East Valley Tribune: Gilbert Edition - April 16, 2017

Actors tackle a difficult role: Jesus

Facility drives the engine of recycling in East Valley

BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Managing Editor

Walking into a recycling processing plant, visitors are greeted with the rattle and hum of machinery and recycled materials, everything from aluminum cans to glass to metal to newspapers. Since they’re intermixed into residents’ blue barrels, they arrive at the facility the same way.

This is the heartbeat of recycling in the East Valley, which will mark Earth Day on Saturday, April 22.

The Materials Recovery Facility at the Salt River Landfill handles recycling for Mesa, Gilbert and Scottsdale. It processes 300-400 tons of materials a day, chugging along 10 hours a day, six days a week.

All recyclables are loaded onto a series of conveyor belts. The materials are then sorted out, using a series of spinning centrifuges, air jets, magnets and old-fashioned elbow grease

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor

The East Valley in the early 1980s was starkly different from what it is today. The region was the 90-pound weakling to Phoenix. Major traffic arteries beyond County Club Drive were almost nonexistent. Cities fought over scant opportunities for development. The Pentagon was letting Williams Air Force Base die a slow death.

Amid this bleak and unpromising scene, a small group of business executives began meeting in 1982 at the Mesa Holiday Inn – then an exciting addition to a region dominated by cut-rate motels. They formed the East Valley Partnership because they saw the region as a land of opportunity unrealized.

Some of those executives gathered two weeks ago at the same Holiday Inn to reminisce over the battles and the struggles that helped make the region what it is today.

Six men and two women who chaired the East Valley Partnership board at various times over the last 35 years were joined by its two former directors and a legendary former county supervisor and legislator who had worked closely with them all.

Segments of their conversation will be aired during the partnership’s 35th anniversary celebration at its annual organizational meeting in June.

The executives, many of whom are retired from their jobs but still active in the community, offered an informal timeline of the East Valley’s evolution – and a look at the challenges the region faces if that evolution is to continue over the next 35 years.

While they were asked to talk about their one-year terms at the helm, many had been with the partnership since its inception and recalled that challenges over the last 3½

(Steve Porter/Special to the Tribune)

of

played Jesus in the Mormon Tempe

for

mammoth production. Playing

(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)

A worker sorts through recyclables at the Materials Recovery Facility at the Salt River Landfill. Jerry Hartley, plant manager for the facility, said “it’s sort of like panning for gold.”

Green waste is the next big thing in recycling ... Page 6

SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2017 4PM TO 9PM

Tempe city councilman disciplined for profane remark at meeting

BY PETER CHENG Tribune Staff Writer

Tempe City Councilman Kolby Granville was formally disciplined for a Code of Conduct violation for using an expletive during a work group meeting.

The reprimand is the first given to a councilmember under the city’s code since it was adopted in 2009.

The disciplinary action is the result of an independent investigation into Granville’s interaction with an assistant city attorney on Jan. 11.

Because the incident involved a member of the city attorney’s office, private employment attorney James Burr Shields was brought in to conduct the investigation.

According to Burr Shields’ statement: “Mr. Granville and (redacted) exchanged different views with one another regarding the subject of the meeting … This exchange lasted approximately 30 minutes.

“At the conclusion of the discussion … Mr. Granville referred to (redacted) advice as ‘sh--ty.’”

The staffer said that the discussion with Granville was humiliating and that the staffer’s reputation had been “trashed.”

The staffer also feared being fired for objecting, according to the investigation.

The report also found that there had been four previous complaints against Granville by city employees. One was resolved through mediation and the others weren’t serious enough to warrant the employees’ participation in this investigation.

Mayor Mark Mitchell was not surprised by the findings.

“He (Granville) kind of has that reputation, it was said at the council meeting and it was written in the report,” he said.

Councilmember Lauren Kuby and her colleagues agreed that censure was a step too far.

“To do censure implies that this was the worst thing we could do. The advice given was that when censure has been applied (elsewhere) in Arizona it was for something conceivably far worse,” Kuby said.

Instead, the council unanimously decided to issue a letter of reprimand to

Granville and to require him to formally apologize to the complainant.

The letter of reprimand will be drafted by Burr Shields and presented to the council for approval at its next meeting.

Granville issued an informal apology on his Facebook page the day after the

decision was made. He stated:

“Unfortunately, my sense of urgency and excitement caused me to utter a foul word when I was provided information from city staff that I believed was an incomplete and incorrect review of legal case law.”

(Special to the Tribune)

Kolby Granville has had previous complaints against him filed by city employees.

THE SUNDAY

Community college students go hungry in East Valley

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BY DUSTIN QUIROZ Cronkite News

Sunny Price knows what it’s like to try to keep up with college studies when you don’t have enough to eat.

“It’s not focusing on the studies, or what I learned today, or how can I apply this to my life, or let me do my homework, oh, I got a report tonight,” said Price, a student at Mesa Community College.

“It’s just, where is my next meal going to come from and where am I going to sleep tonight?” said Price, who now serves as the community college director for the Arizona Students’ Association.

She’s not alone. Authors of a recent national report on hunger and homelessness at community colleges said their survey showed that in Arizona, a little over one in 10 community college students may be in danger of being homeless and more than 30 percent may experience extreme food insecurity.

The Wisconsin HOPE lab surveyed about 33,000 students at 70 community colleges across the country, including 11 in Arizona, which mirrored the national results.

In Arizona, the study included Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Mesa Community College.

The research did not come as a surprise to Maricopa Community Colleges or students who struggle with those issues.

Robert Schwing, a spokesman for Maricopa Community Colleges, was aware of students such as Price long before the study was released. He said the Arizona colleges that participated in the study have been trying to be more than just a simple “supplier of education” but an organization that helps the “whole student.”

“Being a student is a job,” Schwing said. “Just like it’s detrimental to your job or my job performance if we show up to work in the morning without eating for two days.”

He said every campus has one form of food bank or another, or provides other meal assistance, as well as referral services for housing.

“You can’t go to one of our facilities, one of our colleges, and not encounter these kinds of services,” Schwing said.

Mesa Community College says it’s been addressing the issue for a while.

“There have been things going on for the last couple of years,” said Dawn Zimmer, coordinator of media relations for Mesa Community College. “We have a task force looking at food insecurity. Our

student body president, Aaron Mixson, himself has experienced that difficulty.”

Cindy Barnes Pharr, dean of community affairs for Chandler-Gilbert Community College, said she doesn’t think the ratio of homelessness or food insecurity is as high there.

“At Chandler-Gilbert, we’re in a lot different demographic than South Mountain or Phoenix College,” she said.

Food insecurity ranges all the way from uncertainty about where your next meal might come from to knowing you are not going to eat today without help, the category that the 30 percent of students like Price fall into.

Housing insecurity is generally not permanent homelessness, but may mean couch-surfing or sleeping in a car or a shelter. Price recalls working with students who had to choose: “Do I go to Phoenix on a park bench or do I go to MCC outside?”

Cynthia Zwick, executive director of the Arizona Community Action Association, said she was not surprised by the numbers in the report.

“It’s consistent with other numbers in our experience here in Arizona in that we have significantly high number of people who are struggling generally with food insecurities,” Zwick said.

One of the report’s authors, Sara Goldrick-Rab, said the study confirmed her belief that community college students weren’t simply struggling to afford books or laptops but that there was a large population “struggling to even be able to afford food.”

And the report may not even have

captured the full extent of the problem, Goldrick-Rab said, because of the stigma associated with hunger and homelessness, particularly among college students.

“The system has convinced the people within the system, if they can’t afford to go to college they failed, if they’re hungry in college then they failed,” she said. “So, they’re really afraid to come forward.”

Even though the Maricopa colleges are aggressively pushing help toward students, Schwing and Price said many students still struggle due to a lack of awareness and due to the stigma that can come with reaching out for help.

“It’s not something that the average person really thinks about because it’s not something that I can necessarily look at you and tell,” he said. “No one carries around a sign that says, ‘I haven’t eaten.’”

Schwing urged others to do what they can, when they can, to help struggling students.

“When you have the opportunity to make a contribution to the food pantry, either in product or in cash or volunteer time, do so because this can happen to any of us,” he said. “And it’s only based on the concern or generosity of all of us that we can help this not happen.”

Price said the situation on campus is better from the times when she struggled to find food, and she had a simple message for those who are still struggling.

“It’s OK to be hungry, it’s OK to be homeless,” she said. “But let us know so we can help you out with it.”

(Tribune file photo)

A student strolls across the campus at Mesa Community College. A new study suggests that in Arizona, more than 30 percent of community college students may experience extreme food insecurity.

Green waste is East Valley’s next big thing in recycling

BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Managing Editor

Almost everybody recycles at least some of their trash. This keeps it out of landfills and allows reuse of materials such as plastic and paper.

Most recycling has hit a peak, however, with about 20 percent of all household waste being recycled.

As East Valley residents prepare to mark Earth Day on Saturday, April 22, they are seeing one area of recycling that is just starting to grow – green waste.

East Valley cities are using green waste, such as landscape trimmings, to create compost, finishing the organics circle.

Mesa started offering green barrels for yard waste in a test program in 1997.

The voluntary program was started in the Dobson Ranch neighborhood and has now rolled out to the rest of the city, according to Mariano Reyes, marketing and communication specialist for Mesa.

The green barrel program averages about 17,000-18,000 tons a year, depending on how much rain has fallen. According to Mesa’s website, green barrel users recycled 19,672 tons of yard waste in 2015.

“Composting is on the horizon. That’s

the next big thing,” Reyes said. “Food waste is our biggest item into landfills.”

For now, food is not accepted into Mesa’s green barrels. Neither are palm fronds, oleander trimmings, citrus and cactuses.

Materials that are accepted include grass, leaves, plant trimmings, small tree branches and prunings.

“Our green waste program is something we’d always like to expand on,” said Traci Conaway, recycling coordinator for Chandler.

“Over 30 percent of what we collect is green waste, yard waste.”

For now, Chandler doesn’t offer curbside pickup of green waste. Instead, green waste can be dropped off at the city’s Recycling Collection Center at 955 E. Queen Creek Road.

“We’d like to get something closer to the East Valley,” she said.

Chandler does offer backyard composters to residents. They’re made, appropriately enough, from recycled trash containers.

Tempe processes its own compost through its Green Organics program.

(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer) “Composting is on the horizon. That’s the next big thing,” said Mariano Reyes, marketing and communication specialist for the city of Mesa.

Chandler collected 1,500 tons of green waste last year, Conaway said.

The city has been working with its waste provider, Waste Management, to figure out how to process organics. For now, it is delivered to a west Phoenix processing center, where it is mulched and reused.

