by the project and a planned hotel to finance the remainder.

– Reach Jim Walsh at 480-898-5639 or at jwalsh@timespublications.com.

(Special to the Tribune)

This artist's concept shows the proposed Tempe Streetcar alongside Valley Metro Light Rail. The streetcar project would connect to light rail and would be operated by Valley Metro.

MARIJUANA

from page 1

Arcview Market Research.

“It costs more but our patients appreciate it,” she said. “I think we are comparable to the brewery market. There are big ones, but many people turn to small breweries for quality local beer.”

“Almost any business would be thrilled to be in a market with a 17 percent compound annual growth rate, until you consider that they were a few thousand votes away from having a growth rate double that,” said Troy Dayton, CEO of the Arcview Group.

Power and White pointed out that the metrics of the Valley’s marijuana market will shift again when Arizona voters approve recreational cannabis use in two or four years, which they are confident will happen.

Had Prop. 205 passed, which would have legalized adult recreational use of marijuana in Arizona, medical and retail marijuana sales likely would have approached $1.2 billion by 2020, noted New Frontier Data founder and CEO Giadha DeCarcer.

“Now, they must begin planning for a period of steep price declines, license holder consolidation, and intense competition in the market,” she said.

Harvest’s White said he wasn’t all that alarmed by the study.

“The report is encouraging and reflects the efficacy of cannabis as medicine,” he said. “But it is simply a prediction—fun to talk about and usually wrong.”

“As far as price declines,” said Power of The Giving Tree, “I see it more as stabilizing. The fair market price of low-quality medicine versus highquality medicine is becoming more standardized.”

Power said her dispensary is working on a new greenhouse facility in not-sohot Northern Arizona that will increase production. Partner Berman admitted that prices will drop further if Arizona growers start producing on a larger scale, but that hasn’t happened yet.

For the near future, Power said, The Giving Tree will focus on providing highquality—and consistent—prescribed medicine for its patients.

“In four years, when Arizonans see the sky hasn’t fallen in all of the states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use, and that we are missing out on significant tax revenue, the result will be very different,” White said.

“I have no doubt it will pass when it comes around on the ballot again,” Power said. “I am confident that voters will be a lot less fearful of this plant the next time.”

Arizona voters very narrowly approved medical marijuana in 2010. The first dispensary opened December 2012. Today, the Department of Health Services has licensed about 90 dispensaries, and more are on the way to accommodate perceived underserved areas.

DHS has issued about 100,000 qualified patient cards. To qualify for medical marijuana, patients must see a doctor yearly for a diagnosis of an approved medical condition, then apply online for a card, which costs $150 per year. Chronic pain is the overwhelming reason Arizonans turn to medical cannabis.

(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Prescription marijuana samples are displayed on a shelf in the Giving Tree store in Mesa.

Brides invited to Chandler’s Wedding Walk

The Chandler Wedding Walk is taking place on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at SoHo63.

The free event features merchants that offer services to help with wedding planning, from rehearsal dinners to fi nding a dress. The walk will start at SoHo63 and end at the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Hotel, where a mock reception will be held and rafﬂ e prizes will be drawn.

Rafﬂ e tickets are $5, which also includes a specialty cocktail and the chance to sample food items.

SoHo63 is at 63 E. Boston St. For more information or to register for the event, visit ChandlerWeddingWalk.com.

– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Science Before Saturday program features Star Wars

The Arizona Museum of Natural History is hosting “Science Before Saturday: Star Wars, A Galaxy of Discovery!” on Friday from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

“Science Before Saturday” is the museum’s newest Second Friday event in which guests will participate in hands-on experiments, attend workshops held by local scientists and institutions and meet the local artists and businesses of the Mesa community.

Admission is $5 for children and $9 for adults. Members get in for free.

The Arizona Museum of Natural History is at 53 N. Macdonald. For more information, visit AzMNH.org.

– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Community Learning Day at Mesa Community College

Gov. Ducey to visit East Valley for breakfast meeting

The East Valley Partnership and East Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance is hosting its annual Breakfast with the Governor.

Gov. Doug Ducey will share his State of the State address Thursday at the event, which is from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West.

The governor will deliver his formal address Monday at the Opening Ceremony of the First Regular Session of the 53rd Legislature at the Capitol in Phoenix.

Mesa Community College is holding Community Learning Day on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. to help those who are navigating the road from high school to college. The half-day workshop provides information on the process and requirements of enrollment, resources and programs to aid in college success, fi nancial options and university transfer partnerships and programs.

Attendees have opportunities to network with college and university representatives who are on site to answer questions and provide information about academic programs.

Mesa Community College is at 1833 W. Southern Ave. Registration is required to ensure adequate accommodations for guests. Register online at surveymonkey.com/r/FV7G8W7, by sending an email to CommunityLearningDay@yahoo.com, texting 623-693-7234 or by calling 602-787-7354.

– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

Professional organizer shares secrets for tidying up your life

Andrea Brundage, a professional organizer and productivity expert, will give tips for a tidy new year Monday from 6:30-8 p.m. at Changing Hands Bookstore at 6428 S. McClintock Dr. in Tempe.

She will discuss tackling clutter of all kinds to turn your “Chaos into Calm.”

Attendees can register at changinghands.com/page/rsvp-turningchaos-calm, or contact the bookstore at 480-730-0205.

Brundage’s website, which features more tips, is at professionalorganizeraz.com.

– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

Monthly immunization clinic held in Mesa

Mesa’s free monthly immunization clinic for children will be Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at Superstition Springs Center, 6555 E. Southern Ave.

All childhood immunizations will be provided, and guardians are asked to bring immunization records.

To be eligible for free immunizations, the child must be covered by AHCCCS, be uninsured, have insurance that does not cover immunizations, be Native American or an Alaskan Native.

Children with private insurance that covers 100 percent of immunizations must visit their private health care provider.

– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

ASU president paints bleak picture of Arizona’s economy, future

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Managing Editor

Arizona is “under-prepared” for the disruption that technology will bring to its economy and society in general over the next two decades, Arizona State University President Michael Crow warned recently.

Addressing attendees at the East Valley Partnership’s annual economic outlook presentation last month, Crow presented a series of dismal slides on Arizona’s economy as he urged the audience to look “with cold, steely eyes at how competitive you are and not how competitive you were.”

He recounted a conversation he had had earlier with the second-highest executive in Google X, who predicted that technology will replace 30 percent of all current jobs within the next 10 years, and said that those most vulnerable in Arizona are workers with only a high school diploma.

Using graphs based on information from a variety of U.S. Census updates and other government and foundation studies, Crow presented a dim picture of the state’s economic position.

They showed:

• Arizona’s Gross Domestic Product in

2015 was $265 billion—$10 billion less than it was nine years ago. He warned that would not likely improve significantly given that real estate and government are the state’s two largest sources of economic output.

• Arizona’s per capita GDP—a major measure of the standard of living in a state—has steadily fallen since 2007 and hit a 15-year low in 2015.

• Per capita personal income in Arizona last year has steadily fallen since 1970 and was lower than Detroit’s last year.

He said Detroit is one example of a city that had turned the corner of economic decline by becoming a “knowledge-driven economy.”

To stress the relationship between economic performance and education, Crow presented graphics showing that among Western states, only New Mexico had a lower rate than Arizona of people over 25 with a bachelor’s degree.

The highest rate is in Colorado, followed by Washington and California.

the bottom.

“Inventiveness in this region is too small,” Crow asserted, noting that Phoenix was second-last in the percentage of change since 2001 in the number of patents granted in metropolitan areas. Seattle, San Diego and Provo, Utah, recorded the top three most positive changes.

“The community hasn’t grasped this,” Crow said of the Phoenix area.

Just as disturbing, he said, is that the

deals in Arizona totaled $987 million in 2015. Not only was that the lowest among Western states, but it was more than 40 percent below the $1.4 billion in venture capital deals recorded in the state of Washington last year.

Those numbers in turn affected the value of exports from Arizona, which ranked well below 15 states, including Texas, California and Washington, the top three states for exports.

“College graduates come here to retire, not to work,” Crow said, noting that Arizona is the second-lowest state in the nation for per-capita support of higher education. New Hampshire is at

number of Arizona companies in 2014, the latest available year, was below the total that existed at the turn of the century.

Likewise, the value of venture capital

“It’s nowhere near where it has to be for a robust economy,” Crow said.

Crow also said, “We’re not doing a good enough job with job creation.”

He displayed a graphic showing that over the last 40 years, net job creation was relatively flat.

“We are one of the most vulnerable states for the technological replacement of jobs,” Crow said.

He said that over the next five to 15 years, Arizona could develop a leading economy in the United States if it develops “an innovation ecosystem” on par with the communities that surround the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.

“All we have to do is decide that we want to do it,” he said, adding that the East Valley possesses the human resources to achieve those goals.

Kyrene to phase out guards’ apartments on its school campuses

Live-in guards in on-site apartments at 14 Kyrene schools and the district’s Ben Furlong Education Center will be looking for new homes over the next two years as officials begin phasing out the units.

The school board earlier this month unanimously approved a plan to start converting the on-site residences into classrooms for preschool programs and replace the live-in guards with different security coverage.

Superintendent Jan Vesely told the board that the 75-year-old on-site program has been rendered outmoded by the fences, cameras and alarms schools have now.

The guards had patrolled campuses at Akimel A-al/Estrella, Altadena/Cerritos, Aprende/Brisas, Centennial/Colina, Kyrene Middle School/Waggoner, Cielo, Esperanza, Lomas, Manitas,

Mariposa, Milenio, Monte Vista, Ninos, Norte and Sierra.

The seven other schools that had no apartments were covered by staff working on performance contracts.

“All campuses are equipped with fences, cameras and alarms so the physical presence of the on-site is no longer a necessity,” Vesely said in a presentation to the board.

Instead of having people walking around the campuses, staffers will be assigned to lock down schools after hours and activate alarms before leaving.

Other district staff called “field rangers” will secure buildings when outside groups are using the school for meetings or other activities after class hours.

“The overall need of the district is having someone on-call to respond to phone calls when the alarms go off, not walking around,” Vesely said.

The guards will be evicted in two phases because the district can’t begin

building preschool facilities at all the schools at one time.

By April 30, the residences at Brisas/ Aprende, Cielo, Milenio, Monte Vista, Norte and Waggoner/Kyrene Middle School will be closed. The others will be closed at the end of April 2018.

The guards will be replaced by three people who will be on-call for emergencies and handle irrigation on the premises at a total cost of $33,000 annually by the time the closings are completed.

In all, the resident-guards had been paying $72,000 annually in rent, though of that amount, $52,000 a year was spent on maintenance, appliances and other typical landlord expenses.

In return for the residences, the guards were responsible to answer emergencies, handle irrigation on the site and walk rounds on campus.

The residents who are staying until 2018 will continue to pay rent.

The board’s action came at the same meeting that it approved implementation of Vesely’s ambitious plan to make Kyrene more attractive to parents through an expanded dual language program at several schools, the conversion of Kyrene Traditional Academy into offering pre-K to eighth grade and the implementation of an International Baccalaureate program at Kyrene Middle School. Together with expanded early education programs at most schools, Kyrene hopes to improve its competitive edge over public and private charters and neighboring school districts. Enrollment has dropped by about 200 students, which poses the potential loss of $2 million in annual state funding, which is based on a per-pupil formula. The district did not lose that money this year, and officials have said it’s unclear whether Kyrene will lose any in the 2017-18 school year.

