Ahwatukee Foothills News - August 05, 2020 by Times Media Group

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With the primary done, Campaign 2020 kicks into high gear BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

ith the Primary Election now in the history books. Ahwatukee voters can expect some more localized political activity as the Legislative District 18 campaign and local governing board races pick up steam. While plenty of other of�ices are at stake Nov. 3 – from President and Arizona U.S. Senator to Congress to virtually all county of�ices and many judicial seats – the LD18 and Kyrene and Tempe Union governing board elections will offer no small share of their own drama for political junkies. And if it seems like de ja vu, Ahwatukee voters also will once again be casting their votes for Phoenix mayor – roughly 20

months after �irst electing Kate Gallego in a runoff election to �ill the unexpired term of U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton. This time around, Gallego will be running for a full four-year term, facing Republican Merrisa Hamilton, who ran as a Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016, and Tim Seay, who describes himself as president and CEO of several nonpro�its and was recently reelected Most Honorable Grand Master of The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Masons of Arizona. The election for the State Senate seat and two State House seats in LD18 – which covers Ahwatukee and parts of Mesa, Chandler and Tempe – is a little different this year. And it’s not just because Tempe airline pilot Frank Schmuck isn’t running after two failed

COVID-19 survivor

FALL SPORTS

bids for State Senate the last two elections and two unsuccessful House races before that. This year, only one Republican is running for a House seat. Ahwatukee resident Rob Robson will be trying to take a seat away from one of the two Democratic incumbents, Mitzi Epstein of Tempe or Jennifer Jermaine of Chandler. The LD18 Senate campaign is an all-Ahwatukee affair as Realtor Suzanne Sharer, a Republican and member of the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee, tries to deny Democrat Sean Bowie a third term. Robson and Sharer have their work got out for them as registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in LD18, 53,755 to 49,958, according to the latest registration

�� ELECTIONS �� 16

School campuses here may stay closed for weeks

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor and HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

. 35

LEGENDARY EATERY

. 38

Don’t tell 12-year-old Joelle Prestegard of Ahwatukee survived a brutal encounter with COVID-19 and faces a somewhat uncertain future medically as a result of her infection. She’s back home after a hospitalization in Texas and finally could come out of her bedroom last week after being quarantined after returning to Ahwatukee. Her ordeal, and that of her mom Marissa King, is detailed on page 3. (Marissa King/Special to AFN)

ost Ahwatukee classrooms likely will remain empty through at least Labor Day after both Kyrene and Tempe Union High School delayed reopening campuses until the threat of COVID-19 ebbs in Maricopa County. Kyrene Superintendent Dr. Jan Vesely at a special Governing Board meeting Aug. 3 announced that only online instruction will be provided for most students when classes begin next Monday, Aug. 17. The Tempe Union Governing Board two days later extended online-only instruction until Oct. 13 unless data on the status of COVID-19 cases in the district allows for a safe reopening of campuses earlier.

�� SCHOOLS �� 12

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

The Ahwatukee Foothills News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Ahwatukee Foothills.

Times Media Group: 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Suite 219 Tempe, Arizona, 85282 Main number: 480-898-6500 Advertising: 480-898-5624 Circulation service: 480-898-5641

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COVID-stricken local girl, 12, recovering with mom’s, community help

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BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

s debates continue over opening schools and children’s susceptibility to COVID-19, Marissa King has been living one of the worst nightmares the pandemic can wreak on a parent. The Ahwatukee woman’s 12-year-old daughter Joelle in mid-July contracted pneumonia, sustained possible kidney damage and may have heart or lung impairment as a result of a rare childhood disease linked to COVID-19 – all after testing positive for the coronavirus. And while doctors stabilized her at a Texas hospital so her mother could bring her back to Ahwatukee, King and Joelle still confront an uncertain future of aftershocks from their COVID-19 nightmare. The single mom is on unpaid leave from work so she can care for her daughter – as well as her son, who fortunately escaped infection. She and Joelle face rounds upon rounds of visits to doctors to determine the coronavirus’ long-term impact on the youngster. Then there are the pandemic’s effects that even kids who haven’t been infected are struggling with: living life largely within the confines of home and hanging out with friends only through an LED screen and a cellphone. “It’s a big deal and people need to realize that kids are just as susceptible – and sometimes even more so,” said King, adding that her daughter has no underlying medical conditions that would have predisposed her to some of COVID-19’s worst effects – some that could haunt Joelle for months and possibly years. But amid the anxiety caused by her daughter’s illness, King also is heartened by the response of people in general and the parents and staff at Aprende Middle School in Chandler, where Joelle is in seventh grade and her brother Ryan is starting eighth grade. A family friend, Amanda Schneider, started a fundraiser to raise $20,000 to help the single mom and her two kids at gofundme.com/f/support-for-joelle-andher-fight-against-covid19. “With the cost of a five-day course of Remdesivir being upwards of $3,000, uncertainty of when she can return to work, needing to support her mom and other child at home and increasing medical bills, Marissa could use some financial support to ease the overwhelming burden she is facing,” Schneider wrote on on the site. Though King said “I personally have a hard time asking for help,” she said Schneider convinced her to and that she feels blessed by the outpouring of help. So far, the site has raised nearly $13,000 of a $20,000 goal. “As a friend and one who loves this family,” Schneider

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

Pandemic fuels fears of more child pool drownings BY JIM WALSH AFN Staff Writer

irefighters and water safety advocates fear the COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to a troubling spike in pediatric drownings in the Phoenix and Maricopa County by introducing more distractions into an already dangerous scenario. The pandemic closed schools in March, hampering efforts by the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona to drive home an annually repeated safety campaign to watch children with undivided attention around water. Among the canceled events was the annual “Kool Kids” event at Pecos Pool. It was scheduled the same weekend schools were shut down as the pandemic began its grip on Arizona. While most drowning prevention events were cancelled, parents found themselves dealing with the new distraction of working from home, juggling time on laptops with the need to watch their children and avoid potentially fatal trips to a backyard pool. “As soon as COVID hit and we saw that more kids were staying home, we knew our numbers were going up,’’ said Tracey Fejt, trauma outreach injury prevention coordinator for Banner Cardon Children’s Hospital in Mesa. “The distraction is huge. They are trying to work,’’ Fejt said. Phoenix Fire officials reported that through the first seven months of this year, there have been 40 drowning and near-drowning incidents int eh city, including 24 children. Of those, 11 adults and two children died. In all of 2019, there were 60 drowning and near-drowning incidents that ended in the deaths of 10 adults and one child. “Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children under age 4 in Arizona,” Phoenix Fire states on its website. “Most children drown in their own pools, but many children drown in canals, buckets, toilets, bathtubs and ponds. “Non-fatal incidents are also tragic,” it adds, noting they often cause permanent brain damage. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission two months ago called drowning the leading cause of unintentional death

Tracey Felt, trauma outreach injury prevention coordinator for Banner Cardon Children’s Hospital, said that with parents working at home, the risks are higher that they will be distracted and their little children will go near backyard pools without supervision. (Special to AFN)

among children ages 1-4 nationwide and that between 2015-17, 395 fatalities involved children younger than 15. “Residential locations, such as a child’s home, a family or friend’s house or a neighbor’s residence, made up 71 percent of the reported fatal drowning incidents,” the agency said. Children younger than 5 accounted for 75 percent of child drownings between 2015 and 2017 – 56 percent of which were attributed to a gap in adult supervision. In addition to fatal drownings, CPSC’s new data shows that there were an estimated 6,700 pool-or-spa-related, hospital emergency department-treated, nonfatal child drowning injuries each year for 2017 through 2019. “This is the equivalent of about 18 children every day, 365 days a year,” it warned. Mesa has recorded three pediatric drownings this year, compared with two a year ago. The city has recorded 17 waterrelated incidents, with 10 of them involving pediatric children less than six years old, according to the Children’s Safety Zone website. In all, there are have been nine fatalities, with six of them adults. No one wants to see the tragic record of six pediatric drownings in 2007 repeated ever again. In Maricopa and Pinal counties, the same pattern becomes apparent. The website lists 70 water-related incidents through July 13, involving 36 pediatrics,

two children, two teens and 24 adults. It lists 29 deaths, with nine of them pediatric and 20 of them adults. Firefighters and drowning prevention advocates are alarmed because there were five pediatric drownings recorded in Maricopa and Pinal counties all of last year, according to the website. In all, there were 150 water-related incidents in the two counties during 2019, involving 72 pediatric-aged children and 63 adults. The website recorded 30 adult deaths and one teenager’s death. The non-fatal drowning incidents are essentially close calls, where deaths were prevented by someone noticing a victim under water and rendering assistance in time to save them. “I think what we’re starting to see is that there is more opportunity (for tragedy) and we need the ABC’s of water safety,’’ said Deputy Gilbert Fire Chief Mark Justus. “The number one advice is awareness, knowing where your kids are.’’ Many longtime Valley residents probably have memorized the ABCs of drowning prevention: – A for adult, B for barriers and C for swimming classes and lifejackets. Chandler Fire Department officials have toughened their water safety messaging, Battalion Chief Jeff West said. A child drowned earlier this year and two others were involved in water-related incidents. “We can list the messages and we can recite them, but what are you doing to

prevent drownings? This life is on you,’’ West said. “We put the emphasis on those with the ability to prevent’’ fatal and nonfatal drownings. However, some of these close calls leave behind a lifetime of pain, deficits, anxiety and even guilt. Gilbert has seen six water-related incidents but no fatalities. “These families are the best resource I have to deliver that message. They understand,’’ Justus said. He has dealt with families who have experienced the ultimate loss, the loss of a child in a drowning that is usually preventable. “I have looked in their eyes. They would give you everything they have to take back that tragedy,’’ he said, and the nonfatal drownings should not be confused with having no impact on a family. Justus also has seen the medical consequences of having oxygen cut off from the brain, even if it miraculously wasn’t long enough to kill someone. “These are things that can affect them for weeks, months, or their entire lifetime. Even though they survived it doesn’t mean they are out of the woods,’’ he said. Fejt and Melissa Sutton, the coalition’s president, are worried that the trend is heading in the wrong direction after years of progress on the drowning issue. “Because of COVID, we were unable to reach the community as we have in the past,’’ Sutton said. She said one of the few drowning prevention events was in Chandler in June, when the police and fire departments staged a mini-parade of public service vehicles at several schools. The coalition passed out safety literature and extolled the necessity of drowning prevention. “We are seeing an uptick here. Parents are now home. The kids are now home. The parent has to take a Zoom call or to get that report done,’’ Sutton said. “We’re seeing the repercussions of it.’’ “The kids are usually in the care of someone else,’’ such as attending a summer camp, she said. “Those things are not happening right now.’’ One disturbing trend Fejt has noted is that about half of the pediatric incidents involved children wearing “floaties,’’

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

DROWNINGS from page 4

cheap inflatable devices that are considered unreliable toys rather than true floatation devices, such as lifejackets. “They are cheap and parents have a false sense of security,’’ Fejt said. Although lifejackets can cost $30 compared with a $6 floatie, parents need to consider the overwhelming consequences of potentially losing a child’s life before pinching pennies on safety devices, she said. Nothing takes the place of adequate adult supervision, including a “waterwatcher’’ whose sole job is to watch children in the water without interruption for about 20-minute intervals. The ideal is to have sober adults take turns giving children their undivided attention, similar to a lifeguard. “It’s hard to keep your eyes on a child 24-7,’’ Fejt said, making barriers such as

t o G s? w e N

pool fences and extra-attentive supervision vital. A tragic Mesa drowning of a 2 ½ yearold boy earlier this month demonstrates Fejt’s argument for the importance of water watchers, although her focus is always on saving other children and not on being judgmental. Mesa police said the tragedy occurred at a family party, at the child’s grandparents’ home. “They were eating and realized the child was missing. That’s when they found the child in the pool,’’ said Detective Jason Flam, a Mesa police spokesman. The boy was pulled from the bottom of the pool and family members administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but it was sadly too late to save him, despite their best efforts, police said. Authorities were hopeful when it appeared the child was breathing on his own, but his condition worsened after he

the importance of water safety as they see the tragic consequences year after year of preventable deaths. “We struggle at determining what message is impacting people,’’ Smith said. Phoenix Children’s Hospital said that in the age of COVID-19, “every parent will need to weigh the risk and benefits for themselves, but in general swim lessons are a must if your child is going to be spending any time near water this summer.” To protect against infection from the coronavirus, the hospital said there should be no swimming if a student or instructor has any symptoms, such as a cough, runny nose or diarrhea. There should be social distancing prior to and during lessons and masks should be worn by everyone before lessons begin. The swim instructor can wear a protective cloth mask in the pool, Phoenix Children’s said.

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was taken to the hospital and he eventually was pronounced dead. Mesa Deputy Fire Chief Forrest Smith said he believes the combination of more children at home, with more parents working from home, is contributing to an already chronic problem. He said distractions, such as a parent working on a computer, can cause tragic consequences very quickly. Firefighters are sounding a warning that undivided supervision – and barriers to compensate for predictable human failings in watching children – have never been more important. “We have to talk about with injuries to children, a lot of it is a lapse in adult supervision,’’ Smith said. “The only reason that we have fences is because we don’t have the ability to just stare at kids.’’ He said it can be frustrating for firefighters to know how to reach people about

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

JOELLE from page 3

wrote on the website, “being able to take off some of the financial stress Marissa is facing would allow her to focus more fully on supporting her daughter as she fights and recovers from this awful virus.” King does not know how Joelle contracted the virus when the youngster was in Texas and began feeling sluggish and feverish around July 12. Five days later, Joelle was in a Texas hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. She had a fever of 104 and blood oxygen level in the 80s – below the normal 95-100 percent level doctors consider healthy. Doctors also found her suffering from pneumonia and multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C – a rare complication of coronavirus in children manifested by inflammation in one of more organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, stomach and intestines. MIS-C has been under study by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says on its website: “We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.”

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COVID-19 put Joelle in a Texas hospital for several days with critical medical complications that could haunt her for years. (Marissa King/Special to AFN)

Besides being treated with the experimental drug Remdesivir – which, though not yet approved by the Food and Drug

Administration, has proven effective speeding the recovery from COVID-19 – Joelle also had to be treated with an anti-

clotting drug, two antibiotics, steroid injections and other drugs. “They had to treat her like she was an adult,” King said. “She’s 12 years old but, like a lot of kids these days, doesn’t look her age. She’s very tall and so based on that, they had to treat her differently and were giving her adult doses and that’s what really turned it around for her.” After her release from the hospital, Joelle was not allowed to fly back to Arizona. So, her mother drove her back from Texas in four or five-hour increments over four days because King had to closely monitor her for fear of blood clots caused by MIS-C. “I made sure we made enough stops to get her out of the car and just stretch,” said King, who had a mild case of COVID-19 in June unrelated to her daughter’s infection. “I was just coming out of my own isolation and quarantine phase when she got sick in Texas, but the infectious disease doctor said because I had built up so many antibodies from being sick myself, my secondary exposure rate was very low.” When they made it home July 31, Joelle

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Circle G at Riggs Ranch

Tapestry Canyon

Lisa Miguel

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Tapestry Canyon

Listed for $2,149,000

Gorgeous 1+ acre property with panoramic mountain views and city lights views! 7,644 sf main house plus a detached guest house and flex room (1940 sf.) Kitchen boasts distressed black finish Alder cabinetry, Cantera stone hood, large island, pantry, Viking double ovens, six gas burner cook top, warming drawer, Thermador refrigerator, two Kitchen Aid dishwashers and a stock pot faucet above cooktop. Open kitchen family room floor plan. All bedrooms are ensuite and have their own patios with mountain views. Negative edge, heated salt water pool. Multiple covered patios. 20’ x 20’ observation deck. Lower level bonus room with grand rock mountain water feature! Bonus room has large wet bar and full - wall pocket doors that open to a large covered patio area. Detached guest house and enormous flex room. Flex room could function as office space, media room, home gym, game room; many options! Five car garage! One garage bay is tandem.. Great for car collectors!

