East Valley Tribune: Gilbert Edition - May 7, 2017
BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer
Minutes before a pickup truck ran a red light and killed her, Pamela Hesselbacher sent a message to her husband, Matt, saying that she and their two small children had left a nearby park and would be home soon.
“We finished up at the park. We are headed home now. We’ll see you in about 15 minutes,” she said. “Love you.”
BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Managing Editor
Shelley and Danny Valdez decided a few years ago that they wanted to open up their home to kids who needed it, becoming foster parents.
Now, they’re being torn up emotionally as the two girls they’ve raised for about two years are about to be taken away from them to be rejoined with their birth mother.
They had just been told they might be able to adopt the pair when the courts changed the plan.
“I have no regrets,” Shelley said. “They’re the two sweetest girls in the whole world,” she said about the children placed with them, who are now 5 and 2½. The girls’ names are being withheld for their own privacy.
“I have regrets,” Danny countered. “Not with the girls, but with how the system treats us.”
Added Shelley: “I don’t want to come across as angry, but we’re in kind of a bad place now.”
But through all the court dates and home inspections and visits with the birth mom, they both still love the little girls.
“They’ve been such a blessing,” Shelley said. “But this is a lot harder than raising your own kids.”
See FOSTER on page 8
But Pamela, 31, never made it home, even though she was only about 100 yards away. She was struck on Nov. 12 by the truck at Ponderosa and Ray roads in Chandler, where a makeshift memorial still features a picture of her smiling. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Hesselbacher became one of a growing number of pedestrians killed in collisions with cars in the East Valley and Arizona during 2016. Police and traffic safety advocates cite the deadly combination of distracted driving
and distracted walking, with cellphones viewed as a strong contributing factor.
Other factors include high speeds on sixlane arterial roads, long distances between intersections, speeding, impaired driving and walking, jaywalking and the need to retrofit cities built for cars to make them more accommodating to pedestrians and bicyclists.
East Valley cities have embraced this retrofit
Resources for foster and adoptive parents
May is National Foster Care Month. To learn more about fostering and adopting children in need, visit these websites:
◆ AdoptUSKids: adoptuskids.org
◆ Arizona Association for Foster & Adoptive Parents: azafap.org
◆ Arizona Department of Child Safety: dcs.az.gov/foster-care
◆ Christian Family Care: cfcare.org
◆ Arizona Friends of Foster Children Organization: affcf.org
◆ National Foster Care Month resources: childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth
◆ National Foster Parent Association: nfpaonline.org
(Anisia Valdez/Special to the Tribune)
Shelley and Danny Valdez are foster parents to two little girls, 5 and 2 1/2. The girls soon will be rejoined with their mother.
Lost diamond has a happy ending for Chandler woman
BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA Tribune Contributor
Lisa Steinbring won’t forget the weekend of April 22 very quickly. She only has to look at the ring on her left hand to remember a 48-hour roller coaster of emotion.
Not only did she accept Ron Riffle’s proposal of marriage April 22, but the next day was her birthday.
And that day almost cost the Chandler woman her diamond engagement ring had it not been for the help she received from strangers at an Ahwatukee park.
Even though Steinbring had pneumonia, friends of the couple wished to celebrate her double-dose of happiness by attending an outdoor performance of their favorite band, Tripwire, at the season’s last Concerts in the Park event at Desert Foothills Park.
The concert turned into a community diamond hunt when the diamond centerpiece in her ring fell off and landed somewhere in the grass.
“Ron and I met last year as part of the singles in Gilbert Meetup. Many of our SIG (Singles in Gilbert) friends were with us to celebrate my birthday, and despite the pneumonia, we wanted to share our happy news,” said Steinbring, who days later was still battling the lung infection. “The only reason I even got off my chair was when the band announced our engagement, and we went up to dance,” she recalled.
One minute the ring with multiple sparkling stones was intact, then the next the center diamond was gone – the surrounding diamonds encircling an empty, gaping setting.
The loss coalesced and energized a community of about 60 concert goers into action.
After it was announced that the diamond was missing, literally dozens of concert attendees searched in the sparse dry grass and abundant dirt for 45 minutes, their cellphones providing illumination in the gloaming, and then the dark.
The scene prompted one observer to liken the sight to summer fireflies.
“Someone came to me and said this poor lady had lost the diamond out of her ring – the centerpiece stone. I announced it after the band stopped playing, and 50 to 60 people immediately started helping to look for it,” recalled Ahwatukee resident and
Realtor Randy Fitch, who has sponsored the Concerts in the Park series of free music for 15 years.
“The poor lady was crying her eyes out and her fiancée was distraught but after searching themselves, they finally gave up and left,” Fitch said.
For Steinbring, it was devastating loss further exacerbated by her illness.
“We had lost all hope, yet all our friends were praying to Saint Anthony that it would be found,” recalled Steinbring, whose 59-year-old husband succumbed to cancer two years ago.
Others who saw the couple’s angst persevered in the night search, among them Ahwatukee attorney Brian Foster, his fiancée Alina Chu and his two daughters, Kelsey and Brittany Foster.
“I wish I’d videotaped it because it was nighttime and suddenly you see all these cellphones with lights looking on the ground. This went on for a long time after the concert,” said Foster. “All of a sudden I heard a commotion and someone yelling, ‘I found it!’”
That voice belonged to Heather Unger, wife of Tripwire drummer Karl Unger who was at the concert with her their two daughters.
She had a serendipitous tale of her own.
“I couldn’t help look for the ring when it was announced as I was watching the girls. After the gig ended, I packed up our chairs while my husband packed up his drums and equipment and headed downhill, Unger recalled, adding:
“I opened the flashlight on my phone and thought, ‘what the heck; it’s worth a try’ and started looking for the diamond where everyone had been dancing,” Unger said.
“I may have been looking literally for five minutes when I noticed something shining in the grass. I almost passed it,
but went back. I picked it up, and sure enough, it was the diamond! I yelled, ‘I found it, I found it!’” she said.
“I know I’d be heartbroken if I lost the stone in my engagement ring, and I’m very happy to know their special ring will be reset with the original diamond,” said Unger, who celebrates 17 years of marriage to Karl this month.
The euphoria of the discovery evaporated a bit when those remaining realized they had no idea who the couple was, let alone them the good news.
Enter social media.
“I didn’t get her contact information, so I posted on Facebook that we’d found ‘something precious’ and they could contact me,” said Fitch, an Ahwatukee Realtor for 20 years.
“Just as I got home, the fiancée, Ron, called me. I said I needed some kind of evidence and he sent me a photo of the diamond ring on Lisa’s hand, and then another photo of it without the stone.”
Proof enough, and within 40 minutes, the couple and Fitch met up at a restaurant.
“She was shaking, she was so excited,” recalled Fitch. “I told them ‘You are going to have such a wonderful story to tell.’”
“We couldn’t believe it,” said Steinbring, recalling the phone call alerting them of their lost-but-nowfound diamond.
“We are so grateful for this happy miracle memory of this ‘diamond in the rough’, and for the quick, energetic action by everyone – the women, men and even young children who heeded the call to help once Randy announced it onstage,” she said.
“I had strangers give me a pat on the shoulder to encourage me, and then help us retrace our steps. And I thank Heather for not giving up. We have angels in heaven and earth helping us every day.”
As she and Riffle are avid fans of the band Tripwire, she was quick to offer a shout-out to them, too.
“I like to say Tripwire rocked my diamond out of the setting and then put it right back next to my heart,” she smiled.
(Special to the Tribune)
Lisa Steinbring and Ron Riffle were so upset that the main diamond fell out of her day-old engagement ring at an Ahwatukee Park that they left before the wife of a band member playing a concert there found it.
Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Photographer)
Heather Unger of east Mesa, wife of Tripwire drummer Karl Unger, found the lost diamond.
THE SUNDAY
Tribune
East Valley residents can apply to use Waymo’s self-driving cars
EAST VALLEY BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Managing Editor
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After a year of seeing Google and then Waymo self-driving cars make their way around the East Valley, residents now have a chance to use one themselves.
Waymo is letting residents of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe apply at waymo.com/apply to be “early riders” and start using their cars.
“During the time we’ve been in the East Valley, we’ve already experienced so much enthusiasm and support,” said Jennifer Haroon, head of business operations.
“We’ve seen a lot of interest so far.”
Some East Valley families have already been using the self-driving cars. They are friends of Waymo employees.
“Now is the chance for anyone in Chandler and the surrounding cities to apply,” Haroon said.
The project started in 2009 in Mountain View, California. The program has since spread to Austin, Texas, and Kirkland, Washington. A fleet of self-driving cars started cruising Chandler streets in April
2016.
“Given that our goal is around learning, we are looking for a wide variety of people who have a wide variety of transportation needs,” Haroon said.
“This is part of our transition to really find out how people want to use selfdriving cars, how they interface. Do they want longer, shorter, everything or only certain one-off trips?”
According to the Waymo website, one family currently in the early-rider program is using Waymo for all those and more.
Ted and Candace from Chandler, whose last names were not given, are using Waymo to get around with their four kids.
According to Waymo’s website, the family is using the cars to get to work, school “and juggle everything from the parents’ weekly date night to their children’s soccer practice.”
“They are excited about giving everyone in their home a greater sense of freedom and independence,” it says.
People chosen to participate in this next phase won’t actually be alone in the car or get to keep them.
“For now, we will have our own test driver behind the wheel,” Haroon said.
“I would think of it more like our early riders sharing the vehicles.”
One of the things Waymo hopes to find out is whether people prefer to schedule rides or whether they’d like to summon them when ready. They’ve built a mobile app for early riders to do both.
The early riders might get to use a FiatChrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan, which were recently added to the East Valley program, joining the hybrid Lexus SUVs that the project started with. Haroon says an additional 500 minivans will be delivered over time.
With all those numbers, the Waymo vehicles have become a common sight in the East Valley, particularly Chandler, where the company’s operations center is located. That’s how Waymo wants it.
“It’s so important for us,” Haroon said. “Not that the cars are a fabric of the East Valley, but that Waymo itself is an engaged member.”
Although the early-rider program is limited, Haroon said it’s a special thank you to the East Valley.
“We do want to make sure we’re thanking everybody for their enthusiasm.”
–Contact Ralph Zubiate at 480-898-6825 or rzubiate@timespublications.com.
Editor’s note
Aproduction error in the East Valley Tribune of April 30, 2017, caused the first half of two stories from the cover to be repeated on the jump pages.
The stories were headlined “Mesa Sen. Worsley is the man in the middle” and “Modern-day cowboys ride through East Valley.”
The stories appear in their entirety online. Go to eastvalleytribune.com for both stories, or write these addresses in your browser:
For the Worsley story: tiny.cc/worsley
For the cowboys story: tiny.cc/cowboys
We apologize for the inconvenience.
(Special to the Tribune)
Chandler residents Ted and Candace, along with their kids Abbi, Brielle, Izzy and Trey, have been busy riding in a Waymo van.
(Special to the Tribune)
“We do want to make sure we’re thanking everybody for their enthusiasm,” said Jennifer Haroon, head of business operations for Waymo.
PEDESTRIAN
to some extent, with Mesa installing seven “Hawk” traffic signals designed to allow pedestrians to cross safely mid-block in areas with anticipated pedestrian traffic. Gilbert and Tempe also use the Hawk and other traffic signals to promote pedestrian safety.
Safety experts say the new traffic signals save lives, but no amount of engineering can counteract bad decision-making, with 80 percent of pedestrians killed nationally while crossing in mid-block at night, according to a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association. Pedestrians involved in fatalities also are about twice as likely as drivers to be impaired.
Sixth worst for pedestrians
The study noted a record number of pedestrian fatalities for two consecutive years. Another ranked Arizona as the sixth worst state for pedestrians and ranked the “Phoenix-Scottsdale-Mesa” region as the 16th worst nationally out
of 105 regions.
Hesselbacher was only one of 198 pedestrians killed in Arizona collisions with vehicles in 2016, compared with 153 in 2015, a more than 29 percent increase.
In Phoenix, the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured in 2016 hit 100, compared with 64 in 2012, a 56 percent increase.
Actual pedestrian deaths in Phoenix nearly doubled from 41 in 2012 to 81 in 2015, before a slight dip to 77 in 2016.
Although the numbers are less dramatic in the East Valley, every death represents a tragic loss. The number of pedestrians killed in Mesa doubled, to 10 in 2016 from five in 2015. Pedestrian injury accidents increased to 147 from 137.
Despite a large number of pedestrians, Tempe’s pedestrian deaths remained static, with two deaths in 2016 and the same in 2015. Injuries to pedestrians increased, however, to 59 in 2016 from 44 in 2015.
Chandler’s number of pedestrian deaths rose to four in 2016 from three in 2015, with injuries increasing to 75 from 67.
together on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for years, according to a YouCaring, crowd funding page. Irion also was a trainer at a Gilbert health club.