(Special to the Tribune)

Arizona State University President Michael Crow addressed the East Valley Partnership last month.

Gilbert makes list of best cities for homebuyers

Gilbert is the seventh best place in America for fi rsttime homebuyers, according to a new analysis by NerdWallet. The city scored high marks for its affordability and the stability of its housing market.

The website analyzed 448 cities for affordability, safety, schools and the amount of fi nancial assistance available to homebuyers in each area. It said the median Gilbert home price in 2015 was $284,800, and the median household income was $86,045.

The website picked Carmel, Indiana, as the best in the nation. Following in order were Fishers, Indiana; Johns Creek, Georgia; Frisco, Texas; Newton, Massachusetts; Allen, Texas; Gilbert; Centennial, Colorado; Olathe, Kansas; and Sugar Land, Texas.

In a separate list of Western cities, Gilbert was fi rst and Chandler fi nished fi fth.

– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

Hate crime investigated as Chandler family’s menorah bent into swastika

Chandler police may fi le hate crime charges for an act of vandalism in which someone bent a family’s front-yard menorah into a swastika.

On Facebook, Naomi A. Ellis of Chandler posted, “This clear act of hate and racism is disturbing and sad. I broke down in tears waiting for the police to come and hoping that my kids would not be awake to see it.”

Police report that they got a call from the 4600 block of West Boston Street around 5 a.m. on Dec. 30. An offi cer arrived at about 5:30, took a report and helped the Ellises disassemble the swastika.

Later that day, the Ellis family welcomed a crowd of about 200 friends and family as they relit the menorah for the seventh day of Hanukkah.

Police have classifi ed the incident fi rst-degree trespassing , a Class 6 felony. With the assistance of the FBI, they are also looking into charges of a hate crime.

– RALPH ZUBIATE, TRIBUNE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Woman and child struck by car in Chandler

A woman and her 11-month-old child were seriously injured after they were struck by a car while crossing the street near Warner and Dobson roads in Chandler, police said. At around 1 p.m. Dec. 29, the Chandler Police Department responded to the area and found the 45-year-old woman and her child injured, according to police. The woman had a stroller but was holding her child when they were hit and was not crossing at a crosswalk or at an intersection at the time of the accident, police said. The Chandler Police Department is investigating the collision but at this time do not believe impairment to be a factor, according to police.

– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Mesa student graduates after battling cancer

A Mesa student who made national news for not being allowed to graduate after battling cancer has fi nally gotten the chance to get his diploma.

A graduation ceremony was held Dec. 30 for Stephen Dwyer, who was barred from walking with his Dobson High classmates back in May because he was 2.5 credits short.

Dwyer withdrew from school during his junior year to receive a bone marrow transplant for leukemia. He was forced to sit in the stands and watch as the rest of his class walked across the stage.

After another semester, Dwyer was allowed to graduate.

In attendance at his graduation ceremony were the bone marrow donor who saved Dwyer’s life and Arizona Diamondbacks fi rst baseman Paul Goldschmidt. – RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Mystery lights appear over East Valley, but ‘aliens’ discounted

A series of lights appeared over the East Valley on New Year’s Eve night and could be seen from Queen Creek to Chandler to Tempe.

Some on social media debated whether they were UFOs and aliens, but others guessed that they were more mundane lighted lanterns.

Mystery lights last appeared over the East Valley in October as social media also lit up.

The New Year’s Eve lights drifted slowly east to west, until the wind changed and send them southward.

– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

Mesa Police Department offering reward for information on theft of 23 guns

The Mesa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are offering a reward for information on the theft of 23 guns from a west Mesa gun shop last month.

On Dec. 14, an unknown number of men entered the Black Rock Arms gun shop at 2653 W. Baseline Road by cutting through a common wall from the vacant adjoining business, according to a Mesa police statement.

The two agencies are offering $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible for the burglary.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Mesa Police Department at 480-644-2211 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.

DUI arrests still dropping in East Valley

BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer

Uber, Lyft and a cultural change toward less tolerance for driving under the influence all are cited as contributing factors to a significant decline in DUI arrests in the East Valley in the last two years.

DUI arrests during the annual East Valley Task Force dropped 25 percent from 2014 to 2016, according to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, which coordinates and finances holiday DUI task forces.

Statewide DUI figures had a smaller dip, with a 14 percent drop in the same period.

Although the trend is somewhat promising, authorities say there are other ominous statistics that continue to underscore the chronic nature of driving under the influence. No one is declaring victory in the battle to eliminate roadside carnage.

Evidence that the battle still rages includes the number of DUI-related fatalities statewide and an increasing number of underaged drivers getting arrested on suspicion of DUI in the East Valley and statewide.

In the East Valley, 54 drivers younger than 21 years old were arrested on suspicion of DUI during the 2016, a 93 percent increase from the 28 arrested in 2015. Statewide, that ominous number rose to 110 from 78 the year before.

In the East Valley and throughout Arizona, the average blood alcohol content of suspects arrested was 0.15 percent or more, the threshold for an extreme DUI, which requires mandatory jail time.

Arizona drivers are considered impaired at a level of 0.08 percent, which usually results in a misdemeanor charge.

The East Valley DUI task force can include 100 or more officers from a variety of agencies that target a specific area with saturation patrols between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. The participating agencies include the Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Phoenix, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Salt River and Gila River police departments.

Arizona Crash Facts, a publication of the Arizona Department of Transportation that tracks statewide statistics, recorded 4,941 alcohol-related crashes in 2015, the latest year available.

Those crashes left 295 people dead and another 3,205 injured. A profile of drivers involved in some manner in alcohol-related crashes also emerges, with more than 73 percent males and the largest percentage 25 to 34 years old.

Perhaps the most discouraging statistic is that about one-third of all fatal crashes in Arizona during 2015, 32.9 percent, were alcohol-related. Comparisons with past years in Crash Facts show there has been little or no improvement in that measurement dating back 20 to 25 years, with 26.2 percent of fatal crashes alcohol-related in 1997 and 32.3 percent in 1992.

“I would like to see our fatality rate go down,” said Chandler police Lt. Scott Veach, who supervises traffic

“They are all passionate about it,” said Phoenix Police Sgt. Mark Smith, a longtime motorcycle officer who helped supervise officers participating in the East Valley Task Force. “They are passionate about getting impaired drivers off the streets.”

enforcement. “When you are changing a culture and a way of thinking, it takes a long time.”

Still, Veach welcomes the drop in DUI arrests as a sign of progress and said he is encouraged by the popularity of ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft. He said more people are taking the oftrepeated advice of police to plan ahead when they know they will be drinking.

“We are finally starting to see a turn in culture in formulating a plan better,” he said. “Just talking to people who come to downtown Chandler, it’s very convenient. There are Uber cars making laps.”

Police see drivers picking up customers regularly. People who agree to voluntary breath tests administered through the Know Your Limit educational campaign at various special events tell officers, “I had no intention of driving, I’m going to take Uber,” Veach said.

Lt. Benjamin Moore, who supervises the Phoenix traffic unit, agreed that the ride-sharing services are helpful.

“It is a positive thing they are calling the ride services. It doesn’t solve my problem, but it’s good,” he said.

Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, welcomes any reduction in DUI arrests as a sign of progress, but he regrets that some people seem oblivious to the onslaught of safety messages, tough DUI laws and even the better options for getting home safely.

“It’s horrendous for the families, the people who are hurt,” he said. “It bothers me. We try to prevent it.”

Gutier has dedicated 16 years of his long professional life to fighting DUI and all other sorts of fatalities. Although DUIs are a particularly egregious example, Gutier concedes there is a long list of other traffic violations that contribute to fatalities, such as speeding, distracted driving and failure to wear seatbelts.

– Reach Jim Walsh at 480-898-5639 or at jwalsh@timespublications.com.

– Comment on this article and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.

(Larry Mangino/Tribune Staff Photographer)

The Chandler DUI Squad takes a break on New Year's Eve. The East Valley Task Force arrests for the holiday continued a downward trend.

Mesa doctors have spent years on annual missions of mercy

BY RACHEL EROH Tribune Contributing Writer

They have their office in east Mesa but Dr. Todd Gunzy’s and Todd Haddon’s practice extends thousands of miles south.

Both OrthoArizona doctors have spent years participating in medical missions to El Salvador, treating pediatric patients with lower extremity problems and deformities.

They have gone to El Salvador every year since 2003. Previous missions included trips to Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

The doctors make their missions of mercy through Healing the Children. Gunzy has been going on the trips since 1993 and Haddon joined in 2000.

“We’re not doing it for big money or a big story,” Haddon said. “It’s just someone needs help and we help them.”

The podiatrists screen around 150 to 200 patients, but end up performing surgeries on only about 45 to 50 patients every trip. Many patients only need bracing and some don’t need any medical attention, Gunzy said.

“We know within a minute when seeing them if we can’t help them, and it’s a terrible feeling,” Haddon said.

For each trip, around 30 volunteers travel. About 20 volunteers are regulars and go annually.

“What was amazing to me was the number of people who said that this was what they look forward to every year,”

Haddon said.

The team also brings some high school and college students on each trip. This year, Gunzy’s 13-year-old daughter, Regan, joined her father on the trip.

The students are able to interact with the patients before and after their procedures, to calm the kids and keep them company, Regan said.

“If they were nervous, I got to hang out with them and tell them everything was going to be OK and that they’d be

happy afterwards,” Regan said.

For Regan, El Salvador was a culture shock and an eye-opening experience, she said.

“Everything that we take for granted here they don’t have at all,” Regan said.

Along with providing medical attention, the volunteers bring other supplies like beach balls, towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shoes and Beanie Babies, Gunzy said.

“They just don’t have the money to

Proposals sought for temporary art in downtown Mesa Community

BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer

As plans for a prototyping festival move forward in Mesa, people are invited to submit proposals to create temporary projects to make downtown Mesa more vibrant.

The Main Street Prototyping Festival won’t occur until the end of the year— Nov. 17-18—but the deadline to submit a proposal is Jan. 23.

Artists, urban planners, architects, designers, engineers and others have been told that their proposals must engage the community and enhance connectivity. Some projects that organizers expect to see submitted are concepts for gathering places, pathways that increase connectivity, interactive games and artwork and performances.

The prototyping festival is another effort to increase downtown Mesa’s vitality through arts-based community

design and experimentation, city officials said in a release.

During the November festival, people viewing the works will have a chance to comment on them and vote for their favorites.

Between 20 and 25 projects will be selected from the proposals and each project is eligible for between $1,000 and $3,000 for design, fabrication and project management.

The effort is funded by a

buy that stuff,” Gunzy said. “It goes toward the scraps of food they get on a daily basis.”

The medical team also has to bring their own medical supplies and ship them two months in advance because the hospitals there don’t have all the equipment they need.

Over the years, however, the team members have learned how to improvise during surgeries when they need to.

“A stainless-steel pin can be made into a bone staple by bending prongs and cutting,” Gunzy said.

