Gilbert Sun News 121122

Gilbert mulls tougher short-term rental law

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Gilbert is looking to charge a licensing fee and require neighborhood notification for short-term rentals.

A new state law passed in July gives municipalities more latitude in regulating residential property rented out for 29 consecutive days or less to protect against public nuisances such as noise and trash.

“More legislation was passed, this actually gave us quite a bit to work off of now in terms of building out an ordinance,” Jordan Fasano, business compliance analyst, said at the two-day council retreat Dec. 1-2. “We can now charge a fee for this permit or license. It’s no longer just a registration.”

Councilmembers-elect Chuck Bongiovanni, Jim Torgeson and Bobbi Buchli also participated in the retreat. The trio officially takes office in January.

Fasano said the town is allowed to recoup the actual cost of setting up the permit/license or a maximum of $250, whichever is less.

And, a property owner must notify neighbors before offering a vacation or shortterm rental for the first time.

“So, if you’re in a single-family house, you have to tell those adjacent to, across and

GPS Board tastes what it feeds kids

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

prepared for students.

Board members and the superintendent in a blind taste test sampled slices of pie from four different vendors.

“I’ve been here for a long time and I don’t think we’ve ever really had a taste-testing at a work study ever,” Superintendent Shane McCord told the board Dec. 6. “It’s something we never had and it gives a deeper inside look at what Nutrition Services goes through.

“We wanted you guys to be able to kind of see what

Someone wasn’t jolly

Spending cap stalemate threatens $110M for Gilbert schools.

they do in order to make sure our kids get some of the foods that they like and they’re taken care of appropriately.”

The district’s menu is set a year ahead, according to Natalie Tenney, Nutrition Services director.

The selection process begins with vendors coming in and showing off their new products, their popular products and products that are compliant for schools, said Tenney, who heads a team that includes a dietician.

“And then we taste them and if they are just not good enough we don’t order samples,” she said. “And if we taste them and think you know, ‘I think the students might like this.’ They give us free samples and we go out to a school and have students vote.”

She used pizza as an example because it’s a popular menu item for students.

“We may have Pizza A and Pizza B and a tally sheet – do you like this one or this one better? Which one would you buy at lunch?”

Tenney said although a certain pizza may meet all the nutritional require-

ments, the district doesn’t force it on students.

“We take it to the students and we let them try it,” she said. “At the end of February, we have our new menu locked down for next school year.

“If you were to come visit us in July and say, ‘Look, I’ve found these new crackers, they are so great,’ We are like ‘it’s a little too late now.’ We’ve figured

out a long time ago what we’re serving.”

As a participant in the National School Lunch Program – a federal program that provides low-cost or free meals to school-age children – the district starting in March diverts commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to a chosen vendor for further processing for the following school year.

For instance, the district would send

the cheese for the pizza from the USDA to the company, which brings down the price, according to Tenney, who said the district gets close to $900,000 to use on commodity pounds.

“And it also commits us to what pizza we will use for the whole school year,” she said, adding that the districts orders food supplies in May and June.

After the menu is set, the work doesn’t stop.

The federal lunch program requires the district serves students five components: a meat/protein, grains that must contain at least 51% whole grain, milk, fruit that is fresh, frozen or 100% fruit juice, and vegetables that can include includes starchy, legume and other kinds.

For vegetables, color matters, Tenney said.

“Every week we have to have a set number of red, orange vegetables, dark green like your leafy romaine,” she said.

“Starchy, which is like green beans, corn and legumes, which can be even

Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board members conducted their own taste tests of some school lunches during their Dec. 6 meeting. (Special to GSN)

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our refried beans, hummus and then other, which what we right now doing for our other is cauliflower. It’s white but it’s an ‘other.’”

Students are allowed unlimited fruits and vegetables.

Milk also has to be offered in different flavors – such as chocolate and the occasional strawberry, birthday cake, vanilla and orange creamsicle – and in different fat content, such as 1% and fat-free, according to Tenney.

Tenney said if a student arrives at checkout without at least three of the five components, they are sent back for something else.

“Not only are we working the registers to make sure we are accurate with the numbers but we’re also looking at each plate to make sure they have what they need on their plate,” Tenney said.

“If they don’t have at least that on their plate, the USDA will not reimburse us for that meal. We would not get additional money and it’s not considered a full meal.”

Breakfasts follow similar guidelines with three of the four components must be met for the district to be reimbursed.

The board members tasted pizza from Domino’s, Big Daddy’s, Wild Mike’s and Nardone Brothers. The slices had different sauces, toppings and seasoning but they all had whole wheat crust.

Domino’s is offered only at the junior and high schools. The pizzas are made at the stores and delivered daily to the campuses’ kitchens a few minutes before lunch.

“In the secondary schools, they prefer to have something delivered,” Tenney noted.

She also said that the pizzas Domino’s deliver to the district is different from what someone would get at the store.

She said Domino’s has a special school recipe it uses for the district’s orders, such as whole grain dough.

za for about seven years up until three years ago, when the district switch to Wild Mike’s.

“Nardone had a plant fire and so they had shortages and it was safer to go with Wild Mike’s,” she said. “Kids loved it at first (but) they are starting to get a little menu fatigue right now.”

ementary school that is your hot meal choice.

“So if they are not there, you have the little kids all crying; you have the principal yelling at you; you have the teachers saying, ‘now I don’t get to have a lunch.’

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The other three pizza options for the elementary schools are frozen – Wild Mike’s is on the menu this school year. The wedges are heated up at the cafeteria kitchens and served fresh every Friday, according to Tenney.

She said the elementary school students had been eating Nardone’s piz-

She said the district will conduct a head-to-head taste test between Nardone and Wild Mike’s in January and February at several schools. She added that her problem with Big Daddy’s pizza is that it looked good but tasted bland.

Tenney explained why Domino’s isn’t served at the 26 elementary schools.

“The only kind of thing that makes me scared with Domino’s is are they going to show up on time,” she said. “So, in el-

“It gets crazy when the pizza doesn’t show up. But in the secondary, they have four other lines of food they could go to if it’s five minutes late.”

She said the district has had problems with Domino’s arriving late at the elementary schools because it couldn’t keep up with those orders on top of delivering to the secondary campuses.

And “Harris (Elementary) never wants Domino’s again because too many

GPS is reimbursed by the federal government for pizza meals only if they include two other healthy sides. (Gilbert Public Schools)

District officials showed some students’ signs of approval on what they sampled. (Gilbert Public Schools)

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Council retreat focuses on water, other issues

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Gilbert Council dug into a wide range of issues facing the town –such as water conservation, land use and employee recruitment and retention – at its annual two-day fall retreat earlier this month.

Vice Mayor Aimee Yentes and Councilman Laurin Hendrix, who are both leaving office, did not attend but new members-elected Bobbi Buchli, Jim Torgeson and Chuck Bongiovanni were allowed to weigh in on the topics. Only one member from the public attended.

“We are a community of roughly 280,000 people now and growing,” Town Manager Patrick Banger said in his opening remarks Dec. 1. “We’re in the final 10 years of building this community out because we are landlocked along

all of our borders. So there’s no more expansion for Gilbert to occur.

“We’re in the age of infrastructure,” he continued. “We have a lot of needs across our water systems, our wastewater systems, our transportation systems our park systems, our municipal facilities. We have a lot of infrastructure needs and it’s going to be pretty solid over the next decade as we complete build out of this community.”

Council discussed:

• Water supply and conservation.

Lauren Hixon, Water Resources manager, gave an update of the Colorado River and the ongoing drought in Arizona, California and Nevada and what it meant for Gilbert.

She said the town is in Stage 1 of its four-stage Water Supply Reduction Management Plan. The first two stages are voluntary and educational while the

remaining two imposes restrictions on customers, she said.

Gilbert launched a smart-irrigation controller rebate program in the fall, handing up to $250 for each household and up to $400 for non-residential customers who purchase the unit. So far, 56 rebates have been processed, according to Hixon.

“Our preliminary estimate from our pilot program is that each controller saves about 40,000 gallons, which is significant,” she said.

In early 2023, the town anticipated offering a non-residential turf conversion rebate and may consider going into Stage 2.

Stage 2, which will need council approval before it can be implemented, is triggered when the available renewable supplies to Gilbert exceed demand by 10%.

Conservation avenues in Stage 2 also could include removing turf from nonrecreational areas, reducing the total area of over-seeded turf and encouraging customers to conduct water-efficiency audits.

To insulate itself from a potential water shortage, the town is accelerating six well projects that are currently in the capital improvement budget – each well will have the capacity of pumping 2 million gallons of water a day. The cost for each well is $9 million and typically takes three years to complete and bring online.

• Public Works Advisory Board: Town Manager Patrick Banger said the proposed board would focus on transportation systems, water treatment, waste water treatment,

from page 1

diagonal to you that you’re operating a short-term rental out of that property in a single-family house,” Fasano said.

If the intended short-term unit is in a multifamily complex, everyone on the same building floor must be notified, he added.

Gov. Doug Ducey in 2016 signed into law a ban prohibiting municipalities from restricting short-term rentals.

In 2019, the state eased up after complaints and allowed more regulatory authority for municipalities such as collecting information on owners of short-term rentals.

That law also holds the owner accountable for verified violations with penalties – $500 for the first violation, $1,000 for the second and $1,500 for the third of half of the gross revenue in the month of the violation.

This year’s Senate Bill 1168 also allows municipalities to do sex-offender background checks of people who book the residence and it requires property owners to maintain liability insurance of at least $500,000 unless the property is listed on an online lodging marketplace that offers that already, post contact in-

Among Gilbert residents who own short-term rentals in the town is incoming Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, according to azmirror.com. The news site reported in March he has asked the state attorney general’s office to investigate Paradise Valley’s new regulations for short-term rentals. (Special to GSN)

formation at the property and put the license number in every advertisement, such as on Airbnb.

Currently in Gilbert, short-term rentals are treated like hotels and motels and pay a transaction privilege tax. The properties also need to register as rent-

als with Maricopa County and voluntarily register with the town for emergency purposes.

Fasano said such registration is “very passive.”

“Our database is an Excel spreadsheet on my computer,” he said. “We have 40

residents registered on there. Half have probably reached out to us to say they have a short-term rental that they want to register, the other half a concerned resident has asked, or told us, ‘I think this is a short-term rental’ and then I go through the research, I reach out to the owner, and I get them registered and put into the database.”