Keystone Listed for

$319,900

1,742 sf, 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms plus loft. Master suite is downstairs. Double sinks in the master bathroom and secondary full bathroom. Secondary bedrooms are upstairs with Jack & Jill bathroom. Kitchen boasts trendy white cabinetry, casual dining area and breakfast bar. All appliances convey including the refrigerator and washer / dryer. Soaring vaulted ceilings! New carpet installed July 2020. Exterior of home was painted in 2019. 2020 water heater. Lush landscape in back yard. Grass front and back. HOA maintains front yard. North / south exposure; north facing backyard!.

Markwood North Listed for

$650,000

3,394 sf home situated in a cul de sac on nearly a ½ acre lot. East facing backyard. Four bedrooms plus a den plus a flex / game room, and three full bathrooms! Gourmet kitchen boasts upgraded white cabinetry with crown molding and trendy antique gold hardware, tile backsplash, enormous island / breakfast bar, new quartzite slab countertops, walk – in pantry, R/O, double ovens; gas cooking! Open kitchen family room floor plan. Hardwood plank flooring throughout with carpet only in the bedrooms! The sprawling back yard is sure to impress and impeccably maintained; truly something you would expect at the finest resort! Exquisite land and hard scape including extensive travertine pavers, extended custom pergola back patio cover with new mister system & romantic string lighting , large grass area, 38,000 gallon heated pebble tec diving pool and spa, and large in-ground trampoline.

Circle Mountain Land (2 parcels) Listed for

$290,000 each

Two parcels; 4.7 acres each. Residential Acreage abutting Pyramid Peak and state trust land. Elevated property, away from ﬂood zones. Build a grand estate or subdivide a small community! Beautiful Northeastern views of New River Mesa and surrounding mountains. Zoning requires at least 1 acre per home. 15-20 minutes from Anthem and Cave Creek and still only 45 minutes from Sky Harbor 9.4 acres total available (10 acres minus 40 foot road easement along Northern edge)

San Tan Valley Land Listed for

$195,000

Great development opportunity or horse property! 8.35 acre parcel in San Tan Valley. Spectacular panoramic mountain views! No HOA. Property can be split (if desired) into ﬁve 1.67 acre parcels. Miles of state trust land all around. Owner is willing to facilitate a minor land division. In the country but has nearby emergency services, hospital, schools, and shopping.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra!

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

JOELLE from page 9

had to be confined to her room the first part of last week because doctors advised she stay in quarantine. Her older brother has asthma and King’s mother had lung cancer last year, so both family members were at high risk for contracting the coronavirus. So, for a few days after getting home, Joelle was stuck in her room. Her family maintained social distancing and wore masks, using walkie-talkies to communicate with Joelle. Joelle’s ordeal is far from over. Besides visits to her pediatric physician, she also must see a hematologist for her blood clots; a cardiologist to assess her heart and blood pressure; and a pulmonologist to assess her lung capacity. Joelle has to do breathing exercises, make sure she is hydrated and wear compression stockings for the blood clots. Throughout the ordeal, King said, Joelle has been buoyed by the love and support she’s received from teachers and students at Aprende, largely after Schneider contacted them to tell them about Joelle. “Every single one of teachers from kin-

dergarten until now sent her video messages of encouragement and support and love,” King said. “That was a big thing for her because there was a point where Joelle was like ‘I’m giving up; I can’t do it.’ But it was that love and continual support and check-ins from the school principal, the nurses, the librarians, the teachers, the advisors – they all came out and have been showing so much love and support in Zoom meetings. That was a big thing for her.” “Not only is it hard to see one of your students or your kids go through the physical aspect of COVID,” she added, “but there is a lot of emotional and mental strain with that as well.” King said still feels caught up in a “very surreal experience” and admits her financial situation is precarious. But what matters most is that Joelle is inching her way to recovery. She considers the outpouring of support a turning point in Joelle’s battle. “You can have all the medication and everything, but if you don’t have the will and strength too, your body is going to give up. I definitely feel the support she got made a huge difference.”

NEWS

Marissa King had to wear protective gear when she visited her daughter Joelle and watched doctors in a Texas hospital stabilize her. (Marissa King/Special to AFN)

NEWS

SCHOOL from page

Under the governor’s latest order, school districts can offer in-class learning starting Aug. 17 and are being urged to base reopening on data-driven health guidelines that the state Department of Education released last week. The county Public Health Department released similar guidelines as Executive Director Marcy Flanagan – echoing state health director Dr. Cara Christ and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman – said the time is not yet right for students to return to classrooms. Unintentionally underscoring that observation was a report to the Tempe Union board by Sean McDonald, assistant superintendent for district operations and student safety. He said that as of July 24, two certified and 14 classified Tempe Union employees and two students had tested positive for COVID-19 and 49 more employees are in quarantine for having had contact with someone with the virus or for exhibiting symptoms of the disease. Under the governor’s order, both Kyrene and Tempe Union are required to provide

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

Those students would participate in their district’s online-learning program under supervision of paraprofessionals or other aides. But both districts likely will limit the number of such students because of limited staffing and social distancing concerns. Both boards passed identical resolutions that also say Kyrene and Tempe Union “may adopt proMarcy Flanagan, executive director of the Maricopa County Public cedures to ensure Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, county medical director for disease control, has been meeting with a group of public and private school superinHealth Department, said last week that classrooms should remain that the number tendents to discuss reopening guidelines for campuses. (Special to AFN) closed. (Special to AFN) of students presspace either on their campuses or at a fa- ent for free on-site support services does distancing.” cility maintained by a group like the YMCA not exceed the maximum number of stuKyrene indicated that parents would be or Boys and Girls Club for students with dents who can be present in a facility notified by Aug. 11 if their children qualino place to go. while maintaining appropriate physical

see SCHOOLS page 14

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

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SCHOOLS from page 12

fied for on-site instruction but warned, “Capacity is extremely limited due to these variables. Should there be additional capacity, space will be made available for the children of essential workers and other working families.” Those variables included “available personnel capacity and physical space,” the announcement said. Superintendent Dr. Kevin Mendivil said at the Tempe Union board meeting that his district also is making plans to accommodate “the neediest students” – mainly those in special education and English Learner classes. But he too said the district had to assess space and available personnel, though he stressed, “We want to be able to safely, responsibly respond to the needs of our students.” Fall sports also is a major issue to be resolved and Mendivil said he would have a major report on the status of sports in Tempe Union at the next board meeting Aug. 19. While the Arizona Interscholastic Authority has issued guidelines for fall sports and a revised schedule (see today’s sports section), it will be up to the district to decide whether fans will be allowed – especially at high school stadiums. The long-awaited guidelines released by the state last week say it will be safe to again have kids in the classroom when: • Fewer than 7 percent of area residents tested for COVID-19 test positive for the virus; • The number of people showing up at local hospitals with COVID-like symptoms is less than 10 percent of all visits; • A rate of infection drops below 100 cases for every 100,000 residents. Exceeding even one of those, according to Christ, indicates that schools should remain shuttered. To make it somewhat easier to assess the coronavirus trends, the county health department late this week will start providing a daily dashboard on its website that breaks down data on virus cases by school district as well as ZIP codes. The top public health officials for the state and Maricopa County said Phoenix area districts likely won’t be reopening campuses until after Labor Day at the earliest. “We think it’s going to be several weeks before any county meets those bench-

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

marks,’’ said Christ. “But we do see it trending down within the next month.’’ Flanagan said at a separate news conference last week, “We are not currently meeting those benchmarks to have our schools fully reopen and go back to inperson teacher-led classes. “I wouldn’t provide a date certain” for reopening, she added. In the meantime, both Kyrene and Tempe Union will be providing to qualifying students: breakfast and lunch, health services, targeted special education and related services, preschool for children with disabilities, transportation to and from schools and “opportunities for qualified students to access their online instruction under adult supervision.” Kyrene already launched its Digital Academy to great success, according to Vesely, who said there are waiting lists at most grade levels. Tempe Union also launched online learning for all its students and Mendivil told his board last week that despite a few minor technical “hiccups,” online classes were working well. “Our teachers, students and families have done an amazing job embracing this new way of instruction and learning,” he said. “I am appreciative of everyone’s effort to make it work for our students and families.” Vesely told her board Aug. 3 that even while she and other district officials had been awaiting the state guidelines for campus reopenings, “concern over our ability to safely implement the option for in-person learning …Aug. 17 continues to grow.” She said she decided to postpone that reopening because parents needed time to prepare their children for the first day of school in classrooms but too much uncertainty remained concerning the extent of COVID-19 in Arizona. She cited a Winkelman School District teacher who died of the coronavirus last month even though she had followed all safety protocols. She also referred to Winkelman Superintendent Jeff Gregorich’s guest opinion piece in the Washington Post that called the desire to reopen campuses any time soon “a fantasy.” “We see conflicting reports on transmission, severity of symptoms and impacted age groups,” Vesely said. “The uncertainty and disagreement even within the medical community is unsettling at best and alarming at worst.

“We’re watching with growing concern stories of schools that have opened, taken every precaution to contain the spread of the virus, and having to quickly shut down again due to a student or teacher testing positive,” she added. That was apparently a reference to school districts in three states that announced students and/or staff testing positive for COVID-19 within days after reopening classrooms. Nothing in the state standards is mandatory. And local school officials are free to reopen even while infections rates are high – or remain closed even past the point when the risk is minimal. “There are local circumstances that schools may choose to either open earlier or stay closed longer,’’ Christ said. But Hoffman is discouraging too much individual choice. “Schools should adhere to these benchmarks,’’ she said. “And school boards should be held accountable by their community members to follow the public health recommendations.’’ “I fully support these metrics,’’ she said. “It gives us a goalpost of where we need to see the numbers.’’ The standards actually are divided into three categories. First – and most severe – are conditions that the health department says create conditions for “substantial community spread.’’ Those are the numbers outlined in the basic three-part standard. In those cases, any area unable to meet all three criteria should keep their schools closed and all instruction should be online. A second category involves lower rates of infection and positive test results. In those cases, the standards say that schools can reopen in limited fashion for “hybrid’’ education. That could involve students in school part of the day and online learning the rest of the day, or even having students attend on alternate days. But there still are restrictions, including physical distancing with desks six feet apart, screening of individual students and staff for symptoms, closing communal spaces like cafeterias and mandatory face coverings. It is only when the infection rate drops below 10 cases per 100,000 residents, fewer than 5 percent of tests come back positive and fewer than 5 percent of hospital visits are for COVID-like symptoms that it is considered safe to go back to tra-

ditional instruction. But even then, the health department protocols call for enhanced cleaning, working with students on hand hygiene and “proper respiratory etiquette,’’ monitoring absenteeism and proper ventilation of classrooms and school buses. That last category, Christ acknowledged, presents some unique challenges in newer buildings where windows do not open. But she said there are ways of tweaking the ventilation system to get more fresh air into the system. Hoffman said that’s mainly designed as a “safety net’’ for students with special needs, things like special education students and counseling services with kids with mental health needs. She also said some districts intend to offer space for children of “essential workers.’’ But she conceded that under federal laws, schools not yet offering full-time or hybrid classes will not be able to turn away any child who shows up at their door – even if they do not fall into one of the eligible categories. Hoffman said, though, that schools need not provide that space in traditional classrooms. She said some districts are working with local Y’s and Boys and Girls Clubs to provide somewhere safe, complete with computers so that these students still can participate in online learning. “It will not be babysitting,’’ she said. Christ said, “We know that some parents that are not going to be comfortable sending their kids back until there’s a vaccine or until there’s minimal spread.” “We do feel it’s important to get kids back into the classroom,’’ she added. There is a potential complicating factor. “Despite schools’ best efforts to retain their teachers and find ways for them to feel comfortable for them to teach in this incredibly challenging environment and challenging times, there are increased rates of teachers resigning,’’ Hoffman said. And all this, Hoffman said, comes on top of what’s already a “very severe shortage’’ of qualified teachers in the classroom.

GOT NEWS?

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ timespublications.com

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

TU board vents frustration with pandemic’s impact BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

he continuing uncertainty surrounding reopening classrooms and returning students to a normal school life prompted Tempe Union High School District Governing Board members to vent their frustration during their meeting last week. At least one member criticized the governor’s leadership and others expressed frustration over some parents blaming the board and teachers closed campuses. “We haven’t had any support from the governor, any direction, any leadership when it came to shutting down the schools,” said board member Andres Barraza, harkening back to the initial closure of campuses last March and then focusing on the present. “The last three months have really been frustrating for all of us – the board members, parents teachers,” Barraza continued. “There’s no clarity on what we’re supposed to do.” Barraza said that in formally delaying a

reopening of campuses until Oct. 13 – unless virus case data suggests an earlier reopening is possible – Tempe Union was providing the clarity absent in the governor’s guidance. Board member Sandy Lowe expressed concern about the impact of an extended campus closure on students but said she and her colleagues are trying to do the best in a difficult situation. “I think it’s important for the community to understand that we want our kids back in school as soon as possible, especially because of mental health. I’m most concerned about mental health and my second major concern is kids that are falling behind,” Lowe said. “We’re going to have them than we normally do. I think some kids will catch up quicker, but some kids won’t. We’re going to have to really assertive as far as catching these kids up as quick as possible.” More than one member and Superintendent Dr. Kevin Mendivil also suggested that some parents are frustrated by the fact that the board has only held virtual online meetings since March and that it

makes it difficult for them to feel as if they are being heard. Lowe referred to initial reaction by some parents who had heard a rumor that inclass learning would not be resuming until October, saying some “felt like they were losing the battle because Oct. 1 is a long way away from the first day of school.” “It’s unfortunate today that our parents and teachers cannot be in the board room with us,” Lowe said. “I think that really does isolate our community and in some ways, it makes them feel like they’re not part of the solution. I feel very bad for the parents.” Mendivil said he too was frustrated by the fact that the board has not been able to hold in-person meetings, saying “I am so tired of these virtual meetings.” “Right now, we are restricted in the way we can conduct these meetings,” he said, adding he missed seeing citizens in the room – even if they disagreed with him. Some parents apparently also accused the board of predetermining an October reopening without public discussion, though Barraza and Vice President Brian

Garcia noted that they would have been forbidden from holding such discussions by the state’s open meeting law. Board member Michelle Helm suggested that the district conduct some kind of town hall in which parents could express their feelings about reopening. “I’ve heard parents say, ‘I’d like to be heard,’” Helm said. “I do think people want to stand somewhere and say, ‘This is my feeling.’” She added, “Basically, I’m very proud of our school district…. I think we’re doing a great job. We’re doing what we can do in the heart of some of the most difficult times any of us have ever seen.” Board President Berdetta Hodge said, “These are troubling times.” “If anyone believe we make these decisions lightly, they don’t understand how hard it is for us,” Hodge said. “I can’t sleep at night because I’m thinking about the decisions we have to make.” She thanked parents for advocating for their children.