The city schedules optional pickups seasonally, in spring, fall and winter, to coincide with the growing and trimming seasons. Instead of going to the landfill, this material is taken to the city’s composting facility, where it is stockpiled.

Once about 1,500 tons of material is gathered, a grinder is brought in to break it down, a process that usually takes around two days.

The green waste is piled up and “cooks” for six to nine months, a process that involves water, air, heat and microbes. The pile heats up naturally to 160 degrees.

City staff members water and churn the material, further stimulating decomposition. Once cooked, the material

is sent to a lab for testing. Technicians analyze the nutrient content and make sure it is free of weeds and seeds.

“We give it away back into the community for free, for landscaping,” said Steven Pietrzykowsky, Tempe’s solid waste services manager. “We also use it in our city parks and city golf courses.”

He said Tempe is also working on a citywide green barrel program.

“Right now, we offer barrels to roughly 5,000 residential homes,” he said. “You get the first can at no cost, and each additional barrel is $5 each. “Roughly 1,000 residents have taken advantage.”

The program has been running for three months. Pietrzykowsky said the city wants to get through a full year to see how well the program works before deciding on the next steps.

“If, indeed, we move forward citywide, we can expect 10 percent more diversion,” he said, meaning that amount of waste will be recycled instead of landfilled.

Gilbert doesn’t have pickup of green waste for now, but it does encourage composting.

Free composters are available for pickup at Gilbert’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Feedback sought on early Tempe Streetcar design

Design plans for Tempe Streetcar, the Valley’s first, are moving forward, and a public meeting will show preliminary designs.

Tempe and Valley Metro are hosting a public meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at the Tempe Transportation Center, Don Cassano Room, 200 E. 5th Street.

The meeting will include a brief overview of track placement, streetcar stop design, public art and next steps. Project staff will be available to answer questions and take public feedback.

Information: valleymetro.org/tempestreetcar.

– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

Cox Communications offers recycling of old electronics

To celebrate Earth Day, Cox Communications is recycling old computers, and televisions from noon to 6

Tuesday, April 18, at the Chandler Cox Solutions Store, 2560 W. Chandler Blvd., Suite 5.

Recycling of old computers, printers, keyboards and other electronics will also take place Friday, April 21, at Tempe High School, 1730 S. Mill Ave.

Recycling bins will be placed at participating Cox Solutions Stores and select high schools to collect any unwanted technology from Valley residents.

Information: coxconserves.com.

Tempe to consider expanding number of pot dispensaries

The Tempe City Council may expand the number of medical marijuana dispensaries the city to 13 from the current two.

In 2010, voters approved the legal use of medical marijuana, and last year, the state nearly passed a ballot measure legalizing the use of recreational pot.

– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

Tempe has sought to limit the number of dispensaries to one on the north side of town and another on the south side.

The City Council is scheduled to take up the issue Thursday, April 20.

EXTRA CASH FLOW

PARTNERSHIP

from page 1 decades.

And they grew the partnership to include a broad spectrum of education, business and community leaders.

Countering Phoenix’s clout

“One of the reasons the partnership was first born was that we in the East Valley weren’t getting any respect,” said Joannie Flatt, a public relations specialist and one of the leaders in the campaign that produced the Mesa Arts Center.

She and several other partnership leaders recalled how they lobbied to get an East Valley representative on the state Transportation Board, a five-member panel that exercises a huge influence on what highway projects get funded in Arizona.

“The big issue back in 1983 was Phoenix clout,” recalled Mesa attorney David Udall. “We were the East Valley nobodies. We needed to develop clout. Our principal function was to become a counterbalance to Phoenix clout.”

Looming large over the conversation were the late supermarket magnate Eddie Basha and the late Charles “Chuck” Waldheim, the former publisher of the old Mesa Tribune who died three years ago.

Both men drove the partnership to push for more political influence on state boards so that more highway money would flow into the region.

“The East Valley had no freeways, no courthouse,” said Tom Freestone, a former Maricopa County supervisor and judge who was so busy he had no time to formally join the partnership.

Nevertheless, he worked closely with Basha and the partnership on a wide range of issues, such as securing a second East Valley seat on the five-member county board of supervisors.

It paid off.

When a judge told a Mesa official that it would be “over his dead body” that the region would get a permanent full-time court so citizens and police weren’t forced to travel to Phoenix, Freestone’s reaction changed the jurist’s mind.

we could get things done. The towns were at rivalry,” he said.

A big challenge – and opportunity – to the East Valley’s growth came in 1991 when the Pentagon closed Williams Air Force Base.

Cattle rancher Chuck Bacchus recalled how then-new Gov. Fife Symington asked him to join a committee to study its reuse.

That study eventually produced two landmark developments for the far East Valley – the birth of Williams Gateway Airport and Arizona State University’s Polytechnic Campus, both of which today are major economic centers for the region.

Kerry Dunne, the partnership’s first executive director, recalled how Waldheim in the 1990s saw how Japan’s economy was thriving, so he had an idea to lure Japanese investments to the region.

Waldheim arranged for America West Airlines to supply a 747 that flew to Japan.

“He filled it with Japanese investors, and when they landed at Sky Harbor, every company that had a helicopter loaned it to us to take them for a tour of the East Valley,” Dunne said, adding:

“Then we took them to Superstition Springs Golf Course and it looked like a scene from ‘Apocalypse Now’ with all these helicopters coming in.”

Heightened economic focus

Former Mesa Schools superintendent Jim Zaharis recalled an equally strong campaign “to get the movie industry here.”

“We found people were living here and commuting to the West Coast,” he said.

Though Zaharis said “we got a little traction and got an animation studio to relocate here,” Hollywood stayed put.

More successful was the partnership’s push for a regional approach to the Rio Salado project, said Nancy Russell. “It was a Tempe project and became an East Valley project,” she said.

It helped accelerate development of a 40-mile strip from Mesa to Phoenix to improve the region’s environmental quality and economic vitality along the dry Salt River bed and made possible to the creation of Tempe Town Lake.

“I said, ‘Fine, then the courts won’t be getting any more money,’” recalled Freestone, whose board controlled the judges’ purse strings.

Base closing poses challenge

Freestone also recalled how East Valley cities would squabble – to the region’s detriment – over projects and potential large employers.

“We had to neutralize the situation so

Economic development took on an even greater emphasis under Roc Arnett’s service as executive director.

Arnett and the board crafted a plan for a new city called Superstition Vistas.

Located roughly beyond Gateway Airport, mostly in Pinal County, Superstition Vistas was envisioned as a

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

East Valley dominates in A+ Schools of Excellence list

East Valley schools account for more than half the 39 Arizona schools that received an A+ School of Excellence award last week.

The schools, which each get $500 and a banner, are evaluated on student focus and support, school culture, active teaching and learning, curriculum, leadership, community and parent involvement and assessment data.

Chandler schools and their principals that won:

Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary, Heather Anguiano; John M. Andersen Elementary, Shannon Hannon; Perry High, Dan Serrano; Santan, Amy O'Neal; Santan Junior High, Barbara Kowalinski; Gilbert: Eduprize Schools, Robbie McCamman; Gilbert High, Christopher Stroud; Islands, Chris Birgen; Oak Tree, Dale Lunt; Patterson, Lucas Blackburn; Superstition Springs, Timothy Moses; Kyrene: Estrella, Michael Lamp; Cerritos, Darcy DiCosmo; Lagos Dual Language Academy, Ana Gomez del Castillo; Mesa: Crismon, Sandi Kuhn; Francis M. Pomeroy, James Driscoll; Jefferson, Genessee Montes; Stapley Junior, Kenneth Erickson; Queen Creek: Willie and Coy Payne Junior, Paul Bollard; Tempe Elementary: Connolly Middle, Kathryn Mullery; Tempe Union: Desert Vista, Christine Barela. – TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

Hamilton High students, parents, gather for healing moment

Students, parents and administration from Hamilton High School in Chandler gathered April 10 to show solidarity amid school’s shocking hazing scandal.

students on the football team are at the center of the investigation, including 17-year-old Nathaniel Thomas, who’s being charged as an adult. His charges include sexual assault, kidnapping, and molestation.

Chandler police joined the gathering of about 50 outside the Ginger Monkey restaurant.

The football team’s booster club helped organize the event.

TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT

State limits ability to file ADA lawsuits

State lawmakers voted 38-20 on April 13 to curb the of the disabled and their advocates to sue businesses violations of laws requiring accessibility.

SB 1406 is designed to end what has become a cottage industry of litigation as a small group of attorneys has filed suit against businesses over violations but then agrees to settle for some cash payment, whether or not the problem is fixed. There were so many lawsuits pending at one point that Attorney General Mark Brnovich interceded and persuaded a judge to consolidate them, eventually getting them thrown out. SB 1406 is designed to deal with future litigation. But several legislators questioned whether the proffered fix goes too far, putting those who are denied access because of physical barriers at a distinct disadvantage in getting businesses to finally comply with the Arizonans with Disabilities Act.

PARTNERSHIP

place to live, work and play.

page 8

Although it was stalled by the 2008 market crash, it remains part of Pinal County’s master plan.

The crash also marked a dramatic turn for the partnership, as former chairs Brian Campbell and Mark Dreher explained.

“We were very fortunate as an organization to still be solvent, because a lot of nonprofits were suffering,” Dreher said. “Everything shifted to an economic development focus. We were searching for aviation companies. We were all trying to figure out where, after the recession, we were going to go.”

Added Campbell: “We started to focus the partnership to compete not just on a regional basis but on a national and international basis. We were learning that we weren’t just competing with the west side or Phoenix.”

So, it started branding the region as Phoenix/East Valley, forming a brand with the onetime bully that the partnership

formed to fight.

That brand has become useful in efforts to luring out-of-state employers.

As the discussion shifted to the future, virtually all the former partnership leaders said education opportunities were paramount.

And that’s where the East Valley has an advantage, they said.

“We go and talk to these CEOs outside Arizona and they just say, ‘Why would we go there? You’re like 49th in education in the country. They’d hammer us with statistics,’” said Campbell.

He said they point to ASU’s main campus as well as the Polytechnic, Mesa and Chandler-Gilbert community colleges and the high performancetest scores in East Valley public school districts.

“When we were out competing, it was East Valley assets we were selling,” he recalled of his time at the partnership’s helm. “It was always East Valley assets. We needed to brand and focus on the East Valley and that’s what we tried to do.

“And we’re still doing it.”

RECYCLING

from page 1

from a dozen or so workers.