According to Fasano, there were about 725 short-term rentals in Gilbert in November – up from the approximately 350 units in 2016. He added that many shortterm rentals are bought by investors that somebody else operates.

According to the latest data, there were 701 active rentals in Gilbert for November, according to AirDNA, which tracks such rental data globally.

“We define active listing/rental as properties that have had at least one reservation day made in the last 30 days or one available day in the last 30 days,” said Kristina Sprindyte with AirDNA.

Fasano said in order to verify the 725 units are in fact vacation rentals, staff is scouting for a service provider.

Gilbert chief seeking funding to buy narcotics incinerator

to local governments for opioid amelioration programs.

Gilbert Police want to use part of the town’s share of an opioid settlement to buy an incinerator.

Police Chief Michael Soelberg told Town Council members during their retreat he wants to use part of that settlement for partial funding of a $59,000 EPA-approved narcotic drug incinerator.

Gilbert received a share of the national opioid settlements resulting from actions by state attorneys general, including Arizona, against three major opioid distributors and an opioid manufacturing and marketer.

Of the total settlement 56% goes

RETREAT from page 6

reclaimed water, storm water, solid waste, recycling hazardous waste and sustainability issues.

“If we had a body to help us evaluate projects and evaluate programs, the commission studies to help us best understand the needs of this community there could be a lot of value in that… as that body could help review and vet things for potential action,” Banger said.

Council liked the idea, so Banger said a working group with Councilwoman Yung Koprowski as the liaison will work on its scope and number of members and present the recommendation at the council’s spring retreat. The goal is to have the board up and running in fiscal year 2024.

• North Water Treatment Plant

update: The town in March kicked off the reconstruction of the plant, which is expected to take five years to complete.

Gilbert officials anticipate approximately $200,000 annually for the next nine years and then a reduced amount of $135,000 annually for an additional nine years.

To date, Gilbert has received $80,000, which is in a restricted account, according to Town Attorney Chris Payne.

The funding will be spent by police and fire.

In explaining the incinerator request, Soelberg said, “A lot of people don’t know that everyone in the Valley goes to Globe to burn all their drugs and other paraphernalia. They’ve offered that for years and years.

“But they are greatly increasing their rates. It’s $3,000 an hour is what they’re going to charge us now and so us and everyone else are looking for options.”

Soelberg said the department found another operator in Tucson and although the cost was cheaper, it wasn’t by much.

“So, we are proposing using some of this money to purchase a narcotic drug incinerator,” he said. “It’s something that we can do here in town and burn all of our products. That’s the only way we can get rid of it.”

Council agreed that the department was moving in the right direction with the proposal.

Mayor Bridgette Peterson asked if the department can charge other agencies

for providing the service to them.

“Everybody is looking to do the same thing,” he said, adding “I’m not sure if we can handle the volume from the Valley.”

Councilman-elect Chuck Bongiovanni asked if crematoriums are EPA-approved.

“They don’t want to mix drugs and bodies,” Soelberg responded.

Police spokeswoman Brenda Carrasco later said that the department gets rid of impounded drugs three to four times a year.

“The Gilbert Police Department’s destruction of impounded drugs at the Arizona mine costs an average of $3,000 per trip, including staffing costs and mine-use fees,” she told the Gilbert Sun News.

Project Supervisor Jeanne Jensen gave a history of the project and how staff arrived to the decision to rebuild.

She said the project cost presented in February 2021 was $457 million, which is now $545 million and that staff is continually looking for ways to save money with the plant.

• Land Use: Kyle Mieras, director of Development Services, discussed infill development, redevelopment and mixed-use development in town.

Council is expected to take action on a mixed-use ordinance on Jan. 21.

Mieras also explained the concerns staff looks at when a project comes forward, such as density, setback, traffic and building height.

Councilman Scott Anderson said he wanted to see multifamily developers in their reports address impacts to traffic, school, crime and property values, which would go a long way to alleviating

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public opposition.

Mieras said projects are required to do a traffic analysis and that the town reaches out to school districts for input of a proposal. Also the Police Department has someone on staff that reviews projects for any concerns, he said, adding that impact to property values is hard to prove.

• Recruitment and Retention: Assistant Town Manager Dawn Prince said some of the councilapproved initiatives – such as a 5% inflationary pay increase, allowing vacation carryover and a healthcare pay down to reduce employee premiums – are helping with retention and recruitment.

For instance, in public safety, the Police Department had a 1.1% vacancy in sworn officers or three openings out of 263 positions and fire had a 2.5% vacancy or five openings out of 206 positions.

A town working group has identified more initiatives to help in this area, including offering referral incentives up to $250 per employee for a successful recruitment, which is underway.

Other initiatives include conducting “stay interviews” to find out what cause employees to stay and what would cause them to leave and restarting town halls

for employees to connect with the town manager and ask questions.

Helping employees look at different career opportunities to move up also has been raised as another initiative

Under review is offering longevity pay for public safety employees, expanded paid family leave beyond parents caring for babies and paid retirement health insurance.

• Draft ordinances: Town Attorney Chris Payne noted that currently all ordinance adoptions and amendments must be on a public hearing agenda. He asked council if it wanted changes in the procedure.

Torgeson said he wanted all draft ordinances to first go to a study session before it goes to the public for a vote.

Councilwoman Kathy Tilque said council members can give feedback at a study session, allowing staff to make changes before it goes to a vote. She added that when amendments are made to draft ordinances during a public meeting, it gets confusing what is being approved.

Koprowski agreed and said she sided with Tilque in that ordinances needing clean-up language to conform with state law don’t need to go to a study session and can be lumped together for a single vote.

“We’re getting quotes and talking to a lot of service providers,” he said.

Staff first informed Council at the November 2021 retreat of the intent to partner with an outside vendor.

Fasano at the time gave an estimated cost ranging from $10,000 for a sweep of the town for short-term rentals to $40,000 a year for full service.

Fasano said the vendor also would provide and oversee a 24/7 hotline for residents to call in and register a complaint, and track all incidents and complaints in one location.

“So right now, we’ll get an email in the Tax Compliance Department. I document that I talked to the person emailing, I talked to the owner of the property and I document it,” Fasano said. “Code compliance gets a call, they do the same thing. They document it in their database.

“Police gets a call, they document it in their database so they’re just scattered throughout the town and we have no idea that we’ve all talked to the same property.”

Fasano said staff was leaning toward

charging a fee and neighborhood notification.

He also said if a vendor is hired to build the database to track incidents or complaints and “if we’re seeing them rising and getting to a level of some of our other cities or towns in the area, then we could put more into the ordinance.

“We can make changes,” he added.

Councilwoman Kathy Tilque said she favored requiring a license over registration.

“A license to me means if you don’t meet the requirements or expectation of that license, we have the ability to remove that license and your ability to do business,” Tilque said, adding that residents for the last three years voiced concerns about the town’s lack of enforcement for bad behaviors.

“Licenses give us the ability to address issues and that helps with neighborhoods,” Tilque added.

Fasano said the town can remove the license or suspend the property owner for up to 12 months for violations under the new law.

Councilwoman Yung Koprowski said she liked the idea of a “one-stop shop for people to submit complaints.”

She asked if the neighborhood notification could be certified mail to neighbors.

“I think we will work out what is a reasonable way we can incorporate that into the code,” Fasano responded, saying getting people to sign off that they’ve been notified could be problematic.

Bongiovanni wanted to know if the town could charge a nuisance fee every time police responded to a short-term rental.

Fasano said other cities have done that as a pilot program and he was unsure if they kept it in place.

Scottsdale Polcie have created a special four-officer unit that exclusively patrols short-term rentals and handles complaints.

Tilque and Koprowski also suggested staff look into how to market the Gilbert 311 app for people to go and file a complaint with a vacation rental. The free app allows residents to report

non-emergency issues.

Town Attorney Chris Payne said the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, of which Gilbert is a member, has put together a draft model ordinance that incorporates the new legislation, which most Valley municipalities have adopted with minor tweaks.

He said it is staff’s recommendation to do that as well as so “we don’t have to recreate the wheel” and that it would create uniformity in the Valley.

Mayor Bridgette Peterson said she liked the idea of providing consistency for residents as it’s hard to know where “Chandler ends and Gilbert start and Mesa ends and Gilbert start.”

She noted that 45% of touristy Sedona’s residences is Airbnb.

“Some communities have suffered,” she said. “Let’s get ahead of this before we end up like Scottsdale. Their percentage (of short-term rentals) is pretty high.”

Scottsdale City Council in October unanimously adopted its ordinance reflecting the new state law.

Council expected to start ethics policy review

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Council this Tuesday is expected to green light the formation of a subcommittee to look at the town’s ethics policy and the process for handing complaints of violations.

The policy, adopted in 2012 and revised in 2021, applies to the council, boards, commissions and committees. The 2021 amendment no longer required ethics complaints to be discussed at council meetings unless three members or the mayor requested it.

“Do you think it’s time to revisit, to update the code of ethics?” Town Attorney Chris Payne asked the council at the Dec. 2 retreat. “And if so, how do you want that done?”

Penalties for violations include censuring or a public reprimand of a council member and removal of appointees.

The policy has been grabbing

attention since 2021 when the first batch of complaints against the mayor rolled in.

Councilwoman Kathy Tilque said the policy has gone away from the original intent of making sure rules such as the open meeting law and keeping e-session items confidential are being adhered to.

Over time it’s become a tool for people to use if they don’t like a person or what that person said, Tilque said, adding that the policy “is broadly written to accommodate a method of complaining.”

“Perhaps we don’t have a system to allow people to provide feedback if they are unhappy with a council member so they go to this,” she said.

She added that every ethics complaint “we have seen has gone to an external investigator to evaluate legally based on our code … come back as no law violated.”

She noted that although the complaints were investigated and didn’t meet the threshold for further action, the public

felt they were shoved under the table.

“We should take a look at it again,” said Councilman-elect Chuck Bongiovanni. Councilman-elect Jim Torgeson said the council needs to have a set of rules or standards such as those for doctors, dentists and engineers.

“We don’t have a defined code of ethics,” Torgeson said. “We have to have something a little more refined, a little more accountability.”