The doctors were anxious to do a follow-up on a previous patient whose feet had been facing backwards. The year before, they performed corrective surgery on him.

“This little guy was a focus point of our trip last year, and to see him a year later wearing shoes for the first time in his six years of life is a very neat and rewarding thing to get to see,” Haddon said.

Another follow-up patient, an 18-year-old girl, was also born with her feet pointing backward. The girl lacked confidence and wouldn’t look people in the eye.

During her follow-up, the girl was smiling and making eye contact with the doctors. The procedure completely altered her self-esteem, Gunzy said.

Haddon and Gunzy always want to see their follow-up patients to be healthier both physically and mentally, the doctors said.

Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. That program provides grants for arts-based community development projects that contribute to the livability of a community.

The request for proposal form can be downloaded at mesarartscenter. com. Teams or individuals may submit proposals.

(Special to the Tribune)

Taking a break from their work in El Salvador are, from left, Dr. Luke Cicchinelli, Dr. Todd Gunzy and Dr. Todd Haddon.

Crafters donate their skills to needy, troops overseas

BY ADRIANA BECERRA Tribune Staff Writer

Agroup of women in Tempe are using their crafting skills to help those in need.

The Humana Charity Crafters recently donated more than 1,000 knitted and crocheted caps and 100 breast cancer pillows to Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert.

The group began in 2009 when three women started a knitting group at Humana Guidance Center, a storefront that provides both members and nonmembers access to health information and a variety of free activities, from seminars to cooking classes.

“It started with a group of ladies who would just come in, just to socialize with

each other and some were knitting,” said Sue Fulcher, Guidance Center coordinator.

Fulcher said Humana provides the materials and the women provide the talent. The group of women knit, sew, quilt and crochet.

The Humana Charity Crafters have donated hats, blankets and helmet liners, among other items, to the American Heart Association, foster families, nursing homes, our troops aboard and more.

Group member Dottie Cisek said the feeling of generosity, as well as the camaraderie within the group, is what keeps the women coming back.

“It’s the fellowship of the ladies and the feeling that you’re also accomplishing something,” she said.

Fulcher said the reception has been

uplifting, especially the gratitude from the troops.

“We’ve had pictures that they sent from the troops, wearing the helmet liners,” said Fulcher, “I will get thank you letters, and they’re very heartfelt.”

Men and women 18 or older are welcome to the center to join Humana Charity Crafters. Cisek said the group has a variety of skill levels, with the more advanced members helping others who may need confidence.

“Anybody who has any skill level whether beginning or advanced,” said Cisek, “Come join us.”

The group meets every Monday at Humana Guidance Center, 5943 E. McKellips Road, Suite 106, to knit, sew and crochet. Membership to Humana Guidance Center is not required to join.

Mesa youth has winning Valley Metro calendar art

BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer

AZaharis Elementary School third-grader bested a field of 584 fellow Valley students in the Valley Metro calendar art contest.

Summer Fairbanks of Mesa drew a picture of bunnies riding a bus, other bunnies hopping around near the bus and children waving to the bus-riding bunnies, based on her theme of “Hop Aboard for a Colorful Venture.” The drawing was named best of show in the contest and is reproduced on the 2017 calendar cover.

All third-graders in the Valley were eligible to enter the contest. Mesa students fared well overall, with two other students getting their entries featured on individual months.

January features art by Berlin Decker of Franklin West Elementary School and August shows work by Shania Thomas of BASIS Mesa.

Summer, 8, said her 13-year-old sister Autumn gave her the idea for the theme and showed Summer how to draw a bunny. Summer took it from there.

“I thought I had a shot at winning,” she said after she signed a couple of poster-sized versions of her winning entry. “I really like to draw.” She’s a two-year winner for artwork in the Arizona State Fair.

Her dad, Jeff Fairbanks, accidentally spilled a bit of water on her poster, so

she got creative to hide it. She made the stain into a shadow.

“But you can still see a little bit of it,” she said.

Summer’s mom, Kristie Fairbanks, said Summer’s five older siblings all have artistic talent. She said the Fairbanks side of the family includes professional artists.

Summer’s classmates were treated to a pizza party and got a short ride on Valley Metro’s holiday-wrapped and decorated bus to celebrate her success.

Summer hasn’t ridden Valley Metro buses or the light rail, but she rides a yellow school bus every day.

Kristie Fairbanks said she and her husband planned to take their children on the light rail this holiday season to see the light display at the Mesa LDS Temple.

– Contact reporter Shelley Ridenour at 480-8986533 or sridenour@timespublications.com.

– Comment on this story and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.

(Shelley Ridenour/Tribune Staff)

Summer Fairbanks stands back to check her signature on a poster-size version of the drawing that was chosen best of show in Valley Metro’s calendar contest. Summer, 8, is in third grade at Zaharis Elementary School in Mesa. Her victory was celebrated by school, city and Valley Metro officials.

(Special to the Tribune)

Pat Fujita sews breast cancer pillows for the Humana Charity Crafters group.

Train display offers fun for kids at Cardon hospital

BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer

Tucked away in a corner off the hallway that leads to the cafeteria lies a spot that thousands of visitors and patients at Cardon Children’s Medical Center have gleefully visited.

The garden railroad train display features three trains that are activated when a hand is waved above a display sensor. Tiny kids don’t have to worry about not knowing what button to push or not pushing hard enough to start one of the routes. A simple wave and a train is rolling. A trolley car on a timer runs a short loop, needing no prompting from passers-by.

The train display was built and is maintained by members of the Arizona Big Train Operators group. The Cardon display was built in 2009. For those in the know about trains, it’s referred to as a G-scale, meaning it’s pretty big, with a 45-mm track.

Roy Towne was instrumental in building the display. He’s one of seven crew members who checks on the trains every other day, cleaning tracks and making sure everything runs.

You could call Towne the conductor. He knows his trains and he really knows the Cardon display.

He points out the trolley line that ends at Silverton, a replica of a popular

stop on the Durango-Silverton run in Colorado.

Kids squeal when the M&M’s train sneaks out from its stopping spot partially hidden by a mountain. M&M’s figurines, Smurfs, Star Wars characters and other popular toy statuettes have hitched rides on the open cars and appear to wave to children as the train passes by.

Towne admits the candy-themed train is his favorite. He does plenty of looking for new tiny characters to add to the cars of the M&M’s train.

There’s a hidden story at every curve in the display. A hobo camp operates below a bridge, construction workers are building a new house in the community—that’s one of the newest features, Towne said.

But, there’s much more, he says. Town Hall is ready for residents, players are on the field at the baseball park and when the display darkens a bit, the blinking marquee lights on the movie theater are visible. Customers wander in and out of the market, bakery and other downtown shops.

It’s kind of an idyllic community, replete with an ore processing plant, a hotel, a school, a ghost town, a man welding inside the Texaco station and a lake complete with canoes.

There’s a carousel that spins.

And, yes, a clinic aptly named Cardon

(Shelley Ridenour/Tribune Staff)

Roy Towne, a member of the Arizona Big Train Operators, checks on a train in the club’s display at Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa. Towne and other volunteers maintain the display

is part of the display.

The terrain is offset by red rock cliffs painted on the backdrop. Trees, shrubs, streets, hills, a water tower, bridges and a tunnel are all part of the scene.

There’s so much to see in the lower level that many people don’t look up. They miss the eagle flying overhead, the hot air balloon and the train-shaped cloud painted into the backdrop, Towne said.

The Arizona Big Train Operators have had a presence in Valley children’s hospitals for a while, Towne said.

wing of Banner Desert Medical Center.

“When Cardon was being built, the club asked the hospital if we could do the display,” Towne said. Hospital officials agreed and had the architect include space in the floor plans for the train display.

(Shelley Ridenour/Tribune Staff)

Jovanni Perez, 3, of Mesa, stares intently at the garden train display inside Cardon Children’s Medical Center. He jumped up and down and clapped after he figured out how to make the trains start running.

The group used to operate a display at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Before Cardon was established as a separate building, a display was in the Cardon

Things got rolling quickly, he said.

“Sixteen people jumped in, put in a foundation, plaster, molds and built the mountains,” Towne said. It took almost nine months before the project was complete and “we could run trains and open it for viewing,” he said.

Towne says the display at Cardon is a genuine “labor of love.”

Whenever a train club member is on site working, “we get very positive

– Contact reporter Shelley Ridenour at 480-8986533 or sridenour@timespublications.com.

MESA

Rose Garden at MCC needs help with cleanup

About 300 people are needed Saturday to revitalize and prune the Rose Garden at Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave.

Volunteers must be 14 or older. They must wear closed-toed shoes, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and are encouraged to bring their own gloves and pruners, if available. Volunteer check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. with the event from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Also, 200 rose bushes will be raffled for volunteers to take home.

Registration is available online at http:// bit.ly/2hpApkW. For more information, contact Mesa Citywide Volunteer Coordinator Michelle Alvis-White at 480644-3705 or michelle.alvis@mesaaz.gov.

TEMPE

Tempe blood drive today seeks to replenish supply

A blood drive at Tempe Center for the Arts today seeks to make up a gap in the blood needs. Holiday hospital orders have outpaced donations by 60 percent.

Donors of all blood types are needed, especially O-negative, the universal blood that can be substituted for all other types in emergencies.

Donors will be given a voucher for a free 14-inch cheese pizza courtesy of the Streets of New York and a voucher for admission to the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The drive is 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. Appointments are recommended at azhero.org/SaveAZ or 1-877-UBS-HERO (1-877-827-4376).

CHANDLER

Reception will honor city’s outgoing officeholders

Chandler has invited the public to a reception honoring the outgoing councilmembers, Vice Mayor Jack Sellers and Rick Heumann. The reception also will welcome the incoming Councilmembers Sam Huang and Mark Stewart, along with returning Councilmember Nora Ellen. The reception will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Vision Gallery, 10 E. Chicago St. Light refreshments will be served. After the reception, the public is invited to the Installation Ceremony at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 88 E. Chicago St.

Mesa business taking on the big-boy online marketing sites

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Managing Editor

Cory Cook considers himself a problem-solver. When he saw how digital marketing platforms were costing businesses as much as 75 percent of their revenue, he saw an opportunity for his ability.

And so, he set up a business in Mesa and invented a website that gives consumers the same good deals they can find on places like Groupon, but also gives small businesses a chance to thrive.

And it also is helping some local charities.

“There are so many drawbacks for business owners using the current discount platforms on the market today,” Cook said. “I knew it was time to offer small business owners a mobile marketing outlet that promotes sustainable growth.”

Unlike other similar sites, Thymbol offers businesses complete control over their discount details, and charges a flat monthly fee instead of demanding a share of a client’s revenue.

For consumers, the Thymbol application eliminates expiration dates, blackouts and other restrictions on purchases that come with the buy-in-advance model of the big digital discounters. Money is often lost on deals paid for in advance, but never redeemed, Cook noted.

For businesses, Thymbol also builds cross-marketing and opportunities for repeat business directly into its format.

For consumers, deals can be customized to a user’s location and interests, and

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Airline cancels Canada route from Phoenix-Mesa airport

An airline that was to have connected Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport with Canada has canceled its plans.

