Mesa Tribune 02-05-2023

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Bell Bank Park could see management shakeup

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer

Ayear after Bell Bank Park opened to great expectations, the park has hosted hundreds of thousands visitors and reported 4.3 million individual visits in Mesa, but it remains under a dark financial cloud since defaulting on the terms of its loan in October.

The profits the park was expected to

generate never materialized, putting its owner’s ability to make loan payments on the $280 million in tax-free municipal bonds that financed it in jeopardy.

Most recently, Legacy Cares missed a $10 million payment due Jan. 1, and it still owes contractors $30 million in back payments for the park’s construction.

The project’s cash is down to $22 million left in a reserve fund for loan payments, leaving questions for some about

Builders super-size to fight drive-thru regs

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer

The City of Mesa’s proposed rule changes on new drive-thru eateries have not changed since November, but industry opposition has evolved and has been gaining steam since then.

At the latest public meeting last week, speakers opposing the new drive-thru rules included a representative for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a global shopping center trade group, and a lobbyist for the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.

There were also a half-dozen land use attorneys speaking on behalf of a dozen or more clients who own commercial properties in Mesa or develop quick-serve restaurants, an

how Legacy Cares has spent $260 million on its development.

After Legacy Cares missed a January deadline to submit an audited financial report for fiscal year 2022, the public remains in the dark.

What all this financial doom and gloom will ultimately mean for users at the 320acre park is unclear but a recent court fil-

see BELL PARK page 6

John Conover, who owns the house in the background at S. Morris Street and W. Broadway Road, Mesa, has been fighting a private equity firm's effort to build a three-story storage facility that would loom over what was once part of his grandfather’s farm. He's fighting the city, too, as you'll read on page

David vs. Goliath

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We’re warmer, Mesa shows chilly Chicagoans

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

Rideshare vehicles throughout Chicago promoted Arizona’s winter warmth and sunshine as part of Visit Mesa’s newest campaign to entice would-be visitors to book their spring vacations here.

All January long, Mesa’s destination marketing organization wrapped 20 rideshare cars with messages like: “Blizzards’ Exact Opposite,” “Let’s Work on That Winter Tan,” “Warm Up Your Life” and “Our Winter Layers: Sunscreen” in high-traffic areas and around Chicago landmarks such as Soldier Field and Navy Pier, and during sporting events.

Visit Mesa Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Michelle Streeter said they paired their call to Chicagoans to “warm up” with strong visuals of Arizona sunsets and that Mesa had an undeniable presence

across the Windy City at the perfect time of year.

“This campaign allowed us to spread our message to a market that is familiar with what we offer in the winter and spring seasons,” Streeter said.

“We felt this was a great way to promote Mesa in advance of our first full season of MLB spring training in three years and a roster of signature events all season long.”

The car wrapping visual campaign was a first for Visit Mesa, which partnered with Carvertise to market the city on the vehicles. It was made possible with the Visit Arizona Initiative, a grant program managed by the Arizona Office of Tourism.

Passengers could learn more about Mesa at VisitMesa.com or using a QR code to book vacation deals to the city. Mesa’s latest promotional materi-

see VISITS page 4

Mesa Visits hired a promotional company to tool around Chicago’s frozen streets in speciallydecorated cars to get residents to think of Mesa’s sunnier and warmer climes. (Courtesy of Visit Mesa)

The Mesa Tribune is published every Sunday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout the East Valley.

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Main number: 480-898-6500

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Senior Account Sales: Ryan Brown 480-898-6482 | rbrown@TimesLocalMedia.com

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Executive Editor: Paul Maryniak | 480-898-5631 pmaryniak@TimesLocalMedia.com

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VISITS from page 3

als were inside the vehicle.

Visit Mesa also created a special website that directed online traffic to hotel deals, attraction passes and spring event information in Mesa. It expects to draw more than 5 million people to the site.

Visit Mesa has already tracked increases in tourist visits above 2019 levels, including year-end hotel performance in Mesa that reached 1.3 million room nights sold in 2022 – up 4.3% from the previous year.

Along with the 2022 occupancy rate 7.1% ahead of 2021, forecasts predict domestic leisure travel to be resilient in the months ahead.

According to the latest tracking study of American travelers, 92% have travel plans in the next six months,

How Will They

tied for the highest levels seen since the beginning of the pandemic.

Tourism Economics said pent-up demand and a continued prioritization of travel will endure into 2023.

Founded in 2012 by students at University of Delaware and headquartered in Wilmington, Carvertise has expanded to more than 40 cities across the U.S. and Canada including Hawaii.

In 2022, destination marketing organizations collectively invested more than $1.5 million with Carvertise to wrap and deploy fleets of Uber and Lyft vehicles.

To make an even bigger impression, many organizations have activated Carvertise’s “Swarm” feature, where branded cars congregate at major gatherings, such as sporting events and concerts, to elevate their advertising.

Carvertise Co-Founder Greg Star said that’s exactly what’s taking place in Phoenix for the Super Bowl and Waste Management Open with more than 200 wrapped cars hitting the road across the Valley.

With more than 3,000 cars wrapped across the country, Star predicts the upward trend to continue into 2023 and beyond.

According to a 2019 Nielsen out-ofhome study, wrapped cars have proven to be the most effective and memorable form of transit advertising.

“Our travel partners tell us our branded cars are the most memorable advertising medium they’ve ever used,” Star said. “The tourism industry is coming back stronger than ever, and we’re excited by the role that Carvertise is playing in driving its rally.”

BELL PARK from page 1

ing, hints that a management change could be coming.

What that means is the possible removal of Randy Miller and his sons –who conceived of the park, drove its construction and run Legacy Sports, the for-profit entity that manages the park for nonprofit Legacy Cares.

In online reviews, users have criticized the park’s management for poor execution. A league owner said he is taking his business to another venue after a disappointing experience last year.

After Bell Bank Park started to flounder financially, Chad Miller, the CEO of Legacy Sports, and other managers insisted in calls with bondholders and interviews that COVID had caused the park to underperform.

But those assertions are at odds with statements Legacy made in a May podcast with Visit Mesa, when they said that COVID had lifted demand for youth sports travel and helped the facility book events through 2022.

People would “do anything to make sure their kids were taken care of or in sports,” Chad Miller said at the time.

“You also saw a lot of people coming in from California to Arizona to still compete in tournaments” amid continued uncertainty in some states on reopening guidelines, he said.

The revelation that Bell Bank Park’s creditors are eyeing a management change came in a monthly status update for Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Dewain Fox filed by an attorney for Okland Construction, the

construction manager for the park’s vertical buildings.

Okland filed a lien against the Bell Bank Park property in May for $25 million in unpaid bills.

After Legacy Cares defaulted on its bonds in October, Okland and other lien holders began talks with Legacy Cares and senior bondholders to delay foreclosure proceedings while the park’s owner figured tried to come up with the money it owes.

Bell Bank Park has seen more than 4.3 visitors since it opened a little more than a year ago, but its owners have defaulted on the terms of a $280 million loan. (Visit Mesa) see BELL PARK page

State law grants contractors the power to force foreclosure to collect unpaid bills, a process that could complicate Bell Bank Park’s efforts to secure new financing.

In November, a judge ordered the lien holders to suspend new filings until Jan. 31, buying Bell Bank Park time to arrange a prospective $400 million in new bonds.

In Okland’s January update to the court, the company said it has been told that Bell Bank Park’s refinancing plan with Chicago-based investment bank Loop Capital “remains likely to close and should generate funds sufficient to pay contractor and subcontractor claims.”

But Okland attorney James Csontos also explained at length that his clients understood the plan to be contingent on a management change at the facility.

“The senior bondholders, who are likely purchasers of new bonds, are expected to require management chang-

es to improve the performance of the complex,” Csontos wrote.

Before Bell Bank Park opened, Legacy Sports entered into a partnership with global venue development and investment company Oak View Group to negotiate naming rights and manage the park once it opened.

Oak View Group manages many high-profile arenas, stadiums, amphitheaters and other venues. Locally, OVG manages Hohokam Stadium and Sloan Park in Mesa, and Salt River Fields in Scottsdale.

OVG’s website does not currently list Bell Bank Park as a venue it operates.

Csontos wrote in the January filing, “It is presumed that the Oak View Group will reassume a greater amount of responsibility (for Bell Bank Park). This shift is believed to increase the marketability of the bonds needed to fund the refinance.”

If OVG is managing the park, and the nonprofit Legacy Cares needed to access the municipal bond market, that leaves the Miller’s for-profit Legacy Sports cut out of the park.

Chad Miller did not respond to a request for comment.

Long-time Bell Bank Park watcher and Securities and Exchange Commission whistleblower Stephen Griffin told the Tribune that in municipal bond defaults, a “hornet’s nest of litigation” can ensue when the existing managers of a project do not want to leave.

Legacy Sports’ 40-year management agreement with Legacy Cares contains a long section on the termination of the agreement, and it appears to give Legacy Sports a generous payout for termination under certain conditions.

Csontos said in his report that Okland is “skeptical” a refinancing deal will come to fruition.

He noted that Legacy Cares originally aimed to go before the Arizona Industrial Development Authority Board of Directors to request the new round of bonds in November, but that has been delayed several months, most recently in January.

Legacy Cares is now gunning for AZIDA’s Feb. 16 meeting, he said.

But the stay of foreclosure proceedings for Legacy’s lien holders expired Jan. 31, and Okland is hedging its bets.

“While we understand that the (refinancing) transaction continues to move forward,” Csontos told the Tribune, “we intend to move forward aggressively with the foreclosure litigation in the meantime.

Mesa homeowner battles private equity firm

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer

Aprivate equity firm hoping to build a three-story selfstorage facility in downtown Mesa is facing stubborn resistance from a homeowner in a David-andGoliath matchup.

Albuquerque-based DXD Capital proposes to turn five vacant parcels totaling 1.3 acres on the southeast corner of Broadway Road and Country Club Drive into an 80,000-squarefoot self-storage facility.

But Realtor John Conover, who owns an 88-year-old adobe house adjacent to the project site, is deadset against the $50 million private equity fund, which is represented by Ralph Pew, one of Mesa’s top land use attorneys.

Conover, 42, has managed to delay approval of the project for months

by filing an appeal to City Council after the Planning and Zoning board’s 6-1 approval of the storage facility in October.

As a site plan review, the application didn’t need to go any further, except Conover’s appeal forced it to go before council.

City staff told council it was the first appeal of its kind since 2015.

The rarity of appeals may be surprising considering that any “person aggrieved by a decision” can file an appeal within 15 calendar days, according to Mesa City Code.

Council moved to uphold the Planning and Zoning Board’s approval of the storage facility in late January, but Conover filed an appeal to the Board of Adjustments. A hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Each time the case goes to a different city body, it delays to the project, and DXD representatives must travel

back to Mesa to deal further with getting their entitlements.

Conover, a life-long Mesan, purchased the 924-square-foot home in 2016.

The tiny home is surrounded by the proposed storage site on three sides and if built, the side of Conover’s house would be just 3 yards from the 40-foot exterior wall of the storage facility, looming over the home by two stories.