Payne noted policy changes would have to be made at a public meeting.

Councilman Scott September said he would like to limit who can file an ethics violation complaint to “a resident, or someone with a pecuniary interest or business with the Town of Gilbert.”

Mayor Brigette Peterson said that it would be hard to determine “who has an interest in the Town of Gilbert.”

“Right now someone watching a YouTube video of the meeting may not like something we voted on or said and file an ethics complaint,” she said. “It’s

literally possible today.

“This has been turned into a tool used against the mayor and council, especially the mayor,” Peterson continued. “Every single complaint has been cleared but we still have people wanting it brought forward for discussion.

“You weaponize the use of those policies against certain people for political reasons.”

As for Torgeson’s comment about the need for defined rules, Peterson said those rules are set when a council member takes the oath of office.

“I’m the one with nine complaints that have been written about and the 10th against Scott (September),” the mayor said. “The stricter you make them and more detailed, everyone on this table will be subject to that process and subject to that policy come Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.” when the new council members take office.

“So think long and hard before you move forward,” she continued in a voice filled with emotion. “The stories made up about me over the last year are despicable. And the tool and weapons you have used as part of this policy in the community is despicable.”

Bongiovanni said if the investigations were discussed at a council meeting, the public would know there was action taken and it may help decrease complaint filings and increase transparency.

“The average citizen hears about the complaint but would not know where to find the investigation,” he said.

“We owe it to the people to put it out there, talk about it in a meeting – this is what was found, this is what was done about it. Otherwise it’s people out there assuming something was swept under the carpet.”

Peterson said the first five complaints were investigated and discussed at a council meeting but “it didn’t change anything.”

“I was brought to task for the first five in front of the public even though I was cleared of every single thing,” Peterson said. “I was chastised for over 45 minutes by the public and council members even though being cleared by an attorney.”

The first five complaints against Peterson included two claims that she funneled information residents shared with her regarding a high-density apartment project to the developer who was co-chair of her mayoral campaign and one of her largest donors; one claim that she retaliated against an employee over a town logo she disliked and two complaints filed by Torgeson, one for trying to limit public speakers and one for not allowing him to talk on a consent agenda item. Before he ran for council, Torgeson filed a total of three complaints against the mayor.

Although the outside attorney cleared Peterson, he did fault her for exercising poor judgment.

The complaint against September stemmed from him trying to remove campaign signs opposing him during the election.

Tilque suggested some type of ethics policy that “we can bring forward if there is a complaint, maybe the first step

that is whoever the complaint is against that we have a sit-down meeting, maybe with another council member and legal adviser and the complainant in a room and work it out before it goes to the next step.”

She said phase one would be a sitdown to try to fix the issue and phase two would be the formal process.

Councilwoman-elect Bobbi Buchli said she favored Tilque’s suggestion of mediation.

“I kind of like that but the likelihood of that being mediated may not be there,” she said. “I do think certain things need to be addressed and how they are addressed and how they are put out to the public should be discussed.”

Staff also gave an update on the Council Communication Subcommittee, which recently formed to find ways on how to promote civility at public meetings. The mayor at two recent meetings ordered police to remove residents from the chambers.

Tilque, who chairs the subcommittee, said the intent is to foster two-way conversation and that the group will be doing outreach to the public for feedback.

Peterson said the subcommittee is moving in the right direction. She also said that when people speak during the public comments portion of a meeting and council is prohibited from responding under state law because the items are not on the agenda, it’s difficult to get across to the public that “we are listening to them.”

Torgeson suggested meeting with residents.

“It goes a lot further, talking to people one-on-one over coffee, better than doing it through email,” he said.

Councilwoman Yung Koprowski said the council members are hampered from reaching out to everyone because they serve 270,000 residents. Peterson said she’s tried to do that but has had to back off.

“I meet with people one-on-one but have to pull back because of shenanigans pulled against me,” she said.

“Shenanigans you pulled against

Breakfast never tasted so good

Kids had a blast at the annual Breakfast with Santa Dec. 3 at HD SOUTH Home of the Gilbert Museum.

1) AJ Gadberry, 8, enjoyed the “snow” provided to add a little North Pole ambience; 2) Nicholas D’Apice, 7, and mom Nicole D’Apice and 6-year-old Riley D’Apice created gingerbread man ornaments.

3) Maddie Sullivan, 10, mailed her letter to Santa.

4) Emmett Brown, 7, topped the roof of a giant house with some peppermint. 5) and 6) Families basked in Santa’s glow; and 7) Some kids were just happy to get face time with him.

2.

Photographs by David Minton/ GSN Staff Photographer

times (the principal) was sitting there looking at the kids and there was no pizza,” she said. “There is a set schedule in school. You just don’t say, ‘let’s hold lunch for a while.’ You just can’t.

“When you do it in house you have a lot more control over it. “

From the first day of school or the end of July to Nov. 30, the district’s ordered 16,393 pizzas from Domino’s or 131,144 slices, she said.

For the elementary campuses during the same time period, over 60,000 slices of pizzas were served, she added.

Board member Dr. Charles Santa Cruz asked if the district was stuck with the chosen food choice or could changes be made, such as switching from one pizza company to another.

Tenney said it was possible but the district would need a big reason for doing so.

Board member Jill Humpherys noted that the district was offering more options, more fruit and vegetables than in the past.

Tenney said with the passage of the

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010, which strengthened nutrition standards in meals and beverages, the district amped up its offerings of fruits and vegetables even more.

“We get an extra 6 cents per meal just for offering that because it does cost more,” she said. “You don’t want to just count ketchup as your vegetable.”

Offering fruits and vegetables early also help train students at a younger age to eat healthier, she added.

“It was so great to hear and see details of all the things that you do,” Board President Lori Wood said. ”We’ve seen it as parents and those who have worked in the schools.

“But to get an even more in-depth reminder of all the work and thought and preparation and a year ahead, the buying and taste testing and to make sure our students have healthy meals but we want them to be happy with them, you guys do such a great job.”

By the way, the overall favorite pizza for the board was Nardone Brothers.

WARNING!

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS

NOT WORKING!!

Mesa AZ – When it comes to chronic pain and/ or neuropathy, the most common doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin.

The problem with antidepressants or anti-seizure medications like these is that they offer purely symptomatic relief, as opposed to targeting and treating the root of the problem. Worse, these drugs often trigger an onset of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes harmful side effects.

The only way to effectively treat chronic pain and/or peripheral neuropathy is by targeting the source, which is the result of nerve damage owing to inadequate blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet. This often causes weakness, numbness, balance problems. A lack of nutrients causes the nerves degenerate – an insidious

cannot survive, and thus, slowly die. This leads to those painful and frustrating consequences we were talking about earlier, like weakness, numbness, tingling, balance issues, and perhaps even a burning sensation.

The drugs your doctor might prescribe will temporarily conceal the problems, putting a “Band-Aid” over a situation that will only continue to deteriorate without further action.

Thankfully, Mesa is the birthplace of a brandnew facility that sheds new light on this pressing problem of peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain. The company is trailblazing the medical industry by replacing outdated drugs and symptomatic reprieves with an advanced machine that targets the root of the problem at hand.

1. Finding the underlying cause

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3. The amount of treatment required for the patient’s unique condition

Aspen Medical in Mesa

AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00.

Th is ground-breaking treatment is engineered to achieve the following, accompanied by advanced diagnostics and a basic skin biopsy to accurately analyze results:

1. Increases blood flow

2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves

3. Improves brain-based pain

The treatment works by delivering energy to the affected area(s) at varying wavelengths, from low- to middle-frequency signals, while also using Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) signaling.

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The number of treatments required varies from patient to patient, and can only be determined following an in-depth neurological and vascular examination. As long as you have less than 95% nerve damage, there is hope!

Aspen Medical begins by analyzing the extent of the nerve damage –a complimentary service for your friends and family. Each exam comprises a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and comprehensive analysis of neuropathy findings.

Aspen Medical will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until December 31st, 2022. Call (480) 274-3157 to make an appointment

Debt collectors sue over new state protections

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Unable to kill it at the ballot box, a group of lenders, debt collectors and their attorneys is asking a court to void new voter-approved protections from creditors

The lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court contends that the wording of Proposition 209 is so “vague’’ and “unintelligible’’ to make it legally unenforceable. And while the legal complaint deals mainly with one particular provision, the challengers want the entire law struck down.

That move will get a fight from Healthcare Rising AZ, the union-backed organization that put the measure on the ballot and got it approved last month by a margin of close to 3 to 1.

“We do not believe this will be a successful argument,’’ Jim Barton, the group’s attorney, told Capitol Media Services.

Proposition 209 was billed largely as a measure to cap annual interest medical debt at no more than 3%. That compares with prior law at 10%.

Similarly, up to $15,000 of possessions are shielded from seizure by creditors. That figure is now $6,000. And up to $25,000 in equity in a motor vehicle also is protected, compared with $12,000 under the old law.

And then there’s a provision limiting the amount of someone’s disposable income that could be seized under garnishment actions.

“By increasing the exemptions and reducing the garnishment rates on all types of debt, Prop 209 effectively makes a substantial amount of outstanding debt in Arizona uncollectable because many judgment debtors’ assets are no longer reachable through these collection actions,’’ wrote attorney Brett Johnson on their behalf.

The plaintiffs are saying the wording of what debts are affected is too confusing.

Central to that is the effective date.

The measure does spell out that it applies prospectively only, meaning it does not affect contracts entered into and legal actions prior to Dec. 5, the date the election results were certified and the measure formally enacted.

Due to our very busy office schedule, we are limiting this offer to the first 10 c allers Y OU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANOTHER MINUTE, CALL (480) 274-3157 NOW!!

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As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves

Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:

Depending on your coverage, your peripheral neuropathy treatment could cost almost nothing – or be absolutely free.

But the measure has other farreaching provisions.

First, it allows anyone who declares bankruptcy to protect to $400,000 in the value of a home, up from $240,000.

Johnson said it leaves questions about debts that were incurred before the effective date but for which garnishment actions had not yet commenced.

ETHICS

from page 11

me,” she told Torgeson. “When I go out to lunch, I’m being watched, my conversation recorded and they take pictures and the next thing I know a police officer is talking to me.”

A woman told Torgeson she was at a restaurant and was sitting near the mayor and overheard her talking with a man about what appeared to her to be a threat.