see TEMPE UNION page 16

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SEAN BOWIE

ELECTIONS from page 1

data maintained by the County Recorder. There also are 47,773 registered voters who are not affiliated with either party. In Ahwatukee, voters registered as Republicans hold a slight advantage over Democrats, 19,394 to 18,898, with another 17,608 registered voters who are not affiliated with either party. Democrats’ registration advantage in LD18 showed at the polls on Aug. 4 even though there were few primary contests that might merit their interest. According to unofficial results, both Sharer and Robson attracted fewer votes than their November opponents. Robson garnered 20,794 votes and Sharer 20,706 to Bowie’s 29,721 votes, Jermaine’s 26,063 and Epstein’s 25,467. Tempe resident Dan Hawker, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in the LD18 House race in 2018, mounted a write-in campaign for the nomination this time around but neither the County Recorder nor Secretary of State posted his vote tally yet. The three LD 18 Democrats also are lead-

TEMPE UNION from page 15

“We’re elected to give the students what they need. Sometimes the ‘need’ and the ‘want’ is not always the same,” Hodge said, addressing parents. “I understand that you want your students in school five days

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

MITZI EPSTEIN

JENNIFER JERMAINE

ing in the race for cash, according to the latest campaign finance reports filed with the Arizona Secretary of State, with Bowie far ahead of the other four candidates. Bowie has raised $153,523 and spent $49,680 – including $21,000 to the Arizona Democratic Party. He’s followed by Jermaine, who has raised $69,118 and spent $24,873 and Epstein, who raised $34,073 and spent $10,916. By contrast, Sharer has raised $17,416 and spent $12,482 while Robson has raised $13,100 and spent $2,122. Bowie’s contributors cover a wide range of individuals and political action committees and most of his contributions are well below $1,000. Among his larger individual contributors is Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill, who donated $1,000, and Darin Fisher, founding owner and managing partner of the Ahwatukee-based HOA management company, Vision Community Management. Fisher gave Bowie $2,000 as well as $1,000 to Jermaine and $2,500 to Robson, records show. Among some of the larger PAC donations to Bowie’s campaign donors were

a week. I understand that you want your kids to have a regular school day. We do too, but the ‘need’ may not be there at this time for us to do that. So, we have to make those hard decisions in that when it comes to need.” She noted that the board also has to

BOB ROBSON

the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers, which gave $3,000; Arizona Pipe Trades 469, which donated $5,200; United Food and Commercial Workers Local 99, which gave $2,500; Southwest Gas, $2,000 and the Arizona Education Association’s PAXC, $1,500. Bowie also garnered $1,000 contributions from a number of corporate PACs, including Prudential Financial, Blue Cross, Cox, Enterprise Holdings, One Main Holdings, Raytheon, CVS Health, Arizona Firefighters, Union Pacific and the Arizona Bankers Association. Jermaine’s two largest contributors were the Future Now Fund, a national advocacy group for progressive political candidates that gave $5,400 and the Arizona Pipe Trades 469, which gave $5,300. She also received a $1,500 contribution from the Arizona Education Association’s PAC and $1,000 from the Wellcare Health Plans PAC. Epstein’s biggest contributor was New York venture capital firm founder Eldon Klaassen, who donated $10,000. Besides Fisher, Robson’s only other fourfigure contributor was Jonathan Dinesconsider the safety of more than just students, including teachers and even bus drivers. Hodge said some emails to the district said teachers who don’t want to come to campuses can just quit, and called those remarks “hurtful” and “unfair to our teachers

SUZANNE SHARER

man, senior vice president for government relations for Centene Corp., a healthcare insurer. Dinesman donated $2,000. Sharer’s two largest contributors were Brianna Jordan and David Weld, who each gave $5,200. Robson is vying to return to the State House, where he served from 2001-09 and 2011-2017 after serving two fouryear terms on the Chandler City Council. Ahwatukee voters will have a chance to see the LD18 candidates in a forum sponsored by the Clean Elections Commission at 6 p.m. Aug. 26 and, naturally, it won’t be in person. The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission is moving its legislative debates online because of the pandemic. The debates will be live streamed on the commission’s YouTube page, but viewers will be able to submit questions in real time via email and phone. The debates will also be archived on the Clean Elections Commission website. The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 5 and early ballots will go out around Oct. 6. The last day to request an early ballot is Oct. 23. who put themselves on the line every day.” “Someone told us in an email that we were taking the easy route,” she added. “The easy route for us would be to put our kids in class five days a week and not care. …All five of us have taken a lot of time and a lot of effort to make these decisions.”

GOT NEWS? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

School district insurer to provide COVID-19 liability coverage

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY AFN Staff Writer

eeks after announcing it would not provide coverage, the largest school insurance provider in Arizona said it will offer options to cover claims related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But it may mean that districts will require parents to agree to follow safety protocols or even agree not to sue school officials before their children are allowed back into a classroom. The Arizona Schools Risk Retention Trust provides insurance coverage to 247 districts, schools and community colleges throughout the state – including Tempe Union and Kyrene. Tempe Union legal counsel Jordan Ellel told the board last week that he was working with top district administrators to bring a proposal involving liability related to COVID-19 infections on campus but did not provide details. Prior to the Trust board’s meeting on Aug. 4. Kyrene spokeswoman Erin Helm

said the district was not making parents sign waivers. It is unclear if the Trust’s latest action will prompt discussion at a future Kyrene board meeting. On Aug. 4, the Trust’s board of directors approved a plan to allow member districts to opt in to Covid-19 coverage for an additional premium. The amount of that premium charge will be based on the size of the district, according to a statement from the Trust. The Aug. 4 decision came just weeks after Trust board member Ken Hicks told radio station KTAR on July 27 that it would not provide liability coverage for claims related to Covid-19. Hicks said the exclusion was due to the fact that the Trust’s reinsurance partners did not provide coverage for claims related to pathogens like the coronavirus, according to KTAR. But two days later, on July 29, the Trust made a statement that it was exploring options to provide Covid-19 coverage without support from reinsurers. The board approved that plan on Aug. 4. In order to qualify for the coverage, a

school district must implement a reopening plan consistent with health and safety guidance issued by the Arizona Department of Education. Districts that would like coverage must also ask parents to sign a liability waiver or an “acknowledgment of risks” form that informs parents about the risks of inperson education during the pandemic, safety protocols they will be expected to take, and encourages behavior to reduce transmission of the virus. The Trust sent districts optional waiver and acknowledgment forms weeks ago in anticipation of the start of the school year but said they were not required. Districts cannot require parents to sign the forms, according to the Trust. The acknowledgment form differs from the liability waiver some districts like Queen Creek Unified School District have sent home to parents in recent weeks. “The Trust understands that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach for districts,” Trust spokesperson L’Ecuyer said in an email. “Accordingly, districts should discuss which (if any) of the resources below

are appropriate for them.” The acknowledgment form asks parents to commit to 11 different procedures and precautions aimed at stemming the spread of the virus, including taking temperatures every day before sending kids to school and not sending children to school if they exhibit symptoms of Covid-19, according to a sample copy obtained by AFN. The waiver also asks parents to affirm they will not send sick kids to school but also releases the district from liability in the event a child gets sick. “To the fullest extent permitted by law, I hereby agree to waive, release, and discharge any and all claims, causes of action, damages, and rights of any kind against the school, the District,” according to the copy of the waiver provided by the Trust. The acknowledgement form produced by the Trust does not dismiss districts from liability in the event a student gets sick. According to at least one school district lawyer, Scottsdale Unified General Counsel Michelle Marshall, districts that opt for the waiver have the opportunity for a lower deductible.

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

Ducey visits with Trump amid high political stakes BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

ov. Doug Ducey’s meeting with President Trump last week came as both are seeking to write a new narrative about their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the president, the opportunity for each to praise the other is political survival. Arizona’s 11 electoral votes could prove crucial in Trump’s reelection bid. That was underscored by a photo-op at the White House with the pair chatting in front of a chart listing all the federal aid and medications provided by the federal government to Arizona. But it goes beyond Trump’s own future. Also at stake is the bid by Martha McSally to hang on to the Senate seat formerly held by John McCain – a seat to which Ducey appointed her. Ducey’s concerns for his own image are less immediate. With no gubernatorial race, he has no need to defend his handling of the virus until he decides what he wants to do after leaving office at the end

Gov. Doug Ducey visited with President Trump at the White House last Wednesday. (YouTube)

of 2022. Still, there are more immediate crucial issues. The governor has a personal stake of sorts in the McSally campaign. His appointment of her came after she was unable to win a Senate campaign of

her own in 2018, with Arizona voters preferring Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. A defeat this year could be seen as a message that voters believe Ducey made a mistake in appointing her following that defeat and giving her another shot at statewide election.

increase is most likely due to the added emotional stress and anger attributable to people being confined to their homes with one another, and from lost household income,” Scott said. On the other hand, total property crimes in both cities saw steep drops, as many people were stuck in their homes for longer periods of time. “Reported burglaries are down 25 percent – most likely due to the fact that people are occupying their homes around the clock now, rather than leaving them unoccupied for eight to 10 hours a day under normal conditions,” Scott said. “Reported thefts are down slightly, about 10 percent, and this is likely due also to occupied homes and some businesses being closed,” he said. Calls seeking comment from the two departments on the data were not returned. Other police departments around the state that were contacted for their crime data did not immediately respond. The data comes from the departments’ monthly crime statistic reports that are

provided to the FBI for its Uniform Crime Reporting system. The increase in aggravated assaults began in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to be felt in Arizona, with schools being closed, nonessential businesses being urged to curtail operations, and bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters and more ordered to shut down or curtail operations. In Phoenix, assaults went from 583 in February to 712 in March and 805 in April. In Tucson, assaults rose from 161 in February to 183 in March. Aggravated assaults started to tail off again from May to June, going from 228 to 174 in Tucson and 893 to 780 in Phoenix. Scott, who also serves as ASU’s liaison to the Phoenix Police Department, noted that arson is one property crime that appears to be rising in 2020 compared to 2019. Phoenix arsons grew from 104 in the first half of 2019 to 159 in the first six months of this year, while reported Tucson arsons rose from 83 to 107 over the same period.

Ducey also faces the possibility of becoming a true lame duck for the last two years of his administration if Democrats manage to take control of either – or both – chambers of the Legislature. Democrats need to oust just one of the 31 Republicans to force a coalition in the House; picking up two seats would give them absolute control. The Senate is a bigger hurdle, with Democrats having to move two seats into their column for a tie and three for a majority. And all this comes as both Trump and Ducey are under fire from multiple quarters about how they have handled the COVID-19 outbreak. For Trump, the issues center around his denial for months that there was a problem and his insistence that it would go away. Then there were the mixed messages, with the president at some points saying governors should bow to his leadership and then saying this isn’t a federal problem. He still faces scrutiny as his own health experts continue to publicly disagree with

see DUCEY page 20

Phoenix sees sharp increase in violent crime BY BRETT BAVCEVIC Cronkite News

he latest police data show reported crimes fell in Phoenix and Tucson during the second quarter of the year as Arizonans were largely confined to their homes by the governor’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order. But while property crimes in both cities fell, violent crime in Phoenix rose sharply in the quarter, driven largely by a 14.6 percent increase in aggravated assaults compared to the first three months of the year. Tucson also saw a rise in aggravated assaults, but not large enough to offset the overall drop in other violent crimes – murders, rapes and robberies. Michael Scott, a criminology professor at Arizona State University, said the increase likely reflects a “rising tide” of stress, frustration and anger among Arizonans during the pandemic. “Because a high percentage of these crimes are between acquaintances, intimate partners or family members, the

Scott said he does not have enough information to fully support the theory, but suggested that financially desperate business owners could be committing more insurance fraud than before. Police reports from late May to June would cover some of the protests that broke out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement after the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, but Scott doubts they had any real effect on the violent crime numbers. “There will be some increase in assaults on police officers and assaults among protesters, but the vast majority of assaults have nothing to do with the protests,” he said. Overall, Scott said the “crime picture is a mixed one, as most criminologists would have anticipated.” “Massive social changes like the one caused by the pandemic will affect people’s motives and opportunities to commit crimes in various ways, some of which result in more crime, some in less,” he said.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

TU candidate in Ahwatukee victim of political dirty trick BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

didates for other offices were unscathed, Fletcher asserted, “It’s clearly an orchestrated attack against me.” “It’s shocking to see this kind of political activity in a nonpartisan race,” said Fletcher, who said one of the signs that had been removed had just been put up shortly before midnight Sunday, Aug. 9. That means someone overnight or very early Monday morning made it a point of targeting his signs, Fletcher said. Fletcher said he contacted some of the other Tempe Union candidates as well as a leader of the Republican and Democratic committees in the district to voice his displeasure. He said the candidates told him they

had no knowledge of the thefts and that the Democratic leader told him the thefts would be investigated. “I’ve been involved in a lot of other campaigns before and this has never happened,” he added, noting this kind of political dirty trick never occurred when he ran for the Tempe Union board in 2016 and 2018. “These signs are expensive,” he said, “and I’m probably out about $150. School board candidates aren’t like candidates for Congress or other offices. We don’t raise a lot of money.” “Stealing signs is illegal,” he said, adding that he is reporting the theft to election authorities but isn’t hopeful anything will come of it.

DUCEY from page 18

Finally, in June, he relented, gave the goahead for cities and counties to act. Potentially more significant was Ducey’s decision to not only lift that stay-at-home order in May but allow both restaurants and bars to reopen if they would promise to limit capacity and promote physical distancing. On May 16, the day the stay-at-home order expired, there were 485 cases of the virus reported. Two weeks later, it had risen to 743. But the worst was yet to come as customers flooded the newly reopened bars. New cases peaked at 5,458, the date that Ducey finally admitted he made a mistake in allowing bars to reopen. He also decided at that point to again shutter gyms,

fitness centers and water parks and forbid movie theaters from reopening. Asked if he screwed up in his original decision, Ducey responded, ``We’re fixing it.’’ The governor also has his share of critics from his right who question his continued closure orders and the fact that he has not ordered schools to reopen for all in-classroom instruction. Instead, Ducey deferred to local school districts to make that decision, using yetto-be-released "metrics" from the state Department of Health Services. There even are discussions at the Legislature among some members of his own party about revisiting the emergency powers they gave him – if not now, then after this crisis is over.

chool board campaigns have barely begun but an Ahwatukee lawyer running for Tempe Union High School Governing Board is already crying foul over apparent dirty tricks. Don Fletcher said 11 political signs he put up, mostly in Ahwatukee, over the weekend were either torn down or taken by Monday morning. Fletcher believes he’s the first candidate among the eight hopefuls running for one of three board seats to have put up signs in the Tempe Union race. And because only his signs were taken from corners where those put up by can-

him about the best course of action. Ducey waited until late March to declare an emergency. But it took him a few more days to close schools. And it was only after Tucson and Flagstaff moved to shutter bars and restaurants and other non-essential businesses that the governor followed suit. And only at the end of March did he issue his order to have people stay at home other than to participate in ``essential activities.’’ Even then, he not only refused to impose a statewide requirement for masks but threatened local governments who wanted to impose their own.