“We sort by size,” said Jerry Hartley, plant manager for the facility, which is run by ReCommunity Recycling. “It’s sort of like panning for gold.”

The MRF (“Murf,” as it’s called) is north of Loop 202 off Gilbert Road, just along the Beeline Highway.

Other facilities that handle municipal recycling in the East Valley include United Fibers and Waste Management.

Not all the items that arrive at the MRF are recyclable; apparently, some residents don’t take too much care with what they throw into the blue barrels.

“It’s amazing what we get that we’re not supposed to get,” Hartley said. He pointed to a display case with inert ammunition, swords, coins and 8-track tapes.

The bane of the recycling business is plastic bags. Hartley said most recyclers don’t accept them because of their tendency to get wrapped up in the machinery and break it.

“They cause way more problems than people know,” he said.

The resale market for bags is also soft, which is another reason recyclers don’t take them. But Hartley says bags can be

taken to most grocery stores, Best Buys and Targets. Big bins there receive bags for recycling, which go into a different system and turn up as milk cartons and other materials.

If plastic bags end up in the recycling barrels and then at the MRF, it ends there. They’re hauled nearby to the Salt River Landfill, as are dry-cleaning bags, bread bags and plastic film wrap.

Most of the acceptable recycling material is baled and shipped to market – some of it overseas – where it is turned back into useable products.

Water bottles get turned into backing for carpeting. Some harder plastic becomes benches and synthetic decks.

Josh Moyer is maintenance supervisor for this MRF, which opened in January 2001. As he leads visitors through the plant, the irritant isn’t smell, as would be expected in a trash facility. It’s dust. All over the equipment, all in the air.

The dust comes from paper and cardboard heading through the system. Some workers wear dust masks to combat the irritant.

Moyer says the MRF gets more paper than anything else. Bales and bales of it, paper and cardboard, are produced every day. Aluminum is more valuable, but the supply is slowed down by residents

materials fly by on the conveyor belts. Cans, bottles, old newspapers. Cereal boxes. A South Dakota license plate. A long loop of cassette tape flies around on one belt.

Moyer says fads can be tracked by the recycling. They see CDs and DVDs lately.

themselves, who collect it and sell it through other recycling programs.

“We get very little aluminum,” he said. “Maybe a couple of bales a day.”

He acknowledges that his kids save aluminum for cash, too.

Moyer says there are seasons to what shows up in the MRF. He says the influx of snowbirds and spring training fans lead to a recycling spike in the spring. Mostly beer bottles and paper packaging.

Holidays also see a surge in recyclables.

“We get wrapping paper and Christmas lights in after Christmas,” he said.

Visitors to the plant can see all sorts of

“But cassette tapes and VHS tapes keep coming through every day,” Moyer said. “I keep asking myself, when is it gonna stop?”

Moyer said one unfortunate thing has turned up in the recycling plant – a dead body.

“The whole plant had to shut down a couple of years ago,” he said. “This was a crime scene.”

It was determined that the person had committed suicide inside a recycling bin.

The equipment used for recycling has to be constantly monitored, but the MRF operators have a quick way to check.

(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Workers wearing masks to battle the dust pick through recyclable material on a conveyer belt. A series of spinning centrifuges, air jets,

“How the glass looks will determine how our equipment is doing,” Moyer said.

Glass is separated and dumped into a bin outside the facility. If the glass is clean, the equipment is, too. If it is dirty or pulls paper out with it, that’s the time to clean up.

In this bin, one person’s job is to separate any paper from the glass. But sometimes, there’s a bonus – paper money.

“One day, everybody started finding fifties, hundreds,” Moyer said. “There was $5,500 total.”

Nobody claimed this cash, but that’s not always the case.

Moyer said that somebody lost a chunk of cash about four years ago – $65,000. It was somebody’s life savings.

“A lady emptied a desk and threw out an envelope with it, too,” Moyer said. Her husband had put the cash in the envelope. Mortified, they called the city

immediately. By tracking pickup times, locations and delivery trucks, they were able to figure out where in the process the money could be.

Astoundingly, one of the MRF workers found the envelope with all the cash still in it.

“They were lucky; recycling doesn’t sit around long,” Moyer said. “The guy who found it got a reward.”

Recycling doesn’t stay long because this plant processes 26 tons an hour. Newer plants go through 40 tons. They’re cleaner and employ more cutting-edge technology – and have fewer people working there as a result.

Back in the ReCommunity Recycling building, there’s a plaque that sums up the message recyclers emphasize:

“Recycle Revive Rethink Restyle.”

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

App gives residents shortcut to recycling, trash information

Keeping up with recycling and trash has become easier these days. All East Valley cities take advantage of an app called My Waste.

The app, available for iPhone and Android, is a one-stop hub to find out about how to dispose of waste in Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek.

Traci Conaway, recycling coordinator for the city of Chandler, said the app is a valuable tool for residents. She says it can answer questions and give pickup schedules.

“You put your address in it and it will show you what your trash and recycle days are,” she said. “It’s particularly important

for Chandler because 40 percent of residents just had their pickup dates changed. We hadn’t done that in 15 years.”

It also keeps track of special collection schedules, such as for holidays.

Users can have their phone alert them to trash and recycle pickup days, too.

The app has a feature, “What Goes Where?,” which shows how to dispose of an item, such as a car battery or green waste.

The app also lists local sites and hours for household product collection centers and landfills.

There are also quizzes and tips on reducing, reusing and recycling.

My Waste is available at the iTunes and Google Play store, and at my-waste.mobi.

Find out how your city recycles and get more information.

Chandler: 480-782-3510; chandleraz.gov/ default.aspx?pageid=237

Gilbert: 480-503-640; gilbertaz.gov/ departments/public-works/ environmental- services/recycling

480-644-2221; mesaaz.gov/residents/ solid-waste-trash-recycling

480-350-4311; tempe.gov/city-hall/ public-works/recycling-and-solid-

Tribune Staff Report

Odd Jobs

Gilbert 911 call taker handles difficult situations

BY COLLEEN SPARKS Tribune Contributor

At night when many people are at home unwinding after work, Spencer Jaeckel of Chandler is on high alert, responding to 911 calls made to the Gilbert Police Department.

Jaeckel, 27, is a 911 call taker, meaning he answers calls from residents about domestic violence, burglaries, assaults and other potentially life-threatening crimes.

He also handles calls about lessurgent issues, including illegally parked vehicles, traffic accidents and even cats stuck in trees.

As part of the police department’s communications division of almost 30 people housed on East Civic Center Drive, he answers 911 emergency calls and non-emergency calls on the department’s business line.

Jaeckel’s mission is to find out the nature and location of emergencies within the first 30 seconds of talking to a 911 caller.

“You never know what could come in.

“It can go from busy to calm. It’s like predicting weather.”

He said he answers about 100 calls during a shift, which usually is from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday but he’s also worked overnight, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.

“I kind of like nights,” he said. “I’m nocturnal-ish.”

Coffee and his enthusiasm for the job keep him fueled as he calmly asks questions, selecting from one of about 200 different categories of calls. He also inputs names, addresses and important details about incidents into a computer. On another screen, Jaeckel navigates a map, pinpointing, as closely as he can, the location of the incident.

When answering the business line, he answers calls that are not emergencies, including ones from officers asking to get transferred to the detention center or seeking help in tracking down information.

COMMUNITY BRIEFS

MESA

Mesa challenging residents with annual Bike2WorkDay

Mesa’s annual Bike2WorkDay 2017 is Wednesday, April 19, and the city will host a celebration at the Mesa City Plaza.

The pancake breakfast and smoothie sale will be from 7 to 9 a.m. at 20 E. Main St. Funds raised will go to Keller Elementary. There will also be an Earth Expo in the parking lot with department booths and displays.

Mesa libraries accepting food for fines in April

T

he Mesa Public Library is helping the

Jaeckel, who’s worked as a 911 call taker at Gilbert Police Department for three years, enjoys trying to help people with a variety of needs on the

United Food Bank by accepting nonperishable food in lieu of fines until April 29.

For each item given, $1 of overdue fines will be waived. All donated food items will support the United Food Bank.

Information: mesalibrary.org.

Historic Preservation Awards

nominations

being accepted

Mesa is seeking nominations for its Historic Preservation Awards for Outstanding Achievement. Nominations must be submitted by 6 p.m. Monday, April 24.

The awards, which can be presented to an individual, group or organization, are in the categories of archaeology, adaptive reuse, education and outreach, landscape preservation, local preservation, rehabilitation and restoration, individual lifetime achievement and stewardship. The 2017

phone. He got his start as a 911 call taker working for the North East King County Regional Public Safety Communication Agency (NORCOM) for about 2½ years.

“No day is the same,” Jaeckel said.

recipients will be honored at a City Council meeting in June.

Nomination forms are available online at mesaaz.gov/about-us/historic-preservation.

Information: Mesa Planning Director John Wesley at 480-644-2181 or john.wesley@ mesaaz.gov.

GILBERT

Storm spotter class offered offered by Gilbert Fire Dept.

A free National Weather Service storm spotter training class on Tuesday, April 19, from 7-9 p.m. will teach people to properly identify and report significant weather phenomena and contribute to public safety. The class is at the Gilbert Fire Department Administration, 85 E. Civic Center Drive. Registration: 480-503-6327 or kim.yondalead@gilbertaz.gov. Questions: 602-275-

The information goes to police officers’ laptops in their vehicles. But a dispatcher looks at what Jaeckel has input, and contacts the officers on their radios to tell them where to respond because it can be unsafe for officers to look at their computers while driving.

During one recent night shift, Jaeckel calmly got information from a teenager

0073 (option 5) or weather.gov/phoenix and click on the link for “Skywarn.”

Police offering free event to shred private papers

The Gilbert Police Department is offering a free shred event on Thursday, April 20, from 9 to 11 a.m., in front of Paul’s Ace Hardware at 1927 East Baseline Road.

A suggested donation of $5 will go to Arizona Special Olympics. A truck from TNT Shredding will be in the parking lot to shred documents.

Pup-a-Palooza adoption event

also features festival for kids

Adoptable dogs will be the main event at

(Colleen Sparks/Tribune Contributor)

Gilbert Police Department 911 call taker Spencer Jaeckel juggles many calls for emergencies while working. He also handles non-emergency calls, like reports of cats stuck in a tree.

on the run from his home and fearing his life was in danger. The teen claimed to be running away from a family member.

Jaeckel asked how the teen felt threatened and whether the family member had a weapon, finding out where he was located and where the family member was when the incident started. As he gathered information, officers went to the home where the family member had been to find the teen, who claimed he had found a safe place outside and had eluded the family member.