Gilbert recorded no pedestrian fatalities in 2016 and one in 2015. Injuries also dropped to 36 in 2016 from 43 in 2015.
Joggers hit in Gilbert
But Gilbert’s relative good fortune seemed to run out on April 20, when two women were struck by a pickup truck while jogging in a crosswalk at Val Vista Drive and Elliot Road, one of the city’s busiest intersections.
Sgt. Darrel Krueger, a police spokesman, said the women were jogging east when they were struck by a pickup truck headed south on Val Vista. He said Carrie Brown, 49, died from her injuries, while Shari Irion, 53, was critically injured.
The longtime friends had jogged
East Valley police, a Mesa transportation engineer and a national expert seem to agree there is no panacea for eliminating pedestrian fatalities. All cite the need for a combination of education, improved traffic engineering and increased enforcement to attack the problem.
Richard Retting, the co-author of the national report, noted a record amount of wireless data usage coinciding with the spike in pedestrian fatalities, but he cannot prove a direct correlation. Anyone driving around the East Valley is likely to see distracted pedestrians using cellphones and listening to headphones.
Although the Hawk signals are proven to save lives and reduce serious injuries, “a large part of the equation is the road user. People have to behave safely,” Retting said.
Erik Guderian, Mesa’s deputy transportation director, said Mesa is always looking for new ways to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety, whether it’s new projects or installing mid-block signals to reduce jaywalking.
“When we have a new project coming in, we take into account all users, not just vehicles,” he said. “We continually try to get the education piece out there.”
He said all fatalities are reviewed to see whether traffic engineering changes could promote safety.
“There’s not a single solution. There has to be a multi-pronged approach,” Guderian said.
All the Hesselbacher family knows is that they miss Pamela, that their lives
will never be the same and that there needs to be more accountability for negligent drivers.
Chandler tragedy
William Epperlein, 39, escaped felony prosecution, despite a poor driving record, because he was not impaired, was not speeding, did not leave the scene and was not street racing when he hit Pamela and her children. Chandler police originally cited him for three felonies: causing a death by use of a vehicle and two counts of causing serious injury by use of a vehicle.
Epperlein’s case is expected to land in Chandler Municipal Court for prosecution of misdemeanors, lesser charges with shorter sentences. Arizona does not have a specific law that makes distracted driving a crime, although police can cite drivers for violations that often stem from distraction, such as failure to drive in the proper lane.
Pamela’s son, Ryan, 4, remembers everything, pushing the button on the traffic signal, waiting for the “walk” sign and getting struck by the truck. The family believes he survived primarily because Pamela had insisted that he wear his bicycle helmet while riding.
Pamela was pushing her daughter, Audrey, 14 months, in a stroller when they were hit. Audrey ended up in a coma for a week, but she pulled through. The family clings to one silver lining, that both children are doing fine, even though they will live the rest of their lives without their mother.
“If I had lost them, I don’t know what I would do. I could have lost them all in an instant,” Hesselbacher said.
“You can’t dwell on the fact she isn’t
(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Matt Hesselbacher reads with his daughter, Audrey. She was hit by a pickup truck Nov. 12 , 2016, and spent a week in a coma. Her mother, Pamela Hesselbacher, was killed.
(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)
A makeshift memorial at Ponderosa and Ray roads in Chandler feature a photo of Pamela Hesselbacher and her daughter, Audrey. The little girl survived the accident, but Pamela was killed.
School leaders express alarm over funding
BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor
Arizona’s three universities no longer form a pipeline of teachers to the state’s public schools. Half the freshmen in the state’s university system come from only 11 percent of Arizona’s high schools. And Arizona’s expanded school voucher system did not include expanded oversight.
Those disclosures came in remarks by three educators to the Chandler Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee and area business owners and executives recently.
The presentations by Kyrene School Superintendent Jan Vesely, state Board of Regents President Eileen Klein and state school Superintendent Diane Douglas on April 28, came on the eve of a big week for the state Legislature and education in Arizona.
Legislators last week passed a $9.8 billion state budget that includes a $1 billion bond issue for research and infrastructure for the three state universities and 2 percent pay raises over the next two years for K-12 teachers.
That will pencil out to a $1,000 over two years for many teachers, something House Speaker J.D. Mesnard called a significant step. The raises will cost $34 million in 2018.
At the presentation to the Chandler Chamber, all three officials sounded various alarms about the state of education in Arizona.
Vesely briefly discussed some of the changes she and the board are implementing to make the Kyrene School District more competitive as school districts scramble for new students from outside their boundaries.
But she then disclosed that Arizona’s three state universities no longer feed new teachers into the state’s public school systems.
“The universities are telling us, ‘We do not have a pipeline of teachers for you anymore,” she said. “You don’t know how scary that is for we educators to hear.”
While education students from other states still flock to Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University for the weather as well as the academics, they return home after graduation because of
the dismal salaries for teachers, she said.
But Kyrene’s problems go deeper, Vesely said, noting that the district is now projected to suffer a continuing enrollment decline for the next five or six years.
District enrollment has declined by 600 in the past decade, she said.
That represents a loss of millions in state funding, which is based on the number of pupils enrolled in a district.
Vesely said the expansion of Arizona’s school voucher program “may be very impactful for a district like Kyrene because it threatens to siphon more students.
Klein discussed how the Board of Regents is working with K-12 school systems to improve students’ readiness for college.
She stated that while there has been a slight increase in the number of high school students from Arizona who are going to college, “fewer than half can do work at a college level.”
But Klein also pointed to an equally significant problem that the board is trying to address – the number of Arizonans who obtain no skill training or higher education after graduating from high school.
She said 35 to 40 percent of adults in Arizona have only a high school diploma, meaning that more than a million residents “need meaningful credentials” for today’s jobs.
Klein outlined the board’s Achieve60AZ program, which is trying to ensure that 60 percent of all Arizona adults have a college degree or a professional certificate by 2030.
She also insisted that teacher pay had to be improved in order to improve college- and work-readiness among K-12 students.
“We have to address what happens in the classroom and compensation for teachers,” she said.
Douglas sounded the same refrain in her presentation, noting that she has proposed a voter referendum next year for a full-cent sales tax devoted exclusively to education. Currently, a half-cent tax is due to expire next year.
A full cent would generate $400 million in new revenue – and could fund a $5,000-a-year, across-the-board pay increase for K-12 teachers.
“If we pay them, they will teach,” Douglas said, adding that in her frequent “listening tours” around the state, “overwhelmingly I hear from people that they want our teachers to be paid better.”
THE WEEK AHEAD
Relay for Life slated next weekend in Chandler
A Relay for Life to celebrate cancer survivors and raise money for a cure will be held Friday and Saturday, May 12 and 13, at Basha High School, 5990 S. Val Vista Drive, Chandler.
The overnight event begins at 6 p.m. Friday with opening ceremonies, followed at 6:30 by a victory lap around the track field for survivors and caregivers. At 9, a luminaria will be held, with each bag representing a loved one lost to the disease.
Closing ceremonies will be at 6 a.m. Saturday. Teams signing up for the event will be collecting donations and food, games, activities and entertainment will go on through the night. So far, Relay for Life participants have raised about $90,000 toward their goal of $200,000. To sign up: facebook.com/chandleraz.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Letter carriers to collect food in 25th annual event
The 25th annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is Saturday, May 13. The event, the largest one-day food drive in the United States, collected more than 80 million pounds of non-perishable foods nationwide last year.
United Food Bank, which serves people throughout the East Valley and eastern Arizona, receives Stamp Out Hunger donations made in its service areas. Last year, UFB received more than 64,000 pounds of food from the drive, which provides more than 53,000 meals.
Residents can place their non-perishable food donations by their mailboxes 8 a.m. for their carrier to pick up.
Kyrene Schools Superintendent Jan Vesely and the district governing board are seeking nominations of teachers for a special recognition at the May 9 board meeting.
“Teachers make public schools great,” the board said in a proclamation marking Teacher Appreciation Week.
The names of teachers who have been nominated in an online survey run by the district will be entered into a drawing and 10 will be selected for a board tribute. To nominate: Kyrene.org/ amazingteachers.
FOSTER
The Valdezes have a child of their own, a girl who is now 10. But Danny said he made the decision to foster and possibly adopt a long time ago.
“In high school, because my dad had been adopted,” he explained, “I thought it would be a cool thing to do.”
The two relied on their strong Christian faith to make the decision.
“I was scared,” Shelley said. “But when your husband is telling you he’s been called … God’s scarier than anything. You better listen.”
A faith-based group, Christian Family Care, helped shepherd the Valdezes through the process with the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
Its website says, “Our aim is to provide professional care and biblical counseling to these families, at no cost, so every child finds a stable, permanent home with a Christ-centered family.”
Christian Family Care is one of 25 different licensing agencies for foster parents. The agencies are responsible for the health and well-being of the caregivers. The state is responsible for the child.
On New Year’s Eve 2014, the same day they got their final certification, two girls, a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old, were placed with the Valdezes.
Since then, the family has been through the ups and downs of foster care.
“If you’re going to foster,” Shelley said, “your goal should never be to adopt. The state’s goal is to put families together. Your mindset should be to support the case plan.”
Anticipating adoption
Even knowing that, the Valdezes found themselves in anticipation of adoption.
“That option was presented to us rather strongly,” Danny said.
“The case manager thought it was going to happen,” Shelley said. “We were one hearing away.”
“The decision was for severance and adoption in March. A week later, it went back,” she said.
Danny said he felt they were being pulled back and forth
“We are nothing more than a repository for the kids with very little say,” he said, exasperated. “Minimal at best.”
“Some people have treated us well,” Shelley said. “A lot have not.”
The wounds are still fresh for the Valdezes.
“We’re trying to do good,” Shelley said, “but they treat us like …”
“Second-class citizens,” Danny finishes.
“This case seems to change on a dime,” Shelley said. “It really teaches you that you have to live one day at a time. You can’t plan anything.”
“We go to court. We go to meetings. We go to everything. It’s like another job,” said Shelley, a commercial photographer. Danny is an insulation purchaser.
The stress gets to the girls, too.
“They sense our anxiety,” Shelley said. “They’re on the roller coaster, too.”
Not an unusual case
Kris Jacober, president of the Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents, said that although she’s not involved in the Valdezes’ case, she’s seen this situation before.
“I was a foster mom for 15 years,” she said. “I’ve seen cases go every kind of way that I didn’t anticipate or expect.”
She said she knows the decisions made by the courts are difficult.
“As a foster parent, I felt fortunate that I didn’t have to be in the position of making the decision of what will be the best for the future of the children,” Jacober said.
“Ultimately, as a foster parent, it is out of our hands.”
Jacober warns that reunification isn’t
necessarily the best decision.
“Many children who are reunified end up back in the system, and that means everybody has failed the kids,” she said.
“The goal of foster care is reunification. The bigger goal is permanency of the situation.”
Strong in their faith
Through it all, the Valdezes have found solace in their Christian faith.
“I don’t know how anybody does foster care without a relationship with the Lord,” Shelley said.
“There are so many people praying for these kids. We have to rest in that. God must know something we don’t.”
They also pray for the growth of the birth mom.
“I feel comfortable with her,” Shelley said. “She wants to be independent, but I have to show her that she can’t do it alone. She’s also growing in her faith.”
The Valdezes’ marriage has also been tested in this ordeal.
“Considering the tremendous amount of stress, we’ve been doing well,” Shelley said. “Our marriage is better now than it’s been.”
The Valdezes will lose the girls May 19 in the midst of National Foster Care Month. But they want to make sure to be a presence in their lives.
“We’ve developed a friendship with
the birth mom,” Shelley said. “We want to be available to help.”
To that end, they’ve helped her by giving her clothes, furniture and transportation. They’ve even gone over to help clean her house, all to help out the girls.
“We’ll still be around,” Shelley said.
“If she allows us,” Danny counters. Shelley said she believes they will have the mom’s permission to visit.
And if they don’t?
“Then I will sign up to volunteer at their schools,” Shelley said.
For now, the Valdezes are going through what they say is a grieving process.
“It’s a loss for us,” Shelley said. “To be grieving the girls but still parenting them at the same time is really hard.
“You want to curl up and cry, but you can’t.”
Jacober said the Valdezes should hold out hope.
“I had a little boy’s stuff packed to put him on a plane to a woman who appeared out of nowhere and said she was his aunt,” she said. “We got before a judge who said, ‘We can do better.’
“It’s not over until it’s over. And it’s not over then, too.”
(Anisia Valdez/Special to the Tribune)
Shelley and Danny Valdez's daughter plays with the foster girls in their backyard. “They’re the two sweetest girls in the whole world,” Shelley said.
THE
West Nile virus found in northeast Mesa mosquito
A mosquito in northeast tested positive for Maricopa County Department has confirmed.