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“Someone is undertaking a concerted effort against my candidacy,” Fletcher said, adding that some of his signs were next to those of candidates for Kyrene’s governing board and nothing happened to them. Fletcher is one of two Ahwatukee residents running in the Tempe Union board race. The other is Arizona State University sophomore Armando Montero. Two incumbents – board President Berdetta Hodge and Sandy Lowe, both of Tempe, are seeking reelection. The other candidates are Tempe Realtor Lori Bastian, Mesa Public Schools teacher Sarah Lindsay James of Chandler and Tempe Elementary District arts teacher Paige Reesor, also of Tempe. And then there have been the court battles. Ducey managed to beat back a bid by a Flagstaff resident to get a federal judge to rule that the stay-at-home order was an invasion of his rights. And he also prevailed in the first two legal efforts by gyms and fitness centers to reopen. That changed earlier this week when a judge declared that closure without some ability to show they can operate safely violated the due process rights of the owners. And there is a separate claim pending at the Arizona Supreme Court by the owners of more than 60 bars throughout the state that the law giving Ducey the emergency powers to keep them shuttered is unconstitutional.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

Judge rejects challenge to legal weed initiative BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

oters who signed petitions to legalize the recreational use of marijuana were not misled, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge James Smith ruled late Friday, and the measure can be on the ballot. In a 15-page ruling, Smith rejected claims by Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy that the 100-word summary on the initiative omitted principal provisions and was misleading. “At 100 words, the summary also cannot include everything,’’ he wrote. “that is why the full initiative must accompany the petition.’’ And Smith chided foes for suggesting that voters might not understand all the implications of what the measure would do, things like changing laws on advertising and altering laws on driving under the influence of drugs. “This initiative is plain: It wants to legalize recreational marijuana,’’ the judge wrote. “That is the principal provision,’’ he continued, the key thing that has to be in the description. “It is unlikely electors signing these petitions would be surprised by cascading effects of legalizing a formerly illegal substance.’’ Lisa James, who chairs the group trying to keep the measure off the November ballot, said an appeal is likely. The measure would allow adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana or 12 plants. It would impose a 16 percent tax on sales that supporters say would generate about $300 million a year for community colleges, public safety, health programs and for road construction and repair of roads. But James said the summary does not provide some crucial details, like the fact it would legalize not just marijuana in its leafy form but also more concentrated resins. Smith, however, pointed out that resin is part of the marijuana plant under Arizona law, saying he doubts that vot-

ers are likely to be confused since resin is legal under the state’s existing medical marijuana law. James also said it’s not made clear that if the measure becomes law that people could legally drive with metabolites of marijuana in their system, with the test being whether they were “impaired to the slightest degree.’’ Foes said that fails to disclose that people actually would be able to drive legally with metabolites of marijuana in their body, essentially what’s produced by the body as the chemical breaks down. Smith called that irrelevant, pointing out court cases which already say that medical marijuana patients with metabolites in their blood, evidence of earlier usage, can’t be convicted of driving under the influence of drugs absent a showing of impairment. “An elector signing a petition to legalize recreational marijuana would more likely be surprised if the initiative did (ITALICS) not (ROMAN) decriminalize driving with any amount of metabolite in one’s system,’’ Smith wrote, just as people can’t be convicted of drunk driving simply because there are metabolites of alcohol in their blood. Smith was no more impressed by arguments that legalizing marijuana for adult use might result in minors being exposed to advertising for the drug. “Voters will not be surprised that sellers may advertise a now-legal product if the initiative passes,’’ the judge said. He said that’s no different than other adult products, “from medical marijuana billboards to condom commercial to ubiquitous beer advertisements.’’ Anyway, Smith said, sales to minors would be prohibited and the initiative bars selling or advertising marijuana products that imitate children’s food or drink brands. The judge stressed that it is not his job to decide whether the initiative is good or bad. And he said many of the objections of foes are “policy issue best left for voters or elected representatives.’’

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

Ahwatukee native pushes for vehicle safety BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI AFN Staff Writer

ennifer Canziani, an Ahwatukee native, was riding her motorcycle north on Scottsdale Road and was nearly to Cave Creek when tragedy struck. A woman who was playing with gadgets in her boss’ car swerved near Canziani, whose husband saw it all through a rearview mirror. “My husband was in front of me and I said, on the microphone, ‘I don’t think that girl is going to stop,’” said Canziani, a Red Mountain High School graduate who now lives in Maricopa. “I looked over and it was like our eyes clicked and everything went in slow motion. I went sliding and she sped off. I was out of my body and watched myself get attached to her car and drag me. I just closed my eyes.” When everything stopped, Canziani’s jacket was ripped apart and her shoe was off. She was afraid to look at her leg. “The whole leg was shattered,” said Canziani. “I had pins and plates in there. I couldn’t walk for almost six months. When I started walking in rehab, my bone shifted in my knee, so I kept tearing my meniscus and ACL. In seven months, they had repaired it four times.” Last year saw a record number of motorcycle fatalities – along with more than 3,000 motorcycle and 123,000 vehicle crashes in which people were hurt. The Share the Road campaign is a statewide public awareness effort aimed at focusing Arizona motorists on the critical need to be undistracted when driving and to train motorcyclists how to ride more defensively. This multipronged movement, which is geared to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities on Arizona roads, is supported and promoted by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Arizona Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Foundation, Dignity Health, Arizona Trauma Association, the Governor’s Office of High-

t o Gews? N

Red Mountain High School alumna Jennifer Canziani lost a leg as the result of a serious injury in a motorcycle accident. Now she's leading the charge for motorists and motorcyclists to be more accomodating to each other on the road. (Special to AFN)

way Safety, Law Tigers, RideNow and Rosenbluth Family Charitable Foundation. Gov. Doug Ducey recently said the time is now to focus drivers and riders on the critical importance of sharing the road with respect and being completely aware of their surroundings. The nonprofit Arizona Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Foundation and its partners – healthcare, insurance, legal, police departments, corporations, small business and the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety – also stress the need for Arizona motorists and motorcyclists to avoid distractions. According to foundation Executive Director Mick Degn, Share the Road leaders promote the need for drivers/riders to share the road and to be more aware of their surroundings as they travel. Efforts include public safety outreach and community grassroots efforts including billboards, police safety events and working with social media.

“Our program is the only one of its kind in the United States,” Degn said. “We need everyone’s support and involvement to continue to increase awareness. Just as importantly, we want to work with Arizona businesses to develop driver/rider safety awareness ideas and initiatives. “After all, the people sharing our roadways are your family members, customers, friends and colleagues. Their lives matter as does their safety and the safety of others.” One day, Canziani’s orthopedic surgeon told her he would stop repeatedly fixing her leg and encouraged her to stay in a wheelchair. “I’m not the type to stay in a wheelchair,” she said. “I asked for my other options. One was a knee replacement, but he couldn’t do it because my leg had too much damage. He said I needed a better orthopedic surgeon.” He referred Canziani to another doctor, who also said her leg was too damaged.

“I don’t know if there’s a doctor in town who can do it,” she recalls him saying. “I was giving up hope. I was thinking I was really going to have to stay in a wheelchair. My kids were in high school, about to graduate, and start their lives.” The next orthopedic surgeon was confident, but Canziani had her doubts. In four years, she had 13 surgeries. This doctor told her everything was all right, but she had an undiagnosed yeast infection in her knee. “He didn’t know what he was doing,” she said. “I was a guinea pig to him. I’m not trying to bash him or anything. I felt like he dropped the ball and didn’t want to pick it back up after a while.” She went septic after her 13th surgery and, thankfully, there was an infectious disease doctor nearby. On April 22, 2016, Canziani was advised to go to the doctor because she was dying. “I was trying to figure out why my doctor didn’t just sit me down and say, ‘Let’s take this leg,’” she recalled. “I brought it up a couple times. I remember him saying it was a good leg. I was going to be fine. I ended up losing my leg.” Canziani now has a prosthetic leg. Throughout her counseling, she was told to fight her fears and get back on a motorcycle. She tried trikes and conversions, but neither one worked until she found a Ryker. “It’s this weird-looking bike,” she said with a laugh. “It’s all in the wrist. It has one wheel in the front and two in the back. It looks like the Batmobile. “I get on it and I ride still – with a helmet. My husband doesn’t want to see another accident. He saw it from his rearview mirror and heard it in his speaker in his helmet. By the time he was able to pull off and get to my rescue, I was already done sliding.” Canziani admittedly has anxiety issues, especially about a certain North Scottsdale intersection, but that’s to be expected. As for the girl who hit her, she returned to the scene and was cited.

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

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First-time author’s book recalls daughter’s adoption BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

andra Wilson, a �irst-time Ahwatukee author and mother of three internationally adopted children, has penned her �irst book – an inspirational account of bringing her eldest daughter from an orphanage in China. “Luck Times Two, An Adoption Memoir” is told in two voices – those of Wilson and her daughter Sierra, who came here from China at age 12. “Sierra Fu Shuang Wilson is Sierra’s legal name today,” explained Wilson. “’Fu Shuang’ means ‘double luck’ in Chinese, hence the title of the book, ‘Luck Times Two.’” Sierra, now 28 and working as a certi�ied personal trainer and coach at Chandler’s Desert Lights Gymnastics, will celebrate 16 years with her family this October. She had spent her entire young life in a gov-

Sandra Wilson has written the first of three memoirs on the international adoptions of her and her husband Paul’s three children. Pictured are, from left, Paul Wilson, Sedona, Sierra, Sandra and Parker. Her first book is about Sierra’s adoption from an orphanage in China. (Pablo Robles/AFN Photopgrapher)

ernment-run orphanage, a destination of many girls during China’s one-child policy

that was abandoned in 2016. “Sierra was 12-year-old when she was

adopted,” recounted her mother, who plans to write books about her other two adopted children – Sedona, 23, also from China; and Parker, 19, adopted from Guatemala. Her �irst book, like those yet to be written, was crafted with an eye to encouraging adoptions, but also to lift the spirits of pandemic-weary readers. “It’s a beautiful story, inspirational,” said Sandra, who retired from Maricopa County after 23 years, the last 18 as deputy county manager. “I want people to feel good, especially right now.” She gave a brief synopsis of the story, beginning when she and her husband Paul Wilson, a software engineer, traveled to China to �inalize the adoption of their newest daughter – who would become the eldest child of their family. “We journeyed to China to pick up Sier-

�� ADOPT�� 25

Generation Church a giver and receiver this Saturday AFN NEWS STAFF

eneration Church in Ahwatukee will be on both the receiving and giving end this Saturday, Aug. 15, thanks to the generosity of a lot of individuals – including the Ahwatukee Board of Management. On the one hand, ABM will hold its “Fill the Red Trailer” drive-through food drive 7-10 a.m. at its complex, 4700 E. Warner Road, Ahwatukee. ABM has pulled its trailer from storage in the hope that people will �ill it with nonperishable food items that will then be given to Generation Church’s pantry, which has been feeding needy families long before COVID-19 and its accompanying economic Coincidentally, Generation Church on the same day will be doing something for the community that it has been offering

Getting the red trailer ready for the drive-through food drive at Ahwatukee Board of Management headquarters at 4700 E. Warner Road from 7-10 a.m. Saturday are, from left, Michael Darby, Jesse Baumgartner, Lisa Robinson, Joe Brooks and Robert Blakesley. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)

the last four years. It will be helping struggling families

stock up on school supplies with its �ifth annual Back to School Bash 9-11 a.m. at its

campus, 11832 S. Warner Elliot Loop. The church will be giving out backpacks with school supplies and offering free haircuts, water in�latables to enjoy during the visit and will be on hand and there will likely be free food as well. .The bash is open to students in K-12 grades but to get a backpack, students or their parents must RSVP at generation. church. Both student and parent must be present to get one. ABM staffer Lisa Robinson said her colleagues want to do their part to help pandemic-stricken families in a time of high unemployment and rising food prices. “We are all painfully aware of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on people losing their jobs and the ability to feed their families,” she said, pointing to studies that indicate more than 40 percent of

�� GENERATION �� 26

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AUGUST 12, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

ADOPT�� 24

ra, and we were able to visit her orphanage, meet her caretakers and the orphanage director. Then we traveled around China while the adoption and paperwork with the U.S. State Department was being �inalized,” she said. ”We were in China for about two-and-ahalf weeks and received custody of Sierra on the �irst day. It was impossible to communicate because she knew little to no English. We had an interpreter on many of the tours, but when alone with her we communicated sparsely and struggled. “However, her positive energy and attitude was apparent from day one. Her light is dif�icult to miss and I knew that she had a special spirit.” She recalled introducing the preteen to her �irst �lights – the �irst from northern China to Guangzhou, also known as Canton, in southern China. “Sierra was amazed at the plane ride across the country, and her extroverted personality had her speaking with many of the passengers and �light attendants,” Wilson recalled. “When we arrived in Guangzhou, she learned that the residents don’t speak Mandarin, but speak Cantonese Chinese. This is a completely different dialect and Sierra had to really work at communicating with natives, but she never gave up until she was able to get across her message. She is persistent and her happiness contagious.” Persistence and a resilient spirit were necessary traits for the young girl when she found herself in Ahwatukee, immersed in a new world with language and

GENERATION �� 24

workers who have lost their jobs may not get them back. “The same study also found that for every 10 people laid off, only three new jobs will be created,” she added. Generation Church Food Pantry has provided over 200,000 pounds of food to close to 3,500 families so far this year. “With our help they will be able to continue this wonderful support to families in

t o G ws? Ne

Her father said from the beginning, Sierra adapted well to family life even as she came in as the eldest, �ive years older than her sister and eight years than her brother, both of whom had been adopted as infants. “Sierra was a great addition to our family from day one. She was a helpful older sibling with her sister and brother and their bonds came quickly. She was responsible for looking after the younger orphans in China and this transferred to sisterhood easily,” said Paul Wilson. Sierra’s portions of the twoperson narrative are very moving, and were to her as well, especially that of her pre-adoption Sierra and Sandra Wilson hold a copy of the book Sandra has writ- life that included being transten about how she and her husband Paul adopted Sierra. ferred from the orphanage to a (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer) government boarding school 10 customs all its own. months of the year. “When she came here, there were so “I didn’t actually write my sections of many changes,” said her mother. “She’s a the book. I recalled events in my past and tiny little thing, 4’6,” and she experienced relayed them to my Mom for the sections bullying and learning dif�iculties.” on China prior to my adoption,” Sierra exSierra’s school immersion began with plained. the basics in all subjects and a year at a “My mom would interview me during local Montessori school helped her better the writing process, and then I’d spend grasp her new language. time thinking about her questions. These She then attended St. John Bosco for questions brought up many emotions, both grades seven and eight. Her parents good and bad, but it was a great process.” said they originally wanted her to at“I was reading the story, and it’s my stotend Akimel A-al Middle School, but she ry, yet it’s emotional what I went through. couldn’t be enrolled in English as a Second I look at my life as a blessing and that’s Language class because her family spoke why I want to give back,” she said. English at home. Sandra, who with her husband, has lived She went on to graduate from Desert in Ahwatukee since 1989, admitted that Vista High School in 2007. writing her book was a challenge. need,” Robinson said. The pantry is open 11 a.m.-noon Wednesdays and Saturdays, at the Generation Church Ahwatukee campus and open to all. The items the pantry needs the most include: canned protein such as tuna �ish, chicken, salmon; canned vegetables, especially beans, peas and tomatoes; Canned fruit, especially peaches, and apricots; peanut butter, pasta, macaroni and cheese; oatmeal, cereal, shelf-stable

milk and dried fruit and nuts and soup of any kind. Robinson stressed that items should be in cans and not glass containers of any kind. Volunteers wearing facial coverings will be on hand to assist with no-contact donations. People can drive up, pop open their trunk and the volunteers will take the donations without donors having to leave their vehicles.