In November, NewLeaf Travel Co. had announced it would provide service between Calgary and Edmonton beginning Jan. 19. Shortly afterward, competitor WestJet Airlines also announced flights between Mesa and Calgary and Edmonton. “Within hours of NewLeaf’s

get an introduction to the business through online videos and photos of the establishments. And any deal can be used the same day or downloaded for future use, with no risk of losing money.

Hannah Stroke, manager at Knockouts Haircuts for Men, said she likes the video/photo feature because it “allows me to reach new clients by showcasing my many styles with the video feature.”

Francisco Preciado, manager of Fiesta Mexicana, used Thymbol to highlight his happy hour and “to reach new customers and retain them for future visits.”

Thymbol also will be partnering with the Ryan House Foundation and St. Vincent de Paul, offering donations to

announcement this airline had also lowered its fares and offered service to an airport it had previously ignored for over a decade,’’ NewLeaf CEO Jim Young said on Facebook. “This is a classic case of the big guy squishing the little guy so that the big guy can profit more.’

Industrial Ride Shop files for Chapter 11

Industrial Ride Shop, a skateboarding and clothing retailer, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Arizona.

each charity with every download of the Thymbol app or every business’s monthly subscription.

“My goal is for Thymbol to become a household name and a go-to app for millions of consumers across the nation in the coming year,” Cook says. “We all want a great deal. We all want to feel like a VIP. With Thymbol, that is a reality. It’s a win-win for the business owner, for the consumer and for the charities we will be supporting.”

Cook named the app after his favorite Monopoly piece, the thimble.

“When I was a kid, my brothers and I always played Monopoly,” he said. “Since I was the youngest, they would choose their pieces first, and I was always stuck with choosing the iron or the thimble. I always choose the thimble.”

A Wisconsin resident who has lived in Phoenix for about a year, Cook graduated from Ottawa University and earned his master’s in business administration from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Prior to developing Thymbol, he had been part of a startup company in Portland, Oregon, that provided landlords and prospective tenants with background checks and a list of apartments they’re qualified to rent, respectively.

He came up with the idea for Thymbol “when I discovered how much revenue business owners were losing to Groupon.”

“I knew there was a need for a healthier alternative,” said Cook, who spent five months developing the application’s coding and design.

So far, he has signed up 75 businesses

The Tempe-based shop has 15 locations in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Oregon.

The seven Arizona locations include East Valley stores at Superstition Springs Center, Chandler Fashion Center and SanTan Village.

Industrial partner Doug Butcher claimed estimated assets of between $1 to $10 million and between 50 to 99 creditors.

the East Valley and Phoenix, partly by partnering with chambers of commerce and Local First Arizona.

Business can choose one of four packages, which allows the owners to create their own digital coupons for their establishment.

“They love having 100 percent control over their consumer discounts,” Cook said.

As for consumers, “a recent focus group downloaded the app for the first time and 100 percent of those surveyed said they loved it. They cited ease of use, user friendliness, video feature, social media sharing and GPS locator as some of their reasons.”

He’s using a variety of platforms to market the app, including online advertising, radio and television commercials and trade show conventions. Now that he’s landed 75 businesses, his next goal is 50 more and get 15,000 more consumers to download the app by March 1.

Surprisingly, his biggest challenge has not been technical.

“The biggest challenge so far has been creating the homogeneous buzz,” he said. “We haven’t experienced any app bugs or website crashes. All in all, I am fairly pleased with all that has taken place.”

Cook aims to have businesses on the platform in 12 cities by the end of 2017. By the end of 2018, he added, “I want to have businesses on the app in 36 U.S. and Canadian cities.”

For more information, go to thymbol. com.

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale market will be the best in the nation for 2017.

The site says the Western metropolitan areas will lead with a price increase of 5.8 percent and sales increases of 4.7 percent, larger than the U.S. averages of 3.9 and 1.9 percent, respectively.

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale is projected to have a 5.9 percent price increase and 7.2 percent sales growth increase.

The other metros in the survey:

2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

3. Boston-Cambridge-Newton,

Realtor.com’s housing forecast says the

(Special to the Tribune)

Cory Cook believes his discount marketing website and phone application benefits businesses and customers more than large sites such as Groupon.

Massachusetts-New Hampshire

4. Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, California

5. Riverside-Ontario-San Bernardino, California

6. Jacksonville, Florida

7. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida

8. Raleigh, North Carolina

9. Tucson

10. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon-Washington

East Valley Jewish center to sell 4.5 acres in Chandler

The East Valley Jewish Community Center in Chandler has placed approximately 4.5 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to it on the market for nearly $1.8 million.

The property, at 868 N. Alma School Road, is zoned for multi-family residential development. The sale is being facilitated by Cushman & Wakefield.

The property had been part of the center’s long-term expansion plan, but the group’s Board of Directors decided that the real estate market made the land more valuable to sell.

The sale would enable the center to

reduce its debt, among other things.

Senior living community approved for east Mesa

Las Palomas Senior Living, a new senior living community near Usery Mountain Park at North Ellsworth Road and Loop 202, has been approved by Mesa.

The project will feature 173 residences that a company release says are “planned to maximize independence, health and security.” Apartments range from studios to two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,000-squarefoot apartment homes.

Some apartments will feature upscale amenities such as a theater and salon, chefprepared meals available, on-site concierge services, and social and wellness activities.

Hayden Ferry Lakeside to welcome SF tech company

A San Francisco technology company is opening an office in Tempe.

Houzz, a home remodeling and design platform, is opening a sales and client services office in Hayden Ferry Lakeside I, 80 E. Rio Salado Parkway.

The 150-employee office, hiring now, will go to full scale within two years.

Hotel opening in Chandler is first for Element chain

The Element Chandler Fashion Center has opened in Chandler, the first hotel for the eco-conscious brand in the state. The 107-room hotel is adjacent to the Chandler Fashion Center.

The newly constructed Element is directly across from Nordstrom and within walking distance to the many other retail stores and dining options in the Chandler Fashion Center.

Gilbert Planet Fitness enters long-term lease

Planet Fitness at Warner Greenfield Square, 858 S. Greenfield Road, Gilbert, has entered a long-term lease negotiated by NAI Horizon.

The transaction totals $3.3 million.

This is the third long-term lease for a Planet Fitness in the Valley for the NAI Horizon retail team in the past six months. Others were in Queen Creek and Maricopa.

Software and management firm to open office in Chandler

Execute to Win, a software and management technology company,

has signed a lease for office space in Downtown Chandler.

The company will move to 4,645 square feet of office space in the First Credit Union Building, 25 S. Arizona Place. It expects to be operational by June.

The company currently has 25 employees, and this new space is expected to accommodate growth to 50 employees by the end of 2017.

Marijuana dispensary gets national certifications

Harvest Inc. is the second medical cannabis company in the country to receive the Patient Focused Certification for cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensary practices.

Harvest, which is at 710 W. Elliot Road in Tempe, is also the first company to receive Patient Focused Certification renewal of their cannabis dispensary certification.

Each certification is developed and approved by Americans for Safe Access, an organization “dedicated to the standardization of safe, expert-approved practices in the burgeoning cannabis industry,” according to a news release. For more information, go to harvestofaz. com.

Amid the celebrity grief, let’s remember someone worthy of it

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

As the news goodbyes and Facebook grief over the loss of Carrie Fisher stretched into the new year, my mind kept returning to a single image, a photograph of a square-jawed soldier, a 30-year-old Arizona man I learned about only after he died.

Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe grew up on Tucson’s north side. As a youngster, he loved playing with Legos and hanging out with the best pals he made at Espero Middle School in the Catalina Foothills. Later, McEnroe loved strumming his guitar, cooking dinner and dressing to look sharp. He loved languages, which helped him learn to speak Arabic and Russian. And Kevin McEnroe loved his country, enough to spend a decade in the United States Army, with eight of those years serving as a Green Beret. His military service took McEnroe on five deployments around the world, the last in Jordan, where, according to military officials, he was working to

help the Central Intelligence Agency train Syrian rebels. While accounts of McEnroe’s final few minutes vary, what is certain is that on Nov. 4, 2016, he was involved in an intense exchange of gunfire with a Jordanian soldier at a checkpoint outside King Faisal airbase in the southern desert. When the last bullets echoed away and efforts to save the injured proved futile, Kevin McEnroe lay dead along with two of his brothers from the 5th Special Forces Group, Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen and Staff Sgt. James Moriarty. Kevin McEnroe was buried on a chilly Virginia afternoon, the fifth day of December, 2016, in Arlington National Cemetery, section 60, grave number 11162. His father, Brian McEnroe, is captured in one photograph kneeling to kiss his son’s wooden casket while clutching two perfect red roses. Linda Frost, the staff

sergeant’s mother, folded American flag hugged close to her chest, is shown in another image doing the same. Soldiers from McEnroe’s Green Beret unit were there to pay their respects as well, before walking a few rows over to bury James Moriarty, who died at just 27 years old.

McEnroe’s funeral was one month ago. Since then, there have been a few score column inches recording the staff sergeant’s life, a paltry handful of news reports. Of course, in contrast to a celebrity like the actress who memorably played Princess Leia, the only pictures Kevin McEnroe ever starred in are the still images associated with his death.

These are the photographs you stare at while pondering what it all means—why we grieve as a nation when Carrie Fisher passes on, or Debbie Reynolds, or George Michael, or fill in the blank, but we lower the state’s flags to half-staff and go about

our business without a tear when a Green Beret like Kevin McEnroe earns a burial plot among the many, many square miles of Arlington National.

Some would say it’s a case of a culture fallen prey to misplaced priorities, that we value celebrity far more than we value service. Others might argue for a sort of “grief fatigue,” that with more than 5,300 American soldiers KIA since 2001, it’s simply not possible to give frontpage coverage to each and every military death.

Me, I think there’s truth to both of those explanations, though I might add a third hypothesis. Celebrities remind of us the days when we were young, when a dark movie theater unfurled dreams. Lost soldiers like Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe, that strong, smart, handsome Arizona Green Beret, a rugged blond man staring intently back at a camera, remind us of the amazing sacrifice we will never have the courage to make.

Godspeed, soldier. You were in fact— and in deed—the very best of us.

It only gets worse for Arizona’s education reform with Ducey

BY MIKE MCCLELLAN Tribune Contributing Writer

The farce of the socalled education reform in Arizona

just became even more ridiculous. And sadder.

Even as we face a teacher attrition crisis, the latest news only makes that crisis worse.

First, we have the “results” of Gov. Ducey’s hand-picked Classrooms First Council, a group tasked with improving the Byzantine and undernourished K-12 public school system.

Almost two years later? Nothing. Oh, all kinds of suggestions, some of which might be useful, some, like “streamlining” the teacher certification process, an invitation to mediocrity, non-starters. But to its main task? “Complex and

complicated,” said the council co-chair. Let the legislature handle it.

Two years to conclude that? Thanks.

Meanwhile, the state’s universities continue to see fewer students enroll in their teacher colleges, more teachers are retiring, more newer teachers are leaving, in many areas school buildings are crumbling, schools use outdated texts, some can barely afford basic maintenance.

So what will Gov. Ducey and the legislature do? After all, the governor has pledged tax cuts every year, and the legislature has been more than happy to enact them, thus reducing the revenue needed to help fund what is already one of the worst-financed public school systems in the country.

