March 2016
Emiley Redondo monkeys around at the grand opening of the Superstition Springs Kids Club.
Red Mountain grads bring Easter egg hunt to Northeast Mesa
Police implement crisis response team after shooting death
By Megan Marples Red Mountain High School graduates Daniel and Holly Poty enjoy taking their daughters Addisen and Makayla to various Easter events around the state. But this year, the family who owns The Poty Group is taking the holiday into its own hands and hosting the Northeast Mesa Easter Egg Hunt from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Daniel and Holly Poty of the Poty Group are March 26, at Summit Park, 627 E. hosting the Northeast Mesa Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 26. Virginia Rd., Mesa. “Our two girls have always loved community. We are excited to start going to the annual Easter egg hunt this tradition in our own backyard.” in Payson,” said Holly Poty who, like The Poty family is hoping that area her husband, works as a Realtor. “We families will come together and enjoy thought this would be a great event the spring season by partaking in face ...continues on page 13 to start hosting annually in our own
By Steven Solomon After the shooting death of a 24-yearold transgender with Asperger’s syndrome by Mesa police, mental health experts are encouraging law enforcement officials to take behavioral health training. Two police officers responded to a call Feb. 4 near 80th Street and Brown Road about a suicidal person and found Kayden Clarke holding a knife. The officers said that when Clarke came at them they fired their weapons. Clarke was taken to the hospital, but did not survive. “We don’t have all of the specifics regarding his mental health needs and whether or not they were being addressed and treated, so at this point
it’s hard to point the finger in that respect,” said psychologist Elizabeth Rinaldo, a board member for the Arizona Autism Coalition. “The police department does the best they can, as does our system of care, but in some cases it doesn’t appear to be enough.” According to The Advocate, which calls itself the world’s leading gay news source, Clarke suffered from a form of autism in which otherwise intelligent people may lack social skills and suffer from a range of atypical behavior. “According to videos on YouTube and posts on Facebook from friends that have since been deleted or marked private, Clarke also allegedly suffered a history of physical and sexual abuse as
...continues on page 16
All the juice that’s fit to print! Mailed to homes in the Groves communities.
NearbyNews
Mailed toYour Home Monthly
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX PERMIT # 1333