The house was built in 1935 with adobe exterior walls, according to Maricopa County Assessor’s Office records, and sits just south of the historic Sunkist Warehouse.

The home is a bit of an oddity in the immediate vicinity, probably due to the home’s age. The zoning code around it has become commercial and industrial while the adobe remained.

Conover rents the house to long-

term tenants, and in an October Planning and Zoning hearing, one of the renters said having the self- storage so close to the home “would make our house feel like the ‘Up’ house.”

That was a reference to the 2009 Pixar film “Up,” in which the protagonist’s house becomes totally surrounded by urban development.

Conover is not opposed to the vacant lots next to his house being developed, but he said DXD and the city should have worked more closely with him before it went to Planning and Zoning.

Conover said DXD didn’t hold a neighborhood meeting, and claims DXD was not responsive to his communications.

“I feel very disregarded,” he told board members.

An overture from Conover to sell

see APPEAL page 10

the house to DXD was met, Conover claims, with a response of, “No, we don’t need it.”

He believes DXD’s strategy is to “ram” the project through the approval process rather than deal with him.

A representative of DXD declined to comment on Conover’s appeal, but after the October hearing, DXD Principal Gary Delaney told the Tribune that the company had worked “extensively” with the city.

Conover told the planning board that his participation with DXD’s site planning is essential to securing his property rights because the neighborhood has issues with urban camping.

DXD’s site plan calls for a wall between Conover’s chainlink fence and the storage building, which would create a narrow alleyway that could encourage people to make camp right next to the house, he said.

The private equity company

said it had designed the landscaping according to Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Standards.

Conover said these measures are not enough.

When Council heard Conover’s appeal in late January, several members were inclined to agree with the homeowner.

“People are going to look for opportunities for urban camping, and so I have no doubt that some people will try to do that here,” Mayor John Giles said. “I think, Mr. Conover, your tenants will probably be calling the City of Mesa saying ‘Hey, there’s a homeless encampment behind my home.’”

In addition to Conover’s allegation that DXD failed to adequately engage the neighborhood, the homeowner also believes city staff made a technical error in the approval process.

The collection of parcels that make

up the storage facility have three different zoning designations. One parcel, where the parking and retention for the storage facility is located, doesn’t allow self-storage uses without a council use permit, or CUP.

Mesa Planning Director Mary Kopaskie-Brown told council members that the project didn’t need a CUP because the area in question was an accessory use to where self-storage is allowed by right.

Conover disputes that interpretation.

“There’s a process in the City of Mesa to vet these things properly. … Why not do that instead of use this loose interpretation (of code),” he said. “Is it because they don’t think they would get the CUP?”

With council relying on planning staff’s interpretation of the code, Conover will have to make his case now to the Board of Adjustments.

John Conover’s house sits to the right of the 80,000-square-foot storage facility that a New Mexico developer wants to build on the southeast corner of Broadway Road and Country Club. (City of Mesa)

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EV senator casts doubts on school spending cap waiver

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

State lawmakers took the first tentative steps last week to ensure that public schools don’t have to shut down before the end of the academic year.

But it remains unclear whether there are the votes in the full Legislature to make that happen – especially as a Queen Creek lawmaker has raised doubts about whether school districts have earned it.

Republican Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, head of the Freedom Caucus, said the group’s members – about a third of all legislative Republicans – have questions about whether the money the schools already have is being properly spent. As proof, he cited figures that only 28% of eighth graders are considered “proficient’’ in reading.

“And only 32% of 11th graders were able to pass the state’s math assessment,’’ Hoffman said.

The problem, he said, is that schools are not emphasizing “the basics.’’

“They’ve now embarked on ideologies and political ideologies that, unfortunately, don’t help children achieve proficiency in reading or math or English or history or science,’’ Hoffman said. He specifically

mentioned “critical race theory, comprehensive sexuality education, gender confusion ideology.’’

Hoffman also told KTAR talk show host Mike Broomhead he is not concerned about the issues raised by Horne about closing schools and how parents might resent lawmakers whose votes against waiving the limit would force schools to close before the end of the year.

“I understand there is the concern about political fallout,’’ he said.

“But the reality is, doing the right thing is our job,’’ Hoffman continued, saying he and his supporters want to support students going to public schools. “So if that means I don’t win my reelection because I’m standing up for parents and standing up for the kids that are in our schools, so be it.’’

The House Education Committee voted 8-1 late Tuesday for a one-year waiver of the constitutional “aggregate expenditure limit’’ on what schools can spend.

If there is not final action by the Legislature by March 1, schools collectively will be forced to cut nearly $1.4 billion they already have been allocated for the current year about 17% of their annual budgets

State Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, seen here in at a press conference last month with members of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, said he’s not worried about threats by schools of massive layoffs if the spending cap is not lifted on districts. (Capitol Media Services)

-- and do it before the end of June, which translates out to cutting 70% of their budget for the last few months of the school year.

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.

State schools chief Tom Horne, a Republican like a majority of lawmakers, urged committee members to approve the measure to avoid what he said would be “an incredible disaster.’’

“If we have a 70% cut and two-thirds of the teachers are laid off, I believe parents all over the state, of all political ideologies, will greatly resent what was done to their kids,’’ he said.

Horne pointed out all the waiver does is permit schools to spend the money already approved by the Legislature.

“I think it is in the interests of everyone in this room that the actions of the Legislature be respected,’’ he said.

“And that means respecting the budget that was passed,’’ Horne explained. “And that means we must pass HCR 2001 and provide an exception to the aggregate expenditure limit

Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, who is the sponsor of HCR 2001 to waive the limit, said shuttering schools should not be acceptable to fellow Republicans.

It remains to be seen, however, whether the Republicans who control the House and Senate will provide the necessary votes or insist on some concessions from Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs to approve some of the things they want. And what some want is what they call “reforms.’’ Cook told Capitol Media Services he is open to looking at these issues – but not now.

“Those are discussions to happen after this,’’ he said. “This is to clean up last year’s budget.’’

That has to do with the fact that legislators last year, with a state budget surplus, provided additional dollars to public schools, restoring many of the cuts made in the prior decade.

A 1980 voter-approved constitutional

amendment caps total education spending at what it was then, with annual adjustments for inflation and student growth. But the new infusion of funds, coupled with a decline in enrollment due to COVID, puts that cap now at close to $1.4 billion less than what the nearly $7.8 billion schools already have.

That 1980 constitutional amendment does allow lawmakers to enact one-year waivers, which is what HCR 2001 seeks to do.

Approval takes a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate. And that, in turn, means a minority of lawmakers – 21 representatives out of 60 and 11 of the 30 senators – can effectively veto the waiver unless they get what they want.

Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, told Capitol Media Services he will not bring the waiver to the floor unless a majority of his 16 Republicans agree. So that gives just nine of them a veto.

The most recent report by state Auditor General Lindsay Perry says Arizona schools, on average, spend 55.3% of their dollars on instruction. But she said that figure does not paint the whole picture of what is effectively going into the classroom.

For example, Perry said, student support, consisting of counselors, audiologists, speech pathologists, nurses, social workers and attendance services, all necessary parts of running a school, ate up another 9.1% of every dollar.

And there was 5.8% for instructional support, defined as librarians, teacher training, curriculum development and instructionrelated technology services. That brought what she considers total classroom spending up to 70.2% versus 69.3% the prior year.

Schools also spent an average of 11.7% on building maintenance, equipment repair

and the costs to heat and cool buildings.

There also was 4.0% for food service and 3.7% for the cost of operating the school bus fleet.

What’s left is 10.4% for administration. That includes superintendents, principals business manages and other staff who do everything from accounting to payroll.

And there is data to show that Arizona schools spend less on administration on a per-student basis than the national average.

Hoffman, however, said he is not convinced that teachers and classroom instruction are getting as much as they should.

“So we’re calling for these reforms to accompany the AEL’’ waiver, he said.

“And we need Katie Hobbs and we need Republican leadership and Democrats to come to the table,’’ Hoffman continued. “This is something we should all be able to agree upon.’’

Hobbs, however, has given no indication she wants to deal.

A temporary waiver would solve the problem for only this year.

Hobbs said earlier this month at an event in Avondale that it is time for the expenditure limit to go away, since this is the second year in a row the limit was reached and it is likely to happen again.

“We can keep suspending it every year and going through this exercise, but we need to repeal it,’’ Hobbs said. That, however, requires a public vote.

“And if the Legislature is not willing to refer a measure to the ballot to do that, then I’m willing to lead that effort to get the initiative on the ballot to that,’’ the governor said.

Bob Christie of Capitol Media Services contributed to this report.

City faces $20M revenue loss from state tax cuts

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

State lawmakers are moving to strip cities and towns of their ability to tax residential rentals and grocery store food – a move that would cost the City of Mesa about $20.4 million.

In addition to a vote Feb. 1 by the Senate Commerce Committee on that measure, Senate Republicans also are considering a cut in the corporate tax that would cost the city another $10.5 million.

The Commerce Committee’s approval of the food and rent tax cuts came despite objections from mayors and lobbyists for the majority of communities that have the levies. They told senators that their budgets are dependent on these revenues.

A legislative analysis says the $20.4 million in revenue from the rent tax represented 6.7% of the total sales tax revenue that Mesa received last year. The

city does not collect a food tax.

The corporate tax cut, under a different bill that has not yet come up for a hearing, would cost Mesa another $10.5 million in revenue, according to legislative estimates.

The municipalities’ claims of hardship drew derision from Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, who said most cities and towns have a surplus. And he rejected the claims that these are appropriate, even if the state itself has a “rainy day’’ fund, money set aside to protect against future economic downturns.

And Sen. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, the sponsor of the measure to phase out the tax on rentals, said it is crafted in a way to ensure that tenants get the benefit of the mandated reduction.

But that drew a skeptical response from Sen. Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe.

“Whatever the market price is, that’s what the rent will be,’’ she said. All SB 1184 will do, she said, is allow landlords to pocket what they no longer have to

forward to cities in taxes.

Nick Ponder, lobbyist for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, told lawmakers that SB 1063, the companion measure to eliminate local taxes on food purchased for home preparation and consumption, won’t reduce overall taxes.

He pointed out that state lawmakers, facing an initiative, voted in 1980 to exempt the state sales tax on food.

But three years later, facing a deficit, Ponder noted the Legislature raised the overall state sales tax on all remaining items from 4 percent to 5 percent, an increase that never was repealed. He suggested that cities, facing a similar loss of one source of revenues, may have to follow suit.

And he said that cities where the decision was made to eliminate these taxes have a higher overall sales tax rate than others where the levies remain. He cited in particular Tucson where shoppers pay 3.5% on everything else they buy.

Ponder said the decision on what to tax is best left to local elected officials and their voters.

Not all communities levy rent or food taxes.

But they can be a big part of what communities collect. And the impact is particularly great on the smallest towns.

In Nogales, for example, the tax on food is nearly 14% of total sales tax collections. It’s close to 16% in Cottonwood, 17.6% in Douglas, 18.5% in Safford, 19.9% in San Luis and 35.2% in Taylor.

Overall, the levy amounts to more than $161 million a year statewide.

Rental taxes are a smaller percentage of sales taxes in most communities, though they total nearly $180 million statewide for affected communities.