Will they postpone tax cuts this year? Will they find another gimmick to paper over the lack of funding? Will they— gulp—actually advocate some kind of

tax or fee increase (of course, thanks to voters, 2/3 of the legislature must approve any bill increasing taxes)?

Or will Gov. Ducey simply rearrange the deck chairs on the education-funding Titanic? It’s his job now, particularly since he said he’ll now take the lead on this.

And the other farce? The other one that will discourage teachers? Another delay, of course.

This one has to do with the modification of academic standards, the original Common Core standards that have been modified or eliminated in order to make them more Arizona-centric.

Once adopted, they will be the third set of standards teachers have been faced with using in the last five years.

In March of last year, Gov. Ducey ordered the state board to review and change standards as needed. After a year and a half of work and more than 10,000

public comments, the group thought it had a final product. And so, it met in public recently to formally adopt the standards.

Or not.

As radio station KJZZ reported, the meeting was “contentious” and long. Educators, the ones who will actually implement these revised standards, appeared at the hearing to urge the board to adopt them prior to schools being once again graded for their performances. But there was also adamant opposition from what KJZZ described as “mostly noneducators” who argued that the new standards are too much like Common Core. In fact, though, only half of the revised standards are Common Corespecific.

So, what did the board do? Voted to

– David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Reach him at david@leibowitzsolo. com.

(Army Times/Special to the Tribune) Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Faint praise for Trump

Our president-elect has been attacked in the media for his disparaging remarks about women, his negative comments toward Muslims and a Gold Star Family, his erroneous claims that thousands cheered the destruction of our World Trade Center in New York City, and his utter disdain and scorn for anyone that dares to disagree with him on almost any subject.

However, he’s to be applauded for some of his non-personnel moves as he prepares to shape his new administration. For example, he’s yet to ask either former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer or our former Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce, architects of our controversial and contentious SB 1070, to be the head of ICE. He’s failed (so far) to offer a position like the head of the DEA to Sheriff Joe Arpaio. And he hasn’t asked Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeau to be anything that’s law-enforcement related in his administration.

We sometimes have to search for “good news,” and I for one applaud our president-elect’s nonappointments as a small sign that things aren’t nearly as bad as they perhaps might appear. Could there be a light at the end of the tunnel, a rainbow after the storm, or a silver lining to every cloud?

– Richard K. Meszar – Mesa

Democrats = Castro

What we have witnessed in this country over the last several months should be a red flag for all Americans. The tactics used by the far left in an effort to change the outcome of this election leave little doubt that a fair democratic election, and the sharing of power, is not the goal of the left. What is even more frightening, these same people praised Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro.

Castro was a ruthless bully that used any tactic to destroy any opposition to his agenda. No wonder the left idolized this man.

– Gary Larson – Mesa

Trump and Israel

When the U.N. voted to give Israel nation status, the U.S. was the first country in the world to give the Jewish homeland diplomatic recognition. The Arab nations’ reaction was to declare war with the intention of wiping out the Israeli population, even though the new state extended the olive branch, asking all its Arab citizens to stay to help build a new and prosperous state. Most chose to flee (mostly out of fear of radical Arabs) and became “refugees.”

It has been nearly seven decades since the “Palestinian refugees” became the cause célèbre for continued war, though the vast majority of those refugees are dead. Their progeny shouldn’t be recognized as refugees since they have been born and raised in the West Bank.

It would be proper for Mr. Trump to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem to make a point that U.S. approval of any negotiation must start with the recognition by the Arab government of the right of Israel to exist. Without that precondition, Israel—with the backing of our government—should refuse to negotiate territorial ownership of land they have occupied while defending that right.

– Jim Barber – Mesa

Legislature is a bother

I’ve been here in the Valley going on 30 years, through Meacham, Keating, AzScam, Symington, Alt Fuel, SB1070, yadda, yadda. Yet, what still really bothers me is how the Arizona Legislature continually cancels legal contracts and laws, legally approved by citizen referendums, initiatives and other ballot measures. Why do we still bother?

To gain power, Castro promised social justice, and to end the oppression of the poor. Once he achieved power, the dictator oppressed all but his elitist inner circle. He was able to maintain power for over half a century.

EDUCATION

postpone the vote to adopt until next month.

U of A math instructor Melissa Hosten accurately described the effect of this delay on teachers: “The morale of our teachers has continued to plummet without the support of our Legislature and agencies and groups like this. It means that teachers will continue to feel unsupported, will probably leave the workforce, and have this ambiguous understanding of how their students will be measured.”

Imagine being an Arizona teacher.

– John Latson –

Mesa

Seventy-four percent of Arizonans say more money needs to go into schools, yet you remain one of the lowest-paid group of educators in the nation. You are asked to do more but have fewer resources, and the groups you hope would give you some certainty in what you teach, what resources you’ll have access to, and what funds districts will have to improve the abysmal pay you receive instead leave you even more uncertain.

But possibly more certain of one thing: As much as you love the kids and the classroom, it’s time to change careers.

Sports

Basha’s undefeated record is a good start, but team wants more

BY JASON P. SKODA Tribune Prep Sports Director

Terrell Brown was hitting shots from all over the court, Gabe McGlothan was owning the block and the Basha boys basketball team was in a groove that started somewhere around the first tip-off of the season. And yet, coach Michael Grothaus called a timeout while the Bears were in the midst of another surge against a quality opponent.

Usually, it’s the coach of the team that is letting the game slip away calling for a stop in play to try and break momentum and readjust what’s happening on the floor.

This time, against Apollo on the final day of the VisitMesa Classic, Grothaus called time. In fact, he does it a lot when his team looks to be breaking away from an opponent.

“I trust they are going to get right back to that level,” he said. “They work so hard on every possession I do it to give them a breather, and then send them back out there and get after it.”

The Bears are certainly getting after it. Basha entered this week with a 17-0 record with an average margin of victory of 16.0 points.

The Bears are off to an exceptional start and yet their coach, per usual, is looking more for preparation as the 6A Premier Regional schedule heats up.

“We have an experienced group that has been playing together for awhile,”

said Grothaus, who is in his fifth season.

“We still have a long way to go. We are doing a lot of good things, but we have some things we need to improve on.

“We can be better offensively moving the ball and sharing the ball. Although I love what we are doing defensively, there is always room for improvement.”

Understood. No coach is going to come out and say, “Yeah, we’ve peaked and we can’t get any better.” So Gorthaus did his duty. But to win 17 straight to open the year, including a buzzer beater over Desert Ridge on Dec. 2, is a pretty incredible start.

A good portion of the roster is the same as last year’s 23-7 team that lost to eventual champion Mesa. The 5035 defeat included a two-point second quarter and just five in the fourth.

Each year is different, but it definitely left an ill feeling in their bellies in what otherwise was a very good season.

“We were devastated after that,” said Brown, a slashing shooting guard and standout football wide receiver. “It stuck with us until the summer. We didn’t show up like we wanted to, but we have another chance this year.”

The Bears are trying to downplay the hot start to the year simply because the season really gets started now as only one of those 17 victories came against region opponents.

“As far as I know, there are no awards given for being 17-0 in December,” Grothaus said. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet other than playing with a lot of confidence.”

The longer the Bears keep playing at this level—even if and when the winning streak ends—the more likely Basha stays at the top when it comes to 6A Conference contenders.

The playing rotation is tight most nights, but Grothaus is spreading out the minutes.

Brown (14.3 points in 49 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals), center McGlothan (13.7 points on 55 percent shooting, 9.8 rebounds), wing Brennen Davis (8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists) and guard Austin Picarello (5.8 points) are the mainstays.

Senior starter Coleson Struths, senior Nico Daal and junior Bryan Baptiste are solid contributors in pushing the Bears to the undefeated start.

“Everyone knows their role and we are not trying to overdo anything and just be consistent,” said Daal, who averaged 5.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

“We know if we all approach it that way, we are going to be able to come through most games. We have to just keep working hard.”

– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@evtrib.com. Follow him on Twitter @ JasonPSkoda.

Club soccer players find way back onto area high school rosters

BY JASON P. SKODA

Tribune Prep Sports Director

The Reach 11 Sports Complex has hosted elite level soccer tournaments ever since the North Phoenix facility was built in the early 2000s.

Club soccer teams from all over the country find their way to Reach 11 throughout the year to play against other elite-level programs.

Just before New Year’s, two champion-

ship games were held, and if it weren’t for the familiar colors and team names—Corona del Sol, Hamilton, Desert Vista—the level of play would’ve suggested that another successful club tournament was finishing up rather than the Arizona Soccer Showcase finals. Instead, it was another confirmation that there has been a cultural shift in the club soccer scene that has led to a higher level of play at the high school level.

There was a time when the elite soccer players—for example, Dobson graduate

Julie Johnston, who won the World Cup but never played for the Mustangs—were so focused on club they didn’t find the time to play the high school game.

It’s a personal decision that comes down to splitting their attention between the two teams. The trend has been building since the 2012-13 season when the Desert Vista boys made a run to the state finals because five club players decided to play for the Thunder. Some programs have missed out on elite players over the years, but now more club players

are pulling that high school jersey over their heads.

“A lot of times, there was a high school teacher coaching and there really was nothing to gain from a development standpoint,” said Campo Verde coach Drew Guarneri, who is also a coach for the Arsenal Soccer Club. “A lot club coaches started taking over high school teams, and I think we started to sell the kids on the good experience high school

(Jason P. Skoda/Tribune Staff)

Basha’s Gabe McGlothan (30) was named the outstanding player at the VisitMesa Basketball Challenge over the holiday break.

nation, have also shown the importance of having team players to go along with the top club players.

soccer can be. Then we walked the talk and really invested everything into the high school and we started to see a lot of elite kids start coming back.”

Hamilton senior Josh Drack is a good example of an elite player connecting with his high school team. He returned to the Huskies last season after competing only for Real Salt Lake Academy. He helped his high school team win a state title.

Soon after last year’s season ended, Drack left Hamilton to join the Portland Timbers Academy and now he is back again playing for the Huskies this winter.

“I think what makes high school so fun is that you get to be around your teammates day in and day out pretty much the whole day. In club, you train for a couple hours, three times a week,” he said. “Being able to play in front of your classmates is also very cool.”

Many other players have found it to their liking as well. It has led to a high level of play for area teams.

The Hamilton and Corona del Sol finals at the Arizona Soccer Showcase, which the Huskies won in a penalty kick shootout, was a tremendous display of the talent in Arizona. Players like Corona’s Ryan Flood and Drack showed off their talents, but it doesn’t end there.

The girls finals featured Desert Vista, which is ranked No. 17 in the nation, topping Hamilton 2-1. Both rosters were filled with club players.

It’s shaping up to a great year across the board in the East Valley as teams like Campo Verde boys, which began the week 17-0 and ranked No. 9 in the nation, and Perry girls, which began the week 14-1 and ranked No. 18 in the

“We’ve had a lot things go our way,” Guarneri said. “We’ve won some overtime games and played well in the tight matches. It’s a whole group thing. We have a littler older team with juniors and seniors, but even the seniors who don’t get a lot of minutes are leaders. They work hard in practice and make the most of their playing time. We have a good mix of the players and they are all buying into the culture that we’ve developed in my five years.”