“I retired in December 2016 and that’s when I really started it. This is my �irst book, so it went through a lot of revisions. I did a lot of it myself before I got an editor. Now I plan to write a book on each of my children.” She said her experience with international adoption was a learning curve. “International adoption is different. You go to their country, you see their cultures and you try and keep their culture alive,” she said, adding that all three children kept their birth names as their middle names. “I want people to understand that whether it’s international adoption or domestic, adoption itself is so life changing. A lot of people with infertility issues don’t consider adoption, but they should. It’s giving back to the world. They may not be your biological children, but they are your family.” The proud mother continued, “Sierra is a positive force in the world. “She loves to inspire others, particularly children, with her uplifting message and her optimistic outlook,” she said. “We’re so blessed that she joined our family.” Besides writing, Sandra is a certi�ied meditation and mindfulness teacher who most recently taught classes at Ahwatukee’s Art in the Garden. She also runs a vacation rental business in Sedona, MAI Vacay Rental, LLC. Her three children are all named after cities or towns in Arizona. Sierra was named for Sierra Vista. The book, “Luck Times Two, An Adoption Memoir” was just released in late July and is available on Amazon in paperback or kindle format. The cover, with two swimming koi, was painted by daughter Sedona Wilson.

As for the bash, “we’ve been collecting the supplies for about the last month and our church members love participating in this drive,” said Pastor Ryan Visconti, whose church is offering both online and in-person worship with social distancing on Sundays. “We know the school year is coming, and there are kids who are under-resourced. Their need doesn’t go away just because of our current crisis. So, we want to serve them as much as we can right now.”

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

100+ Women Who Care supports our veterans

Their goal is to be an effective partner for life. They want to ensure each veteran receives the full bene�its they have earned through their service to our nation. One of the many services it provides is a medical supply loan closet – one of the largest in the state – that provides durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, toilet risers, tub transfer bench, commodes and more. If a veteran is unable to get the equip-

ment they need through the VA or their insurance, they can get it through the closet at no cost. In the last �iscal year, AZPVA donated 1,150 pieces of medical equipment valued at over $1 million to veterans and their family members. The members 100+ Women Who Care East Valley presented the AZPVA a donation of $6,650 at the end of May. These funds will help maintain and repair the equipment in the loan closet.

“We are so excited to be receive the donations from 100+ Women Who Care and cannot wait to continue our work assisting Veterans and other members of the disabled community with these funds,” said Dawn Quinn, donation and outreach coordinator for AZPVA. To learn more about the group: azpva. org The AZPVA closet also accepts medical equipment that is new or gently used and less than �ive years old. Equipment must be in good working condition or easily repaired. AZPVA may make an exception to these guidelines if the equipment is in high demand, of high value or unusual to access. The loan closet address is 5015 North 7th Avenue in Phoenix. 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun is a group of like-minded, passionate women who want to connect to one another and to their communities. The ladies are leveraging their resources so their small quarterly gifts of $100 per member add up to a signi�icant donation to a local charity. Since the chapter’s inception in 2015, 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun has donated over $550,000 to local nonpro�its. The chapter comprises three sister groups in the East Valley, Ahwatukee and Scottsdale. Please consider joining us for an upcoming giving circle. Information: 100wwcvalleyofthesun.org.

over our proposed schedule for the year, how the Pack is addressing social distancing and how we plan to still provide our Scouts a great experience in these trying times.” Pack 178, which is associated with Mountain View Lutheran Church, holds den meetings by grade on different evenings during the week. Pack meetings are the second Monday of the month and most other activities are on weekends. To get information on the Zoom meeting, email join178@azpack178.com. The pandemic also for now has eliminated the monthly luncheons that Ahwatukee Foothills Friends and Neighbors hold, but they also are undaunted.

They’re holding a special Zoom webinar at 1 p.m. Aug. 24 with a special speaker discussing “ “Arizona Women’s Suffrage Journey.” Marking the 100th anniversary of the women in the U.S. getting the right to vote on Aug. 18, 1920, Dr. Melanie Sturgeon, co-founder and president of the Arizona Women’s History Alliance, will present a brief history of the suffrage movement in Arizona and its links to the national movement. The presentation will discuss the events leading up to the women getting the right to vote in Arizona on Nov. 5, 1912, – eight years before the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Sylvia Shippey is AFFAN president and the group is looking forward to one whenever the time comes that it’s safe to have their month luncheons. “We cannot get together for lunches yet,” member Bev Lichty said. “Some of the smaller activity groups, book groups, etc., are meeting by Zoom.” The group is planning a charity box lunch in October with a raf�le. While “it has been dif�icult” in the midst of the pandemic, Lichty said, “most of our members have renewed as of June 1. We have close to 300 members.” For information and registration for Sturgeon’s presentation, email affanwomensgroup@gmail.com.

BY LEANN LANDBERG AND SUSAN BARLOW AFN Guest Writers

veryone understands the importance of honoring our veterans. We acknowledge them for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacri�ice for the common good. Yet, most people do not comprehend the day to day struggle our injured veterans face in their lives. In April, members of 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun learned how Arizona Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America (AZPVA) champions and honors US veterans. This nonpro�it takes action to improve the lives of U.S. military veterans who have suffered spinal cord injury or spinal cord disease/dysfunction and disability. AZPVA is critical to our state which is home to more than half a million men and women who have served our country. That’s about 1 in 10 adults in Arizona. Over 50 percent of Arizona veterans are 65 and older – higher than the national average. Arizona ranks 13th in total veteran population out of a total of 18.8 million veterans in the United States. The AZPVA serves the community through advocacy for proper health care, improving public accessibility, communication, education, and the promotion of activities and sports.

Peter Quinn of the Arizona Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America accepted an oversize check from 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun members, from left, Trenna Farrell, Dawn Quinn and Leann Landberg. (Special to AFN)

Local Cub pack, women’s group carry on in pandemic AFN NEWS STAFF

n an age of social distancing, it’s tough for Cub Scouts to recruit new members and women’s groups to hold monthly gatherings. But that doesn’t mean activities have grounded to a halt for Ahwatukee Cub Pack 178 and the Ahwatukee Foothills Friends and Neighbors women’s group. Pack 178 will be holding a virtual recruitment meeting 6-7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16 via Zoom for both boys and girls in kindergarten through �ifth grade. Scoutmaster Joey Boyer said the pack, which is marking 40 years this year, will hold an informal session “where we’ll go

COMMUNITY

AUGUST 12, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Ahwatukee couple marking 60 years of wedded bliss AFN NEWS STAFF

longtime Ahwatukee couple this week is marking their 60th wedding anniversary. Gail and Gary Bohling were married Aug. 13, 1960, in New Rochelle, N.Y., and had two children, James Bohling of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and Alison Elkins of Ahwatukee. They met in college in upstate New York while attending Clarkson University and the State University of New York at Potsdam. Gary, an Ohio native, and Gail, a New York State native, moved to Ahwatukee in April 1997 after living for a time in Buffalo, New York, and Whitehall, Michigan. “They were done with long, gray winters,” their daughter Ali said, adding that her mom’s sister had been living in Ahwatukee and her parents “loved it from the �irst time they visited.” Gary has a long history in �ire�ighting and recently stepped down at 80 as a volunteer for 15 years with Phoenix Fire’s

Crisis Response Team. He �irst became a volunteer �ireman in New York State with the Potsdam Rescue Squad in 1956 and then joined the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department in Michigan, where he eventually became chief. He was in the �irst EMT licensing class in New York State in 1961 and then become a paramedic and became a Red Cross �irst aid instructor at 18, continuing role well into his retirement. Gail was a teacher in preschool, elementary and high school over her career. They both have been active volunteers since moving to Ahwatukee. Gail has been a volunteer at the Desert Botanical Garden, accumulating over 5,000 volunteer hours. She currently volunteers in the herbarium mounting specimens for the permanent collection. Since 2005, Gary has been a senior volunteer docent at the Hall of Flame, starting in 2005. “He loves giving tours to children and meeting �iremen from all over the world who visit,” their daughter said. She added that her dad “Gary has also

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racked up many volunteer hours driving his granddaughters to sports, music lessons, school and friends’ houses over the years and is fondly referred to as our honorary soccer mom.” Aside from volunteering, the Bohlings also have traveled extensively, listing as their favorite places Italy, France and Istanbul. The couple, who have four granddaughters, had planned to celebrate their anniversary with a family trip to Hawaii, but it was canceled as a result of the pandemic. “So, we are having a small Hawaiian themed family party at home,” Ali said. Gary and Gail Bohling of Ahwatukee, pictured here during a Mediterranean cruise six years ago, are marking their 60th wedding anniversary. (Special to AFN)

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OPINION

Opinion AUGUST 12, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Share Your Thoughts:

Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timespublications.com

www.ahwatukee.com

Foster kids’ birthday dreams become reality BY DON SHUFELT AFN Guest Writer

1,823 – that’s the number of children in foster care whose birthdays have been made special already in 2020 by the Birthday Dreams program at Arizona Helping Hands. More than 250 boys and girls each month have received gifts and party packages, thanks to our efforts. The pandemic has affected every aspect of daily life. School is going virtual, social gatherings are eliminated and pizza party celebrations are out. Birthday celebrations are different this year. Every child has faced adjustments and new challenges, but consider the life of a child in foster care. On top of the everyday life difficulties caused by the pandemic, 14,000 children in Arizona are dealing with disruption, relocation and confusion from being placed in foster care. These are the kids we celebrate with our Birthday Dreams program. We make a special effort to let them

Stop trying to make America like Cuba

You totalitarian Marxists just can’t seem to help yourselves, can you? Every election cycle you trot out the same old tired mantra. Republicans are racists, misogynistic, homophobic, xenaphobic, Islamiphobic, etc. Words that most of you know to be untrue. But you’ve been trained to bully, intimidate and create chaos, so the public is fed this dreck endlessly by the corrupt media. These people are not journalists. They are ardent and ruthless Trump haters who will say or do anything that could result in his defeat. After reading a letter in the last issue of this paper, I felt compelled to address

know that they are important, their birthday is worthy of a celebration and that we love each and every one of them. Grandma put in a request for Jayden, one of three grandchildren she is raising. She told us he would like a science kit, and also enjoys board games and football. Our volunteers shop through our warehouse bins to find the perfect gift to celebrate Jayden’s ninth birthday. Unfortunately, in these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, our bins are pretty empty, and it is challenging to find gifts to fill these requests. With so many employees working from home these days, and with the economic challenges faced throughout society, it will be very difficult to continue to make birthdays special at the rate we receive requests. I think of how sad it would be to not find the football for Jayden or the craft set for Alicia. It’s such a simple way to let children who have been abused and neglected know that we care about them, and we want to continue to find a way to spread the message that they deserve a happy birthday.

The frosting on the cake for our birthday program is a party package we call “Birthdays in a Bag.” Included in this set is a cake mix, frosting, party favors and candles that we provide along with the gift package, enabling the family to have a home-made party and sing Happy Birthday to a child who may never have celebrated a birthday. Indeed, we have met youngsters who, even at age 8, did not know the words to the Happy Birthday song. Our supplies of Birthdays in a Bag also are depleted from the lack of support during the days of the virus. This is such a simple way for a family to spread love to children in foster care. You can go shopping at the dollar store, fill a few bags and drop them off at our warehouse. I share the story often of a young family with two sons who show up at our warehouse every year on the boys’ birthdays. They have told their boys that birthdays are a day to receive but also to give. A half of the money and gifts received is donated to Arizona Helping Hands to

support our birthday program. Such a wonderful lesson to be taught – to share your blessings with those who are not as blessed as you. Think back to how important your birthday was to you as a child. I still remember the joy I felt on my special day, opening a few presents and digging into a birthday cake made just for me. These are the pleasures that we make possible for boys and girls in foster care. These are the joys that we share with Jayden and hundreds of children in foster care each and every month, and the work that we need community support to continue – especially in these days. Our biggest needs today are gifts for children age 9 to 18 – to make a child’s birthday wish come true visit our Amazon wish list at amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ ls/2IB27RTOAGTTY/ref=cm_go_nav_hz. Dan Shufelt is president/CEO of Arizona Helping Hands, the largest provider of basic needs to Arizona’s children in foster care. Information: azhelpinghands.org or dshufelt@azhelpinghands.org.

some of the glaring inaccuracies. The level of hatred for our President is off-thecharts irrational. He is probably the least racist president since Lincoln. Most of the lies listed in the letter have thankfully been mitigated or thoroughly debunked months ago, yet Trump’s detractors continue to present them as facts. Trump never put Mexican children in cages. The pictures you saw on the dishonest CNN and MSNBC were actually taken during the Obama administration, and I’m astounded that anyone still believes otherwise. And he never called Mexicans rapists and murderers. He was referring to the MS13 gang. And so-called peaceful protestors being shot with pepper spray? There is nothing

peaceful about violent thugs who are attacking people and destroying property. Let’s call them what they are: Rioters, not protestors. Check the facts on sources other than the dishonest hate-Trump channels. Trump does tend to exaggerate at times, but lying is not “the rule for him.” It is the rule for the left-wing media. I will skip to the worst of the allegations, the comparison of our President to a Nazi. This is probably as low as you people can go and anyone who makes such a claim should be ashamed. I am fortunate to have no relatives who lived through the horror of the death camps, but calling our President a Nazi is a terrible insult to those who suffered at the hands of the real Nazis.