The food tax repeal is being proposed by Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City.

“To be taxing food, essential items

DRIVE-THRU from page 1

industry term for fast food eateries.

City planners drafted the proposed drive thru zoning changes last year at the city council’s direction.

Staff said that its seven proposed changes to the zoning ordinance were designed to give the public more opportunities to comment on new drivethrus, prevent their clustering and reduce the eateries’ neighborhood impact.

The new rules would require council approval for new drive-thrus in Neighborhood Commercial or Limited Commercial zoning districts. Lanes or pick up windows must be 100 feet from homes, and no more than two adjacent drive-thus would be allowed on the same side of the street.

Developers could apply for exceptions with council approval.

The effort to tweak drive thru zoning was spearheaded last year by Vice Mayor Francisco Heredia and former Councilman Kevin Thompson.

Thompson was vocal about his de-

sire to see more sit-down restaurants in Mesa’s commercial districts and that residents were alarmed that some recently developed shopping centers seemed dominated by drive-thrus.

Thompson is no longer on council, but Heredia said last week that he would continue to advocate for action in spite of the growing pressure from industry to back off.

“I’m still an advocate for doing something on drive thrus,” Heredia said. “We need a balance of (dining) options. That’s what I’ve heard from residents.”

But Heredia said he’s not committed to a specific set of zoning changes and wants to work with stakeholders to find a “consensus or middle ground.”

One sticking point for Heredia will be increasing the instances when public hearings are required for new drive-thrus, in part because it means notification for neighbors.

“In some cases where we’ve had issues in the past, where drive-thrus are allowed by right, these things pop up and people were like, ‘What happened?

We didn’t get notified,’” Heredia said. “Based on our (current) zoning, we can’t do anything about it.”

“I want to add some voice to the public,” he said.

Northeast Mesa resident Amanda Hart said the impacts of drive thru eateries on surrounding neighborhoods are real.

She lives east of Recker Road across the street from two drive thrus and said she and her partner can hear people ordering half a block away.

“There’s kind of like that background of general noisiness of people ordering from a drive-thru, which is always a little odd,” Hart said.

Headlights from cars stacked in the drive thru lane add light pollution to the neighborhood, she said.

One of the biggest impacts, she added, is traffic. Many drivers pull into Hart’s neighborhood to turn around after leaving one of the eateries.

A new retail shopping center is under construction near Hart’s Ridgeview neighborhood, and she said neighbors have a stake in the type of

restaurants that will go there. They want like to be notified if drive-thrus are planned.

Despite Heredia’s desire to find middle ground, there didn’t seem to be anything industry representatives liked in the current proposals during last week’s meeting.

Attorney Paul Gilbert suggested the city just leave the zoning alone.

“What makes Mesa so unique, or what is Mesa’s particular problem that Phoenix and Tempe, Goodyear, Surprise, these other communities aren’t facing? Because they have not gotten to what we consider this draconian position,” Gilbert said.

Attorney Lindsay Schube said her clients support the city addressing drive-thrus by modifying design standards rather than changing the zoning ordinances.

Schube and others singled out public participation in approvals as particularly distasteful to the industry.

“If you think this is a lot of kerfuffle, see DRIVE-THRU page 17

$0 or low

Benefits vary by plan. ‘Ohana Health Plan, a plan offered by Wellcare Health Insurance of Arizona, Inc. Wellcare is the Medicare brand for Centene Corporation, an HMO, PPO, PFFS, PDP plan with a Medicare contract and is an approved Part D Sponsor. Our D-SNP plans have a contract with the state Medicaid program. Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal. Washington residents: Health Net Life Insurance Company is contracted with Medicare for PPO plans. “Wellcare by Health Net” is issued by Health Net Life Insurance Company. Washington residents: “Wellcare” is issued by Wellcare of Washington, Inc. Washington residents: “Wellcare” is issued by Wellcare Health Insurance Company of Washington, Inc. Wellcare by Allwell (HMO and HMO SNP) includes products that are underwritten by Superior HealthPlan, Inc. and Superior HealthPlan Community Solutions, Inc. Wellcare (HMO and HMO SNP) includes products that are underwritten by Wellcare of Texas, Inc., Wellcare National Health Insurance Company, and SelectCare of Texas, Inc. Cosmetic procedures are not covered under this benefit.

imagine the people that you’re going to get at all these council hearings,” Schube warned city staff.

While city planners pointed out that applicants could apply for variances from the proposed limits, Schube said many prospective tenants would walk away from projects rather than face a public hearing.

“A conditional use permit is a long process,” she said. “It costs time, money. You have to get plans prepared, and there’s no certainty. … To tenants, to clients, they hear ‘process,’ they hear a public hearing in front of council … they’re like ‘no, I don’t want to do it.’”

Schube also floated the possibility that the proposals could get the city into trouble with Prop 207, a ballot question passed in 2006 that requires local governments to compensate landowners if land use changes reduce the value of a property owners’ land. If fast food eateries choose not to open in the city, some suggested, Mesa residents will just drive to neighboring communities to get the food they want and take their sales taxes with them.

A theme that emerged from developers was the observation that in the post-COVID economy, drive-thrus have become more important than ever to the dining industry.

One developer estimated that 60% to 70% of new restaurants are requesting drive-thrus.

District 6 Councilman Scott Somers, who won the seat vacated by Thompson, said he hasn’t received a presentation yet on the proposed drive-thru changes and wants to talk with stakeholders before taking a stance.

He said, however, that he hears concerns from constituents “on a fairly regular basis” that there are too many fast food restaurants relative to sitdown options in his district, southeast Mesa.

“I think the fear in the community is that’s all that’s going to be built,” he said.

Somers also said he thinks drivethru spacing needs to be addressed

and designs modified to prevent negative impacts from overflowing lanes.

He doesn’t believe residents have a problem with fast food, they just want a “balance” between quick service and sit down options.

He pointed to the intersection of U.S. 60 and Stapley Drive as an example of a commercial center with balance.

There’s blockbuster drive-thrus like Chick-Fil-A and In N Out, but also many full-service restaurants.

One sit down eatery, Texas Roadhouse, plans to build a larger restaurant to accommodate demand.

Somers said the city should focus on creating the conditions that encourage desirable sit-down restaurants to

open in Mesa, but he supports holding developers to high standards.

“(Former Mayor) Scott Smith used to say all the time, there’s a quality metric to be had here. If it’s good enough to build in Scottsdale, it’s good enough to build in Mesa,” he said. “We should have a high level of design aesthetic.”

that are consumed at home, not only is it unreasonable, it’s outrageous,’’ he said.

But Globe Mayor Al Ganeros told lawmakers that the levy, which is paid not only by residents but folks from outside the city who drive into town, helps his community cover its costs. And he said there are costs, citing, for example, the $1.5 million to $2 million it will take to replace a 35-year-old ladder truck at the fire department.

Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland said revenues from the food tax amount to 7% of the total city budget.

“I struggle to understand why the Legislature feels the cities are the one who are robbing from our citizens,’’ he testified.

“We are where the rubber meets the road,’’ McFarland continued. “We are where citizens rely on the services that we provide.’’

One argument by proponents of both measures is that the cities are getting more money now from the state.

Ponder said it is true that lawmakers are now giving local communities 18% of the revenues they collect, up from 15%.

But he pointed out that occurred only when lawmakers voted two years ago to cut income taxes by more than $1 billion a year by enacting a flat income tax. All the higher share did, Ponder said, is keep the actual revenue sharing dollars from declining.

Lawmakers also approved a measure several years ago allowing the state and local sales tax to be levied on online and

phone purchases. Ponder said, though, much of this simply makes up for the taxable sales no longer being made at brick-and-mortar stores.

Not every local official who testified was opposed.

“We have a regressive tax on a fundamental human need,’’ said Allen Skillcorn, a member of the Fountain Hills City Council, said speaking specifically about the rental tax. “That’s just mean.’’

The party-line 4-3 votes by the Republican-controlled committee send both measures to the full Senate.

Cars snaked around filling the entire drive-through line at the In-N-Out Burger restaurant on Recker Road near Red Mountain Loop 202 last week. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Mesa resident, veteran pens new fiction thriller

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

At age 92, Navy veteran J.B. Rivard uses cinematic storytelling for his newest book that almost went up in smoke.

“Low on Gas – High on Sky,” about record-setting aviator Nick Mamer, partly inspired Rivard’s newest novel that debuts on Feb. 7.

His “Dead Heat to Destiny” follows the lives and loves of three people imperiled in the cataclysm of WWI.

But both books almost never happened due in part to the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center just outside St. Louis, Missouri, that destroyed 22 million veterans’ personal records.

Mamer’s grandchildren held onto a trunk full of memorabilia – including thousands of newspaper clippings, photos and documents – that gave a real insight to his military service and then inspired Rivard’s novel.

“As a result of that, we got a real inside feel for this guy, and what he was like, and I’ll tell you, it was inspiring because he was a true aviation whiz,” Rivard said. “And this in turn inspired

me to create the character Will Marra in this latest novel, because he’s the same kind of guy.”

In “Dead Heat to Destiny,” Adrienne Boch deflects the romantic pursuit of Will Marra, an American student in Paris, while her cousin Gregor Steiner completes his training as an Imperial German Navy Officer, both unprepared for the beginning of World War One.

As the invading German army threatens Paris, Steiner captains a Uboat, Will becomes a pilot in the U.S. Army, and Adrienne’s family flees an overrun Belgium. Meanwhile in Central America, a spy is recruited to defeat the United States.

As the story comes to a head, love hangs in the balance as the characters meet in a thrilling and emotionally riveting clash.

Spanning 1903 to 1917, the novel transports the reader to a variety of locales and – paired with his dedication to historical accuracy and his immersive writing style – Rivard offers readers a front row seat to the early 20th century’s most compelling events.

see THRILLER page 20

Mesa poet’s new novella looks at social ills and his OCD

As a poet, Austin Davis uses his artistry as much to reflect the feelings of the people he helps as he does to his own inner thoughts and struggles.

And his latest poetry novella, “Compulsive Swim” continues that effort as the 23-year-old Mesa resident explores the current mental health, housing, and fentanyl crises

in Arizona and across the country. Davis will be discussing his book and reading selections from it between 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in the Saguaro Room of Mesa Public Library, 64 E. First St.

Davis runs the nonprofit AZ Hugs for the Houseless, a program started by Arizona Jews for Justice whose mission is “to spread dignity, respect, understanding, friendship, solidarity, empathy and love to those living

on the streets.”

Every week, in collaboration with ASU Project Humanities and other volunteers, Davis and his team deliver care packs, food, water, tents and special request items to the unsheltered in the Valley and across the state.

“In the last year we’ve seen a significant rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness around the Valley,” he said. “A lot of

our neighbors simply don’t make enough money to afford to live.

“Every week I get calls from folks who are being evicted soon, have just been evicted, or are in need of rental assistance. Every week I also get calls from families facing housing insecurity. A large number of these calls are from single moms with children.”

Working one-on-one with each

Navy veteran J.B. Rivard of Mesa is an award-winning artist as well as an author. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

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Born in South Bend, Indiana, Rivard spent four years in in the U.S. Navy starting in 1951 and draws upon his own service as inspiration for penning “historically accurate fiction and nonfiction.” A graduate of the University of Florida, he attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, and is an award-winning artist as well as an author.