The Thunder girls, who began the week 13-1, have been able to mix the club players within the program as well along with having their coach, Marvin Hypolite, bring a strong club coaching pedigree with him in building one of the state’s elite programs.

“We all love this game so why not play or coach it as much as possible,” Hypolite said. “They are playing for their school and have pride in that. That’s what we have tried to bring here.”

It’s a mentality that has seemingly spread throughout the East Valley to bring soccer to a new level, and it filters down throughout the program.

“I think the most beneficial part about it is helping each other grow as a group,” said Drack, who was the Tribune player of the year last year. “In club, you play with kids the same age as you, but here in high school you have kids in every grade. We as seniors need to set an example so that the legacy of our school can be passed down for years to come.”

(Cheryl Haselhorst/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Desert Vista’s Paige Maling and Hamilton’s Paisley Teele chase down the ball.

SPIRITUAL SIDE

Authentic faithful living offers the peace of simplicity

BY REV. SUSAN WILMOT Tribune Guest Writer

Perhaps, like me, you have been wondering for some time just when and how life got so complicated.

Some of us feel like we’re constantly facing storms or even shipwreck as we try to navigate the intricacies of family relationships. Some of us feel like we’re drowning as the waters of technology overwhelm us, leaving us no time for true re-creation. Some of us may even feel like we’ve run aground in our attempts to move forward, held back by a treacherous reef of complex issues that cut us to pieces, or demand huge chunks of time.

If our days are too full, or we can’t see an end to the endless treadmill, then perhaps there’s a simpler solution. There are plenty of self-help books and all kinds of life coaches who’ll help us to simplify our lives, for a price. Both options provide sound advice about de-cluttering, balancing work, family and other commitments, as well as eliminating debt, which is a major source of stress. Both options help us by releasing some of the shackles of materialism, and giving us incentives to take control of our time by prioritizing more effectively.

If we follow the advice, we may experience some reduction in our stress, and be more effective in getting everything done, at least for a while. Old

FAITH CALENDAR

UNITY OFFERS A PATH

Unity of Mesa says its Sunday service offers “a positive path for spiritual living” through “transformational lessons, empowering music and various spiritual practices with an open-minded and welcoming community.”

DETAILS>> 9 and 10:45 a.m. 2700 E. Southern Ave., Mesa. Nursery available for infants through kindergarten at service times. Youth ministry classes are open in the Education Annex at 10:45 a.m. Information: 480-892- 2700, unityofmesa.org, lori@ unityofmesa.org.

ALL ARE WELCOME

All on a peaceful spiritual path are welcome and honored in this inclusive, loving,

habits, however, are often hard to break, especially when we’re left to our own devices.

So, I’m willing to bet that those of us who already keep a relatively tidy and uncluttered home, live modest, debt-free lives with healthy boundaries around work-life balance still feel like we’re being pulled in multiple directions.

Perhaps that’s because downsizing our stuff, and getting our commitments prioritized is more akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic than actually getting to the heart of the issue. Perhaps what’s really necessary is inextricable linked to building strong

in Christ offers us solid ground for all other relationships, and a springboard to loving service.

Most of us have come across Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “Live simply so others may simply live,” which was born of massive poverty and oppression, against a backdrop of imperialistic greed, and vast socio-economic disparity.

Living simply to help others simply live goes much deeper than downsizing our homes, buying an eco-friendly vehicle, or recycling. There’s more to simplicity than merely donating a few clothes.

Living simply becomes much more

“ The source and model for all healthy relationships begins and ends with God.”

and healthy relationships in all areas of our lives, including our relationship with stuff, and money.

The source and model for all healthy relationships begins and ends with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a coequal, coeternal relationship of perfect love. As followers of Jesus, our relationship with the Lord is the ultimate source of abiding love, joy and peace in our lives.

Life can still be complicated, but leaning on the Lord in faith, helps us navigate the ups and downs of all our other relationships with a greater degree of clarity, peace and joy, and dare I say it, simplicity. Our relationship with the Lord is truly liberating, and our freedom

thriving Unity Community. Join us for Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center’s Sunday Celebration Service

DETAILS>> 10:30 a.m. Toddlers and children meet during our service. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information: info@interfaith-community.org.

MONDAYS

JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA

This Flow 1-2 class (intermediate) is free and open to the community.

DETAILS>> 6-7 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-7596200 or gbattle@moutainpark.org.

STRUGGLING FIND SUPPORT

challenging when we consider our relationship with money versus the obvious inequities and injustice all around us. It behooves us to pay attention to that point when we start questioning whether this or that is what God really means as we grow into faithful stewardship.

We have an almost infinite capacity for self-deception and rationalization.

Then there’s the simplicity of spirit that’s at the center of being in right relationship with God and our neighbors.

How do we see our family, friends, and neighbors primarily and simply as beloved children of God? How do we build the kind of relationships where we

Support group for those struggling with how to deal with a loss in life.

DETAILS>> 7 p.m., 1825 S. Alma School Road, Room C201, Chandler. Pastor Larry Daily, 480-963-3997, ext. 141, larrydaily@chandlercc.org or chandlercc.org.

TUESDAYS

DIVORCED CAN FIND COMFORT

People suffering through a divorce or separation can find understanding and caring support to face these challenges.

DETAILS>> 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E Pecos Road, Room 117, Ahwatukee, 480-759-6200 or mountainpark.org.

FINDING HEALING FOR PAIN

HOPE, an acronym for “Help Overcome Painful Experi-

experience joy in others simply for who they are? How do we suspend the need to judge, fix, or label others in superficial and worldly ways, or for the purposes of self-aggrandizement?

What does it really mean to live simply? Is it about the kind of relationship with God in Christ Jesus where we really do lose ourselves, giving up our passion for wealth, power and control? Is it a frightening thought to be that vulnerable, selfless and dependent on God alone?

This is why God sent his beloved son to be God with us, as both messenger and message. As our exemplar of living simply, our Lord Jesus Christ constantly remains focused on loving and serving God.

Jesus trusts that God will meet all his needs, and that trust is never misplaced. Jesus lives simply because he refuses to become entangled in the world’s biggest lies: including self-focused independence, interpersonal competitiveness and the relentless pursuit of material goods for personal gain, or as a sign of success.

The miracle of the incarnation, God with us, presents us with a paradox. There’s great joy, comfort and peace in the assurance of faith and God’s promises. There’s also the challenge of living simply with Christ-like vulnerability and singleminded dependence on God.

Ultimately, authentic faithful living is simplicity itself.

– The Rev. Susan E. Wilmot is Vicar at St. James the Apostle Episcopal Church & Preschool, 975 E. Warner Rd., Tempe. Reach her at rector@stjamestempe.org, 480-345-2686, or stjamestempe.org.

ences,” 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.

SENIORS ENJOY ‘TERRIFIC TUESDAYS’

The program is free and includes bagels and coffee and a different speaker or theme each week. Registration not needed.

DETAILS>> 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Barness Family East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. evjcc.org or 480-897-0588.

WEDNESDAYS

CELEBRATE RECOVERY MEETS

Author’s faith message seeks to soothe unhappiness

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Managing Editor

Author and businesswoman Diane Markins thinks the book she has recently published may help people who feel bruised by last year’s social and political turbulence.

After the difficult election cycle, she said, it has become “blatantly obvious that so many folks aren’t happy.”

“They’re struggling,” she said. “While some people are always bragging about their latest vacation or accomplishment, others are sad, angry, complaining and longing. The fallacy is that if you work hard enough, are good enough or look pretty enough … you’ll be content. That’s simply a lie. Contentment isn’t gained through external effort or material ‘stuff.’ It’s realized in your spirit as you focus on what’s truly important.”

And so, she has written a small book titled “Contentment Connection.”

“I wrote this book because I meet people every day who are struggling, striving and longing for more,” she said. “More happiness, more fulfillment. More meaning. More health. More fun. More God.”

While she admits the book’s message has been stated many times, she considers it a kind of “kick in the pants.”

It reminds readers that “life is pretty

the principles I base my life and these tips on—love, grace acceptance and forgiveness.”

The book’s 75 random tips are built around “connecting with God in a deeper way, valuing and serving people and loving yourself.”

“They’re easy, simple things— reminders that things sometimes slip by us in our busy lives,” she explained.

Her tips range from paying for a stranger’s coffee to watching a sunset.

“Some are silly, like coloring with crayons. Some are challenging, like, ‘forgive yourself or someone else.’”

While the book is “meant to be something that encourages and inspires you to fill yourself up with positive and uplifting actions and thoughts each day,” it is also practical.

An Arizona native who has lived in Phoenix 30 years, Markins also writes. This is her second book.

Her first, “Women in High Def,” also is rooted in Christian values, but addressed to women.

It aims to “catapult women into living fearlessly for God … being bolder moms, having purposeful passions, pursuing marriage excellence, loving themselves with gusto, laughing with abandon, transforming mistakes into blasts of blessings and bravely seeking the Lord in all His majestic glory.”

Markins said her new book will be particularly useful for busy people.

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. mvlutheran.org/ celebraterecovery or email cr@alphamvlc.com.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY OFFERED Living Word Ahwatukee women’s Bible study and fellowship that offers “a short, low-key time of praise and worship in music and message.” It’s also an opportunity to meet other Christian women in Ahwatukee.

DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m., Living Word Ahwatukee, 14647 W. 50th St., Suite 165, Ahwatukee. Free child care

GET A ‘SPIRITUAL SHOWER’

A release calls this “a 15-minute energetic tune up each week” and says the Twin Hearts Meditation “is like taking a spiritual shower: when your aura is clean, you experience a higher level of awareness. You see through things more clearly and good luck increases.”

DETAILS>> 7-9 p.m. at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. 480-792-1800 or unityoftempe.com.

great yet can be even sweeter” when they accept that “contentment isn’t found in more money, better looks or an impressive job title” but “by taking advantage of the endless possibilities right in front of your face,” she said.

While the book is written “through my Christian filter,” Markins said, “it’s not preachy or filled with religious jargon.”

She is firmly rooted in her Christian faith, however.

“I’ve been a follower of Christ since I was a kid,” she said. “My mom and grandmothers modeled and taught me

‘A COURSE IN MIRACLES’

Longtime “A Course in Miracles” student and teacher Rev. Julianne Lewis leads this interactive time of discussion and sharing. This group is appropriate for ACIM beginners as well as experienced ACIM students—and everyone in between.

DETAILS>> 1-2:15 p.m. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. $10 love donation. Information: revj4u@gmail.com.

THURSDAYS

BETH MOORE BIBLE STUDY

St. Peter Lutheran Church will be presenting Beth Moore’s study “Jesus the One and Only” for 11 weeks, beginning Jan. 12. DETAILS>> 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. 1844 East Dana Avenue, Mesa. The workbook that accompanies the study can be purchased at Lifeway Christian Store.

SLEEPING BAGS FOR THE HOMELESS

Ugly Quilts has made more than 15,500 sleeping bags for the area homeless, and continues to do so at First United Methodist Church every Thursday. Quilters stitch donated fabric, comforters, sheets and blankets into sleeping bags. Those are then distributed to the Salvation Army, churches and veterans’ organizations.