Jaeckel also talked to a woman who’d heard noises on her back door and was afraid someone was trying to break in. He told her to take her children upstairs and lock themselves in a room and wait for an officer to arrive.

The noise ended up being a neighbor knocking on her door. No one was attempting to break into her home.

Also on a recent night, Jaeckel talked to a woman who wanted an adult family member whom she claimed attacked her out of her home. He asked her for her name, address and the name of the suspected attacker and reassured her police were on their way to the home.

Jaeckel also took calls that same night from someone about a suspicious person in a park, a possible domestic violence incident overheard by a neighbor, as well as a possible drug deal.

“The first thing I ask for is (an) address,” he said. “Some people will call and tell a story.

“We’re trained to interrupt and get an address,” Jaeckel said. “Once people get in emergency mode and call, sometimes they forget their own address.”

Fortunately for panicked callers, 911 operators can often track their location on a screen, even if they call from a cell phone.

If a crime is in progress, it’s also important to get a description of a suspect, and if they’re in a vehicle, the direction it is heading.

Sometimes Jaeckel will ask people if they hear breaking glass or footsteps in their home and if they have had problems with neighbors or exboyfriends or ex-girlfriends or former spouses.

complain police are not arriving quickly enough to handle their incidents.

“I usually tell them, ‘All calls are important, but sometimes we have more calls than officers,’” he said. “It’s life before property.”

Gilbert Police Department’s goal is to respond to “priority level zero” calls, which are serious crimes in progress, within 5½ minutes. In 2015-16 officers responded to such calls in an average of four minutes and 11 seconds, according to the police department’s Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Report.

For “priority level three” calls, in which there’s no concern about a loss of life, the police department’s goal is to respond within 45 minutes. But Gilbert Police reacted on average to priority level three calls in 27 minutes and 18 seconds, the report said.

Jaeckel said the most stressful incident he’s encountered came last April, when there was a huge fire involving about 100 firefighters at an apartment complex under construction. Police shut down Warner Road between Lindsay and Gilbert roads and the fire spread to an L.A. Fitness across the street, as well as to an occupied apartment complex.

“We got a lot of calls,” Jaeckel said. “People could see the smoke miles and miles away.

“You could feel the heat.”

Gilbert Police Department dispatcher Lee Youngs said even when things get intense on the job, Jaeckel keeps his cool and makes callers feel comfortable.

“Spencer’s awesome,” Youngs said. “He’s really good with callers.

“He gets through to them,” she added.

Youngs said their jobs require a lot of focus for long periods of time.

BRIEFS

Adora Trails’ Pup-a-Palooza Saturday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 7465 S. Adora Blvd.

Agility dogs, free food and face painters will be available as the Arizona Humane Society’s Waggin’ Wheels Mobile Pet Adoption Truck will be helping dogs get new homes.

CHANDLER

Soroptimist International awards luncheon this week

Soroptimist International of the San Tans is celebrating its 32nd annual Awards Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at Bernard’s at Ocotillo Golf Resort, 3751 S. Clubhouse Drive, Chandler.

Tickets to the Live Your Dream awards luncheon are $40 and may be purchased online at bit.ly/2mpKpMF. Information: si-santans.org.

Chandler to celebrate Earth Day with Community Sensory Garden

Chandler’s new Community Sensory Garden will be dedicated by Mayor Jay

Tibshraney at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 22, at the city’s 9th Annual Earth and Arbor Day Celebration at the Environmental Education Center (EEC) at Veterans Oasis Park, 4050 E. Chandler Heights Road.

Visitors will be invited to make take-home planters and participate in garden crafts. Information: 480-782-2894 or chandleraz. gov.eec.

TEMPE

Meetings to discuss amenities along Country Club Way route

The first meeting on Country Club Way, a seven-mile stretch of street that connects to several regional multi-use paths, bicycle pedestrian corridors, schools, parks and major destinations, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at Fuller Elementary School, 1975 E. Cornell Drive.

The meeting seeks to gather input on the project, which would include public art, enhanced sidewalks, shared-use path and bike lanes, railroad crossings, landscaping and more.

Another meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at Escalante Community Center, at 2150 E. Orange St. Online input is also being taken at tempe.gov/ countryclubwaypath April 18 to May 9.

“You’re always super-concentrated,” she said. “In some ways, Spencer’s job is harder than what I do because the phones are constantly nonstop.”

Jaeckel said he was “pretty nervous” during his first year as a 911 call taker. Now if he gets stressed, he takes a 15-minute break to walk around.

While Jaeckel said callers often are understandably scared, he tries to stay calm to help them calm down.

Outside of work he likes to ride ATVs, work out, read books and watch Netflix.

He hopes to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in public policy and public service or emergency response and operations at Arizona State

“We reassure them we’re coming,” he said. “I’ll say that multiple times.”

Jaeckel said sometimes people will

Wolfgang’s

Always

Business Business

East Valley teens win investments for their proposed businesses

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor

Emma Schaurette wasn’t building better mousetraps, but she was ready for the world to beat a path to her door.

The 13-year-old Tempe resident and a Kyrene Middle School eighthgrader wowed a group of investors during a pitch meeting recently for the 10 teens who have participated in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, run by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce for young people throughout the East Valley.

Emma had invented an app and website called Rover’s Reviews, which she described as:

“A social hub where any and all dog owners go to for honest reviews by other dog owners all around the country on any and all dog products, services, parks, stores, hotels, restaurants, miscellaneous and events.”

She figured that between $250 in savings and an equal amount from her family, she needed another $845 to start her operation.

Emma not only received the full amount she requested, but also was named a Saunders Scholar, entitling her to a trip in May to Rochester, New York. There, she will compete with 300 other young entrepreneurs selected by other YEA! programs across the country for college scholarships, prestigious prizes and a trip to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Summit in

Washington, D.C., in December.

Four other East Valley would-be business owners also won a nod from the panel.

Sophie Bruner, 15, of Gilbert, developed a website called dyslexicstudent.com that aims to help kids with dyslexia find resources to overcome their condition and realize their full potential.

Tevel Oakes, a 17-year-old Chandler resident and Horizon Honors student, is developing a universal portable charger for electronic devices that can be used when there is no ready source of power. Users would rotate a hand crank to generate enough juice to charge devices.

Alec Liapis of Gilbert, a college-bound Highland High School football player, has a website called TerraSpan that is aimed at merging “social media with positive ideas” to offer users unique volunteer opportunities and connect with others who share their passions for solving various world issues.

Another Tempe teen, Brooke Kirk, 13, got some money for her SELFish Skincare company. The Tempe Prep student has developed a line of organic do-it-yourself skincare kits that included no harmful chemicals and could be mixed with everyday kitchen foods like avocadoes.

Ten teens in all had been preparing for the fateful session since September, gathering every week with YEA! director Pamela Manwaring to learn every facet of running a business – from product development to bookkeeping, marketing to distribution, cost analysis to quality

control.

With the help of volunteer business owners and other experts, Manwaring had organized weekly guest speakers, meetings and lessons to help the teens get grounded in business fundamentals so they could actually turn their ideas into moneymakers.

Their moment of truth was the pitch meeting with area business owners who had volunteered to pony up money or other assistance to make the leap from concept to reality.

The teens were prepared with slide shows that buttressed their five-minute speeches. The slides identified their projected operating and supply costs, financing strategy, target market, competition, shortand long-term business goals and promotion plans.

The panelists were no strangers to the business world. They included Ahwatukee auctioneer Bobby Ehlert, San Tan Ford owner Tim Hovik and PostNet owner Aaron Mueller.

Also on the panel were Ben Lewis, a design consultant and director of education for TechShop, a national chain of spaces for start-up manufacturers that has a presence in Chandler; Bill Lombardi, a consultant for IBM Global Business Services; Charles Morales III, operations manager for the publishing company for the Tribune; and Matthew Wilson, co-owner of the advertising-

public relations firm Knoodle. The Ahwatukee Chamber runs the only YEA! program in the East Valley. It is recruiting young would-be CEOs for its next Young Entrepreneurs Academy beginning in the fall.

Contact: yeaahwatukee@gmail.com or 602-515-3800

Information: yeausa.org.

Free Tempe workshops offered to hone sales skills

Tempe’s Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRiC) is holding a series of sales workshops beginning at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 17, at the Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road.

The first seminar is titled “Prospecting: Getting in the Door to the Decision Makers.” Other seminars in the series will take place on Mondays, featuring “Good to Great Sales People” on April 24 and

“Aligning Sales and Marketing” on May 1. Information: Jill Buschbacher, Tempe Economic Development, jill_ buschbacher@tempe.gov.

Enterprise Holdings car rental opens headquarters in Chandler

Enterprise car rental firm has opened new regional headquarters in Chandler.

Enterprise Holdings operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands.

The new Enterprise regional headquarters is at 4100 W. Galveston

St. in Chandler, one mile from both the Loop 101 and 202 freeways. The 85,797-square-foot building was built in 2016, offering new construction, easy access, ample parking and room for new employee training and future expansion.

Chase Bank buys Tempe land, plans for 4,000 employees

Chase Bank has purchased 67 acres at the Discovery Business Park in Tempe near Elliot Road and Loop 101, and plans to have more than 4,000 employees working there.

The 800,000-square-foot office campus will welcome its first employees during the first half of 2018.

Chase would not disclose the cost of the campus, but said it was a multimilliondollar investment. A design and construction program for the new offices will start later this year.

Tempe Chamber announces Business Woman of Year finalists

Three finalists have been named by the

(Special for the Tribune)

Emma Schaurette and her mother, Phyllis, celebrate Emma’s successful business pitch to a group of investors during the Young Entrepreneurs Academy meeting on April 5.

Tempe Chamber of Commerce for its 22nd annual Business Woman of the Year award.

The recipient will be announced on May 24.

The finalists are:

Margo Brown, a productivity coach and professional organizer with Wave Productivity.

Tracy Bullock, president of Bullock Training & Development.

Dawn Hocking, director of development for The Centers for Habilitation.

The recipient will be announced at the Tempe Chamber Women in Business Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe hotel.

Cricket Wireless adding 2 retail stores in Mesa

Cricket Wireless is celebrating the opening of two new authorized retail stores in Mesa, at 1105 N. Mesa Drive and 2722 S. Alma School Road, Suite 7.

The stores are open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

Information: cricketwireless.com.

Blue 32 Sports Grill to open in Chandler

A 4,000-square-foot Blue 32 restaurant at the northeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Chandler Heights Road in Chandler, the restaurant’s fourth location.

The restaurant is on CNN’s list of “101 of the best sports bars in the U.S.” Construction cost for the Blue 32 project was approximately $700,000.