Officials say the humans by the bite
Twenty percent three to 15 days after say a small percentage including meningitis, For more information go to FightTheBiteMaricopa.org.
Man who died in California freeway crash was from Gilbert
A 41-year-old Gilbert man killed in an April 25 multi-vehicle crash in California has been identified.
Phang Cong Le was pronounced dead at 12:15 p.m. April 25 but an autopsy is pending, said Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner on Monday. California Highway Patrol officials said Le’s 2004 Freightliner tractor-trailer collided with multiple vehicles on the north and south sides of Interstate 5, resulting in his death and injuries to 10 others.
In all, eight vehicles were involved in the crash. Previously, officials said Le lost control of his truck for unknown reasons, adding that it traveled west across all northbound lanes of I-5 before it hit other vehicles.
Seventh-day Adventist pastor comes out, resigns
A Seventh-day Adventist pastor has resigned from her Chandler pulpit and announced via video that she is bisexual.
“Through study and prayer, I’ve come to a point of complete disagreement with the Adventist Church on their teachings about LGBT people,” said Alicia Johnston, pastor of Foothills Community Church in Chandler, in a video posted on Facebook on April 22. “I also myself am bisexual so I’ve come to an awareness of that and have realized I just can’t live my life with integrity anymore without being honest about that.”
The Arizona Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists issued a statement calling Johnston a “gifted theologian and pastor” and noting its determination to abide by the stances of the church.
According to a biography on the church’s website, Johnston became its pastor on Jan. 1, 2016.
Gilbert schools superintendent may leave for Hawaii position
BY SRIANTHI PERERA Tribune Staff Writer
Gilbert Public Schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto is one of two finalists being considered for a top education position in Hawaii.
Hawaii’s Board of Education confirmed that Kishimoto is in the running to become the next superintendent of the state’s public school system, which has 256 schools on six islands, more than 175,000 students, 22,000 permanent employees and an annual operating budget of about $1.9 billion.
As a comparison, Gilbert has a student enrollment of 36,500 and an annual budget of $305 million.
The position pays in the range of $240,000 and the new appointee would assume the position on July 1. Current Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi’s job ends June 30.
Kishimoto and the other finalist, Linda Chen, who served as the chief academic officer for Baltimore City Public Schools in Maryland from 2014 to 2016 and now owns an educational consulting services company, were whittled down from a pool of 92 candidates.
The two are to be flown to Hawaii for a meeting with the board on May
PEDESTRIAN
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here anymore. You have to think, ‘I was lucky enough to know her, to have two beautiful children with her,’” he said.
Jody Kieran of Peoria, Pamela’s mother, said her daughter met Matt at the University of Arizona, where she was awarded a scholarship, earned a degree in marketing and got a job with General Mills. The company will donate $20,000 a year to the HopeKids program for children with cancer.
“If anything would have happened to them, I don’t think she would have wanted to live,” Kieran said. “She was just safety conscious every step of the way.”
Safety campaign
While Hesselbacher’s family continues to cope with their tragic loss, Arizona officials are working on a federally financed safety campaign to combat a spike in pedestrian deaths, with the number of pedestrians seriously injured
11, meet with stakeholders in the community and participate in public forums and informal meet-and-greets. The decision is expected to be made soon afterward.
Kishimoto did not respond to a request for comment.
“Since the process is still in motion, Dr. Kishimoto is not able to make a statement at this time,” Irene MahoneyPaige, district spokeswoman stated in an email message.
Kishimoto, who came to Gilbert from the Hartford Public School District in Connecticut, took office here in July 2014.
Of Puerto Rican descent, Kishimoto was raised in the south Bronx area of New York City and has degrees from Columbia University and Barnard College. She’s also bilingual.
Kishimoto took up the Gilbert position amid turbulence and controversies circulating the school board and the departure of many teachers. One of her first tasks was to fill in the administrative positions that were vacant.
In her letter to the superintendent search committee, Kishimoto states that the position “is very attractive to me because the district has established a vision to be a progressive leader in education, ready to embrace new models
or killed rising throughout the Phoenix metro area.
Jody Kieran already has volunteered to appear in a public safety campaign, after meeting with Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Chandler police also have volunteered to participate.
“I hurt so bad. I don’t want anyone else to go through it,” Kieran said. “I’m trying to spare other people from this type of pain.”
Gutier has obtained a commitment for $800,000 in federal grants from the Focused Cities Program, which targets areas with a high incidence to pedestrian and bicycle deaths. He envisions a combination of a public safety campaign in English and Spanish, coupled with more enforcement of traffic laws.
“It’s a major priority that we do something about pedestrian and bicycle safety,” he said. “We want to reach as many people as we can.”
Gutier said he has up to five years to spend the money but wants to make a
of engagement that are student-centered and teacher empowered.”
She also states “over the past three years, I have been serving as the Superintendent of Gilbert Public Schools leading a major strategic reform plan based on a significant redesign of the district governance structure, instructional technology integration approach, and district brand, while
big impression with the campaign as quickly as possible.
“There has to be mutual respect” between drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, Gutier said.
He noted that pedestrian deaths are only one contributing factor to Arizona recording the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2007 in 2016. Preliminary statistics have recorded 967 fatalities last year, compared with 887 in 2015 and 774 in 2014.
Busy intersections
Sgt. Steve Carbajal, a Tempe police traffic enforcement supervisor, said police target busy intersections with the highest number of collisions for enforcement. Early this year, they targeted jaywalkers near the Metro light rail, attempting to reduce collisions.
Carbajal said police in January made 352 stops during their pedestrian safety campaign, which resulted in 316 citations. He said 171 of those violations were specific to pedestrian violations.
re-norming through a change process guided by a managed performance empowerment theory of action.”
One of the competencies of the job profile is an understanding of Hawaii’s culture and values and demonstrated ability to incorporate them into leadership decisions, actions and style. However, neither candidate is from Hawaii.
“It’s not a popular thing, trust me. I have been called every name in the book,” Carbajal said. “They don’t understand what we’ve seen and what causes pedestrian crashes.”
He said drivers are distracted and pedestrians have difficulty judging distances, especially at night.
“You can’t count on a driver seeing you, even if you see them,” he said. “If there is impairment, it’s more often on the part of the pedestrian than the driver.”
Phoenix police Sgt. Alan Pfohl, a former traffic unit supervisor, agreed with Carbajal that pedestrian fatalities are more likely on arterial streets, where drivers don’t expect to see anyone walking, rather than in congested downtown areas where drivers anticipate foot traffic.
“I think people are in a zone, looking at their phone or singing a song but not focused on the task of driving,” Pfohl said.
(Tribune file photo)
Christina Kishimoto, who came to Gilbert from the Hartford Public School District in Connecticut, became superintendent in July 2014.
Church takes the day off to serve teachers in East Valley
BY RACHEL EROH Tribune Contributor
More than 7,000 members of the Central Christian Church gave up their Sunday service to give do volunteer work in several East Valley schools.
The members took part in the Valleywide teacher appreciation campaign by fixing up classrooms, planting gardens, repainting hallways and deep-cleaning playgrounds in 85 schools across the Valley.
Members of the church also put together gift baskets for teachers that included items like gift cards, thankyou notes and candy.
Jason Ake, creative director at Central Christian Church, organized the event as a way to serve the greater community.
“We thought ‘what if instead of going to church on Sunday we serve the community?’” Ake said. “It’s a nice way to highlight and reinstate our values of serving the community and helping our people.”
Ake said he believed that the money they raised and volunteer work would best benefit the schools and he knew the schools also needed their help the most.
“In Arizona, there’s a very large need in the educational system,” he said. “Our teachers need to be valued and our educational system needs to be valued.”
This year’s offering was more than $300,000, Ake said.
When it was announced that the church was having a service project instead of Sunday service, the members were a bit surprised, he said.
“I think they were caught a bit off guard because you get into this routine of going to church every Sunday,” Ake said.
However, aside from the initial surprise, members of the church embraced the idea and began signing up quickly.
As for the age demographic, members of all ages signed up for the project.
“Everyone is coming,” Ake said. “We even have infants that will be
All the tools, supplies and gift baskets for the service project were paid for through the church’s Easter offering.
Mother-daughter business team helps people get organized
BY COLLEEN SPARKS Tribune Staff Writer
Getting organized can be an emotional roller coaster for people as they struggle to decide what longtime possessions to keep and which ones to throw away or donate.
Recruiting the help of Erika Gentner and Kerry Rehberg, co-owners of Dependable Divas, a professional organizing company with clients in Chandler, can help.
The mother-and-daughter duo spends the most time in Chandler, along with Mesa, Gilbert, Ahwatukee and Tempe, tackling people’s messy closets, play rooms, garages and other areas of their homes.
“A lot of times when people call, they are in the middle of a life-changing event – if it’s death, divorce, a move,
a new baby – so a lot of times people are very emotional,” said Gentner, a married mother of two sons. “We’re probably greeted at the door once a week to someone crying. It could be tears of fear or tears of happiness. Fifty percent of our jobs is counseling; the other 50 percent of jobs is actual organizing.
“I know how busy and hectic life can be,” she added. “I know how much better and smoother my house runs when it is organized.”
A former event planner with a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Northern Arizona University, Gentner said she and her mother started the company 11 years ago. Gentner had also worked as a household manager for a family in California, and Rehberg had worked as an assistant to a CEO.
The two women put their
organizational skills together in starting the company, initially doing mostly personal assisting for people, including helping clients pay their bills and get clothes from dry cleaners.
“Once we got into homes, we thought maybe they need help with their stuff,” Gentner said. “We’d go from room to room and help them get organized.
“We mostly do the organization now,” she said. “We help people with their moves, help get them de-cluttered before they move. We’ll help them unpack.”
Customers can request a certain area or get the whole house organized. Three to five contract workers will help Gentner and Rehberg organize an entire house. Sometimes only two people are needed to organize an area.
Before starting their work, Gentner and Rehberg ask clients questions
whether they are comfortable sending photos of the space that needs to be improved.
“We ask them questions on the phone,” Gentner said. “What areas do you need the most? If you could wave a magic wand, what would it look like? Are you willing to get rid of items? Do you have built-in storage? How long has it been since you’ve been through your closet?”
After talking for about 30 minutes, the ladies have a good idea of “what the problem areas are” and how many people it will take to do the work, she said. About 75 percent of the calls are from women, often between the ages of 30 and 60.
It costs customers $55 an hour per organizer. The clients also must
See TEACHERS on page 14
(Rachel Eroh/Tribune Contributor)
Jack Paulson and Kaylee Wyatt spray-paint clipboards for students at Poston Elementary School in Mesa. They were participating in a Teacher Appreciation Day.
TEACHERS
strapped onto their parents’ backs or in wagons.”
With so much work to be done, they had a job for everyone, he said.
“You don’t have to be a handyman to participate,” Ake said. “This is truly just all hands on deck.”
Marcie Taylor, Gilbert Public School’s executive director of secondary schools, said she believes these projects will benefit teachers and the schools but will help the students as well.
“Sometimes, the environment does play a huge role in kids feeling like they are cared for, that they’re important and that they matter,” Taylor said.
She said she hopes kids will also recognize the effort that was put into the schools and that it will inspire them to try hard as well.
“They will also feel that sense of pride and hopefully work harder to keep that environment clean and all of that increases their ability to focus and do well in school,” she said. “It definitely increases their self-confidence as well.”
Without funding, many of these projects wouldn’t be accomplished within the schools.
“With the budget cuts in our state for the last few years there are a lot of small things that can really beautify a campus that are not always getting done,” she said.
Taylor also said she sees this service
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reimburse Dependable Divas for any products the business buys to help them get organized, including bins, baskets or shelves.
Rehberg said the company made in the six-figures after having only been in business for about two years.
When it comes to deciding what the organizers will donate to charity or throw out and what to keep, some clients want to see every belonging first, Gentner said. Some people want to supervise the organizers and approve everything before it’s given away, while other clients don’t want to be involved.
Gentner said often people have too much stuff in their master bedroom closets and have trouble parting with clothes that hold sentimental value. She and Rehberg ask clients when they last wore certain clothes. If it’s been a while, they suggest the clients donate them. It’s OK to keep some things for sentimental value, but the organizers urge clients to display them, perhaps in a frame or archivable photo box.
project being a good role model to the students.
“If we can involve other organizations in our community to work together and partner with our schools, I think kids will see that model and hopefully learn to give back to their community as well,” Taylor said.
Leanne and Daniel Redding, members of Central Christian Church, said they were excited to give up their Sunday service in order to help the community.
Having two young daughters of their own, they understood the issues and projects that schools needed help with.
“It’s really exciting to be able to bridge the gap between the funding that the state provides and the funding that schools actually need,” Daniel said.
It’s easier for Gentner and Rehberg to be objective in deciding what clients might want to keep because they
have no emotional attachment to the belongings.