DETAILS>>8 a.m.-2 p.m., 215 E. University Drive, Tempe. Information: 480-969-5577.

KIDS CAN FIND SUPPORT

Support group for children ages 6 to 12 coping with a

“It’s small so can fit easily in a purse or backpack to take along. I love that people are ordering more than one to give to friends or put in a stocking. They make nice little teacher gifts, too,” she said.

Markins and her husband, once her high school sweetheart, used to counsel couples planning to marry.

She and her husband still do some counseling, but now she is busier on the lecture circuit and spending time with her husband and three children. They also are members of Mountain Park Community Church.

separation or divorce in the family. One-time $10 fee includes snacks and workbook.

DETAILS>>6:30-8:30 p.m., 1825 S. Alma School Road, Room C202, Chandler. Pastor Larry Daily, 480-963-3997, ext. 141, larrydaily@chandlercc.org or chandlercc.org.

ULPAN INSTRUCTION AVAILABLE

Class is based on Israel’s successful Ulpan instruction. Taught by Ilan Berko, born in Israel, schooled in the U.S.

DETAILS>> 7 p.m. Chabad of the East Valley, 3875 W. Ray Road, Suite 6, Chandler. chabadcenter.com or 480-855-4333.

“For a lot of people, taking care of yourself is the last item on your to-do list,” she said. “You chug a vanilla latte on your way to blow out the next fire of the day, feeling lucky if you eat anything for lunch, while your head swims with the mountain of stuff still ahead. The very idea of pleasure, relaxation and fun are as likely as the Loch Ness Monster showing up in your bathtub.”

But, she said, “God didn’t create us to be frazzled, fatigued and empty.

The book, and a number of other resources, can be ordered at dianemarkins. com. It is also available in the book store at the Praise and Worship Center, 2551 N. Arizona Ave., Suite 4, Chandler.

FRIDAYS

NEFESHSOUL HOLDS SERVICES Congregation NefeshSoul holds Shabbat services the second Friday of every month on the campus of the Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation. DETAILS>>6:15 p.m., 6400 W. Del Rio St., Chandler. Information: nefeshsoul.org.

releases to rzubiate@ timespublications.com

(Special to the Tribune)

Diane Markins thinks the book she recently published offers spiritual comfort to people after the political and social turbulence in America last year.

Tapacubo brings eclectic Latino food to Tempe hotel

BY MIKE BUTLER Tribune Staff Writer

Chef Jon Andersen has had the dream jobs. Kai in Chandler. Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley. Disney’s Grand Californian in Anaheim.

He’s enjoying himself no less—perhaps a lot more—at Tapacubo, the festive cantina inside the Graduate Tempe hotel on Apache Boulevard near College Avenue.

“It’s a fun place to work,” he said. “It’s just good food. We’re not re-positioning satellites here.”

He has defi nitely elevated the menu offerings.

Classically trained at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, and of Norwegian descent, Andersen puts an interesting and unpredictable spin on Latino cuisine—his favorite. Sweet chili shrimp tacos, for instance, get a spicysweet Thai twist, with a little bit of burn provided by Fresno pepper and lots of crunch coming from shaved cabbage and radish.

The delicious smoked chicken tortilla soup is an excellent way to get your lunch or dinner started. Andersen favors tomatoes over stock in his version and grills the marinated chicken for smoke ﬂ avor. If you’re more of a traditionalist, try the garlicky Tapacubo wings, grilled quesadilla, Mas Nachos or nibble on chips & salsa. The salsas and guacamole are superb.

Carnivores will have trouble deciding between the achiote grilled chicken, crispy pork carnitas and chorizo tacos. The chorizo includes a fried egg. There are also chicken and steak fajitas. More in the mood for a sandwich? Try the mojito chicken or The Burger, a half-pound of angus beef topped with fi re-roasted chilies, pepper jack cheese, bacon and a chili onion haystack.

Leave room for dessert, because you won’t want to miss out on the jalapeno creme brulee cheesecake, another one of Andersen’s sublime spicy-sweet balancing acts. There’s also a prickly pear sorbet. Or, if you want to save something for later, get a bag of churros to take home.

Before or after dinner, enjoy a drink by the pool, or head up to the fourth-ﬂ oor

Chef Jon Andersen has elevated the menu at Tapacubo in The Graduate in Tempe.

patio to take in the sunset. Tapacubo’s decor combines elements of industrial style and dorm-room chic. Banquettes are made out of concrete blocks and topped with plump, colorful cushions. The wall above the booths is covered in vivid red subway glass tiles, and a neon clock ensures that it’s always 5 o’clock. Another wall is pasted with maps of Mexico and the Southwest.

The squarish bar’s base is also concrete but topped with a counter inlaid with more

than 30,000 Mexican pesos. Holding court behind the bar are a pair of tall vintage gas pumps with glass tanks. A point-ofservice screen for the wait staff rests atop a Craftsman shop tool box. There are chandeliers made out of shiny hub caps. (Tapacubo means hub cap in Spanish.) General manager Trent Collicott said Tapacubo (as well as the hotel’s Normal Diner) attracts an eclectic crowd. The cantina draws Gammage theater-goers and cast members, ASU students and their

visiting parents, corporate travelers and airline employees. It’s also become a local for University Park residents. Graduate Hotels is a boutique chain that specializes in serving iconic university towns, such as Ann Arbor, Athens, Oxford, Madison and Charlottesville. More are on the way in Berkeley, Richmond, Durham and Lincoln.

– Reach Mike Butler at 480-898-5630 or at mbutler@timespublications.com.

(Mike Butler/Tribune Staff)

Cars, celebrities and charity: Barrett-Jackson

offers excitement while giving back

BY MARJORIE RICE Tribune Contributing Writer

Barrett-Jackson styles itself as The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions. But it’s much more than that.

Upward of 350,000 visitors are expected at the 46th annual Scottsdale auction, Saturday to Jan. 22 at WestWorld. Private jets will jam the tarmac at Scottsdale Airport. And forget reservations at the area’s top restaurants and hotels—they’ll be packed as well.

IF YOU GO

Tyler is more well known, but ArkusDuntov, called the “Father of the Corvette,” is a legend in the car world. His CERV “stands as one of the experimental landmarks of GM history,” according to Barrett-Jackson.

Collectors also will be drooling over a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, part of the Charlie Thomas Collection of more than 140 vehicles up for bid.

Where: WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale

When: Saturday, Jan. 14, to Sunday, Jan. 22

Cost: Tickets start at $10

More info: 480-421-6694 or barrett-jackson.com

But the action doesn’t stop at the auction block Not by a long shot.

In the last 20 years, CEO Craig Jackson has steered the event to a far broader spectrum of activities, with symposiums on car restoration and collecting, an opening night gala, auction nights dripping with

Bidding on more than 1,500 exotic and collectible cars, trucks and other vehicles will be the main event, headlined when Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler roars onto the auction block in his 2012 Hennessey Venom GT Spyder, and when the 1960 Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) 1 used by Zora Arkus-Duntov in his advancements of the Corvette in the 1960s goes under the gavel.

celebrities and mega-bucks, arena polo (yes, horses), automobilia auctions, and “Ride ‘N Drives” and thrill rides presented by Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge.

And there’s shopping—acres of it in the massive exhibit space. Memorabilia, cars, motorcycles, boats, jewelry, art, apparel, classic gas station pumps and just about anything else you can imagine are on display.

“People come here from all over the world—last year from all 50 states and 14 foreign countries,” Barrett said. “It’s a lot of fun, and that’s what we try to make it.”

The auction appeals to the 1 percenters

who can drop six or seven figures on a car, and it also appeals to the man—and in growing numbers, the woman—who wants to get into car collecting, Jackson said.

“We sell entry-level cars for people who want to buy a car, play with it and learn,” he said. “That’s what a lot of our live stage is about. We have our experts up there to explain the car, trying to educate people and get them into the hobby.”

While best known for the cars, BarrettJackson also boats a long commitment to charitable causes.

(Special to the Tribune)

Steven Tyler and Craig Jackson pose in front of Tyler’s 2012 Hennessey Venom GT Spyder, which is expected to fetch north of $1 million on the auction block.

CHARITY

Most recently, in 2010, Craig Jackson established the Barrett-Jackson Cancer Research Fund at TGen after colon cancer claimed the lives of his father and brother.

The auction has raised nearly $2 million for that fund, and it continues to raise money for several other charities.

Barrett-Jackson vets the charities and works with the auction’s automotive sponsors to augment money raised by the bids.

“General Motors has been very helpful, and so has Ford,” Jackson said. “We’ve come up with this great formula to sell these charity cars. We sell the cars, and we don’t take any fees. Buyers write the checks right to the charity.”

Tyler is a case in point.

“His car is a monster,” Jackson said. “It’s the fifth of only 12 Hennessey Venom GTs ever created and first of the Spyder convertibles. In March 2016, it recorded a top speed of 265.6 mph, making it the world’s fastest convertible sports car.”

(Special to the Tribune)

Famed marathon encourages runners to rock

BY CARSON MLNARIK Tribune Contributing Writer

It’s atypical for music to blare beyond the earbuds of runners throughout a race course. The Rock ’n’ Roll Arizona Marathon is an exception.

More than 24,000 racers will not only run to their own tunes, but to those of local bands throughout the 5K and 10K courses that will wind through the Valley on Saturday and Sunday. Every mile and a half, there is a different performer playing punk, hip hop, classic rock or pop music.

“We’re all about having fun,” says Nathan Kopp, the event manager. “Our company is open to runners of all ages and ability levels. We are just trying to focus on a fun time for runners.”

Celebrating its 14th year, the marathon has become a “must-run” for local fitness fans, their families and out-of-state travelers. This year’s event stretches two days: a 5K on Saturday and the marathon, half marathon and 10K on Sunday.

Arizona’s race also has a bit of history to it.

“We’ve had a lot of elite runners at the Arizona race. The half marathon world

IF YOU GO

Where: Tempe Beach Park

When: Saturday, Jan. 14, and Sunday, Jan. 15

More info: runrocknroll.com/arizona

record was set here,” Kopp says.

Saturday’s 5K is entirely in Tempe Beach Park. Marathon runners on Sunday will start their half marathon in downtown Phoenix, while 10K runners take off on University Avenue in Tempe.

All races will finish at Tempe Beach Park, where runners and their families will be treated to more music. On Sunday, Toad the Wet Sprocket will headline a postrace show from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

In addition, runners and the public are invited to a free Health & Fitness Expo on Friday and Saturday, where they can find their favorite running gear vendors, nutrition information and apparel. The expo is also where runners will pick up their bib and materials.