Tempe tourism touts

$1 billion in business

The Tempe Tourism Office says 3.7 million visitors to Tempe in 2015

spent $730.6 million, according to a comprehensive research project conducted by Tourism Economics.

Combining direct spending with indirect and induced impacts, tourism in Tempe generated $1 billion in total business sales.

The study, “The Economic Impact of Tourism in Tempe, Arizona,” provides a detailed look at the positive effect of tourism in terms of visitor spending, income, employment and tax revenues. The research is based on data from calendar year 2015 and was conducted by Tourism Economics.

Italian restaurant La Calabria to reopen at new site in Gilbert

La Calabria, a mom-and-pop Italian restaurant that closed in 2015, is reopening on the southwest corner of Val Vista and Williams Field in Gilbert.

The new restaurant is about a mile away from its original location on the northwest corner of Val Vista and Ray.

Giovanni Spataro and wife Clara closed their seven-year-old restaurant in September 2015 when the landlord refused to renew their lease.

Original ChopShop to expand to Queen Creek location

Original ChopShop will open in Queen Creek at 21227 S. Ellsworth Loop Road.

The restaurant will open late this month. Original ChopShop has restaurants in Scottsdale, Tempe and Chandler.

Original ChopShop’s 3,345 squarefoot interior in Queen Creek will feature an intimate atmosphere with sunny accents, distressed wood, handwritten notes and photography. A 732-squarefoot patio will incorporate crafted tables and benches, yellow umbrellas, festoon lights and custom planters.

When you lose a loved one, it is one of those times in life when you can feel lost, or adrift–not sure of which way to turn and how to make it through. You need to know that there’s someone there that you can trust, someone who feels like family. A funeral director who cares can make a huge difference in your comfort level, and allow you to the safety of knowing that your best interests are being considered. This is the benefit of choosing Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery for your final arrangements and those of your loved ones.

Family Owned and Operated

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Community Education

A family funeral home takes services a step further by offering education before a loss as well as caring and compassion during a period of mourning. Funeral directors and their team will help you understand the meaning of different parts of the memorial

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Finding the right fit for a funeral home is important; you want to know that not only is your loved one being treated with dignity, but that you and your family will feel comfortable and supported in your decisions during this time. Selecting Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery is one way to ensure that you are using a family funeral home who will go above and beyond your expectations.

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Some free advice on how not to make a crisis worse

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

Nowadays, I spend lots of time professionally handling what’s called “crisis communications.” It’s one of those gigs, like being an undertaker, where you never worry about unemployment. In fact, I’m so confident in mankind’s ability to create new, interesting and really stupid crises, today I’m offering Tribune readers – absolutely free of charge – this handy guide to avoiding the need for my services.

It seems necessary. All week, there’ve been headlines about United Airlines’ passenger-removal debacle and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s ill-advised Hitler comments. In both instances, a crisis went from awful to miles beyond awful thanks to gasoline liberally doused on the blaze by the offenders themselves. My professional advice? It’s encapsulated it in these Five

Simple Rules.

Rule 1: “Would we treat Betty White this way?” You know Betty White. She’s America’s favorite spunky granny, a shade over five feet tall, 95 years old and still a pistol. When dealing with paying customers – like, say, escorting them off United Airlines Express Flight 3411 –ask yourself, “Hey, is this how we’d treat Betty White?” If the answer is no – or it involves armed security personnel – you have a serious problem. That’s because ...

Rule 2: “In 2017, everyone’s a journalist.” If the apocalypse happens in these United States anytime soon, guns won’t torch it off. Smartphones and social media will. As United painfully discovered, anyone with a phone can start a revolution today armed only with video and Twitter. Nothing spreads faster than bad news and tweets. Unless it’s bad news, tweets and downplaying the Holocaust.

Rule 3: “Never, ever compare anyone to Hitler.” Call this one Spicer’s Law. Some tragedies so defy comprehension, they

represent a “third rail” in public discourse. The actions of Adolf Hitler in killing more than 6 million Jews ranks atop that list, as President Trump’s ace communicator discovered after comparing the Nazis favorably to Syrian President Bashar alAssad, wrongly asserting that “someone as despicable as Hitler … didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.”

Yep, Spicer really said that. And yes, he said it on the first day of Passover.

Which brings us to Rule 4: “Apologize like a human being.” Spicer first explained himself via an email to reporters. The gist: “I was trying to draw a distinction of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on population centers.” If that sounds too eggheaded by half, at least it’s better than this from United CEO Oscar Munoz: “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened.”

Such corporate mumbo jumbo makes

you wish every large institution employed a 10-year-old with an average IQ. We could bring in little Jeff or Chloe whenever there’s been a big mistake and ask the kid, “Hey, we did a really bad thing. Does this apology sound like we’re actually sorry?”

After the kid gets done consulting, we can “move with a sense of urgency” to “re-accommodate” him back to playing Xbox and slurping a Capri Sun. Then we can get back to work, trying our level best to obey Rule 5: “Whenever possible, make new mistakes.” The American public is a forgiving bunch. We can tolerate failure, provided the mea culpas are honest and sincere and the failures are not the same mistakes repeated ad nauseum. We don’t expect perfection. But we do demand humanity and humility in the face of failure. Me, I know that these five rules are very tough to follow. That’s why I expect to having a thriving career well into eternity.

– David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@leibowitzsolo.com.

Maricopa County growth is due to policies, practices

BY STEVE CHUCRI Tribune Guest Writer

Imust admit, I was very excited when I read the headline that Maricopa County is the fastest-growing county in the nation. It’s not because more is always better; it’s because people from across the country are learning what I’ve known since I was a little boy wandering around my family’s car dealership in Mesa. Maricopa County is a uniquely special place to raise a family, run a business and live a quality life.

Let’s be honest: Some of it is just good fortune. We’re one of the few major metro areas where the sun is out almost every day, where there is space to expand, and where the culture emphasizes hard work and individual responsibility to such a degree. If those were the only selling points, Maricopa County would still be worthy of attracting the 81,000+ new

residents we saw last year.

But that’s not all we have to offer. As a Maricopa County Supervisor, I can tell you we have enacted policies that not only promote additional growth, but ensure it is sustainable.

Arizona’s economy was defined for decades by the 5 C’s, but what is happening now is much different. We are diversifying our economy in important ways, from the efforts of our higher-education institutions to ensure people from all walks of life have access to the type of education and training that prepares them to work in critical industries, to a real estate market that values both new builds and renovation of existing infrastructure. The future of the tech industry is emerging right here. For example, Scottsdale’s “Zero Mass Water” uses solar panels to produce clean tap water without the need to connect to infrastructure below ground. In essence, that creates

water from air. Innovators such as these are finding Maricopa County to be especially fertile ground for their start-ups.

The Board of Supervisors has worked to get government out of the way of this growth, simplifying regulatory paperwork to let businesses, big and small, grow and flourish. Regional pro-growth policies helped our economy add more than 7,770 jobs in FY 2016 and help explain why some of our biggest employers are doubling down on their investments in our county.

We continue to find new ways to improve public safety, not only funding the necessary manpower to protect our streets but also applying evidence-based practices so that we are more efficient in how we dispense justice.

The county inspects restaurants and swimming pools, monitors air quality, and works with the state to promote major public health initiatives and mitigate

health threats. These are sophisticated systems that you don’t see but which make our community safer and more appealing.

We’re working on a transportation plan that creates new avenues for pedestrians, cyclists and cars through the year 2035.

And our No. 1 priority continues to be managing your tax dollars wisely by balancing our budget and looking for ways to increase efficiency without sacrificing service. Doing this allows for sustainable growth.

More isn’t always better, but when I read the latest census numbers, I don’t just see a growing population; I see growing opportunity. As a Valley native, a businessman, and as a supervisor, that’s what excites me.

– Steve Chucri is Maricopa County Supervisor for District 2, which includes Mesa and Gilbert. He can be reached via Twitter @ Steve_Chucri, at chucris@mail.maricopa.gov or at 602-506-7431.

Sports

Kicking through the ceiling

Basha’s Longo makes national news with letter of intent

BY JASON P. SKODA Tribune Prep Sports Director

Becca Longo is burning bright in the national spotlight now, but it all really began more than a decade ago.

The Basha senior became the first female football player to sign a national letter of intent for football, and the news brought national interviews with CNN, ESPN and “Good Morning America.”

None of that was the goal when she began idolizing Heidi Garrett more than a decade ago, when Longo saw her kick for her brother’s high school team in California. Garrett holds the national record for females with a 48-yard field goal.

Nor was it the dream when Longo was in San Diego for a soccer tournament and she booted a penalty kick so high and far past the goal that people on the sidelines mockingly made the sign for a good field goal.

It’s only now that Division II Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, saw enough in her recruiting tape she sent out and the confidence she showed in the initial visit at Basha to give her an opportunity. Reportedly, a female has never gotten a football scholarship at the Division I or II level until Longo signed her letter of intent on Wednesday.

“It’s crazy to think about it and how much it is blowing up,” Longo said.

“Everyone is saying I’m the first one to do it, and that’s hard for me to believe. It’s just a title. It doesn’t change anything for me. I just want to do what I love.”

The love started for good when she saw Queen Creek playing spring ball her freshman year.

“Me and my friend said we were going to play football,” said Longo, who kicked for the Bulldogs’ JV team as a sophomore.

“Only, I really did.”

It’s that kind of mentality that sealed the

deal for Adams State coach and former Cardinals quarterback Timm Rosenbach.

“What I want to make clear is that she is capable of doing this at this level,” Rosenbach said. “Do I see her making 54-yarders or kicking off for us? No, but I’ve seen players aged 18 to 35 miss a lot of chip shots. As long as you make the kicks you are supposed to make, then you have something.

“In just talking to her you can tell there is a mental toughness. She is the one who put herself out there. This is something she wants to do, so if she is

good enough to do it, we should afford her the opportunity.”

It is one she is not taking lightly.

Longo made a 30-yard field goal and 30 of 33 field goal attempts last season after sitting out 2015. Now, she is headed to Colorado in the fall ready to do whatever it takes to succeed.

“I just want to go and kick, and play basketball,” said Longo, who hopes to play both sports. “I plan on studying sports management and focusing on my schooling. I know I am getting a chance to do something that most people don’t, so I am going to do my best to make it happen.”

And if she happens to inspire some younger girls, as Garrett did for her, then she will do her best to do just that along the way.

“It is hard to put into words what all of this means,” she said. “I never expected any of this and I am speechless when it comes to the amount of support and help I’ve received to get me through this process.