He said he was “volun-told” to serve as a ground school instructor in Pensacola, Florida, where he taught airplane instruments and radio navigation.

“That introduced me to aviation during the Korean War and that was the time when Naval Aviation was switching from propeller-driven airplanes to jets,” Rivard said.

In fact, Rivard remembers leaving the service when the Grumman F9F Panther, one of the Navy’s first successful carrier-based jet fighters and Grumman’s first jet fighter, entered service.

After the Navy, Rivard spent 25 years as a “nuclear engineer essentially” at U.S. National Laboratory, including in 1962, when he briefly served as a part of a safety radar crew.

His crew witnessed “quite a number of air-dropped nuclear weapon” detonations during Operation Dominic on Kiritimati atoll, aka Christmas Island, 1,300 miles south of Hawaii.

Operation Dominic was a series of 30 nuclear detonations in various forms at three different locations around the Pacific, all as a response to the Soviet Union’s resumption of testing after the 1958–1961 moratorium.

“The drops that I witnessed were from a B-52 at 40,000 feet approximately, and then the bombs were detonated at various altitudes above the Pacific Ocean,” Rivard said. “Our radar was a safety radar, which was intended to prevent the bombs from being dropped anywhere where they were not intended.”

Rivard started trekking to Mesa around the turn of the century and

officially called it home in 2020.

As he does in many of his books, Rivard thinks authors tend to have “considerable problems” when writing about events that take place a century ago.

His research for this recent book took him through the 1910s into German invasion of Belgium and France in 1914, the booming fashion industry in Paris 1910-1917, and the pursuit of Pancho Villa by General Pershing’s Army in 1916, to name a few.

But in researching the buildup of the German Imperial Navy and its advances in U-boat design, Rivard said he found “a lack of very detailed information” about these submarines considered by many “superior at that time.”

“It turns out that there are no submarines that have been preserved from World War One, and so you can’t go to a museum and see one,” Rivard said. “So, you have to live with photographs.”

With only a handful of black-andwhite photos of UB-110 and a copy of

“The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines” by Eberhard Rössler, Rivard said he didn’t find much in the way of U-Boat relics.

UB-110 was a German U-Boat commissioned into the German Imperial Navy for less than four months before it succumbed to a British depth charge and sunk near the Tyne River.

Spanning two continents and multiple countries, Rivard said he enjoys setting the protagonists against the stresses of growing up in a world in which things were happening beyond their control, as Europe turned to turmoil as a result of the German invasions in August 1914.

“That was a very challenging thing to write about and to try to illustrate in the form of action that the reader can enjoy,” Rivard said. “And that makes for a very interesting set of circumstances against which these folks had to work and play and love and all the rest.”

see THRILLER page 23

POET from page 18

family, AZ Hugs creates a pathway towards shelter and housing, finding them placement, and supporting each family with hotel rooms.

In addition, he said, “every day we help connect people experiencing homelessness to detox, rehab, shelter and other supportive services. “

Part of all that work inspired his fifth novella because he has seen the devastation brought on individuals and families by the fentanyl crisis.

“The fentanyl crisis in the valley is something I think we really need to have larger community conversations about,” he said.

“People are overdosing and dying on our streets every day. But behind every pipe or pill, there’s a person deserving of dignity, respect and the care needed to help them survive and get off ‘The Blues,’ as they’re called, and as a community I think it’s our duty to look out for each other and help each other all move forward together.”

Mesa poet Austin Davis’ new book, “Compulsive Swimming” examines the intertwined crises of homelessness, fentanyl abuse and mental distress as well as his own personal struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder.

(Special to the Tribune)

While his novella partly looks at the intertwining of the current mental health crisis, fentanyl abuse and skyrocketing homelessness, “Compulsive Swimming” also gives Davis a chance to delve into his own struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD.

“OCD makes it hard sometimes to know what’s real and what’s not, what’s rational and what lies your brain is telling you, which is why a lot of the language in ‘Compulsive Swim,’ is somewhat abstract and strange,” Davis said.

“With OCD, my brain tells me that I should be scared of something, and the way to get that fear to go away is to complete this compulsion. But once you complete the compulsion, you feel better for a second, and then the fear comes back even worse.

“It’s a vicious loop that just tightens and tightens itself around you. A lot of what life is for a lot of people is just trying to keep their heads above

see POET page 23

THRILLER from page 20

Rivard spent the good part of two years working on the novel and doesn’t have any plans for a sequel, but enjoys writing about military history including a series last year about the 60th anniversary of “above ground” nuclear testing in American Legion Magazine.

Rivard believes people will enjoy this book and sees it as a fascinating study of the interaction of both family dynamic and romance in the conventional sense.

Rivard said adults of the 21st cen-

POET from page 22

water.”

In “Compulsive Swim,” his main character struggles to not give into compulsions and avoid relapse.

“The book also talks about relationships and love in regards to addiction and mental illness, and the complicated pain of loving someone but not knowing how to support them, wanting more than anything to be with someone, but knowing they must first be there for themselves.”

Davis has described two passions in his life: writing and “being a friend to those experiencing homelessness.”

“Above all else, I want to help enact positive change in the world through art and activism,” Davis said. “My goal for the future is to keep running AZ Hugs, tour for my new book, and try to spread love and care to as

tury are well-aware how unpleasant war is for participants.

“My story suggests how the war of a century ago impacted friend and foe, for both good and evil,” Rivard said.

“I hope readers find the story enjoyable!”

Learn more

“Dead Heat To Destiny”

Available on barnesandnoble.com.

Paperback $15.95

eBook $5.95

Learn more about J.B. Rivard: illusionsofmagic.com.

many people as possible through my art and outreach.”

Davis published his first book of poetry as a high school senior and also has been involved in other artistic pursuits as well – including a chapbook in 2020 and a jazz-poetry album with musician Joe Allie about homelessness called “Street Sorrows,” which was released on all streaming services in 2021.

Davis has been writing stories since he was “a very young kid” and began writing poetry around age 12 “to try to better understand myself and the world around me.”

“As a 12 and 13-year-old, I was dealing with OCD and I didn’t really know why I was having all these scary thoughts. Writing helped me turn something terrifying into a powerful form of peace.”

Davis’ book is available at Amazon and will be on sale at his library appearance Thursday.

Betty “Jean” Corbridge, 97, beloved wife, mother and grandmother passed away January 19, 2023 in Vista, California. Jean was born January 7, 1926 in Grand Island, Nebraska. She was preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Lt. Col. Leith James Corbridge, Jr. Jean leaves behind her children: Carol, William and Cecile; grandchildren: Torrey, Montana, Scott, Skye, Shay, Jordan, Tyler, Shauna; great-grandchildren: Landon, Lena, Alex; niece Robin, and her dear friends.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00am on Monday, February 6 at Resthaven Mortuary Chapel, 4310 East Southern Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, 85042. Private interment will follow service.

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES AND

from Page 42

SUDOKU

Betty Jean Corbridge

Mesa partnership abuzz about bees

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

Anew local partnership reinforces importance of bees in Arizona’s agricultural economy.

Visit Mesa has partnered with Freeman Farms and international company Alvéole to support bee education and sustainability on what it calls the Fresh Foodie Trail.

The new collaboration focuses on sharing Mesa’s role in agriculture and sustainability and teach people how they can do their part to save urban bee colonies.

Zoe Shircel, spokeswoman for Visit Mesa, said this newest stop on the “ultimate foodie road trip” brings to light the importance and ties into Visit Mesa’s sustainability efforts.

“Because they make up so much of the environment, we feel like it’s our duty as well to give that education to our community to make sure that we can help protect our bees,” Shircel said.

While visitors can’t access the two beehives located at Freeman Farms, Shircel said visi-

tors can “geocache” on the farm site as part of Visit Mesa’s Fresh Foodie Trail Geo Tour.

Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, using a GPS and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches,” at specific locations marked by coordinates around the

world.

The Fresh Foodie Trail links a collection of agricultural and culinary experiences at local farms that weaves visitors through the East Valley with more than 10 stops on the geo tour that connects visitors to Mesa and the surrounding area’s farms and foodie attractions with exclusive collectible stickers representing each farm.

Those stops include True Garden Urban Farm, Agritopia, Superstition Farm, Vertuccio Farms, Steadfast Farm at Eastmark, Queen Creek Olive Mill, Schnepf Farms, The Windmill Winery and Freeman Farms.

People can also receive hive updates on social media when they link to the hives online web page while the social media page features regular updates on the colony, what these bees are currently pollinating and their honey production.

Honeybees are responsible for the earth’s biodiversity through the pollination of thousands of plants, trees, and flower species, including the crops we get our food from every day.

At the forefront, Alvéole uses their global platform and beekeeping services to cultivate an environmental education opportunity for visitors to learn more about bee’s role.

The goal is to encourage a love for bees will ultimately lead to ecological preservation.

Amanda Harder caught the buzz for this

see BEES page 27

Backyard Taco celebrates 10 years in Mesa

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

The business evolved from a backyard party in Mesa and that’s how Backyard Taco’s five East Valley locations recently celebrated 10 years of “Mexcellence.”

Voted “Best of Mesa” the last eight years, Backyard Taco has become a legendary eatery and founder Ruben Alvarez said the secret to its decade-long success is easy to understand.

“Honest, everything is made with love and we get everything fresh,” Ruben said, citing a recipe that derives from love of family, love of food and love of

flavor.

Throw in the fresh ingredients and unique seasonings into food cooked on a mesquite grill and everything in the world is good, he added.

The restaurants’ simple, authentic Mexican food attracts a diverse array of customers.

Hailing from Mazatlán, Mexico, Ruben and Marisela Alvarez immigrated to Mesa in 1995 but didn’t start sharing their love of good food and culture until a decade after that.

In 2005, Ruben said Marisela just wanted to earn some extra money on the side and started serving up tacos for family and friends.

Eventually word spread and more and more people came as the legend of their tasty tacos grew and soon there was a line to their backyard a mile long filled with people mesmerized by the mesquite-infused aromas of Tacos al Carbon.

There was just one small problem: their backyard off Stapley Drive between Southern Avenue and Broadway Road was too small for the big demand.

In 2012, the couple opened their restaurant at 1524 E. University Drive in Mesa, and Backyard Taco was born.

The couple also celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with three kids –one of whom works as a cashier at the

Stapley Drive location.

“Right now, she’s 17,” Ruben said. “So, she started cashier and I hope she’s pretty soon manager.”

Like all championships, it took a team effort to build the company from the ground up and Ruben credits Steve Beck and Tyler Robison with helping make “the dream come true.

“Honestly, we just thought about opening one and maybe two, but we got a good relationship with my two partners,” Ruben said.

Ruben is a concrete worker and painter, Beck a commercial real estate agent

Urban beekeeper Amanda Harder with Alveole shows off several beekeeping tools and answers questions about the Italian Honeybees at Freeman Farms in Mesa. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Jars of honey, beekeeper suit masks and other bee related items are used by urban beekeeper Amanda Harder as she teaches people about honeybees at Freeman Farms. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Three advanced IRA strategies aren’t used enough

BY DR. HAROLD WONG Tribune Guest Writer

There are three advanced IRA strategies that are rarely used.