Torgeson said when “somebody texts me that you are talking about him and his guys going to take care of Ryff and Torgie and not answer me, yeah, it’s

going to end up as a complaint.”

“Do I think you’ve hired John Wick?” he asked the mayor. No. But I deserve a response and so does Ryff.”

Dr. Brandon Ryff also has filed an ethics complaint against the mayor and is a frequent critic of hers.

Torgeson added that his house has been vandalized four times already.

“Yeah, it’s worth a conversation with a cop,” he said.

Peterson said what he alleged happened “wasn’t said.”

Area high school students dive into artificial intelligence

BY JUSTIN SPANGENTHAL Cronkite News

The fear people have of losing their jobs to robots has long been a polarizing topic in U.S. pop and tech culture, politics and even in some academic circles, and it’s growing as AI technology is becoming more prevalent.

AI technology has advanced significantly since its inception in the 1950s. One Arizona company is doing its part to debunk common AI misconceptions by teaching the future generation of AI engineers.

“I think there’s a lot of demystifying we can do about it, like some people call AI a black box, and that’s such a coined term because it’s complex, it’s confusing, and it’s deep in its analytical nature,” said Alec Evans, assistant director of data science for DriveTime, an online used-car dealership and finance company in Tempe.

In October and November, DriveTime partnered with the Mark Cuban Foundation to host Arizona’s first Mark Cuban Foundation AI Boot Camp for high schoolers.

“And I think what we’re doing with the students here is demystifying that and saying, ‘You use it every day, you see it every day, you just don’t know that that’s what it is,’ can really open students’ minds to this new career opportunity,” Evans said.

AI is a blanket term to encompass many innovations like machine learning and natural language processing. However, AI still has boundaries, which make it incapable of many tasks that humans routinely perform.

“The biggest problem comes when there is a mismatch between the capabilities of the actual technology and the perceptions of society. It’s hard to match them, and that creates all the problems,” said Aviral Shrivastava, professor at the Arizona State University School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence.

Society already relies on AI tech. From such virtual assistants as Siri, Google and Alexa to applications like Netflix and YouTube that use machine learning

algorithms to recommend content specifically tailored to your interests, AI is part of our everyday lives.

However, much of the AI that is employed by companies goes unnoticed: in banking apps, email and spam filters, autocorrect tools, personalized ads and even thumbnails for videos watched on YouTube.

Chatbots utilize natural language processing to determine and interpret what the user has asked and then tabulates the correct response according to the language it already has processed. Autonomous driving has also made strides.

DriveTime has been using AI tools and analytics to help ease the customer process of buying a used vehicle, and Evans said they’re at the core of what makes the company different from competitors.

“You’ve got people that are looking for a car first, and you’ve got some people looking for a price first,” he said. “What we want to make sure is that our experience can tailor to both of those shopping experiences.”

Students from across the Phoenix metro were selected for the boot camp, a four-week development program that taught them the basics of AI, machine learning, natural language processing and more. Mark Cuban is a billionaire entrepreneur and the owner of the

Dallas Mavericks, and his foundation focuses on providing high school students the opportunity to learn AI and network in the tech space.

The boot camps started in 2019, and this year will reach more than 550 students in 26 U.S. regions – 20 in the Valley – and are hosted by companies that use AI technology. According to the foundation website, the camps allow students to meet employers in the corporate world and connect with adults who have jobs in STEM, AI and machine learning. Students are not required to have coding experience.

Katica Calderon’s father signed the 14-year-old up for the boot camp because of her interest in AI and how it can help others.

“All the knowledge I’ve ever gotten about AI is from my dad,” said Calderon, who hopes to one day work in the field. “He got me an Alexa, so I started researching how it works and I got really interested in that kind of stuff.”

Building networking skills and helping students understand that professions that employ AI technology offer a viable career path is what makes the boot camp so important, said DriveTime’s Robyn Jordan, whose title is head of people.

“It’s sort of this new career journey, and it’s where the future is going,” Jordan said, noting that companies

should embrace the technology, and education about it should start early. “I think as people start to understand what it can do, and not be afraid of it and adopt it, I think you’ll see more folks trying to figure out how to use it better.”

Human employees can handle multiple tasks at once and critically think about what they’re doing and why. Although machines can’t think, they can complete mundane, single-minded tasks faster and more efficiently than humans.

“Even when humans do (low-stakes tasks), they are not very perfect at it,” Shrivastava said. “So they also make mistakes, and AI can do a decent enough job, and, in fact, it can do a much better job because it can look at all the parameters systematically and can look at a much larger amount of data than humans would ever have the patience to look at.”

Alec Evans, assistant director of data science for DriveTime, guides Miguel Fernandez, 16, left and Zyron Hilsee, 16, as they work to create a chatbot through Microsoft Azure during the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Boot Camp at the DriveTime corporate office in Tempe in this Oct. 22 photo. (Justin Spangenthal/Cronkite News)

Aside from human error and fatigue, another crucial distinction between machine learning algorithms and humans is that humans are biased and machines are not. Algorithms do not form trends or deduce wrongdoings in data, they simply compute.

“The way the (machine learning) algorithms are designed, they are only reflecting what the data is telling them. So if your data is biased, then your predictions are biased,” Shrivastava said. “Because the algorithms are so effective, we have started using them in places where fairness is an issue. Before this, the standards of algorithms was never an issue – why? Because they were never used in these situations.”

If a company uses an algorithm to determine how much employees should be compensated, the algorithm will rely on previous compensation data, Shrivastava explained. But if the employer has not paid fair wages to a certain employee or group, the AI

will continue the negative trend of compensation, appearing to reaffirm the human bias.

Earlier this year, the Forbes Technology Council, an organization of tech executives, compiled a list of 15

jobs and tasks that they expect will be automated within a decade – including data coordination, accounting, driving, simple customer service, sales and marketing – jobs that all have elements at risk.

Although an algorithm may relieve one person’s job of performing a routine task, that algorithm required at least one person to create and shape it. The assimilation and expansion of AI tech does not mean that jobs will be eliminated, but they could be repurposed into better-paying tech jobs.

Evans shared a story of his grandmother telling him she would never want a robot to drive her vehicle.

“But, grandma,” he reeplied, “what if you knew that the robot was getting taught to drive by people like me? I’m the one who’s working on those algorithms and teaching it what to do and what not to do.”

Katica Calderon, 14, left, and program mentor Matt Abrigo, a senior data analyst for DriveTime, troubleshoot an issue on Microsoft Azure in the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Boot Camp. (Justin Spangenthal/Cronkite News)

$110M at stake for Gilbert schools in special session fight

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Lame duck Gov. Doug Ducey said last week that he won’t call a special legislative session to deal with problems with school funding before his term ends this month until he gets a promise that lawmakers will deal with some issues on his own agenda.

And that could scuttle any chance of giving schools an immediate assurance they won’t have to cut more than a billion dollars from their spending plans by July 1.

Hanging in the balance is $110.3 million that the three main school districts serving Gilbert won’t be able to spend in the last quarter of the current school year even though they have the money.

The governor acknowledged on Dec. 5 that he had agreed to bring lawmakers back to the Capitol to waive the “aggregate expenditure limit’’ if he could be shown that the votes were there. Such a move requires 20 of the 30 senators and 40 of the 60 representatives.

Lawmakers from both parties who support the waiver said last week they have the votes.

But Ducey said that’s not enough.

“There are things in addition to the AEL that I’d like to see get done,’’ he said. The governor would not elaborate.

But Daniel Ruiz, his chief of staff, said providing even more state funds in vouchers for students to pay for private and parochial schools is “certainly a priority that’s been discussed.’’ So, too, he said, are issues ranging from border security to changes in election laws.

And that could scuttle any chance of quick resolution of the issue.

That would leave Higley with $16 million it can’t spend, Gilbert Public Schools with $39.9 million and Chandler Unified with $54.4 million in state funding that would essentially be frozen, according to state Department of Education estimates.

The problem is a constitutional cap,

approved by voters in 1980, of how much can be spent each year on K-12 education. Adjusted for inflation and student growth, that limit now is $6.4 billion.

Lawmakers approved a major infusion of new funds for the current school year. Based on that, schools prepared budgets totaling nearly $7.8 billion.

Without a waiver by March 1, schools would have to reduce their annual spending by nearly 18%. More to the point, they would have to make those cuts in just a three-month period, a move that several school officials said would lead to layoffs and school closures.

Rep. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa, who chairs the House Education Committee, said lawmakers who voted for the budget were assured that Ducey would support a special session by the end of this year. T

hat would end the uncertainty, especially with a new crop of lawmakers taking office in January who had nothing to do with the approved budget and nothing to do with the bipartisan deal that made it possible.

Ducey, who has repeatedly touted his role in increasing K-12 funding, said Monday that bringing lawmaker to the Capitol between now and the end of the year is not that simple.

“We’re not going to do a special session unless we can get it done,’’ he said. And Ruiz said that means adding things to the agenda that the governor and Republican lawmakers want.

“That’s not the deal,’’ said Sen. Sean Bowie, D-Phoenix, one of the bipartisan group of lawmakers who hammered out the budget deal.

“The deal was we would pass this budget which he signed and celebrated after we passed it and we would get the special session on the AEL,’’ he said.

What changed, Bowie said, is that the November election didn’t turn out the way that Ducey wanted.

“I’m sure he would like to do other things, too, especially since he’s going to have a Democratic successor,’’ he said.

Ducey, constitutionally precluded from seeking a third term, had backed fellow Republican Kari Lake. In fact, he said she was a better choice to continue his priorities like vouchers and tax cuts. Lake, however, lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs who will have the ability to veto the priorities of the Legislature, which remains narrowly in Republican hands. But Bowie said that’s irrelevant to what Ducey offered Democrats last spring.

“The deal was we pass the budget, we provide the votes for the budget that it needed to get across the finish line,’’ Bowie said.

Ducey needed those Democratic votes as several GOP lawmakers refused to support the $15.6 billion state spending plan.

At least part of the reason schools are up against the spending cap is that budget immediately added $526 million to base education funding for K-12 schools, an 8.8% increase. And it provides a $50 million infusion in “opportunity’’’ funds, dollars earmarked to help students who come from low-income households.