ACROSS

1 Rebuff a masher

5 Whip

9 Vanna’s cohort

12 Twosome

13 Reverberate

14 Center

15 — -European

16 Part of Q.E.D

17 “Monty Python” opener

18 Egg container?

19 Symbol of intrigue

20 Hoofbeat sound

21 Mound stat

23 Sib

25 Like wet snow

28 There

32 Pot

33 Of service

34 Construction pieces

36 Prepares to propose

37 Bottom line

38 Egos’ counterparts

39 Crooked

42 Under the weather

44 “G.W.T.W.” plantation

48 Regret

49 Verbal

50 Enthusiastic, plus

51 “All the Things You —”

52 Exhaust-pipe output

53 Undressed

54 Pantheon member

55 Unoriginal one

56 Ball-bearing items

DOWN

1 Whirl

2 Nathan of Broadway

3 Helps

4 Lutheran, e.g.

5 Room to maneuver

6 Farm fraction

7 Down-at-the-heels

8 Stolen

9 Donahue or Collins

10 Car

11 Recipe meas.

20 Potential winner

22 Lyricist’s specialty

24 Circular

25 Take to the slopes

26 U.K. pol. party

King Crossword

27 Multipurpose truck

29 Conk out

30 Right angle

31 Scale members

35 Rouse

36 Strikingly effective

39 Boast

40 Continental coin

41 Requisite

43 Like some excuses

45 Chills and fever

46 Took the shuttle

47 Quite some time

49 Son-gun link

Sudoku

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon hosts more than 24,000 runners and features local bands blasting music every 1.5 miles.

Itzahk Perlman

Don’t miss the greatest living violin virtuoso in this rare Valley performance. Joining him will be pianist, and Julliard professor, Rohan de Silva. The duo will perform works from Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schumann and Stravinksy.

DETAILS>> 7:30 p.m., Thursday. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa. Tickets: $50-$90. 480-644-6500. mesaartscenter.com.

Highland Yard Vintage

Every month, Highland Yard Vintage hosts an indoor market featuring 30 local designers and vendors. This month the theme of the market is “Refresh & Refine.” Show up to shop for unique New Year’s items for your home, closet, pantry and garden.

DETAILS>> Times vary, Thursday-Jan. 16. Behind Merchant Square, 1509 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Cost: Free. 480-792-1919. facebook.com/Highlandyardvintage.

‘Annie’

The irrepressibly optimistic red-haired

orphan named Annie comes to the Valley bringing favorite songs like “It’s A Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street” and “Tomorrow” in this Tony award-winning production. DETAILS>> Times vary, Friday-Saturday. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa. Tickets: $35-$75. 480-644-6500. mesaartscenter. com.

Chandler film festival

Film buffs in Chandler finally get their own event. Attendees can choose from more than 100 shorts and feature-length films. In addition to the films, you can attend a Hollywood-style Red Carpet event, a formal reception with filmmakers and more.

DETAILS>> Times vary, Friday-Sunday. SoHo63, 63 E. Boston St., Chandler. Tickets: $125 3-day pass, $39-$59 individual days. chandlerfilmfestival.com.

Shakespeare

Join the Southwest Shakespeare Company as they perform two of the Bard’s greatest works—“Hamlet” and “Much Ado About Nothing”—on select days in January. Whether you like dark tragedy or tearinducing comedy, there’s something for everyone.

DETAILS>> Times vary, Friday and Saturday. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St.,

Mesa. Tickets: $15-$44. 480-644-6500. mesaartscenter.com.

Home & Garden Show

Get plenty of home redecorating ideas for the new year. In addition to wares from local artisans, you can tour the “Tiny Homes Street of Dreams,” which are fully decorated homes of less than 400 square feet.

DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday-Sunday. Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix. Tickets: $8 adults, $3 kids 3-13. 602-485-1691. maricopacountyhomeshows. com.

Dirt Road Market

This market features a range of artisans that sell everything from homemade soap and signs to pet treats, old books and antiques. In addition, you can visit the UPICK Organic Garden, the Country Store & Bakery or jump on one of the rides like the carousel or train.

DETAILS>> 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday. Schnepf Farms, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. Cost: Free. schnepffarms.com.

The Alley Cats

Step back in time to the era of Doo Wop and hear hits from the ’50s and ’60s courtesy of singer-comedians The Alley

Cats. A regular opening act for Jay Leno, they’ve also performed alongside the Coasters, the Drifters and the Beach Boys.

DETAILS>> 7:30 p.m., Saturday. Higley Center for the Performing Arts, 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert. Tickets: $26-$42. 480279-7194. higleycenter.org.

Multicultural Festival

This annual event will feature art, music and dance from a range of Valley artisans, performers and cultural groups, plus vendors and plenty of family fun.

DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday. Chandler Fashion Center Mall, 3111 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. Cost: Free. chandleraz.gov.

Sister Moses

Learn about the incredible life of antislavery activist and Underground Railroad legend Harriett Tubman in this stunning dance presentation from Desert Dance Theatre.

DETAILS>> 7 p.m., Sunday. Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students. 480-782-2680. chandlercenter. org.

– Justin Ferris, Phoenix.org

Get more ideas for fun things to do in the East Valley - and beyond - at Phoenix.org.

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RuthLPolanec,82passedawayon1/1/17in Mesa,Az.ShehadbeenaresidentofMesa since1997.

POLANEC,RuthL.

Employment General

RuthLPolanec,82passedawayon1/1/17in Mesa,Az.ShehadbeenaresidentofMesa since1997.

RuthwasbornonOct.27,1934inChicago, IllinoistoWilliamC.andRoseJessicaDvorak andspentmostofherlifeinFoxRiverGrove, Illinois.

RuthLPolanec,82passedawayon1/1/17in Mesa,Az.ShehadbeenaresidentofMesa since1997.

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RuthwasbornonOct.27,1934inChicago, IllinoistoWilliamC.andRoseJessicaDvorak andspentmostofherlifeinFoxRiverGrove, Illinois.

Ruthwasprecededindeathbyherhusband FerdinandandherbrotherDonaldDvorakof Barrington,Illinois.

RuthwasbornonOct.27,1934inChicago, IllinoistoWilliamC.andRoseJessicaDvorak andspentmostofherlifeinFoxRiverGrove, Illinois.

Sheissurvivedby3daughtersKathleenBuschell(MartinSchenewark) ofPhoenix,SusanRoehrigofMesa,PatriciaVanpelt(dane)ofHighland, UT,andonesonRobertGriswold(Mary)ofGlendale.

Ruthwasprecededindeathbyherhusband FerdinandandherbrotherDonaldDvorakof Barrington,Illinois.

Grandchildren,SsteveandAaronBuschell,AmandaCamden,Patrick andJosephRoehrig,AmyFischer,BryanRichter,KateHamlin,Roband TomGriswoldalongwith13great-grandchildren.

Sheissurvivedby3daughtersKathleenBuschell(MartinSchenewark) ofPhoenix,SusanRoehrigofMesa,PatriciaVanpelt(dane)ofHighland, UT,andonesonRobertGriswold(Mary)ofGlendale.

Sheisalsosurvivedbyasister,NancyLawrenceofGoldCanyon.

Grandchildren,SsteveandAaronBuschell,AmandaCamden,Patrick andJosephRoehrig,AmyFischer,BryanRichter,KateHamlin,Roband TomGriswoldalongwith13great-grandchildren.

Sheisalsosurvivedbyasister,NancyLawrenceofGoldCanyon.

RuthwasanactivememberoftheVeldaRoseUnitedMethodist Church,redhatladies,volunteeredatLionsClub,lovedtotraveland paint,playbridgeandcook.

Herwake willbeheldonFridayJan.13thatMelcherMortuary6625E MainSt,Mesafrom4-8pmandfuneralonSaturdayJan.14thatVelda RoseUnitedMethodistChurch,5540EMainSt,Mesaat11am.

SigntheGuestbookat: www.EastValleyTribune.com

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Manager, Software Development, Mesa, AZ: Engineer cloud-mobile based products using Salesforce.com, AWS, Heroku, & iOS & provide technical guidance to a distributed team to prepare technical design documents; Design & develop solutions; Work in geographically distributed environment. Must have a Bachelor's in Science, Technology or Engineering & 3 yrs. software development/engineering exp. Must have 3 yrs. exp. using Agile SCRUM, Salesforce.com, AWS, Heroku, iOS in Health care & life sciences domain. Must have Salesforce.com advanced developer certification. Exp. may be gained concurrently. Mail resume & cover letter to T. Collier, QuintilesIMS, 100 IMS Drive, Parsippany, NJ 07054. No calls.

Jan 13, 14, 15 7am-4pm Furniture, appliances, kids/adult clothing, fitness equip, kitchen items, books, toys, lawn equip

183 E Canary Ct. San Tan Valley AZ 85143

Major cross streets Hunt Hwy/Bella Vista Mesa Bazaar Rummage Sale Our Savior's Lutheran Church 612 S Ellsworth Rd Mesa, AZ 85207 Friday Jan 20th 8am-1pm Saturday Jan 21st 8am-11am Cash only No bills over $20

Wanted

Employment General

Nursery workers, 5 temporary full-time positions.

Duties: Work in nursery facilities or at customer location planting, cultivating, harvesting, and transplanting trees, shrubs, or plants. No EXP REQ. No EDU REQ.

Nursery workers, 5 temporary full-time positions.

Duties: Work in nursery facilities or at customer location planting, cultivating, harvesting, and transplanting trees, shrubs, or plants. No EXP REQ. No EDU REQ.

Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2:30pm); day shift; Mon-Fri. Dates of employment: 02/15/1711/15/17. Wage: $10.00/h, OT $15.00/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: Phoenix, AZ - Maricopa County.

Employment General

CPU OS and Debug Engineer - ARM, Inc. in Chandler, AZ to dvlp

PT Janitor

$11/hour - Mesa Monday-Friday Derrick 623-210-8719

$11/hour - Mesa

SysVerilog UVM tstbnchs. Req MS in Elec Engg, Comp Engg, or rltd + 3 yrs exp. Exp w/: C/C++, PERL, Python, Verilog HDL, Unix, Linux, GIT, & SVN. Apply @ www. jobpostingtoday.com #81140

CPU OS and Debug Engineer - ARM, Inc. in Chandler, AZ to dvlp SysVerilog UVM tstbnchs. Req MS in Elec Engg, Comp Engg, or rltd + 3 yrs exp. Exp w/: C/C++, PERL, Python, Verilog HDL, Unix, Linux, GIT, & SVN. Apply @ www. jobpostingtoday.com #81140

Golf Course Maintenance Firerock Country Club $11/hr. Fountain Hills. Email: cwerline@ troongolf com

PT Janitor $11/hour - Mesa Monday-Friday Derrick 623-210-8719

Must have vehicle Only Serious Need Apply

Monday-Friday Derrick 623-210-8719

Must have vehicle Only Serious Need Apply

Healthcare

Golf Course Maintenance Firerock Country Club

$11/hr. Fountain Hills. Email: cwerline@ troongolf com

Golf Course Maintenance Firerock Country Club $11/hr. Fountain Hills. Email: cwerline@ troongolf com

P/T Caregivers Needed Hours vary, credential required, basic home health care. North Mesa Higley/Mckellips. Call for Appt 480-664-6096

P/T Caregivers Needed Hours vary, credential required, basic home health care. North Mesa Higley/Mckellips.

Applicants may send or contact the AZDES Office, 4635 S Central Ave, Phoenix AZ, 85040. Desirae Diaz ph:520-866- 3608. Please reference AZDES Job Order #: 2498175.

Employer: Cox Cactus Farm, LLC 34623 N.7th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85086. Contact: Ryan Cox, fax (480) 336-2933.

Employer: Cox Cactus Farm, LLC 34623 N.7th AvenAZ 85086. Contact: Cox, 336-2933.