The Roth IRA allows taxfree income from your investments. The Multi-Generational IRA can double income for your heirs. The Self-Directed IRA allows you to invest in alternatives (such as direct real estate, equipment leasing, and private lending) to Wall Street investments.

Ticking tax time bomb: For 30 years, you contribute $10,000 a year to an IRA or 401(k). You are lucky and it grows to $1 million by age 63. You are in a 25% tax bracket and the $300,000 total deductions saves you $75,000 in taxes.

The entire $1 million is taxable as ordinary income when you pull it out to spend in retirement. You got no benefit of a lower long-term capital gains tax rate if your stock market investments grew from the $300,000 contributed to the $1 million at retirement.

You don’t need the money at age 63 and it doubles to $2 million at age 73. If you and your spouse both passed away that year the $2 million would go to your kids and adds to their normal taxable income.

At a 40% tax rate, that’s $800,000 of taxes vs. the $75,000 you saved. The government wins big-time!

The only solution. By converting the $1 million at age 63 to a Roth IRA, you get two major benefits. All future earnings are tax-free for your life; your spouse’s life; and the first 10 years your kids inherit the Roth IRA. There are no required minimum distributions (RMDs), which start at age 73 for folks who reach that age this year.

However, only 2% of the folks I’ve met have $30,000 or more in Roth IRA funds. The reason is they can’t stand the pain of paying tax on a $500,000 Roth IRA Conversion, which creates $500,000 of taxable income that year.

What if there was a strategy that allows you to do large Roth IRA Conversions with-

out paying any federal income tax? Why stay in forever-taxed traditional IRAs and 401ks instead of never-taxed Roth IRAs?

Multi-Generational IRA. This allows your IRA to grow for three generations. However, the SECURE Act took effect on 1/01/2020 and limited delayed distributions of your IRA, after your death, to a maximum of 10 years to your heirs such as kids.

That 10-year delay is enough to double the IRA if your investments do well. In reality, most kids take your IRA funds right after the parents dies and are not aware of their options.

Self-Directed IRA. This allows access to alternative investments such as direct real estate, equipment leasing, and private lending instead of Wall Street stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. These alternatives can generate a 7-10% or more annual cash flow, which is at least three times what bank CDs, bonds, and stock dividends pay.

Ask yourself: would life be better if I had $20,000 to $100,000+ more annual retirement income? This strategy is rarely utilized because there are few trustees that allow a true self-directed IRA.

Free seminar and supper: 10 a.m.noon, Feb. 25, Hyatt Place, 3535 W. Chandler Blvd. Chandler.. The seminar is followed by a free catered lunch. Topic is “Secrets of Roth, Multi-Generational, and Self-Directed IRAs.”

Free Tour/Workshop: 9 a.m.-noon, March 4 at Solar Reefer (Refrigeration) Factory at Advanced Energy Machines, 4245 E. Norcroft St. Mesa. Topic is “How solar reefers can reduce taxes to $0 and earn a steady 10-14%.” Refreshments served.

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

line of work as a student at Northern Arizona University working toward a business degree with dreams of becoming a pastry chef.

But one elective class on sustainability altered her life’s course.

From student to teacher’s assistant, Harder followed the professor’s work as a beekeeper, even visiting the beehives he kept at his home.

Combined with the professor’s “super passionate” beekeeping, Harder said that experience and getting up close with the bees changed her mindset.

“I wasn’t ever necessarily afraid of them, I just never considered beekeeping as a career or even a hobby that I could pursue,” Harder said. “It was more just like a side passion, something I was really interested in.”

Since March 2022, Harder has worked for Alvéole and cares for the two-dozen hives spanning 18 locations across the Valley including the Arizona Biltmore and Tanger Outlets.

That’s typical of Alvéole to have urban locations like those around the world including on a 30-story skyscraper in New York City.

Fear not a sting though as Harder said Alvéole uses Italian honeybees, which are less aggressive than their Africanized counterparts.

Harder said that species difference helps with the education aspect since she’s able to work on the hive without the awkward suit most beekeepers have come to be known for.

“It kind of shows people that bees aren’t something we need to fear, it’s something we should start loving,” Harder said.

That education adds to the awareness for the multitude of threats facing declining bee populations around the world.

They include destruction of their natural habitats due to global warming and infestation from pests such as the Varroa mite that in the last decade has all led to “Colony Collapse Disorder.”

The Environmental Protection Agency defines Colony Collapse Disorder as the phenomenon that occurs when most of the worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining babies and the queen.

Her awareness of many of these issues and the importance of bees in the world’s

ecosystem compel Harder to continue this line of work.

“There’s always something that we can do to positively benefit the earth to kind of start taking back all the negative things that have been happening,” Harder said.

Mesa City Councilman Mark Freeman knows this importance of bees all too well considering his family has farmed in the Valley since 1878.

While Visit Mesa wanted to connect and show what agriculture does for the country as well as in Mesa, Arizona, Freeman said he wants to show people the importance of bees in agriculture and that “almost everything that we touch and eat is pollinated by a bee.”

With farming the foundation of many of the state’s communities, bees play an integral part in Arizona’s agriculture cash receipts that totaled more than $3.85 billion in 2020, according to the USDA.

“I think as a society we need to understand again the importance of bees and how they apply to our food supply,” Freeman said.

“I’m thankful to be able to harbor and have some bees here on the farm, and they’ve been good neighbors,” he added.

On a recent media trip invite from Visit

Mesa, freelance travel writer Sara Broers toured the Fresh Foodie Trail and praised Mesa’s agricultural economy.

“So, I’m an Iowa farm girl and I would say that Mesa, Arizona really understands farmto-table fresh foods and the whole agriculture scene, and I think the Ag tourism scene here is second to none,” Broers said.

Following the news about declining bee population, Broers said in Iowa, where they once destroyed invasive plants such as milkweeds, they’ve started to leave them be.

“People are understanding that bees are important,” Broers said. “But this type of an attraction here is a way to educate folks coming in and it’s an opportunity to do something, see something but also get some education along the way.”

and developer and Robison an orthodontist.

“But we have all worked together, used the skills we each possessed and have been blessed to make this little venture a pretty exciting success,” Robison boasted.

The latest Backyard Taco opened last August at 24842 South Ellsworth Road in Queen Creek.

But Ruben said they’re not done growing as they prepare to open their sixth location near Signal Butte Road and US 60.

“We think about opening more, double what we have right now,” Ruben said.

Unlike some businesses that closed from during pandemic, Ruben said they struggled but didn’t have to permanently shut down any of their restaurants.

“We think we were going to shut down but the people, they don’t let us,” Ruben

said.

“It’s not easy but we made it.”

From the help of local vendors to their loyal customer base, Ruben said he wouldn’t have made it this far without their support.

“We appreciate it for the whole community support [of] us,” Ruben said. “Of the loyalty, customers we have. We love that.”

Information: backyardtaco.com.

An anniversary banner hangs in front of the menu board inside the original Backyard Taco restaurant on East University Drive in Mesa. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Marisela and Ruben Alvarez of Backyard Taco celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and the 10th anniversary of their growing number of Backyard Taco restaurants. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Conspiracy theories hide a simple truth

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

Minutes after the conclusion of the AFC Championship Game, won 23-20 by the Kansas City Chiefs – courtesy of a number of controversial plays culminating in a game-deciding late-hit penalty against the Cincinnati Bengals – the phrase #NFLrigged began trending on Twitter.

Because, gee, why wouldn’t it?

The theory, in a nutshell: The powers that be in the National Football League wanted the Kansas City Chiefs to advance to the Super Bowl, thus the referees failed to call several penalties against the Chiefs late in the game meanwhile flagging Bengals defender Joseph Ossai for a late hit that advanced the Chiefs into field goal range with three seconds left.

Chiefs kicker Harrsion Butker converted the 45-yard kick. Let the accusations of a massive conspiracy commence.

Normally, I would ignore such sil -

liness, except conspiracies, cover-ups and illogical reasoning have never been more rampant.

Back in the day, you used to hear the occasional doozy – the CIA assassinated President Kennedy; Roswell is the site of an alien landing; Sept. 11 never happened.

Now everything is fixed, fake, or staged by a powerful cabal intent on screwing the rest of us.

There’s the 2020 election, which according to President Donald Trump was “rigged.” Or as he put it, absent any evidence: “It’s about poll watchers who were not allowed to watch. So illegal. It’s about ballots that poured in and nobody but a few knew where they came from. ... It’s about machinery that was defective, machinery that was stopped.”

Not to be outdone, losing Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has continued to assert that she, too, was the victim of outright theft – again, absent a scintilla of evidence that her loss was due to votes not counted or fraudulently counted.

As Lake told her supporters at yet another fraud-fest rally last week: “Our experts actually testified, with 99.999% accuracy and certainty, that a minimum of 140,000 fraudulent mail-in ballots with bad signatures were counted in our election. It’s outrageous. Bogus signatures.”

There’s a word for that claim. It rhymes with, uh, “bull twit.”

Already, Lake’s case has been tossed out of court for lack of evidence, but so long as she can continue to raise money claiming fraud – $2.5 million and counting since Election Day, according to campaign finance reports – she will continue to spew falsehoods.

Lest you believe I think only the political right is capable of bad logic and fantasy, let me assure you that’s not the case. I’m equally tired of the political left and its ability to take one incident or a string of incidents and use it to damn an entire swath of humanity.

An example? The recent awful beating death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis police offi -

cers has been used to advance the notion that all police officers are thugs, racists, and violent predators.

Currently, there are 670,000 sworn men and women in law enforcement in this country. Nichols’ death, while absolutely tragic, says little to nothing about any cop who wasn’t present that night, in exactly the same way that a crime committed by one member of a race or religion says nothing exact about every other member of that group.

As a devoted subscriber to Occam’s Razor, my predisposition is to believe in the simplest explanation possible. The refs, fallible humans, blew calls in Kansas City. Trump and Lake lost in elections marked by a few anomalies, not widespread fraud. And five cops in Memphis who deserve to be prosecuted for homicide do not mean an entire profession is evil.

Call me overly simplistic if you’d like. But in 2023, the same old saying remains viable: What you see is still exactly what you get.

State universities must halt their new ‘pledge’

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

You could say it before you could spell it.

And even now—years later— you can recite the words with ease.

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Yes, the Pledge has been amend -

ed…most notably in the 1950’s, when the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, led a public campaign to add the words “under God.” On June 14, 1954—Flag Day—President Eisenhower signed a bill into law adding that phrase to the Pledge.

Might someone mount a similar effort today?

If so, who…and what changes would they want to make?

It’s not a wild leap of imagination

to conclude that the “Woke” among us might offer the following alterations:

“I choose to express my conditional support for this flag, which represents the People, who can freely change what it stands for, through their collective will, based on their genuine feelings. While Haters promote division, We the Enlightened embrace a future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for all.”

Don’t laugh.

It’s already happening. What amounts to a “pledge” to uphold DEI—Diversity, Equity and Inclusion—is in statewide circulation.