Complicating matters is the cap is based on prior year enrollment. And that dropped due to COVID.

Ruiz said it’s not just his boss who wants to discuss more than school spending. He said some members of the Republican-controlled Legislature say they want other items added to the agenda if there’s going to be a special session.

It’s not just election and border issues.

There also are lawmakers who want the governor to reconsider his veto earlier this year of a measure which would have allowed Maricopa County residents to decide whether to extend the half-cent sales tax which funds transportation projects. Absent legislative authorization for a vote, the levy ends in 2025.

And then there are vouchers. Formally known as “empowerment scholarship accounts,’’ they provide state dollars for private and parochial school tuition and costs.

Originally started more than a decade ago to help students with special needs, GOP lawmakers voted this year to make them available to any of the 1.1 million students in public schools.

Now, however, some supporters say the vouchers, which average around $7,000, are insufficient to entice parents to put their children in private schools because they often don’t cover the cost. So they want to pursue an increase now, one that long-time voucher supporter Ducey likely would sign -- but one that could easily meet a different fate under Gov. Hobbs.

Bowie said the push now by GOP lawmakers for something that wasn’t on the table when the deal was cut is no surprise.

“They kind of view it as their last opportunity to get some policy goals of theirs passed that they haven’t been able to,’’ he said. “They intentionally want to hold the AEL hostage in exchange for that.’’

What Matters Most?

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Gilbert teens shine in new ‘Les Misérables’ production

BY KATY SPRINGER GSN Contributor

It’s been seen by more than 70 million people, performed in more than 40 countries and in 22 languages, and its music is some of the most celebrated in theatrical history.

And soon, Places! Productions will bring the epic musical to the East Valley with its staging of “Les Misérables School Edition.”

Producing a show of such magnitude and fame is no small undertaking – but Places! has assembled exactly the right cast to pull it off.

The group of 50 youth, including 18 Gilbert actors, will perform Dec. 17-20 at East Valley High School, located at 7420 E. Main St. in Mesa, with a second run planned Jan. 20-22, 2023, at the Mesa Arts Center.

“Les Mis” focuses on the tumultuous world of Jean Valjean, a former convict who spends a lifetime seeking redemption.

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France and the aftermath of the French Revolution, this timeless story of intertwined destinies reveals the power of compassion and the quiet evil of indifference to human suffering.

The role of Valjean is played by 17-year-old Jackson Wood of Gilbert.

“His character is so kind,” said Jackson. “He will go out of his way to make sure no one has to go through all of the pain and suffering he went through.”

All of the passion and drama of the original Broadway production is replicated in the student version – especially with a cast like this one.

Despite its deep storyline and weighty themes, the performers, most of whom are in high school, pull it off with a maturity and talent that bely their youth.

Said 15-year-old Sarah Chandler of Gilbert, “I enjoy seeing the cast blossom

into mesmerizing performers. From day one, I cried watching my fellow actors in auditions, and to this day, I still cry being in their presence.”

Ava Saba, 16, plays Eponine, a role she shares with Abby Springer of Mesa. She says this opportunity is a dream come true.

“I wanted to participate in this show because Eponine has been a dream role for me for so many years and I saw my chance to be her,” said Ava.

It’s a dream for Sarah, too.

“I have been listening to ‘Les Mis’ since I was 8 years old and it was one of the first shows that introduced me to musical theatre,” she said. “There was no way that I could pass taking this opportunity.”

Added Jackson: “The reason I wanted to participate in this show is because ‘Les Mis’ has always been one of my alltime favorite musicals.”

The songs are a big reason for “Les Mis’” worldwide fame.

With music by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the score includes beloved ballads like “On My

Own” and “Bring Him Home” as well as high-impact ensemble numbers including “At the End of the Day” and “One Day More.”

Allison Houston of Queen Creek is the director and music director of “Les Mis” and the founding artistic director of Places! She is confident the cast will do these songs justice.

“I think audiences will be amazed by the emotion and voices of these young performers,” she said. “I hope they will be moved by the message of this powerful piece.”

Tim Mills of Chandler, the show’s assistant director, is quick to agree.

“This is probably the most talented cast we’ve ever assembled, and we’ve had some very talented casts in the past,” he said.

“I think the audience will be amazed with the amount of emotion we are able to portray in this show, and how moved they will be by it,” said Ava. “People who aren’t familiar with the show before seeing it will be amazed with how touching, but real, the story is.

For the last three months, the cast

has been hard at work developing their characters.

“The hardest part of the show would be doing it every night over and over,” said Jackson. “This is a very vocally and physically demanding show.”

Sarah is a member of the ensemble and also performs as a swing.

“A swing essentially learns the entire show and goes on as a different character at a moment’s notice, if needed,” she explained.

“During the Sunday performances, I take on a few extra roles for actors that will not be able to perform that day. Luckily, I have known the music of ‘Les Misérables’ for years, so it is easy to pick up the extra lines.”

Houston said the directing team and cast have taken great pains with every aspect of this production, from the set design and costuming to the choreography and character development.

“We have spent a lot of time going back to the source material, the masterpiece that is Victor Hugo’s novel,” she said.

“We’ve discussed the characters in depth, including their stories not in the musical, and have a wonderful dramaturg, Kasey Ray. Many of the details you see in the costumes, props, set and staging are from the book.”

Added Lily Saba, the show’s choreographer, “We really wanted it to look natural so the dances blend in rather than everyone just breaking out in a dance.”

“Even our most experienced actors are so willing to learn and interested in any direction we provide,” said Mills. “There is an uncommon amount of heart and dedication in this group. They all want to create the best possible product and will do whatever it takes.”

Amid the hard work of learning their parts, cast members are building friendships and having fun, too.

GilbertSunNews.com | @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews

The Gilbert thespians in Places! Productions’ “Les Misérables” include, from left, Hyrum McClure, Piper Searcy, Jackson Wood, Ava Saba, Ashton Churchill, Phoenix Moore, Sam Shaw, Sarah Chandler, Lauren Devey, Gracie Cook and Samuel Trudelle. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

“My favorite part of the rehearsal process for this show is how close I’ve gotten with each and every person,” said Ava. “Everyone in this show is so devoted to making it an incredible experience for the audience and the cast.”

Jackson agrees.

“The thing I enjoy most would have to be hanging out with the people. Everyone in the cast is so amazingly talented and just overall good people,” he said.

As for the directing team, they’re overwhelmed with pride at what this cast has accomplished.

“I am extremely proud of these kids,” said Saba. “This show is not easy and deals with some really hard topics, and they are handling it with such grace. I end up in tears every time I hear them sing.”

“This cast is incredibly talented, hardworking, and most importantly, kind and supportive,” said Houston. “They have been amazing at balancing this heavy material with having fun in the rehearsal process.

“They are a huge age range, and it has

been amazing seeing the young learn from the old and the old learn from the young.”

“Les Misérables School Edition” is specially adapted and licensed through Music Theatre International and Cameron Mackintosh (Overseas) LTD. It is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

Tickets for “Les Mis” are $15 and can be purchased at placesproductionsaz. com. The run includes both matinee and evening performances at East Valley High School and at the Mesa Arts Center. Discounts are available for teachers, seniors, veterans, first responders and students. Group discounts are also available.

Presented by Places! Productions Dec. 17-20: East Valley High School, 7420 E. Main St.

Jackson Wood (Gilbert) as “Jean Valjean” and Dante Johnson (Mesa) as “Javert” during rehearsal of the Places! Productions performance of “Les Misérables”, Saturday, December 3, 2022, at East Valley High School in Mesa, Arizona. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Joe’s Real BBQ adds special smokers

GSN NEWS STAFF

As any loyal patron of Joe’s Real BBQ in downtown Gilbert will tell you, his meats don’t get any better.

But owner Joe Johnston is about to prove them wrong as he celebrates his business’ 25th anniversary.

He’s making some changes designed to make the restaurant even better than before and said “big” is the key word.

He’s referring to two large offset Camelback Smokers to its kitchen in order to “further develop and enhance the flavor of the restaurant’s signature slowsmoked meats.”

“Offset” means that the lighted firebox glows opposite the smokestack, which draws hot air through the main chamber.

Additional upgrades will also maximize efficiency and improve the overall experience for togo and dine-in guests.

“Camelback Smokers allow for ideal air flow during the smoking process, which really helps bring out the flavor of the meats,” Johnston explained.

“With more smoke particles flowing over the meat and getting embedded throughout the cook, guests will enjoy a delicious crispy bark and tender, juicy meat. We always strive for customer

Joe’s Real BBQ has added Camelback Smokers to enhance the flavor of its meats. (Special to GSN)

satisfaction and we are really excited to further improve the food we are serving our guests and the experience they have with us from start to finish.”

Camelback Smokers were invented about a decade ago by two Valley men, one a welder and the other a barbecue entrepreneur.

Part of the excitement of these new additions is that the smokers will be in public view — so guests can view meat on the smokers through a fenced off area outside the restaurant, Johnston added.

The Camelback Smokers join Joe’s Real BBQ’s three Oyler BBQ Pits, Ferris-wheel type smokers with racks, which are designed to reduce fuel consumption and get maximum production out of an allotted amount of wood.

These smokers have long been used to develop the slow-smoked meats the restaurant serves.

Gilbert cookie shop launches Christmas giveaway special

AGilbert cookie shop is getting into the holiday spirit with a giveaway.

Batch Cookie Shop, 1495 N. Higley Road, tomorrow, Dec. 12, is launching a 12 Days of Batch Christmas Giveaways social media contest featuring nearly specials, giveaways and new products.

To kick off the special tomorrow, Batch will be offering a free Christmas chocolate chip cookie to each guest all day long. The offer is good for one cookie per customer, who must be present.

Batch will also be dropping new products on this day, including Cookie Pops, Cookie Truffles, Layered Cookie Jars and Ice Cream Cookie Cups.

Batch is offering holiday boxes featuring 30 to 35 mini cookies in an assortment of holiday and traditional flavors. Cost is $45 per box; pre-order is required.

The remaining giveaways and specials will be announced via Facebook and Instagram.

Each day following Dec. 12, Batch Cookie Shop will post a giveaway with specific rules for entry and prizes to be won on these social media outlets.