These were sociopathic monsters who imprisoned, tortured and murdered millions of helpless people. Placing Trump in this category is not only foolish, it’s evil. And finally, I know that America has been dumbed down intentionally by those who wish to erase our history and destroy our country, but have you forgotten your basic civics lessons? We have elections. We have checks and balances that limit a president’s power. We have term limits. So, the idea that Trump is going to take over the country and become a dictator is simply ludicrous. If you truly wish to live in a Communist country, please move to China or Cuba and stop trying to remake America in their image. You won’t be missed. -Jan Johnson

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Ahwatukee gym owners struggle under closure AFN NEWS STAFF

urry Becker and Jessica Stout have sustained a lot of collateral damage in the war between the Ducey Administration and gyms. The Ahwatukee couple own a TruHit Fitness franchise on 4302 E. Ray Road and had owned another in Tempe – until the governor in March closed gyms and a variety of other businesses to stem the COVID-19 tide. They were buoyed in mid-May when he started lifting the closure orders. “We have an amazing community and have had so much support,” said Stout, who moved to Ahwatukee with her husband Durry three years ago. “As soon as we opened our clients came back. They were confident in our abilities to make the gym safe and clean for them.” “As a company we instituted many safety checks,” she said. “Class attendance was

The TruHit Fitness studio in Ahwatukee could get a chance to reopen after a judge ordered the Ducey Administration to provide a process for gyms to appeal the governor’s second shutdown this year. (Facebook)

ment station, building in time to sanitizing during classes, completing deep cleanings and sanitizing multiple times a week.” Stout has a 15-year history in the fitness industry and holds three National Academy of Sports Medicine certifications in personal training, nutrition and corrective exercise. Becker, a former athlete in football and track, “has always been passionate about lifting,” his wife said, adding that he uses that passion and background to teach grip training, bodybuilding, and powerlifting to clients. The optimism they felt in May when closures were starting to be lifted collapsed with a thud a month later when shutdowns were re-imposed as the pandemic intensified in Arizona. “We were disappointed,” said Stout. “As small business owners, it was really

limited to provide plenty of space between members. Members needed to register at

least 24 hours in advance through the app. We have sanitizing stations at every equip-

of collars as well as leather leashes and treats “that we feel are exceptional.” Armstrong began designing the Shark Fin Collar when he “saw no real innovation in collar design.” “You see the same styles and designs that were around for the last 40 years,” he said. He had a few goals in mind for the collar, besides being the “flagship product for the new company that would stand out in the crowded pet market.” “The second goal was to have a dynamic design that people would be excited about,” he said. “The third and the most important aspect of this design is that it can provide enough space to support electronic systems placed under the collar instead of on top of the collar like current systems on the market.” The collars are made of leather by Wick-

Ahwatukee inventor holds a copy of the design patent he ﬁnally received for his Shark Fin Collar for dogs. His grand plan is to have a GPS tracking device built into the collars. (Special to AFN)

�ee GYM page 32

Ahwatukee inventor �inally ‘collars’ a design patent AFN NEWS STAFF

t took two years to get it but an Ahwatukee man finally received a design patent for a unique dog collar. Jack Armstrong, president/CEO of QR World Inc., was awarded the patent for his Shark Fin Collar, which is shaped like a shark’s dorsal fin and which he hopes to produce in an array of colors and patterns. Until the market crashed in 2008, Armstrong owned several businesses in Pennsylvania and Florida, designing equipment and furniture for physically challenged people and seniors. He entered corporate life but in 2018 launched QR World, creating pet accessories and a new identification system for pets that uses QR codes – which Armstrong calls an “international language.” Shark Fin Collar, a big departure from the collars currently on the market, though the website also offers other styles

�ee COLLAR page 32

BUSINESS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

GYM from page 31

difficult to make it through the first shut down. Being closed again will likely set us back a year or more. It takes a lot of time and hard work to build a thriving fitness community.” Right now, they are watching a burgeoning legal battle between Gov. Doug Ducey and the gyms. Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason ruled early last week that it was wrong for Ducey to shut down gyms down indefinitely with no chance to appeal. Stating that violates constitutional due process rights of the owners, Thomason said he is not faulting the governor for his initial decision to shutter these facilities because medical advice gave him a “rational basis’’ for doing that. But Thomason ordered the governor to provide gyms and fitness centers “a prompt opportunity to apply for reopening,’’ allowing them to attest that they can live with guidelines already crafted by the state Department of Health Services to minimize the risk of the spread of COVID-19. And he directed the state to have a process for reopening by yesterday, Aug. 11. “It’s everything we wanted,’’ said attorney Joel Sannes, who is representing the locally owned Mountainside Fitness chain. “What we wanted was a process in place for gyms that can operate safely to reopen.’’ Thomason said that while the state could impose new anti-virus standards, any review process must “be one that moves with deliberate speed.’’ “Fitness centers have already been closed for several months this year, and it is imperative that their constitutional rights be respected,’’ the judge wrote. He cited the relative risks posed by gyms and fitness centers versus other businesses the governor has allowed to reopen and noted Ducey had not taken other measures during the pandemic. “There are many businesses operating in this state with no mandated protocols, such as social distancing, mask wearing, crowd control and the like,’’ he wrote. “Yet these businesses are up and running, po-

t o Gews? N

Jessica Stout and her husband Durry Becker own the TruHit franchise in Ahwatukee and are frustrated by the ststae’s pandemic-related shutdown of gyms. (Special to AFN)

tentially exposing the public to illness.’’ “It is very understandable that fitness center operators feel like they are being unfairly singled out,’’ the judge said. Not allowing businesses any due process until the governor decides to end the shutdown “deprives these businesses of any meaningful due process,’’ Thomason said. The judge brushed aside arguments by the governor that he was relying on recommendations by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. He pointed out that Ducey has ignored other recommendations, like a statewide mandate for face masks. Ducey has now appealed the judge’s ruling, asking the Arizona Court of Appeals to void it and alleging a reopening of gyms could result in “death, serious physical illness and a lack of hospital beds.’’ Lawyers for the administration also said

that leaving the judge’s order in place will “open the floodgates’’ for others to challenge Ducey’s orders and “will hamper the governor’s ability to focus on the pressing battle against the pandemic.’’ Thomason refused to stay his order while the administration seeks the appeal. Sannes said he ultimately expects the appeal to fail because “the governor bears a high burden of proof.’’ “The governor actually needs to show evidence that there is a risk that people will die,’’ he said. “And that is where the governor has really fallen short.’’ He said there was no evidence of any significant outbreak linked to fitness centers “unlike the very persuasive evidence of serious outbreaks associated with bars and nightclubs.’’ With the stay denied, the review process must be implemented. If Ducey wins the appeal, he could once again shut the doors

to gyms and fitness centers. State Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ has testified that she is still not convinced that gyms and fitness centers can operate safely. “The person who has COVID-19, if they are breathing vigorously, they can actually concentrate the virus in droplets that could land on surfaces,’’ she said. For now, Stout said she’s buoyed by the prospect of starting limited-size classes soon. “We are trying to stay positive and be innovative,” she said. She and Becker are providing two kinds of online workouts – one with and the other without equipment – for $28 a month. “If you select the classes with equipment, we recommend two sets of dumbbells – one light and one heavier weight – a jump rope and a mat,” Stout explained. “Both can be done from any room or outdoor space at your home.” “The virtual online workouts have been going well and we’re pleased to offer members an option,” she said. “It’s hot here in Arizona and running, hiking or exercising outside is hard to do in this heat, so the virtual option is nice because you can do it inside your home.” They also offer live, socially-distanced sessions outside their studio at 5, 6 and 7 a.m. Monday-Friday and 6, 7 and 8 a.m. Saturday, drawing 20-25 people. TruHit Fitness is specifically designed to provide a functional full-body workout while improving energy levels, metabolic rate, strength, and endurance,” Stout said. Its variety of classes and programs is aimed at keeping the body “from getting too used to a single approach.” The routines mix it up where equipment is concerned and members get access to rowers, slam balls, kettlebells, dumbbells, assault bikes and other gear. “Our classes are small and focused on building a community to help hold you accountable,” Stout said. Information: truhitfitness.com/ahwatukee. AFN Executive Editor Paul Maryniak and Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services contributed to this report.

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

AUGUST 12, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

These are some of the styles that Ahwatukee inventor Jack Armstrong already has designed for his Shark Fin Collar. (Special to AFN)

COLLAR from page 31

ett & Craig of Pennsylvania and the size of the fin “offers a totally unique opportunity to customize the collar,” he said. “We have introduced laser-engraving options that include a vintage ‘Old Glory’ design,” Armstrong explained. “We will be able to put your favorite team logo, a flag, a symbol, and any design within reason by the use of laser-engraving process.” But Armstrong said he’s eyeing bigger fish in the pet market. He’s awaiting patent-pending approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a GPS tracking system that would integrate with the Shark Fin and recently completed a working prototype. Once he gets that, he said, “we will introduce the GPS tracking system to investors.” Armstrong currently is in the process of trying to secure funding to expand his op-

eration and find some commercial space. “Realistically, this will take place in the first and second quarter of 2021,” he said. “There is much groundwork that needs to take place to raise capital. And from a timing standpoint, it would be advantageous to launch with the coronavirus behind us.” In the meantime, he’s looking for a head of production to run the assembly operation locally, a fulltime chief technical officer who can lead the development of electronic systems, a digital marketing specialist amd a chief financial officer who “can help raise capital and manage quick growth in a start-up.” People interested in any of those positions can schedule a video interview by emailing jack@qrworldinc.com. In the meantime, people interested in buying a Shark Fin Collar for their favorite canine can go to qrpetstore.com. AFN readers can get a 30 percent discount by using the promo code PAT2020.

GOT NEWS?

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ timespublications.com

BUSINESS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

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Sports & Recreation AUGUST 12, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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AIA releases updated fall sports schedule BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

he future of fall sports in Arizona became clearer last week as the Arizona Interscholastic Association released a revised schedule. What that means for Tempe Uniohigh schools should become clearer at the next disrict Governing Board meeting Aug. 19. Boys and girls golf will be the first teams to officially begin practices, as they will hit the fairways on Aug. 17 with the first competition slated for Sept. 7. Cross country and swim and dive were pushed back a week to Aug. 24, with official competition beginning Sept. 14. Badminton, fall soccer and volleyball will begin practice on Aug. 31 and games Sept. 14, 16 and 21, respectively. Football, the sport that poses the biggest risk to spread the coronavirus due to its level of contact, will now begin its first day of official practices on Sept. 7, with the

The Arizona Interscholastic Association announced Wednesday afternoon a revised fall sports schedule that pushes all sports but golf back on the calendar. Football will begin official practices Sept. 7 and games on Oct. 2. (AFN file photo)

first week of competition on Wednesday, Sept. 30 for freshman and run through Saturday, Oct. 3 for varsity teams. “The health and safety of our student participants, coaches, officials and es-

sential personnel, including volunteers, is the primary concern for the return of interscholastic athletics and activities,” AIA Executive Director David Hines said in a release. “We are very grateful to those

who share our commitment of a return to these highly beneficial educational activities and athletics.” The amended schedule comes after a state-wide survey the AIA sent to all of its member schools to identify which schools felt comfortable allowing sports to return during the fall semester. Over 250 schools answered the surveys, most of which were in favor of hosting a fall sports season. All fall sports will have an amended schedule, which will result in a reduced number of games and later championships. The AIA announced the updated schedules would be revised and released by conference leaders in the coming days or weeks. Football appears to follow the schedule proposed to Hines and the AIA Monday by the Arizona Football Coaches Association, which called for practices to be-

�ee FALL page 36

Watching golf on TV aided by ball-tracking tech

BY MIKE MCQUADE Cronkite News

hen Rickie Fowler knocked his tee shot just 9 feet short of the pin in the third round of the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open, the rowdy fans at 16 roared their approval. So did viewers at home, who had a better understanding of the shot’s trajectory than even those in the stands. That’s because of Toptracer, the balltracking technology that allows television viewers to track ball flight in real time. “Similar to the first-and-10 line in American football, it added a new level of insight and understanding around what was being displayed on-screen,” Amanda Lam, the senior brand manager at Toptracer, said about the arcing line the viewer sees. Toptracer has made itself available to

the amateur golfer, too, with its presence at driving ranges. It tracks the flight of a golf shot and displays it on a nearby HD screen. In Arizona, several ranges offer it, including Valley Golf Center in Avondale, Western Skies Golf Club in Gilbert and Longbow Golf Club in Mesa. Additionally, Topgolf has it at select venues, including the one in Scottsdale. Toptracer is the brainchild of Swedish entrepreneur Daniel Forsgren, who, while watching golf, longed for the ability to better track ball flight with graphics and a display of the shot shape and trajectory. The science behind it starts with cameras and sensors that build three-dimensional space. In that space created, any golf ball entering will be tracked. At driving ranges, “the light waves cre-

�ee GOLF page 36

Tracking equipment like Toptracer has made the TV-viewing experience more enjoyable for fans of professional golf. (Courtesy of Toptracer)

SPORTS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

FALL from page 35

gin after Labor Day and games the week of Oct. 2 and gained support from more than 100 coaches. The proposal offered an eight-game schedule with an eight-team postseason tournament for all conferences and the Open Division at the end of the season. It also called for the removal of the Thanksgiving bye week and an optional ninth game for teams who do not make the postseason. The AIA announced the football season would conclude on Dec. 11 and 12 for the 4A-6A conferences and Open Division, thus eluding to an eight-game regularseason schedule and eight-team playoff format. The 1A-3A conferences are currently discussing possibilities for the length of regular season and an ideal date to host Golf First practice – Aug. 17 First competition – Aug. 24 Championships – Oct. 26-29 (Div. I), Nov. 2-5 (Div. II) Cross Country First Practice – Aug. 24 First Competition – Sept. 9

GOLF from page 35

state championship games, according to the AIA. It is unclear if the AIA will allow teams who do not make the postseason to schedule other non-qualifiers at the end of the season as the AzFCA proposed. “We owe it to our members to provide a direction,” said Toni Corona, the Executive Board President and Safford Athletic Director. “It may be challenging to get everything going for all the schools at one time but with good communication, we can provide the best possible experience for our students in this unprecedented time. This Board and the AIA staff will continue to provide information and guidelines as we proceed.” Especially for football, the timeline will allow schools who are still restricted from participating in summer workouts on campus to be ready for the start of the season.

Championships – Nov. 12-13

Swimming & Diving First Practice – Aug. 24 First Competition – Sept. 14 Championships – Nov. 5-7 Badminton First Practice – Aug. 31

ated by the golf ball allows the software to track the ball flight and show it up on the screen,” Lam said. “The software can track multiple balls at once and assign it to the correct bay because of the distance apart that the sensors are. “It breaks the range down into triangles (like an invisible grid) so the ball can be traced back to each bay knowing the angle at which the ball enters and exits each triangle.” The world has not lost its love for the sport. Golf retail sales reach $13.4 billion worldwide in 2018, according to the 2019 World Golf Report. Toptracer first captured the public’s attention after its appearance on televised golf tournaments. After its introduction in

Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Higley and Tempe Union districts have allowed teams to return to campus for workouts in some capacity. Most of which remain in the first phase of their respective district’s return-to-play guidelines, which calls for conditioning drills. Gilbert was the first to make such a move. Tempe Union made the move this past week. However, schools in other parts of the Valley just recently started summer workouts. Phoenix Union schools were restricted from any activities up until two weeks ago. Brophy announced it would not move past phase one until September. Schools in southern Arizona are still unable to work out. “Although the many school districts represented in the AzFCA membership have issued varying rules within their

First Competition – Sept. 14 Championships – Nov. 7 (Individuals), Nov. 9-12 (Teams) Fall Soccer First Practice – Aug. 31 First Competition – Sept. 16 Championships – Nov. 4-7

2006, it made its broadcast debut in the 2008 Masters. Toptracer completely changed how television networks including NBC, Golf Channel, CBS and ESPN broadcast the sport. John DelVecchio, NBC Sports and Golf Channel Director, was introduced to Toptracer in 2006. He immediately wondered how the new technology would work and how much it could enhance a broadcast. Simply, it paid dividends. “A colleague of mine was very instrumental in getting it and he was the one who said, ‘The British Open, the Open Championship is a perfect venue for this because when you see the background, it’s nondescript, there’s not as much background,’” DelVecchio said. As years passed, DelVecchio used it more and more and it challenged his

Volleyball First Practice – Aug. 31 First Competition – Sept. 21 Championships – Nov. 12-21

districts, the proposed October 2 date of first varsity competition appears to provide the schools with the sufficient opportunity to comply district guidelines and adequately prepare their teams for a full competition season,” the proposal from the AzFCA read. The AIA stressed this new timeline is subject to change based on guidance from national, state or local health officials. The amended fall schedule, if it stands, will result in a week delay to the start of winter sports. At this time, it’s unclear whether it will have an effect on the spring season, which was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We would like to thank our member schools and our school communities for their patience as we worked through the challenges to develop this plan,” Hines said.