No, it’s not occurring in elementary schools.

Granted, it is not performed as a public recitation.

Instead, Arizona’s taxpayer supported universities are getting it in writing…and while it does not focus

on the flag, a leading public policy organization has quite properly “flagged” it.

The Goldwater Institute released a report last month that most assuredly will not be the last word on the long-term leftist goal of redefining indoctrination as education.

The January study is entitled “The New Loyalty Oaths: How Arizona’s Public Universities Compel Job Applicants to Endorse Progressive Politics.”

The Goldwater scholars and researchers took to Twitter to reveal the report’s disturbing conclusion:

“Arizona’s public universities FORCE job applicants to provide MANDATORY “diversity statements.” It’s a full-frontal attack on free expression and equal opportunity for ALL…”

If you’re scoring at home—or more importantly, if your hardearned money is being used to pay tuition at one of our three state-

supported universities—it’s only fair to ask: “Just how widespread is this mandated ‘profession of faith’ in DEI?”

ASU (USA spelled backwards) leads the way, making such statements mandatory in 81 percent of its job postings; NAU requires the same in 73 percent of its job applications; and the U of A lags far behind at a surprisingly low 28 percent.

Unsurprisingly, the Goldwater Institute advises that all of this nonsense should stop. “The Arizona Board of Regents and/or state lawmakers must prohibit this practice.”

Such a prohibition would “restore the ideological neutrality of taxpayer-funded universities and restore compliance with the state constitution’s ban on political tests.”

The not-so-funny thing is that the way in which DEI is utilized in “woke” constructs. It clearly fails the contextual requirements needed for passing the most elemental of freshman vocabulary tests. “Diversity” is not “uniformity”; “equity” is not “equal -

ity”; and “inclusion” does not promote “exclusion.”

Then again, “War is Peace… Freedom is Slavery…Ignorance is Strength,” reads the official motto of the fictional nation of Oceania, in George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, “1984.”

The administrative “educrats” in charge of our three public universities are so collectively comatose that they are choosing to restrict the rights guaranteed in our Constitution. And, in so doing, they are helping establish a real-life American Dystopia.

It seems the least they could do is rearrange the order of the acronym to which they pledge their allegiance.

Sure, “Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity” are not arranged alphabetically… but it would more accurately reflect the fate these so-called intellectual elites would insure for our Republic.

It would D-I-E.

That’s easy to spell.

staff is made up of writers, just like you. We are dedicated to making publishing dreams come true. Trusted by authors for nearly 100 years, Dorrance has made countless authors’ dreams come true.

Biden can close loop hole allowing e-cigarettes

BY DENNIS KAVANAUGH Tribune Guest Writer

Anyone who considers themselves an advocate for public health should be concerned about a loophole created under the Trump administration allowing for a new kind of product that is now unfortunately being used to alarming degree by Arizona’s youth — disposable e-cigarettes.

It has been three years since the Food and Drug Administration released guidance outlining their enforcement priorities related to products known as Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). Within those priorities, the agency banned flavored, cartridge-based

ENDS products.

Trump administration officials at the time claimed the guidance was intended to prioritize combatting the «troubling epidemic of youth e-cigarette use” while “maintaining e-cigarettes as a potential off-ramp for adults using combustible tobacco.”

In order to make progress on our public goals it is critical that public policies encourage the transition of adult smokers away from cigarettes to less risky forms of nicotine delivery, with the ultimate goal being to quit.

Excluding disposable products from the definition of “cartridgebased ENDS products” effectively means FDA’s regulations on flavors do not apply to disposable e-ciga -

rettes which have since remained for sale.

Many of these disposable e-cigarette products targeting our youth are being manufactured by unregulated foreign producers who have been found to use ingredients that have included dangerous drugs and carcinogens.

At just about any convenience store near where you live, you are likely to find a variety of disposable e-cigarette products at a low cost with flavors such as iced apple mango, strawberry, and pineapple lemonade. These products advertise having a “sleek design” with the ability to be “easily carried in a pocket.”

The flavors, affordability, and ability to conceal disposable e-cigarettes

could be seen as appealing to a younger consumer.

President Biden can address this issue by directing the FDA to revise the guidance by deleting the relevant footnotes and amending the guidance to include the enforcement of “disposable ENDS products.” It is also critical to ensure the guidance applies to synthetic nicotine.

Every moment we don’t act another child could be being targeted. A common-sense reform for the President to lead on would be to close the loophole on disposable e-cigarettes, protecting the future and ending the epidemic of youth disposable e-cigarettes.

Dennis Kavanaugh, Esq. is a former vice mayor of Mesa.

Arsenal Soccer taking next step toward pro development

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

Since 1992, Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club has been one of the go-to programs for youth soccer players to compete at a high level in and outside Arizona.

The club expanded to join the United Premier Soccer League and Women’s Premier Soccer League to cater to players ranging in ages 18 to 30 years old. The semi-professional environment has been a hit ever since for the premier flagship soccer club out of Bell Bank Park in Mesa. But now, Arsenal is looking to further extend its reach in the soccer space.

The club announced on January 19 it would join the United Soccer League, League Two, a division of the USL Championship that houses professional teams such as Phoenix Rising FC.

It’s a monumental step for a club that aims to be seen as a direct path to a professional career in the sport for aspiring players.

“This is huge. We thought we were going to stick with the UPSL and WPSL, that was the move we made last year but we’re

always looking to expand,” said Ty Iannone, Arsenal’s pre pro general manager and an assistant coach at Desert Vista.

“We’re always looking to create a better soccer environment in Arizona and to benefit our soccer membership at Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club. It felt like the move we had to make when the opportunity came forward to us.”

USL League Two is two steps down from the championship league, which houses professional clubs awaiting an opportunity to join Major League Soccer.

Founded in 1995, USL League Two is a semi-professional developmental league with 16 division across four conferences. Teams are spread out throughout the country, with several in the western part of the United States. FC Tucson was an expansion team in USL League Two last season.

Arsenal’s League Two team will cater to collegiate athletes mostly but will be open to elite players in the 16- to 17-year-old age group as well as up to 30 years old. The

see ARSENAL page 36

NFL hosting Play 60 event at Hamilton High School

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

Super Bowl LVII is set.

One of the biggest annual sporting events in the world will feature the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, winners of their respective conferences in last weekend’s championship games. But the two storied franchises aren’t the only ones who will have a unique opportunity to enjoy the game of football next weekend.

As part of Super Bowl weekend in the Valley, the National Football League has announced it will host its annual Play 60 Football Family Festival at Hamilton High School on Saturday, Feb. 11, a day before the big game in Glendale. The event, held annually in the host state of the Super Bowl, is free for fami-

lies to enjoy an interactive football experience.

“We are thrilled to host our fifth Play Football Festival during the week of Super Bowl LVII,” NFL Vice President of Football Development Roman Oben said in a press release. “This year’s event will offer participants the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of football from current and former NFL players and coaches.

“We are dedicated to our youth and high school football communities, fans and coaches, and we are excited about providing memorable experiences they’ll hold on to forever.”

The free event will cater to young athletes and their parents with unique opportunities across the football field at Hamilton.

Families will be able to take in the

Nike Experience, a set up by the official sponsor of the NFL. There will also be equipment fittings with football equipment giant Riddell and a game truck with NFL video games.

Additionally, flag football skills and drills will be set up for athletes, while parents can enjoy a forum led by NFL legends. Autograph signings, giveaways and appearances by current Arizona Cardinals players are also expected at the event, as well as food trucks on site.

“It gives the families a great opportunity to have a good experience and let the community see what the NFL Play 60 is all about,” said Riczer Desvaristes, Manager of Youth and High School Football for the Arizona Cardinals. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for everybody to really interact with the community.”

The NFL Play 60 event is yet another

way the NFL and Arizona Cardinals are actively getting involved in the community. This past fall, the Cardinals began spearheading the growth of girls’ flag football across the state, partnering with the Chandler Unified School District and Mesa Public Schools to support district programs.

The Cardinals made donations to the programs, at times upwards of $10,000 for new equipment, uniforms and to help appeal to more girls across campuses. A CUSD All-Star game was hosted by the Cardinals with linebacker Markus Golden as an honorary coach.

Teams from Chandler and Mesa, as well as Xavier and Mountain Pointe, played flag football at State Farm Stadium during halftime of the Cardinals’

Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club is further expanding its reach into the semi-professional realm of soccer by joining USL League Two, a division of the United Soccer League which is home to the Phoenix Rising. Games will be played at Bell Bank Park in Mesa. (Dave Minton/Staff)

NFL from page 34

game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Cardinals also host various youth camps throughout the year, an extension of what will come Saturday during the NFL Play 60 Football Family Festival.

“We’re definitely getting involved and this is another step for us to work with the high school football community,” said Desvaristes, who helped host a similar event last year in Los Angeles

when he was with the Chargers. “It went really well last year. I’m expecting an even more amplified Super Bowl here in Arizona and to see everyone in Arizona come together and really take this to another level.

“L.A. was really good, but I know Arizona is going to top it.”

The NFL Play 60 Football Family Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12 at Hamilton High School.

ARSENAL from page 34

League Two team will now become the flagship for the club. It will still have teams in the UPSL and WPSL also, as those will cater to those who are on the cusp of making the jump to the League Two team.

Arsenal still caters to the younger age groups as well.

“To see how much the club has grown from my time playing here to what it is now, it’s super exciting to be a part of it,” Iannone said. “I’m grateful for it and excited to see where it can grow in the next five to 10 years as we continue to grow.”

While an exciting new venture for the club and its players, it doesn’t come without added expenses.

Iannone said the cost for the team to travel across the southwest region of the United States will be steep. They’ve looked into various sponsorships from local businesses across the Valley.

While it will be difficult, he is confident the club will be able to achieve their financial goals and put together a competitive team to compete in the USL League Two.

“It’s a big jump up, I’ll be honest,” Iannone

said. “It’s expensive but we thought to create a better landscape of soccer in Arizona and to give a better opportunity to Arsenal alumni, collegiate athletes and aspiring professional athletes, we thought, ‘Let’s do this thing.’

“We want to make it as competitive and impactful for the state as we can.”

Arsenal’s League Two team will be coached by Adam Burke, whose soccer coaching experience includes time with the Rising and most recently St. Louis youth teams.

Arsenal will soon hold tryouts for the League Two team. The team will play 14 matches in the regular season, seven of which will be held at Bell Bank Park’s stadium. The season will run from May to mid-July.

“I’m a kid in a candy shop,” Iannone said. “This is something Technical Director Dave Belfort and I have had in the works for a long time. We finally got it approved about a month ago and to get this announced and see the reactions on social media, it was super exciting.

“The hard work isn’t done yet. But as soon as that first whistle is blown on that first game, I know it’ll be super exciting for everybody that was involved putting this together.”

The NFL will host its annual Play 60 Football Family Festival at Hamilton High School on Saturday, Feb. 11, a day before the big game in Glendale. Admission for families is free.

WM Phoenix Open brings the noise to Scottsdale

BY JOE MCHUGH Tribune Staff Writer

After record-breaking attendance in 2022 with over 719,000 fans, the WM Phoenix Open returns to TPC Scottsdale tomorrow, Feb. 6.