“I just want to kick and get better, but if it can inspire some young girls do something like that then I hope it works out like a dream like it has for me.”

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

Club players likely to miss more time under new practice rules

BY JASON P. SKODA Tribune Prep Sports Director

Olivia Nguyen leads a dual athletic life.

The Corona del Sol junior is a force on the soccer field, recently being named the Tribune’s player of the year, but her talents are not limited to the Aztecs.

She also plays for SC Del Sol, one of the state’s top club programs.

The names are similar, but just about everything else is different for her – uniforms, the position she plays,

teammates, atmosphere and purpose.

The high school team is about sharing the experience with classmates she sees daily, and she plays a striker position. The club team is all about being seen in national events and playing more for yourself, as she is a midfielder.

“It’s two completely different experiences,” she said. “I love playing for both because of it. The high school team is a little more relaxed and there is more of a connection with the teammates because we are playing for our school.”

At the same time, her time with the club team has led to a scholarship to

Arizona State. Playing against fellow elite level players has developed her game.

Each experience has its own merits, but if push came to shove, as some have suggested with the implementation of the all-year practice by the Arizona Interscholastic Association, Corona would lose its top player.

“It would an extremely difficult situation but an easy decision,” she said.

“Club is a whole different experience, and that’s where I need to be to be the best player I can be. Everything is more of a challenge with club, and you get better when you are being challenged.”

Club players usually work it out with their coaches to manage both teams, but if, for example, the high school soccer or swimming teams begin to practice more often during the offseason, their top players might be unable to make it because they are away for elite tournaments. That might create a bigger gap between the player and the high school teams.

It isn’t a cause for concern for a player like Nguyen, but the lower-level club player who doesn’t start for the club

(Billy Hardiman/Special to the Tribune)

Basha’s Becca Longo is the first woman ever to sign a letter of intent to play college football at the Division II level or higher.

(Special to the Tribune)

The Skyline baseball program has been on the upswing over the last four seasons and one reason has been the development of player of the year Boyd Vander Kooi (batting). The Coyotes need to finish strong in order to secure a top eight seed in the 6A Conference.

Baseball regular season winding down

BY JASON P. SKODA Tribune Prep Sports Director

Baseball has long been romanticized as a timeless game.

There are no shot clocks to milk or knees to take.

The game doesn’t end until the last out is recorded, but the same can’t be said for a baseball regular season.

There’s no denying that high school season has just a handful of games left before the majority of teams turn in their equipment and the others prepare for the postseason.

It’s going to make the final two weeks vital for a handful of teams, while others can play spoiler. Some teams can even begin setting up their pitching staff so that the ace is rested and ready to go.

Last Tuesday, Skyline lost to Red Mountain with ace Boyd Vander Kooi on the mound. The Coyotes remained the higher-ranked team in the power rankings through Wednesday, but the Mountain Lions had the inside track to the 6A East Valley Region title.

“It stings a little bit, but they are not telling us our season is over yet,” Skyline coach Pat Herrera said. “We will get back after it.”

For three conferences – 6A, 5A and 3A – it starts with a play-in tournament on April 24 for the teams ranked nine through 24, with region winners receiving automatic bids. The eight winners of the play-in tournament are re-seeded to make up the nine through 16 slots and take on the top eight teams in the final rankings with first round starting April 29 for 6A and 5A.

It means that Red Mountain could win the region, finish lower in the power rankings than Skyline and have to battle in order to get into the playoffs.

“We have to play tough the rest of the way,” Red Mountain coach Ross Pagel

said, pointing to the remaining schedule.

“Mesa is a scrappy team and I respect with the way they do things at Dobson. We still have to things to do before it’s done.”

The other three conferences play out the regular season with the region winners getting automatic bids and varying number of at-large bids to fill out the 16-team brackets, which begin the first week of May.

Top-ranked Basha and No. 5 Corona del Sol were the only area teams among the top eight in 6A heading into Thursday’s action, while No. 4 Mesquite and No. 6 Queen Creek looked to remain in the top eight in 5A heading into the second half of the week.

In 4A two area teams were in the top eight in No. 4 Seton Catholic and No. 6 Marcos de Niza, while No. 8 Casteel is the lone top eight team in 3A.

The smaller conferences have even few teams making a push for a top eight seed as No. 3 San Tan Foothills is the only team in 2A through Wednesday and no local teams are among the top eight in 1A.

It means if a local team is going to win it all chances are there will be some upsets involved as a team or two gets hot at the right moment.

A team like Skyline, which won 16 of its first 21 games, with a veteran coach in Herrera, a player of the year candidate in Vander Kooi and offense that has rarely been slowed this season has the look of a program that can make a deep run.

“This is a good team, and we have confidence that someone is going to come through,” Vander Kooi said. “I try to get the team to go. We had a bad game (against Red Mountain), but we’ve played hard all year. We feel like we can go deep into the (playoffs) if we keep playing the way we have all year long.”

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

teams but is a top performer for the high school team might have to choose one or the other.

“There’s usually an understanding that the player is going to split time,” said Rich Esperti, who coaches high school at Highland, club for Arsenal and college at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

“There can be some tough choices sometimes. It won’t change for me (at Highland), but I’m sure there will be some coaches having more practices. That’s another time where the (club) player isn’t with the (high school) team and someone else is playing their position. Maybe that replacement player closes the gap and becomes the starter.”

– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-8987915 or jskoda@evtrib.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonPSkoda.

for

and SC Del Sol, one of the state’s top club programs. With new practice rules, she may have to pick one or the other.

(Jesse Stawnyczy/Tribune Staff Photographer) Olivia Nguyen plays

Corona del Sol High

Faith

Playing Jesus in Mormon pageant affects actors in many ways

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor

For two guys who consider acting an avocation, Tyler Maxson and Trevor Orme have played one of the most challenging roles around. They have portrayed Jesus Christ in the 65-minute, world-renowned “Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant Jesus the Christ” at the Mormon Temple, which ended a 10-day run on Friday.

Orme, a 29-year-old lawyer in Mesa, just completed his third year as Christ. Maxson, a 37-year-old psychologist in Mesa, played Jesus for nine years until he became an assistant director of the spectacle and limited his appearance as Jesus to just the day its Spanish version ran What has playing Jesus done to them in their personal lives?

“It makes you want to be better and do more good,” Maxson said. “In my professional life as a psychologist, I feel like it’s made me want to care more and do more for my patients. With my family, it’s really been a gift. I can’t emphasize that enough.”

Said Orme: “In general, throughout these three years, I’ve come to realize the love Christ has for us. When I put on that wig and that costume, I’m still me but I’m not me anymore. I want to feel, act and be exactly who he would be.”

The role has both challenges and rewards, both men said.

One of the biggest challenges is it has

SUNDAY, APR. 16

EASTER AT CORNERSTONE

Festivities will follow Easter services at Cornerstone Church in Chandler. Cornerstone will host an egg hunt, a giant maze and obstacle course, a petting zoo, a live DJ and family Easter basket giveaways.

DETAILS>> 7:45, 9:05, 10:35 and 11:55 a.m. 1595 S. Alma School Road. Information: cornerstoneonline.com/easter.

NEW CHURCH FOR EASTER

Song of Life United Methodist Church has opened a San Tan Campus at the Copper Basin YMCA, 28300 N. Main St. in San Tan Valley. The church will celebrate with a special Easter service and an Easter egg hunt.

DETAILS>> Regular worship services are at 10:30 a.m. Sundays. Information: Jim Van Husen at jvh1111@gmail. com or 480-560-8117.

no speaking part – but it does have a lipsynching responsibility.

None of the 504 cast members actually speak since the narrative is taped and broadcast to the audience.

Nevertheless, the actor is expected to move his lips and align his facial expressions according to the narrator’s words.

SUNDAYS

NEW CHURCH IN MESA

The Lawrence Memorial A.M.E.Z. Church has opened in Mesa with the Rev. Albert Bolden leading as pastor.

DETAILS>> Sunday school at 9 a.m., worship at 10 a.m., 931 E. Southern Ave., Suite 108. Information: 480-393-3001, tlmchurch.info.com, f@ TheLawrenceMemorialChurch.

VALOR CHRISTIAN OUTLINES MISSION

Valor Christian Center in Gilbert offers “great praise and worship and great messages for today’s living,” according to Associate Pastor Thor Strandholt. “Our mission is to evangelize, heal and disciple through the word of God.”

DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Thursdays. 3015 E. Warner Road. Information: valorcc.com.

HORIZON SEEKS YOUNG PEOPLE

High school and middle school students meet to worship and do life together.

Then there are the inevitable perceptions – both by other characters on stage and the audience.

“I think one of the hardest things about playing the role are the expectations that everyone has of you,” Maxson said.

“People are very free with how they feel about the Savior and the faith. They project all that onto you when you’re on

DETAILS>> 5 p.m. at Horizon Presbyterian Church, 1401 E. Liberty Lane. 480-460-1480 or email joel@ horizonchurch.com.

KIDS CAN LEARN JEWISH LIFE

Children can learn and experience Jewish life. Chabad Hebrew School focuses on Jewish heritage, culture and holidays.

DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m. to noon, for children ages 5-13 at Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@ chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.

RABBINIC LIT COURSE OFFERED

Ongoing morning study of two classics of rabbinic literature by medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides (the “Rambam”). At 10 a.m., Prof. Norbert Samuelson, Grossman chair of Jewish Philosophy at ASU and TBS member, teaches “Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: What Jews Ought to Believe.” At 11:15 a.m., TBS member Isaac Levy teaches “Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah: How Jews Ought to Behave.” Readings in both Hebrew and English.

stage. It’s a difficult to shoulder.”

Maxson and Orme played the Jesus who is most on the stage. The pageant uses several men to play Christ at different stages of his life – from infant to the young boy in the temple to the one who gets baptized to the one who gets crucified.

A separate actor is needed for the baptism because the scene change is too fast for one man to shed his wet clothes and don a new wardrobe.

Orme played Jesus on the cross several times.

That scene is one of two where the actor playing Christ is elevated. On the cross, he is about 20 feet above the stage floor. To portray the Ascension, a crane lifts the actor 60 feet.

Having done both, Orme said, “they’re both incredible, but for different reasons.

“On the cross, that was particularly unique because you’re portraying a very recognizable moment that most Christians fix their belief around. You also have a different visual perspective on the crowd,” he added, noting:

“It’s probably the same perspective Christ had when he was hanging on the cross, looking out at everyone who had gathered, seeing his mother. It’s a very humbling, somber, tender moment.”

Naturally, the two actors also have pondered what Jesus felt in those waning hours of his life.