Expect prizes such as a free birthday cookie cake beginning in the new year, a free half-dozen cookies, a free dozen cookies, a custom Batch Cookie Basket filled with sweet delights, a Batch Cookies and Milk duo including a half dozen cookies and a container of milk and a $100 gift card.

Information: batchcookieshop.com.

The new smokers, as well as the addition of a complete second carving and dish-up line, to-go window and additional door for transporting large catering orders, aim to not only produce even tastier BBQ flavor but also to help maximize efficiency at the restaurant.

Johnston said that since the pandemic, 50 percent of his business is to to-go and catering orders.

Upgrades at Joe’s Real BBQ are expected to be completed in January.

Joe’s is housed in a former Safeway Pay n’ Takit grocery store built in 1929. ‘

Joe’s Real BBQ’s owners (the Johnston and Peelen families) have preserved and enhanced the building to honor the past.

Information: joesrealbbq.com

GOT NEWS?

Contact Cecilia Chan at 480-898-5613 or cchan@timeslocalmedia.com

GilbertSunNews.com | @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews

A free Christmas cookie will be given to any customer tomorrow, Dec. 12, at Batch Cookie Shop on Higley Road, Gilbert. (Courtesy Batch Cookie)

GSN NEWS STAFF

Here are some goals for the new year you might consider

BY HAROLD WONG GSN Guest Writer

As we approach the end of 2022, gas prices have doubled and we have 40-yearhighs in inflation. The first six months of 2022 were the worst the stock market has had in 40 years. As of Nov. 28, the S&P 500 Index is down 17% and the Nasdaq Index is down almost 30% in 2022.

Mortgage rates for 30-year loans have more than doubled from 3% one year ago to a high of 7% recently. On a $500,000 loan the increased interest rates have raised the monthly mortgage payment from $2,103 per month to $3,307 per month, resulting in a sharp drop in home sales.

The Fed has raised interest rates sharply to fight inflation, though it may cause a bad recession. Large firms have recently announced thousands of layoffs.

Here are some goals and dreams my clients say they hope to achieve.

Losing weight and quitting smoking are the two biggest New Year’s Resolutions. In 2022, a client needed $500 a month for a weight loss program that offered her the support she needed. She wanted a healthier diet with more expensive organic foods and grass-fed beef.

Her increased retirement income strategies easily covered this extra expense.

In only three months, she reached her goal of losing 25 pounds and was able to fit into clothes she had not been able to wear in years.

More travel in retirement is the top bucket list item for Americans. A client’s life-long dream was to visit Antarctica. She found that a 14-day trip will cost $15,000-$27,000.

Eight years ago, she had deposited $270,000 in a private pension account. In 2023, she will trigger her annual income of $27,000, guaranteed every year she is alive. She will easily be able to

afford the Antarctica and other future overseas trips.

A safer income that is also steadier than stock market dividends or bond interest. Two years ago, an 80-year-old client was able to achieve this by buying solar business equipment and leasing it out to huge food companies on a 10-year lease with a 10-year warranty that covers all repair costs.

The annual depreciation allows her to pay no income tax on an income that is triple what stock market dividends or bond interest pays.

Substantially increasing retirement income. In 2019, a new client said that they currently spend $50,000 a year but wanted to spend $75,000 a year when they retire in seven years. They also wanted to remove 90% of their financial assets from stock market risk.

A series of strategies were implemented, that will generate a $120,000 annual retirement income in 2027. Also, a large Roth IRA Conversion was accomplished in 2020 without owing any federal income tax so that much of the wife’s retirement income will be tax-free for life.

Leaving a large legacy for your child is a worthy goal. In 2022, a retired widow did a $600,000 Roth IRA Conversion and had $250,000 of additional taxable income. By using advanced tax strategies, she owes $0 federal tax in 2022 and creates $2.5 million more wealth to leave to her only child.

What dreams and goals will you take action on in 2023?

Free seminar and supper: 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at Hyatt Place, 3535 W. Chandler Blvd. Chandler. The seminar is at 6:00 followed by a free catered supper. Topic is “Beat Inflation by Saving Taxes and Increasing Income!”

To RSVP for the seminar or schedule a free consultation, contact Dr. Harold Wong at 480-706-0177 or harold_wong@hotmail.com. His website is www.drharoldwong.com. Wong earned his Ph.D. in Economics at University of California/Berkeley and has appeared on over 400 TV/radio programs.

Veterans continue

BY JEFF REICH GSN Guest Writer

My Air Force training taught me more than just military skills. I learned how to be part of something bigger than myself.

I was taught to care for the person to my left and the person to my right. I developed a disdain for injustice and a bias toward action.

Two years ago, when members of my local community – my friends and neighbors – began to express doubts about the integrity of our elections, I knew I couldn’t sit idly by.

If elections weren’t being run correctly, then they needed to be fixed. If legitimate results were being unfairly brought into question for political gain, that needed to stop.

So, in the recent midterm elections, inspired by military training, I put my money where my mouth was. I volunteered, taking vacation days from work to serve at my local polling place.

As a 20-year military veteran and a lifelong registered Independent, it occurred to me that the only way to preserve faith in our electoral system was to be a part of the solution.

My experience as a poll worker was pretty close to what I expected. I was well trained by local election authorities. I showed up when and where they told me – and in the correct “uniform” – just as I was taught in the military.

And I helped people from my local community perform one of the most sacred duties of our democracy. I helped people vote.

I later learned that the same organization that helped me volunteer as a poll worker had enlisted more than 2,300 veterans and military family members in Arizona this year.

In total, that group, Vet the Vote, re-

cruited over 63,000 veterans and military spouses nationwide. Though that shouldn’t be a huge surprise, considering that on average veterans vote and volunteer at higher rates than their civilian counterparts.

No matter where you voted, there is a decent chance that a veteran like me was working the polls.

Moreover, that particular veteran was a neighbor of yours who, like me, cared enough about the integrity of elections to volunteer their time and energy to support the system.

My experience as a poll worker boosted my confidence in the election process and results. Not only was I trained well, but I found that the men and women who volunteered to run polling places in our state are some of Arizona’s best citizens.

All of us went through hours upon hours of training, both online and in person. Then we manned our polling place, just as I might have manned a post in the military.

We put in long days, serving our country, ensuring that the business of democracy was carried out without a hitch.

I hope that my presence may have helped increase some voters’ faith in our system. A recent survey by More in Common suggested that 85% of voters maintained or increased confidence in the electoral process when they learned that veterans were working the polls.

I realize this might not be enough to convince everyone in Arizona of the integrity of our elections.

There could always be someone who calls the results into question – especial-

as poll workers

ly when their candidate doesn’t come out on top. (It’s not often that people question election results when their side wins.)

However, for those who don’t dismiss the process out of hand, I have a challenge for you: sign up to work the polls with me next cycle. Put your money where your mouth is, just as I did.

We already have a national shortage of poll workers, so we could use the extra hands. Plus, you could demonstrate your patriotism by serving your country in this way.

And if you happen to be a veteran, you’ll be stepping up to serve again.

Our country is a representative democracy. Democracies run on elections.

And elections are made possible only by volunteer poll workers.

When I stepped into my local polling place on Nov. 7 and 8, I looked to my left and I looked to my right. I saw dedicated volunteers who were doing everything they could to serve their country and make sure we can maintain our democracy.

Just as I did when I wore an Air Force uniform, I felt humbled to serve alongside them.

Jeff Reich served for 20 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as a public affairs noncommissioned officer. He grew up in Mesa and now lives in Gilbert with his family.

GilbertSunNews.com | @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews

Perry alum Brock Purdy taking over at QB for 49er

BY ZACH ALVIRA GSN Sports Editor

It’s no secret Brock Purdy has thrived as an underdog throughout his football career.

He was overlooked at Perry High School until he was given a shot and led the Pumas to the championship game as a senior. He was overlooked by most universities until the conclusion of his high school career.

Even when he did sign with Iowa State, he was far down the depth chart. But he’s stayed patient and has made the most of every opportunity that has come his way, including being the last pick in last year’s NFL Draft, though San Francisco media labeled him “Mr. Irrelevant.”

Today, Dec. 11, Purdy makes his first NFL start for the San Francisco 49ers. “Mr. Irrelevant” is irrelevant no more.

“It’s inspiring because it applies to life, period,” said Shawn Purdy, Brock’s father. “We knew the draft process was going to be like the recruiting process. We’re just grateful Brock is the kind of person that won’t give up and he’ll continue to do his best with his God-given talent. It’s very inspiring to see him stay the course. He’s always believed in himself.”

Brock saw action this season as a rookie in the 49ers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in October. It brought back memories of the moment Shawn and his wife, Carrie, saw Brock’s name as the starter for Iowa State for the first time.

It’s hard for him to find words to describe the emotions they will be feeling when he is announced as the starter on the Jumbotron before kickoff Sunday. More than likely, those same emotions from before will be turned up a notch.

“We were blubbering idiots in college,” Shawn said. “We started crying

Purdy played three seasons at the varsity level at Perry. He led the Pumas to the semifinals as a junior and the championship his senior season. He has always bet on himself to be ready for any opportunity that comes his way in football. Sunday will be no different. (File Photo)

at the Iowa State game when they announced who the starter was. So, I imagine we’ll all be a mess.”

Brock came in last week after starter Jimmy Garoppolo left the game with a foot injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said postgame he would likely miss the rest of the season. But reports Wednesday said he has a slim shot of coming back late in the postseason.

But the 49ers, who currently lead

the division, still have to get there. And they’ll rely on Brock to do it.

Brock finished 25-of-37 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the win over the Dolphins last week. He had some butterflies initially, but once he rolled out and felt contact for the first time, he settled down.

“I feel like there was the whole butterfly feeling like, ‘Alright man, we’re going in. Let’s do this,’” Brock said. “It wasn’t like I was shaking and like, ‘Oh shoot, what do I do? What’s my read?’ None of that. Every single week I act like I’m the starter, prepare like I’m the starter. My name was called, coach (Brian) Griese said, ‘Let’s roll,’ and I went out there thinking what I have to do on the first play.

“Once I got hit, I think it was on a roll out, it felt good to be like, ‘Alright, I got some contact in, now let’s roll and settle down a little bit.’”

In three years at the varsity level for Perry Brock threw for 8,932 yards and 107 touchdowns.