“We’re going to have probably 90,000 people per day at a minimum,” said tournament Chairman Pat Williams.

“Certainly, on the weekend, we’re going to have more, so with the sheer size and scale of our tournament, we’ll have almost five or six days of people at our tournament that will match the Super Bowl crowd every day, which is really fun and exciting.”

Organized by the Thunderbirds, the 2023 WM Phoenix Open runs through Super

Bowl Sunday, Feb. 12.

It will host free practice rounds, and other peripheral events like Annexus Pro Am, the Special Olympics Putting contest starting Feb.9.

The 132-player field is loaded this year, with a commitment from the world’s top golfer, Rory McIlroy, as well as defending champion and No. 2-ranked Scottie Scheffler.

Other top-ranked players in the field are Xander Schauffele (6), Will Zalatoris (7), Justin Thomas (8), Collin Morikawa (9), Tony Finau (12), Sam Burns (13), Max Homa (16), Cameron Young (17), Sungjae Im (19), Shane Lowry (20) and Tommy Fleetwood (24). Golfers had to commit by last Friday.

“It’s just going to have a tremendous ef-

fect on our tournament overall,” Williams said. “Our fans who are there to see golf, are going to see the best players in the world. It’s really exciting for us to have a field that really will rival any major tournament, or one of the majors in golf, so we couldn’t be more excited.”

Another player joining the field is 2022 WM Phoenix Open T14 finisher Chris Kirk, who will be looking to capture the title. Kirk has participated in the WM Phoenix Open 10 times in the last 11 years. Only being cut twice in that span, Kirk knows how to navigate the course.

“I think that the course just sets up really great for me,” Kirk said. “It gets a little bit of a reputation of bombers playing well there, but I feel like you’ve got to drive re-

ally good out there, especially the par fives, it’s really important to hit fairways.”

Kirk was on a roll in the 2021-2022 season, coming off one of the better years. He’s placed well in big tournaments like the PGA Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Honda Classic and RBC Canadian Open, finishing top 10 in each event.

His momentum has carried into the new season, as he has played in seven events, only missing two cuts. His success continues this season, missing the same number of cuts.

The WM Phoenix Open is one of 17 tournaments this season designated for a big-

see PHOENIX OPEN page 39

College exhibit captures beauty of Prague

BY SRIANTHI PERERA GetOut Contributor

Geoff Reed, a photographer and Chandler-Gilbert Community College adjunct professor, views Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, as “a magical place of enduring mystery and beauty.”

As the digital photography instructor of the Study Abroad Program in Prague, housed at the community college, he has made eight visits and plans to teach during a ninth visit this summer.

With its many churches and cathedrals, Prague has a beautiful silhouette and is known as the “City of 100 Spires.” Cobblestone streets, ancient bridges, and a hilltop castle, as well as architecture from every period and style have contributed to its reputation.

Reed’s photos, along with work by photographer Elizabeth Overall, titled

“Prague Frames: Photographs by Geoff Reed and Elizabeth Overall,” are on display through Feb. 14 at the college’s Library Gallery.

On show are 17 works by Reed, created using digital cameras, processed using Photoshop and printed as chromogenic prints, and nine works in cyanotypes by Overall. Reed also launched a book of images that complements the show.

“The works are very engaging and attractive,” said Roja Najafi, Ph.D., exhibition curator and art history program faculty lead. “They give you a snapshot of the city of Prague, with landmarks, normal street life, closeups and long shots.”

As an important European city, Prague has a very rich history, politically, culturally and artistically. The exhibition gives exposure to the program and showcases the opportunity, Najafi said.

Teacher-student photographers Geoff Reed and Elizabeth Overall are holding an exhibition of images from Prague at the Chandler-Gilbert Community College, taken during its Study Abroad Program. (Srianthi Perera/Contributor) see EXHIBIT page 38

EXHIBIT from page 37

Adding to the energizing visual experience are the two different printing techniques in urban landscape photography: straightforward digital photography and cyanotype.

Reed noted the modern spirit of Prague contrasting with its darker, medieval element.

“It’s got a very interesting mix between being in the center of Europe with more of an eastern influence,” he said. “Because it was a world heritage site, it was not bombed heavily at all during World War II. Most of the medieval architecture remains there.”

The Czechs, on the other hand, with its vibrant, young demographic, are quite modern.

“So, there’s an interesting contrast,” he added.

Reed teaches commercial and portrait photography at the Maricopa Community College District and digital photography for the Study Abroad program.

Any person of any age may participate in the digital photography class, provided

they enroll in the community college and use a digital camera for the class. In the past, an 80-year-old enrolled, hence, age is not a barrier, according to Reed.

“It’s mainly community college stu-

dents,” he said.

The five-week summer program begins with a week at the campus for basic instruction before leaving for Prague, where they meet four days a week for lessons and excursions.

A “fair amount” of free time is available for students to explore on their own, Reed said.

The digital photography course is aimed for beginners and intermediate learners, while it can also be tailored to offer advanced studies.

Overall works in cyanotype, a process created in 1842. She starts with a digital image, which is then hand-printed using the cyanotype process with Prussian Blue, reflecting her visual and spiritual experiences of Prague.

“The Prussian Blue of cyanotype speaks to me on a heart level, evoking a sense of spirituality, melancholy, and peaceful beauty,” said Overall.

Anyone interested in joining the Study Abroad program may like to visit the exhibition, Reed said.

“It’s a nice promotion for the study abroad program because we don’t always

have exhibits of the work,” he said.

Meanwhile, Reed, who participated in a collaborative photography show regarding a trip to Guatemala at HD South in 2021, relishes in the new opportunity. His body of work from Prague has been snowballing since 2006.

“Having an opportunity to get it out in front of people and making the book itself was a real project of love,” he said. “I have a lot more pictures I want to make in Prague; I haven’t finished there.”

Learn, see more

“Prague Frames: Photographs by Geoff Reed and Elizabeth Overall” is open to the public at ChandlerGilbert Community College’s Library Gallery. Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 7:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.

Details on the Study Abroad program: cgc.edu/academics/study-abroad

Upcoming virtual information sessions are held on Mondays from 4-5 p.m. Feb. 13 and Feb. 27, March 20 and March 27.

In this 2015 photograph, inhabitants show solidarity with the LBGTQ movement while marching across the oldest bridge in the city. Kodak Endura Metal chromogenic “C-print.” (Geoff Reed)

ger purse. The players will compete for a $3.6 million first-place prize, more than double the 2022 purse. This prize is pulled from a $20 million purse in 2023, $11.8 million above the $8.2 million purse last year, as well as 500 FedEx Cup points.

“I’m expecting a great field, maybe the best field we’ve ever had,” Williams said. “At the core, what makes this work is the players and we need and want a good field every year. It’s very important to the success of the tournament.”

One of the oldest events on the PGA Tour, the WM Phoenix Open will be entering its 88th iteration. The structure of the golf tournament has evolved, turning from an ordinary golf event to a spectacle.

The 2023 WM Phoenix Open experience will feature many of the things that were at last year’s event, like the return of the 36,000-square-foot Fairway House, a general admission structure on the highest point of the golf course that offers the best views.

Starting on Monday, the first of two proam events, the Carlisle Pro-Am, will be held

and has free admission.

The following day is a free practice round, where the pros will be in action, sharpening their game and concocting a winning game plan. Tuesday will also include the Special Olympics putting contest, paving

the way for the tournament thank organizations for supporting the event.

Come Wednesday, the stars are out to shine in the Annexus Pro-Am. Participants include former Arizona Cardinals running back and Super Bowl champion, Emmitt

Smith, ASU alumni and the most decorated Olympic athlete, Michael Phelps and three-time MVP Albert Pujols.

“Wednesday is maybe my favorite day of the week,” Williams said. “Wednesday is our pro-am day, but it’s also our shot at glory which, if fans haven’t been to that, shot of glory is a fantastic honor and tribute to our military. And we have a really neat event where, where we’ll have some people hit shots at the 16th hole for charity.”

“As much as I am excited, I’m just proud that myself and the support of 54 other active Thunderbirds, and 200 plus more-like Thunderbirds have all worked very hard this year to make this tournament what it will be,” Williams said.

If You Go...

The WM Phoenix Open

When: Various times Feb. 6-12. Where: TPC Scottsdale-Stadium Course, 17020 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale

Cost: Tickets start at $50 Info: wmphoenixopen.com

After record-breaking attendance in 2022 with over 719,000 fans, the WM Phoenix Open returns to TPC Scottsdale, tomorrow, Feb. 6. (Courtesy of the WM Phoenix Open)

Cyber Quest Arcade offers video game excitement

BY ALEX GALLAGHER GetOut Staff

For nearly a decade, AZ Boardwalk has made a name for itself as a family-friendly fun destination with attractions like Butterfly Wonderland, OdySea Aquarium and Pangea Land of Dinosaurs.

However, there was always one thing seemingly missing: an arcade.

That changed earlier this month when Cyber Quest Arcade softly opened its doors and has since attracted a slew of visitors.

The arcade features over 50 games including big titles like Hot Wheels Arcade, Space Invaders and a selection of claw and ticket machines.

“An arcade is going to fit anywhere. But as far as kids are concerned, everybody loves arcades and they’re kind of starting to come back into the mainstream,” said Cyber Quest Arcade general manager AJ Marr.

Although arcades have become staples in malls, casinos and pizza parlors across the nation, Marr said AZ Boardwalk was a location that Cyber Quest had on its radar for years.

“As far as AZ Boardwalk is concerned, it’s really cool and there’s a lot of fun stuff here like Butterfly Wonderland, OdySea and UFO Experience,” Marr said. “From what I understand, … this was kind of a new idea for them.”

Cyber Quest has made a name for itself since 1996 by building arcades in casinos across the nation but AZ Boardwalk posed a unique opportunity for the brand.

“Generally, the way they run things is they do it through a casino program. So, it’s kind of a daycare center for when you go to the casino you drop your kids off and then you could go have your fun,” Marr said.

However, the AZ Boardwalk location provides Cyber Quest a place to home in on its main mission: “It’s about providing family-friendly fun for all the kids and making sure everybody’s having fun,” Marr said.

Cyber Quest utilized its 3,000 square feet of space inside the northeast corner of AZ Boardwalk to pack in some of the latest and greatest games and create an eye-catching prize store featuring items as cheap as tootsie rolls to as expensive as a Nintendo Switch gaming console.

Though it has only been operational for less than a month, Marr has already noticed kids flocking to games where they stand the potential of winning massive amounts of digital tickets stored on a game card to trade for big prizes.

“Our big games are the ticket rings because it’s bright and flashy and you can win a lot of tickets,” Marr said.

Although a Nintendo Switch is the big prize many kids have begun saving their tickets for, Marr says that the arcade shop also offers some neat toys to choose from - some of which pertain to the other attractions at AZ Boardwalk.

“One of my favorite prizes are these little LED lights that are shaped like hamburgers that are relatively cheap on the tickets,” Marr said.

“I do have some little aliens down there and there are some little animals, which are some things that are somewhat kind of aimed to be part of the theme, but a lot of the stuff that we put in there is just the things that we think are fun for the kids.”