Football First Practice – Sept. 7 First Competition – Sept. 30-Oct. 3 Championships – Dec. 11/12 (4A-6A & Open)

production crew. Since a two-thirds of a second, 20-frame delay exists, DelVecchio has to match changes on the fly during a live broadcast. “You have to make sure everybody is aware that everything syncs up because they delay the audio to match the video,” he said. While Toptracer changed the production of golf behind the scenes, it affected on-course reporters as well. Dottie Pepper, a CBS reporter and 17-time winner on the LPGA Tour, welcomed its addition. “I think it gave you something automatically to talk about on one particular shot,” Pepper said. It allows for deeper analysis, showing club and ball speed, spin rates, height and even hang time. It also takes pressure off the broadcasters because the technology

GOT NEWS?

fills dead air. “I think you should just let the shot talk about it because you really shouldn’t be talking when there’s contact made anyway,” Pepper said. “You can say that the shot started to the right and then let the technology tell the rest of the story.” In the 2020 Phoenix Open, CBS used Toptracer throughout the production of the event. It was particularly effective on hole 16, which is widely considered the loudest on the PGA Tour. It allowed the viewers a deeper understanding of the players’ tee shots and helped explain the crowd reactions they heard. As challenging as it can be to secure an in-person spot among fans at 16, for many, it has proven to be a welcome alternative.

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

AUGUST 12, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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Sicilian Butcher pivots with Italian market GETOUT NEWS STAFF

hen the Sicilian Butcher opened in December at Chandler Fashion Center, owner Joey Maggiore was intent on bringing to the East Valley the same Italian cuisine that brought plaudits to his original restaurant in Phoenix near north Scottsdale. But then the pandemic struck the restaurant industry and the Sicilian Butcher is still serving up its craft meatballs, homemade pasta and other Italian delights – but in a way Maggiore could never have imagined last Christmas season. Maggiore has changed its business model -- from having a booming dining room that was once a place for family dinners and large gatherings to limited capacity for social distancing. To keep its doors open, he has come up with creative solutions to employ its staff and service the community amid a greater reluctance these days to dine-in. “We had an immense amount of support from the businesses and residents of Chandler as it was an anticipated location,” Maggiore said. When the pandemic struck, he explained, “as a family-operated, independently-owned restaurant group, we were fortunate to make quick decisions while planning how to reopen during the shutdown to quickly adapt to the changes and keep the dining room and kitchen open while keeping our staff employed. “We didn’t give up but instead became creative to conform to current times as the pandemic changed how the restaurant industry operates.” Instead of partnering with a third-party delivery service, Maggiore said, “We made the agile decision to provide an in-house delivery service for our customers who choose to dine at home.” The delivery team consists of a couple employees designated for all delivery phone orders and deliveries within a 10mile radius – a service exclusive to the Chandler location.

Joey Maggiore, owner of the Sicilian Butcher and its adjacent Sicilian Baker at Chandler Fashion Center, boasts of some of the Italian pastries and other desserts he sells as well as the pasta that is made fresh at the restaurant. (Facebook)

“We gave our front-of-the-house staff such as servers the opportunity to make extra income with the delivery service position,” Maggiore said. Maggiore also started a “grab-and-go market” at its sister restaurant next door, The Sicilian Baker. It offers pre-made family meals such as lasagna, meatballs, pasta sauces and pasta – as well as curated olive oils, artisanal meats, cheeses, olives and more. “We rotate the grab-and-go items in the refrigerated section on a daily basis,” Maggiore said. “Guests can find pasta such as paccheri, mafalde or campanelle and sauces such as tomato herb, pesto, or parmesan. “We keep the Italian market at The Sicilian Baker fully stocked and fresh with new items added frequently. We recently brought in yellow tomatoes from one of our favorite producers.” “These are things we are making inhouse and we feel that the best Sicilian meals are made from fresh ingredients,” he continued. As it happened, he was in the process of creating a family style to-go menu before the shutdown, “so the decreased de-

mand for prepared meals allowed us to reimagine the space for the market, package some of our favorite pastas and precooked ingredients and order some of our favorite Italian goods,” Maggiore said. “Our creative team has always wanted to have a grab-and-go Italian market at The Sicilian Baker,” he explained. “However, we didn’t have the space for it.” When the pandemic hit, “We moved the cafe tables outdoors and replaced the sitting area with the Italian market. During the shut-down, we quickly curated our favorite products from the top producers in Italy for the non-refrigerated/dried goods section such as imported olives, olive oil, dried pasta, wine and coffee.” The market offers an assortment of pastries and other baked goods, sandwiches, and Sicilian desserts as well as freshmade pasta and pasta sauces, hand rolled meatballs, chicken cutlets and take-andbake lasagna in the refrigerated section. For in-house diners, The Sicilian Butcher is following all safety protocols and has a certified “disinfector,” employee testing and weekly disinfecting services. “These are an astronomical cost to the business, but it is now a reality they need

to face if they want to keep operating,” Maggiore added. “We are covering employee testing, weekly sanitation and virus vaporizing services, additional cleaning supplies, masks, paid sick leave as well as food costs from the times we have had to open and close without notice,” he added. Maggiore said there is still “definitely a large portion of the population that is reluctant to eat out, especially during the middle of summer when it is often too hot to eat on the patio.” But he said the Sicilian Butcher’s misting system, the enhanced safety protocols – and the restaurant’s reputation – is luring back patrons. “We have seen a lot of our clientele return for dine-in,” he said. “They appreciate the extra levels of care we are taking to keep them safe and the transparency we showed when we had early exposures.” And the Italian market has opened a new vista for the restaurant. “Families immediately responded to the gourmet grab-and-go meals,” he said. “They like having a different option from traditional grocery stores. Our customers have been purchasing our made-fromscratch fresh pasta, meatballs, sauces, and lasagna and can easily heat up these meals at the comforts of home. While they are picking up their meals, they also have been grabbing desserts like cannoli and gelato or coffee as a pick-me-up.” Do you maintain social distancing at the bar and how do patrons seem to react to that? Yes, we do the best we can to monitor this. This is one of the reasons we have our disinfector. There has been some negative feedback at times, but overall people respect the need to keep other members of the community safe.

The Sicilian Butcher:

3151 W. Frye Road, Chandler. 480-573-8550 or thesicilianbutcher.com

AUGUST 12, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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New owners aim to freshen up legendary Tortilla Flat BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Staff Writer

atie Ellering, one of Tortilla Flat’s new owners, isn’t about modernizing the remnant of the Old West

town. She and her fiancé/operations director, Chris Field, just want to bring a fresh look to the tourist attraction, which boasts a population of six. “The most important thing to remember is we—the owners—are temporary,” said Field, who lives in Gilbert with Ellering. “We’re transitioning what Tortilla Flat was into the 21st century. We’re not a sports bar or a strip mall that’s going to be gone in 10 years. This is a historical Arizona property that will be here for another 100 years,” Ellering said, adding: “Our goal, as caretakers, is property maintenance and we want to keep the look and the feel and provide programming to make sure we’ll be able to pass it on.” Ellering has owned it since September with partners Ryan Coady, Tom Misitano and Dale Evans. “We thought this was such a unique thing and we were like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this,’” Ellering said. “We got together and made it work.” So far, the team has upgraded the kitchen and the food on the menu, except – Ellering and Field are quick to add – the famous chili recipe that’s been around since the 1940s. “It’s a time-honored tradition and that will not change,” she said. The chili, which is also found on the chili dog, is part of a hearty American menu that includes the Mucho Macho nacho ($15.99); Roosevelt Dam Good wings ($7.99 starting price); Gaucho cheesesteak ($12.49); Ol’ Faithful BLT ($11.49); chicken street tacos ($12.59) and fajita salad ($14.39). “We have great food,” Field said. “We do. Is our food better than what you’ll find elsewhere? Maybe. We’re trying to create an experience. It’s a little gem of an experience.” After having a meal in the saloon, guests can head to the Tortilla Flat General Store and Ice Cream Shop, where they can enjoy its well-known prickly pear gelato, or take home prickly pear barbecue sauce or a Tortilla Flat “Killer Chili” packet. The owners have heard plenty of heart-

Tortilla Flat, nestled in the Superstition Mountain range, draws thousands annually. (Special to AFN)

warming stories from visitors to Tortilla tlement and you’re officially on the map. Flat. They see children dressed up as cow“Tortilla Flat was never big enough to boys and cowgirls and the awe on their have that prestige,” he said. “We were face when they’re out there. big enough to have a post office. Because “They’re used to growing up in the city of that, there’s no real town hall records and when they come out here, they play in or building plans. Most of what we know the dirt and see cactus everywhere,” she about Tortilla Flat has been assembled by said “They have a lot of fun. They have a different people who were here.” lot of fun with the dollar bills, too.” No one knows the real story behind the “I got a letter a few months ago that had name, Tortilla Flat. But one is believable, a dollar bill in it. A young kid had taken one Field said. It’s understood that it came of the dollars off of the wall (at Superstition from a family who was caught in a monSaloon and Restaurant) and had written us soon in the 1930s in the area. After being a letter of apology and sent us the dollar stuck for a couple days, all they had left bill back. It was really cute.” was masa and water. The couple have been visited by folks “They were down to eating tortillas for who have donated the collectibles that fill the last couple of days,” he said. “So, they the saloon, like the saddles that sit atop called it Tortilla Flat.” hand-carved bar stools and worn leather goods that are tacked to the walls. One of the fun parts of Tortilla Flat is its history and games. Field explained in the frontier days, if there were more than 100 permanent residents, you were consid- Tortilla Flat’s Superstition Restaurant and Saloon is known for its saddle bar stools. ered a town or set- (Special to AFN)

A man who visited in the early 2000s said he lived there when he was a child. He sketched a picture on a napkin of the town before fires and floods ravaged it. It included the Goldbrick Motel, which was constructed from mud bricks manufactured on-site out of clay in the ground and then mixed with gold-dust from the local miners in the Superstitions at the time. The kitchenettes in the motels were rented to tourists until 1987 when a fire destroyed the entire town. A building that replaced it houses the gift shop and post office. “Every time it rains, we have a little creek alongside the property,” he said. “You can see little shiny flecks.” Other stories revolve around the items that adorn the walls of the saloon. “One of the funny things is, maybe a month ago, there was a couple here who were like, ‘Hey, that stuff right there is ours—that gun and jacket. We donated that,’” Ellering recalls. “People are so proud to have their things up on the wall and just be a part of history. There are some really cool, fun stories and things that happen out here. Tortilla Flat is a self-sufficient little town, according to Ellering. “We’ve got a sewer plant. We’ve got a water plant. We do process our own water,” she said. “However, we don’t even have a phone line. We can’t get a landline here. So, when people call us, they don’t know that they’re calling a cellphone because we don’t have a landline. We can’t get the internet.” Field and the all-female leadership team, Ellering; restaurant manager Renee Lockhart; restaurant supervisor Marba Carroll; and kitchen manager Kaleena Gallegos; and retail manager Stephany Duarte, are planning some improvements. They include painting signs and creating a town newspaper with treasure hunts for kids, a historical crossword puzzle and stories of Tortilla Flat. Field said Tortilla Flat, which also houses a museum, is perfect for a day visit for Mesa families during the pandemic. “Our goal is to take what’s here and just make sure that it looks fantastic, it’s in repair so people can create memories with their families long after we’re dead and gone.” Information: tortillaflataz.com

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

Phone and Internet Discounts Available to CenturyLink Customers The Arizona Corporation Commission designated CenturyLink as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier within its service area for universal service purposes. CenturyLink’s basic local service rates for residential voice lines are $18.47 per month and business services are $35.00 per month. Specific rates will be provided upon request. CenturyLink participates in a government benefit program (Lifeline) to make residential telephone or broadband service more affordable to eligible low-income individuals and families. Eligible customers are those that meet eligibility standards as defined by the FCC and state commissions. Residents who live on federally recognized Tribal Lands may qualify for additional Tribal benefits if they participate in certain additional federal eligibility programs. The Lifeline discount is available for only one telephone or broadband service per household, which can be on either wireline or wireless service. Broadband speeds must be 20 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload or faster to qualify. A household is defined for the purposes of the Lifeline program as any individual or group of individuals who live together at the same address and share income and expenses. Lifeline service is not transferable, and only eligible consumers may enroll in the program. Consumers who willfully make false statements in order to obtain Lifeline telephone or broadband service can be punished by fine or imprisonment and can be barred from the program. If you live in a CenturyLink service area, please call 1-800-244-1111 or visit centurylink.com/lifeline with questions or to request an application for the Lifeline program.

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THE HANDYMAN THAT HANDLES SMALL JOBS THAT OTHERS DECLINE ✔ Painting ✔ Sprinkler Repair ✔ Lighting ✔ Gate Restoration ✔ Replace Cracked ✔ & MUCH MORE! Roof Tiles

HIRING?

Landscape Design/Installation

If someone Needs a Job, They Look Every Day!

Plans / Additions, Patios New Doors, Windows Lowest Price in Town! R. Child Lic#216115, Class BO3 Bonded-Insured-Ref's

480-898-6465

480-215-3373

The Possibilities are Endless

Handyman

Custom Design and Renovation turning old to new

• Drywall Repair • Bathroom Remodeling • Home Renovations

• Electrical Repair • Plumbing Repair • Dry rot and termite damage repair

GENERAL CONTRACTOR / HANDYMAN SERVICES SERVING THE ENTIRE VALLEY

All Estimates are Free • Call:

520.508.1420

www.husbands2go.com

Licensed, Bonded & Insured • ROC#317949 Ask me about FREE water testing!

Jaden Sydney Associates.com Visit our website! Landlord and Homeowner Property Services

Repairs • Drywall • Painting • BINSR Items Trash Removal • HOA Compliance

AND so much more!

Ahwatukee Resident

480.335.4180 Not a licensed contractor.

FREE Estimates! Plumbing

Tile

Custom Built-ins, BBQs, Firepits, Fireplaces, Water Features, Re-Designing Pools, Masonry, Lighting, Tile, Flagstone, Pavers, Culture Stone & Travertine, Synthetic Turf, Sprinkler/Drip, Irrigation Systems, Clean ups & Hauling

• Painting • Plumbing • Carpentry • Drywall • Roofing • Block

Call for a FREE consultation and Estimate To learn more about us, view our photo gallery at: ShadeTreeLandscapes.com

- Free Estimates -

480-276-6600

480-730-1074

*Not a Licensed Contractor

Bonded/Insured/Licensed • ROC #225923

MORE CLASSIFIED ADS ONLINE! www.Ahwatukee.com

Irrigation

And Much, Much More!

Not a licensed

contractor Jim 480.593.0506 Ablehandyman2009@gmail.com

• BASE BOARDS • DRYWALL • ELECTRICAL • PAINTING • PLUMBING • BATHROOMS • WOOD FLOORING • FRAMING WALLS • FREE ESTIMATES • GRANITE FABRICATION & INSTALLATION • CARPET INSTALLATION • LANDSCAPING

No Job Too Small! Senior Discounts!

Drip/Install/Repair & Tune ups! Not a licensed contractor

$25 per visit.

25 years exp. Call Now (480) 720-3840

Not a licensed contractor

Juan Hernandez

Install/Design We do it all!

Ahw. Res - 30 yrs Exp Free Estimates. Call Pat (480) 343-0562

TREE

TRIMMING 25 Years exp (480) 720-3840

High Quality Results TRIM TREES ALL TYPES GRAVEL - PAVERS SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Complete Clean Ups

Jose Martinez Not a licensed contractor.

602.515.2767

Sprinkler & Drip Systems Repairs • Modifications • Installs

Arizona Specialty Landscape

New & Re-Do Design and Installation Affordable | Paver Specialists All phases of landscape installation. Plants, cacti, sod, sprinklers, granite, concrete, brick, Kool-deck, lighting and more!