Despite his numerous accolades as a high school player, including being

named Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017, Brock wasn’t recruited until after his senior season. Then, the floodgates opened.

Alabama, Texas A&M and Iowa State, among others, pursued him. Once he signed with the Cyclones, he thought he would once again have to wait his turn, but injuries gave him a chance early on to take over as the starter.

He never gave up the starting job as he broke numerous records at Iowa State and led the Cyclones to a win over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl in 2021.

Just like in college, former Perry coach Preston Jones thought Brock would have a year to adjust to the speed of the NFL game. If he hasn’t adjusted already, he will have to do so on the fly Sunday.

“It’s amazing. It’s just cool to see it happen to a guy that is such a great person,” Jones said. “I never experienced having someone that talented and that good. Just me being protective, I hoped he didn’t have to play. Just get a year to adjust.

“Here he is again. I’m confident he’ll do the same thing he did in high school and college.”

Brock’s first start won’t just be against any other quarterback or team in the league. It comes against Tom Brady, perhaps greatest NFL quarterback of all time.

Shawn said he and Carrie had planned to either attend Brock’s game against the Dolphins last week or Sunday against the Buccaneers. Shawn grew up a Dan Marino fan. Brock wears No. 13 because of him.

They chose the Bucs to see Brady in action. It just so happens they will be watching their son play against him.

“It’s funny how in the past we would say jokingly, ‘Man, can you imagine

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if you end up playing against Tom Brady?’” Shawn said. “And now it’s really happening.”

Shawn believes Brock will be ready for the opportunity against the Bucs and Brady. He’s proven throughout his football career that no moment seems too big for him.

He’s always bet on himself to be the best on the field. He’s looked forward to this opportunity, so he plans to make the most of it.

“I played four years as a starter in college so in terms of 11-on-11 and speed and that kinda stuff, seeing the game, I’ve had that kind of experience,” Brock said. “To get in and play and now

starting next week and what not, it’s something I’ve always looked forward to and I’ve honestly told myself it’s going to happen. Here we are.”

Oh What FUN It Is To Ride!!!!!

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, an East Valley native who played at Perry in Gilbert, is making his first NFL start as a rookie Sunday against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Courtesy Terrell Lloyd/49ers.com)

‘Die Hard’ puppet show becoming holiday fare

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

“A

Christmas Story,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol” are standards for the holidays.

As the owner/artistic director of the All Puppet Players, Shaun Michael McNamara is proving that “Die Hard” belongs there, too.

For the seventh year, his troupe is presenting “Die Hard: A Christmas Story,” a profane and mischievous program starring puppets. Complete with caroling, gun fights, F-bombs and puppet anarchy, “Die Hard: A Christmas Story” tells the tale of John McClane trying to save the day from master criminal Hans Gruber during a holiday party.

“Nothing is safe and no holiday mem-

ory unsoiled while the puppets wreak havoc on Christmas and bring a mischievous holiday spirit to all good little boys and girls,” McNamara says.

The production was born out of McNamara’s hatred of “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He respects companies that put them on, but it’s the same old, same old.

“What I did with ‘Die Hard,’ in a cheeky way, I threw Clarence (from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’) and the three spirits in, so it’s part ‘Die Hard,’ part ‘A Christmas Carol,’ part ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and part insanity.”

Seven years ago marked McNamara’s first foray into holiday shows. He says it was fun to lampoon Christmas.

“Finding songs was fun,” he added. “I

Switchfoot hits Mesa with first holiday tour, album

BY SUMMER AGUIRRE GetOut Staff Writer

Christmases in Southern California resemble sipping hot cocoa around a campfire at the beach, and Switchfoot wants to share that ex-

perience this holiday season.

The San Diego-based rock band is on the road with “this is our Christmas tour,” which follows the November 4 release of its “This is Our Christmas Album.”

To wrap up its first nationwide hol-

iday excursion, the band will make its debut at the Mesa Arts Center’s Ikeda Theater on Sunday, December 18. The group is excited to experience the different seasons across the United States while spreading the cheer of a sunny California Christmas.

“I can’t believe it’s actually here — we have been talking about making a Christmas album for years and we finally did it, so this is our first Christmas tour,” said bassist Tim Foreman.

Shaun Michael McNamara, owner/artistic director of the All Puppet Players, is proving that “Die Hard” belongs there, too, with a unique show. (Courtesy All Puppet Players)

“We put a lot into both the album and the dreaming up of this tour. It’s been a long time in the works, and I can’t wait to get on the road and see this baby get off the ground.”

Alongside Foreman, Switchfoot consists of his brother, vocalist/guitarist Jon Foreman, drummer Chad Butler and keyboardist and guitarist Jerome Fontamillas.

The band kicked off “This is Our Christmas Tour” just after Thanksgiving Day, and will hit 17 cities across the country.

“It’s rare to play venues, at this point in our career, that we haven’t played before,” Foreman said. “That’s always exciting.”

The bassist is looking forward to fans taking away a lighthearted sense of community from Switchfoot’s performance, which is why they make music.

“We embrace that communal aspect at our show. It’s a special, almost sacred thing. Whenever you get a bunch of humans gathered together in one space, singing the same songs, it feels deeply

human to do that,” Foreman said.

“So a sense of belonging, especially in a world where we’re constantly reminded of our differences, you have a sense of unity, and Christmas is such a great time to do that.”

Each of Switchfoot’s shows is a true one-of-a-kind experience, as they rarely follow their setlists. Oftentimes, they scrap it altogether and play song requests shouted from the back of the crowd, which is what Foreman believes makes live music great.

“We feel like the people in the room are the most important part of the show,” he said. “So we take a lot of joy from being able to read the room and dive into the spirit of what feels right for that moment and who’s in the room.”

Because Switchfoot doesn’t have an opener for this tour, they’re performing two acts, beginning with a stripped down, heavily acoustic set followed by a “big rock show.” Fans can expect a blend of the band’s classic tracks from over the years and their new Christmas songs.

As a reflection of the members’ roots, the set designs include a campfire-like setup for the first act, with a beachy vibe captured in the second.

“We wanted part of both the album and the tour to bring the idiosyncratic nuances of a West Coast California Christmas to other parts of the country,” Foreman said. “The things that make Christmas in places such as California are unique to the rest of the world, and (we) embrace that.”

“This is Our Christmas Album” has 12 tracks, the last of which “Hometown Christmas,” features NEEDTOBREATHE.

Although Switchfoot had been discussing the creation of a Christmas album and tour for years, its “real impetus” was the pandemic in 2020. Christmas was a highlight of the year, with many people stuck at home for the holiday season and leaning into the festivities and spirit early.

While putting together cheerful playlists of his favorite holiday tunes, Foreman realized that modern Christmas

thought a new Christmas tradition could be born out of what we’re doing. It’s becoming that R-rated family tradition.

“The fact that I don’t like kids is always going to make it R-rated. I don’t like catering to them. I have no interest in it. If there are kids, people are less likely to laugh at something rude. They’ll say, ‘I can’t believe they just said that, and I can’t believe that kid heard it.’”

The former Goodyear resident who now lives in Surprise, McNamara founded the All Puppet Players in Fullerton, California. He moved to the Valley with his wife for her job.

“My goal was to stay here for a year and then go back,” McNamara says. “Once I started pitching our shows to theaters around the Valley, it took off — not quickly, mind you. It took a long time to get where we are. There was enough of an interest that I didn’t need to leave.”

The All Puppet Players gives McNamara an excuse to share his love of the 1980s. He adores everything about the decade.

“I’m an ’80s kid,” he says. “Puppets have always been in my life. I love The Muppets. I worshipped ‘The Dark Crystal.’ I was hooked on ‘ALF’ and ‘Explorers.’ You name it. If it had a puppet, I loved it.

“I think there was a part of me that was angry with my career trajectory. I wanted to be the next Jim Carrey.”

movies. I get to play with fun scenes and not have to do the whole show. Like with ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ I can do just the boulder scene — which I’ve always wanted to do.

IF YOU GO

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That didn’t pan out, but he’s doing well with the All Puppet Players.

“I looked to puppets with desperation, wanting to write my own thing and it turned into lampooning theater,” he says with a laugh. “It was a bit of a radical, throw a fit and see if anybody cares. It happened to work.”

“But this show (‘Die Hard’) is just bonkers. It’s a bonkers, bonkers show. It’s the one show that I can almost guarantee will sell out. Plus, it’s Christmastime. ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas film. I don’t even know why there’s a debate.”

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He’s watched audiences get sucked in, not noticing the puppeteers after a while. The future sees movie nights, “try-me shows,” puppet karaoke, sketch and larger stage shows for McNamara.

“We’re going to do ‘Attack of the Video Store,’ where it’s 2010 and our puppets run a video store,” McNamara says. “They get sucked into all of our favorite

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songs lack the ability to “fill space” the way he wants.

As a result, the band tackled the songwriting and recording process seeking to create a collection of songs that they “want to see in the world, to actually fill that void.”

“A lot of Christmas albums are made in the middle of summer. Our album was actually recorded for the most part during Christmastime of last year,” Foreman said. “So that also felt important for us, just to be able to be wholeheartedly immersed in the season.”

“This is Our Christmas Tour” commenced only two months after Switchfoot’s nationwide summer trek for its 2021 album “Interrobang.” The July to September first full-blown tour since the pandemic looped around the United States with Collective Soul.

“I think one of the silver linings of having things taken away is that you no longer take them for granted,” Foreman said. “So, it was really special to get back out and play music in the same

space as other people, look each other in the eyes and sing songs together.”

The band has plans lined up for the new year that they have not announced yet, so Foreman encourages fans to stay tuned.

“It’s a big year for us coming up because it marks the 20th anniversary of ‘The Beautiful Letdown,’ which was a really important album for us, and so we’ve got some things planned to celebrate that journey,” he said.

Before that, however, Foreman looks forward to a California Christmas with his family — sun, surf, sand and all.

IF YOU GO

An Evening with Switchfoot

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Contributor

Apple pie ravioli will tempt any taste bud

Start up a conversation about holiday pies and you’ll find that people are passionate and opinionated about their seasonal favorites.

When it comes to pumpkin pie in particular, well, there’s just a lot of opining about the filling, the crust, the topping and the temperature pumpkin pie should be served.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve tried to love pumpkin pie all of my life. I’ve tried it extra-sweet, creamy, cold, whipped cream-topped soft crust, crispy crust and every variation in between. What’s wrong with me?