Although the kids have flocked toward games with the biggest earnings, Marr has also witnessed kids gravitate toward bright and colorful games like Space Invaders – which also happens to

be his personal favorite – and Rabbids VR.

“Space Invaders is always a big hit with everybody because it’s bright and flashy and it’s a classic,” Marr said. “The Rabbids VR one seems to be drawing in a lot of kids looking at it because it’s another one of those bright and shiny ones.”

With the arcade laid out and showing early signs of success, Marr believes Cyber Quest is soon in for lots of traffic.

“We’re right around the corner from a spring training facility and with spring coming soon and we also have spring break coming soon,” he said. “For the next month or so it’s going to be kind of steadily ramping up and then as soon as we hit that spring break and going into the summertime, I think we’re going to be pretty popular.”

If You Go...

Cyber Quest Arcade

9500 East Vía de Ventura, Scottsdale, kidsquest.com/location/azboardwalkcq, 480-434-6901

Games range in price from .50 per play to $2 for more sophisticated challenges

Nina Ferraro and Stasia Ferraro, 8, try to get some bonus prize tickets from the Ticket Dome game at Cyber Quest family arcade. (David Minton/ Staff Photographer)

Cyber Quest family arcade manager AJ Marr stands in front of a giant arcade version of Space Invaders. (David Minton/ Staff Photographer)

With JAN D’ATRI GetOut Contributor

Bloomin’ Dessert Flowers a Turkish after-meal delight

Move over beignets. Move over fritters. Move over donut holes.

Welcome to the prettiest, tastiest bite-sized deep fried dessert treat that will wow anyone who sets their eyes on them.

This recipe was such a surprise! As a matter of fact, I ran across it a while back on a YouTube video about old heritage recipes. The narration was all in Turkish, and so it took me hours to try to translate the ingredients and directions.

But I knew the minute I saw it I had to make them. I’m so happy I did, and even happier to share this Turkish delight with you. Have fun with this recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature, but not melted

1 egg

1 TBSP white vinegar

10 TBSP orange blossom water

Vegetable oil for frying

1 cup pistachio, chopped very fine

1 cup honey, heated in microwave for 10 seconds

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, vanilla powder, salt and butter. Mix to form a sand-like consistency.

2. Add egg, vinegar and 8 tablespoons of the blossom water. Form into a ball, adding the remainder of the blossom water as needed. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead to form a soft dough. Cut into two pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a covered bowl in the frig for 1-2 hours.

3. When chilled, roll out each ball into a rectangle.

and enjoy the sweet taste of these billowy, crispy, light and airy Bloomin’ Dessert Flowers!

Keep laminating and rolling until you get a thin, thin sheet, making sure your work surface is floured.

4. Using a 2 inch square scalloped cookie cutter, cut out square shapes. On each square, make a half inch cut in the middle of each side of the square, leaving the center of the square uncut.

Stack three squares on top of each other, at different angles. Press your finger in the center of the three stacked squares so they stick together in the center. Repeat until all squares are used up.

5. In a Dutch oven, heat oil to 365 degrees. (To test the oil for frying, drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil. If it vigorously bubbles up, it is ready for frying.)

6. Carefully place one 3-square flour on the end of a wooden spatula handle. Press it gently in the center of the squares. Carefully drop the flower into the oil using the wooden spoon handle to hold it in the oil for a few seconds.

7. When the flowers turn a golden brown, remove with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined sheet pan.

8. Drizzle the flower with a small amount of with heated honey and sprinkle the center with a tiny amount of pistachios. Makes about 15 flowers.

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CITY OF MESA, ARIZONA ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Mesa is seeking qualified Consultants for the following:

CONSULTANT ON-CALL LIST FOR ELECTRICAL, INSTRUMENTATION, AND CONTROL INSPECTION AND TESTING SERVICES

The City of Mesa is seeking qualified Consultants to provide design services and/or construction administration services on an on-call basis in the following area/category: Electrical, Instrumentation, and Control Inspection and Testing Services. All qualified firms that are interested in providing these services are invited to submit their Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) in accordance with the requirements detailed in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ). From this solicitation, the Engineering Department will establish a list of on-call consultants for Electrical, Instrumentation, and Control Inspection and Testing Services. This category is further defined below:

Electrical, Instrumentation, and Control Inspection and Testing Services projects might involve design support, construction inspections, and commissioning testing for projects associated with electrical instrumentation and control systems for the Water Resources Department.

A Pre-Submittal Conference will not be held.

Contact with City Employees. All firms interested in this project (including the firm’s employees, representatives, agents, lobbyists, attorneys, and subconsultants) will refrain, under penalty of disqualification, from direct or indirect contact for the purpose of influencing the selection or creating bias in the selection process with any person who may play a part in the selection process. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential firms, to assure that contract decisions are made in public, and to protect the integrity of the selection process. All contact on this selection process should be addressed to the authorized representative identified below RFQ Lists. This RFQ is available on the City’s website at http://mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/architectural-engineering-design-opportunities.

The Statement of Qualifications shall include a one-page cover letter, plus a maximum of 10 pages to address the SOQ evaluation criteria (excluding resumes but including an organization chart with key personnel and their affiliation). Resumes for each team member shall be limited to a maximum length of two pages and should be attached as an appendix to the SOQ. Minimum font size shall be 10 point. Please submit one (1) electronic copy in an unencrypted PDF format with a maximum file size limit of 20MB to Engineering-RFQ@mesaaz.gov by 2:00 PM, Thursday February 23, 2023. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Statements of Qualifications. In the subject line and on the submittal package, please display: Firm name and Electrical, Instrumentation, and Control Inspection and Testing Services.

The City is an equal opportunity employer.

Firms who wish to do business with the City of Mesa must be registered and activated in the City of Mesa Vendor Self Service (VSS) System (http://mesaaz.gov/business/purchasing/vendor-self-service).

Questions. Questions pertaining to the Consultant selection process or contract issues should be directed to Tracy Gumeringer of the Engineering Department at tracy.gumeringer@mesaaz.gov.

BETH HUNING City Engineering

PUBLIC NOTICE - REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FROM QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

PROJECT NAME / REFERENCE NO.: 1800317 Don Carlos Infrastructure Services

DATE OF ISSUANCE: January 26, 2023

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Habitat for Humanity

Central Arizona (HFHCAZ) is requesting proposals in the form of lump-sum, sealed bids, from qualified contractors. Project site is comprised of 6 Single-Family lots in Tempe Arizona. Major elements of work include civil infrastructure and ROW work, water service and fire hydrant installation, sewer service, and block wall installation.

PROJECT LOCATION: Tempe, Arizona 85281 BID DOCUMENTATION: Bid documentat ion will be available via email. Send requests for information to lkalland@habitatcaz.org no later than February 7th, 2023.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTAL: Sealed bids must be delivered to Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona’s Corporate Office located at 2830 W Glendale Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85051, no later than 2:00 p.m. on February 9, 2023. The public bid opening will begin at 2:01 p.m. Habitat reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to withhold the award for any reason Habitat determines.

Published in East Valley Tribune Jan 29, Feb 5, 2023

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

In the Matter of the Estate of CAROL J. WALKER

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed as the Personal Representative of this estate. All persons having claims against the estate are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of this Notice or the claims will be forever barred. Claims must be presented by delivering or mailing a written statement of the claim to undersigned

Personal Representative at Sharona Joseph, 2322 S. Rogers #35 Mesa, AZ 85202

Published in East Valley Tribune Feb 5, 12, 19, 2023

Case Number JS21167

NOTICE OF HEARING ON PETITITION FOR TERMINATION OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP

SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA IN MARICOPA COUNTY

Juvenile Department

PARENT/GUARDIAN NAMES(S)

Dominica Nicole Cordova

John Doe

In the Matter of Minor(s):

Adrian Eulalio Cornal-Bernitez

ATTEST:

Holly Moseley City Clerk

a right to to appear as a party in the proceeding. If you fail to participate in the court proceedings, the court may deem that you have waived your legal rights and admitted to the allegations made in the petition. Hearings may go forward in your absence and may result in the termination of your parental rights. Judicial Officer: Christopher Whitten

Hearing Date/Time: March 10, 2023 at 9:30 am

Hearing Type: Severance

Publication/Evidentiary Hearing

Location: Old Courthouse, 125 W. Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85003

Court Connect Hearing:

Video: http://tinyurl.com/judgewitten

Dial-in Information: + 917-781-4590

Dial-in Access Code: 591 182 803#

Private Dial-in Information: for privacy purposes, you can block your phone number by dialing *67

Published in East Valley Tribune Jan 29, Feb 5, 12, 19, 2023

ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION HAVE BEEN FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION FOR I Name: FULLMER LLC DBA T.A.C.T. EAST VALLEY

II The address of the registered office is: 35575 N. THURBER RD. QUEEN CREEK, AZ 85142 The name of the Statutory Agent is: STEVEN TODD FULLMER III Management of the Limited Liability Company is vested in a manager or managers. The names of each person who is a manager and each member who owns a twenty percent or greater interest in the capital or profits of the limited liability company are: MEMBER/MANAGERS/ORGANIZERS: Name and address for each. STEVEN TODD FULLMER, DENISE LUPO FULLMER, 35575 N. THURBER RD QUEEN CREEK, AZ 85142

Published in East Valley Tribune Feb

This is an important notice from the court. Read it carefully.

A petition about termination of parent-child relationship has been filed with the court, and a hearing has been scheduled related to your child(ren). Your rights may be affected by the proceedings. You have

EMPLOYMENT-GENERAL

Renesas Design North America Inc. has opening for Sr. Analog Design Engineer in Chandler, AZ. Design, verification & simulation of CMOS analog blocks for power management circuits including voltage references, bias circuits, comparators & amplifiers meeting performance, area & power specifications. Email resume to nina.pham.uj@renesas.com Attn: Nina Pham with reference #174.

EMPLOYMENT-GENERAL EMPLOYMENT-GENERAL

Bank of the West seeks Software Developer Lead in Tempe, AZ to design & architect technical solutions Establish DR and BC strategy Req’s Bachelor’s or foreign education equivalent in CS, Computer Eng, I n f o r m a t i o n S c i e n c e & T e c h , C o m p u t e r P r o g r a mming or Information Systems & Tech plus 7 years ’ experience performing app development using BP M techs Submit resume to Maralba Montalvo@bankofthewest

B a n k o f t h e W e s t s e e k s S r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r I i n T e m p e , A Z r e s p o n s i b l e f o r d e s i g n , d e v e l o p m e n t , modification, testing, adaption, and/or implementation & post implementation support of software solutions to business/technology needs Req’s Bachelor’s o r f o r eig n ed u catio n eq u iv alen t in CS o r Co mp u ter Apps plus 7 years’ experience developing softwar e for business apps & designing business apps & solutions. 30-50% telecommute benefit. Submit resume to Maralba Montalvo@bankofthewest com & reference job code SSE1GC

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D MONTELUNA – Brand New Gated Community in the Foothills of Northeast Mesa NOW SELLING

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E RESERVE AT RED ROCK – NOW SELLING

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