DETAILS>> Community Room of the administration building at Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley, 3400 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. 480-897-3636.

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, thriving Unity Community. Join us for Interfaith CommUNITY

(Jenee Prince/Special to the Tribune)

Tyler Maxson, left, and Trevor Orme said that playing Jesus Christ in the Mesa Mormon Temple pageant is both humbling and energizing.

FAITH CALENDAR

JESUSES

Orme said playing the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane was a revelation.

“Most people look at that scene and it’s one of great suffering by Jesus. Instead, I felt overwhelmingly sad. It’s not just physical pain but a sadness. I imagine Christ really felt that sorrow as he considered what was about to happen. He was dying for our sins. That makes you want to cry.”

No one seeks the role during the pageant’s September auditions, said Jenee Prince, the pageant director for the last six years.

While the choice is made by a committee, Prince looks for applicants who can play the role.

Nor does she look only for stage presence; the actors’ conduct in real life matters.

On both scores, she said, both Maxson and Orme fit the bill.

“Both of those men have great presence and a wonderful personality and spirit that is calming and peaceful and so humble,” she said. “And they have some acting background.”

She said both reflect what she prizes in the actors’ personal lives: “Their countenance and the way they conduct themselves with their family and their community. Their knowledge and relationship with the Savior and others. These are all important considerations.”

Prince herself sees the role as particularly challenging.

“It has to be a little overwhelming to play someone who is perfect. As imperfect people, we’re trying to tell the story of a perfect person,” she said.

In some ways, that’s why Maxson retired from the role: The father of three said he was concerned that his annual portrayal of Jesus might confuse kids now that they are older.

“I didn’t want my children to have to wrestle with their image of their dad,” he said.

And as much as he liked playing Jesus for nearly a decade, Maxson is proud to have helped Prince direct.

“The pageant is really a unifying thing,” said Maxson. “Being part of this pageant has connected me with people of other religions, and I love what we have. I think it’s a gift for the city and for those who want to connect with Easter in a special way.”

CALENDAR

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.

SUNDAY CELEBRATION SERVICE

Inspirational messages and music to lift your spirit. A welcoming community committed to living from the heart. Many classes and events offered. We welcome you! DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-7921800, unityoftempe.com.

MONDAYS

CHURCH PRAYER CALL

The Lawrence Memorial A.M.E.Z. Church in Mesa has a prayer call every Monday.

DETAILS>> 7 p.m., 1-712-775-7085. PIN 162106#.

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 480-759-6200 or gbattle@mountainpark.org.

CLASS TARGETS THE GRIEVING

Classes for those grieving over death or divorce.

DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. 480-963-4127.

STRUGGLING FIND SUPPORT

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.

PROSPERITY RECIPES AT UNITY OF TEMPE

Internationally known speaker and author, Maureen G. Mulvaney brings back her Prosperity Recipes class series to Unity of Tempe on Monday evenings. Cost: $10 per session

DETAILS>> 6:15-8:15 p.m., Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-7921800, unityoftempe.com.

TUESDAYS

MESA BIBLE STUDY

The Lawrence Memorial A.M.E.Z. Church conducts Bible study on Tuesdays.

DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., 931 E. Southern Ave., Suite 108. Information: 480-393-3001, tlmchurch.info.com, f@ TheLawrenceMemorialChurch.

CELEBRATE RECOVERY

Celebrate Recovery is a Biblical program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. Through teaching, worship, and sharing in small groups, you will find genuine people devoted to help discover the power of Christ through the recovery process.

DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., Central Christian Church, 933 N. Lindsay Road, Mesa. Information: Eric at 480-924-4946.

GRIEFSHARE

Mountain Park Community Church is offering an ongoing GriefShare programs to help people deal with the pain of losing a loved one.

DETAILS>> 6:30-8 p.m., 2408 E. Pecos Road, Ahwatukee. To register: mountainpark.org and click on Launch. Information: Alex at 480-759-6200

Rhema Soul Cuisine brings deep flavors to its barbecue

BY MIKE BUTLER Tribune Staff Writer

Rhema Soul Cuisine in Queen Creek reels in new customers with excellent barbecue, but the newbies turn into regulars because of the chicken and waffles and other soul food delights. “If you’re watching your waistline, you’re in the wrong place,” said Ron Childs, who runs the cafe with his wife, Via. For most of their lives, Ron and Via were the kind of couple who loved to cook

and entertain and about whom friends would always say, “You guys should open a restaurant!”

They dreamed about it, but Ron had a pretty dreamy career going as a PGA teaching pro in the Bronx. When their three kids were older, and the daily teaching grind had caught up with Ron, they tried catering, and that worked out well.

But then life in the city caught up with them. They had to get out, and so they took out a map. When there was an “X” on every state except Arizona, they packed up and headed west on a new adventure.

Although the Valley was in the depths of the real estate bust in 2010, Ron and Via had trouble finding a house they liked. The couple’s agent drove them to Queen Creek one day on a hunch they’d like it.

They loved it, buying the first house they visited.

Ron said he thought he would pick up another job teaching golf, but he couldn’t find a position that paid anywhere near what he was making in New York.

The restaurant dream moved to the front burner.

The first Rhema outgrew its location in six months, requiring a move to the current shop in a plaza on the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Ocotillo roads.

The signature chicken and red velvet waffle, featuring fried

MARK YOUR Calendar

‘An American in Paris’

Like the 1951 movie from which it gets its name, this Broadway musical tells the experiences of an American soldier who decides to stay in Paris after the war. The score uses classic songs from George and Ira Gershwin.

DETAILS>> Times vary, Thurs-Sun, April 18-23. ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Ave., Tempe. Tickets: $20-$150. 480-965-3434. asugammage.com.

Earth Day in Gilbert

Get a jump on Earth Day and Arbor Day with recycling-inspired games, fun activities, a tree planting ceremony and more Earthcelebrating things to do.

DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-noon, Thursday, April 20. McQueen Park Activity Center, 510 N. Horne Street, Gilbert. Cost: Free. gilbertaz.gov.

‘That Irving Berlin Thing’

Irving Berlin wrote some of the most iconic songs in Broadway, movie and music history, including “God Bless America, “White

boneless chicken thighs, reflects Ron’s love for red velvet cakes and muffins. The “Broritto” wraps chicken thighs in a flour tortilla with Caribbean red rice, seasoned black beans and house aioli. Traditionalists go for the pork sandwich, fried shrimp and fried pollock.

Keep that soul train chugging along with a side of collard greens with smoked turkey, carrot and craisin salad, potato salad, seven-cheese baked macaroni or cornbread.

Ron said most of the recipes reflect three generations of love on both sides of the family. Ron’s family roots stretch from Grenada to the Carolinas; Via’s from Jamaica to the Virginias.

“There’s a whole lot of flavor clicking in that kitchen,” he said.

Happily, Ron is also an inspired experimenter, and his “Symphony Fries”

Christmas,” “Blue Skies” and plenty more. Now you can hear 40 of his hits in a brand new, world-premiere musical revue. DETAILS>> 2 or 7:30 p.m., ThursdayFriday, April 20-21. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Tickets: $28-$34 adults, $23-$29 students. 480-3502822. tca.ticketforce.com.

Taste of the Islands Art Walk

Chandler’s regular Art Walk takes a tropical turn that includes Corona del Sol’s Steel Drum Band, tropical food and drink specials, and island-related art and items for sale. DETAILS>> 6-9:30 p.m., Friday, April

are pure genius: fresh-cut fries and sweet potato fries loaded with chopped pork and five different cheeses, drizzled with barbecue sauce.

Ron makes all of his barbecue sauces. He’s of the dry rub/sauce-on-the-side school and smokes St. Louis-style ribs and other meats early in the morning outside the back door.

Rhema Soul Cuisine, 21803 S. Ellsworth Road, is open from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and Friday from noon to 8 p.m. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday for cleaning, food prep – and golf. Visit rhemasoulcuisine.com for more information.

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

21. Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Cost: Free. downtownchandler.org.

31st Annual Pow Wow

Watch authentic Native American drumming, dancing and singing from a variety of tribes, and enjoy traditional Native American food. Be aware that this is a spiritual and cultural event, so please read the rules on behavior before attending.

DETAILS>> Times vary, Friday-Sunday, April 21-23. ASU Band Practice Field, E. 6th St., and S. Rural Road, Tempe. Tickets: $8 adults, $6 students, $20 three-day pass. powwow. asu.edu.

(Mike Butler/Tribune Staff)

Ron and Via Childs opened Rhema Soul Cuisine after traveling the U.S.

(Mike Butler/Tribune Staff)

Ron Childs is from the dry rub/sauce-on-the-side school and smokes St. Louis-style ribs and other meats early in the morning outside the back door.

Short of bread for Easter? Try this quick recipe

BY JAN D’ATRI Tribune Contributor

If by chance you find yourself short of bread for your Easter spread today, or you just want to make your rolls a little special, all it takes is a canister of refrigerated biscuit dough and a muffin tin. This is definitely something you can pull off

last minute, or have on hand for the ham sandwiches to come.

Here are three fun and simple last-minute bread ideas that’ll dress up the table without any trouble. Check out my howto video here: jandatri.com/recipes/lastminute-bread/?category_id=384

Happy Easter, everyone, and many blessings to you and your family today!

LAST-MINUTE BREAD ROLLS

canister

#1 The Clover

Slice one biscuit in three equal parts.

Roll each part into a ball and combine them into a clover

#2 Triple Stack

Pull apart 3 layers from one biscuit and then stack them on top of each other. Then, with a chopstick or wooden spoon handle, press right down the center.

#3 The Knot

Cut a biscuit into three slices. Roll each one into a rope and then make a knot. Directions:

King Crossword

From shabby chic to chippy, Front Porch Pickins is a vintage lover’s dream

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Contributing Writer

As a participant at vintage sales, Desiree Byrne saw plenty of fellow vendors, but sometimes very few shoppers.

To find success, she and others created Front Porch Pickins Vintage & Handmade Market, which comes to Tumbleweed Park in Chandler on Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22.

“We actually started out as vendors ourselves, going to smaller shows,” Byrne recalls. “One of our priorities is focusing on PR and marketing by making a big buzz.”

Front Porch Pickins is Arizona’s largest vintage market, Byrne says. About 100 vendors will sell antique, shabby, rusty, chippy, handmade, knitted, crocheted, galvanized and farmhouse items, along with custom clothing and signage.