Irrigation

• Sprinkler/Drip Repairs • New Installs Poly/PVC • Same Day Service

NTY

5-YEAR WARRA

CLASSIFIEDS 480-898-6465 class@timespublications.com

SPRINKLER

Home Remodeling

David Hernandez (602) 802 3600

Able Handyman Service LLC

Juan Hernandez

Home Improvement

daveshomerepair@yahoo.com • Se Habla Español

Electrical Paint

REASONABLE HANDYMAN

NOT A LICENSED CONTRACTOR

LLC

Starting as low as

Serving the Valley for over 28 years

Ahwatukee Resident, References Available, Insured *Not A Licensed Contractor

Landscape/Maintenance Foothills Touch Landscapes LLC Lawn care/Maint.

For a Quote email: class@times publications.com

480.654.5600 azirrigation.com Cutting Edge LLC • ROC 281671

Free Estimates 7 Days a Week! ROC# 186443 • BONDED

• 20 Years Experience • 6 Year Warranty

480.345.1800 ROC 304267 • Licensed & Bonded

480.844.9765 Your newspaper. Your community. Your planet. Please recycle me.

CLASSIFIEDS

Landscape/Maintenance

Complete Lawn Service & Weed Control Starting @ $60/Month! • One Month Free Service • Licensed, Bonded Insured for your protection. • Call or Text for a Free Quote

kjelandscape.com • ROC#281191

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

Landscape/Maintenance

SPRINKLER DOCTOR Repairs - Installs - Modifications Timers/Valves/Sprinklers DRIP-PVC-COPPER Backflows & Regulators LANDSCAPE LIGHTING

WANT A GREEN LAWN?

480-940-8196 theplugman.com

FREE ORGANIC LAWN FERTILIZATION TREATMENT WITH CORE AERATION FERTILIZATION * SOIL AMENDMENTS * LAWN SOIL TESTING

ROC 282663 * BONDED * INSURED YOUR LAWN EXPERT SINCE 1995

RAMON LANDSCAPING SERVICES I could help you have your palm trees and other trees trimmed by giving you a reasonable and better price than the others.

Irrigation Repair & New Installation Yard Clean-ups • Storm Damage • Palm & Tree Trimming Tree Removal • Landscape Lighting Installation & Repair Landscape Design

Responsible • 100% Guaranteed Ask for Ramon

Not a Licensed Contractor

480-217-0407

D&L SPRINKLER SERVICE Landscape Lighting Wi-Fi Irrigation & Lighting timers

UNDER $100 We Do Installs! Warranty On All Work dandlsprinklerservice.com

602.329.3396 Not a Licensed Contractor

Not a licensed contractor

Irrigation Repair Services Inc. Licensed • Bonded • Insured Technician

Residential • Commercial • Best Painters EVER! • Epoxy Floors & Concrete Coatings

Call Lance White

“Professional, Punctual & Clean”

www.irsaz.com

ACP is 100% Veteran Owned

Specials

Like us on Facebook to stay current & Receive 5% Off Services

• Interior & Exterior

ROC# 256752

Lawn Mowing Starts At $40 Full Service Starts At $70 SONORAN LAWN

480-745-5230

Is your lawn ready for the holidays? Call for a clean up.

Meetings/Events?

Get Free notices in the Classifieds!

Submit to ecota@timespublications.com

Painting

HOME IMPROVEMENT & PAINTING Interior/Exterior Painting 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE Dunn Edwards Quality Paint Small Stucco/Drywall Repairs

We Are State Licensed and Reliable!

Free Estimates • Senior Discounts

480-338-4011

www.AcpPaintingllc.com Licensed - Bonded - Insured ROC 290242

FREE ESTIMATES • CALL TODAY!

(480)785-6323

15 + Yrs Exp! All English Speaking Crew

Email Your Job Post to: class@times publications.com or Call

480-898-6465

Painting

★ Interior/Exterior Painting ★ Drywall Repair & Installation ★ Popcorn Ceiling Removal

★ Elastomaric Roof Coating ★ Epoxy Floors ★ Small Job Specialist

Scott Mewborn, Owner 480-818-1789 License #ROC 298736

SUN TECH

PAINTING INC.

Serving Ahwatukee Since 1987 Interior / Exterior

• High Quality Materials & Workmanship • Customer Satisfaction Free Est imates • Countless References • Carpentry Services Now Available

602.625.0599 ROC #155380 Family Owned • Free Estimates

Plumbing

Voted #1 Paint Interior & Exterior • Drywall Repair Light Carpentry • Power Washing • Textures Matched Popcorn Removal • Pool Deck Coatings Garage Floor Coatings • Color Consulting

10% OFF

We Beat Competitors Prices & Quality Free Estimates! Home of the 10-Year Warranty!

480-688-4770

www.eastvalleypainters.com Bonded/Insured • ROC#153131

“We get your house looking top notch!”

Visit us at Suntechpaintingaz.com or view our video promo at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM5pbvpZJlg

East Valley PAINTERS

Family Owned & Operated ROC#309706

People are looking at the Classifieds Every day!

Proudly Serving Ahwatukee for 15 Years! Family Owned & Operated

Specializing in Controllers, Valves, Sprinklers, Landscape Lighting, P.V.C. & Poly Drip Systems

480.721.4146

PROFESSIONAL PAINTING Interior, Exterior House Painting. Stucco Patching. Gate/Front Door Refinishing. Quality work/Materials Free Estimate Ignacio 480-961-5093 602-571-9015 ROC #189850 Bond/Ins'd

The Valley’s Premier Painters

Not a licensed contractor.

Misting Systems

MOST REPAIRS

Jose Dominguez Painting & Drywall SEE OUR AD IN DRYWALL! Quick Response to your Call! 15 Years Exp 480-266-4589

25 years Experience & Insured

480-586-8445

HIRING?

Painting

Now Accepting all major credit cards

PLUMBERS CHARGE TOO MUCH! Beat Any Price By 10% • Lifetime Warranty Water Heaters Installed - $799 Unclog Drains - $49 FREE RO UNIT w/Any WATER SOFTENER INSTALL NO INTEREST FINANCING - 60 Months!! ‘A’ RATED PLUMBING REPAIR Free Estimates • Same Day Service

Bonded/Insured • ROC #223709

480-405-7099 ItsJustPlumbSmart.com

CLASSIFIEDS

AUGUST 12, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Pool Service / Repair

Plumbing

Roofing Watch for Garage Sales in Classifieds!

AHWATUKEE SPECIAL $

Pool Service / Repair

$25 OFF

Off 40work done *Any

Filter Cleaning! Monthly Service & Repairs Available

Garage Sale Fri & Sat 7a-11am Household, clothes, kitchen items, furniture, electronics, mason jars, kid items, DVDs, MORE 555 W. Lane Dr Mesa

602-546-POOL 7 6 6 5

Only $27.50 includes 1 week online

See our Before’s and After’s on Facebook

To place an ad please call: 480-898-6465 class@times publications.com

www.barefootpoolman.com

Plumbing

You will find them easy with their yellow background.

Licensed, Bonded & Insured ROC# 272001

480-699-2754 • info@monsoonroofinginc.com

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

MonsoonRooﬁngInc.com Licensed – Bonded – Insured – ROC187561

TILE ROOFING SPECIALISTS

Flat and Foam Roof Experts!

SERVICE • REPAIR • REPLACEMENT We offer personalized service for our customers. We use the best materials that we can find.

Owned and Operated by Rod Lampert Ahwatukee Resident Serving Ahwatukee for over 25 years

Our services include: Sinks, Toilets, Faucets, Water Heaters, Garbage Disposal, Drain Cleaning, Pressure Reducing Valves, Pressure Vacuum Breakers, Hot Water Circulation Systems, Main Service Valves and Hose Taps.

(480) 279-4155 Licensed • Bonded • Insured • ROC 189848

Pool Service / Repair

CLR Pool Service LLC Excellent Service... First time, Every time! Charles Rock - Ahwatukee Resident

480.399.ROCK (7625)

charles@clrpoolservice.com

www.clrpoolservice.com

PLUMBING $35.00 Off Any Service Call Today!

A+ RATED

We Repair or Install ROC # 272721

AHWATUKEE’S #1 PLUMBER Licensed • Bonded • Insured

704.5422

(480)

SHARE WITH THE WORLD!

Place a Birth, Anniversary, Wedding Announcement, In Memoriam, Obituary or any life event in this paper today! Call us for details. class@timespublications.com or call 480-898-6465

1st Month of Service FREE For a limited time

Call Now!

Ahw Resident • Owner Operated Maintenance & Repair Professional and Superior Service

We maintain, repair and service all types of pools, equipment, filters, cleaning systems, fresh water and salt water systems

Call me, Howard:

480.231.9651

AZPoolExpert.com BBB Member Not a licensed contractor.

Juan Hernandez

Pavers • Concrete • Water Features • Sprinkler Repair

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

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

Call Juan at

480-720-3840 Not a licensed contractor.

10% OFF COMPLETE UNDERLAYMENT Commercial & Residential Family Owned & Operated AZROC #283571 | CONTRACTOR LIC. AZROC #312804 CLASS CR4 | FULLY INSURED

FREE ESTIMATES 602-736-3019

Over 30 Years of Experience Family Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers!

Spencer 4 HIRE ROOFING Valley Wide Service

480-446-7663

10% OFF with this ad

Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer! FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hirerooﬁng.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded

ALL YOU NEED IS A PU

480.898.6465 CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

Roofing

Family Owned & Operated for over 30 years

Family Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers! We have a “Spencer” on every job and every step of the way.

ROC #152111

Quality Repairs & Re-Roofs

602-938-7575 $ 1000 OFF when you show this ad

on qualifying complete roof replacements

Let us show you the IN-EX Difference!

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

Complimentary & Honest Estimates

Over 30 yrs. Experience

Call our office today!

480-706-1453

480-460-7602 Ask us about our discount for all Military and First Responders!

www.porterroofinginc.com

Licensed/Bonded/Insured • ROC #236099

480-446-7663 Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer!

Serving The Valley Since 1996

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

inexroofing.com

Licensed, Bonded, Insured

Place YOUR Business HERE! in the Service Directory

Call for our 3 Month Special! Starting at $145.20/month Classifieds: 480-898-6465

WORD SEARCH: Words ‘n Words #1 Find four words that start #2 Find three 4-letter words and three

Call for your FREE Roof Evaluation

with “S”, using only these letters.

CONTAINS

3-letter words, using only these letters.

UNIFIED

S S

Your leaks stop here!

New Roofs, Repairs, Coatings, Flat Roof, Hot Mopping & Patching & Total Rubber Roof Systems

FREE ESTIMATES & MONSOON SPECIALS

S S #3 Find one 4-letter word, two 5-letter words

Licensed • Bonded • Insured ROC # 269218

See MORE Ads Online!

and four 3-letter words, using only these letters. C H A M B E R

SAME DAY SERVICE 30 Years Experience References Available

Licensed Bonded Insured ROC 286561

Senior & Military Discounts

#1 Answers: Ever, Fore, Free, Veer, Reef #2 Answers: Dine, Dune, Nude, Fed, Fun, Die #3 Answers: Sit, Sin, Son, Scan, Stain

www.Ahwatukee.com

480-280-0390

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

palmabrisa.com

NOW SELLING

A new gated resort community is coming soon in the Ahwatukee Foothills with a dramatically different style. It feels exclusive, but also lively and exciting — and it's called Palma Brisa. • Modern resort-style gated community with stately palms

• Diverse architecture: Modern Bungalow, Urban Farmhouse, Italian Cottage, Andalusian, Modern Craftsman, French Country, and Spanish Mission • Four amenity areas connected by expansive lawns

• Homes from 1,700 sq. ft. to 4,000 sq. ft. from the $400’s

ERIC WILLIAMS

480-641-1800

TERRY LENTS

© Copyright 2019 Blandford Homes, LLC. No offer to sell or lease may be made prior to issuance of Final Arizona Subdivision Public Report. Offer, terms, and availability subject to change without prior notice. Renderings are artist’s conceptions and remain subject to modification without notice.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | AUGUST 12, 2020

MESA - 5141

SALE GOING ON AT ALL LOCATIONS!

S. POWER RD

GIVE US A CALL, BUY OVER THE PHONE

1000’S OF ITEMS IN STOCK FOR FAST DELIVERY!

YOUR LOW PRICE LEADER 58” 4K UHD SMART TV • 2 HDMI Inputs • Airplay2 Built-In

1.6 CU. FT. OVER-THERANGE MICROWAVE

18 CU. FT. REFRIGERATOR

• 950 Watts of Power • 10 Levels of Power • Sunken Glass Turntable

• 2 Adjustable Glass Shelves • Fixed Gallon Door Shelves • Sealed Drawers with Glass Cover

449 $199

UN58TU7000

GREA T DEAL ! WMH1162XVQ CLOSEOUT

GRM183TW

499

TOP LOAD WASHER

• 3.8 Cu. Ft. • 12 Wash Cycles • 2 Water Levels • 5 Temperature Options • Power Wash Agitator MVWC416FW CLOSEOUT

DRYER

• Large 7.0 cu. ft. Capacity • Wrinkle Control Option • Heavy-Duty Motor MEDC415EW CLOSEOUT

459

EACH EACH

DISHWASHER

OVER THE RANGE MICROWAVE

• 1.6 Cu. Ft. • 1000 Watts • Glass Turntable • 10 Power Levels FFMV1645TS CLOSEOUT

30” RANGE

23 CU. FT. REFRIGERATOR

• PureSource® Filtration • Adjustable Store-MoreTM Shelves • Deli Drawer • Gallon Bins FFSS2315TS

• 4.9 Cu. Ft. Capacity • Quick Boil • 5 Heating Elements • Store-More Drawer FFEF3052TS CLOSEOUT

269 1999

12 MONTHS NO INTEREST**

7.5 CU. FT. DRYER

• Dryer Rack • Steam Sanitize Plus • Sensor Dry • 10 Preset Dryer Cycles

599

EACH **

• 14 Place Settings • 4 Cycles • Heated Dry FFCD2418US

only

• Super Speed • Steam • Self Clean Plus • 10 Preset Wash Cycles

DISHWASHER

25.5 CU. FT. FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR

• Normal Wash Cycle • Heated Dry On/Off HDA1100FMCC

4.5 CU. FT. WASHER

• Twin Cooling Plus • LED Lighting • Gallon Door • Pull Out Freezer Storage Drawer

1199

RF260BEAESR

BUYS ALL 4 PIECES

** NO INTEREST IF PAID IN FULL IN 12 MONTHS. $799.00 Minimum Purchase Required Minimum Payments Required 30.79% APR If the promotional balance is not paid in full by the end for the promotional period or, to the extent permitted by law, if you make a late payment, interest will be imposed from the date of purchase at the APR noted above. This APR is as of 7/4/2019 and will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Your card agreement, the terms of the offer and applicable law govern this transaction including increasing APRs and fees and terminating the promotional period.

Arizona’s largest independent dealer! “It’s Like Having A Friend In The Business” Check Out Our Website

WWW.SPENCERSTV.COM OPEN DAILY 9AM-9PM | SATURDAY 9AM-6PM | SUNDAY 11AM-5PM

HOUSE IN S R E C SPEN PLANS PAYMENT BLE AVAILA Due to current circumstances, some items may be out of stock.