To this day I find pumpkin pie rather…boring and obligatory. So while I’m waiting for the pumpkin pie recipes from you that will surely change my mind (please!) I’m offering up a pie of a different sort.

Delicious, beautifully-presented miniature fruit pie that reflects my Italian heritage; the apple pie ravioli. After all, this is the time of year we do things a little more special, a little more glittery, a little more memorable.

These apple pie ravioli look like you’ve spent time at a culinary institute, but they’re actually quite simple, beginning with store-bought refrigerated pie dough.

The filling is the same as in a delicious homemade apple pie, and with some dough cutouts and a little sprinkle of decorative sugar, you have gorgeous, individual holiday mini pies that wow. This year, make your holiday dessert table a little extra yummy and extra beautiful with apple pie ravioli!

Ingredients

4 refrigerated pie dough (2 packages)

6-8 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and cut into pieces - can use up to 8 apples)

1/2 cup brown sugar (more if needed for sweetness)

1/3 cup flour

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 large lemon, juiced

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp milk decorative sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions

In a medium pot on low heat, cook apples, brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, and lemon juice until apples are softened (about 15 minutes - make sure you don’t over-cook apples so they turn to sauce).

After apples are cooked, roll out dough, one package at a time, and cut into approximately 2” squares.

Place about a tablespoon of apple mixture in the center of one square of dough and cover with another square. Pinch around the edges to seal.

If you have a ravioli cutter or pastry wheel, run along the edges to finish.

Brush lightly with egg mixture (egg yolk and milk mixed together) and sprinkle decorative sugar over top. Use leftover dough to make flowers, roses, or leaves.

Bake at 350ºF for about 20 minutes, or until apple pie ravioli are golden-brown.

Neuropathy Is Often Misdiagnosed

Muscle cramping, difficulty walking, burning, tingling, numbness, and pain in the legs or feet are symptoms of neuropathy people live with every day,” explains Dr. Kerry Zang, podiatric medical director of CIC Foot & Ankle. “The thing is PAD has very similar symptoms. So similar that in many cases, people are told it’s neuropathy when it may not be.”

Medicine is often prescribed. “Pills aren’t a cure, they just suppress the symptoms,” says Zang. “If neuropathy

isn’t causing the symptoms, the real problem could get worse.”

It’s important to determine if PAD (peripheral artery disease) is causing the pain or making it worse. PAD is plaque in the arteries which causes poor circulation. “Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to your feet which they need to stay healthy,” explains Zang, “When your feet aren’t getting an adequate supply, they start sending signals.” Those signals include pain, burning, tingling, numbness, or cramping.

The good news is PAD is treatable in

an office setting. Dr. Joel Rainwater, MD endovascular specialist explains, “We go into the bloodstream to find the blockage using imaging guidance. Then with small tools that can go into the smallest arteries, remove the blockage, and restore blood flow.”

Getting the proper diagnosis is the first step to getting better. “It’s all about finding out what’s causing the problem,” says Zang. “When your feet burn, tingle, or feel numb, it’s your body telling you it needs help, and you should listen.”

If your neuropathy medication is not working, your symptoms may be an indication of another condition.

Stiff Joints Interfere with Everyday Living

One in 40 people over the age of 50 may find themselves limiting their activity because of a condition called hallux rigidus. It’s a degenerative disease of the big toe joint. As it progresses, the pain in the joint increases and motion decreases.

prevent you from doing your favorite activity?

Do you have burning or tingling in your legs or feet?

Do you have leg or foot cramps with activity or at rest?

“People don’t realize the impact their big toe has on their life. It plays a role in balance, shock absorption, and forward movement as you walk,” explains Dr. Daniel Schulman, of CiC Foot & Ankle. “When the joint is stiff, it’s not able to bend and rotate properly, and it changes how we walk without us even realizing it.” These changes can lead to back or knee pain as well as discomfort in other parts of the foot.

“It always concerns me to hear that someone is playing less golf or staying home because they’re in pain,” says Schulman. “There are ways to help.”

The goal is to protect your feet from the repetitive stress of everyday activities. “We have several treatment options to not only relieve foot pain but help improve how your feet work. If we can help your feet function better, in many cases the need for surgery can be avoided or at the very least postponed,” says Schulman. “Patients are always happy to learn about ways to alleviate their symptoms.”

golfers, a stiff big toe can make their game suffer.

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C o o r d i n a t e , d v l p & m a n a g e e n g ’ g p r j c t s I n s p e c t prjct sites to monitor progress & ensure prjct scope , s ch ed u le, & b u d g et co mp lian ce U tilize co mp s f twr to help perform civil dsgn calculations & tasks, such a s g r a d i n g , d r a i n a g e , w a t e r , s e w e r , s t o r m , & g a s m a i n d s g n s , & p r e p a r i n g r e p o r t s f o r p r j c t s R e q ’ s a master’s degree in Civil Eng’g Please mail resumes t o H R a t , E n g i n e e r i n g A l l i a n c e i n c , 1 1 2 3 5 E S h e r i d a n A v e , M e s a , A r i z o n a , 8 5 2 1 2

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IntraEdge has multiple openings for Sr Programmer Analyst in Chandler, AZ Reqs US Bachelor degree/foreign (3 or 4 yr degree) equiv in Commerce/BusAdm/STEM field Analyze/resolve/test/monitor/report on IT related projects using skills in HTML,CSS,C#,.Net,Unix,API. Email resume to jobs@intraedge com w/ ref no 2023-21 directly on resume & ref ad in EVT

Region Technologies has openings for the following positions in Phoenix, AZ and/or client sites throughout the US. Must be willing to travel/relocate IT Engineer reqs US Masters/foreign equiv or bachelors + 5 yrs exp to design/dev/test systems/apps using Java/J2EE/CSS/Net/Database/Data Analysis/Mainframe/Testing technologies on Linux/Unix/Windows/HTML IT Analyst reqs US

Bachelors/equiv (3 or 4 yr degree) to test/maintain/monitor systems/programs using Hadoop/Bigdata/Tableau/SQL/Selenium/QA on Linux/Unix/Windows Send resume to careers@regiontechnologies com with ref # 2023-19 for IT Eng; 2023-21 for IT Analyst & ref EVT ad

IntraEdge has multiple openings for Software Engineer (SE) positions in Chandler, AZ SE candidates req US Masters degree/foreign equiv or bachelors degree + 5 yrs exp, w/ skills in Java,J2EE,JSP,SQL,JavaScript,Oracle to analyze/dsgn/dev/implement/test systems &

HUMAC, Inc has openings for the following positions in Phoenix, AZ and/or client sites throughout the US Must be willing to travel/relocate IT Engineer reqs US Masters/equiv or bachelors + 5 yrs exp to design/dev/test systems/apps using Java/J2EE/HTML/CSS/Unix/Windows IT Analyst reqs US Bachelors/equiv (3 or 4 yr degree) to test/maintain/monitor systems/programs using SQL/Oracle/Java/Hadoop/Unix. Send resume to jobs@humacinc com with ref #2023-19 for IT Eng; 2023-21 for IT Analyst & ref this ad

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NOTICE

The Arizona Board of Regents, for and on behalf of Northern Arizona University, is soliciting sealed Proposals from qualified firms or individuals for the purpose of selecting a firm or individual interested in providing Cardio and Weight Fitness Equipment Reference P23LB004 for Northern Arizona University.

Offers shall be delivered no later than 3:00 P.M., Arizona Time, January 5, 2023 to the office of the Vice President of Procurement on the campus of Northern Arizona University, 545 E. Pine Knoll Drive, Building 98B, PO Box 4124, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011, (928) 523-4557.

To request a Proposal by E-mail contact Northern Arizona University Purchasing Services at the above phone number or by emailing NAU-Purchasing@ nau.edu. To download a copy from the Internet access https://nau.e du/Contracting-Purchasing-Services/Purc hasing/NAU-Bid-Board/

The Arizona Board of Regents reserves the right to reject any or all Offers, to waive or declare to waive irregularities in any Offer, or to withhold the award for any reason it shall determine and also reserves the right to hold any or all Offers for a period of ninety (90) days after the date of the opening thereof. No Offeror shall withdraw their Offer during this ninety (90) day period.

Published in the Mesa Tribune, Gilbert Sun News, Chandler Arizonan, Dec 11, 2022

In accordance with Sec. 106 of the Programmatic Agreement, AT&T plans to upgrade an existing telecommunications facility at 1120 S. CADY MALL, TEMPE, AZ 85281. Please direct comments to Gavin L. at 818-898-4866 regarding site CRAN_RANM_ PX1 20_040.

12/4, 12/11/22

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EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE

Published in the Mesa Tribune, Gilbert Sun News, Chandler Arizonan, Dec 4, 11, 2022

In accordance with Sec. 106 of the Programmatic Agreement, AT&T plans a MODIFICATION OF EXISTING ANTENNA ON ROOFTOP OF 1964 BUILDING at 600 E. TYLER MALL, TEMPE, AZ 85281. Please direct comments to Gavin L. at 818-898-4866 regarding site CRAN_RANM_PX1 20_014.

12/4, 12/11/22

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EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE

Published in the Mesa Tribune, Gilbert Sun News, Chandler Arizonan, Dec 4, 11, 2022

Public Notice

In accordance with Sec. 106 of the Programmatic Agreement, AT&T plans a MODIFICATION OF EXISTING ANTENNA ON ROOFTOP OF 1964 BUILDING at 600 E. TYLER MALL, TEMPE, AZ 85281. Please direct comments to Gavin L. at 818-898-4866 regarding site CRAN_RANM_PX1 20_014.

12/4, 12/11/22

CNS-3639727#

EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE

Published in the Mesa Tribune, Gilbert Sun News, Chandler Arizonan, Dec 4, 11, 2022

In accordance with Sec. 106 of the Programmatic Agreement, AT&T plans NEW 75’ MONOPINE at 4040 SOUTH VAL VISTA DRIVE GILBERT, AZ 85297. Please direct comments to Gavin L. at 818-898-4866 regarding site AZL01672.

12/4, 12/11/22

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EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE

Published in the Mesa Tribune, Gilbert Sun News, Chandler Arizonan, Dec 4, 11, 2022