“You don’t just want it wadded up in your sock drawer,” Gentner said.
Speaking of sock drawers, she and Rehberg said one special moment was when they were helping a young mother, whose husband had died suddenly, get organized. While they were packing the husband’s clothes, they discovered he had hidden money in his dress socks, which meant his widow, who had three
The project also gives them the opportunity to show the community what their church stands for and hopefully inspire others in the process, they said.
“Church is not just about going to a building and going through the motions,” Leanne said. “I’m really excited to show what being a body of the church is all about.”
When it comes to serving the community, they said it is important for everyone to help out.
“When it comes to helping people and your community, it doesn’t matter what denomination you are or what church you come from,” Daniel said.
“It just matters that you live out your faith and help those around you.”
young daughters, received more than $3,000.
They said the woman was crying with joy.
Another perk of the job is seeing people excited about the positive changes in their homes.
“That’s probably one of the best parts about the job is at the end when you get that big smile and hug,” Gentner said.
Working with her mother is also a benefit of the job.
“It all just comes so naturally,” Gentner said. “We are able to finish one another’s sentences or act without even saying a word to each other.”
Rehberg also had praise for her daughter.
“Who do I know and adore more than anyone else in the world? My daughter. Erika was, and still is 11 years later, my number one choice as a business partner,” she said. “She is trustworthy and honest, which are huge in our line of work.”
For anyone who wants to try to get organized on their own, Gentner offered advice. When trying to organize bedroom closets, she recommends grouping clothes by types, including all pink shirts hung near each other and all black work pants in one section.
In children’s playrooms, Gentner likes to put toys in bins with labels bearing pictures on them to help younger kids know where to put things away.
To learn more about Dependable Divas, visit dependable-divas.com.
(Allison Tyler Jones/Special to the Tribune)
Kerry Rehberg and her daughter, Erika Gentner, co-own Dependable Divas, a professional organizing company.
MESA
Monthly immunization clinic at Superstition Springs Center
The Mesa Fire & Medical Department will host its monthly immunization clinic from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, at Superstition Springs Center, 6555 E. Southern Ave., Mesa. All childhood immunizations will be provided, and all immunization records must be presented.
To be eligible for free immunizations, a child must be covered by AHCCCS, be uninsured, have insurance that does not cover immunizations, be Native American or an Alaskan Native. Children with private insurance that covers 100 percent of immunizations must visit their private healthcare provider.
2 MCC students awarded scholarships by Coca-Cola
Two Mesa Community College students have been honored as team scholars by CocaCola.
Jessica Siegel and Zachary St. Martin were named Community College Academic Team Scholars for 2017.
Siegel, who was awarded $1,500, wants to become a naturopathic medical doctor. St. Martin, who was awarded $1,250, also plans to pursue a career in health care.
CHANDLER
Chandler City Council appoints new city clerk
Dana DeLong has been approved by the Chandler City Council as its new city clerk.
DeLong had served as city clerk in Prescott for the past four years. Prior to that, she worked at for Tucson for nearly 20 years as city records manager, management assistant and in positions covering all facets of the City Clerk’s Office.
DeLong will begin her new post on June 5.She will replace Marla Paddock, who will retire later this summer.
Traffic cameras turned on at another intersection
Another intersection in Chandler has turned on its photo enforcement cameras. The cameras are at the intersection of McQueen and Queen Creek roads and will only monitor drivers going north or south on McQueen.
Violators will only receive a warning during May. On Thursday, June 1, citations will be given to drivers caught speeding or running the red light at the intersection.
With the new cameras, Chandler has a total of 12 intersections that have photo enforcement cameras.
TEMPE
Tempe releases interactive map of historic adobe buildings
Tempe has released a new interactive map featuring its historic adobe buildings in celebration of National Preservation Monty.
The map is at tempe.gov/adobe.
Some of Tempe’s adobe buildings are more than 125 years old. All are on Tempe’s Historic Register.
The story map was created in partnership with Tempe’s Enterprise GIS Team, the Tempe History Museum and the Tempe Historic Preservation Office within the Tempe Community Development Department.
EAST VALLEY
Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale fire departments recruit
The Tempe, Chandler and Scottsdale fire departments are joining to recruit for firefighters.
Registration period begins Monday, May 8, online only. The link to register will be activated at chandleraz.gov/default. aspx?pageid=931 at 8 a.m.
The written exam is limited to the first 1,500 eligible applicants who meet the minimum qualifications. Candidates must possess an EMT or paramedic certification or be enrolled in a program with completion before January 2018.
Review of applications will take several weeks. Registrants will be contacted by the email provided on applications.
For more requirements and information, go to chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=931.
4 area students awarded prestigious Flinn Scholarship
Four East Valley students have been awarded the 2017 Flinn Scholarship, a highly competitive merit-based award for undergraduate study at an Arizona public university.
The four are among 20 students across the state given the scholarship, which covers the cost of tuition and room and board at one of the state’s three public universities, provides funding for at least two study-abroad experiences and an off-campus internship, and offers other benefits. The scholarship is valued at more than $115,000.
The East Valley winners Ashley Dussault and Anitha Ramadoss of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Andrea Lara-Garcia of Corona del Sol in Tempe and Shivam Sadachar of BASIS Chandler.
Revelation Real Estate grows business in East Valley
BY MICHAEL BUTLER Tribune Contributor
If you’re at a party or event with Chuck and Angela Fazio – and you will be if you’re any way involved with real estate in the East Valley – you’ll hear a whisper from a gossip.
“He was in the mob, you know.”
Even though that’s a long-closed chapter, he doesn’t sidestep it. “I wasn’t in the mob. I worked for the mob,” he said. “I ran nightclubs. I did some bodyguard work, odds and ends.”
Seeking a better way in 1998, he moved to Arizona. The only thing he retains from the old life is the New Yorker’s way of thinking and moving with purpose and speed.
“My mind is still wired that way,” he said.
He struggled in real estate. A big plus went in the personal column when he met Angela, but they continued to grind their gears on the business side.
“We were broke. We almost got out of the business,” he said. “We prayed over it, and God made it clear. We never looked back.”
From broke in 2001, the Fazios closed $11.5 million in 2002. After several years of increasing sales, the Fazios opened their own office in South Chandler in 2005 – Revelation Real Estate, affiliated with West USA.
That year, the Fazios alone closed on $40 million; their growing team of
BUSINESS BRIEFS
East Valley cities rank low for Hispanic entrepreneurs
WalletHub has ranked the best cities nationally for Hispanic entrepreneurs, and no East Valley cities finished in the top 10.
Gilbert was the area’s highest-ranked city, at 11. Chandler was 54, Tempe 76 and Mesa 108 in the WalletHub list. The company compared the 150 largest cities across 21 key indicators of business friendliness toward Hispanic entrepreneurs. The data included Hispanic entrepreneurship rate to
brokers closed on $49 million.
“It was nothing short of miraculous,” Chuck said.
Even the Great Recession couldn’t slow them down. Sales increased year over year. New agents continued to join the fold.
Revelation, which went independent last year, has been the top-producing brokerage in the East Valley for the past six years. Angela said more than 100 agents have joined the team so far this year, swelling the ranks to 585. Three of the six Fazio children work for the firm.
Last year, Revelation almost hit $1 billion. The Fazios are shooting for $2 billion.
Those future deals will be made in a sleek new office building the Fazios are calling the Forum, which will be ready in a few weeks.
At 2301 S. Stearman Drive, near
median annual income of Hispanics to share of Hispanics with at least a bachelor’s degree.
Carvana car vending machine could be coming to Tempe
Online-based used car retailer Carvana could bring one of its automated car vending machines to Tempe.
The Tempe City Council is being asked by the company to approve a nine-story glass vending machine on land at the corner of Scottsdale Road and Gilbert Drive.
Carvana, based in Tempe, has five vending machines, including in Texas,
Germann and Gilbert roads, the Forum will house the necessary executive offices and working spaces, of course. But it will also feature a cafe, a 7,000-square-foot patio and a lounge that will rival the best sports bars in the East Valley.
The restaurant, bar and patio will be open to the public and can be rented for special events.
Angela said new Revelation agents often remark that they didn’t know the business could be like this. You can imagine how they’ll feel meeting with a new client or another agent at the Forum, or ducking into one of its soundproof cubicles to take a call.
Revelation enjoys so much business now that it has its own private listing service. Sellers and buyers often connect without a home ever having to go on the MLS.
Atlanta and Nashville.
Gilbert Orbital ATK offices sell for $5.5M
The offices of Orbital ATK near Baseline Road and Country Club Drive in Gilbert have been sold for $5.5 million.
The 73,283-square-foot industrial facility at 1405 N. Fiesta Blvd. in Gilbert was sold to California-based Abington Emerson Investments by an undisclosed seller. The single-story industrial facility sits on a 5.2-acre site and was built in 1998.
Orbital ATK operates out of the facility for its office operations.
The Fazios never force their faith on anyone and give their agents the continuing education and systems they need to succeed.
Angela said it’s not all about production, either. If an agent wants to do six sales per year, that’s fine as long as he or she has the right attitude. Whiners and victims won’t make it.
“It’s a tough business,” she said. “You have to have your mind straight to be successful and enjoy it.”
Industry veteran Heidi Zebro, business development manager at On Q Financial, said she marvels at the Fazios’ accomplishments and their “passion and fearless vision. These are two leaders to watch.”
Glucose monitor maker opens new plant in Mesa
Dexcom, which makes glucosemonitoring devices for patients with diabetes, has opened a 180,000-squarefoot facility at 232 S. Dobson Road in Mesa.
The new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in will support the company’s global manufacturing operations and is projected to create more than 500 jobs over the next several years.
Diabetes affects 29.1 million Americans and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
(Special to the Tribune)
LEFT: Chuck and Angela Fazio hit a rough spot with their business, but then, “We prayed over it, and God made it clear. We never looked back.”
(LGE Design Build/Special to the Tribune)
ABOVE: Revelation Realty’s new headquarters in Chandler, The Forum, will feature a cafe, a 7,000-square-foot patio and a lounge.
I’m
the reason teachers deserve more than they’re getting
BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist
As the debate over teacher pay in Arizona again descended into absurdity –a poorly worded suggestion by House Majority Leader John Allen that perhaps teachers who get second jobs do so not to make ends meet, but because “they want to pay for a boat” – my mind drifted back to a woman I knew 40-some years ago, a schoolteacher I passionately loathed for one long year of my life, at the age of 9, when she was my teacher in the fourth grade.
Mrs. Schoenbach. To say we did not get along would be a grand understatement, like saying Arizona’s teachers union and our state’s elected Republicans “kinda sorta mildly disagree” over public schoolteacher salaries.
This was 1974. I was a hyperactive hippie kid with hair to his shoulders and frayed Sears bell-bottoms covered in
Praise for firefighters
To all of the U.S. Forest Service employees, Hotshot crews and each of the brave firefighters assigned to the Cactus Fire.
On behalf of 80 volunteers, and the public of Arizona, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group would like to express our deepest gratitude for your hard and brave work to fight the Cactus Fire.
We do not take lightly the commitment you have shown to our public lands and our community. By assigning the crews and resources – including the lifesaving “Bambi bucket” helicopter – to contain a fire that could have threatened all of the Tonto National Forest, you saved the critical habitat it provides for thousands of species, including the Salt River wild horses.
We greatly appreciate the open line of communication with the forest supervisor as well as with those fighting the fire – including the awesome helicopter crew who gave us fascinating insight into the fire’s progression and the efforts to contain it.
While the fire spread from 20 acres to 200 acres in a matter of hours, and later consumed 800 acres, it was not threatening structures or people and was not the only wildfire burning in Arizona. Yet, you did not take any chances with the Tonto National Forest, and we are so grateful for that.
Hotshot firefighter crews battled until 1 a.m. on Tuesday night and on Wednesday, our people stationed at Goldfield, cheered loudly when we saw the green helicopter
iron-on patches. Mrs. Schoenbach was tall, stern, raspy-voiced. I wanted to be Caine from the TV hit “Kung Fu.” Mrs. Schoenbach wanted me to sit down, stop cracking wise, learn to raise my hand and do my homework.
Ours was an epic struggle of iron wills, marked by detentions, notes home to my parents and report cards littered with grades of U – unsatisfactory – for behavior.
I can still hear in my head the exact thing Mrs. Schoenbach said to me early in our war: “I’m going to make a mensch of you, David.”
And she did make a man of me. Not in 1974. But eventually, decades later, her voice still in my head, her insistence on respectful behavior still guiding me even when my spirit wants so much to rebel in inappropriate ways.
There were other teachers in other years, some more nurturing, some more demanding. We all have those guides whom we might become, teachers who stand out, who make us who we are. If I
could, I would buy each of them a boat, so they all could live Rep. Allen’s dream lifestyle.
At the very least, I would give them all a salary that would allow them to pay a mortgage, make a car payment, take the occasional vacation, and go to sleep without anxiety over the next call from a credit card company.
I don’t know what Mrs. Schoenbach earned in 1974 for putting up with me, scolding me, teaching me. But I do know this: The average annual elementary schoolteacher salary in Arizona is $42,730, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. When you adjust that figure for the state’s cost of living, according to the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Arizona ranks 50th in the nation for teacher pay.
That’s dead last, people. Personally, I don’t think $42,000 is enough. It’s not enough to attract our best and brightest into classrooms, and it’s not enough to keep the very best teachers motivated to stay in the profes-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
take off with the Bambi bucket. Soon after that, the black clouds turned to white and later to small puffs floating here and there. At that point, we could, quite literally, breathe again.
For you brave men, we are aware that every time you go into a fire, you face danger and unpredictability and are risking your lives. We know this all too well, as one of our volunteer members is Amanda Marsh. Amanda is the widow of Eric Marsh, the superintendent of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who so tragically perished in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. Amanda Marsh wants us to let you know that Eric, who loved the wild horses, would have been proud of the work that you have done to protect the Tonto National Forest from the Cactus Fire.
Not only did you protect our people, but also you stopped the fire from killing countless wild animals and destroying their habitat.
We are pleased to report that all Salt River wild horses have been located and are safe, including a very pregnant mare we were monitoring. She gave birth to a healthy foal Wednesday morning, less than a half a mile from where the fire was raging. We named the new colt “Cactus Fire.”
Despite facing many human-caused challenges, the Tonto National Forest remains one of the most bountiful and magnificent pieces of “wild” we have left in Arizona. We recognize how lucky we are to have this amazing natural resource in our backyard.
Thank you for saving the lower Salt River habitat in the Tonto National Forest!
– Salt River Wild Horse Management Group
Public education $ opportunities
For years, if not decades, we the voters have complained that our miserly lawmakers have failed to provide sufficient funds to our public schools. The lawmakers’ responses have been predictable: We will not raise taxes, and the tax breaks for corporations will make our state wealthier and stronger. So much for theories …
Here’s an idea that merits discussion, but will probably never see the light of day with our myopic Legislature. We have already hosted the NCAA’s Football Championship game in Glendale, the “greatest show on grass” has been held in Scottsdale (the Waste Management Open), one gigantic NASCAR event has been held already, we host MLB’s spring training, and we just finished staging the NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball tournament.
How much revenue for our schools would be generated with a 10 percent surcharge on every ticket sold for these events, with the funds specifically earmarked for public education? How about looking at surcharges on alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets and all tickets for professional sports teams (we have four of them)? In other words, there are monies out there to aid our besieged and underfunded schools without increasing fees on the necessities like food, shelter, gasoline, clothing and health care.
Is there the foresight, intelligence and will from our current crop of lawmakers to make any of this a reality? Based on the past behavior of our legislators, the answer is slim to none. However, we the voters can select an entirely new group of lawmakers in the coming elections that simply
sion after they encounter years of 9-yearold little Leibowitzes determined to make their lives hell. Frankly, the same goes for firefighters – average salary in Arizona $45,230 annually – and street cops – average annual salary a tick over 62 grand.
In a better world, we would pay public servants commensurate with the importance of their roles. I’m not sure this pay scale would necessarily generate better classroom results, but it would surely improve the lives of those like Mrs. Schoenbach, for whom at least one kid owes more than he can ever repay.
Maybe she’s gone, maybe somewhere in retirement she still hears my voice in her head as I hear hers. Either way, Mrs. Schoenbach will never be forgotten. Like schoolteachers everywhere, she deserved so much better, so much more than she got.
–David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@leibowitzsolo. com.
don’t just talk the educational funding talk, but actually walk the educational funding walk.
I hope I’m around to experience this epiphany!
– Richard K.
Tuition in Gilbert High Schools
The Gilbert School District recently announced an “Additional 7th Course Fee” for next school year. Excelling students beware.
Such a tuition will be a double burden on every excelling and talented student. Most students who take seven classes per semester do so because they are athletes taking classes like weight training, or are students involved in quality extracurricular activities such as marching band.
The district knows that the students in athletics and other activities already pay hundreds to participate. Yet they STILL want to have students pay twice: once to the team or booster club and once for “class tuition.” This is bordering on unethical because the booster fees are already covering those costs and paying staff. By starting a tuition fee, the district has tipped its hand. It seems the goal is to provide only the minimum required amount of education. That will surely lead to mediocrity, and as a result the number of awards and accolades coming to the district and its students will decrease over time.
Meszar – Mesa
– David Woods – Gilbert
LETTERS
Good solution for ADA lawsuits
Gov. Ducey recently signed a bill that will provide relief to business owners across the state being targeted by serial plaintiffs filing lawsuits under the state’s Americans with Disabilities Act. These lawsuits burden the court system, threaten small businesses and are being used not to increase accessibility but rather enrich certain parties to the suits. While this new state law is an important step forward to addressing suits in state courts, a federal solution is also needed. I urge Sen. Flake to again take the lead on this issue by introducing legislation that addresses the preponderance of “drive-by” legal actions without altering the fundamental purpose and intent of the ADA. The Arizona law is a good model.
Finally, the business community should thank Rep. Kyrsten Sinema for cosponsoring bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives to address the increasing volume of “drive-by” lawsuits nationally. In 2016, the number of federal ADA Title III lawsuits climbed 37 percent from the previous year. To stay true to the original intent of the ADA I urge the rest of the Arizona congressional delegation to join with her in supporting HR 620.
– Gregory B. Valladao – Phoenix
To submit letters: Go to eastvalleytribune. com/opinions and click “Submit letter” or email forum@evtrib.com.
Relay for Life honors loved ones touched by cancer
BY KEVIN HARTKE Tribune Guest Writer
Iinvite the Chandler community to gather at 6 p.m. Friday, May 12, at Basha High School to honor loved ones touched by cancer. In a united fashion that transcends pain and heartache, we will walk, talk, laugh and cry together until 6 a.m. the next day, to remember people we have lost to the disease, celebrate caregivers and survivors, and raise funds for cancer research.
Chandler Relay for Life is dear to my heart in the way we collectively make a stand against cancer. It is an opportunity to express our grief and proclaim a universal message of healing, love and hope.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in every three women and one in every two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. In 2017, an estimated 1.6 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed and 600,000 cancer deaths will occur
in our country. Needless to say, each one of us will be faced with cancer directly or indirectly.
My family was hit hard when my wife, Lynne, and all four of our parents were diagnosed with cancer. The challenges of dealing with multiple situations at once were daunting, to say the least. Our faith and the support we received from the American Cancer Society Helpline 800-2272345, as well as doctors, friends and family gave us courage and hope when we needed it the most.
Over the years, Lynne has become increasingly involved with Chandler Relay for Life; first as a survivor and recently as the event lead. Through our involvement, we have both been blessed with meeting inspiring people from all walks of life.
The theme for this year’s event is “A Cure is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” influenced by the Disney song from “Cinderella.” We encourage participants to come dressed as their favorite Disney characters and walk laps in
their costumes. Many activities will revolve around the Disney theme but there also will be other entertainment and various food trucks available.
Chandler firefighters have committed to walking laps in full gear. The Chandler Police Department will organize an obstacle course, and there will be plenty of activities for children. In my opinion, the most touching parts of the night are the survivor laps and the luminarias ceremony. When the sun goes down, we symbolically light up luminarias to shine brightly as a way to honor our loved ones.
Relay for Life is truly a one-of-akind fundraising event that reminds us that we are not alone in the fight against cancer. Come and join us to experience first-hand this movement of solidarity. Basha High School is at 5990 S. Val Vista Drive. For more information on becoming involved, visit relayforlife.org/chandleraz.
–Kevin
Hartke is vice mayor of Chandler.
Sports
Teen throws perfect game in Corona del Sol playoff opener
BY PAUL SCHAUM Tribune Contributor
In a performance for the ages, the pitcher for the Corona del Sol High School girls softball team threw a perfect game in the first round of the Arizona 6A conference playoffs – no walks, no hits and no errors.
Junior Jessica Lynch finished the five-inning contest with 10 strikeouts, but shutting down the opposing team’s offense was not her only accomplishment. She finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run, while driving in five of her team’s 16 runs against the Browne High School Bruins.
“I was focused on the mound and the plate,” Jessica said. “I had a job to get done.”
A perfect game does not come around often, but despite its significance in the minds of those who watched or heard about it, the Tempe teen just considered it another must-win game in a young but storied career.
“Jess has pitched and played in a lot of big games over the years,” her father Don Lynch said. “The team played great and executed as expected. The perfect game was just a bonus.”
Jessica, who also maintains a grade point average around B+, also plays club ball for the AZ Firecrackers – a team that currently has 15 players that have already signed or committed to NCAA
Division I programs.
Firecrackers head coach Jeff Hinkle did not seem fazed by the incredible performance from his star pitcher.
“Not surprised, given what I have seen her do on the brightest stages against the best competition in the country,” Hinkle said about Lynch’s perfect game. “When focused every pitch, kid is hard to hit, much less beat.”
Apparently, this kind of dominance was not an uncommon occurrence for Lynch. At age 10, she finished second out of a pool of over 20,000 girls in the national Pitch-Hit-Run competition in Anaheim, California.
Lynch was so skilled that she committed as a ninth grader to play softball at Arizona State University, despite not having played a single game in high school.
A few years later, a coaching change at ASU created a hiccup in Lynch’s future plans, and she officially de-committed from the program.
Of course, with a player this talented, it didn’t take long for word to get out and coaches to come knocking on her door.
A few short weeks later, Lynch decided to verbally commit to the University of Utah, a perennial powerhouse currently ranked 17th in the country.
“I did verbal to the University of Utah, which has a great program,” Lynch said. “It made me more confident
going into club ball this season knowing that I was representing my new school.”
Lynch will be joining two of her Firecrackers teammates at Utah, and considers Salt Lake City to be a second home. She had been attending camps at the university since she was a little kid, so there is plenty of familiarity.
“Our entire family was so happy for Jess,” Don Lynch said. “Her mom and entire family are originally from Salt Lake City. Jess being in Utah is a perfect fit. It’s already like a second home for her. She has family rooted there, plus we will be at most of her games I’m sure.”
Four East Valley athletes help win wheelchair-rugby championship
BY DAVID M. BROWN Tribune Contributor
Four East Valley men put their four wheels to the floor and their rugby balls over the goal line to help the 360 Phoenix Heat win a national wheelchair rugby tournament.
Joe Jackson of Mesa, Jack Zunich of Tempe and Chandler residents Joe Delagrave and Scott Hogsett joined eight other team members in winning their third U.S. Quad Rugby Association Division I national championship.
The team defeated the Minnesota Steelheads 55−51 at the Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center, 5025 E. Washington St., Phoenix, in an event sponsored by Vantage Mobility International.
Formerly Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL), Ability360 offers and promotes programs for people with disabilities, empowering them to continue or achieve independent lifestyles, explained Gus LaZear, vice president and general manager.
“The tournament was a big moment
for the Valley and our team,” said Hogsett, who began working with the team about 20 years ago. “It’s the first time in 20 years that the national title was contested here in Phoenix.”
Added Jackson, a Chandler native and Hamilton High School graduate: “The annual tournament is the granddaddy of them all in club ball. All teams bring their ‘A’ game.”
Each 90-minute game comprises four eight-minute quarters and a halftime. Goals are scored by carrying the volleyball-size ball over the goal line,
vigorously guarded by defensive players.
To qualify, players must have a limitation in all four limbs.
“We have players at many different levels, but you must have the ability to move the chair to compete,” said Hogsett, who won a gold medal at the Paralympic Games, the Olympics for disabled athletes, which is organized and sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Delagrave has won a bronze.
The USQRA traveling-circuit
(Special to the Tribune)
Jessica Lynch maintains a grade point average around B+ and also plays club ball for the AZ Firecrackers.
schedule begins in October and ends in April with games throughout the country, including San Diego, Florida, Birmingham, Tucson, and in Canada.
To enter the final tournament in Phoenix, 45 teams of the nation’s elitelevel disabled athletes in eight divisions competed in regional and sectional tournaments.
The 360 Phoenix Heat entered as favorites and finished the tournament 5-0 to complete a perfect 32-0 season. This was the team’s third national title in four years.
But, said Hogsett, with a smile, “The hardest thing to do is to win a game you’re supposed to. But, we’ve got a great system and really smart players, and when it comes to a championship game, training and conditioning are the key.
“Their commitment is proven in the way they train,” added Hogsett, who plans to coach more and play less next season. “We practice three days a week during the season. Like with any other sport, you have to work at what you do.”
Each player has met and beat adversity most people cannot understand, the four East Valley men said.
Jackson attended Hamilton from 2003-2007 and was a member of its varsity football team in 2005. During practice that fall, he was paralyzed while preparing for a semifinal game against Mesa’s Westwood High School.
“I was in the hospital for three months learning how to function and continued with outpatient physical therapy and
occupational therapy for six months,” Jackson recalled.
He missed a quarter of his junior year but was able to return for the fourth quarter and graduate with his class in 2007. He is now attending ASU, studying industrial engineering. His parents still live in Chandler.
As a teenager, Hogsett was injured at a party in Idaho.
“I had to learn that there was life after a major accident, just like the other guys on the team,” he said.
The two men met when Hogsett was mentoring new patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. He saw the potential in Jackson, both for acute physical and mental skills to win at the arduous game of wheelchair rugby. Jackson has been playing with the team for nine years.
“Joe is very physical, which is absolutely necessary and he’s also a smart player,” Hogsett said. “You have to play with your brain, too.”
In addition to schooling, Jackson oversees his Joe Jackson Foundation, which provides adaptive sports equipment to young adults and children with spinal cord injuries, 26 and younger, encouraging them to continue to live a healthy, active lifestyle.
“We offer assistance with lessons for scuba diving and lessons for driving modified vehicles as well,” he said. With teammates Delagrave and Ernie Chunn, he is playing this month in Japan as a member of the USA National Team.
Wheelchair rugby is therapeutic and relationship-building while also being high octane and hard hitting.
“You don’t need to play at the highest level,” Hogsett said. “It’s a way to feel normal again, and the league has done that for a lot of these guys.”
“This team is one big family,” Jackson said. “We have each other’s backs on and off the court. We build each other up in the toughest moments and we never give up on each other. We bring out the best in each other.”
For more information, visit usqra.org, ability360.org, joejacksonfoundation or email Jackson at joe@joejacksonfoundation.org.
(Loren Worthington/Special for the Tribune) Scott Hogsett of Chandler poises to catch a bull during a championship rugby match.
Discerning truth, walking the
Reaping what we sow works both good and bad ways
BY LISA JISA Tribune Guest Writer
Where I live in the Midwest, spring has definitely sprung. Tulips and daffodils have pushed up through the dirt in yards everywhere, and apple tree branches are spilling over with pink, white and magenta blossoms. Soon, farmers will begin planting in the fields.
I remember a saying from my childhood that corn around here should be “knee high by the 4th of July.” Still not ready to be picked, but on its way to maturity.
It sounds obvious, but I expect corn to grow in a field that has been planted with corn, just as I would expect carrots to grow in a field planted with carrots. We can’t see what is going on underneath the dirt until the day a plant springs forth. Whatever grows is whatever has been planted. Or to put it another way, you reap what you sow. It might not happen right away, but it will happen eventually, whether good or bad. Some people
might say, “What goes around comes around,” or refer to karma.
But there really is a biblical principle to this idea. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
In Genesis 27, Jacob tricked his brother Esau into handing over his birthright for
he was unfairly accused of attacking his boss’ wife and thrown into prison for it.
Joseph’s good character helped to eventually put him in charge of Egypt, second in command only to the Pharaoh. Joseph reaped what he had sown. (Genesis 39-41)
I was recently looking through a
“ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ”
a bowl of stew. Years later, Jacob’s fatherin-law deceived him by giving him Leah for his wife instead of Rachel (Genesis 29:25). Jacob reaped what he had sown.
In the book of Esther, the evil Haman built gallows to hang the innocent Mordecai, but in the end Haman was the one who was killed on it. Haman reaped what he had sown.
The principle of reaping and sowing works with good things, too. Joseph was an honest and upright man, even though
devotional book called “Strength for the Climb” written by Kristin Armstrong (ex-wife of Lance). She had a very interesting thought on this reaping and sowing principle that gave me a bit of an aha moment.
How often we get in God’s way under the presumption of being helpful and compassionate, but in reality, we are, as she puts it, meddling in “God’s lesson plan for another soul.”
Think about that idea for a minute.
With the intent of being kind, a parent bails out a child time and time again for being tardy with homework, delaying a lesson that will eventually catch up one day when he is late turning in a project for work and loses his job.
Or the person who covers up and makes excuses for an abusive or alcoholic spouse for years, delaying the natural consequences to bad behavior. These rescue-type actions might appear to be helpful, when in reality they are messing with someone reaping what they have sown.
With God’s help and a whopping dose of discernment for each situation, I need to pray for others, then possibly step aside and let them reap what they have sown while I focus on sowing true seeds of kindness, love, forgiveness, faith, etc.
Who’s with me?
2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
– Former Ahwatukee resident Lisa Jisa can be reached at lisa.jisa@gmail.com.
Dayspring Methodist in Tempe marks 50 years of service
There’s a reason that Dayspring United Methodist Church has picked a passage from the Old Testament book of Micah for its anniversary celebration: “Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly.”
As it marks a half-century today, May 7, with a special worship service at 10 a.m., the Tempe church, at 1365 Elliot Road, prides itself on what it calls “a rich tradition of engagement in social justice issues, powerful preaching, emotionally stirring sacred music, and a commitment to children and youth.”
Even the city of Tempe has acknowledged that tradition. It awarded the church a second Martin Luther King Diversity Award earlier this year.
Besides speaking out on issues such as educational funding, health care, prison
reform and income equality, Dayspring’s congregation also has engaged in numerous projects.
Its anniversary announcement calls attention to Dayspring’s “focus on service to benefit everyone, everywhere – from those in the Tempe community through building a new home with Habitat for Humanity, and partnering with local food banks to the people of Tochimizolco, Mexico, through an annual medical/dental clinic to the citizens of world through green/ sustainability projects.”
During its anniversary celebration, current and former pastors will lead a video review of the past half-century featuring several longtime members, a musical “time capsule” and a reception of this year’s confirmation class into membership and communion.
Following the service, a celebration
brunch will take place in the church courtyard.
The church has continued to grow as well. It is in the second year of a threeyear campus-improvement campaign and is finding ways to welcome the surrounding community, including through a community garden and new outdoor volleyball and basketball courts.
With an active ministry that welcomes “people of all sexual orientations and gender identities,” the church’s anniversary announcement also noted its respect for other religions.
A series of sermons titled “What Christians Can Learn from Other Religions” has been supplemented with guest speakers from other religions, a series called “The Jesus Fatwah: Love Your Muslim Neighbor as Yourself” and a five-week class called “Who Is My Neighbor?”
The neighbor series included a person with undocumented immigrant status, a transgender person, a veteran, a Muslim and a person in long-term addiction recovery as speakers.
The congregation also partnered with Refugee Focus to sponsor a newly arrived Muslim family from Syria.
Dayspring is a Reconciling Congregation, which means it welcomes “all people, regardless of age, gender, race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status or ability.”
“We celebrate diversity and embrace it as a gift of God,” it said. “We are an inclusive, nurturing and empowering church made up of purposeful, progressive, thinking Christians who compassionately serve all people.”
Information: dayspring-umc.org, or 480-838-1446.
Tribune Staff Report
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: 480-3933001, tlmchurch.info@gmail.com.
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.
DETAILS>> 4 p.m. at Horizon Presbyterian Church, 1401 E. Liberty Lane. 480-460-1480 or joel@horizonchurch.com.
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: 480-8922700, unityofmesa.org, lori@unityofmesa.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.
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.
MONDAYS
BEYOND BELIEF
Reflections on Jewish faith, reason, and experience. The course will provide the Torah’s perspectives on many of the most important questions that are asked by each one
of us, and that we are sometimes challenged by.
DETAILS>> Mondays, 7:30-9 p.m., May 8 to June 12 at 875 N. McClintock Dr., Chandler. Cost: $99, includes textbook and light refreshments. Information and registration: info@chabadcenter.com or 480-855-4333.
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
WOMEN OF INFLUENCE BIBLE STUDY
Join Valor Christian Center in Gilbert for great fellowship and walk through the word of God with depth.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Tuesdays, 3015 E. Warner Road between Greenfield and Higley. Free. Information: 480545-4321, valorcc.com.
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@gmail.com.
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
FINDING HEALING FOR PAIN
HOPE, an acronym for “Help Overcome Painful Experiences,” offers support for men and women who seek God’s grace and healing.
DETAILS>> 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. mountainpark.org.
UNITY YOGA AT UNITY OF TEMPE
Center in Mind, Body & Spirit at our weekly Unity Yoga classes with Mary Jo “MJ” Kuzmick. Bring your own mat (2 blankets & blocks, if you have them). Suggested love offering: $8 a class.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m., Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-792-1800,
WEDNESDAYS
CELEBRATE RECOVERY MEETS
Celebrate Recovery says it “brings your relationship with the Lord closer to your heart as it heals your hurts, habits and hang-ups.” Participants can discuss issues ranging from feeling left out to addictions. “Nothing is too small or too large.”
DETAILS>> 6:20 p.m. at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee, Preschool, Room 6. mvlutheran.org/celebraterecovery or email cr@ alphamvlc.com.
‘A COURSE IN MIRACLES’
Longtime “A Course in Miracles” student and teacher Rev. Julianne Lewis leads this interactive time of discussion and sharing. This group is appropriate for ACIM beginners as well as experienced ACIM students –and everyone in between.
DETAILS>> 1-2:15 p.m. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. $10 love donation. Information: revj4u@gmail.com.
MEDITATION ON TWIN HEARTS
“Every day you take a shower. Practicing Twin Hearts Meditation is like taking a spiritual shower. When your aura is clean you experience a higher level of awareness. When your aura is clean you see through things more clearly. Even good luck increases.”
DETAILS>> 7:30-9:30 p.m., Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-7921800, unityoftempe.com.
GET-ACQUAINTED COFFEE
East Valley Friends and Neighbors holds a monthly get-acquainted coffee and short general meeting on the first Wednesday of each month. The group supports local charities and has special-interest groups, such as book discussions and card game groups, that meet throughout the month.
DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m. the first Wednesday of each month. Grace United Methodist Church, 2024 E. University Drive, Mesa. Information: 480-828-5146, evfanaz.org or email Tinytubes@cox.net.
FRIDAYS
NEFESHSOUL HOLDS SERVICES
Congregation NefeshSoul holds Shabbat services the third Friday of every month on the campus of the Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation. DETAILS>> 6:15 p.m., 6400 W. Del Rio St., Chandler. Information: nefeshsoul.org.
SERVICE INCLUDES KIDS
Designed for children up to 5 years old and their parents or other adult. Following the service is an Oneg Shabbat, a time for a snack and to meet other families with young children.
DETAILS>> 5:30 p.m. first Fridays, Temple Emanuel, 5801 S. Rural Road. 480-838-1414 or emanueloftempe.org.
SEARCH FOR GOD:
AN EDGAR CAYCE STUDY
If you are interested in knowing more about yourself and how you relate to others and God, please join us as we study this in-depth information given through Edgar Cayce. If you already own any version of the “Search for God” books, please bring them. Books will also be available for purchase at the meetings. There is no charge for this group itself but a love donation will be taken for the church.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-792-1800, unityoftempe.com.
SATURDAYS
WEEKLY SERVICES SCHEDULED
International, nondenominational church offers weekly Sabbath services. Congregational meeting in the morning and Bible study in the afternoon.
DETAILS>> 10:30 a.m.-noon; 1:30-2:45 p.m. at True Jesus Church, 2640 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. 480-899-1488 or tjcphoenix@tjc.org.
ONGOING
JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA
Classes of several levels are available all week, and are free and open to the community.
DETAILS>> 6 and 7:15 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. Tuesdays, 6 and 7:15 p.m. Thursdays, 9 a.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. Saturdays. Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-759-6200 or gbattle@ mountainpark.org.
CHRIST-CENTERED FITNESS CLASSES
Classes of several levels are available all week, and are free and open to the community.
DETAILS>> 6:30 and 9 a.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. Wednesdays and 6:30 a.m. Fridays. Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-759-6200 or gbattle@mountainpark.org.
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AT CHABAD
Reggio-Inspired program where children can develop socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually in a Jewish setting. For preschoolers 12 months to 5 years old, with part-time and half-day options. Before- and after-care hours available.
DETAILS>> Shternie Deitsch at info@chabadcenter. com or call 480-855-4333.
Mother’s Day hangouts to make Mom feel special
By GetOut Staff
We hope you don’t need a special day to tell your mom that you appreciate her. Still, Mother’s Day, which this year falls on May 14, is always a good time to step up your game. Here are some events in the East Valley that might make a good starting place for fun Mother’s Day festivities.
On Saturday, May 13, the i.d.e.a. Museum hosts the Multi-generational Mother’s Day Tea Party. Mothers and grandmothers will enjoy cucumber sandwiches and tea, while kids can decorate a special Mother’s Day mug. The tea party costs $15. Register at ideamuseum.org/classes.html.
For moms with a sweet tooth, the Smitholator Cookie Shop in Mesa hosts a cookie decorating workshop on May 13. Kids can decorate three cookies for Mom and get a complimentary gift box to put them in. The event costs $10. Learn more at facebook.
MARK YOUR
Calendar
Gilbert Downtown Concert Series
Every other Thursday, show up at the Gilbert Water Tower for a free evening concert. On May 11, the band will be the Rhythm Edition Band, which covers classic and modern hits.
DETAILS>> 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, May 11. Gilbert Water Tower Plaza, 45 West Page Ave., Gilbert. Cost: Free. gilbertaz. gov, rhythmeditionband.com.
‘No Time for Sergeants’
When lovable hillbilly Will Stockdale gets drafted into the Army Air Corps (the precursor to the Air Force), he sets his sights instead on serving in the infantry. His journey turns the Air Corps upside down in this hilarious play.
com/SmithOLator or call 480-969-5816.
If your mom enjoys the outdoors or fresh fruit, take her to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek for the annual Peach Festival. Starting Friday, May 12, you can pick ripe peaches, enjoy homemade peach products, take a trip through the orchards and plenty more.
For the first weekend, there will even be a vintage market to explore. Admission is $5, but kids 12 and under are free. Learn more at schnepffarms.com.
Sticking around the Queen Creek area, Queen Creek Olive Mill hosts its annual Mother’s Day brunch on May 14. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., enjoy brunch, take a tour of the olive groves, enjoy complimentary wine tastings, eat chocolate-covered strawberries and listen to live music. Flower arrangements will be available to purchase as well. Entry to the event is free. Learn more at queencreekolivemill.com.
For a Mother’s Day that offers a Western flair, consider Rawhide Western Town’s
DETAILS>> Wednesday-Saturday, May 11-May 13. Hale Centre Theatre, 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert. Tickets: $18-$30. 480-4971181. haletheatrearizona.com.
All Balanchine
Ballet Arizona celebrates the “Father of American Ballet,” George Balanchine through a performance devoted entirely to his works, including “Western Symphony,” “Square Dance” and the athletic “Agon.”
DETAILS>> Times vary, WednesdaySunday, May 11-14. Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second Street, Phoenix. Tickets: $25$159. 602-381-1096. balletaz.org.
Science before Saturday
Explore the art and science of animation and stop-motion movies. Meet local artists and animators and participate in hands-on activities.
Mother’s Day Buffet. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 14, the steakhouse will serve everything from barbecued meats to yummy breakfast food. The buffet costs $23.95 for adults and $9.95 for kids 4-12. You can make reservations at 480-502-5600 or email reso@rawhide. com. Even if you’ve already eaten, Rawhide itself will be free to wander for the day.
An unexpected Mother’s Day option
DETAILS>> 5:30-8 p.m., Friday, May 12. Arizona Museum of Natural History, 53 N. Macdonald, Mesa. Tickets: $9 adult, $5 ages 3-12. 480-644-2230. arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org.
2nd Friday Night Out: Dog Daze
Bring your dog out for a fun-filled evening in downtown Mesa. Enter contests, hear live music, compete for prizes and plenty more.
DETAILS>> 6-10 p.m., Friday, May 12. Main Street between Center and Country Club, Mesa. Cost: Free. 2ndfridaynightout. com.
‘Wonderland: Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure’
Join Alice as she meets odd characters and explores the unusual world of Wonderland to an upbeat rock soundtrack. For ages 6 and up.
comes courtesy of Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa. Its Mother’s Day Musical Lunch takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy an all-youcan-eat pizza buffet and salad bar backed by a concert on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Beer, wine and ice cream are also available. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $10 for kids. You will need to purchase them online at organstoppizza.com/news/.
DETAILS>> Times vary, May 12-May 21. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Tickets: $12$26. 480-350-2822. childsplayaz.org/ wonderland.
Peach Festival
Pick fresh peaches, enjoy homemade peach products and food – including a peach pancake breakfast – and drop by the “Just Peachy” vintage market. There will also be live music, rides, games and more.
DETAILS>> 9 a.m.-4 p.m., FridaySunday, May 12-14. Schnepf Farms, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. Tickets: $5 adults, Free for ages 12 and under. schnepffarms.com.
Music of John Williams
Hear live renditions of the music
‘Literally’ Alone: Actor Rob Lowe debuts one-man show
CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Contributing Writer
Actor Rob Lowe will conduct an “experiment,” as he likes to say. On Friday, May 12, the “Parks and Recreation” veteran will debut his one-man show, “Rob Lowe: Stories I Only Tell My Friends,” at the Mesa Arts Center. If he has fun, it could become an ongoing project.
“I think if I enjoy it as much as I think I’m going to, it will probably be a tour,” said Lowe, calling from Los Angeles. “Right now, it’s one night only; the true definition of one night only.”
The actor, whose latest movie, “How to Be a Latin Lover,” opened on April 28, has never done anything like this.
“I’ve done a bunch of speaking engagements across the country, which put me in the mindset to do it,” Lowe said. “The two books that I wrote continue to have such an impact that it gave me the idea for this evening. I’m very excited about it and I’m working very, very hard on it.”
The Mesa Arts Center was a logical choice.
“It was a number of things,” he said. “I had heard that the arts center was unbelievably beautiful. It has great acoustics and a great place to perform. The other was I wanted to go to a place where I hadn’t spent a lot of time; someplace where (fans) weren’t used to seeing me. I wanted to go somewhere fun, where I could spend a weekend. And somewhere that wasn’t too far from Los Angeles. All of those things brought me to
IF YOU GO
Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St Mesa
When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 12
Cost: $30-$165
More info: 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com
CALENDAR
from page 24
that defined a generation of movie soundtracks, including excerpts from “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “Jaws,” “Schindler’s List,” “E.T.,” “Harry Potter” and more.
DETAILS>> Times vary, Friday-Sunday, May 12-14. Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams St., Phoenix. Tickets: $45-$90. phoenixsymphony.org.
Mesa.”
Lowe is intrigued by the vulnerability that comes with standing on the stage alone, in the dark, in front of thousands of fans. The last time he was on stage was six years ago in London’s West End when he did “A Few Good Men” with Aaron Sorkin.
“I like to think of it as creating a time machine where time stands still for that 90 minutes and you have a communal moment that’s believably intimate together,” he said. “Everything else in your life fades away in that moment. I love being able to conjure that.”
Lowe is a self-described “political junkie” and he’s been particularly interested in the events of the last year.
“It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” he said. “It makes ‘The West Wing,’ ‘House of Cards’ or ‘Scandal’ look uninspiring. I find it honestly to be a microcosm of everything in our world.
“Winning an Oscar used to mean one thing. Now it means something different. I watched the show ‘Feud’ about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The majesty and scope and seriousness with which the Oscars was beheld, there’s no resemblance. The same is true with our elective process. Everything is debased and crazy.”
Lowe’s acting career is No. 1. When he’s approached by fans, he never knows which one of his many rules resonates with them. That is exciting to Lowe, who made his mark early in his career as Sodapop Curtis in “The Outsiders.”
“As my ‘Parks and Recreation’ character, Chris Traeger, would say, I see fans ‘literally’ of any age,” he said with a laugh. “She could be an 8-year-old who saw ‘Monster Trucks’ in the theater, or an 80-year-old who loves ‘The West Wing.’ I never know what project anyone is going to want to talk about. I really am proud of that. There are plenty of (entertainers) who have one or two big ones. I have such a diverse body of work. That’s the fun of the evening, too. When
Paisley Pumpkin Street Fair
Stroll around SanTan Village and browse dozens of local vendors selling handmade goods. Kids can take advantage of the SanTan Village Kids Play Area.
DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, May 13. SanTan Village, 2218 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert. Cost: Free. thepaisleypumpkin.com.
The World Is Ours
Join the Phoenix Children’s Chorus as
I open it up to questions, it’s always an adventure.”
That sounds nerve-wracking, but he said that’s the “fun of it.”
“What keeps anybody relevant and sharp is continuing to put yourself in situations out of your comfort zone,” he said. “The
they sing music from around the world, including “What a Wonderful World,” “Fa Shu Ha” from Taiwan, “Canto de Pilon” from Venezuela and much more.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., Saturday, May 13. Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main St., Mesa. Tickets: $11-$20. 480-644-6500. mesaartscenter.com.
Rock, Roll & Remember
Travel to the past as the Tempe Community Chorus presents a tribute
adrenaline is pumping. Anything that’s done over and over can be routine. This is one of the areas that I have not had any experience in. I have tons of experience on the stage, but this one-man show genre is really new to me. It’s a fun challenge that I always wanted.”
performance to Dick Clark and American Bandstand. Rock out to classics like “Blue Moon” and “I’m a Believer.”
DETAILS>> 4 p.m., Sunday, May 14. Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main St., Mesa. Tickets: $15 adult, Free ages 11 and under. 480-644-6500. mesaartscenter.com.
– JUSTIN FERRIS, PHOENIX.ORG Get more ideas for fun things to do in the East Valley – and beyond – at Phoenix. org.
(Special to the Tribune)
Rob Lowe came to prominence in the 1980s, playing teen and young adult roles in films such as “The Outsiders,” “Oxford Blues” and “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
Chimichurri sauce adds sizzle to steak
BY JAN D’ATRI
Tribune Contributor
Here in Arizona, many of us don’t let high temperatures stop us from cooking outdoors.
Still, this is absolutely the perfect time for backyard grilling, and I’ve got just the
recipe for you! Steak with chimichurri sauce combines a flavorful cut of meat with a blender full of fresh, bright Southwestern ingredients! So, go get your grill on and have a happy spring!
Watch how-to video for steak and chimichurri sauce here: jandatri.com/recipes/ one-minute-kitchen.
STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
For the steak:
3-4 lb. skirt steak, flank steak, hanger steak or beef flanken style short ribs
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Prepare chimichurri sauce and refrigerate. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes right before ready to serve. Oil and salt and pepper both sides of steak. In a hot skillet, grill or grill pan, sear steak on both sides and then cook until desired doneness.
Chimichurri sauce
(Makes about 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients:
1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor (except vinegar and oil) and pulse until roughly chopped.
Add vinegar and oil and pulse until combined.
Thin with a little water if necessary. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature. (Can be made one day ahead)
Chandler Children’s Choir founder looks beyond the East Valley
BY JUSTIN FERRIS GetOut Editor
For Aimee Stewart, founder of the Chandler Children’s Choir, music has always been a major part of her life.
“I come from a very musical family and a lot of solo performers,” the Chandler resident says.
Growing up, she studied both violin and voice. In addition to solo work, she also sang in a number of choirs around the country, including the Phoenix Symphony Chorus.
She’s such a fan of choirs, in fact, that when people approached her about private voice lessons for their kids, she would suggest they join a local children’s choir. After moving to Chandler 10 years ago, however, that advice fell through.
“People said, ‘There isn’t one nearby,’” she recalls. “But then they would ask, ‘Why don’t you start one?’”
So, in 2008, with just 27 singers, Stewart and her husband founded the Chandler Children’s Choir.
“I love teaching groups and love teaching children. And I love choral music too,” she says. “Directing a children’s choir was a combination of all the passions I had.”
Nine years later, the Chandler Children’s Choir boasts more than 140 auditioned singers who range in age from 7 to 18. Participants come from Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Ahwatukee, Tempe, and a few as far away as Maricopa and Phoenix.
That number also includes three of Stewart’s four children, all of whom –unsurprisingly – sing and play instruments. This is actually the first concert for her youngest, and she admits he has a little stage fright. Asked what her kids think of being in a choir conducted by their mom, she responds jokingly, “I think they’re proud their mom is the one in charge bossing everyone around.”
The choir performs four major concerts during its August-May season, as well as
special events, festivals, honor choirs and other opportunities. There are also regular tours around the state and country.
The choir’s final concert of its ninth season takes place at Chandler Center for the Arts on Saturday, May 13. The theme is “Fields of Gold” and focuses heavily on Americana, spirituals and spring. Expect to hear familiar works like “Simple Gifts,” “America the Beautiful,” “Here Comes the Sun,” and “Homeland,” along with lesserknown works like “Stand Upon the Rock,”
and the titular “Fields of Gold.”
Accompanying the choir on several pieces – and performing a few solo works – will be classical guitarist Erik Sloyka.
“It doesn’t get more Americana than an acoustic guitar,” Stewart observes.
“I think it’s really going to be a beautiful concert and something different,” she says. “I think it’s going to lower [the audience’s] blood pressure and give them a relaxing night of music.”
After the concert, Stewart’s plate only gets fuller. In addition to planning the choir’s milestone 10th season, she was recently elected president of the Arizona chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association. According to its website, the ACDA represents more than 1 million singers across the country.