IF YOU GO

Where: Tumbleweed Park, 745 E. Germann Road, Chandler

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22

Cost: Tickets start at $6, children 12 and under are free More info: frontporchpickins.com/ chandler

Those seeking something new and novel for the home can check out the custom, farmhouse-style woodworking pieces of Scottsdale Design Co., while La Vida Patina’s boho industrial goods and the His, Hers and Ours Custom Shave Shop’s vintage-inspired safety razors serve as additional draws. Run-of-the-mill items

aren’t here.

“We’ve had pickle-scented soap,” she says with a laugh. “We had one lady who upcycled old doll heads and made them into planters. It’s one of those things where you say, ‘I think I need to own that. I don’t know why.’ We have cool and funky items.

“We had a vendor who sold cigar boxes made into guitars, and people who bring old pickup truck beds and made them into benches.”

This has been a passion project for Byrne, who moved from Illinois to Arizona as a teenager.

“I’ve always been obsessed with vintage” she says. “My dad took me to auctions and estate sales. It’s been surrounding me. My dad has a vintage room at their house. There’s always been some sort of vintage vibe going on in my world.

“The passion stayed with me as I was growing up. I was obsessed with all the different TV shows; the ones where people are flipping and upcycling things. I love it. They always say find what you love and make it a job. That’s what I’ve done.”

This time featuring a car show, Front Porch Pickins continues its tradition of showcasing the area’s top food trucks. Wood-fired pizzas from local favorite Doughlicious are among the culinary options available at April’s event, and crepes, salads, frozen yogurt and other snacks and sweets will also be available for purchase.

The food, Byrne says, provides the perfect opportunity to take a break.

“A lot of people walk through part of

it, stop and eat, get back up and keep walking,” she says. “Shoppers should make a whole day of it with their friends. Bring the girlfriends.”

No matter how many people attend, Byrne is thankful for the support.

“If you’re running a business, you have to have the sales to make it work – not just on market day, but year-round. We’re in this together. We’re hoping small businesses. We’re working together to make sure these mom and pops can make it.”

New Orleans comes to Chandler thanks to Cajun Fest

BY STEVEN SOLOMON GetOut Contributing Writer

Don festival attire and get a taste of the Big Easy at the Great Southwest Cajun Fest in Chandler on Saturday, April 22.

Showcasing the heart and soul of New Orleans, paired of course with Arizona fusion and flavor, Cajun Fest is filled with cultural festivities, food and entertainment.

“I’m so excited to bring Southwest Cajun Fest back to downtown Chandler this year,” says Landon Evans, event coordinator with the HDE Agency, a multimedia marketing

IF YOU GO

Where: Dr. AJ Chandler Park, 178 E. Commonwealth Ave., Chandler

When: Noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 22

Cost: Cost: $8-$125

More info: southwestcajunfest.com

company. “Now that we are in our third year, we’ve fine-tuned all the details and plan to make it the biggest and best year yet.”

Brought to Chandler by Abita Brewing, Cajun Fest celebrates Cajun culture, cuisine and handcrafted beer, and will feature live music by jazz, blues and contemporary swing revival bands. The event is from noon to 9 p.m. at Dr. AJ Chandler Park, 178 E. Commonwealth Ave.

Headlining the event is Zach Deputy, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter based in Savannah, Georgia. On the food side, regional dishes will be featured from a variety of vendors, including Honey Bear’s BBQ, Creole Cajun Bistro, Angry Crab Shack and Ragin’ Cajun. Organizers say that crawfish was a big deal last year, with patrons waiting in long lines to get it. Evans increased the number of crawfish boil booths to diminish the lines.

The activity schedule begins with a procession at 2 p.m., followed by a

watermelon-eating contest at 3, a wing-eating contest at 4, a crawfish-eating contest at 5 and another procession at 5:45. The processions will be led by the mayor and council, and include alumni from Louisiana State University and a puppy parade. Anyone can bring their pup, especially dressed up in a costume, and be in the parade.

Dressing up is encouraged at the New Orleans-inspired Cajun Fest.

Sign-ups for the eating contests will be handled on site, starting at noon the day of the event. A maximum of 15 people will be registered for each event and participants must be at least 18 years old. The first person to eat half a watermelon wins that contest, the first to eat 12 wings wins that contest and the first to eat 12 crawfish wins that contest. The events are not timed and winners receive gift cards to local businesses. So how popular is Cajun Fest? “Last year about 7,000 people attended,” Evans says. “This year we’re looking to hit about 10,000.”

Front Porch Pickins Vintage & Handmade Market is a flea market lover’s paradise.

(Special to the Tribune)

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* Looking for Rewarding Work

* Have LIFE Exp. And/or Currently a PROF'L Caregiver

* Would like to Give Back to the Community

While Earning Income

* Seeking Part-Time & Flexible Hours

Training is Provided for FREE!

Open Caregiver Positions:

* Companions * Personal Care Attendants For

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: 04/18/1711/15/17. Wage: $9.51/h, OT $14.27/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.

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 #: 2560784.

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

Employment General

Electrical District No 3/ MSIDD in Maricopa, AZ

Has a position working as a Lead Operator Under the direction of the MSIDD Well Dept Coordinator, the Lead Operator will work to be part of a team who is responsible for daily

s

scheduled repair/maintenance work, track & maintain req inventory levels, maintenance,

enhance/improve the District’s deep well and irrigation booster pumps, transport of equipment and supplies to and from job sites, state of all materials and pipes for installs, inspect and evaluate salvageable equipment for re-

equipment Responsible for inspections,

ordinate with necessary departments for re-

equipment to include but not limited to forklift, crane truck and flatbed truck Responsible for

High School Diploma or equivalent and CDL

Must be able to operate vehicles with either

For a detailed job description, go to: www ed3online org

Please send resume to christina.sandsness@ed-3.org

Hiring Fitter/Welders

Auctions

& Estate Sales

Garage

Sales/ Bazaars

Spring Cleaning Sale! Friday

NEW Items: Sofas, Table Sets Dining Room Tables & Chairs, Reclining Chairs, Lamps, Bed Frames, Rugs, Pillows and Decor, Nightstands, and much more! For

Strictly From Scratch Auction 1715 W Roosevelt St , Phoenix, AZ 85007 Friday, April 21st, Online Only Auction Featured Items: Roll Fix Reverse Sheeter, Spiral Mixer, Adamatic Production Line UBE Bagging System, Overhead Proofer, and more! For more information and to view the full catalog online, visit www SAMauctions com or call 877 SAM AUCT

Real Estate For Rent

Meetings/Events

SENIOR SONGBIRDS

LOOKING FOR MALE AND FEMALE SINGERS

If you are age 50+ and love singing and entertaining, we would be happy to have you check us out at one of our rehearsals We are all volunteers and perform weekly at assisted living and care centers We sing secular songs primarily from the 30's, 40's, and 50's, as well as patriotic and gospel songs, from September through May We rehearse Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a m at Pyle Adult Recreation Center 655 East Southern Avenue, Tempe, AZ For more information, call 480-775-0730

R S §32-1121A14(c) www azleg gov/ars/ 32/01165 htm

i s t h a t t h e a d v e r ti s i n g p a r t y , i f n o t p r o p e r l y l i c e n s e d a s a c o n t r a c t o r , d i sc l o s e t h a t f a c t o n a n y f o r m o f a d v e r tising to the public by i n c l u d i n g t h e w o r d s " n o t a l i c e n s e d c o nt r a c t o r " i n t h e a dv e r t i s e m e n t

A g a i n , t h i s r e q u i r em e n t i s i n t e n d e d t o m a k e s u r e t h a t t h e c o n s u m e r i s m a d e a w a r e o f t h e u n l ic e n s e d s t a t u s o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r c o mp a n y

Contractors who adv e r t i s e a n d d o n o t d i s c l o s e t h e i r u n l icensed status are not e l i g i b l e f o r t h e h a n d y m a n s e

any questions or concerns regarding this project, please contact Rene Powell, Jaime Otter, or Michele Arrollado with the City of Mesa Engineering Public Relations at (480) 6

Published: East Valley Tribune, April 16, 23, 2017 / 5331

WANTED: 36 People

WANTED: 36 People

Are you, or someone you know, struggling with hearing loss?

you, or someone you know, struggling

We need 36 people with difficulty hearing, especially in noisy situations, to evaluate the new style in digital technology from NuEar. We will perform thorough hearing consultations FREE of charge to ALL callers. We will then choose 36 qualified candidates for this program.

We need 36 people with difficulty hearing, especially in noisy situations, to evaluate the new style in digital technology from NuEar. We will perform thorough hearing consultations FREE of charge to ALL callers. We will then choose 36 qualified candidates for this program.

We need 36 people with difficulty hearing, especially in noisy situations, to evaluate the new style in digital technology from NuEar. We will perform thorough hearing consultations FREE of charge to ALL callers. We will then choose 36 qualified candidates for this program.

MEET

MEET

MEET

Tuesday – Thursday April 25th through 27th

Dawn has 26 years of experience helping the hearing community, this being her 14th year in the Valley.

Dawn has 26 years of experience helping the hearing community, this being her 14th year in the Valley.

Dawn is a licensed hearing specialist in New Mexico and Arizona and Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences. She is also a member of Hearing HealthCare Practitioners of Arizona (HHPA) and a member of the International Hearing Society (IHS). She has been a member of the licensing board in Arizona and currently holds a position with an IHS board.

Her experience gives her tremendous insight into the problems and frustrations that accompany hearing loss and the exciting solutions that are now available. She has a passion for helping people with all types of hearing loss.

Dawn has 26 years of experience helping the hearing community, this being her 14th year in the Valley.

Dawn is a licensed hearing specialist in New Mexico and Arizona and Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences. She is also a member of Hearing HealthCare Practitioners of Arizona (HHPA) and a member of the International Hearing Society (IHS). She has been a member of the licensing board in Arizona and currently holds a position with an IHS board.

REWARD

Sanchez, Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist

Dawn is a licensed hearing specialist in New Mexico and Arizona and Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences. She is also a member of Hearing HealthCare Practitioners of Arizona (HHPA) and a member of the International Hearing Society (IHS). She has been a member of the licensing board in Arizona and currently holds a position with an IHS board.

Her experience gives her tremendous insight into the problems and frustrations that accompany hearing loss and the exciting solutions that are now available. She has a passion for helping people with all types of hearing loss.

Her experience gives her tremendous insight into the problems and frustrations that accompany hearing loss and the exciting solutions that are now available. She has a passion for helping people with all types of hearing loss. Dawn

g Help you better understand conversations and hear comfortably in any noisy environment

g Make speech more audible by keeping loud sounds comfortable and boosting soft sounds g Stream TV, music and more to your hearing aids

to schedule your evaluation to determine if

Dawn Sanchez, Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist