Gilbert Sun News - 04.25.2021

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Sunday, April 25, 2021

INSIDE

Gilbert budget proposal provokes council debate

LAST DAYS TO VOTE!

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

This Week

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES! Visit GilbertSunNews.com to vote.

NEWS................................ 4 Coyotes enshrine Gilbert cancer victim, 9.

G

ilbert is looking at a proposed $988-million spending plan that includes 46 new hires for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.

The proposed positions, which include 19 positions for police, eight for fire and six for parks, would cost taxpayers $6.2 million.

“The largest ongoing increases are the FTEs,” said Councilwoman Amy Yentes, a proponent of limited government, at last

Tuesday’s study session. “We lost 330,000 jobs in Arizona during COVID. Last year we hired 80 employees or so as budgeted.”

FTE is an acronym for “full-time equivalent.”

Yentes said she personally felt the staffing increase to be a bit “insensitive” when the private sector has still not fully recovered.

“We should be sharing the pain and not exceed the growth in the private sector,” she said. “We’re sending the wrong message. I think it looks bad.”

Arizona’s jobless rate dropped two-

Lawsuit rips Gilbert Police treatment of female officers

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

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tenths of a point in March, to 6.7 percent, as the state continues to recover from the COVID-19 economic slump. Figures from the state Office of Economic Opportunity show the private sector added 15,100 jobs between February and March. But that still leaves employment in non-government jobs nearly 65,000 below where it was a year earlier.

Yentes said she was not prepared to recommend which new positions needed to be

Masking debate

see BUDGET page 10

Gilbert Public Schools’ mask mandate was the subject of a special board meeting Thursday in the wake of the governor’s recision of his mask order. For details, see page 7.

(Pablo Robles/GSN Staff Photographer)

former Gilbert police commander painted a toxic working environment for women in her lawsuit for wrongful termination.

Carrie Candler claimed she was fired after she complained of discrimination and unfair treatment against her.

Her ongoing suit, filed in October, names the Town of Gilbert, the Police Department, Police Chief Michael Soelberg and former Assistant Police Chief Randy Brice. Brice is now the police chief for Queen Creek.

see CANDLER page 6

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

An edition of the East Valley Tribune Gilbert Sun News is published every Sunday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Gilbert.

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The content of any advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Gilbert Sun News assumes no responsibility for the claims of any advertisement. © 2021 Strickbine Publishing, Inc.

NEWS

CUSD ripped for Casteel retirement party

BY KEVIN REAGAN GSN Staff Writer

T

he Chandler Unified School District is planning a big celebration to mark the retirement of Superintendent Camille Casteel and some people think the timing isn’t right for a massive gathering.

Even though the district determined it was not safe for high school students to have a senior prom this year, CUSD felt the pandemic won’t interfere with plans to commemorate Casteel’s 50-year career in Chandler.

Not long after CUSD announced its plan to host a retirement party on April 29 on Chandler High School’s football field, parents quickly responded with criticisms over the district’s choice to hold a big event while canceling other end-of-year celebrations.

“As the mom of a senior, I am disheartened by the inequity and hypocrisy of this celebration in light of all the limitations and cancellations bestowed upon the Class of 2021,” one CUSD parent wrote online.

Another parent felt the retirement party was “a very selfish move on the school district’s part” and exhibited major “tone deafness” to the pandemic’s circumstances.

The criticism attacked CUSD for cre-

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ating the appearance it was favoring Casteel’s retirement over graduating seniors, whose traditional ceremony will be limited as far as spectators are concerned.

CUSD is allowing each senior to invite no more than two guests to the ceremony. Other friends and family will have to watch online.

Debra Georgvich, another CUSD parent, believes the strict quotas given to graduation ceremonies insult students, especially because Casteel’s retirement party is a public event.

“Why aren’t high school graduation students given the same respect as Dr. Casteel,” Georgvich asked. “It’s because kids, right now, aren’t being put first.”

Shortly after announcing Casteel’s retirement reception, CUSD released another statement to clarify its intentions with hosting an in-person, public event during a pandemic.

“The outdoor come-and-go event scheduled in Dr. Casteel’s honor was intentionally designed to follow the COVID mitigation strategies currently in place for CUSD gatherings,” the district wrote.

The district will monitor attendance levels at the reception and guests will be expected to RSVP before the event.

Guests will also have to wear masks and socially distance.

CUSD intends to have volunteers on

the football field to manage the movement of guests during the event.

“As we near the end of 2021 and recognize the accomplishments of students and staff, the best practices for COVID mitigation will remain a priority,” the district’s statement reads. “High schools are hopeful they can increase the number of invitees to graduation as COVID-19 cases decline.”

As of April 19, CUSD only had 18 active cases of COVID-19 out of its 49,500 students and staff.

Georgvich said the pandemic has interrupted other events impacting all of the district’s students -- not just the seniors.

She has a child in eighth grade who won’t get to celebrate the end of junior high with a promotion ceremony.

The district’s priorities don’t seem to make much sense, Georgvich said, since they seem to bend their rules for certain activities and events.

The mother said she doesn’t object to Casteel getting a public celebration to mark her retirement, but the timing doesn’t seem right.

“I think Dr. Casteel deserves this wonderful milestone event,” Georgvich said.

“She’s an outstanding leader who I admire deeply. But the kids of this district deserve their milestones, too.”

dia Group’s founder and president.

“Jason Joseph, current publisher, will be exiting as a planned result of the deal.”

Times Media Group also operates several community news websites in the Valley, including EastValley.com, WestValleyView.com, themesatribune. com, Phoenix.org, Scottsdale.org, , gilbertsunnews.com, Ahwatukee.com, ChandlerNews.com, santansun.com and others with a cumulative monthly unique visitor count in the Valley of more than 500,000. The company said its online audience numbers are also supported by its most recent independent audit by AMA.

At a time when many newspaper-centric media companies are curtailing circulation and managing declining operations, Times Media Group has famously continued to expand its reach and footprint, mostly through the acquisition of other similar media groups.

“We are always interested in expanding our portfolio of publications and news websites that have at their center, a mission of providing the news to the community,” Strickbine said. “The publications we are acquiring from Tucson Local Media have that in common along with long-standing loyal readership audiences.”

see RETIRE page 9

Times Media Group again expands with Tucson acquisition GSN NEWS STAFF

T

imes Media Group, a Valley-based company with community weekly newspapers and websites throughout Arizona and California, announced today that it has acquired Tucson Local Media.

Tucson Local Media is the publisher of the Tucson Explorer, Tucson Weekly, Marana News, Foothills News, Desert Times and Inside Tucson Business. The deal will be effective April 30, 2021.

“Our plan is to continue publishing all publications in the portfolio, and to do so with all of the current staff members,” said Steve Strickbine, Times Me-

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NEWS

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Coyotes induct late Gilbert girl into Ring of Honor

BY ZACH ALVIRA GSN Sports Editor

L

eighton Accardo’s legacy, one built on positively impacting the lives of everyone she came into contact with, will live in the hearts of Arizona hockey fans and the Coyotes organization.

In a special ceremony April 17, the 9-year-old Gilbert girl became the first non-player, coach, general manager or broadcaster inducted into an NHL team’s Ring of Honor. Her name, along with her patented No. 49 Coyotes jersey, will now hang above the ice inside Gila River Arena.

On Nov. 24, 2020, Leighton lost her battle to cancer.

Leighton’s 18-month long battle became familiar to Valley sports over the course of that battle. A hockey fan and player growing, Leighton captured the hearts of the Coyotes’ front office and its players in 2019 when the team signed her to a one-day contract.

She joined team Captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson at center ice on Nov. 16, 2019, for the ceremonial puck drop, where she faced off against Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames.

The Coyotes have worn “LA49” decals on their helmets all season long in honor of Leighton, and when the opportunity came to induct her into the team’s Ring of Honor, the team jumped on it immediately.

The ceremony triggered a variety of emotions for all involved as Arizona’s professional hockey team paid tribute to the little girl who meant so much to its players.

“For me, when I saw she sadly passed, the reaction from our players, our coaches, the youth hockey community, it was obvious she touched this community and organization in a very different way,” said Xavier Gutierrez, Coyotes president and CEO. “When we saw that it began with the question, ‘how do we honor her, honor her family and honor her spirit?’

“That’s when the conversations around this is the only answer that we

Leighton Accardo, a 9-year-old Gilbert girl who lost her 18-month battle to cancer in November, became the first non-player, coach, general manager or broadcaster inducted into the Arizona Coyotes Ring of Honor on Saturday, April 17 at Gila River Arena. (Courtesy Norm Hall) can truly try to capture physically rather than the emotions we all have.”

Coyotes players wore special white and pink warm-up jerseys ahead of the Ring of Honor ceremony Saturday.

Each jersey was numbered 49 with “Leighton” written on the back and a cancer ribbon on the front.

The team hosted the ceremony ahead of its game against the St. Louis Blues and posted a tribute to Leighton on social media. On Friday, April 16, just one day before the ceremony was schedule to take place, Leighton’s mother, Carly Accardo, expressed her gratitude to the Coyotes organization.

“It’s an incredible honor,” Carly said.

“But it doesn’t shock me they went to this length. It speaks to how amazing they’ve been throughout this entire journey and this entire process. I knew they were going to do something special, and we were speechless when we first heard.

“We are incredibly grateful, but it doesn’t come as a surprise because they’ve been fantastic.”

Leighton’s battle with cancer was well documented due to the impact she made throughout her fight.

She fell in love with sports from an

early age and never shied away from competing with her brothers or other boys on youth teams. She played on a boys’ baseball team in Gilbert before her and her parents helped create the Peaches, East Valley Baseball’s first allgirls team. Since then, the league has established 12 girls’ teams in total, a nod to the work Leighton did despite her young age.

But baseball wasn’t the only sport of choice for Leighton. Carly said she was figure skating when she began watching her older brother, Larson play hockey. Wanting to try it for herself, Carly reluctantly gave Leighton her brother’s equipment to try on and skate around.

“I said, ‘you have to try it in his gear because I’m not buying this stuff if you don’t like it,’” Carly recalled. “She loved it. She always had a blast when she was on the ice. She was a natural skater and she liked being out there with her brother and her friends. She took to it and loved it.”

Leighton joined the Arizona Kachinas, a girls youth hockey program created by the Coyotes. It was there her relationship with the team began to blossom. Players frequently visited

her in the hospital and on the day of her passing played a game of street hockey outside of her Gilbert home.

Lyndsey Fry, the director of external engagement and female hockey for the Coyotes, had initially planned to roller blade 96 miles to raise money for the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

But when Leighton died, she rebranded the event to “Skatin’ for Leighton.”

Fry raised more than $100,000 for the Leighton Accardo Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to girls interested in playing hockey in Arizona, during her 96-mile skate.

“It makes me really happy and makes me smile knowing kids coming into the game 10, 15 years down the road that don’t know us are going to hear about Leighton and are going to learn about her,” Carly said, fighting back tears. “That means so much to me, as her mom, because our fear of her being forgotten kind of eases a little bit knowing kids 10 to 15 years down the road will know her name.”

The loss of Leighton still weighs heavy on Carly and the rest of her family. Leighton’s siblings still have moments where their emotions overcome them. Carly said her and her husband, Jeremy, also experience moments of sadness.

But at the same time, Carly can’t help but be proud of all Leighton accomplished and the impact she had on the lives of many while going through her own battle before she passed. Leighton’s inspirational journey will allow her spirit and mission live on not only in the Arizona Coyotes organization, but in the hearts of hockey and Arizona sports fans forever.

“It makes me really proud to know she was capable of these sorts of things and bringing these people together and just being so positive and uplifting to so many people,” Carly said. “These are the sorts of qualities parents hope and try to work with our kids on.

“Leighton came by all of those so naturally. It makes me really proud.

She would be really proud of herself.”

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

NEWS

Chandler tutor indicted for hiding seamy past GSN NEWS STAFF

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Chandler man, who has been arrested up to 10 times in other states for inappropriately touching children, has been indicted by a state grand jury for trying to fraudulently conceal his history of transgressions.

Brett James Smith, 38, became the subject of an investigation last year after he attempted to legally change his name in Maricopa County Superior Court and find work as a tutor around the East Valley.

Smith, who has used several aliases, advertised his services online and quickly found some clients in the Chandler area.

But his past soon came back to haunt him once parents started digging into Smith’s criminal history and sounding the alarm to local authorities.

Nine months after a group of parents in Chandler discovered Smith’s sketchy past, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has obtained an indictment that

Brett James Smith charges Smith with 15 counts of fraud and forgery.

Smith is accused of purposefully omitting or falsifying several facts about his past when he attempted to change his name.

Public records show Smith has been arrested at least 10 times in Indiana be-

tween 2002 and 2015 for various crimes involving children. He has been convicted at least three times for misdemeanor offenses and spent some time in jail.

The offenses typically involved Smith sliding his hand under a child’s shirt and rubbing their back. Smith was additionally accused of creating fake identity badges and teaching certificates.

Smith eventually relocated to Arizona and attempted to restart his teaching career by obtaining a fingerprint clearance card, which would have allowed him to work in the state’s public schools.

As Smith was awaiting a decision from the Arizona Fingerprinting Board, the state’s law enforcement agencies intervened by filing a lengthy complaint detailing Smith’s prior arrests in Indiana.

Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Heston Silbert told the board it would have been a mistake to clear Smith for teaching in the state’s schools due to the applicant’s pattern of troubling behavior.

“Smith has engaged in a prolonged

series of inappropriate acts against children — even twice violating his probation conditions,” Silbert wrote in his complaint.

According to Silbert’s complaint, local authorities were first tipped off about Smith in 2018 after some Chandler residents reported his suspicious behavior.

One mother told Chandler Police she discovered Smith’s tutoring ads appeared to publicize false information about his work history.

The Chandler Chamber of Commerce informed local police something seemed “not right” about Smith when he interacted with the Chamber’s staff. He allegedly seemed “pushy” about having the Chamber introduce Smith to local businesses and school administrators.

Chandler Unified School District officials additionally told authorities Smith had asked for permission to place flyers advertising his tutoring service in the backpacks of the district’s students.

see TUTOR page 13

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NEWS

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

CANDLER from page 1

“The Town unequivocally denies Ms. Candler’s allegations of wrongdoing in the lawsuit. Ms. Candler was treated consistent with the law in every respect, and the litigation process will reveal that her claims are meritless,” according to a statement released by the Town Attorney’s Office. “The Town will reserve any further statements for a court of law.”

Town Council held a closed-door discussion of the case on April 8.

Candler began her job as the only sworn female commander in the department on Jan. 1, 2018, after 15 years with Scottsdale Police, where she rose to the rank of lieutenant. The U.S. Air Force veteran also had worked as a police officer in North Carolina and Mesa, according to her LinkedIn account.

Candler’s attorney Phil Flemming did not return a call for comments.

According to the suit, Candler was a capable leader who cleared out the backlog of critical incidents reviews, initiated policy changes, restructuring and best practices for the police department.

She also had a positive evaluation in 2018 and was rated “exceeds” in her 2019 performance review.

As a commander, her duties included managing all activities of a specific division, participate in the determination and creation of department polices, ensure all policies and procedures are adhered to and help prepare and administer the department budget.

But “some officers resented the leadership role of a female,” according to the suit.

The suit singled out an incident in 2018 when a K9 officer who also was then the union vice president circumvented the chain of command and complained directly to Soelberg and the deputy town manager about Candler’s implementation plans for the unit.

The K9 officer was identified as Officer Steve Gilbert, who was arrested and charged last year with tempering with a public record, false testimony and making a false public record.

Charges were eventually dropped but Gilbert Police are conducting an internal investigation. A police spokeswoman in March stated the investigation is

Carrie Candler still ongoing and did not respond to an April 13 question asking if the investigation has been completed.

In June 2018, Candler said she was called to a meeting with Soelberg and Assistant Chief Jeff Thompson.

Thompson resigned quietly from the department last December and voluntarily surrendered his peace officer certification following a misconduct investigation, according to media reports.

In that June meeting, Candler learned that the union vice president, Officer Gilbert, had compiled and submitted a list of allegations against her as grievances about her leadership.

Soelberg placed Candler on a Plan of Action to improve her performance as a result of the union’s grievances, the suit said.

Candler maintained the Gilbert Police Leadership Association’s list of grievances and Soelberg’s Plan of Action would not have occurred if she were a man in similar circumstances.

Four months later in October, “Officer Gilbert and Sgt. Jason Roman, thenunion president, acted with bias toward plaintiff based on her sex and created division and hostility among the personnel and leadership,” the lawsuit said.

The suit claimed the two men lied to union members that “multiple officers” had complained about Candler when “in fact, those Association leaders had persuaded only one person, Officer Joseph Rohr, to initiate a complaint against” her.

Rohr, with the help of the union, complained that Candler targeted him for performance inquiries and he asked

When Carrie Candler was on the Scottsdale Police force, the department honored her with a ceremonial street sign in her name. (City of Scottsdale) that she be removed from the force.

According to the suit, a thorough investigation into Rohr’s complaint “fully exonerated” Candler of any wrongdoing.

The suit claimed the union later in 2018 conducted a survey of its members “that was biased to ‘elicit a negative response’” about Candler, citing notes by Thompson.

Thompson “acknowledged to plaintiff that the survey comments largely reflected rumors and innuendo, not specific concerns, and that many negative comments related to matters where the investigation had fully vindicated plaintiff’s actions.”

According to Candler, she was informed by then-Cmdr. and now Assistant Chief Mike Angstead in fall 2019 that Officer Gilbert told him “he did not want to work with a female in the K9 Unit, as they were interviewing to select an officer for that position.”

Angstead “expressed concern when a female officer was selected for the K9 Unit position, acknowledging that females were subjected to unequal work conditions.”

Candler claimed Soelberg and Brice condoned and tolerated unfair treatment of her and permitted “disparate treatment of male commanders and male employees compared with females to permeate the workplace.”

The suit further claimed that criticisms of Candler’s performance for her alleged communication style and abra-

siveness would not have been the basis of complaints, grievances or a Plan of Action if Candler had been a man.

Candler said she met separately with Soelberg and Brice in January 2020 to discuss her concerns “that she was being unfairly criticized and targeted for unfounded allegations by officers who did not want to work under a female commander.”

Soelberg and Brice, however, failed to take appropriate actions to prevent bias in the workplace, which undermined Candler’s authority, the suit said.

And, they failed to take appropriate actions to support Candler’s authority and leadership actions, the suit added.

The suit also claimed Candler disclosed misconduct of certain officers that she reasonably believed violated state law but no actions were taken to investigate or take corrective actions.

After two years and four months on the job, Candler was fired on April 23, 2020. She claimed her termination was “without notice and without a pre-termination or post-termination hearing to protect her due-process rights.”

The Town in trying to dismiss the suit in part argued Candler was not entitled to a notice and was an at-will employee as stated in her Nov. 28, 2017 contract.

Two years later, the Town eliminated sworn police officers as at-will employees.

The town’s outside legal counsel Aar-

see CANDLER page 10

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

NEWS

GPS keeping mask mandate until May 28

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

G

ilbert Public School students will continue to wear masks through the end of the academic year despite the governor rescinding his order for face coverings on K-12 campuses.

The Governing Board voted 5-0 last Thursday to keep the district face-covering policy in place to May 28. The board at Chandler Unified School District, where 10,000 Gilbert students attend, also voted to keep its policy in place through May 31.

Higley Unified Governing Board is scheduled to hold a special meeting tomorrow, April 26, to discuss its mask mandate.

“I would rather we be careful and end the school year well and that we end it safely then to risk an outbreak,” Board member Jill Humpherys said. “I think we made it this far, it’s only a few more weeks.

“My concern is that we are so close to the finish line, let’s not mess it up. We have AP test coming, we have graduation coming. I think we all want to get to that point at the end of the year where we can have an in-person graduation even if it’s socially distanced and people are masked that at least two people can come and watch that senior walk across the stage,” Humpherys continued.

“I think that is really important for our entire community wherever you stand on wearing a mask or not wearing a mask.”

Fourteen people spoke at the special board meeting, nine of them urging the board to keep the mask mandate.

“My daughter has a compromised immune system,” Angie Draper said. “Her health could be in jeopardy if she is in a class with kids who do not wear masks.

Some of those classes she’s taking as a junior in high school are not offered in Global.”

Draper said parents advocating for in-person learning last summer commented if teachers didn’t want to teach in the classroom, they should teach online at the district’s Global Academy. And, she’s also heard that if parents didn’t like

7

sion on the health of their child. Mask choice is needed.”

Board members Reed Carr and Lori Wood unsuccessfully pushed for a motion that would have the district recommend and encourage the use of masks on school property except where it’s required, such as by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

Mesa Public Schools is moving toward that kind of policy, making masks optional outside as of toHigland High senior Lindsey Stevens implored the board to Sam Flyn also argued in favor of retaining the mask continue the mask mandate for the rest of the school year, mandate during the waning weeks of the 2020-21 school morrow, April 26, and optional evnoting most of her classmates have not been vaccinated. year. (Pablo Robles/GSN Staff) (Pablo Robles/GSN Staff) erywhere on campus as of May 2 as something they should put their children “We only have three to four weeks long as COVID-19 transmission levels in Global. more of school, the final stretch,” she said. remain low.

“So, now those roles are reversed,” “And with pending travelers due to gradGPS’ attorney drafted five possible Draper said. “Maybe they should pull uations come the risk of spreading the prototypes for the board to adopt retheir kids and put them in Global if they virus to love ones.” garding masks, but the district refused don’t want masks for their children. The Those who didn’t want masks told the to release them.

Global option has been there all year. It’s board the decision of children’s health Carr said the purpose of the district been maskless all year. adopting a mitigation plan, which inshould be left up to parents.

“It is not my fault or the district’s fault Jaclyn McClure said students have been cluded using masks, was to enable the that some of the parents have too many wearing masks for six months and now healthcare system to handle the crisis children that they cannot manage them it’s known that children are not the super and the COVID-19 numbers are now and they come in here and lecture you spreaders of the virus as once thought. down significantly from last year and on them,” Draper continued. “It is not my She urged the board to rescind the pol- people are getting the vaccine. fault if they can not keep their kids on task icy, telling other parents, “If you don’t like “I believe we hit the objective,” Carr and off video games. Those are parenting it, stay home with your kids.” said. “And I’m ready to move on.” issues. They are not your issues. So if you Wood agreed.

Craig Moore said the board should rely don’t want your children in masks, move on science and he cited the latest study of “I think all of us made huge sacrifices,” your kids to Global. You have the option.” 246 participants that found no difference she said. “We’ve been trying to flatten Lindsey Stevens, a Highland High between wearing a mask and not wear- the curve and we’ve done that.”

School senior, said she got her second ing one.

Board President Charles Santa Cruz dose of the vaccine Wednesday but many “There are, however, adverse effects to said daily reports are saying more other students who want the vaccine wearing them, both physiologically and school-age people are becoming suswere unable to find an appointment. psychologically” Moore said. ceptible to the virus than previously She asked the board to keep the policy “My son has personally suffered with thought and that the UK variant of the in place to the end of the school year to more than one of these. The school board allow time for everyone to be vaccinated. should not have a say in a parent’s decisee MASK page 14

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

RETIRE from page 3

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It does not appear like CUSD values the needs of its students during this precarious time, she said, nor the long-term impact this pandemic has already had on them.

“I’m tired of hearing the excuse that kids are resilient,” Georgvich added. “If kids are so resilient, why do we have a generation of adults still talking about their childhood traumas.”

Despite the controversy surrounding

Casteel’s retirement event, many community members have already begun thanking the outgoing superintendent for her dedication to public education.

“We owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude for everything you have done for CUSD and the Chandler community,” Rudy Apodaca wrote the district. “All the work you have done has cemented an indelible legacy that will serve many generations to come.”

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

BUDGET from page 1

cut.

She said she recognized some positions are needed due to Gilbert’s growth but pointed out that the town grew personnel 13 percent over the last three years.

The 2019-20 budget included funding for 68 new positions and the 2020-21 budget included 82 new hires.

Mayor Brigette Peterson noted that while the town may fund new positions over the years, it doesn’t mean they were all filled.

Kelly Pfost, Management and Budget director, said she didn’t have the exact figure of how many of the 82 approved positions for the current budget year were actually filled.

Yentes responded the town shouldn’t be collecting taxes from taxpayers for positions it was not filling.

Peterson countered by noting some positions need to be kept open because it takes time to fill. For example, she said, it takes 18 months of training “to put a cop in a seat.”

Pfost said town officials annually review all the positions that have been vacant for six months to see if they are still needed.

“We have that conversation every year,” she said.

Town Manager Patrick Banger said Gilbert is the only municipality with a staffing forecast model and that technology will continue to allow the town to be more efficient and lower personnel costs.

Yentes also suggested selling Cactus Yards to a private vendor because the sports facility requires so many additional park employees. She added that when Phase 2 and 3 of Gilbert Regional Park come online, there would be a need for more park staffing.

Peterson said if the Town sold Cactus Yards, it would lose much-needed play-

ing fields and that selling was a conversation for a later date.

“It’s definitely something we need to talk about,” Peterson said.

Councilwoman Kathy Tilque said she understood the vetting process each department had to go through with their budget requests and thought the positions were needed. She added that 60 percent of the new positions are for public safety due to the town’s growing population.

“We are all doing more with less,” Tilque said, adding the town was being staffed correctly in order to provide “excellent customer service.”

Peterson noted the town still has 60,000 people to grow in the next decade and when development subsides, it would be reflected in the budget.

Yentes also questioned the need to spend approximately $1 million for an ionization system for all 650 HVAC units in town buildings to improve air quality.

Robert Carmona, director of Parks and Recreation, said the recently opened Public Safety Training Facility is the only building that currently has the ionization system but there isn’t enough data

yet to judge its effectiveness.

Carmona explained that more municipalities are putting these systems in place and Banger said they have become an industry standard to create healthier buildings and reduce sick time during the flu season.

Yentes was not convinced, saying the town could do the same with less money with protocols such as having employees stay home when they are sick or taking temperature checks.

“I don’t see having this for the budget.

It’s expensive,” said Yentes, who added the Town could encourage employees to get a flu vaccine. “It’s a big-ticket item and I want to make sure it’s justified.”

Tilque suggested Council require proponents of the system to come back for a vote with more information before funds are expended.

“Keep it in the budget, flag it and get more information before spending the money,” Tilque said.

Councilman Scott September said he also wanted to see more data on the system’s efficacy.

Yentes said she’d rather not spend the money on a nice-to-have but not essen-

tial project.

Councilman Scott Anderson suggested the item be removed from the budget and a pilot program be implemented for the system to obtain more data. If it works, he said, the town could pay for it in the subsequent fiscal year.

Carmona responded he did have some data he could share.

Peterson asked council members to review the data and then let Pfost know if they want to pull or keep the item in the budget. Pfost would follow the recommended consensus.

The budget also includes $425 million in capital improvement projects, including street improvements, water system upgrades and parks and recreation upgrades and repairs.

Of the $32 million in department requests, only $24 million, or 76 percent, was recommended for the budget, according to Pfost .

Council is expected to adopt the preliminary budget May 4 to set the spending limit and adopt the final budget June 1.

Council also will be asked to approve a tax levy of $27.75 million to pay down debt. The 2020-21 tax levy was $26 mil-

on Arnson also argued that Candler failed to prove a viable claim in that she didn’t show there was damage to her reputation when she was fired, which would hinder her ability to find work.

Candler’s attorney filed a notice of claim in July for $822,000 to compensate

her for irreparable harm to her reputation, lost income and benefits, reduced professional opportunities and emotional distress. The town rejected the claim, which led to the lawsuit.

Candler in her suit was seeking damages, including attorney fees, back pay,

lost benefits and reinstatement of her position with senior and benefits.

The suit also wanted compensatory damages for Candler’s emotional distress and “damages to her reputation.”

Candler is asking for a jury trial.

The court in January has set a number

of deadlines for the case, including all parties and their attorneys must meet in person to engage in good-faith settlement talks no later than Aug. 27 and that expert dispositions must be completed no later than Oct. 1.

A telephone status conference of the

CANDLER from page 6

Amy Yentes

Councilwoman Amy Yentes questioned the addition of more personnel slots on the Town of Gilbert payroll, spurring debate at last week’s Town Council meeting. (YouTube)

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

NEWS

Mesnard lashes out at critics of early ballot bill

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

T

wo Republican senators lashed out last week at businesses and the media, accusing them of mischaracterizing what is in changes they are proposing to state election laws.

Michelle Ugenti-Rita of Scottsdale and J.D. Mesnard of Chandler said their measures simply add necessary layers of security to the election process. They said the terms of both bills and their motives have been distorted in news coverage.

But the pair, at a press conference backed by other GOP legislators, saved their harshest criticism for Greater Phoenix Leadership, an association of CEOs in business, education and philanthropy.

Some of their members sent an open letter to legislators saying three bills – including the two Mesnard and Ugenti-Rita are sponsoring – “seek to disenfranchise voters.’’

“They are attempts at voter suppres-

Republican Senators Michelle Ugenti-Rita of Scottsdale and J.D. Mesnard of Chandler held a press conference to counter criticism of voter law changes now winding their way through the Legislature. (Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services) sion cloaked as reform – plain and simple,’’ the letter states.

“If you disagree with my bill or any of

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the bills these other members represent in the name of election integrity, that’s fine,’’ Ugenti-Rita said. “But you don’t get

to mischaracterize and lie about it.’’

“But you don’t get to label everybody who may support it as racist,’’ Ugenti-Rita said. “We’re not going to be intimidated.’’

There was no immediate response from GPL. The pair also are trying to pressure House GOP leadership to put the measures, both of which have cleared the Senate, up for a vote.

Both proposals deal with early voting.

Arizona has some of the simplest laws, with individuals allowed to be placed on a “permanent early voting list’’ and be guaranteed to get a ballot in the mail ahead of each election. That ballot can be mailed back or dropped off at a polling site.

Every early ballot is reviewed by county election workers to see if the signature on the outside matches what they have on file.

If there is a discrepancy, a call is made

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NEWS

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Chandler firefighter arrested in Gilbert arson

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

A

veteran Chandler Fire Department firefighter faces arson and other charges in connection with his arrest last week for the apparent fire-bombing of an occupied Gilbert home.

Eric Donald Jones, 41, of Chandler, was released with electronic monitoring from the County Jail on May 21 after posting a $50,000 bond two days after his arrest in connection with the April 18 incident.

Jones faces three counts – arson of an occupied structure, a Class 2 felony; misconduct involving weapons, a Class 2 felony; and criminal damage, a Class 4 felony – according to Gilbert Police spokeswoman Brenda Carrasco.

Neighbors in The Islands community in Gilbert said they were roused from their sleep at 1 a.m. April 18 by the blaring sirens of first-responders.

A house on Dolphin Drive was on fire and residents took to social media the following day asking what had happened.

“Apparently someone threw a bomb at a house,” wrote a woman, who said she found out from her brother-in-law

to the voter to determine the ballot’s veracity.

The result of all this is about 80 percent of Arizonans now use early ballots.

Mesnard’s SB 1713 would require anyone sending in an early ballot to also provide a date of birth as well as either a driver’s license number or a county-issued voter ID number. That has raised concerns for people who do not drive, as few people are aware of their ID number.

He did not dispute that there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the process in Arizona. But Mesnard said that’s irrelevant.

“What is undebatable is that people have a lot of concerns about it,’’ Mesnard said. “That, by itself, is a threat.’’

And he specifically rejected that the

MESNARD from page 11

Damage to the Islands home appeared limited to the garage doors. (Gilbert Police)

who was wakened by police. “Apparently ex-boyfriend was upset with breakup and threw at ex gf house…unbelievable.”

She posted a picture of the house, where it seemed the fire damage was limited to the garages.

Gilbert Police remained tight-lipped last week if a bomb was used or what the motive was behind the fire.

Jones has been a firefighter with Chan-

dler since February 2007, according to city spokesman Matt Burdick.

Burdick said Jones is on leave.

Carrasco said Gilbert Fire and Rescue and the Gilbert Police Department responded to the house fire in The Islands neighborhood located just west of Warner and Cooper roads.

Gilbert Police and Fire departments released few details of the incident.

Fire Deputy Chief Mark Justus said both departments were conducting their own investigations into the fire “believe

to be arson-related.”

“This is all of the information we have available at this time,” Justus said in an email.

Gilbert Police’s probable cause statement for the arrest was sealed, according to a Superior Court spokesman, who directed further questions to the County Attorney’s Office. The spokeswoman there ignored multiple requests for information.

Jones had a scheduled court date on April 26.

reason for voter doubt is that Donald Trump spread rumors for months before the 2020 election that early ballots are inherently untrustworthy.

Mesnard said, “The response is not just to dismiss them because he claimed there was fraud and we didn’t have some sort of level of evidence that meets somebody’s standard that we’re not going to do anything. We’re not going to ignore those problems.’’

Ugenti-Rita’s SB 1485 spells out that if someone does not return an early ballot in at least one of four prior elections – meaning a primary and a general election in two successive years – the person is dropped from what would no longer be called the permanent early voting list.

They could still sign up again to get

early ballots and they could still go directly to the polls on Election Day. Foes contend this would have a disparate negative impact on minority voters who may be less inclined to vote in every election but still want the option of getting that ballot for the years they are interested in casting an early ballot.

It also means that political independents, who usually do not cast ballots in partisan primaries, have just two chances to comply versus four for partisan voters.

Ugenti-Rita said she is going to make “small, meaningful tweaks’’ to the measure but declined to provide details.

The issue of what the business community thinks about the bills became more crucial following the decision of Major League Baseball to move the All-

Star Game out of Atlanta after the Georgia Legislature enacted several measure that were perceived to be attacks on minority voting.

Arizona has some potential risks in that area, with the state scheduled to host the 2023 Super Bowl, the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2024 and the Women’s Final Four two years later. Sports leagues have shown themselves to be averse to political controversy, particularly on issues like race and gender.

There’s also the question of whether businesses might decide to locate elsewhere to avoid being linked to negative publicity about Arizona voting laws.

Ugenti-Rita made it clear she didn’t care.

“That’s their choice,’’ she said. “And I would say, don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.’’

Eric Donald Jones

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Town slates 3 public sessions to explain $515M bond issue GSN NEWS STAFF

G

ilbert is holding three public informational meetings on a proposed $515 million Transportation & Infrastructure Bond proposed for the November ballot.

Town Council is scheduled to vote in June whether to go to voters with the bond measure to help fund transportation and stormwater infrastructure in Gilbert.

Projects included advance detection safety improvements, streets and highway improvements and traffic signals, which would help with safety and congestion in the town.

The first meeting will be virtual, from 6-7 p.m., Wednesday, April 28. To reg-

TUTOR from page 5

“The school district reported that Smith was persistent about being allowed to put flyers in the backpacks and became upset that he was unable to do so,” Silbert’s complaint states.

Once Silbert’s complaint went public last summer, parents around Chandler immediately discontinued Smith’s tutoring services and the defendant’s online

NEWS

ister, go to us02web.zoom.us/meeting/ register/tZIoc-qprj0jHNLjGE2oyQQyWcxjq2TvEAue. The two meetings next month will be in-person: 6-8 p.m., May 12 at the Southeaster Regional Library, 775 N. Greenfield Road and 6-8 p.m. May 20 at the Public Safety Training Facility, 6860 S. Power Road.

According to the Town, the current property tax rate of 99 cents per $100 of a home’s assessed value is not expected to increase to pay off the bond’s debt because old debt would have been paid off.

Gilbert was looking to put the bond to a vote last November but decided against it given the economic fallout from the pandemic.

13

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Although some local parents claim there may have been some inappropriate behavior between Smith and their children, none of the charges contained in the defendant’s indictment accuse him of abusing juveniles in Arizona.

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Ducey vetoes strict sex education bill

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

G

ov. Doug Ducey last week vetoed what would have been the most restrictive measure in the nation on what can be taught about gays and gender identification as well as barring any form of sex education for students before the fifth grade.

“The language of the bill is overly broad and vague and could lead to serious consequences, including the very real possibility that it could be misinterpreted by schools and result in standing in the way of important child abuse prevention education in the early grades for at risk and vulnerable children,’’ the governor said.

But Ducey said he supports the underlying intent of the legislation to guarantee “more parental involvement in education, especially around the very personal and sensitive topic of sex education.’’

So rather than approve a new and far-reaching law, the governor is ordering the state Department of Education to come up with new procedures to ensure that parents have a “meaningful opportunity to participate, review and provide input on any proposed sex education

MASK from page 7

virus is “something we have not experienced yet” fully and that was a concern for him.

Board member Sheila Uggetti said she doesn’t like wearing a mask but the bottom line was the Centers for Disease Pre-

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course of study before it is adopted.’’

In vetoing the bill, the governor killed more than what Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, had proposed on parental involvement.

Barto’s original legislation also sought to spell out that parents would have to specially opt-in to any discussion of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

What made that significant and controversial is that language also would have covered any discussion of the sexual orientation of individuals in literature courses.

Absent parental consent, students would not have been able to be taught about the 1969 Stonewall Riot in New York City that led to the birth of the modern LGBTQ movement.

Similarly, Barto’s proposal would have required yet another special permission for any discussion about AIDS and the HIV virus that causes it, even when parents have signed permission slips for sex education.

The governor, in his veto message, made no mention of those provisions.

What did apparently get his concern was language that would have outlawed all forms of sex education before the fifth

grade.

During legislative debate there were concerns that would preclude young children from learning about what is “bad touch’’ and how to protect themselves and report incidents. And that, foes of the bill said, could lead to more instances of child abuse.

The governor, in vetoing the legislation, said there were important policy provisions in the bill that he wanted to preserve. So rather than sign the new law, he implemented them through his executive order.

Many of the provisions mirror what was in SB 1456.

For example, the rules he wants the Board of Education to adopt would require that the public be informed at least two weeks ahead of all meetings of any committee studying and selecting sex education courses, with those meetings open to the public.

His executive order also spells out that all proposed sex education courses are accessible for review and public comment for at least 60 days before any vote by the governing board.

And during that 60-day period there would have to be at least two public hearings, with the additional ability to

submit comments orally, in writing and electronically.

And once a sex ed course has been approved, the materials have to be available, both online and in person, for at least two weeks before instruction begins.

Ducey said he is proud that Arizona is one of only a handful of states where sex education is an opt-in system, meaning students cannot participate absent a signed permission from a parent or legal guardian. Other states have an opt-out system, making sex-ed classes automatic unless a parent objects.

This isn’t the first time the governor has been skeptical of legislative changes to laws on how and when sex education can be taught.

Last year the governor was asked about legislation, which would have outlawed these programs for students younger than the seventh grade. Ducey threw cold water on that idea, too.

He also questioned the claim by proponents of a ban on early sex-ed classes that the public does not want them, suggesting that would have shown up.

“I think parents are pretty vocal when they’re not happy,’’ he said. “That’s what I’ve seen.’’

vention and Control stated even though people are getting vaccinated, they should still wear face coverings.

Uggetti added a number of students returned to the classroom with the understanding the district had mitigation measures in place and she couldn’t understand why the district can’t have the masks in place for the few short weeks before the school year ends.

The district will not require masks during summer school but there will be online options for students. Masks also will not be required in the fall when students return for a new school year.

Gov. Doug Ducey last Monday rescinded his July 23 order that required all school districts and charter schools to develop and implement a policy to require face coverings, such as masks or shields.

He also on Monday overruled the Nov. 19

order by the Department of Health Services, which actually mandated face coverings in schools.

Ducey based his decision on the number of people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

All of those who have been inoculated, however, are at least 16 or older than most of the children in school because the CDC has yet to approve any vaccine for those younger than that. The governor, however, brushed that aside.

“Teachers, families and students have acted responsibly to mitigate the spread of the virus and protect one another,’’ Ducey said. “And our school leaders are ready to decide if masks should be required on their campuses.’’

Chris Kotterman, lobbyist for the Arizona School Boards Association, acknowledged that was true. But, he said, the gov-

ernor’s decision, coming just five weeks from the end of the school year, was both unnecessary and created “mask-mandate chaos.’’

“It’s likely you’ll have students showing up saying they don’t have to wear masks anymore,’’ Kotterman explained. He said the governor should have just let the situation remain stable through the rest of the year.

State schools chief Kathy Hoffman was even more critical.

“Today’s abrupt removal of the mask mandate in schools is just one example in a long line of decisions that have resulted in Arizona’s embarrassing response to a virus that has claimed over 17,000 lives and impacted thousands more,’’ she said in her own statement.

COMMUNITY

Community

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

GilbertSunNews.com

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@Gilber tSunNews

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Gilbert scholars earning big dollars Leading Edge senior gets Highland senior cooks up Dorrance Scholarship a major culinary award GSN NEWS STAFF

A

Gilbert teen is one of 36 high school seniors in Arizona to win a prestigious Dorrance Scholarship, which provides academic and financial support to first-generation college students.

Nathaniel Bush also is the first student at Leading Edge Academy Gilbert Early College to win the scholarship, which provides $12,000 a year in support that includes travel and cultural enrichment activities.

The Dorrance Merit Scholarship was established by Jacquie and Bennett Dorrance at the Arizona Community Foundation in June 1999.

Nathaniel, the student body president and an active member of the National Honor Society and Leading Edge Academy’s performing arts clubs, has a 4.067 GPA and is fifth in his class.

He plans to attend Arizona State University this fall, majoring in urban planning.

He said he ran for student body president “because I wanted to make the most of my last year in high school” – especially because this year and half of last school year were disrupted by the pandemic.

“For students, COVID-19 took a lot from us in terms of school,” he said. “At the end of last year, anticipated events were postponed, or worse, canceled….I wanted to make it my goal to make this school year one to remember, not only for the class of 2021 but also for every other class as well.”

As president, Nathaniel has worked alongside his teachers and each committee within the student council to successfully host virus-safe events that

BY PAUL MARYNIAK GSN Executive Editor

A

my Snow may not be in the ranks of Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse or Wolfgang Puck, but give the Gilbert student a break: she’s only 17.

But the Highland High senior took a big step last week toward the ranks of those kitchen stars by winning a full scholarship worth $128,000 to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

The scholarship was awarded by C-CAP, a nonprofit dedicated to helping high school students further their education and careers in culinary arts.

“I am so incredibly proud of Amy,”

said her teacher, Mary Brightman. “In my 21 years of teaching, she has shown more passion towards culinary arts than any student I’’ve ever taught. She set her goals high and worked tirelessly to achieve them.”

The daughter of Devin and Jamie Snow, Amy has been cooking since she was 10.

“It’s kind of just always been a part of my home.” Amy said. “I kind of just followed after my mom my grandma who I saw cooking. I started in eighth grade.

I was home-schooled then and I just cooked every day.”

She long ago reached the point where

see AMY page 16

see NATHANIEL page 16 Nathaniel Bush stands in the back row with his dad, Dan Bush. Other family members in the front row include his brother Noah, mother Julie Bush, and brother Joshua. (Courtesy of the Bush Family)

Amy Snow, right, with her twin sister Ashlyn, are both seniors at Highland High. While Amy is bound for New York in January, her sister is heading to Brigham Young University to study film animation. (Courtesy of Amy Snow)

16

COMMUNITY

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

AMYfrom page 15

she and her mother often cook together, trading off duties as they prepare dinner for a family that includes Amy’s twin sister Ashlyn, a younger sister and three brothers.

Sometimes she’ll take the lead while at other times she’ll do the prep work and let mom be the chef.

Amy has been taking culinary courses at Highland for three years and even though she’s taught herself a lot at home, she said she’s also learned a lot in those classes – as well as from more than 50 cookbooks she has collected and studied over the last seven years, along with a hefty digital recipe library.

Naturally, she has her own recipes – and puts her spin on others, even if it’s just a matter of adding a spice or two.

As she looked at her post-high school education, Amy was considering three culinary institutes in New York and one in Arizona.

She also had high hopes on a scholarship from C-CAP, which in 2020 awarded a whopping $2.64 million in scholarships to 130 students across the country.

C-CAP founder/Chairman Emeritus Richard Grausman launched the nonprofit in 1990 to help further food and

NATHANIEL from page 15

also brought new things to Gilbert Early College this year, including a Spartan Scholar Night.

He has participated in nearly every school performance since he became a Leading Edge Academy student as a seventh grader.

“Before junior high, I used to do community theatre, particularly when I lived in Minnesota,” he said. “One of my favorite performances at this school has been Aladdin. I got to perform on stage with some of my closest friends and we sang and danced our hearts out.”

On top of his studies and extracurricular activities, Nathaniel also has a parttime job – only it’s not so much as a job as it is a source of joy for him.

“I have worked at a preschool for just about two years,” he explained. “It brightens up my day when I get to see the children in the afternoon.”

Amy Snow loves to bring some culinary magic to both her home and her culinary class at Highland High. (GPS) social justice, as well as equity and inclusion, by providing tools for job success. It also annually teaches more than 15,000 middle school students culinary skills.

Part of competing for the C-CAP award

was, naturally, a live culinary event.

Amy and about two dozen other scholarship aspirants met earlier this year under virus-mitigating circumstances to make a modest meal consisting of a French omelet, cucumber salad and tourne‘ russet potatoes.

That may sound easy, but it’s not.

With a French omelet, Amy explained “there’s no browning and you cook it with a little bit of clarified butter. The reason it’s called a French omelet is the way it’s rolled.”

“It’s all about technique,” she said.

The tourne‘ russet potatoes demand even more attention to technique because the way they are cut make all the difference between an elegantly presented side and hash.

And for the competition, technique was particularly important because there was no tasting due to pandemic-related concerns.

But her years of study and attention to detail in the kitchen paid off last week learned of her scholarship award.

“I was so relieved,” Amy said. “I’ve been waiting for so long for something like this.”

She won’t land in New York until January. Instead, she’ll be working under

Celebrating Nathaniel’s scholarship are, from left, Leading Edge Executive Director Lori Anderson, academic advisor Nikki Foster, Nathaniel, teacher Allison Baugues, Principal Mindi Johnson and Leading Edge Founder Delmer Geesey. (Courtesy of Leading Edge)

He said he has been “devoted to school and the work that accompanies it for years because I have always known that it will pay off.”

He estimates he spends three hours a night on homework and his favorite sub-

ject is economics.

“I enjoy learning about personal, business, and national finances and how our economy plays a vital role in the world,” Nathaniel said.

Outside of school and work, he enjoys

the tutelage of a professional chef somewhere in the Valley. The exact assignment hasn’t yet been determined.

Her twin sister, who also attends Highland, is going a different route far from the kitchen. She’s heading to Brigham Young University to study film animation.

And until she goes to New York, Amy also will help feed her parents and siblings when she’s not reporting for work under the to-be-named kitchen pro or taking some required online non-culinary classes like college-level math.

Does she have a favorite recipe, especially since she bakes as well as cooks?

“I don’t really have a favorite right now,” she replied. “I just love everything and experimenting with everything. I always get that question, though.”

However, she has developed “a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe recently and I’ve been getting lots of ‘when are you gonna bring me some of those chocolate chip cookies.’”

As for what happens when she completes her four-year degree program, Amy has no specific plans.

“I just want to go wherever cooking takes me,” she said. “I am open to everything and anything.” hanging with his friends and enjoys bowling, boating. “I also like to cook, draw, and sing,” he added.

As for majoring in urban planning, Nathaniel said it’s been a passion since he was in elementary school.

“I have been obsessed with the realms of architecture, urban planning, and civil engineering,” he said. “After much consideration, I have found my love for urban planning, which is why I plan to pursue it in college.”

His eye is on a career in which he can “embrace modernism in my designs and focus on aesthetics following shortly after functionality.”

“Over the years, I have done some research and have been fascinated by other country’s takes on their top cities,” he said. “All in all, I want to create places that are sustainable and ensure a future for us and generations to come.”

17

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

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BUSINESS

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

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SRP center evaluates items for energy efficiency

BY DAVID M. BROWN GSN Contributor

P

ower generation isn’t the only activity at SRP’s Santan Generating Station.

Behind the gates, employees of the publicly-owned utility evaluate new technologies for use by customers. In this way, high-performing energy-saving products are generated.

At the Innovation Test Center, Val Vista Drive and Warner Road in Gilbert, the SRP Customer Program Innovation group tests traditional against smart home appliances; battery efficiencies; electric vehicle charging stations; and new home automation.

Tempe-based SRP is the Phoenix metropolitan area’s largest supplier of electricity and the state’s largest supplier of water.

“We have installed a testing lab, a manufactured home, and a garage so that we can research, test and install these technologies,” said Max Burger, senior analyst for SRP Customer Program Innovation.

“Our mission here is to help our customers potentially save money and energy,” Burger explained. “The Innovation Test Center exists for the benefit of our customers and the communities we serve.”

Michael Sanders, principal engineer for SRP Customer Program Innovation and a Mesa resident, explained that the work also helps SRP limit power plant emissions, lower costs, manage current demand and continue to plan for future growth.

The research and testing also facilitates progress toward the utility’s 2035 Sustainability Goals.

In September 2017, SRP selected the location for the Innovation Test Center at the Santan Generating Station, which supplements base-load plants during

Senior Analyst Max Burger tests some smart thermostats at SRP’s Innovation Test Center (Courtesy of SRP)

high-demand periods and opened in phases from October 1974 through March 2006.

Lab planning and building/area modifications started in February 2018 and the Innovation Test Center building was trailered to the site in August of that year.

Since then, SRP has continued to modify the lab building and exterior grounds with upgraded electrical capabilities for testing purposes, Burger said.

Pre-pandemic, seven authorized members of CPI worked at the Innovation Test Center.

Now, because of COVID-19 safety precautions, SRP has restricted access even further to just CPI’s three engineers on a need-to basis for testing purposes.

“In the test center, we try out many of the popular smart home automation products our customers use,” Sanders explained.

These include smart thermostats, automated lights and smart plugs, which connect to smartphones for controllability at home receptacles.

“We push these products to their limits

to see how they perform in our harsh desert environment. This way, we can rule out options that aren’t a good fit and make the best product recommendations to customers,” he added.

The test center reflects the environment of a typical SRP customer’s home, Sanders explained.

“This allows us to test and fix common issues our customers may experience. Any problems that come up in a customer program can be recreated at the test center.”

For example, some homeowners report radio frequency range issues that disrupt their TVs or phones. Others say some appliances have timing delays, and others want to know what can be done regarding indoor temperature variations, for example, between one room in the house and another.

Testing and fixing these problems in the center allow SRP to respond to its customers faster regarding the latest energy-saving smart devices for homes, including thermostats, lighting and appliance controllers and irrigation controllers.

“With this info, we can better adapt our energy programs around these devices and design plans that help customers save the most money and resources,” Burger said.

The ITC is now working on a number of projects. These include EV charger testing, in particular, how to control/ manage load demand so that the unit can work at the most efficient and economical level for SRP and the customer, Sanders explained.

“This is when the demand portion of the customer’s energy usage is set by a limit, therefore reducing potential energy spikes,” Sanders said.

Two others are the effect of residential hot water heaters on customer’s power bills and the interaction of various home automation devices and their ability to save energy.

The Innovation Test Center is only for SRP use and is not open to the public, but SRP customers can become involved by participating in the research and testing.

“We are always looking for customers to join smaller pilot programs and try these new technologies at their homes,” Sanders noted.

Homeowners can find these pilots at savewithsrp.com and other marketing publications.

“Not only do the customers get to try out the latest and greatest tech devices and services, it also can help the customer save money and energy,” he added.

Burger said: “The more energy that we can conserve together through these various programs means that SRP can use its power generation more efficiently for all our customers and delay or possibly eliminate the need for additional costly energy-generation resources.”

Information: srpnet.com and srpmarketplace.com for recommended products.

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

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New foundation, mindset paying off for Higley baseball

BY ZACH ALVIRA GSN Sports Editor

W

hen Terry Dietz took over the Higley baseball program ahead of the 2019-20 season, he aimed to change the perception and culture of the team.

Higley had just three winning seasons before Dietz arrived on campus. The team had routinely been near the bottom of its region and participation numbers in the lower-level programs had started to decline. An assistant at Seton Catholic under Brian Stephenson for several years, Dietz had knowledge on how to run a program, he just wanted to do it in his own way.

“Anytime you try to change a culture, it’s difficult,” Dietz said. “But once guys see the way things should be, whether it’s for their individual progression, the progression of the program, once you do things the right way, it’s contagious.”

Dietz’s first season with Higley was cut short due to the pandemic. The Knights played just seven games before they were forced to separate from one another for most of the spring.

The cancellation made it difficult for him to initially establish chemistry within the program. But once the district allowed teams to begin training sessions in the summer, he immediately set out to begin building the program with his vision in mind.

Practices began to mirror a college program. Dietz established a coat of arms for the program with each segment of the shield having a different meaning. He’s also switched up the team’s color scheme, incorporating a light blue into the coat of arms and uniforms. It’s a fresh new look that signals change in direction of the program.

“I think these guys were starving for something they didn’t know existed,” Dietz said. “They enjoy being out here, they

From left: Senior infielder Cody Mowers, sophomore pitcher Justin Chambers and junior center fielder Jake Willerup are three of Higley baseball’s top batters this season and have played a major role in the team’s new direction as one of the best in 5A.

(Pablo Robles/GSN Staff)

enjoy being together. Everything we do here is much different than what it was in the past.”

At 11-2 through 13 games, it’s the best start in program history for the Knights.

They currently rank No. 5 in the 5A Conference and are in the hunt to win a region championship. The success is not only a reflection of the changes brought to the program by Dietz but the buy-in from players as well.

“The whole culture, the atmosphere, everything is completely different,” senior infielder Cody Mowers said. “Being here for four years, it’s been like a fresh start.

And I think that’s what this program really needed.”

Mowers is one of just four seniors on this year’s team and he’s lived up to the expectations that come with his status.

He has one of the highest batting averages on the team at .429 and has driven in 18 runs, the second-most in the program.

He’s witnessed first-hand the shift in the program’s culture with Dietz at the helm, and it’s made for an enjoyable experience the last two seasons despite one being cut

first couple of weeks I felt right at home.

I didn’t feel like the new kid, everyone felt like my family and they treated me like I had been there already. It was really nice.”

Willerup will continue to be part of what Dietz referred to as a youth movement for the Higley baseball program.

The team is bursting at the seams with young talent, led in part by sophomore pitcher Justin Chambers, a Washington State University commit. At 6-foot-3, Chambers is one of the tallest and fastest players on Higley’s roster. He also happens to be one of the best allaround players in the state.

In eight appearances on the mound this season he has a 1.79 ERA. He’s given up just seven earned runs and has struck out 47 batters and walked nine others. He also has a team-high .476 batting average with 10 RBI. “You can really see the difference this year on game day,” Chambers said. “Last year there were still some people who maybe didn’t buy-in to the new culHigley baseball coach Terry Dietz, now in his second ture. This year, though, there’s year, has changed the culture in the program that has so much energy on game day. It resulted in a successful season so far in 2021. doesn’t matter who is starting (Pablo Robles/GSN Staff) and who is not, everyone wants to be here.”

Dietz believes Chambers may have a fornia, which just recently began easing COVID-19 restrictions, pushed back all of chance to skip college altogether and be its sports including football to the spring drafted by the time his senior year rolls and delayed the baseball season, which around. But until then, Higley has set out to continue on its hot streak this season just recently started.

The transition to a new state, school and and chase a state title.

Chambers and Willerup agreed helping baseball team was one Willerup expected to be more difficult than it actually was. seniors like Mowers have success in poHigley welcomed him with open arms, tentially their final year of baseball is one and he immediately made a connection of the team’s key goals for the year.

“It’s comforting to know I’ve got peowith his teammates. “(The transition) wasn’t that hard at ple playing behind me,” Mowers said. all,” Said Willerup, who is batting .419 and “It’s comforting to know we’ve got a solhas a team-high 19 RBI this season. “The id group of 18 guys willing to lay it all out first couple of days and especially the there me.” short.

Mowers has helped play a role the last three years in adapting new players to the program. This season he helped junior center fielder Jake Willerup adapt to Higley baseball’s new culture.

Willerup spent the last two seasons playing for Aragon High School in San Mateo, Calif. He made the move to Higley after Cali-

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

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HD SOUTH hosts a variety of programs GSN NEWS STAFF

H

D SOUTH, home of the Gilbert Historical Museum and an arts, culture and history center, has a full lineup of programs for this month.

The programs are led by artists, historians, storytellers, health and wellness specialists, botanists and scientists – experts in their field who share their knowledge and skills with our community.

Originally opened as Gilbert Elementary School in 1913, HD SOUTH is the oldest building still standing in Gilbert and is the only one on the National Register of Historic Places. Gilbert Museum is a repository of artifacts chronicling the town’s rich history, featuring newly remodeled exhibits and interactive displays.

The programs and events at HD SOUTH focus on six community pillars and are designed for all generations. These

HD South’s Art of Quilting Exhibit will continue for one more month. (Facebook) pillars include history, health & wellness, science, literature, art, and music.

To register, visit hdsouth.org/calendar.

Unless noted otherwise, programs are

free but registration is required. All participants will be required to wear facial coverings and adhere to physical distancing guidelines. HD SOUTH is open

9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Art of Quilting The 16th annual Art of Quilting show with a special focus on blue and white quilts will feature nearly 75 pieces made by the HD SOUTH quilting group starting March 9 and running through May 31.

Memorial Day Ceremony HD SOUTH, in conjunction with the Town of Gilbert, is sponsoring a morning of remembrance on Memorial Day at 9 a.m. May 31 at the Civic Center, 50 E. Civic Center Drive. The event will include a flag and wreath ceremony, the battlefield cross, the fallen comrade table, performance by a local area band, and remarks from local Gilbert dignitaries, including Mayor Brigette Peterson. The event is free and open to the public.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own blanket or lawn chair for seating.

see

HD SOUTH page 23

Promoter sees balloon fest as a welcome COVID break GETOUT STAFF

T

he life of a promoter hasn’t been easy since the pandemic crushed live events more than a year ago.

Limits and often outright bans on crowds made it pretty difficult for promoters like Tim Matykiewicz, especially since a lot of what his company does is organize events for big crowds.

That’s why Matykiewicz is especially psyched right now as he gets down to the final days of planning the 10th annual Arizona Balloon Classic, which will run April 30-May 2 at the Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S Ballpark Way, Goodyear – or, as he likes to say for the benefit of his neighbors, a mere 30-minute ride from Chandler.

The colorful balloons at the Goodyear festival site make for an eye-popping spectacle both in daytime and at night. (Special to GSN) And even though the balloon festival is coming a little later than usual so that he has to worry about high winds and even though Goodyear’s virus mitigation plan required him to cut the number of participating balloonists from 35 to 15, Matykiewicz is as psyched as a kid on Christmas morning.

Judging by the pace of advance ticket sales, he may not be alone.

“Ticket sales have never been like this before,” he said. “We got a report from our ticket vendor out of Chicago and she

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BALLOONS page 22

22

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BALLOONS from page 21

asked, ‘What are you guys doing down there? Your tickets are like we’ve never seen before.’

“I think its timing and I think it’s cabin fever, Matykiewicz continued.

“Everybody wants to get out... I think we’re going to be the first big festival in Goodyear. We’re going to be the first big festival in the West Valley – probably the metro area with the exception of BarrettJackson and the Phoenix Open. We’re the only big thing happening to kind of kick off the summer.”

Matykiewicz is making sure the Arizona Balloon Classic is as safe from COVID-19 as possible as well – and not just because he was down with the virus, “sick as a dog throughout the Christmas holidays.

“The numbers are looking good but we’re still going to be vigilant,” he said.

“We don’t have to require masks now, but we recommend it. We don’t have to require and enforce distancing but we’re going to recommend it and then hand sanitizer – we have a good hand sanitizer sponsor. So they’re providing a

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

couple hundred gallons of the stuff and the hands-free equipment to dispense it.”

All this so people can see the spectacle Matykiewicz and his team have prepared.

Gates open at 6 a.m. April 30 and May 1 and stay open till 9 p.m. On Sunday – a free admission day – gates open at 6 a.m. and close at noon. Tickets can be purchased at abcfest.com and kids 12 and under are free – as are veterans and active military.

The gates open so early because some of the cool stuff occurs around that time – and not just the free admission from 6 a.m.-noon April 30.

Around 6 a.m. April 30 and May 1, brilliantly colored balloons will fly in as their operators compete in the Hare & Hound Race, vying to get as close as they can to snatch a set of keys from atop a balloon about 50 feet above the ground.

The keys will give them a free year’s lease on a pickup truck while there also will be a small balloon to grab that contains $2,400 in cash.

“Those two big prizes – the pilots

go nuts over that stuff, they really do,” Matykiewicz said. “You have to start a mile away from the site and you have to fly in and grab without touching the ground.

There also are other cash prizes for the balloonists who come closest to landing on a target painted on the ground.

New this year is the Desert Winds Kite Festival from My Wind Stuff, which will fly kites large than semi-trucks, windsocks the size of motorhomes and a 50-foot Mega Fish Kite that will be flying above the festival grounds April 30 and May 1. Kites for all ages and abilities will be on hand for sale – including single line, dual line sport kites and quad line stunt kites. Kite show times will be based on weather conditions.

On both evenings, attendees can wander around the field full of tethered, illuminated, hot air balloons glowing in time to music.

Saturday night will feature a Pilots Parade with a constant burn of purple, green, red and yellow flames from the balloons. A fireworks show will precede

the AlaskaUSA Federal Credit Union Desert Glow.

An assortment of other activities includes hot air balloon rides and tethered rides, inflatable games, stunt bike shows, live entertainment, sampling, and retail shopping and commercial exhibits for purchasing or browsing.

Matykiewicz said that even though he had to pare back the number of vendors, there will still be dozens, ranging from original jewelry to home improvement items.

There will also be candy canons, paper rocket making and launching, and parachute racing for all ages.

And there is a food fest that includes beer gardens, food trucks and festival food favorites throughout all two and a half days of the festival.

From the beverage and ticket sales, Matykiewicz donates a portion to a charity and this year’s partner is Valley of the Sun United Way. One dollar from each ticket sold will be dedicated to United Way’s COVID Relief and Rebuilding Program in Maricopa County.

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

HD SOUTH from page 21

The Gilbert Historical Museum will be open for free following the event noon-4 p.m.

PROGRAMS

Flowers in Watercolor May 1, 6:30-8 p.m. Kick off National Wildflower Week and May Day with this art workshop where participants will learn how to paint flowers using watercolors. Led by acclaimed artist, art educator, and Gilbert Visual Art League member Jean Smith, attendees will be able to create a flower masterpiece. Ages 10 and up. All supplies are provided.

A Matter of Balance May 4, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Dignity Health and HD SOUTH have partnered to provide crucial information to help people avoid life threatening falls. Falling is not a normal part of aging and this eight-week series will strive to reduce the fear of falling in older adults.

If you have concerns about yourself or a loved one falling, you will want to attend this eight-week workshop series. The next parts are 9:30-11:30 a.m. May 11,

May 18 and May 25.

Robots, Rockets and Racers!

May 4, 6-7 p.m. Students from Gilbert Classical Academy will teach children about building STEM projects. Participants will code a robot that they can move through an obstacle course, make bottle rockets and construct assorted vehicles to race down a ramp. There also is a marshmallow tower challenge. Ages 8-13.

Water and Power in the Valley May 4, 6:30-8 p.m. During this virtual presentation, participants will learn more about the history of water and power in the valley and the Salt River Project.

Leah Harrison, manager of research archives and heritage at SRP, will facilitate.

See It Saturday—Vintage Phones May 8, 10:30 a.m-noon. Every month we offer a chance for the public to come and see artifacts in our collection that are normally not available for public viewing.

This month we will showcase vintage phones and electronics. Stop by and see our extensive selection of telephones,

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typewriters, and various other electronics housed in our collection. Museum admission is required to see the display.

Arizona’s Greatest Battle May 11, 6:30-8 p.m. The biggest single battle ever fought in Arizona happened 160 years ago and lasted only half an hour.

It was perhaps the most important battle ever fought by the O’Odham (Pima) and Piipaash (Maricopa) people. The Battle of Pima Butte was also the last large-scale native-against-native skirmish in American history. Sources say that as many as two thousand men took part in the battle.

Only a handful of the invaders survived.

This single engagement ended hundreds of years of attacks from the traditional Piipaash enemies from the west. Steve Hoza, archivist and historian, details this oft-forgotten era of Arizona history.

The Federalist Papers May 15, 10:30 a.m-noon. The Federalist Papers is a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788. They will be explored in an infor-

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mative interactive workshop facilitated by historian and Gilbert resident, Barry Jackson.

Herbal Medicine May 18, 6:30-8 p.m. Herbalism is the study and the use of medicinal plants.

Plants have been the basis for medical treatments through most of human history and such traditional medicine is widely practiced today. Jamie Fitzgerald, the founder of The Healing Point Acupuncture in Phoenix and Desert Sage Wellness Center will discuss the history of herbal medicine, options, availability and uses.

Making Your Own Family History May 22, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Duane Roen has been tracing his roots since his teenage years, building a database with more than 32,000 ancestors Participants will write a journal entry (so please bring paper and pen or a laptop) and will be invited to share their writing with the group.

In turn, the group will be encouraged to offer constructive feedback that will help writers develop their writing further.

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021 41

One-handed comic debuts at JP’s Comedy Club here

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PUZZLES ANSWERSon onpage page19 30 PUZZLE ANSWERS

hipping up the crowd at a recent show, the master of ceremonies howled, “Put your hands together for my man ... Mr. Mike Bolland!”

Bolland displayed for the audience the obvious: He has one hand.

“Thanks, Lamar: Put your ‘hands’ together,” Bolland said, with a mock frown.

“I don’t want to judge the audience,” Bolland continued. “I think you’re great – but I have heard better applause at a onehanded convention.”

Welcome to the world of Mike Bolland, who loves to make jokes about being born with one hand.

“Don’t make me count to six!” he’ll say to his two daughters.

Bolland is about as unique as they come.

Years ago, he became the first one-handed bowler on the pro bowling tour.

Does he love a challenge?

Before hitting the bowling circuit, his first job was doing something many with two hands struggle with: changing tires.

A longtime Mesa resident who graduated from Mountain View High School in 1983, Bolland thought about trying out a comedy act for years.

Then, when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, he decided “it’s now or never.”

“When you have cancer, if you’re going to try something, you have to try it now,” said Bolland, 56.

After his cancer treatment, he made good on a promise to himself and took the stage at the Comedy Spot in Scottsdale. It was terrifying … but thrilling.

Since then, the self-described “onehanded comedian” has become a regular at comedy clubs around the Valley.

Saturday, May 1, is a key date: His first headlining show, at JP’s Comedy Club in Gilbert — a short drive from the Dobson Ranch home he shares with his wife, Trish.

They have two adult daughters.

Bolland also has a Youtube series called “How To Do Things With One Hand,”

Mike Bolland, who bills himself as “the onehanded comedian,” makes his headlining debut at JP’s Comedy Club in Gilbert at 9 p.m. Saturday, May 1. (Special to GSN) showing how he opens sugar packets, puts on bandages and does things in the kitchen.

Being in front of the camera is nothing new: His Youtube channel also shows his one acting role, in the 1974 flick “The Trial of Billy Jack.”

“I sang a shot and got shot and killed,” Bolland said.

More recently, he invented the TwoFisted Drinker Beer Mug, which has been a hot seller on Amazon.

Now that pandemic-related shutdowns have been loosened, Bolland is eager to continue his live comedy career.

“I truly like having one hand,” he said. “I have never felt slighted in any way because of it.

“I cannot imagine myself with two of those things!”

IF YOU GO

Who: Mike Bolland When: 9 p.m. Saturday, May 1 Where: JP’s Comedy Club, 860 E Warner Road, Gilbert, 85296.

Tickets: $17, jpscomedyclub.com; 480-547-0137

25

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Seeing is believing.

Get 2 security cameras installed FREE*.

Obituaries

ADT’s 24/7 monitoring plus top of the line security cameras help ensure your loved ones are safe – whether you’re out and about or in the next room.

Russell Carl Low Russell Carl (Rusty) Low was born October 17, 1960 in Oceanside, California. The son of Lawrence James Low and Nora Lee Quesnot (Brown).

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*ADT Video Doorbell AND Outdoor Camera Professionally Installed Free: Requires 36-month monitoring contract starting at $56.99/mo. with QSP (24-month monitoring contract in California, total fees from $1,367.76), and enrollment in ADT EasyPay. Offer includes installation of one (1) video doorbell camera AND one (1) outdoor camera with minimum purchase price of $599 after promo is applied depending on geographic location. Applicable taxes extra. Upon early termination by Customer, ADT may charge 75% of the monthly service charges due for the balance of the initial contract term. Quality Service Plan (QSP) is ADT’s Extended Limited Warranty. Service and installation charges vary depending on system configuration, equipment, and services selected. Expires 7/15/2021.

Interactive Services: ADT Command Interactive Solutions Services (“ADT Command”) helps you manage your home environment and family lifestyle. Requires purchase of an ADT alarm system with 36-month monitoring contract ranging from $45.99-$59.99/mo. with QSP (24-month monitoring contract in California, total fees ranging $1,103.76-$1,439.76), enrollment in ADT EasyPay, and a compatible device with Internet and email access. These interactive services do not cover the operation or maintenance of any household equipment/systems that are connected to the ADT Command equipment. All ADT Command services are not available with all interactive service levels. All ADT Command services may not be available in all geographic areas. You may be required to pay additional charges to purchase equipment required to utilize the interactive service features you desire.

General: Additional charges may apply in areas that require guard response service for municipal alarm verification. System remains property of ADT. Local permit fees may be required. Prices and offers subject to change and may vary by market. Additional taxes and fees may apply. Satisfactory credit required. A security deposit may be required. Simulated screen images and photos are for illustrative purposes only. ©2021 ADT LLC dba ADT Security Services. All rights reserved. ADT, the ADT logo, 800.ADT.ASAP and the product/service names listed in this document are marks and/or registered marks.

Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Third-party marks are the property of their respective owners. License information available at www.ADT.com/legal or by calling 800.ADT.ASAP. CA ACO7155, 974443, PPO120288; FL EF0001121; LA F1639, F1640, F1643, F1654, F1655; MA 172C; NC Licensed by the Alarm Systems Licensing Board of the State of North Carolina, 7535P2, 7561P2, 7562P10, 7563P7, 7565P1, 7566P9, 7564P4; NY 12000305615; PA 09079, MS 15019511.

DF-CD-NP-Q221

Rusty grew up in Southern California where he lived an active life raising a family, involved in church and finding who he was as a father of 3. Rusty relocated to Queen Creek, Arizona in the early 2000s where he fell in love with the town that gave him a new beginning. Rusty joined the family of San Tan Hyundai while residing in Queen Creek, where he was able to touch lives both in his workplace and those he came in contact with on a daily basis. His positive outlook on life, boisterous laugh and caring nature were just some of the reason why Rusty was so loved and the loss of him is so hard. Leaving behind a void that many are feeling. Rusty loved the outdoors, golfing and his Genesis cars.

Rusty is survived by daughters Carly Alexis Phillips (35), Nicole Alexis Moran (31), son Russell Carl Dylan Low (27), chosen family Jimmy Lambert, Jacob and Serenity Estes. Grandchildren Corey William Phillips, Christopher Glen Phillips, Kade Tye Moore, and Ezekiel Asher Moran, and chosen grandson Grayson Estes; his father Lawrence James Low as well as extended family of brothers, sisterin-laws, nephews, and friends who will never forget the memories they have made with Rusty throughout his life. He is preceded in death by his mother Nora Lee Quesnot Brown.

Cremation has taken place and Rusty's ashes will be spread throughout his favorite parts of California and some of Arizona in the upcoming summer by his children and those who's lives he touched deeply. In lieu of flowers or donations, Rusty's family requests any photos or your eulogy of memories you have with him be sent via mail to 381 Ridge View Dr Sequim, Wa 98382 or nicolemoran@outlook.com.

Sign the Guestbook at: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com

Obituaries H E A D STO N E S

EVERLASTING MONUMENT Co.

“Memories cut in Stone” • MONUMENTS • GRANITE & BRONZE • CEMETERY LETTERING • CUSTOM DESIGNS

480-969-0788 75 W. Baseline Rd. Ste. A-8 Gilbert, AZ 85233

www.everlastingmonumentco.com info@everlastingmonument.phxcoxmail.com

Make your choice Everlasting Need help writing an obituary?

We have articles that will help guide you through the process.

Deadline for obituaries is Wednesday at 5pm for Sunday. All obituaries will be approved by our staff prior to being activated. Be aware there may be early deadlines around holidays.

Call 480-898-6465 Mon-Fri 8:30-5 if you have questions.

Visit: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com

Your newspaper.

Your community.

Your planet.

Please recycle me.

26

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Employment General

The Place “To Find” Everything You Need | GilbertSunNews.com

Employ ment Employment General

Now hiring for parttime and full-time janitorial positions in Mesa and Phoenix For further information apply in person at 7020 N 55th Ave Glendale AZ 85301 or call 623-937-3727

Employment General HVAC Technician Experienced, licensed HVAC technician. Immediate start. Must have own tools and an insurable drivers license.

Competitive wages.

Email resumes to aandacooling @msn.com WE’RE ALWAYS HERE TO SERVE YOUR CLASSIFIED NEEDS

480.898.6465 CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM

Self Development Academy is seeking an Elementary Teacher, Minimum Requirements: Bachelor's Degree in Education + 5 Year experience and Arizona State Certification. Please mail Resumes to HR, 1709 N Greenfield Rd. Mesa, AZ 85205.

Employment General

Employment General

EARN EXTRA INCOME!

Gannett Publishing Services wants to contract you to deliver newspapers and magazine products in the early morning hours in the Phoenix metro area.

Gannett Publishing Services (GPS), a division of Gannett Co. and a recognized leader in the publishing industry, operates printing & packaging facilities throughout the country.

Earn up to $400 per week.

All routes are 7 days a week.

Work just 2-3 hours a day between 12:00AM – 6:00AM. Routes available now in your area (East Valley, West Valley, North Phoenix).

Current Arizona driver's license, insurance and access to a vehicle are required.

Visit deliveryopportunities.gannett.com or call 602-444-4243.

Job Type: Contract Pay: Up to $400.00 per week. ***MUST INCLUDE HOME ZIP CODE AND PHONE NUMBER WHEN APPLYING.***

COMPUTER/IT PayPal, Inc. has the following positions available in Scottsdale, AZ: • Technical Account Manager (Req.#: 182141): Work on post intgrtn issues to provide tech support, consulting & best practices. Req’s: MS(or equiv.) OR BS(or equiv.)+5 yrs. exp.

• Manager, Database Delivery (Req.#: 11361): Lead & provide tech. direction, guidance & strategy to the Database Delivery Team.

Req’s: MS(or equiv.)+3 yrs. exp. OR BS(or equiv.)+5 yrs. exp.

• MTS 1, Business Systems Analyst (Req.#: 20-3534): Monitor & assess the sys support needs & imprvmnts & dvlp tech. solutions.

Req’s: MS(or equiv.)+4 yrs. exp. OR BS(or equiv.)+6 yrs. exp.

• Manager, Data Engineering (Req.#: 203557): Dvlp & support existing robotic process automation s/w. Req’s: MS(or equiv.)+4 yrs. exp. OR BS(or equiv.)+6 yrs. exp • Data Scientist 2 (Req.#: 20-3628): Define detailed product req’s & use rapid cycles to extract & iterate predictive analytics. Req’s: MS(or equiv.)+2 yrs. exp. OR BS(or equiv.)+5 yrs. exp Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. w/o sponsorship. Mail resume w/ref. (indicate Req.#) to: ATTN: HR, Cube 10.3.561, PayPal, Inc. HQ, 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131. EOE

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS

MAAX Spas is hiring Full Time v

Generous Pay v

Benefits v

Paid Vacation v

Paid Sick Time v

401K Apply online at maaxspas.com or call 480-895-4575

Employment General

Help Wanted for a new location at SE Corner of Higley & Elliot in Gilbert

E ELLIOT

N HIGLEY

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145 S HIGLEY RD, GILBERT 85296 HERE WE GROW AGAIN! HIRING FOR ALL POSITIONS Full Time and Part Time.

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Great Pay and Environment.

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APPOINTMENT SETTERS WANTED, RETIREES WELCOME!

★ PROMOTERS WANTED! ★ AVG PAY $23.56 - $35.12 an hour Home improvement company looking for Promoters to work in the following locations: • ARROWHEAD MALL (GLENDALE, AZ) • MESA FARMERS MARKET (MESA, AZ) • SUPERSTITION MALL (MESA, AZ) • CHANDLER MALL (CHANDLER, AZ) Must be able to approach people.

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Training Classes Starting Soon From National Trainer, Steve Bloechel.

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27

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Real Estate

Carpet Cleaning

andise For Rent Wanted to Buy Cash 4 Diabetic Strips!

Best Prices in Town.

Sealed and Unexpired.

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Diabetic Test Strips by the box, unused. Any type or brand.

Will pay top dollar.

Call Pat 480-323-8846

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Apartments Crismon/Apache Trl/Merrill Cottage Cozy 2br 1ba Bad Credit ok. $900 No Deposit. Water/trash incl'd (602) 339-1555

Repairs • Installations •Tune-Ups

49

$

AC/Heat Tune-Up Special

0% Easy Financing • Free Estimates New Units as low as $39/mo.

ROC# 197366

Real Estate for Sale

Air Conditioning/Heating

Manufactured Homes

THE LINKS ESTATES Why Rent The Lot When

YOU CAN OWN THE LAND And Own Your New Home

FROM THE UPPER 100’S

ASK US HOW YOUR $105,000 CASH INVESTMENT AND OUR SENIOR LOAN PROGRAM ENABLES QUALIFIED 62+ SENIORS MAKING THE LINKS THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE HAVE NO MORTGAGE PAYMENT & NO LOT RENT AS LONG AS YOU LIVE IN HOME.

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Trusted Service for 18 Years • A+ Rated BBB • Complaint-Free Record

QUALITY, VALUE and a GREAT PRICE!

Lifetime Warranty on Workmanship HVAC Tune Up - $129 New 3-Ton AC Units - now $3,995 New Trane Air Conditioners NO INTEREST FINANCING - 60 MONTHS!

‘A’ RATED AC REPAIR FREE ESTIMATE SAME DAY SERVICE

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2 rooms rooms 22free rooms free hall hall

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5 rooms rooms 55FREE rooms FREE HALL HALL

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Cleaning Services

Garage/Doors

Glass/Mirror

SPARKLE & SHINE CLEANING SERVICE Immaculate, Dependable Service. Affordable Rates.

Commercial & Residential services All supplies included.

Sanitized & masks worn You've tried the rest, now try the BEST!" Ask for Martha or Annie 480-495-5516 or 480-797-6023

GARAGE DOOR SERVICE

GLASS, MIRRORS, SHOWER DOORS

HIRING?

sofa && sofa sofa & loveseAT loveseAT loveseAT Free chair Free chair

If someone Needs a Job, They Look Every Day!

Free chair

No hidden hidden charges. charges.

No Seniorcharges. and No hidden Senior and veteran discounts.

Senior and veteran discounts. discounts. veteran

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For a Quote email: class@times publications.com

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Air Conditioning/Heating Repairs Installations Tune-ups

Financing Available

East Valley/ Ahwatukee

Broken Springs Replaced Nights/Weekends Bonded/Insured 480-251-8610

Not a licensed contractor

DO YOU OFFER Lessons & Tutoring?

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Place your ad today Contact us: class@times publications.com or Call 480-898-6465

Family Owned with 50 years' EXPERIENCE. Shower and tub enclosures, Framed, Frameless or Custom Doors, We also install insulated glass, mirrored closet doors, window glass, mirrors, patio doors, glass table protectors. If it’s glass, we can help you. QUALITY SERVICE at Competitive Prices.

FREE Estimates

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Concrete & Masonry

Block Fence * Gates

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YOU’LL LIKE US - THE BEST!

Gawthorp & Associates Realty 40667 N Wedge Dr • San Tan Valley, AZ 85140

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Electrical Services HONESTY • INTEGRITY • QUALITY

Cannot be combined with any other discount or coupon.

480-818-4772 • www.acrangers.com • ROC # 328460

Appliance Repairs

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If It’s Broken, We Can Fix It! • Same Day Service • On-Site Repairs • Servicing All Major Brands • Quality Guaranteed

We Also Buy, Sell & Trade Used Appliances Working or Not

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• Serving Arizona Since 2005 •

• Panel Changes and Repairs • Installation of Ceiling Fans • Switches/Outlets • Home Remodel

ALL RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL ELECTRICAL Call Jim Endres 480.282.7932 Over 28 Years Experience • ROC #246019 Bonded/Insured

28

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Irrigation

Fire/Water Damage/Restoration

ACTION CONTRACTING INC. SPECIALIZING IN

WATER - FIRE DAMAGE AND RESTORATION

We get your home or office to back pre-loss condition.

We also specialize in home remodels and commercial projects. Car-port to Garage conversion, drywall & stucco repairs, painting, electrical, plumbing and tenant Improvements

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I S

E NC

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Quality Work Since 1999 Decks •Affo Tile • More! rdable, ✔ Plumbing 2010, 2011 2012, 2013, 2014 Call Bruce at 602.670.7038 ✔ Drywall Ahwatukee Resident/ References/ Insured/ Not a Licensed Contractor “No Job ✔ Carpentry Too Small Marks the Spot for“No Job Too ALL Your Handyman Needs! ✔ Decks Painting • Flooring • Electrical Small Man!” “No Job Too Man!” ✔ Tile Plumbing • Drywall • Carpentry

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2012, 2013, 2014 ty Work Since 1999

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2010, 2011 2012, 2013, 2014

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• Old Paint & Chems.

• Yard Waste • Concrete Slab • Remodeling Debris • Old Tires

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Owner Does All Work, All Honey-Do Lists All Remodeling, Additions, Kitchen, Bath, Patio Covers, Garage, Sheds, Windows, Doors, Drywall & Roofing Repairs, Painting, All Plumbing, Electrical, Concrete, Block, Stucco, Stack Stone, All Flooring, Wood, Tile, Carpet, Welding, Gates, Fences, All Repairs.

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Home Improvement

Interior/Exterior Painting 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE

PLUMBERS CHARGE TOO MUCH!

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• Furniture • Appliances • Mattresses • Televisions • Garage Clean-Out • Construction Debris

HOME IMPROVEMENT & PAINTING

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2010, 2011 Small Man!” 2014 Call Bruce at 602.670.7038

uce at 602.670.7038 dent/ References/ Insured/ NotResident a Licensed Contractor Ahwatukee / References t 602.670.7038

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Now Accepting all major credit cards

www.GilbertSunNews.com

29

GILBERT SUN NEWS | APRIL 25, 2021

Pool Service / Repair

Roofing

Juan Hernandez

Pavers • Concrete • Water Features • Sprinkler Repair

NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE WESTGATE GV AT PAINTED MOUNTAIN 12044.0025-0028;0030-0035

PPebbleOcracking, O L Plaster R Epeeling, P ARebar IR showing, Pool Light out? I CAN HELP!

FALL SPECIAL! $500 OFF COMPLETE REMODEL! 25 Years Experience • Dependable & Reliable

Tiles, shingles, flat, repairs & new work Free Estimates • Ahwatukee Resident

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Licensed/Bonded/Insured • ROC #236099

Roofing

Window Cleaning

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10% Discount for Ahwatukee Residents 100% NO Leak Guarantee Re-Roof & Roofing Repairs Tile, Shingles & Flat Roof

Public Notices

Keith Schram

keith@windowsrc.biz

Professional Window Cleaner

Hot water pressure washing, 3000 PSI

480-306-8543

MonsoonRoofingInc.com

azvalleywindowcleaning.com

Licensed – Bonded – Insured – ROC187561

Roofing

aOver 30 Years of Experience

aFamily Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers!

Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer!

Spencer 4 HIRE ROOFING Valley Wide Service

480-446-7663 FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hireroofing.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded

The following legally described trust property will be sold pursuant to the power of sale at public auction to the highest bidder in the Lobby of Suite 700, 8585 E Hartford Dr, Scottsdale, Maricopa County, AZ 85255, at 1:00 p.m. on THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021 - NOTICE! IF YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFENSE TO THE TRUSTEE SALE OR IF YOU HAVE AN OBJECTION TO THE TRUSTEE SALE YOU MUST FILE AN ACTION AND OBTAIN A COURT ORDER PURSUANT TO RULE 65, ARIZONA RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, STOPPING THE SALE NO LATER THAN 5:00 PM MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME OF THE LAST BUSINESS DAY BEFORE THE SCHEDULED DATE OF THE SALE, OR YOU MAY HAVE WAIVED ANY DEFENSE OR OBJECTION TO THE SALE. UNLESS YOU OBTAIN A COURT ORDER, THE SALE WILL BE FINAL AND WILL OCCUR. - under that certain Deed of Trust, in which a breach has occurred for failure to pay monthly installments due under said Deed of Trust.

Said Deed of Trust was recorded on (See Exhibit “A”), in Instrument No. (See Exhibit “A”) in the Office of the County Recorder of Maricopa County, Arizona: Interval No. (See Exhibit “A”), Painted Mountain Golf Villas, a (See Exhibit “A”) Interval Interest, nd consisting of: th (i) an undivided [52 for Annual/104 for Biennial] fee interest in Unit No. (See Exhibit “A”), PAINTED MOUNTAIN GOLF VILLAS CONDOMINIUM, according to the Declaration of Condominium recorded in instrument no. 97-9704664, and plat recorded in Book 451 of Maps, Page 11, records of Maricopa County, Arizona, by which an Owner is entitled to occupy a Unit for one (1) Interval on an annual or biennial (whichever is indicated above) and recurring basis, the exact Interval to be established every year (or, for biennial, every other year) by reservation, all as defined and governed by the Declaration of Dedication, Interval Ownership Plan, and Covenants, Conditions, Restrictions and Easements for Painted Mountain Golf Villas, dated September 18, 1997, and recorded October 8, 1997, in instrument no. 97-0704665, records of Maricopa County, Arizona, as amended by First Amendment to Declaration of Dedication, Interval Ownership Plan, and Covenants, Conditions, Restrictions and Easements for Painted Mountain Golf Villas, recorded January 15, 1998 in instrument no. 980031469, records of Maricopa County, Arizona (collectively, the “Declaration”);

and (ii) the non-exclusive right to use and enjoy the Common Area, and to use and enjoy the Common Furnishings contained in such Unit, during such Owner’s Use Period, as provided in the Declaration. For convenience in inventory control, conveyancing, and titling, an Interval Interest is granted in a specific Unit; however, this interest does NOT carry with it the right to use that specific Unit. Tax parcel number: 20-1008093 Purported property address: 6302 East McKellips Road Mesa, Arizona 85215 Original trustor(s): (See Exhibit “A”) Original principal balance: (See Exhibit “A”) Balance as shown on the Notice of Delinquency: (See Exhibit “A”) Substitute Trustee: SHARON A. URIAS 8585 E Hartford Dr, Ste 700, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 (480) 306-5458 Beneficiary: WESTGATE GV AT PAINTED MOUNTAIN, LLC 6302 East McKellips Road Mesa, AZ 85215 This is a non-judicial foreclosure proceeding to permit WESTGATE GV AT PAINTED MOUNTAIN LLC to pursue its in rem remedies under Arizona law. Dated th this 10 day of February, 2021. Sharon A. Urias, Substitute Trustee MANNER OF TRUSTEE QUALIFICATION: Member, State Bar of Arizona NAME OF TRUSTEE’S REGULATOR: State Bar of Arizona EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0025 (THOMAS) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; Jonathan P Thomas, Deidre M Floyd 6185 Shetland St Sumter, SC 29154, 1/104 Biennial, 9-237M, 24 EVEN, 11/02/2016, $5,813.91, 2016-0807315, $3,480.62; Ray Sinanan, Riza Sinanan 372 Rossland Road West Oshawa, ON L1J3G5 CANADA, 1/104 Biennial, 8-134M, 30 EVEN, 06/30/2016, $6,426.00, 2016-0457920, $3,656.52; Carol D Outlaw 2006 Liberty Ave Hopewell, VA 23860, 1/104 Biennial, 10-139, 23 EVEN, 11/15/2016, $4,625.80, 2016-840373, $2,216.40; Rose C Abadilla 1014 Mao Ln Honolulu, HI 96817, 1/104 Biennial, 6-122M, 33 EVEN, 12/22/2015, $6,414.99, 2015-0900245, $6,859.64; Roy S Robinson, Rebecca J Robinson 115 West Northside Dr Lake Wales, FL 33853, 1/104 Biennial, 8-134P, 34 ODD, 05/01/2017, $4,803.61, 2017-0313877, $2,305.76; Danisha Robinson, Kenneth Robinson 2729 Caribou Court Morrow, GA 30260, 1/104 Biennial, 8-132M, 35 ODD, 03/22/2016, $5,400.00, 2016-

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Public Notices 0182292, $3,812.21; Montina S Newkirk P.O. Box 56 Willard, NC 28478, 1/104 Biennial, 6-123P, 44 ODD, 08/25/2016, $5,214.96, 2016-0611056, $2,291.10; April L Smith, Rodrick J Smith 2581 Ringgold Rd Somerset, KY 42503, 1/104 Biennial, 6-124M, 45 EVEN, 03/22/2016, $5,813.91, 2016-0182296, $4,616.86; Regina A Metcalf, Leon Sims 147 South Gosnell Blytheville, AR 72315, 1/104 Biennial, 9-135, 8 ODD, 02/22/2017, $8,139.47, 2017-0127279, $3.689.69; Hairo Perez 9625 Mount Pisgah Rd Silver Spring, MD 20903, 1/104 Biennial, 6-123M, 30 ODD, 01/26/2017, $6,426.00, 2017-0059993, $3,134.16; Valerie D Wilson 7635 Brentwood Rd Philadelphia, PA 19151, 1/104 Biennial, 8-132M, 33 EVEN, 01/05/2017, $3,559.56, 20170007478, $1,619.82; Charlie W Sellers, Lois E Sellers 108 Lake Dr Trinity, NC 27370, 1/104 Biennial, 7-130, 21 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $7,427.25, 2015-0724419, $5,719.74; Steve D Broadnax, April M Broadnax 515 Piney Fork Church Rd Eden, NC 27288, 1/104 Biennial, 6-121, 28 ODD, 03/22/2016, $8,081.33, 20160182232, $4,475.00; Gordon L Thompson Jr, Paula F Thompson 161 Anglin Valley Ln Stoneville, NC 27048, 1/104 Biennial, 6-224M, 33 ODD, 11/15/2016, $5,813.91, 2016-0840390, $3,394.00; Carolyn Jones, Christopher L Ford 219 East Hughes Circle Florence, SC 29506, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138P, 31 ODD, 08/25/2016, $4,500.00, 2016-0610686, $3,211.17; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0026 (MUHAMMED) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; Sayyid Muhammed, Fatou Jallow Muhammed 1617 Horner Rd Woodbridge, VA 22191, 1/104 Biennial, 8-233M, 20 ODD, 10/20/2015, $6,103.41, 2015-0752433, $4,600.50; Raymundo Sanchez, Joyce A Sanchez PO Box 822 Harrisonburg, VA 22803, 1/104 Biennial, 8-132M, 2 EVEN, 06/29/2016, $5,813.91, 2016-0454924, $3,777.12; Carlos D Mc Arthur, April K Mc Arthur 141 NE 15th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73104, 1/104 Biennial, 7-228, 16 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $6,760.14, 2015-0724351, $3,120.88; Charles O Mc Daniel III, Quiana D Mc Daniel 728 Meandering Drive Cedar Hill, TX 75104, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138P, 39 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $4,410.64, 20150724270, $3,348.76; Sophia A Green Cmr 427 Box 3610 Apo, AE 09630, 1/104

Biennial, 10-139, 30 EVEN, 05/20/2010, $11,618.28, 2010-0427680, $19,359.81; Steven B Mitchell, Teffany Mitchell 1173 Thompson Hill Rd Awendaw, SC 29429, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138M, 6 EVEN, 03/22/2016, $7,120.65, 2016-0182293, $5,413.80; Geffrey M Mendoza, Arceli G Mendoza 12014 Harness Ct Jacksonville, FL 32246, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138M, 46 ODD, 10/08/2015, $5,289.11, 20150724409, $1,780.64; Latrena S Ratliff 16163 Princeton Detroit, MI 48221, 1/104 Biennial, 6-121, 21 EVEN, 12/22/2015, $6,024.29, 2015-0900260, $4,222.00; Jemmayen T Macaraeg, Clifford S Cruz 8006 Matilija Ave Panorama City, CA 91402, 1/104 Biennial, 6-125, 39 EVEN, 07/23/2015, $4,840.95, 2015-0528981, $4,294.46; Thomas M Woods, Tiffany R Woods 910863 S Donna Jean Ln Wellston, OK 74881, 1/104 Biennial, 7-130, 41 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $7,346.70, 20150724350, $4,097.30; Rubin A Lloyd, Raina I Lloyd 7700 West Airport Blvd., Apt 508 Houston, TX 77071, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138P, 33 EVEN, 10/13/2015, $4,464.43, 2015-0733645, $3,188.10; Ronald Laleau, Jhoane E Laleau 107 Coffee St Palm Bay, FL 32909, 1/104 Biennial, 8-234, 38 ODD, 10/08/2015, $5,000.00, 20150724407, $1,753.95; Cleo D Shelton 2 B Nascar Lane Magnolia, DE 19962, 1/104 Biennial, 6-126, 28 EVEN, 03/22/2016, $7,725.87, 2016-0182238, $5,123.28; Wovoka V Jack, Nynesha L Jack 15011 Lance Circle Houston, TX 77053, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222P, 43 ODD, 10/20/2015, $4,860.00, 2015-0752421, $2,252.36; Van A Ellis 3690 S Tower Ave Chandler, AZ 85286, 1/104 Biennial, 6-125, 42 EVEN, 01/21/2015, $7,422.79, 2015-0039310, $5,529.50; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0027 (JONES) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; Chamika V Jones 413 37th Pl SE Apt 202 Washington, DC 20019, 1/104 Biennial, 8-232, 20 ODD, 02/23/2017, $4,625.80, 2017-129526, $2,408.56; Victoria Hamrick, John S Walls 1001 South Leadville Apt 302 Boise, ID 83706, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138M, 6 ODD, 06/30/2016, $5,400.00, 2016-0457913, $2,934.48; Loretta K Warfield 6605 Alter St Baltimore, MD 21207, 1/104 Biennial, 9-135, 32 EVEN, 12/04/2015, $6,223.62, 2015-0859971, $3,455.92; Joseph R Peace, Cheryl S Peace 3126 Henry Wilson

Road Oxford, NC 27565, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138P, 22 ODD, 11/15/2016, $4,500.00, 2016-0840376, $2,542.50; Quantas S Calbert, Victoria Y Calbert 739 Boxwood Dr Pensacola, FL 32503, 1/104 Biennial, 9-238, 30 EVEN, 10/15/2015, $7,089.65, 2015-0740586, $3,446.50; Kenneth E Alfaro, Fatima R Alfaro 40027 N Hidden Bunker Court Antoch, IL 60002, 1/104 Biennial, 8-233M, 34 EVEN, 12/19/2016, $5,400.00, 2016-0932181, $2,686.11; Kandace L Collins, Ronald S Lamar 209 Scammel St Marietta, OH 45750, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138M, 34 EVEN, 06/30/2016, $5,813.91, 2016-0457898, $2,269.33; Cotina S Hemphill, Lydell E Hill 2344 Ridgerock Lane Apt 202 Rock Hill, SC 29732, 1/104 Biennial, 6-126, 42 ODD, 12/22/2015, $7,560.00, 2015-0900255, $4,395.56; Lois M Lambert PO Box 1953 The Dalles, OR 97058, 1/104 Biennial, 6-225, 20 ODD, 10/08/2015, $6,760.14, 2015-0724334, $2,923.44; La Ronda R White 27692 Devonshire St Southfield, MI 48076, 1/104 Biennial, 6-223, 13 EVEN, 12/22/2015, $9,792.81, 2015-0900262, $5,939.78; Lenaka R Givens, Antonio M Givens 421 Felder St Bishopville, SC 29010, 1/104 Biennial, 8-233M, 18 ODD, 02/22/2017, $5,813.91, 2017-0127277, $2,715.80; Brian Perry, Sr, Kristal Perry 2128 Dembrigh Lane Charlotte, NC 28262, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222M, 10 EVEN, 12/04/2015, $5,813.91, 2015-0859969, $3,989.60; Gerona Neubia, Philip Neubia 3005 Kathleen Way Williamsburg, VA 23188, 1/104 Biennial, 9-237M, 42 EVEN, 11/03/2016, $5,813.91, 20160811876, $2,644.80; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0028 (TENHET) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; Valerie M Tenhet, Michael S Tenhet 587 County Road 2215 Decatur, TX 76234, 1/104 Biennial, 6-224P, 36 ODD, 12/03/2014, $6,195.00, 2014-0795291, $1,848.65; Luz E Sanchez 17547 Amantha Ave Carson, CA 90746, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222P, 27 ODD, 11/03/2016, $4,372.26, 2015-0810943, $1,253.30; Miranda L Browne, Trevor E Browne 335 Roberts Rd Athens, GA 30606, 1/104 Biennial, 6-126, 10 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $7,600.00, 2015-0724297, $2,393.89; Amanda L Crosby, Roger L Crosby PO Box 884 Steinhatchee, FL 32359, 1/104 Biennial, 6-223, 43 EVEN, 02/18/2016, $10,043.63, 2016-0101461, $3,206.36; Gloria D

Lowe, John Lowe 7359 Van Grayson Loop Fayetteville, NC 28314, 1/104 Biennial, 6-124M, 34 ODD, 04/09/2015, $5,400.00, 2015-0241237, $1,790.04; Anthony D Coghill, A’Dan N Coghill 1721 Hudgins Farm Circle Fredericksburg, VA 22408, 1/104 Biennial, 9-138P, 5 ODD, 02/29/2016, $4,806.00, 2016-0124816, $1,300.15; Mike Visockis, Angela Visockis 1051 S Dobson #174 Mesa, AZ 85202, 1 Annual, 6-123P, 35 WHOLE, 04/08/2009, $6,399.43, 2009-0310183, $2,692.29; Johnnie C Evans, Felicia W Evans 1117 Raven Perch Drive Wendell, NC 27591, 1/104 Biennial, 8-233P, 21 ODD, 02/25/2016, $5,400.00, 2016-0118243, $1,592.92; Joshua A Williams, Twanna R Williams 2358 Saintsville Rd Greenville, NC 27834, 1/104 Biennial, 6-224M, 32 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $6,895.34, 20150724341, $1,775.02; Gregory J Evans, Jr, Tawny Evans 24673 Watson Ranch Rd Montgomery, TX 77356, 1 Annual, 6-225, 33 WHOLE, 02/25/2016, $15,451.74, 2016-0118270, $3,887.20; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0030 (TODD) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; Billy J Todd, Michelle J Todd 1235 Derby Dr Cohutta, GA 30710, 1/104 Biennial, 9-237M, 10 EVEN, 07/31/2017, $5,813.91, 2017-556575, $3,258.96; Charlayne James, Otis James 511 E. Sanger St Apt 3 Philadelphia, PA 19120, 1/104 Biennial, 8-134M, 31 EVEN, 06/30/2016, $5,400.00, 2016-457907, $3,044.84; Ricky L Winchester, Kathy A Winchester 3937 Parkhaven Drive Corinth, TX 76210, 1/104 Biennial, 8-134M, 32 EVEN, 11/15/2016, $3,303.98, 2016-840375, $2,504.24; La Micha D Williams, Kevin Williams 5442 Pelleur St Lynwood, CA 90262, 1/104 Biennial, 7-227, 46 ODD, 12/19/2016, $6,347.02, 2016-932190, $3,242.08; Thekla Tjazuko, Richard Adriaans 4010 Meadowview Dr Suitland, MD 20746, 1/104 Biennial, 8-233M, 40 EVEN, 11/03/2016, $5,794.40, 2016811855, $2,392.80; Ina M Walsh, Steven S Walsh 90 Miss Ellie Circle Belton, MO 64012, 1/104 Biennial, 6-123M, 15 EVEN, 04/05/2010, $5,400.00, 2010282761, $14,177.45; Matthew W Bishop, Katherine L Cox 336 Princeton Dr Trenton, OH 45067, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222M, 23 EVEN, 07/11/2017, $5,813.91, 2017502448, $3,098.17; Jerrick D Whitfield, Janet A Hand 4529 Dalmahoy Court#202

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Public Notices Fort Myers, FL 33916, 1/104 Biennial, 7-128, 11 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $4,840.95, 2015-724335, $1,659.25; Willie B White Jr 2026 Timber Oaks Ln Apt O Charlotte, NC 28212, 1/104 Biennial, 8-134M, 24 EVEN, 10/15/2015, $5,400.00, 2015-741603, $3,171.50; Elizabeth Williams, John W Williams 10100 W 136th Pl Apt 1706 Overload Park, KS 66221, 1/104 Biennial, 6-226, 49 EVEN, 01/05/2017, $6,005.67, 2017-007477, $3,065.51; Tchernavia S Howard PO Box 124 2175 Hosea Lane Autaugaville, AL 36003, 1/104 Biennial, 6-123M, 20 ODD, 10/08/2015, $5,365.19, 2015-724289, $2,110.86; Thurmond Johnson 352 Cleveland St Gary, IN 46406, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222M, 14 ODD, 06/29/2016, $5,400.00, 2016-454828, $3,120.24; Angela D Owens, Charles Owens 109 Stone Glen Road Pikeville, NC 27863, 1/104 Biennial, 6-224M, 32 ODD, 11/03/2016, $6,480.00, 2016810936, $3,655.025; Terry D Crumel, Trina C Crumel PO Box 1004 Fort Mill, SC 29716, 1/104 Biennial, 8-233M, 39 EVEN, 12/19/2016, $5,813.91, 2016932189, $2,604.06; Tamarcus D Cox, Antoinette R Jones 7767 La Riviera Dr. #76 Sacramento, CA 95826, 1/104 Biennial, 7-130, 19 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $7,089.65, 2015-724263, $2,547.54; Keshia M Belton 8100 Bayfield Road Apt 11D Columbia, SC 29223, 1/104 Biennial, 6-224P, 47 ODD, 02/08/2017, $4,860.00, 2017-095623, $2,312.60; Darryl D Brown, Felicia A Brown 418 Benning Rd Jackson, MS 39206, 1/104 Biennial, 5-117, 15 EVEN, 08/25/2016, $8,081.33, 2016610657, $4,194.20; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0031 (KELLY) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; KAREN R KELLY, DEBRA N LETT 20885 S Birchwood Loop Rd # 1 Chugiak, AK 99567, 1/104 Biennial, 10-139, 52 ODD, 12/21/2011, $10,128.07, 2011-1049322, $13,704.48; PAULINE B SHOCKNESS, WILLIAM E SHOCKNESS, ANISA J SHOCKNESS 2301 Dryburgh Ct Orlando, FL 32828, 1/104 Biennial, 9-135, 26 EVEN, 10/20/2015, $9,197.80, 20150752432, $10,635.85; RICHARD PUNTENEY, PAMELA L PUNTENEY 12237 Gail Ave Omaha, NE 68137, 1/104, Biennial, 6-223, 48 EVEN, 08/06/2003, $8,279.10, 20031071236, $4,875.85; ALFRED D OSLEY, LA TONYA M BURKS 388 Saginaw Ave

Calumet City, IL 60409, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222M, 8 EVEN, 12/05/2011, $5,040.00, 2011-1001014, $8,571.60; TERRY J BRADLEY, LINNETTE M BRADLEY 3850 N. Park Ave Philadelphia, PA 19140, 1/104 Biennial, 6-123P, 14 ODD, 06/28/2016, $4,500.00, 20160449960, $3,780.23; PAIGE CARRIE HARDER 1701 Pearlie Dr Apt 16D Wichita Falls, TX 76306, 1/52 Annual, 9-138P, 1 WHOLE, 03/28/2002, $6,291.00, 2002-0319301, $2,811.79; CYNTHIA M ALLARD PO Box 213 Sonoita, AZ 85637, 1/52 Annual, 6-124P, 24 WHOLE, 06/07/2002, $6,291.00, 2002-0587697, $745.05; KERI A DRAGE, BRET DRAGE 4477 W 8790 S West Jordan, UT 84088, 1/104 Biennial, 8-233M, 52 EVEN, 05/14/2013, $5,591.58, 20130437699, $8,847.70; TIMOTHY M BREEDLOVE, ANDREA M BREEDLOVE 120 Pepperwood Drive Bolingbrook, IL 60440, 1/104 Biennial, 6-123M, 3 ODD, 10/22/2010, $6,562.17, 2010-0924482, $2,735.12; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0032 (SANCHEZ) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; DANIEL I SANCHEZ, FRANCES B SANCHEZ 310 Catawba Ave Rock Hill, SC 29730, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222P, 28 ODD, 06/29/2016, $4,844.92, 20160454856, $3,346.89; CHARLES D RILEY, JR, CHERESE S JENKINS 8958 S Phillips Ave Chicago, IL 60617, 1/104 Biennial, 6-124M, 22 ODD, 12/22/2015, $7,725.87, 20150900261, $4,383.29; JOSEPH R MC LENDON, STACI L MC LENDON 5559 Old Dominion Road Columbus, GA 31909, 1/104 Biennial, 6-122M, 4 ODD, 12/27/2016, $3,303.98, 20160950218, $1,764.16; KELLY L RAQUE, GUSTAVO A CASTILLO 7512 Sunset Lane Crestwood, KY 40014, 1/104 Biennial, 9-237M, 37 ODD, 07/11/2017, $5,400.00, 20170502440, $2,774.72; JOEL C MARTIN, CRYSTAL R MARTIN 357 3rd St. Worthington, KY 41183, 1/104 Biennial, 8-233P, 33 ODD, 02/23/2017, $4,733.37, 20170129527, $3,078.80; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0033 (BIRDSONG) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED

YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; ERIC B BIRDSONG 31 Magnolia Ave Mableton, GA 30126, 1/104 Biennial, 7-128, 23 EVEN, 10/08/2015, $4,840.95, 20150724325, $2,274.20; GOGI D WEST, TYRONE D WEST SR. 3381 Circle Drive Saginaw, MI 48601, 1/104 Biennial, 8-134M, 37 EVEN, 08/25/2016, $5,813.91, 20160610661, $4,048.70; DARRYL K HUMPHREY JR, ANGELA I HUMPHREY 1411 Stevens Ct Rosenberg, TX 77471, 1/104 Biennial, 7-128, 6 EVEN, 01/12/2017, $5,809.14, 20170025209, $3,433.08; ANTHONY T FREEMAN, INEZ R FREEMAN 100 Trusty Street PO Box 924 Saint Michaels, MD 21663, 1/104 Biennial, 6-221, 14 EVEN, 07/09/2015, $9,657.34, 20150492392, $4,232.25; VALERIE K DILLON, BRANDON L DILLON 4514 Greenfield Dr Cookeville, TN 38501, 1/104 Biennial, 9-237P, 24 EVEN, 02/10/2016, $5,214.96, 20160085633, $2,702.50; JAMIE T PEARSON, MARANDA F CARPENTER PEARSON 356 Dunmeyer Hill Rd Summerville, SC 29485, 1/52 Annual, 9-235, 8 WHOLE, 02/21/2017, $5,658.53, 20170122879, $3,632.92; AMANDA H COYLE 210 Hermey Ave Pensacola, FL 32507, 1/104 Biennial, 6-224M, 27 EVEN, 02/10/2016, $6,895.34, 20160085636, $2,597.67; RALPH A PEARSON, SR, COMFORT T PEARSON 344 Azalea Dr Winston-Salem, NC 27105, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222M, 1 EVEN, 06/29/2016, $6,426.00, 20160454820, $3,632.92; DAVID M ROGERS, CRYSTAL G ROGERS 3903 Archdale Rd Archdale, NC 27263, 1/104 Biennial, 6-123M, 40 EVEN, 07/31/2017, $5,813.91, 20170556572, $3,123.17; CYNTHIA M POWELL, PERRY L POWELL PO Box 427 Dublin, NC 28332, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222M, 12 EVEN, 07/27/2017, $5,813.91, 20170549322, $3,577.80; ANTHONY C SPIKES, LORI A SPIKES 14506 Lakeshore Blvd Cleveland, OH 44110, 1/104 Biennial, 6-224M, 29 EVEN, 03/26/2016, $5,813.91, 20160182242, $3,666.33; SHEILA KELLY 3782 St James Court Ellenwood, GA 30294, 1/104 Biennial, 9-237P, 33 EVEN, 01/25/2017, $4,896.73, 20170057545, $2,029.82; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0034 (YBARRA) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF

TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; SAMUEL R YBARRA, JULIE A YBARRA 3601 5th St Bay City, TX 77414, 1/104 Biennial, 9-135, 11 ODD, 10/08/2015, $9,574.32, 20150724410, $4,020.80; CHRISTINE BROCKMAN, LEVI TANNIS 1092 Bergen Ave Brooklyn, NY 11234, 1/104 Biennial, 9-137, 24 ODD, 02/21/2017, $8,139.47, 20170122870, $2,881.12; PEDRO HERNANDEZ, ESTELA S GONZALEZ 625 32nd St West Palm Beach, FL 33407, 1/104 Biennial, 8-133, 40 ODD, 10/09/2018, $4,625.80, 20180757378, $1,955.00; DAVID A ROCHOWIAK, KRISTA L ROCHOWIAK 8686 Carson Hwy Tipton, MI 49287, 1/104 Biennial, 6-222M, 5 ODD, 01/21/2015, $6,120.00, 20150039162, $3,290.42; MARK W PETTIE, LATOYA S PETTIE 412 Price Street Eden, NC 27288, 1/104 Biennial, 6-121, 4 ODD, 02/22/2017, $9,000.00, 20170127270, $4,029.20; TINA M WALKINGTON 1775 Goodemoot Rd Portland, MI 48875, 1/104 Biennial, 8-231, 19 ODD, 03/22/2016, $9,657.34, 20160182246, $3,124.09; ELIJAH S GENTRY, SHANNON M GENTRY 6544 Birch Hollow Dr Memphis, TN 38115, 1/104 Biennial, 8-133, 45 ODD, 07/19/2018, $5,378.83, 2018-0548055, $2,560.73; EXHIBIT “A” - NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE’S SALE 12044.0035 (WILLIAMS) ACCOUNT NO./GRANTOR(S), UNIDIVIDED INTEREST, BLDG/ UNIT NO., INTERVAL NO./ASSIGNED YEAR, RECORDING DATE OF DOT, ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL BALANCE, BOOK/INST. NO. FOR DEED OF TRUST, BALANCE AS SHOWN ON NOTICE OF DELINQUENCY; REGINALD A WILLIAMS, NICOLE M WILLIAMS 27911 Skyhaven Lane Fulshear, TX 77441, 1/52 Annual, 7-227, 14 WHOLE, 11/15/2016, $8,000.70, 20160840409, $2,511.65; JOSUE A VASQUEZ, YADIRA B VASQUEZ 11719 Green Coral Dr Houston, TX 77044, 1/52 Annual, 6-226, 40 WHOLE, 07/11/2017, $13,734.00, 20170502176, $7,626.42; ANNETTE GONZALEZ, DAVID GONZALEZ 276 Summer St Passaic, NJ 07055, 1/52 Annual, 9-236, 48 WHOLE, 10/09/2018, $7,433.96, 20180757379, $2,768.72;

Published: East Valley Tribune, April 4, 11, 18, 28, 2021

Two great events at two great communities!

Stop by for a tour and pick up a beautiful bouquet of flowers any day in May! Please RSVP to Sheri 480-800-7304, at least 24 hours in advance.

GET ENTERED TO WIN A SPA PACKAGE! Schedule a tour any day in the month of May to be entered into our spring raffle! tm

*We will be practicing social distancing, masks are required, and temp checks at the door.

We are giving away a $500 gift certificate to Aji Spa, located inside Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass Resort.

Reserve your tour today!

480.485.3000 *We will be practicing social distancing, masks are required, and temp checks at the door.

tm

LivGenerations Ahwatukee

LivGenerations Agritopia

15815 S. 50th Street | Phoenix, AZ 85048

2811 E. Agritopia Loop S. | Gilbert, AZ 85296

480-485-3000

480-485-2000

livgenerationsahwatukee.com

livgenerationsagritopia.com

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