Stewart’s goal as president will be to “grow our successful programs, support and expand our membership, and reach out to underserved areas.” In that mission, she feels like Arizona is a good place to be.
“People take their choral arts seriously here,” she says, “and I love it!”
IF YOU GO...
Where: Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler When: 7 p.m., Saturday, May 13 Cost: $18
More info: 480-782-2680, chandlercenter.org, chandlerchildrenschoir.org
Nothing Bundt Cakes whipping up delights for Gilbert, Mesa
BY SRIANTHI PERERA Tribune Staff Writer
Jan Newton wasn’t a “cake person” until she tried a piece of lemon-flavored Nothing Bundt Cake at a party.
“I was obsessed, and I kept thinking about it … but that was the greatest cake I’ve ever had,” said Newton, who researched the franchise and subsequently became the owner of the cake store’s newest outlet in the Valley, in Gilbert.
Nothing Bundt Cakes features signature thick frosting petals on bundt cakes that come in 8- or 10-inch sizes, tiered or towered, and in smaller Bundtlets and even smaller Bundtini versions. The franchise originated in Las Vegas in 1997, when Debbie Shwetz and Dena Tripp wanted “simply to please their family and friends,” according to its website. Today, there are more than 200 stores across the country.
Newton’s store will primarily serve customers in north Gilbert and Mesa.
The Anthem resident will soon move to a condo in east Mesa, which will be a few minutes away from it.
Business has been “great,” Newton said. Online orders are rolling in and delivery requests are also growing.
“I’m really thrilled people are realizing that we do deliver to areas within our territories,” she said.
Although Newton has a team of 17 staffers, she prefers to deliver the sweet treats herself in her colorful “Bundtmobile.”
“I think it’s important for me to be the face of Nothing Bundt Cakes in the community and for people to know me, that I’m offering the best service that I can. It’s just part of who I am,” she said.
The level of personalized service hasn’t
been lost on her customers: The store received 100 percent for customer service in a recent survey.
The majority of her shoppers are working women ages 30-60, she noted, although men are increasingly coming through the doors.
Newton’s two bakers begin work at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. and bake all day long to create the nine flavors and the flavor of the month. She’s noticed that Pecan Praline flies off the shelves, while glutenfree varieties are requested often as well.
The cake book provides details of how the cakes may be decorated and presented – there are 45 decorations to choose from.
Newton and her store manager, Shawn Strunk – he’s one of the few male managers in the franchise – spent a month undergoing training in Dallas.
She described it as “intense.”
“We started off as dishwashers and we
worked every single position in the bakery for a month. It was fantastic, we learned a lot,” she said. “They wanted us to know what it was like to be a dishwasher and to experience their experience.”
Newton graduated in broadcast journalism at University of Arizona and used to be a radio broadcaster in Salt Lake City. Although she misses the energy of broadcast journalism, Newton may not return to her early career. She feels the bakery is her last call.
“It sounds hokey to say this, but when you take a cake to a person, you get a big grin. It’s really true,” she said. “Our slogan here is ‘we make the world a sweeter place,’ and I really believe it.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes is at 2285 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Gilbert. Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Details: 480-892-1667 or nothingbundtcakes.com/ bakery/az/gilbert.
(Special to the Tribune
Founder Aimee Stewart conducts the Chandler Children’s Choir in their winter concert.
‘No Time for Sergeants’ brings tomfoolery to the Hale stage
BY DON ANDREWS Tribune Contributor
“No Time for Sergeants” brings laughs and nostalgia to Hale Centre Theatre. Regarded as the funniest comedy written about the U.S. Armed Forces, “Sergeants” is a comedy for and about the military men and women who served our nation in World War II.
The story revolves around Will Stockdale, a young naive country boy who is drafted into the U.S Air Force. Taken by his fellow draftees as a bumpkin and a hillbilly, Will is quick to make friends as well as enemies with his gullible charm.
Stockdale befriends fellow enlistee Ben Whitledge, who dreams of not serving in the Air Force, but transferring to the Army Infantry. Together, they turn the Air Force upside down with their assorted antics in an effort to be transferred. Their high jinks don’t escape the notice of their barracks sergeant, Orville King. Sgt. King is a career military man, who likes to keep his head down so as not to attract undue attention from the brass.
That’s an impossible task, however, with
Stockdale and Whitledge around. Their tomfoolery leads up to a prank so crazy and daring that it could jeopardize every one of their careers.
Josh Hunt plays the role of the clueless Will Stockdale in Hale’s production. Hunt is a six-time ariZoni Award nominee, most recently for his performance in “Heaven
Can Wait” at Hale Theatre. Eric Mitchell has the role of Ben Whitledge, while Raymond Barcelo portrays the long-suffering Sgt. King. Stage veteran Tom Endicott has a dual role as Will’s father as well as appearing as General Bush. This is Endicott’s sixth show at the Hale, most recently in “Arsenic and Old Lace.”
Sergeants is directed by M. Seth Reines, who last staged Mark Twain’s hilarious comedy “Is He Dead?” as well as the tragic “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Hale, for which he won an ariZoni Award.
“No Time for Sergeants” is based on the book of the same title by Mac Hyman, who documented much of the action on his experiences in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Ira Levin later adapted the book into a play for both television and the stage. “Sergeants” became tremendously successful on Broadway, running for 796 performances.
“No Time for Sergeants” plays through Saturday, May 13. Tickets are $18 for children, $22 for students and $30 for adults. The theater is at 50 W Page Avenue in Gilbert’s Heritage District. Information: 480-497-1181 or haletheatrearizona.com.
Special Discounts
• $500 off the monthly fee for up to 6 months
• Rates frozen for members through 2018 (Total savings of up to $8,000.)
For a limited time, the first residents to join our Savanna House assisted living and memory care community will be eligible for valuable discounts!*
Extra Membership Privileges
• Complimentary upgrades, VIP gatherings and more!
*Limited-time offer and restrictions apply; contact Savanna House for full details.
Savanna House features private residences along with respectful assistance with daily living and specialized memory care for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
(Special to the Tribune)
Josh Hunt and Eric Mitchell, as Will Stockdale and Ben Whitledge, hang from their parachutes during “No Time For Sergeants.”
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
Mountain View Funeral Home understands the concept of family: since 1951, the Coury family have been operating the family funeral home under the guiding philosophy of being of service to members of the community in their time of need. Now managed by the Second and third generation of Coury’s, Mountain View Funeral Home is a Mesa, AZ tradition with professionally trained and licensed staff members all with the stated goal of ensuring your loved one receives the dignified memorial service that they deserve.
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
Family Funeral - Comfort From Trust
service, the differences between cremation and interment, and provide you with a wealth of additional options including beautiful touches such as a release of white doves after the service.
Your Personal Concierge
When a loved one passes from the mortal coil, you can feel overwhelmed with details, so another benefit that family funeral homes can offer is access to a concierge to help with everything from florists, hotels, restaurants and even car services. Our professional staff is available to assist with any special needs six days per week.
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.
We believe our work is a “mission of service” and it’s a privilege to help a family during the most difficult time in their life.
May
ing Services at 8211
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b e a c c e pt e d a t t h i s t i m e .
C A T E L L U S A Z
C O N S T R U C T I O N
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E R " ) r e s e r v e s t h e
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i e s i n b i
d i n g T h e O W N E R reserves the right to a w a r d t h e c o n t r a c t f o r c o n
r u c t i o n based on the evaluation criteria as outlined in the RFQ No b i d m a y b e w i t hdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after p u b l i c o p e n i n g o f b i d s
Please notify Kelly J B e l l , P E o f S t a n t e c Consulting Services, Inc at 602 707 4642 o r k e l l y b e l l 2 @ s t a n t e c c o m regarding any questions
Published: East Valley Tribune, April 30, May 7, 2017 / 5648
Meetings/Events
SENIOR SONGBIRDS LOOKING FOR MALE AND FEMALE SINGERS
Life Events
Obituaries
GANGEY, Douglas Wayne,
Douglas Wayne Gangey, 82, Passed away on March 14, 2017 in Mesa, Arizona Arrangements being handled by Horizon Funeral Care in Mesa, Arizona Survived by Son, Stephen and Daughter, Cheryl Memorial Services to be held in North Carolina
Please Sign the Guestbook at: eastvalleytribune com
BARTOLUCCI, Albert "Al"
80, was called home by his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on April 30, 2017 Al was born on April 9, 1937, in Buffalo, New York Self-employed most of his life, he was the owner-operator of Raindrop Pool Service in Chandler He married Patricia "Pat" Bartolucci on May 27, 1961 and they had a son, Tony, in 1963 In 1974 he moved the family to Arizona from Buffalo
He was unique in the finest sense of the word Al had a tremendous and often quirky sense of humor; a kid at heart in a grown man's body He was a gentle peacemaker (Matthew 5:9) who went out of his way to help others, telling them that his kindness was due to his love for Jesus Christ who transformed his life in 1980
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Patricia, their son, Tony, daughterin-law, Lois, and his sister Janet Mazurek He joins his beloved granddaughter, Giana Marie Bartolucci, who entered the presence of Jesus at age 14 less than one year ago
A memorial service with reception following was held Thursday evening, May 4, at 7:00 pm at Antioch Community Church, 1125 N Dobson Rd Chandler, Arizona 85224 In leu of flowers, donations may be made to Gideon's International (www gideons org) or to the Giana Bartolucci Memorial Fund, c/o Clarkson Community Church 8339 W Ridge Rd Brockp o r t , N Y 1 4 4 2 0 (
Please sign the guestbook at eastvalleytribune.com
LARSEN, Bruce
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
Bruce Larsen, formerly of Council Bluffs passed away on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 in Dallas, Texas
Steve Larsen Most of Bruce’s working
Underwood
School in
was
contractor building homes in the Co uncil Bluffs, Iowa area He and Lois, known to many as “Corky” moved to the Phoenix area where they enjoyed an active retirement for many years, and later moved to Dallas, Texas
Bruce is survived by his wife, Lois, son Steve Larsen of Dallas, Texas, his beloved granddaughters, Andrea Larsen and Erika Larsen, sisters Doris Reed, St Joseph, Missouri, Carol Goodsell and Elaine Charleson, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and brother Larry Larsen, Urbandale, Iowa
He was preceded in de ath by his son Dennis Larsen, parents Lawrence and Lorene, and sisters Lois Clark and Mary Ann Christiansen At his request there will be no services
Please
Life Events
Obituaries
DAVIDHEISER, Edith Mae
80, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away on May 1, 2017 She was born in Fremont, Ohio on May 12, 1936 to Gerald and Marcella (Schrien) Widman
to Joseph Davidheiser Edith had a passion for sewing, gardening, animals and babies She is survived by her children, Donald (Linda) Rusch, Deborah Rusch and Kenneth (Nancy) Rusch; grandchildren, Austin Rusch,
Erica Erb, and Tiffany Hunt; siblings, Barbara Felder, Bert Widman, Frank
Haycock; great-grandchildren, Arika, Alaina, Aria, Justin, Jenna and Kayden Arrangements were entrusted to Melcher Mortuary Mission Chapel, 480-832-3500
Please Sign the Guestbook at eastvalleytribune.com
MESA, ARIZONA 85201 The owner will receive Bids for the bathroom renovation project This project is federally funded through C
standards, Davis-Bacon prevailing wages, and Equal Employment Opportunity regulations apply of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1 9 6
Sealed Bids will be received until 12:00 PM (noon) Arizona Time, on Thursday, June 1, 2017, at A New Leaf, 868 E University Drive, Mesa, Arizona 85203 Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 12:05 PM on Thursday, June 1, 2017, at A New Leaf conference room, 868 E University Drive, Mesa Arizona 85203 Bidding documents, including specifications to the proposed work and instructions to Bidders may be obtained at Perkinson Reprographics, Inc , 2330 W Broadway Road, Suite 103, Mesa, Arizona 85202, Tel: (480) 553-5477 / Fax: (480) 237-0907 or online at www priplans com under the "public jobs" link, starting Monday, May 1, 2017 All bids must be on a lump-sum basis A schedule of values will be provided by the Contractor at the time of contract A New Leaf, Inc , reserves the right to reject any and all bids A Mandatory PreBid Conference will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, May 22, 2017, at the project site, East Valley Men’s Center, 2345 N Country Club Drive, M e s a , A
available to answer questions Bidders are required to attend Unless provided in writing, verbal authorizations or acknowledgments by anyone present will not be binding
Published: East Valley Tribune, April 30, 2017 and May 7, 2017 / 55334
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May Is Better Hearing Month!
It’s time to make sure annual hearing screenings are just as much a norm as dental check-ups and vision screenings
About 20 percent of adults in the United States — an estimated 48 million — report some degree of hearing loss. How many more haven’t reported any loss or don’t know what they can’t hear?
We’re here to provide diagnostics and hearing health treatment for all patients especially those age 55 and older. Call to make an appointment for your
